King of Patriam Outlaws - Amizah R

Copyright © 2023 Amizah R
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living
or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written
permission of the publisher.
To request permissions, contact the copyright owner at authoramizahr@gmail.com
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Contents

Copyright
Author's Note
Content/Trigger Warnings
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chapter Sixty-Six
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-One
Chapter Seventy-Two
Chapter Seventy-Three
Chapter Seventy-Four
Chapter Seventy-Five
Chapter Seventy-Six
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty-One
Chapter Eighty-Two
Chapter Eighty-Three
Chapter Eighty-Four
Chapter Eighty-Five
Chapter Eighty-Six
Chapter Eighty-Seven
Chapter Eighty-Eight
Chapter Eighty-Nine
Chapter Ninety
Chapter Ninety-One
Chapter Ninety-Two
Chapter Ninety-Three
Chapter Ninety-Four
Chapter Ninety-Five
Chapter Ninety-Six
Chapter Ninety-Seven
Chapter Ninety-Eight
Chapter Ninety-Nine
Epilogue
The End
THANK YOU
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Author's Note

Dear Readers,
Thank you so much for following this journey.

The wait is officially over, and not only do I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I’m so grateful for your patience. This is the
final book in the series and part two of Salem and Cassian’s story.
It picks up right where book two left off, but thereare a few interesting details in the prologue that you might want to have a
look at and refer to when it comes to the dates mentioned in the story as there are many historical references.
As always, here’s a disclaimer:
The following book is completely fictional, and none of the actions of the characters, especially the MMC and FMC, are
supposed to represent healthy behavior. While it is fun to read about two main characters who would do anything for each other, it
is important to remember that this is not supposed to be a model for a healthy individual or a sustainable relationship. To add to
that, I highly recommend that you read the TW/CW if you are offended by darker themes.
If you were expecting a short, sweet romance with a hero and heroine who would ride or die for each other, I regret to
inform you that you’ve come to the wrong place. What you can expect though is a disgustingly long end to an angsty love story
between two unhealthy individuals who would rather ride and die for each other than spend a second apart.
Anyways,
King of Patriam: Outlaws
Good luck
- Amizah R
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Content/Trigger Warnings
This book contains strong language, extremely graphic violence,

sexually explicit scenes, pregnancy, childbirth, child abuse, child
endangerment, references to miscarriage, references to homophobia,
references to sexism, references to suicide, and abduction.
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Prologue
REPORT #1
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
NAME: ALDEN, Cassian
DATE OF BIRTH: 10/14/40166
PLACE OF BIRTH: OUTSIDE

SECTOR (if applicable): WESTERN
DESCRIPTION:
SEX: M
HEIGHT: 6’8
WEIGHT: 260lbs
EYE COLOR: Blue
HAIR COLOR: Blonde
GIFT (if applicable): Psionic
ARREST INFORMATION:
CHARGE #1: Aggravated assault
COUNTS: 17
CHARGE #2: Assault with a weapon

COUNTS: 1
CHARGE #3: Grievous bodily harm

COUNTS: 15
DATE:07/04/40192
SIGNED BY: CADE ALDEN
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REPORT #2
NAME: ALDEN, Cassian
PLACE OF BIRTH: OUTSIDE

SECTOR (if applicable): WESTERN
DESCRIPTION:
SEX: M
HEIGHT: 6’8
WEIGHT: 260lbs
EYE COLOR: Blue
HAIR COLOR: Blonde
GIFT (if applicable): Psionic
ARREST INFORMATION:
CHARGE #1: Treason

COUNTS: 1
CHARGE #2:
COUNTS:
CHARGE #3:
COUNTS:
DATE:07/07/40192
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REPORT #3
NAME: JACOBS, Devin
PLACE OF BIRTH: THE DOME

SECTOR (if applicable): N/A
DESCRIPTION:
SEX: M
HEIGHT: 6’1
WEIGHT: 190lbs
EYE COLOR: Brown
HAIR COLOR: Brown
GIFT (if applicable): Warlock
ARREST INFORMATION:
CHARGE #1: Treason

COUNTS: 1
CHARGE #2:
COUNTS:
CHARGE #3:
COUNTS:
DATE:07/07/40192
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REPORT #4
NAME: SAMBOR, Eulalia
PLACE OF BIRTH: THE DOME

SECTOR (if applicable): N/A
DESCRIPTION:
SEX: F
HEIGHT: 5’10
WEIGHT: 155lbs
EYE COLOR: Brown
HAIR COLOR: Brown
GIFT (if applicable): Seer
ARREST INFORMATION:
CHARGE #1: Treason

COUNTS: 1
CHARGE #2:
COUNTS:
CHARGE #3:
COUNTS:
DATE:07/07/40192
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Chapter One
07/01/40192
Limping back into the operations room, Cassian stole heavy breaths as
he attempted to steady his heart. He wasn’t hurt, he knew that he wasn’t in
physical pain, but his brain was playing a different game. It was as if each
word he’d said had taken something from him, and in truth, they probably
did. Not because he didn’t mean them though, he’d meant every single one.
It was what he’d just had to do that left him feeling so raw. But it wasn't just
his actions that were grating on him, it was hers too.
I will kill you myself…
There was no doubt in his mind that she’d meant it. She was just so
angry, so hurt.
Because of him.
But her anger only cemented his decision to make good on his word.
To prove himself to her. She deserved that much.
“What the hell was that?” Cade asked the second he stepped back
into the room.
Cassian barely spared him a glance. “We had a disagreement,” he
said, making his way to the open space in the center of the room.
“So she pulled a gun on you?” he retorted.
He ignored Cade as he inclined his head at Emori. His brother
seemed more exasperated than anything, so he didn't feel the need to
explain himself to him.
“Where is she?” Deianira wasn’t asking, she was demanding.
“Assessment room,” he mumbled, discreetly taking note of the fact
that Devin was yet to speak.
Deianira’s eyes narrowed. “You locked my sentinel in the studio?”
she whisper-shouted.
Finally, Devin turned to Deianira, mouth open to speak, but he
closed it at Cade’s disapproving head shake.
Cassian let his eyes fall to her, taking in her stance. “I didn’t have a
choice.”
Throwing a glare his way, she started up to walk past him when
Cade gently gripped her arm. “Maybe she should stay there for the time
being,” he said, flicking his eyes to Cassian warily.
She yanked her arm back. “She’s not a danger to anyone. I can talk
to her,” she argued.
Devin shook his head, finally speaking up. “No offense, but if
Cassian couldn’t get through to her, I doubt you could.”
Deianira turned her cold eyes on Devin, evidently unappreciative of
his downplaying of their relationship. Cassian quietly sighed, willing his
voice not to shake. He didn’t want them to doubt him, and if he was going
to break, he needed to be far away when he did.
“Please,” he said roughly, only for formality. “Just wait until I get
back.”
Deianira eyed him for a while. “I’m still going to see her,” she bit
out, exiting the room.
He let out a discreet breath.
“Ready when you are, ” Devin said from the corner of the room,
peering down at the wrist. Cassian looked out of the large window in the
operations room, out at the darkening sky. It was time, and Emori didn’t
waste any more of it.
Devin came to stand beside Cassian as she started working on the
portal.
“Thanks,” he whispered to Devin.
Devin laughed shyly, his humor covering something that Cassian
couldn’t quite decipher. “You dropped my girls to school, I drop your ass in
the middle of a forest. What’s the difference?” Light as his tone may have
been, there was a slight shake in his tone.
The portal took longer than usual to open, it was further than they’d
ever traveled. That had Cassian’s anxiety rising. If something went wrong
with Devin on the other side, getting him back quickly might have been a
problem.
As it finally opened with a bright spark, he squinted his eyes,
looking through. He saw nothing. He knew that they had the right location,
it was just the darkness.
Cassian glanced over his shoulder.
Any more time spent saying goodbye would have been time wasted.
So, he settled on a nod before he and Devin stepped through into the night.
Sparing another look behind him, he saw Cade walking to the opening like
he had something more to say. Then he flinched at the speed with which the
portal snapped shut. He whipped his head from left to right, trying to make
out anything as his eyes took their time to adjust to the lack of light.
Devin didn’t seem to be having the same issue. Objective as always,
he pulled Cassian’s wrist up and tapped away. A holographic map shot out
of his bracelet.
“Okay,” Devin said, stepping closer. He pointed to a little red dot on
the map. “The red is us right now. Or you when this all kicks off.” Cassian
watched closely. “Those yellow dots are the hiding spots Cade was talking
about. Please use them.”
He nodded.
Turning him around by his shoulders, Devin adjusted his pack
before pulling at the straps, speaking as he secured them. He was paying
attention, but as his eyes adjusted, he couldn’t help but let them stray. Right
in the center of the clearing stood a wide tree stump with more rings than he
could count. The dirt around it was eroded, not a spec of grass to be seen
until he dragged his eyes out to the curled-over trees surrounding them.
He rolled his shoulders back. The openness was unnerving.
Devin snapped his fingers to get his attention. “The blue lines are
lakes and riv-”
“Is that my favorite duo?”
Both of them flinched, Devin cursing under his breath. “Every damn
time,” he muttered as they turned.
Just as he expected, Pola, Potek, and he assumed that the last one
was Vor, strolled from between the trees, illuminated by the dim light
flowing from his own wrist.
He had to pause to take him in.
Strangely enough, he was the spitting image of Pola. Cassian
would’ve thought that he’d take after Podak or Potek, whichever of them
was his father, at least a little bit considering their striking features. But he
was Pola all over. For some reason, that made this all seem worse. Killing
her own child, someone she’d birthed, maybe even raised, someone who
took after her so much. And as if that wasn’t already bad enough, he didn’t
even look seventeen. He looked older. While his looking older might have
made things easier when it came down to it, it was the reason why he
looked so old that made Cassian’s stomach turn.
His brown skin which should have been smooth, a prominent sign of
youth, was marred with scars. Battle scars. One of them started at his brow
and stretched to his cheek. There was also another on the side of his head. It
may have been concealed had any hair been on that side of his scalp, but it
was bare, shaved. It was like the scar had been put on display. As Cassian’s
eyes grimly zoomed out of focus, he took in his expression. Again, his face
displayed anything but a childlike nature.
“I’d like to introduce you to someone,” Pola declared, pulling
Cassian back to the present.
He glazed his eyes over her, only then noticing something. He didn’t
think that the buckshot Salem put in her face would kill her, but he didn’t
expect her to look good as new either. There was not even a blemish to
commemorate what should have been a great loss for her. But thinking
about it, he shouldn’t have been surprised. With Potek at her side, not much
was impossible. The thought scared him more than it impressed him.
She looked to Vor at her side, a gross mockery of feigned affection
on her face. “This is Vor. My son.”
Cassian wasn’t about to tell her that they already knew that. He just
momentarily enjoyed the look on her face when he and Devin gave her no
reaction at all.
She recovered fairly quickly, smirking at Devin. “I hope this doesn’t
change things between us.”
Devin raised his brows, shaking his head. “Oh, no, never. I’ve got
two.” He tilted his head. “It’s the killing of my own children that I can’t
really get down with.”
Pola’s smile dropped as Potek stiffened.
Cassian pondered over their reactions. She was okay with killing her
husband and child, but speaking about it was too far?
His eyes flitted over to Vor, expecting to at least see some sign of
discomfort. After all, that may have been why Pola had reacted like that.
Maybe he didn’t know his mother’s plan. But Cassian saw nothing. It was
as if he didn’t even hear what had been said.
Before either of them could respond, a twig snapped behind them.
Devin and Cassian spun, giving their backs to Pola, to catch two
girls of tall stature stepping out of the brush. He knew who they were
instantly. They looked exactly alike. From their straight faces to their
blonde hair, to their tattoos. The psionic twins.
Malia and Dana.
He instantly shielded his mind. It was guarded before, but he didn’t
want to take any chances. They didn’t speak as they approached. Just let
their gaze fall over everyone in the small group before trading a look with
each other.
He nudged Devin. “Now might be a good time to head out,” he
whispered.
Devin looked around.
He could tell that he was reluctant, but he gave Devin an insistent
look. He wasn’t officially in the trials. If one of the combatants were to kill
him before the signal, it wouldn’t count as a foul. Right now, it was just him
and a bunch of primas.
Devin slowly nodded and tapped a few buttons on his bracelet as
two new figures emerged. Cassian took a step in front of him as a young
girl and boy strode in confidently, hand in hand. Ren and Nari.
He let out a sharp breath, resisting the urge to let his face fall,
refusing to show any weakness. They were teenagers.
How many kids are in this thing?
According to his knowledge of the gifted, they grew stronger as they
grew older, but maybe that wasn’t the case with primas. Thinking about it in
depth, maybe that’s where Pola’s fear came from. He had no idea how old
she was, there was no way to tell, but the youth in the trials may have been
the reason for her quest to find the azraels. They were stronger than her.
If anything, the look she threw at the four furthered his suspicions.
Just as he went to tell Devin that he really needed to leave, a portal
began to slowly tear open to his right. The light from the portal brightened
the space enough for Cassian to properly see the faces of his opponents. He
briefly glanced around at the pairs as they stood in the loose circle. As glad
as he was that he wouldn’t have to fight a member of his own family,
Cassian couldn’t help but shiver at the feeling of utter loneliness that started
to crawl up his spine.
It would just be him. Against all of them.
When the portal was wide enough, Devin spun around and threw his
arms around him. Cassian startled momentarily, then took a breath, not only
accepting the gesture but finding comfort in it.
“For the love of the Gods, don’t die,” Devin murmured.
He patted him on the back. “I won’t.”
With that, Devin pulled back, nodded, and stepped back through the
portal.
Cassian stood his ground as it closed, discreetly angling his body so
that he could keep each prima in his periphery, which put him in the perfect
position to see the next people arrive as more footsteps sounded. By his
count, the last two would be Sven and Hanson. He mentally praised himself
as the duo stepped into the last place in the circle, confirming his
recollection.
They were all here.
When his gaze traveled to Sven, he saw that he was already
watching him, and as if he wasn’t unnerved enough, Sven’s lips slowly
tipped up as he nodded to Cassian, pulling more eyes his way. Cassian tried
to ignore the looks being thrown in his direction. He was well aware that he
was already a target, and he wasn’t looking to add any fuel to that fire. Sven
and Hanson’s stares didn’t hold the same contempt as the others’ did
though.
He remembered Devin’s words.
Don’t kill them, but don’t expect them not to kill you, he told himself.
“It is time,” the young girl in the couple snapped.
Cassian wasn’t sure who she was addressing until Pola stepped
forward, her face showing no offense at Nari’s tone other than the way her
smile grew dark.
“It is with great pleasure that I announce the commencement of this
sacred night…and I appreciate the sacrifice you’ve all made to bear witness
to the beginning of my sixth term of reign.”
What?
He didn’t think that they were going to go over the rules or
anything, but he certainly didn’t expect Pola to stand up and tell everyone
that she would inevitably win. Shouldn’t someone less biased have done the
introductory speech?
Dana and Malia simultaneously rolled their eyes as she continued,
another show of their youth. They acted as if her words were simply an
annoyance rather than a threat to their lives.
Pola lifted her chin. “If you wish for a clean death, you can present
yourself, unarmed, at the end of the hour of peace. Your families will be
heavily compensated. If you do not wish for that, then run, hide, fight. You
will die either way. It is your choice whether that is an easy death or a
painful one.”
Unsettled or not, Cassian knew that there was no chance he was
going to hand himself over. Not even when Pola’s eyes glazed over each
face in the circle again, spending a little extra time on him.
She spoke as she aimed her grin at him. “May the hour of peace
begin.”
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Chapter Two
Contrary to others’ beliefs, Salem had feelings. In fact, she had a lot of
them. But what set her apart from others was her ability to control when,
where, how, or whether to even express them at all.
Well, it seemed that she’d been suppressing them a lot recently,
probably a lot more than she should’ve, because the emotions coursing
through her felt like an amalgamation of everything that she’d never
allowed herself to feel.
There was no sadness, only anguish. No anger, only rage. She
wasn’t even desperate anymore, she was manic.
The events of the last hour had pushed her too far. She just…
flipped.
I’m doing it because I love you…
Her knuckles were bloody, bruised, but she still kept on. Punching
the glass and ramming her body into it.
She needed to get out.
Punch.
He’d probably already left.
Kick.
The hour of peace would be over soon.
Slam.
Salem was vaguely aware of Deianira in front of the glass, trying to
speak to her, but she couldn’t focus on her right now.
Deianira banged her hands on the other side of the glass, a tear
slipping from her eye. Salem huffed and took a step to the side, keeping her
out of her line of sight. She was distracting her. Drawing her arm back, she
sent another fist into the glass.
Considering she’d been at it for a while, she expected to feel some
degree of pain, but she felt nothing, her hands were numb.
Salem backed up again for a running start. Taking a quick breath,
sprinted at the wall with as much speed as she could muster in the short
distance. When she rammed her shoulder into the glass with all her
strength, her mouth opened with a silenced cry.
There’s the pain, she thought as she grabbed her left shoulder.
Releasing it to confirm her suspicions, she almost heaved as her arm
dropped limply, hanging an inch lower than her right one.
Dislocated.
That wasn’t good.
Looking up, she could see Deianira again, her eyes wide, her hands
over her mouth. Salem slowly cocked her head back, unfocusing her eyes.
She couldn’t have cared less about Deianira’s tears when something else
had caught her attention.
A crack.
It was approximately three millimeters long, but it was a crack. The
glass had cracked.
Salem paused to think.
She was in a lot of pain, but she didn’t want to set her arm, only to
dislocate it again.
Temporary pain, she reminded herself. Taking a deep breath, she
backed up to the back wall again. Deianira started shaking her head
frantically, banging on the glass, saying something that Salem didn’t care to
hear.
She counted to three and bolted, sending herself into the glass once
more. The pain in her shoulder multiplied, sending Salem to her knees,
knocking the wind out of her. This time, when she screamed, sound did
come out. She could feel it as her raw vocal cords seared her throat. But she
just clutched her shoulder and groggily peered up at the glass.
Yes. The crack, it had spread.
Deianira trembled as she backed away from the glass on the other
side, her eyes red. She blindly fiddled with the panel behind her, and as
soon as the door opened, she stumbled out, crying.
Salem lost interest the second the door slid shut. She had something
to do and she needed to get out of the box to do it. The room wasn’t a
problem, she already had a plan for that. It was just the box.
Sniffing, Salem backed up against the wall again.
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Chapter Three
The second the words left her mouth, Cassian took off. He ran as fast
as his legs could carry him through the dark forest, jumping over low
branches, ducking under high ones, and skirting around trees that seemed to
be closing in on him with every step he took.
It had been five minutes when Cassian realized that no one else was
running. He thought back to that split second before he darted off. They had
all just peacefully dispersed. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he didn’t
let it slow him down. Maybe they weren’t that worried, but Cassian was, so
he took off into the thick of the forest, trying to keep his breaths even.
Beep.
He almost tripped as he slapped his ear at the unfamiliar noise.
Oh yeah. His earpiece. He quickly tapped it in a more organized
fashion.
“Turn on your camera,” was the first thing that Devin said, skipping
the pleasantries.
Cassian only slowed down for a few seconds to squeeze his eyes
shut before opening them and picking up his pace again.
“Can you see?” he asked quietly.
“Yep. Okay, you’ve got a cave less than a mile away, but you can go
for high ground too. Up to you.”
Cassian thought about it. Considering the amount of energy he’d
already exerted, climbing a tree didn’t sound very appealing.
“I’ll take the ca-”
Snap…
Cassian spun, immediately drawing his gun.
“What is it?”
“Shh.”
He listened out again, swinging his gaze from one tree to the next.
He might not have been able to see them, but he knew that someone was
there. He could feel it. For a moment, he wondered how someone could’ve
been following him. He’d been running for a good forty minutes and there
wasn’t any way that he hadn’t put significant distance between himself and
everyone else.
Unless they weren’t running.
He internally groaned.
A jumper. And there was only one warlock in the trials.
“Cassian, wh-”
“Shh!”
The voice was only coming from his earpiece, but Cassian wasn’t
about to experiment with prima hearing.
He brought his left hand in direct view of his eyes. ‘Potek.
Following me,’ he signed as quickly as he could.
“Got it,” Devin whispered.
Cassian ran through his mind for an idea. With Potek on his tail,
there was nowhere he could hide without him knowing, reporting back to
Pola, and leading her right to him. And no matter where he went, he’d be
following. But maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.
‘I’ve got a plan.’
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Chapter Four
After twenty minutes, Salem switched to her right shoulder.

The pain wasn’t the problem. She just knew that if she damaged her
arm beyond repair, she’d be in no position to fight when the time came.
And she planned on fighting. If not to wring Cassian’s neck, then to stop
someone else from doing the same to him.
Breathing raggedly, she peered up to see that the jagged web on the
glass had expanded to her full height. It didn’t have much left in it, but
Salem didn’t have much left in her. The blood painting the glass and the
pain sapping her strength told her as much.
She needed to make the next few count.
With her right hand, she pulled her bloody hair into a messy topknot
before limping to the back wall.
Three…
“Okay,” she whispered.
Two…
“Okay…”
One!
Salem left no strength untapped as she bolted toward the glass.
Expecting some bounce back, she didn’t put her hands out to catch
herself as she broke through the wall in a mess of limbs and cascading
glass. She hissed and groaned as her body connected with the glassy floor.
With the amount of agony she was in, she couldn’t have imagined anything
better than staying on the floor for the rest of her life. But she had
something to do.
Heaving out rough breaths, she only allowed herself thirty seconds
to stew in it, to get over herself, to regain the strength to move. Then, she
dragged herself to the wall next to the door, pushing up into a seated
position. Seeing as Deianira had witnessed the beginnings of her escape,
she didn’t even bother to try her bracelet on the door. Her authorization had
probably already been revoked. So someone else had to open it. And she
knew exactly who. Knew that there was only one person who was desperate
enough to want to help her in hopes of making themself look more
appealing in her eyes. One person who had a hero complex and wouldn’t
think twice about breaking rules to inadvertently feed their own ego.
Letting her wrist rest on the floor, she leaned over with her right
hand to type.
QIN: I need your help. Can you do something for me?
Damsel in distress.
She wasn’t a fan of the method, but she knew that it would almost
certainly work considering who she was trying to appeal to. Salem was only
surprised at the speed of his response.
FINCH: Where are you? What do you need?
Perfect.
QIN: I need you to come to the assessment room.

FINCH: We got a notification saying that the area’s off-limits.
Salem could’ve growled at the message.

Of course. She needed to up her game, needed a motivator.
QIN: I know, but I really need you. I got into a fight with Cassian.
She chewed on her lip. It was obvious that he disliked Cassian, but he
also disliked whenever she mentioned him. Her response could’ve been
taken either way.
FINCH: What did the asshole do?
Salem huffed. He was wasting valuable time.
QIN: I’ll tell you when you get here.
Her hands shook as she waited for his response.

FINCH: On my way.
Relief soared in her heart. But only for a moment.

Her arm.
Salem slid down the wall until she was on her back, wincing as she
dragged her body across the glass. Using her right arm, she held out her left
in front of herself, trying not to be sick. It wasn’t just the agony that had her
practically heaving as she straightened her arm. It was the feeling, the
sensation, the thought of-
Before she could discourage herself further, Salem quickly pulled
her arm forward, then gently toward herself.
Pop!
Breathe… she told herself as the pain receded and allowed relief to
emerge.
Salem let her head fall back. She could rest for a moment.
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Chapter Five
Cassian held onto the thin branch above as he balanced on the one
below. He tried his best not to look down, knowing that it wouldn’t calm
him at all, and instead, slowly lowered himself onto the thick branch on
which he stood, sitting on it with a leg on either side.
“Okay, thirty seconds. You ready?”
Releasing a slow breath, he gave the camera a thumbs up.
He could hear Potek getting closer. He was probably circling the
tree, waiting for the hour of peace to run out. Cassian was counting on it.
What he was about to do would not have been his first course of action, but
it beat being torn apart by Pola ten seconds into the trials.
“Ten seconds.”
Shit, okay…
His chest heaved as he tried to calm himself.
It’ll work. It will work.
“Three, two, one…”
Cassian sent up a few quick words.
“Now…” Devin whispered.
Just as the sound of a horn went off, Potek appeared two branches
away from him. He leapt for Cassian, his hand swiping out in a deadly
manner. But as intimidating as it was, it didn’t matter because Cassian had
already started to roll right off the tree branch that he sat on.
Then, he was falling.
Zap.
He expected there to at least be a bump as he made contact with the
ground, but it was nothing more than a smooth roll onto the cave floor. He
looked up, taking in the darkness. Not a thing could be seen, not even the
stars that he was sure littered the sky. It was black. But still, he was alive.
He’d actually pulled it off.
With a raspy laugh, he rolled onto his back, his heart not yet getting
the memo that he was safe. “Thank you, Emori,” he breathed.
“She says you're welcome. Nice jump though. I thought you were
gonna splat it for sure.”
Cassian snorted, even though humor should’ve been far from his
mind. The hour of peace was up. The battle had started.
As if to remind him of the fact, a muffled voice reached his ears.
“Find him.”
Cassian lifted his head from the ground. He wasn’t scared that
they’d find him, not where he was anyway, but he did wonder who she sent
after him. It could’ve been Potek, Vor, or both. Which meant that there was
a chance she was alone. Alone, and as far as the word applied to her,
vulnerable-
“No.”
“What?” he whispered.
“You’re safe where you are. Don’t compromise that on a whim.”
He sighed, letting his head fall back.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Six
Salem opened her eyes as the floor vibrated with a mechanical buzz.
Finch stepped right in, looking left and right, as the door slid open before
his gaze finally settled on her, his jaw dropping.
She had an idea of what condition she was in, and by the look of the
glass sticking out of her clothes and the feel of her blood sticking her hair to
the sides of her head, she was sure it wasn't pretty. There was no time to
ponder on it though.
“What the hell happened? Did he do this?!”
She didn’t bother responding as she drew in a shaky breath and
dragged herself to her feet, heading for the door.
Finch stepped in front of her. “Where are you going? You’re hurt.”
She stepped around him. He blocked her path again.
“Are you going to him?” he asked, his eyes darkening. “Is that what
this is? You let him do this to you and call me to pick up the pieces?”
He was wrong, and she knew it, but she still had to pause for a
moment. Cassian hadn’t physically hurt her, she doubted he ever would, but
he did leave her when she begged him not to.
That did hurt.
She didn’t know why, but it did. It hurt so much that she wasn’t sure
if there was something actually wrong with her or not because her chest had
never felt so tight, her heart had never felt so heavy. While there may have
been an element of truth to Finch’s words, he was wrong about her wanting
him to pick up the pieces. All she needed him to do was open the door. And
he’d done that. He was no longer needed.
Salem sidestepped him once more, but this time, Finch grabbed her
arm.
She silently scolded herself. She hadn’t anticipated his behavior, she
was too focused on getting out, but she should’ve. She had too much to
worry about without Finch hindering her escape.
Sighing, she grabbed his offending arm and yanked him forward
while swiping his legs from the front. As expected, he fell to the ground,
flat on his chest.
She tilted her head at him as he gasped, trying to roll over.
Not enough, she thought.
Based on his previous behavior, it was highly likely he would follow
her. Out of anger if for nothing else.
Salem gritted her teeth against the ache as she bent to pick up his
right leg. She was vaguely aware of him looking back at her, trying to talk,
but she wasn’t paying attention. Flipping him onto his back, she put her foot
down on his thigh, just above his knee, and held it there before pulling his
leg back as far as possible. It was difficult to keep him in position because
he kept squirming, which messed with her alignment. It was hard enough to
hold his leg with her shoulder throbbing, but Salem grunted and shifted her
foot closer to his kneecap, pulling harder. In the next few seconds, she felt
it.
Crack!
There.
She released his leg as Finch rolled on the floor, writhing in agony.
Just as she turned to the door, she remembered something. Her
bracelet might not have only been restricted in the assessment room. She
could’ve been barred completely.
Turning back, she bent down in front of Finch.
He tried to drag himself away as she got close. “No more! Please!”
he begged, his hands coming up to shield his face.
Salem reached out and grabbed his wrist before detaching his
bracelet and sliding it onto hers. This was good. She could get through the
palace and he wouldn’t be able to contact anyone.
She momentarily debated whether to take one of his fingers so that
she might have access to his bracelet, but she decided that she didn’t need
it. It was her ticket out, she didn’t have any interest in his personal data.
Bending once more, she retrieved his gun from his holster, slapping
his hand away as he tried to cover it. Dropping the magazine down, she
nodded to herself, satisfied with how many bullets she had. She limped her
way to the door, paying no mind to Finch as he reached out his arm in a
pleading gesture. Turning around once she’d made it out, she swiped his
bracelet over the panel and watched the door slide shut, grateful for the
fifteen minutes that she had to rest, to get her wits about her, because
instead of marching out of the palace and into the night as she had initially
planned to, she headed for the elevator.
It would’ve been quicker to go to the training room, it was only one
floor up, but that was also the residential level for every member of the
High Council. She was sure that they would be in the operations room,
watching Cassian, but she wasn’t taking any chances. She hit the down
button outside of the elevator that used to be the service stairwell.
Salem put her back to the wall beside the doors when the light
panels beside it pulsed. Gripping the pistol in her right hand, she placed the
other against the wall, feeling for when the doors opened. As the wall subtly
shook, she swiftly stepped out, gun pointed into the elevator.
She sighed. It was empty. If she’d had to use the gun, she would’ve.
There was no way she’d let anything get in her way now, but she also
wasn’t keen on breaking laws, laws that she’d sworn to uphold.
Stepping up to the threshold, she snaked her right hand into the
elevator against the wall. She even leaned in, closing her right eye as she
honed in on the camera.
BANG!
The second the shot went off, she stepped into the elevator and hit
the button for the first floor. She needed to be quick because there was no
way that no one had heard it. She knew that she wouldn’t get far without
someone realizing she was missing or seeing her in her condition and
calling it in. She just needed to be as far away as possible before they
figured out that she’d left.
She’d done a lot of planning in those fifteen minutes.
The doors closed before she could see the result of her actions and
she was thankful for it. She put a hand on the bar, steadying herself as the
elevator made a controlled drop to the first floor. She lifted her right hand
again, supporting it with her left, as the doors opened and advanced
carefully.
She’d been lucky so far, but she expected to run into someone soon.
Patrol was tight on the first floor, it had to be.
It held the dorms for the disciplinary program.
Which was exactly where she needed to be.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seven
Even though he’d been sitting alone in the dark for hours, sleeping was
the last thing on Cassian’s mind. Devin had encouraged him to take a power
nap, promising to stay on the monitor and listen out, but he just couldn’t. It
wasn’t only because of the nine primas out to murder him either.
It was her.
He tapped his earpiece. “Dev?”
“Morning, sunshine.”
He took a breath. “Is she okay?” he asked quietly.
Cassian buried his head in his hands at the long pause.
“Deianira went to see her last night. Cade was gonna check on her
a second ago, but we had a problem in lockup and-”
“What did she say?” he interrupted.
“She wouldn’t talk to her. Pretended like she wasn’t even there.”
He scrubbed a hand over his head. “Well, what was she doing?”
Devin remained silent.
Cassian curled his hands into fists. “Devin, please.”
He cleared his throat. “She, uh, she’s trying really hard to get out.”
He sighed. “You don’t need to worry about that right now. Just focus on the
trials. The sooner you get back, the sooner she gets out.”
Cassian nodded to no one in particular, trying to swallow down the
lump in his throat. He just needed to finish this, and then everything would
be fine. He would win, and go back to Terra, and see her, and be with her,
and do everything that he promised he would.
“What time is it?” he asked, clearing his throat.
“Uh, nearly six. Why?”
It was morning. He was too deep into the cave to notice, but he
knew that he wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon.
Cassian slipped his pack onto his back and stood.
“Sit down,” Devin drawled.
He huffed as he slid his handgun out of his holster. “I just need some
air.”
“Then breathe. It’s all around you.”
It was too early for this. “Five minutes, and I’ll come back.”
“Why do I even try?”
Cassian shook his head and made his way to the entrance of the
cave, pointing his lit bracelet ahead. The further he walked, the brighter it
got, and eventually, he could spot the little clumps of grass on the ground
before they became larger patches. Soon enough, he was at the entrance.
He had to take a moment to just look. The forest was beautiful. At
night, he couldn’t fully appreciate it, but now? Cassian was in awe. He’d
never seen greens so bright, or the sky so blue. It was like he was in another
world. If Patriam itself was anything like this, he wanted to see it. If he
won, he probably would.
Cassian resolved in his mind that the first thing he’d do after all this
would be bringing Salem here. He wasn’t sure if she was big on nature, but
he’d find out. Her likes, her dislikes. He would learn.
Snap.
Cassian dropped down and put his back to the side wall of the cave.
“We already saw you.”
Shit…
“There’s a silencer on the one in the left holster,” Devin whispered.
He put his pistol away and picked up the one on his left as his heart
pounded.
“We’re not going to hurt you.”
Yeah, right. But whoever it was had already seen him, and his
position put him at a disadvantage. Kicking himself, he sprung up and
turned, gun pointed at the first body his eyes landed on.
Sven.
“We meet again, Connor,” he smirked, his knee perched on a fallen
log. Cassian didn’t lower his weapon as he flicked his eyes to the other one.
Hanson.
He spoke next. “Let me rephrase. We don’t want to kill you yet.”
Cassian tilted his head. “That’s not as reassuring as you think it is.”
“But you believe it,” Sven said.
Empaths, Cassian mentally drawled “What do you want?” he asked
instead of responding.
“Allyship,” Hanson offered. “Until the end, of course.”
He sounded genuine, but it didn’t make complete sense. “Why me?
I’m not even just gifted, I’m half-human. I’m sure you could find someone
with more to offer you.”
Sven shrugged. “You want to be here…” Cassian frowned,
confused, but Sven corrected himself. “You chose to be here, rather, and not
for selfish reasons. Someone like you does not choose this. Whatever made
you do so is what you have to offer.”
Cassian looked down, pretending to think about it as he slowly
reached forward. Not physically, mentally. He was careful. He slowly
approached Sven’s mind, quietly sniffing for any signs of deception, and
stopped short when he found that it was completely open. No walls, no
nothing. Sven wanted him to look.
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
Cassian quickly met his eyes.
Sven snorted. “You reek of mistrust.”
In truth, Sven had no reason to lie. If he wanted to kill him, they
could’ve jumped him then and there, and he’d left his mind unguarded for a
reason.
Sighing, he hoped that he wouldn’t regret this.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eight
A few hours ago…
Running back toward the east stairwell, more like dragging herself,
Salem lifted her wrist at least once every twenty seconds, just waiting for
that notification. As she yanked on the handle to the stairwell, it came
through on Finch’s bracelet.
BREACH - FIRST FLOOR - INMATE DORMITORY
She sighed with relief as she bounded down the stairs, taking two at a
time while being careful not to slip. She needed to be quick, but not at the
risk of hurting herself again. She didn’t stop running until she’d reached the
sub-level. Swinging the door open, she allowed herself to slow down as she
padded down the hall and toward the weapons room. She was already
pulling her top up as she stepped into the room, pushing the button for the
closet with her elbow.
As the back wall parted, she stepped up to the display of shelves that
slowly came forward. Bending down, she pulled out a fresh set of standard-
issue uniform off the shelf and started to wriggle out of her pants.
There was no pausing as she got right on task. Picking up a duffle
bag, she didn’t haphazardly throw things into it, she picked out exactly what
she had come for. When she was done, she swung the bag over her right
shoulder and left the room in its condition, too focused to worry about the
mess. Someone else finding it in that state wasn’t an issue either. They’d
realize that she was gone soon enough. The stunt she’d just pulled was only
meant to delay them.
Approaching the arch leading to the loading dock, she winced at the
weight of the back as she set it down to tie up her boots. She’d packed as
light as she could, but there were some things she just couldn’t leave
behind.
Checking the time, she figured that if she ran, she could probably
get to a rover before the morning shift started. Stepping in, she saw that
there were only two enforcers there.
She curled her lip.
Of course, she’d hoped that her diversion would’ve drawn most of
the units to the first floor but she knew better. The loading dock was never
left unattended.
While she didn’t exactly recognize them, they probably would’ve
recognized her, and that could’ve been a problem. It wasn’t like her face
was paraded around or that she was given the same amount of attention
Deianira was. A civilian probably wouldn’t look twice at her and that was
for good reason. But for the enforcers, especially the higher-ups, the ones
working close to the crown, it was more than likely they’d know who she
was.
She took a steadying breath.
“Hello,” she called as evenly as she could.
They both looked up, one at the security desk, and the other halting
his steps toward him.
“Hey,” the one at the desk said before narrowing his eyes. “Are you
okay?”
Salem had managed to get most of the blood off her face but she
knew that she was bound to have a few cuts.
She slowly walked up to him as he made his way around the desk.
She needed to be careful. One tap and she’d be found in minutes.
She got closer. “Yes. I’m looking for someone.”
He nodded, his concern growing as she drew closer. “Who’re you
looking for?”
Two more steps. “Cassian Alden.”
It wasn’t really a lie.
He looked down at his computer. “It doesn’t look like he’s supposed
to be on duty here, but I can-”
Bending low, she jumped for a little bit of a boost as she spun and
kicked him in the temple, not with too much force though. A punch
would’ve been easier, but when the adrenaline left, the pain came in full
force, reminding her that her fists weren’t made of steel. Before the second
enforcer could near, she whipped her head in his direction.
“You didn’t see anything…” she said intently.
He paused his advance a foot away from her.
“You were both tired, and you fell asleep…” Her eyes were drawn
to the rovers lined up near the entrance. She looked back at him. “A man
came through here and took a rover. He was five-eleven with ginger hair.
You let him through, then you fell asleep…”
She swallowed, her throat sore, as the man’s eyes glazed further.
“When did I fall asleep?” he asked, swaying on his feet.
She took a step in his direction. “Now…”
In the same second that she’d said the word, he dropped to the
ground. She looked back at the first enforcer and waited for a while to see if
he’d move. He didn’t.
Good.
Transport.
Stepping further toward the dock, she just looked at first. She had a
wide range to choose from. There was the model that she preferred and
used most often. It was small, fast, efficient. But it would’ve been obvious.
Besides, there was a tracker in that one, and while she knew that they would
know exactly where she was headed, throwing them off wouldn’t hurt.
Her eyes glazed over the selection as she told herself to hurry up.
She wasn’t always so slow when it came to decision-making, so she blamed
her fatigue. However, she wasn’t fatigued enough to miss the white sheet in
the corner. Without a second thought, she strode over to it before pulling it
back. She raised her brows at the vehicle behind it.
It was a…car.
She’d only heard of them before, seen modeling papers and
prototypes. Devin had been the one to propose the idea. A smaller version
of a truck that would be available to civilians as there were very few
individuals who had road licenses and access to trucks. At first, she didn’t
understand why someone would make something so similar to a truck but
without all its best qualities like size, storage space, and durability. But
seeing the sleek black color, the cat-like frame, and the tires that looked like
they were made for racing, she shrugged. It looked nice. Granted, she
wasn’t picking up her bag and heading to the door because it was nice, but
it was definitely a plus. She just hoped that whoever had been working on it
had kept the plans because she was planning on returning it.
She threw her bag onto the seat before running back to throw the
extras in the trunk. Once in the driver’s seat, she didn’t bother waiting to
see who’d show up next, she just started backing up to the automatic gate,
thankful that the vehicle already had proximity unlocking installed. It was
why the shutters on the dock started rising as soon as she got close enough.
Due to the time of day, there were few people on the street and even
fewer vehicles as she headed out of the gated city center. That meant that
there were fewer eyes to witness her reckless twists and turns as she sped
through markets and side streets to make her way out of Old Dome
territory.
Thanks to the speed of the car, she was approaching the border in
less than thirty minutes. Then a new issue arose. If she’d taken a truck, the
enforcers at the border probably wouldn’t have looked twice with the tinted
windows. But she wasn’t in a truck. She tapped on the steering wheel as she
got closer. One by one, heads turned in her direction, a few walking
between the barriers. Finally, a man stepped forward, a hand held out as she
slowed to a stop.
She rolled down the window an inch when he indicated it.
His eyes lit with recognition. “Oh. Miss Qi-”
“Salem,” she corrected.
He shook his head. “Of course. Salem. We weren’t informed of any
operations or transfers. Can I, uh, ask where you’re headed?”
She bit on the inside of her cheek but halted the action when he
leaned a little bit closer, looking into the car. Whether he was just nosy or
something else, she couldn’t have his eyes straying too far considering the
fact that there were enough weapons in the front seat to take out his whole
team.
She didn’t roll the window down any more, not wanting him to get a
better look at her face, but she did curl a finger at him, beckoning him
closer.
He stayed in his position for a moment, watching her. Fighting the
urge to roll her eyes at his trepidation, she rolled the window down a
fraction more, sitting up higher.
“Can you come here?” she asked as quietly as she could, flicking a
look at the others.
When she looked back at him, his eyes quickly flew up, finding
hers. This time, he took a step up to the window, bending down.
His brows dipped as his gaze flitted over her face. “Is something-”
Close enough that the others wouldn’t hear, she cut him off with a whisper.
“Tell your men to get out of the way before I run them over…”
His face relaxed, his shoulders lowered, and he stepped back. She
kept her eyes on him as he turned away from her. “She’s good. Let her
through,” she saw him call and let out a pent-up breath.
One step closer.
As soon as they turned into small dots in her rear view, Salem
stepped on the pedal, jolting as the vehicle flew forward in seconds. She
had to steady her heart at the unexpected speed, and the thought of making
it to him quicker than she’d planned did that.
She checked Finch’s bracelet religiously, looking out for any new
orders or alerts regarding her whereabouts. Being on a time limit, she left
things a little sloppier than she would’ve liked to. All it would take for the
chase to begin was a member of the High Council going into the assessment
room to check on her. She didn’t think that they would though. Deianira had
seen her almost break the glass, so she doubted that they would risk
opening the only other door holding her back.
That didn’t mean that they couldn’t check the cameras though. She
could only hope that the breach would take their minds off her for long
enough.
After eight straight hours of pushing the car to its limits, she
prepared herself to part ways with the vehicle. Not because it had
malfunctioned or because she’d reached her destination, though it was
close, but Salem couldn’t drive through the next part of the journey because
separating her from the forest was the River Terra.
She knew that this part was coming up and was prepared for it, so
she didn’t even pause to think as she turned off the vehicle, grabbed her
bag, and slid out of the driver’s seat, but not before unlacing her boots and
throwing them into her pack. Securing the waterproof pack onto her back,
Salem reached back and pulled the mouthpiece from the side attachment.
The swim was approximately four hours, and she had enough oxygen for
one. Maybe that thought should’ve worried her, but she was adept at
aquatics and knew that she could skim it with only half the oxygen needed
if she could keep her heart rate down enough. But that meant that the four-
hour journey needed to be done in two.
Heading to the trunk door, barefoot, Salem pulled out the pair of
flippers that she’d spent the most time looking for. Technically, she could
have made the journey without them, but it wasn’t something she was
willing to leave behind, especially with the amount of time that she needed
to shave off. She quickly ran through a mental checklist as she popped in
her earplugs.
Once satisfied, she walked to the edge of the river, giving it a quick
inspection. She wasn’t looking for animals, though they could very well
have been a problem. She was assessing the depth. And it didn’t look
shallow at all.
Perfect.
Salem only took a step back before she dove straight into the dark
waters. If she really needed to check her location, she had the bracelet, but
she knew that it was a straight swim from where she’d parked. Her only real
objective was to stay on course.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Nine
Ignoring Devin’s ranting in his ear, Cassian walked between Sven and
Hanson, still on high alert. He understood his annoyance. While they
offered him a certain level of protection, if they were even telling the truth,
they were out to pick a fight with Pola, and that wasn’t good for him. He
was trying to stay away from her. That didn’t mean he hesitated to mute
Devin though, there was no reason to let Sven and Hanson know that he had
outside help.
Hanson walked further ahead but Sven kept pace with Cassian.
“Why?” Sven started after a few minutes.
Cassian knew what he was asking, but he wasn’t very comfortable
talking to either of them. They were temporary allies, but it wasn’t a level
playing field. Yes, he could read them, but they’d know. Well, he assumed
so.
Knowing that he’d be called out on a lie, he answered honestly. “So
someone else wouldn’t have to.”
Sven smiled and nodded. “Love,” he said wistfully, but his tone held
an element of sarcasm too.
It wasn’t a secret, but Cassian still shivered at the way he read him
so easily. “Yeah.”
He shrugged. “I understand. I did the same.”
Cassian tried not to narrow his eyes. It didn’t seem to be the case
considering his slightly bitter tone, nor did it align with what he was told.
“You doubt me.”
I’m getting really tired of that. “No,” Cassian replied.
Sven shook his head, still smiling. “You do. But it is okay,” he
sighed.
Cassian wasn’t sure how to respond. Fortunately, or unfortunately,
though, he didn’t have to.
“Ahhh!”
Though he hadn’t spoken to him much, the depth of the voice and
closeness told him exactly who had cried out.
“Hanson!” Sven bellowed with wide eyes as he started running
towards the noise.
Cassian debated following for a moment, but he quickly
remembered the words he’d spoken a couple of hours ago and knew that he
needed to hold up his end. Running after Sven, he couldn't see much
because of the thickness of the forest. Every direction looked the exact
same, and as hard as he tried to keep up, Sven seemed to get further and
further away.
As he disappeared into the brush, Cassian slowed down, his heart
rate rising, not only at the thought of being exposed but at being alone.
“Sven!” he called, making a slow circle.
No answer.
“Hanson!”
Silence.
He tapped his earpiece. “Dev, I think I lost ‘em. What do I do?” he
whispered.
There was some shuffling before Devin’s voice filtered through the
earpiece. “Oh, so, now you want my help. Figures.”
“Devin,” Cassian gritted in a firm tone.
He sighed. “What do you see?”
“Nothing!” he hissed. “Just tree-”
A pained cry echoed near him.
Cassian immediately pulled out his gun as he threw his gaze in the
direction that the sound came from.
“What was that?”
“I’m going to find ou-”
Cassian wasn’t sure what had hit him, but it sure as hell didn’t feel
like a tree.
He blinked up at the sky and groaned as he rolled onto his back to
get up. If he’d been paying attention, he might have had time to notice the
figure that jumped out in front of him. And if he was expecting a fist to the
face, he was mistaken, because the man in front of him, whoever he was,
kneeled over him and placed his hands on either side of his head.
The next thing he knew was hot, searing pain.
Cassian cried out and gripped the hands as his ears rang and images
began to flick in his head. Images that he’d seen before.
He looked up through the almost translucent pictures to see the face
of the offender.
Ren.
Cassian’s mind pulsed torturously as his face began to morph. At
first, he thought that the council had gotten it wrong and that he wasn’t a
seer, but a warlock, a shapeshifter. That was the only logical explanation for
why Ren’s face contorted and horrifyingly reshaped into the face of…
Cassian threw his arms out. Then why can’t you respect mine!
Because it wasn’t supposed to be you! she screamed.
He shook his head. Yes, it was! he bellowed down the link. You
knew it was meant to be me and you lied to make the exact same decision
I’m making right now! You can’t seriously be mad at me for that.
“Snap out of it!”

He wheezed as his eyes rolled back.
“Cassian, wake up!”
He shuddered as his mind was bombarded with memory after
memory. They weren’t good or happy memories. Nothing like the ones that
Podak had made him see.
Absently, he wondered why he was still alive. He was vulnerable, he
could’ve killed him easily. But Cassian realized that he wasn’t trying to.
The seers…known to be quite sadistic…
His eyes started to close again
“No! Cassian, wake up!”
He paced, hands on his head.

This is your fault…
Cassian looked back up at the glass, bewildered. What?
Salem steeled her spine. This is your fault!
What are you-
None of this would’ve happened if you didn’t…
He ran back to the glass, heart stuttering. If I didn’t what?!
Her head flicked back up as he silently begged her to say it. To just
put him out of his misery and tell him.
“Hey, hey! Talk to me! What do you see?!”

“Salem…” Cassian whispered, his eyes heavy as his grip tightened
on Ren’s hands.
“Shit…” he heard through the line. “Where’s your gun?”
Breathing heavily, his eyes burning, Cassian released his left hand
and shakily patted the ground next to him as her face danced before his
eyes.
His fingers grazed his gun before he let out a strangled cry as the
pain doubled. Hands shaking from pure agony, Cassian could just about
reach Ren’s thigh as he gripped his gun as tight as he could.
He pulled the trigger.
Just like that, the pain stopped and the pictures faded. Cassian
dropped to his side, gasping to catch his breath.
If Ren cried out, he didn’t hear him, he was too busy trying to tamp
down the buzzing in his ears. But he knew he couldn’t stay like that for
long. He shakily stood and blinked through his hazy vision to find the man
gone.
Or not.
With alarming speed, he advanced on Cassian’s left, surprising him
with a punishing blow to the head.
Cassian only felt relief as he stumbled to the side. Punches were
good, he could take a punch, not whatever that was before.
He used his partial spin to wind up a fist and send it straight back at
Ren, but he dodged with no effort. Cassian tried again, and he simply
sidestepped it. No matter his speed, the guy always saw it coming.
“Disabler,” Devin told him, wasting no time.
Right.
Cassian reached for his belt and pulled out his coated knife. He
stepped forward and swung for Ren, only for him to dodge and throw a
punch at Cassian’s gut. He didn’t think he’d ever been hit so hard as he
folded forward and simultaneously fell several feet back. Cassian had
barely caught his breath when a knee met his nose, sending him sprawling
back to the dirt.
Ren gave him a chilling smile as he pulled out a knife of his own
and leaned over him. Just as he prepared to roll away from the assault, a
scream sounded not too far away.
Ren’s head whipped to the side. “Nari!”
Cassian used the opportunity to give Ren’s shin a harsh swipe with
his knife. He wasn’t sure how long the elixir would need to take effect, but
he wasn’t going to sit around and wait. The second he’d slashed him and
caught Ren’s attention again, he rolled out from beneath him, tripping him
in the process.
Ren was just as ready as he was as he got back to his feet. But then,
he assessed Cassian’s position, and he hesitated. Cassian’s eyes dropped
straight to where Ren’s had. He was looking at the ground, more
specifically, the row of white flowers that Cassian stood behind.
Huh.
Ren’s eyes quickly snapped up and looked over Cassian’s shoulder,
and the moment he turned to see what or who was there, he wanted to slap
himself for falling for it. He barely managed to keep his feet beneath him as
Ren dragged him back by his shirt, but was able to spin out of his grasp.
Ren took a swipe at him, but he dodged, the blade almost grazing
him. He swiped again, but this time, Cassian grabbed his arm just before he
made entry and pulled it down on his knee as hard as he could. When he
didn’t release the knife, Cassian tried again, finally getting him to let go.
Barely faltering, he dragged his arm back, pulling Cassian forward before
sending his heavy foot into his torso. Cassian had to fight down his nausea
as he almost tumbled to the ground. As Ren threw an empty hand out in his
direction, Cassian threw his arms up in defense, waiting for an array of
memories to assault him.
But nothing came.
It worked.
While Ren took his time to realize this, Cassian stood firm and
honed in, grabbing a hold of his mind, just like he’d done to him. Ren fell to
his knees, grabbing his head. He wasn’t trying to make him suffer, he just
needed him still for long enough to end it. Striding up to him, he bent down
and picked up his gun from where he’d dropped it, and as soon as he was
within range, he pressed it to Ren’s forehead, both hands gripping it.
Then all of a sudden, everything felt wrong.
It shouldn’t have when Ren was about to do the same, but he
couldn’t push down the gnawing feeling in his gut.
He was supposed to just kill him?
Ren was one of the youngest of the combatants, and he’d been eager
to kill him just a second ago, so why was it so hard to pull the trigger?
Ren groaned, pulling his hair at the roots, eyes on Cassian.
“Cass...”
Oh, Gods.
“You have to.”
He had completely forgotten that Devin was still on the line. If
anything, that discouraged him more. It wasn’t just a personal act,
something that he could let the guilt eat at him for alone. They would know.
They would see.
But he was right.
He had to.
Kill or be killed.
This was why he’d entered. So Salem wouldn’t have to do this. He
just needed to pull the trigger. He could feel Ren fighting for control, but he
held his mind steady, forcing him to stay still as sweat dripped down the
side of his face.
Just pull the trigger, he told himself.
You’ve done it before.
This is self-defense.
Is it?
Ren wasn’t fighting back. He couldn’t. It wasn’t self-defense, it was
an execution.
Cassian hadn’t even realized that Sven had come up beside him until
was kneeling in front of Ren, pushing a dagger through his chest. Cassian
had to stifle a gasp as the link severed and Ren fell to the ground.
Sven spun his head to Cassian, his face smeared with blood.
“Wasting time,” he gritted out. “Hanson’s hurt.” And with that, he got up
and left, expecting Cassian to follow.
Cassian did follow, but not before pausing to look back at Ren.
Dead.
Even if the broken link didn’t tell him that, he could tell by the
blood spilling from his chest and pooling around him.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ten
When dealing with nature, there were always variables that couldn’t
be controlled. For example, the tide. Salem knew that she was already
cutting it close with the time, but she set it in her mind that she could make
it if she pushed herself. Checking her wrist, she calculated that she had
about fifteen minutes of oxygen left. That was a problem.
It would last her thirty minutes at most, but the worst part was that
she’d only just passed the halfway mark.
Why?
The tide. She was swimming against it.
As much as it was her first instinct to, Salem didn’t blame herself.
There’s no way she could have known the direction or strength of the
foreign waters, and scolding herself wouldn’t do anything to help her
predicament. She had almost two hours left to swim and only thirty minutes
on the clock.
She needed to conserve. Even more than she already was.
It was unwise to ration her oxygen while exerting herself the way
she was, but Salem had no choice. Quickly estimating how much she’d
need and how much she had, she decided on one intake every two minutes.
The first twenty minutes were bearable, but after nearly an hour, she
started to feel the effects. Her lungs began to burn, her limbs became stiff,
the tide seemed to get stronger and stronger. She knew that she couldn’t
keep it up for long, but she needed to get as far as she could. If she even
stopped to take a break, the tide would pull her back in the direction she
came, doubling her journey. She couldn’t take that risk. So she pushed and
pushed, even as her head started to feel light. Blinking weakly behind her
mask, she lifted her wrist and checked her location.
She growled in frustration. The good news was that she only had ten
minutes left. She was sure that she could make it. Bad news, she’d veered
off course. In her fatigue and lightheadedness, she’d started swimming at an
angle. This was bad, but it wasn’t terrible. It would mean that she’d have a
longer journey but at least it would be on foot.
Salem broke the surface to get a real look.
Land.
She could actually see land.
Incentivized, she re-secured the mouthpiece and breathed freely as
she picked up her pace toward the swampy grass. The moment her hand
touched the ground, she heaved with relief.
She’d done it.
Salem dragged herself out of the water and flopped onto the ground.
She fought through the ache and rolled herself onto her hands and knees,
slipping her arms out of her backpack.
First, she detached the oxygen tank and discarded it, then she
reached into her pack for her nebulizer. She was well aware that she was at
the edge of the forest in which the trials took place, but with the small
coverage from the high grass lining the river, she allowed herself to fall
back onto the ground, holding the mask to her face.
She just needed a second. Just one.
As she let her heart steady, she ran through what she needed to do.
Her clothes. Wet clothes were one of the easiest ways to freeze in
the forest at night. She also needed to bury her tank and swimming gear.
She wasn’t going to carry anything that could slow her down and she knew
the rules of the trials, knew what would become of her if she were to be
found.
So she wasn’t going to be.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eleven
Cassian winced as Sven rolled Hanson onto his side. His back had a
large gash down the middle. He let out a strangled groan as Sven gently put
him on his stomach and reached into his bag, pulling out a leathery,
spherical pouch. When he pulled the plug, Cassian had to look away from
him as he poured water onto the wound, washing away the few flecks of
dirt.
Hanson cried out the second the water made contact.
“He cannot stay here.”
“The cave,” Cassian instantly suggested.
They’d already found him there so it wasn’t like he was giving the
place up.
Sven nodded and slipped both arms under Hanson before picking
him up and shifting him onto his shoulders with ease. Hanson’s eyes
blinked lazily as he slipped in and out of consciousness, his head lolling
over Sven’s shoulder.
Cassian purposely fell behind to have a word with Devin. The last
few moments only making him feel more cautious of Sven and Hanson.
They were in it to win, and so was he, but they obviously weren’t playing
around. That was clear now, but what he wanted to know was why Ren had
hesitated back there. From what Devin could see from his surroundings, he
did a little research into the flower that Ren had stopped short of.
Hebeto was the name. Apparently, it acted as a dampener.
Contrary to the dampening technology used in the city, it was a
completely natural one. Balance of nature, he guessed, because it sprouted
in various locations in the Patrias forest and was able to survive the most
extreme conditions. He was just glad that he’d have something to fall back
on if he had any issues with his elixir.
“Why didn’t you kill him?” Sven asked as he fell back in line with
them. He didn’t seem angry anymore, just curious.
“I was going to,” Cassian responded. But in truth, he didn’t know if
he would’ve
Sven nodded. “You were.”
He let out a quiet sigh, but he wasn’t sure that it was from relief. He
was glad to know that he would’ve done what needed to be done, but he
didn’t like the way it made him feel to know that he would’ve killed the kid
if Sven didn’t show up.
“But you didn’t.”
He tensed.
“You think I am a monster?” Sven asked.
Cassian wasn’t sure what the right answer was, or if it was a
question to be answered at all.
Sven shook his head. “You’re here, just like me.”
It was true, but Cassian still couldn’t help but judge. He wasn’t
doing it intentionally, but holding himself to the same standard, he
would’ve beat himself up about doing something like that without
reluctance. So yes, he was judging. How could he not?
“The others vote to decide who fights,” Sven said distantly. “But not
empaths. Volunteering is very noble.” Cassian understood, but he wasn’t
quite following. “For many years, we had no tributes, so we did not fight.
Not until my father,” he nodded his head back, “and his father, thirty
summers ago. Our people were supportive, and why wouldn’t they be?
They had a chance to indulge in the luxuries of the Delitorium. Pola was not
glad though.”
Cassian kept his mouth shut and listened.
“She had won for the second time in a row and she was reveling in
it. She liked that people were terrified of her, that an entire affinity refused
to take part in the trials out of fear of her. My father’s mistake was bringing
light to his interest before officially entering.” He sighed. “They were killed
in their sleep a week after the word reached our Queen. Hanson found
them.”
She didn’t kill them in the trials?
“I am a very old man. I had my father for almost a thousand
seasons. But Hanson barely had forty years.”
Though his voice was steady, almost cold, Cassian could see the
hurt on his face as he angled away, he could almost feel it too.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered as they neared the cave.
“That is why I am here,” Sven said quietly, avoiding his eyes. “We
all have a reason. If I am a monster, you are one too.”
Cassian paused.
It made sense now. The first part, he didn’t want to dwell on the
second part too much. Sven had said that he was here for love. Ultimately,
to avenge their fathers, but it was for Hanson.
Cassian stepped aside for Sven to carry him into the cave, observing
them as they walked ahead of him, deeper into the darkness. He dropped his
bag, grabbing his flashlight and setting it up on a rock so that it lit up the
whole cave. It was still very bright outside, so the light wouldn’t draw
attention.
Sven gently lowered Hanson onto his side before reaching for his
pouch again. “Drink,” he told Hanson, bringing it to his lips.
Hanson took a few weak gulps before his head rested back on the
ground.
Cassian eyed the wound. It was a long, deep, jagged cut. Whatever
she’d used must have been serrated or spiked. In the palace, a wound like
that could have been cleaned and healed in a few sessions, but in the forest?
Cassian didn’t have to be a doctor to know that he wouldn’t make it. Even if
the bleeding wasn’t an issue, it was bound to get infected. He was aware
that the gifted, and the primas even more so, had profoundly more efficient
immune systems, but the cut was too big, too deep. Sven didn’t seem to be
thinking about that though as he rubbed Hanson’s shoulder, murmuring to
him.
Cassian couldn’t bring himself to break the news to Sven, news he
probably already knew in the back of his mind, but he also couldn’t stay
with them. As cruel as it sounded, they were dead weight. That wouldn’t
have been the case for Sven if he was willing to leave Hanson, but Cassian
knew that it wasn’t an option for him. He was also running low on water
and needed to find that river that Devin was talking about.
But leaving them rebelled against a part of him.
Before he could stop himself, Cassian reached into his pack and
pulled out one of his sealed packets of morphine. He only had three, but he
doubted he’d need all of them. He also knew that it wouldn’t save Hanson,
but he hoped it would put him at ease for long enough for Sven to have a
proper goodbye.
“Sven,” Cassian called, holding out the singular baggy.
Sven looked at him in question.
“I have to go,” he said quietly. “But you can give him this. It’s
morphine.”
He seemed even more confused.
“They’ll make him feel better,” he offered. He didn’t want to lie and
say that they would make him better. ‘Feel better’ was definitely more
accurate.
He looked at the bag again before gently taking it from Cassian.
“Why?” he asked.
Cassian didn’t really have an answer, but he saw the way that Sven
looked at Hanson. It was the same way that he looked at Salem. He couldn’t
deny him an extra few hours if he could help it.
Apparently, the emotions swirling around in Cassian’s chest were
enough for Sven, because he nodded at him solemnly. “Thank you,” he said
gruffly.
Cassian nodded back before swinging his pack onto his back.
He muttered a quick goodbye as he made his way out of the cave,
knowing that he wouldn’t be seeing either of them again. Anticipating what
was waiting for him, Cassian tapped his earpiece as he carefully exited the
cave.
“Please, please, please, tell me you did not just give that dead guy
the morphine that I packed for you.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twelve
Walking was one of the most basic forms of transport, and should
have been the easiest, but after gliding through water, as tiring as the task
had been, every step Salem took was weighed down, reminding her that
gravity was still in full effect.
The forest began to thicken as Salem followed the water line for at
least three hours. It was a good location to keep, the moving was the hard
part. On the water line, she was less likely to be seen, but the low visibility
had its limitations too.
She didn’t notice certain things before it was almost too late. Like
the slight ripple of the water beside her.
Salem subtly uncurled her fingers and spread them at her side. No
breeze. There were also no fish, something she’d learned on her journey.
Salem dashed to the closest tree and put her back to it. She might
have already been seen, but at least she could prepare to defend herself. She
dropped her pack and pulled her gun out of the back of her pants.
Inching around the corner, she took a quick look.
A girl. In the water.
Salem narrowed her eyes, watching her closer. She was watching
something, hunting something.
As she ducked under the water, Salem wondered what she was
doing when the top of her head reappeared, the water coming up just below
her eyes. It was still fairly bright, but with the thick grass, she would’ve
been hard to see from any angle.
Salem had to inch further around the tree to get a look at what she
was stalking.
Her stomach almost turned inside out.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, broad shoulders that she’d recognize
anywhere.
Not what. Who.
He’s alive.
Before she could allow the relief to settle, she noticed that he was
crouching by the edge of the river, canteen in hand.
He can’t see her.
And as if the universe wanted Salem to go into cardiac arrest,
another girl appeared. Though she wasn’t in the water, she was watching
him from a distance. She stood behind a tree diagonal to Salem, her's a few
dozen feet ahead.
Salem blinked as her eyes went from one girl to the other. They
looked exactly alike. They could have been twins.
She knew that she couldn’t be seen, not even by him, but she
couldn’t just stand there either. She’d come to do the opposite. But she did
have to remind herself that this was an assist, not a rescue.
The second girl was closer to her than the first. Her being on land
was a plus too.
Mind made up, Salem moved. As quietly as she could, she stepped
out from her hiding spot, thankful that the girl’s back was to her. She moved
swiftly, careful not to be picked up in her periphery. The difficult part was
that she wasn’t aware of how much noise she was making, she could’ve
been breathing too loud for all she knew, but she just applied her training
and prayed that it was enough. Apparently, it was, because as she closed the
last few paces up to the second girl, she still hadn’t turned.
As quickly as possible, Salem wrapped an arm around her head, the
crook of her elbow covering her mouth as she brought her gun to her
temple.
Evidently, the girl got the message, because Salem felt nothing
behind her arm except light breaths. She walked her back behind her tree
before releasing her, pushing her against the tree and leveling her with a
look, daring her to speak.
The girl didn’t speak. But she did smile.
The water next to them rippled harshly.
Keeping her gun trained on the girl in front of her, Salem peeked out
beside the tree. The first girl was looking right at her.
Her body chilled. Her stare threatened to melt Salem on the spot, but
fortunately, her abrupt turn caught Cassian’s attention.
Salem had little time to be relieved though as the gun was yanked
out of her hand and sent to the grass. The girl hadn’t even touched her, but
it looked like she was planning on it as she pulled back a hand. Salem
waited till the last second to dodge, letting her follow through before
grabbing the arm and twisting it behind her back, spinning her around. She
followed it up with a swift kick to the back of her leg, dropping her to one
knee.
With surprising strength, the girl pulled her arm out of Salem’s hold
and sent an elbow to her temple. Salem quietly grunted. Shaking it off, she
drove a knee into the back of the girl's head, sending her forehead into the
tree. As she bounced off of it, falling to the ground, she quickly got on top
of her, picking her gun back up.
No.
They were too close. Salem threw her gun back down and put her
hands on both sides of her head.
“Freeze,” Salem whispered.
“No,” she whispered back with a smile.
Salem barely contained her surprise. She blocked her.
Of course. She was a prima, she could do that.
The girl grabbed Salem’s throat with her hand, the other reaching
for her belt. Before she could make a move, Salem threw her fist at her
nose, hard enough to disorientate her. She reached for the knife that the girl
had tried to pull.
Hard way it is.
As she palmed the handle, the girl blinked, her eyes opening a
different color.
They were white.
Salem had no idea what she was doing, but she didn’t want to know.
A scratching sensation at the back of her head told her that she was about to
find out though.
She was trying to get in.
Just as that scratching became a solid stab, Salem pushed back in
her mind, surprising her enough to allow her to advance with no resistance.
Without a second thought, she put the knife to her throat and slashed. The
sensation lessened, but it didn’t disappear.
The girl held her throat, her mouth opening and closing.
Salem’s eyes widened at the thought that she might draw attention to
them. She held the knife in both hands before bringing it down into her
chest.
Her eyes flew to Salem’s as she stilled. And finally, her mind eased.
She quickly scrambled off her and took a sly look past the tree to
check on Cassian.

The lack of movement settled Cassian enough to take a break as he

settled down by the river. It was safe to say that he’d been on high alert
since he left the cave. He knew what he was here for, but this morning was
a shock to his system. He’d spoken to Devin for a while, but he kept his
steps quiet as he trailed through the forest, turning back every few seconds.
He decided that he’d listen to Devin and stock up on water before
going back into hiding. Boredom had to be better than dea-
Splash.
Cassian’s head snapped up at the sound.
He fell back, scrambling away from the water as a face appeared. It
was one of the twins. His first instinct was to hone in, but he remembered
Cade’s words and reached for his gun. But then she turned her head. She
wasn’t looking at him anymore but at something to her right in the distance.
He grabbed his gun anyway.
That caught her attention.
She ducked back under the surface. The water was too dark for him
to see where she went, and Cassian wasn't about to waste bullets.
Startling him, she leapt out of the water. He fired off a few shots, but
he knew that none of them hit the target.
She was on him in seconds.
Cassian fell back to the ground as she jumped on him, her attack
relentless yet calculated. He could tell because she rarely aimed for his face.
Punch after punch, she assaulted his torso with a steady combo. He grunted
as she landed a heavy hit on his liver. He was constantly on defense, barely
able to get a hit in.
Just as she aimed for his face, Cassian sent a flat palm to her neck,
stunning her enough to shove her off of him. He jumped to pin her, but she
was already on her feet again. She was so slim, so fast that Cassian
struggled to even keep his eyes on her.
Pulling out one of his daggers, he took a swipe at her right side.
As expected, she dodged, but that’s exactly what he wanted. As she
jumped to the left, Cassian had already swung his foot to meet her, and she
fell to the ground at the impact of his boot, clutching her side. He dropped
onto her, pinning her hands above her head with one of his. He quickly
brought his knife to her throat with his other hand. He hadn’t even applied
any pressure when he felt pushback.
He flicked his eyes to her hands for a moment, just to make sure that
he wasn’t losing it. To even test the theory, he tried to press the knife harder
against her neck.
It wouldn’t budge. In fact, it pushed back even more.
Before he knew what was happening, his own hand was moving
toward himself, the knife turning around. He couldn’t stop it. He was trying
to push it back, but something was pushing against it. Someone was
pushing against it. It was her.
She didn’t even hide her smug smile as the knife made its way
toward him. Cassian grunted as he put his all into turning it back around.
The knife moved back an inch. So he pushed harder, and he knew that he
was making progress, especially when the smile slid off her face.
In what looked like a last-ditch attempt, the girl closed her eyes, and
when she opened them, they were white. All of a sudden, he could feel it in
his mind. Cassian shook his head manically as he pushed the knife with all
his might, panting, trying to keep his walls up.
The sensation was becoming less of a nuisance and more painful.
Then it just…stopped. The girl’s eyes cleared.
Her chest rose as she took in a large breath, then she started
screaming. Screaming at the top of her lungs, like she was dying.
Cassian scrambled off her, both confused and concerned. She just
kept screaming. No, she was saying something.
“MAL!” she shrieked as she writhed, clawing at her hair.
“MALIA!”
Her sister.
Cassian wasn’t sure if something was happening to her sister or if
she was calling for her help, but either way, she was making a lot of noise.
He could have just walked away, it would’ve been the perfect time to, but
she was also vulnerable. That may have been an opening he wouldn't get
again. She could’ve come back for him, would’ve come back for him.
He reached for his gun on the grass, tightening the suppressor.
She clutched her head, her breaths ragged. “Malia…”
This was wrong. It was all wrong.
He let out a harsh breath, scolding himself. You have to…
She wouldn’t have thought twice about killing him, no matter the
circumstances.
Dana growled as she got to her knees. “She killed her!” she rasped.
Cassian had an idea that ‘she’ was Pola, but he wondered if Dana
was aware of the fact that only one of them could’ve left anyway.
She got to her feet. Cassian took a step back, holding the gun out in
front of him.
A warning.
“I’ll kill you, I’ll kill her…”
She said it like he was supposed to be affected by her words, like
Pola’s death would hurt him.
Cassian closed his eyes and pulled the trigger when she leapt for
him. She screamed, clutching her leg as she fell to the ground, but soon, she
started crawling. Backing away, he gritted his teeth as he pulled the trigger
twice.
Dana collapsed and stilled. He froze too, the gun still held
unsteadily in his palms.
Because it wasn’t Sven this time. It was him.
He didn’t know that he’d stopped breathing too until his head grew
light.
He’d killed someone. On purpose. A girl. Headshot. Just like Drake.
Taking his eyes off her, he willed himself not to be sick.
“You need to breathe..”
Cassian dropped the gun, startled. He pressed his palms into his
eyes, not wanting to hear Cade’s voice.
“Your heart is beating way too fast, Cassian. Just breathe.”
He couldn’t. He spun in circles looking for something, anything.
It was all wrong and he didn’t know how to fix it.
“Cassian.”
He killed someone’s sister, someone’s daughter.
“Cassian.”
Maybe he could’ve stopped her without killing her. She didn’t need
to die. Did she?
“Okay, Cassian, you’re having a panic attack. I need you to find
somewhere with coverage and sit down.”
Why did I do that?
“Cassian?”
He focused for a moment at the change of voice. It was Deianira.
But he didn’t want to speak to her either. “Put Salem on,” he gasped out as
his head whipped from side to side.
A pause. “I can’t do tha-”
It was like the air was being beaten out of his lungs. “I want Salem.”
“Cassi-”
“Get Devin,” he wheezed, grabbing his chest, blinking wildly. Why
is it so bright? “Tell him to get her…”
“Devin can’t talk right now-”
“No, no, no, no…”
“You need to calm down and take a b-”
“Please, I just want to hear her!” he rasped. “Please, please-”
BEEP!
He winced as the high-pitched sound rang in his ears.
“Cassian!”
The noise ceased and he finally took a full breath. “Yes?” he
whispered.
“You see that rock over there?”
He could barely see in front of him, but he absently nodded. “Uh-
huh.”
“I need you to go over to it and take a seat.”
“Okay…” He dragged himself over to the rock.
“Alright, now, can you sit down?”
He let his body slide down the side of the rock.
You’re okay…
He flinched, looking around. Nice. Now, he was hearing her voice.
Salem?
You’re going to be okay. You promised.
He nodded to himself. I will…
Hallucination or not, he couldn’t help the way that his body relaxed
at her voice, the way the tension rolled right off his back. All he wanted was
to hear her, and he did. She just had a way of calming him, even when she
wasn’t really there.
“Do you feel better?”
“Yeah…”
“Good.” Deianira sighed. “You did what you had to do, you know.”
Cassian dropped his head into his hands. He knew that she was
telling the truth, but it wasn’t sinking in.
“If you hadn’t taken the shot, she would’ve killed you. Then Salem
would’ve killed everyone in the palace. So you saved all of us.”
Maybe he would have chuckled a few hours ago, but he just
couldn’t find the humor. He didn’t want to hear about Salem, he wanted to
be with her. He reminded himself that the sooner he won, the sooner he
could see her.
Inhaling a deep breath, he stood and took a look at the darkening
sky. He hadn’t slept a wink since he’d arrived and he was starting to feel it.
“Can you put Cade back on?” he said quietly. “I’m gonna need a
place to crash.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirteen
Salem sagged with relief as she watched Cassian put the final bullet in
the girl. For a moment, she was worried that he wouldn’t take the shot. She
wasn’t sure why, he didn’t look injured and she was in range. It was an easy
shot, but he hesitated. She was just relieved that he did it in the end.
What had her feeling uneasy though were his actions right after.
Salem had only seen him that flustered after a night terror. She
wanted nothing more than to run over to him and just hold him like he held
her that first night. Or slap him for coming out here in the first place. But
she knew that she couldn’t. That didn’t stop her from sending him a few
words to hopefully put his mind at ease. It had worked that night and it
worked this time too.
Once he’d picked himself back up, Salem swung her pack over her
shoulder and started trailing him.
The sun was starting to set, so she assumed that he was looking for
somewhere to sleep. She followed him for almost two hours before he
stopped by a tree. He looked it up and down, examining it before he
grabbed the first branch and started climbing.
Salem huffed.
She could climb a tree, but she’d have to put some distance between
them. She’d also need to be higher up to avoid him seeing her.
After waiting for him to make some progress, Salem set her foot on
the base of a tree several feet away, more distance than she would’ve liked,
and started her own journey. She climbed and climbed, and even when he
stopped, she climbed some more. He needed to be in her sights at all times.
Salem slowed her pace in an effort to be quiet when he pulled a rope
out of his pack and began to wrap it around the branch he was on before
tying it around his legs. Once she’d found a branch thick enough, and with
good visibility, Salem settled. It was perfect, it pointed right toward him.
She didn’t bother tying herself up, she wasn’t planning on sleeping. Instead,
she reached into her pack and pulled out her night vision goggles.
He took longer to fall asleep than she’d expected. For a while, he
just leaned against the tree, talking to someone. At first, she thought that it
might be Devin, but he didn’t look very relaxed, and she knew from
personal experience that it was hard to remain tense around Devin. So she
assumed that it was Cade or Deianira, Cade more likely.
Eventually, the sky blackened and he nodded off.
Most of the time that they’d spent together was at night, but Salem
felt so at ease in his presence that she’d usually fall right asleep. Not now
though. Now, she took the opportunity to just watch him. Even in his sleep,
he looked pained. The past day couldn’t have been easy for him and she just
wanted to climb over onto his branch and curl up in his arms, a wild
contrast from how she was feeling less than a day ago. When she’d said
those words, she meant them. Now? She chided herself for her lack of
empathy. He must’ve thought that she hated him when really, it was the
opposite. She just wanted to hurt him the way he hurt her. But the difference
was that her attack was intentional, personal.
When his brows furrowed and his head flicked to the side, Salem
narrowed her eyes, looking closer. He did it again, knocking his head
against the stump.
She sat up straighter, squinting.
No.
She flinched. That wasn’t her voice in her head. It was his.
Salem!
Her eyes widened. He was having a night terror. In the middle of a
death match.
True fear struck her when she watched his lips part in speech. He
was making noise. He was going to draw attention to himself.
As if to validate her fears, something moved in the corner of
Salem’s eye. Her head whipped in the direction of the movement down on
the ground. Another girl.
She walked with a limp, her head spinning from side to side,
probably trying to find the source of the noise. She had blood smeared on
her hands and down the side of her neck, and clutched between her bloody
fingers was a thick metal bow.
Slowing, she cast her eyes up.
The look on her face had Salem shoving her hand into her bag. She
was looking right up at Cassian with an expression of true hatred. Not just
hatred, but rage. She reached an arm back, pulling an arrow out of her
quiver.
Salem dug through her pack frantically, pulling out the parts of her
rifle. She was too far away to fire her handgun and her sniper rifle was the
only weapon she had with a suppressor. Speedily, she set the bi-pod on the
branch before snapping the folding stock into place. While she checked the
suppressor, she snuck a glance at the girl.
She was taking aim, but Cassian’s squirming seemed to be causing
an issue for her. That was good.
I’m sorry…
Her heart squeezed as she turned her eyes to Cassian. His chest was
rising up and down as his lip wobbled.
Swinging her eyes back, she quickly rested her cheek behind the
scope before adjusting her aim. Through the lens, she was able to make out
two words from the girl’s mouth.
“For Ren.”
Licking her finger, Salem held it up. This was why the sniper rifle
was one of her favorites. The chance. No matter how good her calculations
were, nature could’ve chosen to have its way. The uncertainty almost gave
her a thrill. She wasn’t able to appreciate it now though.
Salem, I’m sorry…
Cassian’s desperate voice drew her from her thoughts.
She lined up the shot and breathed out in a slow constant breath.
The girl was drawing her arm back, but Salem couldn’t let that rush her.
Although she had a suppressor, she knew that it would only reduce the
noise, not silence it. She had one shot and if she didn’t make it, her cover
would be blown.
Three…
Two…
One.
Salem pulled the trigger and the girl dropped to the ground.
Before she took a breath, she gave her attention back to Cassian,
checking to see if she’d been caught.
He was awake, but he wasn’t looking at her.
He was looking at the arrow poking out of his chest.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fourteen
Pain. Stabbing pain.

Cassian woke up in a gasping, sweaty mess. That wasn’t anything
out of the ordinary. What was new though was the arrow in his chest. The
thickest arrow he’d ever seen.
He groaned as he put a hand to the area, grimacing as it shifted with
every breath he took. He aggressively tapped his earpiece.
“Dev, I’m hit!”
“What? When?”
It wasn’t Devin, it was Cade. Again.
“Now!” he ground out as he reached for the ropes. “Arrow…”
Cade cursed under his breath. “No, stay in the tree. Do you see the
shooter?”
Cassian didn’t hold back his pained bellow as he bent to the side an
inch and looked down, but it was too dark.
“No, I can’t see anything!” Fire was spreading throughout his whole
chest, crawling up his throat.
“Stay there. You don’t know what you’re walking into on the
ground.”
He nodded, shuddering.
“I need you to check how much you’re bleeding.”
He hissed as he put a hand to his chest again, then rubbed his fingers
together. There was a lot less than he expected.
“Not too much,” he rasped.
“That’s good. Don’t take it out.”
Cassian’s sudden intake of breath set his chest alight. “What?” he
gasped.
“I can see the entry point, but I don’t know what it’s hit. You could
bleed out. You can’t remove it, but you can break off the end. Just leave the
head.”
Cassian knew that he was right, but he was still trying to wrap his
mind around how he got shot in the first place. The person hadn’t taken a
second shot even though he’d been less than discreet about his survival.
And then there was his suit. It was supposed to be bulletproof. Surely an
arrow should’ve been less likely to penetrate it. But then again, his age
theory came into play.
How strong are they?
“I can’t do this…” he breathed. He wasn’t just talking about
breaking the arrow. It was the trials.
He’d promised her he’d come back.
“Lidocaine. There are three vials in your pack, but only take it when
you need it. We’ll remove the arrowhead when you get back, but you can
only take the pain away for now.”
Cassian took several deep breaths before touching the shaft of the
arrow. He almost rolled out of the tree from the surge of pain that shot
through him. But he had an even bigger problem.
He leaned back as sweat rolled from his forehead and clouded his
vision. “Cade, it’s made of steel…I can’t break it.” Not without moving it
significantly.
His brother was silent for a moment. “Cut it. Use your knife.”
Cassian nodded, shaking as he reached for his knife. He held the
arrow steady at his chest as he brought the knife as close as possible and
made his first pass. He was hit with an unforgiving wave of nausea, but he
did it again, and again. After thirty seconds, he dropped his hand. He
would’ve passed out if he continued.
“Cade, I can’t…”
“You can,” he said quickly, fear entering his voice. “You have to.
That thing is increasing your chances of the head hitting a major artery if it
hasn’t already. You need to cut it off.”
Cassian brought his hands back up and started again. After the
second pass, he threw his head to the side as the energy bar he’d eaten a few
hours ago crawled up his throat. He heaved, emptying his stomach onto the
ground below. As he stabilized himself once again, he got back on task. The
agony made his head light, made his eyes start to roll back.
Use the axe.
He gasped, almost sitting up. Sae…
As his hands lowered, he couldn’t help but give the sky a weak
smile. It was like she was right there. He could hear her. He welcomed the
pain if it meant he could hear her voice for even a second.
He sniffed. Are you still there? he asked, ready to stab himself to
conjure up her voice again.
The axe, Cassian. It’s sharper.
The axe.
That was right. It was sharper.
Cassian obeyed imaginary Salem, grimacing as he stretched his
opposite arm behind him to grab the axe strapped to his back. He held it by
the back of the blade, thankful for Devin’s adjustments in making it
lightweight, and held the arrow steady with his left hand. The pain was
expected, but it didn’t stop him from grunting as he drew his hand back and
forth, sawing at the arrow. It had only been ten seconds when the arrow
shaft fell into his lap.
Cassian squinted down at it.
It was off, he’d done it.
Maybe he was loopy from the pain or he’d just lost his mind, but
Cassian couldn’t help the raspy, hysterical laugh that left his throat. “I love
you, Salem…” he murmured into the darkness.
“Cassian? Are you okay?”
“I’m amazing…” he breathed.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifteen
After Cade walked him through administering the shot of lidocaine and
bandaging his wound, Cassian could breathe easier. He could still feel the
arrow shifting, but the sensation wasn’t coupled with crippling pain, so it
was a win.
The sun was beginning to rise and he still couldn’t see anyone on
the ground, so he untied his ropes and began his descent.
As his feet touched the ground, he flinched when he looked to his
right. “Found the shooter,” he muttered to Cade.
Nari.
He knew it was her by the dark red hair, knew she was the shooter
by the bow inches from her hand and the arrows scattered beneath her.
“Is she active?”
“She’s dead.”
Cassian had no idea when the kill took place or if the killer was still
in the area, but he didn’t want to find out. He only allowed himself a second
to glance over her body before starting in the opposite direction. Staying
alert, he spoke to Cade every few minutes, but the hardest part about the
whole thing was the lack of direction. There was everywhere and nowhere
to go. One second, you were alone, then the next, you weren’t.
Like now.
Cassian stopped and threw himself behind a large tree stump as
leaves crunched behind him. It didn’t sound very close, but he knew what
he heard.
‘Someone’s following me,’ he signed to the camera.
“Have you got cover?”
Cade again.
Where’s Devin?
Cassian shook his head and looked at the width of the tree. ‘Kind
of.’ He snuck a quick glance around the tree and came up empty. ‘I’m
moving.’
He swiftly dashed to the next tree before taking another look.
Still nothing.
Maybe he was hearing things. He shook his head and whispered,
“False ala-”
“Both of them?”
Cassian threw his back against the tree again, cutting himself off.
Pola.
“Yes, by the river. One was cut. The other was shot.”
The voice sounded male, raspy, but on the higher side, youthful.
Vor.
“Gunshot. Blondie is making his mark,” she sneered. “And what of
the seers?”
“The male is dead. I don’t know of the female.”
Cassian inched around the tree carefully to stay out of sight,
watching Pola turn to Vor. “Find the gifted one. Bring him back dead or
don’t come back.”
Vor nodded confidently and parted ways with Pola and Potek.
So that was what she’d been doing. Sticking with Potek and sending
her son out to do the killing. Cassian was no longer shocked by her
behavior, just saddened by the fact that Vor wouldn’t have a chance to know
better.
After some mental conflict, he decided to follow them. He’d already
loaded his gun with the coated bullets. Taking on Pola and Potek at the
same time wasn’t something that he wanted to try, so he’d follow them until
he could catch her alone. Plus, as long as he stayed close to them, he
wouldn’t have to take on Vor.

As Cassian quickly threw himself behind a tree, Salem huffed, dropping

behind a fallen log. He’d heard her. She was being too loud.
She didn’t leave her position as he dashed from one tree to the next,
she just waited for him to lose suspicion. But instead, something else caught
his attention.
Salem peaked over the log to see what he was seeing.
Pola. She was with Potek and a young boy that she didn’t recognize.
Salem couldn’t see what they were talking about from the distance,
but Cassian was wrapped in their conversation. He wouldn’t take his eyes
off them. In fact, when the boy separated from Pola and Potek, Cassian
began to follow them.
What is he doing? she thought. He should have been going the other
way.
Either way, she would follow too.
Salem waited for Cassian to pass before rolling back up. When he
was some distance away, she slowly trailed after him again. She tilted in
concern as she watched him walk. She’d seen how deep that arrow had
gone, but he didn’t seem to be in any pain. If their circumstances hadn’t
been so fragile, she would’ve just reached out and asked him, but she
couldn’t. She couldn’t talk to him, hold him, or even let him see her. All
that she had to do to keep her mind on track was think of him walking out
of the forest, victorious.
The King of Patriam.
She wanted that for him, so she could wait a little longer.
He was moving slightly quicker than before, so she picked up her
pace. As she quietly hopped over a small log, Salem felt the slightest
vibration in the ground. She felt it at least half a second after her foot had
dropped, so she knew it wasn’t her. But whatever it was, it was close.
Not knowing what, or who, was behind her, her only advantage was
the knowledge that she was being followed. She wasn’t going to turn
around and give that away. Instead, she discreetly loosened the straps of her
pack and slowly slid her dagger out from her sleeve. She kept her steps light
to get a better indication of how close this person was and estimated their
proximity.
Seven feet…
Four feet…
The hand closed over Salem’s mouth before she could spin, but that
was okay. Her calculations were close enough. She slid her arms out of her
backpack, letting it drop to the ground, giving her enough space to drive her
knife backward into the assailant's thigh. She let go of the handle and
grabbed the arm of the hand over her mouth while squatting. Pushing her
hips back while pulling the arm forward, she flipped him over her right
shoulder and onto his back.
She quickly retrieved her knife from his thigh and pressed a knee
into his chest, finally getting a good look at his face.
Then, for the first time in a long time, Salem hesitated.
Why is Podak here?
She hadn’t seen the entire lineup, but she was sure that he hadn’t
entered.
Podak used her moment of confusion to push at her knee and throw
her off balance. She sprawled onto the ground but quickly rolled onto her
hands and knees. Before she could get to her feet though, Podak had a hand
around her neck, slamming her back to the ground and pinning her there.
“How could I forget a face like this?” he smiled, looking down at
her.
She hid her perplexion. They’d only seen each other on a few
occasions, and she’d been with others, but his words seemed personal,
meaningful.
Trying to ignore the chills running down her back, she reached out,
searching for her knife, but Podak quickly grabbed her hand.
“No…” he chided, shaking his head with a mocking pout.
Before he finished speaking, she went ramrod straight as something
pulsed in the back of her mind. She shook her head, squinting her left one in
an attempt to expel the feeling.
Podak’s smile turned cruel. “He will miss you…”
Those were the last words she saw before everything faded.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixteen
Cassian took a swig of his water.

They’d been walking for hours, it didn’t even look like they were
searching for anything, they were just walking. Pola led the way while
Potek trailed behind her, keeping his eyes peeled. On multiple occasions,
Cassian was almost sure that Potek had heard him, but he’d gotten lucky
each time.
It was no surprise that he was being loud. He could barely walk in a
straight line. He slowed with each step he took until the pain grew
unbearable and he had to stop.
“Why’d you stop?” Cade whispered.
“Lidocaine,” was all he could choke out.
Setting his bag down by a tree, he gently removed his shirt and
checked the bandages.
He’d bled right through them.
Cassian dug through his pack for an energy bar and tore into it as
soon as he peeled away the wrapper. Chewing, he slowly pulled the
bandage away from his chest and over his shoulder, removing the bloody
pads before pouring some rubbing alcohol onto a spare rag. He bit down on
his tongue as he cleaned the wound.
Reaching into his pack again, he pulled out a freshly packaged
syringe and a vial of lidocaine.
“Easy with that, okay?” Cade said softly while he worked. “It’s not
a cure and you need to keep your head in the game.”
Cassian didn’t respond as he pulled the needle from his chest and let
out a breath. He knew that his brother was trying to help, but he was the one
in the forest with an arrow in his chest. Not Cade. He briefly felt annoyance
rising as he wondered why he was talking to Cade about this anyway. Devin
would understand.
Finishing the energy bar and tossing the wrapper, Cassian pulled out
the new bandage and started to wrap it around his chest and under his arm.
He was just about to pull his shirt down over his head when something fell
out of the tree he was hovering by.
Cassian still had both arms stuck in his shirt when Vor slashed him
across the face with what looked like a jagged knife. His head spun as he
felt the skin on the side of his face tear. He didn’t cry out though, he didn’t
make a sound. Chances were, Pola and Potek were still close, and he’d
much rather fight Vor than all three of them.
He threw his shirt to the side, not allowing the shock to take hold of
him, as he ducked another slash. Using his position, he charged forward at
Vor’s midriff, ignoring the fire in his chest as he pinned him to the tree. He
quickly grabbed the hand with the knife in an attempt to seize it, but Vor
brought a knee up to his ribs quicker than he could think.
Cassian doubled over, winded. The kid was fast.
He scrambled to his feet as he waited for him to advance again.
Vor came at him with a kick. He had just enough time to sidestep the
attack and throw a hard blow at Vor’s side. The boy stumbled slightly. He
took advantage of his awkward stance and sent a kick to his right leg,
bringing him to one knee. Just as he drew back his fist to punch him, Vor
slid his knife across Cassian’s shin. He hissed, dropping forward, and
before he knew it, Vor was on him again, his knife to his throat. Cassian
grabbed at his hands, frantically pushing the knife away from his neck.
“Let go!” he gritted out the moment he found an opening.
Vor dropped the knife right onto his face, but he didn’t stop his
assault. Cassian’s head snapped to the side as Vor sent a brutal blow to his
nose, disorienting him. He pushed them into a roll, landing on top of Vor,
and before he could move, Cassian locked his hands around his throat. One
hand clutching Cassian’s, he pulled back his hand and sent a palm directly
into his wound.
Even though the lidocaine had already kicked in, Cassian couldn’t
help but fall back, gasping as he felt the arrowhead shift.
Vor wasn’t giving him any breaks as he retrieved his knife and
advanced on him again. Cassian rolled as Vor threw the knife. It hit the
ground exactly where his head had been. He jumped to his feet and started
forward before Vor could. He ducked his swing and lunged up with a knee
to Vor’s ribs. That slowed him down enough for Cassian to send an elbow
into his back, forcing him to the ground.
And once again, he could’ve pulled out his gun and made a kill shot.
He could’ve ended it right there. But he stopped short. For less than a
second. But it was enough to change everything.
The next thing he knew, he was in the air, shadows holding his limbs
apart.
Vor stumbled to his feet as his shadows lifted Cassian higher and
higher. He struggled against his hold, growing anxious as he surpassed the
branches of the trees around them. Then suddenly, the shadows disappeared
and he was falling. He didn’t even have anything to grasp as he plummeted
to the ground. He landed with a sickening crunch, and this time, he couldn’t
hold back his choked cry.
“Cassian!” He could barely hear Cade’s voice over the pounding in
his head.
“I’m okay…” he groaned as his eyes scoured the ground for Vor’s
knife.
Just as he caught sight of it, a shadow enveloped it, drawing it from
the ground.
A foot pressed into Cassian’s back, shoving him back to the dirt. He
really shouldn’t have wasted that second.
“Get up!”
Cassian couldn't get up, but he could do something else. Lowering
his head to the ground, he took a deep breath and focused, pushing away all
the pain.
A stunted cry above had relief flooding his veins. He rolled out from
under Vor’s foot, letting him fall to the ground. Cassian didn’t stop there
though, he couldn’t.
Not again.
He crawled closer as he watched Vor convulse on the ground. Even
though he knew he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t help the way that his heart
dropped at the sight.
Vor cried out, his body rigid and his fingers clawing at the dirt.
Cassian pressed on. He needed to. If he didn’t, Vor would kill him,
and if he didn’t kill Vor, Pola would. He repeated that to himself, over and
over again, even as tears started to brim in Vor’s eyes.
Firing a gun was too much of a risk and he just didn’t think that he
could stab him. But he was in pain.
His mouth opened and closed as he tried to say something. Cassian
purposely averted his eyes from his lips, not wanting to see if he was asking
for help, for mercy, or maybe even for his mother.
Gods, what am I doing?
Kneeling beside Vor, Cassian placed his hands on his head, holding
him steady and staring into his eyes.
“You’re not in pain,” he whispered. “You can’t feel anything.”
Vor’s breaths evened as he stared into space. “I’m not in pain. I can’t
feel anything.”
“Exactly,” Cassian nodded, a lump growing in his throat.
None of this was his fault. He was a literal child. Younger than he
was when he killed those officials. But Vor wasn’t here by accident, he was
a trained killer. But not by choice. He didn’t need to watch him for long to
know that he couldn’t have chosen this life.
Cassian closed his eyes as his body shook.
Just do it.
Grimacing, he gritted his teeth as he severed the final cord. He could
hear the breath expelled as Vor relaxed.
Done. It was done.
Before he’d even removed his hands, Cassian’s eyes began to burn.
He sat back on his haunches, biting on the inside of his cheek as he shook
his head.
This isn’t my fault…
“It’s not your fault.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
He didn’t want to hear Cade, he didn’t even want to hear his own
voice.
As much as he had a part to play in his death, this was Pola’s doing.
She brought a kid onto a battlefield to protect her title. While she strolled
leisurely through the forest, there was yet another death on his hands.
Cassian was done. Not with the trials, he was done hiding. If she
wanted him dead, she’d have to kill him herself.
And he was going to give her the opportunity.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventeen
Cade hadn’t spoken since he’d lashed out at him, but Cassian knew
that he was watching. He had even heard his breath hitch when he took the
last gulp of his water, pocketed the last vial of lidocaine, and abandoned his
pack a few miles back, leaving his torn shirt with it.
He only held his axe.
Before Cade could make some remark or offer him unwanted
‘advice’, Cassian hit the button on the earpiece, muting him. If he really
needed to talk to him, he’d beep. So he felt no guilt as he ambled through
the trees, chest heaving, axe in hand.
She was somewhere close.
By his count, Pola and Potek were the only ones left, assuming that
Sven hadn’t left Hanson in the end. That meant that the tracks he was
following were theirs. Two days ago, he would’ve done everything in his
power to steer clear of her path. Not anymore.
He slowed, closing his eyes as a small drop of moisture hit his head.
Cassian could’ve growled as he looked up, only to be met with another
droplet. Then, another.
Rain. The tracks.
Before he even allowed the rage to consume him, he paused, a
twisted shot of satisfaction coming over him as he got an idea. It wasn’t
something he’d seen her do before, but it was one of many of Salem’s
skills, ways she’d learned to adapt.
Dropping his axe by his side, he groaned as he got down to his
knees. Then, he put his hands out as he lowered his chest to the ground.
Laying flat, Cassian turned his head to the side, pressing his ear to the dirt.
He held his breath.
Pat, pat, pat, pat…
There.
The sound of the footsteps overlapped with each other and with the
rain, making it a little harder to differentiate them, but he could just about
gauge the direction.
North.
The steps were loud enough and relatively close, but he didn’t have
anything to scale it with. Still, he sprung to his feet and set off, regretting
moving so quickly as his chest burned. There was no slowing down though,
he had a job to do. As his boots grew heavier, the dirt turning to mud, he
had to raise his knees a little higher with each step to tread through. He
hadn’t even thought about what he’d do when he faced her, what his
strategy would be, how he’d get around Potek. He just knew that he needed
to kill her, even wanted to.
She was poisonous.
From the second she showed up in their lives, there’d only been
problems. Well, that wasn’t all true. Had she not crossed over into Terra,
Cassian would’ve never left that house, would’ve never come back to the
palace, would’ve never had the opportunity to love Salem the way that she
deserved to be loved.
And he wanted her to grow to love him too, to at least have the
chance to.
What Lia had said all those years ago had never slipped his mind,
not for a second. He had pitied himself. Even when he thought he was over
it, he wasn’t. His arrival to Terra had told him that. He knew he wasn’t
perfect, far from it. He’d made mistakes, horrible ones, but he’d owned
them. He’d worked and put himself through hell just so that he could look
at himself in the mirror, and maybe even one day forgive the man standing
on the other side. After all that, he felt that he at least deserved a chance at
happiness. He’d had a taste of it and he just wasn’t willing to let it go.
Not for the woman who almost tore his family apart.
As if Cassian’s mood had control over the atmosphere, the air
around him darkened as the sky dimmed. A look at his watch let him know
that it was barely evening. Sure, he wasn’t in Terra, but the sun didn’t set so
early yesterday.
“I was right…”
He spun around. It was her, he knew it was. But no one was there.
“You do look good all shirtless and bloody…”
He turned back around. When he came up empty again, he looked
up, from tree to tree.
“Cassiannn…” her voice echoed.
He clenched his jaw as he spun in a circle, slipping his hand into his
pocket.
“I’m right here…”
He tried his best to keep his eyes up as he pulled the vial and syringe
out of his pocket. “I can’t see you!” he called aloud, sticking the needle into
the cap with one hand against his knee. “You mind coming out?”
Her giggle bounced off the trees, hitting his ears at different angles.
“You want to see me?” she asked sweetly.
Tossing the vial onto the ground, Cassian brought the needle to his
chest, wincing as he inserted it through the bandage.
“Uh-huh,” he responded as he bent to pick up his axe. “Just you,” he
specified.
He turned in a slow circle, approaching a clearing. He narrowed his
eyes as he broke through the trees. It was the same clearing from the first
day. The one where this all started. It was almost as dark too.
Taking slow steps, he waited for something to happen, and he didn’t
have to wait long. Soon after he’d strolled toward the large stump, a dark
mist began to seep through the trees. Cassian didn’t flinch, didn’t still, he
just backed away from the black fog that was pushing him deeper into the
center of the clearing. With no other choice, he sprung up with his next step,
jumping onto the flat stump, avoiding the fog.
It rose higher until it began to obscure his view of the trees.
Only when the sky darkened further did his heart begin to beat
quicker. He was being caged in.
“Come on…” he called out. “Let’s play fair.” He stepped back even
further, right into the center as the mist threatened to swallow him.
A giggle echoed around him. “That’s rich.”
He frowned, some of his anxiety fading to be replaced with
confusion, but that quickly switched again when the fog began to close over
the sky. The light receded further and further as he lifted his head up and
watched the fog close in, blocking out the sky, blocking out the rain.
This wasn’t fair. If it closed any further, he wouldn’t be able to-
Darkness. Not just darkness, blackness.
It was pitch-black.
No amount of squinting could help him, there was nothing. He
couldn’t even see his own hand in front of him.
Soft crunching had him spinning around. Of course, he couldn’t see
anything, but he could hear it. Hands jittery, he swung his axe in the
direction of the sound and hit nothing. The smallest gust of wind whistled
to his side and he swung again.
Nothing.
One after the other, noises sounded around him, but nothing was
ever there. He was just exerting himself. He thought about goading her, but
he was in no mood to play games. So he didn’t. Rather, he relaxed his
stance, standing straight, feet slightly apart.
Then, he closed his eyes.
The small sounds around him only amplified, but he wasn’t listening
out for those.
He focused harder.
Huff, huff, huff, huff…
Without drawing out the movement, so as not to give himself away,
Cassian pulled his hand back, twisting his body a fraction, before
unwinding and swinging the axe, releasing the handle.
“Ahh!”
The second he heard the grunt, he took off in the direction, leaping
off the stump, his eyes still closed, but before he’d made any headway, he
was flying backward.
Despite the pain that flared up his spine as he crashed to the ground,
he allowed himself some praise.
He’d hit her.
“That was mean, Cassian!” her voice hissed.
Before he knew what was happening, something wrapped around
his ankle, quickly dragging him several feet forward. That fiery sensation
only grew as his back was scraped raw by the unforgiving forest floor, but
he knew that turning on his front would only make it worse. He grasped at
the ground for anything and everything, but soon, he wasn’t on the ground
anymore. He was being thrust into the air.
Again, he crashed to the ground, grunting.
She was toying with him.
Cassian gritted his teeth as he focused once again, but before he
could even close his eyes, hands wrapped around his throat, and when he
grabbed at his own neck for reprieve, he could only feel his own skin.
Shadows.
They were tight enough to inhibit his breathing, but loose enough
not to break his neck. He choked, grabbing at nothing, just waiting for the
timer to run out.
And just like that, the hands disappeared.
Gasping, Cassian pushed up onto his hands and knees, taking a
breath as he watched his actions take effect.
Finally, the air began to brighten, the sky began to appear, and the
fog began to fade. He only had to lift his head to see Pola come into view,
standing at the edge of the clearing, looking down at her hands.
He may have been angry when he abandoned his pack and set out to
find her, but he wasn’t stupid. He’d never waste something that could help
him level the playing field.
She flicked her eyes to him as he struggled to his feet. “What did
you do?” she whispered.
Cassian stood, taking confident, staggered steps toward her,
ignoring her question.
He didn’t pause when he saw her eyes widen, didn’t stop when he
saw her step back and reach for something behind her cloak. He sped up,
not even slowing as he bent to pick up his axe.
When he was within range, he took a running jump, swinging his
axe back. Just as he reached her, Pola spun out of his way, swiping her
blade across his chest. Feeling nothing against his numbed skin, he dropped
into a roll and sprung back up, swinging his arm once more. Though she
dodged, he couldn’t help but notice the way she favored her left side,
keeping her right angled away from him.
That’s where she’d been hit.
This time, she advanced first, taking a swipe at his face. Ducking, he
kept his right arm down, throwing a punch at her ribs with the other. As
expected, she cried out, retreating from him. He followed right after her,
turning his axe in his hand and striking her across the head with the back of
the blade.
He wasn’t going to make it quick.
Pola’s head snapped to the left, only a low breath leaving her as she
spun with his given momentum and reared up, sending an elbow across his
temple.
For a moment his vision hazed, then just as he blinked, he made out
her blurry figure before a foot made contact with his chest. Cassian fell
back to the mud, his mouth open to take the breath that did its best to escape
him, all while he listened to her panting as she approached.
Even as she walked up, even as she lowered herself onto him, one
leg on either side of him, he still gasped, air never entering his lungs.
On his first full breath, her face finally cleared. Blood streamed
from her head, running down her face, trickling onto her lips, dripping from
her thick lashes. But she still pulled her lips apart to give him a sickening
smile.
The second he made a move to buck her off, her dagger was at his
throat.
“Uh-uh…” she tsked.
Keeping the blade pressed firmly against his skin, she looked down,
her sick grin never leaving, and slowly dragged a single blunt finger down
his chest.
He tensed as she grew closer to his wound, trying to discreetly
bypass her walls, not wanting to alert her. But they were high. She knew
he’d try.
“You know,” she said wistfully as her nail continued its journey. “I
would’ve chosen you…”
His eyes bounced between hers and her hand as he absently tried to
figure out what she was talking about. She lowered herself so that her lips
could reach his ear.
“I never even liked Devin,” she whispered, her wet curls falling into
his eyes.
Before he could even shudder at the feel of her breath on his skin,
she slid her hips lower…then rocked forward.
He jolted, his left hand reflexively shooting out to grab her throat.
Her breath hitched and she halted, but she didn’t lose her grip on the
knife or remove her hand from his chest.
Breaths light, her eyes ignited. “Cassian…” she breathed in a sultry
tone, but he could hear the fear behind it, the uncertainty.
He barely contained his disgusted shiver.
“You could have just asked,” she murmured, nicking him with the
blade.
It took everything in him not to tighten his grip on her throat,
fearing that it would only encourage her. But he couldn’t help it when her
hand started moving again.
Meeting his eyes, she gently swiped over the small stump attached
to the arrowhead.
Her face lit up. “What’s this?” she asked lightly, her voice breaking
under his rough palm.
Before he knew what she had in mind, she poised her index finger at
the stump of the broken shaft and pushed, swirling it in a circle.
Cassian’s head tilted back as a broken cry slipped past his lips. It
wasn’t even the pain. It was the sensation. He could feel it grazing
something deep in his chest.
“That looks bad,” she said, grimacing.
Sweating, his eyes locked onto hers, he just couldn’t work out why
he was still alive, why she hadn’t killed him yet. She’d had plenty of time
to.
All thoughts fled his mind as her hand passed over the wound and
moved lower. Her eyes brightened as his widened. Slowly, she trailed down
his chest, over his abs. Enraged, sickened, and ashamed at his own
vulnerability, he closed his eyes and opened his right hand, palm facing up.
He had no idea what he was trying to do until he’d done it.
As soon as the axe handle hit his waiting palm, he wrapped his
fingers around it and looked up at her just as her hand reached his belt.
At the small jolt, her gaze flew to his hand, then to his face.
There was no way for him to tell what she was seeing when her eyes
took him in, but whatever it was had her lips parting and her grip loosening.
Not allowing her a moment to recover, he tightened his hold on her
neck and threw her to the side, slamming her to the mud. In less than a
second, he was kneeling over her, trying not to touch her as he put his blade
to her neck, holding it with both hands.
The moment her hand twitched, he pinned her with a deadly look.
“Don’t. Move.”
She froze.
Then he did the same. He meant it as an instruction, not a
compulsion. And even so, her power leaving her didn’t stop her from
guarding her mind. He shook it off, he must have caught her off-guard.
He’d only just pushed at the axe when she sputtered. “No!” she
shrieked. He stopped. “No, no, no- remember what you said about playing
fair?”
He tilted his head as he leaned down. “What makes you think I
came here to play fair?” And what made her think that she deserved fair?
His lip curled as he remembered what she’d just tried to do, what she
would’ve done.
Her hands trembled at her sides, just begging to be set free. She
wouldn’t stop looking between his eyes, her mind and face an ever-growing
show of fear and confusion.
She knew that he was going to do it.
“POTEK!” she screamed.
Cassian paid her no mind and he lifted the blade from her skin,
ready to bear down.
“VOR!”
That had him stopping again.
When she noticed, her relief was evident. “They’ll kill you...” she
told him. Her tone may have been hard, but Cassian wondered whether he
should enlighten her to the fact that fear was practically seeping from her
pores. “If you kill me, they’ll slaughter your whole family,” she breathed,
shaking.
If she was trying to convince him not to kill her, she wasn’t doing a
very good job.
He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t see Potek. And as for Vor,” he
seethed. “Your child that you put in this position.” He waited for her to
realize, for it to click. When her jaw fell, he drew the axe back. “I already
killed him.”
“POTE-”
Thunk!
Cassian kept his hands latched onto the blade that had partially
embedded itself into the ground. He didn’t move until her head had rolled at
least a foot away. Then sitting back on his haunches, he tilted his head to
the sky and let the rain wash over his face, waiting. Waiting for his chest to
start heaving, waiting for the overwhelming feeling of guilt, but it never
came.
He felt absolutely nothing.
Not even-
“You fought well…”
Snapping out of it, he yanked the axe out of the ground and rolled,
jumping up to turn behind him.
Potek.
That was why Cassian didn’t recognize the voice, he’d never heard
it before.
He took tentative steps back, holding his axe steady. Potek wasn’t
advancing, but he didn’t look so peaceful either. Cassian didn’t expect him
to, he’d just killed his wife.
He stood, hands at his sides, staring at Cassian head-on as he sighed
regretfully. “I did not know that Podak would tell her.”
Huh?
His eyes flicked to the ground. “I never meant for her to be
punished.”
For a moment, Cassian wondered if he was playing some mind
game.
“Her speech was taken from her, so I took my own, but my wife is
no longer. So I break my vow of silence for I have paid my penance.”
What penance?
“I know your people can hear me. Tell her that I ask for her
forgiveness.”
The next thing Cassian knew, Potek was reaching into his satchel.
He swung his hand back but paused when he caught a glimpse of what he
pulled out and tossed onto the ground between them.
A clump of hair. Dark hair.
“He did not want to live. It was a kindness. One that I was not
granted.”
What was he talking about?
And who’s-
Sven.
He did not want to live.
Cassian barely knew Sven, a friend wasn’t something he’d call him,
but he was a good man as far as he knew.
The breaths he took didn’t come easy as he stared down at his hair,
proof of Potek’s kill.
When Potek unsheathed a dagger from his side, Cassian didn’t jump
to defend himself, because he understood. He didn’t understand, but he got
what he was doing, got why he brought the hair.
“I am sorry…” he murmured, bringing the tip of the blade to his
chin.
Whether he knew what he was apologizing for or not, Cassian didn’t
make a move to stop him, because he knew he wasn’t apologizing for Vor.
And that was what didn’t sit right with Cassian. He wasn’t Pola, he didn’t
do the things she did, but he did stand by her. He was complicit in the abuse
of an innocent child.
Cassian didn’t even speak as he watched Potek close his eyes,
mumble a few words, then thrust the blade up into his head. His eyes grew,
he went rigid, then he slowly fell, collapsing onto his side.
Anchoring his feet into the mud, water cascading over him, Cassian
waited until he heard that last breath. And when the choking ceased, he
dropped to his knees and bent over. Putting his head in his lap, he held back
the dam tighter than he’d ever had to.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighteen
As the sparks flickered in front of him, Cassian knelt, motionless.

He forced himself to face the portal because he didn’t know if he
could hold it together if he turned around, if he let the scene behind him
remind him. The only time he’d ever come close to feeling how he did right
now was almost eight years ago, but if he thought that it was the worst day
of his life, he was sorely mistaken.
That day, he killed four people.
But in the last two, he’d killed three, left two for dead, and watched
another man take his own life, so what he was feeling didn’t seem properly
depicted by the word ‘numb’. It was something more, something less,
something that wasn’t even present.
He probably should’ve welcomed it if it meant that he wouldn’t
have to feel, but that was the problem. He did want to feel, and he was
afraid of what might happen if he didn’t start feeling something soon.
As the bright light began to stretch, illuminating the raindrops
beating down around him, he exhaled, knowing that he’d be holding her in
a few minutes, knowing that everything would be worth it in just a moment.
Finally, it opened.
He didn’t say a word as he dragged himself up and stepped into the
operations room, dropping his axe. He barely even glanced at Cade's
straight face, Deianira’s shifty stance, or Emori’s sunken eyes. He just
marched past them, moving to the door.
“Cassian.”
Ignoring Cade, he took a right as he passed through the arch, headed
straight for the east stairwell. He couldn’t look at him. Not after what they’d
seen him do, what he’d seen done to him. He knew that he didn’t have a
choice, knew that what had happened out there shouldn’t have had shame
coursing through him, it wasn’t his fault. That didn’t mean that he was
ready to look his brother in the eyes yet though.
Even as he marched through the double doors, going down two
steps at a time, he could hear them following.
“Cassian, wait,” Deianira called.
He didn’t.
Why in Terra would he wait? Nothing was okay and the only thing
that could fix it was waiting for him in a cell on the third floor.
And where the hell is Devin?
He shoved his way through the doors on level three, narrowly
missing an enforcer walking past him.
With each step he took toward the studio, his chest felt lighter. He
just needed to see her. That was it. Even if she ignored him or refused to
look at him, her presence would be enough to get his blood circulating
again.
His wrist was already out as he reached the door.
“Cassian, just wait a second. Let’s get you to medical and we can
talk.”
Cassian wasn’t listening to his brother, he was wondering why his
bracelet wasn’t opening the door. It was covered in mud and probably
waterlogged. He shook it before wiping it off on his pants. Then, he tried
again.
Access Granted
A simple push to the shoulder sent Cade scattering back when he
tried to block his entry. He stepped into the room, his heart pounding.
Then his feet stopped moving, heart stopped beating. There was just
white noise playing in his mind as he looked around all four corners of the
room.
Broken glass.
Blood.
Shreds of fabric.
The room had everything that he wasn’t looking for and not the one
thing that he was.
She’s not here…
Salem’s not here…
No Salem…
Salem’s gone…
The silence that he’d been praying for finally fell over Cade and
Deianira behind him, but that’s not what he wanted anymore.
None of this was what he wanted.
Beating back the lump in his throat, his disorienting thoughts, and
the burning sensation behind his eyes, Cassian turned around. Slowly.
He told himself not to jump to conclusions, to just stay calm, to just
ask. But their faces as he turned didn’t leave him with much faith. He asked
anyway, sure that they were going to tell him that she was somewhere else
in the palace, that she was waiting up for him to get back.
Cassian cleared his throat, cursing himself when he felt a drop fall
from his eye, rolling onto his bottom lashes. He barely even recognized his
voice as he roughly asked, “Where is she…?”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Nineteen
Forty-four hours earlier…
“Status?” Devin asked as he stepped back into the operations room,

startling Cade.
He spun around in his chair before turning back to the monitor.
“Nothing new.”
“Still won’t sleep?”
Cade huffed. “His eyes are closed but his heart rate says he’s wide
awake.” He shook his head. “Thinks he’s smart.”
Devin nodded, taking a seat beside him, watching the black screen
for a few minutes. Sighing, he broke the silence. “I can take over if you
wanna go check on things.”
Cade didn’t even take his eyes off the screen. “It’s not on you.”
Devin sighed as he lifted his head to look at the ceiling. “I fucking
hate empaths…”
“You didn’t tell her to do that,” Cade responded, unbothered.
“Except I did,” Devin retorted.
He spun his chair around to face him. “You told her to pull a gun on
him and cripple him if he tried to leave?”
He glanced away for a moment. “No, but I did tell her that if there
was something that she was thinking about doing, she should do it. Of
course, I didn’t know what she was thinking, but I basically gave her the
green light.”
Cade shook his head, turning back to the monitor. “If you think that
you or anyone else in Terra has any control over what Salem does after
what we’ve seen in these past few weeks, then you need a reality check. If
it’ll make you feel better, I’ll go check on her, but don’t start blaming
yourself for something that probably would’ve happened anyw-”
BZZ. BZZ.
They lifted their wrists simultaneously.

BREACH - FIRST FLOOR - INMATE DORMITORY

Devin was getting out of his chair after he’d reached the first word.
“Stay here,” he threw over his shoulder. “I’m on it.”
Devin took a right at the door, figuring that he’d get there quicker by
the stairs than the elevator.
A breach. They’d never had one of those in the dorms.
He thought about it again.
Actually…
Devin tamped down his smirk as he slid down the banister,
remembering all the times that he’d leave the dorms to go to the staff
quarters and see Em. She was always waiting up for him, a candle lit, sitting
by the grate, a big smile on her face every time he’d wiggled through. Her
coworkers that shared a room with her never said anything. They all loved
him, and admittedly, it didn’t take much. The inmates in the program
weren’t exactly respectful of the staff, but Devin knew where he came from.
Treating someone differently because of their job was low, and quite ironic
since the guys were technically in jail. They didn’t have much standing. So
he got away with his nightly trips. Sometimes, he’d spend the whole night
in her room and make it back just before bed check.
Upgrading the security in the dorms was the first thing he did when
he was promoted to Head Enforcer. That place was way too easy to break
out of.
That’s why he was so confused as he sprinted through the hall on the
first floor, radioing for an additional unit. He knew he did a damn good job
so how someone could leave or enter without authorization was beyond
him.
As soon as he neared, he saw what had set off the alarm.
The fucking door was open.
Devin slowed down, his hand resting on his holster as he slid up
beside the door. Pulling his gun from his belt, he stuck his head in.
The lights were still off. Nothing looked out of place either.
Rhythmic pounding of boots had him whipping his head to the
stairwell that he’d just come from. He held out a fist, telling the backup unit
to halt.
They did.
He looked back into the room. It may have appeared normal, but he
hadn’t kept his job all these years because he took chances and left stones
unturned.
Nodding to the unit, he beckoned them forward, putting his gun
away but allowing them to keep theirs out. He stepped in silently, the rest
following after him. Once they were all in the room and the door was shut
behind them, Devin tapped a few buttons on his bracelet.
The light that shot out was blinding, even for him, so he wasn’t
surprised when groans of displeasure echoed around the room.
“Bed check, ladies!” he called way too enthusiastically.

