Cassian and the others were buried somewhere in the middle of the thousands of reinforcements, so he never even got a clear look when the Earl’s rumored egotistical daughter came out to greet them. From what he heard, she’d offered some formal welcome and gratitude speech for coming to help the Earldom fight against the cult, but all Cassian saw was the back of helmets and horses.
Once the column finally reached the staging area, the reinforcements broke off to throw together a camp. There wasn’t an active battle raging at the moment, but no one knew how long that calm would last.
"I really fucking hate sleeping in these tents..." Shera grumbled, kneeling in the dirt and glaring at the bundle of poles and canvas like it had personally offended her.
Cassian knelt to help her, pulling the heavier side of the frame into place. Her tent was a bigger one — enough space to feel like two small rooms shoved together — which meant it took twice as long to set up.
His own was already done, a cramped thing he’d be sharing with the other three guys on the team, so he didn’t mind giving Shera a hand. For some reason, Altev was off wrestling with his own tent instead of helping her.
The way Shera was practically attacking the tent ropes made it pretty clear something was off between her and Altev. Cassian glanced between them, one brow raised.
"Everything okay between you two?" he asked, keeping his voice light but curious.
Shera froze for half a second, then shot him a sharp look that quickly shifted into a scowl. "There’s nothing wrong between us," she said, voice clipped. Then, with more bite, "In fact, there’s nothing between us anymore."
She yanked the rope tight with more force than necessary, muttering under her breath.
Cassian tilted his head slightly, his voice dropping a notch softer. "What happened?"
Shera froze for a moment, and when she turned her face toward him, Cassian caught the complicated mess behind her glare. To anyone else, she just looked angry — eyes sharp, brows pinched tight. But he saw the sheen at the corner of her eyes, a tear threatening to slip free.
Her answer came out with a crack hidden under her harsh tone. "Apparently, he and I don’t want the same things anymore..."
She gave a sharp, sarcastic smile and went on before Cassian could even respond. "And what things, you might ask? Oh, let’s see. He says he doesn’t want to settle down and fight. Well, here I am, fighting someone else’s damn war. Doesn’t want kids? Fine by me. Can’t raise them on the road, can’t leave them alone. What else does he want? Sex?" She let out a bitter laugh. "I gave him that every single day, even if he only lasted two fucking minutes!"
The last line came out loud enough to turn a dozen heads. Even Altev paused mid-rope, glanced over once, and then silently went back to wrestling with the tent like nothing happened.
Cassian blinked, suddenly very aware of the eyes on them. He’d only asked out of pity, not expecting to get dragged into the middle of whatever battlefield this was. Still, as Shera wiped her face with the back of her hand and muttered under her breath, he remembered an old saying his friend Nahir once told him in his youth. The harder she cries, the wilder she moans.
Cassian couldn’t help thinking it’d be a damn shame to lose a woman like her. Taller and broader than most men in camp, with wild brown hair spilling loose around her shoulders, sun-warmed almond skin, and a face that was... surprisingly cute, even now, red-eyed and angry on the verge of crying.
Shera’s voice cracked as she kept venting. "That bastard made me leave my tribe in the name of love. And I—" she let out a bitter laugh, "I was fucking stupid enough to do it. Fuck, I’m the one in the wrong for believing him. And now he wants to end things? I should’ve ended it back then..."
"Hey... you didn’t do anything wrong," Cassian said, and for once he actually meant it. She hadn’t done anything to deserve carrying the blame for this mess.
The next thing that came out of his mouth, though... yeah, that was pure opportunistic stupidity. He didn’t even want to say it, knew how cheap it sounded, but it was out before he could stop himself. His face heated as he forced it past his teeth.
"You were just... in love."
Shera blinked at him for a second, like her brain needed time to process what he’d just said. Then her face turned slightly red, and she looked away quickly, a small snort slipping out before she could stop it.
Cassian groaned, dragging a hand over his face. "Don’t... don’t laugh. I was trying to cheer you up, alright? I know I shouldn’t have said it..."
Her shoulders started to shake as she tried — and failed — to hide a grin. "Where in all hells did you even come up with that?" she said, half-laughing. "’You were just in love?’ And how did you say it with a straight face?"
Cassian chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I know. It sounded way better in my head. Trust me."
"I’ll take your word for it," Shera said, smirk tugging at her lips as she pulled the last rope tight. "Saints, Cassian... you sound like some cheap tavern bard trying to pay his tab with bad poetry."
Shera went quiet for a beat, though the smile lingered. "Yeah... I was in love. Like you two..." She tilted her chin toward Lumine, who was glancing over at them before quickly looking away when their eyes met.
Cassian smiled a little at that, though it came with a twinge of guilt. He really did like Lumine... and here he was, half-thinking about taking advantage of Shera’s heartbreak. Made him feel like the same kind of scumbag as Altev.
Shera didn’t notice his expression. Her eyes were fixed on Altev across camp, and her voice turned sharp again. "Fucking love. You know what it gave me? Two fucking minutes. That’s all I got. Two minutes!"
She yanked the rope so hard the knot bit into her fingers. "Two minutes, Cassian. Do you know what it’s like to get all worked up and then just... be left there? Lying on your back, staring at the ceiling, wondering if it’s even worth pulling your pants down the next time?"
Cassian opened his mouth, thought better of it, and just nodded slowly.
"And then," she went on, her voice climbing, "after months of that, he has the balls to tell me, ’I don’t think we’re after the same things.’ No shit! I’m after a partner, not a quick nap and a disappointment!"
The last part came out louder than she intended. A few more soldiers glanced over; one of them coughed into his hand and pretended to check his gear. Even Robert, passing by with a bundle of stakes, raised a brow at Cassian like, what the hell did you do?
Cassian held up his hands slightly, whispering, "Hey, I just asked a question..."
"Yeah, well, congratulations. You opened the floodgate," Shera snapped, slamming a peg into the dirt with enough force to make it quiver. "Do you know what it’s like to realize the person you’ve been with just sees you as... as... travel convenience? Cook, sparring partner, and two-minute fuck on demand?!"
Cassian cleared his throat. "no... I can’t."
Shera let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. "Figures. You wouldn’t get it anyway. You’re young — at least you could last more than ten minutes."
Cassian raised a brow. "Wow. High praise. Thanks."
"Take it as a compliment," she shot back, yanking the rope until the stake groaned. "Meanwhile, I tossed my tribe and my sanity away for a man who couldn’t even outlast a kettle coming to a boil."
Cassian scratched his cheek. "...Ouch."
Shera cut him a side-eye. "That’s it? ’Ouch?’"
"What else am I supposed to say? ’Sorry your love life’s a sprint instead of a marathon?’"
Shera blinked, then barked a laugh. "Wow. That’s cold... but fair."
Before Cassian could come up with another line, the sharp blast of a horn cut through the camp, followed by shouts in the distance. Both of them froze for a moment, the shift in the air unmistakable.
Cassian exhaled slowly and muttered, "Never thought I’d be grateful for a battle horn."
Shera’s brow arched. "What was that?"
"Nothing. Totally ready to risk my life now," Cassian said, grabbing his gear — and if he felt the corner of his mouth twitch into a smile, he kept it to himself.