Chapter 31

I woke up lying on the floor in Cassandra's bedroom. That's how I thought of her now, as Cassandra, not Dumont. It was how her memories affected me.

Katrina was sitting on her knees next to me. She leaned over and looked into my eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.

I nodded and sat up. Jordan and Cassandra were sitting on the bed. Cassandra was wearing a silk robe, but I couldn't tell if there was anything on under it. I was still nude, but someone had obviously cleaned me up. I looked at Katrina. "Did you clean me?"

She nodded with a smile.

I patted her hand and said, "Thank you." Then I nodded past her and said, "Could you hand me my shorts, please?"

She got them for me and while I pulled them on, she found my shirt, pants, shoes, and socks and brought them all to me too.

All three of them watched me get dressed. With all the practice I got changing clothes in front of Jordan and Sammi while modeling, you'd think I might get used to it, but it unnerved me a little.

I looked at the bed. The covers were still in disarray, which meant Jordan and Cassandra were sitting very close to the liquid mess Cassandra and I made earlier.

Both of them were watching me. Their silence was unsettling. Either something was wrong, or I was in trouble. Cassandra was calm and appeared composed, so I had to guess that the problem was the latter. The question was, what did I do?

Cassandra slipped off the bed and stepped closer. She was within arm's reach but didn't invade my personal space. "If I don't say this before long, I'll never be able to..."

I studied her face and felt a pull that I hadn't felt before, an urge to touch her. It didn't matter if I simply brushed her hair away from her face or hugged her to me, I wanted to make contact. She looked like she was about to burst into tears, but with a small sniff, she looked up and said, "I'm so very sorry for how I treated you in class, Seth." She shook her head. "I had no idea what you were going through and you didn't deserve the way I treated you."

I finally gave in to the urge and cupped her cheek. I couldn't help it. She calmed down at my touch and stared into my eyes. "What you told me before," I softly asked, "about wanting me, was that the truth?"

With her eyes locked onto mine, she nodded. "Yes."

"Then you were trying to keep this from happening," I said and nodded at the bed. "You wouldn't want the school to find out. I understand that."

Tears filled her eyes. I could feel an ever so soft tremor run through her body.

I knew why she was reacting that way. "I will never, ever tell anyone what's happened. You have my word."

She blinked several times and then asked, "And the pictures you took?"

"The phone is in my bag in your car," I said softly. "I'll make sure they're erased."

Jordan arched an eyebrow behind Cassandra. I caught the question in her expression and shook my head. I'd tell her about it later.

Focusing on Cassandra again, I said, "I know Jordan probably answered most of your questions, but if there's anything she couldn't answer, I will."

Cassandra cupped my hand on her cheek and pulled it down to her chest. "For the most part, she's told me what's going on. I just don't understand why you chose me for this." She shrugged. "Especially with the way I've been treating you."

I sighed. I should have known she would ask me that. I hoped I would have time to find a way to explain it that didn't make it sound like I only had an ulterior motive. Now that the bond had been forged though, I couldn't imagine not having her. Since I didn't know what else to say, I told her the truth. I had problems meeting her eyes and thought it might be wise to pull my hand from her. "I need your help." I said and glanced at Katrina, but only a glance. "In my effort to find more Fonti, I thought Katrina would fit right in. She enjoys sex and desperately needs to get away from your brother. Since she doesn't believe that she has any say in the matter, my only recourse is to convince Heisler to break up with her. I had hoped that, since he's your brother, you could help. Unfortunately, I didn't know any other way to convince you to help me."

Cassandra stood there staring at me for a moment. I looked up because she wasn't saying or doing anything, which made me wonder what her reaction was. She had a slight smile on her face. "Jordan told me all of that," she said and squeezed my hand. "But, this ... bond we have. It's permanent, right?" I nodded. "Then why chance something like that with me just to get my help?"

Warning flags went off in my head. I knew if I didn't say the right thing, give her the right answer, this could blow up in my face. I sighed and said, "More than the possibility of upsetting you, I'm upset with myself. In my rush to acquire your help, I hadn't considered the long term. What did I really have planned for you once I found out whether you would help or not? I honestly didn't know. I never thought beyond my immediate goal, and for that, I'm sorry."

She frowned and glanced at Katrina. "You did this so I'd help you get Katrina from my brother, and for no other reason?"

I could tell by her tone that I hadn't said what she needed to hear. I sighed and stepped back, pulling away from her. It was the hardest thing I had ever done because it was followed by the thought that I would never touch her again. "If you want me to break the bond," I said, unable to meet her eyes, "then I will. I'll have to have Jordan coach me through how it's done, but..."

"No!" Cassandra said, closing the distance and snatching my hand back again. "Don't do that."

The rest of us jumped at her action and outburst. The feel of her skin touching mine calmed me down pretty quick. Jordan and Katrina took a few more seconds to recover. I held Cassandra's hand not only because it felt good to touch her, but also to reassure her that I wouldn't let go if she didn't want me to.

She pressed my hand to her cheek and said, "I'll help you, Seth. Just don't let me go. I haven't felt like this in a long time, and I'll fight to keep it."

Katrina watched us like a fan of a soap opera, waiting to find out what was going to happen next. Jordan's eyebrows had disappeared up in her bangs, making her look a little lost and a little shocked by what was going on.

Cassandra smiled and ran her hand down the center of my chest. "If I hadn't had my own fears, I would have been more open to the idea." She turned and looked at Katrina. "I introduced them, after all. I should have a hand in this."

Katrina looked from her to me and back again, but she didn't say anything.

A thought crossed my mind. I squeezed Cassandra's hand. "You said you understood what I was going though, did Jordan tell you?"