“Please, please, please, tell me you did not just give that dead guy
the morphine that I packed for you.”
“It was one pill, Dev.”
Devin put his head in his hands, wondering why he even hung out
with the idiot. “One pill that you might need.”
“It’s a painkiller. Nobody needs painkillers.”
Devin scoffed. “You’ll feel differently when you have to run for
your life with a bum leg.”
“Oh right.” His face went straight at Cassian’s sarcastic tone. “I
forgot I was talking to the guy that passes out whenever he gets stitches.”
He nodded. “You’re on time out.” He cut off Cassian’s snort as he
hit the mute button.
Step. Step. Step.
Devin didn’t turn around.
“Thank you.”
He wasn’t necessarily on bad terms with Deianira, but they’d never
truly addressed things. It was awkward, tense, everything he hated.
“For what?” he asked as he leaned back in his seat, watching the
monitor as he virtually padded through the forest.
Deianira stepped the rest of the way into the room, groaning as she
lowered herself into the seat next to him. “For keeping him alive.” When he
turned to her, frowning, she tapped her temple. “Up here.”
Oh. He turned back to the monitor. “I’m just talking to him,” he said
quietly.
“It’s more than that.”
For the sake of being argumentative, and maybe a little bit out of
frustration, Devin shot her statement back at her. “Is it?”
She tilted her head, giving him a tired expression. Feeling like a bit
of an ass, he opened his mouth to speak again, but she interrupted, evidently
not looking to argue with him. “What was that earlier? Cade said something
about a false alarm, but he was falling asleep.”
He shrugged, still unsure himself. “I don’t know. We took a
headcount and not one person was missing. Might be a system or electrical
issue.”
Deianira nodded, turning to the screen.
A thought struck him. “Did Cade check on her before he went to
bed?”
She looked down, her brows furrowing. “I’m not sure,” she
mumbled. “He didn’t mention anything.”
He understood her change in demeanor. From what she’d told them,
Salem was in bad shape. He was just too much of a coward to go and see
for himself.
“TerraPod,” he sighed, fidgeting with his hands. The lights pulsed.
“Pull up the feed on room three-five-three-seven.”
He scooted to the left as another monitor booted up. His gaze flicked
to Cassian's monitor as the feed loaded, but what his eye caught on the other
one made him do a double take.
“What the hell?” Deianira muttered, voicing his thoughts.
He glanced at the top corner of the screen to make sure that it was
live. When he saw that the times matched up, his stomach dropped.
“Not good, not good, not good…” he whispered, slowly rising out
of his seat. “TerraPod. Zoom in on E-three.”
The sight on the screen didn’t do wonders for his already racing
heart. Because it wasn’t Salem passed out on the floor. It was Finch. That
was worse. It might not have seemed that way to others, to someone who
didn’t know Salem, but as bad as it sounded, he would’ve preferred to see
her lying there. At least that would’ve meant that she wasn’t elsewhere.
Elsewhere doing the Gods knew what.
He’s gonna fucking kill me…
He tapped his bracelet and he brought it to his face.
“I need a med team and five solos to three-five-three-seven, four
units searching the palace, and all available patrol units doing a sweep of
every street from here to the city limits. You’re looking for a female, brown
eyes, short brown hair, five-two, possibly armed, threat level high. She may
be injured but do not, I repeat, do not take that as indication to proceed
without caution.” He ran a hand through his locks, stepping back. “Shit,
shit, shit…”
Deianira was frozen at his side, but he couldn’t give her his
attention.
“TerraPod. Show me every motion alert on three-five-three-seven-a
and three-five-three-seven-b in the last six hours.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he went to tap the button on the
intercom, but, finally moving, Deianira jumped for the button and covered
it with her hand.
“What are you doing?” he asked as he reached for it again.
She pushed his hand away. “What are you doing?” she retorted,
though her tone held more venom.
When he realized what she was suggesting, his jaw dropped. “No,”
he said firmly.
“Devin, think for a second,” she said, taking a step forward, putting
herself between him and the desk.
“Think about what?” he hissed.
She tilted her chin up, not backing down in the slightest, speaking
quickly. “She could be a couple blocks away for all we know, or in her
room. You know that she doesn’t like new spaces. There’s no need to tell
him right now when it could be a false alarm.”
He froze at her words.
False alarm.
His head spun to the monitor. “TerraPod! Show the video logs from
three-five-three-seven between four a.m. and four-twenty-two!”
The feeds were up no later than he’d said the words.
“Oh Gods…” Deianira breathed.
It was Salem.
She was…maiming herself.
Devin flinched as the glass shattered, wincing as he struggled to
watch her fly through the glass and crumble to the floor.
“TerraPod…” he whispered shakily. “Pull up the feed outside one-
one-two-six at four twenty-two…”
No, no, no, no…
There was no breach. It was her. She opened the door. And of
course, with the units diverted, she could slip out with minimal resistance.
With new conviction, he advanced on Deianira, hoping to startle her
enough to step away from the desk.
Her hand came up, palm facing him. He halted, bristling at the
statement.
“Devin,” she murmured softly as if she wasn’t threatening him. “Do
you have any idea what he will do if he finds out?”
“No,” he said curtly. “But that’s his decision to make.”
“And what if that decision puts everyone in Terra in danger?”
He turned her question on her. “And what if it was Cade?” Her
breath stuttered. “You’d really have him running around, losing himself for
something that won’t be here when he gets back?”
“You don’t know that. She might not have gotten that far.”
“Then you don’t know Salem,” he snarled, forcing his feet to stay
planted. “There’s a reason she was appointed as your sentinel over all those
other kids. Over people almost twice her age.” He shook his head. “Maybe
you didn’t notice it because she was on your side, but I want you to think
about this. Has she ever failed an assignment you’ve given her?”
Silence.
“Has she ever had a moral objection to anything you’ve asked her to
do?”
More silence.
“Exactly,” he gritted out, trying to get her to understand the gravity
of the situation. “So what makes you think that she won’t do whatever she
needs to do to get out there?”
Deianira didn’t lower her hand. “Devin-”
“No, Deianira!” Time was running out. “She is dangerous and
maybe you didn’t see it when she was working for you, but she isn’t
anymore! She’s not even working for herself.” He nodded at the monitor
that played the one clip on loop. “Look. Do you really think that she did
that to herself to stroll around a couple blocks away? Huh?”
When her lashes lowered but she still held firm, Devin realized that
she knew he was right. She just didn’t care for whatever reason.
He tried again, more desperately this time. “If she wants to leave the
city, she will. Chances are, she’s already gone. But he’s out there and he
might be able to stop her from doing something we’ll all regret whether she
makes it out or not,” he said slowly.
“You can’t…” she whispered.
He narrowed his eyes. “I can’t try to save her life?”
Her hands shook. “Didn’t you hear what you just said?” she offered
unconvincingly. “She’s strong, smart. She can handle herself.”
He looked her up and down. “You don’t even sound like you believe
that.”
“Well, none of that matters.” She lifted her head, a poor show of
false confidence. “You know that he will jeopardize everything that we’ve
sacrificed.”
“Deianira,” he tried again. “If something happens to her, it won’t
matter if he saves the city because he will kill us all. And if she lives after
what we’ve done, after what she would’ve had to do to stay that way,” he
breathed. “Then may the Gods help us all…”
“You don’t know that.”
Devin shook his head. “But he deserves to know.”
She nodded. “And he will…when he gets back.”

When he advanced again, a shadow enveloped his throat. Stilling,
Devin tilted his head, seeing her through new eyes. “Seriously?” he
whispered.
“Jacobs,” she said firmly, the waver in her voice gone. “Step. Back.
That is an order.”
His chest heaved. “An order I can’t follow…”
Her eyes squinted. Whether it was in regret or anger, he didn’t know
because the look fell off her face almost as quickly as it appeared.
The shadows tightened as Deianira tilted her chin to the monitor.
“TerraPod. Divert one of the units to four-zero-eight-one. Head Enforcer
Jacobs is to be placed under house arrest with an extended detail for the
next forty-eight hours.”
When she faced him again, he shook his head disbelievingly.
“He will never forgive you...”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty
Present…
“Where is she…?”
Cade put his hands up, his eyes flicking down to Deianira, who
wore a plain expression, but Cassian knew it was a front. “Let’s just go to
the infirmary and talk ab-”
Fuck that. “Where is she?!”
Both of them flinched, Cade slowly stepping in front of Deianira.
“Cassian.” His tone was slightly harder. “If you would just-” Cade
cut himself off, his eyes widening.
Cassian wasn’t sure why, he hadn’t moved. He would’ve guessed
that Cade had picked up on whatever he was giving off, but it was Cassian’s
face that he was watching. Deianira too. And they looked…scared. Cade
stepped back again, urging Deianira back too.
Cocking his head back, he stared his brother down. Why were they
acting so afraid? As if he was going to do something? All they had to do
was answer his question.
As Cade opened his mouth again, Deianira stepped forward, holding
onto the arm separating them. “She got out,” she said quietly.
He narrowed his eyes. Of course, she got out. The state of the room
clued him in on that.
“But where is she now? What room is she in?” he asked urgently
Deianira’s brows fell as she looked into his eyes more intently. “No.
She got out…” She stood straighter. “She…she followed you.”
…
Five seconds passed.
Then ten.
Then maybe thirty.
It was only when the silence became so uncomfortably loud that
Cassian huffed, bringing a bloody hand to his head, doing his very best to
put a smile on his face. “You should really leave the jokes to Devin,” he
breathed, still trying to figure out where he was.
They didn’t say anything else. Just watched him, growing antsier by
the second.
Fine.
They were still ignoring his question, so he ignored them. He
brushed past his brother, heading back to the stairwell.
Salem, he called. “Where’s Devin?” he asked as he bounded up the
steps, already on his way to his room.
“Cassian, will you please listen for one second,” Cade begged,
following after him.
He was still dodging his question. That was okay though. Devin
would tell him.
Salem, he tried again. Sae, I’m back. Where are you?
Marching through the halls, he absently heard Deianira’s hushed
voice behind him. “Male, blue eyes, buzzcut, six-eight, unarmed, fourth
floor…”
“Threat level?”
“Really fucking high…” she half-whispered, half-hissed.
He shook his head, doing his best to tune her out. Why is everything
so loud?
Salem!
As he approached the Jacobs’ door, he didn’t even try his bracelet.
He knew he didn’t have access, but he also wasn’t looking to waste any
more time. He’d pay Devin back later. Turning on his heel, he faced the
door before lifting his knee and sending his boot into the door, right next to
the lock.
He was already marching in as it flew off its hinges, his eyes
scanning the room.
Before he could even call out, he paused. Around ten enforcers
stood in whichever corner of the room, all of them swinging their attention
to the door at his entry. Including Devin, who sprung up from the couch,
shock lacing his features as he pushed past a few of them to get to the door.
Cassian was in his arms in an instant. He held him in turn, but
pulled back after a few seconds, his heart beating too fast to stay still for so
long. But he didn’t miss the death stare that Devin threw over his shoulder.
“Devin.” His eyes swung back to Cassian’s. “Where’s Salem? They
won’t tell me where she is,” he rushed out.
Devin’s face fell. Again, he looked over Cassian’s shoulder. “I tried
to tell you,” he whispered. “I swear, I did.”
Cassian dragged both hands over his head, angling himself to face
all three of them.
Breathe in…
Breathe out…
“This is the last time I’m gonna ask…” he mumbled, mostly to
himself. “Where. Is. She?”
The silence only lasted for a moment.
The sigh that left Devin was quiet. “She went offline ten hours ago
in the southeastern quadrant of the Patrias forest.” He paused. “She was a
hundred and fifty feet from you when she went dark.”
Cassian closed his eyes. “Devin.”
“I’m sorry…”
He clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. “Dev, where is
she?”
His voice trembled. “I don’t know.”
Offline…
Patrias forest…
Went dark…
I don’t know…
Cassian shook his head, opening his eyes to see all of the enforcers
on high alert. But he couldn’t focus on anything over the noise rushing
through his head again. Closing his hands over his ears, he tried so hard to
make out the faces around him. Something told him that if he looked hard
enough, he’d find her.
“Oh Gods…” he wheezed.
There wasn’t an inch of the room he didn’t scan. But she still wasn’t
there.
“No, no, no, no…”
She really wasn’t there.
“Cass, you need a doctor,” Devin’s muffled voice sounded behind
him. “Y-you’re bleeding.”
He looked down and Devin was right. Blood streamed down his
chest from the stump. And it was pointing at an angle too.
“We really need to get that out before you do anything.”
“Later,” Cassian breathed out as he set his eyes on Deianira and
Cade at the door, guarding it almost.
It’s okay. You’re okay… he repeated to himself, pretending that it was
her voice and not his.
He started for the door. “Excuse me, please,” he rasped.
Cade’s face looked more pained than fearful now. “Cassian, you
can’t.”
“Excuse me.”
Deianira tilted her head, her gaze partly sympathetic. “You won’t be
able to leave the city.”
Last time.
“Excuse me,” he panted quietly.
She lifted her chin, her bottom lip trembling the slightest bit. “Even
if you didn’t bleed out, you can’t leave…The Dome’s back up.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-One
“What did you just say?”

It was Cassian who’d asked. It was Devin.
Deianira turned her head to him, but she never took her eyes off
Cassian. “I sent the order to recast it the second he got back.”
Devin stepped up beside Cassian. “Why in the Gods’ names would
you do that?” he hissed.
Cade answered for her, his eyes bouncing between them both.
“Whether she had good intentions or not, Salem broke a rule. Their rule.
While we know what consequences she’ll face…we don’t know what
repercussions this could have on us. All of us.”
Cassian gaped at his brother.
Cade gave him a pleading look. “I wish we could get her back, I do.
But no one can leave or enter until we know what we’re dealing with. We
don’t even know if she’s-”
Having heard enough, Cassian grabbed the enforcer to his right
before Cade could finish that sentence.
Click. Click. Click. Click.
He didn’t pay any mind to the guns trained on him. He just gripped
the enforcer’s throat from behind, showing him to the room.
“Cassian, let him-”
“I’m gonna need transport,” he told the room in a rough voice, cutting Cade
off again. “And I’m gonna need weapons.” He set his eyes on Deianira. “If
you’re not gone in the next ten seconds, I’ll crush his windpipe.”
While the enforcer tensed, Deianira’s face darkened at the
ultimatum. She flicked her eyes to someone in the corner of the room. The
second the enforcer she’d beckoned made a move, Devin grabbed the gun
off the belt on the enforcer he held, aiming it at the one who’d stepped
forward.
“Graze him, and I’ll blow your fucking brains out, “ Devin informed
him calmly.
The enforcer stopped, his gaze flicking to Deianira for further
direction.
Cassian repeated himself. “I want a truck on the loading dock in ten
minutes. And a bag of weapons. You can pick. Surprise me.”
When no one moved, he tightened his grip. The enforcer let out a
choked sound.
“Cassian!” Cade snapped.
BANG!
Evidently startled by Cade’s shout, one of the younger enforcers in
the room, he didn’t look a day over twenty, had fired his weapon.
Now, he stood, shaking as Cassian peered down to look at the hole
in his shoulder.
The room stood still, everybody waiting for his next move.
As the blood trickled down Cassian’s arm, he nodded. “Your
choice,” he mumbled before hauling the man in his hold at the young
enforcer.
In almost the same second, at least eight of them were on him.
A simple elbow to the stomach of the one that came from his left
sent the guy flying into the far wall. Cassian swung his fist at the second,
his head whipping to the side as he folded. More hands clutched at him as
someone jumped onto his back, locking an arm around his neck. Cassian
bent forward, throwing him to the floor as he tried to escape their hold. He
swung left and swung right, but more seemed to appear out of thin air. Way
more than the ten that he’d seen when he walked into the room.
Bodies covered him from each angle, some blocking his vision.
A small pinch to the side of his neck had him bucking more
frantically. Moments later, his vision, which had already been obscured,
began to blur.
Cassian blinked, shaking it off. His chest heaved as the enforcers on
him grew heavier, his movements slowed as he tried to work out what was
wrong. It didn’t take long for him to realize though.
They’d drugged him.
His rage reigniting, Cassian squatted down and reared up as fast as
he could, sending bodies scattering to the ground. He didn’t have to look far
to see the blurry figure holding the syringe. Cassian growled as he grabbed
him by his vest, pulling him forward. Seizing his hand, he bent his wrist
back until he released the needle. Cassian caught it as it rolled from his
palm and stuck it into his chest before throwing him as far as he could.
“Stop resisting,” sounded his brother’s distorted voice.
Deianira was barking over him. “Another one!”
Blinking quickly, shaking his head, Cassian bent to the ground, his
hands scrambling to find a gun.
It was all a mess of black uniforms and cream floors.
As he stood, he was greeted with another prick on the other side of
his neck.
He spun, glaring at the enforcer who’d administered the shot.
Cassian reached for him, but he only had to step back to dodge his delayed
advance. He felt like he was wading through honey as more hands grasped
his arms and legs with renewed strength. As the weight bore down on him,
it finally dawned on Cassian that he wouldn’t be leaving tonight.
“No…”
He was going down, and quickly.
For a few seconds, it felt like he was falling upward until his chest
collided with Devin’s floorboards.
“No, get off me!” he slurred, every breath taking more out of him
than the last.
His arms were twisted painfully behind his back.
No.
He needed to go.
“I need to go…” he breathed as the room began to darken.
“Stay still!”
He couldn’t even tell which direction the voice came from. Cassian
panted as sweat trailed down the tip of his nose, still struggling.
Salem…
Her face was fading before his eyes.
“Okay, okay,” he mumbled. “Okay, I’ll stop, juss lemme go…” he
lied pitifully.
His lids fell, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t lift them
again.
“Blease, I’m sorry…” he garbled. “Juss lemme get her…”
His head hit the floor as he lost the strength to hold it up, his mind
retreating as each second passed.
“Juss…juss lemme getter…”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I’d watch my tone if I were you. Last time I checked, you were still
on lockdown.”
“And last time I checked, I didn’t give a fuck.”
“Jacobs, you are walking on very thin ice.”
“Well then get me some tap shoes because if you think-”
Cassian groaned, his head pulsing, his mouth dry, and his body achy.
“Cass?” a familiar voice called next to him.
He rolled his head over, pressing his ear into the pillow, his other
hand starting to rise before he realized that he couldn’t move it. He jolted
his hands again as he blinked away the darkness.
Deianira and Devin both stood over him, watching closely.
His attempt to scoot back reminded him of his main concern. His
hands were in restraints. He yanked at them aggressively. “What the hell?”
he mumbled, his gaze finding his chest wrapped in bandages and the IV in
his arm.
Beep…beep…beep, beep…beep, beep, beep…
“Hey, hey, hey,” Devin rushed out, moving closer to his side. “Calm
down.”
Cassian tugged at his restraints even harder. When Deianira
approached, he threw her a look that had her stopping.
“Cass!”
“I need a doctor in here with a sedative.”
Before Cassian could turn to her again, Devin barked over his
shoulder. “No!” He whirled on Cassian. “You need to calm down,” he said
with urgency.
“How long have I been here?” he gasped out.
“Take a breath and I’ll tell you,” Devin snipped back.
Cassian jerkily nodded, doing his best to calm his racing heart.
Beep, beep…beep, beep…beep…beep…beep…
The tension seemed to roll right off of Devin’s shoulders. “You good
now?”
Cassian didn’t answer, but he inclined his head.
“Okay,” he nodded. “They had to get a surgical team to remove the
arrowhead.” He shook his head in disbelief. “You were bleeding internally
before you even got back. You would’ve died if you’d left.”
Cassian averted his eyes. He didn’t want to hear it. “How long have
I been here?” he asked again.
Devin leveled him with a look. “Twelve.”
Twelve hours?
Half a day.
“That slug they pulled out of your shoulder was pretty-” He paused
as his eyes flicked to Cassian’s monitor. “Hey!” he snapped, drawing
Cassian’s eyes. “Chill out, or I’mma push the drugs myself…You’re no
good to her as a vegetable.”
“Can you take these off?” Cassian asked quietly.
Devin tilted his head sympathetically. Before he could refuse, the
other person in the room answered.
“No-”
Devin spun on her. “He didn’t ask you,” he snarled.
Deianira looked like she was about to boil over. She only took her
eyes off Devin to give Cassian a final glare before storming out of the
room.
The second she was gone, he turned his desperate gaze to Devin. “I
need to get out of here.”
“And you will, but you have to be smart. Keep going like this and
they’ll put you on the sub-level.” He took a deep breath, his eyes finding
the door. “If we’re gonna find her, you need to fix up. No one’s letting you
out of here like this.”
When Cassian turned his eyes to the ceiling, Devin sighed, taking a
seat in the chair beside the bed.
For a while, neither of them said anything.
Devin leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “What the hell
happened in that forest?”
Cassian tensed. Stop talking…
“Cass...”
No. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Devin sat up. “Well something happened and-”
He threw his head in Devin’s direction. “You want to know what
happened?! I killed people! Is that what you want to hear?! I killed children
and it meant NOTHING!”
Devin stood in a flash, backing away from the bed. He pointed an
accusing finger at Cassian, almost tripping over the chair that he’d thrown
back. “That!” he exclaimed. “That is what I’m talking about!”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” he retorted defensively.
Devin’s mouth opened and shut before his eyes darted around. He
looked like he was about to say something when he turned around, heading
to the small adjoining room.
What the-
Before he could finish the thought, Devin stormed back in,
something square in his hands.
“What are you-”
He came up beside the bed and turned the object in his hands,
holding it right to his face.
Cassian didn’t realize what it was until he saw his own face staring
back at him.
Well, it looked like his face. Most of his features were easily
recognizable.
All of them except for his eyes. His white eyes. Glowing, white
eyes.
“Last night, you spun on me looking like that, so can you tell me
what the fuck happened?”

Cassian fiddled with his sling, keeping his eyes on the center of the
table.
While he wished that he could take the time to work through what
he’d learned this morning, it was the least important thing on his mind.
Devin disagreed, insisting that he went to a private clinic on the other side
of the city to be looked at, but he refused.
When Salem was back, he’d get all the medical attention he needed.
A throat cleared, but Cassian didn’t remove his gaze from the table.
He feared that if he looked up at the man that was supposed to be his
brother and the sister-in-law that he thought was his friend, he’d do
something he’d regret.
“It’s more than clear that you aren’t exactly happy with my
decisions. I’m not here for my mind to be changed, but I’d rather we spoke
about it than throw people across the room in a fit of rage.”
He could’ve scoffed, but he kept his mouth closed and eyes down.
What was the point in talking about something she had already decided on?
It was all a waste of time, time he could’ve been using to find her.
Just being in the study made his stomach turn. Nothing was right.
The air, the circumstances, the two empty chairs. For a second, he allowed
himself to think about that. He knew that Lia had been released, but he was
still yet to see her. He made a note to ask Devin about it later.
“Well after the way those incompetent little shits trained guns on
him, they should be glad they walked away.”
“Some didn’t…” Cade ground out.
Cassian assumed that he was speaking to Devin, but when the room
quieted, he looked up to find his brother’s eyes pinned on him.
Frowning, Cassian flicked his eyes to Devin before meeting Cade’s
glare again. “I’m sorry…Am I supposed to care?” he asked incredulously.
Cade stared at Cassian like he didn’t recognize him. Perhaps it
wasn’t just his words that had caused such a reaction.
Deianira laid a hand over his. “One broken wrist, two dislocated
shoulders, two broken collarbones, six concussions, two fractured skulls,
one resulting in a brain bleed, one bruised larynx, and a vertebral fracture.”
Her voice was perfectly calm when she asked, “Does that put things into
perspective for you?”
Short answer? No.
Long answer? Still no.
He was aware of what she was trying to make him see, how she was
trying to make him feel…but he just couldn’t find it in himself to care.
He did have a question of his own though. “So using me to fight
your battles and coaching me through literal murder is okay, but you draw
the line at me defending myself?”
“It could never compare, and you know it. Those were our own in
that room.”
“And what does that make Salem?” he replied seamlessly.
When Cade sat up, Deianira put a hand out. “He’s trying to goad
me. Don’t answer him.”
Devin scoffed. “Sit, Cade. Roll over, Cade. Don’t you ever get tired
of having to defend her when you know she’s wrong?”
With that, Cade’s face darkened as he stared Devin down. “When
she says something I disagree with, you’ll hear from me, Jacobs,” he said,
his voice low.
Cassian shook his head, looking between the two of them. He settled
his gaze on Deianira, whose eyes had already found him. “One hundred and
nineteen years,” he said slowly, trying to keep his voice steady. “She has
been by your side for one hundred and nineteen years. Following you,
protecting you, obeying you…” He swallowed. “And this is what she gets?”
Her eyes grew cold. “If I remember correctly, it wasn’t me who she
was following when she ignored me and ran out of my room like a
madwoman because you called her through the link when Devin got hurt. It
wasn’t me who she was protecting when she walked right past me during
the attack at my baby shower to get to you. It wasn’t me who she was
obeying when she threw herself against that wall of glass, pretending I
wasn’t there as I begged her to stop.”
His eyes narrowed dangerously as a look flashed across Deianira’s
face. Even Cade flicked his eyes to her.
“That’s what this is about?” Cassian whispered. “This is payback for
her having a life?”
As her chest rose, he couldn’t help but notice the faint wisps of dark
mist dancing around her fingers that clutched the armchair so tightly, he
thought it might crumble. “I was making a point. She swore an oath to me
one hundred and nineteen years ago. I swore one to the city on the same
day. I will not break mine just because she broke hers.”
Devin cut in before Cassian could reply. “Oath or not, she’s a
member of this so-called family. Does that really mean nothing anymore?”
“It means everything.” She glared at Cassian. “I’ve known her
longer than you’ve been alive. You think this is hard for you? Imagine what
it’s like for me.”
He could quite literally feel his blood boiling as he fought the urge
to stand.
Cassian forced himself to breathe. “When I first met her, she looked
me up and down and basically called me stupid. She fought more men than
I could count that day on the top floor, then proceeded to take on three
more, right in front of me when I slipped up. Then she led hundreds of
civilians to safety like it was nothing while I was busy throwing a fit
because my whole world was being flipped on its ass.” He sat up, speaking
quicker. “You know, she was the one person whose judgment I feared the
most when I came back, but when I walked into this room, she could barely
meet my eyes. I watched her sit silently in these meetings for almost a
month. Going straight home from work, never engaging, never speaking.
You expect me to believe that this is hard for you when she’s been locked
out for seven years?” he asked quietly, his voice wavering on the last word.
He realized that he was veering off-topic, bringing up things that couldn’t
be changed now, but his points were valid and he was surprised that it took
him so long to realize them, to voice them.
Cade leaned forward, hand tensing beneath Deianira’s. “That is not
true. Maybe if you had been here, you would’ve noticed. How do you think
that every room in the palace got rigged with a light alert? Why do you
think Deianira searched the whole of Terra to find someone to teach us all
to sign?” he seethed.
“Are you serious?” Cassian whispered.
When all he saw was Cade’s hard face, oblivious to the bullshit he’d
just spewed, Cassian exploded, pushing his chair back as he gave up on
staying calm.
“That is not good enough!” Facing Deianira, he continued. “That is
ALL physical! Material! Weren’t you the one who told me that it’s what’s
going on up here,” he pointed to his head, “that matters?! When was the last
time you asked how she felt about something?! How she felt about losing a
whole sense in service to you?!” Cassian turned around, walking a few steps
away before spinning again. “She didn’t speak to any of you for years, but
she spoke to me on my second week here!” He took a step back, watching
the both of them, Cade in particular as his head lowered a fraction. “What
does that say about all the accommodations you’ve made for her? Is she
supposed to shut up and be grateful because you got her a fancy new
doorbell?”
“I didn’t say tha-”
“But that’s what you meant! All of those things benefited you as
much as they benefited her! They have made life more practical for all of
us, but what about her?!”
It wasn’t just outrage he felt, it was sorrow and disbelief all wrapped
into one.
“She is a person!” he stressed.
Deianira sprung out of her seat. “Yes! She is a person! One person! I
have over two hundred thousand persons to protect! I swore to do that when
I was a child and I have so much more I have to lose now!” she growled.
“And you don’t think she’s worth the risk?!”
Her eyes doubled in size. “LISTEN TO YOURSELF! I just said that
taking The Dome down could risk hundreds of thousands of lives, and
you’re still considering it?”
“If you want to keep hiding behind that oath as your excuse to not
give two shits about her wellbeing, then fine, do that.” He winced as he
pointed a finger in her direction. “But you swore that oath, not me.”
“It’s not about that! It’s about what’s right! You’d leave all those
lives hanging in the balance for one person that might not even be alive?!”
she bellowed before taking a light breath.
While stricken by the question, Cassian quieted, something inside
him settling.
He finally understood.
She’d assumed that he was operating with the same ‘moral
overview’ as her. She thought that he was trying to do ‘the right thing’.
What makes you think I came to play fair…
Cassian shook his head as he approached the table once again. He
placed one palm on the table, leaning forward. He felt Devin’s subtle kick
to his shin, but ignored him, needing her to understand.
“Deianira…” he said quietly, earnestly, as he met her wide eyes, his
voice lethally calm. “I’d kill every single one of them myself…”
Her face fell as Cade blanched.
He straightened, satisfied that they got the point, but he didn’t leave
until he uttered his next words to really drive the point home.
“And if I don’t find her, I might just do that…So start praying that I
do.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Three
Though she slowly opened her eyes first, her vision wasn’t the first
sense that knocked her out of her haze.
It was the smell.
Salem’s nose twitched as the air danced across her top lip. It was
an…earthy smell.
It was so dark, she assumed that night had fallen over the forest, but
it wasn’t trees that she saw when she looked from left to right. There were
walls. Walls, a low ceiling, a table, a chair, and a doorway, she assumed by
the dim light shining from beneath the cream sheet.
Her gaze scanned over the walls again. With little light, she couldn’t
be sure, but it looked like…dirt. The smell. The walls were made of dirt, or
considering the lack of light, carved from it.
Her eyes lowered and flitted over the sheet she was lying on. A
quick brush of her fingers confirmed that she was on some sort of mattress,
nowhere near as soft as hers, but she was on a bed. In a room. Not in the
forest.
Finally tilting her head, Salem turned her chin to glance behind
her…
And was met by a large face.
She jolted away, falling to the ground. Springing back up, she took
in the sight of Podak sitting sideways on the bed, just watching.
Her hand immediately went to her thigh. She patted it. There was
nothing there. She went for her belt. There was no belt. She stuck her hand
into the hair at the back of her neck, expecting to feel a row of sharp pins
beneath her bun. There were no pins, and there was no bun.
A stubby hand making a waving motion upwards had her gaze
snapping back to Podak.
“I said good morning.”
Keeping her face angled toward him, she snuck a glance at the
curtain covering the exit.
Wait.
He said ‘Good morning’. It was morning.
Before questions could even pepper her mind, Podak smoothly
waved his hand again, bringing her attention back to him. To him and his
loose shirt, unlaced string hanging from the open neckline, his baggy pants,
and his free white hair.
“The trials have concluded.”
Salem fought every urge to give him a reaction at the implication.
“He lives.”
Cassian?
As Podak moved to stand, Salem shifted her stance, ready to attack
if she needed to.
He stopped. “I will not harm you. You need to eat. You have been
asleep for a long time.”
The second he said it, she felt her stomach growl. His face finally
changed, his lips twisting into an amused smile.
She still wasn’t convinced.
When he started up again, she moved out of his way, keeping far
away from him as he passed her and headed for the curtain.
He stood there, facing her. “Come,” he beckoned.
She didn’t so much as twitch.
If she was seeing correctly, his face softened as he nodded. “I will
come back.” He pulled back the flap, leaving before it fell closed again.
The second he was out of sight, she sprung into action, taking in
every detail she could. The old-looking bed in the corner was covered with
a few thick pelts. She was in the same clothes that she remembered leaving
the palace in, except she didn’t have any weapons. Her hair also wasn’t the
only thing that had changed. Scrubbing her hands down her face, she felt
not a speck of dirt, not even a bruise. She rotated her shoulder, listening for
that tell-tale click.
Nothing. It was healed.
Grabbing her hair into two bunches, Salem knotted it behind her
head, slowly trailing to the curtain. She squinted as she poised a finger at
the flap, sliding it an inch to the side. And when she did, she knew that she
wasn’t in Terra.
Dangerous as it may have been, she couldn’t stop herself from
drawing the sheet all the way and stepping out of the small room.
The breath she released was one of pure wonder and awe.
It was beautiful.
Terra was beautiful in its own right, but that was aesthetic beauty.
This? This was raw beauty. They could never compare.
She stood on an extended earthy balcony with other rooms in either
direction, identical to the one she’d walked out of, some curtains closed,
some open. She took slow steps to the stone half-wall as she looked down at
the…
She didn’t even know what to call it.
It was like a hub in the middle of a vast cylindrical room with a
glowing pool of water in the very center, giving light to the air around it.
Only a dozen feet from the outer lining was the circular walkway, and it
was littered with people. With primas. All milling around, unaware of her
presence or her inspection. They weaved in and out of each other, going
about their day, some walking around the edge of the pool, deep in
conversation, some leaving and entering.
Exits.
She spotted four dark tunnels leaving the main room, equidistant
from each other. Before she could take a second to wonder where they
might have led, her eyes inevitably drew upward. That was where the light
stopped, where it bounced off the cemented ceiling. There was no window
or chandelier. All the light was coming from the pool.
Her mind always picking up on details that she found to be
irrelevant, but hyper-fixating on them anyway, Salem’s attention was drawn
to the attire of the people down below. And it was revealing, to say the
least. Things that people in Terra would never wear in the height of
summer.
Most of it consisted of long strips of what looked like tightly woven
cotton, wrapped and styled in a different way on each person, leaving ample
skin exposed. In the city, most of the clothes manufactured were made from
biopolymers. It was one of the best ways to decrease waste and meet the
demand.
But these people wore real cotton.
It had taken Salem months to find someone who worked with cotton
to custom make her clothes and bedsheets, but once she found the old man,
she shopped from him religiously, putting in a new order at least once every
six months.
Suddenly, the rhythm of the place seemed to slow down.
Feet paused, heads turned, and soon, every eye in Salem’s view was
on her.
She stilled, knowing she was unarmed, outnumbered, and on
unfamiliar land, but she didn’t lower her eyes once, slowly meeting each
one of their gazes.
That was another thing.
No one was looking at her with anger or contempt. They seemed
curious. That was understandable. But what was she supposed to do? Why
was she here? Why was she even still alive?
She wasn’t complaining about the fact, but it didn’t make sense. She
should never have left the forest alive.
Quicker than they’d faced her, they turned, something else grabbing
their attention.
She followed with her eyes, hoping to get an explanation.
As the scattered crowd parted around one of the exits, Podak was
revealed, stepping out from the tunnel and into the crowd with a plate in his
hands, his lips moving in speech.
He was quite a distance away, making it hard for her to see what he
was telling them, but she did notice how everybody gave him their
undivided attention.
She cast her eyes back to him as his gaze locked with hers, his arm
gesturing toward her.
Unsure of whether he was speaking to her or not, she glanced at his
lips, almost certain that she had seen wrong when he let his next words roll
off his tongue.
“...she is,” he said, his face passive yet proud. “My intended.”

Salem observed with concern as Podak began to make his way through
the crowd and up the steps to the very landing she was standing on.
Intended. The person one intends to marry.
That didn’t make any sense.
She was not intended to marry him, so she didn’t understand why
he’d say such a thing.
As Podak neared, she took a step back.
By the dark look that flashed over his face, she assumed that that
wasn’t what he wanted her to do, but that didn’t stop her from taking
another step away from him. Giving her a look that seemed more like a
warning, Podak stepped even closer, extending the plate of fruit in his
hands.
She looked down at it as her mouth watered. She was starving.
Salem hadn’t eaten since the afternoon that Devin had made her that
sandwich. She’d packed food before she left for the forest, but she was too
focused on the task at hand to even think about eating.
She glanced back up to see Podak’s face, his lips tipped up in
satisfaction at her perusal of the wooden plate.
Then she slapped it out of his hand.
If it was meant as some sort of ultimatum, that she could only eat if
she went along with his outrageous suggestion, she would rather starve.
Hoping that her message was clear enough, she met his eyes with a
warning look of her own.
His red face and quick glance at the people downstairs was the only
thing she managed to catch sight of before he grabbed her by the arm,
hauling her towards the room.
Instincts finally kicking in, Salem kicked at the back of his leg,
bringing him to his knees. Podak only showed a second of surprise before
he completed a full turn on his knees and pulled her leg from beneath her.
She fell on her back, only having a moment to gasp as he sent a sharp jab to
her throat. Air escaping her lungs and pain flaring up her neck, Salem tried
to kick up at him, but he was kneeling beside her, the angle was too far off.
Instead, she threw the back of her fist into his face. It only seemed
to disorient him for a second because the next thing she knew, he was
returning with a backhand of his own. Her head spun on impact, her face
colliding with the ground beside her.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fight off the darkness.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Four
“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?”

Cassian didn’t respond to Devin’s griping, opting to stare out of the
truck’s window instead.
“They are watching you like a hawk and you go and say some shit
like that,” Devin gritted out, taking a sharp turn.
Cassian threw him a glare as his head banged against the window
beside him.
Devin didn’t take his eyes off the road. “Serves you right, dumbass.”
He shook his head. “Want to tell me where we’re going?” Cassian
asked, turning back to the windshield to look at the darkening sky.
“Want to stop throwing tantrums like a fucking toddler?”
“Devin,” he said harshly.
He pulled the truck to an abrupt halt, killing the engine. “Put your
panties back on…” he mumbled before opening his door.
Cassian narrowed his eyes in confusion before opening his own
door to meet Devin outside. Devin slammed his door shut, turning to walk
down the dark sidewalk.
Following him, Cassian snarled at the back of his head. “Devin,
what are you doing?”
“Getting your girl back,” he threw over his shoulder.
Cassian stopped. Then he started up again, quicker this time. “What
do you mean?” he quickly asked, walking at his side.
“I mean, I have a plan, which would’ve been much easier to execute
if you weren’t such a hothead.”
Before he could respond, Devin turned to the door next to him,
pulling on the handle. Pausing to look up, Cassian read the sign above the
establishment.
Terri’s T-Bar
He trailed after him, utterly perplexed. “I’m not in the mood for a
drink right now.”
Devin strutted right up to the bar, taking a seat between a man and a
young girl with her head on the table, probably passed out. “Good, ‘cause I
wouldn’t spend a penny on you.”
Half huffing, half grumbling, he took the seat on the other side of
the girl, talking to Devin over her. “What’s this big plan that I still know
nothing about?”
“What’s good, Ter?” Devin called to the bartender.
The man looked back before his face lit up. “The usual?”
Devin inclined his head with a smile. “Stop flirting with me.”
“Devin.” Cassian was tired. “What’s the plan?”
Rolling his eyes, Devin turned his stool to face him. Cassian
flinched as he suddenly banged a fist on the bar.
The girl between them jumped. Automatically, Cassian put a hand
out to stop her from falling backward.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he hissed at Devin as he helped
her back up.
Then he froze as her hair fell away from her face.
“Cassie, meet our plan.”
The girl snorted. “Cassie,” she giggled.
He was still, looking between her eyes. “Lia?”

“Drink,” Cassian instructed, pushing the bottle of water at Lia as they

sat on the edge of the sidewalk, Devin standing behind them.
“I don’t wanna…” she slurred, head lolling down.
He huffed, staring up at the night.
It was almost unnoticeable, but he could just about see the slight
shimmer in the sky. A shimmer that wasn’t there when he left. A shimmer
that stood as a constant reminder of what he couldn’t do.
He cast his eyes back down, pushing the bottle in her direction
again. “Come on. You’ll be sick.”
Suddenly, she groaned. “Uggghhh, why did you have to say that?”
Bracing one hand on his knee, Lia turned away from him and spilled
her guts on the side of the road.
“Fuck’s sake…” he mumbled, turning to look back at Devin. “You
want to step in at some point?”
Devin raised his vodka and coke with a head tilt. “Nah, you got it.”
As Lia heaved, he quickly turned and grabbed her hair, holding it
away from her face. She breathed heavily, wiping her mouth on the back of
her sleeve.
“Do you want some water now?”
Lia’s hand swiped out, sluggishly snatching the bottle from him.
“Gimme that.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You're welcome.” As she gulped it down,
Cassian turned back to his so-called best friend again. “I’d really like an
explanation now.”
Devin stepped up to Lia, then wrinkled his nose, choosing to sit next
to Cassian instead. He sighed. “Firebreath here likes her drink. A lot.” He
adjusted and leaned his arms on his knees. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had
to pick her up like this.”
Cassian sat up, glancing at Lia as she rolled her eyes. “What do you
mean?”
He’d never seen her like that before.
“Don’t worry. You’re not blind. It started way before you even came
back.” Devin tilted his head in thought. “Honestly it got better when you
did.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I just know how to keep my mouth
shut.”
“Maybe you shu shut it now,” she hissed, stumbling over her words.
Devin didn’t even glance at her. “When she drinks, she talks. And
while it may be extreme, she has something that might help our situation.”
“What?” Devin getting to the point would’ve been really helpful.
“Every time she got into it with Deianira and wound up here, she
wouldn’t stop rambling about how she should be grateful that she let her
keep her position.”
What was that supposed to mean?
Devin leaned forward, finally looking over at her. “Tell him what
you told me, Lili.”
Lia swayed as she brushed her hair out of her face before giving him
the middle finger.
He shrugged, facing straight again. “She has a claim.”
Cassian grew impatient. “What the hell is a claim, Devin?”
“Goodness gracious…” he mumbled. “‘A claim to the throne’,” he
said with air quotes. “She has as much right to the crown as Deianira does,
if not, more. If we can get her up there, we can have The Dome down in
less than a day.”
Cassian was trying to keep up. “How is that even possible? She-”
He cut himself off. He was about to say that she was born outside of
The Dome, but that wasn’t true. But wouldn’t she have to be related to
someone in Deianira’s family? Wouldn’t that make her related to Deianira?
Closely related?
“Worked it out yet?”
Cassian didn’t speak, waiting for Devin to just spell it out.
“Wow.” He gulped down the rest of his drink before standing.
“She’s Jude’s daughter.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Five
Salem groaned as she rolled over, wincing when her face touched
something soft. She pulled her eyes open and was hit with what she could
only describe as deja vu.
Darkness. Well, not so dark anymore, thanks to the candle on the
small table in the corner.
To even test her theory, she leaned up on an elbow and looked over
her shoulder, not even flinching when she was met with those same clear
eyes. He watched her as he leaned back on the wooden frame, his shirt open
down the middle, legs crossed on the bed beside her.
Making no sudden movements, Salem winced as she pulled her legs
in and slowly sat up, turning to face him.
“You brought shame to our impending joining.”
Salem fought to keep her expression plain. Why does he keep saying
that?
“I told them that this was the beginning of a new era. That I would
be bringing them a new Queen.” His lip curled. “But instead, I showed
them an insolent brat.”
She didn’t recoil at his words, but her thoughts did turn. She wasn’t
their Queen. She could never be. Not even if she fulfilled his desires.
Because he wasn’t the King of Patriam. Cassian was.
“What is it that you want?” he asked, his expression switching from
dark to almost pleading.
She wanted to go home. Home to Cassian.
Podak’s face darkened, and for a moment, she thought that he had
read her mind. “What do you want?!” he exclaimed. “Tell me.”
She didn’t make a noise.
He nodded. “I will bring a psionicist.”
Salem’s eyes widened as he moved to stand. If she was going to find
a way out of this, she needed her thoughts to stay in her head.
He paused when he caught her expression. “If you wish to remain
keeper of your mind, you will speak to me.”
Her heart beat a little faster, her chest rising and falling with new
speed. There was only one person who she wanted to speak to and he
wasn’t here.
“Tell me your name.”
She doubted that he didn’t already know and thought about ignoring
him when he inclined his head at her. A dare almost.
Fighting the feeling of betrayal, she lowered her head so she
wouldn’t have to see his face. “Salem,” she whispered.
She hoped that his reaction would have passed by the time she
looked back up, but his smile was yet to leave.
“Salem,” he repeated. “I like it.”
She clenched her teeth.
“We have much to discuss, Salem.”
She already regretted it.
“But we also have much to enjoy.” He smiled at the look on her
face. “When we are joined, you will understa-”
“I don’t want to marry you.”
Salem didn’t like miscommunication. The sooner he knew where
she stood, the better.
The smile slipped off his face, but he didn’t necessarily look angry,
not as angry as he did before at least.
His eyes only flicked to the bed for a second. “What do you want?”
he asked again. “What did he give you?”
Again, she didn’t respond, but this time, it was because she didn’t
understand the question.
“Did he offer you a kingdom to rule over? Did he offer you power
and riches beyond what you could ever want for? Because that is what I am
offering you.”
Still confused, Salem watched him rant.
“You are kind to him, but you strike me in front of my people. You
speak to him freely, but you hold your tongue with me?” He tilted his head.
“Why do you refuse me?”
He was talking about Cassian?
He looked up as if he was trying to remember something. “Do you
wish for me to court you? To lay with you?”
“No!” she retorted before she could stop herself. The thought alone
made her stomach turn.
He shifted closer, his eyes almost desperate. “I can please you,” he
said earnestly. “I pleased Pola many ti-”
Salem pulled her hand away when he tried to reach for it. “I said
no,” she told him firmly.
Surprisingly, his face didn’t dim any further. Podak sighed, reaching
over to the stool beside the bed before presenting a plate to her. Another
plate of fruit.
“You must eat,” he huffed, his shoulders slightly lower.
She eyed the plate with longing. They looked so bright, so sweet.
Her stomach cramped at the enticing colors. When she didn’t move, Podak
pushed the plate between them. Her eyes bounced between him and the
fruit. He sighed and pushed it further, the edge of the plate almost touching
her lowered hands.
“Please…eat.”
Unable to hold herself back, Salem reached for the fruit closest to
her.
It looked like a grape, it had the same texture too, but it was bigger.
The size of an orange. She dug the tip of her blunt fingernail into the top
and picked at the skin. Then she began to peel it. When she looked back up,
Podak was watching her with a bewildered expression.
“I don’t like the skin,” she said before he could ask.
Rather than frowning, a reaction she often got when she did such
things, his face brightened. She brought the large, skinless grape to her lips
and took a bite. As the flavor burst across her tongue, she almost moaned. It
was sweet yet subtle. And it sat so softly in her mouth, nothing too
overwhelming. She took another bite, bigger than the last. She devoured it.
Reaching to pick up another, she caught Podak’s half-amused, half-
awed expression.
He leaned forward, giving her a genuine, wistful smile. “What is it
that I must do so that you will join with me?” he asked.
Salem’s face straightened, her previous joy at that delicious fruit
souring. She dug her nail into the second one. “Nothing. I want to go home
and I don’t want to join with you.”
His expression became neutral too. “That is a shame. If you were
more agreeable, I would have given you this.” He reached for the stool and
picked up a wooden cup that was filled with murky water.
Salem frowned.
He was going to withhold water if she didn’t marry him? She wasn’t
exactly thirsty, the fruits were juicy enough, but that could’ve turned into a
problem in the long run.
Still, she brushed him off and went back to her fruit, unwilling to
compromise. “I don’t want your dirty water anywayyy…” Salem shook her
head. “Your dir…” She blinked as her lids grew heavy. “Not thirs…” The
fruit rolled from her palm as her limbs loosed. “Whadidyoudo…”
Podak’s solemn face distorted before her. “You will see Terra again,
my bride. But this is your home now.”
The darkness.
Again.

“You’re sure it’s her?”

“Yep. I’d never forget eyes like that.”
The first man bent down beside her chair, grabbing her chin to look
at her face. She would’ve pushed his hand away if hers weren’t tied behind
her back. “Can hardly find ‘em with all this blood,” he murmured. “Did
you have to boot her face in?”
“The bitch’s got a staring problem,” the younger man quipped.
Salem would’ve called him out if she could breathe through her nose
for long enough to force out the words. She’d been purposely avoiding his
eyes as she answered his questions, but he beat her anyway. The aggression
was expected, he seemed like the type, but she didn’t appreciate the lie.
The older man released her chin. “What are we gonna do with her?
They're obviously gonna miss her.”
She forced her swollen lids to open, but the face she saw, the face of
the younger man, almost made her close them.
Where do I know you from? she thought as those ocean-blue eyes
stared back at her.
He looked to the older man, shrugging. “We could make it look like
an accident.”
“Gray, you know better than that.”
Gray? She didn’t know his name, but he certainly didn’t look like a
Gray.
“What? I’m serious. I’ll get Conrad. He’ll know what to do.”
Conrad. Seer. Forty-two years old. Station four.
There. She’d done it.
Salem would’ve loved to jump from her chair and make some big
exit, but she didn’t actually have the energy.
The older man started for the stairs leading out of the basement.
“No. I’ll get him. You’ll freak him out and we can’t afford to lose him. Stay
here, and for the love of the Gods, don’t kill her.”
“Fine. I won’t.”
A small voice in the back of her head, a weak voice, almost called
out for him to stay as she met those blue eyes again. Why did someone so
sick have such kind eyes?
He braced a hand on each arm of the chair she sat on as the
footsteps retreated. “Pops says I can’t kill you,” he pouted before standing
back up. “He never said anything about hurting you though.”
She kept her eyes on him as he strolled over to one of the
particularly dark corners of the room and returned with a switchblade. He
tilted his head when she gave him no reaction. “Who am I kidding? You
probably won’t even feel it.” He neared again. “That’s what they say, isn’t
it? That you can’t feel anything?” he asked, lifting her chin with the blade.
“Well,” he mused. “Why don’t we test that theory?”
When he turned the blade and thrust down, Salem squeezed her eyes
just as he made contact with her thigh, plunging the blade in deep.
“Shit! Even I felt that!” he yelped, yanking his hand back but
leaving the knife behind.
Breathe in…
Temporary pain…
Breathe out…
A rough hand patted her cheek. “What? You’re not gonna cry?”
She wanted to. She really, really wanted to, but her tears would
make no difference to the outcome. She couldn’t move, couldn’t get past
him, couldn’t walk now, thanks to him. But she did know that he wouldn’t
kill her. She just needed to let him tire himself out. Then she’d leave. Then
she’d…cry.
He snapped his fingers, a smile growing. “Have you ever been on
fire before?”

Salem wasn’t sure how long she’d been screaming for, only that when
she opened her mouth, no sound came out. Her vocal cords were rubbed
raw, but she couldn’t stop. Not when all she’d known for the past hour was
hot, searing pain. Her mind twisted and turned mercilessly, giving her no
reprieve to even catch her breath. It had started moments after she’d closed
her eyes and she hadn’t had a break since. And it wasn’t just the pain either,
it was…
When she opened her eyes, Podak’s face was looming over hers.
She heaved out a breath, throwing herself upright, almost
headbutting him as he pulled his hands back from her head.
Salem scrambled back across the bed, leaping off it as she ran to the
other side of the room and put her back to it, her eyes twitching as she
stared at him.
Podak held his hands out, placatingly. “It is okay,” he told her.
Salem wanted to scream at him, but she feared that she’d cause
actual damage if she tried.
“How do you feel?”
Hiccuping, she wiped her face against her shoulder, scared to take
her eyes off him. When she didn’t respond, he stood.
“No!” she rasped, holding her arms out, but Podak didn’t stop. She
curled in on herself as he stood at his full height, towering over her.
“Please!”
He still approached, only pausing within a few feet of Salem. Then
he bent down, his hands on his knees, coming eye to eye with her.
She stood as far back as the wall would allow as he opened his
mouth. “I do not wish to cause you harm.”
She would’ve called him a liar if she wasn’t too busy trying to tamp
down her sobs.
“I am fixing you. I only ask that you work with me.”
Fixing me?
She wasn’t broken.
“We will start again tomorrow. You should rest.”
Tears returned to her eyes. He was going to do it again.
Salem had never had an issue with pain in particular. It was a part of
her job, a part of her life. But whatever she’d just felt was different. It was
cruel, invasive. Like someone was forcibly pulling parts of her mind
forward and shoving them at her.
“Why did you do that?” She’d meant to ask, “What did you do?”,
and while she didn’t know what, the ‘why’ was on the forefront of her
mind. She’d also meant it as a whisper, but she wasn’t even sure that her
raspy voice had managed to escape.
He didn’t appear to have any qualms with answering. “The fruit of
the aperto tree.”
While they weren’t native to Terra, she’d heard of it before. But
from what she’d learned, the fruit was meant to have psychedelic
properties.
“Your mind has been opened. Made soft. Now, I can mold.”
If it was possible, her blood grew even colder at the thought of what
that could have meant.
Now, I can mold.
Podak shook his head. “Tomorrow. You are tired.”
She flinched as he stood.
He softened his gaze, bending back down. “You have no reason to
fear me.”
Sobs threatened to rack her as his stubbed hand reached out and
cupped her face. She refused to avert her eyes though. “I can make you
very happy,” he said, his breath fanning across her cheek. “Once I’ve made
an agreeable wife out of you.”
Before she could stop her hand, it was flying across his face.
She hadn’t meant to do it, but she certainly didn’t regret it when she
saw his stricken expression. Salem waited for him to get mad, almost
wanting it as she lifted her chin, daring him to hit her back. She knew that
his anger was far better than a soft hand. She wasn’t there of her own will
and she’d remind herself of that every day if she had to.
Podak sighed, turning back to face her. “Tonight, you will sleep on
the floor.”
For the first time in days, she was delighted.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Six
She didn’t sleep. She couldn’t.

Podak did though. He slept so soundly that even his snores filled the
room, evidenced by the slight shake in the ground.
All while she sat on the blanketed ground, her knees curled to her
chest.
In the back of her mind, she wondered why she was so shaken by
what had happened. Salem was well aware that she had been abducted, that
she was being held against her will, so why was she so surprised that he
would do something like that, that he’d make her see that? Why did she
expect any different? Maybe it was the way he kept talking about ‘joining’
with her, or how his soft words never matched his cruel actions. Either way,
what had occurred a few hours ago had set the tone and she wouldn’t ever
let her guard down like that again.
Not that she’d be there for long anyway.
The day had been a shock to her system, but now she had her mind
set on one thing.
Escaping.
She’d done it before and she’d do it again.
Granted, the circumstances were much different now. She didn’t
know where she was, she didn’t know how tight they were in terms of
security, she still hadn’t even found a real way out.
That was the only reason she was still sitting, her back to the wall.
She needed to plan. But to plan, she needed to research.
Salem had never been a good liar, she was an even worse actor. But
something in her mind told her that Podak may have been desperate enough
to give her exactly what she needed if she tried hard enough.
That was why, despite her fear, and even her bubbling resentment,
she shakily dropped her knees and got to her feet, approaching the bed.
She absently wondered why he was so comfortable sleeping in a
room with her. Did he really not see her as a threat?
As much as that was a good thing considering what she was about to
pull, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit offended. Back at the palace, some
officers still crossed the hall when they saw her, or left rooms that she was
in. The things that Salem had to do in her first hundred years of service
were no secret to those high up. Things were a lot different then. Deianira’s
position was less stable and threats came at her from all directions, at times,
from her own people.
It was only her, Deianira, and Jude back then, and while Jude was
very powerful, he wasn’t the one sworn to protect Deianira and her crown.
That fear that people held for her never really waned. She never
took issue with it though, it wasn’t like she interacted with more than those
she absolutely needed to. But she didn’t necessarily like it either. It brought
attention to her.
But now, she wished that she could show Podak what she was really
capable of. She wished that she could break a piece off of the bedpost and
drive it through his temple to teach him a lesson about leaving himself so
vulnerable in her presence.
Salem had already planned to wake him, but with the way her
temper rose at her own thoughts, she approached the task with a lot less
finesse than she had intended.
Impulsively, she reached forward and grabbed a handful of his hair,
twisted her fist, and yanked it back. With what she was sure was a yelp,
Podak jolted up, nearly falling off of the bed, his hand coming up to touch
the side of his scalp.
“What is the meaning of this?” she watched him yell, his eyes flying
to hers.
It was probably the least appropriate thing to do in that situation, but
the jolt of satisfaction that she got from his pained expression tugged on her
lips without her permission.
If anything, his expression grew tighter but Salem cut him off before
he could speak. “You asked what I wanted. I want to go out.”
His eyes narrowed. “At this hour?”
In all honesty, Salem didn’t know what time it was. Whatever cave
they were in gave her no indication of what hour of the day it was, she
didn’t know how Podak could tell. Either way, she didn’t care what time it
was. She wasn’t planning on sleeping anytime soon, and if that meant
waking Podak prematurely, then even better.
“Yes, now. I need to stretch my legs.”
It appeared that her efforts to annoy him went down the drain
because his face softened at her instruction. His next words were met with a
flat expression.
“I could never deny you, my bride,” he said as he pulled the pelt off
of his body, revealing his bare torso.
Salem took a moment to look at him properly.
He was very fit.
That much was obvious by his toned arms and hard chest, and while
he was a few inches taller than Cassian, his shoulders and chest were
nowhere near as broad. Overall though, they had a relatively similar build,
so why did she feel absolutely nothing when she looked at him?
Catching her part way through her examination, Podak met her eyes
and gave her a weighty smirk.
She frowned.
He had obviously mistaken her clinical perusal for something else,
but she didn’t make a move to correct him. It would only help her situation
if he thought that she was attracted to him, as squeamish as the thought
made her.
Salem had to force herself not to step back as he stood up. But as
Podak stepped forward, she did step back, but he didn’t approach her. He
stepped to the side and knelt at the foot of the bed. Reaching under it, he
pulled something from below.
It took Salem a second to work out what it was. In a thick woven
basket sat several folded pieces of fabric.
Gently, he reached in and pulled one out, turning to present it to her.
When she didn’t move, he sighed, laid the fabric onto the bed, and
stood again. Then he made a move for the curtain. Immediately, her heart
started racing. He did say that if she didn’t speak to him, he’d call a psionic.
She took a step in his direction. “No.”
He turned at her exclamation with an almost sweet expression. “I
was not leaving you, my love. I am only calling your p…”
Salem tilted her head. She didn’t catch the last word. “I don’t
understand.”
She tensed as he stepped closer and leaned down. “Praems,” he said
more clearly.
“Praems,” she repeated.
“Yes,” he nodded, a wide smile taking over his face.
Probably assuming that she’d understood the word, he turned back
around and left.
Salem released a breath.
She spent the next two minutes debating whether interacting with
him and feeding into his fantasy was the right way to go. He seemed to be
responding well, but he also seemed fine when he drugged her and…did
that to her head.
She concluded that staying on his good side, a least for the time
being, was the wisest course of action when the curtain opened.
But it wasn’t Podak.
Two young-looking women shuffled into the tent, their heads down.
The one on the left was practically shaking, her golden hair covering
her face. Standing at almost half a foot taller than Salem, she stood in place,
trembling.
Salem couldn’t begin to fathom why. She was the one being held
against her will.
The one on the right was even taller, her coarse midnight blue hair
falling over her tanned shoulders in voluminous waves, but her even darker
blue eyes flicked up every few seconds, only to shoot back to the ground.
Not knowing who they were or what to do, Salem cleared her throat.
Usually, awkward situations didn’t bother her, she’d be content to sit in
silence for hours, but they were here for something, for her.
The first girl jolted and quickly stepped forward, startling Salem.
She could see her lips moving, but she could decipher nothing with
the way her head was bent so far forward.
Almost out of frustration, Salem huffed, “I can’t understand you.”
The second the words left her mouth, she watched a tear drop from
the eye of the golden-haired girl.
Salem stared at her.
Had she made the girl upset? She certainly hadn’t meant to.
Helplessly, she leaned to the side, catching the eye of the second
one. Understanding the silent message, the woman stepped up to stand next
to the first, her head just high enough for Salem to read her lips.
“She says her name is Lilo. She is delighted to meet you and hopes
that you are pleased with her as your praem.”
Before Salem could even dissect that, she spoke again. “My name is
Nadeen. It is wonderful to meet you, and I, too, hope that you are pleased
with me as your praem.” Nadeen cast her eyes back to the ground. “May I
look at you, my lady?”
Salem was ready to tap out, tired of being in a constant state of
confusion. Deciding to be polite though, she responded. “Yes…?” It rolled
out as more of a question because she didn’t understand why the girl had
even asked, especially since Salem had caught her eyes multiple times since
their arrival.
She lifted her head and Salem’s brows raised.
She was absolutely gorgeous. She had very striking features, wide
blue eyes, strong cheekbones, plump lips. They were almost overstated, but
they worked. And her skin. A beautiful rich light brown, not darker than
Salem, but tan, like she’d been laying out in the sun.
Sensing the direction of the conversation and not wanting to repeat
the routine all over again, Salem spoke to the other one without being
prompted. “You can look at me,” she said cautiously.
Ever so slowly, Lilo raised her head.
Her beauty was no less than Nadeen’s, but hers was softer, more
subtle. The only exception to that subtlety though were her eyes. They were
a stunningly bold shade of purple, contrasting with her behavior so far.
Again, not knowing what to do, she looked to Nadeen. She’d been
the most helpful so far.
Nadeen gave her a soft smile. “We are here to prepare you for your
walk with your betrothed.” Salem almost corrected her but was grateful
when she continued despite her attempt to butt in. “You can follow me. The
bath will cool soon.”
After sitting in the same clothes for the better part of three days,
Salem made no objections.
She followed Nadeen out of the room and into the one directly next
to it, followed by Lilo. For the next forty minutes, Salem was cleaned,
primped, and pampered. At first, she had made them aware that she was
more than capable of bathing herself, but they, Nadeen, insisted that she
shouldn't have to. Salem wasn’t sure if they were just very observant or if
they were scared, but at no time did they make any sudden movements or
touch her without her seeing their hands move first. Lilo had barely said a
word the whole time, Nadeen taking the lead and having her assist.
It wasn’t long before she was being dried off with the softest towel
she’d ever felt against her skin. If she wasn’t in her predicament, she might
have had the courage to ask what it was made from.
Just as Lilo finished rubbing what Salem assumed was lotion onto
her legs, Nadeen snapped her fingers at her. Lilo stood, reaching for the slip
of fabric that she’d brought from the first room. Taking it from her hands,
Nadeen gave Salem another pleasant smile before gesturing for her to turn.
Salem’s brows rose.
She hadn’t said it, she’d gestured. Maybe she was perceptive.
She turned around but kept her chin pointed over her shoulder,
watching what she was doing.
Nadeen unfolded the fabric so that it was a long strip, maybe three
feet wide. Then she approached and gently placed it around Salem’s neck,
like a scarf. Rather than asking Salem to turn again, she made her way in
front of her. She crossed the two ends of the cream sheet so that they made
an ‘X’ over her chest, then moved around again as she brought them to her
back, continuing to wrap it in a way that she couldn’t quite see. Lilo stepped
up to Salem’s front as Nadeen worked on the back, her head down as she
shakily adjusted the ‘X’ so that her breasts were covered. Just as Lilo
stepped back, Nadeen came around and gently held Salem’s elbow, guiding
her to the corner of the room.
Salem let her.
It only took two steps for her to catch her reflection in the tall ovoid
mirror.
At that moment, Salem wanted nothing more than to say that she
hated it and wanted to go back to her clothes, but she didn’t. She looked,
felt, beautiful.
More beautiful than she had in a long time.
Her hair was in two braids from front to back, something she’d tried
but never really liked, but she liked this. Her eyes had a dark lining to them,
accentuating the almond sharpness.
Ground stibnite, Nadeen had told her when she’d pulled back and
asked what it was.
And the dress.
The material was just soft enough that she didn’t grow irritated
when it brushed the back of her legs as she walked.
For a moment, her thoughts soured. She wondered what Cassian
would think of her wearing something like this. She knew that he’d never
blatantly object to anything she wanted to wear, he hadn’t before, but she
wondered if he’d want her dressing up. If he only liked her practical clothes
and would be disappointed if he saw her dressing in more feminine attire.
Or maybe he wanted her to wear dresses and hadn’t said anything before.
As if to upset her more, she watched in the mirror as the curtain
opened.
Her expression flattened as Podak entered before she remembered
that she was supposed to be putting on a show.
His face lit up at the sight of her, and suddenly, she didn’t feel so
beautiful anymore. She almost wanted to smear the lining of her eyes down
her face and pull half of her hair down. Maybe even bark at him to see what
he’d think of her then.
Podak extended a hand to her.
Taking her cue, Salem gave Nadeen and Lilo an awkward nod and
started in his direction before brushing right past him, exiting the room.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Exhaustion didn’t seem to sum up what Cassian was feeling. He’d

barely slept since his arrival, and even though his mind should have been
seeking rest, it was alive. It made him think about things. Things like those
few vulnerable moments that he experienced after the first kill.
You’re okay. You’re going to be okay. You promised…
Cassian swung his hand back and threw his fist into his headboard.
She was a hundred and fifty feet from you when she went dark…
He pulled his scraped fist from the board and sent it back again.
She got out. She followed you…
Again and again and again, he threw his hand at the wooden plank
until chips began to scatter across the bed.
He pulled back the covers and stood, shaking off his splintered fist
as he headed for the door. It was too much. If he could sleep, he might have
been able to take a break from his whirring thoughts, but he didn’t even
want to.
What had he done to deserve sleep? Salem was still missing. All his
efforts to find her had gone unanswered.
He took the east stairwell five steps at a time, dashing down to the
third floor.
Devin had advised him against the very thing that he was about to
do, but he could just about hear his own heavy footsteps over the rushing in
his ears, let alone hear sound advice. There was no stopping.
He’d only just stepped onto the third floor when he nearly knocked
over a maintenance worker. He was about to step around him when he
caught sight of something in the man’s toolbox.
Without saying a word, he leaned down and grabbed it.
“Hey!”
He ignored the man as he continued making his way to the E-stop.
It wasn’t even five in the morning yet, but he knew that some
enforcers from the night shift would probably still be lingering around.
Reaching the room, a glance through the small window in the door told him
that he was right. The previously chattering room fell silent as he swung the
door open.
The eyes of the other three enforcers were on him in an instant. He
wasn’t looking back at any of them though.
He was looking at the only person whose eyes widened as he
entered.
The deputy.
Cassian marched in a direct line to him, grabbing his collar with his
left hand. With as little grace as possible, Cassian lifted Finch and threw
him onto the table, sending a coffee mug to the ground, shattering on
impact.
Over Finch’s struggling, he heard the slightest creak and spun his
head to the door, catching one of the enforcers trying to leave.
Cassian pointed the hammer that he’d taken from maintenance at
him.
“Close that door…”
He only had to murmur the words and the enforcer stepped back
into the room, his face white as he retook his place by the coffee maker.
Cassian gave Finch his attention once again, pressing his bunched-
up fist into his chest as he kept squirming.
“Which one?”
Finch twisted and pulled at Cassian’s arm with both his hands to no
avail. “Get the fuck off me!” he wheezed, the pressure on his chest
obviously getting to him.
Lifting him from the table, Cassian pushed him back down, more
forcefully this time. “Which one?” he asked again.
Winded, Finch gasped, his grip on Cassian’s arm getting looser. “I
don’t know what you're talking about!” His voice was barely audible.
Cassian leaned closer. “Which leg did she break?”
As if he had a death wish, Finch panted, his breaths coming out as
short laughs. “That’s what this is about?”
As Cassian tilted his head lethally, Finch eyed the hammer in his
hand.
Proven by his next words, he had severely underestimated Cassian’s
patience and ability to follow through. “How she hit me up and practically
begged to suck my cock the second you left…” he wheezed.
Nodding, Cassian lifted the hammer.
His eyes doubled. “Fine! Right! Right! My right leg!”
He huffed, giving him a tight smile. “I was gonna break both of ‘em
anyway.”
Done with waiting, he lifted the hammer and brought it down on
Finch’s knee. Even Cassian winced at the ear-splitting cry that he released.
He’d been aiming for his shin first, but in his struggle, Finch put his
kneecap in the direct line of the hammer.
From the corner of his eye, Cassian could see the others flinching,
one even turning around. That didn’t stop him from raising the hammer
again though and taking it to his right leg next.
The screaming only got louder, but he felt no sympathy. Maybe
Cassian would’ve taken a moment to think if he’d begged, or if he’d
expressed the slightest amount of regret. But he didn’t. He knew that the
whole guard got a message to stay away from the studio, and as determined
as he knew Salem could be, he wasn’t in the mood to make excuses for
someone like Finch. Especially after that comment. The guy probably
would’ve gone up there anyway if he’d known the circumstances too.
That’s why Cassian held nothing back as he swung his arm from left
to right, living for the short vibration the hammer would send up his arm
every time a bone would crack.
After about a minute, Finch’s screams quieted, his movements
slowed, his begging became slurry. That was when Cassian released his
collar, panting as he took a step back.
Even he cringed at the sight.
The only thing that made his legs resemble legs were his pants
holding them together. And those couldn’t even conceal the blood leaking
from the table and onto the floor, or the bones sticking out in places they
shouldn’t have.
Cassian took a breath, turning to the other enforces.
He pointed the hammer at the one that was shaking. “Badge
number.”
“E-141,” he rushed out.
He pointed to the next. The man stood straighter, his eyes flicking
behind Cassian at Finch, whose whining was still echoing around the room.
“E…E-179,” he said, stuttering over the numbers.
He pointed to the last.
He swallowed. “E-537, sir.”
Cassian tilted his head. He must have recognized him.
He lowered the hammer, speaking clearly. “He got hit by a rover.
You all saw it happen. There’s a private clinic on eastside. Take him there.”
He settled his gaze on E-141, taking advantage of his fear. “I don’t think I
have to explain what’ll happen to you if I hear another story.”
He snapped his fingers at Finch, and instantly, the enforcers were
shuffling in his direction. Cassian allowed them to pass before he left, not at
all concerned when they got close, even knowing that they were armed.
What did concern him was the lack of release he felt. He didn’t feel
any better than he did when he was in bed. In fact, he felt worse. He
immediately tried to erase the last ten minutes from his mind, hoping for the
ache to ebb away. It didn’t.
Changing directions, he took the north staircase to the top floor. It
was closer to where he needed to be. He was practically stumbling over his
feet as he pushed himself out of the stairwell. There was no one out at the
time and he was thankful for it considering his condition.
As he reached the door, he slowed. He could already smell her.
Just a hint of her fresh, soft scent loosened his chest more than
anything else he’d tried tonight. Letting out a choked breath, he raised the
bloody hammer and brought it down on the doorknob. It only took two tries
before it fell out of place.
Slowly, he pushed the door open.
His chest tightened again.
It looked exactly the same as the last time he’d seen it. The bed was
perfectly made, the table and counters were clear, save for a bottle of hand
sanitizer on each surface.
He dragged his feet over the threshold as the emotions clogging his
throat threatened to cut off his air. He breathed through it, he breathed her
in. Cassian let the hammer fall through his fingers as he ambled toward the
bed.
That’s when her smell really hit him.
There was nothing he could do to hold himself up as he collapsed
forward, her soft mattress giving way and her blankets curling around him.
All the relief he’d gotten went flying out of the window, but he
didn’t move. He allowed her scent to haunt him, let the thought of her
punish him. It served as a reminder of how he’d failed her, an incentive for
what he needed to do to get her back. If he had any doubt in his mind that
what he’d do in a few hours was necessary, it was gone now.
He’d get her back.
By any means necessary.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Eight
As her eyes flicked up, down, and all around, Salem realized that it
must have still been night. She’d assumed so because Podak was still asleep
when she not-so-gracefully woke him. But there also wasn’t a soul to be
seen as they slowly ambled down the long balcony. Nothing like her first
day.
Like before, the great pool in the center swished and swayed,
glowing like it was alive.
That’s how she was able to spot the large sackcloth bags lining the
edges, almost the whole way around.
Stepping ahead of her, Podak looked down, catching her eyes. “The
departed,” he told her conversationally.
She didn’t understand until her eyes glazed over one bag that was
slightly open at the top and caught a small brushing of light hair spilling
from it.
“Why?” was the first thing she asked.
Why were they dead? What killed them? Why were they inside?
Podak seemed to understand just fine. “They are a few among those
that do not take so kindly to my new initiative. They called themselves the
resistance.”
The resistance.
The ones who didn’t agree with the treatment of the humans in
Patriam. She nodded, her nonchalance about the bodies littering the ground
not necessarily fabricated. While extreme, it was effective. Besides, she
didn’t expect someone like Podak to deal with them any differently. That
aside, as she glanced around the pool, she realized that there weren’t
actually that many bodies. She assumed that they didn’t have strong
numbers, especially after so many of them fled to Terra all those years ago,
but they seemed so small compared to what she’d heard.
“That’s all of them?”
Podak shook his head as he led her to a set of stone steps that led to
the ground floor. “These are the seers. We fight together, but we do not live
together. That is another thing I plan to change.”
She mentally paused. They didn’t live together. These were just the
seers.
She tensed. “Everyone here is a seer?”
The praems.
They’d touched her.
Salem shook her head. Whatever they’d seen, if they’d seen
anything at all, would have been brought to light already.
He tilted his head like he was trying to work out how to answer the
question. “This is the Delitorium. For the chosen. Before, it was only
azraels.” He lowered his gaze. “And my brother and I. For the time being, it
is for the seers.”
She understood. The chosen. The winners. Pola was Queen, so the
azraels got to live here. Now, the seers did.
“But soon, there will be no divide. My most trusted soldiers and
advisers will reside here, no matter their affinity.”
“Where do the rest live?”
He shrugged. “It changes.” He gestured to the first tunnel.
“Warlocks.” Then the next. “Azreals.” The next. “Empaths.” And the last.
“And psionics.” He smiled down at her. “Like you.”
She stifled a shiver at his smile, redirecting him. “What does your
new initiative entail?” she asked, wanting to take a peek into his mind.
“Pola hoped to make a deal with your people. I do not wish to offer
such a kindness.”
Trying to scan all sides of the room, keep her eyes on his lips, and
walk, she almost stumbled. The second her steps faltered, Podak’s hand was
at her back, steadying her.
Salem jerked forward, keeping her voice low, conscious of close
ears. “I don’t like being touched.”
Podak slowly lowered his hand, giving her an indecipherable look.
After staring into her eyes, he nodded and continued walking.
Then, his words registered. “What do you mean?”
Face relaxing at her interest, he continued. “Together, in time, we
will take Terra. My people will get the humans that I have promised them,
and you will see your friends again.” He smiled. “Before I slaughter them.”
Salem never usually bristled at threats. In her experience, they were
almost always empty, but there was something about his face when he said
it.
She pocketed the information and redirected once again. “You don’t
agree with Pola,” she stated, veering away from asking too many questions.
He responded without having to think about it. “I did. Then I saw
you.” One would've thought that he was absolutely enamored with her by
the way that he gazed at Salem. As they walked around the pool, he
switched places with Salem to walk next to the water while she remained
close to the walls. “When I saw you, it all changed. I have been making
preparations since.”
Salem’s brows dipped. “You chased me when I met you.”
He tilted his head with a smile. “That was not the first time we met.
But it is no matter.” She knew that, she was just referring to their first
interaction. “I saw you in the head of the blonde-haired boy.” That was
news to her. “I remembered you.”
She didn’t need to ask him to elaborate.
“You stood in a bright room. You wore a dress, not like this one. A
white dress.” His brows furrowed at the memory. “At first, I was just
looking at you. But then, you said something. With your hand talk. The boy
saw you say, ‘I apologize’.”
Every hair on Salem’s body was standing. She remembered that day.
But she didn’t know that he’d seen it.
He raised a hand to the wavering light, showing his mutilated
fingers. “In all my time with Pola, with all that I did for her, she never said
those words. Not even when she told me that she’d take my brother after
taking me.” He shook his head. “A kind woman,” he said with a sigh. “A
woman apologizing to her man,” he huffed. “That is when I knew that I
would take you.”
Yes, she had apologized to Cassian, but it was because she was in
the wrong. If Podak thought that she’d been ‘kind’ to him all along the way,
he was in for a rude awakening.
“You knew that she would die,” Salem stated, trying to appear
underwhelmed.
He shook his head. “I orchestrated it. I have had my power for too
long to simply know that things will happen. A small tweak, the difference
between two words, can drastically change a series of events. The only
thing I did not see was Matek’s betrayal.” He waved a hand at her without
looking in her direction. “Potek. Had I known, I would have worked with
my brother. But he had different reasons to want her dead,” he sighed. “He
loved a woman before her. A girl. He was only a friend to her, but she was
much more to him.” For a moment when he stopped, she saw a look of…
shame passed over his face. “She was with the resistance.”
“So Pola killed her?” she asked, not sure where he was going but
strangely invested.
He shook his head again. “No. He told me in confidence. But at that
point, I was enamored with Pola. So of course, I told her. But she did not
kill her. She cut her throat and tossed her into the river.” His steps slowed
but didn’t stop. “He did not speak a word to me after that day. It is one of
the only things I have ever regretted.”
Salem didn’t expect any less from Pola.
At his momentary silence, she peered back out to the pool, and as
her eyes glazed over the sparkling water, she couldn’t help but notice
something.
Something she should have noticed before.
The water. It was moving. Rippling. Splashing at the sides even.
As far as she was concerned, there was no external force. But what
if there was? As if the Gods had witnessed her moment of enlightenment
and reached down to give her a sign, the water rippled more violently
before two dark figures appeared below the surface.
Two men, one with fiery, red hair and the other with none at all,
broke the surface and swam to the edge. She flicked her eyes to Podak for a
second to find him watching too, but not with the confusion that resided in
her.
She glanced back down.
The two men didn’t climb out of the water. They simply reached for
the edge and grasped two bags each. Two body bags. Pushing away from
the edge, they took deep breaths before submerging themselves again,
taking the bags with them.
They were removing the bodies.
But that wasn’t what Salem was really paying attention to.
All this time, she’d been looking for a door, an exit in general, but a
door or an opening. But there was no door. The way out was right in the
middle of the activity.
And her job of getting out just got a hundred times more
complicated.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“What the fuck did you do?”

Cassian flinched, rolling over to meet Devin’s rage-filled eyes.
“What?” he half-yelled, half-yawned.
“What did you do?”
Slowly sitting up, he winced at the light. Then he looked down.
Last night.
There was no way he couldn’t remember it with all of the blood,
staining Salem’s sheets. He almost choked, skitting backward off the bed,
stumbling back. She hated mess, hated stains. She’d throw a fit if she came
home to it.
“Ca-”
He almost knocked Devin over as he marched back to the bed, his
hands frantically grabbing at the sheets. He gathered them up in his arms.
Devin grasped his arm. “What did you do?”
Releasing a shaky breath, he opened his arms, letting the bedsheets
fall to the mattress. He watched Devin’s eyes fall to the hammer a few feet
away from the bed.
He released a long breath, looking to the ceiling. “Oh my Gods, you
went after him…”
Cassian clenched his fists. “Well, what else was I supposed to do?”
Devin spun back around, jerking his head back. “Uh! Not go after
him like I fucking told you! You do realize that you were arrested only a
day ago, right?! That I wasn’t even supposed to show you that footage?!”
He shook his head. “I took care of it.”
“How?! You tell him not to tell anyone?!” he exclaimed in a
mocking tone.
Cassian shrugged. “Well…yeah.”
Devin raised his hands to his head, turning around. “Gods, why are
you such an impulsive bonehead?!”
Cassian’s eyes narrowed. “Me?”
“I get it! You’re mad, and angry, and confused, but you can’t go
around smacking everyone who pisses you off!”
He couldn’t believe the hypocrisy. “You burned down a man’s house
because he was mean to Emori! Call’s coming from inside the house, Dev!”
Devin whirled on him. “That was not impulsive! I planned that shit
for like a day! And he wasn’t even inside.”
He scoffed. “But you thought he was.”
“Whatever. At least I didn’t physically harm anyone. The fuck did
you do this time?”
Cassian quieted, his eyes flicking to the mess on the bed.
“Talk.”
He lowered his gaze. “I broke his legs,” he mumbled.
Devin’s eyes doubled in size. “With a hammer?!”
“...Yeah.”
He started pacing. “Fucking hell, Cassian…”
He cringed at the use of his full name.
“Damn it!” He took a breath. “I need to make this go away. Did
anybody see you?”
He stuttered. “Just two baby enforcers and a fiver.”
“Enforcers?!”
“They won’t talk," he quickly added. “I got their badge numbers.”
He snapped his fingers in Cassian’s direction. “Write ‘em down.”
Quickly running to Salem’s desk, he picked up a pen and a small
notepad, jotting down the numbers. Devin came up beside him and took the
notepad.
He nodded. “I’mma go take care of this.”
Cassian took a breath and faced the wall.
“And Cass?”
He turned to Devin, only to be slapped across the face with the
notepad. “Ow!”
“You’re a fucking idiot,” he hissed before making for the broken
door. “And you write like a five-year-old.”

“What is this for anyw-?”
“None of your business,” Cassian snapped before the technician
could finish his sentence.
Lia sent him a look as the man jumped. He rolled his eyes.
The technician shook it off as he approached the bed. He stood in
front of her, getting closer than what seemed necessary. “This may sound a
little forward,” he chuckled. “But can you open your mouth for me?”
Cassian glared at the back of his head. It would’ve been great if he
could just do his job.
Lia only gave him a tight-lipped smile. “I know how a DNA test
works, thanks.”
She opened her mouth as he approached with the long cotton swab.
He moved quickly, taking long swipes from the inside of both of her
cheeks. Then he slotted it into a small tube and capped it, stepping back.
“All done,” he said.
Lia kicked her legs back and forward. “How long does it take to get
the results back?”
He turned to her from his small station in the corner with a smirk.
“Depends. Are you doing anything after this?”
“You’re not her type,” Cassian drawled.
His brows rose, his eyes flicking between them, then up and down
Cassian. “Oh,” he sputtered. “Sorry, I thought-”
“No!” Cassian spat at the same time that Lia grimaced, snarling,
“Ew!”
“We’re not-” He paused, processing her reaction. “Wait, ew?”
“Yes, ew,” she retorted.
“Why, ew?” he asked, mildly offended.
“Because I’ve known you for like ever. It feels illegal.” She tapped
the head sarcastically. “Oh. And there’s the fact that you have a dick.”
Oh. He nodded, feeling better. “Okay.”
They both turned to the technician, who stood, open-mouthed. He
shook his head. “Uh, I’m going to need the second sample to-”
The door burst open. “I’m here!”
The technician startled. “Who are you?”
Cassian walked to the door to grab the bag in Devin’s hand. He
looked back up. “Why’d you take the whole brush? You only needed a few
hairs.”
He panted. “I was playing it safe. And you didn’t say that.”
“Because I thought it was common sense, which doesn’t seem to be
so common anymore.”
“Okay, Mr. ‘hit first, ask later’.”
“Yeah, and what if she notices it’s missing.”
“There were like a hundred there. Just give the guy the thing.”
Cassian huffed, turning to the tech. He held out the hairbrush in the
sealed bag.
The technician slowly took it from his hand, watching his face. “I’m
assuming you know that I’d need consent from both parties before I run the
test…?”
Cassian closed his eyes and tilted his head to the ceiling. The
process was already taking longer than he anticipated, and every second he
waited was a second wasted. A second that she might need.
He leveled the tech with a hard look. “How many credits do you
want?”
He tilted his head, appearing offended. “Are you trying to bribe
me?”
“How many?”
The man folded his arms. “What you're suggesting is extremely
unethical. I could lose my job.”
“You’re about to lose-”
Devin pushed Cassian behind him. “I’m assuming you're paid well,
so what else do you want? A club card? A promotion? A road licen-”
“Promotion.”
Devin nodded. “Give me your boss’s info and have those results
ready by the end of the day.”
The tech nodded eagerly as Lia hopped off the bed.
“Unethical my ass,” Cassian muttered as they all made for the exit.

JACOBS: Got it.
Cassian sprung off the couch where he’d been sitting, staring at the wall
for the past hour, and headed to the door. Devin was already passing, not
stopping his brisk walk as Cassian fell in line with him.
“How long have we got?”
“Four minutes,” Devin said, staring ahead.
Cassian nodded.
Devin had explained earlier that if their contest to her suitability was
granted after midnight, they’d need to wait another day for Lia’s reign to be
official, which included her making executive decisions.
They were really cutting it close.
“Time?” Lia called as she appeared from the crossway, falling into
step on Cassian’s left.
He let out a discreet breath. While he was the one making the
contest, they all needed to be there. He was the disputer, Lia was the
candidate, and Devin was the witness.
“Three.”
She nodded. “You really think this is gonna work?”
“I don’t know,” Cassian answered honestly.
“Okay,” she breathed.
He took a moment to observe her. Her breathing was light, her
hands were shaky. He didn’t want to force her into this position, but this
play was all they had.
“You still want to do this, right?” he asked suggestively.
Her eyes flicked in his direction. “I’m doing it.”
It wasn’t the answer to his question, but it was good enough.

“Two minutes,” Devin called as he turned to push his back against
the door of the council study.
He wordlessly handed the paper to Cassian as all three of them
marched in.
Both Deianira and Cade flinched at their arrival. She looked up from
her tablet where she was sitting, he took steps toward her chair, laying a
hand on the back of it. Cassian approached anyway and slapped the papers
down on the table in front of her.
They both looked down, then back up.
He watched Deianira’s suspicious eyes flick in Lia’s direction before
settling on him.
“What is this?” Cade asked first, his grip on her chair growing
tighter.
He could tell something was off.
Cassian didn’t let him wonder what it was for too long. “I’m raising
a formal dispute of your claim to the throne.”
Deianira looked like she’d been slapped as Cade’s head tilted
menacingly. “Excuse me?”
“I’m raising a formal-”
“I heard what you said!” she hissed.
Cade took a step to the side, closer to Cassian, his eyes narrowing.
“On what grounds?” He almost cringed at the depth in his tone.
Devin simply gestured to the papers that Deianira was still yet to
properly examine as she spoke. More like growled. “The Prima Act was
abolished six years ago. You can no longer dethrone a monarch by majority
vote so unless you have something good, I suggest you tread very
carefully.”
“Take a look,” was all he said.
She held Devin’s stare as Cade reached down and picked them up.
He’d only read for a few seconds when his eyes flew back up to meet
Cassian’s. “Who is this?”
Deianira frowned at his question, pulling the papers down to take a
look herself. She looked back up with the same question written in her eyes.
Cassian was all too happy to answer. “It’s your DNA next to Lia’s.”
As much as he wanted to do this, knew that he needed to do this,
there was no way he could stop himself from recoiling at her stricken face.
She looked blindsided. She had been blindsided.
And it wasn’t even anger he saw on her face at first. It was
confusion.
“How is this possible?” she forced out, her glazed eyes finding Lia
behind Cassian and Devin.
“I-” She swallowed. “Grace wouldn’t tell you who my father was
because you knew him.”
Deianira looked like she wanted Lia to stop and keep going on all at
once.
“She sent me away because she knew that he wouldn’t think twice
about killing me if it meant that he’d get the throne after…after he killed
you.”
Deinaira’s face fell.
Lia took a shaky breath, blinking rapidly. “I only found out the day
he died. The day Cade killed him.”
Cade swung his eyes to Lia, his jaw falling.
“Ju-”
“Stop talking!” Deianira growled, standing abruptly. “You’re lying!”
Devin spoke calmly. “She’s not. It’s all there.”
She looked down at the papers once more, her breathing getting
lighter.
Cassian tried his best to proceed anyway. “She has a claim. A strong
one. I’m sure the senior council would agree if they heard about this.”
Cade threw his lethal gaze to Cassian. “You are making a big
mistake. I know what you want, but this is not the way to get it.”
Cassian met his glare and gave one of his own. “Have you given me
much of a choice?”
His brother stared at him through hard eyes. “Tell me right now that
this is the way you want to go.”
Swallowing past the sudden doubt that came over him, he pictured
her.
Salem…
Cassian straightened his back. “It is.”
Stepping back from Deianira’s chair, he slowly nodded. “I really
hoped you wouldn’t say tha-”
Splash.
The room went deadly silent.
He saw the heads turn in his periphery, but he didn’t take his eyes
off his brother, even as Cade turned to look at Deianira.
“Shit…” Devin whispered.
Cassian wouldn’t let himself look at her because then it would be
real.
It would be true.
It would mean that what they just pulled had sent Deianira into
labor. Premature labor.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirty
The pool.
The exit was at the bottom of the pool.
Salem had always been an objective person, there was little that she
couldn’t do when she set her mind to it, but this task was beginning to seem
impossible. Maybe if the exit was somewhere more discreet, she could slip
past Podak. Podak was one person. But she didn’t even know how many
people resided in the cave.
Approaching the curtain, she assumed that they would part ways on
entrance. That notion quickly left her mind when he pulled back the flap
and waited for her to enter. She was slightly off-balance at the thought.
They had a whole day ahead of them.
What would she do? What was he going to do?
Thoughts aside, she stepped in anyway, determined to stay in his
good graces. His volatility was something she did not want to play with. As
she entered though, she stopped short, coming to the conclusion that it
didn’t matter whether she was on his good side or not. Her fate was
inevitable. Because sitting on the table next to Naden and Lilo was a bowl
with a singular fruit in it.
Aperto.
She felt warmth at her bare back before the sensation fled. As Podak
stepped around her, she took a clumsy step back, almost tripping on the trail
on the back of her dress.
Podak turned to her, making a beckoning gesture.
Did he really expect her to willingly do that again?
When she didn’t approach, he took a step in her direction. She took
another one back, slightly stronger this time.
“I told you. I do not wish to harm you.”
Was he serious?
Salem shook her head. “I don’t want to do this.”
She didn’t know why she thought that her refusal would work, why
she thought that he’d listen. Maybe because of the nod he sent her the
moment she said the words.
But in the same second, every muscle in her body locked.
No.
She was walking. Toward him. Then she was climbing onto the bed,
laying herself down. Her mind rebelled with all its strength but when Podak
approached, plate in hand, she still reached out and grabbed the fruit.
As she brought it to her lips, a tear welling in her eyes, she realized
that Podak didn’t need her cooperation for anything. She took a bite, hating
the flavor that was once the only thing she could enjoy, knowing that she
could’ve been as conspicuous as she wanted in her plans to escape, but it
didn’t really matter.
Because Podak could compel her.
Podak. The seer.

Devin paced, Lia had her head in her hands, and Cassian stood with his
back to the door while they waited.
He couldn’t move.
His head was spinning with the events of the last few hours.
That was it. They’d missed their window.
And those weren’t the only thoughts that plagued his mind. He was
being tortured by the memories of what had occurred seventeen years ago.
He didn’t realize, didn’t remember, how much that night had hit him
until he was living through it again. Him outside the room, Cade in there
with her. It was almost the same. The only thing missing was the screaming,
but he didn’t know whether that was good or bad.
None of this was intentional. Maybe if he’d had some forethought,
he would’ve factored in Deianira’s pregnancy, would’ve thought about what
that kind of stress would’ve done to her. But he didn’t and now…
She had to be okay. The baby had to be okay. He didn’t know what
he’d do with himself if they weren’t.
“I fucked up.” His eyes found Devin as he turned at the end of the
hall, walking back again. “I fucked up bad.”
“Don’t say that.”
Devin stopped in front of him. “This was my plan.”
“But you didn’t plan for this to happen. And I pushed it as much as
you did.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I should’ve-”
Cassian almost fell back into the room as the door opened behind him. He
spun in time to see his brother, still, hand on the doorknob.
“Get out…”
Oh Gods… “Cade-”
“GET OUT!”
Cassian flinched as he took a step back, knocking into Devin. “I
didn’t mean to-”
For the first time in a very long time, when Cade stepped closer,
Cassian felt fear. Not just fear of the consequences of his actions, but fear of
his brother. He may have been a head taller than Cade, much bigger too, but
in that moment, he was looking at him with childlike eyes. He was looking
at his big brother. And he was scared.
When Cade spoke, that fear doubled. “You’re going to start
walking…” he started slowly, his voice quiet. “I don’t give a fuck where,
but you’re going to start walking fast, and very fucking far…”
He couldn’t speak, he could only keep stepping back as Cade slowly
advanced.
When his back hit the wall, tears threatening to spill, Cade narrowed
his eyes. “Why are you still here?” he whispered, shaking with anger.
Cassian’s mouth opened and closed helplessly as he stared into his
brother’s darkening green eyes. “I…I’m so-”
He stopped as the door opened again, two men and a woman
stepping out with a cart. Cassian barely had to lean to see what they were
hastily rolling out of the room. He didn’t know what the plastic-looking
case was. But he knew what was inside.
The full head of black hair and tiny body didn’t move as everything
else seemed to. It was barely a flash as they strode past, wheeling the baby
down the hall, but it was enough to make his jaw fall.
He hadn’t seen any births, didn’t know shit about babies, but he was
sure that they didn’t put babies in boxes if everything was fine.
All of Cade’s attention left him as he turned to watch them leave, a
pained breath leaving him.
“I-is he-” Cassian shut up at his brother’s fiery glare.
Cade turned around when another woman left the room, a packed
bag in each hand. He gave her a nod before passing her to head back into
the room.
Despite Cade’s words and threatening tone, when he came back with
Deianira, who insisted that she could walk, not sparing either of them a
glance as she left with Cade to follow after the nurses, Cassian followed
too. He, Devin, and Lia silently trailed after them, several feet behind, the
silence way too grim but far too delicate to break. They went straight to the
loading dock, so Cassian wordlessly hopped into the rover next to theirs,
the others getting in too.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirty-One
As Lia roused, her head slowly lifting from Cassian’s shoulder, he

nudged Devin, who just like him, hadn’t slept. He knew he needed to, but
his eyes just couldn’t seem to close, not with the impending conversation
hanging over his head. He needed to talk to his brother, to Deianira. He
wasn’t worried about repercussions, he just needed to know that they were
okay.
They’d been outside that room for seven hours, in the waiting room
of the clinic for six. If he was going to talk to them, make things right if he
could, beg and grovel if he needed to, now was the time, assuming that they
were willing to see him.
Devin stood first, still not having spoken a word since Cade opened
the door.
“Come on,” Cassian murmured to Lia, pulling her to a stand.
The room was only a minute's walk away since they were in the
private wing, and for good reason. He knew that it wasn’t vanity or image
that made Deianira want to be discreet, but safety. She was vulnerable.
Because of him.
He wished the walk was a little longer. Then maybe he could’ve
ordered his thoughts.
The moment they approached, the two enforcers outside the door
took a step in their direction. “No visitors.”
Cassian didn’t have it in him to fight with the man. “He’s my
brother. Can I just-”
Cutting him off once again was Cade, opening the door and stepping
out, but closing it before he could get a look inside. A jerk of his head had
the enforcers leaving the four of them in the dimly lit hallway.
Before Cassian could ask, Cade gave his head a harsh shake. “He’ll
be fine.”
He’ll be fine…
So he wasn’t.
Cassian wanted to slide down the wall behind him.
“And Deianira?” Devin muttered beside him.
He gave a curt nod.
The breaths they simultaneously let out echoed around them before
the tension-filled silence ensued.
Cade looked up from the ground, meeting their eyes one by one.
“What you did last night meant nothing.”
Cassian swallowed at his tone. He may have been calmer now, but
the cold anger was almost worse.
“In your haste and stupidity, you neglected to read the laws that
were put in place six years ago, the same laws that you tried to spin on her,”
he ground out before taking a breath. “An act of treason automatically
relinquishes any right or claim that anyone has to the throne.” Cade let it
wash over them, but Cassian didn’t react yet. He could tell that there was
something more. He took a step forward before halting, clenching his fists.
“Jude relinquished his claim when he tried to assassinate my wife.”
Cassian closed his eyes. There it is.
“On that day, he also scrapped any claim that anyone of his
bloodline could have. Therefore, Lia has no claim.”
It meant nothing. All of it. Nothing.
But still, it got worse.
“On top of that, I’m choosing to recognize your little stunt as an act
of treason in itself.”
The air rushed out of his lungs as his eyes flew open. “Wha-”
“I’m not done speaking,” he snapped, barely sparing him a glance.
“The punishment for treason was never amended in the abolishment of the
Prima Act.”
He wouldn’t-
“Death.”
“Cade-”
“DO NOT INTERRUPT ME!” he bellowed, sending shivers down

Cassian’s back. “I asked if you wanted this! I gave you a chance!”
He felt like he was sinking into the floor.
Cade shook his head, stepping back. “While that’s the official
punishment, there’s an alternative, only to be issued at her discretion. And
in this case, mine.” He paused, grinding his jaw. “Exile.”
Before Cassian could react, Devin took a step forward, passing him.
“I have children,” he breathed.
Cade’s gaze only seemed to darken. “So do I. You almost
jeopardized that.” He continued, looking over Devin’s expression. “I’m not
stopping your family from going with you or prohibiting contact with them.
But you brought this on yourself.”
While Cassian stared at him, extreme as the punishment may have
been, he couldn’t help but feel that somewhere in all of it, he was doing him
a kindness.
He could leave.
Cade looked over the three of them once more, blinking quickly.
“Cassian Alden, Devin Jacobs, and Eulalia Sambor. You have twenty-four
hours to get your affairs in order and pack your things. If either of you are
seen on Old Dome territory after the grace period that I am granting you,
you’ll find yourselves in the city center.” He gave them a defeated look
before glancing over at the enforcers that had appeared at the end of the
hall.
“Congratulations. You’re outlaws.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirty-Two
Devin hadn’t spoken to him since this morning. Not for lack of trying
on his part.
There was only one time he’d seen Devin so scared before and that
was also concerning his family. So when Devin left with his designated
officers without a word to him or Lia, he understood. He had something to
lose, something that he’d be leaving behind. Cassian didn’t.
When he left Old Dome territory six years ago, everything he owned
could fit in one truck. There was nothing he was truly attached to. And he’d
liked it that way.
But now he had something, and that one thing was on the outside,
where he was being sent. So he couldn’t fault Devin for not wanting to see
him. It was basically a slap in the face to see Cassian content, or even
happy, about leaving when his whole life was in the city.
The only person who didn’t seem to have a reaction was Lia.
She just seemed…indifferent.
Based on what Cassian knew of her life, he would’ve thought that
she’d reject the idea of leaving the city in an instant, but he saw no outward
reaction from her.
Either way, Cassian knew what he was doing the second they left.
He would never in a million years ask them to follow him on his crusade
after what had just happened, but some part of him hoped that he wouldn’t
have to go alone.
Leaving the trials alive, facing and surviving the wrath of nine
primas, should have given him a sense of invincibility, but he only felt
vulnerability. Not knowing that she was okay was beginning to take hold of
him and he knew that he’d need his head on straight if he was going to find
her.
And that wasn’t all it was.
He just didn’t want to be alone. He’d never really felt that before.
Loneliness.
Maybe it was because he’d never had a ‘family’ before, or what a
family was supposed to be, but he just couldn’t imagine doing it by himself
now. He didn’t want to.
That didn’t mean that he’d force his friends to pursue his own
mission. He needed something though.
Pushing away from Salem’s kitchen counter, he left and made his
way to the operations room. The whole way there, he thought about turning
around. The idea was an impulsive one, but it might have been what he
needed to make it work.
He didn’t check to see if anyone was in there as he walked in, and
there wasn’t.
“Terra-Pod. I need an address.”

Cassian was surprised when Lia met him outside of the operations room
and tagged along. He certainly hadn’t called her. In fact, he was trying to
give them space. But she saw him walking the opposite way and just
followed. Since she didn’t speak, he didn’t either, and he was content to
stay that way as they passed The Haven.
He glanced down at his watch as he opened the door of the fancy
apartment building, letting her in first.
No. 57
He strode over to the elevator, hitting the button for the fifth floor.
He peered over at her to find her eyes on him. She still didn’t say anything,
but her eyes said so much.
They spoke of loyalty, friendship. So much more.
Ding.
Side by side, they stepped in and kept their peaceful silence the
whole way up. He spotted number fifty-seven as soon as the doors opened
and pushed down his objections as he stepped up and knocked. Though he
was sure she was curious, Lia didn’t ask any questions.
When the door swung open, Cassian was met with the last face he
wanted to see.
Hiram paled before he tried to slam the door shut. There was no
point because Cassian was already pushing it back open.
Scrambling to block him, Hiram sputtered. “No, no, no, I-I wrote
the letter. I swear-”
“I’m not here for you,” Cassian interrupted. “But that can change if
you don’t get the fuck out of my way.”
He was scattering out of the way before he’d finished his sentence.
Cassian ducked under the doorframe as he entered, eyes scanning
what looked like the living room. He spotted a short hallway with a flight of
stairs at the end. He started there. Hearing Lia’s hurried steps behind him,
he slowed down a little.
She finally whispered, “Why did we just break into Devin’s doctor’s
home?”
He took the steps two at a time. “Because he’s also Salem’s father,”
he threw over his shoulder.
He reached the top step, and before he could hear her response, if
she even had one, a young man stepped out of a room on the well-lit floor.
Cassian almost tripped back down the steps.
He was the spitting image of her.
Yes, he was taller, his features were more masculine, but there was
no getting past those eyes. His short hair even curled like hers did.
But he was wearing…glasses.
That might not have been strange for Cassian to see a decade ago,
but he’d never seen it in The Dome. The gifted were as close to perfect as
one could get, excluding primas of course. But he hadn’t seen anyone with
something like visual impairment in years.
Before he could observe anything else, the man caught sight of
them.
Instantly, his eyes widened. Then he started to walk back down the
hall, away from the room he’d just left.
“Donnieeeeee!” The second he turned his back, he sprinted to a door
at the end of the hallway. “He’s here!”
Cassian and Lia looked at each other, frowning. Warily, he followed,
but the man’s panic only seemed to grow.
“What?” a voice echoed behind the door.
He started banging on the door. “He’s here! The guy from the
video!”
Just before Cassian made it, the door swung open and the man
darted inside before it slammed shut.
More confused than ever, Cassian gave the door a soft knock.
“Hello?”
He flinched as it quickly opened an inch.
A face appeared, much harder than the last one. “What do you
want?” He was slightly darker than the first guy, bigger too.
“Are you Donnie Qin?”
The guy looked Cassian up and down. “Don.”
“Don’t tell him your name!” the first voice screeched from inside
the room.
Donnie, or Don, turned back into the room. “You already did,” he
gritted out in a dark tone before turning back to Cassian. “He’s not going to
tell anyone, he was just messing around.”
Tell anyone what?
“Can we talk?” Cassian asked, shaking his head.
“Are you going to hurt him?” he asked, raising a brow.
What is going on? “Hurt who?”
Don looked him over again before slowly opening the door. That’s
when Cassian noticed the piece in his right hand. “Touch him, and I’ll
shoot you in the face.”
With furrowed brows, Cassian nodded.
Don stepped aside letting him into the room. The walls were painted
a dark gray, the bed was black, even the cut glass desk in the corner was
tinted.
Cassian stopped in the center, Lia at his back. He didn’t have to look
for long to find the first guy. He was standing right behind his brother.
“I’m assuming you’re Aiko?” Cassian prompted, leaning to the side
to see him.
Slowly, he stepped out from behind his brother. “Listen,” he started,
his hands out. “I was just messing around when I found it. I was never
gonna do anything with it. I swear, I only told Donnie.”
Cassian couldn’t help asking. “Never gonna tell anyone about
what?”
His mouth opened and closed.
Don looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “This is why you let him
ask the questions,” he sighed, shaking his head.
“The footage,” Aiko whispered.
“What footage?”
He shakily pushed up his glasses. “Of you…and that guy.” Cassian
caught Lia’s eyes widen beside him before Aiko added, “And the
hammer…”
He stilled.
“I didn’t tell, I promise.”
“Where did you get that?” Cassian demanded.
He tensed even more. “I was just watching the feed and there was a
twenty-minute jump. So I-I went through the archives and found it…and
watched it.”
“Fuck’s sake,” Cassian muttered. He glanced back at Aiko. He
looked even younger closer up. “How did you even find that?”
He shrugged, lowering his eyes. “All the footage in the palace is
dually recorded and archived on a backup server. Sometimes, when I’m
bored, I cross-check it and see if I can find inconsistencies.” He gave
Cassian a sheepish smile. “There’s a lot more than you’d think, but twenty-
three minutes is the longest I’ve found in a while, so I dug it up. Then I ran
one of my facial recognition programs and found your arrest records.”
Cassian’s chest rose. “You do realize that that is extremely illegal!”
For the first time, he didn’t look so scared. His head cocked back.
“So is breaking a man’s legs and wiping the cameras.”
“What?” Lia finally asked. “What footage and whose legs?”
“E-612,” Aiko responded before Cassian could.
She narrowed her eyes. “E-612? Where have I heard that?” She
whirled on Cassian, slapping his arm. “E-612? As in Finch?! What the hell
were you thinking?!”
“I was thinking that the smug bastard had it coming,” he spat back.
“Hey!” Don called. “If you’re not here to beat him with a hammer
then why are you?”
Lia spun to him, head tilted. “A hammer?!”

After the guys assured Hiram that nothing was wrong, they all sat in
Don’s room where Cassian could explain their situation.
Aiko had been peppering him with questions, but Don was yet to
say a word, he just nodded and looked over at Aiko every few minutes.
Surprisingly though, he was the one to break the silence when Cassian had
finished.
“You expect me to just up and leave because you told me a few
things about a sister that I don’t even know exists?”
He understood his hesitation. “No. I’m asking.” He paused. “But she
knows about you guys. She really wanted to meet you,” he said quietly.
Don stared at him for a while. “Why wouldn’t my father tell us
about her?” he asked in a hushed tone.
“Because he’s a-”
“I don’t know why he didn’t,” Lia interrupted. “But Cassian’s not
lying. We’re going to find her whether you guys come or not. The help
would be appreciated, and it would be nice if she could see you guys when
we do.”
Cassian shot his eyes to her. She hadn’t expressed any interest in
helping him before, but he was glad that she’d be with him.
Aiko stood. “When are we leaving?”
“Sit back down,” Don commanded.
Rolling his eyes, Aiko sat down.
That raised a question in Cassian’s mind. “How old are you?” he
asked Aiko.
He shrugged. “Twenty-one.” At Don’s bored look, he huffed.
“Sixteen.”
Cassian’s eyes widened. “You're sixteen?”
“Yeah,” Aiko shot back. “What about it?”
He was a child. Of course, he looked young, but sixteen?
He put his head in his hands then sighed, standing. “Forget I came
here.”
Aiko stood again. “No, wait. I can help. I’m smart and I can do real
handy shit.”
“Aiko.”
He ignored his brother. “I’ve only got a semester till I graduate and I
can do that when I get back. I swear, you won’t regret it.”
Cassian frowned. “You’re graduating high school at sixteen?”
He shook his head. “College.”
He raised his brows. There was no doubt that it was impressive. But
he was still a kid. He looked over at Don. “We’re leaving tonight…if you
change your mind.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirty-Three
Something was grating on him.

Cassian knew what it was, but he was too scared of what he might
have been met with to go out and seek a solution.
Earlier, three enforcers had shown up at his door. At first, he thought
it had something to do with the Finch incident, but they informed him that
Deianria said they could take a truck and whatever weapons and technology
they already had in their possession. That inkling that he had that they did
want him to find Salem flared up again. Cade did what he had to do, and
although he was taken aback, hurt maybe, he expected it.
Cursing, Cassian zipped up his duffel bag and stormed out of his
room, shaking his head. The drive was short considering the time of day, so
he opted to sit in the parking garage for a while, just thinking. About what
he did, what he was doing, what he was about to do. Deciding to just get it
over with, he got out of the truck.
Many steps and a few sharp turns later, he was right outside the
door, the enforcers not denying him this time, but stepping away. Multiple
times, he raised his hand to knock, only to drop it again before he finally
did. Only once.
“Come in.”
It wasn’t Cade’s voice, but he opened the door anyway.
He fought the lump in his throat as he stared at Deianira, standing
over the cot, the baby held tightly to her chest.
“Come in,” she said again, quieter this time.
Cassian forced his feet to move toward them. Even before he’d
reached them, he spotted that head of hair over Deianira’s shoulder.
He huffed out a shaky breath.
“He’s getting food.” He wondered where Cade was, but that wasn’t
what he was going to ask.
“Deianira,” he whispered.
Deianira finally turned, her eyes red and sullen.
He needed to ask again. “Are you su-”
She shook her head. “He’ll be fine.”
Cassian jerkily nodded. “Are you okay?”
She cleared his throat, neglecting to answer. “Do you want to hold
him?”
She wants me to? Waiting until he was sure that his voice wouldn’t
break, Cassian whispered, “Yeah…”
Carefully, Deianira got closer, then extended her arms.
Forcing his hands not to shake, Cassian slowly picked him up from
her cradled arms.
He swallowed the second she released him. He was so small, so
light.
Cassian had to close his eyes when the soft whine echoed around
them. Opening them, he peered down to find the brightest set of green eyes
looking back at him.
He couldn’t stop the soft laugh that he rasped out. “Hi…” he
whispered.
He let out another coo as he squeezed his eyes shut. Cassian’s heart
swelled. He blinked quickly, looking up at Deianira. “Does he have a name
yet?”
She looked away for a second, nodding. “Uh, yeah. Caleb. Or Cal…
after Calliope.”
He looked back down.
Caleb.
“That’s a good name,” he whispered. “He looks like you.”
There was a small tug at the corner of her lips. “Don’t tell Cade.”
Cassian softly snorted, prompting a small squeal. He quickly looked
down, rocking from side to side. “Shhh…”
The baby, Caleb, settled, blinking up at Cassian. He caved. “I’m
sorry…”
Deianira’s jaw only clenched for a second. “You’re not,” she said,
glancing down. “But it’s okay. You did what you thought you needed to do.
So did Cade.”
He regretfully nodded, quietly noting her choice of words.
“Cassian?”
He reluctantly met her eyes.
Deianira took a deep breath. “Just…just get her back. I’ll do the
rest.”
His lips parted as he realized what she’d just offered him.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Name.”
“Salem Qin.”
“Age.”
“Fifty-nine.”
“Height.”
“Five feet and two inches.”
“Weight.”
“One hundred and twenty-eight pounds.”
She dug her thumb into her palm. She almost slipped up and said
one-hundred and twenty-seven, but then she factored in half a bottle of
water that Deianira had given her before the debrief.
Dr. Forbes looked up from his clipboard with blue eyes that used to
be brown, and blonde hair that used to not be there. But it wasn’t his new
appearance that had Salem forcing her nail into her flesh even harder.
It was because he’d heard the shake in her voice. But still, she got it
right.
He nodded, placing the clipboard down.
It wasn’t like she wanted praise, but he never said “good” or “well
done” when she got something right. Though he certainly did punish her
when she got something wrong.
“Would you say that last night was successful?”
Trick question.
He always asked that, but while he asked for her opinion, it was his
that really mattered. It was successful. But not by his standards.
“No.”
He tilted his head. “Is that what you really think?”
Tell a lie or flip the switch.
“No,” she whispered.
“I can’t hear you.” Yes, he could. But now he’d asked twice.
“No,” she said louder.
“So it was unsuccessful?”
Her eyes flitted down to the small, black box in the middle of the
table as her jaw clenched. The one with the switch.
“Yes,” she breathed.
His blue eyes warmed. “Go ahead. Flip it.”
He didn’t ask her to flip the switch every session. She wondered if he
did it that way on purpose, to keep her guessing. It had been three months
since the last time. The only thing that remained constant was who did it. It
was always her. Initially, she thought he wanted to keep his hands clean, to
remove all blame from himself, but he’d since shown her that that wasn’t on
his list of worries. Her being the one to flip the switch was a part of it all.
Salem waited for him to pull on his headphones because she
wouldn’t dare flip it if he wasn’t protected. As soon as he sat back, watching
her, she leaned forward, her fingers trembling above it.
Sometimes she thought about not doing it. She wondered what he’d
do if she didn’t. But she wouldn’t know. She did it every time.
Ignoring her beating heart and the thoughts firing around in her
mind, begging her not to, Salem flipped the switch.
Slowly, the lights in the square room began to strobe.
She bit down on her tongue, promising herself that she wouldn’t
react this time when she knew that she inevitably would. The strobing
quickened, and then the music started.
Watching him watch her, she hated that she couldn’t push down the
distressed whine that left her.
The music got even louder.
Uncurling her hands, her fingers went rigid as she parted her lips
with a groan. But still, she made no move to close her eyes or cover her
ears or close her eyes. She knew not to. So there was nothing she could do
to stop the pain. Because it wasn’t physical pain, but it was still torture.
Sensory torture.

