Chapter 102

Chapter 102 Always on her side

CAS SANDRA

As my eyes took in the sight of my beloved friend, my heart sank in my chest. Erika looked terrible beyond words.

“Cas sandra,” she managed to utter.

Her skin was ghostly pale, and though her kind eyes were happy to see me, her gaze was distant. Her l*ps were practically blue and her gray-streaked blonde hair had sprung loose from its usually tidy bun.

I rushed over to her and helped steady her just as she was about to fall.

“Hang on, Erika,” I urged. “Let’s get you back to my room.”

A pair of se rvants appeared mere seconds later.

“Can we help you, Miss Cas sandra?” one asked me pol

politely.

“If you could help me escort her down the hall that would be great,” I replied.

The serv ant nodded. “Of course.”

“Are you ready?” I asked Erika. After she managed the smallest of nods, I carefully fted her arm up over my shoulder. The se rvant did the same on the other ide, and once we had a good grip on her, we began to guide her down the hall and out of the South Wing. With every step, I could tell that Erika was in a great deal of pain. Her lower l*p trembled, and every few seconds, she whimpered.

However, despite the pain she seemed to be in, she managed to smile at me, as

if she wanted to a*sure me that she was alright.

“You don’t have to be brave on my behalf,” I told her gently.

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“I know,” she whispered.

It took all of my power to keep from crying. This was all so terrible and I felt awful about the fact that Erika was in so much pain, but I forced myself to remain strong.

Once we reached the chamber, the serv ants helped me get Erika into bed, and once she was alright, they left. I peered down at my hands and my l*ps parted in

shock.

They were streaked with blood.

I stared at Erika’s back. I’d been so consumed with trying to get her as far away from Margaret’s chamber as possible that I hadn’t even noticed Erika was covered in blood. It ran down her back in long streaks and a shiver ran through me.

She’d been whipped.

“Lay face down,” I instructed her gently. “I’ll be right back.”

Erika complied, and then I carefully moved over to the sink to wash my hands. I prepared some towels and some cool cloths and then walked back over to the bed.

“Is Finnick alright?” Erika whispered as I began to treat her wounds.

“He’s fine,” I a*sured her. “He’s safe with the Alpha King’s guard.”

“Lancel?” she asked, and when I said yes, she let out a sigh of relief. “Good. He’s in great hands. I’m so sorry, Cas sandra-”

“Don’t be sorry,” I said as I carefully unzipped the back of her dress and dabbed at her wounds..

“I don’t want to incriminate you any further,” Erika insisted. “Maybe I should just go back to my room-”

“Nonsense,” I cut her off again. “This isn’t your fault, Erika. And besides, you aren’t going anywhere, not until you’re recovered.”

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Once the blood was wiped away, I studied the lashes on her back. They were quite deep, but not enough to need stitches at least. However, I needed to pick up some supplies. I had few here in my chamber and Erika was going to need a lot of

medicine.

I

“I need to go to the lab,” I said gently. “It will only take a second. I just need to pick up some ointments that will help your back feel better.”

Erika turned around quickly and when she faced me, her eyes were wide with

concern.

“It’s okay, Cas sandra,” she insisted. “The treatment can wait. I… I want to talk to you first.”

My eyebrows knitted together. Her tone was deadly serious and the expression. on her face was starting to scare me. I wanted to protest, but instead, I simply

nodded and sat back down in the chair beside the bed.

“What do you want to talk about?” I asked quietly, making sure to keep my voice calm and collected despite my speeding heart rate.

Erika gulped and studied me for a moment. We remained in silence until finally, she managed to slowly lift her arm and touch my face.

“It’s you,” she said, her voice shaking as she stared into my eyes. “You’re Cora, aren’t you?”

My heart suddenly dropped and my jaw went right along with it. My stomach twisted in knots as I began to panic.

“I know it’s you,” Erika continued. “I should have recognized you at first sight, but I wasn’t certain at first. But now… Why didn’t you tell me, darling? I’ve… I’ve missed you so much.”

I considered brushing off her words just as I’d done with Asher, but I couldn’t contain myself any longer. My eyes welled up with tears that spilled down my

cheeks mere seconds later.

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“I’m so sorry,” I apologized. “I’m so sorry, Erika.”

Erika shook her head and her eyes shimmered with tears as well.

“Don’t be sorry,” she insisted. “I understand why you didn’t tell me. You have great reason to cover up your identity. All that matters to me is that you’re here and you’re safe.”

She lowered her hand back down to her side. “I wish I could hug you, ut my back-M

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, and then the floodgates opened even further. “Oh, Erika, this is all my fault. It’s always my fault. The people around me who love me… they always get into trouble.”

“Shhh,” Erika’s hand rested on my arm. “It’s not your fault, my love. It never was.”

I knew at once that Erika wasn’t only referring to her wounds, but also what had happened five years ago. Oftentimes, when I thought back about the inferno, I blamed myself for doing nothing. If I hadn’t just stayed in Rosepetal and relied on Asher to clear my family’s name… if I’d taken action and done something… would things be different?

We fell into silence as I sobbed quietly. Erika continued to rub my arm, and once I regained my composure, I took a deep breath.

“How did you recognize me?” I asked as I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

“From the moment we met, I knew there was something familiar about you,” Erika said. “But I didn’t know for certain until I saw the scar on your leg. I recognized it at once. I’ll never forget how brave you were that day. You were so tough and so strong that even when the healer was attending to your wound, you didn’t cry.”

The scar. I should have known she would have recognized it just as Asher had.

“Why didn’t you tell me right away?” I asked.

“I figured you had your reasons to hide,” Erika replied. “And I know how

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dangerous Merliscire and Anemond are for you. As much as I wanted to tell you so that we could properly reunite… I didn’t want to put you in harm’s way.

I smiled gratefully. Erika was so compa*sionate and considerate. I was lucky to have her back in my life.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything, Erika,” I apologized again. “And I’m sorry that I’m not as strong as I used to be. I wish I was more brave but after everything… I’m just as scared as ever.”

“I understand, honey,” she said quietly, and she took my hands in hers. “At the end of the day, I just want you to know… I’m here for you. You’ll always have me on your side. No matter what.”

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