**Cassius**
I was relieved when I was told that Avery was awake, and even more so, once Enya guaranteed a full recovery. However, I was a bit rattled when Clint told me that she remembered everything. The sheer agony that she must have endured alone would be enough to break anyone, human or dragon. Avery must be stronger than I have ever given her credit for.
I sigh, as I stare at my ceiling. I have tried to break her spirit in an effort to uplift my own. I have been such an evil, selfish bastard. That's no way a future king should behave. My parents would be ashamed. Yes, Avery was hired as a servant after she tried to escape, but my brothers and I were the reason she even made the attempt. Does she look like any humans or dragons here? No, but that should not have been why we treated her as we did.
Before my parents died, they would often tease my brothers and me about girls. My mom would tell stories of how boys used to pull her ponytail just so that she would look at them. My father would laugh and nod because he was guilty of doing that to girls he had liked. But I don't like Avery in that way, do I? I shake my head, because I can't. She isn't my type, even though she is very intelligent. I kept glancing at her on Friday during Mr. Chen's class. There was a grace about her as she fluttered from one part of the titration to the next. I need to stop being such a prick to her. I need to do and be better.
June and Anton should be in their room resting by now. I decided I would go talk to Avery and try to discover how much she remembers. As I enter the hallway, both of my brothers open their doors. After I told them that I was going to talk with Avery about what happened, they insisted on coming along. I knock lightly as I slowly open her door. She starts to get up, "Avery, sit!"
She instantly sat back in her bed. I ran my hand over my face because I didn't intend to command her like that, but the girl nearly died. She does not need to be concerned about anything that my brothers or I might need right now. I want to kick my own ass for causing her to not have any regard for herself. Both of my brothers nod to me, which lets me know they feel the same. We owe Avery the truth, but we need to keep up the charade of hating her, at least, until our Grand Ceremony. Afterward, we can tell her the whole truth and pray she forgives us. "Do you know for certain what happened to you?"
As she stares at me, she cocks her head as she speaks, "I know; same as you. You are just as bad as they are, because I can tell by how you are looking at me, you are going to let them get away with it."
"Avery, it is complicated." There is a fire in her eyes that I had never noticed before.
She huffs loudly, as she rolls her eyes, "Complicated, yeah right. You just care about getting laid."
My brothers and I raise our eyebrows. She covers her mouth, and her cheeks redden in embarrassment at her brazen words. "Sorry," she mumbles, looking away.
Normally, such disrespect would send Asher into a fit of rage, and he would incinerate any who dared to speak to us that way, but now, he's laughing. I would join him, but I don't want Avery to think that I am laughing at her. "After our Grand Ceremony, you have my word, those girls will be punished."
She took a few moments to observe my brothers and me. I have no doubtshe was looking to see if we are being sincere. Evidently satisfied, she asked, "How did I get back here?"
I push Clint forward; he should be the one to tell her. He nervously runs his hand through his hair. "When we all got home, I was hungry, but I couldn't find you. You told me you would be here reading. Avery, you are always here, so when you weren't, we went looking for you. We started at the last place that we saw you."
Avery pulls the blankets up around her, no doubt remembering what happened to her clothes. Clint says, "After we broke you loose, we covered you up, and got to you Enya, so she could heal you." He told her mostly the truth, but he left out how we healed her before we brought her to Enya. She didn't need to know we used our dragons' magic tongue and fire to explore her whole body.
"Why did you guys save me? You all hate me," she murmurs into her hand, which is still covering her mouth.
I find myself liking this side of her, so I put my hands up as I take a seat at the foot of her bed. "We don't hate you, at least, not anymore we don't. You were to never be physically hurt. That's the truth. We never wanted a nanny and that's what we saw you as. I know this is a lot to ask, but when we are away from everyone at school, can we be friends?"
"Why not at school, too?" she asks.
I look at Clint. He nods before he explains, "Me trying to be nice to you is why Lenore and the others targeted you. We can't risk any others trying it either. After our Grand Ceremony, things will be different."
She chews on her lip. "If anyone touches me again, you had better deal with them, or grant me the ability to return to the human world," she says.
I sighed, because at one time, I actually wanted her gone. But not that she nearly died, I came to realize I liked having her around, and I don't want her to go away anymore. Even after we find our mates, I will allow Avery to live here in the palace, if she chooses to. After we forbade Avery to assist us until Monday, we left her room.
"Can we just fire her now?" Conner asks.
"If we did, she would take it badly. What we can do is show her that we can take care of ourselves, but still allow her to help when she chooses. It is time we do our own homework."