Salem threw out a fist, not even seeing what she’d hit before Podak
grabbed her and forced her back down to the bed.
“Settle!” he yelled, which was ironic in itself.
She slapped his hands away before pulling hers over her ears. The
music was gone, but it was like she could still hear it.
Teeth gritted, Salem grunted, trying to get up.
Podak shook her to get her attention. “Settle. Settle…”
When she finally calmed, he removed her hands from her ears,
tilting his head. “I am sorry…”
What?
“He has not been kind to you.”
Wrists held in his, chest rising and falling, Salem stared into his
eyes, sniffling as she tried her best to work out what he was talking about.
Reaching beside the bed, he picked up a rag and started to wipe her
forehead, which she only then realized was dripping with sweat. It was hot,
uncomfortable, and all she really wanted him to do was back up.
When he dropped the rag and brought a hand to her cheek, she was
done acting like an injured bird, acting like he was taking care of her rather
than causing her pain. Before he had time to raise his walls, Salem shoved
forward with as much force as she could.
Podak jumped back, whipping his head to the side as he grabbed his
scalp. But all too quickly, the walls were up.
His eyes slowly raised to hers as she panted, trying to lift herself
from her position. “What is this?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “I only try
to comfort you.”
“I don’t want your comfort,” she snapped, surprising herself.
He stood straighter, lowering his hands. “And whose comfort would
you prefer?”
Maybe he wanted her to say Nadeen or Lilo, but her lack of
response spoke the loudest, proven by his next actions.
He nodded, curling his lip. “I will let you rest. We will resume
tonight.” He stepped toward the curtain before looking over his shoulder. “I
only hope that you will learn.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirty-Five
Cassian kept his eyes down on the ground as he leaned against the
rover.
He may have spoken to Deianira, but he still had no idea where he
stood with his brother, so he wasn’t inclined to look up at the two of them.
They didn’t beckon him either. They just stood by the edge of the
woodlands, Cade behind Deianira, holding Caleb to his chest.
What used to be the main exit to Old Dome territory was closer to
the city center, but their exit had to be discreet. Most of the public was still
unaware of current affairs and they wanted to keep it that way. Even now,
only six enforcers stood behind them to make sure that everything went
smoothly.
“Well don’t look so happy.”
Lia stepped into view, a bag in each hand, keeping her eyes averted
from Deianira and Cade. He went to her, taking one of them from her grip,
and opened the trunk with one hand.
“But, I don’t want you to go.”
He peered over his shoulder at the little voice, closing the trunk.
Dev…he wanted to say, surveying the defeated look on his face.
Kenny rested in his arms, her head on his shoulder, her body
shaking with sobs. Ty walked next to him, holding onto his pant leg.
It was Emori that surprised him though. Where he expected a
somber face, he saw a rageful one. Thinking about it, it shouldn’t have been
a surprise. Only months ago, she’d been locked up, taken from her family,
and treated like a monster. And now she was having her husband torn from
her. A person could only take so much.
Cassian also noticed the girl standing behind Emori, her hand on her
back affectionately. He’d never seen her before, but something about her
seemed so familiar.
He looked her over again, from her rich dark skin to her waist-
length braids to her medium stature.
Devin’s steps paused as he sought Cassian’s eyes. He still hadn’t
responded to any messages, so Cassian wasn’t sure what to expect, but his
nerves quickly settled when Devin gave him a short nod over Kenny’s
shoulder.
He whispered something in her ear and her cries grew louder.
“I know,” Cassian heard him murmur.
He bent down and picked up Ty with one arm, holding both of the
girls close. Hushed whispers echoed between the silent trees before he
turned to Emori. Sobbing and red-faced, Tyla held out her arms, going to
her mom, but not Kendria. She cried even louder as she buried her face in
Devin’s shoulder. He saw Devin’s back tense, his stance rigid as he reached
around to remove her arms from his neck.
Then she started screaming.
Cassian cast his eyes to Cade.
His brother was staring at the ground. He got why he had to leave,
honestly, he understood why all of them had to, but Devin and Lia weren’t
the aggressors in any of it. Cade knew that they only pushed it for him. But
he stared at the dirt like the display didn’t concern him in the slightest.
Finally managing to pry Kenny’s fingers off his shirt, Emori pulled
her to her chest. She held Kenny away as she leaned close to Devin. He
grasped her chin, pulling her in for a passionate kiss. When he pulled back,
he wrapped his arms around her, saying something that Cassian didn’t strain
his ears to hear. Releasing her, he grabbed his bags off of the ground and
stormed in Cassian’s direction.
Cassian stepped right out of the way as Devin yanked the trunk open
and threw his bags in. And when Cassian cringed, expecting him to slam it
shut, he didn’t. Instead, he turned to the side, toward his family.
Smoothly, the girl that Cassian had spotted earlier bent down and
picked up two bags of her own before making her way to the truck.
What?
Cade stepped forward, breaking the silence. “What are you doing?”
Devin answered for her, still not looking at him. “She’s coming with
us.”
His stance hardened. “No. No one leaves, and no one enters.”
“You said I could take family. She’s family.”
“You know that is not what I meant.”
Devin shrugged. “Oh well. She helped us, so she’s a treasonous
outlaw too,” he spat back.
Deianira laid a hand on Cade’s shoulder as he went to respond.
“Us too,” a deep voice called behind the line of enforcers.
Cassian blinked in surprise as Don stepped through the trees, one
bag in hand, the other strapped to his back. He was even more surprised to
see Aiko trailing behind him with five bags on him, strapped in various
places, his face bright as ever.
Cade looked like he was about to boil over as Aiko, Don, and the
new girl shoved their bags into the trunk.
He swung his eyes to Don, who looked back at him with a plain
expression. “Thank you,” he breathed.
Don put out an arm which Cassian promptly grabbed. “Yeah.”
Devin closed the trunk as they stepped back and went to either side
of the truck. Cassian waited a moment though. He waited to catch Cade’s
eyes. When he did, he was met with the same cold expression.
That was it. No goodbye.
Pulling on the driver’s side door, Cassian climbed in and glanced
over at Devin. He was just staring out of the windshield, his head leaning
on his fist, propped up by his elbow on the window ledge. More doors
closed and he took a quick look in the rear view. Sitting in a line were Don,
Lia, Aiko, then the girl he still had no idea about.
Just as he went to ask, Devin flicked his eyes back before turning to
Cassian. “What’s up with biggie and fresh-face?”
His heart lifted at the familiar, Devin-like comment.
“Uh,” He pointed back at them. “That’s Don and that’s Aiko.
They’re Salem’s brothers.”
His brows rose. “I didn’t know she had brothers,” he mused, looking
back again.
Cassian watched as the warlock took his place in front of the truck,
his arms outstretched. “Neither did she until just under a week ago.”
Devin turned once again, a thoughtful look on his face. “Where do I
know you from?”
Cassian frowned, turning back.
“E-605, sir.”
He saw Don nod to Devin.
“Good man,” Devin nodded back, facing forward.
“You didn’t think to tell me that?” Cassian asked, narrowing his
eyes.
Don shrugged as he tapped Aiko’s shoulder, gesturing for him to
strap in. “You didn’t ask.”
Cassian looked at the new girl again. “And who’s your stowaway?”
Devin looked back as if he’d forgotten that she was there. “Oh. You
know that ugly sister I’m always complaining about?”
She scoffed.
“Meet Akilah.”
Cassian’s jaw dropped as he turned to really look at her. That made
so much sense.
She cocked her head back, pinning him with a look. “What?”
His brows shot up. So maybe they weren’t so similar. Their features
were almost exactly the same. The thick hair, strong cheekbones, kind,
brown eyes that lulled you into a false sense of security before snatching
you into a lifetime of annoying jokes and endless insults. But where Devin’s
seemed light and wide, hers were more narrowed. More…mean.
Before he could look any further, something snapped behind his
eyes, like an electric shock, that had him jumping back and rubbing his
eyes.
“Shit!” he hissed. “The fuck was that?”
Devin sighed, shaking his head at the windshield. “Akilah,” he
chided.
She lowered her poised fingers. “He was staring.”
He absently caught Aiko scooting away from her, looking over to
Don as he forcefully averted his eyes from her.
Well then.
Cassian faced the windshield while the tear opened. He took a deep
breath as the warlock stepped to the side.
Then without looking back, he put his foot down. As they rolled
through the barrier, Cassian nervously flicked his eyes to the right. He
didn’t want to ask. In the end though, he didn’t have to.
Devin cleared his throat. “Where to?”
Cassian had to grab the wheel so he wouldn’t drift from pure relief,
keeping his eyes on the foresty trail ahead.
“Patriam.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirty-Six
She didn’t see him for the rest of the day, but he did send one of the
girls, the praems. Lilo.
Salem had no inclination to go on another day trip, so they stayed in
that room for hours. Lilo didn’t speak and neither did Salem. She just sat,
staring at the wall, leaving and returning with food every few hours. Each
time, Salem recoiled. She wasn’t putting a thing in her mouth.
At times, when she saw the desperate look in her eyes, she
wondered if she would get in trouble if she didn’t feed her, but Salem just
couldn’t do it. Even if her hunger was on her mind, it would’ve been
overpowered by the gnawing feeling in her head.
Something was wrong, she could feel it.
Things that she was never to think of were coming back, but they
were different. She couldn’t remember enough of it to pinpoint what was so
wrong, but she knew that it was.
Her suspicions aside, there was also the physical problem. She was
tired. More tired than she had been last time. And she wouldn’t have
necessarily called what she was feeling pain, but it was close. She felt
heavier, slower…vulnerable. Not only because she didn’t think she’d be
able to hold her own if Podak came at her with that same rage, but it was
everything in her body, in her mind.
Now, I can mold…
Podak was so volatile that Salem hoped more than thought that his
mood would’ve lightened by the time that she assumed night fell, and in a
way, it did. He wasn’t shouting, or grabbing her. But he didn’t lose
objectivity either.
That was why she took the fruit herself and resented her hands as
she punished herself yet again. In the back of her mind, she knew that it was
better to comply than make him force her. It was a weak attempt at
reclaiming a little power and she knew it, but she did it anyway.

She wasn’t happy. Salem wasn’t necessarily happy either, but

considering her position, she had no reason to be. Deianira, on the other
hand, should have been over the moon. She was being crowned. She was
getting everything she’d been promised for years.
She wouldn’t have called Deianira a happy girl in general, but she’d
been nice on the few occasions that they’d spent time together. There wasn’t
a hint of a smile on her face now though as she repeated after the head of
the senior council.
Jude was smiling. He looked like a proud father as he stood in the
front row on the left side of the aisle made in the city center.
He was standing right next to him, smiling too. Forbes. At least
that’s what she thought his name was. Salem wasn’t sure if she was seeing
incorrectly, but he didn’t look much like himself anymore. He was familiar
though, in a warm way. He was taller, bigger. But Forbes was barely taller
than Deianira.
She waved away the thought as his eyes met hers.
She didn’t like the way he looked at her. Like he knew exactly what
was going through her mind, like he knew what she was going to do before
he did it.
A throat cleared next to her.
She turned to find Deianira watching her pointedly.
Quickly figuring out that she’d missed her cue, Salem stepped to the
side and replaced Deianira at the foot of the head of the senior council,
kneeling.
For a second, she almost bit through her tongue as she thought of
what he might do because of that slip-up, that delayed reaction. Then she
remembered.
She was done.
She wouldn’t be seeing him anymore. All his ‘work’ had been to
prepare her for this day. And the day had come.
With that thought, she lowered her head, speaking without really
listening to the words from the mouth of the man in front of her. She didn’t
need to. She’d been memorizing them for the past nine years.
“I, Salem Qin, do solemnly swear to bear true allegiance and
protection to Her Majesty The Queen, Deianira Rikar…”
As she recited her words, she felt the slightest buzz in the back of her
mind, but she ignored it.
“I swear to uphold…”
She knew exactly who it was when it intensified, but her blood still
rushed faster.
“...before her and her successors and heirs…”
Hmm. She blinked roughly at his hum.
“...to offer advice a-and offer aid…”
It was fear more than shame that made the bead of sweat fall from
her brow.
“...until the day I die,” she finished breathily.
She waited for five seconds to pass before she rose and took her
place beside Deianira again. Against her better judgment, she lifted her
eyes to his again. Whether to see his disappointment at the end of his hold
on her, or for a pat on the back, she didn’t know. But it didn’t look like either
as his smile grew.
She was moments from looking away when his words made their
way into her head once more.
I’m not finished with you yet, Salem Qin.
There were no other words in any other order or combination that
could’ve made her heart sink faster.

Just like she had the first two times, she refused Podak when he tried to
care for her, prompting him to leave instead of putting her back under. But
she didn’t have the energy to be grateful for it.
Salem stared at the curtain as Lilo wiped the sweat from her
forehead. She didn’t even flinch as Nadeen dipped the rag in the bowl of
water and continued to wipe the blood from her ears.
Their touch didn’t bother her. Because it didn’t feel like they were
touching her.
She was receding so far in her own mind that she didn’t even feel
like she was living. She was just watching life happen through her own eyes
but far away in her head. She didn’t know why she thought she’d see a
different face this time, why she thought that the face would change with
the scenario. That she’d see Deianira, or Devin, even Cade.
Either way, she was wrong.
It was his face. Every time. No matter the circumstances, no matter
the time, no matter the place. It was always him.
A hand touched her arm. Salem slowly turned her head to Nadeen.
“Stand,” she said, her face soft.
Salem stood from the side of the bed, stumbling over her feet and
knocking over the bowl of bloody water.
Her eyes widened.
Nadeen quickly stepped in front of her. “It is okay,” she told her
urgently. She turned her head. “Lilo.”
Lilo dropped to her knees and gathered the rags, picking up the
bowl.
Nadeen gently lifted Salem’s head with a hand to her chin. “It is
okay,” she reassured her once again.
Salem didn’t respond. Nadeen slowly, as if not to frighten her,
pulled the fabric from around Salem’s neck. She disrobed her with care
before picking up another long cloth, a white one, and wrapping it under her
arms like a slip.
She grasped Salem’s hand and led her back down to the bed. “Rest.”
Obediently, Salem drew her legs onto the bed before Lilo pulled the
unfolded pelt over her. She turned on her side ignoring the tear that slid
over the side of her nose.
If she had the strength, she would have wiped it away, the feeling
making her want to twitch. But she didn’t.
She was unsettled, scared, weak. And she hated it. She just wanted to go
home.
For the Gods knew how long, Salem stared at the wall. Until the bed
dipped.
That was when she tensed.
The mattress shifted a few more times before heat settled at her
back.
When his hand brushed her thigh, she spoke her first words that
night. “I don’t like being touched,” she said as roughly as she could.
The hand rested there for a moment, then it left.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirty-Seven
They’d only been on the trail for three hours when a voice at the back
had Cassian sighing.
“Can we make a quick stop?”
He looked at Devin for patience. Devin sighed, looking back at
Aiko. “Stop where? We’re in the middle of the forest.”
Aiko nodded quickly. “That’s fine.”
“He needs to pee,” Don announced.
Aiko leaned over Lia to flick his brother’s knee. “He’s right
though,” he said, straightening.
Cassian took a quick look at their surroundings before rolling to a
stop. “Make it quick.”
“Thank you,” he sighed as Akilah opened her door, hopping out.
When Devin nodded his head to the side, Cassian unlocked his door,
climbing out of the rover to meet him by the hood.
Don leaned his head out of the window. “Aiko.” His brother turned
back. “Not too far.”
Aiko nodded before scurrying away.
“What’s the plan?” Devin asked as he leaned against the hood.
Cassian settled next to him. “I’m thinking we drive for a few more
hours. Then find someplace to eat. Maybe one of the sectors that are still
running.”
“We’ve got food.”
“Yeah, but there’s no point burning through it when we could get it
somewhere else.”
He nodded. “Which ones?”
Cassian took a deep breath. “Northern and western.”
“Western’s closer,” Devin said quietly.
“I know.”
“And want to do that?”
“No. But I don’t want to find her either. I need to.”
“And what about the river?”
He tapped his bracelet, showing Devin the highlighted route. “We’re
going around it.”
He’d barely left his room earlier as he mapped and planned every
possible route to the Patrias forest. That was the only thing that he didn’t
have a plan for though. Nobody really knew where Patriam was. Not even
Emori. She’d been half-conscious when she was thrown into the river. That
was the only reason that they knew it was close to the forest. He just hoped
that they could get close enough for him to pull on the link. Close enough to
feel her.
“All good,” Aiko called as he cheerily jogged back to the truck.

A few hours back, they’d made it out of the forest and found an actual
road, but it was growing darker and they were still twenty minutes from
what should have been the most populated area in the western sector.
When he could no longer see the road in front of him clearly, he
slowed, looking out of his window.
“See anything?”
Devin sat up and peered out for a moment. “Yeah. Ditch. Right
there.”
Cassian squinted out of Devin’s window. He spotted the ditch, it was
only a few feet from the road and there were enough fallen branches around
it.
“Thanks,” he muttered as he veered right and killed the engine.
Aiko and Akilah jolted awake.
“Why’d we stop?” he yawned.
“Too dark,” Cassian said as he opened his door. “And we can’t take
it into town anyway.”
Devin exited at the same time as the others started to get moving.
“Why?” Aiko asked, climbing out after Akilah.
Lia rounded the hood with Don in tow. “Have you never left The
Dome before?”
“I was ten when it was taken down,” he said, straight-faced.
“Holy shit,” Lia snorted. “I didn’t even think about that.”
He rolled his eyes. “Are you worried about it getting stolen? Don’t
you have the keys?”
Devin walked to the trunk, pulling out one of his bags and one of
Cassian’s. “No, not at all,” he said in a sarcastic tone. “See, it’s just that
there are these things called bricks. I know, crazy invention.” He tossed
Cassian’s bag to him. “Some desperate people even use them to bust open
windows and steal shit.”
“Oh.” He stretched. “Okay, then where are we-”
He froze, staring over Cassian’s shoulder. Devin stopped too, his
fingers itching to grab his gun.
Very slowly, Cassian turned.
Just about as far as he could see stood a woman, something large
strapped to her chest. Her head and face were covered, only her eyes visible
as they took in the group.
She wrapped her arms around the object on her chest. ‘Please…’ she
whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.
Akilah took a step in her direction. “Are you ok-”
“No!” Devin snarled, grabbing the back of her shirt and tugging her
behind him.
Cassian instantly drew his gun, prompting Lia and Don to do the
same.
“It could be a trick,” Devin said quietly as they all formed a loose
circle, keeping all angles covered.
The woman shook her head vehemently. “No,” she finally said. “I
just want to pass.”
Pass? She was headed out of town.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“The city,” she responded quickly before removing the cloth
covering the object on her chest.
“Hey!” Devin snapped as she quickly held her hands out again.
But he lowered his gun as he spotted the toddler strapped to her
chest.
“It’s just us,” she breathed.
“Why are you going to the city?”
Her stance stiffened. “You haven’t heard?”
He shook his head.
“The disappearances, the bodies,” she said. “I didn’t believe the
stories until my husband didn’t come home one night. That was two weeks
ago. They found his body yesterday.”
Cassian cursed under his breath. Primas.
He felt for her, knowing that his next words would only make it
worse. “The city’s on lockdown. No one in, no one out.”
Her face fell. “No. They can’t. M-my daughter-”
He put his gun back on his belt as he turned back to the truck. When
he saw Don’s still raised, he cut him a hard look. He lowered it.
Cassian quickly rifled through his bag and pulled out what he was
looking for. The woman was still in a panic as he made his way to her.
“Hey,” he said as softly as he could.
He held out the three MREs in her direction. With trembling hands,
she slowly pulled them from his grip.
“It’s a long walk,” he told her.
She shakily nodded. “I know.”
“And it’s dangerous.”
“I know.”
He pulled one of his pistols off his belt and held it out to her, handle
first.
“When you get there, scream and shout till you get someone’s
attention. When you do, ask for the King Consort. Tell him that Cassian
sent you and he’ll have a serious problem on his hands if he doesn’t let you
in.”
Her eyes held his as she looked down at the gun. She grasped it,
holding it away from her body. “Thank you.”
He nodded and took a step away from her. She stumbled back before
turning and starting a speedy walk in the other direction.
When he turned, he found all eyes on him. Keeping his head down,
he walked back to the trunk. “Let’s go.”

They cleared the walk in under an hour.
If it was just Cassian, Devin, and Lia, he knew that they could’ve
done it in half the time, but he had to slow down for the group. There was
also the extra time used pushing the truck into the ditch and covering it,
which also would’ve been quicker if all hands were on deck. He’d asked if
Akilah was planning on helping out, to which she flashed her white nails
and said, “Thank you. But no. I’m sure you big, strong men have got it.”
The kicker? The girl was a mechanical engineer.
He shook his head, paying Devin a little more respect.
He’d only just started to feel the eerie familiarity of the place when
he heard the music. A few minutes later, it was blaring. They ambled up to
the source of the noise.
The tavern.
He paused as he approached the spot that he remembered so well. It
was the very spot that Lia had dragged him out to that night that he’d gotten
so drunk he could barely walk.
“Damn, I hate this place,” she whispered behind him.
“Me too,” he muttered, starting toward the door.
He winced as he opened it, cursing his sensitive hearing, and
stopped short at the sight inside.
It was packed. And people were…dancing.
He looked over to Lia to see her shrug, just as perplexed. The tavern
was never quiet, but it wasn’t exactly popular. Not to all the young people
dancing around the room like it was their last night alive anyway.
He nodded the others in as he pushed his way to the bar.
“Hey!” he called over the music when he spotted the bartender, his
back to him.
He turned.
“What’s going on?!” Cassian shouted.
The man’s jaw dropped. “Cassian?!”
Cassian frowned as he looked the man over. He was shirtless, on the
skinnier side, and had a messy beard across his face, but he was almost sure
that it was-
“Tag?!”
“What the hell, man?!” he exclaimed, looking Cassian up and down.
“What happened to you?!”
“I’ve been busy!” he said dismissively.
“Yeah, I can tell!”
Cassian looked around again. “What’s going on?!”
He held up a bottle in each hand. “We’re celebrating, man!”
“Celebrating what?!”
“Death!” he laughed. “You haven’t heard?! WE’RE ALL GONNA
DIE!”
Cheers and whistles echoed around the room.
Cassian’s face scrunched at the sound. What was wrong with these
people? If they had half a brain, they’d be hauling ass to the city like that
woman.
“Where’s Earl?!”
Tag threw back a shot. “Dead!”
Shit.
“His son?!”
“Dead!” he slurred. “But he died a while ago! Nasty cold!”
“So who owns the tavern?!”
Tag shrugged. “Nobody! We're just burning through the stock before
Father Time comes to bite us in the ass!”
Cassian rested his arms on the bar, sighing.
“Hey!”
He spun to his right to see a woman on the barstool beside him. He
hadn’t even seen her there.
Dismissively inclining his head, he turned back to Tag. “Do you-”
“Some of us are going to the lodge after this!” she interrupted. “You
should come!” she yelled cheerfully.
Besides the fact that he was far from interested, he was never
stepping foot in that house again.
He took a step to his left, wincing at the pitch of her voice. “I’m
good! I’ve got a group! But thank you!” he added, just to be polite.
“Don’t be a snooze, Caspian!” she yelled, wiping her alcohol-
slathered lips with the back of her hand.
Gods help me…
“No, thank you!”
Her eyes lowered. “I’m sure you’d be okay alone for one night!
You’re a pretty big boy-”
The moment he felt fingertips brush his bicep, he didn’t even think,
he just reacted. Too late, he realized that what he meant to be a brush-off
turned out to be a full-on shove, and she was falling off the stool, and onto
the sticky floor.
He cringed.
He really hadn’t meant to push her that hard, but he wasn’t sorry
that she was no longer in his ear, so he didn’t say that he was.
Smacking the bar, he drew Tag’s attention from the girl, still
struggling to find her footing. “Is there a room or someplace we can
crash?!”
“Who’s we?!”
Cassian looked behind him.
Don stood in the corner, looking miserable, as Aiko’s eyes bounced
around the room with excitement. Lia, Devin, and Akilah now stood behind
him, listening in.
Tag raised his brows at Lia. “That you, rug muncher?!”
Cassian was already taking a step closer to the bar when Lia put a
hand on his arm, halting him.
She pulled on a seductive smile as she pushed past him, beckoning
Tag closer with a single curl of her finger. The second he leaned forward,
she grabbed him by his neck and dragged him over the bar.
The room went silent, save for the music.
“You got a room or not, dipshit!” she growled in his face.

Cassian dropped his bag onto the floor of the storage room.
Lia looked over her shoulder at a newly shy Tag as the others
dropped their bags. “I want six plates in the next twenty minutes.”
He quickly nodded, turning to scurry down the hall. Stepping into
the already cramped room, she closed the door, then sighed.
“You okay?” Cassian murmured.
She leaned her back against the door, huffing. “Sorry. I forgot how
unreal this place is. Gods, I haven’t heard that one in a while.”
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”
She shrugged, physically shaking off her shoulders. “Okay,” she
said slightly more cheerfully. “How are we doing this?” She looked around
the room.
It was six by seven, at most, so he doubted there’d be enough room
for them all to lay down, him especially.
Devin traveled to the furthest wall and started pushing the wine rack
to make more room. “There’s no space to get out the bags so pick a corner
and sit.”
Pushing the bags into the center, they all lined up against the walls
before sliding down to sit. That’s when the lights cut out.
“Forgot about that too,” Lia groaned.
Cassian felt around for his bag. When he found it, he dug out his
flashlight. Flicking it on, he put it in the center, positioning the bags around
it to hold it up.
For a moment, they all stared at each other.
And he felt like burying his head in his hands. For all the confidence
and leadership he was trying to exude, he had no idea what he was doing.
No idea where he was going. Even with all the planning, he still felt entirely
unprepared. At least he had the night to clear his head.
“What’s she like?”
When Cassian looked up, Aiko was staring right at him.
A distraction. He could do that. He cleared his throat. “She’s…”
Everything, he wanted to say. But he knew what Aiko wanted and
he couldn’t quite put it into words.
“She’s-”
“She’s a fucking nut,” Devin interrupted when he saw Cassian
faltering. “Bat-shit crazy.”
Aiko grinned.
Devin smirked to himself. “Hella organized too. Total freak about
mess.”
“A couple years ago,” Akilah started. “I was getting an award for a
project I spearheaded, and I had to give a speech.” She shook her head. “
She was there, front row, with Devin, Deianira, and Cade.”
Cassian flicked his eyes to her. He didn’t know that she’d met her.
“And when I was done, everyone was congratulating me. Then she
leaned close, and I thought she was gonna do the same, but she said, real
loud, ‘Your bra strap is showing.’” Akilah snorted. “I looked down and it
was barely peeking out, but she told me because I had to take pictures next.
She’s really observant.”
“Unpredictable,” Lia said next.
Cassian smiled down at his boots.
That, she was.
“She’s very particular,” he said, finally finding his words. “She likes
things done a certain way and she won't settle until it is. Her clothes have to
be cotton. She doesn’t really like the feel of anything else. And the
bedsheets have to be tucked under the mattress. No creases. The chairs need
to be a finger space from the table. And she prefers her food and veg boiled
over fried or anything else. Nothing too salty or too sweet. She lives for
order.” He smiled to himself. “And she’s real smart. Like crazy smart.
There isn’t much you could ask that she doesn’t have the answer to. It could
be anything. Math, science, history…Her mind is just…”
“You two…?”
Cassian looked up at Don. He hadn’t told them anything in explicit
detail earlier, just what seemed necessary. He nodded. “Yeah.” He looked
down again. “I’m gonna marry her the second we get back,” he offered,
grinning. “Even if I have to drag her to the altar.”
Devin snorted, knocking his knee against Cassian’s. “She’d
probably knock you upside the head if you tried to drag her anywhere.”
Cassian actually started laughing. “You know, she broke my foot
once. Slammed it in a door, I had to get a cast. Then she fly-kicked me a
couple days later and scratched up my face.”
While Aiko looked horrified, Don wore the first smirk that Cassian
had seen from him as he slowly nodded.
“I think that’s when I knew,” he said, unfocusing. “She never makes
excuses for me. Just says it how it is. I didn’t know how much I needed
that.”
Akilah nodded. “It’s usually what we’ve never had that we need the
most.”
Devin tilted his head at her. “Yeah? And what do you need, Miss
Philosophical?”
She rolled her eyes. “A break from you would be nice. I was trying
to be thoughtful.”
“Awww,” he pouted.
“I seriously don’t know how Emori puts up with you.”
“Find someone to put up with you and get back to me, uggo.”
She scoffed. “Says the bush rat himself-”
Light streamed into the room. Tag stood at the door holding a stack
of six foil-covered plates.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirty-Eight
They were up and out before the sun rose. After stepping over dozens
of bodies passed out on the bar floor, they started their walk back to the
truck. Cassian was glad that the others had managed to get some rest. He
didn’t, but he was still able to appreciate the good mood that was floating
around. He wasn’t feeling it so much though. As a matter of fact, a bad
feeling nudged at him as they trekked, guns in hand.
Devin grunted beside him, slapping his tablet.
“What is it?”
“Screen’s frozen,” he gritted out. He turned it off, then back on
again, his tapping becoming more aggressive.
The next thing he knew, Aiko was sidling up to them and plucking
the tablet out of Devin’s hand.
“Boy-”
Cassian and Devin looked at each other as Aiko kept walking, his
MRE tucked between his forearm and chest, and Devin’s tablet in the other
hand. He chomped down another spoon of mac n cheese before pulling the
thin back cover off of the tablet.
When Devin’s face dropped, Don called out from behind them.
“Give him a second.”
He pulled out another piece from inside the tablet, shoved it in his
pocket, and pulled out a new one before slotting it in. Then he replaced the
back cover. He handed the tablet back to Devin, who took it very slowly.
Keeping in line with them, he dug back into his meal.
When Devin booted it back up, the screen lit and moved as he
swiped across it.
Aiko swallowed. “That model has overheating issues. It turns on
whenever there’s motion, but it doesn’t sleep unless you turn it off
manually. So when you’re walking with it in your pack, it’s heating up from
just being on, and your body heat doesn’t help.”
Devin nodded, frowning. “Oh. Yeah. Makes sense. What did you
take out?”
He wrinkled his nose and nudged up his glasses with his knuckle.
“Your battery. Don’t worry, I put mine in. I take it out when I’m not using it
to avoid the same issue.”
“Thanks.”
Aiko nodded as he started to fall behind. The second he left, Devin
hit a few buttons in quick succession. Even quicker, Emori’s face was
filling the screen.
His face lit up. “There she is…” he grinned.
Cassian slowly started to fall behind too as Emori gave him a sleepy
smile.
“He okay?” Lia asked as he fell in line with her.
“I think so,” he muttered, his flitting eyes back to the other three.
Aiko was still eating and Don walked a few paces behind him with
Akilah in the back, not bothering to speed up as she carefully circled a
muddy pothole and stopped to check her shoes.
All in perfect time, they were approaching the ditch again. But
Cassian saw something that had him putting an arm out in front of Lia.
Devin had already reached the truck but was waiting for the others.
He eyed Cassian, instantly noticing his tension. “What?” he whispered.
He nodded his head to the side, pulling out his gun. “The back.”
Drawing his, Devin stepped around, his shoulders dropping when he
noticed it too. Part of the truck was exposed.
“605. Rear,” Devin ordered.
With no further explanation, Don headed straight to the back as they
all traveled at the same time, guns up, approaching the ditch from different
angles while Lia faced away, watching the trees. Cassian was the one to
kick the biggest branch out of the way, exposing most of the ditch.
He sighed. “Clear.”
The others relaxed, approaching. He jumped into the ditch as Devin
slid down the decline.
He opened the trunk, counting the bags. “Everything’s here.”
“Hold up.”
Cassian turned to Akilah as she walked to the edge, leaning over.
“Hood’s popped.”
He trudged to the front to see that she was right. He didn’t think
about the truck itself when thousands of credits worth of technology was
inside.
“Take a look?” Devin called up.
“Yeah, one-” She cut herself off with a squeal as her foot slipped.
Cassian and Devin quickly ran to get below her. But she didn’t fall
into the ditch because Don’s arm was around her waist before she’d even
tipped.
She gasped as he spun her away from the edge.
“Careful,” he told her in a harsh tone.
Akilah lowered her brows, tilting her head as she shoved his arm
away before he jumped down into the ditch. He turned to her, holding his
arms out. Letting out a curt huff, she jumped and landed right beside him.
“Ass,” she mumbled as she walked past him to get to the hood.
“You're welcome,” he retorted.
“Bite me.”
Cassian raised his brows and swung his eyes to Devin, who was
aiming a stone-cold glare in Don’s direction. Akilah lifted the hood,
examining it. Then she frowned, walking around the truck slowly, squatting
down when she got to the back.
When her frown deepened, Cassian closed his eyes, taking a breath.
He just knew…
As he heard her stand, he reluctantly looked.
“Two problems.”
“What?” Devin prompted grimly.
“One, the catalytic converter’s gone.”
That sounded serious. “Can we drive without one?”
She nodded. “Technically, yes.” Thank the Gods. “But not without
an engine.”
Cassian’s heart nearly stopped. “The engine’s gone?”
She winced, nodding.
They hadn’t even made it out of Terra yet and they couldn’t drive.
Salem was out there. He didn’t know if she was okay or if she was-
His chest started rising faster. Somehow, the sky got brighter. The
wind grew louder.
“If you can get me the parts, I can make one.” It felt like she was
screaming in his ear.
“This is the western sector!” he bellowed. “It’s just trees and more
trees for fucking miles!”
“Cassian,” Devin bit out.
She didn’t bristle. “I know a spell, I only need the materials.”
“That’ll take too long,” he breathed.
Taking a few steps back, he took a running start and leaped the six-
foot jump out of the ditch.
“Cass.”
He crossed the road and started toward the trees, brushing past Lia.
Walking would take days. Too much time that they didn’t have.
His breath hitching, he swung his fist back and threw it into the
nearest tree. With a stuttered creak, it trembled, then it cracked, then it
slowly bent before falling. He jumped out of the way as he wheezed.
“Holy fuck…” came a muffled voice behind him.
Stumbling over his feet, he continued marching into the brush.
“Cass!”
Why could nothing go right when he needed it to?
He grunted as he pulled back his gun and sent it flying right into a
thick stump of bark some distance away, embedding itself. Spinning in a
circle, he looked for something else to break when a body tackled him from
the side.
They rolled several feet before Devin landed on top of him.
“Cassian!” he barked. “Calm the fuck down!”
“Get off me!” he growled back, struggling.
He only meant to shove Devin away when he threw a fist into the
side of his head.
“Devin!” Akilah screamed from somewhere near them, but he
couldn’t tell where. All the noises were blending into each other.
Devin’s head snapped to the side before it whipped back with blown
pupils. He barely saw Devin’s fist before it smacked him across the cheek.
So he fought harder. He bucked him off, throwing him feet away before
setting for him again. Devin threw his arms up in a cross and tore them
apart. The next thing Cassian knew, he was flying back. Then hitting the
ground. Hard.
Devin was back the next second, but Cassian already had an elbow
pulled back and set on a path for him. With Devin’s speed and response
time, he had plenty of time to dodge, but he took the blow, growling as it hit
his temple. Moments after impact, Devin sent a sharp jab, hitting his nose
dead center, then a hook right across his cheek.
Cassian’s head spun, hit after hit, but he still tried to fight, tried to
hurt.
Throwing one hand around Cassian’s neck and pulling back the
other, Devin opened a fiery palm, holding it inches from his face.
“CASSIAN!” he roared, his eyes glowing.
He went limp, his gaze glued to the ball of fire in Devin’s hand.
“You listening?” he ground out.
Stuttering, Cassian nodded.
“You love her, right?!”
“More than anything…” he whispered.
“And do you think you’re gonna find her like this?!”
“No,” he rasped.
Devin nodded, the fire in his palm waning as his eyes grew dull.
“Then get yourself together!” he hissed.
Cassian forced his chest to rise and fall slower, forced himself to
breathe.
“Okay,” Devin whispered, his own heart beating in Cassian’s ears.
“Good.”
Slowly, he climbed to a stand, putting out an arm.
Cassian gripped it, hauling himself up. “Thank you…”
Devin raised a thumb to his bloody lip, wiping the corner. “Don’t
mention it.”
They headed back to the others, Cassian trying to ignore the wide
eyes or Lia’s worried ones. He cleared his throat. “Take what you can carry.
We’re walking.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“Name.”
“Salem Qin.”
“Age.”
“Nine.”
“Height.”
“Four feet and one inch.”
“Weight.”
“Fifty-seven pounds.”
He gently placed the clipboard down and Salem let herself breathe.
She got it right.
“How’s your wrist?”
Salem didn’t look down as she answered. “Healed.”
She kept her reply short, he didn’t like long-winded explanations, so
she knew he didn’t want to hear about the seven healing sessions she
needed after he broke it. It could’ve been healed in two, but with her
combat classes six days a week, it just kept breaking again. She also didn’t
tell him about her other wrist, the one she broke herself when she got back
to her room. She’d begged him to break the other, scared of the pain but
hating the lack of balance, but like she knew he would, he refused. She
wondered if it was her insistence that fueled his answer, his joy at telling
her no.
He nodded. “Does it still hurt?”
“No.”
He folded his hands behind the unfamiliar silver case on the table.
“Why?”
“Temporary pain.”
Like always, rather than responding, he passed on. Pushing his
chair back, he stood and strolled over to the wall where his briefcase was.
“Last week, we worked on pain. But as you know…” He looked over
at her, brows raised.
“All pain is temporary.”
“All pain is temporary,” he repeated, bending down to pull out a
single vial and a…
Salem’s heart instantly sped up as she honed in on the needle. She
forced her knee not to jog as he started toward her but looked up when he
paused. He was watching her face. He lifted the vial, waiting a few seconds
before lowering it. Then he lifted the needle. Salem thought that she was
discreet when she tensed, but she knew that she’d failed when his lips tipped
up.
“Needles,” he said, turning to the table to place them down before
picking up his clipboard. “We’ll look into that next week.” After jotting
something down, he reached into the pocket of his white jacket and pulled
on a pair of gloves.
“As I was saying,” he continued as he unwrapped the needle and
stuck it into the cap. “All pain is temporary, but what we haven’t visited is
prolonged pain. Have you ever been in prolonged pain?”
Her eyes fluttered as she watched the needle between his fingers.
“No,” she breathed.
There was no way she couldn’t tense further when he took a step in
her direction.
The doctor only had to narrow his harsh blue eyes at her for her to stay
still. She could have moved, she wasn’t in restraints, she never was. But she
didn’t.
Salem closed her eyes when he kneeled beside her, and the second
she felt that pinch, she almost keeled up. The pulling sensation was even
worse. It was like she could feel it all over her body.
He pulled back and stood. “That was a numbing agent.”
If she wasn’t preoccupied with trying to control her breathing, she
might have wondered why he gave her a numbing agent when he planned to
inflict pain.
“Do you want to know the worst thing about prolonged pain?”
When she only panted, shuffling to sit up straighter as her legs dangled
over the seat, he shook his head. “I’ll rephrase. The worst thing about
prolonged pain is that it’s rarely ever constant. It fluctuates, increases,
decreases.” He shrugged, turning to the table to open the silver case.
She had to extend her neck to see what was inside. The first thing his
hand hovered over was the scalpel, but then they paused and moved over to
the needles. There were no syringes attached to them, they were just
needles. Long needles.
“Fitting,” he said with a soft laugh, picking up one in each hand.
Salem didn’t breathe as he walked around her, she didn’t turn
around either, she didn’t want to see.
“Head down.”
She obeyed.
Salem only felt his leathery gloves brush against her shoulders for a
few seconds before she heard him step back. She knew not to let herself feel
relief, especially when he stepped back in front of her, his hands empty.
Scared to move, she slowly cast her gaze left. Then right.
For the first time in years, she felt her eyes well when she looked up
at him, trying not to think about the fact that she had a needle in each of her
shoulders.
“Not shoulders,” he seamlessly corrected. “Supraclavicular fossa.”
Retaking his seat, he sat back and waited. She wasn’t sure what he
was waiting for until she felt it. The slight burn. It was so mild that she
wouldn’t have noticed it if it wasn’t for the stillness of the room.
He removed his gloves, picking up his clipboard. “Can you feel it
yet? The numbness fading?”
“Yes,” she said, forcing her voice to remain level.
“Does it hurt?”
“No.”
He smirked. “Give it a moment.” He sat up.
If she expected him to fill the silence, she was wrong. He, Forbes, if
that was really even his name, was content to sit and watch her, his eyes
scanning her face for any sign of discomfort. She thought about what
reaction would get her out of the room quicker. Begging, crying,
indifference?
Knowing that her tears had never made any difference better before,
she went with the last option. But when the burn really started, she knew
that her front wouldn’t last long.
She would’ve rolled her shoulders back if wasn’t scared she’d feel
the needles moving in her flesh and be sick.
Salem grunted as fire started to spread through her collarbone.
Satisfied, or so he seemed, he picked up his pen and looked at his
watch before noting something down.
Soon, she was panting, her eyes fluttering as she gripped the chair
handles for dear life.
Flicking his eyes to her hands, he wrote something else down.
Salem couldn’t help herself. “Please…”
He checked his watch again before sighing and writing some more.
“Take them out…”
Placing the clipboard down, he met her eyes. Looking at her up and
down, his smile had long since faded.
“I don’t want to do this anymore…” She didn’t know what made her
say those words, because she’d never wanted to, but they were still mostly
true. There were some parts of her training that she enjoyed. Really
enjoyed. But not this.
Her arms involuntarily tensed, doubling the pain.
“Please,” she cried. “Please, take them out.”
He hummed with disappointment, tapping his pen against the table.
“Please!”

“Take them out! Take them out!” she screamed, eyes wide, bringing her
shaky limbs to her shoulders.
Probably learning his lesson, Podak backed away. But unlike the last
time, she didn’t hit him. She could barely move her arms. She could just
about shift herself away, panting over her sobs.
Why is he doing this?
Warily, he held out a hand in her direction, an offer.
With as much force as she could muster, she ground her jaw and
growled, “Get out!”
To her annoyance, his eyes averted like he’d been scolded. Like
she’d upset him.
What is wrong with him?
“Get out!” she screamed again with her last ounce of strength.
Without looking in her direction, he scurried from the room. Less
than a moment later, Nadeen and Lilo were rushing in. She let her head hit
the pillow, drained.
They didn’t speak to her as they did everything they’d done before,
more times than she had the energy to remember. She could’ve chosen to
take comfort in their care, but she didn’t allow herself. She knew it was
only temporary. That he’d be back for bed like every night before.

As his body shifted behind her, Salem blinked her dry eyes.
She was going on her fourth day with no sleep. Her mind was foggy,
her limbs were sore, and she could feel her pulse beating in her head.
All of a sudden, a hand pulled at her shoulder, turning her around.
She quietly gasped as Podak’s displeased eyes looked between hers,
scanning her face. “Your heart,” he said accusingly. “It is beating too fast.”
She didn’t respond, but she could feel it beat faster, and she was sure
that he could hear it too.
He released her shoulder and Salem waited for him to get up and get
the aperto. He didn’t.
“You need to sleep,” Podak said before he rolled over, standing from
the bed.
She knew that, but she wondered if he knew that he was the reason
she couldn’t. Bad things happened when she closed her eyes. So she didn’t.
She barely blinked as she watched him move around the room, heading out
and coming back.
He stood by the exit, his eyes flicking over her once more. “Sleep.”
Then he left.
When she was sure that he was far enough away, a sob broke free as
she curled in on herself.
He would’ve asked her what was wrong. He would’ve comforted
her, even if she didn’t tell him. He would’ve scooped her up and held her to
his chest so that she could count his heartbeat instead of shielding her ears
from her own.
She missed him.
That was a feeling that Salem hadn’t felt before. Mostly because the
people in her life were the people that she worked with. She saw them every
day. But she didn’t even feel like this when she entered the program. She
didn’t remember missing her parents for a second.
But she missed him. She wondered what he was doing. Salem didn’t
think that he’d just forget about her existence, but…people moved on.
The thought had her heart beating even faster.
What if he’d found someone else? What if she was nicer to him?
Salem had had over a day to mull over Podak’s words, and when she
thought back, she remembered that she hadn’t been so kind to him in the
beginning. Or in the end.
She’d hurt him, berated him.
Maybe he’d be better for it if he found someone else.
Salem only became aware that she was bawling when the curtain
swung open and Nadeen rushed into the room. The way she looked behind
her told Salem that she wasn’t supposed to be there, but she approached the
bed and fell to her knees anyway.
“My lady…” she said, her face pained.
Salem hiccuped, trying to remember how to breathe.
She placed a hand on Salem’s forehead, her brows furrowing. “You
must sleep,” she implored Salem.
Gasping for breath, Salem nodded, hoping she would be satisfied
and leave so that she would stop looking at her like that.
Like she was weak.
Salem was far from weak and it took her a second to remember that.
She just wished that she wasn’t in a place where her intelligence and power
meant nothing.
“I will stay with you.” Nadeen looked behind her once more. “I will
watch.”
When she took a shaky breath, Nadeen sighed, climbing onto the
bed next to her. She gently grasped Salem’s hand and placed it on her arm.
She patted it softly. “I am here. I will not leave. When he returns, I
will wake you. Please. Sleep.”
For some reason, that gave her reassurance, security. With that, there
was no way she could’ve stopped her eyes from falling shut.

There isn’t anything you could ask me that I’d say-

Salem shot off the bed with a scream.

Nadeen jumped beside her. “My lady!”
Salem grabbed her throat, clawing at her skin as his face took its
time to fade. She waited for the pain to kick in, waited for him to ask her
questions, to tell her to flip the switch.
None of those things happened, but she still curled over the side of
the bed, emptying her stomach. Nadeen hurriedly stroked her back when a
draft brushed over her neck.
She couldn’t quite sit up, but she managed to cast her eyes to the
entrance.
“What is this?” he snarled.
“She is unwell!” she watched Nadeen hiss.
Podak’s whole stance shifted. His shoulders tensed. “She is with
child?”
Nadeen looked over at Salem. She shook her head at Nadeen. She
knew that she still had at least a few weeks left on her birth control if her
perception of time was still to be trusted. And she had a feeling that she
would’ve shaken her head whether that was true or not.
But her ‘sickness’ was a result of something else. That feeling. The
one she couldn’t describe.
“She cannot continue like this,” Nadeen stressed.
Podak watched her for a while before nodding. “We will stop.”
Her whole body sighed. She almost wanted to…thank him. She held
her lips tight before those words could escape though.
“Clean this,” Podak said to Nadeen.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Forty
“No. It reverses the direction of current every one-eighty degrees.”

Aiko raised his brows. “So the force changes direction-”
“And the coil can keep turning,” they finished at the same time
She sighed. “Yes, exactly.”
“I feel like I’m losing brain cells,” Devin groaned as they walked
behind Aiko and Akilah, having watched them go back and forth for the
past hour.
The walking was more bearable in the day, but Cassian could see the
others starting to slow their pace.
Don grumbled beside Cassian. “As if he needs to know more.”
“Ah, leave him. It’s cute,” Lia chided.
“It’s annoying.”
Aiko turned back. “At least I have a brain and can communicate in
more than a series of grunts and monkey coos-” Aiko went stick straight as
his head snapped to the sky.
Don had already run to him, making it just in time to catch his
convulsing body. He gently lowered Aiko to the ground before putting a
hand behind his head. Then he just sat back on his haunches as his brother’s
eyes rolled back.
“What’s wrong with him?” Cassian quickly asked, running up.
Don looked back as if he was the one acting out of the ordinary.
Looking around, he saw that he
was the only one panicked.
“He’s a seer, Cassian,” Lia said softly.
Oh.
He hadn’t seen Lia have a vision in a long time and the only other
seer he knew was Grace.
Aiko gasped, sitting upright, just missing his brother’s head. There
was a long pause as he breathed deeply.
“What was it?” Don asked.
After flicking his eyes around the group, he moved his gaze to the
ground, glancing up every few seconds for almost a minute. “I can’t
remember,” he bit out, pulling himself to his feet.
“Ai-”
“I’m fine. Let’s just go.” He adjusted his backpack and started off,
ahead of the group.
Cassian turned his confused eyes to Lia.
She spoke quietly as the others started up again. “It happens. He
probably only presented a couple years ago. I was eighteen when I was
finally able to string details together.”
He nodded. He understood why he was upset, but there was nothing
to really be ashamed of. He was new to it, Cassian was too. Not as new, but
he wasn’t always sure of himself the way that the others were.
Three hours of tense silence passed before Cassian began to steer
the group toward the forest.
“Here?” Devin called from the front of the group.
Cassian made his way to the front. Good coverage, flat ground. He
nodded. Quickly explaining the watch rotation to the group, he dropped his
bag onto the ground, unzipping the compartment with his sleeping bag.
They all began to set up their own.
“I’ll go first,” he announced. “But Aiko and Akilah need to be
paired up.” He gave Lia a placating look. “Preferably with enforcers.”
She shrugged, seemingly unbothered.
“I’ll take Aiko,” Devin offered.
Cassian flicked his eyes to Don, who glanced between him and
Akilah.
“Fine,” he said curtly.
“Don’t jump for joy.”
Devin shook his head and pulled back the flap of his sleeping bag.
“Hit me in two.”
Cassian nodded as they all settled in.
He kept his gun close as he cracked open a jar of peaches. Emori
had packed one for each person in the group, excluding Aiko and Don
because not even Cassian knew that they’d be coming along. He looked
over at them as they quietly spoke to each other from their separate bags.
He’d met them barely three days ago and they’d dropped everything to help
him find Salem. Fair enough, they were her brothers, but they didn’t even
know she existed before that day. And then there was Akilah, covering her
ears as she rolled over, facing away from Don. Yes, she’d met Salem, but
she was there because of Devin, and Devin was there because of him.
Finding Salem wasn’t his only responsibility. He needed to keep
them safe too. He owed it to them.
As their breathing evened out, he kept his eyes up and constantly on
the move. Easy as that seemed, keeping it up for two hours was the real
challenge, and those hours dragged painfully slowly.
Forcing himself to at least rest his eyes at the two-and-a-half-hour
mark, Cassian tapped Devin’s shoulder. “Dev.”
Devin stirred. “I’m up?”
“Yeah.”
Slowly blinking, he sat himself up and reached over to shake Aiko.
“Wakey, wakey, fresh face.”
Aiko didn’t even pause his snoring. Devin shook his shoulder again.
Mumbling something incoherent, he pushed Devin’s hand away.
Devin narrowed his eyes before he flicked his head.
“Ow!”
“We’re up.”
Aiko gave Devin a look that said that was the last thing he wanted to
do.
“Come on, up.”
Sliding deeper into his sleeping bag, Cassian rolled over.
He thought that the wind brushing over his ears and the hushed
whispers sent between Devin and Aiko would lull him into a deep sleep, but
just like the night before, nothing. So he gave up, choosing to let his
thoughts eat at him some more as he tuned in.
“This is a Glock-17,” he said quietly. “Here.”
“Not as heavy as I thought it would be.”
“That’s a pro. It’s easy to hide too. Seventeen rounds.” There was
some shuffling. “Glock-19.”
“Nineteen rounds?”
Devin huffed a short laugh. “Fifteen. Don’t ask me.”
Cassian listened as Devin loaded and unloaded the gun a few times
before he told Aiko to take a whack at it. He rolled his eyes, smirking into
his flat pillow as he heard Aiko fumble with the gun, dropping the bullets.
Until the noise stopped.
“Get down,” Devin whispered. “Slowly.”
As he heard a faint click, Cassian sprung into a seating position, his
gun pointed in the same direction as Devin’s.
Only then did he see what had caused his command.
Aiko was stark still. “I remember my vision now…” he mumbled as
he stared out at the surrounding trees.
Cassian cursed under his breath as the figures slowly closed in. The
large men with long braids hanging over their shoulders.
Inbetweeners.
A short whistle from Cassian had the others jolting up, quickly
drawing. He was really glad that he went over that with them, even though
he hadn’t expected to have to use it.
“Lights,” he said.
It took a second longer, but soon, three lights flicked on, Don and
Devin already having theirs on.
As the area brightened, Cassian fought not to bristle.
“I see ten,” Devin whispered. “Don?”
“Eight.”
“Shit. Eight,” Lia added.
Akilah sputtered. “T-there are too many. I can’t count them.”
Shit, shit, shit…
A whole new row of men, the line stretching too far on either side
for his light to catch, strode up. They could’ve opened fire, but as Akilah
said, there were too many. Someone would’ve gotten hurt. Maybe he
could’ve done it alone, but not if he had to protect everyone else too.
“What do we do?” Aiko quickly whispered.
Taking a breath, Cassian stood from the ground. Then he dropped
his gun and held his hands up.
“Cassian!” came Devin’s voice.
He’d run into a few more inbetweeners over the years and he knew
how tonight would go if he wasn’t smart.
“Hospitium,” he called.
Cassian didn’t trust them not to follow if they sought passage, a
night gave them time to think, to regroup. He didn’t tell the others to lower
their guns yet though. Something could still go wrong.
“You have women,” one man called out.
“Taken women,” he said, forcing his tone to stay light.
The others slowly stood although Cassian hadn’t told them to.
“How many nights?” the man in front asked.
“One.”
The chubby man looked back at another one of his ‘brothers’ before
turning to Cassian.
“Follow.”
He released a breath.
Slowly the men started to move, following behind the one that
appeared to be the leader. Cassian nodded to his own group, silently telling
them to trail after him.
Lia ambled to his side. “What the hell did you just do?” she
whispered.
“I saved our lives.”
“Don’t you remem-”
“Yes, I remember. But there are more of us now. They’re not gifted,
we are. But they would’ve taken us like that.”
She watched him for a second before shaking her head. “I hope you
know what you’re doing.”
He didn’t respond because he didn’t know. Not exactly anyway.
They followed far behind the small horde for at least twenty minutes
before they made it out into a clearing. There was no way they could’ve
heard them from that distance. Someone had been following them. For how
long though? Did they want food, their technology?
Cassian slowed at what he saw as they walked deeper into the
clearing. Inbetweeners were usually nomadic. He’d never heard of them
staying in one place for long, but their camp didn’t look very…portable.
Multiple drab tents littered the area, washing lines hanging from one to the
next. He also spotted five horses confined in pens.
The one who he’d spoken to before led them to a small huddle of
three tents in the corner as the others dispersed.
Cassian attempted to ease the tension. “Why are you guys set up?”
Lia cut him a confused look. He shrugged, lowering his brows.
The light-haired, bearded man assessed Cassian in a way that made
him think that he might not answer.
“Deer.”
Because that explains everything…
But he continued. “They are here. Nowhere else.”
Based on the way he spoke, Cassian assumed that he lived on the
outskirts of Terra, if not just outside.
But the deer.
They were in summer. There wouldn’t be any reason for them to
migrate, especially closer to The Dome. The other way would’ve made
more sense.
Choosing not to ask any more questions, Cassian drew to a stop as
they reached the tents.
The man looked at the group expectantly.
Cassian quickly nudged at Aiko and Don, carefully snapping two
temporary links into place, wincing as they visibly shivered. They were the
closest to the girls. To the ‘taken women’.
Don’t react. Take a tent each and one of the girls.
He saw Aiko tense and watched Don’s ear twitch as he waited, his
back straight.
Then in the next second, Don had a hand on Akilah’s back, leading
her to the first tent. Akilah had the sense not to jump at his touch but he
didn’t miss the way she rolled her shoulders back. It was Lia that headed
into the next tent first, Aiko following behind her. She wasn’t new to this.
Releasing a breath, Cassian politely nodded to the leader and leaned
down as he and Devin went into the last one.
It was a small, triangular tent, barely wide enough for them to both
sleep side by side. As he attempted to work his way into the small space, he
wondered if Devin would scold him for the decision he’d just made for all
of them. But Devin just sat at the far end, his legs awkwardly crossed.
Cassian sat too, his side to Devin.
“You look tired, man.”
“I am,” he admitted.
Devin sighed. “I know you didn’t sleep earlier.”
Cassian shrugged. He wasn’t trying to convince him that he did.
“I’m worried about you,” Devin said quietly.
Cassian turned his face to him. “Why?”
“Because they don’t look at me.” He wasn’t sure what he meant
before he added, “They look at you. We’re all here for Salem,” His heart
clenched just hearing her name. “But they wouldn’t have followed you if
they didn’t trust you.”
Devin’s eyes turned down.
“I don’t know if I can do what you do, and I don’t want to find out.
But that means that you need to look after yourself ‘cause I don’t think I
could find her if something happens to you.” His tone wasn’t scolding, it
was almost desperate.
He mulled over Devin’s words. He wanted to be mad, wanted to
demand that he find her, with or without him, but he was right. It just didn’t
feel right to think about himself when he didn’t know that she was being
taken care of.
He conceded. “I’ll sleep.”
Devin let out a pent-up breath.
“After I check on the others and fill them in.”
He lowered his lids at Cassian.
“I promise.”
After watching him for a second, he inclined his head before they
fell into a more comfortable conversation. Devin told him about his
conversation with the girls, Cassian told him about baby Cal.
It was light, easy.
After about thirty minutes, he groaned and stood. “Back in a sec.”
Though the camp was quiet, the fire still raged in the middle of the
plot. Cassian was almost jealous that they could be so conspicuous. It was
them who people feared. As far as they knew, they were at the top of the
food chain. He wished he could be that naive.
He sidled up to the tent next to theirs, poking his head in.
Lia slapped a hand over a deck of cards before she laughed, much to
Aiko’s displeasure.
“You’re a cheater.”
“And you’re a sore loser.”
“Guys.”
They both flinched as they swung their heads to the entrance. “A
little warning,” Lia breathed.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “I just wanted to tell you guys to come to our
tent at sunrise. We need a game plan.”
They both nodded, turning back to their game.
He went to leave before halting. “Be careful.”
“I know,” she said, raising her brows at him.
“Keep your piece next to you.”
“Yes, Cassian.”
“And don’t sleep at the same time.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okayyyyy.”
He huffed, shifting his gaze to Aiko. He blinked slowly, nodding to
Cassian.
Good.
“Okay…night,” he said quietly before backing away and heading to
the next tent.
He had promised Devin he’d sleep, but even during the short walk,
his mind was already running through what he might tell them in the
morning. How they would leave, if they would even let them leave.
Inbetweeners were shifty. There may have been safe for the night, but who
knew what the morning could bri-
Drawing the tent flap, Cassian’s eyes doubled in size.
As quickly as Don had pushed forward, he drew the sheet up,
leaning down to close the distance between his bare chest and Akilah’s as
they simultaneously yelled, “Get out!”
They were back at it again before his shock had even worn off. The
second he heard her soft moan, he snapped out of it, almost falling on his
ass as he rocketed backward.
What the…
Shaking his head jerkily, he stumbled away and ran for his tent,
practically crawling in.
Devin's eyes shot up from his tablet. “What’s wrong?”
Cassian stuttered for a second before shaking his head. “Nah…
nothing. They’re good.”
“Who’s good?”
“All of them. They are all good,” he said, stumbling over his words.
Devin narrowed his eyes before his face wrinkled. “Oh, for fuck’s
sake, Akilah,” he grumbled as he made a move to stand.
“Wait,” Cassian said, blocking him. “I wasn’t lying.” He cringed as
he remembered. “She is okay.”
Devin scrunched up his face. “It’s not her I’m worried about.”
Cassian wanted to evaporate. “Trust me, he seemed like he could…
hold his own.”
Slapping his hands over his ears Devin sat back down. “Okay,
enough!”
Thank the Gods…
Settling in, he pulled the thin sheet over his body.
Sleep, he told himself.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Cassian sighed.
Sleep so you can find Salem.
That did it.

Not even one? Cassian sent as he flashed her a goofy smile.

Salem stroked Echo’s head where she lay on her chest. “I don’t like
children.”
He snorted. You’re a teacher.
She shook her head. “The children I teach are intelligent.”
That only made him laugh more. You think we’d have a dumb baby?
Her gaze flitted to his, her eyes sparkling, before she turned back to
Echo with a serious look on her face. “Not for lack of trying on my part.”
He blinked, then blinked again. Sae…Did you just make a joke?
She shrugged, her lips tugging up a fraction. “A joke would suggest
that at least a part of what I said was untrue.”
Cassain stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded. Then lunged at
her, scaring Echo off the bed. He pinned her beneath him and beamed as he
was rewarded with a raspy laugh.
Your days of hanging out with Devin are over. He silenced any
response that she could’ve made with his lips before pulling back an inch.
For the record, I think you’re plenty smart for the both of us.
She gave him a full, unabashed smile. “I know. But I still don’t see
the appeal.”
He narrowed his eyes. Oh, please. I’ve seen the way you look at Cal
whenever we babysit.
“That’s because he’s fairly pleasant and I can give him back after a
few hours.” Her gaze darkened. “But I’ve seen you change his diaper.” She
shivered. “I-I can’t do that,” she said, disgusted.
He gathered her into his arms as he threw his head back with
laughter.

BANG!
Cassian shot up as he blearily watched Devin scramble out of the
tent. Without asking questions, he dragged himself up and stumbled out
before sprinting after Devin in the barely rising sunlight.
There was a small crowd gathering around Lia and Aiko’s tent.
Devin didn’t hesitate to pull back the flap.
A man he vaguely recognized as one of the men who’d surrounded
them the night before lay on the ground, half of his body outside of the tent,
a red hole in his chest.
He threw his eyes to Lia as she held a hand to her chest, then to
Aiko, who shook behind her, a glock in his right hand.
“H-he tried to drag her out. I didn’t know what to do,” Aiko rushed
out.
As soon as the bearded man, the leader, growled and started for
Aiko, Cassian grabbed a hold of his mind.
“STOP!” he bellowed.
Not just the leader, but every inbetweener in the clearing froze.
Cassian didn’t let his surprise take hold nor did he respond to the
shock on the others’ faces.
“Pack up! We’re leaving!”
He saw Don and Akilah head back into their tent over his shoulder
as Lia and Aiko scrambled for their bags. Devin didn’t go back into their
tent though. He went for the pens. The horses.
Cassian stayed still for fear that he might lose his grip as the others
hurried out of their tents, bags in hand. Lia ran into his with a nod,
reappearing with two more.
Carefully, they backed away from the inbetweeners and started for
the forest. Wordlessly handing the tangle of reins to Don, Devin started
walking with his back to the group as he lined up with Akilah.
In sync, they clapped their hands twice and drew them apart,
stepping backward.
That familiar shimmer was cast over the clearing.
A cloak. He hadn’t even thought of that. He might have had a hold
on them for now, but with that many minds, he wasn’t sure if he could keep
it up, didn’t think about them following.
They walked, on edge, for another ten minutes before Akilah and
Devin dropped their hands with a sigh.
“I think we’re good,” she said, breathing a little heavier.
Cassian finally let himself relax a fraction as Aiko’s breathing
picked up. “I-I’m sorry,” he stuttered. “I panicked, I just-”
Cassian interrupted just as Don went to. “Hey. You did good.”
Aiko paused his panic, taking a breath.
“I told you to look out for each other, and you did that. You did what
you were supposed to do.”
His brows dipped. “He’s dead.”
“And we’re all better for it,” Lia said softly, coming up beside him.
“The rules are different out here. You did nothing wrong.”
Looking at her, he swallowed, nodding as he wrinkled his nose.
“Okay,” Cassian nodded back. “We’re on the outskirts now. I think
we can clear it in just over a day if we don’t stop.”
He held his hand out as Don passed him a set of reins. Don gave a
set to each person in the group. Everyone except Akilah.
She threw a glare his way. “Where’s mi-”
Before she could finish, Don was hefting her up and setting her over
his horse. She landed belly first with an oomph.
“Right there,” he grumbled. “You’re with me.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Forty-One
On the fourth night, she slept.

On the fifth day, she ate.
She saw Podak from time to time, but his busyness told her that
something was happening, or was about to happen. Nadeen, on the other
hand, she saw more frequently. And Lilo on some of those occasions. They
would bathe her, bring her food, and stay with her while she ate.
At first, she’d been too wary to eat anything. They never brought
aperto, but she didn’t want to take any chances. But when Nadeen ate some
and showed Salem that she was okay, she finally ate. She hated the food. It
was a mess of flavors and textures, but she never once complained. Not that
she would’ve on any occasion, but even more so now. So she took it
anyway, eating as much as she could stomach, which wasn’t much, before
nodding them away.
Being hyper-aware of all things at all times was often a nuisance to
Salem, but on some occasions, it came in handy. Like how she could
physically feel herself declining, her weight decreasing, and her stability
waning.
Salem was very good at taking care of herself, she never went a day
without eating or sleeping if she could help it, but she knew that she
shouldn’t have been deteriorating so quickly after just a few days.
What was happening to her wasn’t entirely physical. It was mental
too.
For the first time since the morning, Podak entered the room, and by
the way his eyes settled on Salem, he wasn’t just popping in.
Her face now straight, Nadeen stood, gently pulling Salem up with
her. Approaching Podak, she hesitantly placed Salem’s hand in his before
taking a step back.
His eyes scanned Salem’s face. “She has eaten?”
Nadeen nodded beside her.
“She has slept?”
Another nod.
Seemingly satisfied, Podak jerked his head at her. Seconds later,
both Nadeen and Lilo left the room.
Salem tensed.
She hadn’t been alone with him since that last day. Nadeen had even
managed to convince him that Salem wouldn’t sleep if she wasn’t there, and
that may have even been the truth. Her presence was comforting. She was
strict at times, but it came along with softness. It was…motherly.
But they were alone now and Salem had no idea which side of him
she’d see.
He frowned, rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.
“I did not anticipate your body’s reaction to the purging.”
The purging. That was what it was called.
“But you look well now.” He tilted his head, rephrasing. “More well
now. And I need to show my people a well wife.” Then his eyes lost their
softness as he leaned closer. “But do not think that I would not rather have
an obedient wife than a sick one.”
Salem bit down on her lip to keep it from trembling, understanding
exactly what he meant. She was still for a moment as she mulled over the
fact that this was her life now. She couldn’t leave, not in her state at least,
and she would continue to be in that state if Podak decided to punish her at
the slightest infraction.
No one was coming for her either.
It was her and Podak and the cave for however long she had left,
and she doubted that she had much time. At least she had Nadeen, and Lilo
sometimes.
Looking up, she nodded.
Obedience meant that she got to keep her mind.
In the next moment, a smile graced his face. Turning, he led her out.
Just like the first day she left the tent, hundreds of people were outside, but
this time, they weren’t milling around. They were standing, waiting.
Podak held her hand tighter than necessary as he guided her across
the ledge that they looked over on their last walk.
She had to force herself not to stumble. She did feel better than she
did the day before, way better than the day before that too. But it was still a
struggle to drag her feet as Podak pulled her behind him.
When they finally reached the center, he graced her with another
one of his smiles. She really couldn’t tell if they were fake or not. They
looked genuine, but he had smiled at her like that before. Right before he
‘purged’ her. He’d grinned at her as he passed her the aperto like he was
doing her a favor.
Pulling his gaze down to the primas, he raised her hand in his.
She watched as they clapped, as they smiled as if there was
something to be happy about. It was only when the commotion died down
that she realized he’d started speaking.
“...for tomorrow, we will be joined.”
She didn’t even react. How could she when it was all he ever talked
about?
“The next day, we will march.”
That had her hackles rising.
He shook his head. “Pola watched. Pola waited. We will do neither-”
As he cut himself off, Salem swung her eyes to the crowds again to
see what had stopped him. A few people had parted, stepping away from
one man who was shouting something from the front row.
And he was looking right at her.
He was speaking too fast for Salem to even comprehend.
When someone next to him made a move for him, Podak put a hand
out. The second man stopped. Salem shivered as he finally released her
hand and stepped back, slowly walking past her before descending the
steps. The man’s lips stopped moving as everyone seemed to wait for
Podak. The crowd parted, people moving left and right to step out of his
way. She watched, her back straight, as he strolled along the edge of the
pool.
Finally reaching the heckler, Podak politely extended a hand to the
man.
Slowly, he accepted it.
His problem wasn’t with Podak, it was with her.
Absently watching them exchange words, she let her eyes wander to
the crowd again.
All these people. They even spilled into the tunnels, heads stretching
further than the light reached.
Salem knew Deianira well and she was sure that she would’ve
already taken protective measures after his victory in the trials. But an
attack was very different from a slaughter. With so many primas marching
at once, Salem wasn’t sure what would come of Terra. The cave may have
been all she had now, but the city was still alive, maybe they could stay that
way if she could do something about it.
She bristled at her own strand of disobedience. But she let the
thought run. She’d pay for her insubordination, but Terra might live because
of it. If only she had a way to-
As the crowd rippled, Salem’s eyes darted to the cleared spot in the
front row. The spot where Podak had approached that man. The spot that
they were currently both kneeling in as Podak held the man’s head
underwater. He fought and struggled in Podak’s hands, but he didn’t let up
for a second. What he did do was look up at Salem.
Her feet took her back a step as she met his white gaze.
Then slowly, his arms stopped shaking, the man went still, but
Podak’s eyes still held hers captive.
‘For you…’ he mouthed to her.
Salem would’ve cocked her head back if she thought it wouldn’t
offend him.
She definitely did not tell him to kill that man.
The primas didn’t look so celebratory as Podak stood and Salem
couldn’t figure out why. Yes, they’d just watch him kill a man, but did they
not do worse to humans on a regular basis? Would they not do worse when
they reached Terra?

Her knee bounced as she contemplated what she was about to do.
The likelihood of it working was so low, and the probability of it
blowing back on her was almost enough to make her back out. But it didn’t
matter whether she could be with him or not. She still wanted him to live.
He’d fought harder than she could’ve for Terra and she didn’t want that to
mean nothing. And then there was Deianira. She’d sworn her life to her, and
being in Terra, or somewhere else, didn’t change the fact that she was still
alive.
Until the day I die…
Protecting Terra was protecting Deianira, protecting him.
She cleared her throat. “Nadeen…” she rasped.
Her hands paused in Salem’s hair before she saw the brush hit the
bed beside her.
Nadeen scrambled to get in her eye line. She knelt in front of Salem.
“My lady,” she beamed.
Salem glanced to the entrance, ignoring her surprise or joy or
whatever it was. “Do you ever go outside?” she whispered.
Nadeen was just watching, fascinated, before she processed her
words. Her eyes dimmed as she flicked them to the bedsheets. “Whatever it
is that you are asking me, my lady, I cannot do it.”
She was smart, deductive.
Salem sighed, thinking about another way to go about this. “It’s
urgent.”
Nadeen nodded. “I am sure it is.” She looked back up at Salem.
“You want him to live.”
Salem tensed. “Who?”
“Your man.”
Her man.
The conversation had taken a turn, but she couldn’t stop the way her
heart fluttered at the wording.
Her man.
She really wished that it was true.
Salem may have been aware that Nadeen was trying to redirect her,
but Nadeen’s next words had her heart lifting more.
“Tell me about him,” she said with a shaky smile.
Salem didn’t know where to start. She chewed on her lip. “He-” No,
something else. “He doesn’t upset me.”
Nadeen frowned. “My lady, he should do more than refrain from
causing you upset.”
Salem knew that, but she meant…
Well, it wasn’t hard to upset her or knock her off balance whether
she made it obvious or not. But he never had. Never made her feel
uncomfortable or like she had to hold her tongue. Nadeen might have seen
that as a standard, but it was so much more to Salem.
She thought of something else that she might understand. “He holds
me. Really tight.”
She raised her brows. “Yes?”
She wanted more. Okay. “He says kind things.”
Nadeen’s lips finally stretched. “What kind things?”
“He tells me that I’m smart. I know I’m smart,” she quickly added.
“But when he says it, I don’t think that he’s talking about my intelligence.
H-he says it like it’s about me.”
She nodded. “What else?”
Salem searched for the words. “His heart beats sixty times a minute
when he’s resting.”
When Nadeen began to frown again, Salem shook her head.
She was doing this all wrong. She was just trying to find a way to
say that- “He’s perfect.”
Nadeen’s face softened. “Nobody is perfect.”
“But-”
“But he is your perfect. Your person.”
Yes, but it was more than that, and for some reason, she wanted
Nadeen to understand that, to see it through her eyes.
“I don’t have to do anything when I’m with him,” she blurted. “Not
because he does everything for me, I mean, he does, when he can, but that’s
not what I mean. I mean that I don’t have to think around him, or change
my words, or pretend. I can just breathe. And I breathe all of the time, but
with him, I can breathe. He’s very observant. I don’t think he knows how
smart he is, but he notices things that others don’t. I can tell by his eyes.
He’s always looking at me but not in a way that makes me feel
uncomfortable. He’s seeing me, not looking through me.” She swallowed.
“And I can say what I want to say or say nothing and he won’t get mad. He
still holds me. Really tight. Like a blanket but bigger, and warmer. It makes
me feel safe. Safer than I’ve ever felt, and I usually carry a lot of weapons.
He’s just…” She sighed, circling right back. “He’s my perfect.”
Finally looking up at Nadeen, she found her jaw open.
“I apologize.” Salem’s eyes found her feet. “I didn’t mean to-”
Nadeen craned her neck down, drawing her gaze. “No. I just wish
that I can find that one day. You are very fortunate.”
Salem’s heart couldn’t have dropped faster.
She wasn’t fortunate. She may have found that, but she didn’t have
it anymore. Not even if she could convince Nadeen to take a message to
Terra.
When Salem sought her eyes again, about to ask that exact question,
Nadeen averted hers, standing. “It is late. I will bring your food.” She was
about to leave when she turned back around. “Is there anything you would
like in particular?”

Rice.
She asked for plain rice.
Salem wasn’t sure why it lifted her spirits the way it did, but she
allowed herself to enjoy this one little thing. Maybe it was him too. Partly
to spare herself the pain, she’d tried to keep him off her mind. But she
didn’t just get to think about him, she spoke about him. For some reason
though, she regretted it. It made her heart light, it gave her a taste of joy that
she knew she’d never get again.
Pushing the last few grains past her lips, Salem accepted the cloth
that Lilo passed to her.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
Lilo’s eyes flew to hers as a small smile pulled at her lips. The first
that Salem had seen. She almost wanted to smile back.
When Lilo took the bowl from her, Salem stood, knowing what was
coming next.
Nadeen came to her front as she lifted her arms and tugged the
fabric from around her back. The girls worked quickly together, cleaning up
and getting Salem ready for bed.
She could’ve told them that she could do all of this herself, but she
feared that if she did, they wouldn’t come so often. So she let them do
everything, just thankful for the company.
As Nadeen wrapped her, she thought of what she might do about her
predicament. As much as she wanted to ask again, she wouldn’t push
Nadeen or risk her getting into trouble, not after she’d seen that display by
the pool, not after she’d been so kind to her.
She needed another way to get a message to them.
Salem froze when Lilo and Nadeen both jumped. She spun,
clutching her chest as Podak’s large figure stormed into the room.
Fury like she’d never seen before marred his face as his chest
heaved.
What happened?
She’d attended his little gathering, she’d stood there and said
nothing, obeyed like he wanted her to.
A curt flick of his head had Lilo stiffening and Nadeen taking a step
closer to Salem.
His eyes narrowed.
Reluctantly, Lilo slowly took steps toward the exit, the plate in her
hand trembling.
Bur Nadeen didn’t move.
“Get. Out.”
Salem could feel her breath on the back of her neck but was too
afraid to take her eyes off Podak to see what she was saying.
“Do you wish to watch?”
Wait. “No…” Salem whispered.
Still, Nadeen stood firm at her back.
Podak inclined his head. “Aadil,” she watched him say. Salem's
mind was too set on what was about to happen and why to work out what
that meant.
Finally, Nadeen ambled out of the room, her gaze giving Salem a
hundred apologies.
Salem stumbled back, staring at him. “I did what you said,” she
whispered.
“You think I do not hear you?!” Podak snarled. “You think I do not
know what you speak of, what you think?!”
She went deathly still. He’d compelled her before. But he’d never
read her. How…
“Did I not try to hold you?!” He advanced, sending her skittering
back. “You refused me EVERY! TIME! What did he give you?! What have
I not given you?!”
Salem fell back as she stumbled over the stool. She didn’t cry out
when Podak grabbed her by the shoulders, she didn’t answer him either, but
she knew that the fear in her eyes said enough.
“What have I not given you?!” he repeated.
Her lip trembled. “I don’t like being-”
He shook her. “ANSWER ME!”
As tears sprung in her eyes, tears that she wanted to slap away, she
still remained silent. She knew that anything she said would’ve angered him
more. Truth or lie.
“Please, don’t touch me.”
“You test me…” His fingers bit into her shoulders, his words
shaking her more than his grip. “I give you my home, and you test me,” he
forced out. “I give you my name, and you reject me. I give you my
kindness, and you refuse me, so please tell me, my bride, WHAT DO YOU
WANT?! ”
When a bone in her shoulder clicked, she couldn’t hold back her
scream. “A choice!” she cried.
She almost wailed when his grip loosened.
“What choice?” he asked, his brows lowering.
She contemplated whether to say her next words, but as her eyes
started to burn, as she scanned his misleading face, she lost it.
“Cassian gave me a choice,” she ground out, hiccuping. “Cassian
asked me what I wanted-”
He cut her off. “I asked you!”
“No!” she growled, absently recognizing her own death wish. “He
asked and listened.” She winced when his grip tightened, but she was too
far gone now. “You’re a hypocrite,” she spat. “You say that I don’t listen,
but you have not listened to the only thing I’ve said, over and over again.”
She drew in a breath. “I don’t want you!”
Her eyes widened as Podak sucked in a breath.
The next thing she knew, she was being thrown to the ground so
hard that the stool she landed on crumbled beneath her. Salem whined as he
flipped her onto her back and grabbed a hold of her hair that Nadeen had
pulled back for her. Yanking her up by her ponytail, he lifted her to her feet.
His darkening grayish eyes moved over her features frantically.
“You have a choice now…” She hissed as he pulled her head closer. “Take
the fruit,” he seethed, “or I will leave before the sun rises and seek him out
myself.”
She fell to the ground the second she was released.
A choice. It wasn’t really a choice at all.
True fear swirled in her heart as she picked herself up. And as she
began walking, she realized something. It didn’t matter that she’d obeyed
him or that she was walking right over to the table to pick up the aperto.
Because it was never about obedience. Not solely anyway.
It was about Cassian.
The purging.
He wasn’t purging disobedience from her, he was purging Cassian.
With a heavy weight sitting on her heart, she looked back, and
clutching it in her hand, she picked the lesser of two evils.
His look was daring. “Do not expect mercy from me.”
Shakily, she held his stare as she lifted it to her lips.
“No,” he said with a hand out. If he wasn’t still wearing that look on
his face, she would’ve thought that he was caving. That he’d been bluffing
all along. But she’d learned by now. “You will go without it.”
Salem’s hand paused. What did that mean?
She pushed her hazy mind to remember everything he’d said about
the fruit. He said it opened the mind, made it moldable. What would happen
if he tried to ‘mold’ without it?

“Name.”
Teeth chattering, she forced herself to sit still. “Salem Qin.”
“Age.”
“Six,” she whispered.
“Height.”
“Three feet and five inches.”
“Weight.”
Salem stilled.
What did the scale say last week?
She was usually good at remembering things, but she couldn’t focus.
She really didn’t like this game. It was even worse than the ones the other
kids tried to force her to play in school. There were so many questions, so
many things to remember.
Having nothing else to do, she slowly met the eyes of the man sitting
across from her. It was just them, two chairs, and the dark room. She’d only
been here a few times, and each time, they played the quiz game. She didn’t
like it, but she didn’t want him to get mad. Well, not mad, he never got mad.
The same way that he looked like a nice man, but she knew that he wasn’t
really.
She learned that on the first day. She’d tried to smile at him, but he
told her to stop. So she smiled even wider. It was a very fake smile, and he
probably knew it, but she wanted to show him that she could smile if she
wanted to. But he just nodded. Then he showed her what the switch could
do. That was the last day she smiled for the next few weeks.
“What was your weight last week?” he offered.
He was letting her off? “Forty-four pounds.”
When he looked up, putting the clipboard on the floor beside him,
she knew he wasn’t letting her off. “And do you feel heavier or lighter?”
She discreetly swung her legs and lifted her arms an inch from the
armrests. She just didn’t know. “I don’t remember.”
“Okay.” Her eyes flew up to catch him giving her an encouraging
smile. “We’ll meet again next week.”
That was it?
One week later…
Keeping her eyes open was one of the hardest things Salem had ever
tried to do as she was wheeled into the dark room. His blurry figure was
sitting at the other end of the table as the big lady pushed her up to her
side.
When Salem slumped forward, she put a hand on her shoulder,
pulling her back to the seat before she left.
“Name.”
She let her lids fall closed as she almost drifted off.
“Do you want to flip the switch?”
Jolting, Salem fell forward again. So fast that she didn’t have time to
get her weak arms to move and stop her head from crashing into the table
in front of her.
“Ow…” she whined as her head throbbed. Before she could force it
back, a cry broke free. She hadn’t cried in a while. But it really hurt.
Sobbing, she grunted as she pushed up from the table, pushing
herself back into her seat. He was still watching her, not even trying to help.
“Name.”
She gasped to hold down her sob. “Salem…”
“Age.”
“I’m six,” she cried.
“Weight.”
“I don’t know…”
“What was your weight last-”
“I still don’t know,” she wailed, her backbone coming out of
nowhere.
His face didn’t change. “Do you feel lighter or heavier?”
Both. She felt smaller, her skin felt tighter. But she also felt so heavy
that it was a struggle to move her mouth to speak. Salem didn’t say that
though. She thought about it. She hadn’t eaten anything since she last saw
him. When she asked for food, no one ever answered her. Just gave her
water at meal times.
“Lighter,” she gasped, her head aching.
When he put down his clipboard, something was revealed behind it.
Salem could feel the saliva pooling in her mouth.
An apple.
He picked it up, turning it in his hands. “You weighed forty-five
pounds last week. This week, you weigh thirty-six.”
Apple…
She didn’t even care that he’d touch it. She wanted it.
“I’m hungr-”
“Do you now see the importance of precision?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “Please, can I-”
She paused, her body shaking as he took a bite out of the apple.
She shook her head. She still wanted it. That was why she spoke,
unprompted, when he went in for the next bite.
“I’m hungry…” she whined.
Another bite.
Her chest hitched as her wet cheeks stretched with the breath she let
out. “Please, can I have some?”
Another bite.
She clenched her jaw. “I’ll die if I don’t eat.”
Finally, he stopped. “Do you know who I am?”
If it meant that she could eat in the end, she’d answer. “Yes.”
“Who am I?”
“Dr. Fo…” She trailed off as she looked at him closer. She may have
only seen him a few times, but something was off.
No. Food. Eat.
“Dr. Forbes,” she rushed out.
“Doctor,” he emphasized. “Dr. Forbes.” He placed the half-eaten
apple down in front of him. “Did you know that children can survive for
almost two weeks without food?” He didn’t wait for her answer and she
wasn’t about to. She was staring at the apple. “With your genetics, I predict
you could push for three, maybe even four.”
No…
“But that won’t be necessary.” Turning to the mirror on the other
side of the room, he waved a hand.
No…
“We’ll meet again next week. Thirty-six pounds. You would do well
to remember it.”
She knew it was the big lady coming to take her back to her room
before the door even opened.
And she lost it. “Why are you so mean?!” she screamed, almost
making herself faint from the force of her words.
He looked up from his notes, folding his hands over the paper. “I’m
doing this for you…”
I’m doing this for you…
Salem’s face relaxed as she mentally zoomed out, looking at his face
again.
He’s not- “You’re not Dr. Forbes,” she whispered.
Her chair was moving backward when his lips slowly tugged at the
corners. “Thirty-six, Sae.”
Wait…
“Cassian?”
He turned back to his notes.
“Cassian!”
She forced herself out of her chair, smacking onto the hard floor.
“Cassian, please!”
Hands locked around her sore arms, picking her up as the pain,
every type of pain she could think of, coursed through her. “Look at me!”
she screamed. “I’m right here!”
She slapped away the hands, about to call him again, when
something, someone, appeared over his shoulder. A tall man with a straight,
hard face. He wasn’t looking at her either. Just looking down at whatever
Cassian was so interested in.
She was pulled back over the threshold.
“Let me go!” she shrieked. “Help me! Cassian, please!”
The door started closing as he still refused to look at her.
“No!” This was her only chance. He needed to hear her, for his sake
at least. “Cassian, just look at me! He’s comi-”
A chance she missed.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Forty-Two
“How are you doing that?”

Devin only flashed him a smile over his shoulder as he continued
his perfect trot. Cassian was barely able to keep the horse moving in a
straight line.
“Shit,” he muttered as he veered too far right.
“Gimme.” Devin came up to him before reaching over and grabbing
his reins. “Just sit still.”
Cassian went straight.
“Gods, I meant quit dancing. You’re allowed to breathe.”
He relaxed his posture, and finally, the ride got smoother. Still, he
didn’t understand the appeal. Getting on the back of a wild animal that
could’ve bucked him if it felt like it didn’t really seem that fun. Plus, his
thighs were really sore.
“I missed this.”
Cassian glanced over at Devin. “You took lessons?”
“Not really. Akilah and I used to clean out the local stables for some
change over summer.”
“You guys are close.” It wasn’t a question. Just an observation.
Devin tipped his head from side to side with a stifled smile.
“Compared to everyone else, yeah. I think it’s the age. My eldest sister was
married before I was even born.”
“How many of you are there?”
“Twelve in total.”
Cassian’s brows shot up. He couldn’t imagine having that many
people to grow up with. Maybe if he did, things would’ve been different.
Better… “And you’re not as close with your brothers?” he asked.
Devin chuckled. “Don’t have any.”
He gaped at him. “You have eleven sisters?”
“Yep.”
Once his shock wore off, he realized that it kind of made sense. It
was probably one of the few things that made sense about Devin.
“But the day before we left,” he said, his jaw tightening for a
moment. “When I went to say bye to my family, Akilah didn’t cry or hug
me like the others. She just watched. Then when I went to leave, she threw
a shoe at the back of my head and said, ‘Well, can you give me a second to
pack a fucking bag?’” he said in a high-pitched voice before he snorted,
shaking his head. “She’s something else,” he whispered.
Cassian peered over his shoulder just in time to catch Akilah elbow
Don in the ribs.
“If you’re not gonna ride straight, give me the reins! You’re gonna
mess up my braid,” she hissed as she continued to mess with the horse’s
mane.
Don mumbled something under his breath as he shook his head.
She glared back over her shoulder. “And whose choice was that?
Because I’ll gladly get down and walk.”
He made a deep grumble, clenching his jaw. “Do you ever stop
complaining or is it a genetic thing?”
Cassian only managed to see a flash of outrage cross Akilah’s face
before she was swinging her body around and shoving him. The reins
slipped through Don’s fingers as he lost his balance and went plummeting
to the ground.
“I’m done now,” Akilah sighed as he thumped onto the ground,
moving to grab the reins.
Cassian winced. “Yep,” he agreed to Devin.
He was a big guy and that probably didn’t help his landing. But
apparently, it wasn’t painful enough, because, with a growl, he was
springing to his feet. He grabbed her by her waist and dragged her off,
stumbling to the ground as she struggled.
Akilah threw a fist, trying to push up off his chest. He grabbed her
by her hair, pulling her back down and rolling over, and eventually, they
descended into a full-on scuffle. She punched him in the nose, he dragged
her to the side and put her face in the dirt. It was actually quite funny.
Devin looked over his shoulder at the noise before sighing and
stopping his horse.
With a flick of his hand, they were flying apart. While Akilah
tumbled back into a roll, Don was sent straight into a tree. One look at
Devin’s stifled smirk told him that it wasn’t an accident.
“Get up,” he told them.
“She pushed me-”
“He tried to kill me-”
“Hey! Hey!” They quieted. “I didn’t actually ask.”
With glares in his direction and at each other, Don and Akilah got
back up, her refusing his help and choosing to dig her nails into his leg to
pull herself up.
Thanks to Devin, they actually remained silent for the rest of the
afternoon and well into the evening. He took a look at the darkening sky,
sighing. He wasn’t tired and the others seemed to be keeping up well. Lia
had even managed to catch a fox den earlier. She’d shoved her hand in and
grabbed two before locking them between her knees and simultaneously
breaking their necks. Aiko was pale as he held her reins while she skinned
them, but he still ate when they took a short stop to cook them.
If they were careful, they could ride through the night.
“Cass…”
“Yeah?” He looked over at Devin.
He slowly dropped Cassian’s reins and started to veer away from
him. “What’s the matter?” he asked carefully.
“Nothing,” Cassian responded, confused. “Why?”
Devin snuck a glance behind him. “Your eyes,” he whispered.
Cassian frowned before bringing his hand in front of his face. In the
evening’s low light, he could immediately see the light shining onto his
palm. He dropped his hand, forcing his eyes forward. “I don’t know what’s
happening,” he breathed.
“Just calm down,” Devin said quietly.
That’s the thing. “I am calm.”
“Then why-”
Cassian stopped hearing Devin’s words at the same time that his
back stiffened, at the same time as a burning sensation shot through his
temple.
Not being able to hold himself up, he growled out, falling to the
side. He could barely even feel the pain that shot up his spine as he
smacked onto the ground over the feeling of his mind collapsing.
“Cassian!”
Then, the pain really started.
“AHHHH!”
Hands were on him, probably to offer comfort, but he batted them
away, shaking, not knowing what to do with himself. He roared as he
grabbed his head, his brain throbbing behind his eyes.
“What is it?!”
“What’s wrong with his eyes?!”
“Is he having a seizure?!”
“Back up!” This voice grew closer. “Hey! Can you see me?!”
“Gods…” he wheezed, tossing himself from left to right.
He couldn’t see anything whether his eyes were squeezed shut or
wide open.
“He’s bleeding!”
Hands were on him again. “Where?!”
“His ears!”
He was in so much pain, he was sure that he should’ve passed out
by now. He almost wanted to, but he couldn’t. There were no breaths, no
breaks, just straight agony.
But then, in the next second, there was nothing.
Cassian thought that he had indeed passed out until his eyes blinked
into focus.
Devin was right above him. “Cass?”
He didn’t need to look far to find the others either. They were all
kneeling on either side of him, Don standing right behind Aiko.
Cassian groaned when every muscle in his body rebelled as he tried
to sit up.
“Cassian.” He raised his bleary lids at Devin. “Are you okay? What
was what?”
“I don’t know,” he panted.
No one else said anything for a while as Devin started pulling a
water bottle out of his bag. He handed it to Cassian, not taking his eyes off
him until he took a sip.
“Are you good?”
He nodded because that was all he could do. He felt fine. But a few
seconds ago…
Maybe Devin was right and he should've gone to the clinic. Then
he’d have some sort of explanation or expectation for how this would play
out. First the eyes, then the pain. Were they connected? Would it happen
again? Because he wasn’t sure if he could take it if it did.
“Who is that?”
Everyone turned to Don at the abrupt question, but he was looking
at Cassian.
“Is that you?” he asked him.
“Is what me?” Cassian shot back.
Don’s eyes passed over each face in the group, his mouth opening
and closing as if he wasn’t sure whether to go on. Eventually, he did.
“The…the fear.”
Umm…
“I can feel you,” Don insisted.
“Me?” Cassian retorted, his heart still taking its time to slow.
Devin stood and faced him. “Everybody’s fucking scared, Don, can
you let him breathe.”
Don’s brows lowered as he shook his head. “No, it’s him.”
Cassian pushed up, wincing as he stood.
“What are you talking about?” Akilah frowned.
Eyes bouncing around, Don sighed, defeated. “I can feel him. I
know it’s him because it’s starting to freak me out too.”
She approached with a placating hand. “Donnie, maybe you
should-”
He stepped back. “I’m not-” Grunting, he cut Cassian a look. “Are
you still in pain?”
Slowly, Cassian shook his head.
“Then why do I feel like I’m about to pass out?”
“What?” Akilah didn’t let him escape this time as she grabbed his
arm, tugging him forward before placing a hand on his forehead. She turned
to the group, her jaw slack. “He’s burning up,” she breathed.
It was only then that Cassian noticed the sheen on his forehead.
Akilah gasped as he swayed on his feet, Aiko running up to help her
lower him to the ground.
“What the hell?” Devin mumbled, slowly stepping up.
Cassian shook off the faint buzzing in his ears as he stumbled over
to them. “It’s not me,” he insisted as if that might help.
Akilah spun her eyes to him with a cold glare. “Well, it’s someone!”
Don groaned, turning his head to the side.
As if Cassian and Devin had had the same thought, they both drew
their guns, turning their backs to the others. He wasn’t aware of any of the
gifted leaving the city after the divide, there wasn’t much reason to, the
migration had only been inward as far as he knew. So the chances of
whoever was messing with Don being gifted were slim. Prima, however?
“Where are we?” Lia whispered behind them.
“Who the fuck cares?!” Akilah gritted out.
Lia came up beside Devin and lowered his gun for him. “Where are
we?” she asked urgently.
Devin’s gaze was cautious as he flicked his eyes to his bracelet.
“‘Bout half a day from the forest.”
Lia spun on Cassian. “It’s you.”
He tightened his grip on the gun, not appreciating the accusation.
“No, it-”
“Yes, it is! Well, not you, but it’s coming from you!”
Don let out a pained moan.
Devin flicked his eyes to him. “What is?”
“It’s Salem…” He froze. “You’re channeling her.”
He didn’t realize that he’d dropped his hands until his gun hit the
ground.
No…
“Th-this is her?” he asked slowly, pointing at Don.
Lia nodded, looking between Devin and Don, having some sort of
silent conversation.
She was alive.
She’s in pain.
Cassian turned around. Salem.
She’s in range.
Salem! he called again, striding a few shaky steps.
Before he could even begin to hyperventilate, Lia’s hands were on
him, shaking his shoulders.
“Cassian!”
“What?” he choked out.
Her face dimmed. “You have to block her…”
He almost jumped back. She wants me to do what? “No!”
He turned behind him. Salem!
Cassian!
His jaw fell as the wind was knocked from him. He must have been
hearing things. There was no way that that was her voice. He didn't even
think that her vocal cords could make such a sound.
SALEM!
I’m right here!
He spun, almost knocking into someone as he scanned the
surrounding area. I can’t…I can’t see you!
Look at me!
“Cassian!” Lia growled, grabbing his arms.
He whirled on her. “NO!” Her eyes blew as she stepped back.
Cassian, just look at me!
Devin approached on his side. “You have to!”
I’m trying! he yelled, spinning in circles.
Devin grasped the collar of his shirt before forcing his head in Don’s
direction. “Look at him!”
Don shook as Aiko and Akilah frantically tried to hold him and
cushion his head.
Cassian instantly started backing away, his hands up. “Just wait!”
Salem!
“You’re gonna kill him!” a voice screamed.
“N-n-no. He’ll be fine! Nothing’s actually happening to him. He’s
just feeling it,” he rushed out.
Devin threw an arm in Don’s direction. “But Salem is over seventy
years older than him. She might be able to take it, but he can’t. The pain
alone could kill him,” he forced out.
He’d just gotten in range. This might have been the only way to find
her.
“Cassian, do it!”
He let his gaze fall on Don again. Akilah pulled back his lids and
gaped as his eyes started rolling back. With both hands on his head, Cassian
took many heavy breaths. He just needed her to answer.
“Please,” Aiko begged.
Help me! Cassian, please!
Oh Gods… He expelled a choked breath. Where are you?!
He would pull back. As soon as he knew where she was.
All of a sudden, he felt something in his head twinge. Just a wobble.
Like the link. Like it was being tugged on, tugged on way too hard.
But he wasn’t doing it.
Without thinking, he grabbed onto it, refusing to let go.
For a second, he thought that Salem was trying to pull back, but
then, he heard it.
The mumbling.
Only feet away, Akilah was on one knee, her eyes boring into his as
her lips moved with harsh whispers.
The link tugged painfully.
Devin’s eyes bugged. “Akilah, no!”
She continued murmuring as Cassian fell to his knees. “Stop…” he
rasped.
“Akilah, if you break it, he will never be able to get it back!”
She raised a hand in his direction as his mind began to split, but he
still held on. “Stop!”
Then another voice began mumbling. As Devin stepped beside him,
the pain decreased.
“Devin! Let go!” she screamed.
“You first!”
When the pain increased again, Cassian cried out, falling.
“ENOUGH!” Devin shoved out, his volume deafening.
Akilah screamed, ripping her arms back.
Devin fell to his knees in front of Cassian, grabbing his head as the
pain dissipated. “Block her, or he will die!”
“I don’t want to,” he whispered.
Devin spoke quickly and very quietly. “I am not going to force you
to do anything, but remember this moment when you find her, and she
finally asks where her brothers are. Be ready to tell her that you let him die
to find her quicker. She is alive, we know that now, and we can still get to
her. But remember this moment when we do.”
Tearing his eyes from Devin, Cassian gritted his teeth as he let his
lids fall.
I know you probably can’t hear me, but if you can, just wait for me…
Please, wait for me. I’m coming for you, Sae, and I’m going to bring you
back home so just hold on. I’ll do everything else. Just wait for me…
Then, he pulled back.
Cassian sat on his haunches and let the pained roar he’d been
holding in tear free. Choked gasping sounds pulled his eyes over to Don
who reared up, but Cassian slowly fell forward, letting his head hit the
ground.
What did I just do?
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Forty-Three
Salem didn’t gasp, or sit up as the pain receded. In fact, she’d stopped
moving a while ago.
Something was different.
She knew that the last few times, the last few ‘purgings’, only lasted
an hour, two at most, but she could feel the dull thumping of the activity
outside through the bed. It was morning or afternoon, she couldn’t tell. She
didn’t really care to know either.
It was Podak who gasped, who sat back, trying to catch his breath
like he’d exerted himself. She just lay there, half of her body hanging off
the bed, staring up at him, entirely unfeeling.
On cue, the curtain was pushed back, Nadeen and Lilo stepping in,
heads down.
Nadeen’s eyes flew to Salem’s as her jaw dropped. She hurried over,
tugging Lilo behind her as they placed their equipment onto the bed. That’s
when she felt movement at her back, when she felt him leaving. She didn’t
even know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
She watched Nadeen’s glassy eyes pass over her face as she brought
the rag to the corner of her mouth, wiping away the froth. Lilo didn’t look
anywhere but at her own task as she started to wipe the blood from Salem’s
ears. Nadeen dipped the rag into the bowl and wrung it out, and as she
wiped the dried tears from Salem’s eyes, her head lolled onto her shoulder.
It was too heavy to hold up.
Nadeen quickly held her head, her tear-filled eyes looking behind
Salem with a murderous glare. Whatever she received in response had her
eyes darkening.
All too quickly, they were done. Nadeen handed the bowls to Lilo
before lifting Salem’s feet onto the bed. Salem wanted to sigh. The new
position was much more comfortable. She sat on the end of the bed and
looked over Salem’s head expectantly.
“She needs to rest,” Nadeen ground out.
…
“She will not sleep alone.”
…
“I will not-” Her eyes hardened before she cast her gaze down to
Salem again. “No. I will leave.”
Salem’s heart was already sitting too low to drop. Nadeen stared
into her eyes before nodding and standing to exit behind her.
As the air fanned across her back, the bed dipped.
She didn’t react as Podak took a seat by her feet. His face was
somber, his eyes full of concern. Salem might not have been able to work
out what had changed, but she was sure that something was different.
Because what happened next would have never been possible if something
wasn’t. Because when Podak stretched a single hand in her direction, as he
did each time…her fingers twitched to reach for it.
Sighing with relief, Podak leaned forward and drew her up in his
arms, clutching her limp body to his chest.
Salem didn’t move, mostly because she couldn’t, but she didn’t
want to.
He was warm, he was close. He didn’t hold her as tight as she
would’ve liked, but it wasn’t unbearable.
Almost instantly, something deep down told her that it wasn’t right.
Trying to push it away, trying to stay in her relative state of peace, she let
her head loll onto his chest.
That feeling nipped at her again. His chest was firm, but it wasn’t
smooth. She took a ragged breath, willing the feeling to leave her alone.
Her lips almost tipped up as his chest thumped against her cheek.
That was better.
One, two, three, four, five…
She closed her eyes and got lost in the numbers
Fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five, fifty-six…
Fifty-six.
His heart beat fifty-six times a minute.
Salem shoved that jittery feeling away again as she nestled closer to
him. What did his heart rate have to do with anything and why did it bother
her so much?

After spending half of the day in bed, Salem could finally lift her lids
enough to look up at Podak.
For hours, he’d spoken to her while she just watched. She fell asleep
between sentences and woke up to find him still talking. He spoke of how
great they would be, how happy she made him, how much he was looking
forward to their joining.
The joining.
It was only hours away.
From what she understood, it was basically the same as a wedding,
except there were rituals and many more celebrations, especially for
someone of Podak’s standing.
He held her closer as he hitched forward and laid her down onto the
bed. She shivered, missing the warmth already. Kneeling beside the bed, he
lifted her chin and tilted his head so that their eyes were level. His thumb
caressed her jaw as he gazed deep into her eyes. “I knew I could make a
good wife of you…” he breathed with a soft smile. “You will not regret
this.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Forty-Four
They didn’t spot riding that night. They hadn’t planned to stop anyway,
but Cassian would’ve dared anyone to ask for a break. He even sped up,
leading some distance ahead of them for most of the day, but he finally
slowed his pace for them to catch up as it grew closer to midday. With the
sun beating down on them, he didn’t expect the horses to run for miles on
end. So they kept a slow and steady pace as the next night began to fall.
No one spoke to him, they didn’t speak to each other either. Because
things had changed. Been confirmed. He’d felt it, Don had felt it.
Blocking her meant that he wouldn’t know if she was still in pain or
not, it meant that he couldn’t ask her where she was, that she couldn’t tell
him. The stakes were a thousand times higher and he had absolutely no
guidance.
The Patrias forest. Then what? Walk around aimlessly until she
popped up?
“Cass.”
He didn’t respond, but he slowed down so that Devin could come up
beside him.
“They need water,” he said quietly, nodding his head down. “We
should stop at the river before we go around it.”
Cassian pulled his wrist up. It was less than ten minutes ahead, but
they’d have to go back on themselves to get into the forest. However, there
wouldn’t have been any point of passing the river if the horses collapsed on
the other side.
Keeping his eyes forward, he inclined his head.
He was the first to dismount as they reached the river. The sooner it
was done, the sooner they could get back on the trail.
Evidently thirsty, his horse didn’t hesitate to go right up to the
riverbank. He leaned back against a tree and watched as the others pulled
theirs closer.
For a long while, he thought about re-establishing the link. No one
would’ve known.
Would they?
Cassian still wasn’t sure how he managed to channel her the last
time, maybe he was trying to divert the pain or redirect it. He wouldn’t do
that again. He’d take that pain tenfold if it meant that he could hear her
voice again.
Maybe he could just talk to her for a second.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Cassian closed his eyes with a sigh as Devin leaned against the tree
on the other side. “I wasn’t.”
“Yes, you were.”
He lowered his voice. “Well, what the fuck do you expect me to
think? She is this close.”
Devin waited for a while. “And if whatever happened last time
happens again and Don dies?”
Cassian looked away, clenching his jaw.
“We’ll find her. But not like that. Okay?”
As the horses gradually began to lose interest, the group started to
pull them away from the bank, mounting. Cassian blew out a breath as they
started in the direction they came, him deciding to hang back while Devin
led.
In truth, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep it together,
not that he was doing a good job of that to begin with. He just wanted
things to go back to the way they were the night before he left for the trials.
The night they got to pretend. But, he was done with pretending that he was
okay. She wasn’t okay so why did he get to be?
Cassian quickly veered right as Lia’s horse slowed.
“Woah,” he said quietly. “Lia, can you-” Cassian’s words halted.
He was looking at Lia’s horse. Lia’s horse that didn’t have Lia on it.
“Aiko,” he barked since they were supposed to be walking in line
with each other.
Everyone turned back abruptly.
“Where’s-” A figure falling in his periphery and a loud thud had his
head whipping to his right.
Lia was sitting on top of a small man, pressing a knife to his throat.
“He’s been trailing us for miles!” she growled.
What the fuck?
Cassian swung his eyes to Aiko as he jumped off his horse.
He held his hands up. “She said she’d gut me if I made a sound.”
He looked back to Lia as they all jumped down to help. As Lia
rolled off him, Cassian picked him up and shoved him against a tree. “Who
the fuck are you?”
The bald man didn’t even show an ounce of fear. He just closed his
eyes.
Prima. No one gifted would’ve been out this far.
And the second he did, Cassian pulled him back before forcing him
against the tree harder.
“Quit it!”
His eyes flew open, his jaw slack.
“Who are you?” Cassian gritted as he stared between his black eyes.
Finally, fear began to leak from him, but he still kept his lips tight. So
Cassian changed his phrasing.
“Tell me who you are.”
“Yusef,” he gasped.
“Tell me why you’re here.”
“I was making preparations for the joining when I heard you. I
followed.”
Joining. He’d heard that before.
“What joining?”
The man’s face soured. “Ansdak and his half-breed whore,” he spat.
Half-breed whore.
There was only the slightest bit of doubt in his mind. He just needed
something else to cement his suspicions. He pushed his arm against the
man’s neck as he began to claw at him.
“Who's Ansdak?” he asked darkly.
Yusef frowned. “Pola’s widower. The King of Patriam.”
Podak? It had to be him. Potek was dead. Cassian didn’t even focus
on the second half of his sentence.
“You’re gonna take us to her.”
“To who?”
“The woman!” Cassian growled.
He paled. “You cannot ask this. He will kill me.”
Is this guy serious?
Cassian narrowed his eyes, shaking his head with a disbelieving
huff. “And you think I won’t?”
Releasing him, he took a step back and let him fall to the ground. He
pointed to the forest ahead. “Start walking.”

As the sky darkened once again, Cassian wondered just how long that
man had been following them. At many points, they’d been moving quite
fast so it was a wonder how he kept up. He was doing well now as he
walked ahead of the horses, but Cassian let Devin handle him.
His mind was occupied.
The Patrias forest.
He fought to keep his eyes straight as they passed the circular
clearing. Cassian saw Devin’s eyes flick back at him for a second. He
remembered too. But it wasn’t the beginning that Cassian was thinking
about. It was the end, the part that Devin didn’t see.
He was so hopeful that first day, so wide-eyed at the forest’s beauty.
Not now. Now he couldn’t think of a place he wanted to be less. As they
trotted along the edge of the river, it wasn’t like he was expecting to see her
body there, but he didn’t want to see anything at all.
Pulling on his reins, he steered around the group and headed to the
front.
“Can you walk any slower?”
Yusef didn’t turn to look over his shoulder, but he did speed up.
Ignoring the look that Devin threw his way, he silently followed
behind the man. As they continued, the trees seemed to get thicker. He
wasn’t sure that he’d seen this side of the forest. He didn’t recognize the
thorny bushes or strangely flat ground.
Yusef halted.
“I didn’t tell you to stop,” Cassian snapped as he came up beside
him.
His forehead dripped with sweat as he panted. “She is close. Let me
leave you here. I beg you.”
Cassian narrowed his eyes, partly because of the lack of light, but
mostly out of frustration. He was fighting the compulsion.
Throwing a leg over the horse, Cassian swung down and slowly
advanced on him.
Yusef’s face scrunched as he stepped back. “Please.”
Lia and Devin dismounted simultaneously.
“Cass, maybe we should-”
“Nope. His choice,” he shot back, grabbing Yusef before he could
get far enough. “Tell me where she is.”
Slowly, as if it pained him, Yusef drew up a shaky hand before
pointing to the left. Cassian followed his finger to the river. The same long
river they’d been following.
He fought not to drop him there. “She’s in the river?” he whispered.
Yusef nodded. But when he saw something on Cassian’s face, he
shook his head vehemently. “She lives! She lives, I swear it!”
His heart was settling before he’d even checked to make sure he was
telling the truth. “What do you mean she’s in the river?”
“She is under.” He tapped his foot on the ground, casting his eyes
down.
“Underground?” Devin asked, stepping up.
“Yes.”
“And how do we get there? Where’s the entrance?” Cassian quickly
asked, forcing his eyes back to him.
“The river.”
That was what he was talking about. “Where does it lead?”
“Delitorium.”
Cassian sighed. He didn’t know what that was. It was no good to
him. He dropped Yusef. “Tell me the layout.”
“Cass.”
He turned to Devin with a long breath.
“There are six of us. We have no idea what we’re walking into.
Maybe we shouldn’t go down.”
What is he say-
“What if we can make ‘em come up?”
Huh.
“Keep talking.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Forty-Five
Nadeen avoided Salem’s eyes as she freed her hair from its confines.
For all her discomfort as her waves fell over her shoulders, she didn’t have
the will to move, she didn’t have the strength either.
Lilo held her from behind, her arms locked under hers, allowing
Nadeen to fix her hair where they sat on the bed. After she was satisfied,
she brought over the black powder. It looked like coal, but it never irritated
her eyes when she’d put it on before, so she didn’t blink as Nadeen brought
the shaven stick to her face, applying it across her eye line. She frowned,
sitting back before lifting a very light pink paste. She dipped her little finger
in it before swiping it across Salem’s cheeks. She guessed it was to add
color. The last time she’d gotten a look in the mirror, she didn’t even
recognize the pale face that stared back at her.
Nadeen sat back and finally met her gaze. She looked like she
wanted to speak before she stopped herself, then she gently grasped Salem’s
hand, giving in. “Do you know what will happen tonight?”
She didn’t and she assumed that Nadeen knew that too.
“You will be joined before the eyes of the first.”
The first.
“She is in every one of us, and therefore, you are to be joined before
everyone one of us.”
So, a wedding. She expected that since they were getting her ready.
Her only concern was the practicality of it all seeing as she could just about
blink.
Nadeen looked away for a moment, her eyes saddening. “My lady, it
does not have to be unpleasant. He feels for you. I believe he will be kind.”
About what?
Lilo jolted just as Salem felt a slight shake in the air. But it didn’t
stop. It was constant. Like a rumbling that she could feel in her chest. It was
sound.
Nadeen quickly looked over her face again. “It is time.”
They didn’t wait for agreement or protest as they both moved to
either side of her, lifting her under her arms. Salem wasn’t one to be overly
concerned about image, but she did wonder how ridiculous she must have
looked as they tried to hold her up in a way that seemed natural, carrying
her from the room, Lilo holding her head up from behind so that she could
see the men and women below. All of them were sitting cross-legged
around the pool with their heads down. They weren’t the first thing she
noticed though.
The first was Podak. He was the only one looking up, looking at her,
standing at the head of the pool in a long black tunic, the same color as the
dress that she’d been fitted into. His smile was bright and proud as she was
carried down the steps, Nadeen and Lilo doing their best to make the trip
smooth. She didn’t take her eyes off Podak as they made their way around
the circle, mostly because her head was pointed in his direction and she
couldn’t have moved it if she wanted to.
When they finally made it to the small empty space that he stood in,
there was a moment of stillness, of unease. Podak’s smile momentarily
faltered, but he tugged it back on, tighter, as he looked over her shoulder
with uncertainty.
She hadn’t seen him since the morning, and maybe he’d assumed
that she would be in better condition. From afar, she probably looked
relatively normal, but as his eyes looked her up and down, his displeasure
was evident. But he just kept smiling as he nodded his head to the ground.
She only realized what he meant when Nadeen and Lilo lowered
her, her legs limply crossing beneath her as they sat her on the sandy, stone
ground, facing the pool. They stayed behind her, holding her back straight
as Podak settled down beside her. She watched through the corner of her
eye as he grasped her hand before facing the crowd.
Then he spoke. And they lifted their heads.
She was at too far of an angle to understand anything he was saying,
but her condition wasn’t bad enough for her to miss the tension rising or the
atmosphere darkening. Something was about to happen.
The second she’d thought it, the air vibrated again as primas from
all over the Delitorium erupted in shouts and cheers.
The motions hadn’t ended when Podak released her hand and stood.
On cue, Lilo and Nadeen lifted her. Before she was on her feet, Podak was
taking a step into the pool, the water sending ripples away from his feet.
Once he was on the first stone step, he turned to her, his eyes darker than
they’d been a moment ago. Not just darker, hungrier.
Without further delay, Podak’s hands traveled to the neckline of his
tunic. His hands only shifted for a moment, like there was anxiety behind
his movements, but before Salem could wonder what might have caused it,
he pulled it off in one sweep.
If her eyes could’ve widened, they would’ve.
He was absolutely naked.
Walking backward, he descended the steps, submerging himself
until he had to tread water. Then, he waited.
Why is he-
Her perusal was cut off as Lilo stepped in front of her, blocking her
view, Nadeen presumably the one still holding her up.
She was surprised to find tears in Lilo’s eyes. Not just brimming
tears, but tear-stained cheeks, her chest hitching with a sniff. She was
crying.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she reached for Salem’s
shoulders and untied the knot on the shoulder of the dress Nadeen had
wrapped only minutes ago.
That was when Salem made the connection.
Podak was undressed. She was being undressed.
Joined before all…
Joined…
The joining…
It wasn’t a wedding. The wedding had already happened.
It was a consummation.
Her eyes found Podak’s when Lilo stepped to the side to undo the
other knot.
Salem swallowed. This was Podak, the man who’d held her and
comforted her only hours ago. So why did it feel so wrong? Why did she
want to run away? Why did the thought of joining with him make her want
to shove Lilo and Nadeen away and fight till she’d taken her last breath?
She didn’t want-
I don’t want to do this…
A soft whimper caught in her throat as the cloth covering her chest
dropped.
They were all watching, not a head was lowered.
When Lilo blocked her view again, her hands coming to her waist,
her eyes on Salem’s, never dipping any lower, she said something, or
mouthed it considering the company, that had Salem gritting her teeth with
fear.
‘You cannot scream. Do not. Please.’ She wasn’t instructing her, she
was begging her. Like she was asking for her own sake.
Salem’s lips wobbled against her own accord. I don’t want to do thi-
The ground shook, knocking her out of Nadeen’s arms.
She didn’t cry out at the impact, didn’t even feel the pain. She
couldn’t when the only thing she felt was relief. Evidently, the interruption
wasn’t planned, because, from her crumpled position, she watched Podak’s
head fly upward, his eyes wide. Soon, scurrying feet were obscuring her
vision as people darted from left to right. His wet form flickered before her
between the feet as he shouted, pointing in different directions.
Seconds later, primas were diving into the water.
His eyes had only just locked with hers when she was dragged up
from the ground and cradled in familiar arms. Nadeen’s arms. Her eyes
never looked down as she ran through the crowds. People bumped into her
every few seconds, but she kept on. Salem’s heart beat erratically in her
chest as she tried to see where they were going, but soon, Nadeen wasn’t
running anymore. She was in the air. Then in the water.
She slapped a hand over Salem’s nose and mouth as she started
kicking.
Salem didn’t pay attention to anything around them, she didn’t
relish in the feeling of the water against her skin, something she once loved.
She kept her eyes squeezed shut as her chest jolted, time and time again,
begging for air. The repetitive movement was painful in itself, but she still
tried to get her fingers to move to pry the hand from her face.
Then, the position changed. They were swimming up. For a long
time.
Nadeen’s hand loosened seconds before they broke the surface, and
then it was gone altogether. Salem gasped as she was turned again and held
to Nadeen’s breast. She kept her like that the whole time that she swam
across the river. The familiar river. The very familiar river in the very
familiar forest.
It was the trees. Not any specific tree, but the way they towered over
everything, the way their branches sprouted out and curled upwards.
Before she could observe further, Nadeen worked her one free arm
to get onto the marshy land. As soon as she was standing, she started
running again. Figures and shadows moved around them, the other primas
who swam out running beside them, but Nadeen didn’t head in the same
direction as them for long. She took a right instead, her eyes skittering all
over the place as she held Salem even tighter, absently covering her with
the material of her dress. It was cold, but Salem’s mind had been too
scattered to notice.
Ten minutes into their unsteady journey, Nadeen stopped. Salem
strained to look as far as her eyes could see to find what had made her stop,
but she saw nothing. Until Nadeen turned around.
In the distance, dozens of feet away. It was a…horse.
Nadeen started again, running in the direction of the horse like it
was hers, but when she came in close enough proximity to it, she slowed.
And started shouting.
Her throat worked as she spun in circles, saying something again
and again, her words mincing together.
Salem was about to try to lift her head to see what she was saying
when Nadeen finally stopped, her whole body going rigid.
Then it got brighter. Much brighter than before, forcing her to
squint. The light wasn’t from the sun though, it was obviously well into the
night. It was something artificial.
Finally, the light lowered and Salem slowly blinked.
And when she opened her eyes, she regretted it, because standing in
front of her was the very object of her deepest, darkest nightmares.

