Chapter 88
ATASHA’S POV
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67
55 vouchers
The world tilted, and I landed squarely on top of him, my palms braced against his chest. His body was solid beneath mine, heat radiating through his skin even with the thin layer of his shirt between us. My breath caught as his arm curled reflexively around my waist, holding me there.
For a long moment, neither of us moved. His red eyes locked onto mine, the firelight flickering across them, and I realized just how close we were, my face barely inches from his.
My heart hammered so loudly I was sure he could feel it against his chest. His arm stayed firm around my waist, as if letting me go wasn’t an option.
Right then and there, I knew I should have moved, push him away. The thought kept repeating in my head, but my body refused to listen.
But his eyes held me still. That sharp red glow wasn’t just feral, it was magnetic. My breath hitched every time he blinked, every time his gaze dipped from my eyes to my mouth and back again.
“Move,” a part of me screamed. “Get up. Now.”
But I didn’t.
Because in his arms, I wasn’t afraid. I was warm. I was… secure. And that was more terrifying than his strength.
My chest rose and fell too fast, brushing lightly against his. His scent clung to me, a mix of smoke, blood, and something uniquely his. My throat tightened, heat crawling up my neck and into my face.
I couldn’t tell who leaned in first, me or him. It didn’t matter. The space between us vanished in an instant.
Our lips met.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. The first touch was heated, pressing, almost rough. My pulse roared in my ears as my body shivered all the way down my spine.
The kiss deepened before I could think. His grip on my waist pulled me closer, locking me flush against him. My hand, meant to push him away, slid higher on his chest instead, feeling the thrum of his heartbeat under my palm.
I parted my lips without meaning to, and his mouth moved against mine, hungry and unrelenting. It wasn’t a romantic kiss. It was raw, urgent, something that felt stolen, something neither of us had asked for but both of us needed in that moment.
My mind screamed at me to stop, to remember who he was, what he was, but my body betrayed me. I couldn’t pull back. Couldn’t breathe without wanting more.
The fire crackled beside us, but the heat I felt had nothing to do with it.
And before I realized it, Cassian shifted beneath me. In one motion, he rolled, his strength overwhelming mine with ease. The ground came up against my back, cold stone pressing into me, but I barely felt it.
8:13 Mon, Sep 15
Chapter 88
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67
55 vouchers
His weight pinned me. One arm slid under my head, cushioning it from the hard floor. The gesture was unexpected, almost jarring. Cassian–gentle? The thought barely had time to register before his mouth was on mine again. This time it was firmer, hungrier.
My body reacted before my mind could catch up. My arm lifted, circling the back of his neck. I pulled him closer, holding onto him as if letting go would leave me gasping for air. His hair brushed against my knuckles, damp and coarse, and the heat radiating from him seeped into every part of me.
The rough scrape of his shirt brushed against my chest with each movement, his torso pressing down against mine. My legs shifted, tensing, but I didn’t push him away. I couldn’t.
His lips parted mine again, deeper this time, the taste of smoke and iron clinging to his mouth. My pulse hammered, my breath tangled with his. Every nerve in me screamed to remember who he was but all I felt was the heat, the press of his body over mine, and the way his hand stayed steady beneath my head, protecting me even as he consumed me.
Just as my thoughts blurred into the heat of it all, he broke away.
The sudden loss shocked me. One moment his mouth was on mine, his weight solid, his heat burning into me and the next, it was gone. My lips parted against nothing, my chest rising too fast as I blinked at the ceiling above us.
Empty.
The word rang in my head as I lay there, the cold stone beneath me suddenly too sharp, too real. Why did I feel… disappointed?
Before I could think, a harsh sound ripped through the chamber.
“ACK-”
I shot upright. Cassian was a few feet away, on his knees, clutching his chest with both hands. His head hung low, his shoulders jerking with every ragged breath.
“Cassian?” My voice cracked.
He didn’t answer.
The veins along his neck and arms bulged, his muscles straining as if tearing against themselves. A growl rattled out of his throat, his body trembling violently. His nails, no, claws, split through skin, blackened and jagged. His back arched, bones shifting under his flesh, the sound of joints popping and cracking filling the
Cave.
I scrambled toward him, hand outstretched. “Cassian, what’s happening-”
He whipped a hand out, shoving me back with more force than I expected. I hit the stone hard, air rushing from my lungs.
I froze where I landed, stunned, but not enough to miss what happened next. He lifted his head.
And our eyes met.
8:13 Mon, Sep 15
Chapter SS
67
55 vouchers
For just a second, barely more than a blink, I saw something in them. Not the glowing red, not the feral hunger. Something human. Something that belonged to the man, not the monster.
“Cassian?” I called again, softer this time.
His chest expanded with a violent breath. Then his lips peeled back, and a guttural growl ripped free, so loud it echoed off the walls and sent ripples across the water pool behind me. The sound shook me to my core.
He staggered, then spun, his claws scraping against the stone as he bolted toward the narrow entrance.
“Wait-!” I scrambled to my feet, snatching my dagger from the pile of clothes near the fire. My hand clenched around the hilt as I raced after him.
The passage swallowed his figure fast, his growls bouncing off the walls as he tore deeper into the cave system. My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Cassian!” I shouted, voice cracking as I plunged into the tunnel after him.
