And Then There Were Four novel Chapter 193

Chapter 193: Foolish Behavior

Cassie.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of what Balder had said, but the more and more I thought about it, I couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to tell me something secretly without exactly coming out and saying it, which seemed to be the usual kind of thing that happened around this place.

The moment the sparring games had finished for the day, I took my leave with Sansa and made my way down the stone steps toward the main courtyard door, eager to be able to check and see if Lucas was okay. It was clear he had taken a beating from Soren, and I felt incredibly bad that he had, especially since he was so eager to prove himself in front of everybody. And yet when he lost, it seemed like he was just ridiculed over it.

Afterward, men scattered around the area talking and hanging out after everything had finished. I followed Sansa down the corridors toward the main door and I couldn't help but stop next to the door that led to the shower areas. It must have been where Lucas had gone after everything was said and done. And as I halted there, Sansa looked over her shoulder at me with curiosity.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she stood staring at me with her brows furrowed together and a look of confusion on her face.

"I think I should go check and see if Lucas is okay."

Shaking her head from side to side, she frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea, Cassie. He is already dealing with a loss... having you go in there is only going to make things worse."

"What are you talking about?” I scoffed with annoyance, 'I'm just there checking on him."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I frowned at the way she was acting. How could she think that I would make things worse? I was, at one point in time, Lucas's mate, and he cared for me greatly. He would never get upset at me for checking on him.

After a moment of the stare down, a smile crossed her face as she gestured toward the door. “Okay, then. By all means, go check on him. Just don't come complaining to mewhen it backfires.“

Her words caused me to hesitate as I glanced toward the door and then back to her. Maybe she was right, but at the same time, I couldn't help but feel the pull to check. The image of him bleeding was imprinted in my mind, and I just had to make sure that he was safe.

In frustration, I huffed out and moved toward the door causing Sansa to groan as she turned walking away and I entered the darkened pathway. The smell of rank body odor caused me to gag as I made my way toward the lockers and searched for the dark head of hair I had grown to love overtime.

"Whoa! What do we have here, men?!* The hoots and hollers of multiple men made me internally wish I had listened to Sansa. Their testosterone levels must have been through the roof because as I walked past them, they licked their lips and fucked me with their eyes.

"Get over yourselves," I snapped as I pushed past them in search of Lucas.

A tall, muscular, and well-cut wall of godliness stepped in front of me, causing me to halt in my tracks as I looked up into the eyes of none other than Soren. The man who had caused Lucas harm today. He stood in front of me completely naked with a smirk on his face and his arms over his chest like the cocky prick he was.

"What are you doing in here, Delicious? Did you decide to reward me early for my win?"

Disgust filled me. He was more self-centered than most men I had met and he only said one sentence to me.

"If you think for one moment your trashy pick-up line was going to work, you're sadly mistaken. Plus," I replied, looking him up and down thoroughly, "It doesn’t seem like there's much to work with."

The roar of laughter that left the mouths of the men in that locker room was enough for anyone outside of this building to hear it-and Soren wasn't pleased with what I said. His eyes narrowed at me as he sneered at my remark. "You have a lot to say for a woman who's being passed off as a prize to please the man that wins."

Placing my hands on my hips, I refused to back down and let him see me falter. It was men like him that made me wonder if I should just be single forever. He was nothing but a prick looking to get one off and any pretty face who would entertain him.

"If that’s what you think this entire thing is then I'm afraid you’re wrong." Hearing me say he was wrong seemed to puzzle him, giving me the opportunity I needed to put him in his place. “You see, the winner won't win me. He will win the opportunity to please me however I see fit for the rest of his life. Granted you will have luxuries... but you will never be free again.“

Silence fell over the locker rooms at my comment, and as I glanced around I watched every man in there silently question what I was saying. They had all come into this thinking that they had a chance to bag themselves a princess as some may say. Yet, never stopped to think that perhaps that wasn’t the case.

"You're lying," he muttered.

Turning to him again my smile widened. "Am I?"

It only took a moment for him to step aside and storm off without another word. He didn't like what I had to say, and I didn’t care if he didn't like it. It was the truth. I would never let a man think that just because he won the tournament, I was his property to do with as he pleased.

I was no one’s property, and if that was what people thought my future was going to be, they were sadly mistaken. Moving through the lockers, I turned every corner until my eyes landed upon the dark hair of Lucas, his dark eyes connected with mine. "Cassie?"

"Lucas, I found you," I muttered as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close to me. There were cuts and bruises all over his body and I knew that with time, they would heal but it didn't stop me from worrying about him.