“Please!” Yusef begged as Cassian grunted, pulling him further through

the trees. “I did what you asked of me!”
Cassian knew that, but he still didn’t stop. It wasn’t guilt that kept
him silent, it was objectivity. It was true, Yusef had done his job. But
Cassian wasn’t about to set him free. Not only had he seen their faces,
something that didn’t worry Cassian as much as it should’ve, but he was
one of them.
Aiko had asked him to let him go, Akilah had given him a pleading
look, but the others didn’t say anything. They knew how it was. Cassian did
too, but that wasn’t why he threw Yusef to the ground when he’d put
enough distance between himself and the group. That wasn’t why he’d
volunteered himself to deal with him when Devin looked at Yusef after
they’d formed their plan. He wanted to do it.
For days, he’d always been seconds from flying off the handle, but
Devin didn’t allow him, he didn’t allow himself. Now, he could let it out,
far away from the others. Something just for him.
It was a shame that Yusef was the one that they’d found, because
honestly, he hadn’t done much. It was a sick joke that he was about to have
more blood on his hands in the same forest where he almost lost himself.
But he let it roll off his back.
Pulling out his gun and checking the suppressor, he thought of
everything and anything to stop him from losing that objectivity that he’d
been holding onto so tightly.
Dropping onto Yusef before he could get up, Cassian didn’t compel
him to stay. It was better that he was fighting. He slapped away his hands,
pushing the barrel to his forehead.
Come on…
He held his breath, scouring his mind.
Half-breed whore…
That did it.
Cassian pulled the trigger with ease, finally taking a breath when he
stilled.
Done.
It was done. But it didn’t feel done.
Cassian stood, looking down at him. Still, he felt no guilt.
Should it have been that easy?
Breaths quickening, he slid his gun back into his holster.
Why can’t I feel anything?
Cassian wasn’t sure what made him do it, but before he could stop
himself, he was lifting his boot and bringing it down on Yusef’s head. He
cringed as his skull gave way under his foot. But still, he felt no guilt.
So he did it again.
If I am a monster, you are one too…
Cassian stomped on his head more times than he could count.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
He grunted as his foot grew sore from continuously hitting the
ground where his head had split.
He was moments away from finding her, so he couldn’t understand
why an overwhelming sense of darkness was crawling all over his body. He
was mad, scared, and as ironic as it was considering his position, he felt
helpless, exposed. He was desperate. Whether he was desperate to feel or to
find her, it made him want to crawl out of his skin.
He’d be with her soon. What would she think about him after seeing
this?
As sick as it was, that was what made his foot pause, less than a foot
from the body. Not his own conscience, but the thought of Salem seeing
him in such a state.
Why did I do that?
Gritting his teeth, he let out a deep rumble as he wiped his boot in
the dirt, spinning on his heel. He didn’t look at the others as he marched
back through the trees, knowing that they very well could’ve heard
everything.
“Are you sure this is gonna work?” he asked, marching to stand by
Devin, keeping his head down.
He caught Lia’s eyes before she discreetly gestured to her face. He
raised a hand to his brow, clenching his jaw when he drew back bloody
fingers. Making a half turn, he lifted the bottom of his shirt and wiped his
face.
“Hope so,” Devin responded, rolling up his sleeve where he knelt on
the ground. “The second I do this, start running. They’ll be up here quick
and we’re better off out of sight.”
Cassian huffed, stepping back. He didn’t want to be out of sight. He
wanted to be front and center, at the very edge of the river, waiting for
Podak to surface so he could tear his head from his shoulders.
Devin shook his hand out. “Okay. Everybody back up.”
Cassian stepped forward. “Are you sure-”
“It’s not a bomb. The place won’t implode. I’ve got it,” he snapped.
He shook his head. “Sorry. I just need to focus.”
Forcing his mouth shut, Cassian nodded.
“Alright,” Devin sighed. “Three.” He placed a palm on the ground.
“Two.” He flexed his fingers. “One.”
Cassian’s brows rose as the skin on Devin’s arm began to brighten,
then gradually, glow. He was so busy watching that he wasn’t prepared for
the slight jolt in the ground that had his feet leaving the surface for half a
second. Finding his footing, he watched the brown skin restore on Devin’s
forearm as he pulled it back with a jolt.
He hissed, shaking it off.
“Was that it?” Cassian asked quickly. “Did it work?”
Devin raised his head and looked between the group, frowning in
disbelief. “Yessss!” he drew out. “Why are you still here? Fucking run!”
Oh yeah.
They scattered as Devin hopped to his feet. Cassian passed the tree
where the horses were bound, a few of them still settling after the jolt. He
didn’t see where each person went, but he knew that they were close. Lia
especially, as she put her back to the tree directly in front of Cassian,
twirling her knives between her lowered fingers.
This was it.
It wasn’t long before feet were pounding against the forest floor,
before shouts were echoing between the trees. They were far, none of them
close enough to make him anxious. But that was a problem too. If they
weren’t heading for them, neither was Salem.
“Dev,” he whispered.
“Yeah?”
Cassian flinched as he looked up to see Devin standing on a branch
high above him.
How the-
He rolled his eyes. Jumper.
“Maybe we should head-”
“Cassian Alden!”
Both of their eyes widened at the unfamiliar feminine voice.
Somebody knew they were there. It wasn’t Podak, but somebody
knew.
Devin held a hand down, telling him to wait as he peered around the
thick tree.
Whether they’d found them or been told, it meant something.
He wanted to tell him to hurry up, to ask who it was, but Devin
didn’t look down at him again. He disappeared. In the next second, he was
on the ground, approaching whoever was out there.
Good enough for me.
Cassian stepped out from behind the tree.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Forty-Six
A tall woman with dark hair and warm skin halted, her eyes on him.
Cassian already had his gun in his hands, his flashlight held up, as
he looked her up and down, stopping next to Devin. It was only when she
shifted on her feet that he noticed something in her arms.
Someone.
“Oh Gods…” he heard from behind.
Someone small with short, wavy brown hair and tanned legs.
His breath hitched. “Salem…” She was holding Salem.
He dropped his light and his gun, not realizing that he’d been
walking towards them until the dark-haired woman’s face darkened,
holding her closer.
He paid her no mind as he reached them, that stinging sensation
behind his eyes coming back in full force. He just needed to touch her, to
make sure that she was real, that he wasn’t dreaming.
The woman took a step back. “Are you Cassian Alden?”
He was barely listening as extended his hands again, only for her to
step back.
“He is,” Devin said behind him.
Hesitantly, the woman allowed Cassian to take her the fourth time
he reached out.
Salem…
She was so still, so light.
He knew it was her, but he still went to brush her hair from her face
to get a look at her, to get her to see him.
“We must leave,” the woman said before he could work his way
through the mess of black fabric.
We?
“Now,” she urged him.
Cassian stood, angling Salem away from her. “You’re not coming.”
He had no idea who she even was or why she was holding Salem
in the first place.
She cocked her head back, looking him up and down. “I am not
leaving her side. Choose.”
He held her glare.
“Cassian, let her come. We’ll figure it out later,” Lia said quietly.
Before he’d reluctantly agreed, Devin responded for him. “Come
on.”
She flicked her eyes down to Salem like she wasn’t sure whether to
trust him with her before running to where Aiko was releasing the horses.
Lia wordlessly brought Cassian’s to him then reached for Salem, letting him
get up before passing her back.
“Thank you,” he breathed.
Lia nodded, giving his leg a pat before he jogged back.
Cassian couldn’t see much of her face with the lack of light, but he
still wheezed in disbelief, holding her tighter.
She’s here…
“Be careful!” the woman hissed, coming up beside him on the back
of Lia’s horse.
He’d barely done anything and hadn’t even gotten the chance to
respond when another set of feet sounded ahead of them.
He tensed.
Another woman. Much younger than the first, judging by the height
difference and the way she ran up to them, hesitant yet desperate.
“Lilo!” the first woman chided.
The girl stopped some distance away. “Please.”
“I am not coming back,” she said firmly.
The younger girl nodded. “I know. Take me.”
What is going on?
There was a moment of silence before the first woman sighed.
“Hurry.”
Cassian looked over at Devin, and then to the first woman.
The girl scurried behind, looking at each person like she wasn’t sure
how to proceed. Aiko jumped off his horse, startling her. He held his hands
up, and she let him approach the next time, helping her onto his horse
before hopping back on.
“Who is that?” he asked the first woman. He was reluctant to even
let her come along and now she was bringing friends?
“She is Lilo,” she bit out. “Go.”
“Cass,” Devin cut in before he could get at her.
Clenching his jaw, he looked away and slowly set off. It only took
another look at the bundle of cloth and hair in his arms for him to calm.
She’s here…
Almost as soon as they’d started a fast trot back the way came, those
same shouts got louder, more spread out.
“Faster!” he urged everyone.
Their trot turned into a gallop, Cassian falling behind as he tried to
ride as smoothly as possible for Salem’s sake.
He didn’t look back as the voices grew louder, he focused on getting
out of the forest.
She’s here…
Stunning him out of a moment, a shot rang out.
His gun. He’d left it.
“Come on!” Devin bellowed as their pace quickened, all of their
faces serious as they weaved through the trees.
A few branches snapped across his face and chest as he kept his
head down, struggling to keep them steady, pounding grass like his life
depended on it.
More shots whizzed through the air, closer, and while he shouldn’t
have been, he was shocked by the fact that they could even keep up on foot.
“Ahhh!”
He threw his eyes to Aiko’s horse in time to catch him jerk forward,
the young girl pulling him back and grabbing at the reins to steady the
horse.
“Aiko!” Don bellowed over the shouts, which only grew more
aggressive.
“No!” Devin yelled when he tried to turn around. He shook his
wrist. “Emori!”
Cassian tried to get as close to Aiko’s horse as he could.
“Baby, I’m so sorry but I need you to get outside!”
With an arm around Salem and the other on the reins, he veered left
as Devin started to rattle off their coordinates. Cassian’s gaze was flying
between Aiko and the trail ahead. It was the girl holding him up that
allowed him to see the blood staining his shirt against his chest.
Fuck…
“Is he okay?!” Don called from ahead.
His eyes doubled as he met Aiko’s. His were open, pleading, as he
shook his head at Cassian, silently begging him.
“He’s fine! Keep going!” Cassian choked out.
They pounded through the forest, never stopping or looking back.
Cassian could’ve cried with relief as light flickered in the distance.
As if sensing his urgency, the group sped up. His breath stuttering, he
finally took his eyes off the trail for a moment to look at her.
She’s here…
He’d found her, really found her.
“There!” Devin yelled.
Cassian looked up in time to see the open portal in the distance, the
spark being the only thing lighting the surrounding area, lighting the field
outside of The Dome.
He pushed his horse to its limits as Devin ran through first, followed
by Don and Akilah.
One horse at a time, so as not to drain Emori, they sped through
without a backward glance. The portal snapped shut behind him, almost
catching him.
Paying no attention to what the others were doing, Cassian slowed
with a nod to Emori as she panted, hands on her knees, and swung off his
horse.
They were safe, for now at least.
He walked a few steps away from the others, carefully maneuvering
her to shrug his bag off his back as he just breathed, hoping with every
ounce of his being that Deianira would keep her word.
But then he noticed it. Finally on still ground, he felt it.
The shaking.
His eyes slowly panned down to Salem.
She was shaking.
Lips parting, Cassian raised a hand and gently removed the
remaining fabric that was hiding her face. Her eyes were squeezed shut as
she trembled in his hands.
Snapping the link into place, he softly called her. Sae?
If anything, she shook harder. And started whining.
A vice gripped his heart as his breath hitched.
Cassian pulled his gaze up to the others, who were now standing,
watching him. “What did you do?” he asked darkly, eyes on the woman
who’d been holding her.
Her face tightened.
“Why…” he whispered. “Why is she shaking?” When she
approached, he pulled Salem back to his chest. “Why is she shaking?!”
She tilted her head with concern as her eyes flicked to Salem. He
expected a snippy retort, but he didn’t get one. “You…” she sighed.
What’s me?
He looked back down. Salem.
She hiccuped as her whimpering grew louder.
He’d seen Salem cry before, but it was understandable under the
circumstances. He’d cried before too, but again, it was fitting. But he’d
found her. She was safe. So…
Why is she crying?
He only caught a flash of those hazel eyes before they snapped shut
again.
The vice tightened.
He traced a thumb down her cheek. “Sae…”
The woman approached again, ignoring Cassian’s gritted teeth.
“Give her to me.”
“No!”
Salem jolted, her cries echoing across the open field.
I’m sorry, he said quickly. What’s wrong?
She just wouldn’t stop.
“You are scaring her! Give her to me!” she snapped.
Scared.
She was scared.
Of him.
“Give her to me,” the woman said again.
This time, when she reached down he numbly loosened his grip. The
second Salem was in her arms, she buried her face in the woman’s shoulder,
shutting out everything else.
What the hell happened?
“Ahh…”
He turned his dead eyes to Aiko as everyone else did.
He had an arm around the shoulder of the smaller woman as he
struggled to stand.
“What the fuck…” Don muttered as he strode in a direct line to
them.
Looking down and pressing a hand to Aiko’s chest, he drew it back
and looked at his blood-soaked palm.
“Oh Gods..” Devin whispered as he grabbed Aiko just before he fell
to the ground. “Lia, get that wall down! Now!”
Lia sprinted for Emori as she beckoned her, light flashing as she
waved her hands. Cassian vaguely saw Don’s back tense, distantly watched
as he turned his murderous eyes to him.
“You said he was fine…” he mumbled, his voice deathly quiet.
Cassian could’ve tried to explain, could’ve told him that Aiko told
him to keep quiet. But no words left his mouth.
She’s scared of me…
“You said he was fine!” he growled, marching for him until Akilah
blocked his path.
He must have zoned out as Don hurled a string of threats at him,
because the next thing he knew, bright lights were flashing across the field.
He lowered his lids, looking ahead to see Cade and Deianira jump
out of a rover, dozens of enforcers getting out of surrounding vehicles.
“Get ‘em inside!” Cade bellowed. “Cassian!” he yelled, looking
from left to right. “Cassian!” He stopped as soon as he saw him and strode
over.
Cade dropped next to him, looking him over. “Cassian.”
“She’s scared of me…” he mumbled over the white noise.
“Huh?” Cade put a hand on his chest, pushing him so he wouldn’t
fall forward with the weight of his heart. “I can’t hear you. Are you hurt?”
“She’s scared of me…”
“Cassian, I can’t-”
“Salem?”
Cade’s eyes flew up at the same time as Cassian’s, catching Deianira
approaching Salem with tear-filled eyes.
Cade stood. “Is…is that her?” he asked no one in particular. Then he
started walking to her as Deianira did. “Is she okay?”
That snapped Cassian out of it. Took him right back to a week ago.
The Dome’s back up…
Salem broke a rule…
We know what consequences she’ll face…
One person…one person that might not even be alive…
It was them.
They’d done this. They left her out there and cast him out to find her
like it was an off-handed task to solve both their problems.
And now she was…
Cassian practically flew to his feet. “NO!”
Deianira jumped, almost tripping.
He advanced. “Get away from her!”
She cocked her head back in surprise just as Devin stepped in front
of him.
“You’re doing it again…” When he marched around him, Devin
grabbed his arm. “Cass!”
He fought Devin’s hold, his deadly eyes pinned on them as they still
tried to step closer to the woman holding her.
“You did this!”
“Cassian!” Cade snapped.
Deianira’s eyes dimmed, but he was tired of caring.
“MOVE! NOW! YOU DON’T TOUCH HER! YOU DON’T LOOK
AT HER! YOU-”
Devin kicked his knee, sending him to the ground.
“Sorry,” he whispered before a solid fist met his cheekbone.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Forty-Seven
Wincing as he came to, Cassian threw his blurry eyes around the
room. The room he recognized very well.
“Here.”
He startled as Devin held out an ice pack from his spot on the couch
beside him. They were inside. He breathed for a moment, closing his eyes
as he let the memories wash over him before standing. Then he paused for a
moment as his head spun.
“Where is she?” he said, blinking away the dizziness.
Devin sighed. “She’s fine.”
“I asked where she was.”
He huffed. “You can’t go where she is."
Cassian lowered his lids at Devin.
“She’s not…stable right now.”
“You just said she was fine.”
“And she is,” Devin stressed. “Physically.”
Shaking his head, Cassian turned for the door.
“Don’t do something stupid, Cass,” Devin warned, hot on his tail.
He stepped out and stopped again.
The palace.
He felt like he’d been away a lot longer than a week, he almost
didn’t recognize the place. Cassian shook it off, continuing.
“Cassian.”
“What room is sh-”
The next thing he knew, he was pinned against the wall, Devin’s
dark face looming in front of him.
“Listen, and listen well,” he snarled. “We’ve been back for less than
an hour and I’ve barely said hello to my own family. I was here so that you
wouldn’t wake up alone and level this place. Aiko’s still in the infirmary
and Don is begging to come up here and beat your ass, but I stopped him. I
know you want to see her right now and make sure she’s okay, we all do,
but she is scared and overwhelmed and clinging to that woman for dear life,
and you’ll only make things worse if you storm in there like this, so can you
get your shit together and think for goddamn second!”
Cassian’s eyes glazed as he stared back at Devin, perspective finally
dawning on him.
Devin took a step back and took a breath. “I can take you to her. But
you need to promise me that you won’t blow up. I’ve got enough shit to
deal with.”
Choked up, Cassian nodded.

Walking in line with Devin, his hand fiddled with the bottom of his shirt
as they made their way to her room. Devin had already told him that they
couldn’t go in, and as much as that killed him, he would stay away if he
could just see her.
Devin paused with a hand on the new handle.
When Cassian nodded, a reassurance of sorts, he raised a single
brow before pushing the door open.
His heart jerked as the bed came into view.
She’s here…
And so were the two other women.
The older one lay on the bed with her, holding her. The blonde one
sat on the bed behind her, stroking her head.
“Who are they?” he muttered.
As the first one opened her eyes over Salem’s shoulder, Devin
nodded to her. “That’s Nadeen,” he said quietly. “And that’s Lilo,” he said,
gesturing to the girl petting Salem’s head.
Cassian subtly nodded to them.
“They say they’re her praems. It means helper or servant. They’ve
been with her the whole time.”
That explained why Salem was wrapped around her like a koala.
While he was glad that she had people to care for her, even if it wasn’t him,
it didn’t make sense. Why would Podak take her, then give her servants?
“What happened?”
Devin shrugged. “Still don’t know, but-”
Salem jerked.
Cassian’s foot was over the threshold in less than a second, but
Devin’s hand around his arm reminded him.
Nadeen drew back, looking over Salem’s features. She looked at her
with so much care, so much admiration. But Cassian’s eyes weren’t on her
for long because Salem’s head was slowly turning. It didn’t turn all the way.
Just enough for him to see her nose twitch. And for her to go rigid.
Nadeen stroked her cheek, trying to divert her attention.
Devin gently tugged his arm. “Cassian…” he whispered.
He couldn’t move his feet.
What the hell happened?
Nadeen took her eyes off Salem for a moment to jerk her head at
Lilo. The shy girl got up from the bed before plodding to the door and
closing it on them.
She’s scared of me…
“We’ll work it out, okay?”
Cassian averted his eyes, clearing his throat. “Can we go to the
infirmary?”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Forty-Eight
He almost had her.

As Salem burrowed deep into Nadeen’s shoulder, she tried to show
her all her gratitude.
He took her. That man.
The same man who she saw every time she closed her eyes. The one
who watched her while she writhed in pain, the one who inflicted it. She
knew who he was, but she didn’t even dare to think his name for fear that
he might come back and that the agony would reignite. She also knew that
she wasn’t in Patriam anymore. The bed that she was on was way too soft
and Podak’s scent was practically non-existent.
Podak.
He would be furious.
She didn’t want to join with him, but she didn’t want to be here
either. She just couldn’t understand why Nadeen would take her to him.
When she shifted, Salem tightened her arms around her, her nails
digging into her torso.
Nadeen pulled her head back. “My lady…” she sighed. “You need
food.”
Salem was starving, but she didn’t want to be left alone. She could
go without it for a while longer.
“My lady.” She gave Salem a firm look.
When Nadeen tried to pull back again, Salem let her. But before she
got up, she carefully adjusted her so that she was sitting up.
Nadeen climbed off the bed and faced her with an encouraging
smile. “See? You can watch me.”
She turned, doing a quick scan of the room before her eyes landed
on the kitchen. Lilo stood from where she’d been sitting on the floor and
joined Nadeen as they ambled over. Lilo cautiously approached the bread
bin. Tilting her head, she poked it. Nadeen rushed over and smacked her
hand. Then she turned to look at it too. It was a while before she did
anything, but slowly, she reached out and grasped the small knob, drawing
it up.
They both jumped back as the lid retracted. But there was nothing in
there.
Something clicked in Salem’s head. There was nothing in there
because she didn’t put anything in there. It was her bread bin. In her room.
She refocused as they both moved onto the fridge.
Nadeen went right in, pulling on the handle, flinching when the light
shined on them. Lilo’s eyes widened at the condensed mist that whirled out
of the fridge as Nadeen reached in, pulling out a block of butter.
She turned to Salem, holding it up.
Salem wanted to sigh.
When she got no reaction, she replaced the butter in the fridge,
looking around for more. The next thing she pulled out was a glass bottle of
milk.
Salem knew that it was spoiled by now, but Nadeen still tried to pull
the cap off. She tugged at it, turned it upside down, shook it, but not once
did she twist it.
Huffing, she put it back before turning to Lilo, saying something.
Lilo looked hesitant at whatever she said, but when Nadeen raised a
brow, she nodded and set off for the door.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Forty-Nine
Devin sighed with the back of his head to the wall.

There was way too much going on and he’d been feeling the toll
long before they’d made it back. Salem being alive and safe was the only
thing that was going right. All he wanted to do was go home and spend
what was left of the night with his family, but he wasn’t even sure if he
could bring himself to.
They were back, but for how long?
Cade hadn’t mentioned anything about their exile, and he wasn’t
about to remind them. So he sat silently next to Cassian as Don glared
daggers at him while they waited for Aiko to be brought in.
Cassian wasn’t looking at him though. He was just staring at the
plain wall. He was a mess. He knew because he’d been there. More than
once. He was a mess when Emori was locked up, he was a mess when Pola
almost came between his family, he was a mess when he was forced to
leave her when she’d barely passed the five-month mark in her pregnancy.
He almost smiled, but thought it was inappropriate with the current
company.
Another baby.
Revisiting his early thought, he scrapped it. He wasn’t leaving his
family like that again, no matter who said what.
A flash of gold passed the window, forcing him to do a double take.
“One second,” he muttered to Cassian as he stood.
Cassian didn’t respond, but he knew he’d heard him. He stepped out
as the door slid open and looked left to see Lilo speed-walking down the
hall.
As it shut behind him, he jogged after her. “Lilo.”
She spun, paling.
Stopping, he raised his hands. “It’s okay.” She still eyed him with
suspicion. “Are you okay?” No response. “Are you lost?” She shrugged.
Devin sighed. “Do you need something?”
She looked down as she nodded, mumbling something.
Devin carefully took another step in her direction, his hands still
raised. “What did you say?”
She took a breath, straightening her spine. “My lady needs food.”
His brows lowered. My lady? “You mean Salem?”
She nodded again.
Okay. Food.
Devin spared a look at the infirmary door over his shoulder.
Leaving Cassian alone with Don probably wasn’t a good idea, but
he’d want Salem to eat.

After a quick job in the kitchen, and having to tell her to stop touching
the stove countless times, Devin and Lilo made their way up the stairs and
back to Salem’s room.
He had so many questions. About Salem, about what happened, but
he figured he’d have better luck talking to Nadeen.
With his arms full, he nodded to Lilo.
“Can you…”
She frowned at him.
“The door.”
“Oh.” She lowered her head as she pushed down on the handle.
Nadeen sat up as he entered, but his gaze went to Salem.
He waited for her to react. She did no such thing. She also didn’t
look as frightened as she did earlier, so he slowly walked in and over to the
kitchen. Dropping the containers onto the counter, he turned around.
She was already looking at him.
‘I brought you some food. Are you hungry?’
He didn’t expect her to answer, but he also didn’t expect to see an
almost unreadable look pass over her face. He couldn’t quite figure it out,
but he watched her eyes flick between his hands and his face before they
zoned out again.
Slowly, he gave his attention to Lilo and Nadeen, who stood, staring
at him expectantly.
He shook it off, holding up the first container. “This is pasta. There
are two more for you guys and there’s some sauce here, but Salem doesn’t
like it.” He pointed up between the cupboards. “That is a microwave. I’m
gonna put these in the fridge so you’ll need to heat it up.”
Devin spent the next few minutes teaching them how to use the
microwave and packing away the rest of the food that he’d whipped up, but
he couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder every few minutes.
She was just sitting there. Other than following them with her eyes,
she did nothing, reacted to nothing. He knew that she was there. There was
no missing the intelligence behind those eyes. But she just looked…stuck.
Beep.
He took the container of pasta out of the microwave, poured it into a
bowl, and grabbed a fork before carefully approaching the bed. Holding out
the bowl to her, he found her eyes on his again.
‘Here.’
She didn’t even look down at the bowl.
“Excuse me,” Nadeen said from behind him.
Without another word, she took the bowl out of his hands, squeezing
past him to sit beside Salem. She picked up the fork, frowning at it before
discarding it on the end table.
He watched closely as she dipped her hand into the bowl and pulled
out a few pieces before bringing them to her lips. Her movements were
slightly exaggerated as she popped the pasta in her mouth and chewed
before swallowing. When she dipped her hand in again, he was ready to ask
her why the hell she was eating Salem’s food in front of her, but this time,
she held it out.
Almost indecipherably, Salem’s hand twitched at her side. In the
first movement he’d seen from her, she weakly raised it. Nadeen didn’t pass
the pasta to her, but she lowered her hand so that Salem could grasp it. Then
she held her elbow, aiding her as she raised her hand to her mouth.
His eyes narrowed. She was testing the food.
Nadeen turned back to Devin. “Thank you.”
He nodded absently at her subtle dismissal. “Yeah. Uh, just let me
know if you run out and I can bring up some more,” he said, turning to head
out, his mind already coming up with theories.
“How?”
He turned back to Lilo. “What?”
She cleared her throat. “How will we…‘let you know’?”
Oh. He strolled to the digital panel by Salem’s door. “This. My
name is Devin.” He tapped a few buttons slowly and pointed to his name.
“Hit Jacobs and I can speak to you through here.”
Her face remained plain.
Nadeen continued to help Salem as he called Lilo over and showed
her how to use the panel. To her credit, it didn’t take very long. Most of her
confusion was regarding what names matched with who, so he wrote his
down, just to be safe.
Saying bye again, he headed out, almost having a heart attack as he
stepped through the door.
Whipping his head back, he quickly shut the door and glared down
at Cassian. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Cassian lifted his head from his hands where he sat, his back to the
wall. His red-rimmed, glazed eyes peered up at him. “I can’t…” he rasped,
his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry- I just…”
Devin didn’t think twice as he leaned down and reached for him.
“I just got her, Dev…”
“I know,” he said softly, pulling him up. “Come on. You can stay
with me.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifty
It seemed that the days of traveling and nights of lying awake had
finally caught up to him because the second Cassian hit Devin’s couch, he
was out. Not even the girls’ happy screams and running around in the early
hours of the morning were enough to make him open his eyes.
What did manage to wake him was the blinding light and whatever
was on the couch that he’d rolled onto. It was extremely uncomfortable.
He groaned, pushing himself off his arms, and froze. He blinked
groggily as he sat up. He was on the floor. When his eyes finally adjusted,
his stomach sank. The floor of the hallway. Right outside Salem’s door. He
didn’t even remember getting up.
Idiot…
Devin would flip his lid if he found out that he’d gone there. But it
wasn’t intentional. He flicked a look to his bracelet to check the time, then
paused as his eyes snagged on the wall opposite him.
“Morning,” Lia said quietly from where she sat across the hall from
him.
He tensed. “How long have you been here?”
She yawned, lifting her wrist. “Since Devin called to tell me you
were sleepwalking and that I should follow you. So three hours.”
Sleepwalking?
“Have you ever done that before?”
He rubbed his eyes. “No.”
Lia slowly nodded. “It’s fine. You didn’t do anything.”
That was a relief.
He shifted. “I don’t know what happened.”
“It’s not as uncommon as you think.” She shrugged. “I did the same.
Do the same.”
He sat up straighter. “How long?”
“Since I presented,” she said, fiddling with her hands. “I never
really worked out why or if there was even a reason, but it got worse when I
came here.” She unfolded her pajama-clad legs and set her hands in her lap.
“Whenever I had visions, Cade would be the one to make sure I was okay,
so naturally, I’d go to him when I was asleep. I guess I got too used to that.”
She huffed. “Climbing into a married man’s bed at three in the morning
every other night doesn’t usually sit well with the wife, so you can imagine
why Deianira isn’t my biggest fan.”
Cassian’s brows shot up. “But-”
“I know.” She rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t change the facts. Things
have changed. I’m just waiting for my body to catch on.”
Cassian never realized how much he’d actually missed when it came
to Lia. He remembered what it was like in the western sector. With
everyone against her and Cade for one reason or the other, they only had
each other. Now, he rarely saw them speak informally.
“Why have you been drinking?” he asked without forethought.
Lia drew her knees up before standing. “And that’s where this
conversion ends.”
“Li-”
“It’s fine. I just don’t want to talk about it.”
He quickly stood. “But you can.”
“I know.” She cleared her throat. “We’ve got a meeting in an hour
regarding our status,” she said sarcastically. “Go eat something.”

Awkward didn’t begin to describe whatever was simmering in the room.

They all just sat there, no one making direct eye contact. He would’ve
thought that Devin would’ve at least been tense too, but he looked relaxed
as ever, as if there was no possibility that they were about to be told they’d
have to leave.
And once again, Lia was unreadable. That was until she opened her
mouth. “If you’re gonna kick us out, at least have the balls to-”
“We’re not,” Deianira interrupted.
Just get her back. I’ll do the rest…
Cassian looked over at Cade. He didn’t look pleased, but he didn’t
look like he was about to object either. “As for the other two…”
Cassian was already shaking his head. “No.”
Cade sighed. “We have no idea who they are, what they can do, or
what they’ve already done. They’re primas.”
“Their names are Nadeen and Lilo, they’re both seers, they’ve kept
her safer than any of us could’ve for the Gods know how long, and so is
Emori, but I didn’t hear any complaints when she saved your asses
countless times.” While everything he said was factual, there was no
tamping down his malicious tone.
Cade shook his head like he didn’t know what to say.
Cassian caught Deianira squeeze his hand before he looked down at
her. They didn’t even whisper, just passed whatever needed to be said
through their eyes. When Cade shook his head authoritatively, Deianira’s
eyes softened as she gave him a…pleading look.
Huffing, he turned back to Cassian.
“They can stay,” he ground out. “But I want them interviewed and
registered. If they’re staying here, they’re going to be in the system.”
What Cade was saying seemed fair, but Cassian was too stuck on
the interaction he’d just witnessed. Since when did Deianira plead with
him? And when did Cade ever need convincing to do anything she asked?
“There’s something else.” Everyone turned to Devin. “I’m resigning
from my position as Head Enforcer.”
What?
Cade straightened, narrowing his eyes. “You don’t have a position to
resign from.”
He pushed back his chair. “Well, I’m glad we agree.”
Lia and Cassian looked at each other as he got up and strode to the
door.
“Dev-”
He marched out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
Cade clenched his jaw. “Anything else?”

Things seemed more settled as they finished up and headed in different
directions. Cade didn’t look at him, Deianira only looked at Cade, and Lia
disappeared as quickly as he had dismissed them.
Swiping his bracelet to enter, Cassian almost ran straight into
someone.
His mood switched from unsettled to dark.
Just as Hiram’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth, his words
on the tip of his tongue, Cassian took a step closer. “Go ahead. Say
something,” he gritted.
Counting his blessings, Hiram settled on a glare before he pushed
past him. Cassian took a breath as he stepped over the threshold. Don
paused with his hand on Aiko’s shoulder as he helped him lift his shirt over
his head, his eyes boring into Cassian’s.
“Oh, knock it off,” Aiko drawled as he clenched his teeth, tugging
on his shirt the rest of the way.
“He can’t help it, remember?” Akilah snorted from her spot on the
chair in the corner, flipping through a catalog. “A dog’s gonna bark and a
monkey's gonna coo. Do a flip, Donnie.”
Don turned to her as Aiko smirked. “You know, I don’t remember
inviting you here.”
She lifted her eyes from the page. “And I don’t remember you
asking me to leave.”
“Would you leave if I asked?”
She shrugged. “No.”
They initiated a drawn-out stare-down before Cassian broke the
tension. “Are you okay?”
Aiko raised his brows, huffing out a laugh. “Okay? I went on a
rescue mission outside of The Dome and got shot in the chest.”
Cassian cringed.
“Doc says I’m gonna have a nasty scar,” he said with a grin. “Girls
love scars.”
Akilah scoffed. “You’d need to get to third base for anyone to even
see it.”
Don’s smirk only made an appearance for a second before his face
fell flat again.
Cassian nodded slowly. “As long as you’re okay…” He was just
about to leave when Aiko’s voice stopped him.
“Cassian?”
“Yeah?”
Aiko picked up his glasses, looking down at them as he played with
the temples.
“Do you think we could see her…at some point?”
It seemed like a general question, but Cassian got the idea that Aiko
might have been asking for something more like permission. Thinking
about it, he didn’t exactly put his best front forward when he grabbed her
from Nadeen and snarled at Deianira to stay away from her.
“Of course…”
Aiko let out a breath, nodding. “Thank you.”
Cassian had to stifle his frown as he left the room. Had he really
been that bad? She was the kid’s sister and-
Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.
Incoming video call: QIN (Home)
His feet stopped moving as his jaw slackened. Cassian couldn’t have hit
the accept button faster.
“Salem?” he called as soon as the holographic screen emerged.
“Hello?”
His already low mood plummeted.
It wasn’t Salem. He didn’t know who it was, but it wasn’t her.
“Hello…?”
Cassian lowered his brows as he tried to figure it out, but all he
could see was a forehead.
“Can you back up a little bit?” he said, squinting.
The person jumped back and Cassian finally saw Lilo’s curious face.
She was on the panel.
How did she even-
She stepped back up to the camera. “Devin Jacobs did not answer.”
What?
“Is something wrong?” he asked quickly.
“Yes, he did not answer,” she said before she was pushed out of
view and Nadeen stepped in.
“There is an animal,” she said, her eyes flicking everywhere but the
camera.
What? “What animal? Is Salem okay?”
“I do not know. It is behind the door. And she is fine.”
Echo.
She’d stayed with Emori and the girls while they were away, but one
of them must have let her out.
What he should’ve done was track down Lia or Devin to handle it.
Echo wasn’t aggressive at all, but if the ‘praems’ were bothered by her, it
was only polite to pick her up, right?
Cassian already had his mind made up. “On my way.” He cut the
call before Nadeen could say anything else, climbing the stairs with an
unexpected ounce of anxiety.
He spotted Echo’s swishing tail before he’d even made it close to
the door. “Coco.”
She spun to him with a startled meow.
He bent down and picked her up, but she leaped out of his arms,
opting to sit on the doorstep. “Really?”
She turned up her nose, facing away.
“Brat…” he mumbled.
That’s when something occurred to him. His hand raised to press the
light alert before he thought better of it.
Knock, knock.
As soon as Nadeen’s tense features came into view, he held his
hands up.
“I-I’m not coming in. Just her.”
She looked down at Echo, who was trying to shove her nose into the
crack in the door. Nadeen didn’t seem scared, just confused. Her nose
wrinkled as she glanced back up at Cassian. “Why?”
“Salem likes her. If she gets upset, I’ll take her.”
She watched him for a moment. “Wait,” she said before opening the
door enough for Echo to run through.
She didn’t need to tell him. He wasn’t leaving until he at least got to
look at her. As soon as Nadeen turned, he got as close to the door as
possible without stepping into the room. Echo, as expected, jogged right up
to the bed and hopped on.
Salem was on her side, facing away from the door. At first, he
couldn’t tell if she was awake or not, but he knew as soon as he saw her
back tense. Echo still approached, either unaware or uncaring. She hopped
over Salem and sat right in front of her, maybe starting to sense her unease.
She lowered her head, sniffing Salem’s arm before slowly standing and
moving closer. Then, she dropped down right in front of Salem, scooting
back until she was finally laying against her chest.
Cassian held his breath as he watched. Nadeen and Lilo too. No one
said a word.
It was only when he was sure that Nadeen would end his little
experiment that it happened.
Her hand moved.
It was the smallest movement, but her hand shifted before her thumb
started to run back and forth over the end of Echo’s tail.
Cassian wasn’t even in the room. He had barely gotten to touch her.
The last time she saw him, she burst into tears.
But he smiled.
She was in there.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifty-One
He’d been ambushed.

What Devin had called a quick takeaway run had turned out to be a
kidnapping.
Many times, he’d tried to escape, but he stopped after Devin’s not-
so-jokey threat to singe the hairs off his balls if he broke his truck door. So
he gave up, opting to rest his head on the window like a kid throwing a
strop.
Devin looked over at him as he pulled up onto the side of the street
since there was no parking lot. “It won’t be that bad.”
“Dev, I don’t wanna do this. I’m fi-”

He clucked his tongue. “See, you say that, then you get mad and
people get thrown into trees.”
Cassian cringed. “Sorry about that.”
He shrugged. “All good. But you’re doing this.”
He forced himself not to grumble, reminded himself that it was for
his own good, as they both made their way into the clinic. The private
clinic.
He wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it wasn’t what he saw.
There was no reception, no wheelchairs at the entrance, no gurneys lining
the walls, and more noticeably, no chaos. It looked like an office building.
Devin led the way, heading right down the carpeted hallway and to
the last door. He didn’t even knock as he stepped in, Cassian following
behind. He raised his brows at the guy sitting behind the desk.
“Long time no see, old man.”
Hewn’s face remained bored. “Here I was, thinking I’d escaped.”
Devin gave him a short, fake laugh, taking a seat.
Hewn looked up at Cassian as he stood in the doorway, waiting for a
cue. “Alden,” he said with a nod.
Sensing that that was the only cue he was going to get, he closed the
door behind him and took the seat next to Devin.
“What do you want, kid?”
Cassian thought that the question was directed at him until Devin
answered. “We have a little sitch. I was wondering if you could help.”
He closed the file on the desk. “What ‘sitch’?”
Devin looked over at Cassian raising a hand for him to go on. Put on
the spot, he wasn’t sure what to say, so Devin went ahead, explaining his
situation. He was surprised at how comfortable he seemed around Hewn as
he didn’t spare a detail, going into everything from the trials to his eyes, to
their ‘confidential’ trip outside. And Hewn took it in stride, never flinching
or raising a brow. He only nodded.
“Can I see?” was the first thing he asked once Devin had sat back.
“See what?” he automatically retorted.
“Your eyes.”
Cassian flicked a look at Devin. “Uh, I can’t exactly control it.”
He looked down at a sheet of notes that Cassian hadn’t even noticed
him take. “But it happens when you’re upset or in distress?”
“Yes,” he answered reluctantly.
He nodded. “And what are the most common circumstances
accompanying your upset?”
Cassian shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Salem,” he said quietly.
Hewn pushed his notes to the side. “I apologize in advance, but I
want you to think about her. About something bad happening to her. She
was taken, yes?”
Jaw tight, Cassian nodded, mentally cursing Devin for making him
do this.
“Okay. So imagine the man who took her getting his hands on her
ag-” Hewn’s face finally betrayed something. Shock. He pushed back his
chair, standing. “My Gods…”
Cassian wasn’t focused so much on Hewn’s breakthrough as he was
on his breathing.
It’s not real…
It wasn’t real. Just a stupid trigger. She was okay. She was with
Nadeen and Lilo. Maybe he could give them a call to check-
Devin knocked Cassian’s knee with his knuckle. “You good?” he
said, brows raised.
Cassian looked up, gaze flitting between the two of them. “Yeah…”
Hewn didn’t sit back down, but instead, rounded the desk, sitting
back on it. “How often does that happen?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.” Devin usually told him, but he had no
idea how much it happened when he was alone.
“When did it start?”
“I don’t know.”
“During the trials,” Devin responded for him. “I only saw it when he
got back.”
Hewn shifted his stance, giving Cassian all his attention. “I
understand that you’re unaware of when it happens, but do you remember a
time, a specific moment during the trials that might have triggered it?”
Cassian sat back, uncomfortable. He didn’t want to think about the
trials. They were done, in the past, and he wanted them to stay that way. But
even in his resistance, a memory sprung out of nowhere.
Those last few moments. With Pola. When he’d…
Cassian frowned as he recalled it. He was so focused on getting
back, on seeing Salem, that he hadn’t even paid mind to what he’d done
back there. And it wasn’t just Pola’s stricken face when he was about to end
it that he remembered. It was what he had done.
The axe.
In the moment, he only remembered it flying into his hand like the
Gods were granting him a final gift. He didn’t even know what he was
doing, but he just…did it.
“What are you thinking right now?” Devin asked.
Cassian shook his head, pulling out of his thoughts. “I think I…” He
paused, trying to get over how ridiculous it sounded.
Telekinesis…
“I think I moved something with my mind.” He lowered his eyes.
“Just once.”
To his surprise, Hewn didn’t laugh or frown or wave him off. He
didn’t even doubt him or ask for a demonstration. He just leaned forward,
asking, “Are you aware that prima psionics have the same ability?”
He didn’t respond at first. He was going to say no, but then he
remembered Dana. And the knife.
Cassian rubbed his hands down his thighs. “Can we pick this up
another time?” he asked as the room started to feel warmer.
“I understand that this isn’t pleasant, but do you understand what I
am implying?”
No, he didn’t. Until Hewn asked one more question.
“Do you know your parents’ names?”
That’s it.
He stood, stepping around his chair to back up.
“Hey,” Devin called calmly. “It’s just a question, Cass, it doesn’t
mean anything.”
Doesn’t mean anything? Because the possibility that one or both of
his parents weren’t actually his ‘didn’t mean anything’. Sure.
“What are their names?” Hewn asked again, unperturbed.
For argument's sake, he answered. “Drake and Eliza Alden.”
He nodded like he already knew the answer. “Again, this is just a
question, but is there a possibility that Drake may not be-”
“No,” he bit out, hating that it was true. “I look more like the bastard
than Cade does. It’s him.”
Devin tilted his head. “Doesn’t always mean what you think it
does…”
Cassian shook his head. “Okay, but this doesn’t mean what you
think it does.” He faced Hewn. “Devin’s eyes go red under the same
circumstances. He can move things by just thinking about it. He can set his
hands on fire and not get burned. He can do just about everything I can. It’s
the restoration, and my mom went through the same thing. There’s no
difference.”
Hewn tilted his head from side to side, frowning. “That is the
difference. Devin was restored, not one of his parents. There’s no reason
that you should be experiencing the same effects as him, or more by the
looks of it, when there’s a generation separating your access to that power.”
“The restoration isn’t a stable process. Deianira said it herself. We
have no idea what’s possible.”
Devin raised a hand. “Cade is in the exact same position as you.
How do you explain the obvious difference in your power thresholds?”
Cassian took a deep breath. “But it might not be a difference. He’s
an empath. I’m a psionic. The thresholds are different anyway.”
“Yes,” Hewn agreed. “But not to this extent. The increase should at
least be proportional, but while he has added power, it seems that yours has
multiplied.” He cleared his throat. “And then there’s the…” He pointedly
looked Cassian up and down, seemingly trying to be polite.
Cassian could’ve rolled his eyes. “I was a kid when you first met
me. It’s called a growth spurt,” he drawled.
Hewn’s face grew bored. “You were nineteen. Nineteen-year-olds
don’t grow seven inches in six years.”
He shrugged, wanting to cover his ears, as childish as that would’ve
been. “I eat good.”
Devin snorted beside him, quickly sobering when Hewn threw him a
look. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
Hewn sighed. “Do you see how unlikely this is to be a coincidence?
All of these factors?”
“Yes. But why does it matter? I’m getting a handle on it. Knowing
where it came from doesn’t change the fact that I have it.”
Devin tilted his head. “You don’t want to at least find out? I’m sure
Cade would agree to take a-”
“Cade hears about none of this,” he said firmly, his tone darkening.
It wasn’t possible, but even if he entertained the idea, it would mean
that he killed a random man. Not just a random man, but Cade’s father. It
felt much different, much worse.
“Cass, come on,” Devin said. “If working this shit out could help
keep others safe, don’t you want to at least try?”
“No.”
They watched him for a moment, but Devin’s eyes were the only
ones that looked disappointed.
Cassian was ready to leave, but Hewn retook his seat, gesturing for
him to do the same. Hesitantly, he obeyed.
“You have no interest in knowing where this came from. I
understand. However,” Cassian gripped the arms of his chair. “There may
be a way to better your situation, for yourself and those around you.”
He only nodded out of respect.
Hewn rolled his seat forward, sitting up. “Have you ever heard of
IED?”
Cassian lowered his brows. “Like the bomb?”
Glancing down, Hewn kept a straight face, but Cassian could see
him fighting a discreet smile. “Intermittent explosive disorder,” he said,
folding his hands. “It’s a condition. The symptoms can be anything from
tremors and tightness in the chest to violent outbursts and impulsive rage.”
“That,” Devin nodded. “He’s got that.”
Cassian threw him a look that told him to shut up before turning to
Hewn, his discomfort fading into boredom. “You think I have anger
issues?”
He shrugged. “Not necessarily. With IED, the individual usually
understands that their reaction isn’t warranted or proportional to the
situation. Is that something you’ve experienced?”
Shrugging, letting out a short huff.
Hewn subtly narrowed his eyes. “A few minutes ago, when I asked
you to think about Salem, about something bad happening to her, you knew
that it wasn’t true, yet you still reacted.”
He didn’t know what to say.
Hewn continued. “While your…predicament might not be related to
this condition, I believe that one could have a knock-on effect on the other.
IED can be scary enough alone, but accompanied by immeasurable power,
power to do serious harm, it would be in your best interest to get help.”
Cassian took his time to mull it over, still not agreeing with him
completely.
“You’re a doctor,” Devin said. “Can’t you prescribe him
something?”
He sighed. “I’m a consultant. I don’t practice healing, or medicine
for that matter. And I wasn’t suggesting drugs.”
“Then what?”
He looked away like he knew what reaction he’d be met with.
“Cognitive behavioral therapy.”
Cassian’s head shot up. “Therapy?”
He placed a hand on the desk. “It’s not a sure thing, and I’m not
forcing you to do anything you don’t want to, but I think it would be
beneficial.”
Disbelieving, he turned to Devin, waiting for backup, but he was
quiet, watching him from the corner of his eye.
“Seriously?” he asked, aiming the question at him.
“He might be right,” Devin said in a soft tone.
Cassian scoffed. “About me being a hothead or needing a shrink?”
he spat.
Devin sat back. “You grew up with a shithole for a home, a shithead
for a father, and after the last two weeks? You are literally trauma
personified.”
Trauma. Right. “I’m fine,” he forced out, his voice lowering.
Knowing his feeble attempt at reassurance was seconds away from being
called out, he amended his statement. “I’ll be fine. When she's okay and I
can see her, this will go away.” He knew it would.
Devin and Hewn shared a look. “You don’t think that’s a problem in
itself?”
He looked between them. “How is that a problem? None of this shit
happens when she’s around.”
Hewn nodded very slowly, the movement bordering on
condescending. “But you do understand that your mental stability shouldn’t
be dependent on anyone other than yourself, right?”
What is he talking about? “I’m fine, and I’m stable,” he sighed.
“Do you really believe that?” Devin asked.
“Yes.”
“Then why haven’t your hands stopped shaking since we left the
palace?”
Cassian looked down before closing his eyes with a sigh. “I just
don’t wanna talk about this.”
“You get anxious when you’re not around her,” Hewn said calmly.
Of course, I do. He shrugged, trying to play it off. “So I prefer to be
close to her. I still don’t see the issue.”
“That’s not an issue. The issue is the threat you pose to others’
safety when you’re not.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifty-Two
Breathing techniques, relaxation, and avoiding mind-altering

substances.
One, Cassian knew how to breathe. Two, he was plenty relaxed.
When he was around Salem. And three, he wasn’t a smoker.
He pretty much waved Hewn away after that not-so-helpful advice.
Did he think that mental health was important? Of course. Did he need
guidance from a man who barely knew him about what aspects of his
relationship he thought were unhealthy?
No thank you, were his exact words.
Though he disagreed with a lot that was said, it was like the
universe was trying to do everything to prove that Hewn was right. He
could feel the irritability rearing its head. But at least he had a good reason.
Devin’s impromptu abduction meant that he had no time to visit Salem
before his scheduled visit with Lia. She’d reluctantly agreed to meet with
him the day before, but she didn’t show and he hadn’t heard from her since.
After twenty minutes of standing outside, banging on the door,
Cassian came to the conclusion that she was either dead or avoiding him.
He figured it was the latter, and if so, it was too bad because he had
something on his mind and he wasn’t in the mood to draw it out.
“Lia, I will break this door down,” he called.
Silence.
He shrugged. “Okay.”
The door swung open before he could take a step back. “What?”
“Hello to you too,” he grumbled, stepping past her. Then, he
stopped.
Her place was a mess. Clothes were strewn across the bed and
floors, and he couldn’t even begin to count the number of cups and plates
on the table.
“Go ahead. Judge.”
He slowly turned as she closed the door. “That’s not what I was
doing.” What he was doing was being worried. “What’s going on?” His
visit wasn’t initially a check-in, but it was what he wanted to do now.
Lia rolled her eyes, brushing past him to head to the bathroom.
“Li-”
SLAM!
Cassian watched the closed door for a moment. She didn’t exactly
seem fine in the study, but he hadn’t seen her like this in…ever.
He walked up to the door, giving it a soft knock as the water started
running. “Lia.” He was sure she could hear him, but she didn’t respond. He
cleared his throat. “You stood me up yesterd-”
“I’m not really in the mood, Cassian.”
“Why?”
“Do I need a reason?”
No, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t one. “Lia.”
The door swung open and she held it there, staring up at him with
what he now saw as tired eyes. Immediately, he cast his personal objective
for the visit out of his mind. He couldn’t rant about his visit to the clinic,
couldn’t ask for her help when she looked like she needed it the most.
He stepped away and headed over to the table. “Go take a shower or
nap or whatever,” he said over his shoulder as he started stacking plates.
“What are you doing, Cassian?” she sighed.
He shrugged. “Hanging out.”
He heard her feet shuffle behind him. “Go home.”
“Nope.”
“I don’t want you here.”
“Okay.”
He hadn’t even heard her come up behind him, but in the next
second, she was there, smacking the plates out of his hand. He forced
himself not to flinch, not to look up from the floor as he felt her glare
burning into his lowered eyes.
Sighing, he took a slow step away and started for the pantry before
grabbing a dustpan and brush from the corner. She stood, her eyes hard as
he approached and dropped down, sweeping up the glass.
“Watch your feet,” he said softly.
She didn’t respond, but she did take a step back, so he swept up the
glass, picking up the big pieces by hand before setting to the trash can.
Putting the things back where he found them, he went back to the table and
continued his task as if he hadn’t been interrupted. He piled the plates,
stacked the glasses, and put all the cutlery into a small tote bag he found
under one of the clothe-mountains.
She was still standing at his side when he slung the bag over his
shoulder and balanced the plates and glasses in his hands. “I’m gonna run
these to the kitchen,” he said, not looking at her as he left the room.
After dropping them off and taking an understandable ear-full from
the staff about hoarding their dishes, Cassian made his way back up, taking
off his jacket as he approached the door that was still open, reading to start
sorting clothes. A pinch of worry, even more than he was already feeling,
tugged at him at the sight of Lia. She was in the exact same place he left
her, facing the same way, her back to him.
Closing the door behind him, he was starting toward the bed when
he heard the first sniff.
There it is…
Changing direction, he stepped around her and faced her. The gloss
of tears was expected. Not what she did next.
Cassian stumbled slightly when she crashed into him, wrapping her
arms around his waist. And that’s when the crying really started.
He returned the embrace, curling his arms around her shoulders as
her chest shook.
“I-”
“Shh…It’s fine.”
He stood there for what felt like hours, but he was content to. She
needed it, and a part of him did too. When she finally unraveled her arms,
he let her, and watched as she wrapped her silky robe around her body,
curling into herself. She didn’t say anything as she walked over to the rug
where the coffee table had been pushed to the wall. She just laid herself out
and stared up at the ceiling.
“Could you not look at me, please,” she whispered.
Cassian obliged, slowly ambling over to the sitting area. Then, he
copied her. With an over-exaggerated groan, he lowered himself to the rug
and settled down next to her, staring up as he bent his legs, not having
enough space to stretch them. The last time they spoke, really spoke, he
asked the questions and she wasn’t too willing to answer. So he remained
silent, waiting. He wasn’t waiting for long.
“It wasn’t what I thought it would be.”
He showed no outward reaction. “What wasn’t?”
“Everything.” She shakily sighed. “Moving here. Meeting Grace.
Seeing him…seeing him happy.” He felt her shoulders shrug against his. “I
don’t know. I knew things would change but I didn’t think-” She huffed. “I
don’t know, it’s stupid.”
“It’s not. You’ve seen how I deal with change.”
“But you’re better for it.”
He was silent for a while because she hadn’t lied. Not knowing what
to say, he was about to address the earlier points, but she continued.
“This is gonna sound so selfish and so bitter, but back then, when he
wasn’t happy, I was the one who changed that, the one who brought a little
light to his life, he said it himself. And I’d never want to see him how he
was again. I'm glad that he has someone to make him happy…but I can’t
help but feel like he doesn’t need me anymore. Like it was never me who
made him happy, just the company. And I don’t blame him. We only had
each other, but our circumstances brought us together, not us. I was the one
who stuck to him, not the other way around.” She let out what sounded like
a laugh before sniffling. “He saw his chance to escape and took it, and I’m
just standing there like it’s my first day at high school because my only
friend found a new group to hang out with.”
He probably should have been intimidated by all she’d unpacked,
but he didn’t even have to look for the words. “First, that’s not selfish. It’s
quite valid if you ask me. You’re allowed to feel and nothing you feel
sounded malicious to me. Second, I don’t think it’s that simple. I find
myself wanting to smash his head into the closet wall at any given moment,
so I’m not the one to speak on his actions. He’s a…complicated guy, let’s
say. Third, you do have friends. Even if it’s just Devin and me.”
She scoffed. “Oh, please. Devin hates me. And you…” She sniffed.
“Never mind.”
Cassian straightened his face, knowing exactly what she was about
to say. “He does not hate you.” He cut her off when she protested. “He
doesn’t. He was hurt. But he doesn’t hate you.” He bit his lip. “And I’m
sorry. For leaving.”
When he felt her head shift, he turned too, meeting her eyes. “I’m
not mad at you for leaving.”
“You’re not?”
She let out her first real snort. “No. I’m grateful you did. You were
an arrogant little prick who walked around here like a dark cloud of snot
and new-found testosterone,” she laughed.
Cassian pressed his lips together to keep from joining her as he
reached over and pulled her hair. “Shut up.”
She chuckled some more. “No, really. I think it was good for you.”
Her laughter sobered. “And I was gonna say that you have Salem now, so
I’d understand if you wanted to distance yourself because of our…
situation.”
He frowned. “What situation?”
Lia gave him a bored look. “Um, I don’t know. That time I went
turbo-bitch on you and she tried to detach my head from my shoulders with
her bare hands.”
He pressed his mouth shut again.
Lia drew back and punched him in the shoulder. “It is not funny!”
He couldn’t help it. He laughed.
“Cassian.”
“I’m sorry,” he snorted. “But, Li, we all know that girl is nutty as
they come. One little scratch-fest doesn’t equal a lifetime of hatred. She
doesn’t hold grudges.”
Her voice was quiet. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“I’m trusting because I don’t think I can do that again. She’s really
strong.”
Their laughter lasted longer this time, it was lighter.
“What about the rest?” he asked, digging his heels into the carpet.
“Huh?”
“Grace. You said it wasn’t what you expected.” He thought about it.
“I don’t see you guys hanging out much.”
Her tone hardened. “You don’t see us hanging out at all,” she
corrected. “And we don’t.”
“Me,” she said curtly.
He narrowed his eyes. “Whatever you did, I’m sure it wasn’t that
bad.”
“Oh, no,” she said sarcastically. “I was referring to me being born.”
Now he was confused. “Didn’t y’all talk about it?”
She nodded. “We did. It was good. I thought it was at least. I visited
her all the time until her release. Then when she got out, I messaged and
called almost fifty times before she finally left me an audio message.” Lia
smiled, but Cassian saw no joy behind her eyes. “I don’t know why I
haven’t learned my lesson by now.”
“What did she say?”
She sat up, leaning against the couch while he stayed down. “‘I
really enjoyed our talks. I was in a bad place and you were exactly what I
needed. But I don’t know how to be a mother to you. I wasn’t ready then,
and I don’t think I’m ready now. I’d love to keep in touch, but I don’t want
to confuse you or make you think that I can be something I’m not. I wish
you all the best, Eulalia. You truly are something special and you’d make
any mother proud.’ Funny, right?” she asked, raising her shoulders. “My
own mom dumped me.”
“Lia…”
“It’s fine. It was just unexpected at the time.” She swallowed. “I
don’t know. I don’t blame her. She didn’t have it easy. But I wouldn’t have
thought too hard about it if it was just her. But look at me now.”
He tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, it’s the exact same thing. Cade ‘enjoyed’ our time together,
but moved on when he got to where he needed to be. It gets to a point when
you have to stop blaming other people and wonder why you’re not a
‘permanent’ person.”
Rather than respond to validate or invalidate that very real
insecurity, he asked her a question. “Do you remember what I said in that
note to you the day I left?”
She wrapped her arms around her knees but didn’t question the
change of topic. “That you weren’t coming back.”
“And do you remember what happened two weeks later?”
“Yeah.”
“You sent me a message.”
“Containing…” he prompted with a smirk.
“Coordinates,” she sighed.
Cassian sat up, doing his best to cross his legs before giving up and
drawing his knees in. “I didn’t lie the first time. I wasn’t planning on
coming back. But about a week in, when I came across that place, I realized
that there was no electricity. I wanted to shut out the world, so the
electricity wasn’t the problem. I just got this feeling that something was
wrong. That was the first time I ever had a panic attack. I didn’t know why,
or how to make it better, but I rummaged through my bag for my bracelet
and it was on its last legs. I could barely breathe, I couldn’t even stand, so I
didn’t have the deductive capacity to think about who I needed to call with
the time I had left. But it wasn’t random.” He nudged her leg with his. “It
was you. I thought I wasn’t coming back, thought I’d have no way to
contact you. It died two minutes after I sent that message.” He looked at her
intently. “Not only are you permanent, but the thought of you being
temporary literally sent me into a meltdown. And in case you think I’m
lying and I picked you because I thought you’d be unbiased about my
decision to leave in the first place, I want you to know this. I picked you
because I am biased. You’re not just ‘good for company’ or ‘nice to talk to’.
If I’m honest, you were actually kinda mean at the start.” He thought she’d
roll her eyes, but she sniffled. “But I picked you because of you. Grace was
right, you truly are something special, but she was too wrong or too selfless,
whatever her deal is, to want to keep you around anyway. Difference is, I’m
selfish. Whether you deserve a better friend than me or not, you’re stuck
with me. And if that’s a problem, you better start running ‘cause I’m not
going anyway. Not just because you’re a permanent fixture in my life, but
because I’m a permanent fixture in yours.”
She watched him, her eyes glassy again. “I don’t want to run,” she
whispered.
He nodded with a smile. “Good, ‘cause I’m faster than you.”
After she reluctantly let him help sort the laundry, then almost
kicked him out of the room when he found her bra, they worked
comfortably around each other, getting the place back in satisfactory
condition. She’d just finished making the bed when she put her hands on
her hips, facing him.
“What’s on your mind?”
“What?” he asked from his seat on the couch.
She flopped back on the bed. “You came here for a reason.”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “You.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m flattered. But there’s something else. You
had that look in your eye. What is it?”
Taking a deep breath, Cassian turned and sat back on the couch.
It was the same thing he’d been thinking since he found her, since
he saw her, the only thing he thought about every time he looked at her.
“I want to kill him…”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifty-Three
“Ninety-eight.”
Devin huffed out a breath, sitting up.
“Ninety-nine.”
He did it again.
There was a pause. “I forgot what comes next.”
He snorted, completing his last sit-up. “One hundred, Ken.”
“One hundred!” she cheered, slapping the mat before standing.
Devin dropped to the floor with a groan. He looked up at Kenny’s
bright smile, his heart swelling as he took in her raised cheeks that used to
be so chubby. He couldn’t help but dim a little bit every time he saw any
sign of growth, like learning a new word or counting to a hundred. He
missed his fat, dumb babies.
“You’re getting big,” he panted.
Kenny grinned down at him. “Really?”
“Uh-huh. If you’re not careful, I might have to cut your feet off.
Can’t have you getting bigger than me.”
Her smile dropped. “I don’t wanna be that big.”
“What are you tryna say?” he laughed.
She shrugged, displeased. “I’ll be bigger than all the boys.”
Devin sat straight up. “What boys?”
“The boys at school.”
He frowned. “Scratch that. You’re gonna be ten feet tall. I’ll put a
spell on the both of you.”
“No!” she screamed, already turning and set to run away from him.
Devin couldn’t help but laugh as he grabbed her. “Fine. But you
have to promise. No boys, no nothin’, no kissing, and no crushing until
you're one hundred and thirty-five.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s too old.”
He raised his brows and nodded before closing his eyes and slapping
a palm on her forehead, mumbling nonsense.
She shrieked. “Okay! Okay! I won’t!”
He hid his smile. “Alright. But this is legally binding. Any go-backs
are a breach of contract.”
She nodded quickly.
“Good. Go tell your sister.”
She sprung off his lap, running down the hall. “Tyyyy!”
“What?!” came Tyla’s muffled voice.
When she was finally out of earshot, Devin let his laughter free,
rolling over to stand just as his bedroom door opened. His smile only grew
as the most beautiful woman he’d laid eyes on stepped out in an oversized
shirt, her bare feet halting as she stared at him.
“Well don’t you look pretty,” he grinned, unstrapping his gloves.
She put her hands on her hips, bobbing the red mess of hair piled on
top of her head. “You’re home,” she whispered.
“I am,” he smiled, taking steps toward her before placing a quick
kiss on her lips.
“Why?”
He feigned a frown. “Ouch.”
Emori tilted her head.
“You really think I was gonna leave you alone with those rugrats on
your morning off.”
“Devin…”
He sighed. “I did a thing.”
“What thing?” she asked, brows raised.
“Hypothetically,” he stressed. “How mad would you be if I quit my
job?”
“You quit your job?” she rasped, frowning.
“Maybe,” he winced. When she gaped at him, he quickly added,
“They were firing me anyway. I just said it first.”
Emori sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, closing her
eyes.
“It’ll be fine. I’ve already made some calls and there’s an opening at
Ki’s firm. More days from home, more holidays…”
“More boring,” she murmured. “You’ll miss it.”
Devin leaned down to press his forehead to hers. She was right. As
much as he grumbled about his position, former position, he would miss it.
He lived for the action, the angst, even the respect. He wasn’t power-hungry
or anything, but growing up, no one in his house really took him seriously,
most of his sisters still didn’t. He was still little Dev in their eyes, so it was
nice to have a few guys looking up to him. But there was no way he’d take
that over more time with his family or working under people who didn’t
respect his duty to his home.
Changing the subject, he pulled back, looking at her. “How’s
munchkin?”
Emori opened her eyes. “Hungry.”
He hummed thoughtfully. “And how does honey chicken sound?”
Her lips tipped up.
With a quick kiss, he started for the kitchen. “Sit.”

Devin had only just gotten back from dropping Emori to the bakery
when there was a knock at the door.
He snapped his fingers as Ty spun around to get it.
“Oh yeah,” she smirked.
“I’m sure. Hands. Both of you.” They retreated from the living
room. “With soap!” he called after them.
Pulling the door open, he raised his brows. He thought he’d be on
the naughty list for a little longer after his kidnapping attempt. “Sweet
cheeks,” he grinned.
Shaking his head, Cassian stepped past him, revealing a second
person.
“Lia,” he said.
It wasn’t like they hadn’t spoken since the ‘incident’. But it was
easier to throw a few barbs while she was drunk off her ass than to actually
speak to her. That was kind of why he avoided it. Devin hated
awkwardness. It was why he made jokes, filled silences. Everything about it
made him want to crawl out of his skin.
“Hi,” she replied.
Right there. Awkward.
“Oh my Gods, can you just let her in? I’ve got shit to do.”
Devin stepped to the side, letting her in before turning to Cassian.
Well, part of him, because the top half was already buried in his fridge as he
bent forward, raiding it like the true barbarian he was. He closed the door.
“You know, if you ate lunch, you wouldn’t be so hungry all the time. It’s
barely two.”
“I did.” He stood up, pulling out a container and removing the lid to
give it a sniff. “Mmm. This honey chicken?” he asked, heading to the
microwave.
Devin cocked his head back before throwing a spark at him, pinning
him right in the back.
“Ah!”
“Put it back.”
“Gods, fine,” he whined, trying to reach his back to rub the tiny
burn mark.
“Aunt Li!”
Devin’s head whipped around to the bathroom door as the girls ran
out, arms open. He saw Lia’s back tense, saw the way her head turned a
fraction, probably wondering what he might say, and as much as he wanted
to put her out of her misery, his reaction was reflexive.
“Girls!”
They both startled halfway to her, swinging their eyes to him.
“Sorry,” he quickly said, hating the scared look on their faces. “I’ll bring
some snacks in a sec, okay? We’re just talking.”
After a few painful seconds of silence, Tyla took Kendria’s hand,
leading her back down the hall.
Devin sent his sheepish eyes to Cassian and was met with a
disapproving head shake, but Lia ran both hands through over hair and
turned, her face betraying nothing of what had just happened.
She walked over to the kitchen bar and took a seat. “We should
probably get started.”
Blinking, Devin avoided Cassian’s brutal gaze and moved to stand
on the other end of the bar. “About what?” he asked, his voice rough.
Cassian closed the fridge and faced both of them.
He listened as he explained what he wanted to do, explained why he
wanted to keep it only the low for the time being because of how their last
plot went. Seeing as he wasn’t planning on leaving the palace anytime soon,
he spoke of drawing Podak out, even danced around the idea of dropping a
bomb on the place, but that was quickly shot down by Lia and Devin as
they reminded him that they didn’t all deserve that. Emori, Lilo, and
Nadeen hadn’t caused a problem, and honestly, Devin was a little annoyed
that he even had to tell him that. Devin understood his anger, he even
agreed with his overall objective. But there was one problem.
“We know absolutely nothing about him, about the state of Patriam
post-Pola, about what he wants, what he might try to do. Do you even know
where he is?”
Cassian paused at the question.
Devin sighed. He was glad that he came to him first because
otherwise, it would’ve been one impulsive decision after the next, leading
to the Gods knew what.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifty-Four
Three more mornings. Three more times he’d woken up on the hallway
floor.
While the residential level was significantly less busy, Cassian was
surprised that someone hadn’t stumbled upon him yet. Or maybe they had,
but didn’t do anything.
That’s what Lia had done. By the second morning, she stopped
showing up. He figured that she was satisfied that he wouldn’t enter and
thought it best to leave him. He, on the other hand, was not so satisfied with
what was supposed to be a plot to end all of this. But he wasn’t too proud to
admit that Devin was right. They didn’t know anything.
Most of the time, he only saw Devin at night, so it was hard to find
the time to further discuss matters, but he knew that he was busy. One at a
time, he’d been working on getting the praems onto the system. Getting
their blood work done and setting up accounts for them. They’d been
surprisingly cooperative, but he figured that it had more to do with wanting
to stay with Salem than anything else.
“Uncle Cass?”
Cassian squinted in the dark, looking to his left. “Why are you out
of bed, Ty?” he asked softly.
She sighed as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders
and padded over to the couch before climbing up.
Cassian helped her up, sitting her down next to him. “Can’t sleep?”
“Yeah,” she whispered.
“Yeah, me neither.”
Tyla leaned to the side, dropping her head onto his forearm.
“Because of Salem?”
Clearing his throat, he nodded. “Mhm.”
“You keep talking about her,” she said quietly.
“When?” he asked, sitting straighter.
“When you sleep.”
He sighed, closing his eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Tyla pulled her little legs onto the couch. “It’s okay. She’s my friend
too.”
He huffed out a short laugh. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. She showed me how to talk with my hands and let me do
makeup.”
His brows rose. “She let you put makeup on her?”
“Mhm.” She quieted for a moment before giving him a sly look,
then buried her face in his arm. “Do you have a crush on her?”
Cassian’s lips tipped as he shook his head. “A big one.”
She looked up. “Good. ‘Cause she has a crush on you too.”
“Oh yeah?” he smirked. “What do you know about crushes?”
She quickly sat up. “I don’t have a crush. I don’t wanna go to jail.”
His brows lowered. “Jail?”
“Bleach of contact,” she said pointedly.
He slowly nodded, pretending to understand.
“I think you mean
breach of contract. And don’t worry, if you didn’t sign anything, it probably
wouldn’t hold up in court anyway.” When her little brows scrunched, he
shook his head. “Nevermind.”
They didn’t say anything for a while, but the silence was oddly
comfortable. He was just about to take her back to bed when she leaned in
and whispered close to his ear.
“She was sad when you weren’t here.”
He took a breath, grinding his jaw. He wasn’t about to explain to a
five-year-old that his presence alone would probably bring her to tears. “I
get sad when she’s not here too.”
“Then both of you can be here,” she said without missing a beat.
“Sae can’t come here right now, Ty,” he whispered.
“Then you go to her.”
He opened his mouth, another dismissive response on his tongue.
Then, he thought about it. He’d end up there by the morning anyway.
Shifting forward on the couch, he looked at Tyla. “Are you ready to
go back to bed?”
She didn’t even think about it. “No.”
He sighed. “Can you go back to bed?” he asked softly.
She rolled her lips together.
“What if I bring down the cookie ja-”
“Okay.”

Blanket in hand, Cassian strolled down the hall to Salem’s room.

It was past three, the lights were low, so he doubted that anyone was
awake to hear him.
As grateful as he was to have her back, he felt like it was some sort
of punishment. To have her but not have her. He’d take her either way, but
he wondered what he could’ve done for this to happen. Was it the trials?
She was out there because of him. Was watching her from afar supposed to
be his atonement for what he’d done out there? Because if it was, he wasn’t
sure if he would ever be redeemed, wasn’t sure if he could just stay back
and watch her sit still for the rest of her life when she had so much more to
offer. He’d never think of doing anything to cause her upset, but what if he
just couldn’t do it anymore?
In almost a week, nothing had changed. According to Nadeen, she
still hadn’t spoken, signed, or done anything that wasn’t to gratify a basic
need.
She’d only just started standing on her own again.
He swallowed the lump in his throat as he ground his teeth. Now
more than ever, he wanted to know what happened out there, but he’d be
damned if he marched off into the forest and left her behind again.
Slowing by the wall to the left of her door, Cassian sat down before
pulling the blanket over his legs. He looked up, leaning his head against the
wall, trying to think of everything and anything to stop himself from getting
up and going in. He tried to remember a moment when everything was just
fine. When they weren’t in some sort of danger, or were unaware of it at
least. When they could just be.
It took less than a second for it to pop into his head.
The baby shower.
Gods, the brain on that woman…
He didn’t think he’d ever had that much fun in his life. If he was
being honest with himself, that was probably the point of no return for him.
The day he fell too far to climb back up. Not that he ever would’ve wanted
to.
Your best isn’t very good…
Cassian snorted to himself.
He would never get tired of her blunt responses. Or her voice, or the
way that she wrinkled her nose when she didn’t understand something,
which was rare. The way her brows pinched when she was mad but swore
that she wasn’t, the way she looked away when she wanted to smile as if
she wasn’t allowed to find the humor in things. The way she looked up at
him with those fierce brown eyes. The way her whole body relaxed when
he held her, the way-
Before he even registered the movement, he was on his feet, his
bracelet swiping across the panel. As quietly as he could, he pushed the
door open.
Lilo popped up from the couch as Nadeen’s eyes flew open. She
gave him a harsh look as she jerked her head to the door. But his gaze fell to
Salem instead. She was facing him but her eyes were still closed.
The lump in his throat thickened.
He was at least fifteen feet from her and in the dark, but his eyes
still managed to take in her whole face. Her perfect brows, her thick lashes,
her little pert nose that so subtly expanded with each sleepy breath she took.
She looked so at peace, and it made him want to rip his heart out of his
chest to think that all she had to do was open her eyes for that all to change.
To think about the fact that she’d sooner curl into the arms of a virtual
stranger than look him in the face.
Moisture building up on his lower lashes, he looked back up at
Nadeen.
Her gaze was still dark as ever.
‘Please…’ he mouthed. He knew that he could have spoken aloud,
but he didn’t trust his voice not to give out.
Her face remained hard.
He swallowed. “Please…” he rasped, his voice shaking. “J-just for
tonight.”
Her face slowly softened. She raised a brow at him as she inclined
her head.
Cassian’s shoulders fell as he nearly lost his footing. “Thank you…”
He kept his eyes on Salem as he shakily closed the door behind him and slid
down the wall.

He’s here.
He’d been near before, but not this close.
She’d woken the second that fresh, oaky scent wafted into the room,
but she didn’t dare to let her curiosity get the better of her. When the scent
didn’t weaken, she wondered what he might be doing. Was he just standing
there, waiting for her to open her eyes so that he could take her back to the
correction room?
She didn’t give him the opportunity.
Even if he tried, Nadeen wouldn’t let him get her, she knew it in her
heart. As long as she held onto her, she would be okay.
I’m okay.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifty-Five
When Devin had messaged to say that he had an idea, Cassian was out
of the training room in seconds, running over to his place. He was
impressed to find Lia already there, sitting on Devin’s couch, but he was
surprised to see Nadeen too.
“Fill me in?” he asked, plopping down on the opposite couch.
“We waited.”
He nodded, looking up to see Nadeen, her gaze moving around the
room with curiosity.
“Start anywhere,” Devin said quietly, leaning on the back of the
couch.
She blinked. “Pardon?”
Cassian shifted forward. “We just want to know a little bit about
Podak. About…” He took a breath, knowing he wouldn’t like what he’d
hear, but needing to hear it anyway. “About what happened.”
“With my lady?” she asked, eyes flitting around to the others.
His expression dimmed at the title, but he still nodded.
She shrugged. “It is difficult to explain, more difficult to understand.
But I can try.”
“That’s fine,” he said quickly. “Anything.” He’d been waiting for an
explanation since she took her from his arms at the border.
“It is called purging.”
She paused, looking around the room. When she appeared to find
what she was looking for, she stood and headed over to the mantle. Neither
of them said anything as she picked up one of the decorative jars of
marbles. Placing it on the coffee table, she hurried to the kitchen next and
grabbed the fruit bowl, tipping it into the sink. He expected Devin to say
something, but he just watched, and Cassian could practically see the cogs
turning in his head, eager to understand what she was doing.
Sitting back down, she picked up the jar and poured the marbles out
into the bowl. Cassian watched as she put five clear marbles back into the
jar, then five brown ones.
“The clear glass balls are good memories. The brown glass balls are
bad memories,” she said, giving the jar a shake, mixing them. “Purging
brings memories to the surface, but it is not random. They are associated
with feelings. That is how seers find memories. When you think of a
person, they bring forth memories of that person. When you feel happy,
they bring forth happy memories. And when you are sad-”
“Yes, happy memories,” Cassian finished. “What did he do to her?”
Nadeen cut him a look as she took out a clear marble before
continuing. “My lady does not feel for Podak. She feels for you. He did not
like that. To purge is to bring forth a memory and corrupt it.” She put the
clear marble back into the bowl and replaced it in the jar with a brown one.
“It is often used to make humans not fear us. So hunting is easier. Without
fear, there is no resistance.” Her hands paused as she flicked a nervous look
up.
“It’s okay,” Devin said. “We know.” He tilted his head to the table.
“What did he do?”
She cleared her throat. “Podak is not smart, but he is not stupid. He
knew that she would not feel for him and correctly assumed that she would
not comply if you were still a motivation for her to refuse him. So he used
the purge to instill fear. But he did not use happy memories.” She picked up
as many brown marbles as her hands would allow and filtered them into the
jar. “This is my lady’s head. She does not have many happy memories.”
An ache ignited in Cassian’s chest. He didn’t want to take it
personally, but what else was that supposed to mean?
Nadeen looked his way. “That is not to say that she was not happy
with you. But she is much older than you, yes?”
“Yeah,” he whispered.
Nadeen nodded. “This is only relative to her lifetime.”
“So all those bad memories came before me?”
“I believe so.”
That didn’t make him feel any better.
She got back on track. “Podak did what was easier. Rather than
corrupt her few good memories, memories of you, he replaced the object in
her bad memories with you. And in the process, he overshadowed the good
ones.” She began to fill the jar with so many brown marbles that the clear
ones at the bottom couldn’t be seen.
Cassian’s knee bounced as he stared at the jar.
“What bad memories?” Devin asked.
Nadeen put the jar down. “That, I do not know. But I suspect that
they are deep.” She looked for the words. “Core memories.”
Cassian was grateful that Devin was asking the questions because he
couldn’t get his mouth to move.
“Is that why she's in that condition? Because of how deep the
memories are?”
She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head. “Yes and no. The further
back the memories are pulled from, the greater the toll. But I should have
explained, this is all made possible with a fruit. Aperto. It opens the mind.
Allows for manipulation. This cannot, should not, be done without it.”
Cassian perked up at that. “Podak read me once. He didn’t use
whatever that is.”
She frowned. “When?”
“A couple months ago.”
“How long was the reading?”
He looked across the table.
“‘Bout thirty seconds,” Devin replied.
Nadeen sighed. “Oh. That is nothing. That was a search, not a
reading.”
That had something twinging in his chest. He remembered the
feeling, how uncomfortable it was, how he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
And that was nothing?
Nadeen continued before he could think for much longer. “Podak
was not thinking correctly. He was mad with rage. She defied him the last
night. So he completed the purge without the aperto.”
Every muscle in him tensed. “What does that mean?”
“Without the aperto, the mind is closed. It has to be pried open, but
still, the person is aware of things that they should not be. They know that
somebody is in their head, changing things. But they cannot stop it. There
are physical repercussions. It is unpleasant.”
“What do you mean ‘unpleasant’?”
She didn’t bristle at his sharp tone. “Painful,” she simply said. “I
have only seen it done on humans a few times. Their minds recede, they go
mad, but they do not often survive.”
Devin cursed.
Cassian lowered his head into his hands, only lifting it when he
heard his name.
“Cassian Alden, my lady is not human,” she said softly. “She is
recovering. Slowly, but she is recovering.”
He cleared his throat, sitting up. “So where is he now?”
“He is in Patriam. But he will be here soon.”

Cade was the last person that Cassian wanted to speak to, but there was
no way around it once Nadeen had said those words. Devin had been the
one to make the call and they were all in the study in less than ten minutes.
“Why weren’t we aware of this the second you stepped foot in the
city?” Cade demanded.
Nadeen didn’t even flinch. “I do not know you people. I did not
know what this knowledge could have meant for my lady. Many have killed
their husbands, wives, and children to prevent war.”
“What?” Devin panned, echoing Cassian’s thoughts.
Nadeen looked at them like it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“Podak will want her back. I did not trust that you would not harm her to
eradicate his desire to march on your people.” She waved a hand. “I believe
that he will march anyway. It is your humans that he truly wants. But
stealing his bride on the night of his joining will definitely-”
“She is not his anything…”
Nadeen only regarded Cassian with a glance. “I know this, he does
not. And he will come for her.”
“When?” Cade asked.
“I have not seen it.”
Lia narrowed her eyes. “Aren’t you a seer?”
“Aren’t you?” Nadeen returned.
Lia tilted her head. “You’re a prima.”
“Yet I have not seen it.”
“Well, can’t you just read something?”
“Something?” Nadeen repeated, her face straight.
“Not how it works, Li,” Devin sighed. “She’d need to touch Podak
or someone who’d be directly involved in the ‘war’.”
“Well, wouldn’t we all be?” Cassian asked.
“Presumably. But she might not get the full picture from you or me.
The person needs to be significant enough.”
Deianira nodded. “Okay, what about Salem? He wants her, right?
That makes her significant.”
Cassian whipped his head in her direction. Hearing her name from
Deianira’s mouth had him biting his tongue until he tasted blood.
Nadeen’s head tilted at Deianira. “You would like me to do that?
Her mind is fragile as it is. I could not even imagine how a reading would
affect her state.”
Cassian’s glare hardened as Deianira stuttered.
“No. No, I didn’t know that.”
He scoffed. “Figures…” he mumbled. What difference did it make
to her if Salem would be harmed by her actions or not? It obviously hadn’t
mattered before
“What about you?” Cade asked, sending him a glare. “You’re with
her twenty-four-seven. Wouldn’t that make you directly involved?”
She shook her head. “A seer does not see their own future.”
The room was silent for a moment before Devin lifted a hand. “Can
seers read other seers?”
“Yes.”
“Lilo,” was all he said.
Nadeen quieted, a frown forming. “Lilo…she does not see.”
“She’s not a seer?”
She tilted her head from side to side. “She was born of two seers,
but she has never seen.”
“Well she’s pretty young, she probably hasn’t presented yet,”
Cassian offered
“Primas do not present,” she said, pronouncing the word slowly.
“You are born with your gift, but she has never seen. That is why she was
sold to the praeministerie. It is where I found her.”
“Her parents sold her?” he asked, cocking his head back.
“Yes.”
“She’s fifteen,” Devin frowned.
“Yes. But it is okay. Not all of her masters and ladies were
unpleasant. It is a privilege to work in the Delitorium.”
The dissatisfaction was clear around the table.
“It is okay,” she assured them. “She is enjoying it here.”
Lia’s expression was wary. “For how long? Are we supposed to just
wait for Podak to get here?”
Nadeen sighed. “I am not telling you to not be cautious, but Podak
has not led before. He knows what he wants, but he may lack the
experience to get it.”
“So should we be worried or not?” Devin asked impatiently.
“I cannot say. But it is unlikely that he will succeed with your
technology and,” she gestured out of the window, “preventative measures.”
The Dome.
Cade slowly nodded, staring into space. “Okay. I’ll call a meeting
with station six to up security. Jacobs.” His voice quieted. “You’re welcome
to join us.” When Devin didn’t nod or shake his head, he turned to Lia.
“And-”
“Yeah, yeah. Scouts. I’m on it,” she drawled.
He nodded. “Thank you,” he huffed before standing. “Cassian?”
Cassian was already looking at him, waiting for his assignment.
“Outside.” He started for the door without waiting for a response.
Cassian discreetly glanced at the others, who seemed to be just as
confused. Slowly, he stood, following after Cade.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Cade turned, his eyes hard.
“Watch yourself. I am warning you.”
Cassian took a step back. “Excuse me?”
Cade took a step forward to match his. “If you were anyone else, we
wouldn’t be speaking right now. Be mad, but don’t you dare try to
undermine her or insinuate that she doesn’t have our best interest at heart.”
He’s kidding, right?
“I issued the exile. I wrote those reports. So leave her out of it.”
Cassian let out a breath. “That’s what you think this is about?”
Cade didn’t respond.
Really?
“That was the one thing either of you did right,” he snapped. “If
you’d kicked me out earlier, I might’ve been able to reach her before that
happened to her,” he seethed. “So no, I’m not mad that you did, Cade, I
couldn’t give a fuck if you put a bullet in my head. But she locked her out,
and you stood by her,” he added. “After she gave her everything. Her time,
her energy, her life. All to be discarded as ‘one person’ when she knows
damn well that she’d rip that crown off her head if it were you.”
He held Cassian’s glare. “There are things that you don’t
understand. We were doing what was best for all of us.”
“You were doing what was best for you. But sure, let’s pretend for a
second that it was for the greater good. Either way, your decision
compromised Salem’s safety, so until she can verbalize that she wants
different, I don’t want either of you anywhere near that room. Especially
her.”
Cade’s chest rose. “Watch. Yourself. She is your Queen.”
“Yes, she is. And if she thinks I’ve caused problems for you guys up
until now, she’s got another thing coming if I hear her name out of her
mouth again.” Without giving Cade the opportunity to respond, he stepped
back into the room to offer a nod to Nadeen. With understanding, she stood.

It was the first time that he’d gotten the opportunity to have a word with
Nadeen alone, and he had a multitude of questions. For starters-
“Is she eating properly?”
Nadeen gave the hall ahead a small smile. “She is,” she responded
as they turned the corner.
“And she’s sleeping?”
Her smile dimmed. “Yes. Too much.” Before he could say
something, she continued. “But it is expected. She is recovering.”
He nodded, clearing his throat. “Has she said anything yet?”
“No. But she did not speak much before.”
That was true. “What about signing?”
She blinked at him.
“Signing with her hands? It's how she speaks to us.”
She shook her head. “Not that I have seen. She does not move very
much.”
His sigh was nothing short of defeated. He chewed on the side of his
lip, considering whether it was even a good idea to ask.
“Can I...Can I stay the night again?”
She continued walking silently for a while. “You want to be close to
her.”
He was nodding before she’d finished her sentence. “Yes.”
“Do you not trust her in our care?”
“I do,” he insisted. “I just want to see her.”
She made a face like she didn’t understand, but she accepted his
answer anyway with a shrug. “She must have treated you well.”
He frowned at the question. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged again. “I don’t know any man who cares for his
woman as you do. She must have a soft hand.”
Salem? Cassian couldn’t help the snort that rose out of him.
She spun to him, a hand on her heart. “What is it?”
He spoke over his poorly stifled laugh. “Salem is not soft,” he said
smiling. “She’s fucking crazy.”
Nadeen only looked more confused. “I-”
They rounded the corner as she went to answer and spotted two
people at the end of the hall. Right outside her door.
Cassian instantly picked up his pace. “Hey!”
When the two heads turned in unison, he faltered a step and forced
himself to take a breath.
Don stood with his back to the wall, looking exasperated, as usual.
And AIko was right behind the door, talking to someone on the other side.
“She won’t open the door,” Aiko said, annoyed.
Huh?
Click.
Aiko frowned as the door creaked open seconds after he’d said it.
Lilo’s eye was about all that was visible through the crack. She only
opened it a little more to squeeze her hand through and grasp Nadeen’s shirt
before trying to pull her into the room. Nadeen allowed her to, her
bewildered face showing everything that Cassian was thinking. He followed
behind Nadeen, and thankfully, Lilo let him in.
His eyes shot straight to the bed.
She’s sleeping.
He didn’t know if that was good or bad, but it meant that he
wouldn’t have to worry about her seeing him.
“I do not know those men,” Lilo rushed out. “They say they want to
come in.”
Nadeen slowly nodded. “Yes…to see our lady.” She gestured to
Salem. “They are her brothers.”
Lilo’s brows lowered. “Oh.”
Nadeen sighed. “It is no matter. You can let them in.”
As Lilo went to move, something struck in Cassian’s mind,
something that didn’t make any sense.
“Wait.” Both of them turned. “Why did you open the door?”
She looked to the door, then back to him. “I did not.”
“No, just now. To let us in.”
Her frown deepened. “To let you in.”
“But how did you know we were outside?”
Nadeen turned to Lilo too, apparently just as curious.
Her face softened as something sparked in her eyes. “Oh. I saw your
faces. Come,” she said, waving a hand at them as she speed-walked back to
the door.
Not the door, the panel.
She squinted her eyes as she aggressively tapped a few buttons, then
in the next moment, the feed from the hallway cameras popped up on the
screen. She looked back at them with a grin. “See,” she said, pointing at
Don and Aiko, who looked even more frustrated.
His brows shot up. “You pulled up the security footage?”
She nodded, before turning back to the screen, standing a little
closer than what seemed necessary. “Yes.”
“How?” he asked, not fully convinced.
She seemed all too happy to explain. Lilo beckoned them again as
she reached for the door. She jumped as Aiko nearly fell into the room.
“Move, please,” she said quietly.
Aiko stood there, staring at her face. He didn’t move for an
embarrassing amount of time before Don dragged him back by his collar.
As if nothing had happened, Lilo pulled the door all the way into the room
and pointed to the small silver numbers in the top corner.
4061
“Look,” she said enthusiastically.
He nodded, only to show her that he was following. She stepped to
the panel on the side of the door and pointed to the very corner of the
screen.
4061b
“See,” she smiled. “The same.”
He was speechless. By the way that Nadeen looked at him, it was
obvious she didn’t understand what he was so impressed about, but she
wasn’t a fifteen-year-old that couldn’t read. Cassian only knew that from
Devin. Apparently, she couldn’t even write her name, let alone read the
terms and conditions of her stay in The Dome, so Devin had to read them
all to her and simplify it significantly, dumb it down. But this said that she
was anything but.
“Are you done?” Don grumbled.
Lilo squeaked at the base in his voice before Aiko cut his brother a
harsh look.
Cassian stepped aside to allow them in.
Aiko’s eyes immediately found the bed as he stepped through. Don
was still yet to actually enter the room, staring at her sleeping figure from
the door.
“I will wake her to eat.” Nadeen turned to Cassian. “Do you wish to
stay?”
A yes was on the tip of his tongue, but then he looked at Aiko’s
wide eyes, at Don as his chest rose and fell.
This was their moment.
“I’ll go,” he said under his breath.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifty-Six
He’s leaving.
She could tell by the heavy footfalls that felt like they were thudding
right beneath her pillow. Salem wasn’t sure how she felt about that. He’d
been around the night before and she was fine. Nothing happened.
Another smell, or smells, interrupted her train of thought. They
weren’t familiar, but they were similar.
She blinked her eyes open as a hand gently shook her shoulder.
Nadeen smiled down at her. “You have visitors,” she said as she reached
under her arms.
Salem let her sit her up. She could’ve done it herself, but Nadeen
helped her anyway. Finally facing forward, she was able to see the two new
faces in the room, but she looked to the door first. It was almost closed and
there was no trace of him, no evidence that he’d even been in the room. But
she knew.
A hand waved in the corner of her eye.
Flicking her gaze back, she was met with Nadeen’s displeased face.
“You have visitors,” she said again.
Salem let her eyes fall over the new faces again. Then she blinked.
There was something…familiar about them. She didn’t see it on her
first glance, but looking at them objectively-
“My name is Aiko,” the younger one blurted, taking a step forward.
Aiko.
Aiko and-
“I’m Don,” the taller one said, his eyes flicking down.

He told you that he has other kids?

Salem nodded. Yes. Two. Their names are Donnie and Aiko.
Those bright blue eyes scanned her whole face. Are you okay with
that?
Yes, she responded quickly. I haven’t had siblings before.
And you want to?
She lowered her face onto his warm chest, wanting him close for the
sake of it.
I do.

Salem flinched as she opened her eyes to find herself cradled in

Nadeen’s arms as she trembled so hard her teeth chattered.
He was right there. She hadn’t meant to think about him, but he was
just there.
Nadeen yelled something over her shoulder. In seconds Lilo was
next to her, tilting her head back as Nadeen spoke to her hurriedly.
“My lady, you need to breathe!” she hissed as she rubbed Salem’s
chest.
She didn’t know that she wasn’t. But she wasn’t sure if she wanted
to, at least she was distracted now.
She could see Nadeen’s mouth moving, but her vision was way too
foggy to make out anything comprehensible.
A blurry figure pushed into view, stepping into Lilo’s place. The
next thing Salem knew, she was being pulled into a larger pair of arms. One
hand clutched the whole side of her head as the face before he drew closer,
grew clearer.
Salem! Breathe!
Eyes widening in horror, she inhaled with a choked gasp.
As soon as she felt her lungs expanding again, that face only became
more detailed. Sheer terror washed over her. Because he wasn’t just holding
her. She was doing the one thing she told herself she wouldn’t do. She was
looking at him.
And he was looking at her.

“Lilo!”
Cassian froze, honing in, his foot half over the threshold to his
room.
“What’s wrong with her?!”
“Stay back! My lady, you need to breathe!”
He was spinning on his heel before his heart had the chance to drop.
“I do not understand, she is not choking!” he heard being screeched
as he bounded down the hall.
He burst through her partially open door, thankful that he wouldn’t
have to break it down again, and almost collapsed.
“Oh Gods…” Aiko whispered, his hands on his head.
Salem’s shaking body was held between Lilo and Nadeen as they
shook her and rubbed her chest.
She’s not breathing.
It didn’t take another second for him to spring into action.
By Don’s position, he assumed that he was the one Nadeen was
telling to back off, but he didn’t even spare her a glance as she tried to do
the same to him. Stepping in front of Lilo, Cassian reached for her, pulling
her out of Nadeen’s arms.
He wanted so badly to just hold her for a moment, to really feel her
in his arms, but he leaned down as he brought her up, holding the side of
her face to force her gaze to his. When he was sure that she was seeing him
clearly, he bellowed down the link.
Salem! Breathe!
Her eyes doubled in size as she brokenly gasped.
The relief was so instantaneous that he might have dropped her if he
wasn’t leaning on the bed. That relief didn’t last long though, because in the
next second, she almost jerked out of his grip.
“Sa-”
Cassian grunted as her palm met his nose. Then a flailing fist on his
cheek.
Salem, he said quickly, scrambling to keep a hold of her.
Her eyes were shut tight as she threw her arms out, doing everything
she could to force him away as she breathed like she’d just run a marathon,
mumbling something that didn’t even sound like words.
That’s when he made a choice.
Nadeen rushed up to his side, arms out to separate them, but he
stepped away.
Salem fought even harder as he pulled her to his chest.
“Let her go,” Nadeen urged.
“What are you doing?!” Don snapped, taking a step up to the chaos,
but again, Cassian stepped back, finally managing to get her arms under
control. Even though she could barely move, she was trembling like a leaf
as she squirmed against him.
“No,” he said as he rounded the bed.
“Cassian Alden!” Nadeen hissed.
“Just listen to me,” he rushed out, grunting when she headbutted his
chin. “If I leave every time she gets upset, it’s just gonna keep happening,”
he explained, lowering himself onto the bed, holding her head to his chest
as her breaths came quicker.
“You are frightening her!”
He was well aware of what he was doing and didn’t need the
reminder. In fact, he was trying to fix it at that very moment. Yes, she was
scared. An hour ago, he would’ve dashed out of the room at the thought
alone, but maybe that was the issue. Treating her like she was made of
glass. It was the one thing that he’d hated when he started living in the
palace and Salem was one of the only people that never wore kid gloves
with him. It was only fair that he returned the favor. That fear wouldn’t last
forever. His departure would only reinforce her reaction. So he wasn’t
going to leave. They were going to stick it out together.
He sat up, holding Salem’s legs together as he positioned her
sideways across him.
When Don looked like he might say something again, Aiko put a
hand up. “He might be right…”
Nadeen threw a venomous glare in their direction. “Leave!”
Flinching, he hurried toward the door, reluctantly followed by Don.
She turned her scowl on Cassian, only interrupted by Lilo, who stepped up
beside her and whispered to her in low tones.
He took the opportunity to look down. She wasn’t fighting anymore.
But she still shook.
She’s okay.
She was okay. She was just scared. He wasn’t hurting her. Cassian
just needed to remember that.
He brushed her hair from the side of her face. He just let himself
admire her, admire everything about her, every feature that was even
minutely obscured by the dark of the night when he last saw her.
She had the faintest of dark circles beneath her eyes. He knew she’d
been sleeping, but she was stressed. Nadeen might have explained what was
going on in more scientific terms, but Cassian knew Salem. For something
to have her like this…
“You have held her,” Nadeen announced. “You can leave now.”
He knew that he’d already pushed his luck by being in the room, by
touching her, by holding her. But he wasn’t ready for her warmth to leave
his chest yet.
“I’m staying the night,” he decided.
Nadeen’s stance became stiff as she clenched her fists. “You have
not been permitted to.”
Too drained to argue, he shrugged, trying to ignore Salem’s tense
spine as he shuffled down into a more comfortable position.
When he reached for the covers, Nadeen snapped. “She will not
sleep with you here. Leave. I will not ask again.”
Cassian sighed. He really didn’t want to argue with her after all
she’d done for Salem. “I’m not leaving, Nadeen,” he said softly.
She stared at him for a few seconds before nodding and turning to
Lilo. “Call Devin Jacobs.”
The face Cassian gave her was bored, but a small shot of worry ran
through him. What if Devin made him leave?
With an apologetic look, Lilo ambled over to the panel.
Her eyes were still closed when Cassian looked down again. He
would’ve tried to speak to her if he wasn’t sure that Nadeen would drag him
out by his ear. So he nestled closer to her, one hand on the back of her head,
the other around her legs.
She didn’t move, save for her trembling and breathing, but he held
out. Soon enough, she’d melt into his arms as she always did. He knew she
would. She had to. But first, he steadied his own heart. It was no use trying
to calm her down when he wasn’t calm himself, so he tried to block
everything out and started to breathe in sync with her. In less than a minute,
her back wasn’t so stiff anymore. He had to fight not to look down, move,
or do anything to make her tense up again.
But he almost jolted when the door swung open.
Devin tilted his head up with a groan. “What are you doing, man?”
he sighed. “You know you can’t be in here.”
Cassian gave him a pleading look.
Devin’s lips thinned systematically. “Come on,” he said quietly.
“Let’s go.”
Heart beating faster, Cassian closed his eyes, buried his nose in
Salem’s hair, and just breathed.
“Cass.”
“No,” came his muffled voice.
Just breathe…
“Cassian.”
He didn’t respond.
For a while, no one spoke. He was too satisfied with holding her for
him to open his eyes and see what was happening, but he was sure that
there was a silent exchange going on between Nadeen and Devin.
Finally, he broke the silence. “Don’t you want her to rest?”
Cassian threw him an annoyed look. “Of course, I d-”
He was the one who cut himself off.
Devin frowned, probably wondering why, but Cassian stayed silent
for a few more seconds, hoping to confirm his suspicions.
Once satisfied, his eyes snapped to Devin’s, his jaw slackening.
“She’s sleeping,” he whispered.

Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty…

Salem couldn’t remember the last time she felt so relaxed in weeks.
That shouldn't have been the case considering who was holding her,
but he was just so warm, so close, so familiar. So different from how he felt
when he was looming over her less than twenty minutes ago.
She knew she wasn’t being rational. He’d just helped her, he hadn’t
made a move to harm her at any point in her stay. But she couldn’t help it. It
was like something just short-circuited. Her mind wouldn’t allow her to
take him in.
Well, evidently, her mind wasn’t at the wheel right now because she
could feel herself sinking further and further into his hold, and for once…
she didn’t want to do anything about it.
The only problem was that when she allowed herself to sink, she fell
right below the surface.

“Why are you doing this?”

He shrugged. Because I like taking care of you.
Hm. “I can take care of myself.”
He only nodded once. You can. But I like doing it too.
He liked it.

A large hand was rubbing her back before she was even aware that
she’d been shaking again. He pulled her even tighter against him as if he
was trying to suppress her trembling. Whether that was his intention or not,
it worked.
She let out a shaky breath, her heart trying to settle as she slowly let
her head fall back to his chest. Slowly blinking, she kept her eyes cast down
at first, but then she noticed the darkness.
How long have I been asleep?
How long has he been here?
It was when his hand pressed down at the back of her head that
realized that she was lifting it. His hold didn’t leave much room for
movement, and strangely enough, she liked that. She couldn’t understand
why she found the way he restrained her so comforting, but she just did.
She couldn’t go anywhere. Still, she wanted to look up, but she was pushing
herself as it was. Besides, she wasn’t quite ready for this to end and she
feared what might happen if she did lay her eyes on him again.
So she let him hold her.
Because I like taking care of you…
Those words circled around in her mind a few times. And again, she
couldn’t work out the significance, but they felt important.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Cassian hadn’t slept. Not only did he not want to, but he didn’t need to.
Closing his eyes made absolutely no sense when she was right in front of
him.
She’d slept through the night. In his arms.
He was sure he looked like an idiot the way he was smiling.
Knowing that Nadeen would be banging down the door any second,
he scanned her face for what must’ve been the four hundredth time. He was
surprised that he even managed to get away with his little tantrum. It
seemed that all it took was a few compelling words from Lilo and a promise
that he’d leave first thing in the morning.
While Lilo’s help had been greatly appreciated, he could tell that she
just wanted a night out of the room. He did feel bad that Devin had to find a
guest room for them to stay in, but there was no way he was turning down
the opportunity to stay with Salem.
On cue, the door opened, but where he expected Nadeen stood Lilo.
Before he could ask, she raised a hand. “Nadeen is sleeping. She
does not rest much.”
His brows were on the rise when he realized just how much time the
girls spent looking after her. Day in, day out, no breaks. Of course, she was
tired.
His next words were more for himself than anyone else, but he still
cleared his throat and spoke to Lilo. “I uh- I can stay with her, you know.”
He shrugged. “So you guys can get a break.”
The way her lips stretched as she lowered her head and entered the
room told him that she knew that their wellbeing wasn’t why he’d offered.
She shook her head with a sly grin. “You can ask Nadeen. But I
must bathe her now.”
He was so close to offering to do that as well, but he held back.
Salem may have been comfortable for now, but that would change the
second she woke and the whole night was more than enough for her in one
go.
Glancing down at her once more, Cassian took a risk in lowering his
head enough to press a soft kiss to her forehead. “Morning, crazy face,” he
murmured ever so quietly.
Without waiting to see if she might wake, he looked up at Lilo and
nodded.
After an awkward handover, he listened to Lilo and stood back, out
of sight, as she woke Salem and proceeded to hold her arm as they sleepily
walked over to the bathroom.
Even though she couldn’t see him, he didn’t take his eyes off her for
a second. He hadn’t had the opportunity to see her on her feet before and
the sight was just enough to make him hold out for longer. As soon as the
door closed behind them, he quietly followed before putting his ear to the
door, hoping, praying to hear her voice.
“I can hear you breathing,” Lilo called.
Deciding not to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping, he put his
back to the door.
Might as well… “So, uh- How long have you known Nadeen for?”
“Not a very long time. Eight moons now.”
Eight months. That wasn’t very long at all considering how close
they seemed.
“She is not unkind. She is just very protective.”
She was explaining her behavior earlier. Cassian didn’t need an
explanation. He understood her completely. While it would’ve been nice if
her hostility wasn’t aimed at him, he was just glad that Salem had someone
who would fight tooth and nail for her.
“I know. And I appreciate everything you guys are doing for her.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, he heard the smallest sigh behind the door. “It
is no task. She is my lady.”
His mood dipped.
My lady…
Every time he heard that, he wanted to close his hands over his ears.
“Her name’s Salem,” he said, probably a bit harsher than necessary.
“I know.”
He sighed. “So you can stop calling her that.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s not-” He stopped talking, already feeling the tension
in his shoulders.
Before he could correct himself, Lilo was speaking again. “She will
be Queen,” she said bluntly. “So she is my lady.”
His frown morphed into a scowl. “Well, there’s no way in hell he’s
coming anywhere near her again, so no, she’s not your damn-”
“Nadeen was right,” she interrupted. “You do not listen.”
He tilted his head at the door, not in the mood for whatever this was.
“I said she will be Queen. I did not say that she will join with
Podak.”
He paused for a moment. “Well, how else?”
A muffled giggle came from behind the door. “Are you not the King
of Patriam?”
His brows shot up as his breath stuttered. Memories of the forest
flashed past his eyes. Memories of him ending it, ending her.
The King of Patriam…
Why it had never registered in his mind, he had no idea.
Lilo continued, unaware of his spiraling. “I think she will be happy
to join with you,” she said wistfully.
Just like that, he was fighting a smile again. “You think?”
“Yes. I will make her a beautiful dress and-”
“Salem doesn’t like dresses,” he said quickly.
She was quiet for a while. “Then I will make her something else.”
He wasn’t even sure why he picked on that particular point in the
conversation, but he felt like there was a lot more behind this than wedding
talk.
“We have tailors and seamstresses. You don’t have to make your
own clothes.”
“Then I will cook.”
“We have chefs.”
There was a short huff. “I will find something to do,” she grumbled.
He thought before speaking. “You don’t have to do anything, you
know. Even now, no one will be mad if you want to do you.” Or be a kid, he
silently added.
Now, there was silence.
“You know, you could get out more. Maybe make some friends.”
Nothing.
“Or we could find a school for you to attend. Unless you-”
“I want to go to school,” she blurted.
He huffed out a small laugh. He figured. “Alright. I’ll make it
happen, okay?”
He could hear her smile. “Okay.”
Bzz. Bzz.
JACOBS: Heads up.

JACOBS: Nadeen’s coming up and she’s gonna tear you a new
asshole if you’re still in that room when she gets there.
Cassian sighed, exasperated. “I gotta head out, but can you tell her that
I’ll be back later?” Maybe some warning would help.
“Okay,” came her bright voice.
Cassian took a final glance at the door, then turned around to leave.
He quickened his pace, hearing footsteps down the hall. Stepping
out as he closed the door behind him, he saw Nadeen’s distant figure as she
walked toward the room, her lips tight.
“I’m leaving,” he called before she could complain.
Apparently, she hadn’t noticed him before that point, because her
face hardened even more as she pulled back the object in her hand.
He squinted. A loaf of bread?
Trusting his instincts, he started taking quick steps in the opposite
direction.
“Leave faster!” was all the warning he got before she lobbed the
loaf of bread at him.
For some reason, a hysterical laugh bubbled out of Cassian as he
started running away, the loaf missing his head by inches.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Once again, Cade took the lead, going through his plans for
preventative measures while Deianira took the backseat. In fact, she didn’t
even seem to be listening as she bounced baby Caleb up and down in her
arms, making faces at him. Cassian was listening, but he couldn’t stop his
eyes from straying in her direction every few minutes. She looked…happy.
It was strange. It wasn’t as if Deianira had never seemed happy before, but
she was actually giddy.
And to muddle his mind even further, Devin was in a suspiciously
good mood too. Compared to how stressed and tired he’d seemed all week,
he was practically beaming now. But he wasn’t looking at Deianira, he was
staring into space.
Cassian’s own high mood was appropriate considering how he’d
spent the night, but he had no idea what had gotten into everyone.
The only person behaving normally was Lia, who paid attention to
everything that Cade was saying. “What about motion sensors?” she asked.
Cade mulled it over. “I think it might hurt more than it would help.
While most of Terra’s population moved into the city, there are still heavy
numbers outside. We’d be drawing forces out every time someone traveled
outside of their town.”
“Not necessarily. There are a few under-populated areas.” Cassian
frowned when Lia’s eyes flicked to him.
“What?” he said quietly.
“Your house.”
My house?
She gave him a bored look before it clicked. His house. Outside of
Terra.
Barely anyone went anywhere near there. It was why he chose it.
For a second, he wondered if he wanted to give up the location, but he
reminded himself that he had too much in the city. He wasn’t leaving
anytime soon, and even if he did, he wouldn’t go back. He doubted that
Salem would enjoy life there.
When he nodded, she turned back to Cade. “Cassian has a small
house just outside of Terra. No one goes there, so if we did get a motion
alert, we’d be almost certain that Podak’s mobilizing.”
Cade raised his brows. “Okay,” he decided. “How far is it?”
“Maybe a twelve-hour drive.”
Cade nodded, satisfied. “I’ll send a unit and a tech team. Do one of
you mind tagging along with them?”
His eyes went to Cassian first.
It wasn’t that he had any reservations about going. He just didn’t
want to leave the palace for that long. He didn’t want to leave Salem for
that long.
Sensing his hesitation, Lia nodded. “I’ll go.”
Cassian threw her a thankful look.
“Thank you,” Cade said. “And Devin. How many units do we have
on standby?”
Devin blinked back into focus. “I don’t know. I’m not Head
Enforcer anymore,” he said slowly.
Cade narrowed his eyes. “Are you going to opt out of helping
because you’re sore about losing your job?”
Devin met his gaze, shrugging. “I just don’t know how I feel about
doing the same job, just without the title.”
His face darkened before Deianira subtly nudged his leg. He sighed.
“Do you want your job back?”
Devin’s face lit up. “Nope,” he said, with a pop at the end. As soon
as Cade scowled, his smile brightened. “But I’ll do it. Not for either of you
bums though.” He nodded to Cade. “And that would be one hundred and
twenty-one units.”
Cade nodded very slowly, evidently as cautious as everyone else
about Devin’s behavior. He strolled over to a cabinet and pulled out a few
files before addressing Cassian. “Can you take these over to the Qins?” he
asked, pushing the short stack towards him. “And this one to Akilah,” he
said, flicking his eyes to Devin as he placed another file down.
Cassian pulled them closer. “What are these?”
Cade shrugged, looking away. “Just some contracts.”
He skimmed over the first page and looked up at Cade. “Seriously?
The disciplinary program?”
Devin frowned, reaching for one.
“It’s just an agreement,” Cade said quickly. “They’re not on the
council and we can’t take any chances.”
Devin’s dark eyes turned to Cade. “So you’re threatening my
sister?”
A non-disclosure agreement.
He was sure that they wouldn’t have a problem signing it, but it
seemed a little bit extra if nothing else.
“It’s not a threat if they follow the conditions.”
His eyes narrowed. “Uh, I think that’s the definition of a fucking
threat!”
Cade sighed. “We can’t have this getting out. Considering how
many problems we already have, how many calls you’ve had to take
because of the hostility in the city, I’m sure you can understand.”
“I most certainly do not under-”
It was Lia who interrupted him. “I agree that it is beyond stupid,”
she said, sending looks to Deianira and Cade. “But they’ll sign it. It’s not
like they’re gonna tell anyone anyway.”
Cassian suspected that it was whatever had caused Devin’s good
mood that made him sit back, sliding the papers back to him.

Don hadn’t stopped scowling since he’d reluctantly let Cassian into the
apartment, and to make matters worse, he was the only one home. He
figured it would be easier to explain the contract to both of them together,
so that left them with one thing to do.
Wait.
Cassian sighed, sitting on the couch opposite Don. “So when does
Aiko get home?”
Don’s face didn’t change. “I don’t know his schedule.”
He nodded, expecting his blunt answer. He searched through his
mind for anything he could use to strike up a conversation. “How come you
live here?” He immediately cringed at how judgemental he might have
come across. “I mean, with your parents.”
Gods, I’m not making this any better.
Don still gave no reaction. “My mom’s sick.”
Cassian was about to apologize when he remembered that his
mother was also Salem’s mother. But he also had another thought. What
could a gifted person be sick with?
“It’s an auto-immune disease,” Don answered before he could ask.
“Undiagnosed.”
“Oh.” Cassian nodded slowly. “How long?”
Don sighed, relaxing his stance. “Going on fifty years.”
That couldn't have been easy. “And your dad?”
Don knew that he wasn’t referring to his health. “Stuck her in The
Haven the first chance he got,” he huffed humorlessly. “I’m only here till
Aiko graduates.”
Cassian nodded. He wasn’t seeing him any differently, it was always
obvious that he cared for his brother, took care of him. He knew that from
the first day when Aiko ran to his room rather than calling for his dad.
“I’m sorry,” he forced out. “About your mom.”
Don scoffed before shaking his head. “I don’t expect you to be, all
things considered.”
Cassian relaxed a fraction.
“How is she? After yesterday.”
Once again, a small weight lifted off Cassian’s heart at the mention
of her. “Good,” he nodded. “She slept,” he added before he mentally
slapped himself. It came out a lot weirder than he intended and Don
probably wouldn’t understand the significance.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to correct himself because the door
swung open only seconds after he’d spoken.
Aiko strode in, bopping his head to whatever was coming through
his headphones as he closed the door with his foot, pocketed his keys, and
headed in a direct line for the stairs.
“Aiko,” Don called. He sighed as he started up the steps.
Aiko, Cassian called softly.
He jumped, whirling around. “Shit!” He took a breath, taking off his
headphones. “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t see you.”
Don waved him over, pointing to the documents on the table.
“What’s this?”
“Contracts,” Don responded before gesturing to Cassian.
He sat up. “It’s a non-disclosure agreement. For what you guys
know about the primas.”
“Oh.” Aiko shrugged, pulling off his backpack. “Cool.”
“You’re not going to read it?” Don frowned.
Aiko paused, his bag half unzipped. “Do I need to?” he asked
carefully.
Cassian cringed. “You probably should-”
Click.
They all swung their heads to the door as Akilah strutted in, holding
a…dog? He assumed it was a dog, it had all the right features. He wasn’t
certain because it was just about the ugliest little thing he’d seen in his life.
She halted when she spotted the three of them. “Oh. I didn’t realize
you had company.”
Don’s jaw dropped. “How the fuck did you get in?”
Her expression straightened. “You should really lock your door.”
“It was locked,” he shot back.
A rare smile fell over her lips as she let out a half-snort. “I know,”
she quipped before shutting the door and making her way over to the table.
“And she brought the fucking dog,” Don mumbled.
She didn’t ask what Cassian was doing there or what the documents
were about. She just stepped in front of Don and picked up one of the
stacks, skimming over it.
“Hey, Aiko,” she said sweetly, her eyes on the paper.
“Hi, Ki,” he said back, a teasing smile on his face.
Apparently over the fact that she’d broken into his place, Don
narrowed his eyes at her. “Can you sit down?” he spat, trying to look either
side of her.
“No,” she responded, flipping a page.
Rolling his eyes, Don curled his forearm around her middle before
yanking her down onto his lap.
The thing in her arms screeched as Cassian’s brows shot straight up,
but Akilah didn’t even pause her reading as she plopped down. He turned
his eyes to Aiko to find him staring at the pair with that same smirk on his
face.
They both looked up at Cassian, even the dog thing. “What?” they
said simultaneously
He quickly averted his eyes.
He spent the next few minutes explaining the general premise of the
contract, and funnily enough, none of them seemed to have an issue with
signing. The exchange was a lot quicker and a lot easier than expected,
which he was more than happy with because it meant that he could get back
to the palace.
Well, not before his quick stop.
It didn’t take long to reach the only public school in the city. It was
almost right in the middle of The Dome, probably for accessibility, and it
was the most popular. There were other schools that catered to specific
gifts, and while he had the credits to send Lilo to one of them, he had the
feeling that she would appreciate a more diverse environment, especially
considering the fact that she didn’t really have a gift. Plus, he figured that
the school was good enough. Devin and Akilah had both attended after all.
The large reception room was comfortably silent as he stepped
through the automatic doors, looking around for anyone.
A head popped up from behind the sleek circular desk. The lady’s
face brightened as she took him in. “Can I help you?” she called.
Sighing with relief, he nodded, walking up to the desk. “Yes, thank
you.” He took a quick look around before leaning forward. “I’m trying to
get a kid enrolled, but I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
She grinned. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. I can do that for
you.” She pulled a tablet over from beside her. “What’s the name?”
“Cassian,” he responded.
She nodded with a smile. “Cassian. And how old is your son?”
He frowned before shaking his head. “Sorry. I’m Cassian. Her name
is Lilo.”
She tapped a few buttons, unbothered by his mistake. “What’s her
last name?”
“Alden.”
When Devin had gone through the process of getting them
registered, he’d said that they could pick their own last names, but neither
of them really understood the concept. He’d been trying to help out when
he suggested that they both take his and Cade’s. It made sense. They all
lived in the palace, and would continue to if that’s what they wanted, and
the name would get them places too. Cade didn’t seem to mind either.
She looked up from the tablet, her lips parting. “Alden? As in the
King Consort?”
Cassian sighed. This didn’t happen often. He hadn’t gone out
enough for people to even recognize him, but he wasn’t a fan of the way her
lips curved.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “He’s my brother.”
She sat up, pulling her shoulders back, nodding slowly. “And how
old is your daughter?”
He was about to correct her when he figured that there had already
been enough confusion.
“She’s fifteen.”
Her eyes softened. “That is adorable.”
Adorable?
“Human or gifted?”
“G-” No. “Human.”
“Alright. So, I’m assuming you don’t have her birth records?”
“No,” he sighed with relief, thankful that he’d dodged another
talking point.
“Okay.” She typed some more. “Do you have records from a
previous school?”
He internally groaned. This required a lot more information than
he’d expected. “No.”
She placed a hand forward on the desk. “That’s totally normal.
Plenty of our students started late, but that’s why we take so many of them
on. We believe in equal opportunity here.”
He nodded with a tight-lipped smile.
“Parent information. You’re Cassian Alden?”
“Yeah.”
“And her mother’s name?”
“Oh, uh. She doesn’t…”
He was trying to think of something when her manicured hand
appeared on the table again, closer this time. “It’s okay,” she said softly.
“You don’t have to explain.”
He nodded, grateful for the out.
“And for the record, I think you’re doing an amazing job.”
“At what?” he automatically asked, not following.
She shook her head with a giggle. “You don’t have to be humble.
You’re doing great, investing in her education like this.”
It was more of a questionnaire than an investment, but he thanked
her anyway. “So, when can she start?”
She quietly laughed. “Well first, she’d need to take a short exam.
Don’t worry, it doesn’t affect her entrance, we just need to know which
grade to place her in. You know, without her previous records.”
“Okay.” That made sense. “When can she take that?”
“Whenever’s best for you. Just come in and ask for Tamra,” She
averted her eyes, feigning shyness. “That’s my name.”
Sensing the end of the conversation, he stood back from the desk.
“Thank you.”
She stood from her seat, her eyes traveling up and down his body in
a way that made Cassian want to throw a sheet over himself. “I can give
you my contact info. Just in case I’m not here and you need help.”
Narrowing his eyes, he took a step back. “I think I’ll be okay. Thank
you though.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Something sour was brewing in her.