She blinked and sighed. "Not all of it."

I realized what she meant, but something told me that she saw more than just that day. "What did you see?" I asked.

She avoided my eyes but said, "It started the day you got detention for looking at Lisa Hartwell. I saw what her father did and how you avoided everyone during high school." She looked at me then and continued. "Then I saw what happened when you arrived on campus, what Jordan told you, what you've been doing since then, and especially this week."

I stared at her for a moment. None of my girls had seen so much of my past. It was usually just the punishment from Lisa's dad, but for Cassandra, or anyone, to see so much I didn't know what to think. I glanced at Jordan and she nodded to confirm. I squeezed Cassandra's hand again. "I'm sorry Cassandra. I knew you'd see something, but not everything."

She shook her head. "No, not everything. It was like seeing the highlights of a movie or a sporting event." She licked her lips and said, "And I am so sorry for calling you a liar in class. It was unfair and unfounded." She shook her head again. "I was such a bitch to you, and you didn't deserve that."

I patted her hand. "That's behind us ... Well, sort of." I caught her expression and said, "We'll have to work out what to do in class before Monday."

She nodded and looked back at Jordan. "She told me that you saw some of my memories too. What did you see?"

I glanced at Jordan and Katrina. "I'm not sure you'll want me to talk about it with them here. Most of it was either very painful or very personal."

She closed her eyes and let out a long breath, like she'd been holding it for hours. "My parents," she said. Then she opened her eyes and asked, "What else?"

I summed it up in the same way she had the night she met Victor. "You were trying to understand their relationship, especially your father's side of things."

Her eyes widened. "How much?"

I shook my head. "Not in detail, but I know what you went through, mentally and emotionally."

She relaxed and nodded. "Yeah, that was a bad night." Then she shook her head and said, "Before we work out what to do about my brother, I need something to eat."

I frowned while she wasn't looking. It was one thing for her to accept that this magical bond had been forged, but she was taking everything a lot better than expected. It was better than I hoped for but I thought I should talk to Jordan first, before going forward with any plans with Cassandra.

I nodded to the door and said, "I need to talk to Jordan real quick, okay?"

Cassandra nodded but it was obvious she was as reluctant to let go of me as I was of her. She walked toward the door, holding onto me as long as she could, and when she stepped out of the room, she looked back at me, looking scared, like I was going to disappear or something.

Part of me felt the same way.

Before anything else, I described this to Jordan.

She smiled. "Good. That means you're close to completion." She noticed my confused expression and rolled her eyes. "I mean that with one or two more Fonti, you'll have all you need."

I guffawed and pointed at the door. "I can't stop touching her."

Jordan licked her lips and nodded. "I know." Then she reached out and ran her fingers along my cheek.

I didn't jump her, but I snatched at her hand to press it into my skin. "I'm guessing that touch is going to be like this with all of you?" I asked.

She bit her lower lip and stepped closer. "Yes," she said in a lusty tone.

I didn't want to chance making things worse for Jordan, so I stepped back, out of reach. It hurt to do it, but for the moment, I was sure it would be necessary. Fortunately, she didn't look hurt, just an expression of longing. "This is getting out of hand," I said. "You realize that you, Danielle and Jana won't be able to even touch me for the next week or so."

Jordan ran her fingers over her own lips and nodded. "It's going to be a long week."

I nodded as well and glanced at the door. "Do you believe Cassandra?"

Jordan blinked and then came back to herself. "Yes, I do. She seems genuinely infatuated with you." She shook her head. "Of course, right now, all of the women bound to you are going to be infatuated with you, but I honestly believe she was treating you like she was to keep things between you from getting this far."

"But I forced it," I said. "And now, if the wrong people find out, she could lose her job."

"And you could be expelled from school," Jordan said. "I think, as long as you two continue to 'bicker' at one another during class, everything will be okay. In fact, it might be a good idea for you to find another class to attend rather than hers."

I nodded, having thought the same thing. "The only reason I was putting up with her before was because her class fit my schedule so well. Gambling on me getting expelled and her fired isn't worth it."

Jordan nodded. "We better go before I decide to give in and find out what might happen after I fuck the hell out of you."

I met her eyes and realized that I was tempted by the same thing. I put more distance between us and opened the door. "Riding in a car with you is going to be a lot more dangerous."

She smiled and walked past me through the door.

We found Katrina sitting at the bar between the kitchen and breakfast nook, looking nervous. Cassandra was in the kitchen with her phone, talking quietly to someone.

I was about to ask Katrina who she was talking to when Cassandra turned, spotted us standing there, and spoke louder. "No, I won't do it ... And if you do, I'll call the police. No, Steven, because I know you. You'll be too angry to realize what you're doing until it's too late. That's why you've always sent her to me ... No, I asked her what happened ... Yes, she told me. I also asked her if you told her not to have sex with him, but you didn't. You just want her punished because you don't like what happened. You're taking your anger out on her through me and I won't be a part of it anymore." She rolled her eyes, listening to the phone. "I'll bring her to the club tonight, but you have to promise not to hurt her ... Okay, I'll see you later." She glanced at me. "Yeah, I'll probably stay for a little while. Okay. Bye."

"I take it he's not happy with you right now?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes again and nodded. "You could say that."

I sat at the bar next to Katrina. She was the only one of the three I didn't feel that pull with, so I considered her safe. Jordan sat on the other side of me and I almost scooted over, away from her. It was so distracting. I took a couple of deep breaths and focused on Cassandra. She moved closer, standing across the bar from me. I wanted to touch both of them so badly it was almost ridiculous, but I folded my hands in front of me and did everything I could to stay composed.