Salem couldn’t quite put her finger on it but she hadn’t been this
miserable since she’d arrived back at the palace, and in the past week, she’d
been nothing but miserable, so it said a lot.
He’d come back.
She knew he had, partly because Lilo had told her that he would
return, but mostly because she was awake and right there when he did. She
knew it was him when Lilo turned her chair around to face the window.
Initially, she wondered why she’d do such a thing, but then her nostrils
flared.
It was unmistakable.
But unlike the other time, he didn’t come inside.
She didn’t know why that bugged her, it wasn’t like she wanted him
to come in. It was just that he said he would and didn’t. He basically lied.
Salem didn’t like lies.
She took a breath, satisfied with the conclusion for the cause of her
annoyance. On the contrary, Lilo had been in the brightest of moods.
As Nadeen was away with Devin, for whatever reason, Salem was
stuck with Lilo, and while that wasn’t usually unpleasant, it began to irk
her. Because her mood had sky-rocketed right around the time that he
showed up. She was practically bouncing around the kitchen as she made
dinner, throwing Salem a smile every few seconds.
Why was she so happy?
What could he have done in his short visit that would make her so
upbeat and simultaneously make Salem so…
She didn’t know what, but it wasn’t good.
Did she want him to come back?
No. She couldn’t possibly want that. His presence alone set off
alarm bells in her whole body. He made her want to get up and run in the
opposite direction.
Twirling around, Lilo pranced over to the table before setting down
a bowl of mashed potatoes. She took the seat diagonal to Salem and
scooped some up, lifting the spoon to her own mouth. Grabbing some more,
she pointed it in her direction.
Stewing, Salem didn’t open her mouth. Lilo frowned, pushing the
spoon closer. Then Salem angled her face away.
Lilo tilted her head. “My lady, are you not hungry?”
She was hungry, but she wasn’t starving. She just wasn’t in the
mood to eat.
After several attempts, Lilo put the spoon down, her face worried.
“What is wrong?”
Salem knew that she wasn’t expecting her to answer. She often did
ask her questions, Nadeen too, but they usually watched her face, probably
looking for cues. She wasn’t sure what they saw on her face most of the
time, but more often than not, they seemed satisfied with her silence.
Not now though. Lilo didn’t look at all satisfied with her expression.
“Would you like Nadeen instead?” she asked. “Because she is busy right
now.” Her eyes glazed over Salem’s features. “Are you tired?” Salem gave
her nothing. “I do not know what you want, my lady.”
After a few seconds, she sighed and picked up the bowl before
standing.
A part of Salem felt bad that she couldn’t communicate all that she
was feeling, not that she would have wanted to anyway. She was just down.
Returning to the table empty-handed, Lilo sat with her and talked. It
made Salem feel even worse that she wasn’t looking at the words coming
out of her mouth. She just spaced out for what must have been hours until
she held Salem’s arms, urging her to stand, and started their nightly routine.
It was the same thing every day.
Hair up, bathroom, clothes, bed.
Lilo would normally sleep on the couch whether Nadeen was ready
for bed or not, but this time, she sat on the edge of the bed, watching the
door. Waiting for something.
When the lights pulsed, she stood up and turned to Salem before
making a move to leave. “I will return in the morning. I hope you feel
better,” she said, her face still tight with concern.
Taking in her words, Salem froze.
She was leaving and Nadeen wasn’t there either. Lilo disappeared
behind her before she felt the door opening.
With a small jolt, Salem’s whole body came alive as his scent
brushed under her nose.
He’s back.
He said he would be back but he already had, so why was he back
again?
Salem’s heart pounded in her chest as she waited for some
movement. Something she could gauge, and eventually, those same heavy
footfalls slowly plodded across the floor as a few light ones receded.
They were alone.
Then the lights turned off.
She couldn’t see him because she was facing away from the door
anyway, but her anxiety still skyrocketed. She bit down on her tongue as the
bed moved. Her calculations must have been off because she could’ve
sworn that she had more time. She hissed out a breath when it shook a little
bit more aggressively, but then it stopped. She waited with bated breath for
what might happen next, and though she expected the touch, every muscle
in her body seized.
His hand. He was touching her.
His large, warm palm curled around her waist before she was
moving. He slowly tugged her back across the bed, pulling her closer, and
soon, her back was sliding against a hard chest and a nose was nestling into
her hair.
Salem released a shuddery breath.
She could take this, just this. But then the words started.
Salem?
She froze.
As quickly as she did, his thumb started to swish back and forth,
caressing her stomach.
Lilo said you didn’t eat.
Was he mad about it? She couldn’t have gone stiffer until he let out
a large breath, his heart thudding against her back.
It’s okay if you’re not hungry, but can you eat something in the
morning? he asked, so softly. His thumb stroked her again. I can get you
something. Anything you want, okay?
She was hearing his words, but she was only paying attention to the
softness. His words weren’t harsh or cold, nothing like she’d heard before.
Still, she wasn’t going to take any chances by speaking and giving
rise to his inevitable ire. He didn’t like it when she spoke without being
prompted.
A deep sigh warmed the back of her neck before his grip on her
waist tightened and she was being rolled over. She couldn’t have stopped
him if she tried, so like she’d been doing for what seemed like forever, she
just let it happen. She closed her eyes as he held her head and gently
lowered it to his chest.
The moment the first beat thudded against her cheek, Salem sighed.
Really sighed.
She wasn’t sure if it was the familiarity or the rhythmic beat itself,
but it just did something to her. Something that made her feel safe despite
his intimidating presence.
Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight…
I saw your brothers today.
Thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four…
They’re doing good. They ask for you, you know.
She shivered as a soft chuckle sounded in her head before
continuing her counting.
Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty…
There was a long pause. I think something’s going on between Don
and Akilah.
Fifty-three, fifty-four, fifty-five…
They’re constantly bickering, but I think that they actually like-
Sixty.
Finally. Sleep.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixty
Cassian was stuck.

Not physically, but he was just stuck.
His previous joy at being able to spend his nights with Salem was
slowly dissipating because nothing was changing. He didn’t want to be
impatient, but for a moment, it seemed like she was making progress, then
nothing. Almost a week and a half of nothing. She would sleep, but she
would still tense whenever he neared. He knew it wasn’t personal, but it
was hard not to take the hit because it was kind of personal. In a sense at
least. It wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t help it, but it kind of stung that he was
the only one she couldn’t stand to be around.
Nadeen had eased up on him, sometimes waiting by the door in the
evening or making him a drink. She probably felt bad for him.
Thankfully though, between working with Devin, getting Lilo ready
for school since her exam, buying new clothes, notepads, pens, a tablet, and
so much more that he never even knew existed when he was in school, he
didn’t have a lot of time to sit and wallow.
Devin’s change in attitude that he’d seen in the operations room had
been consistent. He was back to his usual self and better, throwing around
jokes and insulting Cassian with every breath he took. One thing that wasn’t
so normal was his request for Cassian to help him out in the first place. He
didn't mind, but it was just unusual. Devin was very independent and
Cassian would have to shake him to get him to ask for help when he needed
it, as rare as that was. But now, it seemed like he wanted the help so he
could get the job done as soon as possible and run home.
He didn’t really blame him, it couldn’t have been the best feeling for
him to have his job taken and still have to work it, just without the
acknowledgment.
That’s why Cassian didn’t bat an eyelid when he asked to wrap up
early this evening.
He was glad for it too because it meant that he could get to the
loading dock in time for the tech team and unit to arrive back from their op.
“How’d it go?” he asked as soon as she hopped out of the rover.
Lia’s brows shot up in surprise like she didn’t expect him to be
there. “Uh, it was fine,” she said quietly, pulling her bag off the seat.
“You get ‘em set up?”
“Yep,” she snipped, something behind her tone.
Before she could walk past, he touched her arm. “You okay?”
She sighed. “Yeah, just tired,” she said quickly, flicking a look over
her shoulder at the enforcers milling around the rover, collecting their
things.
Cassian followed her eyes and caught one of them glance at her
before looking down with a smirk.
Something was off.
He halted her again. “What is it?”
She pulled her arm back. “Nothing. Can you drop it?” she asked, but
he wasn’t dropping it. She had enough going on and the way the guys were
looking over didn’t sit right with him.
He narrowed his eyes at her as he regained his grip on her arm.
“Which one?”
“What?”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll just read you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Cassian. It was nothing,” she whispered. “I
was the only girl there. I expected a few stupid jokes.”
In no mood, Cassian honed in. Lia was smart, her thoughts were
empty. But he saw the images.
Quick-flashing images of Lia sleeping on the floor of his old place.
Of her lashing out in the middle of the room as they mocked and jeered. Of
her covering her ears as she sat with the back to the door of his small
shower stall.
They were gone for three nights, which was longer than anticipated,
but he didn’t think that there would have been an issue. Especially not this
kind of issue.
She yanked her arm away.
“You’re lighting up fucking firefly,” she quietly hissed.
Cassian let his gaze stray behind her to find a few of the enforcers
watching him with a lot more caution than they had a moment ago.
That, he did expect.
These were boys, not literally, but a real man wouldn’t take joy in
making her feel uncomfortable to get a laugh out of his peers. Lia was with
these guys for days. Hours away from the city. And she was just taking it.
That’s what worried him more. Lia had never been one to just roll over and
take bullshit.
When he took a step forward, she grabbed his arm. “It wasn’t the
tech team,” she whispered, some of her attitude slipping.
He nodded before stepping past her, addressing the whole loading
dock. “Who’s the head of this unit?”
They stopped moving.
He looked back at Lia but decided not to ask her when he saw her
chewing on her lip. “I can just check the system, but I’d rather you didn’t
waste my time.”
Finally, someone stepped forward. Chest puffed, the light-skinned
man stepped forward, stealing glances at his team with a condescending
grin. “That would be me,” he declared, lowering his rifle to his side.
Nodding, Cassian started in his direction before leaning on the hood
of the rover, a foot from him. He eyed the man, pulling on a pleasant smile.
“What’s your station?”
“Five,” he said proudly.
Cassian would’ve expected it from someone on station two or three,
the ones who’d only just gotten a taste of power and didn’t know what to do
with it. But not a station fiver.
He forced his features not to fall. “Can I take a look at that?” he
asked, gesturing to the rifle.
Apparently thinking that they were about to have some bonding
conversation over his M16, the enforcer, handed it over. “Sure.”
Cassian stood off the rover, turning it over in his hands. “How’s the
range on this?”
He shrugged, his lips tugging up. “It’s good, but the M14 has-”
Cassian swung the butt of the rifle into the side of his head before he
could finish his sentence. The fiver collapsed to the ground, unmoving.
Taking a breath, he turned to the rest of the dock, glancing around at
the enforcers and the tech team, who all stood, stark still. “Unit eighty-two,
you are all officially relieved of your duties. Pack your shit and report to
Jacobs to hand in your badges.”
He waited for a few seconds to see if anyone would say something
or call him out for not having the power to relieve them. In truth, he didn’t,
but he also didn’t doubt for a second that Devin would take their badges
after hearing about the incident.
Satisfied, he placed the rifle into the hood, looking down at the
enforcer. “And leave him there,” he said to the room before turning to Lia.

“You didn’t have to fire them,” Lia grumbled as he took her bag off her
shoulder for her to open her door.
“Yeah, I did.”
She pushed the door open and glared over her shoulder. “A few
jokes are a fireable offense?”
“No. But what comes after is. There might not be many, but there
are women in those units. Not only is it unacceptable, but do you really
think it’ll stay a joke if it’s ignored?”
She sighed, flopping onto the couch.
He softened his tone. “I grew up with guys like that. And I know
you’ve dealt with that brand of asshole.”
“You’re gonna find assholes everywhere, Cassian.”
“True. But I’m not gonna watch ‘em dance around with a badge and gun
either.”
She glanced around, looking away from him. “How is she?”
He took a moment to order his words. “She’s good,” he settled on.
Lia sat up. “Not much has changed?”
He shook his head.
“She’ll come around,” she said quietly. “She’s stubborn, but she’ll
come around.”
“I know,” he nodded, even though he wasn’t sure if he really
believed it.
“Have you tried to help her remember anything?”
He sat up. “What do you mean?”
She looked down. “I don’t know. Familiar things.” She shrugged.
“Smells, words, activities. You know, good memories.”
Overshadowed the good ones…
Cassian let out a short breath. They were still there. He just needed
to dig them up.
Shooting up, he turned back to Lia. “Thank you,” he grinned.
As quick as he could, he shot off a message to Salem’s panel,
hoping that Lilo would see.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixty-One
Salem never shied away from routines, but her days were becoming too
cyclical.
Only one thing had changed recently. Lilo wasn’t around as much.
Salem wasn’t sure where she went during the day, but she was always in a
good mood when she returned.
Nadeen sat beside Salem and watched Lilo with a subtle smile on
her face as she made dinner again. Usually, Nadeen would handle all the
food, but recently, Lilo had been wanting to get involved. She stayed away
from the oven, mostly because she was scared of it, but Salem didn’t mind
the simple meals so much.
Lilo skipped over to the table, leaving Salem little time to decipher
what had caused her joy. She approached with…a sandwich. It wasn’t an
irregular food, but they usually stuck to things that they already knew how
to make, or whatever Devin had brought over.
Her smile became sly as she set it in front of Salem, sharing a look
with Nadeen. She leaned closer, watching Salem’s eyes. “It is a ham
sandwich.”
A ham sandwich.
Salem sniffed, something flaring in the back of her mind.
A ham sandwich…
After a moment of thought, she gave up and waited for one of them
to take a bite.
Neither of them did, but Lilo did say something else, her eyes
examining. “Don’t worry. It didn’t put any mayonnaise in it.”

‘I didn’t like it. It had too much.’

His shoulders bounced as he watched her take a sip from the bottle
of water.
‘I could tell.’
Then, confusing her, he peeled open the sandwich in front of him.
One by one, she watched as he carefully picked out every piece of lettuce,
every tomato, and every red onion. All he left was the bread and the ham.
Closing it, he met her eyes and held it out in her direction. She looked up at
him, trying to work out what he was doing.
He stuck it out further. ‘Don’t worry, I didn’t put any mayonnaise in
mine.’

With a soft hitch of breath, she blinked out of her haze, her eyes
bouncing around the room, her heart racing.
When Lilo placed a hand on hers, she quickly drew it away.
Standing Nadeen, tilted Salem’s head up, her previous smile gone as
she scanned her face. “You are okay?”
She shivered as she slowed her breathing, staring into Nadeen's
eyes.
That was…
She didn’t know.
It felt…
She didn’t know that either.
But she knew that she felt something. Something warm, intrusive.
She didn’t like it. She didn’t hate it either. But her mind told her that
something dark would arise if she allowed herself to fall prey to it. So she
refused, and she resurfaced.
Before one of them could pick up the sandwich for her, she grabbed
it, taking a bite.
That same feeling threatened to grab her again as the soft flavors
glided around in her mouth. Trying her best to ignore it, she quickly
swallowed and scarfed down another bite. It was good. Really good. It
tasted good, it made her feel good. Before she knew it, she was taking her
last bite.
She glanced up, disappointed that she’d finished it so quickly, to see
Nadeen and Lilo, frozen, watching her.
What? she thought.
For a moment, she wondered if she should hold onto her plate when
one of them would eventually reach out to take it, an indication that she
wanted more. But then, the lights blinked.
She looked at the digital clock on the wall just to be sure.
He’s here.
Just as Lilo reached for the plate and Nadeen held out her palm,
Salem pushed her chair back and stood before swiftly walking past her,
leaving them both slack-jawed. She didn’t pay them much mind as she
quickly made her way over to her bed, not bothering to change or even
remove her pants. Climbing in, she pulled the covers over her body before
turning away from the door.
It was a few moments after she’d stilled that she felt movement, felt
the door opening. She almost shook with anticipation. Seconds that felt like
hours that felt like days passed.
Is he not going to come in?
Finally, the lights turned off and Salem tuned into the subtle motion
of the room. Light footsteps left, and heavy footsteps neared.
He’s coming.
She closed her eyes.

For the first time since his nightly visits started, Cassian was nervous.
There was no way he couldn’t be after what Nadeen had just told him. His
anxiety was based upon the fear that he might have been giving himself
false hope.
Progress.
He wanted it to be true and he knew that it would break him if it was
just a coincidence.
She ate by herself. Went to bed by herself.
Salem was the epitome of independence and that little action gave
him enough hope to kill him if she wasn’t really coming back to him.
He watched her, rocking back on his heels for a moment before
pulling back the covers. A small shake ran up her spine, but he didn’t let
that deter him from climbing in behind her. He knew she was awake, knew
that she knew that it was him. But she didn’t tense like she usually would.
Taking that as a green light, he swept an arm around her and rolled her right
over into his chest.
The last few nights, he’d spoken to her. Maybe it helped her, but
he’d really been doing it for himself. She might not have been able to talk
to him, but he wanted to talk to her, he missed talking to her. Everything
about it. Her blunt words, her painfully truthful remarks, just her voice.
When he talked to her, it brought on a fraction of that feeling, so he just
kept doing it. Tonight though, he decided against it.
He just wanted to feel her.
Pushing his luck, he reached down and felt around for her hand and
he couldn’t help but sigh as he grasped it.
Her hands were small, but they weren’t soft. Her palms were a little
rough, slightly calloused. Even her nails were trimmed and he mentally
thanked Nadeen and Lilo for keeping them that way. She wouldn’t have
liked them getting too long. Her hair, on the other hand, was falling a little
low. She didn’t like it passing her shoulders. He made a note to ask one of
the girls if they could do something about it.
In no time, her soft breaths filled the room. There was no stopping
the small shot of disappointment that jarred him, but he reminded himself to
be grateful.
She’s here. She’s safe. That’s all that matters.
Cassian closed his eyes, burying his nose in her hair, and allowed
sleep to take him.

How much?
“Three inches,” she responded.
He huffed. How am I supposed to know what three inches looks
like?
Turning around, Salem grasped his hand before pulling apart his
thumb and index finger. “That much.”
Cassian bit down on his lip as she turned around before holding his
hand to her head. He took a deep breath, placing the comb down, and
running a hand through her wet strands.
“Here goes nothing,” he whispered to himself, holding up the
scissors.
He’d only opened them around the first small section when he
dropped his hands.
I can’t do it.
Salem turned again, meeting his eyes. “Why not?”
I’m gonna mess it up. Trust me, just go to the salon Lia’s always
raving about. They’ll cut you up real nice.
She sighed. “I do trust you. That’s why I want you to do it.”
He watched her face for any sign of doubt. So you’re not gonna
freak out if I make you look like a hairy thumb?
Rather than frowning, she pressed her lips together. His face lit up
in victory at her found humor.
“It’s hair,” she said, turning back around. “It will grow back.”
He nodded. It was just hair.
Fine, he huffed. But you still have to marry me, even if I mess up.
You already said yes.
“You’re stalling,” she said, bored.
Cassian chuckled as he held the scissors close again, sending up a
quick prayer.
Snip.

His eyes flew open, his heart racing. As slowly as he could, he turned
his head, searching the room for what had woken him, and found nothing.
Sighing, he curled back around Salem.
He was a light sleeper. A door opening down the hall could’ve been
the disruption and he almost grumbled at the thought. There was no way
he’d be getting back to sleep. That didn’t mean he was about to move
though. It wasn’t like she didn’t get enough sleep, but he would never dare
to-
His back went straight.
He could’ve sworn that he was imagining things until it happened
again. Slowly removing his trembling hand from Salem’s head, he gently
lifted the covers and squinted into the dark.
Her hand. It was moving.
His heart threatened to stop as he watched her fingers slowly curl
around his thumb.
Cassian leaned over her to check if she was still asleep, just to be
sure that he wasn’t losing his mind. Expelling a shaky breath, he had to
close his eyes. She was out. She probably didn’t even know what she was
doing. In a way, that meant so much more. She was holding him. Holding
him.
His previous thoughts thrown out of the window, he let himself
dream, he let himself believe that it was really him that she was holding
onto. That she wouldn’t have done the same if it was someone else laying
next to her.
Suddenly, the idea of staying up all night regained its appeal.
He could use the time to think about all the things he was going to
do tomorrow after the success of his experiment. There were so many
memories that it took him hours to settle on one, and when it did come to
mind, he knew it would be perfect. He wanted her to wake up to it, even if
it was one of the girls who gave it to her. But that would mean he needed to
get it before she woke up, or hunt it down more like.
If he knew anything about Salem, it was that her eyes would open
the second the clock struck five-thirty. If he was going to make it back in
time, he’d need to be out by four, the latest. He must have been lost in his
wistful thoughts, because when he looked over to the kitchen wall, the
numbers 0408 stared right back at him.
Wincing, he gently pulled his hand back and was met with little
resistance. Then he eased back, but something was halting him. He looked
down to find his shirt fisted in Salem’s hand.
His heart squeezed.
It was almost enough to make him abandon the plan and stay there
with her all day, but really, it spurred him on. If she’d come this far after
just some food, what might happen after what he had in store for her?
So, like a cruel bastard, he slowly pried her fingers from his shirt,
one by one.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixty-Two
Salem let out a displeased yawn, not liking the empty feeling in her
head.
Something was missing and it only took her rolling over to figure
out what.
There were no numbers.
The next question was why.
She slowly opened her eyes and solved that mystery too. Her
pillow’s heart didn’t beat sixty times. In fact, her pillow didn’t have a
heartbeat at all. But he did. There were no numbers because he wasn’t there.
He’s not here.
She didn’t have to look at the clock to know that it wasn’t time yet.
And besides, he never left before she woke up. He always waited for
Nadeen to get back.
He’s not here.
Making her heart jump with a string of hope that she didn’t yet
understand, the door opened. But it wasn’t him. It was Nadeen, wearing a
pleasant smile as if there was something to be happy about. She was early.
And he’s not here.
Just like that, her heart plummeted.
Salem couldn’t help but scowl at her before looking back to the bed.
Why is she here? And why wasn’t he?
He’s not here.
He left.

He’s leaving.
Cassian?
He averted his eyes, struggling to meet her gaze as he took a step
back.
Her eyes widened painfully. No, no, no, Cassian, don’t! she yelled,
slapping a hand on the glass.
His chest deflated. I’m doing this for you.
I didn’t ask you to! You said you’d stay!
He said he’d stay. But he was leaving.
I know I did. You can hate me for it when I get back.
Heart racing, she threw her fist into the glass, almost squeaking
from the pain that flared across her knuckles.
He raced back to the wall. Please don’t do that…
Then let me out! she growled.
You’re going to hurt yourself!
SO ARE YOU! she screamed. She gasped for one breath after the
next. Why couldn’t she just breathe?
Salem, I don’t know what else to do.
She threw her violent gaze back to him. I told you what to do!
And I said I can’t let you do that!
Heaving out a harsh rasp, she gritted her teeth. Cassian, let me out
of here, right now!
He tilted his head, his face almost furious. Will you try to stop me?
YES! she bellowed.
Salem.
She grabbed her head, hating the way her name sounded in his
mouth when it was one of the few things she truly enjoyed.
Sae.
Her breaths grew labored.
Salem, please understand.
What? She whirled on him. NO!
Sae-
No! I won’t understand!
How could he possibly expect her to understand that he wants to kill
himself under the guise of nobility?
Salem-
STOP IT! she screamed. Why wouldn’t he just stop talking?
What else am I supposed to do?!
She was barely hearing his words over the roaring in her head, over
the clawing in her heart. Why did her heart hurt so much? She argued with
herself, trying to redirect her attention, trying to find the cause of her pain.
Then it dawned on her.
This is your fault…
What?
No, she was right. This is your fault!
What are you-
None of this would’ve happened if you didn’t… She chewed her lip.
If he didn’t what?
If i didn’t what?!
If…if you didn’t touch me! If you didn’t kiss me! If you didn’t take
care of me! If you didn’t make me need you!
Salem…
You made me like this! It was his fault. If you just stayed away from
me, it wouldn’t feel like this!
His eyes filled with something that she was in no mood to decipher.
Feel like what?
The glare she threw him should’ve had him melting. He was in no
position to be asking her how she felt when he was actively disregarding the
one thing she’d asked of him.
To stay.
That was all she wanted. For him to stay with her, to stay alive. Was
that too much of an ask? He would really rather run out onto a battlefield
where his opponents wouldn’t think twice about gutting him than stay with
her? She knew why he wanted to go, but was she not enough to make him
want to stay?

Salem heaved, choking on a half-sob.

He left.
It felt like someone was standing on her chest. Throwing herself
forward, Nadeen skittered out of the way as she dry heaved. She put a hand
on Salem’s back, bending to try and catch her eyes. But Salem’s were flying
all around the room.
Cassian left.
By the way that Nadeen jerked her head at Salem, she realized that
she hadn’t thought his name.
She’d said it.
“Cassian…”
He left.
Again.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixty-Three
Smiling down at the object in his hand, Cassian let himself relish in a
little pride.
After reluctantly messaging Cade and finding out that all the ones
from the event had been thrown out or lost, he banged on Lia’s door before
she pulled it open with a harsh glare. From there, he headed to the address
of the jeweler who made the originals. Turned out, she had one left.
Cassian didn’t fight his grin as he turned the silver crown over in his
hands.
It was perfect.
That was one of the best days of his life, probably the best after
meeting Salem. There was no way that it wouldn’t bring something up.
Spirits high, he looked up, watching the sun slowly emerge from the
east of The Dome.
He hadn’t expected to get all the information he needed so quickly,
and because he was ahead of schedule and the old lady wasn’t too far, he’d
decided to walk.
Passing the tuck shop, he sighed as he saw that it was still closed. It
made sense considering the time of day, but it would’ve been nice to have
made her breakfast. Maybe even eat with her if she was ready for that. Well,
he still could. If the staff were feeling nice enough, maybe they’d let him
take a few things up before their-
Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.
Incoming call: JACOBS
Checking the time again, Cassian answered. “You’re up earl-”

“Cass, you gotta get back here!”
His feet stopped moving at the urgency in his voice. “What is it?”
“It’s Salem!”
Quicker than he could even think, his boots were slapping across the
concrete. “What the hell happened?!”
“She’s going crazy. Screaming and tearing shit up.”
What?
“Why?!” he shouted over the blaring horn as he ran in front of an
AM patrol truck.
“She’s looking for you. She woke up and you weren’t there and she’s
throwing a fit.”
She’s looking for me…
He couldn’t even feel the joy over those words because he was too
set on getting back, too set on another chilling thought.
“Why can’t I hear her?!”
“Because I closed the door!” Devin yelled. “She’s not messing
around!”
Gods…
“Okay, I’m letting the unit in. They’re about to sedate her.”
What?! “NO!” he bellowed. “You’re gonna scare her!”
“She’s scaring everybody! Nadeen thinks she can go in and calm
her down and Lilo’s damn near shaking!”
Before he could respond, he heard the enforcers in the background.
“Step back. As soon as the door opens, 511, you head in. 536 and 547,
flank-”
Cassian’s heart crawled up his throat. “DEVIN! Put me on speaker!
NOW!” Without waiting for confirmation, he barked into his bracelet. “Any
of you touch her with one of those things, and I’ll shoot you in the fucking
chest!”
For a few seconds, he heard nothing.
“Devin, fucking say something! Why is no one talking?!”
Then he finally heard it. Her scream. He almost tripped at the pained
rasp that crawled from her lungs.
“Because she just threw a chair through a bulletproof window,
Cassian!” Devin hissed back.
And? “I don’t care if she burns the whole fucking palace down! Tell
her I’m coming!”
“I have to get near her to do that!”
“SO DO IT!”
“You don’t understand! She’s gonna hurt somebody!”
He took a dangerously sharp left to scale the steps up the grand
entrance. “NO! I’m gonna hurt somebody if I get there and there’s a scratch
on her! Tell them to BACK! THE FUCK! DOWN!”
Hanging up, he sprinted through the palace with no regard for the
people walking around and getting to work.
What if I’m too late? his mind threw at him as he dashed across the
top floor.
He’d only passed his room when he caught sight of a uniformed
man flying through an open door down the hall and smack into the wall on
the right.
Dammit.
He sped up, pushing himself, and rather than slowing down, he
reached out and grasped the short doorframe to swing himself around and
into the room.
His eyes almost popped out of his skull.
Devin had his hands up as he stood in front of her, his eyes
bouncing around the twelve enforcers with their guns held up.
Pointing at Salem.
She drew ragged breaths through bared teeth as she swung her gaze
around the room, a kitchen knife in her right hand.
Cassian bounded into the room and almost mowed her down as he
wrapped his body around her. He didn’t even look over his shoulder. “PUT
THEM DOWN!” Almost at the same time, he heard the guns drop to the
floor. “GET OUT!”
Boots thudded against the boards and retreated from the room. It
was only when the room quieted that he felt the small struggle in his arms.
Shit. She was probably petrified.
He quickly stepped back and unwrapped his arms from around her
before a burst of pain sprouted across his cheek. His head spinning, Cassian
put a hand to his face, only to be greeted with bloody fingers when he drew
it back.
How the hell-
He saw it the next time around. Not in time to stop the blade from
piercing a straight line across his chest, but he saw it. He hissed, bending
forward to shield the skin.
She cut him.
He didn’t have it in him to step away from her, but he did put his
hands out as his eyes found her tear-streaked face.
Sa-
He cried out as the knife sliced across his open palm. Pulling his
hand to his chest, he finally stepped back, but she matched his retreat and
doubled it with two steps of her own.
He managed to dodge the next one.
Salem! What are you-
“You left me…”
He dropped his hands, his jaw falling.
She spoke. Words. Out loud.
Salem came at him again, but he couldn’t make himself move. He
was frozen, watching her, as the knife cut across his shoulder.
When she twisted the knife in her hand and pulled her arm, he
finally snapped out of it.
He grabbed her hand before it could make contact, unsure of what
he was more shocked about. Her talking or the fact that she was actually
about to stab him.
“You left me!” She dropped the knife and caught it with her left
hand before slashing him across his abs.
“Shit! Salem!”
He had to wrestle with her to pull the knife from her hands. She was
quick, determined, and he didn’t know if he was proud or devastated that
her motivation was to hurt him. Twisting the knife from her grip, he threw it
to the other side of the room and released her, holding his hands up.
“You left me…” she rasped before he could speak, her pitch dipping
on the last word.
His face fell.
Sae… he soothed, taking a tiny step forward. I was a couple blocks
away, I was coming back.
She was still for almost a second, hearing his words, taking them in.
He sighed with relief. She understoo-
Salem turned her back to him, looking over her shoulder. Then, she
jumped.
At first, it was a blur of hair and limbs. Then, there was a foot in his
chest. He’d barely felt the impact before he was flying back onto the floor,
winded.
Her scream was broken as she launched herself at him. He opened
his arms, letting her fall to his chest, before he wrapped them around her,
rolling on top of her.
Salem! he panted. I was coming back!
Her lungs expanded before she screamed in his face. “You left me!”
She wasn’t listening. I said I was coming ba-
“No!” she screeched, finally saying something else. “YOU! LEFT
ME!”
He yelled back audibly. “I WAS COMING BA-”
“I ASKED YOU TO STAY!” she screamed like it took every ounce
of air in her lungs to get out. “AND YOU LEFT ME!”
For only a moment, his grip loosened.
“You said you’d stay!” she cried more than screamed, her chest
shaking.
Oh, Salem…
She fought harder, her tears falling like a broken dam. “And you lied
to me!”
As his chest hollowed, he felt her arm start to slip so he retightened
his grip. I was coming back then too…
“You said you’d stay and you lied!” she cried, her voice weakening.
He did lie. He’d lied, and taken advantage of her moment of
weakness.
Guilt like he’d never known settling in his heart, he darted around as
she squirmed beneath him, trying to catch her eyes, but she averted them
every time.
I’m sorry… he finally said.
“No!” she bawled, her voice breaking him.
He blinked quickly. I was always coming back…
“Get off me!”
Cassian kept trying to catch her eyes. Salem, please look at me…
“NO!” she screamed before shrinking back with a sob. “You lied…”
I know. He swallowed. I know. I’m sorry.
“Get off me…” she wheezed.
Salem, I’m sorry, he rasped, his eyes stinging. She wasn’t angry, she
was devastated. I’m sorry, okay? he squeezed out. I won’t do it again.
“Nooo…” she wailed, her shoulders shaking to no avail.
What had he done?
Failing to catch her gaze, he lowered his face and brushed his lips
across her cheek, partly for her, but mostly because he didn’t want her to
see his eyes glaze the way they did. I promise I won’t do it again.
“You lied to me…” she wheezed.
His heart threatened to tear into two. I know… Cassian kissed her
forehead, as far as his lips could reach. I’m so sorry, he rasped.
“Get off me…” she wept, her heart pounding against his.
Salem, I’m sorry… He kissed his own tear that had fallen onto her
right cheek. I’m staying. I’m not going anywhere.
“I don’t believe you…”
Something in his chest fractured at the admission, it almost hurt
enough for him to let her go. Please, I’m sorry…
He planted kiss after kiss on her face as she shook her head, her
raspy cries filling the room. She was inconsolable. But he held her tighter,
letting his head fall to her chest, too heavy to hold up any longer. He tried to
block out her demands, shrieks, and whimpers as he spoke to her in low
tones. Not because he thought he would scare her, but because he couldn’t
even muster the strength to raise his voice.
I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry, he chanted over her sobs.
Finally, she slowed her fighting, her wails becoming whispers.
Do you hear me? I’m staying, okay? I promise, I’ll never leave your
side again, I swear, I won’t.
His head bobbed as she hiccuped. “You said that last time…” she
whispered.
His jaw clenched as another tear wet her shirt. I know I did. But I
mean it. I’m sorry.
Only her cries were heard as she shook some more. He lifted his
head from her chest, another piece of him dying as he looked over her wet
lashes and red cheeks.
This time, when he searched, he locked eyes with her. Did you hear
me? he whispered.
Her face didn’t change as her chest bounced. She looked like she
was trying not to hear him. That wasn’t an option.
I love you, okay? More than anything. I’m not going anywhere, he
said, shaking his heavy head.
Breathing through her mouth, she finally spoke. “Promise…” she
whispered, breaking off her cry.
He jumped at the opening. I promise, he rushed out. I swear it on
everything.
She searched his eyes like there were a million miles between them.
“You can’t leave…” she rasped.
He was already shaking his head, his chest stuttering. I won’t. Ever.
A ragged breath left her as she turned her face to the ceiling. “Don’t
do that again…”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixty-Four
Her throat was raw, her lashes were tacky, and her head was pounding.
But she didn’t mind. Because…
He’s here.
She didn’t know how long they’d stayed like this since he’d picked
her up and walked them both to the bed. All she knew was that he was here.
It was all she ever wanted or needed to know.
He said he was staying, he looked like he meant it too, but she
wasn’t sure if her outburst had been the greatest motivator for him to stick
with her. She didn’t just want him to stay, she wanted him to want to stay.
Her whole back stiffened as he shifted. Salem’s eyes shot to where
his head lay on her chest, her legs wrapped around him.
He rose up and sheepishly met her eyes. Her heart sank. No…
I need to run down to my room real quick.
“Why?” she responded too quickly.
His eyes dipped down for a second. To get some stuff.
Is he lying? “What stuff?”
Clothes, shoes, work, he listed off.
“Why?” she asked again.
He gave her the tiniest frown. I’m moving in.
Oh.
Or we could stay at mine if you want, but I thought you’d wanna
keep your space.
“I want you to stay here.”
The corner of his lip tugged up. Okay.
When he went to move again, she tightened her legs around his
back, her heart stuttering.
Eyes coming back to her face, he watched for a moment before
settling. I’ll call someone, he said, watching her intently.
Her sore throat thickening, she nodded.
Apparently, whoever he’d called was eager to come up, because the
door abruptly opened less than a minute later.
She flinched as multiple people spilled into the room.
Devin, his sister Akilah, Eulalia, Cade, Nadeen, Lilo, those men
she’d seen the other day, her brothers, and Deianira.
Cassian jolted too, lifting himself off Salem.
He said something to the group at the entrance before flicking his
eyes to her. ‘I asked if someone could come up. What the fuck is this?’
Devin stepped forward. “We just wanted to see you,” he said and
signed.
Cassian narrowed his eyes. “You wanted to see her.”
He smiled awkwardly. “And you.”
When Cassian sat back on his haunches, the faces in the room
contorted with horror.
“What the fuck?!” Eulalia exclaimed.
Both Salem and Cassian frowned, then looked at each other. Her
eyes widened at the same time as his as they scanned each other. She must
not have been paying attention before because only then did she notice the
dried blood that marred his face and the long slashes through his shirt.
Her breath caught. She’d done that to him.
Cassian was looking at her hands. They were cut up, bloody.
The glass.
His head snapped back up as they all started moving at the same
time, Cade, Eulalia, Akilah, and Devin, rushing over to his side of the bed,
and the others, scrambling over to Salem.
She jerked back as they surrounded her.
Nadeen gently pulled her forward so that she sat on the side of the
bed before picking up her hands and turning them over. Lilo kneeled beside
her while Donnie and Aiko stood behind them, both of them leaning
forward, worried. The only person who wasn’t crowding her or fussing over
her injuries was Deianira.
She’d barely taken steps from the door. She just stood there,
watching Salem, breathing heavily.
She looked…scared? Worried? Annoyed? It was very hard for
Salem to tell, but she put it up to the circumstances, her own fragile state.
She couldn’t turn around to look at Cassian with Lilo tilting her
head up, but she needed to.
What if he wasn’t there?
Heart racing, Salem pulled a hand from Nadeen’s grip and blindly
reached behind her. She felt around the ruffled sheets, her nerves rising with
every second that she couldn't find him.
Then it happened.
Like he knew she was right there, his hand locked around hers.
She sighed as her heart settled.
He’s here…

She’s here…
Cassian's chest deflated when he felt her fingers curl around his.
He didn’t want to be rude and turn away as his brother spoke to him,
but he just needed to know that she was there. And she was.
“Did she do that?” Cade asked, the others wearing the same look of
shock.
He stretched his free hand, trying to calm them.
“Yes, but she was upset,” he said quickly. “It’s not that bad, the
bleeding stopped hours ago.”
Devin was still in disbelief. “Fucking hell, Cassian…”
Akilah wore a tiny smirk. “What did you do for her to do all that?”
His thoughts darkened as his eyes turned down. “You don’t want to
know.”
Mid-snort, Devin smacked her shoulder. “It’s not funny!”
Lia raised her brows, her face questioning. He nodded. He was okay.
Akilah moved closer, her face more serious. “Do you want me to
heal you?”
Honestly, they were starting to sting. “Yes, please,” he winced.
Devin beckoned his eyes as she helped Cassian half-remove his
shredded shirt. “You think she’s back?” he asked quietly.
He was stuck for a moment as he nodded because he truly didn’t
know. She seemed like she was back to normal, but only time would tell.
He cleared his throat. “Could one of you get a few things from my room?
I’ll move the rest later, but I need some clothes.”
Lia’s face finally softened. “You’re moving in?” she asked,
watching him.
Looking away, he forced his lips not to smile. “Yeah.”
“And she wants that?”
“Mhm.”
She nodded. “Good.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixty-Five
Cassian was relieved that she allowed Akilah to heal her. She did insist
that she stayed in his lap the whole time, but he was by no means
complaining. Not when her touch had been denied to him for so long. If
there was a way to be physically fused to her, he’d do it, no questions.
But for now, her sitting on him, sleeping with her legs wrapped
around his waist would do. He didn’t even fight his grin as he looked over
at her closet.
His things were in there. It wasn’t Salem’s anymore. It was theirs.
Ours.
He liked the sound of that. He wanted more things to be theirs.
Cassian let his mind wander.
Maybe a house. He didn’t mind staying in the palace, but if she
wanted to move at some point, he’d get one. He thought about work.
Technically, he was Head Enforcer again, but he had a feeling that Devin
would eventually take the job again.
Would Salem want to stay on as Deianira’s sentinel?
He had no questions about her loyalty to her, but was that what she
wanted for her future? He would never dream of telling her not to do
something she loved, but he had strong opinions about her being sworn to
protect or even die for Deianira.
“Are you even listening?”
Cassian quickly shook his head. “What?”
Devin huffed.
“Sorry. What were you saying?” he asked, holding the tablet higher
so that he could see his face over Salem’s hair.
“Don’t worry, just catch up with Lia. She’s got the scouting
schedule, and when she tells you she doesn’t need help, ignore her.”
He nodded.
Devin sat back. “Alright, I’m gonna head out. I’m getting tired of
this damn office.”
Cassian smirked. “Meaning you miss your three girls?”
While he hadn’t been able to spend as much time with Devin as he
used to, he understood his wanting to be with his family. He was better for
it as well, so Cassian had no objections.
Devin’s face fell. “Who told you?”
Cassian stared at him with confusion. “Told me what?”
“Was it Kenny? That rat!” he spat.
Cassian's heart sped up with concern. “What are you talking about?”
Devin paused. “What are you talking about?”
His shoulders rose. “I don’t know. Kenny, Ty, and Emori,” he rushed
out.
“Oh.” Devin deflated with a sigh.
“What are you all hot about?” he asked carefully.
Devin looked behind him as if there was anyone in his office but
him. “She’s pregnant,” he whispered.
Cassian’s brows shot straight up. “Damn. Congrats, man,” he
laughed. “How far along?”
“Five months.”
“Really? Isn’t she supposed to be like…really big?”
Cassian was a second away from retracting his potentially rude
question when Devin shook his head. “Not really. I mean, everyone’s
different, but she was only just showing when she was full-term with the
girls. This is just the addictive stage.”
“Like cravings?”
“Nah. I mean I’m addicted to her.”
Cassian twisted his lips, not sure if he wanted to hear the rest.
Devin leaned forward, speaking seriously. “Everybody says it’s the
‘pregnancy glow’, but I’m not buying it.” He shook his head. “I think it’s a
pheromone thing. Like a scent that infiltrates our systems to warp our whole
sense of reality ‘cause, I swear, she gets prettier every day, if that’s even
possible. And you could drag her through dirty socks and I’d still wanna
kiss her, foot cheese and all. And my senses? Dialed up to eleven. I could
spot a mosquito about to bite her from a mile away and already be planning
its destruction before I’ve started moving. She could breathe at home and
I’d smell baby from my office and want to run home to make her a
sandwich.” He sat back. “Maybe the Gods made it that way so we’d hang
around when they get to the crazy stage, which doesn’t actually blow when
they can do no wrong in your eyes, proving my point, once again.”
Cassian slowly nodded. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it…?”
Devin’s face softened with a smile as if he hadn’t just gone on a mad
tangent. “Thanks. Another girl. We found out a couple weeks ago.”
It clicked.
“That’s why you were grinning like a fucking clown in the op
room.”
“Shut up,” Devin smirked. “I’m happy.”
Cassian smiled. “Good. How’d the girls take it?”
“Kenny’s over the moon. Thinks she’s getting a new doll. Tyla on
the other hand…Yeah, I think we’re gonna have to keep them separate for
the first few months.” He shrugged. “Or until the baby learns how to fight.”
Cassian winced. “What did she say?”
Devin shook his head. “Oh, she didn’t say anything. We just keep
finding finger paintings of babies being hung, dismembered, and you don’t
even want to know the rest.”
“Probably a good idea.”
Devin was silent for a moment and Cassian just knew what was
coming. He hadn’t stopped bugging him about it.
“Have you thought-”
“No. The answer was no. The answer is no. The answer will always
be no.”
He sighed. “You really don’t want to know?”
“Yes. My past is a closed book. I’m not gonna start digging for
answers that’ll probably cause more harm than good.”
After a while, Devin nodded. “It’s your choice. I won’t push.”
“Thank you,” he sighed.
A soft moan reached his ears, pulling his eyes down. “I gotta go,” he
said as her sleepy eyes blinked up at him.
“Later.”
Cassian put his tablet to the side.
Morning, he sent with a smile.
She sniffed. “It’s afternoon.”
His smile grew. Typical, he said, planting a kiss on her forehead.
“What?”
Nothi-
Cassian’s hand shot under the pillow for his gun the second the door
opened.
Shit. He was in Salem's room.
His heart instantly settled when Nadeen took a small step into the
room. “Hey.”
“Hello,” she said, glancing at Salem.
He looked over her pinched face. “You okay?”
She closed the door. “I am fine.”
Then…
She huffed. “Am I to stay here?”
Hm?
She cleared her throat. “I am assuming that my service is no longer
needed. I do not know where I am to go. Lilo is in school, so I ask that she
stays, but-”
His brows dipped. “What? Of course, you can stay. Both of you.”
Sighing, she nodded, her shoulders lowering. “Thank you. But…I
still do not know what I am to do.”
“Like for work?”
“Yes.”
He shrugged. “You can do whatever you want. What did you do
before?”
“Before the praeministerie?”
He nodded.
A little smile peeked out. “I cared for children.”
“A babysitter?”
Her eyes widened. “Sit on babies?”
“No,” he quickly said, fighting a snort. “It’s someone who looks
after kids when their parents aren’t around.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “Yes. I want to babysitter.”
He smirked. “You might have to get a license for that. Talk to
Devin. He uses a good agency. I’m sure he’ll hook you up.”
Her face lit up. “Thank you,” she breathed. She tapped her foot a
few times. “Where am I to go and find food? I went to the kitchen, but there
was a very rude man there.” Her eyes narrowed. “He accused me of
stealing.”
He winced. “Yeah…we’re not really supposed to take from there.
But there's a tuck shop around the corner from here. I can write down the
dir-”
Actually…
He glanced over at Salem’s kitchen. Their kitchen. Then he looked
down at her as her eyes bounced between him and Nadeen.
You feel like going out?

Cassian proudly rolled his shoulders back as he walked down the street,
hand in hand with Salem. Although there was a new threat on the horizon,
the pace of things was still relatively slow, so it felt like they could just
breathe for a moment. They’d never been out like this.
They were going food shopping.
He smiled to himself, not being able to get over how homely it felt.
Domestic.
“Right here,” he said to Nadeen as he pushed the glass door to his
right.
Salem walked right in, but Nadeen took slow steps, her eyes eating
up the room. He bent and picked up two baskets before passing one to her.
“Whatever you want, just pop it in there.”
She blinked. “I can just take it?”
“Well, you gotta pay for it,” he explained as they headed down the
first aisle. “But I’ll get it until your credits get transferred.”
When she just stared at him, he spent the next few minutes
explaining how the currency worked and how she’d be making money once
she started working too. She still didn’t seem to fully understand the
system, but she got enough for her to stop asking questions.
Well, she had one more.
“Is it okay if I take some food for Lilo as well?”
“Yeah, go for it.” His initial offer was for both of them anyway.
With an excited smile, she speed-walked back down the aisle and
picked up a bunch of bananas. Salem leaned over and placed a pack of six
eggs into their basket before making a move to leave the aisle.
I think we’ll need a little more than that, he chuckled.
Her face remained still for a moment before she shook her head.
“Oh.” She picked up another pack and placed it in.
No biggie, he snorted, reaching behind her to grab three more.
She looked from his hands to his face, then up and down his body,
contemplative. “We’re going to need a bigger fridge,” she said, her hand
reaching out to grab the corner of his shirt before she turned around to scan
the aisle.
She said ‘we’.
“If you have something to say, just say it.”
Mid-swoon, Cassian’s head turned to look over the shelf at the
voice.
“I’ll leave it to your doctor,” the second voice mumbled.
Cassian walked back the few steps to the end of the aisle, Salem
following along.
Surprise, surprise.
Don stood behind Akilah, face bored, as she leaned into the freezer
and pulled out two tubs of ice-cream.
“Well until I ask for your opinion, you can remain a respectful
bystander.”
“You did ask for my opinion.”
“And I’m backtracking so can you back out of my business,” she
hissed, putting one of the tubs back.
He rolled his eyes, reaching back in to grab the tub that she’d put
back, and dropping it into her basket. “It was a joke,” he grumbled. “You
look fine.”
She headed to the next freezer. “Yeah, ‘cause you have such a good
sense of humor.” Then she stopped, whipping around. “I’m sorry, when did
we start talking about how I look?”
Cassian, Salem, and Nadeen stood in a small huddle, watching the
exchange.
He thought that they had a thing going on, but even so, he couldn’t
understand why they spent so much time together when it seemed like they
wanted to kill each other at any given moment.
“They are very unkind to one another,” Nadeen whispered.
He nodded in agreement, about to carry on when, surprising him,
Salem waved.
His eyes shot to her.
“Oh.” Leaving Don behind, Akilah’s face brightened as she waved
back, closing the short distance between them. “Hey. Are you feeling
better?”
Salem nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”
Don was right on her tail. He looked from Salem to Cassian, then
back again. “Are you feeling better?” he asked quietly.
Just as she went to answer, Akilah looked up over her shoulder. “I
just asked that.”
He scowled. “Well, I’m asking too.”
“I am. Thank you,” Salem interrupted before they could descend
into another argument.
That didn’t last long though.
As the group moved around the store together, Cassian grew
irritated at the constant bickering. He couldn’t wait to get to the till so they
could pay and part ways, but he was also reluctant to cut their trip short
because Salem started talking to Don.
He walked behind them, her hand still holding onto the corner of his
shirt, listening to their conversation that started about the weather, and
somehow ended up venturing over to the pros and cons of their favorite
weapons.
Nadeen wasn't paying them attention, too wrapped up in her task of
filling her basket to the brim with candy after trying a free sample and
perking right up.
Approaching the till, Cassian paused as he saw a young man he
didn’t recognize behind the counter. Grace was always in.
“Hi,” he said politely. “Is Grace alright?”
The teen barely looked up at him as his eyes flicked between the
items and a tablet he had set up in front of him. “Huh?”
“Grace,” he repeated. “Where is she?”
It took him a good ten seconds to shrug. “I dunno.”
Cassian narrowed his eyes before letting it go.
As Nadeen tried to lift her hefty basket, he reached out an arm and
put it up for her. As he expected, the teen behind the counter took a
ridiculous amount of time to scan the items. It was a lot, but he could’ve
moved quicker. He also could’ve helped bag them.
Sliding the paper bags to the side, he pushed the reader forward and
read them their total. As Cassian lifted his wrist, Salem pulled hers up.
He gently pushed her hand. No, I got it.
She frowned up at him. “My food is in there too.”
And your total is ten percent of what’s in those bags.
“There are people waiting,” the pimply boy announced.
The glare that Cassan threw him had him holding his hands up.
Cassian shook his head. Some cheek…
“Then, I’ll pay for mine,” Salem said, drawing his eyes back to hers.
Stop it, he sent as she put forward her bracelet again.
“You don’t have to-”
Put it away or I’mma break it, Salem, he drawled.
He could’ve sworn he saw a slight blush across her cheeks before
she lowered her wrist. Cassian swiped his bracelet over the reader and
reached for the bags as it went through. Knowing better, Salem didn’t try to
help him carry them as Don waved Akilah forward to set her items down
first.
Much to Cassian’s annoyance, the kid didn’t take nearly as long to
ring her up. When he pushed the reader forward, she turned to look over her
shoulder.
Don gave her a blank look. “What?”
She gestured over to where Cassian was standing with Salem.
“You’re not gonna pay for me?”
He made a unimpressed face. “You don’t have a job?”
“Don’t you?” she shot back.
“Yes,” he said slowly, sarcastically. “It’s how I’m paying for my
food so I don’t have to beg like a-”
Scoffing, she grabbed his wrist and scanned it over the reader before
he could pull back. Cassian threw his gaze to Don, expecting some form of
outrage. He didn’t find any. Instead, he saw him turn around, his lips
curving.
What is with them?
“Chop, chop,” Akilah called, grabbing Don’s attention again.
With only three items, he was done in no time and they all hit the
road together since they’d waited for the pair. Or couple. Whatever they
were.
What was supposed to be a sweet little store run with Salem, and
Nadeen, had turned into a field trip. He felt like a teacher too, trying to
ignore the cold looks that Don and Akilah threw at each other, lugging the
bags in one hand, holding Salem’s with the other, trying to tell Nadeen that
she wouldn’t spontaneously combust if she didn’t finish the candy before
they reached the next block.
“You gonna save any of that for Lilo?” he asked as she popped
another hard candy into her mouth.
“Yes,” she lisped.
He shook his head. “How is she anyway?”
Nadeen kept her eyes on the road, watching a rover that drove past.
“She is well. She enjoys her schooling.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. She has made a lot of friends.”
“That’s good.”
For some reason, that lifted his spirits. It's not that he thought she
wouldn’t, but it was nice to hear that she was actually having fun, a big
difference from how she was when she first arrived at the palace.
“It is. Everybody wants to be friends with the niece of the King
Consort,” she said with a smirk.
He snorted. “I bet.”
“Mr. Alden?”
Just like that, he was holding back a groan as he turned around, his
social battery running seriously low.
It was her. Taylor? Or Tammy? The lady from the reception.
“Hey,” he called back.
She grinned, speeding up to catch up with the group.
He discreetly sighed.
“How’ve you been?” she asked, her eyes on him as if the rest of the
group didn’t exist.
He reluctantly pulled his hand from Salem’s, signing as he spoke.
“Good. Thank you.”
“I’m glad,” she smiled, her eyes dipping to his hands. “Where are
you off to?”
“Home,” he said curtly.
She nodded, her brows furrowing the tiniest bit as she looked at his
hands again.
“Well once you’ve run that in,” she gestured to the bags, “maybe
you could get away for a few hours?”
“No,” he said bluntly before he winced at his speed and composed
himself. “Sorry. I’m really busy.” He wasn’t sure if it would’ve been too
forward to tell her that he was far from available and even further from
interested.
She shrugged. “I could give you a hand if it’ll free up your busy
schedule,” she giggled, somehow closer than she was before.
Stepping closer to Salem, he shook his head. “I don’t think that’ll
end well for you,” he said honestly. If that didn’t get the message across, he
didn’t know what would.
Her gaze finally left his hands and landed on Salem, understanding
finally passing over her eyes.
At least he thought it was understanding, but the next time she
spoke, her words weren’t as clear or decipherable.
“Well if your schedule randomly clears, I live in the block next to
the city square. Call up on number sixteen.”
As Akilah scoffed somewhere behind him, he didn’t know whether
to drop his jaw or grit his teeth.
She was speaking from the side of her mouth.
Before he could respond to tell her about herself, she sauntered
away, throwing a smirk over her shoulder.
Nadeen was the first one to speak up, apparently not as shocked as
everyone else. “That woman wants you.”
He only responded with an annoyed huff as he tried to shake it off
and reached for Salem’s hand again.
He spun around.
Her hand wasn’t there. She wasn’t there.
“Where’d she go?” he quickly asked the group.
Don and Akilah both blinked. “That girl?” Don asked, cocking his
head back with a glare.
“No! Salem,” he rushed out.
His scowl dropped as he scanned the group. “I didn’t even see her
move,” he said under his breath, searching more frantically as they all
started to look up and down the street.
Shit, shit, shit…
Salem!
He completed a full circle before he faced the direction that the
receptionist left in. She was turning down the side street, but it wasn’t her
that he was focused on. It was the woman walking behind her, following
her.
Salem.
“For fucks sake…” he mumbled, dropping the bags. “Found her.”
He’d only taken a step after her when he saw her hand reach into the low
pocket of her pants. He immediately sped up, reaching her just before she
turned the corner.
Salem! he barked as he grabbed her elbow.
“Yes?” she responded, turning in his grip.
Show me your hands.
She held up both palms, a short dagger revealed in her right one.
Dear Gods…
He snatched it from her, pocketing it as he walked her back to the
group. Maybe leaving the palace so early wasn’t such a good idea.
“What is the problem?” Nadeen asked when she saw his face.
“She was gonna stab her,” he harshly whispered, picking up the
bags but refusing to release her hand.
Nadeen stilled, Akilah’s jaw dropped, and Don almost snorted.
Salem tugged on his hand, getting his attention. “I wasn’t going to
stab her.”
Oh yeah? He nodded to his pocket. Then why were you holding
that?
“Because I was going to cut her,” she said, starting to move her feet.
Nadeen got even stiffer.
He turned to her as Salem gently pulled him along. “Told you she
was fucking crazy…”
And tell me how that’s any better, he sent to Salem as the group
started up again, very slowly.
“She was flirting with you,” she responded, her eyes on the ground.
Did you see me flirt back?
“No.”
He squeezed her hand, softening his tone. So you’ve got nothing to
worry about.
Seemingly unconvinced, she quietly huffed. “Would you have
declined her request if I wasn’t there?”
And his tone soured again. Fuck no. Why would you ask me that?
She shrugged. “She’s pretty…”
He frowned as his thoughts took a turn. What are you trying to say?
Do you want me to go back and get her?
Her eyes darkened. “No.”
He nodded. Good. I don’t want to either.
She averted her eyes. “Okay.”
Unsatisfied, he shook her hand, drawing her gaze back. You’re
prettier, he told her. And smarter. And…nuttier. I’d be bored out of my mind.
She scanned his face before she nodded, finally looking content.
“Okay.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixty-Six
“What am I looking for, Dev?”

“Anything,” he replied from his cross-legged position on the floor,
spreading out more files. “Links, coincidences that might not be, familiar
names. History always repeats itself. I assure you, our problem has
probably happened ten times before. We just have to see what they did back
then and do it again.”
Cassian doubted it. He flicked to the next incident report on the
tablet as he heard more paper in the background. “She’s not gonna like all
that mess,” he sing-songed. “Why all the paper anyway? Everything’s
digitized.”
“Because not everything is digitalized,” he drawled, tossing a file
into the pile on his left. “You really think whoever’s job it was to log
thousands of years' worth of data didn’t skip a date or two.”
Bzz. Bzz.
SAMBOR: Here.
Cassian sighed, thankful that she’d remembered to message him. Salem

needed all the sleep she could get, something he’d learned over the past two
weeks. He’d only seen her at night before, so he had no idea how much she
slept during the day. It worried him more than anything, he knew that her
body was trying to fix itself, but he didn’t like seeing her so drained all of
the time. Hoping to help, he asked anyone visiting to message rather than
using the light alert or knocking. She had freakishly strong senses, even
more so recently.
“Door.”
Devin hopped up to let Lia in.
“Where’s Nadeen?” she asked, heading over to the mess on the floor
and sitting down.
Cassian looked up from the tablet. “I didn’t think we’d need her for
this part.”
“Oh.” She didn’t look up from the papers. “Okay.”
Huh.
“Salem’s not gonna like all this mess,” she said as Devin retook his
spot opposite her.
He rolled his eyes. “So I’ve been told. And if it’s such a problem,
we could just take this to the op room.”
Cassian didn’t give him a response, seeing his implication from a
mile off.
But then he pushed. “You know, you could get out once in a while,”
he said nonchalantly.
He swiped to the next report. “I do go out.”
“Without Salem.”
He lowered the tablet, looking over her head where she slept in his
lap. “Why would I go anywhere without Salem?”
Devin’s face was frozen for a moment before he looked at Lia. “You
heard that, right?”
She raised her hands, turning to Cassian. “I think it’s cute.”
His brows dipped at the wording, but he still appreciated the
defense.
Devin huffed. “Not to overstep.” Cassian sighed. “But do you really
think it’s, you know, healthy?”
“What are you talking about, Devin?” he sighed, indulging him.
He shrugged. “Being together twenty-four-seven. Don’t you think
it’ll make it worse down the line when you have to separate for whatever
reason?”
“Separate?” he asked, frowning.
“Not like that. I’m just saying, it might be good to switch it up, let
each other breathe.”
Cassian picked the tablet back up. “I’m perfectly fine breathing her
air, but thank you. Besides, she needs someone right now. I’m here.”
When there was only silence, he peeked over the top of the tablet to
see Devin’s ‘get real’ look.
“What now?”
He raised his brows. “You’re gonna pretend that you don’t break out
in hives whenever she’s more than three feet away from you?
He looked over to Lia for some much-needed support but found her
deep in a stroke-fest with Echo.
Devin dropped the file in his hand, sitting back. “Okay,” he said
with a devious smile and a shrug. “So, let’s say another dude wanted to ‘be
there for her’ and got all cozy with her like you are right now. That’s cool
with you, right?”
Cassian looked at his ‘best friend’ for a very long time, his hands
clenching around the corners of the tablet. Then he took a breath, looking
back down. “Why don’t you go ahead and take a time out, Dev?”
He didn’t look up to watch as Devin’s hysterical laughter filled the
room.
“What’s ‘umbra’?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, sobering.
“The word ‘umbra’,” she repeated. “What does it mean?
Cassian looked over at Lia, stuck for the answer himself.
Devin looked between the two of them. “Really? Umbra? Shadow?
Did neither of you ever take a history lesson-”
“I know that,” she drawled. “I mean here.”
She took a picture of the file, sending a copy to Cassian before
turning it for Devin to see. “I’ve seen it like three times now.”
He opened up the file on the tablet, skimming over the report.
“Prison break,” Devin said aloud.
“Program?” Cassian asked, still a little behind.
“Nah, look at the date.”
He scrolled up.
40076
One hundred and sixteen years ago.
“The program was established in O-ninety-nine. This was one of the
last prisons to be closed down,” Devin said absently.
“So this was a riot?” Lia asked.
“Yeah. Started that way. Says they deployed ‘UMBRA’ to control
the aftermath.”
“Any escape?” asked Cassian.
“Yup. Three hundred and nine. All dead by morning.”
“How?” Cassian frowned.
Devin bit his lip, shaking his head as he brought the paper closer.
“Don’t know. Sounds like a code for some sort of…I don’t know. A task
force maybe?” He tapped his knee. “Actually, Cass, start looking for some
sort of chip implementation up to that year. Could’ve been a fail-safe. Lia,
where else was UMBRA mentioned?”
After a good three hours of research, they were even more confused
than before. ‘UMBRA’ had been deployed on numerous occasions for
various issues and very successful attempts at damage control. There was
the prison break, an uprooting of a rebellion around the same time, an attack
on Prima Day some years back, and so much more. They only knew two
things for sure. One, the last incident report to even mention it was over
seventy years ago, though they didn’t find anything about it being
decommissioned or disbanded. And two, whatever problem that Podak
could bring, UMBRA could easily wipe it off the table.
“We gotta find this thing,” Devin said. “Where would we even keep
a machine like this?”
That was where most of their theories had led. It was Devin’s chip
implantation idea that had them thinking it was some sort of activator. It
would explain the name. The machine wasn’t the weapon itself, it was
behind the scenes, a shadow.
“No idea,” Lia sighed. “I don’t even know how many times the
palace has been remodeled since then. There are rooms now that didn’t
exist then and vice versa.”
Devin went quiet. The kind of quiet that Cassian didn’t like. “Listen
before you shoot me down.”
He dropped the tablet onto the bed, his eyes sore.
“We obviously can’t ask Deianira. But who else has been around
long enough to see this thing in action? To know where it might be?”
Cassian was clueless until Devin’s eyes slowly panned down to his
chest.
He tensed. “No.”
“Cass.”
“She needs rest. I’m not having her head going a hundred miles an
hour with this shit. We’ll work it out.”
“In time to avoid this inevitable attack of his?”
“We’ll work it out,” he snipped, then cursed when she stirred.
They all froze as her head lifted from chest, her sleepy eyes taking
him in.
You okay? he asked quietly.
She sniffed, turning to look behind her. Devin and Lia gave an
awkward smile and wave. She didn’t return the greeting.
“Are you going to clean that up?”
Devin rolled his eyes at the look Cassian threw him. ‘As soon as
we’re done.’
She nodded slowly before facing Cassian again.
Her eyes dipped down for less than a second before her breaths
lightened.
Hey, he said softly. What’s going on?
Once more, her eyes found his lips before she sat up and swung both
feet off the side of the bed.
Okay…
Cassian wordlessly rolled off the bed and followed her to the
bathroom. She walked straight in, turning to look at him as she went to
close the door and stopped it an inch from the frame. He slotted his hand
through, turning away.
It was a routine they did multiple times a day, but his heart still
wiggled when her hand closed around his finger. That sensation didn’t last
long though, because when he looked up, Devin and Lia were looking at
him like he’d grown a second head.
Devin turned to her as she gaped. “Still think it’s cute?”
They both sat straight when the toilet flushed. He released her hand
before the water started running, eventually stepping to the side to let her
out as she discarded the single paper towel.
Both of them were looking down, lips held tight.
“Shut up,” Cassian hissed.
When they snorted, he honed in on Devin and flicked him.
He squealed, slapping his ear. “No fair. Lia laughed too.”
Cassian started toward them, grabbing his tablet as Salem headed to
the kitchen. “Who said I was playing fa-”
Remember what you said about playing fair…a voice whispered in
his ear.
He went straight.
“Cass?”
That was mean, Cassian…
His chest rose.
“Hey, you okay?”
Cassiannn…
His heart sped up.
“Get back…” he heard to his left.
I’m right here…
She was right there. Right on top of him. Her hands-
“Cassian.”
He blinked at the different voice, the firm voice, throwing his gaze
to Salem. She lifted her chin, holding out the glass in her hand. “Come
here.”
Without a second thought, he followed her instruction and grasped
the glass once he’d reached her.
“Please, can you pour me some water?” she asked, holding his gaze.
He nodded, grabbing the jug from the fridge and pouring her some.
When he handed it back to her, she was still watching him as she quietly
said, “You’re okay.”
And as not okay as he was, he believed her.
Right then, he knew, without a doubt, that Devin was right.
He needed her as much as she needed him.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixty-Seven
There was a problem. A big problem.

Salem wasn’t one to be dramatic, but she considered her current
predicament as a very big problem.
Every morning, she woke up next to Cassian. Every afternoon, she
watched him train. Sometimes, he’d use the cramped workout area he
created in their room, and other times, he’d use the training room with Lia
or Devin, sometimes both. And every night, she’d sit on the ledge next to
the sink in the bathroom while he showered before taking her turn.
And the problem?
He did all of the above in some relative state of undress.
It wouldn’t have been such a problem if she had work to take her
mind off him, but she ‘needed to rest’, as he said every time she tried to do
something. But what she needed was a distraction from his…everything.
It had been weeks, and he was still yet to touch her besides a kiss on
the forehead and the occasional waist grab.
She was dying. Well, she wasn’t dying, but she might as well have
been. The only thing alive was the sensation that ignited every time he
breathed.
Multiple nights, she’d thought about just handling the problem
herself. It wasn’t like she hadn’t before him. But while she might not have
been completely clued up about social etiquette, she was almost sure that it
wouldn’t be deemed ‘acceptable’ to do that with someone in bed next to
you.
Like she’d done at least twenty times in the last minute, Salem
peered around the canvas, her brush held in a steel grip between her fingers,
and looked over at him. He’d moved from the bench press to the mat
without a break in between, and she had to press her legs together as she
watched him complete yet another one-handed push-up.
His sweaty skin shined with his light summery tan as he bent low
and pushed up, his muscles bulging under the strain. His back rippled with
each movement, the two dimples at the bottom, sitting just above the lining
of his gray drawstring shorts.
You just gonna watch? rumbled his strained voice.
Salem shivered, dropping the paintbrush. She almost lied, almost
said that she wasn’t watching him, but instead, she looked away. Then she
looked back at him.
Maybe she needed to be the one to make the move. To send the first
signal.
Strolling over to the workout area, she positioned herself right in
front of him. And waited. He’d get the message.
Salem crossed her legs when he looked up at her, never pausing his
workout, and grinned. Right then, she wished that he was ugly. If he was,
maybe it wouldn’t have been so hard.
What? he chuckled, getting onto his knees.
She forced her eyes to stay on his face. “Nothing.”
With a dopey smile, he wrapped his arms around her midsection,
drawing her in, resting his chin on her shoulder. Unable to help herself
when she returned the gesture, she leaned closer and closed her eyes. He
was sticky and sweaty…and she couldn’t get enough. She buried her nose
deeper into his neck.
Salem…
“Mhm…”
Why are you sniffing my neck?
She was too drunk on him to dodge the question. “You smell
good…”
I smell like sweat.
“But it’s your sweat.”
She almost whined when he pulled back to look at her face, his eyes
both amused and confused. Are you good? he smirked.
Salem danced from foot to foot. She wasn’t good. She needed it.
Needed him.
What did she have to do to make him just grab her and throw her
down on-
Her thoughts shot straight to that night, the first night, like her
archives had just been waiting for the keywords.
Sae? Where’d you g-
SLAP!
Salem pulled her hand back and closed her eyes with barely
contained excitement, waiting for him to take her. She could have punched
him or kicked him, but she feared that her eagerness might have made her
do actual damage, so she settled on a slap.
She tried to stop herself from bouncing on her heels. This was going
to be good.
After a few seconds, she hesitantly peeled one lid open. Then she
opened both eyes, her brows lowering.
Cassian kneeled in the same position, watching her with a hand to
his reddened cheek and a deep frown on his face. What did I do? he
whispered.
Salem’s heart sped up. She didn’t mean to upset him. “You didn’t do
anything,” she said. And that was the problem.
Okay, but you just slapped me, he said quietly.
With a half-annoyed, half-helpless huff, her shoulders sagged. “I
apologize. I thought-” No, she couldn’t say that. “I apologize.”
What’s wrong?
Salem looked up at the ceiling.
Was he not attracted to her anymore? Did he change his mind and
just want to be friends?
No, he said he loves me.
But friends loved each other too. The only difference was the
absence of romance.
Salem stilled at the second idea that popped into her head, seriously
hoping that it would be more successful than the first.
“I want to go on a date.” She awkwardly pointed at him. “With
you,” she specified.
Suddenly, as if none of the last thirty seconds took place, his face lit
up. Really?
“Yes,” she nodded.
He grabbed her face and brought her forehead to his lips. I’ll plan
something, he said, grinning.
Salem grabbed his arm before he could stand. “I meant now.”
Now?
“Yes. A restaurant.” That was romantic.
A restaurant? he repeated, lips thin. What would you eat?
“Food.” She wasn’t thrilled by the idea of eating something cooked
up in reused oil in the back of some kitchen, but desperate times called for
desperate measures.
Are you-
She pulled him up, sending him scrambling to find his footing.
“Yes.”
Again, his grin made a show. I’ll go shower, he said, giddy.

She wants to go on a date.

Cassian pulled on his shirt, almost tearing off an arm with the speed
that he put it on.
He’d wanted to do something like this for ages, but with the
circumstances, he felt too bad to ask, and he didn’t want to do anything to
interrupt her healing process. That was why he felt so guilty every time he
looked at her for too long. It felt wrong. There she was, just trying to rest
and get better, and there he was, staring after her every time she walked past
him, wondering what she might do if his hands strayed a little lower every
night, thinking about finally pressing his lips to hers every time she’d look
up at him with those damn near painfully beautiful eyes. And hell if it
didn’t make him feel like a sick bastard for thinking half of the thoughts
that ran through his mind on a daily basis.
A date. It was a date.
He could keep his hands to himself for one date.
Cassian took a breath before stepping out of the closet to find her.
She was waiting right outside the door. Her eyes trailed up and down his
body before her chest rose, making him want to look away and get closer at
the same time.
“I’m ready,” she breathed.
Cassian let his eyes take her in too. Then he frowned.
“Do you want me to change?” she asked, an ounce of uncertainty in
her voice.
No, no. There was nothing wrong with her clothes. He actually liked
the way she dressed. Tight top, loose pants. It was practical, it was sexy, it
was her.
His concern was with the way she filled them out. There was no
denying that she’d gained a little since coming back, something that he had
absolutely no complaints about if his slowly rising hard-on was anything to
go off of, but it wasn’t that much.
He narrowed his eyes at her. Hands up.
Salem obliged, probably not catching onto his line of thought.
He slowly approached, his hands reaching out to touch her waist.
Because he couldn’t help himself, the teenage boy in him had his hands
lingering before he slowly drew them down to her hips. And there it was.
He met her eyes, finding the band of her pants before slipping his
fingers down her side. He wrapped his hand around the gun strapped to her
thigh and pulled it out.
Really? he asked, holding it up.
“What?”
No weapons, he said, dipping his hand down the other pant leg and
unstrapping the knife he found there.
“Why not?” she asked as he continued pulling weapons off of
various parts of her body.
Because you’re not supposed to be working. It was the truth, but
he’d also been sternly told by Devin to try to limit her access to anything
that could get someone killed after the little hiccup outside the tuck shop.
Which was just about anything in her hands. Gods, Sae, how many? he
marveled, pulling the throwing stars off her ankles. He stood up straight
when he was sure that there couldn’t be anymore. Is that all of them?
She looked up at him, unspeaking.
Sae.
Sighing, she reached behind her head and removed a total of sixteen
pins that looked sharp enough to cut through bone.
She looked down at the weapons set across the table. “What if I
need them?”
He shook his head, steering her to the door. You won’t. I’ll protect
you.
Salem looked back, hand on the handle. “You?”
Cassian stopped walking. The fuck is that supposed to mean? Yes,
me.
She opened the door. “I didn’t mean it offensively.”
That’s precisely why I’m offended. You think I can’t fight?
“No. But what if there was an attacker who was a better fighter than
you?”
What if they’re a better fighter than you? he retorted defensively,
closing the door behind them.
“That’s highly unlikely. But in that case, we’d both be dead,” she
said matter-of-factly before grasping his hand and starting down the hall.
He didn’t know whether to laugh, though it was most certainly true,
or smack her ass. And the way her hips swayed from side to side as she
half-dragged him to the stairwell had him leaning toward the latter.
The closer they drew to the restaurant, the more sweaty his hands
got. If he had more time, he probably could have found someplace that had
better food choices for her, and a better highest hygiene rating. He tried to
shake it off. It was about them, not the place. He’d do his best to make sure
they had a good time.
Pushing the door open to what he assumed was the restaurant, that
hope plummeted. It wasn’t a restaurant. It was a club. He was surprised that
a place like this was even open before nine and contemplated stepping out
when Salem pulled him further into the room.
If it was good enough for her, it was more than good for him.
He took stock of the lowly lit room, his eyes roaming over the
booths, the multiple bars with neon lights running along them, and the
groups of young adults dancing in the middle of the room, quite literally,
like no one was watching. It was…suggestive.
Finding an empty booth, Salem plopped right down on one end, but
he remained standing, beckoning her eyes.
I had no idea this was a club. Do you want to go somewhere else?
She lowered her brows. “No,” she said firmly. “I like it.” He could
just about hear her voice over the music.
Really?
“Yes.” She looked at the other end of the booth. “Are you going to
sit down?”
He nodded. Yeah, let me just get us some drinks, he said, his
pleasure at her admission threatening to carry him away.
She grabbed onto his hand before he could leave. “Where?”
He pointed at the bar. Just over there. I’ll be right back.
He watched her eyes flit between the bar and back to him several
times. Then she took a breath, releasing him. “Okay.”

Salem tried to force herself not to watch him as he headed over to the
bar, and honestly, it wasn’t too much of a hardship with all the beauty that
there was to be admired in the room. The lights weren’t harsh, just the
perfect hue of blue, a blue that she’d come to love. The air was perfectly
humid, not too hot, not too cold. She really did like it.
But still, she was about to give in and take a look at the bar when
something blocked her view. Someone.
It took everything in her not to say “excuse me”, but looking up to
see the eyes of the blonde woman on her, she didn’t.
“Hi,” Octavia said, brows raised like she didn’t expect to see her
there, running her hand down the side of her tight red dress.
She looked really pretty.
Salem looked down at her own attire. Maybe she should’ve put on
something nicer.
“Hello,” she said, leaning to the side, hoping to find him.
She stopped looking when Octavia plonked down on the other side
of the booth.
What is she-
“I just wanted to say sorry,” she blurted, her words a little jumbled.
Salem gave her her attention. “Sorry for what?” she asked quietly,
curiously.
She waved a hand, shaking her head with what looked like worry.
“The whole thing in the viewing room. Finch asked me to…you know, and
I stupidly agreed, and-” She sighed. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”
Oh. The kiss. “You didn’t. There’s no need to apologize.”
She winced. “There really is. It was petty. I would drag him here to
apologize too, but I haven’t seen him in weeks.”
There really was no need. She wasn’t looking to see him either.
Salem tried to think of something to say to tell her that, to politely
get her to go away. “I’m on a date,” she announced, hoping she’d get the
message and leave. She was sitting in his seat.
Octavia’s brows shot right up. “A date?”
“Yes.”
In only a second, the surprise left her face and was replaced with
something else.
Salem scanned her features. Arched brows, firm but low smile, tilted
head.
Sympathy.
“You don’t have to say that. It’s okay if you’re alone.”
Salem shook her head. “I’m not.”
Octavia was still yet to wipe that look off her face. “Really, it’s
nothing to be embarrassed about.” She shrugged sluggishly. “I’m single. No
judgment here.”
Salem huffed, irritation rising for a reason unknown to her. Was it so
hard to believe that she could be on a date? “I’m not embarrassed because
it’s true. He’s just getting some drinks,” she said, trying to point around her.
She didn’t turn to follow Salem’s finger. Instead, she placed her
elbows on the table, narrowing her eyes. “Okay. What does mystery man
look like?”
Finally.
Salem’s previous shyness disappeared. “He’s tall. Very tall. And big.
And he has blonde hair.” She looked Octavia over. “Like yours but a few
tones darker. Short, blonde hair.” She really liked his hair. It was perfect,
practical, and another thing that she neglected to mention. “And he has blue
eyes. Like water, but almost shiny. He-” Salem cut herself off when she
caught Octavia’s expression. Her face was bored, but her lips were pressed
together.
She still didn’t believe her.
“I’m sorry. But that sounds an awful lot more like a fantasy than a
man.”
Salem knew that. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen,
very pleasing to look at. But she wasn’t lying. And something inside her,
pride or something else, made her grit her teeth at the thought of Octavia
thinking she’d made him up.
“One moment,” she said, lifting her wrist.
She knew that she didn’t have any pictures with him, or of him. But
she did have access to the city’s directory. She just needed to find his work
profile.
Salem had typed in the second letter of his last name when
something came up. Something that was not his work profile.
An arrest report. No, two. She speedily read through both reports.
Aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, grievous bodily harm,
treason…
A manicured finger tapped the table in front of her, drawing her eyes
up.
“You find him?” Octavia asked, raising a brow.
“Oh. Yes.” Salem quickly projected the scan of the first report and
angled her wrist, making sure that his mugshot was in the frame.
She couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corner of her
mouth when Octavia’s face fell. She almost wanted to say “I told you so”,
but she wasn’t that juvenile.
She pulled back her wrist as Octavia sat back. She sputtered,
evidently lost for words when a large shadow fell over the table. Salem
fought another smile. She knew that shadow.
Octavia’s eye’s slowly moved up before she stilled.
“I-I am so sorry,” she said to Cassian, picking up her bag. “I’ll go.”
She practically flew out of her seat, her head whipping back before
she exited the club. Cassian slowly took his seat, placing a glass of water
and a short jug of beer on the table.
What was that about? he asked, still looking over at the exit.
“She wanted to apologize.” Noting the beginnings of a frown and a
conversation she wasn’t interested in getting into, Salem asked a question of
her own.
“Why were you arrested?”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixty-Eight
“Why were you arrested?”

Cassian’s eyes froze on the door, too scared to look at her face.
“Cassian.”
Nails digging into his palms, he let his gaze fall to her.
He should’ve just told her, but he couldn’t stop himself from but
defensively asking, How did you find out?
“I read the reports.”
Oh Gods…
He cleared his throat. Why don’t we get something to eat?
“But you didn’t answer my question.”
Cassian sighed. Can you promise you won’t get mad?
“I don’t get mad,” she responded seamlessly.
Of course, how could I forget? He really didn’t want to lie to her,
not when she was so honest with him. So he didn’t. When I got back, I
couldn’t find you and I got kinda…mad.
“Is that why you assaulted multiple people?”
He lifted his eyes from the middle of the table and met her plain
expression. She didn’t look upset. But she never really did until she already
had her hands on you.
Yes… No, that sounded bad. But they came at me first, I was only
defendi-
“What was the weapon?”
What? he blurted, unable to hide his reaction at the way she glazed
over the first answer.
She crossed her arms on the table before looking down and curling
her lip, pulling them back. “It said assault with a weapon. What weapon did
you use?”
I, uh…It wasn’t really a weapon.
“Then what was it?”
He lowered his eyes. A needle.
“A needle?”
He shrugged sheepishly. Yeah. You know, those syringe things with
the needle.
He closed his eyes and waited for it. After a good twenty seconds, a
muffled cough had his eyes darting up.
Salem had a hand over her mouth as she did it again. But it sounded
more like a snort this time. If it wasn’t her sitting in front of him, he
probably would’ve thought it was. But it was Salem.
Shit. Are you okay?
She made that sound again, her shoulder jolting with it, her hand
still held to her lips like she was trying to hold it in.
Salem, he called quickly, leaning over the table.
Soon, her whole body was shaking with these small little gasps.
Fuck!
Cassian got up and rounded the booth and knelt beside her seat,
waving down the waitress behind the bar. “Hey, she’s choking!”
He kept trying to move her hand, but she only shook harder. He
finally managed to pry it away from her mouth as the waitress rushed
over…and found a smile on her face. The biggest smile he’d ever seen,
crinkled eyes, plump cheeks, teeth and everything, all while she kept
making that sound as her shoulders bounced.
Gaping at her, Cassian waved the waitress away and pulled back.
She was laughing.
The girl was laughing.
He was stuck, watching her. It wasn’t a full belly laugh, more like a
giggle. It wasn’t too loud either, it was small and breathy with a squeak
every once in a while, but it was just so undeniably Salem.
Pressing his lips together, he slid onto her side of the bench, turning
to her with an elbow on the table.
Salem…
“Yes,” she snorted.
Care to share what you found so funny that you had me thinking I
sent you into an early grave?
“I was-” She giggled some more. “I was picturing you stabbing
someone with a tiny needle.” She slapped her hands over her mouth as she
bent over, laughing at him. “Your hands are so big,” she squealed. “That is
ridiculous.”
He just had to watch her.
“So disproportionate,” she added.
Unable to stop it, he snorted, relieved that she found the whole thing
funny in the first place. She was really something.
He sat up, still smiling. If I’m laying it all out, I should probably
mention that I went after Finch too, he slyly slipped in.
And just like that, her laughter sobered. “Why?”
Cassian barely held back a wince. Maybe he shouldn’t have added
that part. His whole stance changed. Because he let you go…
She shook her head, quieting. “He didn’t. I broke his leg so he
couldn’t stop me.”
I know.
He watched her shift in her seat, a faint blush falling over her cheeks
under the strobing lights.
She cleared her throat. “What did you do?” she whispered.
I broke his legs, he said quietly, wishing he never went down this
road. Both of them.
She crossed one leg over the other, her cheeks reddening even
further. “How?” she asked, her voice breathy.
He shrugged. Hammer.
Her chest rose as she looked away. “Okay,” she breathed, her eyes
catching something behind him.
Cassian flinched as she abruptly leaned over him and grabbed a shot
glass off the tray of a passing bartender.
His eyes widened but quickly narrowed when the man tried to say
something to her. A jerk of his head had him turning back the way he came.
Then he turned in time to see Salem down it.

It was a bad idea.

Salem always considered herself a strong-willed person, but he was
seriously testing her resolve.
When she saw the bartender passing, she was in the midst of a
conversation with herself, debating what the repercussions of jumping him
in the middle of the club would’ve been.
Just like she’d pictured him with the needle, which she still smiled
about when it came to mind, she saw him, his arm swinging back and forth,
the blood spattering across his face.
The visual was…exciting.
Really, she’d just been looking for something to do with her hands,
but the shot worked in her favor. Alcohol interfered with the
communication pathways in the brain. Hers were running around like
headless chickens, so the shot was as good an idea as any.
That’s what she thought until the liquid hit the back of her throat and
slid down.
Salem leaned forward, gagging. Cassian’s hand was on her back in
seconds, not helping her situation at all.
Easy! he exclaimed, pulling the glass out of her hand. What’s going
on?
She coughed, holding a fist to her mouth. “Why do people drink
this?” she wheezed.
Her whole life, she’d never even sipped an alcoholic beverage, but
she could now officially say that it was not worth it.
Couldn’t tell you. But I could ask you the same question, he said,
leaning down to catch her eyes.
The taste still lingered in her mouth as a burn ignited in her chest.
She scrunched her face, breathing deeply to alleviate the sensation.
Cassian’s face transitioned from concerned to amused as he picked up her
glass of water. Her breath hitched as he gently placed a hand at the side of
her neck, bringing the glass to her lips. His thumb stroked over the soft skin
just under her ear as his torturously deep voice caressed her mind.
Drink.
Obediently, because she doubted she could speak any protest, she
opened her mouth and took a sip. The burn didn’t completely leave, but her
mouth didn’t taste like toxic waste was being burned inside it anymore.
Salem blinked before widening her eyes as a wave of something she
couldn’t even describe came over her, making her feel lighter in her seat.
She slowly shook her head. “Oh…”
Oh? She looked up at his grinning face. You feeling that?
“Yes…” she whispered, even though she was answering a
completely different question to the one he’d asked.
Feels good? he smirked.
Dear Gods…
With perfect timing, the same bartender passed by. She didn’t even
know where the brazenness came from when she smacked a hand down on
the table.
He startled at the same time Cassian did.
“What is this?” she practically yelled, sluggishly pointing to the shot
glass, drowsy on both accounts.
He flicked a look to Cassian. “Um, it’s a mix. Mostly tequila and-”
“Great.” She nodded. “Please, can I have two more?”
Before he could answer, Cassian’s hand was on her thigh. Are you
sure?
The heat that shot straight up her legs was answer enough. “Uh-
huh…”
He didn’t take his eyes off her as he addressed the young man, a
wicked grin crawling onto his face. “Make that six. And keep ‘em coming.”

There were a few different types of drunks that Cassian had identified in
his lifetime.
Sloppy drunks, loud drunks, mean drunks, and Salem.
She was in a league of her own. He had no idea who was half-sitting
in his lap, but it wasn’t Salem.
He took two shots for every one she threw back, knowing that their
tolerances were on opposite ends of any spectrum, but he still wasn’t on her
level. Because she wasn’t even on a level.
The woman had a whole alter-ego.
Once the third shot slid down, her voice took on a new tone. One
much deeper, much raspier. And while he was mincing his words together,
she was yet to stumble over a letter. Her confidence had him shifting in his
seat, her touch had him stifling groans, and her forwardness? He wasn’t
sure if his restraint could overpower the alcohol pumping through his veins
because he could almost see the words ‘kiss me’ floating over her head.
Her chest lifted as her eyes drank him in, a downright devious smirk
on her lips. “Are you my boyfriend?”
He blinked at the question. What?
She lifted an exposed shoulder. “We’re together, right?”
Of course, we are, he said very quickly.
Her smirk grew. “So, are you my boyfriend?” she asked, raising a
brow.
Was that what she wanted? He shrugged, giving her options.
Boyfriend, lover, plaything, whore, he slurred. I’m whatever you want me to
be.
She went to respond but paused with a hiccup.
He grinned like the drunk idiot he was. So fucking cute…
“I like boyfriend,” she said, closing her eyes, nodding to herself. “I
like boyfriend.”
Yeah?
“Uh-huh. I haven’t had a boyfriend before.”
He liked that. Probably more than he should’ve.
Cassian looked away, trying to appear nonchalant. I mean, I like
husband, but…
His eyes shot to her when she gasped. “Do you still want to marry
me?”
His heart jumped at the opening. Salem, we could go right now.
She sat back, looking down.
Shit. He tapped her shoulder. I mean, u-unless you want a wedding.
You know, a party and dresses and shit. I could ask around and we could get
a few planners, and- what do they call people who make cakes again? He
clapped his hands together. Emori. We can get an Emori, and-
“I don’t want any of that,” she said firmly. “We can get married right
now.” She paused, her smile dropping. “But then you won’t be my
boyfriend anymore…”
Her point was very valid in his mind. Okay. What if we be boyfriend
and girlfriend today, and get married tomorrow?
He let her think about it, and rather than smiling when that naughty
smirk crawled back onto her face, something else rose in him.
It was those eyes.
Her next action confirmed that she’d noticed his reaction too. As if
she hadn’t thrown him enough tonight, she leaned forward, her hand
crawling into his lap, and whispered to him, her soft lips brushing against
his neck.
“You’re breathing really hard, Cassian…”
He squeezed his eyes shut. Am I?
She didn’t move from his neck, and he didn’t want her to. “You
are.”
Stay down, stay down, stay down…
“I can feel it.” And like she was trying to prove his point, she
pressed her lips to his neck. She didn’t kiss him, just a slow press before she
pulled back. “Your pulse too.” She blinked up at him, giving those heavy
lids a workout, her gaze turning enticing. “You have a nice neck…”
He should have laughed at the odd compliment, but his inebriated
brain thought that it was the most erotic thing she could’ve said.
Cassian cleared his throat, reevaluating his decision to stay and not
go somewhere less…everything. If anyone in the room could read his
thoughts, he wouldn’t be surprised if his character was called into question.
He sat back, pointing at the dance floor. They look like they’re
having fun, he rushed out.
Salem finally pulled her gaze from him, looking over the horde of
sweaty bodies in the middle of the room. She tilted her head, her brows
furrowing. “I miss music.”
He shook his head, amazed that his redirection had worked and
taken aback by her words. Salem had never really opened up about anything
like that. She usually just accepted things, so he didn’t know that it was
something she even gave much thought, but he should’ve.
You liked music?
She nodded, her eyes finding his. “Yes. I like the constancy of the
beat, finding the rhythm, and counting the…”
He tuned out as he honed in while she spoke. It wasn’t something
that he’d tried before, but he specifically remembered her listening to one of
his conversations a while back. So he tried to replicate that.
“...the individual instruments that all come together in-”
Salem stopped, her eyes widening. She was silent, she was listening.
Suddenly, she raised a hand and slapped his shoulder.
“Ow-”
“I can hear it!” she squealed, her lips splitting into a smile.
Cassian chuckled. You like it?
“No!” Maybe she was a loud drunk. “But I can hear it!”
Good enough, he decided.
The next moment, she was up and sliding across his lap. He
instinctively grabbed her hips. Woah. Where are you going? Then he
dropped his hands, remembering to behave.
Salem picked up one of his hands before it hit the seat and put it
back on her hip, looking over her shoulder. “You can keep that there,” she
said, her voice low again. “And we’re going to dance.”
He pulled a face. Dance?
She didn’t respond, just slid out of the booth, tugging his hand. Not
that he would’ve wanted to, but he couldn’t hold back as she half-dragged
him up. He stopped short behind her as she paused, taking a moment to
watch the others. He couldn’t see her face from behind, but he knew that if
he could, he’d see those focused brows and chewed lips. She was
examining them. After only a minute of observation, she continued to the
dance floor.
He had no idea what he was about to see, but he had his hands out,
ready to catch her when that fifth shot kicked in.
With a short turn, a turn that was perfectly on beat to the low bass of
the music, she put her body on the outer circle of the dance floor, keeping
him as a barrier between the crowd. He was looking over his shoulder to
make sure he didn’t bump into anyone when he almost did stumble back,
her back pressing up against his front.
He cast his eyes down in amazement as she started rocking her hips
from side to side, matching the rhythm that echoed in his head. His hand
went straight to her shoulder in surprise, but where he expected to startle
her, he only encouraged her. Cassian couldn’t keep his jaw up as she let his
heavy hand push her forward enough to start grinding against him.
He could’ve blamed it on the tequila, he could’ve pretended that he
was just trying to appease her, but neither of those things was the reason
that he locked a hand around her neck and drew her head back to his chest,
or why he slid a hand down her ribcage, his fingers dancing just under her
breasts, why he started to move with her.
Every move was perfect, every swirl of her waist was mesmerizing,
every flick of her hips was…arousing.
He might have been holding her by the throat, but she was the one
leading him, and he did his best to match her on each move. Stepping where
she stepped, moving when she moved. He almost choked and lost his
rhythm when she reached back and snaked a hand up his chest, her fingers
grazing his neck as they stepped back together, dropping lower as the base
of the song did.
Cassian was so lost in the moment that it took him way longer than
it should’ve to notice the eyes swinging their way. He didn’t have a problem
with crowds, with large groups of people. But he did have a problem with
the multiple men in the room, staring at Salem like she was the last piece of
candy in the jar.
Not wanting to interrupt her by stepping away to deal with every
last one of them, he dropped his hand from her stomach and reached for the
closest guy. He was so focused on her that didn’t even notice Cassian’s
hand closing in on him before it gripped the back of his neck and pointed
his head in the opposite direction.
Satisfied, he gave his attention back to Salem just as she grabbed his
hand, holding it to her hip as she did some sort of figure-eight motion. But
yet again, before he could even allow himself to enjoy it, he caught another
pair of eyes on them. This time, he didn’t hesitate as he reached over and
shoved the guy at the back of his head.
But unlike the first guy, this one didn’t know what was good for
him.
He was a big guy, beefy too. But Cassian still had him beat in both
contests.
“The fuck?” he ground out as they clashed eyes.
Cassian gritted his teeth when Salem turned to look behind her,
forgetting that he’d left the link open for her to hear the music.
The guy looked down at Salem before dragging his eyes back up to
Cassian. “You’re getting hot over some piece of ass?” he yelled over the
music.
Cassian scoffed with a laugh. “That was really stupid.”
Fist pulled back, he had the guy’s jaw in sight when he surprised
Cassian, swinging a previously hidden hand with a bottle clutched in it. It
wasn’t the worst pain he’d felt in his life, but his shock as the glass cracked
over his head had him stumbling for a moment. He expected that moment
of shock to leave him open for another advance, but when he blinked,
wiping the blood away from his eye, the guy was gone. But he only had to
look down to find him. And Salem.
She was sitting on top of him, throwing punches with alarming
speed.
“What the fuck is your problem?!” the man growled, trying to, very
unsuccessfully, cover his face.
She didn’t grace him with a response as she pulled his hand away
from his face to deliver a solid blow to his nose.
As a muddled laugh bubbled out of Cassian, he shrugged. “Fuck it.”
Coming up beside them, he made sure to avoid her legs as he swung
back and kicked the guy in the ribs. He’d only landed five of them when
shouts sounded around them and white lights turned on.
Shit. Salem.
She turned around, the guy gurgling.
We gotta go. With a hand under one of her arms, he helped her up
before they both bolted to the doors.

They were still running as they spilled out into the street, Cassian
dragging her around a corner, pulling her to him.
His smile made her heart flutter. I can’t wait to marry you tomorrow, he
breathed.
She knew what he’d said inside, but she didn’t expect that to still be
the case. “After what just happened? After I hit that guy?”
He snorted. You did more than hit him. He squinted his left eye
where blood had started to drip down. And of course, I do.
She tip-toed to wipe some of it away. “I thought you didn’t like it
when I did things like that.”
He stood straighter, leaving her grasp. Who told you that?
She took a breath. “You didn’t let me cut that lady.”
He shook his head. That was because I didn’t think the punishment
matched the crime. But I love that side of you. He shrugged, stumbling as he
shifted from foot to foot. It’s sexy. I just don’t want you to get in trouble
because of it. He gave her a sly smile. And if you’re ever feeling a little
stabby, stab me. Just ask. He winked. I won’t tell.
She didn’t know how he did it. How he always knew exactly what to
say, like he’d calculated which words would have the highest chance of
success. And just when she thought that he couldn’t get any more perfect,
he took a step forward, his head tilting with a droopy smile.
I love you so much, Salem.
There, he did it again. Three words that she didn’t think were
enough to communicate all that she felt, and when he said them, they were
a thousand words.
I love you so much that I would let you run me over.
She frowned.
He took a step back on the sidewalk, his arms out and his smile
bright.
I love you so much that I would give you the last chicken wing.
Every day.
She held her mouth shut as a snort almost shot out of her.
I love you so much… He swung back on his heels. That I would
sleep in a spider’s nest.
Her cheeks hurt with the effort it took to hold back her smile. “A
spider’s nest?”
He sighed. I fucking hate spiders…But I would do it, he nodded. I
would. Because I am in love with Salem Qin.
When he spun around, almost taking himself out, his arms shooting
up, she had no clue what he was doing. Until he completed a full turn and
she saw his lips.
“I love Salem Qin!”
She slapped a hand over her mouth.
“I am in love with Salem Qin!” he yelled again.
She almost burst into a fit of giggles when he turned up and down
the street, repeating himself over and over again.
She couldn’t stop staring at him. Where did this man come from?
A group of five men and women were walking on the opposite side
of the road they were on, deep in conversation. His attention turned to them.
“Excuse me!”
Her eyes widened.
“Excuse me!” he called again, catching their eyes. “You see this
girl?” he said, pointing to her. “I’m in love with her.”
She grabbed his arm, almost knocking him off balance. “Stop it,”
she chided, her own humor not far off as a few of them laughed and clapped
at his ridiculous display.
When he spotted another lady about to pass by and Salem saw his
hand shoot out, ready to tap her, she dragged him back. “Cassian,” she
hissed.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Devin had never had a problem with leaving work at work the moment
he walked through the door. He didn’t just value time with his family, it was
everything to him. Anything else came second. But he couldn’t deny that
something was beginning to take precedence over getting up and going to
bed with Emori tonight.
His brain was in overdrive.
Since his last meeting with Cassian and Lia, he’d been scouring
through old incident reports and had found eleven more instances tied to
‘UMBRA’. It was eating into his sleep and his actual work. But he was
starting to connect the dots.
In the first hour, he’d temporarily scrapped their original theory and
started thinking more creatively. About the name itself.
Umbra. Shadow.
There was one place his mind went right to, one thing that brought
some sense to the whole matter and would’ve tied everything together.
The azraels. The shadow manipulators. But more specifically, the
dead azraels. He’d snuck away under the guise of work and visited their
resting place. The lake. He’d always known they were there, but he found
out that none other than Jude Ivar had buried eight out of the twelve on
record there. Devin thought it was fitting that he used the same place for
Deianira’s rink. It was almost as poetic as it was sickening that she danced
over the bodies of the ones she’d outlived every winter.
He speculated about whether UMBRA could have been one of them,
maybe even a few of them that had made it passed adolescence. After all,
he only knew where eight of the bodies were, but the records were clear if
there were even to be trusted. So he reluctantly put that theory on the back
burner and looked into a new one.
After searching for the standardized intake process for the prisons
back then, he was able to come to his only other viable explanation. A bio-
weapon. On intake, all inmates were given ‘vaccines’ to prevent the spread
of a nasty virus that was going around for a long time. He had heard of it
before. It was just one of many hardships that plagued the residents of The
Dome, post-division, during the dark years. But what had him thinking that
it was something more than a vaccine was the social situation. He’d read
enough in school to know that throughout the dark years, especially at the
loss of thousands of laborers, The Dome was constantly on the brink of
economic collapse. Vaccines were only granted to those who could afford it.
It gave incentive, made those who hadn’t previously worked go out and
start picking up those jobs that the humans left behind in order to protect
their families. It was cruel at best, but it worked.
He just knew that there was no way that this vaccine would be
granted to criminals, free of charge, without there being an ulterior motive.
Hence, his conclusion. An implant administered to be activated under the
right circumstances. Like a riot, or a prison break, both of which were very
likely with the crime rates so high and civilian quality of life so low. They
had nothing to lose, except their lives.
His theory applied to the coup as well. A few lords had tried it
sometime before the prison break. Lords, people who could afford the
vaccine. Deianira had been the target, she was sixteen at the time and hadn’t
even been officially crowned. Their concerns were pretty much what he
expected for people of that time and that standing. Her age, her gender, and
how she inherited the throne. They’d tried to take her out in her sleep, but
the report said that Jude had heard them. That he’d been the one to deploy
UMBRA. And again, they were all found dead. He wouldn’t have been
surprised if Jude was in on it and Deianira had awoken at the right time,
forcing him to change the plan.
Devin had expected there to be an anomaly, there always was. And
it was the attack at the prima ball. The very last time that UMBRA was
mentioned in any record. Seventy-two years ago. It was toward the end of
the dark years, Deianira’s position was a lot more stable, and civilian
satisfaction was on the rise. The attack didn’t seem very organized from
what was written, it sounded like a last-ditch attempt to dethrone Deianira.
And like it had every other time, UMBRA handled it with no issue. The
only thing that bugged him was what wasn’t included in the report or any of
the files. The ballroom had to have been filled with people, people who
could’ve given insight into what this thing might have looked like or how it
worked, but there was not one witness statement. There wasn’t even a
mention of the incident outside of the physical report. It wasn’t even
digitized.
But he knew that there were people in that room that were still
walking around today. He just had to find one. Devin would never go
behind Cassian’s back and ask Salem, and he couldn’t ask Deianira. That
left one person that he was almost sure was in attendance, for security if for
nothing else. Someone who’d held his title for nearly six hundred years
before he became Head Enforcer.
Hew-
Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.
Incoming call - CASSIAN
Sighing, he hit answer.

“It’s two in the morning, Cass. What do you-?”
“I’m getting married.”
He gently placed the file down, taking a breath. “You’re what?”
“I’m gon’ marry her. First thing in morning.”
Devin pushed the file away with a bored smile at his jumbled words.
“Are you drunk?”
“Yep.”
“Where are you?”
“At home.” There was a noise that sounded an awful lot like a
giggle, and Devin had to snort. “We went on a date.”
“I’m assuming it went well?” he smirked.
“Uh-huh. I made her laugh.”
Devin’s brows raised. “You sure she wasn’t choking?”
“Nope,” he laughed. “I checked.”
“With you or at you?”
“At me. Buh still counts.”
Devin shook his head. “Where is she now?”
“Right here, sleeping. She’s so pretty, Dev…”
He closed up his folders and sat back on the couch as Cassian went
on about everything they did together. And he couldn’t have been more
happy for him. Cassian had been in a bad way for a number of weeks. He
was rash and impulsive, and it worried Devin. But that wasn’t the guy on
the other end of the line.
“I’m sorry. Salem drank? Like actually alcohol?”
He laughed like a little kid. “Dude, you shoulda seen her- Actually,
no. Nevermind.”
“Huh?”
“And we got into a fight with some ass.”
Devin got up and headed to the bedroom. “You got into a bar fight?”
Cassian’s laughter disappeared. “No, Devin,” he drawled like he
was the one who’d gotten it all wrong. “It was a club. Not a bar. We got
into a club fight.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventy
Salem jogged to keep in line with Cassian as his long strides ate up the
distance between their place and the operations room.
It had just hit eleven when the alerts came through, and even though
Salem would’ve been up and around at the time on a normal day, she had to
push through an unexpected wave of fatigue just to keep up. And it wasn’t
only because she’d been out until the early morning the night before.
He’d told her that she could stay and sleep, but the question alone
sank her heart so far that she sprung out of bed without listening further.
As Cassian shoved the door open, she caught sight of Cade and
Deianira on opposite sides of the room, barking orders at the TerraPod
while Eulalia and Devin spoke into their bracelets.
The commotion didn’t stop as they entered. They just joined it.
Cassian jumped right in, bounding over to Devin. She started up to
follow him when her gaze snagged on the main screen.
MOTION ALERT
The message was pulsing in bright red so she knew it was emergent.
She just didn’t know what it meant. She hadn’t even seen a motion alert
message before. When did they even start using motion sensors? She knew
of the technology, but they’d never had a reason to move forward with
them.
Eulalia turned over her shoulder. “Where are we with the footage?!”
“Seventy-six percent,” Devin called back. “Wait!” He paused.
“Ninety-two.”
Salem stepped into the chaos, her hand ready to tap Cassian and ask
what was going on, when Devin turned to the group, tablet in hand.
He marched past them and set it down next to the main monitor.
“TerraPod! Mirror Jacobs-three!”
The alert faded from the main screen as a video appeared.
Even though the point of view was still, she knew it was a video
because of the swaying grass in the background. It looked like an open
field. Then, the camera shook a fraction of an inch and a small motion alert
message appeared in the corner of the screen.
Devin hit a few buttons. “I don’t get it. Nothing happened.” He
played it again, leaning close at the second that the message popped up.
“What set it off?”
The others seemed just as baffled.
Two more times, Devin replayed the video.
“Play it again,” Cade ordered, his fists curled on the desk
Devin obeyed, frowning further. “I don’t see anythi-”
“It shook.”
Everyone turned to Salem at her whisper. She cleared her throat,
rolling her shoulders back. “It shook,” she said louder.
‘What shook?’ Cassian asked, watching her intently.
She pointed to the screen. “The camera.”
They all looked back to the screen as the video looped again.
By the lack of reaction and Deianira’s wary face as they all watched
her, she knew that they still couldn’t see it.
She swung a look to Cassian and shuffled over to the tablet. She left
it on the table as she cut the clip to the zero-point-six seconds that she was
talking about, then slowed it down to a quarter of the speed.
“Watch,” she said as she hit play.
They all watched with wrapped attention as the shift in the camera
became more exaggerated.
Deianira straightened. “What was that?”
“Quake?” Cassian asked.
She shook her head. “No, we would’ve felt it.”
“Not if it was that small there,” Eulalia disagreed.
Devin’s foot bounced. “Think it’s worth the trip?”
“Definitely,” Cade said.
Nodding, Devin turned to Cassian. “Pack up.”
Pack up what?
Cassian turned to face her, and when she thought she’d get an
explanation, he only looked at her, indecision written in his features.

Bobbing from side to side, Salem held onto Cassian’s gloved hand as
the truck sped along the shaky trail.
She still didn’t understand what was going on, but she knew that
Cassian couldn’t give her much of an explanation while they were running
around the room, packing an overnight bag. He also didn’t offer much once
they’d hit the road, but again, that was understandable. They weren’t alone.
Eulalia raced down the trail, talking to Devin in the passenger seat
every once in a while.
His old house.
That was almost all he gave her.
He was slightly jittery too, but she couldn’t tell if that was because
he didn’t want to go or because of something else. She figured that it was
the latter by the way he kept stealing looks at her along the drive.
“ETA?” she watched him ask.
It was the first thing he’d said since they’d set off.
“Four hours,” Devin threw back.
Cassian took a breath, leaning back in his seat as he held her hand
tighter.
Something was definitely bugging him, and that bugged her. She
didn’t want him to be stressed, she knew that, but her unease had something
to do with the fact that she didn’t know what to do about it. She couldn't tell
him that it was okay because she didn’t know what was wrong. She also
couldn’t just do nothing when everything in her itched to make it better.
The next time he looked at her, Salem put her head on his shoulder.
It was the most she could do with their spatial situation, and it was the only
thing she could think to do. It took a few seconds, but eventually, he laid his
head down on top of hers. They stayed like that for the next three hours.
When his head grew heavier, Salem leaned forward a little and strained her
eyes to the side.
He was sleeping.
She wondered how he managed to get any rest with how rocky the
trail was. She was exhausted, but she couldn’t close her eyes for more than
a minute.
He must have really been tired, more tired than her apparently, and
that said something.
Salem didn’t remember a period in her life when she was so drained
all the time. Every few hours, she felt like she was about to faint. Before,
she would’ve been panicking over the fact, probably seeking medical
attention too. But she had something now that she didn’t before. His
presence. He never made a big deal of fatigue, never made her feel bad or
lazy about needing the rest. He’d just hold her. Maybe that was why he was
so tired. He probably wasn’t getting enough sleep himself.
The second the thought entered her mind, her heart picked up. He
was sacrificing his sleep for her. That wasn’t healthy and he wouldn’t be
able to keep it up for long. What would happen when it became too much?
What if he wanted to move back into his room?
Salem closed her mouth so that she wouldn’t wake him up with her
hurried breaths.
Burden.
That word flashed behind her squinted lids, getting bigger and
bigger.
She forcefully opened her eyes, throwing them around the truck,
when suddenly, her gaze collided with Devin’s in the rearview.
His brows furrowed as he opened his mouth. Salem widened her
eyes, silently begging him not to say anything. She would’ve shaken her
head too if it wouldn’t have woken him.
Eyes filled with concern, he raised his hands. ‘Are you okay?’
Salem could feel her head heating as she held her breath, willing her
panic to pass.
Like she’d called above for intervention, his thumb started to rub
slow circles over the back of her hand. Just like that, her heart wasn’t
beating so fast anymore. It was still quick, but not nearly as quick as it was
seconds ago.
As quietly as she could, Salem took a breath.
It must have sounded more like a gasp, because he jolted, spinning
to face her, a hand already reaching for her cheek.
What’s wrong?
She backed up at his fast approach, her chest rising as she stared
into his scarily alert eyes.
“I’m fine…” she half-painted rather than directly answering his
question.
He tilted her chin up, examining her face. After a few seconds, he
pulled back, reaching down into his bag. He pulled out a bottle of water
with a yawn, twisting off the lid before handing it to her.
Salem let out a weighty breath as she took it from him. “Thank
you.”
You’re not tired? came his raspy voice.
Chewing her lip, she shook her head.
Before he could ask anything else that would make her feel worse,
the truck slowed. As Eulalia turned off the engine, his knee started to
bounce. He was nervous again. Or upset. Or angry. She was having a really
hard time reading him, especially with only the moon and the headlights
from the truck behind illuminating his face.
Devin was the first to start moving, eyeing Salem as he opened his
door.
“I’m gonna go check on the convoy.” With that, he jumped down,
stretching his legs as he closed it.
Waiting, Salem sat back in her seat when Cassian leaned to the side
and opened his. Jumping out, he closed the door before making his way
around the front of the truck. Salem froze, watching him through the
windshield.
As he neared her door, she forced her face to straighten.
He’s not leaving.
But he wasn't coming in either.
Cassian came up by her window and held a finger up. One second.
She frowned. A second for what?
Turning in her seat, she looked at the trucks behind to see the other
two units getting out. Holding their guns.
Salem tapped the window. “Cassian. Can you open the door?” she
said loudly so that he could hear her.
He watched her for a second, confusion sitting on his brows before
responding. We’re gonna do a quick sweep. Can you sit tight for a second?
he asked softly, squinting through the window.
“I can help,” she said, her voice loudening, her hands fidgeting.
He sighed, glancing to the left. I think you should wait in there. It’ll
only be a second.
No, no, no, no…
“Cassian!” She hurriedly tapped the window when he turned
around. “Can you wait here, please?!”
Brows low, and slightly startled by her outburst, Cassian tugged on
the door handle. She instantly readied herself to slip out of her seat.
He quickly stepped forward, grabbing her legs. Where are you
going?
“With you. I can help.” She tried to slide down again, but there just
wasn’t any space between the car and his body, and the extra gear they had
on didn’t help.
He didn’t release his hold on her upper thighs. I don’t think that’s a
good idea.
What? “Why?”
Looking left and right, he sputtered for a moment. Why don’t we
stay here?
Salem waited a while to respond.
He was giving her what she wanted, but she couldn’t get past those
words.
I don’t think that’s a good idea…
Why? She knew how to conduct a sweep. She could’ve led those
two units. Did he not think she could because of…
“Okay,” she said quietly, watching him closely. During almost the
whole ten minutes that Devin, Eulalia, and the others were absent, he didn’t
look at her once.
Suspicion rising, she wondered if she should push him for an answer
when he abruptly turned his head to the side.
Clear, he told her.
When she saw his arms rising to help her down, she gently pushed
them away and slid all the way off the seat, giving him no choice but to step
back as her feet hit the ground. Then with a final, narrow-eyed look in his
direction, she closed the door.

Cassian felt like shit. In more ways than one.
For starters, he was exhausted. Being there for her during the day
meant him working through the night just to keep up. He didn’t regret the
reason for one second, but he couldn’t deny that it was taking a toll. And
then there was Salem’s face as she hopped out of the tuck. He could tell that
she was overthinking as he felt her jittery fingers in his hand, following the
units down the dark trail.
He didn’t have much time to fill her in on what was happening or
why they were out there in the first place, but deep down, he didn’t want to
tell her. He’d just gotten her back and he had no idea what that information
like that could do to her. She hadn’t said anything about Podak since she’d
come around, so he hadn’t either, but with how things were looking now,
that safe, happy bubble they had been in was sure to pop any second.
The motion alert meant that someone had been there, and he was all
but certain who. That unsettled him the most.
He could’ve been here. And Cassian had brought her along.
He cursed himself for making such a stupid decision, but he also
refused to regret not leaving her back at the palace. He’d sworn to stay by
her side and that was a promise he planned to keep. Potentially exposing
her to danger ate at him though. More than the hurt look on her face when
she probably assumed that he doubted her capability.
After only three minutes of walking, the old shack that he used to
call home came into view.
He glanced down at her again.
She didn’t seem to have much of a reaction as Devin led the two
units to the door.
She was going to see his place, see where he’d been for all those
years. He didn’t think that she’d judge him, but there was an element of
shame that poked at him as he took the place in. It was strange to think that
he was once proud of it. He’d built most of it after all. It almost looked the
same, but he never realized just how secluded it was. Trees on either side,
vines running up the exterior walls.
The only good thing that came of it was the knowledge that he’d
never do that to himself again, never choose to live like that again.
Devin clapped his hands, his face hard. “Okay! Fifty-one, with me,
fifty-six, head in and sit tight!”
Surveillance.
That was the point of this operation, and investigating anything
suspicious if they found it. From the little that Devin yelled at the two units
as they rolled out, he understood that they’d be taking three-hour shifts until
the morning. Though he was tired, he was up for it. Salem on the other
hand?
Devin met his eyes with a head tilt. Cassian shook his head. He’d be
staying behind the first shift. Devin nodded as unit fifty-six started into the
house.
His only comfort was that no one besides, Lia, Devin, and Salem
knew that it was his place.
When he ducked to step in behind Lia, he was greeted by an
unsettling wave of nostalgia as he watched the enforcers mill around the
room, putting their bags down in various places and setting up their
equipment. A few of them spoke and coordinated with each other, speaking
in hushed whispers.
Lia gave him a short nod as she headed right around the corner to
where the small kitchen was behind the wall. She knew the place because
she’d been there before, not just on the op with unit eighty-two, but before.
She was the only person who’d visited him, the only person he’d allowed to
visit him.
When he saw two enforcers make their way to his room, he held out
a hand.
Tonight, that was his and Salem’s room.
Without argument, they shrugged and turned back.
Come on, he murmured with a hand on her back as he led her in.
She stayed by the door as he sat on the bed, which almost took up
the whole room.
“Why are we here?” she asked at the same time that he asked, Are
you okay?
He sighed. Can we talk about it in the morning? I’m just…tired.
He was tired, but he was also being a coward and he knew it. At that
point, he’d do anything to stay in their little bubble of naivety for longer.
Something quickly passed over her face before she nodded. “Okay.”
As if he’d ordered her to, Salem dropped her pack and unstrapped
her vest before crawling onto the bed.
His brows rose at her enthusiasm.
Thank you, he said, taking off his vest.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventy-One
The area had already been swept, but that wasn't a reason to let their
guard down, and Devin made sure to let the enforcers know that. With it
being well into the night, he’d ordered them to stay together with him in the
lead as they conducted a more intensive sweep. They were looking out for
anything and everything that appeared unusual.
When he heard hushed voices in the back, he turned. “What part of
quick and quiet did you have trouble grasping?” he asked plainly.
The two baby enforcers on the second to last line straightened.
“Sorry, sir,” they muttered in canon.
He shook his head, turning forward.
His power as Head Enforcer extended to almost every department,
but assigning units wasn’t one of them. He understood why units were
made up of enforcers from different stations, it was important for them to
learn from the more experienced, but lugging around newbies was just plain
annoying.
“Sir?”
Ready to lash out at another one of them, he spun and came face to
face with Salem’s brother. “Don?”
He nodded.
Devin hadn’t seen him when they were loading. He shook his head.
“I didn’t know you were here.”
He adjusted his gun at his hip. “Was I supposed to inform you?”
Devin’s head tilted. “Don’t sass me. And what?”
Don didn’t react. “The ground,” he said.
He halted the group, pointing his flashlight down. “What about it?”
He gestured to the side. “There’s a decline.”
“I don’t see anything.”
Squatting down, Don put a gloved hand to the grass. “I didn’t see it.
I felt it.”
Frowning, Devin snapped his fingers, silently ordering the others to
back up for him to help Don with his search.
Don narrowed his eyes. “I felt it just a second ag-”
“Ahh!”
Guns up, they both spun just in time to catch one of the guys from
station one trip backward. Devin had been just about to make a snarky
comment when he noticed the slight dip where his foot was.
Flashing his light as he advanced, he saw that it wasn’t slight at all.
The dip extended as far as he could see. It was a thick line of sunken
ground, like a long crater, traveling all the way up the field.
He spun again as another body dropped, another trail being revealed
under his light.
What the hell?
Stepping back, he only found more at different distances across the
field.
“What is this?” a sixer asked.
“I don’t know…” Devin responded.
The shake, the sunken ground. He knew that they had to be linked,
but he didn’t know how.
“Pictures,” he ordered before fully standing.
The whole team started taking quick shots of the field as he shrunk
into the background to watch.
“You think it’s him?”
He jumped as Don appeared behind him. “Shit!” he hissed.
He didn’t apologize.
Devin sighed. “Probably.”
Even in the dark, he could see Don’s jaw tense. “Do you think he’s
still here?”
“No.”
Based on what he knew of Podak, he highly doubted it. He
would’ve made a move already.
“Good,” Don bit out.
He understood his frustration, his anger. They all felt that way,
they’d all seen her that night. Devin would’ve been on the hunt too if it was
Akilah, any of his sisters for that matter.
He paused his train of thought, turning around. The enforcers were
still mid-investigation when he heard it. The heaving, the heavy breaths. A
discreet glance to the side told him that no one else had heard.
“I’ll be back in a sec,” he said to Don, heading toward the house
without waiting for a response.
When he was far enough, he started to jog and it took less than thirty
seconds for him to come into view.
Shit.
He ran straight up to Cassian, dropping to his knees beside him as
he poured out his guts onto the grass.
What the fuck?
He put a hand on his back. “What the hell happened, man? Have
you been drinking?” he asked, not trying to be judgmental, but concerned.
He couldn’t have imagined how hard it was coming back.
Devin flinched as Cassian lifted his head, his eyes glassy. And
white.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventy-Two
Thirty minutes earlier…
Cassian hung up the line, turning his attention to Salem. She’d waited,
watching him the whole time he’d spoken to Nadeen to check in on her and
Lilo.
As much as he wanted to be in the moment with Salem, he needed a
distraction, something to lighten him up. Hearing that Nadeen had managed
to get her license was almost enough to do that, but then he heard about
Lilo. The matter wasn’t at all life-threatening, but it still bugged her for
some reason.
Aiko had been to their place. Apparently, he’d just shown up to help
her with some homework. It was funny, but not funny at all, that he’d
shown up the day that they’d left for the op when he’d never visited before.
He liked Aiko, he was a good kid, but Lilo had been through enough and
she didn’t need some kid messing around with her whether he was there or
not.
He made a mental note to look into that when he got back.
Cassian cringed as his stomach growled.
“You’re hungry.”
He looked to the side at Salem.
“I’ll ask Eulalia to-”
He put a hand on her wrist as she lifted it, a little joy returning at her
enthusiasm. It’s okay, I’ve got something in my pack. And there’s nothing in
that kitchen that can be eaten now.
Reluctantly, she lowered it, making that concerned face that she
always pulled when she wasn’t sure about something.
His lips tipped up even more. Seriously, I’m good.
She slowly nodded as a thought nibbled at him.
Lia was in the kitchen, but it was behind a wall. So how did Salem
know where she went when she turned the corner?
He was about to ask when he saw her lowered lashes and shook the
thought off. Lia probably said something about it when he wasn’t paying
attention.
You should probably get some sleep, he said softly.
Her lips twisted, but she laid down, turning away to press her back
to his chest. Happy that she’d finally get some rest, he wrapped an arm
around her waist, pulling her closer.

She sighed into his embrace, the tightness in her chest finally easing.
His warmth, his shallow breaths on the back of her neck, that was all
she needed to erase all doubt from her mind.
She might not have been in the ‘right’ state of mind the night before,
but she didn’t speak one lie. She did want to marry him. She just hoped that
it wasn’t his own state that made him say all of those things.
She angled her face into the pillow, replaying the night in her mind.
Fun wasn’t even the word to describe it, it was everything. She knew that
she’d have fun anywhere she went with him, but the fact that that wasn’t
even her objective made it so much better. Every day, he surprised her with
his sweet words and spontaneous actions. She didn’t want it to stop. But she
also wanted to be that for him. Did she make him happy? Did he enjoy
being with her?
Salem stiffened.
Whatever it was, though she hoped it was what she thought it was,
that pressed into her back answered her second question.
But all too soon, he was creating distance between them.
Sorry, he muttered, shifting back.
No, she wanted to shout.
Right then, she could’ve thought up another way to get his attention,
another plan to hint to him that she was ready to beg for it. But Salem did
neither. She was done with the games and dancing around it. She wanted it,
so she went for it.
Scooting back, she pressed herself against him again, and to make
sure that there was no doubt, she rolled her hips a little.
A breathy sigh escaped her when his harsh breath hit her neck.
She did it again.
His head fell into the crook of her neck as he hissed against her skin.
Salem didn’t stop, not even when his hand finally closed over her
hip, guiding her back to him. His heart pounded against her back as he
pushed against her with more vigor. She closed her eyes, almost finding
relief in the way they rocked together.
But she still wanted more.
He let his moan tumble down the link as he released her hip, his
hand traveling over her pelvis to slither in between her legs. She
enthusiastically got even closer, letting him in as he palmed her mound over
her clothes.
This.
This was what she wanted.
He rubbed her, still thrusting against her from behind as she pushed
back. Keep doing that…
Her mouth fell open with a moan at his voice combined with his
slow motions down below. He burrowed further into her neck, planting his
lips there.
“Uhh…”
Open your legs, he commanded, nipping at her below the ear.
There was no way she was going to refuse, so she lifted one leg as
he deftly unfastened her belt, slipping his hand below the waistband of her
pants.
A guttural moan crawled up her throat as he found her center with
no teasing touches and sucked at her neck.
Halting, he quickly slipped his other hand under her head to come
around and close over her mouth. Salem, he half-laughed, half-chided.
She silently winced.
There were others in the next room.
When she nodded, understanding, he kissed where he’d sucked and
slid a finger right through her folds. She would’ve bitten his hand if he
didn’t move it down to palm one of her breasts.
She hissed as he nipped at her throat a little harder.
Can you be quiet? he murmured, pulling the skin under her chin
between his teeth.
He didn’t need to whisper, he was using the link. But it doubled her
arousal and she was sure he knew that.
She jolted, sucking in a breath as he tapped her clit once. Salem.
“Yes,” she whispered quickly, remembering his question.
Good. As his mouth made its way up the column of her throat, his
hand finally reached its destination, that finger circling her bud.
Salem bit down on her tongue at the momentary relief, willing her
hips not to move, scared that he might stop. When she held back a muffled
groan, she felt his winning smile against her throat and she couldn’t help
but feel proud of herself.
In reward, he slowly applied more pressure, rubbing her clit in a
small circle. She held back her hiss, letting out a harsh breath instead as he
continued his slow torture. Gradually, he circled lower and lower, finally
allowing her to release her sharp grip on her tongue. She stilled when he
reached her center, begging for the intrusion, but he just traced it, his finger
stroking her opening but never entering.
“Ca-”
Salem gasped as one digit thrust forward. After the initial thrust, he
curled his finger, stroking upwards without missing a beat.
Panting and not being able to help it anymore, Salem groaned as she
rolled her hips forward, needing more. Rather than stopping like she
thought he would, a second finger stroked at her entrance before slowly
trying to slip it in beside the first.
When she winced, his thumb found her clit, sending her hips into a
frenzy again.
His hand leaving her breast, he drew it up and clamped it over her
mouth again. At first, she assumed that it was because she was being loud,
but he silently showed her why when he pushed the second finger in beside
the first, rubbing harder at her clit with his thumb. His hand vibrated against
her lips as she choked out a cry.
Shh… he murmured, almost taunting her as he started stroking
upward again with both fingers.
He never stopped or slowed down. In fact, it felt like he was
speeding up every few seconds. Salem tried to swallow her moans, but
she’d given up on staying still ages ago, her hips rising and falling in time
with his strokes.
Sae…he called.
She only opened her eyes for a second before squeezing them tight
again.
Sae, open your eyes.
Obediently, she opened her narrowed slits, squinting as he loomed
over her from behind, pushing her to the very edge.
His smile was nothing short of devious. He knew exactly what he
was doing. Holding her gaze, his fingers delved deeper as he tightened his
hold on her mouth. It was so good, but just not enough.
Evidently, he could feel her need, because his bright blue eyes
darkened in the already nearly black room, increasing her desire tenfold.
Keep ‘em open.
Before he’d even finished sending his words, his biceps tensed as he
started driving his fingers in and out, still keeping his waving motion. She
squealed at the sweet, sweet pleasure that washed over her, bucking away
from him, but he didn’t halt his movements. If anything he increased them,
stroking into her harder and faster.
Her orgasm had barely passed when she felt the beginnings of
another. Her pleasure bordering on pain, she forced her hands to finally
reach down to grab his. But still, he didn’t stop, his hand moving too fast
for her to get a good grip.
“I can’t!” she groaned behind his rough palm.
She almost couldn’t take it.
Almost.
His fingers steadily continued their assault. Then tell me to stop.
Another forceful wave of bliss struck her, stopping the words that
she was never going to let herself mutter. She didn’t know that her eyes had
welled until a tear fell down the side of her face, her whimpers echoing in
her throat.
When he still showed no signs of slowing his perfectly painful
thrusts, her core pulsing with aftershocks from both releases, she finally
managed to get a hold of his hand, shaking and sniffling.
“Stop! Okay, stop! Stop…” she begged, the sensation growing too
much to bear.
In an instant, his fingers slowed, no longer thrusting but massaging
her center.
Salem heaved out a breath, her legs still shaking.
Still softly caressing her, inside and out, Cassian took his hand off
her mouth, bringing his thumb to wipe stray tears from her cheek. Leaning
down, he kissed her cheek, right under her eye before moving to the next.
Finally, he pulled out, making her quiver at the emptiness.
You okay? he whispered, rolling her onto her back.
Salem shakily nodded.
She was a mess, she knew she was, and she was sure that
appearance said as much too. But she’d never felt better.
She did have one concern though.
“Do you think they heard?” she asked quietly.
His shoulders bounced as he gave her an amused smirk, getting onto
his knees in front of her. I’m almost certain. Unit fifty-one probably heard
you.
She probably should’ve cringed, should’ve been taken by
embarrassment, but she wasn’t as mortified as thought she would’ve been.
Does that bother you?
She frowned. “Does what bother me?”
He nodded his head to the door. That they heard, he said, his hands
halted on his belt.
Oh. She didn’t love the idea, but it didn’t bother her either. Not
much.
She didn’t realize that he was actually worried until he sighed with
relief. But then, he was the one frowning as he dropped his hands from his
belt.
You know, you could’ve just used the link.
She nodded. “I know.”
Why didn’t you?
Salem finally focused in on his eyes, not too sure about his tone. He
seemed curious, but there was something behind it.
“You said you liked my voice.”
I do, he responded. I love it. But you don’t have to speak for me.
She’d never felt forced to, but he liked it. It was barely a sacrifice in
her mind if it meant he was happy. “Okay,” she said, her hand falling to her
pants.
He bent down and held her hands, stopping her. Salem.
Why was he saying her name like that?
“Yes?”
Cassian sat back on his haunches. Can you say something?
She narrowed her eyes. “I said yes.”
Through the link.
She didn’t like this direction one bit. “Why? Do you not want me to
speak?” she asked. What was the real issue?
Don’t do that. His face was serious. Say something.

Heart in his throat, Cassian waited for a response.

At first, he was just curious. Not anymore.
When she was in the truck and he was at the window, she’d chosen
to shout rather than use the link. That by itself was odd, but not when he
recalled the events of the past few weeks.
She always spoke, never used the link or even signed, she didn’t
complain when he’d forgotten to take off his boots in the room on a few
occasions, or all those times when he’d accidentally put things in the wrong
places.
She never corrected him.
Even less than an hour ago, she’d dropped her question when he
asked to talk about it later. Salem wasn’t pushy per se, but she was
objective.
Cassian didn’t expect them to be at each other’s throats with him
moving in, but he was only now registering that the process was smooth,
perfect. Too perfect.
His throat bobbing, he looked down at her as she remained silent.
Why won’t you use the link? he asked again, praying that he was
being dramatic.
She took a light breath, obviously seeing that he wouldn’t drop it. “I
told you. You said you-”
Why does that matter? he interrupted.
For the first time since he’d ever met her, Salem stuttered. She sat
up to match his posture. “Don’t you want me to do things that you want?”
she asked so quietly.
His heart sank.
Oh Gods…
“Cassian.”
Salem, no…
“Cassian, stop.”
At her words, he noticed that he wasn’t on the bed anymore, but
walking backward. He willed his feet to stop, but he didn’t go back to the
bed either.
He raised his hands to his head. What have I done?
Salem stood too. As soon as she made a move, he held his hand out.
Stop. J-just stop.
“I thought that was what you wanted…” she mumbled, her hands
shaking.
His breaths came quicker and quicker because that was it.
Technically she was doing what he wanted, but ultimately, it really wasn’t.
You think that’s what I want? he whispered. You think I want you to
be perfect and do whatever makes me happy?
Her chest rose, her face reddening. “Well, you’re not happy now,”
she snapped angrily, throwing up her hands. Just as she’d spoken, she
stopped, taking a breath. “I apolo-”
Stop it!
How did he not realize it? Why did he let things go that far?
That, he said, raising his voice. That, right there! I don’t want that.
Her face fell. “I was apologizing.”
You didn’t do anything wrong!
“But you’re mad. I didn’t mean to-”
I’m not- As he fisted his hands and took a breath, he saw her open
her mouth again and knew that whatever she’d say would make him feel
worse. No, Salem, he interrupted. You are your own person and you can’t
just go around doing everything I want because that’s not what I want! I
want you to be you. His lungs tightened as his eyes fell to the bed. He had to
close them. We just- I just- I was about to-
She’d only come onto him after…
Did she think that was what he wanted? Did she even want-
Oh Gods, no…
She was vulnerable, clinging onto his every word, and he gave in
when one second, just one second, of thought would’ve told him that
something wasn’t right. That she wasn’t thinking clearly, that he wasn’t
either. But he went and touched her anyway.
“Cassian.”
She was still speaking.
Breaths labored, he tried to blink as his view became blurry, as he
stumbled over his feet, stepping back into the door.
“Cassian.”
Blindly reaching for the handle, he stumbled back out of the room,
barely hearing the muffled exclamations of shock. His vision didn’t need to
be clear for him to find his way to the door. Throwing it open, he scrambled
as far as he could out into the night before he fell to his knees, his stomach
lurching.
Water, bile, everything he’d consumed in the last few hours hit the
grass.
How didn’t I see it?
Hacking and heaving, his hands fisted the dirt until he felt a palm on
his back.
“What the hell happened, man? Have you been drinking?”
On shaky knees, he slowly lifted his head to meet Devin’s eyes.
Devin stilled. “Cassi-”
“I-I made her…” He couldn’t get enough air to even order his
words.
“Sit down.” Devin helped him sit back on the grass. “Talk to me.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventy-Three
The whole night, she’d stayed by the window, watching him.

Don’t leave, don’t leave, don’t leave… she chanted over and over
again in her head.
She just didn’t understand what she did wrong. He said that he
didn’t want her to do what he wanted, but she wanted to. What was so
wrong with that?
Long after the sun had risen, he was still sitting next to Devin when
she felt the floor shake. She whipped her head to the door.
Eulalia.
‘We’re heading out,’ she signed cautiously.
Salem didn't bother to wipe her eyes or hide her face. She just
looked back to the window as she stood. Feeling slight shuffling, she
assumed that Eulalia was packing up their bags. She wasn’t sure if she
knew what took place last night, but she didn’t bother her as she milled
around the bedroom.
As everyone packed their gear up and moved around, setting their
things on the trucks only minutes later, Salem watched him from afar as
Eulalia strolled up with both of their bags.
He didn’t look her way, but she knew that he knew she was there.
That was what hurt the most. He was angry, she knew that, but was he so
angry that he couldn’t look at her?
A small glimmer of hope ignited in her chest when she saw him
make a move for the rover in the front, their rover. But when he threw his
bag into the back and started heading to the second truck, her heart almost
fell out of her chest.
He wasn’t riding with them.
Devin gave him a soft pat on the back as he pulled open the door
and stepped up into the same vehicle.
That was it.
Salem stopped walking and stared at the closed truck, shrugging off
Eulalia’s hand when she felt her touch her shoulder.
She moved to stand in front of her. ‘We need to go.’
She didn’t move. It wasn’t fair. She’d done everything right.
Everything.
Eulalia stepped in front of her, blocking her view. ‘He’s going to the
same place we are, okay?’
She already knew that, but hearing it from someone else was just
enough reassurance to start moving her feet. Numbly, she let Eulalia lead
her to the first truck. She knew that the windows on all the rovers were
tinted, but that didn’t stop her from searching as they walked past the
second.
Could he see her? Was he looking for her too?
Eulalia tossed their bags onto the seat before ushering her in.
He’s not riding with us.
She had to swallow the painful lump that formed in her throat as she
stepped up into the rover. She expected Eulalia to get into the passenger
seat. She’d driven them out, so Salem assumed that Devin would drive
back. Instead, Eulalia jumped into the driver’s seat again.
Then she started the engine.
Salem frowned, sitting up to look behind, and saw Devin’s face
through the windshield of the rover behind.
Slowly, Eulalia started forward, flicking a glance at her in the
rearview, but Salem couldn’t hold her gaze. She couldn’t stop herself from
turning around every few seconds to make sure he was still on their tail.
After seeing him there on at least three checks, she took a breath and
faced the front. Chewing on her lip, she was seconds from drawing blood,
wanting to check just one more time, when Eulalia took her right hand off
the wheel, lifting it to her face.
Salem welcomed the distraction, setting herself on deciphering what
she was saying, but she turned away.
A few seconds later, Salem gave up and went to turn her face when
her wrist buzzed.
CASSIAN shared his location with you.

She could’ve sank right into her seat with relief.
He wanted her to know where he was.
Her eyes flew up to Eulalia’s in the mirror to catch her short nod.
For the whole ten hours that they’d managed to cut their journey to,
she watched his red dot moving behind her white one with dry eyes and a
stiff neck, only blinking when she absolutely needed to. She was so focused
on his dot that she didn’t even notice the large semi-circle that made its way
onto the screen before the truck slowed.
Eulalia didn’t turn off the engine but halted as Salem looked up to
see Gio, one of the oldest warlocks in The Dome, with his arms out as he
cleared a gap in the barrier.
In The Dome.
Salem slowly sat up, her wrist lowering.
She must not have been paying attention on their way out.
The Dome. It was up.
It was taken down years ago, she hadn’t seen Gio in almost as much
time, so she struggled to understand why she was seeing what she was
when Eulalia finally advanced through the gap.
Why is The Dome back up?
With the afternoon still setting down, it took longer to get to the
loading dock than she would’ve liked with her burning questions left
unanswered. She started moving before Eulalia had even pulled the keys
out of the ignition, hopping out to meet her at the side.
“Why is The Dome back up?” she asked as soon as Eulalia stepped
down.
She stopped, her eyes flicking behind Salem. Salem didn’t turn
around.
Eulalia shifted uncomfortably. ‘I think you should ask Cassian.’
Only Deianira or Cade could’ve made a decision like that. But she
wanted answers now. Why was she so reluctant to tell her?
Eulalia looked behind her again.
Finally glancing over her shoulder, she saw him. Getting out of the
rover, he watched her through low lids before turning his head away.
He’d heard. He knew. Yet he made no move to answer her. Just like
last night when she asked why they were even at his house.
Salem clenched her jaw, deciding that if he wasn’t going to speak to
her, if he was going to blow up at her and then ignore her, she’d just get her
answers somewhere else.
Turning back to Eulalia, Salem didn’t even say goodbye as she
headed for the exit, waiting until she turned the corner to pull up her wrist,
and continued watching him as she headed east. The longer she walked, the
more her own questions bugged her.
Between him and what was obviously a city-wide matter, she
couldn’t help but feel left out. Why did everyone know what was going on
but her? She regretted the admission that she’d felt that way for years, that
she’d fallen out of the loop, but when he came back, she finally felt
included, finally felt seen. But they were sidelining her again. Well, she
wasn’t going to fade into the background this time. She wanted answers and
she was going to get them. And that started at the top of the chain.
Knock, knock.
She waited.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door was yanked open. “I said-” Deianira froze with her hand
on the door.
“Can I come in?”
Her brows raised as she flicked a look behind her. Then she nodded.
Salem walked past her, right into the center of the room before
freezing. She had to slowly draw her eyes to the side without moving to
look at Deianira as she warily stepped into view.
She still looked pregnant. So why was there a baby in a bouncer on
the floor?
Deianira stepped out in front of her. ‘Did you want to talk-’
“Whose baby is that?”
Deianira’s face dropped. ‘Nobody told you?’
Told her what?
‘That’s Caleb,’ she signed slowly. Salem didn’t lose her confused
expression. ‘My baby.’
Her stomach bottomed out as she spun to face Deianira. “You had
your baby.”
She slowly nodded. ‘Yes. Did Cassian not say anything?’
She shook her head. This too?
Salem looked down at the sleeping baby. Caleb, Deianira had said.
She was a mother now.
Scrambling for something to say, Salem gestured to the bouncer.
“He looks…nice.”
Deianira frowned, her lips curving. ‘Nice?’
“Yes. Cute.”
She nodded, looking away. ‘Thank you. Do you want to hold him?’
“No,” she responded instantly.
She hadn’t lied, he did look like a nice baby, but that didn’t mean
she wanted to hold him, or touch him, or anything really. It was just a baby.
A small person. Besides, she had a lot more on her mind.
Deianira didn’t look offended at her response, it was like she was
expecting the decline.
“Why is The Dome back up?” she asked before she could be
distracted again.
Deianira stiffened at her question. Slowly turning, she bent down
and picked the baby up before heading over to the couch. Salem followed,
choosing to stand.
She shifted him so that his scarily small head rested on her right
shoulder.
‘I didn’t want to do it. I had to.’
Okay…But why?
She didn’t wait for Salem to ask. ‘We know that you went into the
forest.’ Salem didn’t react. She knew this. ‘And that you were caught.’
Shame flooded her, reddening her cheeks. That day wasn't a day that
she wanted to be reminded of, the embarrassment of being caught aside.
‘But Cassian won the trials. I had no idea what that could’ve meant
for us all. What it would’ve meant if he’d won, even without your
involvement. We haven’t dealt with those…things before, and-’
“People,” Salem corrected. She understood where Deianira was
coming from, but if Patriam taught her anything good, it was that, “Nadeen
is a person. And so is Lilo. And Emori.”
Deianira seemed surprised at her standing but continued anyway. ‘I
didn't know how they might have reacted so I put it back up when he got
back.’
That was it? Why was everyone tip-toeing over something so
simple?
There was a problem, she’d found a somewhat temporary solution,
but it was as good as any that Salem could’ve thought of. So why couldn’t
Cassian just tell her that? Or Eulalia?
“I understand.”
Deianira narrowed her eyes. ‘You’re not upset?’
Salem frowned. “No.”
Sighing, she shifted her position. ‘Do you understand what I just
told you?’
“Yes. You put The Dome back up to prevent a possible attack.”
Should she have struggled to grasp the concept?
‘Salem…I knew you were out there.’
Yes, she’d said that already. “I know.”
Deianira closed her eyes as she sat back for a second. She opened
them, her throat bobbing. ‘Before, Salem. I knew you were out there before I
put it up.’
Oh.
“Okay,” Salem before she’d taken the time to register the words. But
when she did, a dull ache began to throb in her chest. It wasn’t necessarily
painful, but it didn’t feel good either.
Deianira gaped at her. ‘I just told you that I locked you out and you
say ‘okay’?”
Salem blinked. What was she supposed to say? That she should
have jeopardized the whole city for her?
“I didn’t expect you to come after me. I’m a sentinel. My safety
doesn’t come first,” she said, her voice monotonous. It wasn’t what she
wanted to say, it was what she was supposed to. She knew that.
Jaw hanging, Deianira stood and went to the crib. Salem was about
to follow, but then she saw Deianira’s face after she lowered the baby into
the crib and turned around.
“You’re fucking fired!”
Salem blanched, her lips parting as she cast her eyes up to Deianira.
“I don’t underst-”
“I have taken advantage of you! For years, I’ve taken advantage of
you, and your kindness, and your friendship, and your loyalty, and you sit
there and you tell me that you understand?!”
Salem couldn’t have gotten a word in if she wanted to.
“I told you that you were my best friend, and time and time again,
I’ve put you last and it is KILLING ME!” She threw her hand in the
direction of the crib. “Cade and that perfect boy are the only things that
have stopped me from jumping off the fucking roof! This is not what a
healthy friendship looks like, Salem!” She gasped, catching her breath as
Salem struggled to keep up with her lips. “Can’t you just yell at me or tell
me that I’m a horrible person?!”
Salem was so stiff that she was surprised she was still breathing.
Deianira had yelled at her before, or in her presence, but not like
this.
Everything she was saying, everything that she was mad about
wasn’t directed at her. She was mad at herself, but she yelled at Salem like
she was supposed to do something or respond differently. Why did
everyone think it was okay to yell at her for things that had nothing to do
with her? She had done absolutely nothing wrong. Where was she supposed
to get her cues if not from the person themself? It was ‘do this’ or ‘do that’
and she ended up hurt when they weren't satisfied. What more or less could
she have done?
“I did a terrible thing, Salem, and I don’t don’t know if I can take it
if you don’t tell me that.”
Salem took a deep breath, swallowing past the tight ball of irritation.
“Would you feel better if I yelled at you?”
Deianira threw her hands up, sputtering. “I-” Her gaze bounced
around the room as she blinked her tears away. “Yes…”
Salem nodded. “Then, I won’t.” Without waiting for her response,
or even her reaction, Salem turned around and headed for the door.
She purposely emptied her thoughts as she stormed up the stairs to
Nadeen’s room for fear that they might spill over and make her do
something she’d later regret.
Glancing down at her bracelet again, she sighed when she saw his
dot inside the palace. If her recollection of the plans were correct, which
they were, he was at Devin’s. That was fine because she wasn’t going back
to the room either.
Salem stepped back as the door opened, not expecting the person
who answered.
“Oh, hi,” Aiko said nervously.
“Hello,” she breathed, not really in the mood to interact but not
willing to take that out on him.
He looked her up and down. “Are you okay?”
“No,” Salem responded as she stepped past him into the room.
Lilo looked up from the floor where she had a few flashcards with
large letters spread out, and Nadeen turned from the stove.
Their faces lit up and she couldn’t have been more grateful for it.
Finally, someone was actually happy to see her.
“Can I stay here for a short while, please?”
Nadeen left the kitchen, quickly making her way over. “Always, my
lady.” She grasped Salem’s shoulders, looking over her face with worry.
“Are you well?”
Salem nodded, trying not to crumble under Nadeen’s warm gaze.
She was more annoyed than sad before, but the way that she looked at her
made her want to let the tears that she felt trying to escape break free.
Nadeen brought her hands to the sides of Salem’s face, lowering her
brows. For less than a second, Nadeen’s eyes narrowed as she tilted her
head and softly pressed on Salem’s cheeks. Then she dropped them with a
shake of her head. “Come.” She guided Salem further into the room. “We
will eat.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventy-Four
Salem knew that he was in the room as she approached, but she didn’t
bother knocking. It was her place before it was his. She just walked right in
before heading into her closet for a fresh set of clothes, not looking at him
as he glanced up from his tablet at the table. She didn’t look as she left
either, striding over to the bathroom.
She really didn’t like being left in the dark, and while there was a lot
she could take, him and Deianira and everything else was too much for her
to just let roll off her back.
As the water streamed down her back, she let her mind wander to
more positive things. Like this evening. She hadn’t thought that she
wouldn’t, but she actually enjoyed spending time with Nadeen, Lilo, and
Aiko.
Nadeen had quickly started on another meal for her, and they all ate
at the table. Nadeen had her head down, smiling at her bracelet at whoever
she was messaging, Lilo was going on about what she was learning in
school, and Aiko was hanging onto every word. Salem remembered when
she’d quietly asked Lilo why he was there.

“I do not know,” Lilo whispered. “He asked me if I needed help with my

studies. I told him no, but he stayed anyway.”
Salem looked over to where he stood with his back to them as he
washed the dishes, stealing glances at them every few moments.
Well, not them.
Lilo.
And Salem knew that look. “He just came over?”
“Yes,” Lilo nodded emphatically as if Salem might not have
believed her. “He is very strange.”

Salem brushed her fingers up her collarbone, feeling the braid that Lilo
had done for her after they’d eaten. As she’d done many times before, she’d
kneeled behind her on one of the beds while Salem sat and let her brush her
hair before braiding it into two loose plaits.
She didn’t take them out when she turned the shower off. She kind
of liked them.
They kept her hair out of the way and she thought that they were
pretty. Thought that they made her look pretty. For a moment, she caught
herself wondering if Cassian would like them, but she threw those thoughts
away. They weren’t for him.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, she stilled for a second when
she didn’t see him at the table, but then she caught movement in the corner
of her eye.
He was by the bed. Next to the bed. Putting blankets on the floor.
He wasn’t sleeping on the bed.
Salem curled her hands into fists as he looked up at her. She almost
broke her silence just to ask what she’d done that was so wrong, but she
pushed it down. Not because she didn’t think that she deserved to know, but
because he didn’t need to hear her voice if he was going to condemn her for
using it.
Lifting her wrist, she turned the lights off before marching over to
the bed and hopping on in a very disorderly manner. Multiple times, she
turned her head on the pillow, trying to get comfortable, but nothing
measured up.
She leaned up on one arm. “Echo.”
Salem couldn’t see very much, but she felt the little shake as she
pounced on the bed, immediately bounding over to her, sniffing her face
before they both settled in. She didn’t expect it to solve all of her problems,
but a warm body sufficed somewhat.
But there were still no numbers.

She was mad.
He wasn’t trying to read her, but her thoughts were practically
leaking from her.
As much as he wanted to hold her or console her, he couldn’t bring
himself to get into bed with her. The memories of what happened only a day
ago were where his resolve came from. It made him question everything
too. Did she want him in bed because she wanted it or because she thought
it was what he wanted?
He should’ve known. Days ago, he should’ve known. It was right in
front of him. No matter what he did, she never had an objection, objections
that she was more than happy to voice months ago, and he let himself
romanticize it rather than seeing the real issue.
And now she was mad. It was justified too.
He didn’t explain himself back at the house, he couldn’t find the
words to. She’d done what she thought she had to do and got chided in
response. It wasn’t her fault, it was his. That’s why he let her be mad, why
he didn’t ask where she’d been for the past few hours. She was upset, and
because it was him that caused that, he had no right to dictate how she dealt
with it.
That didn’t mean he didn’t want to though.
He’d gone over to Devin’s to ask if she was at his. He even swung
by Cade’s room, but after hearing Deianira sniffling behind the door as he
spoke to her in low whispers, he turned around, sure that he wasn’t
supposed to hear any of it. After that, he just waited. He knew she would
return eventually, and she did.
Giving up on sleep, he rolled onto his back and just listened to
Echo’s soft purring and her light breaths.
He didn’t sleep the whole night and she didn’t either. That worried
him. He couldn’t give a fuck about his sleep, but she needed hers. At least
he thought she did. It sure didn’t look like it as she rolled out of bed and
headed to the closet in the early hours of the morning. He didn’t know
where she was going, but he wasn’t sure if he was even allowed to ask, so
he watched her get ready for whatever she had planned for the day.

Cassian had waited for Salem to leave before he got up, wanting her to
be able to move around without him hovering over her. Granted, that
decision meant that he was late for the debriefing, but if that was what it
took to be sure that he didn’t make her uncomfortable, then he would do it.
Stepping into the study, he expected a comment or at least a face
pulled, condemning his tardiness, but instead, he was stuck at the door as he
watched the High Council sitting in awkward silence.
Because the seat that he had expected to see empty was filled.
Salem.
She was in the study, sitting in her seat next to his, facing forward.
After just standing there for a while, the others staring back at him,
he accepted that he wouldn’t be getting an explanation and moved to take
his seat. He snuck a discrete, questioning look at Devin and only received a
shrug in response.
Lia cleared her throat and got the meeting in motion. Salem didn’t
speak the whole time that they delved into the debrief, but she was paying
attention. He knew because he hadn’t taken his eyes off her.
“And you didn’t check the nearest towns to see if whatever caused it
had struck there too?” Cade asked.
Cassian looked up to see Devin avert his eyes, flicking a look his
way.
“No.”
They were distracted.
His little blow-up had affected the op. He sent him an apologetic
look, but Devin’s eyes held no regret.
Cade sighed. “It could be nothing, purely geographical. But I think
it’s better safe than sorry.”
Devin nodded his agreement. “Give me a few hours and I can take a
few-”
“No.” Cade shook his head. “They know their way. They can do it
themselves.” He looked like he wanted to protest, but Cade didn’t let him.
“We need to be here tonight.”
Cassian frowned, sitting up at the same time as everyone else.
“Nadeen got her first placement and she wants to have some sort of
dinner party,” he said, waving a hand. “I told her we’d be there.”
Oh.
Cassian would’ve preferred to use the time to order his thoughts,
maybe speak to Salem, but he liked Nadeen and it was a step in the right
direction for her. He’d go.
Devin slowly nodded, saying and signing, “Can Emori and the girls
come?”
“She said everyone.” Cade carefully turned to Salem. ‘Are you up
for that?’
Her face remained blank. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Everybody froze.
Her face wasn’t curious, nothing like it would usually be when she’d
ask such a blunt question. She looked like she was daring him to answer
her.
Very slowly, Cade inclined his head. “Okay.”
Everyone around the table shared the same cautious look. Except for
Lia. She was smirking.
“How soon can you get a few excavators dispatched?” Salem asked,
making everyone gape further.
“I don’t know,” Devin responded for them. “But I can ask Akilah to
check with the head of the construction department.”
“Please do.”
Silence ensued once again.
“Why?” Cade finally asked, facing her head on.
She gave him her attention. “I can tell by the pictures that the
ground isn’t level, but it’s also not consistent. That could mean that
something happened under it. There was flooding a few years ago and the
logging caused the fields to sink in patches. It’s worth investigating.”
The moment the meeting convened, she was out of her seat and
headed to the door, but Cassian was already setting after her. He assumed
that she wasn’t headed home and this might have been his only opportunity
to speak to her before tonight.
Salem. He rushed past Devin, accidentally knocking his shoulder,
rather aggressively too, but not stopping.
“No, I’m good,” Devin called from behind him with some bite to his
tone. “I love it when giants try to stomp me out!”
He thought she’d ignore him, so he was ready to call her again when
she turned, stopping him in his tracks.
‘Yes?’
He blinked, not expecting her to sign.
I- He sighed. I want to explain.
She tilted her head. ‘Should I stand here and let you? After all, that
is what you want. Am I supposed to do what you want?’
He watched her for a moment. He hadn’t seen that coming, but
maybe he should’ve. Uh-
‘Did I do something wrong? Do you want to yell at me again?
Because if you do, I don’t think I’ll stay for that.’
He was dumbfounded.
Her brows raised. ‘Or maybe I should. You don’t want me to do what
you want, but if I don’t, then I’ll indirectly be doing what you want.’
What?
She sighed, lifting a shoulder. ‘It’s paradoxical, isn’t it, Cassian?’
He couldn’t say anything. He just stood there, mouth open.
‘Goodbye.’ Salem turned and walked in the opposite direction.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventy-Five
Devin was struggling to stay in his seat as he curled over, racked with
laughter.
“I’m sorry,” he howled. “Say that last part again.”
Cassian huffed. “It’s paradoxical, isn’t it, Cassian?” he mock-
grumbled, still baffled himself.
Devin fell out of his chair as tears filled his eyes.
“It’s not that funny.”
“I- I can’t!” he cried. “Just stop talking!”
Cassian rolled his eyes, turning away.
“What’s so funny?” Kendria finally asked, frowning from her
‘operation table’, as she called it, where she repeatedly pulled apart her
dolls and put them back together.
“Nothing,” Cassian sighed.
“Then why’s daddy laughing?”
“Because he’s immature.”
Devin sniffed, shakily standing. “Gods, she’s something. Thank you
for sharing that with me.”
“I’m glad my woes amuse you.”
He patted him on the shoulder as he stepped into the kitchen. “They
do, Cass. They really do.”
“Are you gonna help me or what?”
Devin grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl before biting into it. “I
already told you what to do,” he said, his voice muffled.
“I already tried to explain.”
“Then try again. In her head, she’s done nothing wrong, and to be
honest, she hasn’t. You can’t tell her one thing and expect her to do the
other. She’s probably tired of trying to win with you.” He snorted. “I know
I’d be-” He stopped, his eyes widening. “Ty!”
A bolt of lightning shot up Cassian’s thigh. “Fuck!” he yelled,
swiveling in his bar seat to see Tyla holding a…tennis racket.
“Ty, that is not a toy,” Devin sighed.
“I’m just testing it.”
Cassian jumped down from his chair, stepping back. “The hell is
that?!”
Devin shrugged. “Bug zapper.” Then he tilted his head in thought.
“How are you gonna make it up to her?”
Cassian frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I was just
gonna-”
“Get him again, Ty.”
His eyes widened as her face lit up. That shock shot up his leg again
before he could make a move, prompting Devin’s guffaw.
“Ow! Stop it!” he yelled, clutching his leg.
“Better think, Cass,” Devin laughed, shaking his head.
He was mid-dash when she hit him again, right on the ass. “Tell her
to stop!”
“Get her some flowers,” Kenny called from the living room, her
eyes focused on her dismembered doll. “Daddy buys Mommy flowers all
the time.”
Devin pointed at her. “That’s an idea.”
He hopped away from Ty as she proceeded to chase him. “Salem
doesn’t like flowers!”
“Well, what does she like?” Devin asked as if they were having a
completely normal conversation.
“I don’t know!” He faked right and made for the sitting area.
“Can I try?” Kenny asked.
Tyla ran over to her, handing her the racket. She squealed as she
started after him.
“Chocolates!” he yelled, running past her to dive behind the couch.
“Ehh! Salem doesn’t like chocolate. Ken, he’s behind the couch!”
Growling, he pushed back up and jumped right over the couch,
almost tripping over the table. “Paint! She likes to paint!”
“There you go,” Devin cheered, clapping. “Paint set.”
Cassian sighed, darting around the table as Kendria climbed over the
couch to follow him. “She already has one.”
Devin threw his hands up. “Well, fudge, Cass, I can’t give you all
the answers.”
“Yeah, he can’t give you all the answers!” Kenny yelled,
unsuccessfully trying to roll over the table.
“Devin!”
“Fine,” he sighed. “Put it down, Ken.”
With a stroppy drop of her shoulders, she tossed the racket on the
table. “I didn’t even get to get him!” she huffed.
With a sigh of relief, Cassian retook his seat at the bar, glaring at
Devin as Kenny retired to the operation table.
“You guys will be fine,” he said with a wave of his hand.
Cassian turned around to make sure the girls weren’t looking before
he gave him the middle finger.
“Oh.” Devin snapped his fingers. He leaned forward, lowering his
voice. “I think I got a lead on what we were looking at earlier. I’m gonna
run to Hewn’s before dinner. You coming?”
“Why?”
By the time Devin had briefly explained his theory and why he
wanted to speak to Hewn, Cassian was all too willing to join him. Emori
came out for a little while and talked with them, a conversation during
which Devin made him repeat the story of his talk with Salem again. But
soon, they were saying bye and getting ready to head out.
“I know what you need to do,” Ty said quietly.
Cassian’s hand paused on the door.
“You just gotta say this, okay?”
He gave her his attention. “What do I gotta say?”
“You gotta hold her hand first. Then you look into her eyes.”
Devin nodded, his amusement bordering annoying territory. “The
eyes matter,” he nodded.
Cassian leaned on the door. “Uh-huh. What do I do next?”
She held her hands together. “Then you say, ‘Salem…I love you
very, very much and I’m very, very sorry.’”
His tips curved at her seriousness. “Mhm.”
“‘And if you want me to, I’ll kill myself. Right now.’”
His jaw dropped as Devin held a fist to his mouth.
“‘Can I kiss it better now?’”
Umm…
She held her hands out. “That’s all you gotta do.” She gave him a
nod before picking up a ‘scalpel’ and joining Kenny.
Cassian slowly turned back to her father.
Devin held his hands up. “Just get the flowers at this point.”

Walking into Hewn’s office again, Cassian was the one to open the door.
Thankfully, he wasn’t seeing anyone, but Hewn still threw them that same
disgruntled expression as Devin closed the door.
“What do you want now?”
Cassian was glad that he didn’t utter a word of their last meeting.
Devin took a seat, followed by Cassian. “We wanted to ask a few
questions that you might have the answers to,” Devin started.
“Can I say no?”
“No.”
Hewn sighed, pushing his chair away from his desk, and folding his
hands in his lap. “Do continue. And quickly. I have an appointment at six.”
“Perfect.” Devin skipped the pleasantries. “What do you remember
about Prima Day of one-twenty?”
Cassian sensed the shift in the room more than he saw it as Hewn
stilled. His eyes bounced between Devin and Cassian for several moments.
Then abruptly, he stood and marched over to a potted plant. He picked up a
little black rectangle from the soil and tossed it into the fish tank beside it.
Then he faced the wall, staring at it for even longer.
“What was that?” Devin asked, tense.
He didn’t face them as he shook his head. “Recorder.”
“And why the hell do you have a recorder in your office?”
He spun to them, his voice harsh yet hushed. “The real question is
why the hell you would ask me something like that!”
Cassian slowly stood, a disturbing realization falling over him.
“Were you recording our conversation last time?”
Hewn sighed, rubbing his hands down his perfectly pressed slacks.
“Things get muddled when you're my age, I record everything. It’s for me.
No one else.”
That settled him some, but he wasn’t exactly comfortable with it
either.
“Then why’d you sink it?” Devin asked.
He lowered his brows at him. “Whatever you’re looking for, you
need to stop. Whatever you think you know, you don’t,” he bit out.
Devin cocked his head back. “Hew-”
He banged a fist on the table. “I mean it!”
What the-
“That is not something you talk about, it’s not something you think
about. Erase it from your mind. Right now.”
Devin looked him up and down. “I don’t think you realize what
we’re dealing with. UMBRA might be the only thing-”
Hewn’s eyes bugged as he took a firm step forward. “Where did you
find that?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes!”
“Why?”
“So I can find it and burn it,” he hissed.
Devin lifted his leg to rest an ankle on the opposite knee. “If you
don’t tell us, we’ll just ask someone else.”
Hewn huffed humorlessly. “Good luck with that.”
Cassian picked that right up. “What does that mean?”
He shook his head, stepping back. “Nothing. Just…” He looked up,
taking a breath before addressing them both. “You are toying with things
that you do not understand. Things that are in the past, and for good reason.
I don’t expect either of you to grasp the gravity of what I’m trying to tell
you. I just need you to trust me. I promise you, this will do more harm than
good…”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventy-Six
Only Devin’s family and the hosts, Nadeen and Lilo, were there when
he arrived. He knew that he was early, but he still watched the door,
wondering when she’d knock or if she would show up at all.
You are toying with things that you do not understand…
After Hewn’s final statement, Devin only offered him a nod before
leading them out. Though he didn’t pick up the conversation on the ride
back, Cassian knew that he hadn’t dropped it.
He sighed, looking to the door again.
“You might want to take that down a notch.”
He blinked, turning to Devin, who sat on the couch opposite him.
“What?”
Devin shook his head, adjusting a sleeping Kenny on his lap as he
lifted his glass. “You look like a dog who’s lost his owner.”
“Haha.”
Lilo practically skipped over to them with a tray of cheese and
crackers. She looked back at Nadeen in the kitchen, and at her nod, she
turned to them, her smile threatening to split her face. “Appetizers,” she
said, looking proud of herself.
Cassian couldn’t help but smile back. He wasn’t hungry, but he
reached for a cracker anyway. “Thank you.”
When she pushed the tray toward Devin, Kenny’s nose twitched
before she jumped in his arms. “Cheese!”
He grabbed her before she could reach for one. “Ay! Nicely.”
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, sitting up on his knee. “Please, can I
have a cheese?”
Lilo nodded, her smile growing. “Yes.”
Kenny lit up as her chubby little fingers grabbed three cubes. With a
giggle, Lilo strode over to Emori and Ty, who were sitting at the table as
they completed a small puzzle that Nadeen had set out.
Devin sighed. “‘A’ means singular, Ken. One.”
She didn’t even look back as she broke the cubes in her hands,
mashing them up before she popped them in her mouth, one after the other.
Knock, knock.
Cassian sat up so quickly, his knee almost sent the coffee table on its
side.
Then he sagged back. It was Cade and Deianira.
“Woof woof,” Devin whispered, earning him a punch to the
shoulder.
Deianira handed Nadeen a bottle of wine as she pleasantly greeted
them, Cade nodding behind her as he held Caleb to his shoulder with one
arm and the carrier in the other.
Ty’s head popped up before she threw her gaze to the baby. Cassian
frowned, watching as she bared her teeth like a wild animal.
“She’s still doing that?”
“Yep,” Devin grumbled. “We’re trying not to say the b-word around
her.”
“That bad?”
“Her eye started twitching when she saw the nursery.”
“I’m done,” Kenny announced, holding up her greasy fingers.
Devin looked over at the table. “Babe.”
Emori only glanced at them before she reached into her bag and
pulled out a pack of wipes. Effortlessly, she pulled her arm back and lobbed
it, Devin catching it mid-air and popping the lid.
Cassian watched the interaction, impressed. “Is it as easy as you
make it look?”
Devin knew exactly what he meant. “No,” he snorted as he handed a
wipe to Kenny.
“But you enjoy it.”
“Yeah,” he smiled.
Kids…
The thought had never even crossed his mind, not consciously at
least. He wasn’t even sure if he should’ve let himself think about it with the
current state of things. But was that what she wanted someday? He felt like
he knew the answer, but that aside, was that what he wanted?
“Quit overthinking. Whatever happens, happens.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “I was just-”
Knock, knock.
His head whipped to the door as Lilo sprang up to get it.
It had to be her. But it wasn’t.
Akilah headed in first, giving Lilo a friendly hug before heading to
the kitchen to greet Nadeen. Don and Aiko trailed behind her in their dress
shirts, Don with a deep scowl, as they balanced various trays and foiled-
over bowls.
Aiko darted around his brother to meet Lilo. “Where can we put
these?”
She turned her face away with a discreet smile as she pointed to the
kitchen.
Cassian narrowed his eyes. What the heck was that?
Before he could question it further, Akilah strode over to the open
living room before plopping down next to Devin. “Come here, you little
gremlin.”
Kenny squirmed with excitement as she wriggled out of Devin’s
hold and into Akilah’s open arms.
Don ambled over, taking the seat on the other end of Cassian’s
couch, his face more sour than before as he glared at Akilah over the table.
“What is it now?” Devin asked, refilling his glass with water.
“Don’t ask,” Don grunted.
Akilah didn’t take her focus off of Kenny as she tickled her,
speaking sweetly. “Some people don’t know how to get over themselves,”
she sing-songed.
Cassian looked to Don, satisfied to watch this play out as a much-
needed distraction.
“I should get over it?” he asked, sitting forward.
“Yes,” she responded. “I did.”
“Because you have nothing to get over. Do you know how many
credits that revolver cost me?”
“Less than a lifetime of anxiety and depression I’m guessing.”
Devin’s lips quirked. “What did she do?”
“Dear Devin, why do you assume that I did something?”
Don had his complaints locked and loaded. “She put it in the
fucking microwave,” he spat. “If I wasn’t there, the whole building
would’ve gone up.”
Ouch.
“Fudging,” Devin corrected.
Akilah finally lifted her eyes, adjusting Kenny into a seated
position. “You see how he tries to gaslight me?”
Don sputtered. “Gaslight? You put my
gun! In the microwave!”
“Don’t turn this around on me!” she shot back. “He yelled at Mila!”
Devin winced with a smirk. “Bad move.”
“Mila is a dog. They’re supposed to take orders!”

So that was the thing’s name.
“No! You know he’s a rescue. He has trauma!”
“Yeah! From you giving him a girl’s name! He’s probably all kinds
of fuc-fudged up!”
She gasped like he’d stabbed her. “How dare you?!”
Kenny sighed, putting her hands over her ears.
Don shook his head. “Why are you acting like I started it?! He was
the one that bit me!”
“Because he was scared!”
“His eyes point in two different directions! He always looks
scared!”
“You’re just lashing out!” she hissed. “And why wouldn’t he be
scared when you tried to pet him with your monkey fingers?!” Don scoffed.
“He’s never bitten me
before. What does that say?!”
“It says that you treat that thing like you’re its mother and it’s
weird!”
“I AM HIS MOTHER!”
He spun to Devin, his eyes wide. “Do you see what I mean?! She
thinks that merits arson.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, drama. It’s destruction of property at
best.”
“Sir, I think I might kill your sister.”
Akilah snapped her jaw at him with a wink.
Just as Cassian’s momentary entertainment drew to an end, the door
opened again with a short knock. Expecting Lia, because it seemed like
nothing wanted to go right tonight, he was not at all prepared for the woman
that walked through the door right after her.
Devin erupted in a fit of laughter. “Oh, you are so done…”
He was right.
Cassian didn’t even try to stop his mouth from falling as he watched
Salem practically strut over the threshold.
She was…
Her hair.
It was naturally wavy, but that wasn’t what he saw bouncing from
her high pony as she walked over to Nadeen.
She’d curled it.
Her clothes.
Those hips were perfectly accentuated by her low-rise, brown
leather pants, her small waist and midriff being left out in the open by her
tight, cropped, white blouse that dipped in the front just enough to show the
perfect amount of cleavage.
He didn’t know if he wanted to pull it up or pull it down.
Her shoes.
Cassian had never even seen Salem in a pair of shoes that had a
platform, but sure enough, thick rubber heels sat on the ends of her boots,
tall enough to put her past Lia’s chin, but small enough that she could still
walk in a straight line.
And were those…earrings?
He knew that Salem’s ears weren’t pierced, but tiny diamond studs
still glistened on her slightly red lobes.
Cassian didn’t know that he was standing up until Devin reached
over the table and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back down.
He cleared his throat, tamping down his amusement. “You know
she’s playing you, right?”
“Yes.”
“And are you trying to give her exactly what she wa-”
“Yes.”
Gods, those hips…
Every step she took sent them swaying from one side to the other.
He was practically salivating as an image jumped into his mind of him
grabbing onto them as he thru-
“Dude.”
He flinched, swinging his eyes to the group to find them all staring
back at him.
“That’s my sister,” Don snipped.
Devin tilted his head. “You don’t have much ground on that one,
Donnie.”
By the grace of the Gods, Cassian managed to stay in the living
room while dinner was finished up, but the second Nadeen announced that
the food was ready, he was scrambling over to the row of tables that had
been pushed together, slapping away Devin’s hand when he tried to stop
him. Before anyone else could grab the seat, he plonked down next to
Salem, breathing heavily.
Her eyes flicked to the side, but she didn’t look at him directly. In
fact, she peered up at Lia across the table, sharing a look with her instead.
He tried to meet Lia’s eyes, hoping to ask for some sort of cue, but
she didn’t look at him either. Seconds later, Lilo and Nadeen started setting
out the food, a tall salad bowl being placed down and blocking the bottom
part of Lia’s face from view so that he couldn’t see what she started
mouthing to Salem.
Huffing, he helped pass the dishes down the line, skipping over
Kendria and Tyla as Emori pulled out two pop-up, rubber bowls.
When the noise level started to rise, Nadeen slapped a hand on the
table.
Her face softened as she looked around at everyone. “Lilo said that I
am to make a speech. I do not have one. Eat.”
Surprisingly, the dishing of food was by no means chaotic. People
waited their turns, dished for each other, and started up conversations on
their different sections of the table, or arguments.
Picking up the carving knife, he went straight for one of the three
chickens, then paused as his eyes glazed over the quite obviously
undercooked bird.
“Go ahead,” Nadeen said, her lips twisting uncomfortably. “Lilo
spent a lot of time preparing them.”
Lilo proudly nodded.
He forged a fake smile of his own, contemplating whether the food
poisoning was worth it.
Apparently, he was taking too long, because Aiko reached over and
took the knife out of his hand. “Looks good,” he said with a wobbly smile.
He cut off two legs, dropping one onto his plate before putting the
other onto Don’s. Cassian cringed as he watched him break off a piece with
his fork.
He’s not gonna-
Aiko lifted the fork to his mouth without hesitation.
His mouth twisted as he chewed. “Mmm…” The whole table
flinched, staring at him, as he poorly stifled a gag before swallowing.
“That’s amazing, Lilo. Honestly.”
She lit up, her cheeks flaming.
He turned to his brother, staring at him pointedly. “Take a bite.”
Don’s mouth opened and closed. “Uh- I’m vegetarian.”
Akilah slid her gaze to him, her lips curving. “Since this morning?
Because I’m sure we had steak yesterday.”
Cassian saw Don’s arm move below the table before Akilah tensed.
“I’m vegetarian on Sundays,” he corrected. “But I’ll take some home.”
Lilo was all too happy to oblige, her hands fidgeting with
excitement. “I will pack some for you before you leave.”
Out of what Cassian was sure was pure kindness, or from the death
stares that Aiko was throwing around the table, a few people went for the
chicken, some only putting it on their plates, others going as far as taking a
bite. Cassian was in the second group. When she asked him if he was going
to have any, he knew that there was no way he could refuse. So he took a
bite. He just prayed that his gifted immune system would take the wheel on
that one.
When Kenny went for the piece on Devin’s plate, he swiftly grabbed
her hand. Before she could speak, he quickly whispered, “You don’t want
it.”
“Yeah, I-”
“No, you don’t.”
Crossing her arms, she faced the table.
Again, like they had a million times tonight, Cassian’s eyes fell to
Salem. She brushed a loose curl off her shoulder before sitting up in her
seat, watching the table in front of her.
He looked at the empty space, gently nudging her elbow.
Salem?
She turned behind her to accept the plate that Lilo quickly ran over
to her.
Oh, he thought. Good.
“Thank you,” she said before finally giving him her attention. ‘Yes?’
He cleared his throat, meeting her eyes as he said the first thing he
could think to say.
You look nice. No. Gorgeous.
She nodded. ‘Thank you,’ she signed, turning to her food.
He frowned. Cassian looked to his side at Devin over the girls’
heads. “Dev,” he said quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Say something to her,” he whispered.
Devin leaned forward, sneaking a look at Salem. “Say what?”
“Anything.”
He shrugged, waving at her. Salem looked up.
‘You enjoying your food?’
“Yes. It’s good,” she responded.
He smiled with a nod. ‘Good.’
Devin looked back to him with a raised brow, but Cassian was
already turning back to her, his head tilted.
She was only signing to him.
Are you okay?
This time, she didn’t even look at him as she lifted one hand to the
side. ‘I’m fine. Thank you for asking. Are you okay?’
Cassian dropped his fork, pulling eyes from around the table.
His voice deepened. Salem.
She faced him. ‘Cassian.’
His fists balled up. Why are you doing this?
‘Why am I doing what?’
He looked her up and down, his eyes paying particular attention to a
few areas. This.
She feigned a frown, twisting in a way that pushed her chest up.
‘That wasn’t much clearer, Cassian. You should try to elaborate.’
A shot of anger, something he’d never felt toward her, rose in him
before it was quickly snuffed out as his eyes dipped again. He forced his
features to tighten. Whatever this is, it doesn’t look good on you, he gritted
out.
Lie.
‘Yet you’re staring at my breasts like you’ve never seen them
before.’
His brows shot up, Cade choked on his drink, and Devin cleared his
throat.
Cassian didn’t have it in him to be embarrassed, or to deny it.
He narrowed his eyes. So that’s what we’re doing? You’re gonna ice
me out?
She shrugged, pulling her shoulders back.
Cassian almost groaned as he adjusted his angle, turning his lower
body under the table. You’re being unreasonable.
‘I’m struggling to understand how that differs from what you did.’
This is very different.
She paused. ‘You’re right. It is different. You know what you did
wrong. I-’
A bump under the table cut her off just as her eyes began to darken.
She threw her gaze to Lia, her chest heaving.
Lia raised a brow at her.
Then, like magic, Salem took a breath and returned to her food as if
the conversation hadn’t even started.
Cassian had already known what it must have seemed like from her
perspective, but he didn’t actually expect her to get back at him.

Salem dug her fork into her potato a little harder than necessary,
doing her best to follow Eulalia’s direction.
‘No matter what he says, you don’t get mad.’

“I don’t get mad.”
Eulalia waved a hand. ‘Engage, don’t indulge.’
Salem nodded. She could do that.
‘He already knows where he went wrong, and chances are, he’s
gonna be a grumbly ass about it. That’s what he does when he feels guilty,
but don’t let him drag you down with him. Just wait it out. He’ll sort
himself out in the end.’

From what she could tell, Eulalia had read him perfectly, but she had
almost lost it a second ago, so she was thankful for her swift reminder, even
if it did hurt.
Salem.
She lifted her eyes to Eulalia to see her raise a brow. She got the
message and continued eating, brutally stabbing a carrot.
Can I at least explain?
‘Do not indulge,’ Eulalia signed discreetly over her plate.
His fists clenched in her periphery. I thought I hurt you!
Salem pushed her chair back, spinning to him. “You did!”
Lia put her head in her hands as everyone startled. Deianira quickly
stood, taking Caleb from Cade.
Cassian’s face fell. I-I didn’t know if-
“You didn’t ask!”
I know, and-
She stood up, throwing her fork onto her plate, absently watching it
shatter.
“No, you don’t! You keep things from me then expect me to know
what you’re thinking when you won’t tell me!”
It was almost ironic that her one ability, the one thing she didn’t let
herself use on him, could’ve solved all of her problems.
He frowned. What are you talking about?
“The motion sensors! Your house! The Dome! For weeks, I’ve been
with you and you’ve said nothing!” She saw Devin, taking the girls out of
the room. “I found out that Deianira had her baby yesterday!” she almost
screamed.
Cassian slowly stood as she caught Deianira, almost at the door.
No.
“And you!” she growled in her direction, halting her. “You are a bad
friend!” Salem had to clear her throat, a lump forming. “You yell at me
because you can’t deal with your own issues, but that’s not my
responsibility! You can’t ask me to ease your guilt for a decision that you
made! I might not have cared if things had stayed the way they were, but
you tried to be my friend! Not the other way around!” She threw her arms
down. “It’s confusing!” she forced out. “I don’t want you to pretend to care
about me when, if you had your way, I’D BE DEAD!”
Deianira’s eyes glistened.
“No! You don’t get to cry!” She stepped back, watching the whole
room.
Salem…
Cassian reached for her arm.
“DON’T TOUCH ME!” She faced Deianira again. “You could have
told me too!”
The movement was almost indecipherable, but Salem saw the way
her eyes flicked to Cassian.
“What is it?” she quickly asked.
He lowered his head as everyone around the table averted their eyes.
I told her not to see you…
Salem’s turn was slow. “You did what…?”
Cassian turned away for a second, gritting his teeth. Can we talk
outside?
She swallowed, straightening as embarrassment flooded her.
“Whatever you said, you said it in front of them, so you can do it again.”
Clenching his jaw, Cassian grabbed her wrist and made for the door.
Outraged, she batted at his hand, but he didn’t release her until he yanked
the door open and pulled her out, slamming it behind him.
“You weren’t ready!” he bellowed, speaking and sending his words
as if he couldn’t hold them in.
She inhaled. “THAT’S NOT FOR YOU TO DECIDE! You can’t
just make decisions for me! Not Deianira! Not y-”
“Salem, she locked you out there! I had to commit treason just to get
to you! I was literally an outlaw!”
She let it roll over her back. “I know what she did! I went and asked
and she told me that she had no intention of saving me!” she yelled, her
voice breaking.
“Which is why I told her to stay the fuck away from you! It was for
you!”
“But I could’ve done it for myself! I can speak FOR MYSELF! My
brain might not work the same way as yours, but that doesn’t mean that you
get to treat me like a child! I don’t need you to start making decisions for
me as if I haven’t been doing it alone since before you even existed!”
“-I was trying to protect-”
She didn’t let him get a word in. It was her turn to speak. “Decisions
about when I get to know things pertaining to my life! Or when I’m ready
to be with you!” she screamed before gasping for breath.
He finally quieted, watching her through guilty eyes.
“I wanted to be with you and you wanted to be with me too… Then
you just g-got up and left and-” She cut herself off, taking a moment to
breathe. “You were physically ill because of me, and now you’re telling me
that I wasn’t ready. What does that even mean?” she asked, blinking as she
averted her eyes.
He took a step forward. No, Salem, that was not because of you.
She forced herself to straighten her spine. “Then what was it?”
His chest rose again. “I thought I…I thought I took something from
you. I thought you didn’t want to. I thought you were doing it for me…”
He didn’t get it. “Of course, I was. But it was for me too.”
His mouth was open, but no words came through.
She shook her head, not wanting to skip over her main concern.
“Did it never occur to you that I might have wanted to please you because
it’s what I want?”
No response.
“‘Why are you doing this?’ I asked the first night we were together.
You said, ‘Because I like taking care of you.’ Before you…before you left
me, you said, ‘I’m doing this because I love you.’ You said that you wanted
to take care of me every day. Because you love me.” She met his eyes,
blinking quickly. “I don’t know how to do the things you do. You make me
feel better when I’m upset, you make me smile without trying to, you take
care of me in a way that I don’t mind, and you make me feel loved. I don’t
know how to do all of that. So I’m trying…” She swallowed, wiping her
eye with her sleeve. “I’m trying to make you feel loved the only way I
know how, but you won’t let me because you think it’s not genuine.” Salem
took a breath, standing straighter. “You love me every day, so I’m allowed
to love you too,” she said harshly.
His face remained hard as she pressed on. “You make me happy
every day, even when you’re being a- being a…a grumbly ass! So if I want
to make you happy, then I’m allowed to without you making it seem like
it’s a bad thing when you do the same for-”
Cassian held up a hand, taking a step in her direction. Wait. What
did you just say?
She shook her head at his lack of attention, backtracking. “I said that
if I want to make you happy then-”
Before that, he said quickly, moving closer to her.
She frowned. “You make me happ-”
Before that, Salem.
What did I say? Oh. “I’m allowed to love you,” she said defensively.
“You said it fir-”
He let out a shaky breath. You love me?
She lowered her brows. “Well…yes. But you’re being very difficult
right no-”
Salem gasped as he reached down and grabbed her, smashing his
lips to hers.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventy-Seven
“Well…yes. But you’re being very difficult right no-”

He’d heard her the first time, but it was as if his brain wouldn’t
allow him to register her words until they’d gotten lost in all of her other
ones. But when it had, he grabbed her.
You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that…
I didn’t know I needed to. The way she bit his bottom lip told him
that she was still angry, and if anything, it made it better.
Her anger, her rage.
He didn’t think he needed anything more in his life.
Aiding him, she wrapped her legs around him as he picked her up,
pulling his face closer with both hands.
He only realized that he was moving when his shoulder knocked
into the corner of the wall. Still, he kept going, his closed eyes earning him
plenty more bruises before he reached her door.
Bracelet, he panted, sucking on her lips.
Just as she took one hand off his head, he impatiently grabbed her
wrist and put it on the panel. Scrambling into the room, he only pulled back
to scan the place, searching for the closest surface that seemed stable
enough for him to do what he wanted to do to her with minimal destruction.
Dining table.
Sorry, he whispered before he marched over and swept the salt,
pepper, stack of placemats, and hand sanitizer off the table with one arm.
He set her down, pulling her lips back to him again. But this time,
she pushed at his chest. His heart sank as he took a step back, scanning
every feature on her face. Did I-
“You hurt me,” she said breathily, her chest still rising and falling.
“That’s not okay.”
He nodded, swallowing. I know. And it’s not. He held her gaze,
meaningfully. I’m sorry…
She just blinked at him for a while before saying something that
threw him off completely. “Show me.”
His brows lowered. Show you what?
She inclined her head. “Show me that you’re sorry.”
He sputtered. How? You want me to beg? he asked, mostly as a joke.
Salem tilted her head. “Okay…” she said quietly.
He sighed with relief. He wasn't too sure for a second there, but
jokes aside, he wanted to make sure that she was good. Are you o-
“Beg.”
Cassian was about to smile when he saw her straight face, her
cheeks still red. “You’re serious?”
She nodded. “Yes. Beg me.”
He gaped at her, one side of him shocked, the other embarrassingly
more turned on.
Cassian sighed, staring down at her as he placed his hands on her
open thighs. Slowly, he bent one knee to the floor, then the other, all while
holding her gaze as he lowered himself until they were just about at eye
level with each other.
She might have kept a clear face, but he didn’t miss the way her
thighs tensed beneath his palms.
Salem…
“Yes?”
I love you very, very much, and I’m very, very sorry… he recalled,
doing his best not to smile.
She nodded for him to continue.
And if you want me to, I’ll kill myself.
Her eyes widened. “Ca-”
Right now, he interrupted.
She stared at him like he’d lost it.
Can I kiss it better now?
Just to apply pressure, he leaned in, their lips drawing closer before
he went for her neck at the last second, skimming his lips up her throat.
Please..?
Her sigh was raspy, deep, and seasoned with pure need. “Yes.
Okay…” she almost begged as if she was the one on trial.
He couldn’t help but smile against her throat before pressing a kiss
right below her chin.
Thank you, he murmured softly before his voice dropped an octave.
Lie down.
She obeyed, and as soon as her back hit the table, he reached
forward and tore her blouse down the middle. The girl wasn’t even wearing
a bra. Palming one of her breasts, he groaned along with her as he squeezed
her nipple between his fingers.
As he went for the other, his free hand got straight on undoing her
pants. Because her feet didn’t reach the ground, he freed his other to lift her
hips and pull them down with her underwear. Over her boots.
He wanted those on.
Cassian had to pause as he took her in. He’d done it a million times
before, but her beauty never ceased to unravel him.
Salem leaned on her elbows, staring up at him.
Before she could speak, he wrapped his hands around the back of
her thighs and tugged her forward, going straight for her center from his
kneeling position.
He dragged his tongue through her folds, licking and sucking, his
rhythm non-existent.
“Uhhhhh…”
He didn’t know if he could’ve stopped if he wanted to.
Cassian parted her, flicking his tongue back and forth over her firm
bud, forcing a squeal from her. As soon as her legs jerked, he pulled them
over his shoulders. She gasped as he dipped into her opening, locking her
thighs around his neck. Undeterred, Cassian wrapped his lips around her clit
and gently sucked.
“Ahhhh!”
He flicked his tongue back and forth.
“Cassian!”
Her thighs clamped down on either side of his neck, almost choking
him.
“S-sorry…” she choked out in a thick whisper, trying to loosen
them.
Stop it, he told her, slapping her thigh. He almost wanted her to
squeeze him tighter.
He didn’t tease, didn’t torture, he just gave her all of it, regretting
the moment that she began to shake and raise her hips, knowing that it
would be over soon.
He pulled back at the last second. She moaned in displeasure. He’d
let her finish. In time.
He stood up with a smirk, unlatching her legs from around his neck
as he yanked on his belt with one hand.
He winced as he pulled his pants over his hips, the material grazing
his painfully hard length. The table stood lower than his waist, but he only
had to bend a fraction to line up his throbbing length with her soaked
opening.
Her chest rose, her hips wriggled, but her eyes were closed.
Salem.
The second those pools of honey met his gaze, he slowly pushed
forward, his teeth gritted, his knees almost giving out from the sheer relief.
Salem gasped at the intrusion, squirmed at his torturous pace. She
was wet enough for him to gradually slip in but tight enough to make him
want to pull out for fear that he’d finish right then. He only took his eyes off
hers so he could look down to see where they connected, and he regretted it
the moment he did.
“Gods…” he groaned as he watched her take him.
Catching her scrunched brows, he reached between her legs and put
his thumb on her clit, watching her plump lips part with a gasp.
Halfway, he had to let go of her thighs and take off his shirt, his
heart beating way faster than what was considered safe. Leaning down, he
got as close to her as he could. She eagerly received him, wrapping her
arms around the back of his neck as he nuzzled into hers.
“Do it…” she whispered.
Biting down on her shoulder, Cassian thrust the rest of the way in.
“Fuck!”
He didn’t even have it in him to pause. He just drew back and drove
forward, needing to feel that again.
The table jolted on his next thrust.
The floorboards creaked on the one after that. All while she cried
into his ear, motivating him further.
He grunted with every entry, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to think
of anything to keep him from blowing, wanting to stay in the moment
forever.
“Oh Gods!”
Inch by inch, the table skidded across the floors, and he followed,
taking short steps forward as he drove into her with all he had.
“I’m-”
Clenching his jaw, he blindly slapped a hand over her mouth.
You’ve gotta stop talking… he begged, barely holding on.
When the table gave a little more pushback than expected on his
next thrust, he realized that they’d hit the wall. Her hands traveled
everywhere. His neck, his face, but when they reached his back, they
gripped, they cut.
“Unghhh!” he groaned, his voice muffled in her shoulder.
It hurt like a motherfucker, but it was her. And he wanted it all.
As if to prompt her, he picked up his pace, trying to shut out her
muffled screams of pleasure, knowing that he didn’t have much resolve left.
He needed to get her there.
Salem… he rasped, his mind foggy.
Her chest rose against his as he hit home again. Can you take more?
he panted.
When her lips vibrated beneath his palm, he drove harder. Tell me.
Yes! she cried.
Taking his other hand off her thigh, he reached in between them to
lay it flat on her stomach, just below her navel. Then he pressed down.
She gripped onto the skin of his back for dear life as her scream
leaked through his palm.
You feel that? he murmured, pulling her reddened ears between his
teeth, keeping his pace.
Her head bobbed up and down as her lips trembled with shaky
breaths. Cassian delivered another cruel snap of his hips.
“Ahh!”
It’s good?
When her nails dug down, his eyes almost rolled back out of pure
desire.
I-it’s good, she breathed in that low voice, swallowing.
Gods…
Cassian pulled his hand away from her mouth and reared up,
pressing harder on her lower stomach and slamming his lips to hers as he
hammered her into the table.
In seconds, she was clamping down on him, wailing against his
mouth as she spasmed.
“Fuck!” The brutal pain that flared across his back was all that he
could hold onto.
Salem screamed, she scratched, she bucked, she nipped.
And she’d never been more beautiful.
He closed his eyes and slowed his pace as she came down, giving
her long, hard, slow thrusts, prolonging her release.
She was still shaking when she brokenly whispered, “You’re
bleeding…”
He groggily peeled open his eyes to see the blood leaking down his
biceps.
And onto her breasts.
His length twitched.
Too turned on to be disturbed by his reaction, he buried his face in
her neck, curling one arm behind her head.
“Harder,” he breathed into her neck, praying that she’d somehow
understand.
She jolted with an aftershock as he pushed in again.
“You’re-”
Harder, he begged.
“But-”
Her fingers involuntarily curled on his next thrust and he lost it.
No longer able to stay steady, to let her come down, Cassian picked
everything back up and gave it to her.
“Uh! Cassian!” she squealed, startled.
More, he gasped
Whether she wanted to or not, her nails dug into his back and
shoulder blade as her trembling legs jolted at his side.
He bellowed, spurting his release deep inside her.
Harder, Salem, he demanded.
“Ok-kay!” she cried, her hips rising again.
Cassian came harder than he ever had in his life, grunting as he
filled her. She set off again, shaking and crying as he pumped, his thrusts
becoming mad, jerky. He was gasping, panting, his heart beating out of his
chest. Finally, when he was drained of everything he had to give, he pushed
forward one last time and stopped, collapsing down onto her.
Salem trembled, her bloody fingers caressing the back of his neck.
He pulled back, he didn’t want to crush her. Just as he pulled out an inch,
she wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing him back in with a wince.
“Shit…”
His brows jumped. He’d never heard her curse before.
You okay? he chuckled, staring down at her.
“Yes,” she breathed. “I don’t know.” She nodded. “Yes.” She
blinked up at him. “Did I hurt you?”
He rolled his shoulder. “Yeah,” he grinned. “Think you could do it
again?” he asked as he leaned in and captured her lips in a tender kiss,
pulling back and kissing her again a few times.
He frowned when she turned her face away from his next one.
“Nadeen.”
Huh?
“We need to apologize. We ruined her dinner party.”
He rolled his eyes, not because he didn’t agree, but because it was
typical that she’d be overthinking about something completely random
when he was, quite literally, still inside her.
He gave her a shallow thrust, groaning himself.
“Ahhh…” She slapped a hand to his chest.
Do I have your attention? he asked, curling his hips forward just
enough to make her squeal.
“Yes!”
Good… He stood up straight, placing her booted feet flat onto his
chest before leaning forward, her legs bending back as she squirmed at the
new angle. Because we’re going again.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Eyes closed, Cassian lifted a hand to palm her thigh. His eyes flew
open the second he didn’t find it. Sa-
His chest instantly eased when he spotted her. She was right there.
Not on his chest, much to his dismay, but she was on the bed.
They’d gone two more rounds in the night, the second round
following the first, and the third happening in the middle of the night. She’d
just rolled over and kissed him, that was all it took. The third round was the
reason he was laying at an angle, two of the legs under the bed giving way
to their passion.
And he would do it again.
A breathy sigh left Cassian as he stared at her, naked as the day she
was born, sitting on her haunches as she stared down at him. Though, not at
his eyes.
The covers had been pulled back and she was just sitting there,
staring.
He tilted his head, about to ask what was so fascinating about his
junk when she asked, “Do they all look like this?”
He stifled a snort at the question. He liked her looking at him like
that. To anyone else, the observation might not have seemed so clinical. But
she looked genuinely curious.
Cassian smiled, tipping his head to the side to catch her eyes. I
wouldn’t know.
She finally met his gaze, brows low.
This time, he did snort. I don’t exactly go around asking to see guys’
junk.
A moment later, she nodded, continuing her examination.
Then it hit him.
You haven’t seen one? he asked way too quickly and way too
pleased.
“I have,” she responded.
Oh. Hm.
“Yours.”
Oh. He didn’t smile hearing it even though he would have a second
ago. In fact, a small shot of nerves sprouted in him when he thought back to
their first time. Gentle was the word he would’ve used. So…I was your
first? he asked, feeling like a bit of a douche for not asking that night.
“First what?”
First person you slept with, he clarified.
She shook her head, her frown reappearing. “No.”
Cassian was just confused now. So, he breathed. You’ve been with
other guys?
Her lip curled in disgust as she shook her head.
Cassian took a very slow blink. You’ve lost me.
“First implies that there will be more. You’re the only person that
I’ve had sex with. I don’t want to be with anyone else.”
“Oh,” he said audibly. He liked that. A lot.
She spoke again before he could ask more about what she wanted.
“Can I touch it?”
He couldn’t stop the laugh that burst from him. “Be my guest,” he
smirked.
Considering the fact that she never did things half-heartedly, he
should’ve been prepared for her to grab him the way she did.
“Shit…” he hissed, his hips rising as he thickened in her hands.
Her head snapped in his direction. “Does it hurt?”
He shook his head, breathing hard. Definitely not.
Her grip was steady as she brought up another hand, touching it,
stroking it, turning it over in her palms.
Can I touch you? he groaned.
Salem looked up, continuing her sweet torture. “Can I say no?”
Always, he hissed as her thumb swiped over the tip.
“No,” she said, and he could’ve sworn he saw her lips tip up.
Cassian shook his head. Brat.
She swallowed, shifting her feet under her, and for some reason, he
just knew what was coming next. “Have you had sex with other girls?”
He mustered up a sheepish smile. Can you put my dick down first?
A strangled sound left him as her grip tightened. Okay, okay! Yes!
He didn’t know why he thought that would make her loosen her hands, but
soon, he was whimpering. Please!
“How many?”
He squeezed his eyes shut. I don’t know!
“Then think.”
Ten? he thought. Twenty? Fifty?
I don’t remember! he yelled. But I don’t want to! It’s only you! I
swear!
He almost cried with relief as she softened her touch.
“Okay.”
Fucking hell, Salem… His breath turned into a moan as she stroked
him from base to tip. Shit, do that again.
She didn’t. But she did smile. Not a smirk, a full-on smile.
He was too hot, too hard to even be mad.
Her eyes scanned his face and his sluggish smile. “You have a
dimple,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Just one.”
His hips bucked as she dragged her hand down again. “Oh yeah?”
he huffed. “I didn’t notice. Why don’t you come over here and kiss it?”
Her lips pressed together as a huff bubbled out of her. He didn’t
expect her to do it, but she kept his length in her grasp as she crawled
toward him like a cat, stretching up to reach his face.
Damn…
His heart soared as those playful eyes met his before she pressed a
kiss to his cheek. Then his lips.
He leaned up, begging for more, but she pulled back to look at him
as her hands started moving faster. Unable to stop himself, he gripped the
back of her neck, bringing her throat to his lips.
Gods…
And the hands slowed again. “Salemmm…” he whined against her
neck, but he was still smiling. She knew exactly what she was doing to him.
Come on.
Then her hands left him altogether. His eyes flew open as she rolled
to sit up and slid off the bed.
Where are you going? he almost cried.
“The study. I need to speak to Deianira about my job.”
He sat up. What about it?
Salem sauntered over to the closet, seriously testing his restraint.
“She fired me.”
What?
“I said she fired me.”
Yeah, but why?
“Because I didn’t yell at her.”
Wha- He gave up before he tried. Well, do you have to go right now?
She popped out of the closet, clothes in hand. “No.”
He smiled. So you can stay?
She paused. “I thought you had to see in the units.”
Not for another few hours. The moment he’d sent the words, she
darted back into the closet and reappeared, empty-handed. He almost
giggled as he moved over and lifted the covers. As she speedily crawled
back into the bed he rolled onto her, laying his head sideways on her
stomach, and the moment her hands went to his hair, he let out a long deep
sigh.
One of her hands roamed down his back, gently brushing over the
skin there.
“I’ll call Mikhael.”
Hmm? he frowned, never lifting his head.
“For your back.”
Oh. No, I think I’ll keep ‘em, he sighed into her skin, just wanting to
get more of her.
Her hands paused. “They’re deep. And they’ll scar.”
I know, he murmured.

Tossing her bag onto the couch, Akilah climbed the stairs two at a time.
It wasn’t often that she got a day off, but she knew exactly how she
was going to spend it. Two turns and a few steps later, she pushed the door
open and gasped as a hand locked around her neck, another trailing straight
down to her ass, groping it.
Her lips curved as they met his.
He dragged her into the room by her neck before pressing her back
against the door, slamming it shut.
“Ow!” she exclaimed as he yanked his lips from hers with a nip
before delving for her throat.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming over,” he said between kisses,
sucking at her neck.
“But you knew I was here…” she panted.
“Cameras.” Donnie abruptly grabbed her thighs, picking her up and
wrapping her legs around his waist, continuing his assault as they moved
together.
“That’s creepy,” she breathed before her back hit the bed. “Omph!”
“Yeah, I can tell how much you hate it.” He pulled back to yank his
shirt off and Akilah fought the urge to rub her hands down his abs as a
mean thought entered her mind.
He didn’t pull her skirt down, he pulled it up, dragging her hips
down the bed.
“What if I did hate it?” she said unsteadily as she cast her eyes down
to his bulge beneath their restraints.
“Then I’d tell you to shut up.”
He lowered himself again, kissing her neckline as he brought a hand
to her core.
She squirmed, biting down on her lip when he rubbed her over her
panties. “Seriously,” she almost squealed. “What if I didn’t want to do this
anymore? What if I wanted space?”
His lips paused on her neck as his hand stilled. She was practically
bubbling with mischievous excitement.
Startling her, he abruptly pulled back and lifted himself off her.
“Don-”
He dropped down onto the bed before throwing her a hard look.
“You want space?” He shifted up, maybe an inch away. “There.
Space.”
She forced her lips to remain straight until he faced the wall again,
barely containing her amusement.
He shook his head and turned back. “And you know what? It’s all
you’re going to get so I don’t want to hear…”
No longer able to hold back, she let out a long snort, figuring that
he’d finally gotten over himself for long enough to read her.
His head tilted, his hands crawling up to her legs. “Did you think
that was funny?”
“Aww, Donnieee…” She pouted. “Don’t cry. I’m not done with you
yet.”
He raised his brows, locking them around her ankles. “Yet?”
She shrugged. “Are you looking to change my mind?”
Donnie watched her for a moment before nodding slowly.
At first, she thought he was answering her question.
“Turn around. Now.”
She shivered at the depth in his voice, wanting to push him further.
She leaned up on her elbows. “I know you’re not talking to m-”
She barely saw him move before hands dug into her hips and her
whole world was flipping. The air rushed out of her as she landed on her
stomach, dark satisfaction rising in her. Then her hips were being raised.
When the hands left her, she pushed up on her arms, arching her back the
way he liked.
Then all of a sudden, the hands were back, shoving her neck back
into the bed. Her arms folded as the side of her face was pressed into the
pillow, her back arching further.
“Damn! Warn a girl,” she gasped.
Quick fingers pulled her panties to the side before she felt his thick
head press at her opening. “Warning.”
Her eyes widened as she tried to turn against his hold. “You’re not
gonna-?”
“Nope.”
She screamed as he thrust all the way in.
Multiple times, Donnie showed her exactly what he thought of her
sly comment, and she loved every second of it. The roughness, the force,
everything.
Legs shaking still shaking as he held onto her hips, she let him pull
her back onto the bed with a shaky huff.
“Still a comedian?” he panted.
She rolled onto her back, hissing as he fell out. “Always,” she
breathed.
He shrugged with a stifled smirk. “I’ll get it out next time.”
“I’m sure you’ll try,” she responded, dizzily watching him climb off
the bed and walk to his bathroom. “But don’t worry, my expectations aren’t
too high,” she called as he came back with a small towel, swooping down to
pick up his pants.
She stayed still as he pulled them on before kneeling on the bed,
pulling her legs apart. “Why’s that?” he asked sarcastically.
She let out a sharp breath as he wiped her down. “Only so much you
can do with sixty-year-old knees. But hey, you’ve got the right attitude.”
Standing, he shot the towel into the basket in the corner before
picking her up under both arms and holding her to his chest.
“What are you doing?!”
He started walking. “Hold on.”
She instinctively wrapped her legs behind his back. “Put me down.”
The next thing she knew, he jumped. Akilah screamed and closed
her eyes, holding onto him as he released his hold on her. She reluctantly
opened them as he puffed out a breath, lowering them before picking them
back up again.
She looked to the left to see the weight rack, then up to see the bar
that he was holding onto.
The man was doing pull-ups.
Is he not tired?
She stifled a shiver as his strained breaths brushed over her ear.
Pulling back, Akilah gave him an unimpressed face. “I said knees.
Anyone could do a pull-up.”
She screamed as he dropped down, clutching her. He let her body
slide down his, his hands lingering on her behind longer than necessary.
“Go ahead.”
She narrowed her eyes at his smug face, turning and giving him her
back.
If she was being honest with herself, as much as he annoyed the life
out of her, she didn’t always want to leave.
Growing up with a lot of siblings, being one out of eleven girls, she
was lucky if her parents, or anyone else, could even get her name right. So
naturally, she craved the attention, the affection, as little as it was. But what
she didn’t expect was the amount of attention she paid him. It’s not that
she’d slept with a lot of guys, but she thought it was strange that she found
herself drawn to his stupid face out of all of them when he made her blood
boil.
That’s why she was around all the time with one excuse or the other.
Sometimes with none at all.
The sex was good. Phenomenal.
But she knew what it was. And she’d take it while she could.
“Could you run any faster?” he asked as she reached for her bag.
She turned over her shoulder and caught him leaning on the side of
the bench press, arms crossed, his face back to its regular hard state.
“I'm busy,” she said as she fixed her shirt.
“You don’t have work today.”
Her hands paused. “You really are fucking creepy.”
She could almost hear his shrug. “Where are you going?”
“Hair appointment.”
It wasn’t exactly a lie. She did have one. In the afternoon.
“Your hair’s done.”
She rolled her eyes as she turned to face him. “I’m getting it taken
out.”
“You can’t do that yourself?”
She threw her hands up. “If you want to stand for the next three
hours and help me, then sure,” she snarked, ready to grab her things.
“Okay.”
She frowned, her eyes flying to his. “It was a joke.”
Donnie stood, walking over to his desk chair before pulling it out
and turning it to her. “Sit.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Salem stroked his head as softly as possible, wishing for the first time
that she was a witch so that she could put a sleeping spell on him without
him knowing. She anxiously stared at the clock, knowing he’d need to leave
at some point. The units would be back soon and he needed to up. But he
was just so comfy.
She did want to speak to Deianira, not to clear the air, she wasn’t
one for closure, but to discuss her job status. While her own behavior
shocked her last night, she didn’t regret it. In fact, she wished she said
more. She knew where it came from, but she didn’t expect it to come out
the way it did. She didn’t even remember ever being mad at Deianira when
she’d treated her the way she did over the years, just annoyed. But she’d
always taken it, and it just bubbled over. Either way, it was out now and she
was over it. She didn’t need or want an apology when in her mind, it was
done. She just hoped that she could go back to work. As much as the rest
had been needed, as much as she still needed it, she couldn’t sit around for
much longer.
Well, she could for a little longer because Cassian’s head was still
resting on her stomach, and that was enough to dull her incentive to get up.
That incentive quickly shot up though as she furiously rubbed her ears with
her shoulder, feeling stupid for even letting Lia pierce them in the place.
She went still and even thought about feigning sleep when Cassian’s
head lifted, but he caught her, his sleepy eyes blinking at her.
Distract him.
“You’re very pretty,” she blurted. It was random, but it was true, in a
way that did even make sense. His features were quite masculine, slightly
chiseled face, strong jaw, thicker brows. But his eyes, and his lashes, and
his lips… “So pretty,” she caught herself saying aloud.
He pressed those pink lips together before he snorted. Hers
involuntarily curved. Well, thank you. I think you’re pretty too, he laughed.
Very pretty.
He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes for a moment. She did her
best to hold his gaze.
You look different.
“How?”
I don’t know. Just different, he mused, his nostrils flaring for half a
second. He stopped like he was about to say something before he shook his
head. Those annoying you yet? he asked, nodding to her ears.
“I want them out.”
He sat up with a laugh. Come here.
Salem was almost glad that his fumbling fingers took so long to
even grip the studs because she had time to prepare and force herself not to
throw up as he pulled them out. She fisted the covers, shaking as he drew
out the last one, panting when he finally lowered his hands.
He tossed them onto the table. What’s wrong?
She shivered, shaking it off. “I don’t like the feeling.” That
reminded her. She absently started digging her nail into her palm. “Can you
come to the clinic with me?”
His eyes flew down her body and back up. For what? he rushed out.
“My birth control shot. Deianira went with me last time. I don’t
think she would want to go with me now.” When he froze, she looked away.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to. I don’t like needles eith-”
She almost gasped as he pulled back.
Stand up.
“Why?”
He just pointed beside the bed.
Slowly, she got down and stood in front of him.
She felt slightly uncomfortable as his gaze assessed her bare body.
She almost sighed when his eyes narrowed as if he didn’t like what he saw
when he’d just said that he thought she was pretty.
Yeah, he said accusingly, jabbing a finger in her direction as he
sprung up from the bed. Too pretty.
Salem’s eyes widened as she watched him bound over to the closet.
“You’re in my head.”
He reappeared, hopping as he tried to tug on his sweatpants while
running. I couldn’t help it! She winced as he fell to the floor before speedily
picking himself back up, starting for the door. I’ll be back in literally ten
seconds, he said, yanking on the handle.
“Where are you go-”
SLAM!
She watched the door, blinking. Was this what she looked like to
other people when she ran with a thought without explaining her motives?
Because he looked focused on something, but the lack of knowledge as to
what was quite frustrating on her end.
She’d have to work on it. As soon as she worked out what he was-
She flinched as the door flew open and Cassian barrelled in, a small
box in his hand. He leaped over the bed instead of walking around it and
pulled something out of it. He panted, holding it out to her.
Salem could only blink when she looked down at his hand and then
back up to him. “Why are you giving me a preg-”
Just pee on it.

Akilah could barely hold in her laughter as she listened to his quiet
huffs and curses behind her. She was impressed by his resilience so far, but
his lack of patience was comical.
“Something wrong?” she quipped as she tossed another extension
onto the floor beside her crossed legs.
An hour in, she showed him mercy, sitting on the floor so that he
could sit on the bed. She knew that his legs were probably aching and he
finally obliged after refusing multiple times with a gruff ‘I’m fine’.
“No,” he grumbled. Then he let out a deep huff of annoyance. “Yes.
This is fucking impossible. How are you going so fast?”
She let her laughter flow freely. “Practice. And I’m more worried
about how you have hair like that and not a single comb.”
She snorted as he poked the back of her head. “Gimme,” she said,
reaching back for the last one.
She undid the braid in a matter of seconds before leaning her head
back on his lap with a sigh.
What do I say now?
“What’s your next excuse?”
She opened her eyes, blinking at his upside-down face. “What?”
“To leave. What is it now?”
Her lips thinned.
Akilah lifted her head, brushing her hands over her frizz as she slid
a band off her wrist. Donnie didn’t speak as she pulled it back as tight as
she could into a low puff. She dropped her arms, sucking in a breath when
he ran his fingers up the sides of her neck and pulled her head back into his
lap.
“You don’t have to, you know.”
Her eyes bounced between his, her heart beating faster.
“Don’t have to what?” she asked, even though she was ninety-nine
percent sure she knew the answer.
Rather than responding, he slowly lowered his mouth to hers.
Parting her lips, she softly brushed her mouth against his. He pulled up
before going back in, kissing her again.
She’d never been kissed so softly, so sweetly. She sighed into his
mouth as he prolonged the next one, his tongue peaking out to lick her
bottom lip.
“Aki-”
Don jolted straight up and she grabbed his leg as the ground shook.
Her eyes widened as the desk started to jostle, as the weights started to fall
off the rack.
Then it all stopped.
“What the fuck?” she whispered.
“Are you okay?” He grabbed her cheek, turning her face to him.
“I’m fine, but what-”
The ground shook again.

Don grabbed her hand, pulling them both up as he held onto the
desk, which offered little support.
“What is that?!”
“I’ll explain later! We need to go!”
He’ll explain?
They both scrambled for the door as he grabbed his bracelet off the
desk before it could fall. She wondered how he was even able to run in a
relatively straight line when she could barely keep her feet beneath her.
Fear struck her as they reached the stairs, but before she could fret,
Donnie was pulling her to him as he hopped onto the banister, sliding down.
She screamed burying her face in his bare chest.
As soon as his feet hit the ground at the bottom, then the ground
stilled. He only paused for a moment to let her down before heading for the
door.
“Donnie, tell me what’s going on.”
“We need to go.”
“Where?”
“Away.”
“Donnie!” she yelled.
Stepping into a pair of boots, he yanked the door open. “Come on,”
he said as he pulled her through.
Her wide eyes flicked back. He didn’t even close the door. When
she thought that he was about to hit the button for the elevator, he headed
for the stairwell.
“Why are we-”
“They’re unreliable in emergencies.”

She was too scared, too confused, to make a comment about his
interruption. “What emergency?! It stopped.”
He started descending the steps. “For now.”
What is that supposed to mean?
Thinking better of bombarding him with more questions, she picked
up her pace. Only when she sped up did he do the same, taking multiple
steps at a time. Thankfully, the ground remained still as they reached the
ground floor, but just like he’d done too many times to count, he left her
bewildered. Donnie didn’t open the door to the lobby, he swung around
onto the steps to the basement. She had to force herself to just trust that he
knew what he was doing.
She let him lead her into the garage, both of them sprinting to a dark
corner. He halted at one of the few vehicles. But it wasn’t a truck.
Her jaw dropped.
A motorcycle.
“How the fuck did you get a road license?”
Grabbing the helmet off the seat, he dropped her hand and popped it
on her head. “I didn’t.”
She wobbled as he pulled it down on her head before picking her up
and plonking her onto the seat.
“Are you sure this is safe?” she asked as he lifted his leg over to sit
in front of her.
“No. But it’s fast. Hold on.”
Without needing to be asked again, she wrapped her arms around
him and put the side of her head to his back.
In seconds, the engine roared and he pushed off.
Akilah wanted to close her eyes, but she didn’t as they picked up
speed, the garage brightening as they approached the ramp. He sped up the
incline, pausing at the exit, looking both ways. She tensed once they made
it out into the open, the apartment building being left in their dust. Driving
without a license was another level of illegal, but as he sped down the road,
she noticed that not a single eye was on them, even though there were
multiple people out. But they weren’t walking around or going about their
day. They were running.

“But I’m not pregnant.”

So just take it to prove me wrong, he shrugged, leaning against the
sink.
“I’m still on the shot,” she said from her spot on the edge of the
bathtub.
He tilted his head. Failure rate?
“Six percent,” she responded automatically. “But I’m not.”
She would have liked to think that she’d know if something like that
was going on in her body, but in truth, most of her arguing was to distract
herself from her racing heart.
Cassian kneeled down in front of the bath, covering her knees with
his hands as he flicked his eyes to the four pregnancy tests on the counter. I
have an idea.
She took the opportunity to send her mind elsewhere.
What if we go halfway and both take one, then shake it up in the box
so we don’t know who’s pregnant? Then if one of us is, we can take a minute
to breathe and get ourselves together before taking the last two and keeping
them separate.
She had to stare at him for at least a minute.
Sound like a plan?
“Cassian?”
His eyes lit up. Ye-
“You can’t get pregnant!” she burst out.
He sat back, throwing his arms out. I’m trying to help!
She brushed her hands over her face, willing herself to stay calm as
a barrage of memories from the past few months flooded her mind, as she
picked at every single feeling or twinge that she’d experienced. She was in
tune with her body, she would have known.
Fine.
She cast her eyes back up to see a strange look on his face.
You’re not pregnant.
She cocked her head back. “How do you know?”
He shrugged. I just know. You’re not.
What was he trying to do? “I could be,” she retorted.
Nah. He shook his head. Not possible.
Not possible?
Salem scowled at him, slapping her hand over one of the tests. He
was already getting up as she went to tell him to, heading to the door with a
smug face.
She reluctantly let him back in a minute later, moving on auto-pilot
as what she’d just done dawned on her.
Three minutes and…
The first thing he did was pick her up and move to sit on the
counter, setting her sideways on his lap so that she couldn’t see it next to
him. She let all of it happen, too spacey to object. She just stared into the
sink that her feet hovered above, his shirt falling back over her thighs.
She finally jolted when his head moved. “Don’t look,” she snapped.
I won’t.
She tried to slowly draw air in as she fell onto him, resting her head
on his chest.
His hand found her leg, his thumb stroking her thigh. Tell me what
you’re thinking.
Salem took a minute to work out how to put it into words that he’d
understand, but it came out all jumbled anyway.
“I won’t hear it if it cries,” she whispered. “A-and I won’t know
what’s wrong if it’s upset. I can barely understand what you guys are
feeling if you don’t tell me, but babies can’t talk. And when they do start to
talk, it is nonsensical jargon until they move past infancy.” She sat up.
“And what if I hit it? You said I’m crazy. What if I get unsettled and I hit it?
It would die. They’re also very messy, but that all comes after.” She took a
breath. “What about before it’s born? It’s a group of cells that I have never
met before, stranger cells, growing inside of my body, sucking nutrients out
of me, sapping my strength, and interfering with hormones that I have
worked tirelessly through diet, exercise, and sleep to keep in balance.” She
finally looked up at him. “And, I apologize in advance, but look at you.
That would be a very big baby, and I don’t think I could do that. Physically
speaking,” she specified, trailing off as her chest heaved.
Cassian’s was blank. She couldn’t find anything in his eyes. Until he
smiled. You’re thinking about it, he grinned.
“What?”
There’s no way you would’ve wasted all that brainpower, thinking
about reasons not to do it, if a teeny, tiny part of you didn’t want to.
She quieted for a while, not even knowing if he was right as her
main concern, the one she’d neglected to mention, bubbled up again. “What
if it’s like me?”
He softened his gaze. What do you mean?
She gave him a flat look.
His thumb stopped moving. Salem, what does that mean?
Salem turned back to the sink. “My mother has an auto-immune
disease.” He nodded. “There’s a forty percent chance that Aiko will be
blind before he turns one hundred.” He nodded again, slower this time.
“Donnie has twenty-two different allergies. And there’s something wrong
with me too. I don’t know what it is, but I know how people look at me and
I don’t want someone else to have the same problem.”
He took his time to answer, and she grew antsier with each passing
second.
Salem.
She rolled her head back up.
Do you think Aiko is happy?
She shrugged. “He seems happy. Especially when Lilo-”
He made a face. Yeah, yeah, he interrupted. What about Don?
“I can’t tell. He never looks happy.” She thought some more. “He’s
happy with Aiko.”
Cassian nodded, swallowing. And are you happy?
“Right now?”
In general, he said. Are you happy when you wake up, when you go
about your day, when you go to bed?
She breathed lightly, staring deep into his eyes as she answered.
“Yes.”
Hands jittery for a reason she couldn’t quite understand, because
he’d been the most calm up until now, he picked up the hand in her lap and
brought it to his lips. So if you can all be happy, then why can’t a tiny little
baby with a mom as beautiful, intelligent, and hardworking as you, and a
dad who’s gonna love the shit out of him or her and do his best to keep up
be just as happy?
“Big baby,” she corrected.
“Typical,” he snorted. Fine. Big baby.
She waited a while before diverting the question from herself. “Is
that what you want?”
His eyes were practically begging to look over her shoulder, but he
shrugged nonchalantly. Honestly? Yes. But it’s up to you.
She frowned. “I don’t want it to be up to me.”
Why?
“Because I don’t want you to be mad if I say no.”
He shook his head. Impossible. Sure, it would be nice, but that’s just
a bonus. It doesn’t change anything.
She reached for his hand and put it back on her thigh. “I don’t want
to be the deciding factor.”
His chest rose slowly. Want to leave it to the test? Fifty-fifty?
“Ninety-four-six.”
He pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. Okay, but I really
wanna look now, he said, practically buzzing.
With each second that he looked at her like that, a little bit of his
excitement poured into her. She dug her nail into her palm harder. “You can
look.”
His head was mid-spin when he paused.
“What?”
He sighed. I can’t do it. You look.
“I don’t want to look,” she said quickly.
Just do it, I’m scared.
“Stop it,” she said loudly, nudging his ribs, fear entering her.
He grabbed the test and put it in her lap before turning away.
“Cassian!”
Just look!
Her eyes fell to her lap before she could think to stop them.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighty
Deianira sprinted like her life depended on it, following the sound of
his cries. She’d only stepped out to grab a fresh set of sheets when it started,
sheets that she’d abandoned at the end of the hall. It only lasted a moment,
but it was enough to shake the foundations of the palace.
Which was enough for something to fall off the walls.
The walls in the room where her son cried for her.
As the ground roared up again, she cried out as her ankle bent,
sending her to the ground. Without a second thought, she summoned a
single shadow to lift her from the ground. Her ankle didn’t hurt, but she
didn’t know if she would’ve even noticed if it did.
Shadowy hands pulled the door off its hinges as she soared in, using
them to draw him up from his crib. She took him from the shadow as he
wailed, her eyes scanning him over.
She sobbed when she didn’t see a scratch. “Oh, thank the Gods,” she
breathed, pulling him to her chest. He was just scared.
She encased the both of them, still suspended in the air as the room
continued to rumble.
“It’s okay,” she whispered into his thick black hair, her eyes shut
tight. “It’s okay.”
He didn’t settle and she didn’t expect him to with all the noise.
Finally, it stopped.
With lightning speed, she dropped to the ground, drawing the
shadows as she dashed out of the arch where the door had been.
She tapped her bracelet.
“DEIANIRA!”
Her feet stopped.
“DEIANIRA!”
Cade sprinted from around the corner, his crazed eyes flying from
left to right.
“I’m here!”
His gaze flew to hers as he started up again, darting to her. “Where’s
Caleb?!”
“I’ve got him,” she said as he drew closer, relief filling his eyes as
he settled enough to hear his cries.
Cade instantly reached for him, taking him from her arms as he
wrapped his around her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded into his shoulder. He only pulled back to bounce Caleb
up, meeting their son’s eyes. Deianira knew exactly what he was doing.
In only moments, he quieted.
“Where is everyone?” she quickly asked.
“I don’t know,” he panted, turning them to the east stairwell, speed
walking. “I came upstairs first.”
She shakily nodded. “We need to get out.”
“I know.”
The palace was still as they quickly traveled through the halls. Still,
except for the staff, enforcers and few civilians that they had to rush along
with. There was no hierarchy in the chaos, evidenced by the way they were
bumped and jostled from side to side.
“EVERYONE OUT! GET OUTSIDE!” Cade yelled at the top of his
lungs as they made their way through the halls. He was commanding,
focused, everything that she wasn’t in that moment.
There was no procedure, no drill. They’d never had a quake before.
Everything was left up to improvisation and the power of prayer.
Not everyone headed to the exit, some ran back in for family or their
possessions, Deianira guessed. But she didn’t turn back once. Everything
she could ever need was right beside her.
Cade held his arm around her as they jogged down the steps leading
into the garden.
Then she felt that rumble.
She quickly wrapped them all up in a shadowy cocoon. They
grabbed each other, holding on as they waited for it to pass.
But it got more aggressive.
She bit down on her tongue as she almost lost her footing. Deianira
might not have felt a quake before, but there was something off about it.
She assumed that a quake would have a more uniform effect, but as she tore
a small hole in their shadowy orb, she saw that a few trees at the end of the
garden weren’t shaking as vigorously while she could barely stay standing.
As if to show her that she had the right idea, the quaking settled into
a low rumble, a concentrated rumble.
She hesitantly withdrew her shadows, peering into the distance,
studying the now-still trees. The dirt wasn’t shaking, it was vibrating. Like
it wasn’t moving itself, but something was making it move. Something
under it.
Her lip trembled at her trail of thought.
Still facing the far woodlands, she whispered, “Cade?”
Before he could respond, they both jumped back as a patch of grass
in the middle of the gardens burst open.
It was like a geyser, but no water shot out. A dark figure did.
Someone did.
She was already taking steps back in line with Cade as the large
figure in the sky shook the dirt away.
A man. A man who turned, his eyes finding theirs in less than a
second, his lips curving into a grim smile as he watched them take in what
had just happened. As he watched them come to the realization that-
Another spot burst up, another figure shooting out.
It was Cade’s bellow that alerted her to the people around them, the
people who had followed, the people who were watching, frozen with fear.
“THEY’RE INSIDE!”

“Okay, next.”
Ty ran to get her bag by the door as Kenny took her place.
“Lunch?” Devin asked.
“In my bag.”
“Pencil case?”
“Got it.” She held it right up.
“Finished your breakfast?”
“Yep.”
“Teeth?”
“Uh-huh.”
He narrowed his eyes, bending forward. “Let me smell.”
With a giggle, she breathed right onto his face.
Check.
“Ugh, nasty,” he spat, screwing up his face.
She frowned. “I did.”
His face relaxed with a grin. “I know. Homework?”
Her eyes widened. “Yeah, but it’s on my bed.”
He nodded his head to the room. “Quick.”
She hurried off as Tyla picked up her book bag. “Are you taking us
to school or Mommy?”
“Me,” he responded, leaning back on the couch. “Mommy’s tired.”
Pregnancy took a toll on the average person, but prima pregnancies
were different. He didn’t have the science down to a tee, but as primas had
their ‘gifts’ from birth, a lot of that power came from the parent. So Emori’s
energy was near depletion. With him being gifted, he was still unsure of
how or when the girls would present, or if they would at all. The new baby
too. Prima gifts were almost always hereditary, and while he and Emori
shared an affinity, he’d never heard of a case of children being both. It
wasn’t really a source of anxiety for him though, it didn’t matter what they
were, but he was still curious.
Usually, they switched off with taking the girls to school, but he told
her to stay in bed since he was heading out to do some investigative work,
work that he was advised against, and didn’t have a time limit. She needed
the sleep.
“Is it ‘cause of the baby?”
“Yeah,” he said carefully.
She huffed, leaning on the door.
Devin sighed. “You know, not much is gonna change when the baby
comes. Me and Mommy won’t love you or Kenny any less.”
“I know that,” she drawled dramatically.
He tilted his head. “Then why the face?”
She crossed her arms. “What if Kenny likes the baby more than me?
She won’t play with me anymore.”
That’s what this is about? Thinking about it, it made sense. She only
got upset when Ken started jumping for joy.
“Come here.”
Reluctantly, she dropped her bag and dragged her feet over. He
picked her up with a big huff. “When Kenny gets upset at school, who does
she tell?”
She looked down, fiddling with the top of his vest. “Me,” she
whispered.
“And when she wants to play, who does she go to?”
“Me.”
“Okay. And when she’s mad at me and wants to slander my name,
who does she talk crazy to?”
She looked up at him like she wasn’t sure if she’d get in trouble for
answering. “Me.”
“Exactly,” he nodded. “Babies can’t beat up bullies, play surgery, or
talk. So you're good for a few years.”
She gave him a bored look.
He snorted. “That was a joke. But Ken doesn’t hang with you
because you’re the only girl around. Mommy’s a girl, but Kenny still plays
with you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Mommy’s old.”
“Not that old. And don’t let her catch you saying that. But trust me,
Ken’s picky, and she picked you to be her best friend. That means
something.”
Her freckles shifted down her face as she pressed her lips together.
“Okay.”
“I got it!” Kendria called as she stumbled out of the room before
picking herself back up.
He let Ty down. “Took a while. You sure you didn’t just do it now?”
Her face reddened. “Mhm.”
He shook his head with a smirk. As long as it’s done. “Shoes, bags,
let’s go!”
Crash!
Devin’s head spun to the kitchen as a glass fell off the rack.
Wha-
Before he could think it, the whole room began to shake.
Kenny screamed as she fell to the side.
And a switch flipped in his head.
He didn’t even call for the girls, he just ran for them, trying to keep
his balance as he scooped one up in each arm, turning for his room.
“EMORI!”
She was already scrambling out of the room as he turned the corner.
As soon as she was close enough, they wordlessly headed for the door. The
girls didn’t say a word, either from fear, or the knowledge that he needed to
focus. No one was out in the hallway, but he suspected that that would
change soon.
He was right.
By the time they’d hit the second floor, he started to hear the shouts.
They didn’t even stop as the ground settled. Not knowing how long
it would last, his mind was set on getting his family out before the building
collapsed, picking up his pace as they flew down the stairs.
“Come on, come on, come on,” he chanted under his breath.
The quaking started and stopped two more times, the last one ending
as they reached the ground floor, and by that time, the halls were flooded.
Emori led them into the ballroom where it seemed less busy, but they were
still trapped behind a horde of people as they slowed their pace, shuffling
behind the group. For a second, he thought about turning around, but when
a new group filtered in from behind, he knew there was no way they were
making it through.
They were sandwiched.
He looked down at Emori to find her staring back at him. He
understood everything her eyes told him. They might not have known what
was happening, but it wasn’t just a quake.
Devin squeezed Ty’s knee. “Baby, I need you to tap my bracelet and
hit six-O-five. Can you do that?”
She took her head off his shoulder, quickly turning in his arms to
reach for his wrist.
Pride swelled in his heart.
They both knew how to read, but he’d asked Ty for a reason. He
knew that she wouldn’t ask a question, he knew that, scared or not, she’d
just do it and trust that he’d get them out.
She closed her eyes and hid her face in his shoulder again.
The trill cut almost instantly. “Don!” he yelled over the panicked
voices.
“I’ve got her!”
Thank the Gods…
“Is she okay?!”
“She’s scared but she’s-”
“I am not scared!”
She was fine.
“Where are you?!”
“Pulling up to the loading dock!”
His heart dropped. “No! Turn around! Stay away from the build-”
Devin cut himself off as the shuffling halted. With them being on
the left of the grand entrance, he was too far away to see what had stopped
the outflow. Even the voices quieted, the silence starting at the front and
making its way to the back.
Slowly, the girls lifted their heads and turned to the front, probably
trying to work out why it had gone so quiet.
He nudged Emori with his elbow, whispering, “Try to get to the
fron-”
He stopped as a scarily familiar voice echoed from outside, the bellow

bouncing off the walls in the ballroom.
“THEY’RE INSIDE!”
Cade?
“GET BACK!”
The horde sprang to life, pushing back against him.
Devin spun on his heel, Emori turning with him as everybody
scrambled for the grand staircase.
“RUN! NOW!”
They’re inside…
Run…
He might not have been in this predicament before, but Devin was
sure that staying inside a building that wasn’t built to withstand a quake was
a bad idea. And why would he tell them to run? Their defense was almost
airtight so he wondered what could’ve been happening outside that would
make Cade tell them to-
Devin almost tripped as his mind caught up. “DON!” he bellowed,
praying that he was still on the line.
“Yeah?!”
“Don’t turn around! Get her inside!”
“What?!”
“Get her inside! I’ll meet you on the sub-level!”
There was a pause. “Coming back now!”
With the group moving at a more hurried pace, they were on the
stairs in no time, breaking away from them. The stairwell wasn’t empty, but
everyone was going up so their path down was clear.
As soon as they were out of sight, Emori drew her hands apart. The
portal appeared instantly, they were only headed one floor down. She
stepped to the side, allowing him to go through first then she opened it
wider.
Devin bit on the inside of his cheek as he watched. This was the part
that scared him the most. She took a breath before she released her arms
and jumped through, nanoseconds before it collapsed.
She made no deal of it as she marched past him, looking from left to
right.
“Loading dock,” he told her.
She took a right at the next turn, him following behind her.
Devin winced as Kenny’s head flew up, knocking his chin.
“Kiki!” she shouted, wriggling in his hands.
“Ken!” he yelled as he almost lost his grip.
Now wasn’t the time to-
Emori picked up into a run down the hall as he caught sight of his
sister turning the corner, hand in hand with Don. She dropped his hand,
sprinting for them, crashing into Emori first, wrapping her arms around her.
Devin found Don’s eyes, giving him an appreciative nod. Then he looked
down. His lips twisted as he looked between him and Akilah. “Can no one
put a damn shirt on?” he asked, remembering when Cassian bolted into his
place this morning, half-naked and rifling through his bathroom.
Don shrugged, unbothered.
Devin shook his head, nodding to the room on the left.
The weapons room.
Akilah opened the door, letting them all in. Lowering to his knees,
Devin released the girls.
“Hey,” he called, lifting their heads. “Me and Don are gonna go
upstairs and see what’s happening. I need you to stay here with-”
“What?” Akilah exclaimed. “No! I’m coming.”
He turned to her, standing as Don pulled two rifles off the wall. “No,
you’re not.”
In the same second, he watched Emori bend to kiss both of the girls
on their heads before pulling her hair back.
“Where are you going?”
“With you.”
“No.” He reached out for Don to press the rifle into his open hand.
“Devin,” she said quietly, her eyes firm.
He huffed, throwing a hand at Akilah. “You have no training.” He
turned to Emori. “And you’re…Emori, no. Plus, someone has to stay with
the girls.”
They both looked at each other.
Then Emori took a step in Devin’s direction. “I’ll just follow you.”
He knew that she would.
Cassian and the girls were the only ones who knew about her
pregnancy, so they couldn’t have understood why he’d ask her to stay
behind. She was probably the most powerful person in the room. And
Akilah had held a gun for the first time a few weeks ago. There was no way
she was coming.
Devin slammed his hand into the wall beside him before turning to
Don. “Get her a vest,” he forced out.
Emori didn’t look relieved. It was as if she knew that she wouldn’t
be refused.
Akilah’s face fell as Don pulled open a case.
“Akilah, please. The girls.”
She looked down at them, her eyes saddening. Emori grabbed the
vest from Don, throwing it on and strapping it into place. Much quicker,
Don tugged his on before reaching for everything he could fit on his belt.
With a few quiet words to the girls, who were being impressively
brave, Devin stood and started for the door.
Akliah stepped away from the girls, speaking quietly. “I-I can’t do
this.”
He kept his voice soft. “You have to. They need you.”
“What if someone comes down here?” she whispered.
“Then you blast ‘em to hell. There’s enough in here to level the
city.”
Her eyes grew. “That doesn’t help!”
“Listen-”
Before he could finish, Don was grabbing her hand and pulling her into the
corner of the room. He held the side of her face, his thumb under her chin,
tilting her head up as he spoke to her in low tones. She nodded a few times,
shook her head too, then slapped his arm. Going off of the smirk on his
face, Devin assumed that that was the desired result. Akilah nodded once
more before he lowered his face to hers, brushing a kiss across her lips.
Devin grimaced, turning around as he forced the girls to face the
other way. On a normal day, he might have spoken up or thrown something
at his head, but whatever he’d told Akilah had settled her enough to stop
shaking, so he let it go.
When Don stepped past him, he looked back into the room. “We’ll
be back,” he promised.
Steeling her spine, Akilah nodded, pulling Ken and Ty closer.
Satisfied, he stepped out of the room where Emori and Don waited.
“Was that necessary?” he threw over his shoulder as he led the way.
“Yes.”

She’d overslept.
Lia didn’t have much work to do during the day, but she still
panicked when she woke up to banging on her door, jumping out of bed.
She must have been around later than she thought when she stayed
to help clean up after dinner. She hadn’t heard from Cassian or Salem since
he dragged her out of the room, but she suspected that they weren’t still
fighting. It was kind of hard to shut out the screaming that the whole table
heard from behind the door, even if they pretended not to. And when the
screaming stopped too.
Lia smiled to herself, proud of Salem for holding out as long as she
did.
The night after that was as awkward as awkward could be, everyone
ate in silence, no one even tried to start up a conversation. She knew that
they would’ve found some excuse to go home early if Nadeen hadn’t been
throwing looks around, daring someone to try and leave.
Lia didn’t blame her.
She’d spent the whole day preparing and wanted to celebrate a big
step. It wasn’t her fault that their family fell onto the extreme end of the
dysfunctional spectrum.
She pulled the door open, giving up on trying to smooth down her
hair.
“I’m sorry,” she said the second she opened it.
The woman in question strode past her, heading to the drawer next
to her bed.
“I was waiting,” Nadeen complained, pulling out the candy in the
second drawer, and ripping open the packet. “For twenty-four minutes, I
waited, but you did not knock.” She bit off the end of the strawberry straw,
chewing aggressively as she plonked onto the bed.
Lia’s lips tipped up as she closed the door and stalked over to her.
“So I came here,” she continued as Lia drew closer. “ And I knocked
many times.”
“Many times,” Lia nodded, smirking.
“It is not funny,” she spat, her brows dipping.
Lia feigned a frown, shaking her head as she leaned in. “Not funny.”
“And you-”
She cut her off, capturing her lips in a slow kiss. Nadeen kissed her
back, a soft moan slipping from her mouth.
Lia pulled back with a ‘smack’. “I’m sorry.”
Nadeen’s glazed eyes flicked between Lia’s and her lips. “I am still
upset.”
“I know,” she responded, taking the candy out of her hand and
throwing it onto the bedside table. Before she could complain, Lia took her
lips again, pressing forward until her back hit the bed. “What time do you
start?” she asked between kisses.
“Nine o’clock,” Nadeen gasped as she straddled her.
She pressed her hips down against her, letting her accented voice
travel down her spine. “We’ve got time,” she breathed, sighing as Nadeen
pushed back up against her.
“We had time,” she corrected. “It is thirty-two minutes to nine.”
“Shit.” Lia drew back up. “Really?”
Nadeen tilted her head. “Yes,” she scowled.
“I’ll drive you,” Lia decided, leaning back down for her neck.
“You were going to anyway,” she breathed, her chest rising.
With a snort, Lia drew her lips down her throat. Nadeen was
grabbing at her hips pulling her closer as she sighed at the soft kisses and
hissed at the sharp nips. As Lia’s hand trailed down her thighs, she caught
on a firm object in her pocket.
She raised her brows with a surprised laugh, a suggestive comment
on the tip of her tongue. But then the bed shook.
Lia’s head shot up, her eyes flying around her room and out of the
window to look for the source. She grabbed the sheets, trying to stay
upright.
Was it an explosion?
No, she’d felt no initial impact. Just the quaking.
Quaking.
The motion alert.
The op.
The-
The room stilled before she could draw any more conclusions.
Instantly, she cast her concerned eyes down.
“Are you-”
“Get off me. Slowly,” Nadeen breathed, raising the gun higher.
“Nadeen…” she said, slowly drawing back as she sat up.
She stood, advancing and forcing Lia to step back. She flicked the
gun in the direction of the couch.
“Please, sit down.”
Lia didn’t know if she even knew how to use a gun, but she was
certainly holding it like she did. So she decided not to test her and headed
over to the couch.
She sat down, turning to face her. “Nadeen.”
Nadeen strode over to the window, looking out, gun still pointed in
her shaking hands.
What the hell is going on?
Shifting, she slowly scooted across the couch in the direction of the
door.
She whipped her head back to her. “Please, sit down, Eulalia. You
do not understand,” she forced out
She sat back down. “Okay, but what are you doing?”
“Returning her.”
“Returning who?”
Her face almost crumbled as she brought a hand to her lip, biting her
nail. “My lady,” she whispered, shifting on her feet.
Salem?
Lia’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”
Nadeen’s jaw became antsier.
“Did he have you compelled? Because you can break it. I’ve seen it
happen,” she practically begged, praying that she wasn’t doing what she
thought she was.
She shook her head.
Before her heart could drop, the ground raged again.
Lia grabbed onto the couch as Nadeen steadied a hand on the
window ledge. She took advantage of the chaos to shakily slip off the
couch, crawling to the door.
“Eulalia, please!”
She heard footsteps, but not once did she hear a gunshot.
Lia could’ve cursed as the quake paused and Nadeen trained the gun
on her again.
Why is she doing this?
She thought that she and Lilo were happy. She thought that the new
‘thing’ they had going on made her happy. So why was she-
Wait.
Lilo.
She was at the school with thousands of other kids.
“Stand,” she shakily whispered.
“Why?”
She might have had a gun pointed at her, but some part of her was
denying that things were actually what they seemed.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said quickly. “Cade said you could
stay. Don’t you want to stay here?” With me? she added silently.
She didn’t respond, so Lia pressed on.
“Don’t you want to take care of those kids? That family you were
telling me about?”
Her eyes dimmed.
“And what about Salem? You want to give her back to him? After
everything?”
“Of course, I do not,” she spat.
“Then put the gun down and I won’t say anything.”
She readjusted her grip.
“Nadeen,” she begged. “There are children here. You know he’s not
just here for her. He’ll kill them, all of th-”
“And what of my child?” she burst out before the first tear fell.
Lia cocked her head back. “What child?”
Nadeen shook her head. “Please, stand.”
This time, Lia stood.
“You cannot run,” she said, begged, taking steps back. “Go to your
closet.”
“Nadeen.”
Shakily sighing, Nadeen stepped over to the closet, nudging the gun
to silently direct Lia to stay in her line of sight as she reached in and
grabbed a pair of handcuffs. She threw them at Lia’s feet.
Lia pleaded with her. “What do you want? I can help you. We can
help you, just-”
“Put them on.”
Growling, Lia reached for them and clicked the first one into place.
“Nadeen,” she said firmly.
“Put them on, Eulalia, please!”
She obeyed before Nadeen finally approached, pushing her back to the
table. She used one hand to lift the corner, positioning the leg between Lia’s
cuffed hands before dropping it.
“What-”
Nadeen slammed a fist down onto the corner of the table, sending
the leg straight through the floorboards. “I am sorry.”
Chest rising faster, Lia watched her walk away, right into the center
of the room, facing her. Then she lowered herself to the ground, crossing
her legs. Finally, she placed the gun down beside her and closed her eyes.
What the fuck is happening?
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighty-One
Cassian had really bad handwriting. It took Salem a while to even

work out what he was writing.
It was a list.
He’d run straight out of the bathroom after his giggle-fit to find a
pen and paper, then proceeded to write a list.
Vitamins things, he said looking over his shoulder.
“Prenatal vitamins,” she said, biting her lip.
He snapped a finger in her direction, jotting it down. Oh. He turned
back around. And those big pillows. To help you sleep. Cade got Deianira
like a hundred. He sat back from the desk, looking out of the window. I’ll
take the truck. He started writing some more, grinning as the pen moved.
And I want one of those carrier things so I can wear her on my chest.
Salem tilted her head. “Her?”
Yep, he smirked.
“You don’t know that it’s a girl.”
Yeah, I do. Standing, he folded the paper and put it in his pocket. I’m
gonna go pick this up. You, he said, pointing at her as his smile came back
in full force. Rest, relax, meditate, all that good shit. I’ll be back.
She pressed her lips together. “Ok-”
The bed jolted, sending her rolling to the foot and onto the floor. Her
head hit the laminate boards with a dull thud.
Salem!
She blinked groggily to see Cassian stumbling over to her as the
floor shook, nullifying her efforts to pick herself up. He lowered his body
trying to reach where she’d rolled to when it all stopped.
Cassian fell to one knee before scrambling back up, rushing to her
side.
Shit, are you okay?
She winced, squinting her eye. “Yes,” she said, standing. She pushed
his hand away when he reached for her face, her head and brow bone
throbbing.
Ay. He grasped her chin. Let me see, he said, tilting her head up.
“I’m fine,” she said.
He pulled back, looking her up and down. Are you sure?
“Yes,” she sighed.
He finally released her, jogging over to the table and grabbing his
bracelet. She followed him, her heart beating a little faster.
He scrolled for a second before looking up. Nothing. He started
toward her. We should go down-
She almost went flying into the table when an arm curled around her
waist, hauling her back and spinning her to the ground on top of a hard
chest.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Cassian never moved, he stayed down,
arms banded around her as they rode out the convulsions.
It settled again, having lasted longer than the last one did.
He was still for a moment like he was making sure. Then he sprang
into action, jumping up and setting her on her feet.
They started for the door together, her reaching the handle first.
She winced at the twinge that shot up her arm as she yanked on it,
expecting it to open. But it didn’t. She pulled it again. It was stuck.
She was already moving out of the way as Cassian came close,
trying it.
It wouldn’t budge.
Dropping to her knees, she surveyed the doorframe. The door had
moved, about three inches of it was stuck in the ground. “It’s embedded in
the floor,” she announced, standing.
Unspeaking, he took a step back, fist wound.
“It’s tungsten,” she quickly said, not wanting him to hurt himself.
I don’t know what that means.
“The door’s made of tungsten. You won’t be able to break it.”
He shook his head. It’s steel.
“It was steel,” she corrected. “Devin had them change it because
you broke all the other ones.”
Why would he do that?
“So you wouldn’t break it again,” said as she turned around, heading
to the bathroom.
Where are you going?
“I have an idea.”
She stepped straight into the shower, grabbing the showerhead
before unscrewing it. Tucking it under her arm, she went for the kitchen
next, gripping the curved faucet before yanking it out of the sink. She did
the same with all the handles on the cupboards, even grabbed a few knives,
everything that she could carry that was long and metal.
Cassian watched with a curious expression as she approached the
door again, lowering herself as she emptied her hands.
The door had dropped on the right side, but there was a small gap on
the left. So, one by one, she started wedging the objects under it, as close to
the right side as possible, leaving enough metal on each end for someone to
stand on. For Cassian to stand on.
She stood up. “Stand on them and put your hands on the top of the
doorframe.”
Watching her carefully, he did as she instructed.
“Now press down.”
She watched his biceps strain as he started to push against the
doorframe, getting into position. She looked down as she held onto the
handle to see the door lift less than a millimeter, but it still wasn’t enough.
“Harder.”
He shook his head, gritting his teeth.
She surveyed the door again. A little more…
There.
She tugged on the handle just as the ground shook again. She hadn’t
been expecting it, but she was in a good enough position to steady herself,
holding her arms out. As Cassian slipped from the small wedge, he steadied
a hand on the wall, the other already reaching for her. But he didn’t need to.
It was much more aggressive, but it didn’t last nearly as long as the
others.
As the ground settled, she didn’t have to get low to inspect the door.
She could already see all the objects that she’d managed to pry under it,
scattered across the floor. She couldn’t tell how far the door had fallen, but
she could see a gap above it now. At least half a foot wide.
Pushing the door up was a significantly easier task than it would’ve
been to push it further into the floor, but that problem seemed to be solved
now. Realistically, they could’ve called someone with a power tool, but she
doubted anyone would even be lingering in the palace after what had just
happened. Everyone would be trying to get out, which is what they
should’ve been doing.
Maybe if she could-
What are you thinking?
Oh. She turned around. “Can you pick me up, please?”
He looked up, narrowing his eyes at the gap. Can you fit?
“Can you?” she retorted.
His eyes widened as a laugh spurted from him. Fair enough, he
chuckled, holding out his arms. She approached as he bent down and held
onto his shoulders. He gripped her hips, lifting her with ease. Engaging her
core, she lifted her legs, slotting them through first.
Good?
“Yes,” she replied, wriggling her knees over the door, readying her
hands to leave him. When the top of the door hit her hips, she had to try a
little harder to force her bottom through. She squeezed Cassian’s shoulder
as he snorted. Grabbing onto the top of the door as her shoulders finally
passed through, she extended her arms. Lowering herself, she let go and
dropped to the floor on the other side. She looked up at where he peered
over the door, making sure to explain herself. “I’m going to the tech room
to get the rotary saw. I’ll be back in three minutes.”
He shook his head with a smile. I’ll be waiting… he said in that
stupid voice.
He put his hands over the gap. And be careful.
“I will.”
She could’ve gone to the shed, she probably could’ve gotten a more
powerful tool than the one she ripped out of the table in the tech room, but
she didn’t want to leave him for too long. She’d said three minutes, but she
was back in two and had him out in ten. The job probably could’ve been
done quicker if he wasn’t stopping her every two seconds, worried about
the sparks hitting her.
As quickly as he was out, they were jogging down the hall. The
floor was clear, which would have struck her as odd if they weren’t so late
to get out of the room. She lifted her wrist as she pumped her arms and
there were still no messages or alerts.
Cassian looked at his. I’ll call-
Before she could hear the end of his sentence, a bullet whizzed past
his head. Both of their gazes shot in the direction that it came from to see an
enforcer approaching from the end of the hallway.
Salem narrowed her eyes as a deja vu hit her from all angles. But
then she zeroed in on his face. She recognized the man, she knew him. Not
by name, but she’d definitely seen him before. Station three, but more
importantly, unit forty-four. One of the units that was supposed to be
arriving this morning.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighty-Two
Six times in ten minutes, Lia had tried to move. Each time, Nadeen’s
eyes snapped open, her hand inches from the gun, silently begging her not
to.
Lia wasn’t sure she’d ever been so conflicted before. She didn’t
think that Nadeen would hurt her, it might have been a stupid, biased
assumption, but she just didn’t. So she did believe that she could make it to
the door. But she didn’t even know if she wanted to. Staying in the room
meant safety, for her and for Nadeen. Familial ties aside, she knew that
Cassian, or any of the others for that matter, wouldn’t think twice about
going after Nadeen if they knew what she was trying to do. Staying there
meant that she had time to convince Nadeen to stop…whatever it was she
was doing.
Lia had no idea what. She knew her end goal, getting Salem back to
Podak, but she’d been sitting in the middle of her living room, eyes closed,
brows scrunched, for the past ten minutes. She said nothing, did nothing,
just focused. For all Lia knew, she was praying or trying to see something,
but she shook the latter thought away. Seers had to touch those that they
were seeing. Unless she’d lied about seers not being able to see their own
futures.
What if she’d lied about everything?
The thought barely manifested when, startling her, Nadeen sprung to
her feet, picking the gun back up.
She breathed heavily and spoke quickly. “I will leave you now.”
“Where are you going?” Lia asked as she started for the door.
She didn’t respond, but just kept her head down, reaching for the
handle.
Lia sat up, blurting the first thing that came to mind. “Take me with
you.” Maybe she could stop her in a different environment, maybe surprise
her. “You don’t know your way around. I can help you,” she said, hating
that she was lying to her when she already seemed so vulnerable.
Nadeen finally turned around. “It is already done.”
“What’s already done?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
She fell silent, increasing Lia’s anxiety. Her gaze flicked to her
bracelet. Maybe she should-
“They cannot help you,” Nadeen told her regretfully.
It wasn’t Nadeen’s words that had something nibbling at her, it was
her tone, what was behind her words.
“What does that mean?”
Again, she didn’t answer.
“Please. At least tell me where you’re going, I know this place
better than you.” She met her gaze. “If they find you, if they find out,
they’ll kill you.”

Both of them were sprinting for him before the second bullet rang out,
Salem reaching him first. Spotting a supply closet on the left, she grabbed
him by his vest, swinging him out of Cassian’s reach and into the small
room before kicking the door shut behind her, and twisting the lock. She
felt the locked door thud from the other side, but she didn’t let that stop her
from swinging a leg forward, sweeping the enforcers’ feet from beneath
him.
She knew what she was doing. She was neutralizing a threat. But it
wasn’t objectivity that was motivating her, it was fear, fear of what could
have happened. That bullet was less than an inch from Cassian’s head and
Salem knew that not one cell in her body would settle until he was dead,
until the possibility of him being successful, as little as it was now, had
been eradicated.
His glazed eyes instantly told her that he was compelled, it
explained his motivation too. He was on his feet again in seconds, trying to
raise the gun between them, but a simple jab to the throat, something that
wouldn’t cause him much pain, if he could feel any at all, but incapacitate
him, had him dropping the gun and grabbing his neck. She didn’t let the gun
hit the floor, grabbing it midair and holding the barrel to his head before she
pulled the trigger.
Salem closed her eyes as blood spat across her face.
There. Done.
Dropping his gun beside him, she reached for the handle and
stepped out, instantly raising her hands to protect her face when she saw
Cassian ready to charge it.
His eyes widened as he stared at her face. She quickly closed the
door when he tried to sneak a look behind her.
Please tell me you did not just kill that guy, he said quietly.
She swallowed, hands on the doorknob behind her. He looked mad.
“I want to tell you the truth, but I don’t think you would like it very much.”
He gaped. Salem, didn’t you see his eyes? He was compelled.
“I know.”
You didn’t have to kill him.
“I did. We don’t have the time or the resources to break the
compulsion on everyone that comes up here, and I suspect that there will be
more. He wouldn’t have stopped.” Everything she said was true, but that
wasn’t what she was thinking about when she took the shot.
He paused for a moment. I didn’t think about that.
She nodded slowly, the rush in her veins slowing. “He almost killed
you,” she said quietly, steadying her breaths.
His eyes narrowed slightly, watching her. I’m okay, he said softly.
“Okay,” she whispered.
She really, really didn’t like that feeling.
When his head quickly turned, she was ready to dart back into that
closet to grab the gun when she caught who was walking toward them,
having just turned the corner.
Eulalia’s eyes darkened as she caught sight of them, Nadeen
dropping her arm and pulling on a shaky smile.
Cassian passed Salem, saying something as they both approached,
Eulalia’s eyes flicking between them.
“I don’t know,” she responded. “We’re trying to get out.”
She looked at Salem again before lowering her eyes as Cassian
spoke.
But when Eulalia responded, she signed too.
“It’s packed so we’re taking north.”
‘Don’t react. She has a gun.’
Salem’s brows almost dipped as Cassian’s shoulders tensed, but she
forced herself to obey, giving her a nod.
The relief on her face was evident.
But why would Nadeen have a gun, and why would Eulalia not want
her to know that she was telling them?
“No one else is responding.”
‘He’s coming. But please, don’t hurt her.’
Cassian’s hand twitched at his side.
Don’t, Salem told him.
“Can one of you call the school to check on Lilo?”
‘I don’t know if she’s involved.’
Not once did Nadeen cut in. She just kept her eyes low.
Cassian nodded, saying something, and Salem’s instantly hackles
rose.
He could be impulsive sometimes, and she could too, but she hoped
that he wouldn’t make any stupid moves. She settled when they gave him a
grateful nod. She looked like she wanted to get moving again, but Eulalia
said one last thing.
“Let me know if you get a hold of the others.”
‘Operations room. Don’t hurt her. She doesn’t want to do this.’
“We will,” Salem responded before he could, grabbing his hand
from behind.
As much as she wanted to avert her eyes, she knew that it would’ve
been suspicious if she did. So she met Nadeen’s gaze for a fleeting moment,
forcing her face to remain straight. Nadeen was…
Salem wasn’t quite sure what Nadeen was to her, but there was no
denying the dull throbbing in her chest as she walked past them, offering a
nod in response to her feigned smile.
Salem wasn’t always the best judge of character, but how someone
could fabricate something like that didn’t compute in her mind. She’d
defended her to Podak, she’d brought her back, Eulalia said that she didn’t
want to do it. So why was she?
The second they reached the end of the hall, Cassian pulled her to
the left. She could see the strain on his face, the anxiety setting in. But she
didn’t know what she was feeling anymore.
We need to go back for her.
She frowned. Lilo’s at the school.
He rubbed a hand over his head. Okay, we’ll get her then we’ll go to
the school.
Salem shook her head. What if Lilo is involved? She could hurt
someone. Many people.
We can’t be in two places at once, he sputtered. Cassian sighed,
turning around for a second.
She put a hand on his back, walking around to face him. We can.
You go to the school. I’ll go after Eulalia.
His eyes doubled in size. You want to split up?!
I don’t want to. She really didn’t. But-
No.
She tilted her head at him. Why? It’s the only logical-
He’s coming, Sae. Do you really expect me to let you run off alone
when he’s just waiting to get his hands on you?
Yes. Because he won’t.
He shook his head. Not good enough.
Cassian, you are not thinking logically. Emotions have no place in
war. And that’s what this was.
He gaped at her. Are you kidding me?
No.
Eulalia was getting further with every second that they continued
arguing. Before he could say something else, she cut him off, taking a new
angle since that one didn’t seem to work.
Do you trust me?
He sighed. Yes.
Do you think that I’m capable?
Of course, I do.
She raised a brow. Then, you will trust that I’m capable enough to
handle this alone and not make decisions for me.
Cassian looked at her from the corner of his eye. Salem-
You will trust that I’m capable enough to handle this alone and not
make decisions for me.
She could see him trying, could see it in the way his gaze flicked up
and down her body, his jaw clenching.
Pushing him further, she grasped the front of his shirt and pulled
him down to her, smacking a quick kiss on his lips.
She could give little. I’ll check in with you every ten minutes.
Five, he said quickly, drawing a relieved breath from her.
Okay. Five minutes.
Grabbing her neck, he pulled her in for another kiss. Five, Salem. I
mean it.

Cassian practically flew down the steps as he lifted his wrist.

“Sub-level,” Devin announced as soon as the line picked up.
“Second floor on east,” Cassian responded. “I need-”
He was falling in a matter of seconds and landed right in front of a
pair of boots.
Three pairs.
Cassian looked up, holding his side. He was on the sub-level, and so
were Don, Emori, and Devin.
“Thank you,” he groaned.
Devin nudged him with his foot. “Suit up. They’re here.”
Cassian managed to pull himself up. “I need to get to the school.”
“I just said they’re coming.”
“I know. But Nadeen’s with them. I need to get Lilo. I don’t know if
she’s in on it too.”
“What?” Devin and Don echoed as Emori’s brows dipped into a
frown.
“She’s not,” Don insisted.
“You don’t know that,” Cassian said regretfully, hoping that he was
wrong.
“Where’s Salem?” Devin cut in.
“Upstairs. Lia needs help.”
Before Devin could ask, Cassian held up a hand. “I’ll explain later.”
After heading to the weapons room, where he found Akilah and the
girls, Devin helped load him up with every weapon he’d need for a week-
long solo mission. The portal only took a moment to open, and soon,
Cassian was stepping out into the school reception. The place was
unexpectedly quiet. There were no people, no alarms, not even any voices.
The desk that he’d been to a few times had an empty seat behind it.
Rather than running through the halls and wasting time, he jogged behind it,
silently rejoicing when he saw the tablet left unattended. It wasn’t locked
either.
Bzz. Bzz.
QIN: I’m alive.
If he wasn’t already near panic, he might have snorted at her

straightforward message.
CASSIAN: Well, are you okay?

QIN: Yes.
CASSIAN: You sure?
QIN: Yes. You’re distracting me now.
He did snort this time.
CASSIAN: I’ll leave you to it.
He put his wrist down and picked up the tablet.

Lilo was in the seventh grade, much to her enjoyment. He’d thought
that she might not like being in a class with younger kids, but she was just
happy that she understood the work. The school had gone above and
beyond to make accommodations for her, assigning her an attendant to sit in
on her classes and work with her when it came to reading and writing, but
he wasn’t going to complain about her getting special treatment.
Cassian huffed as he tapped onto the student portal.
She was a kid. Nothing about her behavior so far suggested that she
would want to do any harm. Her excitement about life in The Dome was a
testament to that. But at the same time, he didn’t see Nadeen’s switch
coming either, so maybe his judgment wasn’t as crystal clear as he thought
it was.
He barely had to scroll to find ‘Alden’. Just as he went to tap on the
name, he felt his bracelet buzz again.
QIN: I love you.
His heart plummeted. What’s wrong?!

There was a pause. Nothing.
Then why- Are you alright?
Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?
He didn’t know what to say. I-I just thought something happened.
Why?
He shook his head. Nevermind.
Okay.
Cassian weighed the tablet in his hand, flicking a look over his
shoulder.
I love you too… he said with all the emotion he could stuff into
those words. When he got no response, he turned his attention back to the
tablet.
ALDEN, Lilo
It was still quite early so he took a quick look at her first class and
set off. He correctly assumed that the first number of the room correlated
with the floors, like they were assigned in the palace, and headed down the
hall, counting the numbers on each door. He had to turn back and around a
few times, and while that wasn’t much of an issue because he knew he was
in the right place, the eerie silence started to bug him.
Shouldn’t they have been running, trying to get out of the building?
There were no drills for quakes, but the people in the palace knew to get
out.
Finally finding the right room, he took a breath at the door, annoyed
that there was no window for him to look through, to see what he was
walking into.
On three, he twisted the doorknob and kicked the door open, lifting
his gun.
A few screams and startled gasps sounded in the dark room. So
there were people inside, they were just hiding under the tables.
An older woman looked up from her crouched position behind the
head desk.
“Where’s Lilo?” he quickly asked.
She sputtered. “Who are you?”
“Where’s Lilo?” he repeated harshly, his eyes flicking around the
classroom to see if she was hiding somewhere.
The lady bristled. “I’m not permitted to-”
“She’s my daughter! Where is she?!” he snapped.
She flinched, her mouth opening and closing. “She left. She said to
stay here.”
She told them to stay?
“Where did she go?”
She shakily lifted her shoulders.
“She went downstairs. With a man,” a hushed voice whispered.
Cassian spun to the front row as a short girl stood. “What man?” he
barked.
She startled. “I don’t know. I didn’t see him.”
Podak?
“When?”
“Like a minute ago.”
Without another word, he backtracked out of the room and started
running back the way he came. He tried to keep his footsteps light so he
could hear any others, but it turned out that he didn’t need to, because
before he’d even reached the open staircase, he watched two pairs of shoes
scurry along the hall on the bottom floor.
Cassian pumped his legs down the steps, trying to bend down so he
could get a better look.
The second he saw that blonde ponytail, he yelled, “Lilo!”
As he ran down the remaining steps, she jumped and turned,
releasing the hand of the man next to her.
No, not the man.
The boy.
“Get away from her,” he told Aiko.
Aiko’s eyes widened as he looked down at Cassian’s gun. “What are
you-”
He met his eyes. “Move.”
Back stiffening, Aiko took five steps to the left. Lilo’s gaze bounced
between them, her fear hard to determine as feigned or not. He turned to
her, reluctant to hold up his gun, and not just because his hands were
shaking.
“Lilo,” his deep voice echoed. “You will tell me the truth.”
Her eyes glazed. “I will tell you the truth.”
He took a shaky breath. “Are you working with Podak?”
Her jaw slackened. “No.”
He tilted his head, not even trusting his own abilities. “Where’s
Nadeen?”
“She is at work.”
The breath of relief he sighed threatened to take out his knees. As
far as she knew, Nadeen was supposed to be at work. “Okay,” he
whispered.
In the same second, Aiko’s feet finally moved toward her as she let
out a soft cry. He spun to Cassian with a glare, holding her up. “What the
fuck is wrong with you?!”
Cassian took a step forward, sending her skittering back. “I can
explain, but we need to leave,” he said quickly.
Aiko’s glare didn’t soften as he angled her away from him.
Cassian wanted to get mad and start barking orders, but he knew it
wouldn’t help. He slowly approached, tilting his head pleadingly at Aiko as
he got closer to Lilo. She looked up at him, her eyes were unsure.
He held his hands up, letting his gun bob onto his side from the strap
on his shoulder. “I’m sorry…” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She didn’t move, but she shakily nodded.
“We really need to get-”
Bzz. Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.
Cassian looked down and saw no new notifications.
“You fucking idiot! I told you to stay in school!” He glanced back
up to see Aiko looking at his wrist.
His bracelet.
Only enforcers and members of the council were supposed to have
them, but it wasn’t that he wasn’t allowed to have one either. Don had
probably gotten him one like Devin had for the girls.
“I am in school,” Aiko drawled.
“Not yours!”
“Can we do this later, Donnie? We’re coming.”
“No you’re fucking not! Stay inside! We’re swarmed!”
“What?” Cassian asked, stepping closer and grabbing Aiko’s hand.
“Don, what do you mean swarmed?”
“I mean they’re everywhere!”
“Everywhere where?”
“Everywhere! They’re not even trying to get into the palace!
They’re spreading out!”
They’re here…
When Devin said that they were ‘here’, he didn’t realize he meant
here. As in, in the city. Inside of The Dome. That enforcer. He’d had no
clue what was happening at that point, but Salem was right. If they were
inside, there would be many more.
“How did they get inside?” The Dome was still up. It made no
sense.
“Underground! They’re digging! That’s what the motion alert was!”
Cassian dropped Aiko’s hand as he took a step back, his head
spinning.
The motion alert. The shake. The sunken ground.
That was them.
And they were inside.
How did they know they could go und-
Just as his mind begged the question, another dark thought emerged.
Don’s call reminded him of something so much grimmer.
He checked his wrist.
Seven minutes.
Salem didn’t check in.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighty-Three
Assuming that they were close to her and Cassian’s room, Salem took
a brisk walk to Eulalia’s. She couldn’t have been far behind, but even with
her skillset, there was no way to pass them, the hall was a straight line, or
make it downstairs and back up in time. So she went with the next best
option.
Thankfully, the door was still open, a major error on Nadeen’s part
or an attempt at aid on Eulalia’s. Hurrying in, she didn’t close the door
behind her either. The doors in the palace weren’t necessarily loud, but they
were heavy.
After tugging on Eulalia’s smallest pair of work boots, Salem
scanned the room for any sort of weapon. She had many in her room and
assumed that Eulalia did too. She just needed to find them.
Salem thought hard.
Eulalia was fond of knives. Blades. Swords sometimes.
Those types of weapons were often small, easily concealed, but
most importantly, accessible.
Taking the thought and running with it, she slinked over to the
disappointedly unmade bed before remembering that hers probably wasn’t
in any better condition.
She didn’t touch anything yet. She just looked.
Bed. Pillow. Drawers.
No, too easy. Eulalia was sneakier than that.
Light bulb flicking on, Salem tapped her booted foot on the floor in
front of the bedside drawer, Cassian’s shirt swishing over her knees. Just
like she expected, a hollow thud reverberated through her foot.
She bent, pressing a hand to the floorboard before sliding. The short
board slid right with her hand, revealing six identical daggers.
Sighing, she reached in and grabbed three. Not only did she have
nothing to carry them in with her arms and legs bare, but daggers weren’t
really her thing. She would’ve preferred a gun. Her aim would’ve been far
better.
Standing, she moved them into one hand before heading to the
bathroom. Unless any major renovations had been made in the room, her
recollection of the palace’s blueprints would still be applicable, and when
she stepped in and looked above the sink, she let out a small breath.
Good.
Opening the cupboard beneath the sink, she pulled out the box of
cleaning supplies and emptied it, setting the box upside-down on the
counter. Then she climbed right up, slowing down as she steadied a foot on
the box, and then the other.
She stretched one arm and used the tips of her fingers to push up the
vent and flick it to the side. Luckily for her, the vent was horizontal, giving
her a ledge to place the daggers onto. She took a breath, gripping both sides
before jumping. Salem held her breath as she pulled up, curling her elbows
inward as she got higher. The hardest part was the shift between pulling up
and pushing up, especially with such little space, but she closed her eyes
and pushed through. When her head bumped the top of the opening, she
bent forward as far as she could before swiveling so that she could sit on the
side. As soon as her bottom hit the vent, she let herself breathe.
Okay.
She also noted that the task was a lot harder than it should have
been.
Salem grabbed the daggers on the other side of the opening, placing
one between her lips and palming the other two. She awkwardly
maneuvered herself over the gap until she was flat on her stomach.
Then, she started crawling.
One elbow in front of the other, Salem closed her eyes again. She
wouldn’t have been able to see much anyway as she traveled further from
the opening, but it shut out some of the distraction. It helped her remember
each twist and turn.
As she crawled along the system, she started to feel something
familiar. Something nostalgic, and it took no time for the cause to reveal
itself.
She felt like…her old self.
Before Cassian.
Even before Cade.
Back when it was just her and Deianira.
The times when she’d complete assignments alone, sometimes
leaving the palace or the city, and not returning for days.
She was never just Deianira’s protector. She was the protector of
The Dome. And she had no qualms about admitting that she missed it. She
never needed the recognition, it was the job itself that she loved. The thrill,
the chance, the precision, the outcome.
Her current position should've brought back all of those emotions,
all of those feelings, but she couldn’t bring herself to enjoy it as much as
she had because of who she was about to pull back the curtain of her dark
past on.
It felt wrong. But wrong or not, Salem was going to do what she
needed to, she always followed through. That didn’t ease the deepening pit
in her gut though.
As if an imaginary timer had gone off in her head, Salem looked
down at her wrist.
Five minutes.
She put the daggers down before lifting her bracelet.
QIN: I’m alive.
There.
She’d updated him. She’d checked in.
Salem went to pick up the knife when her wrist buzzed, seconds
later.
CASSIAN: Well, are you okay?
She said she was alive. What else was she supposed to say?
QIN: Yes.
CASSIAN: You sure?
Salem sighed. Time was ticking.
QIN: Yes. You’re distracting me now.

A pause.
CASSIAN: I’ll leave you to it.
When she reached for the knives again, something stopped her. Was
she being blunt? He was just making sure she was okay. She liked to be
sure of things too.
She bit her lip, typing out another message.
QIN: I love you.
It felt weird to type, was even weirder to say, but he’d really liked it
when she said it the first time. Hopefully, it would let him know that she
didn’t mean to be-
What’s wrong?!
She almost hit her head on the top of the vent from the speed at
which she jumped. Nothing, she sent back.
Then why- Are you alright?
She frowned. Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?
She’d said she was okay less than a minute ago.
I-I just thought something happened. He sounded panicked.
Why?
His sigh echoed in her head. Nevermind.
Okay, she responded carefully, mostly to herself.
Since he was on the link, Salem replaced both daggers and got back
on track.
The operations room was only one grate down, so she slowed her
movements so as not to be heard. She wriggled right over to it, looking
down, and like Eulalia said she would be, she was sitting at the desk as
Nadeen stood a few feet behind her, a gun in her hand.
Salem couldn’t help but bite down on her tongue.
She knew that Eulalia wasn’t lying, she had no reason to. But seeing
it ignited a new flame in her.
I love you too…
For no reason at all, or none that she was able to figure out at the
moment, Salem’s heart sped up, a soft breath passing her lips. When she’d
sent those words to him, she hadn’t been expecting him to respond. She was
just telling him what he already knew, but she didn’t know how much
satisfaction, how much reassurance four words could bring her.
Just as she went to speak again, having no idea what she might have
muttered, movement caught her eye.
Well, not just movement.
A flash.
And an almost imperceptible jolt.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighty-Four
Deianira’s lips parted as her eyes glistened, watching the scene before
her.
They got in. They just shot right out of the ground like it was
nothing. But that wasn’t the worst part. It was the knowledge that
accompanied the sight. The two men that watched them, identical grins on
their lips, were flying. Unless all that they’d learned had been false, only
prima azraels could fly. And that’s what they were. Azraels.
She knew that their power lapped hers, but her capabilities
surpassed that of the civilians behind her.
“Cade,” she whispered after his exclamation.
He didn’t respond, but she knew he’d heard.
She didn’t take her eyes off the men, who were still yet to move.
“Take the baby inside.” At his intake of breath, she didn’t let him protest.
“Take. The baby. Inside.”
“De-”
“Who speaks for you?”
She bristled at the deep voice of the first man.
Finally, she let her eyes stray to Cade, giving him a sharp head jerk
back. “Caleb…” she whispered.
She saw both understanding and resistance in his eyes, but like she
knew he would, he started to walk backward, his eyes pained.
“You?”
She snapped her gaze back to the first man. The only thing she
could make out was his face, the rest of his body concealed by the long,
clothy cloak he wore. The same one that the second man had donned
himself with.
“Yes,” she responded, not allowing her voice to even wobble.
He smiled, nodding. “The azrael.”
She inclined her head.
“It is a shame that we meet under such unfortunate circumstances.”
Deianira’s chest rose. “Turn around and maybe we can do this some
other time.”
He shook his head with a chuckle. “I wish it were that simple.”
“What do you want?”
The man's grin turned condescending. “Oh, no. We have not come
to ask anything of you. That has been done before. I am sure you are aware
of how she fared.”
She didn’t let a whisper cross her features. “Then why are you
here?”
He only offered her a curt nod toward the palace. “I never thought I
might say this, but you should listen to your husband. Go back inside. We
do not want you.”
Her eyes narrowed as she stood her ground.
A shrug was all the warning she was granted before he threw a hand
out, a shadow unraveling from his palm and extending behind her. She
didn’t know what he was doing until a body flew past her, a body being
dragged through the air and in his direction as a few screams sounded
behind her.
Without even looking at who he’d grabbed, Deianira thrust a
shadow of her own, encasing who she now saw was an old man, pulling
him back.
His smile grew as he tugged harder.
Deianira fought against his pull. “Let him go.”
Ignoring her, the other man charged forward with a shadow, getting
a hold of the man who silently shook.
She couldn’t have won a tug-of-war with one of them, let alone the
two. The fact that she still even had a grip on the man told her that they
weren’t trying. It was a show. A statement. Her people stood behind her and
they wanted to make her look weak. Deianira didn’t even let that thought
stumble her. She might have been weaker than them, but she wasn’t weak.
Wincing at the probable consequences of her next move, she
released the man, and the moment he went hurtling toward them, she
stretched out both arms, sending shadows at the two men, wrapping them
around their heads.
They receded their shadows in surprise, their hands coming to their
faces as they dropped the old man.
But the man didn’t hit the ground as he reached it. He halted an inch
off the grass. She only had time to lower her brows in question before a
sound to her left had her head turning.
Emori jumped out of a receding portal, a hand thrown out as she
gently lowered the man to the ground. What had Deianira breathing with
relief was who she saw in front of Emori.
Don didn’t hesitate to start unloading his gun on the azraels as
Devin went straight for the civilians, hurrying them inside like they
should’ve done a long time ago. The azraels, now free of her shadows,
managed to duck and dive out of the line of fire.
To make his job a little easier, she got another hold on the first man,
keeping him in place as Don loaded his body with bullets.
Turning to the second to do the same, she expected to see fear,
maybe uncertainty, but he only tilted his head to the sky.
She didn’t have time to cover her ears before an ear-splitting eagle’s
cry filled the air.
Deianira exhaled a harsh breath, shielding her ears as she absently
waited for something to happen. Maybe for the ground to shake or for him
to even combust.
Neither happened, but something else did.
Another figure shot out from the ground, from the same opening
that he’d made. Followed by another, then another. She didn’t even notice
that the shots had paused until they were emerging from both holes like
bees leaving a hive.
Then it dawned on her. Those first two weren’t the cavalry. They
were the scouts. They were only testing the waters, scoping the scene.
His cry wasn’t a cry of pain at the downfall of his comrade.
It was a battle cry. And he’d just rang the dinner bell.
Emori was the first to snap out of it, stepping out in front of
Deianira as she waved a hand in a wide circle before shoving it out.
Deianira hadn’t even seen the three primas heading her way, but they went
flying back at Emori’s fluid movements.
When she turned back over her shoulder, Deianira nodded in
gratitude before closing her eyes. She waited until her shoes left the ground,
until she was at least twenty feet in the air, her shadows circling her like a
storm before she threw them out. She wasn’t aiming for the ones that were
already inside and wreaking havoc. The enforcers that rounded both corners
of the palace, their guns already firing, could handle them for now. She
went for the holes.
She watched the hands stretching from the shadowy domes that she
cast over them, trying to crawl out, and she doubled her efforts, the dark
mist pressing in on them.
The azraels may have been the most powerful of them, but it was
the flightless ones she feared most. The psionics, the empaths, the witches
and warlocks, even the seers.
Their numbers were all they had on their side and she knew that
their advantage could quickly become a disadvantage if they didn’t have
power over their own minds and actions.
From the corner of her eye, she caught Devin, leaping and falling as
he wrestled with one of the azraels, holding onto him with an arm around
his neck as he tried to take flight.
Emori kept her ground position, standing still as she stared into the
sky.
Deianira didn’t drop her shadows as she watched, wondering what
she was doing, but her silent question was answered when almost a dozen
primas nearer to the front froze and dropped to the ground.
It was impressive, impressive enough for Deianira to take her eyes
off the openings for a second longer than she probably should’ve. But it still
wasn’t enough.
The enforcers were shooting, the primas were taking hits. But they
were still getting away.
They were still getting in.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighty-Five
“I’m scared.”
Akilah closed her eyes with a silent breath at Kenny’s words.
She pulled her closer under her arm, propping her up where they sat,
leaning against the wall. “I know,” she murmured. “But we’re gonna be
fine.”
She felt terrible that she didn’t know whether her words would turn
out to be the truth or not, but she needed to reassure her. She was the adult,
and freaking out, as much as she wanted to, would only incite panic.
“They’ll be back soon and then we can go home, okay?”
Kendria didn’t respond and Akilah didn’t need her to. She just
needed her to hear the words.
She sat up. “How about we play a game?” When they remained
silent, she sighed. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
Tyla brushed a stray curl from her face. “I don’t wanna have fun.”
Akilah made a face. “Fine,” she said, turning to Kenny. “Me and
Ken will play then.”
Ty quickly sat up. “Okay, I’ll play.”
Akilah hid her smirk, beckoning her so that they sat in a little
triangle. “I’m gonna pick something in the room and tell you the color, and
you have to guess what I picked. Got it?”
They both nodded.
She looked over to the door. “Black,” she announced.
Their little heads circled, looking around the room.
Kenny slapped her hands on her crossed legs. “Assault rifle!”
Akilah’s eyes widened and flew to the gun cabinet. “It was the
door…” she said slowly.
“Oh.”
She nodded. “But that’s good too,” she assured her, trying to smile.
“How about red?”
The game went on for a good twenty minutes before she saw the
girls getting bored, so she quickly tried to think of something else to keep
them occupied. She was halfway through creating another game when the
whole room shook.
She grabbed the girls, ready for a lengthy quake, but it wasn’t like
the last two times.
It was shorter. Like an extended jolt.
Kenny yelped as Tyla buried her head in Akilah’s stomach. She
closed her eyes, holding them in silence, just their hurried breaths filling the
room as they waited for something else to happen.
After a few minutes, Akilah lifted her head. “I think it’s ov-” Her
attempt at reassurance was cut off as she heard something.
Something soft, or it appeared to be since the sound came from right
outside the thick door. She stifled her gasp, not wanting to scare the girls as
the sound repeated, slightly louder this time. Closer.
She knew that the others would’ve announced themselves or sent
one of the girls a message. But this wasn’t one of them. Even Cassian
couldn’t have created the dull thuds she was hearing.
Her voice shook as her eyes moistened. “I’ve got another game,”
she whispered. Neither of them even looked at her, too focused on getting
as close to her as possible. “We’re gonna be real quiet…”
As Ty lifted her head, her mouth opening, Akilah shook hers. “No.
Quiet, okay?” she breathed, on the verge of tears as the steps grew closer.
When they stopped, Akilah pulled them both to her and tilted her
head to the ceiling so that they wouldn’t see her break.
They were surrounded by weapons, some of which she could
operate on a basic level. But she’d never felt so scared in her life. She
wasn’t like Deianira, Lia, or Salem. She couldn’t fight like them, defend
herself like them, let alone defend Kenny and Ty.
Gods, they’re children.
She was meant to protect them, but as she watched the handle flick,
she couldn’t even muster a defensive thought.
The handle flicked again. Like someone was trying to get in but
didn’t know how to.
She didn’t think it would take them long to figure it out, so she did
the only thing she could do. The only thing she was sure of and knew that
she could do well.
As the handle pushed down and continued to lower, she forced
herself to take a breath. “Occultare…” she whispered.
It pushed down some more.
“Concelo…”
The latch clicked.
“Obscuro…”
Akilah held her breath, keeping her iron grip on the girls as the door
opened.
The first thing that came into view was a leather slipper. Then, the
fringes of a cream dress. Then, the rest of the simple gown before a pale
feminine face appeared.
Akilah knew what she was just by her size.
She shook in place as the woman took careful steps into the open
room, looking around.
Her gaze traveled right over them, never stopping. Because she
couldn’t see them. Akilah had made sure of that.
At first, she worried that she might get closer, that she might go for
the case behind them and trip over their feet. But her eyes passed over the
guns with little interest. Yet she was still searching.
Amid her fear was confusion. What else would she want in a
weapons room if it wasn’t weapons?
The woman’s nose twitched as she drew closer, walking along the
perimeter of the room.
Oh Gods…
She could smell them.
Akilah’s head snapped to attention, almost knocking into the shelf
behind her as the woman’s gaze focused in their direction. She knew she
couldn’t see them, but that didn’t stop her heart rate from doubling.
If she didn’t smell them, she’d definitely heard them.
Her bright yellow eyes narrowed as she turned her body to face
Akilah, and she was proven right by her next deep, guttural words.
“Witch,” she whispered, her lips tipping up.
A shaky breath leaving her lips, Akilah slowly unwrapped her arms
from around the girls. Without giving herself a moment to second-guess her
decision, she shot up and revealed herself, only herself.
The woman’s eyes lit up, and before Akilah could mutter a word,
before she could even lift a hand, a shadow was hurtling toward her. Her
words died in her throat as they passed her lips. Her eyes widened in fear as
she tried and failed to take her next breath, but that wasn’t the only reason
she was scared. Her greatest cause of fear was the two little uniforms she
could see in the corner of her eye.
She’d dropped the veil.
Before the woman’s eyes could drop to them, Akilah choked as she
threw her arm out, mentally chanting. As she sent the closet suit rack
crashing onto the woman, the girls screamed, scrambling back to the wall.
The wooden rack broke over her, falling to pieces while she stood still, her
smile growing. No longer able to help it, Akilah grabbed her throat, gasping
for air as her eyes began to water and her senses began to weaken. Though,
not enough for her to not notice the change.
It wasn’t the sound itself that alerted Akilah to what happened next,
but the woman’s reaction. As if she’d only become aware of it when the
prima dropped her, grabbing her ears, Akilah grabbed hers too at the high-
pitched blare. Even behind her hands, she could hear it getting louder. Even
through her spotty vision, she could see the woman flying through the air.
But not toward them, toward the wall.
She hit the wall beside the door with a muffled thump and crumbled
to the ground, her shaky hands trying to shield her ears again.
Finally given a second to regroup, Akilah spun around to the girls,
ready to shield them from the sound, when she realized what was really
happening. Ty was sitting on the floor, her hands on her head. But Kenny?
She was in front of Ty, her small chubby fists balled as she stood,
rooted to the ground, her mouth open.
Akilah’s shock almost made her drop her hands.
Kenny was screaming.
She was screaming.
Throwing her attention back to the woman on the floor, she caught
sight of her body, pinned to the wall as if the sheer force of Kenny’s lungs
was holding her there. She clawed at the wall, reaching for the door as
blood began to trickle from her ear.
Springing into action, Akilah turned to Kendria, still protecting her
ears.
“Stop!” She couldn’t even hear her own voice over the noise and
had to repeat herself multiple times before the sound declined for a few
seconds and ceased.
Akilah ran for the shelf and grabbed the first gun she could get her
hands on, dashing to the woman before she could recover.
“Turn around and cover your ears,” she instructed over her shoulder.
She knew what needed to be done, but that didn’t mean that they
had to see, didn’t mean that Kenny had to be the one to do it. She almost
had done it. That’s why she’d stopped her.
She was five years old.
Akilah didn’t want to do it, didn’t think she even had it in her until
she saw what Kenny was about to do. But things were quickly put into
perspective.
Knowing that the girls had obeyed without having to look, she
raised the gun to the woman’s throat just as those eyes slowly blinked up at
her. She didn’t see an ounce of regret behind them, but she did see
acceptance.
Akilah put the barrel to the bottom of her chin, tilting it up. Then
she closed her eyes, willing her hands to stop shaking.
As Ty and Kenny flickered behind her closed lids, reminding her of
why she was doing this, she didn’t let another second go wasted.
BANG!
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighty-Six
Silence.
That was all it was for the next sixty seconds. It shouldn’t have been
unusual for Salem considering that it was all she’d heard for seven years.
But this was true silence.
Radio silence.
White noise.
Jaw fallen, she stared down at Nadeen, who still held the gun up,
frozen in place. Then she cast her eyes to Eulalia. Eulalia, who lay slumped
forward on the desk, blood seeping from the back of her head and pooling
around her.
She was too late.
She’d been so wrapped up in her conversation, in her feelings, that
she had lost objectivity. Her objective was to get to Lia as soon as possible,
but she let her emotions cloud her logic. Salem had felt guilt before, or
something akin to it at least, but she couldn’t quite describe what she was
feeling now.
She didn’t have to be down there to know that she wasn’t alive.
Maybe if it had been from a different angle, she might have made it, but the
amount of blood and the shell sitting on the keyboard said it all.
Dead.
In all her life, she’d never lost someone on a job, and if there were
losses, it had never been to any fault of her own.
That wasn’t the case anymore.
Lia…
As quickly as that gnawing feeling had sprouted in her gut, in came
another. Something much darker, far more sinister.
She hadn’t even been paying close enough attention to know why
Nadeen had pulled the trigger, but she didn’t want to know. There was no
reason, not one that was justifiable in her eyes.
As soon as the sixtieth second struck, Salem picked up her elbow
and sent it down onto the grate. With a dull shake, it went plummeting to
the ground. Nadeen’s head snapped down then up, her gun tracking the
movement.
It was too late though.
As the first round went off, Salem was already diving headfirst out
of the vent. Following a quick tuck, she released her legs from her chest just
before she landed, dropping onto one bent knee. She didn’t give Nadeen a
moment to reel as she rolled behind the desk, throwing her head down as
another shot rang out, hitting the desk just above her head.
It wasn’t about getting out alive. It wasn’t even just about revenge.
It was about balance.
Lia was gone. And Nadeen was still here.
The scales had tipped so far that Salem wanted to dig her own eyes
out. It wasn’t balanced and it wasn’t fair.
That was what she told herself, what she knew, what allowed her to
push past all sentiments and spring up from behind the desk, already turning
the knife over in her hand.
The first one knocked the gun right out of Nadeen’s grip. She could
only just nick her finger from the angle, but she made sure to send the next
one right through her fumbling hand.
Salem didn’t hear her pained cry, but she watched the agony bloom
on her face.
She allowed her thoughts to swim as she unclenched her jaw, letting
the last blade fall from her mouth and into her waiting palm.
Logically, it would’ve made more sense to throw it from where she
stood, to aim for her head. She knew she would’ve made it too, and there
was the benefit of less risk. But on top of that, it would have righted the
scales. A headshot for a headshot.
She let her eyes fall from Nadeen’s haggard figure to Lia. Her hair
covered most of her face, but as if the Gods were trying to send her a
message, there was the smallest gap between her curls, parting to frame her
empty brown eyes.
The sight evoked something in her. What it was, she wasn’t sure.
What she was sure of though was that she wasn’t too concerned about
balance anymore.
Just as the revelation hit her, she caught Nadeen stumbling past a
chair.
Blood coursing through her veins, Salem took a step around the long
desk. She saw Nadeen’s eyes drop to the gun on the ground, saw what she
was about to try before she’d even attempted it. Maybe she would’ve made
it if she hadn’t stumbled back, but neither of them would know now,
because the second she leaped for it, Salem took a running jump. Even she
was surprised with how far she got, having virtually no momentum behind
her. With Nadeen’s lowered stance, she was perfectly able to jump high
enough to land right on top of her, wrapping her legs around her neck. As
expected, Nadeen’s hand flew up to her thighs as she tried to steady herself,
but Salem was already wrapping her hand in her ponytail. She tugged and
unraveled her legs just in time to hit the floor as Nadeen went tumbling
down.
She might have lied about her intentions, maybe even about who she
was, but what Salem knew from the second she saw her stance with the
gun, what she confirmed as Nadeen scrambled to get out from under her
was painfully obvious.
She wasn’t trained.
Salem doubted that most of the primas were. They might have been
stronger, but from what she observed, they lacked discipline. Discipline that
was instilled in her since she was a child. All Nadeen had on her was
strength, and while Salem was sure of herself, she knew that the tables
could turn if she wasn’t careful.
As if she’d been listening in, Nadeen grabbed Salem’s ankle before
yanking it from beneath her. With a yelp, Salem fell on her side, her
shoulder smacking onto the ground. Nadeen was already trying to stand
before the throbbing ensued. Circling her legs, Salem skillfully swung
around onto one knee, dagger still clutched in her palm.
She’d already clarified in her mind that Nadeen lacked the skills to
best her, but she could’ve scoffed as she watched her try to scurry away.
She’d turned her back to her.
Salem would’ve loved to go off on a mental tangent about just how
unwise that was, but instead, she decided to give Nadeen a practical lesson.
Pulling back her arm, she released the final dagger. It wasn’t a kill
shot, but she didn’t want it to be. She caught her breath, strolling up to
where Nadeen had dropped, her mouth open, her back arched as she tried to
reach the knife that was stuck between her shoulder blades. With a growl,
Salem kicked at her shoulder, rolling her onto her front before yanking it
out herself. Her body contorted further as Salem thought about what else
she could do. Assuming that primas had the same anatomy as the gifted, a
stab wound in her gut would’ve probably drawn it out the longest. But
slashes might inflict more pain.
Salem was just worried about how fast their healing process was.
She didn’t have time to keep injuring her every time a wound closed.
Salem!
Her head spun. Cassian?
Where are you?!
Operations room. She thought about updating him, letting him know
what had just happened as she flicked a look at Lia.
Okay, stay there!
Are you coming here? she asked quickly, looking at the state of the
room. His heart would break.
No.
Halfway through her relieved breath, she paused. Why?
Just trust me.
What are you doing? she asked, staring down at Nadeen as she tried
to drag her body to the door.
Salem, ple-
Where are you?
Gods, she heard him sigh. The gardens. But stay where you are,
Salem, please. Stay inside.
With an annoyed rumble building up in her throat, Salem kept an
eye on Nadeen as she marched over to where the gun had been dropped.
She picked it up and squinted her left eye before reluctantly pulling the
trigger.
Did you hear me?
As soon as Nadeen stilled, her head gushing the same red that Lia’s
was, Salem took off to the window. She wasn’t even at the ledge yet when
she saw it. The swarm stretched so high that the sky even began to darken.
Primas. Azraels. Hundreds of them.
She cast her eyes down. That wasn’t all of them either.
There was no telling what they were, but they were climbing out of
a…hole?
Salem, what are you doing?
It was hard to see because of the shadows covering them, containing
them. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the front of the gardens. Deinaira
was in the air, and even from a distance, even from behind, Salem could see
the strain in her shoulders.
The others were there too.
Devin, Emori, Donnie.
And Cassian.
But he wasn’t fighting. He was behind a truck, looking up. At her.
Salem…
Even with the units behind them, there was no way they were going
to be able to hold them back for long, not that they were doing a fantastic
job anyway. They were sure to be overrun.
Salem looked back around the room. She needed something solid,
something heavy.
Her eyes snagged on a metal paperweight. It would do.
Grabbing it from the desk, and one of the daggers, she jogged back
to the window, catching his eyes again.
She placed the tip of the knife in the middle of the large glass pane
with her left hand.
Salem, don’t!
Drawing her right arm back, she channeled every ounce of energy
and residual anger she had left and struck the bottom of the handle with the
paperweight.
Salem!
She turned away as glass cascaded down the ledge and off the side
of the building. As soon as it had settled, she leaned over to see Cassian’s
outraged face, staring up at her.
Then she took a good ten steps back.
A quick breath.
Now.
She started running.
Salem, I swear to the Gods, if you-
She saw the moment his words cut off, the moment he realized that
she was airborne.
The way down was about as long as she expected, but her heart still
sped up as the small dots, the people, grew larger.
With about four seconds till impact, Salem slowly drew her legs in.
The soles of her feet hit the grass with a smack, but before the impact could
reverberate up her legs, she curled up and threw herself into a roll, trying to
get rid of the extra energy. She spun and bumped as she rolled for several
feet, trying to protect her face.
A figure came barreling toward her as she slowed, and apparently,
her calculations weren’t as perfect as she thought they were because it only
took her releasing her knees for her to feel the raw pain shooting up her left
leg.
She bit down on her lip. It was broken, she knew it was.
WHAT THE FUCK?!
She didn’t look at him as he dropped to his knees beside her.
Oh my fucking Gods, Salem! Why?!
“It’s broken,” she told him as he picked her up, hauling her behind
the truck.
No fucking shit! he snapped, his heart beating against her shoulder.
Wincing for her, he set her down by the tyre. What the hell were you
thinking?
Salem didn’t respond because he knew the answer.
Instead, she looked around for something. She was only in a shirt so
she couldn’t use that. She looked up at Cassian. “Please, can I have one of
your socks?” she asked.
His gaze flicked from her leg to her eyes. She could tell he wanted
to ask why, but instead, he tore off his boot before slipping off his sock.
Taking it from him, Salem held it out under her left leg, slowly
crossing the ends.
He finally asked. What are you-?
Clamping her teeth down on her tongue, she pulled the ends in as
tight as she could and made a knot, tugging them away from each other. As
his hands grabbed at her arms, presumably to stop her, she could feel the
bone almost set back into place, and though it was a little off, it would do
for the time being.
She gave herself a moment to breathe. Okay, she huffed, finally
looking back at his wild eyes. “I need a gun.”
He took his hands off her arms, glancing at her leg. That doesn’t
hurt?
“It’s excruciating,” she responded. “I need a gun.”
He cast his eyes down, touching her leg before looking back up
expectantly.
“I need a gun, Cassian,” she repeated, waving at him.
Sighing, he got close, reaching out to bracket her face with his
hands. I’m really trying to stay calm, and if you want me to do that, you’re
gonna need to slow down for me and talk. She nodded when he waited for
confirmation. Okay. Where’s Nadeen? Is Lia okay? And why the fuck did
you just jump out of that window?
She held his gaze, breathing slowly. He needed to know. But she
answered in order.
“Nadeen is dead.” She saw the responding flicker in his eyes.
You killed her?
“Yes.”
He nodded slowly.
Lia?
Salem looked away. “She-”
Her head almost hit her bent knee as the truck jolted behind her.
Cassian was dragging her up before it could collapse on its side.
She whipped her gaze from left to right.
Deianira wasn’t holding the openings anymore. She was trying to
knock them out of the sky, one by one. Devin and Emori were still fighting,
side by side now, as Donnie started to move the troops back.
She couldn’t make out what he was yelling, but the enforcers
listened and moved back one step at a time. Even though they kept their
lines tight, it was hopeless and she had a feeling that Donnie knew that. Left
and right, enforcers were picked off and dragged into the sky, some of them
being dropped, some of them being…
Salem couldn’t even work out what the primas were doing to them,
but it looked far from pleasant. A shadow enveloped one man, every part of
him, save for his head, was encased in black mist before a shadow parted
his lips.
She watched as his eyes sank, as his cheeks hollowed.
The life was being drawn from him.
Snapping her back into reality, bright lights flashed to her right,
revealing Cassian, his gun spitting bullets at the prima who’d managed to
round the fallen truck, all while he held her up with one arm.
Spotting an abandoned pistol on the ground, Salem tore herself from
his hold, dragging her leg behind her as she went for it.
Salem!
She let her eyes find him, ready for him to tell her to get back, but
instead, he launched his AK in her direction. Without thinking she caught it
as he marched up to her.
Up! he shouted down the link, grabbing her hand.
Salem didn’t hesitate as he tugged it up, and launched off her right
leg to jump onto him, wrapping her legs around her waist. The second she
was steady, he started sprinting in the direction of the palace.
She jolted and jostled in his grip as she lined up a shot over his
shoulder, eyes locked on the prima gunning for them.
She winced at the pushback as a few bullets tore from the gun.
She missed.
“Slow down,” she quickly told him.
Hesitantly, she felt his pace slow. Salem went for it again and sent
his head flying from his falling body.
Got him?
“Yes,” she panted.
His pace doubled as he bounded up the steps where most of the
others were already making their way inside.
The fighting never stopped. Even as they crossed over the threshold,
bullets, fire, and shadows flew back toward the garden at the onslaught. A
few even made it inside before they were quickly snuffed out by a few
swipes of Emori’s hands.
As Cassian drew to a stop, the doors finally being pushed shut,
Salem watched Cade haul Deianira back by her waist as she fought him, as
she screamed and erupted in expletives, her shadows moving madly around
her.
Cade murmured to her, saying words that Salem couldn’t see, but
whatever he was saying wasn’t working.
There were people still outside.
Maybe not them or the enforcers, but the city was free for the
taking. Most of the units had been diverted to the palace and it still wasn’t
enough. They’d just been given access to the rest of the city with little to no
resistance.
Cassian lowered her to the ground, setting her by the wall. He knelt
down. Stay here. Please, he begged.
Salem shook her head. Not to be defiant or resistant, but because she
had an idea. “I need to speak to Deianira.”
He turned over his shoulder to look at Deianira, who had barely
settled.
“I might be able to help.”
How?
Salem’s face straightened. “We don’t have time for me to explain it
twice.”
Cassian watched her for a moment. Will you let a healer see you?
“Yes,” she nodded, knowing the outcome would be dependent on
her answer.
He helped her up, trying to carry her before she smacked his hand.
None of the warlocks in the ballroom were professional healers, but a
young girl, a member of the cleaning staff, had done the best that she could.
The pain still prevailed but at least Salem could walk. Cassian had made
sure to quietly ask if the baby was okay, but the girl hadn’t even sensed the
pregnancy in the first place, which said a lot about her healing skills.
Deianira was pacing when they approached, unbeknownst to their
arrival, so Salem wasn’t surprised that she flinched when she called her
name.
Her eyes were red, crazed. She sucked in a breath, speaking instead
of signing. “Salem, not n-”
“Can I speak to you? In private.”
Deianira stopped, some of her bravado fading. She flicked a look at
Cade before nodding.
As soon as the others dispersed and Salem had managed to shoo
Cassian away, she threw everything out there. The plan had been
spontaneous, not very well thought out for her taste, but it was a plan and
they had nothing else. As she expected, Deianira refused at first, but when
she bluntly let her know just how dire their situation was and all the
possible outcomes, she conceded on the condition that she took Cassian
with her on her little trip. Salem had no objections, she was taking him
anyway.
Deianira quickly relayed the plan to the remaining members of the
council, Salem still neglecting to tell them about Lia, and again, as she
expected, Cassian refused. So did Devin. They put up a harder fight than
Deianira had, but Salem was persistent. She didn’t back down.
It wasn’t long before Cassian was standing in the only open space in
the ballroom, Emori working on a portal. But Salem pulled Deianira to the
side again.
She leveled her with a blank look, saying what she needed to say.
“It’s not your fault.”
Lowering her head, she averted her eyes. ‘Salem, I-’
Hesitantly, she reached out and stopped her hands, realizing the
misunderstanding.
“The attack,” she clarified. “It’s not your fault. The losses are not
your fault. Nothing that is happening right now is your fault. But if you lose
yourself, it will be. It isn’t over until we’re all dead and since that isn’t the
case as of now, you’re still responsible for their safety.”
Deianira bit her bottom lip, angling herself away from the others as
she started to blink.
“Stop it,” Salem said quickly. Not because there was anything
wrong with her tears or because they made her weak. She wasn’t really
referring to the tears in general. She was telling her to stand up, to get a
hold of herself when she was on the verge of spiraling.
“I’ve seen you fight your way through units of men, unarmed and
half-dead.”
Deianira’s chest rose. ‘But there’s so much more at stake now.’
She was right. There was. “That’s precisely why you can’t afford to
lose it.” Salem glanced away for a moment. “You might not have been a
good friend to me, but you are the best thing that has happened to these
people. You’ve saved them countless times, so you can do it until we get
back.”
For a while, Deianira said nothing. Then she inhaled, nodding.
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes flicking over Salem’s shoulder. “And I am
sorry.”
Salem nodded back. She knew that she was sorry for how things
turned out rather than her actions in the first place, and she didn’t blame her.
She chose her people, her family. Salem chose Cassian every day, so she
understood, as much as it did hurt. It was just unfortunate that she was on
the wrong side of the line when Deianira had to choose. It didn’t change the
past, but it was enough for now.
As soon as she got the go-ahead from Devin, she made her way
back to Emori, grasping Cassian’s sweaty hand.
She looked up to find his eyes already on her, but he didn’t say
anything. Assuming that meant he was agreeable, Salem peaked through the
gap at the bright forest and gave him a gentle tug, leading him through. He
followed willingly, but something about his eyes, something about his grip
on her hand told her that he wasn’t too sure.
The portal snapped shut behind them, leaving them in the midst of
the greenery.
In the middle of the forest.
The Patrias forest.
She wondered if she should have had some reaction, some welling
of emotion, considering what had happened the last time she was here. The
time that she came and didn’t leave, didn’t think she’d ever leave.
But there was nothing.
Peeking to the side, curious as to why Cassian was still yet to speak,
she surveyed his features. Was he feeling something? Was he okay? Was it a
good idea to come here in the first place? To bring him?
When his eyes finally found hers again, she saw something. It
wasn’t the answer to any of her questions, but it was something. Something
she’d seen before, but definitely not from him, and certainly not toward her.
Mistrust.
Salem…
She dropped his hand, turning to face him. “Why are you looking at
me like that?” she asked firmly.
His gaze was too dark, too untrusting. Eyes bouncing between hers,
Cassian’s features only softened a degree.
How did you know?
“How did I know what?”
The kitchen, he said.
She thought back to the kitchen in their place, still coming up empty
as to what he was asking her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Cassian took a moment to watch her face like he was scanning for a
lie. Then he looked down, then from side to side.
“Cassian-”
That night at my house. I was hungry and you asked if you should
call Lia to get something.
Salem nodded, glad they were getting somewhere, remembering it
perfectly. “Lia was in the kitchen.”
He went to continue, then paused, frowning. Whatever had stopped
him didn’t hold for long because he shook his head and carried on. You
didn’t know that, Salem.
Now Salem was frowning. He wasn’t making any sense. “Yes, I did.
I saw her walk toward the kitchen before we went into your room.”
But- Again, he cut himself off. Then he rephrased. She turned the
corner, out of sight. How did you know she went into the kitchen and not
some other room?
That dark look was in his eyes again, but Salem didn’t let it deter
her from answering honestly. “It’s the only room on that side of the wall,”
she answered plainly.
Was that it? Was he satisfied now?
Salem’s eyes narrowed as Cassian took a step back. Away from her.
His gaze turned mean. Almost cruel.
She really didn’t like that. No, she hated it. He was looking at her
like he didn’t know her.
Salem didn’t realize she’d been biting her tongue until the taste of
iron bloomed in her mouth.
Why is he looking at me like that?
Did he compel you?
She wasn’t entirely clued up on what was happening, but that
question had her pulse racing. “What?”
Cassian didn’t step back again, but he held his position. Did he
compel you? Podak.
She wanted to say no, it was the truth as far as she was concerned,
but if she had been, she wouldn’t have known anyway. That didn’t explain
what gave him that impression though. “Why do you think he compelled
me?”
His eyes narrowed. Did you hear what you just said?
No, but she did say it. And she remembered it too. “It’s the only
room on that side of the wall,” she repeated almost as venomously as he
asked. Cassian’s hand twitched at his side.
Salem clenched her fists. This isn’t what they were here for. It was a
waste of time, the most illogical thing to be doing, but it bugged her. She
didn’t know why it angered her that he suggested otherwise, but she knew
she was right.
“What is it?” she asked, voice raising. “It is. I know it is.”
Exactly.
So what were they doing?
Think, he said unsteadily. You know that, but you’re not supposed to.
He took in her stance, his hands ready like he was waiting for her to attack
him. Salem, you’ve never been there before. You told me that. A-and I
believe you. But you shouldn’t know that.
Her mind halted.
She’d heard his words, she understood his confusion…because she
was confused too. Salem thought back. She visualized the house, and she
could remember every detail, every corner, every turn, every room, every
floorboard. She remembered it like it was her own place. Like she’d lived
there for years.
She wanted to dwell on that, get lost in the realm of possible
explanations, but she still couldn’t understand why he was bringing it up
now, what had prompted the question.
Salem?
Everything rushed back in at the interruption, and she could see him
again in exactly the same place.
Oblivious to her racing thoughts, because she knew that he wouldn’t
have uttered his next words if he knew the strain her mind was already
under, Cassian asked a question that almost tipped her mind on its axis.
Why are we here?
Unlike before, she didn’t need him to elaborate. Not when neurons
were firing off in her brain at incomprehensible speeds. Her idea. The one
that she’d explained to the group. The whole reason she dragged him back
here.
She came looking for the only thing that might have given them a
fighting chance.
The flower. The hebeto, she answered.
With a pained expression, Cassian nodded. He knew what she’d
realized, that she’d caught up.
Her lips shakily parted. “I-I don’t know how-”
I know, he said softly. Slowly reaching back, Cassian pulled a pair of
cuffs off his thick belt. I’m gonna throw these over, he said roughly. Can
you put ‘em on?
Her breath hitched.
She knew he was trying to do the right thing. Probably a stupid
thing because he knew that she could’ve gotten out of them if she tried hard
enough. But he was trying to level. She needed to be restrained, temporarily
at least.
“Okay,” she breathed.
Like he said he would, Cassian tossed the cuffs onto the ground
between them before stepping back further. Salem picked them up without
hesitation, knowing that her mind could choose to rebel at any given
moment.
“I didn’t know,” she rasped.
I know, he murmured.
She clicked the first cuff on her right wrist. “I’m-”
You didn’t do anything wrong.
Salem could’ve cried as she deftly clicked the second cuff into
place. His voice was so much quieter. Not just because of his soft words. It
was the link, her gifts.
They were dampened.
She glumly looked back up at him.
Just in time to see him grab his gun and raise it.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighty-Seven
“Cassian,” she whispered, frozen.

What is he doing?
All it took was a head nod for Salem’s pulse to settle. Only to shoot
back up again.
He wasn’t pointing the gun at her. He was pointing it over her
shoulder.
Having no idea what she might have been coming to face, Salem
fought against every instinct and turned slowly instead of spinning around.
Her heart had the right idea to race.
The revelation she had just come to must not have fully eradicated
the numbness that had taken hold of her, because the emotions that came
rushing back were almost enough to make her knees buckle.
Because Podak was standing only a couple dozen feet from her.
As if she wasn’t already struggling to breathe, Podak placed one
leather boot in front of the other, taking a few steps closer.
Cassian, she wanted to call. She knew he was right behind her, but
she wanted to call him anyway, to hear him.
“That was a mistake.”
Salem lifted her eyes from Podak’s lips, trying to decipher his
words.
He didn’t always speak plainly, and she hadn’t done anything yet, so
she struggled to work out what the mistake was.
When his gaze flicked behind her, she assumed that Cassian had
said something, but she never took her eyes off him. She couldn’t have,
even if she wanted to. It was like every muscle in her body was frozen.
“You think me so boring? That compulsion is my only means to get
what I want?”
It was hard trying to read a one-sided conversation, but it didn’t take
her long to understand his implication.
He didn’t use compulsion. She wasn’t compelled. But she was
restrained. And if one thing went wrong, she’d have no power against it.
“She did not. You did,” he replied in response to whatever Cassian
had said.
Salem could practically feel him tense behind her.
Unable to help herself, she took a slow step, pivoting so that she
could see his face. “What did you do?” she saw fall from Cassian’s lips.
She swung her eyes back.
“Her neck was cut open,” Podak said, a smirk appearing. “I don’t
know how she was still alive, but she was gonna bleed out if I didn’t do
something.”
Salem couldn’t stop her brows from dipping. Where had she heard
that before?
“So I started digging.”
The blood drained from Cassian’s face as Salem’s heart fell to her
feet.
You dug? she recalled to herself.
“You dug?” Podak echoed.
“What did you do?” Cassian demanded again, his grip on the gun
wavering.
“I wasn’t sure if it would even work with it being magic and all…”
But something just told me to.
“...but something just told me to.”
And just like that, Salem was there, sitting in front of Devin as his
hands shook, as his knee bounced. As he poured his heart out about Emori.
About how he needed Cassian’s help.
Salem dragged her gaze back to Podak again.
Podak was a seer. Salem wasn’t sure when, and by the look on
Casssian’s face, he didn’t know either, but Podak could’ve seen those
memories. It was explainable. What wasn’t explainable was how she knew.
How she knew his home like the back of her hand, how she remembered
that conversation word for word.
“You were there?” Cassian asked, slower this time, his throat
working.
Podak shook his head, his shoulders bouncing. “No. But she was,”
he retorted, flicking a look to her.
Cassian’s gaze snapped to her as Podak continued.
“You just could not stand to let her go, could you?” He rolled back
on his heels, looking all too pleased with himself. “It is with regret that I
admit you have a strong bond with my betrothed.”
Cassian’s eyes hardened.
“A bond strong enough for me to feel, even days away. What was it
that your friend said? Channeling?” He nodded. “I have not heard of that
word before, but I like it.”
Channeling?
“They told you to close it, but you did not listen. Every second you
kept that link open was a week of access to your mind.” Podak’s face grew
pitiful as he took in Cassian’s rigid stance. “As you see, my bride is not at
fault. I took nothing from her. Only you.”
Salem gaped at him, not entirely up to speed and not caring to be.
I took nothing from her…
He almost took everything.
“Come here,” he called.
For a reason she couldn’t even begin to unpack, Salem took a step in
his direction.
Then she stopped.
What am I doing?
She was the one that had taken the step, it was a conscious decision.
He hadn’t compelled her, but she still did it. Then she realized that she
didn’t have to listen to him. Without the threat of punishment hanging over
her head, his words were empty. Meaningless.
Salem stepped back and she didn’t stop until she could see Cassian
in the corner of her eye. She might not have told him no, but her choice was
clear.
Choice. She had a choice and she took it.
The tremble that racked through her at the look of outrage on
Podak’s face almost had her caving, but she held her ground.
“Come. Here.”
She finally opened her mouth. “No.”
Through all his anger, she couldn’t understand why he wasn’t
compelling her. At first, she wondered if his reluctance might have been
because of Cassian’s presence, but he wasn’t careful. He was rageful and
impulsive. He would have done it already, but he didn’t. He couldn’t.
She hadn’t been mistaken back then.
He couldn’t compel her. He never did.
Every time he had ‘compelled’ her, someone else was there. Every
single time, whether it was her and Lilo, or just her and Podak, Nadeen was
always close.
Thinking back, Salem had never actually seen her perform a vision.
Of course, she’d assumed that she had a vision when she took her to
Cassian the night she ‘saved’ her. But if the plan was to get into The Dome
all along, then she wouldn’t have had to see anything.
Nadeen wasn’t a seer at all. She was psionic.
An unexpected wave of upset hit Salem. It wasn’t like she didn’t
know that she was playing both sides by now, but the hurt still resurged.
She had spilled her heart and cried in front of this woman, all while she was
privy to her thoughts the whole time.
Salem’s daze must have been obvious because Podak took the
opportunity to lunge at her.
Snapping out of it, she spun out of his way, cursing herself for being
so hasty with the cuffs when she almost lost her balance. Unable to halt so
quickly, Podak landed right in Cassian’s path, obviously not prepared for
the rounds of bullets that he put in his chest.
He fell to the ground, clutching the offended flesh.
Throughout the somewhat civil interaction, Salem had been focused
on Podak, on his words, on his actions, on everything that had her attention
wrapped in fear. What she hadn’t been paying attention to was Cassian.
If she had, she might have seen the look on his face, maybe even felt
the fury pouring off him, even with her abilities dampened. Maybe she
would’ve seen the next move he made before he even thought of it, maybe
she could’ve prevented it. But he was already making the dumbest decision
she’d ever seen from him, one she didn’t think his rage could even allow.
She watched with regrettably focused attention as Cassian pulled his
gun strap off his shoulder and threw it as far as she could see.
Her blood chilled as he dove for Podak with a punishing blow to the
head, Podak already trying to get back up.
He shouldn't have done that. It could’ve all been over with a shot to
his head, but Cassian looked too lost for logic as he hit him again, and
again, and again. With each blow, Podak roused a little more, the element of
surprise wearing off as he made more headway in getting up.
She could’ve screamed at him for his stupidity, for his pride, but she
held back for fear that she might distract him, and for the knowledge that
she’d done the same thing in the operations room. But Nadeen wasn’t
Podak. He’d lived, eaten, and breathed beside Pola for years.
Rather than jumping into the fray, she turned and darted in the
direction that she’d seen him throw the gun. Hands bound and heart
thudding, her boots took off through the brush as she forced herself not to
teeter. Less than a minute had passed when she spotted the black object
sitting in a blanket of grass. She swiped it up, pivoting before she made a
mad dash back to them.
By the time she’d cleared the distance, she caught the shiny glimmer
of a knife in Podak’s hand as they fought, matching each other on every
blow.
Cassian’s face was a mask of pure rage as he dodged a fast slash,
while Podak looked ecstatic. It was like he was feeding off of his anger,
even as blood poured down his own face.
Without hesitation, she lifted the rifle and realized her error in the
same second.
She couldn’t shoot.
Even if they were separated enough for her to get a clear shot, she
couldn’t pull the trigger. Not with her hands bound the way that they were.
She couldn’t hold the rifle and reach the trigger at the same time.
A jerking movement pulled her eyes back to them. Podak was down
on one knee again, but his hand wasn’t low. His closed fist was pressed
firmly against Cassian’s abdomen, the blade nowhere to be seen.
Her eyes flew to Cassian where he stood, feet apart, his stance rigid
as he clutched Podak’s hand.
It only took another second for the first drop of blood to hit the
ground.
Salem’s eyes widened. Without thinking, she cried more than
growled, “Podak!”
She didn’t do it to distract him or to give Cassian an advantage, she
had other plans. She might not have been able to shoot the gun, but they
didn’t know that.
Salem turned the rifle in her hands, pressing the barrel under her
chin.
He wanted her. That’s why he was doing this. And she made her
threat very clear.
“No!” she watched them shout simultaneously.
But while she expected them to scramble apart, they didn’t. In fact,
her action had accomplished the opposite of what she wanted. While
Cassian was distracted, Podak tugged the knife from his abdomen and
pulled him back against his chest, the knife coming to his throat in seconds.
“Don’t,” she gritted out, forcing her eyes to stay away from Cassian,
to stay on Podak.
“Put it down,” he said, his face tight.
“Let him go.”
He bared his teeth and pressed the blade against Cassian’s neck, his
Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Stop!” she yelled, gripping the rifle tighter. “Stop! I’ll do it!” she
lied.
Her traitorous eyes fell to Cassian’s face, allowing her to finally see
the look of understanding on his face. Whether he knew she couldn’t do it
or not, he knew she wouldn’t.
Giving her a slow blink, he struggled against Podak. “Salem, put it
down.”
“You should listen to him,” Podak snarled, angling the blade until
she saw the slightest trickle of blood make its way down Cassian’s throat.
“Let him go,” she said again. “Please,” she added.
Whether Podak was a monster in his own right or one created by
those who’d wronged him, Salem didn’t know. But she knew that her last
word would make a difference, evidenced by the way that his eyes softened.
His jaw worked. “You will come with me?” he asked, his gaze
almost trying to stay firm.
“Yes,” she nodded emphatically, knowing that with his first step
away, she’d throw Cassian the gun to put a bullet through his head.
He glared down at Cassian. “Put it down first.”
Not a risk she was willing to take. “No.” She shook her head. “You
first.”
His face hardened again, sending worry shooting right up her spine.
Then finally, he moved.
It was a subtle movement, but a movement all the same.
One that was enough to make her eyes widen as she jolted forward,
preparing herself to watch Cassian’s limp body fall to the dirt.
But that wasn’t what happened.
Podak wasn’t going to slit his throat. He was pushing him away.
At first, at least.
But Salem knew that that wasn’t the case anymore when she felt the
gun slip through her fingers.
There was a moment of stillness as it hit the ground.
She looked down and back up. So did Podak. And so did Cassian.
And when the realization of her mistake had finally dawned, several
things happened at once.
Salem dropped for the gun that was useless in her hands. Cassian
spun on Podak, reaching for his own blade. Podak yanked his arm away
from Cassian’s face and back toward himself.
Salem frowned as she watched the scene in slow motion. It took a
while for her to interpret the full image, but when she did, every cell in her
body stopped moving.
Because clutched in Podak’s drawn-back hand was his dagger. That,
she’d expected. Not the blood though. But the blood did explain several
things. Things like why he hadn’t leapt for Cassian again, why Cassian let
his knife fall from his hand.
“Cassian?” she croaked.
In three slow, clompy steps, Cassian turned to face her.
The stab wound to his abdomen wasn’t fatal, it was barely four
inches deep by the look of the knife. Even in the forest with no medical aid,
it would heal, a long and painfully healing process, but it would’ve healed.
A through and through jugular laceration on the other hand?
“It’s okay…” she watched him say, his hand coming to clutch his
neck, as his right knee gave out.
Her eyes blurred, her hands went cold, and her lungs seized.
Salem didn’t run to him. She walked. Slowly.
Partly because she wasn’t sure if she was seeing things correctly and
wasn’t in a rush to confirm her delusions, and partly because she couldn’t
run. Not with the way her legs shook.
“Cassian,” she called again as if another face might have met her as
she neared.
She wasn’t even looking at Podak, but she saw him step back in her
periphery. Whether it was from regret or something else, she wasn’t too
concerned.
Finally making it half a foot from him, Salem paused.
In her stroll, more blood had begun to pour from his neck.
He shook his head as he looked at her, head-on. “I’m fine,” he said,
but she wasn’t sure if any sound actually left him.
The last thirty seconds snapped back in her mind, finally releasing
her muscles so that her instincts could kick in.
Throwing her bound arms behind his head, she cradled him as she
gently pushed him back to the ground. Pulling her arms back, she removed
his bloodied palm.
“No…” A raspy breath flew out of her at the surge of blood that
spurted from beneath his palm as she hurriedly pressed it back.
No, no, no…
She didn’t have anything. She could barely pull her hands an inch
apart.
Think, Salem!
Stretching her right hand over the metal, she tried to reach her
bracelet. She just needed a portal. She needed to get him back so they could
heal him.
She grunted in frustration as her fingers brushed her wrist, just out
of reach.
A sticky hand touched her wrist.
As soon as her eyes were on his, he started with his lies again. “I’m
fine, Sae…” he said, even as his chest stuttered, as he gasped between
words.
When she realized that he’d removed the hand that was clutching his
wound, she grabbed it and put it back. “Stop that!” she snapped.
As quickly as she’d placed it back and started her task again, he
removed it to touch her. “It’s okay…”
“Cassian, stop it!” She put it back. “Stop it!” she said again, both
enraged and more scared than she’d ever been in her life.
When he lifted it again, she abandoned her efforts to reach her
bracelet and held her own hands to both sides of his neck. His throat
worked beneath the metal chain and she would’ve eased up it wouldn’t have
meant…
No.
“Call Emori,” she told him quickly.
Cassian closed his eyes for a beat too long.
“Cassian!” she screamed. “Move your hand and call Emori! I’ve got
it.”
She couldn’t release his neck. He had to do it.
He met her eyes, so much swimming behind his. “It’s okay,” he said
slowly.
“No, it’s not!” she snapped. “You will die,” she warned, choking as
her own words washed over her.
“I know.”
“Please. Call Em-” She stopped as his words sunk in. Pressing her
hands harder against his neck, not knowing whether it was to help him or
punish him for his stupid comment, she hardened her gaze. “Call. Emori,”
she growled.
His lip wobbled as he started to cough, blood coating his tongue.
Oh Gods…
“You know it won’t make a differe-”
“CALL HER!”
“Sa-”
She rose off her haunches, looking down at him. “NO! You…you
said you wouldn’t do this again!”
“You’re gonna be ok-”
“Just STOP! LYING!” she screamed. “You keep lying! CALL
EMORI!”
More blood seeped between her fingers. If she pressed any harder,
the chain would choke him.
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want you to be sorry!”
He gasped, swallowing. “Salem, let go,” he said, his eyes finally
fluttering.
“No, no, please!” she begged. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” she said. She
didn’t even know what she was sorry for.
Knowing that she was too far and that her power wasn’t intact didn’t
stop her from trying.
EMORI!
She waited.
EMORI!
Still nothing.
Warmth bloomed on her wrist again, and when she met his eyes, that
fake reassuring smile was finally gone, and some small part of her wanted it
back.
He blinked quickly, Salem thinking that he was growing light-
headed until a single tear fell down the side of his face.
“You’re gonna be fine, Sae…I promise.”
Her anger subsided against her will. “I won’t,” she rasped, shaking
her head.
“You are. You said it.” He choked, drawing in a breath. “You don’t
need me to protect you…or take…care of you. You can do it yourself.”
Salem’s chest caved as her face crumbled. “I don’t want to…” she
breathed.
“But you can.”
She shook her head vigorously as tears distorted his face. “But I
don’t want to!” she ground out.
“You-”
She scrambled for anything to say to make him lift his wrist. “What
about the baby?” she blurted.
At once, he paused, not an ounce of reassurance on his face. She
almost broke as his lip trembled, as his eyes left hers to look up, as he
inhaled a light shaky breath, She knew it was mean, manipulative at best,
but she pushed.
“It might be a girl,” she whispered.
He didn’t smile, didn’t look at her as his chest started to shake. “I’m
so sorry…”
She wasn’t having it. “We’ll go see. You just have to call Emori,”
she stuttered.
He gasped, his throat working. “I wanted to- I-” He swallowed. “I’m
sorry…”
“Please, call her,” she cried, finally giving up and letting her tears
run free. “We can talk ab-bout it later, okay? J-just, call her, Cassian, please,
call her…” she gasped. “Don’t,” she cried when he went to shake his head,
almost making her loose her grip. She straddled him to firm her hold. “You
just have to call her…” she rasped. “That’s it. Please, okay?”
His lips still moved, but she couldn’t make out anything. So she kept
talking. Saying random things, anything that he would’ve liked, anything
that might have made him want to stay.
“I love you…” she said, trying to steady her breaths.
Hope soared in her heart when he blinked up at her, his eyes still
hazy but steadily on hers.
“Did you hear me? I said I love you, okay?”
Salem leaned closer as his lips parted. “I…I…” Her eyes threatened
to fall out of her head as his rolled back.
“No, no, no, Cassian.”
His eyes finally stopped rolling back and she was almost relieved.
Until they unfocused.
Until they emptied.
She shook him, trying her best not to strangle him. “Cassian.”
A second passed.
Then two.
Then three.
With a growl, Salem pulled her hands from his neck and grabbed his
wrist. She made quick work of unlocking it and sending a message to Devin
since he was at the top of the list. Then she dropped his hand and held his
neck again.
“I called Devin,” she whispered with feigned cheerfulness, looking
over his vacant eyes. “Emori will b-be here any minute,” she breathed.
“And then you can see a healer.” She nodded to herself. “You’re fine.”
She looked around for the portal, sniffing. “Any minute,” she
whispered. “You’re…okay. You told me,” she gasped out. The words felt
like gravel in her throat.
She just needed to calm down.
Knowing exactly what to do to make that happen, Salem shuffled
down on him and put her head to his chest.
She almost bit through her tongue as she waited.
One. Just one.
…
Just start.
…
Frustrated, Salem started the clock herself.
One, two, three, four, five…
No amount of prompting would make it start.
Eight, nine, ten, eleven…
Please start.
Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen…
Please.
Twenty-five, twenty-six…
The only thing she felt was her own heart.
She could’ve sat there for the next week, waiting, she wanted to.
But she knew.
Haunted, her heart slowing, Salem slowly drew her head from his
chest and met those eyes.
That’s how she really knew.
He wasn’t looking at her. And he always looked at her. Whether he
was mad, happy, distraught, or just bored. He always looked at her.
But he wasn’t anymore.
And it was at that second that Salem finally allowed herself to come
to the conclusion that she’d been dreading since he lied to her and told her
that he was okay.
“There are no numbers…” she whispered, slowly pulling her hands
back from his blood-caked neck. Her face crumbled as she let go of the
ragged sob that clawed its way up her throat.
Sucking in a deep breath, she tilted her head to the sky…
And she screamed. She just screamed. She didn’t know how long
she screamed for, didn’t know who she was screaming at, but she couldn’t
stop. She had a feeling that moving her gaze from him might have helped,
but she refused. She let his beautiful eyes haunt her as screamed and
screamed until her throat burned. Until she could almost hear her own
shattered cry in her head.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighty-Eight
From the moment her last cry faltered, she gave herself thirty seconds.
She didn’t take her eyes off him for one.
Just thirty seconds to breathe, to get her wits about her, to say sorry.
And as soon as that time was up, she dragged herself to her feet.
Slowly stumbling over to the abandoned gun, Salem kept Podak in
her sights. It wasn’t hard. He’d barely moved. He’d watched the whole
time, sitting with his back to a tree, his eyes trailing her as she walked on
numb feet.
Picking it up, she dropped to the ground again, holding it between
her knees, watching him.
“There was nothing that I could have done, was there?”
Neglecting to respond, she started grasping at the longest strands of
grass she could find, pulling them from the root. She had about half a
handful when she looked back up.
“What is it that makes you scream for him when you only ever
screamed because of me?”
Softly twisting the strands together, she slotted them through the
trigger guard before carefully bringing the two ends to her lips, biting down
on them, not with enough force to break them though. Then she started the
delicate process of bowing her legs so that they made a diamond, shifting
her bound hands below the barrel, lining it up as she held the end steady
with her feet.
“...do not understand you. I was not given the love that I gave you.
Yet it was never enough…”
When she was sure that it was in the right position, she tried not to
breathe too hard so as not to shift the butt of the gun where it lay on her
chest.
Three, two, one.
Salem closed her eyes and pulled her head back as fast as she could,
forcing the twined grass to pull against the trigger. She may not have heard
the shot, but she felt it as the pushback forced the butt straight into her face,
knocking her back.
She didn’t cry out as her lip throbbed, there was nothing left to cry
for. Besides, it was her right hand that automatically came up to her face to
examine, her right hand that wasn’t connected to her left hand anymore.
It worked.
Salem licked her bloody lip and picked the gun back up, standing.
Podak was still there, was still talking. Watching her like she’d done
him wrong.
Whatever he was saying was quickly cut off by the spray of bullets
that hit the tree above his head. She wasn’t aiming for him, she just wanted
him to wipe that mopey look off his face. It wouldn’t have changed the
outcome, she was still going to kill him, but that look, like he was hard
done by, was really grating on her nerves, which was saying something
considering the fact that she couldn’t feel much of anything.
He leaped out of the way, surprise flashing across his face.
She understood and didn’t at the same time.
He’d never seen her, the real her, but she also wondered why he
thought there wouldn’t be repercussions. She’d seen him drown a man for
berating her, and he didn’t even love her. All that he felt was infatuation. So
why did he not expect her to replicate the sentiment for a man that she
actually loved?
Just like he had done, the one thing she’d cursed him for, Salem
tossed the gun to the side. But she wasn’t mad with rage, her rage was more
controlled, calculated. He was stronger, he could incapacitate her with one
touch. So she needed to make sure he didn’t touch her. That was going to be
a task with her legs and arms exposed, but she had just enough of her sanity
left to get it done.
“What are you doing?!” he exclaimed as he rolled away, jumping to
a stand.
She didn’t respond as she continued her advance, swooping low to
pick up his knife, the same knife.
Finally, that dumb look was gone as he started stepping back. “I
know that you are saddened, but-”
Salem pulled back her arm and threw the dagger, hitting him in his
chest.
He choked and he grabbed the handle, still walking back. She
followed him, taking two steps for his every one. When he finally yanked
the knife from his chest and took a swipe at her, she almost bristled.
Usually, she’d welcome the challenge, the pain. She liked to fight,
sometimes kill, not execute. But as she dodged, she remembered that she
wasn’t the only person that she had to look out for. If she was, she might
have let him stab her, just to feel something.
Before he could pull back, she seized his clothed wrist, twisting it
back to pull the knife from his hand. He bent to the side with his hand,
giving her the perfect angle to hook a leg around the back of his knee and
draw it from beneath him. He was rolling before she made it on top of him,
clutching his chest. When he reared up on one knee and made a grab for her
leg, she jumped over his reaching arm, sending a roundhouse kick to his
head before she landed.
His head snapped to the side as a few drops of blood sprayed from
his mouth. The move had been spontaneous, but she subconsciously noted
that if she surprised him with the contact, he wouldn’t be able to use it
against her. Before he’d even recovered, she drew up her opposite leg and
sent a knee into the other side of his head. While he did fall, he managed to
grab a fistful of her shirt, swinging her to the ground beside him.
She grabbed the knife from where he’d dropped it and was up as
quickly as she’d hit the ground, regretting it for a moment as she shook off
the dizziness. Feeling him move more than seeing it, she swiped out as
forcefully as she could, her fist connecting with something rather than the
knife. Finally blinking her vision clear, Salem watched him grab his throat,
gasping for air as he kicked out. Reflexes failing her, she fell back as his
foot caught her leg. Her broken leg. Evidently not as healed as she thought
it was, fiery pain sprouted up her whole leg, pulsing from the area of
contact.
Just like that, gone was the broken-hearted man, and in his place
was a bitter one. He launched himself at her with inhuman speed. Eyes
doubling, Salem gripped the knife with both hands and spun it, just as he
landed on top of her. He didn’t gasp like she thought he would. It was more
of a steady jerk as his lips slowly parted. Then a short squirm as she gritted
her teeth, dragging the knife higher up his sternum. She could’ve been sick
as she felt the warmth of him hit her stomach and slide down her sides. His
writhing only sped up the process, his movements sending more of his
innards spilling out.
With a final jerk of her hands, Salem sawed, dragging the blade
through his stomach until she passed his ribcage, finally loosening her grip
on the handle.
His mouth was still opening and closing, trying to form words. The
only thing she could make out was his last one. “...tainted.”
Not wanting to know what he meant, she shoved him off her with all
her might. She knew that he was still alive, but that didn’t stop her from
following after him on her knees and retrieving the dagger. Without
pausing, she took it to his neck.
Then, she started cutting.
His eyes bugged as his hands left his open stomach to clutch hers,
but they were weak, slow. It barely took any effort to bat them away.
The knife was relatively sharp, but she still felt like her arm was
about to fall off as she sawed and sawed. If Deianira could restore people,
then so could a prima azrael. She was making sure that that wouldn’t
happen. Back and forth, she dragged the knife lower and lower through his
neck, only slowing down to watch his face as his hands fell to his sides.
Those see-through eyes watched her in horror, begging for mercy. Her
mercy. She met his gaze, making her next pass more aggressive, letting him
know that she had none. Finally, his eyes zoned out. She didn’t stop though.
After a grueling three minutes, his head rolled an inch from his
shoulders. Salem sat back on her haunches, observing her work.
She waited for the calm, for the satisfaction, but it never came. His
wrong had been righted and the scales had been balanced yet not one bone
in her body reveled in it.
Forcing out a rough breath, she lifted the knife again, cutting away
the rest of his shirt. She ignored the pain in her dead arms as she started
cutting again, but her cutting wasn’t random this time, it wasn’t deep either.
It was an inscription.
She brushed away the tears that fell onto his chest as she continued,
biting down on her tongue to stop them. She wished that she hadn’t killed
him so quickly so that he might have felt the pain as she carved, letter after
letter, waiting for her own pain to alleviate.
She pulled back.
CASSIAN
She’d done it, she’d reclaimed the life lost.
But still, the pain prevailed.
Her skin itched and her hands twitched, both were things that she
felt when things were unbalanced. But there was balance. What was lacking
was fairness. It was only then that she realized the difference.
Objectively, they were just two lives. But Podak’s life held no value
to her. That had to have been why she could practically hear the blood
rushing through her own veins.
It wasn’t fair.
Each breath of his was life to her. A life.
She looked up, willing herself not to scream again.
Twenty-six lives. She could do that. She would do that. If not to
make her heart stop feeling like it was going to implode in her chest, then
for him.
On cue, a weak spark flashed to her left.
She wanted to shake her head at the timing, but she knew that he
was right. It wouldn’t have made a difference. She could see that now. It
still didn’t settle a cell in her. The only way to do that would be to reclaim
the twenty-six she yearned to free the souls of.
Rather than sitting there and waiting, she took the short stroll to her
pack. The one beside him. Salem refused to look as she picked it up before
trailing along to the line of trees to collect what she came for, what they
came for. Once she’d filled it to the brim, she mentally prepared herself for
her next task.
She forced her lip not to tremble as she hooked her arms under his.
No numbers…
Salem shook her head, dragging him back to the almost-open portal.
Just as she reached it, she looked over her shoulder to see the ballroom, but
she didn’t focus on the faces as she hauled him over the barrier.
She knew that they had barely been gone thirty minutes, that it was
still morning, maybe early afternoon. But the hall seemed darker, quieter in
a sense.
Gently letting him down, Salem closed her eyes for a moment,
taking a breath.
Twenty-six…
Twenty-six and it would all be done.
The first set of eyes she met were Deianira’s. She watched her with
more caution than she’d ever seen in her gaze. That was understandable
considering her appearance, but Salem wasn’t paying too much mind to the
blood that coated her body like a second skin. She was wondering why
neither Deinaira nor Emori, the only council members left in the room,
were looking at him.
They weren’t looking at Cassian. They were looking at her.
Salem took a half-turn, letting her gaze scan the room that was less
full now. She saw the same look on their faces.
Looks of caution, of fear.
She cut her eye, turning to Deianira.
Her words were the only show of vulnerability she allowed herself.
“Can you stay with him?” she asked so quietly.
Her mouth opened and closed several times.
Sighing, hoping that she would grant her one request, Salem went to
turn to the entrance.
“Sa-” she watched her try to say, but she was already approaching
the doors. By the bar across it, she immediately knew that lockdown was in
effect, but the ballroom entrance was the only one with an emergency
opening mechanism, one that she was a part of designing.
Either from shock or confusion, no one stopped her as she initiated
the fail-safe with a few soft clicks. She opened the doors and took in the
desolate state of the gardens. There were fewer primas than before, the
others probably spreading out around the city. But there were enough.
There were more than twenty-six.
That was all she needed.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Eighty-Nine
Thirty minutes earlier…
Salem!
No answer.
Salem, where are you?!
Nothing.
His wide eyes flicked up to Aiko and Lilo.
Logically, as she would’ve loved to say to him, he knew that he
couldn’t leave them. Or take them with him. Not if things were as bad as
Don had said they were.
Why isn’t she answering?
Salem wasn’t forgetful. She wouldn’t even need to set a reminder to
check in, she was probably counting the seconds in the back of her mind.
The only reason she wouldn’t respond was if she was too far, or if she
was…
He grabbed Aiko's wrist again. “I need someone to go inside! Right
now!”
“Why-”
“Salem’s not responding,” he breathed. “Just…just check on her,
Nadeen had a gun.”
Cassian didn’t even move as he waited for a response.
“Jacobs is heading up.”
His chest sagged. “Thank-”
Woosh…
His back went straight.
The automatic doors.
Where they stood, they were only around the corner from the
reception desk, less than a thirty-second walk away.
“Come on,” he quietly hissed, reaching for the kids as he hurried
back toward the steps.
They weren’t necessarily quiet, but they were quick and that was all
he could ask for. He hadn’t seen who entered, so he hoped that they hadn’t
been seen either.
“How many people are in the building?” he asked quietly.
“Seventy-five hundred. I don’t know how many teachers,” Aiko
responded, flicking a quick look over his shoulder.
Cassian cursed under his breath.
It was the teacher who screamed as he swung the door open, holding
it so it wouldn’t hit the wall. Cutting her a look, he shoved them in before
pulling his strap over his shoulder and tossing his gun into Aiko’s fumbling
hands.
Then he closed the door on them.
It was only a matter of seconds before he heard hands slapping the
door.
“Cassian, wha-”
Sensing the fear pouring through, Cassian got as close as he could.
“I’m coming back. I’m just gonna see who’s downstairs,” he said loud
enough for them to hear, but, hopefully, quiet enough that he wasn’t heard
by whoever was at the reception.
There was a shaky huff. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Just wait till I get back. And…keep her safe,
okay? You’ve got my gun. Use it if you need to.”
He could hear the footsteps getting closer, but he needed some sort
of confirmation.
“I will.”
With a sigh, he pulled back from the door and headed back down the
hall.
He was distracted at the time, but he only heard one set, maybe two.
That wasn’t a lot considering the extent of his power. But for once, he was
actually scared, was actually trying to be cautious.
One, because he couldn’t keep her safe if he wasn’t alive. He knew
that the others wouldn’t let anything happen to her if they could help it, but
it wasn’t enough for him.
And two? Keeping his back to the wall as he reached the staircase,
he checked his bracelet.
She was still yet to check in.
CASSIAN: Anything?
JACOBS: Not yet. On the top floor now.
He could hear them again. More footsteps, definitely more than one
set.
Cassian waited at the top of the stairs for as long as he could. He
wanted to hear back before he went down, and the waiting was killing him.
Clenching his jaw, he hit the button that he knew would probably end up
getting him into trouble.
“I’m about to head in,” Devin whispered.
“Can you hear anything?” he whispered back.
There was a pause.
“Dev-” Cassian almost lost his footing as a shot rang over the line.
“Get in there! Now!” he bellowed, uncaring of near ears.
“It won’t let me in!”
“Kick it down!” he yelled, pulling his wrist closer.
He waited until he heard that distinct thud. Then there was silence.
Silence that allowed Cassian to hear the boots getting closer on the
ground floor.
Shit, shit, shit!
For a moment, there was just static.
His heart jumped. “Devin!”
He sputtered over the line. “She…she-”
“You think I cannot smell the lie on your lips?”
Everything else fizzled out as Cassian dropped his wrist and honed
in on the voice.
“I told you,” a second voice replied weakly. “He’s not here.”
He wasn’t even conscious of his movement until his feet were
carrying him down the steps and toward the two distant figures. The large
figure with a hand locked around the neck of a much, much smaller one,
both of them hard to make out with the man’s back to him.
“Let us see then…” the larger one sneered as his features became
clearer.
Just as Cassian mentally caught up to what he was seeing, the man
drew his hand back and struck the other person.
Before her body, Salem’s body, had even hit the ground, Cassian had
launched himself into the air, dropping just in time to hit Podak in the head
with the butt of his gun. Podak stumbled forward a few steps, barely
missing her, but he didn’t fall.
He whirled on Cassian with a fist that he swiftly dodged before
Podak reached for his sheath on his leather-strapped thigh. Cassian kicked
his hand before he could grab his knife. Podak used his forceful kick to
propel himself into a backward roll before he grabbed Salem from where
she was trying to pick herself up. He hauled her back in his crouched
position, halting Cassian’s steps when he saw him finally palm his knife.
“Don’t,” he whispered, forcing his feet to stay planted.
Like he was expecting, Podak’s face split into a smile that had
Cassian questioning whether he could shoot him in the head before he could
do anything with that knife.
He tipped his mouth to Salem’s ear, his grin widening. “Little
liar…”
Cassian finally looked at her, truly looked at her. At her split lip, at
her bruised cheek, but more importantly, at the defiance in her eyes. He
knew that look. Knew what he’d see if he looked down at her hands that he
could tell were already traveling to her hip.
No, he told her.
And because Salem was just the poster-child for obedience, she
gave him a bored look before executing a move faster than he could even
see. By the time he’d blinked, she was rolling away from Podak as he cried
out, clutching the handle of Salem’s knife that stood, embedded in his leg.
Relief bolting through him the moment she’d distanced herself
enough, Cassian leapt for him.
Behind me! he yelled to her as he landed right on top of him,
wrapping his hands around Podak’s neck. There was no threat in Cassian’s
eyes, no warning, he wasn’t trying to scare him, he was trying to, going to,
kill him.
Get behind me! he yelled to her when he saw her stand, ready to join
in.
Podak reached for his hands, but he didn’t claw at them like he’d
expected him to, he just touched.

She will learn, Podak thought as he tightened his grip on Salem’s

scalp.
It had been hours since the last cry left her lips, and as much as he
wanted to stop, as much as it pained him to see his betrothed writhe in
agony, he knew that it needed to be done, that she needed to learn.
That man could not give her a fraction of what he could. She would
be better off with him, she just needed time to see it.
Podak almost startled as a soft cry came from her. Her lips were
moving, like she was trying to speak.
He leaned closer, yearning to hear what she was trying to say to
him.
“Cassian…” she rasped, her words so soft that they barely reached
his ears. But they might as well have been a scream in his face or a dagger
in his chest.
She was calling for him.
Him.
After all that he had shown her, she was still calling for him.
A shiver ran up Podak’s spine, his body not used to exerting so much
energy for such a long period of time. But then he closed his own eyes,
doubling his efforts.
He wanted to cleanse her, that much was true, but he knew that
somewhere inside of him, he wanted to punish her.
He had shared his kingdom with her, his home, his bed. And she still
called for the boy that left her unprotected for long enough for him to
snatch her. Podak could not think of a greater offense.
As expected, the screams began again, but he closed his ears to her
pain. She did not deserve his compassion when she could not muster a
fraction of it herself.
“No! No, please! No!”
He pushed, and he pushed, refusing to open his eyes, knowing that
the moment he did, he would take mercy on her. He could not. Not when he
was so close.
“CASSIAN!”
Her voice almost choked him, an indication of his failing. It was not
working and he was sure it would not, no matter how long he kept her
under. But that did not mean he was ready to pull her out. She could suffer a
while longer.

Cassian gasped, eyes wide.

Catching his breath, he met Podak’s gaze again. He thought he’d see
that familiar smirk again, but he didn’t. Podak wasn’t smiling. He looked
just as angry as Cassian felt at what he’d just shown him. He looked hurt.
Cassian couldn’t give two shits about what he was feeling. “You
bastard…” he rasped.
He didn’t even realize that his hands had left his throat, but Podak
didn’t make a move to stand, or to attack. He just stared back at Cassian,
something dark and raw swimming in his eyes.
“You could have found another to love…” he whispered, his face
hard. “But you had to take her from me.”
Cassian shook his head, not allowing a modicum of sympathy to
breach his exterior. “She was never yours…It doesn’t work that way,” he
gritted out.
Podak weakly shrugged. “It is no matter now. I do not want her.”
Cassian probably should’ve felt relief at his words, but they didn’t
sound like words of acceptance. Defeat maybe, desperation even. But not
acceptance.
“And it is your greed that has caused this…”
Without missing a beat, Podak rolled from beneath Cassian,
stumbling him. He barely had time to right himself before Podak was
grabbing the small silhouette, illuminated by the backlight of the sun
through the glass doors in the dim room.
He’d only just managed to jump to his feet and take a step after
Podak when he heard it.
That distinct snap.
Sure that his ears had deceived him, he leapt for Podak, dragging his
body off hers with trembling hands. Podak didn’t put up a fight. If anything,
he made it easier for him to pull him away. Easier for him to see Salem
lying on her stomach, her head facing him.
The already silent room quieted further. The dim light even
darkened. His racing mind emptied.
Before he could even run for her, he fell to his knees, growling in
pain. Physical pain.
He clutched his temples as it grew sharper, leaving him shaking and
gasping before it ceased altogether.
Without even questioning it, he stretched his hands out to touch her
but kept them at least an inch from her body, scared to make things worse.
Salem?
If his heart had dropped before, it was sinking in dark depths now.
Because that word, that one word he’d sent…It echoed in his own head.
Salem.
Again, her name bounced around in his skull. It wasn't going
anywhere. While it took him no time to piece together why, it took him a
lengthy moment to admit it.
The pain.
The unsent message.
The link.
There was no link. It was severed. Gone.
Because…
“Salem,” he whispered, finally touching her.
As gently as he could he rolled her over. That was when he spotted
the single trail of blood running down the side of her mouth. When she
started to tremble in his hold, he didn’t even let himself think for a moment
that it might have been her. He knew it was him that was shaking.
His mouth fell open when her head limply fell into his lap. “I told
you to stay behind me,” he gasped. “I told you to stay behind me.” His
voice broke on the last word, the volume quiet enough for him to hear the
footsteps, the loud footsteps and the whir of the doors engaging.
More of them.
He knew that he was seconds away from being attacked, from
potentially being killed, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up.
Instead, he spoke, his eyes never leaving her face.
“On your knees,” he choked out.
In canon, several thuds sounded around him.
Finally, he looked up. He didn’t recognize the six primas kneeling
by the door.
Not that it mattered.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ninety
(Still) Thirty minutes earlier…
Lia hadn’t been lying when she said that the operations room was
probably the safest place to go. The palace would’ve been littered with
enforcers once they realized what was going on, if they hadn’t already, and
the operations room had access to every camera in the building. She also
needed somewhere accessible for when one of them came for her if things
went left, but by the look on Nadeen’s face as she closed the door, she
doubted that it would be a struggle.
She slid down the door, dropping the gun before she put her head in
her hands. “I am sorry,” she said, over and over again.
She’d said it in the room, but Lia didn’t know what she was sorry
for, she still had time to turn it around. Instead of trying to convince her of
that though, she took a seat at the desk and turned her chair to face her.
“I didn’t know you had kids,” she said carefully, not wanting to
cross any lines.
“Only one,” Nadeen said quietly.
Lia nodded down at her lap. “Boy or girl?”
“Boy,” she hiccuped. “He is six,” she offered, unprompted.
She looked over her features, wanting to go over to her but keeping
her position. “Is…is he safe?”
Nadeen’s face tightened as she shook her head.
“So he’s blackmailing you?” she inferred. “Podak has him?”
Nadeen was strong, nurturing, everything that a mother was. So
while Lia couldn’t relate, all she needed to do to sympathize was take a
look at her tear-streaked face.
“He could stay here…” she said cautiously.
Nadeen wiped her nose, shaking her head. “He cannot. Not after
this.”
“He can.” She knew her family. Unforgiving as they may have been,
they weren’t cruel. They’d forgiven her when she was in the same position
after all. “You can too if you end it here.”
Nadeen just kept shaking her head as more tears spilled.
Lia tried again. “You know that there’s a chance he won’t follow
through. Even if you do this. Podak isn’t a good man.”
Nadeen scoffed humorlessly. “What man is good?”
Lia frowned. She couldn’t speak to Nadeen’s personal experience,
but there were at least three examples somewhere in the city as they spoke.
“You’ve seen the way Cassian treats Salem,” Lia said slowly.
“And I have seen the way that she treats him. She is kind, so he is
kind,” she cried. “Why do you think that the men of my people do not lead?
They are entitled, demanding. That is why they are broken. A weak
wronged man is better than a powerful wronged man, but a man is still a
man.”
Lia thought that she was following, but she was truly confused with
the direction that Nadeen had taken. “I don’t-”
“I was kind to man…and I received nothing,” she sobbed. “He only
sought escape and sold me for his own freedom. How do you think I found
Lilo in the praeministerie?”
Lia sighed at the implication.
Her chest heaved. “I birthed my child in a pig pen so that I would
not upset my master. Because of my mistake. Andak is a powerful wronged
man and I cannot let him exercise his fury on my son.”
Head down, breaths light, Lia fiddled with her hands. Nadeen was
right, it wasn’t fair. But she was thinking clearly. Maybe her next words
were cruel, but fear was all she had left to play on. “If you give her back,
you’ll be wronging Cassian in the process. Cassian is a powerful man.
Powerful enough to kill Pola. What do you think he’ll do if you go through
with this?”
She sighed, looking up as she wiped her face again. “He is not a
strong man. For weeks, I have watched him bow to her every whim, hold
her like a boy holds his mother, follow her like a pup. That is not something
to fear.”
Lia’s brows dipped low as her lips parted. “Is that what you think?
That he’ll just roll over and let Podak take her. That he won’t want to kill
you?” she whispered. “Nadeen, it took two units to take him down when he
heard that she was gone the first time.” Her eyes fluttered. “You weren’t
there when we looked for her. You didn’t see him. I’ve known him since he
was a literal baby and I have never seen him like that.” Fresh tears sprouted
in her eyes, but Lia wasn’t done. “Whatever this is…it can end here. I can
explain for you. You haven’t done anything yet. But if you take her from
him again, I don’t think there’ll be anything I can do to stop him from
tearing you limb from limb.”
Lia knew it was harsh, but when she saw the uncertainty in
Nadeen’s eyes, it was worth it.
She needed her to think.
“What about Salem? You know he’ll make her suffer.”
Nadeen's lip wobbled as she bit down on it.
“She told me that you looked out for her. That you kept her safe.
That wasn’t for nothing, you care about her.”
“That is not enough,” she cried.
“It can be. We can get your son back.”
Nadeen shook her head. “You cannot.” She sounded so sure of it.
“Why?” Lia huffed, growing annoyed with her stubbornness. “What
makes you think that this is the only way?”
Nadeen drew her knees in, running her hands through her hair. “I am
sorry,” she wailed.
“Nadeen, nothing has happened! We can still walk out of here!”
“I did not mean for any of this…”
Lia stood. “We’re still alive, and Salem is still safe! You can still
turn this around.”
Whether to stop her cries or to muffle her words, Nadeen held her
hand over her mouth as her whole body shook. “She is not safe. She will go
to him.”
Lia paused. “Go to who?”
Nadeen closed her eyes. “I am so sorry…”
“Nadeen, go to who?”
She hiccuped and wailed, trying to speak. “I was not going to do it.
But a man came yesterday.”
Lia’s head was all over the place. “What man?”
“From your trip. A soldier.”
“An enforcer?”
“Yes,” she nodded shakily. “He was compelled. He told me to open
the link…a-and he gave me the fruit.” She put her hands to her chest. “He
cried for me,” he wailed. “I have not seen him since I met my lady and he
cried for me.”
She was hearing Nadeen’s words, all of them, but her focus was on
two parts that stuck out the most. “You’re not a seer…”
She bit down on her lip, shaking her head.
She’d lied to her.
Lia swallowed, trying to ignore the sharp twinge in her chest. “What
fruit?” she whispered.
“Aperto,” she cried.
Lia’s heart caved as her eyes welled. If Cassian found out…
He’s gonna kill her…
She ran her hands over her face, breathing deeply. “Okay,” she said
to herself. “Nadeen, you need to tell me exactly what you did.”
Nadeen nodded quickly, drawing in stuttered breaths.
“The food,” she gasped out first. “Last night.”
“The dinner?” Lia said quietly.
“Yes. He told me to put it in the food so that I could…” She inhaled.
“So that I could toy with them.”
“Who’s them?”
“My lady and Cassian Alden.”
Lia nodded, trying to keep up. “Toy with them how?”
“He wanted their fear. On the last night, her fear almost killed her.
That night, she did not refuse him. He thought that if he could make her feel
true fear again, she would go to him. I only encouraged their fear, but I do
not know what they see.”
Lia didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”
She took a deep breath, speaking quickly. “It is different from
purging and it is not as harmful,” she rushed out. “I tell them to see what
they fear most, and I do not know what it is. I cannot take it back. It has to
run its course. But her fear is to make her go to him, and his fear is to make
him let her go.”
That was what she was doing earlier. But she’d made a mistake.
“Nadeen, neither of those things will happen. Salem will not go to him if
she’s acting of her own accord. And there isn’t any reality in which Cassian
would let her.” She rolled her chair a little closer. “Whatever you did,
whatever you made them see, it won’t get Podak what he wants. There’s
still a way out of this,” she said intently.
Her hands trembled. “She will not forgive me.”
She couldn’t promise that any of them would, but she could still try
to control the damage before it was done. “I need you to trust me. We can
go downstairs and explain it to them so they know what they’re dealing
wi-”
Nadeen started shaking her head. “I need to get my son.”
Lia put a hand out. “We will, but you need to get out of this building
alive for you to do that. Just trust me. Please.”
She watched her for a while, her breathing slowing. “Promise that
you’ll find him if they kill me…”
Lia swallowed past the lump in her throat, trying to ignore the fact
that that was a real possibility. “I will.”
Nadeen sagged with relief. “I will go with you.”
“Thank you,” Lia breathed as she watched her move to stand. “Can
you give me the gun?” she asked, nodding to it on the floor. “I don’t want
them to think you want to hurt anybody.”
She nodded, sniffling. Reaching down, she picked it up, barrel first.
“Thank you for this,” she whispered as she approached.
She held her hand out for the gun. “We’ll figure this out, ok-”
Lia screamed, throwing her chair back as a figure leaped down from
the ceiling. In a flash, Salem was rolling behind the desk she was standing
in front of.
Nadeen startled, dropping the gun. They both looked at each other
for a second before Lia carefully peered around the desk to look at where
Salem was hiding.
She kept her eyes on her as she whispered to Nadeen. “Is this what
you were-”
Lia barely saw Salem stand before Nadeen was clutching her hand
to her chest, a knife falling to the floor. One of her knives.
She spun on Salem as another knife went flying. Right into
Nadeen’s hand.
“Salem!” she called, running between them and holding a hand in
Salem’s direction. “Salem, stop!”
Then she finally saw Salem’s face, saw her eyes.
It was like she was looking right through her.
“Salem?”
Just as she’d called, Salem’s eyes found Nadeen again.
Before Lia could call again or get her attention, Salem darted around
her. Lia sprinted after her as she flew through the air, landing on Nadeen’s
shoulders, her legs wrapped around her neck.
“Salem!” she screamed, circling her arms around her torso and
dragging her off Nadeen. As they tumbled to the floor, Salem slipped from
her grip with ease, palming a third knife that Lia had been too distracted to
see. Then she was turning it around. And launching it into Nadeen’s back.
“NO!”
Lia left Salem where she was and crawled to Nadeen as she went
rigid, gasping.
She looked over the wound as blood started to soak her shirt, her
breaths lightening.
“Oh my Gods…” Running a hand over her face, she nodded. “Don’t
move,” she said speedily. “I-I’ll get someone. Just don’t move.”
She leaned down, tilting her head to see the pain in Nadeen’s eyes as
she lifted her head. “I’ll get help,” she assured her, her wrist ready to lift.
Dread filled Lia’s stomach as Nadeen’s eyes strayed from hers,
moving to look over her shoulder. She only had time to turn around before
it happened.
BANG!
As droplets of blood spattered across the side of her face, she went
still.
So still.
She was there, watching as the colors in the room muted and as the
sounds started to fade. She wanted to look up at Salem, who had already
turned her back and was fussing with the window. She wanted to scream at
her.
She wanted to meet Devin’s gaze as he abruptly burst into the room,
and ask him what he was doing here, ask him for help.
But she couldn’t move as all of Nadeen’s words finally dawned on
her. Everything she’d said about it all being okay was short-sighted. She
just wanted to reassure her, she was so scared. And now she was…
A harsh jerk had her meeting Devin’s gaze.
“Lia!” he yelled like he’d called her multiple times. “She’s alive!
Look!”
Her eyes fell to Nadeen again.
All of her senses came rushing back in when she saw it.
Her leg.
Salem shot her in her leg.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ninety-One
(Still) Thirty minutes earlier…
Devin squared his shoulders as he checked his gun.

“I’m about to head in,” he whispered as soon as he answered the
call.
“Can you hear anything?”
He put his ear to the door. It was thick. Almost soundproof. But
there were voices. Muffled shouts.
She was in there. They were in there.
He cocked his gun.
“Dev-”
BANG!
Devin jumped from the door as a shot went off.
“Get in there! Now!”
He was already trying, but every time he swiped his bracelet, he was
denied. “It won’t let me in!” he growled.
“Kick it down!”
Devin took a step back, readied himself, then kicked with all his
might. That was all it took for the door to go flying. He didn’t know what to
expect when he burst through the door, but it definitely wasn’t what he saw.
His eyes widened as he stared down at Nadeen, at her leg, at the
knife sticking out of her back. Lia was there too, barely. She was just
staring into space, her whole body shaking.
“Lia!” He rushed over to her as Nadeen gasped and trembled. She
wouldn’t move as he tried to look over Nadeen’s injuries. In fact, she was in
the way. “Lia!”
Nothing.
Devin grabbed her shoulders, shaking her until she looked back at
him. “Lia! She’s alive! Look!”
Blinking, she looked down, her eyes focusing. “Oh my Gods,” she
gasped, reaching for her.
The sound of shattering glass pulled his eyes away.
What?
Salem.
She was rolling her shoulders as she stepped back from the window.
The shattered window.
What the fuck is she-
“Devin!”
He sputtered, unable to find the words to explain. “She…she…”
As soon as her feet started eating up the distance, Devin sprang up
and broke into a sprint for her.
“She’s gonna jump!” he bellowed.
Closing in on her, his hand just missed a loose hair on the back of
her head as she dove out of the opening.
“FUCK!”
He steadied his hands on the ledge, his heart plummeting as she did.
Her figure grew smaller and smaller until she hit the ground, rolling at
almost the perfect time. But it wasn’t perfect. He could tell by the way she
clutched her leg, her head flying back. She was too far for her shout’s full
potential to reach him, but, apparently, it was loud enough to catch the
attention of a prima not even ten feet away.
Dammit!
“Cassian!” he called again.
Nothing. The line had been cut.
Devin dropped to his knees, positioning his rifle on the window
ledge. They were practically dots from high up, but he didn’t need to make
it a kill shot. Just accurate enough to give her time for someone down there
to notice her, to get to her.
As soon as the feral-looking man got close enough, he pulled the
trigger. He dropped to the ground, his hand flying to his neck.
Just as he went to lift his wrist, he watched Salem roll up onto her
right knee…and start dragging herself across the distance between the
gardens and the palace.
He didn’t know how she was even able to breathe after the impact,
but sure enough, she was crawling across the field.
He needed to get down there.
The moment he turned, he remembered that he wasn’t alone as he
watched Lia try to calm Nadeen, telling her not to remove the knife.
He ran to them, lifting his wrist to put a call in. Lia’s head spun to
him when she heard his words.
“No! You-”
“She needs a healer and I’m not leaving the med-team alone with
her,” he said as calmly as he could, pulling her to her feet.
She batted his arm away. “What are you doing?!”
“We need to go.”
“What?! I’m not-”
Running out of both time and patience, he pulled her by her arm,
more firmly this time, to the door. She protested the whole time, but he
wasn’t hearing it, not until he got a better understanding of what they were
dealing with and what the hell was going on. At the door, he flicked a hard
look to Nadeen.
“Do not move.” He only said it because the door was broken in, but
he doubted she could move much if she tried.
“I’m sorry,” he gritted out, dragging Lia through the hall. “I don’t
know why she did what she did but-”
“She has a son,” she cried,
His brows rose.
But he didn’t need to ask more. The implication was clear. Whatever
she was trying to do, she didn’t want to do it.
“We’ll find him, okay? I’ll find him.”
He wasn’t initially referring to Nadeen, he was talking about Salem.
He couldn’t justify her actions, especially knowing that she had years of
threat assessment training under her belt, but she wasn’t…acting right.
Something was definitely off. She didn’t look at him or Lia once. Oh, and
there was the fact that she just jumped out of a fucking window.
He was thankful that Lia finally let up a little as they passed the
units he’d called for on the stairs, but she could’ve been quieter. It was
silent as it was, and if one or two had managed to slip inside, she was in no
condition to defend herself, and he wasn’t sure if he could defend them both
and make it down to Salem in time.
But as they strode back into the ballroom, it seemed that he didn’t
need to get to her, she was already there.
Holding a gun to Emori’s head.
What the-
He released Lia’s arm and pushed through the crowd in a direct line
for her.
The doors were closed, Deianira stood in front of her with both
hands out, one in Cade’s direction. Cade stood to the side, a gun trained on
her. Don was nowhere to be found. And as Devin finally made it close
enough, he saw that Emori was still, her hands at her sides, her breathing
strangely even for someone with an arm around their neck and a gun
pressed to their head.
‘Salem…’ he signed slowly, his heart picking up. ‘What are you
doing?’
Her head whipped to him, the movement jerky. “I need Emori to
open a portal,” she said evenly, her eyes unfocused.
He took a breath. The determined look on her face told him that
there was no point trying to reason with her. He wanted to understand
though.
‘A portal to where?’
“The Patrias forest,” she responded quickly.
‘Why?’
“There’s a plant. It’s called hebeto. It weakens them. We’re going to
get it.”
Devin frowned, flicking a look to the others. ‘Who’s we?’
She tilted her head to the side. “Me and Cassian.”
He looked to where she gestured just in case he hadn’t noticed him
before, but it wasn’t like he was easy to miss.
‘Salem. Cassian isn’t here. He’s at the school.’
“Open a portal,” she said, jerking the gun at Emori as if he hadn’t
said anything.
“Hey!” Devin called at the same time as Deianira yelled, “Salem!”
“Open a portal,” she repeated.
Devin waved his hands to get her attention. ‘Cassian’s looking for
you…’ he signed, trying not to betray his fear. Salem would never pull the
trigger. But this wasn’t Salem. ‘Why don’t you come with me to find him.’
Again, it was like the words hadn’t registered with her.
“I need it now, please,” she said, her voice rising.
Devin stepped slowly, trying to catch Deianira’s eye. Then he gave
her a subtle nod. They needed to get the gun off her.
“Stop that!” she exclaimed before Deianira could even move. “I
wouldn’t encourage you to test my reflexes.”
Devin’s eyes widened at the threat.
Maybe Deianira could’ve tried, but she was right. He didn’t want to
test her. Cassian would murder him when he found out what he was about
to do, but he couldn’t let that stop him.
This was Emori.
“Open it,” he said.

The moment the portal closed, Devin ran for Emori, pulling her close.
“I’m fine,” she whispered.
Once he’d looked between her bright blue eyes, all across her face,
up and down her body, not finding a scratch, he finally met her raised-
browed gaze. Sighing, he nodded, and she stepped back, he turned to the
others.
“What the fuck was that?”
Deianira crouched down, running her hands through her hair, Cade
eased his stance, blowing out a breath. He hadn’t really been asking Lia.
After all, she’d been with him in the beginning, so he didn’t expect her to
know, but she was the one that answered, her stance slack, her words almost
robotic.
“Nadeen put something in the food.”
He spun to her. “What?” What food?
“Last night. The dinner party.”
Devin paled as his lungs contracted. Emori had eaten that. His girls.
“She did what?” Deianira whispered.
Lia continued, ignoring the question. “It’s called aperto.”
When Emori pulled a knife off her thigh, Devin went to ask what
she was doing, but then she bent down. He watched her scan the floor
before reaching out to swipe up a drop of blood.
Salem’s leg. Tracking spell.
“Good thinking,” he quickly said as she sat down, crossing her legs.
“So we’re all gonna end up like Salem?” Cade asked, tensing as he
looked over to the nurse who sat in the corner, cradling Caleb.
“Just Cassian and Salem,” said Lia in her monotonous voice.
“They’re-
Everyone looked at Devin as his bracelet buzzed.
Incoming call - LITTLE SAE
Dread filled his stomach. “What is it?”

“It’s Cassian.” Devin cursed. “I’m with Lilo and some students, but
he just left and told us to stay here.” The line was shaky as if he wasn’t
holding his wrist steady. “I can hear shouting downstairs. Should I-”
“No,” Devin quickly responded. “Stay where you are. Do not go
near him.”
He went silent for a second. “Why?”
“Just stay where you are.” Devin cut the call, closing his eyes.
He didn’t know how long they had until they broke in, until they
were overwhelmed. Cassian and Salem were undeniably two of the most
dangerous beings in the city, and they’d lost it.
Devin opened his eyes, looking around at the mess they were in, and
not just the ballroom. The civilians looked to him as if Deianira and Cade
weren’t standing right there. But he didn’t know what to tell them, what to
do.
The last time something like this happened, he wasn’t in any
position of power, there was someone else to refer to, to ask what to do. Not
anymore. Cade and Deianira looked just as lost. And this was worse than
Prima Day. They weren’t being attacked by humans-
Devin paused.
Prima Day.
Throwing his eyes to Deianira, he abandoned every bit of sense he
had the sense to speak to her privately, away from the ears of hundreds of
people. He ignored every warning he’d received from Hewn. He confronted
her with the only word that circulated his mind in that moment.
“UMBRA. What is it?”
He watched Lia turn to her as everyone else did, just as curious.
Even Cade looked at her. But Deianira’s eyes were the only ones in the
room that froze.
That knocked him off kilter. He expected surprise, Hewn certainly
looked surprised, but she looked…scared.
“Deianira,” Cade said softly.
With a flick of her head, she spun on her heel and started for the
back exit to the hall. Understanding, he followed until Cade grabbed his
arm.
“What the hell is going on?”
Devin wasn’t sure what caused the bubbling annoyance that surged
through him, but without a word, he yanked his arm back, continuing to the
exit that Deianira had disappeared through.
He’d only crossed the threshold and turned the corner to look for her
when a shadow wrapped around his neck and sent him into the wall. Devin
dropped with a grunt, clutching his side as he rolled onto his back, ready to
put a bullet in the prima who’d managed to get in when he saw Deianira,
standing over him, the pale skin on her face red with anger.
“Deian-”
Shadows grabbed him again, holding him upright and pinning him
to the wall.
“Why the hell would you ask me something like that?!” she snarled
quietly.
He was still shaking off his shock as he met her cold eyes. “I was
just trying to help,” he choked out.
“Help?” she hissed. “Do you have any idea what you’re talking
about?”
“Yes, actually,” he spat back, his shock wearing off.
She abruptly released him, but he managed to fall on his feet. He
flinched as she stepped up again, but she didn’t attack.
“If you knew half of what you think you know, you wouldn’t have
uttered those words.”
“Well what else am I supposed to do when everyone’s so tight-
lipped about it!” he whisper-yelled. “This might be the only thing that can-”
“What?” Deianira cut him off. “Who else have you spoken to about
this?!”
“Hewn,” he replied, hoping to get somewhere.
She closed her eyes, running a hand over her hair. “Thank the
Gods…”
“And Cassian,” he added. “And Lia.”
She looked back up, and if it was possible, her gaze grew colder.
“Deianira,” he tried. “I might not know everything, but I read those
reports. Whatever you’re scared of can’t be worse than this.”
“Those reports are way above your clearance level,” she gritted out.
He shrugged, sighing, because he didn’t have an answer for her. He
did what he needed to do. “My point still stands. We need it, you know we
do. So can you put things into perspective for one second and tell us where
it is so we can-”
Deianira scoffed, shaking her head, her eyes still brutal. “You really
are an idiot,” she ground out.
He cocked his head back. “I haven’t heard an idea out of you.”
“Because I don’t have one!”
He threw his arms out. “I just gave you one!”
She stepped forward, pointing a finger at him. “That is not an idea.”
“Yes, it is! You’re just scared!”
“Of course, I’m scared!”
“Yeah, we all fucking are! But if you don’t tell me where it is,
I’mma start tearing up rooms to find it and I don’t care how long it takes-”
“UMBRA isn’t here!” she forced out, clenching her fists.
“Then where is it?!”
“You just sent her to the Patrias fucking forest!” she screamed.
Devin halted his step toward her, tilting his head. “What are you
talking about?” He could tell she regretted the words the second they left
her mouth, but he’d heard them now. “What do you mean?”
Deianira slowly stepped back until she hit the wall.
“Deianira.”
She closed her eyes.
“What do you mean ‘her’?”
Deianira shook her head, clenching her jaw. “Salem is UMBRA.”
He shook his. “That doesn’t make any sense. I read the reports.”
She lifted her head, her eyes slightly softer. “It was Salem,” she
sighed, defeated.
He wondered if they were even talking about the same UMBRA.
“The furthest date I could find was a hundred and twenty-four years ago.
She was twelve.”
Deianira glanced away. “That was her first assignment.”
What? “She was still in the program.”
“No, she wasn’t.”
Devin took a step back as the reports, as the numbers, as the letters
flashed across his mind. “I need you to lay it all out because I have no
fucking idea what you’re talking about right now.”
Deianira bit down on her lip before she gave up. “There was a
program. She just wasn’t in it. There was a doctor, Dr. Forbes. He was high
up, respected. I never liked him, he creeped me out. But he scouted her on
her first year. He said that he saw her potential and thought it was wasted in
the program, so when he made a move to pull her out, no one said anything.
We didn’t know what he did behind closed doors, but he was the one that
trained her, not Hewn, not Jude.” She swallowed. “We didn’t know what he
was doing until it had already happened.”
A dark thought arose. “What was he doing?”
She met his eyes. “Crafting a weapon.”
“Why?” he couldn’t help but ask.
She shrugged. “He was closer with Jude than anyone else. Thought
she was exactly what I needed with the way things were looking for me. A
protector, a shadow. Someone who was always there, who was blindly
loyal, who would disregard self-preservation to protect me.”
He was understanding her, but that just sounded like a sentinel to
him. Why did he go to such lengths? “Don’t all sentinels do that?”
She shook her head. “They’re still people. They still feel fear, they
still have survival instincts.”
“So does Salem,” he said rather defensively.
She shook her head again, but not to disagree. “She’s different. He
saw that, used that.”
He cocked his head back. “And you did nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I couldn’t do anything until it was too late.”
He scoffed. “You are literally Queen.”
“Not then,” she said roughly. “I met her in O-sixty-seven. I was
fourteen, I just thought they were trying to set me up on a playdate with an
eleven-year-old, but then two guys came out of nowhere. Hit me in the head
while I was on the ice.” Deianira stared at the wall ahead of her as Devin’s
mind reeled. “She killed both of them before I’d even gotten up. I was
scared out of my mind, then I looked at her…and she just started wiping the
blood off her hands, like that was the only thing that bothered her. But then
he came around the corner. Dr. Forbes. And he clapped. The whole thing
was staged as a test.”
Devin didn’t speak. Whether it was to prompt her to go on or
because he couldn’t, he didn’t know.
“That’s when he and Jude decided that she’d be my sentinel, not
four years later. I just thought she was quiet and a little odd, but I didn’t
know what was happening until I noticed her disappear every Sunday
night.”
“But you knew about the assignments?”
She blinked quickly. “I tried to stop it.”
“How?” he shot at her.
“I begged Jude, but I had nothing to stand on. I was being attacked
left and right, my own people wanted me dead. I told him that it wasn’t
good for her, but again, my words meant nothing. It never seemed to have
an effect on her, she always performed,” she gritted out, tears springing in
her eyes. “Some nights I prayed that she’d break so that they could see her
as a person, so that they’d stop, but there was always a hand on my
shoulder! My power wasn’t mine until the day he died!”
“Didn’t have an effect on her? You’re telling me she killed three
hundred men in one night and came home whistling?” he spat back.
“No!” she growled. “But when she did show up at five in the
morning with so much blood on her that I didn’t know who she was until
she spoke, she walked right past me and said she needed to shower, then
apologized in advance because she was going to be a few minutes late for
work that morning. That,” she yelled, “was a success to them!”
He walked back, just like she had, his back hitting the wall. He
swallowed. “What happened on Prima Day one-twenty?” he whispered.
Her eyes flew up like she hadn’t been expecting the question, but
she’d given him everything else. Obviously, she thought the same thing
because she answered anyway.
“We were on high alert. Most attacks or words spoken against me
were expected, but Prima Day was the only day we let thousands of
strangers in without a pre-screening. So I was guarded. I…” She bit the
inside of her cheek. “I didn’t know they would go for her.”
He frowned. “For who?”
Deianira sighed. “Salem was the target. There was only so much
that could be covered up. A few of the relatives of Gray Thompson, a rebel
that she uh-” She cleared her throat. “That she killed.” She looked down.
“She burned him alive. His cousins and brothers must have heard the
whispers about her being the culprit. I had no idea how much she was
starting to get recognized, I wouldn’t have put her in that position if I did.
But they went for her.” She shook her head. “I’m sure you can imagine how
that went.”
It was only because of everything else she’d said that made him
think that that…wasn’t that bad. “So she defended herself?”
Deianira nodded again.

He shook his head. “Then why were the witness statements removed
from the report? Anyone who saw it wouldn’t blame her. What else was she
supposed to do?”
Deianira’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “There were no witness
statements.”
Oh. “They were paid off.”
She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head. “Devin, there were no
witness statements because there were no witnesses. She killed everybody.”
What…?
“What do you mean ‘she killed everybody’?”
She roughly wiped away a tear, glancing down. “Why do you think
there isn’t a mention of UMBRA after that day? The only people who made
it out were me, Hewn, and Jude. She just snapped. Men, women,
children...Dr. Forbes.” She sighed. “She killed them, slaughtered them,
hunted the ones who ran. I found her passed out in her bedroom. We didn’t
know what to do. Things were rocky then, at best. If it got out…” She
huffed, her breathing picking up. “Jude covered it up.”
“He compelled her to forget?” he said shakily.
“No. He started a fire in the ballroom.”
His brows lowered. “She’s never mentioned any of this.”
“I know,” she said, eyes closed. “She woke up the next day in our
safe house, asking why we’d moved. Whether she shut it out or just refuses
to acknowledge it, I don’t know. But she hasn’t spoken a word of that day,
so neither have we.”
Devin slowly nodded, his gaze straying to the wall above her head
as he let it sink in. He knew Salem was…well, Salem. But this? She was a
child. It was no wonder she snapped. She was a kid. His daughters’ age
when it all started. That thought had his stomach dropping.
“Are you going to tell him?”
He reluctantly looked up at Deianira’s fallen face. “Are you gonna
tell me not to?”
She slowly shook her head. “But you should know,” she whispered.
“She’s happy. I thought she was happy before, happy to be done with all of
this. But she’s actually happy.” Her voice wavered as she started to choke
up. “And I’m not just saying this because I know that he’ll kill me,” she
sobbed quietly, Devin trying to swallow his own emotion. “But she
deserves everything and that’s what he is to her. She doesn’t need this right
now, or ever. She doesn’t need to lose herself again, she doesn’t need to lose
him to anger…and Cade and Cal don’t need to lose me,” she whispered.
She took a shaky breath. “I stopped you once before, and I won’t do it
again. But they were called the dark years for a reason. Some curtains don’t
need to be pulled back.”
Hands shaking at his sides, Devin stepped away from Deianira, and
to the exit. He wasn’t going to tell him, but a part of him didn’t want to give
her that peace of mind, as cruel as it sounded. But the thing that angered
him most was that he understood. She wasn’t someone he’d seen himself
sympathizing with, but most of her actions were understandable, if not
desperate. Maybe it was her position that made him hold her to such a high
standard, and him not being in her position that allowed him to judge when
she fell short, but she was as much of a kid as Salem was. At eighteen, he
was locked up and doing dumb shit because he could. At eighteen, she had
a crown that she didn’t want being fitted on her head and was made to do
terrible things in the name of image. She was shoved into power in the most
despicable way, and that taste of power that she had didn’t allow her to do
much, but she still got backlash for decisions that weren’t hers.
His only qualm was that the decision she did make almost killed his
best friend and almost drained the life out of another. But a nibbling voice
in the back of his head asked him what he would have done in her position,
if it was Emori or Kenny or Ty that were in danger and he had to choose
between his family and his friends. He’d just sent Salem away to protect
Emori, knowing what it would do to Cassian. Was that not the same thing?
For months, he’d felt indebted to Cassian. The guy had dropped his
whole life to come to the Dome and help him get Emori back after not
seeing each other for almost a decade. He’d become a third parent to his
children, as much as he liked to pretend that they annoyed him. And after
everything, Devin let her go. Salem wasn’t just someone he loved or a
girlfriend, she was his life. Devin was sure that his feelings alone were
more punishment than Cassian would inflict when he found out.
Devin ignored the look on Cade’s face as he strode past him for
Deianira. Lia was gone, but he didn’t expect her to hang around when what
she really cared about was upstairs.
He didn’t know the full extent of what Cassian was capable of, but
after everything he’d just heard, he was the safest option.
He headed straight for one of the enforcers on the sidelines with an
outstretched arm. The sixer didn’t make him ask as he ejected his magazine
and handed it over to Devin. Two more stepped up, passing their magazines
to him as he slipped them onto his belt.
Devin turned to the group, what was left of it, as Cade reentered.
“Cade. With me. Em, let me know when you get a hit." She nodded.
He knew that Cade outranked him by miles, but he also knew that
no one else in the room knew what to do. That wasn’t to say that he did, but
he was their best bet if Cassian was in any condition near Salem’s.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ninety-Two
Akilah choked back a sob as footsteps neared again.

The door was faced down on the floor, kicked in by the third prima
that had entered. Now, there was just a shelving unit that she’d managed to
push, blocking the doorway. But apparently, the seven bodies she’d dragged
into the hall weren’t enough of a deterrent for whoever was on their way
now.
So she lifted her gun again, shaking as she stood to the side of the
door, not turning back to look at the girls where they sat in the corner,
facing the wall, their hands over their ears.
When the boots slowed, she held her breath. Maybe they’d seen the
bodies, maybe they’d turn around.
They didn’t. They were slower when they started up again, but they
still approached.
Thud…thud…thud…
Turn around, she silently begged as black boots came into view
below one of the shelves.
Biting down on her tongue, she held the gun steady.
“Ki…”
Akilah gasped as she dropped the gun. “Donnie,” she cried.
The unit was knocked down as Donnie strode into the room, his
head whipping left before turning right. He let his gun fall to his hip as he
grabbed her. She threw herself at him and let him carry her up.
“What the hell happened?” he whispered into her hair.
She was still shaking as she struggled to find the words. “T-they just
kept coming in a-and- I didn’t know…I didn’t know-”
He stroked a hand down the back of her head. “It’s okay…it’s
okay.” Then he stilled. “Where are the girls?”
Akilah turned from his hold, waving a hand. Kenny and Ty were
still facing the wall, both of them flinching at the subtle resurging of noise.
“We’re safe now,” she quickly said in an attempt to settle them as
they sprung up, running to her. “It’s over.”
“Akilah.”
She should’ve recognized the unease in his tone, but when she
turned to him, she still had hope in her heart.
Donnie shook his head.
And she got it. It wasn’t over, he just couldn’t say it in front of the
girls.
“One second,” she said to them. “I’ll be right back.”
Ty clutched her leg tighter. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll just be right outside. I’m coming back. I promise.”
Reluctantly, she released her, letting her gently push Donnie back
over the threshold. She didn’t even have to ask him to explain.
“They’re all over the city. We thought we had it under control, but
there are too many.”
She held his gaze, pretended that she wasn’t terrified, that she
wasn’t seconds from crying. She’d just killed seven people and he barely
bat an eye at the pile of bodies only feet from him. She wasn’t cut out for
this and didn’t know how anyone could be.
“Okay,” she breathed, her nails digging into her palms.
He looked between her eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked, watching
her closely.
Teeth chattering, she nodded, unable to speak.
Donnie took a step closer. “You’re allowed to not be.”
“I know,” she whispered shakily.
It was a while before he sighed. “We need to go somewhere safer.
Get the girls.”

Whatever Deianira had said to Cade in the hall must have settled him
some, because he glared daggers at Devin as they hopped into the rover
instead of running him over.
Cade wasn’t quick to anger, wasn’t violent, not until you added
Deianira into the equation. Everyone on that top floor seven years ago knew
as much.
Devin might not have been carrying a torch of hatred for her, but it
didn’t always sit right with him that Cade, someone with a literal moral
compass stuck up his ass, had such a blithe disregard for her actions. Again,
it was hypocritical, but Cade wasn’t Deianira. So much had changed since
they were bunk buddies and he didn’t realize how much until recently.
Cade revved the engine as Devin settled in the back seat.
Then, he killed it, resting his hands on the steering wheel. Devin
didn’t ask why because he had a feeling that he would tell him.
“She isn’t what you think she is.”
He knew he was talking about Deianira, but he wasn’t quite sure
what it was pertaining to.
“You asked me why I defend her when I know she’s wrong,” he said
roughly. “I don’t think she’s wrong, but you don’t see the full picture.”
He figured that, but his fists still involuntarily clenched. “Depends
on what angle you look at it from. I don’t know why you do half the shit
you do until you’ve already done it. You can’t shut everyone out and then
complain when we don’t understand.”
Cade met his eyes in the mirror. “Well, you guys aren’t exactly easy
to talk to.”
“Why do you think that is?”
He huffed, starting the engine again. “I have too much on my plate
to sit down and explain my every move to people who won’t understand,”
he said, reversing.
Devin sat back. “Then you don’t give us enough credit.” He
shrugged. “And if I’m honest, I don’t think it’s about us. I’ve been around
since day one. We used to talk,” he said evenly, trying not to convey just
how much it still burned. “Then you disappeared. Not physically, but you
just retreated into this bubble with her. And Lia’s the best type of friend you
can have. Loyal, dependent. She was your best friend. But you cut her off
too.” He flicked his eyes up as the air brightened, the truck rolling out into
the light. “Did you know she’s been drinking? I mean, sure, she’s
functional. But she drank herself stupid for years because she was lonely,
but her ‘best friend’ was right down the hall.” His eyes flickered with
something. No, he didn’t know. “Salem’s words might bite you in the ass,
but that girl can give advice. She’s objective, she’s pragmatic, and I don’t
think there’s anything you could say that she’d judge you for.” Cade started
down the road, lowering his gaze. “And Cassian? He’s one of the most
attentive people I know. No matter what shit he’s got going on, he’ll drop it
when someone needs him.” He sighed, calming himself. “So, yes, we don’t
understand, but we’ve been here the whole time with open ears. It goes both
ways.”
“But he wasn’t.”
He looked back up at the whispered words. “Wasn’t what?”
“Here,” Cade said, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
Devin didn’t understand.
Cade let out a quick breath, taking a turn as Devin tried to stay
observant of the roads. “What I’m about to say doesn’t leave this truck.”
Sensing a shift, Devin didn’t speak when he carefully nodded.
“There were others.” He cleared his throat. “Deianira was pregnant
at my coronation.” Devin looked away, his gut sinking. “And when you and
Emori announced that you were having twins.” He took a right turn, his
hands trembling. “I almost lost her that time. And again, a year later.” He
swallowed. “But the first time, she didn’t want to see me. She thought it
was her fault, thought it was a punishment for her past. She was a wreck,
but so was I. But when she asked to be left alone with the healers who were
throwing around their empty fucking condolences, I dragged myself down
the hall, trying not to be sick, ready to finally lean on my baby brother for
the first time. But his door’s open, the room’s empty, and the bed’s clean.”
He met Devin’s eyes again, raw pain in his. “He wasn’t here. So now, six
years later, when the woman I love, the strongest woman I know, the only
reason I’m still alive, decides to do whatever she has to do to preserve what
we have left, not only am I gonna defend her, but I’m gonna do it for her,”
he finished, quietly heaving. “I know I haven’t been the best brother to him,
or the best friend to you guys, but I can’t do it all.”
He didn’t even realize that they were in the school parking garage
until Cade stopped the engine.
“I’m sorry,” Devin said. And he meant it. He’d been on cloud nine
during those years when Cade and Deianira….
He reached forward to put a hand on Cade’s shoulder, feeling stupid
for his complaints. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m trying…” Cade whispered.
“I know.” He sat back. “I’m still here, ok-”
Devin paused, both of them turning around as the sound of a loud
engine came in from the entrance. His brows shot right up before he had the
sense to get down.
A motorcycle. Two people on a motorcycle.
He squinted as the face in front came into view, the vehicle slowing.
Then the one behind him as she leaned to the side.
Devin was shoving the door open before the first rider had even
dismounted.
Donnie turned around, holding something under his jacket. When he
met his eyes, because Devin wasn’t being very quiet, he sighed, slowly
unzipping it as he stepped away from the motorcycle.
He’d already been on his way to rock his jaw for bringing his sister
here, but Devin’s heart fell to his ballsack as Kenny unraveled her legs from
around Donnie and Akilah lifted Ty off the bike from behind him.
He almost tripped from his own rage as he started marching across
the garage. “YOU PUT MY BABIES ON A FUCKING
MOTORCYCLE?!”
They all startled before Akilah ran in front of Don, getting to him
just in time. “Devin!”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” He pointed his finger at Don
over her shoulder. “Why are they here?!”
Don’s usual cool demeanor didn’t flicker. “The palace isn’t safe,” he
sighed. “Cassian’s here with Aiko and Lilo.”
“News flash, dipshit!” he growled. “Cassian’s lost it and you just
brought ‘em right to him! And again, you put my children on a
motorcycle?!”
“It was the quickest-”
“Akilah, get out of my way.”
“Daddy!”
Chest heaving, Devin tilted his head down to Kenny just as she
smacked his leg. Clenching his jaw, he bent down and picked her up. “You
okay?” he asked, glaring at him over her shoulder.
“Yeah,” she said, pulling back to look at his face. “It went really
fast,” she smiled.
He almost ran at him again.
“What do you mean, ‘lost it’?” Akilah finally asked.
Devin didn’t realize that Cade was right beside him until he spoke,
keeping his voice hushed.
“Nadeen laced the food with something. Whatever it is is making
Cassian and Salem act out. She pulled a…‘gun’,” he mouthed, “on Emori.”
Don’s face finally flinched. “What? When?”
Devin took a step into Akilah. “Right before you slipped away to get
my family kill-”
“Devin,” Cade said in a low tone.
He took a breath, stepping back.
They couldn’t leave. There was no way he was sending his family
back out there until he knew it was absolutely safe. But having them
anywhere near Cassian when his head wasn’t on straight? Not an option.
“Where is she now?” It was Don who’d asked.
A little bit of the fire inside Devin settled and was replaced with
guilt. “Patrias forest,” he said quietly.
“What?!” he and Akilah exclaimed simultaneously.
“That’s why she held up Em. She wanted a portal.”
“And she sent her there?” Don asked, his voice dark
Devin shook his head, trying to explain. “We didn’t have a choice.
She wasn’t in her right mind and I didn’t doubt for a second that she’d do
it.”
Don’s voice was low, threatening. “That is exactly why you
shouldn’t have let her go.”
“No,” Devin disagreed. “She might not have it all together and she
may be a little reckless right now, but she’s not stupid. And her plan might
actually work whether it’s all good up there or not. Trust me.”
Don looked far from convinced. “And what about Cassian?”
Devin ground his teeth, some anger resurfacing. “That’s who I’m
worried about.”
Cade tapped his gun on his leg. “I’ll stay with them. You take Don
and-”
“No.” Devin looked at the girls, looked at Akilah. He trusted Cade,
but being in the school was bad enough. He wasn’t about to take his eyes
off them as well. “I’ll stay.”
His voice got quiet. “Why?”
“Because maybe he doesn’t need a friend right now…”
His hand was still now, his eyes unsure, and Devin really hated that
he was the one that put that doubt in his mind.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ninety-Three
First came desperation.

After five minutes of just watching her face, just looking at her,
Cassian started shaking her. He’d called her too many times to count. He’d
tried to turn her head back into place, only for it to fall into his lap.
Then came despair.
The pain was indescribable, and for a few moments, he thought that
he might die. He thought he really was dying when the piece of paper fell
from his pocket. The list. But surprisingly enough, that stage didn’t last as
long as the first.
Because then came anger.
At himself for being useless, at her for not listening, at the man who
caused all of this, the man who’d managed to slip away during his few
moments of vulnerability. The man, he’d allowed to slip away.
But it was the last stage that was the most unexpected of all.
Humor.
For the last ten minutes, Cassian had been bent over in hysterics. He
didn’t even know why he was laughing. It just happened before his tears
had even dried up.
It had to be a joke. There was just no way he was holding her, the
person most likely to be the last one standing out of the six of them, the
only person his stupid, boyish heart had ever felt for, the one person who
was able to keep him in check and simultaneously make him crazy. The
thought alone was comical.
Cassian lifted a shaky hand and brushed her hair from her face with
a snort.
Yep, definitely her…
The woman was practically invincible, and the one time he was
there to help, the one time she needed it, snap.
What a joke…
He shook his head. “Gods, I’m a fucking idiot…”
Sighing, figuring that it was probably time to greet his guests, he
gently set her down.
He tilted his head at her awkward position, sitting back on his
haunches.
He didn’t like it.
Bending back down, he turned her head again, placing some of her
hair on the side so it didn’t roll so easily.
There.
With a quick kiss on her forehead, he got to his knees. “I’ll be right
back,” he told her with a soft smile.
There were six before. Now, dozens of them kneeled around him, or
hundreds, he wasn’t too sure anymore. They hadn’t stopped coming after
the first few. But just like the six in the beginning, they were unmoving, all
of them displaying their susceptibility to his command.
Kneel, he’d told them, group after group. He’d deal with them, he’d
find him. He just wanted a moment with her first. A moment that had now
come to a close.
Clearing his throat, Cassian let his gun hit the floor before he wiped
his face, standing.
I’m gonna find him…
He finally let himself look at their faces. Men and women, some tall,
some taller. He couldn’t differentiate their ages, but he didn’t want to, he
didn’t need to. It wouldn’t have made his next task any easier or harder.
His eyes scoured the large group. All of them shared the same look
of confusion, look of wariness, and understandably so. He was gifted. They
were supposed to be impervious to his abilities. He almost wanted to shrug
at their glum faces. Because they weren’t.
Finally, he found a face with what he was looking for. Fear.
It was a man. A man that was older than the rest, he realized as he
took a step in his direction, prompting a flinch.
“You,” Cassian rasped.
The man’s face fell as he looked at his comrades.
Cassian let out a humorless laugh, wiping his nose. They couldn’t
help him. “What’s your name?” he asked the man.
The man’s jaw fell as he looked around more frantically.
“Your name,” he said again, more firmly this time.
He blubbered at first. “K-kadar.”
Cassian nodded. “Kadar. Are you a warlock, Kadar?”
“No.”
He tilted his head with a smirk. “Are you lying to me, Kadar?”
Kadar shook his head emphatically. “N-no! No, I am an empath.”
“Oh.” Cassian gave him a small smile, crouching down in front of
him with an elbow on each knee. “So you know that I’m not playing
around? That I’ll cut your fucking tongue out of your head if you don’t do
what I say?” He tilted his head to get a better look at him when the man
remained silent. “Hmm? Maybe even make you do it yourself?”
Kadar’s head bobbed. “Yes,” he quickly responded.
Cassian nodded back. “Good.” He angled his body so that he was
crouched beside Kadar, the others in full view. “Kadar?”
He saw the bead of sweat fall down his head as he watched Cassian
out of the corner of his eye, his breath stuttering. “Yes…” he whispered.
“I count…” He tilted his head. “I don’t know, a hundred and
something people in this room, including us. Now, I’m not a warlock, and
neither are you. So statistically speaking, there are…what? Like a few
witches or warlocks in here.” Cassian shook his head with a raspy laugh.
“I’m sorry, I’m not very good at math.” He had to swallow down the lump
in his throat. He wasn’t good at math, but someone else was. “Anyway, by
the way you keep looking around, I’m assuming that you know some of
these folks. Am I right, Kadar?”
Face forward, he nodded.
“Good. And I’ll let that one slide this time, but from now on, when I
ask you a question…” Cassian roughly grabbed the back of his neck,
pulling his head back enough for him to meet his eyes, causing him to cry
out. “YOU SPEAK!” he bellowed, sending a wave of shock around the
room.
“Yes! Yes, my apologies!” he choked out.
Cassian released him, shaking his shoulders off. “Thank you. I’m
sorry, that just really bugged me.” He took a breath, getting back on task.
“Can you please point at a warlock?” he asked before shifting
uncomfortably. “It can be a witch if that’s all there is but I don’t think I
wanna torture a woman. So, please. A warlock.”
Kadar’s eyes stayed on his for a few moments, either disbelief or
defiance coursing through him. Cassian didn’t want either.
He snapped his fingers. “Do you need me to ask again?”
Kadar snapped out of whatever haze he’d been in and looked to the
group. Cassian looked with him, watching for reactions. But a small shot of
satisfaction ran through him at the sight before Kadar had even moved.
Now they looked scared. That was better. Much better.
“Make it snappy, Kadar,” he drawled.
In his periphery, his shaky hand lifted, a single finger pointed out.
Cassian got closer to see where he was indicating. It was another
man. A warlock. Good.
Cassian gave Kadar a hard pat on the back. “Thanks, man.”
He waited to feel the relief seep from the empath before he got a
hold of his hair again. Not giving him a second to realize what was
happening, he pulled his head back and forced it into the ground, not even
hearing the gasps that echoed around him. He stopped moving on the first
crash, but again, Cassian pulled his head off the floor and smashed it back
down. Nine more times, because that was her favorite number, he beat the
floor with Kadar’s head before finally releasing what was left of his skull.
“Ugh,” he cringed, grimacing as he wiped the blood off on his pants.
Objectivity, Cassian…
“Oh yeah,” he said to her voice, setting his sights on the warlock
again.
He could’ve laughed as the man he approached rose off his
haunches, kneeling straighter, puffing out his chest.
“Your pride is more likely to get you killed than anything, so cut it
out,” he snipped.
Uncertainty flitted over his expression for only a second before he
held Cassian’s stare again.
He shrugged. His choice. “You’re a warlock?”
“Yes,” the man responded.
“Perfect. I’m gonna need you to do a tracking spell. I would go look
for him myself, but I don’t wanna hang around. Can you do that for me?”
The man inhaled before a shaky “no” left his lips.
Cassian cocked his head back. “No?”
“No,” he said again, steeling his spine. “I will not betray my King
for the likes of you.”
Cassian almost skipped over the last part, about to let him know that
his question wasn’t really a question at all, but a command. Then he
replayed his words in his head, the ring not sitting right with him.
“Your what?” he asked slowly.
The man bristled almost imperceptibly as his eyes bounced between
Cassian’s.
“I-” He swallowed. “I will not betray Ansdak for-”
He said King…
Cassian shook his head with a snort, thanking her for the reminder.
“No. Come on, man. You know that’s not what you said. Say it again.
Please.”
His eyes flitted away for a moment. “My King,” he said quietly.
“Your King,” Cassian repeated. “Okay.” He nodded.
Cassian drew his leg back and sent his knee into his face. He keeled
over with a cry, but Cassian grabbed his nape before he could hit the fresh
floors.
His eyes were unfocused as he looked up at Cassian.
“Were you there?” he asked him.
The man didn’t look alert enough to even stand for himself, let alone
understand, but Cassian pushed anyway. “Huh? Were you at the trials?” he
sneered. “Because I was. And I don’t remember seeing him. You know who
I did see though? Pola. And she looked just as pathetic as you do right now
when I chopped her fucking head off,” he seethed, his rage coming out of
somewhere unknown to him. “So tell me again. Who! Is! Your! King?!”
His words slurred, his eyes fluttered.
Aggravated, Cassian released his neck to grip his chin as he pulled
his knife off his belt.
“No!”
He paused. Then he turned around.
He knew exactly who’d spoken because she was the only one who’d
moved from her position. The only one holding a gun. His gun.
He clucked his tongue. He needed to get the hang of the whole
compulsion thing.
“Psionic?” he guessed.
She didn’t answer, but her hand trembled.
Maybe he should’ve been a little bit scared. It was definitely loaded.
But it was kind of hard to fear for his life when he had nothing left to lose.
He let go of the man’s chin, watching the way she let out a discreet
breath. “A warlock and a psionic,” he thought aloud. “I thought you guys
didn’t do the whole mixing thing.”
Her jaw clenched as she raised the gun higher with both hands.
“It’s okay,” he said softly. “I get it. Love knows no bounds,” he said
wistfully, gesturing behind himself without looking. Gesturing to Salem.
“As you can see.” He blew out a breath, turning to the man again. “Put it
down if you’re not gonna use it.”
He gripped the man’s chin again as it hit the floor.
The warlock shuddered when Cassian lifted the knife to his face.
“Please,” he finally said.
What?
Cassian abruptly threw the knife into the far wall in disbelief. “Are
you kidding me?!” he bellowed.
The man looked just as startled as the others at his outburst.
“I wasn’t even gonna kill you! Your girl just had a gun pointed at
me and plenty of time to use it! But did you see me begging for my life?!”
He shook his head like an embarrassed child. Then he quickly
added, “No.”
“No!” Cassian echoed. “Exactly! So have some fucking self-
respect!”
When he said nothing, Cassian lifted a hand and slapped the back of
his head.
“Yes!” he exclaimed. “I am sorry.”
“Better. Thank you.” Cassian huffed, rubbing his eye. “You know,
y’all really annoy the shit out of me. You come in here, picking off
defenseless humans, acting like you got an open invite to a buffet, and the
second you’re on the menu, you wanna play victim. It’s bullshit if you ask
m-”
Whoosh…
Cassian spun to the door as a group of around twenty men stopped,
just past the threshold, taking in the scene. As soon as one stepped back, he
snapped his fingers. “Hey! Don’t run. Take some floor.”
They all stayed in place, seemingly clueless about how to proceed.
So he adjusted his words.
“KNEEL!”
Simultaneously, they dropped to their knees.
“Okay.” He faced the warlock. “I’mma need that spell right about
now.”
The man’s breathing was hoarse as blood trickled from his nose. “I
need…” he rasped. “I need…”
“Oh yeah.” He flinched when Cassian held his left knuckles out,
prompting an eye roll. “This work?” he asked, presenting his bloody hand.
The man looked at his hands, then back up at him. Cassian raised his
brows. “Yes,” the man quickly breathed, his eyes still uncertain.
Cassian pulled his hand back before he could touch it. “Yes, what?”
Finally, fire entered his gaze again. But he wasn’t stupid. Not
anymore at least. “Yes, my King…”
Satisfied, he gave his knuckles back again. He’d only just clasped
Cassian’s hand when another voice whispered in the room.
“Traitor…”
Cassian didn’t pull back, but let him continue, choosing to turn his
head in the direction of the voice instead.
“Now who would say something like that?”
He suspected it was one of the newcomers, but no one responded.
He let his gaze run over the grizzly faces of the men closest to the door and
quickly found that eyes were discreetly falling onto the one in the middle.
The large silver-haired man.
Huh.
It was almost fate that he looked like him.
“You?”
He lifted his head but said nothing.
Sighing, Cassian used his free hand to pull his handgun from his
belt. “You know what? I don’t really need the audience.”
The warlock jolted but didn’t drop his hand, as Cassian lifted his
gun and put a bullet in the head of the man next to him. Then the woman
next to him. Then the two men behind her. Eyes in the room grew wider
and wider as he made his way around the circle. Until the gun clicked.
He tugged his hand back from the warlock. “One sec. Need to
reload.”
The cries and pleading was almost distant noise as he ejected the
clip before reaching into his pocket. Flicking his eyes back to them, he saw
that the man who’d spoken was one of the only ones not begging.
He pointed the magazine at him. “You,” he said. “Take out your left
eye for me.”
The man seemed unbothered. Amused even. Until his hand started
moving. Cassian’s lips tipped up at the aghast look he wore as his hand
started moving toward his own face. He waited for the man’s screams to
start before he lifted his gun, but when they did, he paused to watch.
He met Cassian’s eyes with his right one, his mouth stretched open
with an agonized roar as he began to dig his fingers into his left eye socket.
He still didn’t beg, not with his words at least, but his gaze yearned for
mercy.
He gave him a tight smile. “Hurts, doesn’t it?” To have a part of
your body torn from you. To know that you’re responsible.
Audience…
He bit down against the rising ache and firmed his grip on the gun.
BANG!
Four times he needed to reload and he was on his last few bullets.
So, he started getting selective, he made a game out of it. He shot the ones
who he didn’t like the look of, the ones who didn’t cry, the ones with short
hair, the ones with ugly clothes.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
“CASSIAN!”
For the first time in minutes, he felt something. He spun, lowering
the gun, to find Cade striding through the double doors on the other side of
the reception, Don pushing through behind him.
Cade’s eyes were crazed, concerned, fearful, all three in one as in he
took in the room. Cassian tried to look at it through his eyes, and honestly,
it did look bad.
But Cade didn’t understand.
“I know it looks bad, but I’m finding him. Can you take out the
others?” he asked, flinching as the warlock in front of him pressed his
knuckles to his forehead.
Weird…
Don was frozen behind Cade, his eyes on the man screaming as he
clawed at his eye, blood spilling through his fingers.
He was still on that?
Cade held his hands out to the side, slowing down. “Cassian…Tell
him to stop.”
Cassian half-turned and faced him. “What? No. If you’re not gonna
help, can you leave?”
He flicked a look to the man. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Find Podak,” he responded, hating the taste of his name in his
mouth.
Cade bristled. “He’s here?”
He shrugged. “Somewhere. He…” Cassian cleared his throat. “He
killed Salem,” he said, jerking his head in her direction, not allowing
himself to look again.
Cade watched him for a while, his eyes flitting between him and
Salem. Then he turned to his side. “Don,” he said over his shoulder.
Before Cassian could say anything else, Don lifted his rifle and
started taking out the remaining primas.
Thank you. Someone helpful.
Then he shot the man Cassian had ordered to remove his eye. That
annoyed him, but he was going to die anyway, so he didn’t say anything.
Until he turned the gun on the man in front of him.
“Wait! No-”
BANG!
Cassian’s eyes bugged when his hand fell from the warlock’s as he
slumped. He whirled on Don. “WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!”
“Cassian,” Cade said softly as Don lowered the gun.
“YOU IDIOT! I needed him!”
Cassian was stopped from approaching by Cade’s hand on his chest.
“You didn’t.”
He didn’t?
He was going to find Podak. He was going to make things right.
Without that, without his only source for retribution ahead of him, he had
nothing left. That was the only reason he was still here.
Cassian took a step back, his hands shaking, his world imploding.
“Find me another one,” he gasped, pointing at his brother as his lungs
tightened.
Shit.
Cassian grabbed his chest.
“Cass-”
“Stay the fuck back!” he growled, almost tripping over the body
behind him. “Do you… Do you have any idea what you just did?”
He let him go…
I let him go…
…and something happens to you, after I’ve killed the person

responsible…
A burning sensation ignited in his chest as he took another step back.

She would’ve done it for him. She would’ve found Podak. She
would’ve killed him the second she got the chance.
Emotions have no place in war…
He could’ve taken him out right there if he’d just listened. But he let his
heart get in the way.
But I just wanted to hold her for a second.
You let him go…
Cassian looked over at her, his face scrunching.
Gods, I’m so sorry…
I don’t believe you…
He hadn’t seen Cade move, but in the next moment, his hand
wrapped around the gun in Cassian’s, halting it inches away from his own
face. He didn’t even know that he’d lifted it.
“Listen to me. She’s not-”
He shoved his brother away, letting him take the gun, struggling to
draw air in. He couldn’t even protect her, so what made him think that he
could avenge her?
You made me like this!
I know…
Cassian slowly fell to his knees, his legs buckling.
Hands grasped his head, tilting it up so that he could see his
brother’s wide eyes.
“Cassian, you’re not breathing!”
“I don’t want to…” he wheezed.
Cade was still speaking, but he could barely make out his words
anymore. He couldn’t make out much of anything as black dots started to
fill his vision.
“Cassian!” he mouthed, inches from his face. “Cassian!”
The sensation was absent as Cade grabbed his shoulders and put him
on his side before rolling him onto his back. He lowered his ear to his
mouth before hitting Cassian’s chest.
“BREATHE!”
No.
Cade held his hands together before bringing them down into the
middle of his chest. Hard.
Cassian gasped as traitorous air filled his lungs. Only for a few
seconds though.
“Dammit! Breathe you fucking idi…” Again, the sounds quieted,
the volume increasing and decreasing with each word.
“Don! Adrenaline! Nurse’s office! Go!”
As Cade tried to calm him, he finally realized his brother’s mistake,
the flaw in his reasoning, how much he truly misunderstood. He wanted
him to breathe, to be okay. He was trying to save him as if there was
anything left of him to save. But what he didn’t understand, what Cassian
couldn’t catch his breath for long enough to put into words, was that
without her, there was no him. That even if he managed to get him to
breathe, the second he got a moment alone, he’d eat a bullet.
It was the pinch in his thigh that let him know that Don had come
back.
“Two more,” he distantly heard Cade say, followed by two more
pinpricks.
Cassian almost smiled as a few tension-filled seconds passed. It
wasn’t working. He could go, maybe he could even see her, see his little-
Cassian rose from the floor in a flash, gasping, his heart pounding.
“Cassian, can you hear me?!”
He panted, his blurry vision honing in on Cade.
“She’s not dead!”
Who wasn’t dead?
His mind was moving so fast and so slow at the same time.
“Did you hear me? Salem’s alive.”
There was a moment of silence, save for his erratic breathing. Then
Cassian was shoving Cade’s hands off him. Why would he say something
like that? A sick joke was what it was. One that he was in no mood to
entertain.
Cade grabbed his hands before he could push him again. “Cassian,
look.” Clasping both of Cassian’s hands in one, he took hold of his chin,
pointing it to the reception desk.
He looked. And she was there. What was Cade trying to prove?
When he moved his chin, Cade’s grip grew harsh. “Look! She’s not
there…”
As if his ears were just waiting to hear his words, her body faded
right before his eyes.
“Wha…” Cassian blinked. “She…”
“I know. But she’s not here.”
That prompted another realization. One much darker.
“He took her…” Again.
Cade shook his head as Cassian pulled back. “No. She was never
here,” he said, trying to get a hold of him.
“Get off me!” He needed to find her.
“Cassian!” he yelled, fighting him.
“No!”
“Remember! Remember when you were twelve!” he said speedily.
“And you got really sick and started seeing things!”
“Let go!” He was stronger than his brother. So why couldn’t he get
him off him?
“Remember! You saw her! You saw Mom, but she wasn’t really
there!”
Of course, he remembered. It was one of the worst days of his life.
The day he lost her all over again.
Cade must have seen the thoughts through his eyes. “Good. That’s
what’s happening. Your mind is playing tricks on you. She’s not here. She
never was. But she’s not dead.” Cassian couldn’t help but notice the way he
sounded slightly unsure on the last sentence.
He stilled. “Then where is she?”
“I-”
“Cade…” Cassian’s whole body tensed when he dropped his gaze.
“Where is she…?”
“She uh…” He swallowed. “She-”
Bzz. Bzz.
Cade’s eyes flew to his wrist before relief burst over his features.
“She’s at the palace,” he sighed. “She’s at the palace. Don, get the others.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ninety-Four
The first one was the hardest to kill. A witch.

Salem was adept in both physical and psionic warfare, but she
definitely preferred hand-to-hand. Evidently, the witch didn’t feel the same
way. She’d kept her distance, always jumping back and trying to get away
from Salem, choosing to use her spells to try to incapacitate her. Salem
couldn’t even count how many times she’d been thrown, halted, or had her
blood boiled. It was painful but pain had never been an issue for her.
It was simply a reaction, an alert of sorts, her brain telling her body
that it was in danger. Salem already knew she was. So she ignored it, and
she pushed, and the moment the witch was within reach, she put a dagger
through her chin.
The second was a little easier. A psionic, like herself. She saw his
moves before he made them, knew exactly when and where he was
vulnerable when he’d attack. His attack was quickly stopped by a bullet
between his eyes though.
The third was definitely the least demanding by far. Maybe if she
was in a different state, the empath could have taken her. But not now. After
all, it couldn’t have been easier for him to toy with emotions that weren’t
there.
Taking that into account, she applied it.
The only problem was that she’d hit twenty-six minutes ago. And
nothing changed.
She didn't think that her heart would instantly lift or that she
wouldn’t feel dead inside anymore, but if anything, it hurt more. It wasn’t
working.
So she just kept going.
She tried to stick to the empaths. She snuck the witches and
warlocks. She met the psionics, blow for blow. The seers too. And she
avoided the azraels. Salem had never been in the business of starting fights
she couldn’t finish and she knew her limits, but it was the life, the other life,
his life, inside her that forced her to stick to what she could handle.
But avoidance didn’t always go a long way.
She was reminded of that as she was knocked to the side by a low-
flying azrael. She grunted as she hit the ground, pain flaring in the side of
her head where he’d struck her.
Fight or flight…
Salem rolled onto her back as he circled around and flew at her
again, his mouth opening as he let out a sound she could feel in her bones.
Fight or flight…
Both, she decided.

Cassian was barely hearing Cade as he marched through the hall behind
him. He’d tried to warn him the whole ride back to the palace.
“She might be a little…off. You should probably stay away from her
until we can work out exactly what she thinks is going on.”
A muffled grunt was his only response.
“Cassian, I mean it.”
He put his hand on his knees to stop it from jogging.
“Are you listening?”

“No.”
He didn’t think that his brother was a liar, but he needed to see it for
himself. Needed to see her for himself. Everything else could wait.
He took a sharp turn into the ballroom, his eyes scanning over faces as
he pushed past people like they were merely obstacles because, in his mind,
they were. Everything keeping him from her was an obstacle. One he’d
gladly knock down if it got him closer.
He finally spotted a familiar face. Emori’s. Only Emori’s. She was by
the open door of the ballroom holding up a…shield?
It only took a few steps to see what she was keeping out. Just on the
steps stood Deianira, her hands moving wildly as she used shadows to bat
off prima after prima that rushed toward the doors. He had no idea how
long she’d been doing it for, but she looked far from tired, her shouts and
grunts getting louder with each swipe.
Without a thought, he stepped past Emori and through the shield. He
knew he wouldn’t be able to get back in now, but he wasn’t too worried
about that.
“Where?” was the first thing he said, startling Deianira.
She threw a look over her shoulder, her eyes unsure until Cade stepped
up beside him.
“He’s good,” he said stiffly.
Deianira sighed. “I tried to stop her.”
He was ready to bark out his question again, but she didn’t make him
ask. She simply jerked her head out to the gardens as she continued to hold
the front, aided by Cade as he started to fire off shots.
At first, Cassian didn’t understand.
She hadn’t indicated to the field. She’d gestured to the sky.
And like they always did, his eyes found her.
Cassian froze.
He expected his heart to drop at the sight, but it didn’t. It was soaring.
Just like she was.
Like a picture out of fantasy, Salem jerked and jolted, her eyes
crazed, her skin stained red, as she zipped through the sky on the back of an
azrael.
“Shit…” Devin muttered beside him.
Cassian didn’t even notice him. But he did notice the step he took.
“I’ll-”
“Don’t,” Cassian cut him off, holding up a hand, his eyes glued to
her.
The prima ascended and dipped, flew in circles, but she never once
let go as she locked her legs around his torso. She lifted her joined hands,
both of them wrapped around the handle of her knife, and even from the
distance, he heard the battle cry that tore from her throat as she forced it
down into his spine.
Cassian physically couldn’t look away. He’d seen her fight, he’d
been on the receiving end of it, but this was different. She looked manic,
wild…free.
When he bucked, she lowered herself, circling her arms around his
neck. As she closed her eyes, preparing for impact, Cassian was sure that
he’d never been more in love with her than he was in that moment.
He spun as he plummeted, Salem wrangling him by the neck to keep
him under her before he crashed to the ground, his squirming body breaking
her fall. She didn’t even take a breath as she pushed up off him. She just
pulled her knife from his back before turning him over and putting it
through the side of his neck.
He wasn’t sure what he was expecting her to do when she stood,
brushing her blood-soaked locks out of her face. Maybe for her to look at
him or even take a moment to breathe. But she didn’t. Instead, she jerkily
turned in a slow circle with a distinctive look on her face. Eyes narrowed,
brows low, lips tight.
He knew that look.
She wanted more. She was looking for more.
“Cassian,” he heard behind him.
He didn’t respond.
“She’s gonna hurt herself. Her leg’s already broken, she needs-”
He finally tore his gaze from her. “What?”
Devin lazily threw a hand up. “She jumped out of the window in
your room. She might not feel it right now but-”
Once again, he didn’t wait for him to finish as he tore Devin’s gun
from his hands and pounded grass to get to her. Footsteps sounded behind
him, but he blocked out Cade and Devin, barely taking his finger off the
trigger as he burned through the distance between them, spraying bullets at
anything that was even remotely in his path. He picked up his pace as she
started charging at another prima who had his back turned, dropping her
knife. She had just launched herself at him as Cassian came within reach,
grabbing her midair.
Almost immediately, she fought him, her shock lasting less than a
second. He ducked his head to the side as she took a swing at him, turning
her in his arms. She barely looked at his face, kneeing him in the stomach
and sending fists anywhere she could reach.
SALEM! It’s me!
Sweet relief hit him when he felt his words send. It was really her.
But she didn’t stop fighting him.
Closer now, he got a better look at her eyes. She looked empty, lost,
but determined. And she was dead set on killing him.
Having no better ideas, he wrestled her to the ground, fumbling for
her hands.
As the noise around them silenced, he noticed a shimmer to the air.
Devin looked down at him with a nod, his arms stretched as Cade kneeled
beside him.
They were safe. For now.
Finally pinning her hands above her head, he twisted and turned,
trying to catch her eyes.
Salem! Salem, look at me!
Her fighting grew weary.
Salem, it’s me…
Her gaze slowly landed on his face.
Cassian nodded. It’s me…
Chest rising and falling, she weakly kicked at him, whispering
something. He pressed down against her, willing her to stop moving to
prevent further damage when he heard it. Her voice was so quiet, so weak
that he almost didn’t.
“One more…” she rasped. “Just one more…”
Salem. What are you-
“I can do it,” she nodded, really looking at him. “One more…”
“I think she’s concussed,” Cade said warily.
Cassian looked her over. She might have been. One more what?
“One more…” she panted like she was begging him for something.
Sae, I don’t understand. His voice was just as pleading.
He almost did start to plead with her as her face scrunched and
moisture started to build in her eyes. Her pain was his pain, and worse, he
didn’t know what had caused it.
“It hurts…”
Sucking in a breath, he looked down, giving her an inch of space.
Your leg?
His chest squeezed as a tear escaped her eye. “It hurts…”
He brought his face closer. What hurts?
She gasped as more tears started to flow. “I-I just need one more,”
she wheezed. “I’ll make it better, I just need one more…”
His throat thickened. Salem, I don’t-
“I’m sorry…” she cried. “I’m sorry, I tried to call her…”
Eyes glossy, he looked up at Devin and shook his head.
Something was wrong.
A quick tap and an “Em” from Devin had a portal opening to his
right.
Come on, he murmured as he scooped her up and held her to his
chest. Again, she started to protest. All the way into the ballroom and
through the halls, she whimpered and whined about how she needed one
more, and he just wished he understood.
He tried again as she laid her down on the bed in his eerily empty
room, knowing that she wouldn’t have wanted blood on her bed and that his
was the closest.
Salem.
The tears only paused long enough for her to growl her next words.
“I tried…” Her brows scrunched. “You didn’t listen…”
Cade took a seat on the bed beside him, Devin remaining standing.
Didn’t listen about what?
“Emori,” she breathed.
Devin tensed, taking a step closer. “What is she talking about?”
“I don’t know,” Cassian threw behind him, frustrated.
His brother shifted closer, holding his hands up when Cassian
flicked a look at him.
“Ask her where you are,” Cade said softly.
He turned back to her. Salem, where am I? Right now, where am I?
He gave her a second to catch her breath. “In…” she hiccuped. “In
the ballroom. I told them to stay with you. I was…coming back.”
Why am I in the ballroom?
“I was tired,” she cried, her face scrunching. “I couldn’t carry
you…” She inhaled, shaking her head. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice
steadier. “I’ll go get you right now.”
“Woah.” Cassian gently halted her as she tried to sit up. I’m right
here.
“No, you’re not,” she forced out.
He shook his head softly. I am. Whatever you saw, it didn’t happen.
“I saw it.”
I know. But it wasn’t real. I saw the same thing.
She cleared her throat, her gaze still disbelieving. “Podak…”
He wasn’t there either. It was in your head.
Cassian flinched as Devin sat on the opposite side of the bed. “She
thinks you’re dead,” he said matter-of-factly.
“What?”
Devin nodded to her. “You saw her die, right? What if she saw the
same thing? Not exactly the same, but listen to her. ‘I’m sorry’, ‘I tried’, ‘I
couldn’t carry you’.”
“Well, what do I do? She thinks I’m in the ballroom. How do I tell
her I’m here?”
Devin turned to Cade. “What did you do?”
Cade bristled under the attention, shrugging. “I just told him.”
“Well I just told her and she doesn’t believe me,” he gritted out,
flicking a look at her as she stared up at him in despair.
Devin turned away, lifting his wrist. It was only seconds before
Deianira’s face shot out of his bracelet. “What’s happeni-”
“Can you do a three-sixty?”
“What?”
Devin got closer to the bed. “Show us the room.”
Her confusion didn’t stop her from holding the camera away from
her face as Devin held the screen up in front of Salem.
Cassian nudged her. Look, he said when she wouldn’t take her eyes
off him.
Reluctantly, she looked at Devin’s screen as Deianira turned slowly,
the hologram showing the whole room, the few civilians still sitting in
either corner, the enforcers holding the door.
He flinched as she swung her eyes back to him.
You see? he said softly.
“I don’t understand,” she breathed.
I know, but-
“I killed him.”
Podak. Yes, but he wasn’t there.
Salem’s chest still stuttered as she lifted her hands, and it was only
then that Cassian noticed the broken cuffs attached to either wrist.
He gently grabbed them. Who did this?
“You,” she gasped. “Me. I don’t know.”
Cade was already fishing for the keys, handing them to him.
Why would I do that? he asked, unlocking them.
She swallowed, staring down at her wrists. “You thought-”
Knock, knock.
Devin was holding a hand out before he or Cade could tense. “I
called them. We need to regroup.” His gaze found Cassian and Salem.
“Maybe you guys should clean up.”
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ninety-Five
She didn’t speak the whole time they showered. With the help of
Devin, she’d briefly explained her version of events, but after the bathroom
door closed, she shut off. Salem wasn’t much of a talker on a normal day,
but she seemed a bit more distant, like her mind hadn’t quite caught up. It
was understandable. He felt the exact same thing. It was strange that for just
thirty minutes, he thought he’d lost her, and even an hour later, his mind
hadn’t fully wrapped around the concept that he hadn’t. He just wanted to
touch her and hold her for whatever was left of the day, but they were still
in the midst of war and he wasn’t sure if crowding her was the best thing to
do. That didn’t mean that he didn’t hold her the whole time Devin healed
her leg, which was in much worse condition than he’d anticipated, the
blood obscuring most of the damage. She didn’t object either, which was a
relief.
Devin’s eyes had shot right up to his when he surveyed for any more
damage, and Cassian knew that he’d sensed it. He didn’t speak, probably
because of the others in the room, but he did nod. He hadn’t been too sure
before, but when he saw her eyes track the movement, when he felt her sag
against his chest with relief, he knew that this was what she wanted, that
she wasn’t doing it for him. Nothing could’ve lifted his spirits more.
But still, her silence as they changed on opposite sides of the
bathroom was unsettling.
Pulling her long-sleeved, ribbed tank over her head, she pulled her
hair back. He wanted to step in, to help her as she winced. But he stayed
back and waited. He had absolutely no idea what was going through her
head.
She ambled over to him, not looking up as she reached for his hand.
His heart warming in a way that he didn’t know he needed, he
reached for the doorknob.
When they walked back into the bedroom, Salem trailing behind
him, he paused, looking over the new faces. He’d heard Deianira arrive, but
the room was fuller, both strange and familiar faces in each corner, all
sharing the same look. Defeat. And he didn’t blame them.
Wheredid they go from here?
Cassian didn’t even want to think about how many losses there had
already been city-wide, but that didn’t change the fact that they didn’t have
enough. Enough power, enough people, enough of anything. Sure, their
population was greater, but those were civilians that didn’t know the first
thing about warfare.
He moved when Salem stepped around him, leading him over to the
table where there was an empty chair. It was a while before anyone spoke,
but Cassian was more concerned with the body language of the others than
their lack of words.
They were looking at them. He and Salem.
A few enforcers had arrived early and had seen them in their
condition before they cleaned up. It wasn’t exactly mistrust on their faces,
more concern, caution.
“Don and Tenzin are riding out, telling people to lock their doors,
stay inside. It’s not much for damage control, but the streets are clear.”
Deianira nodded her thanks to the enforcer that had started, flicking
a quick look between Devin and Salem.
“We can’t stay here,” Devin continued. “And not just because
they’ll eventually get in. We can’t leave everyone to fend for themselves.”
“But we need a strategy. If we get ourselves picked off, they’re as
good as dead.” Cade added.
Cassian turned his attention to Salem when she twisted in his lap to
face him, but whatever she was about to say was interrupted by the door
opening.
Don stopped at the door for a short second before continuing in,
Akilah holding his hand, her head lowered.
Devin sat up at the same time as Emori. “Where-”
She quickly halted, placating her brother. “They’re with Aiko and
Lilo.”
He settled with a nod.
Before the conversation could reignite, Cassian’s head spun to the
other side of the room where Don was now dragging an enforcer out of his
seat by his collar.
“Get up,” he bit out.
In all of the confusion, Cassian’s included, no one said anything.
But then Don turned to Akilah who leaned against the wall. “Sit,” he said,
his voice still firm but his face much softer.
That makes more sense.
Her eyes widened as she looked at the man, picking himself up.
Don nodded to the chair before she could speak. “Sit down.”
Eyes narrowing at him, she accepted the seat with a mumbled,
“Thank you.”
Rolling his eyes, Devin took the floor again. “What areas do we
have locked down? Maybe we can start transferring people?”
Salem reminded Cassian that she’d been about to tell him something
with a squeeze on his thigh. What about the hebeto?
Of course. “Dev, that plant you told me about. It weakens them,
right?”
Devin’s face turned contemplative. “Yeah…Salem actually…” He
turned his gaze to her. ‘Wait, did you actually get it?’
Salem tensed when the room looked at her. “I-I think I did.” She
settled back into Cassian more. “I don’t know anymore.”
‘Where’d you put it?’
She shifted uncomfortably. “My pack. Downstairs.”
Cassian couldn’t fight his frown as Devin sent two enforcers out to
look for it. If the bag was out there and she had really gotten it, then what
else did she see that might have been real? What if Podak was really dead?
No one had seen him in the city. What if she’d actually killed him? What if
what she and Devin had partly explained to him was mostly true, his
absence being the only figment of her imagination? It would’ve made
sense. Her explanation of how she knew things she wasn’t supposed to
know seemed too probable to be conjured up in her mind. But on the other
hand, with a brain like Salem’s, anything was possible. Maybe she had
worked it out for herself.
He was jarred from his thoughts as the two enforcers burst back into
the room, one of them with a bag in her hand.
Cassian had to hold his jaw up. She did it. She actually got it.
They’d both been in the midst of madness, but while he was losing
it, striding around like a mindless beast, she was saving everyone. Literally.
The enforcer stepped closer to them, dropping it onto the table. “Is
this enough?” she asked, facing the room.
Devin stood from his seat, grabbing the bag to open it. He weighed
it in his hands. “Get yourselves together and suit up. I’ll be back in twenty.”
Motion revved up as the enforcers stood, the others standing too.
Including Salem. With a last look over her shoulder, she made for the bed,
reaching down to grab her belt.
Unease coiled in his gut. He really didn’t like the idea of her being
back out there. But that unease quickly turned into annoyance as he
watched one of the enforcers, look to Salem, then around the room, like he
was waiting for someone to say something. Cassian just knew he was about
to do something stupid when he started in her direction as she made a move
for the door.
He stepped in front of her, his hand finding her arm to stop her.
“Should she be heading out with us?” the idiot asked, voicing Cassian’s
thoughts. But it wasn’t the same. Not once did he look at Cassian with the
same concern, because it wasn’t concern at all. The guy had to be in station
one or two if he didn’t know her enough to keep his mouth shut and his
head down, but Cassian had a feeling that she was about to give him an
introduction. So he stayed back, and he watched. She had it.
Salem stilled as she tilted her head down to look at where he was
touching her. Her eyes then shifted to Cassian’s burning ones, a strange
sense of comfort blanketing his rage at their shared look as the room
silenced. Finally, she gave her attention back to him, as did Cassian.
He was still touching her, the silent message obviously not
permeating his thick skull.
While they had a few similarities, Salem and Deianira usually fell
on opposite ends of any spectrum. That was most noticeable in how their
anger manifested. Deianira’s anger was cold, chilling, and Salem was as hot
as fire under the right circumstances. But as Salem held the enforcer’s gaze,
which had only just landed on her, all Cassian saw was ice.
“You have three seconds…”
Finally, the dumbass took a look around and dropped her arm like it
was on fire, slowly prompting everyone to get back to their tasks and leave
the room. Cassian kept his mouth shut as he strolled toward her, catching up
to the enforcer just before he went to make his exit.
She handled it. It’s fine.
Cassian clenched his jaw, shaking his head.
Nope.
Spinning him around with a hand on his shoulder, he hit him square
in his chest, sending him backward into a gasping fit.
Better, he thought as he watched him scramble from the room, a few
of his peers helping him up. When he turned back, Salem was watching
him with an unimpressed look.
He shrugged.

He wanted to say something. Salem could practically feel it the whole

way to their room. Even as he followed her into the closet, suiting up, his
back to hers.
That was something she found happening a lot. Just knowing what
he was feeling. Usually, she was the last person in the room to pick up on
something that wasn’t explicitly shown, or if there wasn’t a physical tell to
accompany it. But Cassian looked completely normal, yet she could tell
something was bothering him. And she had an idea of what.
Rather than bringing it up though, she willed her hands to stop
shaking as she tried to fasten her belt. She closed her eyes in frustration as
she missed the loop, letting it fall to the floor. Sooner than it had fallen,
hands gently wrapped around her waist, turning her. She didn’t look as
Cassian fastened it for her, his hands moving softly, brushing her hips.
Soon, she felt her vest being slipped over her head.
When she finally opened her eyes, Cassian was watching her, a
hesitant look on his face as he held her gun in his hands.
Despite herself, she cut him a look.
She was going.
Sighing, he slotted it into her holster before grabbing the other. He
made quick work of arming her with guns, and knives, even slotting a small
hand grenade into the deep pocket on her thigh. When he was done, he
didn’t move from his crouched position, and she didn’t want him to. She
just let her gaze track his face.
She knew he was there, really there. But she hadn’t fully accepted it.
She really thought she’d lost him. And it wasn’t like she didn’t know how
much she needed him before, but those few moments when she didn’t have
him…
Salem had lived without him, with knowledge of his existence for
over a century, and she’d been close to content. But his being gone made
her realize things. Not about her feelings for him, she’d been clear on those
for a while. But it made her think about how much she’d taken his presence
for granted.
She wished she could tell him everything she thought, but like
always, she struggled to find the words to make him understand. Anything
that would’ve rolled off her tongue didn’t feel good enough. Didn’t feel
passionate, or personal enough. But he deserved personal, he deserved
passionate. He gave it to her every day.
Staring into his ocean eyes, she had to fight a wobble on her bottom
lip. She could see him. Maybe even for the first time. Did he see her the
way she saw him? Did he see himself the way she saw him?
Because he would have been shortchanging himself if he thought
anything less.
Knowing that even she wouldn’t have been able to find the words to
express her thoughts, even if she lived for another thousand years, Salem
chose not to speak.
She took a step closer, ignoring his furrowed brows as she lifted a
trembling hand to his reddening cheek. Sealing her lids, so as not to
discourage herself, Salem pressed her lips to his. Not in a harsh or
demanding way. Just a soft kiss.
And he didn’t stop her. In fact, he met her there, giving just the same
amount of pressure. For some reason, that disappointed her. Not because
she expected more, but because some part of her wanted him to scoop her
up and drive her mad so that she wouldn’t have to feel what she was
pouring into the kiss. But it was like he knew. Like he wanted her to feel it,
to face it head-on.
His fingers finding her face and spreading into her hair, he tilted her
head back deepening the still gentle kiss. At first, she thought he might have
been giving her reprieve, but when his tongue prodded at her lips, gently
seeking permission, she realized what he was doing. He was leveling with
her. She couldn’t put her feelings into words so he was speaking in a
language she could understand. One with no words, no link, and no signs. A
language just for them.
As soon as she gave way, his tongue was lapping at hers as she
welcomed it, stumbling back as she grew dizzy from all his silent words. He
pulled her closer, dropping to his knees to eliminate the limitations as he
aligned his chest with hers.
Emotion clawed up her throat when she felt it.
His heart.
It was beating.
And she could feel it in her own chest.
Salem shoved through all doubt and kissed him harder, bringing her
other hand to his face as she pulled him to her lips with more force. The
rumble he let out against her rivaled any sensation she’d ever felt. It wasn’t
how felt physically, it was what it symbolized.
Life.
Love…
I love you. She knew that it wasn’t enough, but she sent it the
moment she thought it. Whether he needed to hear it or not, she needed to
say it.
Startling her, he shoved her up against the shelf, holding her head as
he kissed her like he was giving her all of him.
I love you, she said again.
That rumble vibrated through her again as they battled back and
forth, rocking as their mouths marked each other.
I love you…
She parted her lids to gaze at his still-closed eyes. She would have
called his name to make him hear if she didn’t see the strain on his face. At
first, she thought that he was trying to hold back, but when the drop leaked
from the corner of his closed lid, her heart almost shattered for him. She’d
wanted him to drive her mad so that she wouldn’t have to feel, yet here she
was, making him do the same.
In the next second, his lips left hers, but it wasn’t rejection she felt,
it was pain.
He fell onto his haunches, tugging her closer as he buried his face in
her stomach. She bit down on her lip as she panted, holding him there. He
slowly shook his head against her shirt, holding her so tight before drawing
back to place a kiss on her stomach. He kissed her again and again, all
while she stroked his head, fighting her own tears.
No longer able to handle it, she drew his face up, pressing her lips to
his again. She needed it, but so did he.
He channeled everything into his kiss, pushing her back, but she
didn’t just let it happen, she dragged him into her. He only stumbled
slightly, but, obviously not getting the message, evidently not realizing that
she didn’t want it to be about her, he shoved harder against her, his hands
slipping lower. Salem pushed, softening her touch when he nearly fell back.
She gently let him down enough to make him sit back. It was about him.
She knew that she was getting her slice, but it was for him. So she straddled
him, dragging his mouth back with a tug at the back of his neck.
She could feel his confusion, could taste his shyness, shyness she
didn’t think he had. But she made sure he understood. Grabbing a fistful of
his shirt, she leaned back in his lap, forcing him to follow her before she
slid a hand between them, stroking him over the front of his pants. Like he
was coming to life, his hands were on her as he drew his legs around,
holding her so that she wouldn’t fall as he tried to kneel above her.
He still didn’t get it.
Before he could lower himself onto her, she used her leg to knock
the knee that prepared to straddle her, sending him back. She only had one
knee on the ground when he dragged her leg from under her, cradling her
head as she fell to the floor. She let out a sharp moan as he went straight for
her neck, almost getting distracted. Growling, she wrapped his legs around
his waist, drawing her hips to the side before shoving them into a roll. He
was ready to roll back on top when she threw her hand under his chin,
forcing his head to the carpeted closet floor.
“Cassian,” she bit out when he tried to move. “Down.”
His eyes widened a fraction as he panted, staring up at her.
“Down,” she said again, quieter.
When he shakily nodded, she rewarded him, sliding herself lower.
She didn’t tell him to stop when he gripped her hips, breathing hard. But
she did halt when he started to rock her. She held her hands over his,
rocking her hips herself, letting him feel it, but not control it. When he
finally took a step back and let her lead, she rolled her hips down. He hissed
as he drew his knees up behind her, his fingers gripping her harder. She did
it again, but this time, he closed his eyes. She could see his throat working,
his restraint faltering, but he didn’t make a move to take control.
He was learning.
She left his hands on her hips, trusting him, and bent down to gently
press her lips to his collarbone. She kissed her way up his neck the way he
did to her, the way that drove her crazy. Again his hands tightened as his
chest thudded harder against her. But it wasn’t enough, she wanted to feel
him. Sitting up, she pulled her top off, placing it down beside her. She
gripped the bottom of his and rolled her hips in a circle. His eyes flew open
as his lips parted.
“Arms,” she said, pulling it up.
He reluctantly let go of her and raised his arms, letting her tug it off
completely. The second she put it down, his hands found her hips again. His
eyes were pleading as his thumbs dug into her waist. She lowered herself
again, stretching to claim his lips. His kisses were almost lazy as he tried to
pull back and beckon her eyes, needing the movement. She just kissed him
again, waiting for him to ask for it.
Salem, plea-
Go ahead. She would’ve made him wait a little longer if he wasn’t
in the perfect spot, if she wasn’t just as desperate for him.
His grip grew harsh as he ground her down against him, his groan
busting from his lips. Her mouth fell open with a moan before she bit down
on his lip as he slid her across his length, grazing her through her clothes.
Back and forth, he skillfully dragged her hips along him, the sensation only
building as he grew even harder beneath her. Whether he was bringing her
to the edge intentionally to make her give in or not, it was working.
She tore her lips from his, sliding back as her hands went for his
belt. His chest heaved as he watched her, fingers twitching on her hips, as
she pulled it out from under him. The veins in his neck bulged as she not-
so-gently tugged his pants down over his erection. That same feeling she
felt this morning ignited between her legs again as she looked at him. She
wasn’t trying to tease him, but she wanted to feel him.
With less force than she had used only hours ago, she grasped it,
stroked it, and did everything that had him rising off the bed this morning.
Gods, please…
She gripped him at the base, slowly rolling her hands up as he sent
her an extended, lust-filled groan.
She expected to hear her name, to hear him beg like he did before,
but she found herself on her side as he abruptly spun them. She gasped as
she looked up. His eyes were flashing between white and blue as he tore her
belt at the front and dragged her pants so hard that she skidded down the
floor. He threw them behind him before whirling in her.
“Ca-” she started before she saw that his eyes had returned to their
natural blue. She didn’t move, but not from fear. She didn’t want to scare
him.
He took a breath, towering over her before he grasped her hips and
slowly rolled them back over, sitting her on his lower chest.
She was still frozen, staring down at him.
Keep going, he breathed, massaging the skin on her thighs.
She thought she’d pushed him too far, but apparently not. As if she
hadn’t been interrupted, she arched into him, reaching back to press his
head to her center. Removing her hands, she grasped his shoulders, looking
down at him as she slowly slid back. His eyes fluttered as his grip punished
her skin. The initial stretch was no issue, but she couldn’t help but whine
when his hands jerked on her hips, shoving her down a little too fast. His
eyes opened as he pulled her back up, but she squeezed his waist between
her bent knees.
“I didn’t tell you to stop,” she rasped.
She knew that he wanted to, but she still gritted her teeth and pushed
herself back, clearing all doubt in his mind.
He didn’t make her repeat herself as he took the wheel, filling her to
the brim. Her mouth fell open as she panted, squirming to find the right
angle.
Cassian showed her exactly what she was looking for.
He pushed her up into a seating position, and when she expected
him to lift her up and back down, he replaced his hand at her waist and
pulled her forward. She squealed, her legs squeezing together as it shifted
him inside her, grazing her in that perfect spot. She mewled as he did it
again, feeling him pulse low in her stomach.
Looking down, her pleasure dipped for a second at his proud face.
Grabbing one of his hands, she locked it around her neck, rolling forward.
She smiled as her breath caught when he immediately gripped her throat,
his eyes closing.
There. Control.
At least she thought she was in control. That thought lasted until he
reopened his eyes. They weren’t flickering this time. They weren’t blue
either.
Salem didn’t stop her slow movements, wondering if it would pass.
When he grabbed her side, halting her, she didn’t know whether to be
scared, excited, or concerned.
Lay back, he said quietly, his white eyes somehow still finding hers
when she could make out his pupil from his iris. I don’t want to hurt you.
She knew he would never, but common sense still won. Without
questioning him, she hissed as she pulled herself off him, slowly crawling
back and sitting down. When he rose up, his stance somehow more
intimidating than it had been before, she remembered his full command.
Salem let her elbows support her as she lay back, looking up at him as he
made his way between her legs.
All the way, he said, lowering his chest to hers.
She let her head slowly hit the floor before he slid his hand under it,
aligning them with his other. She didn’t realize why he’d told her to until he
drove forward, until the hand that held her head thudded against the wall.
“Cassi-ah!” It burned as much as it was blissful.
His next thrust was sharper, more targeted, and he hit that same spot
with impressive precision. All she could do was cling to his arms as he
slowly drew out and plunged forward, his hips hitting her thighs harder with
each thrust. She tried not to bristle as she stared into his eyes. He was still
Cassian, but he didn’t look like her Cassian. This one was scarier, hungrier.
His hand leaving her head, he snuck both of them under her,
wrapping his arms around her back as he hit her with long, quick thrusts.
He held her so tight that she almost couldn’t breathe, but she still took it,
finally letting herself cry into his ear when she was sure that it wouldn’t
deter him.
She wasn’t sure if he would’ve heard anyway with the mad lust that
he was pumping her with. She assumed that he was giving her all that he
had, but she quickly realized that he’d been holding back as he reared up
and anchored his thrusts, lowering himself each time he drove to push her
into the ground.
“Ahh!” Her hand quickly found his chest, the sensation too much,
too good that she thought she might break.
He clenched his jaw when she clamped down on him, sitting back
and pulling her bottom half into his lap. She scrambled for purchase as she
was dragged forward. With his hands on her waist again, he got on his
knees, deepening his thrusts as he pulled her center to him while driving
forward, his speed picking up.
“Slow down…” she whined, one hand behind her dangling head, the
other latched onto his thumb that dug into her skin. It was like he couldn’t
hear her.
Too soon, that pulsing in her core intensified. She’d wanted to make
him feel good, but, as usual, he made sure that she got hers first. She
would’ve been a lot more disappointed if he wasn’t turning her inside out
with every snap of his hips.
When she caught one of his hands moving, hovering over her
stomach, she released the hand behind her head, grabbing it, stopping it.
“Please,” she panted.
She didn’t know what it was that he’d done the night before, but it
multiplied everything that she felt. It was already too much, he was already
too deep, and she didn’t think that she could take it.
Again, he wasn’t hearing her. He didn’t shove her hand away, but he
used it to press down on her lower stomach.
She screamed as he slammed against her sweet spot that was
somehow so much easier to reach like this. She writhed as the pressure
doubled, as her pleasure tripled, all while he kept his pace. She panted,
letting her climax rush over her, rocking her hips to alleviate some of the
feeling, too sensitive to lay there and take it.
When he finally dropped her and covered her body with his, she
gasped at the reprieve until she felt his teeth graze across the cords on her
neck. Then clamp down. She hissed at the sting, her hand flying to his head.
She wasn’t planning on going anywhere, but it was like he was holding her
in place, daring her to move. She bucked with every unexpected thrust or
jolt as she came down, but didn’t make a move to roll out from under him.
Not even as she felt his warmth spill into her, both of them shuddering, her
legs still twitching.
Not until he let her go. And she didn’t want him to. Ever.

Blinking groggily, Cassian tried to catch his breath. When he was spent,
when he’d given all that he had left to give, he warily pulled back from
Salem’s neck, shame already sitting on his shoulders. He winced when he
saw the angry red skin, an imprint of his teeth sitting right in the middle,
just a few spots of blood. He brushed his thumb over it, surveying the
damage.
Are you okay? he asked, hissing as he pulled out.
When he saw her hand go to her back as she turned a little,
stretching, his concern turned to fear. At some point, her shirt had ridden
up, and now, fresh red grazing lined her back. He hadn’t even thought about
the carpet.
Shit, he winced, groaning as he pushed up off her. I’m so sorry.
Concern struck when she didn’t respond, but his eyes only had to
find her face for all of it to leave. Sleepy as they were, her eyes were open,
blinking up at him. But that wasn’t what had him melting. It was her lips.
She was smiling. A soft, weary smile, but a smile nonetheless.
He’d seen her smile before, laugh even. But he wasn’t sure if he’d
even seen her look so at peace, so sated, so content. That line between her
brows had disappeared, not even a crease left as a reminder of its presence.
And her eyes. Those eyes that were always narrowed with focus or wide
with frustration were now crinkled in the corners.
He wanted to smile back, but concern still won. He had no idea what
had happened to him. He just-
Slam! “Cass! We’re all waiting!”
Eyes doubling, he looked down at Salem, a frown slowly wiping
away that smile, as footsteps marched closer to the closet. The closet with
the door wasn’t shut.
“We’re coming!” he yelled back, grabbing her under her arms and
setting her on her feet before standing.
“You in the closet?”
“Uh…” He grabbed her pants, tossing them to her before pulling up
his own. When she caught them, he turned his chin down with an
admittedly smug smirk as he watched her grab onto the shelf for support, a
slight tremor running through her whenever her legs would rub together.
Boots thudded mere feet away from the door. “What?”
Shit. “Don’t come in!” He yanked his pants up, not bothering to grab
his belt before he pulled Salem to him, keeping his back to the door as she
halted her dressing.
He sighed, closing his eyes as the feet abruptly stopped, knowing
that it was now less than discreet what they’d been doing.
“Y’all make me sick…” was all Devin said before the sound
retreated.
He shrugged. He’d expected a lecture about time and place.
As quickly as they could, they cleaned up and re-dressed, Cassian
forcing her to let him rub down her back with a cold rag. She said she was
fine, but he waved her off, doing it anyway.
Better? he asked, pulling her shirt back down.
Her face was bored as she tilted her head. “It was fine.” The way
she leaned exposed that mark on her neck, and as much as it pleased him,
even though he wasn’t sure it should have, he couldn’t get past how sore it
must have been. He didn’t want her to be uncomfortable.
He lifted the rag. Let me-
Salem slapped his hand down. “I am fine,” she hissed. “Devin is
waiting.”
He chewed on his lip, looking over it again. Just a quick-
He flinched as Salem grabbed his head in both hands, taking
advantage of his crouched position as she yanked him forward and sunk her
teeth into the side of his throat.
“Fuck…” he groaned as his legs gave out, forcing him to one knee.
Then she started to suck, rolling her tongue over the gripped skin.
Immediately, his dick twitched, pulling another moan from him.
Without meaning to be so rough, he shoved a hand into her hair and
pulled her teeth harder against his throat, rewarded when she bit down with
more force before soothing it again and sucking at the swollen flesh.
“Yes…”
But all too soon, she was stepping back and ducking his arm when
he tried to pull her back.
“Wha…” he panted, trying to blink so that he could see her through
his lust-clouded vision.
“Did that feel bad?”
He shook his head, bracing his hand on his knee. “Uh-uh…”
“Are you uncomfortable?”
Another head shake.
Salem nodded. “Exactly. Let’s go. We’re already late.”
He raised a shaky hand to the side of his neck to feel the small
indentations of her teeth, fighting the urge to grab her and take her again.
“Do you need help?”
He slowly turned to see her waiting with her arms crossed, a brow
subtly raised, but he didn’t miss the amused twinge to her lips.
Cassian pushed up to stand, still a little unbalanced. He watched her
grin grow as he strode after her.
You're doing that again later.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ninety-Six
Aerosol.
It was genius.
Salem had always known that Devin was smart, his stats in the
disciplinary program said as much. He’d been flagged many times and the
restoration process had only enhanced his abilities, but his brain had always
been wired a certain way. Considering that he attended a public school and
was incarcerated at seventeen, meaning that he didn’t even graduate, his
mind was impressive.
That was only proven by his explanation to the team of how he
planned to deploy the hebeto, signing and speaking as his brain regurgitated
the information as if he’d been working on it for months instead of twenty
minutes.
He let everyone settle in the ballroom, the civilians having already
been moved to the third floor.
“Touching the plant is enough to weaken them, but to be safe, Emori
and Deianira are already filtering the go juice into the air scrubbing system
of every big building in the city.” It made sense, they could get around
quicker. “The plan hasn’t changed much, but they will be much easier to
kill.”
Donnie uncrossed his arms. “What about us? They’re our ancestors,
right? If it weakens them, what’ll it do to us?”
Devin bobbed his head from side to side. “Working off of theory, it
should have the same effect, but,” he quickly added when looks were
thrown. “As far as the extent of the effects go, I believe the pushback is in
some way proportional to the power that the individual holds. It can only
negate the power over a certain threshold.” When he received blank looks,
he sighed. “More power, less power. Less power, less power.”
A wave of nodding ensued, but Cassian stepped up. “So it won’t
affect us at all?”
Devin looked over at Cassian before lowering his gaze for a
moment. “It shouldn’t, no,” he said, giving Cassian a short nod.
Salem frowned at the tell.
Devin addressed the group again. “Essentially, this just brings them
down to our level, while only knocking a little off the top for us. By now, it
should already be working, so the doors open when we get the go-ahead.”
He quieted for a moment. “I should let you know that unit forty-four has
been compromised. I don’t know the details of the op last night, but we
have reason to believe that most of them if not all, are under compulsion.
Three have already been found dead, so keep your eyes peeled for the
others. While there is no kill order, I would advise that you neutralize the
threat if you do come across one of them. If you think that you can safely
do otherwise, then that is within your discretion.”
Salem was satisfied with the plan, even though most of the room
didn’t seem to be, but she had a concern. She flicked a look behind her
before addressing Devin. ‘What about the primas who aren’t fighting? Not
all of them wanted this.’
Everyone turned to look at her as Devin paused. Then he looked up
to Cassian, waving his hand in his direction.
“What?” he asked, looking around.
“Up to you.”
Cassian’s brows furrowed. “Why?”
“You’re their King. You choose what happens to them.”
He took a step back. “Oh.”
“Sorry,” Devin said placatingly. “You don’t have to decide now.”
He gave a small nod. “Okay.”
Devin split the remaining enforcers and trainees, because they
needed the numbers, into groups, designating them a specific portion of the
city to clear. The groups consisted of around five enforcers and two
trainees, but when she stood, ready to be assigned her group, Devin insisted
that she, Cassian, and Cade ride around with him to patrol the streets. She
didn’t understand why he wouldn’t want to balance the power out seeing as
they were the most capable in the room, but Salem had never been one to
question authority, so she complied.

Evidently catching on to their strategy, primas were flying out of
houses, scrambling from residential buildings, and littering the streets. He
hadn’t seen so many of them in one place before, but they were making
themselves known now.
They kept their heads down as they neared The Haven on foot, the
volume of primas growing the deeper they got into the city. The thought
behind it was both strategic and gut-churning. The elderly and the sick were
easier targets, harder to defend.
“Dev!” he called, wincing at the sound of his own gun, firing around
the corner of the alley where they’d hidden.
“Yeah?!” he called back as he and Cade fiddled with his bag.
“Divert the units on residential to the hospitals!”
“Shit…One sec!”
Satisfied as he caught a glimpse of him lifting his wrist, he turned
the corner again, abruptly holding a hand out to stop Salem from going too
far out of their cover. Careful.
Thankfully, she took a step back, but that’s when he noticed that she
was never stepping out. She was just looking. He followed her line of sight
just in time to see the prima standing on a nearby truck freeze. Cassian’s
eyes narrowed as the man spun his head around, and at first, he thought that
he was looking for them, but his head kept turning until he jolted, falling to
the ground.
He swung his eyes to Salem. You?
“Yes,” she breathed, her lips stretching slightly. “I haven’t done that
in a long time.” She’d turned her gaze to another before she’d finished her
sentence.
“Heads up!” Devin yelled.
They both stepped back as he and Cade hurried past, holding either
end of his bag. They swung their arms back before lobbing it out of the
alley. Seeing what was coming, he pulled Salem close and closed his eyes.
BANG!
He didn’t need to look to see where it had detonated to know that
they’d hit their target, and even though they had, a few made it away. A
prima, an azrael by the way the man flew around the corner, swung low as
he entered the alley.
Salem’s gaze followed his movements as he circled back.
Cassian beat back his trepidation when he saw her eyes practically
sparkle as she watched the man, and offered her a tight smile. Up for
another flight? he asked, waving a hand in his direction.
“Yes, please,” she said quickly, already stepping away from him as
he got down on one knee.
He would have shot him out of the sky, but he saw her face and
couldn’t deny her.
Just as the man swooped back toward them, she took a running start.
The moment her foot touched his joined hands and her hands latched onto
his shoulders, he reared up, throwing her.
Cassian couldn’t contain his awe as he watched her shoot up,
spinning before she grabbed the man by his leg, both of them taking off
around the corner.
Be careful! he yelled after her.
I will.
“Okay, let’s go.”
He followed behind Devin and Cade as they rounded the corner. The
numbers were still high, but the enforcers that had cleared their own
buildings were out now, joining them as they marched through the street.
“Push ‘em back!” Devin bellowed, holding the line as the primas
scattered.
They zipped in and out of side streets, barely even fighting back as
they tried to run, but it was easy to spot them. Contrary to the black
uniforms they all wore, the primas’ clothing, the little that they had on, was
bright, probably more appropriate for the weather, but it was the only
identifier they had.
The killing was the easy part, rounding them up was where the issue
lay, and soon, Devin was going back on his order to hold formation, and
instead, sending away groups at a time to leave them and push the
stragglers into their path. Deianira had called in toward the end of their
briefing to have the plan altered. The general instructions stayed the same,
but apparently, Hewn had put his white coat down and rigged up a power
fence at the main entrance. So instead of picking them off, all they had to
do was drive them back and send them through it.
When Devin finally veered closer to him, he tensed, knowing he
was about to reassign him. He didn’t mind going off, but he wanted to wait
for-
He jolted back as Salem landed right beside him and sprung back
up. All good? he quickly asked.
“Yes,” she nodded, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.
Devin inclined his head at them. “Woodlands.”
Grasping her hand, he nodded to him, only for Devin to step close
and beckon him again. He looked between them before sighing. “Watch
each other,” he said quietly, letting them go. Cassian would’ve given more
thought to his tone and body language if they weren’t on a time limit, so he
shrugged it off as he took the next right.
With the primas more focused on their escape than the attack, it was
fairly easy to get around. But Cassian was still on edge, not because of who
was there, but because of who wasn’t. Still, they were yet to see Podak, and
he wanted to believe that she’d killed him, but his illusion felt so real. What
if he’d been the one to see Podak? What if he really did get away and was
waiting to grab her when he wasn’t looking? He’d done it before.
They approached the entrance of the woodlands, only having run
into six of them on their journey, but the motion seemed to slow, so they
slowed their pace too. They kept their footsteps light and their guns up, and
though he hadn’t seen anyone for a few minutes, he could feel it.
That sense of unease hit him again. He knew that they hadn’t been
followed. Whoever was around had already been in the woods.
Don’t look up…
He was about to do exactly that before he shoved down the urge,
slowing down their already slow sweep to keep her in view. She kept her
gun up and her face plain, behaving as if nothing was amiss.
Why? he asked, trying to imitate her calmness.
She started a slow pivot, turning her back to him. They think we
can’t see them.
I can’t see them. He forced himself to keep his head straight, eyes on
the ahead of him.
Oh, she said. There are six in the bush to your right, twenty-four in
three different trees in my field of vision, and five watching us through a
cloak. Carefully step to the left. You’re about to walk into them.
He sidestepped as his heart shot up.
I said carefully.
Sorry. Quickly finding his low position again, he continued walking,
trying to appear at ease while discreetly noting the glimmer on his right. By
the time his heart had settled, he’d almost forgotten all of the other locations
she’d mentioned, mildly anxious to ask her again. She didn’t make him.
I’m going to circle us back to the middle and take out the ones
behind the cloak. When I start shooting, aim for the trees.
He almost nodded before he composed himself. Okay.
He followed her lead as she brought them back around to the spot
that they’d been in before. He watched her finger slip into the trigger guard
before she hesitated.
Are you ready?
He wasn’t. Yeah.
He jolted as bullets tore from her gun the second he’d sent the word.
He spun, lifting his as two figures dropped from the tree on his left. They
screamed as they fell, his shots taking them out before they’d hit the
ground. He wasn’t watching her, but he stepped back so that their backs
touched each other’s as more of them moved up high, preparing to jump.
He kept his finger on the trigger as he honed in on everything in his vicinity
but her.
“Fall,” he whispered.
His voice couldn’t be heard over the sound of his gun, but they still
dropped from the trees like flies. There were more than the twenty-four that
she’d pointed out, but the time it took them to get up was advantage
enough. He didn’t realize how much his command had taken out of him
until he tried to break them simultaneously, so he pulled back. He had to do
it one by one.
He wanted to spin around when her back left his, but instead, he
advanced on the first man to get up, trusting her capability. He skillfully
dodged the bullets, his movements quick as he ran for cover.
“Die!” he heard behind him.
The man buckled and dropped, halfway to the tree he was running
to.
Cassian turned his gun on the next one to get up. You need to teach
me how to do that.
Your left!
He must not have had a hold on all of them, because another, a
woman, fell from the tree he was under, grabbing his shoulders before she
dropped. The force alone sent him to the ground. Cassian hurriedly pushed
up off her.
“Stop breathing!”
The woman’s hands left him as she grabbed her own throat.
With a sharp breath, Cassian stood looking for the rest. Not only had
Salem been holding her own, but she’d started taking out the tree-swingers
once she’d burned through her targets. He almost bristled when her gun
clicked, but instead of panicking, she just pulled the strap over her head,
launching herself at the first one to move.
“Focus!” she yelled over her shoulder, landing on top of the man.
Leaving her to it, he aimed for the trees again, checking for any
more that he might have missed. He tried to tune out the grunts behind him,
knowing that she had it, and slowly cast his eyes from tree to tree.
When he found no movement, he straightened. I think that’s all of-
“Cassian!”
He whipped his head around to find a man, one he hadn’t seen yet,
pinning her down with a hand to her throat. Cassian hadn’t even reached
him when he pictured the man flying from her, and in less than a second, he
was. He flew back through the air, landing right by Cassian’s feet.
Cassian didn’t question it as he dropped onto him, wrapping his left
hand around his throat, like he’d done to her, before lifting up his gun with
his right. He didn’t draw it out as he smashed the butt into his face, the
action almost involuntary. His limbs moved of their own accord, leaving his
face a bloody mess.
“Cassian, he’s dead.”
He knew that, he’d actually died on the third hit. Cassian could tell
because his chest had stopped moving beneath him.
Rather than continuing like he wanted to, he didn’t give himself
over to the rage, even as his hands trembled with the urge to. He heard her
silent words. You can stop. So he did.
Releasing the gun, he stood, not fearing her judgment as he turned
to her.
Thank you.
Her chest rose and fell as she looked up at him. “For what?”
For calling me. He remembered a time when she might not have.
But she’d trusted him. Thank you.
She nodded. Thank you for coming.
He followed her eyes as she abruptly turned. What is it?
Rather than responding, she started in the direction that she was
looking in. She hadn't told him to follow, so he didn't. He just watched her
slowly disappear into the brush. She was onto something. He wanted to call
her and ask what she was doing, but he didn't want to distract her. She
valued focus.
His head was in the trees when he heard footsteps again, but he
didn’t reach for his gun. They were light. The first set at least. He was on
high alert as he squinted into the distance to see the owners of the footsteps.
Salem was there, in front of them, holding the end of a rope.
Primas, dozens of them, hands bound and heads down.
What is this?
They were trying to get to the border, she said, holding out the end
of the rope as she came within reach.
Frowning, he took it from her as she stepped to the side. They
surrendered? he asked, eyes still on the men and women with caution.
“I didn’t ask,” she said, shrugging. “But they didn’t fight me.”

By the time they’d headed back into the main city, more had appeared
from around street corners, out of buildings, and out of whatever places
they were hiding in, evidently encouraged by the group that they already
had in tow. Devin was still leading the last of them to the power fence, and
Cassian felt bad for leaving when his job was done, but he knew Devin and
the last two units had it. Besides, he had something else at the forefront of
his mind.
Cade was waiting at the palace doors for them, sitting on the steps
as he brushed his hair back into the absolute mess of a top-knot.
Unsure of what else to do, he offered him a nod as he led the primas
to the door. Cade blinked, probably not noticing their tag-alongs until the
last second, and stood.
Cassian held a hand out, letting him know that it was okay.
“What’s going on?” he finally asked when he reached the steps.
Cassian turned to look behind him as Salem took a step to stand on,
watching them. He cleared his throat. “I know you’re probably tired, but
can you ask them a few questions? A reading maybe? I don’t know what to
do with them, but I don’t want them inside until-”
“I’ll do it,” Cade interjected, nodding. He lowered his head, kicking
at his feet. “I, uh…”
Cassian internally winced. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear what
Cade was about to say. It wouldn’t change much, but even if he did, he
wasn’t in the headspace for it.
“Can you tell Deianira I’ll be up in a few?”
Relief rising, Cassian nodded gratefully before handing the rope to
his brother.
Salem was already turning into the palace when he stepped past
Cade. He’d neglected to bug her about it before, especially since she was
probably tired, but he wouldn’t settle until she could get looked at properly,
until he could do everything he was going to do this morning before their
worlds almost imploded.
Hold up, he called as her feet started moving faster as if she knew
exactly what he wanted. Sae.
With a sly look over her shoulder, she picked up a jog across the
ballroom.
He tilted his head with a smirk. Really?
If anything, her legs started moving faster. So he did what any
lovestruck idiot would’ve done in that situation. He chased her.
Bet, he chuckled, sprinting out of the ballroom after her.
“I’m fine,” she called behind her as she ran for the stairwell.
He passed the elevator before doubling back after seeing it open.
Hopping in, he hit the button for the top floor. Well, I want to be sure.
I’m already sure, she said as the elevator jolted upward.
Then do it for my peace of mind.
He was at the doors as they opened, catching sight of a wisp of her
hair as she dashed past him. Cassian leaped out, just missing her. They’re
steps pounded against the floors, and he had to admit, she was fast, but he
still doubled his pace, knowing that she’d lock him out if she got to the
room.
Stop! he called as she made it to the door.
Just like that, she dug her feet into the floor, halting.
With a smug smirk, he slowed down and wrapped his hands around
her waist before hauling her under his arm and turning around.
“That’s cheating,” she panted, limp in his hold.
I didn’t know we were playing a game.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ninety-Seven
Salem held Cassian’s flat stare as the warlock went on about her mild
concussion, the bone fissure in her leg, and her low iron. Before he could
say “I told you so”, she quickly informed the man that iron deficiency was a
very common symptom of pregnancy, then instantly regretted it when
Cassian smiled and asked him to conduct a prenatal assessment.
The warlock grumbled something about having places to be, which
was understandable. People were still being escorted out of their hiding
places when Cassian practically dragged him out of the staff toilets and just
pointed at her.
“And is this your first pregnancy?”
“Yes,” she said, lazily swinging her legs.
She regretted that answer too because their meeting was drawn out
further with a barrage of information on what to expect, information that
she already knew. But she didn’t interrupt him when she saw Cassian’s
wide eyes as nodded at everything the man said. Twice, his bracelet lit up,
but he declined it each time, afraid to miss a word.
She was happy, but the truth was that it didn’t quite feel real to her.
She knew that she was pregnant, she trusted the science, but she didn’t feel
any different. Nothing had really changed yet. All the symptoms, symptoms
she should have noticed, were experienced during her recovery from the
purging. It hadn’t resonated with her.
When Cassian stopped nodding and shot his eyes to her, she tuned
back in.
He asked if we want to hear the baby’s heartbeat, he whispered, his
throat bobbing.
Oh. She sent her eyes to the healer watching her, waiting for her
response.
Cassian stood from his seat and made his way over to her, sitting on
the bed and then getting back up when it lowered. He grasped her hand,
nodding for her.
She slouched with disappointment when the warlock gently placed
both hands on her stomach, knowing that she wouldn’t get to experience it
with him when Cassian met her eyes, his clouding.
Then it was there.
Dum, dum, dum, dum. Dum, dum, dum, dum.
One-hundred and fifty beats per minute.
Resonance.

She’d gone silent again, but this time, Cassian wasn’t worried. He knew
how she worked, how she processed things, and that wasn’t something he
wanted to interrupt. Besides, he was processing enough himself.
A baby. A real baby.
One that he couldn’t drop back to Devin’s when they got annoying,
one that was his. Theirs.
He didn’t know the first thing about babies, and while Salem’s
previous concerns were more panic than anything, they were valid. How
were they going to learn everything they needed to know in six months?
He let out a breath as they exited the room together, remembering
when the guy said eleven weeks. That was practically the same amount of
time they’d been together. Deianira and Cade had been together for seven
years before theirs. Emori and Devin for more than four. He felt like he’d
known Salem his whole life, but in reality, they’d jumped straight into the
deep end. Were they being irresponsible?
He couldn’t stop himself as he shook her hand, pausing to the side
of the crowded hallway. Can you say something, please?
She looked up at him. Say what?
Anything.
She frowned. Are you okay?
Do you think we’re ready for this? he blurted. To have a baby, he
specified as she turned to look down the hall.
Her eyes met his again. No. His heart sank. But I wasn’t ready for
you either, she said plainly.
What do you mean?
She looked around like she was trying to find the words. I wasn’t
ready for you, or your words, or your smile, or your fat cat, or your
numbers.
He cocked his head back. She’s not fat. Her pouch just hangs low.
And what numbers?
She shook her head. I wasn’t ready for any of them, but I still want
them. I still need them, she said, breathing faster. I don’t think we’re ready,
but I still want it. And if it’s half of you, then I think I need it too.
Cassian couldn’t work out what she meant for the life of him, but
there was that determined look in her eye. It told him that even if he fell
short, they’d still be okay, ready or not.
He tried to slow his heart, wondering where her own panic had
gone. Why aren't you freaking out?
Am I supposed to?
You were earlier.
But I’m not now.
Why?
Because I want to have a baby with you.
Well, I wanna have a baby with you too.
Then stop arguing with me.
He quieted. Okay, he breathed as a smile broke out on his face.
We’re gonna have a baby.
Not for another six months.
But we’re gonna have a baby, he emphasized. Like a real baby.
She bit her lip. I would be concerned if it wasn’t.
He tilted his head with a fake scowl. Okay, sassy-
“Out of the way, sir!”
“Sorry,” he muttered, stepping to the side and ushering Salem back
as a group of doctors rushed past with a stretcher.
He recoiled as he got a look at the guy. Burn marks covered most of
his body and what he could see behind the mask strapped to his face. That
man didn’t appear to be moving, but his limbs did jostle as the bed rolled.
Well, most of his limbs. He hadn’t gotten a long look, but from what he
saw, the man’s right arm was missing.
Cassian couldn’t stop his heart from lowering as he wondered what
could’ve done that. He sighed regretfully. He’d find out in the incident
report that would probably be on the desk by morning.
He stepped back again as a woman ran past him, a bright flash of
red crossing his gaze.
Wait.
Cassian took a step in their direction.
“Emori?”
She only offered him a tear-filled glance as she continued running
after the stretcher.
He didn’t realize how unsteady his legs were until Salem tugged his
hand, staring down at her bracelet.
“Devin,” was all she said.
In the next second, they were sprinting down the hall, side by side,
his heart thudding as he followed Emori into the room, ignoring the refusals
of the doctors. No matter how long he stood, staring at the man on the
stretcher as people rushed around him, not an ounce of recognition sparked
in his mind except for the short locs, matted with blood and he didn’t want
to know what else.
Emori wailed as they lifted him onto the bed, batting away the
witch’s arms as she tried to hold her back.
Deianira burst into the room behind him, and before he could ask
what the hell was going on, she heaved out a breath at the sight.
“They tried to put him through the fence,” she whispered. “I didn’t
even see it, I just heard him.”
No sooner than she’d spoken, the healers in the room paused, then
looked to the bed.
“What happened? Why are you stopping?” he asked quickly.
They didn’t answer him as they started moving again, their pace
much slower.
The witch holding Emori stepped back.
No…
“I’m sorry.”
No…
Emori’s cries were silenced, and Deianira’s orders to continue were
drowned out. Everything in the room that wasn’t Devin disappeared in
Cassian’s mind as he took a step toward the bed, crashing into the cart that
he didn’t even see in front of him.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ninety-Eight
Four months later…

Squatting down to sit by the mirror, Salem sighed. It was getting harder
to get up in the mornings, even harder to be on her feet, and while she was
told to expect it, it still annoyed her.
Cassian had told her to take time off on many occasions, but she
refused each time. Deianira had worked all through her pregnancy and
barely broke a sweat, from what she could see. It was taking it out of Salem
though, she didn’t like feeling incapable.
On the bright side, she actually enjoyed work, as tiring as it could
be. Her students were fairly pleasant and the classes she picked up in the
program worked around her schedule. The official training program, not the
disciplinary one. That was the first thing that Cassian vetoed when they
talked about what else she could do since Deianira refused to give her back
her job. She believed that the decision itself was impulsive, but Deianira
stuck to her guns. It took Salem a while to come to terms with it, but she
realized what she was doing in the end. That didn’t mean she never missed
it. Having so much time off wasn’t the best thing when she was going home
to an empty room.
She understood that Cassian had new responsibilities,
responsibilities that she wouldn’t have wanted to trade with him, so she
tried not to grumble whenever he had to stay out late, or sometimes spend
days away. It couldn’t have been easy for him, traveling in and out of The
Dome to handle affairs on the outside. The hardest part was the
reassignment of sectors. The western sector had received the brunt of the
impact before the final war, so the remaining residents were either relocated
to other sectors or offered residency in The Dome, subject to a pre-
screening. It was a security measure, the very reason The Dome was still
up. They’d gone thousands of years without the knowledge of other life in
or outside of Terra, so something else being out there was in the realm of
possibility. Whether they were friends or foes, only the future would tell,
but as far as trust went, which wasn’t very far, and understandably so, they
weren’t taking any chances. That was why Salem had proposed the idea of
housing the few hundred primas remaining from the final war in the
western sector.
Deianira had had a few choice words for them when they brought
the idea forward. Seeing as the war was over, and technically, they were
prisoners of war, by law, keeping them, be it on city ground or anywhere
else, was a war crime. Cassian had argued that he was King, which brought
forth the question of where his loyalties lay. It was a messy few weeks, but
eventually, the plan was put in motion. The plan also being the reason that
Salem would go home alone again, why she’d roll over and smell the
sheets, knowing that they would never measure up, knowing that the pillow
would never give her the numbers she so desperately yearned for.
His trips weren’t regular, but they could be anything from half a day
to half a week. It had been four days already, the longest he’d been away so
far.
Salem could feel her face forming a frown.
She’d call him after she got back from Emori’s.
Rubbing her sore belly, she wished she hadn’t been so quick to
accept the invitation. She was feeling a little lonely at the time, but all she
wanted to do now was sleep.
She looked up as a hand waved in front of her.
“Akilah,” she said looking up.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked.
Akilah was one of her more…challenged students, but Salem still
liked to see a familiar face when she stepped into the gym. Plus, she tried,
Salem could see that. She was like her brother a lot in that sense. Just
because she didn’t plan to join the force at the end of her course, it didn’t
mean that she didn’t put her all into her classes. Especially Salem’s training
sessions.
Salem nodded. “I’m just tired. Did you want to ask something?”
She shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure you were still up for
tonight.”
“I’ll be there,” she said. Maybe she needed to get out.
When Akilah didn’t make a move to leave, Salem fiddled with the
bottom of her shirt, pulling it down over her belly. “How’s Donnie?” she
asked, figuring it was polite to make conversation.
Rolling her eyes, Akilah dropped her duffel bag and plonked down
in front of Salem, crossing her legs to mirror her position. ‘Get this,’ she
started. “The fucker asked me to marry him.”

After picking Lilo up, and Aiko, who seemed to be walking past her
school at the perfect time, in his words, Salem was drained. She made sure
to hint to him that he’d have to make himself scarce or think of a better
excuse when Cassian got back, but he didn’t seem too put off.
As she dragged her feet down the hall, she regretted agreeing to go
more and more, but she stuck to her word. She’d get in, get ready, and go,
even if it was only to show her face for an hour or pass out on Emori’s
couch. She abandoned her boots on the loading dock, sending Aiko upstairs
to get her a pair of slippers before she continued her journey. He might as
well have made himself useful.
Soon after they made it to her floor, she noticed Lilo and Aiko
practically bouncing at her sides, but she shook it off. Kids got excited
about the littlest things.
Aiko tapped her shoulder, speaking while he tried to sign along. “Is
it cool if Lilo comes to mine?”
She looked between the two of them, Lilo wearing a sly smile. She
knew that they were up to something, but she didn’t have the energy to care
what. But still, Cassian had rules.
“Is Donnie home?”
He nodded.
She turned to Lilo. “You’ll miss Emori’s dinner.”
“I will eat with Aiko,” she said quickly.
Satisfied, Salem shrugged. “You need to be back before nine
o’clock,” she said to them. When they slapped on matching grins, she
narrowed her eyes. “If she’s not, I’ll tell Cassian.”
Their smiles never left.
Huh.
They usually straightened up when she called for backup.
“Go,” she said, heading for her door.
Salem pushed the door open with a groan and stopped short.
Because Cassian was home.
In the middle of the room.
On one knee.

She’s mad.
Cassian tried to hold his smile in place and the ring box steady as he
watched her, but he was nervous. Really nervous. The night before, he’d
lied and told her that he’d be there for another two days. He felt bad when
he watched her eyes dim through the screen, but he wanted to surprise her.
And Salem didn’t like surprises.
Honestly, it could’ve gone either way. He just hoped that she’d put
down the things in her hands before she came at him because that duffel bag
looked really heavy.
When she’d been standing there for longer than what seemed
appropriate, he lowered the ring box and moved to stand. I-
He stopped as she dropped her bag and padded over to him. Bracing
himself for a slap or a punch, he was pleasantly surprised when she gripped
the front of his shirt, tugging him to her. In the next moment, her face was
buried in his neck and her arms were wrapped around him as a loud inhale
echoed in the still room.
His lips stretched into a wide smile as he circled his arms around
her. Having a good time there? he asked when she was yet to come up for
air.
I missed you, she whispered.
His smile dimmed a little. I missed you too.
She pulled back, finally looking down at his hand. “Cassian.”
Mhm?
“We’re already married.”
He nodded. But you don’t have a ring.
“Yes, I do,” she said, holding up her hand.
Not an engagement ring. I never asked.
“Yes, you did.”
I was drunk. Didn’t count.
“Yes.”
He lowered his brows. Huh?
“I’m saying yes.” She reached for the ring.
He pulled his hand back. Nuh-uh. I didn’t do my speech.
“Okay.” Salem dropped her hands, her lips threatening to smile. “Do
your speech.”
Thank you. Now. Cassian straightened his back and looked into her
eyes. Salem…
Her lips twitched. “Yes?”
Stop that, he chided.
She nodded, straightening her face.
Salem… He took a breath, starting to feel jittery again. I am so in
love with you that I don’t even remember a time that I wasn’t in love with
you. It’s weird ‘cause I’ve known you, or known of you, for years now, but
in every memory I have of you, I am never not in love with you. Her
amusement quickly faded. Whether you were smiling, frowning, yelling at
me, or slapping me across the face. I was always in love with you, and if
I’m honest, I don’t think I even want to remember a time when I wasn’t. He
plucked the ring out of the box, his hands trembling. So, will you please
make me even happier than you already, and let me keep being your
husband?
Her lip shook as she blinked. She subtly nodded, holding out her
hand. “Okay,” she choked out.
A smile breaking out on his face, he took off her wedding band
before slotting the second ring on behind it. He grabbed her face and
slapped a fat kiss on her lips before she pulled back, her brows dipping.
What’s wrong?
She sighed.
Oh no…
Her lip wobbled.
Sae…
Her shoulders shook harder, and before she could throw her head
back, he pulled her back into his embrace.
“I-I told Em-mori that I would go to her dinner…” she sobbed. “But
I want to stay at home with you.”
Cassian fought a wince as he stroked the back of her head. It wasn’t
a dinner at all, but a surprise party.
He felt bad enough that he didn’t know her birthday up until three
months ago, but a phone call later, he had it, and he’d been thinking of
something ever since. Gift-giving was hard because everything she wanted
or needed, she had or could get herself. But he needed something. So he
settled on an experience, one that he thought she’d enjoy.
Hey, he soothed. It’s fine. Why don’t I come with you?
She pulled back, wiping her eyes. “You just got home,” she said, her
breath hitching.
He cringed. He’d been home for hours. He was setting up at Emori’s
before he got the go-ahead from Lilo and Aiko.
He gave her an encouraging smile. I’m not that tired. How’s Poppy?
he asked, hoping to redirect her.
He barely hid his smirk when her face flattened. “You don’t know
that it’s a girl.”
Yeah, I do.
“I don’t like Poppy,” she sniffed. “Odd number of letters and too
many P’s.”
He nodded. Noted. Oh yeah, he added, springing up. Wait right
there.
He retreated into the closet before she could say anything else and
pulled his second surprise out of the bag sitting on the floor.
Since the tailor that she used to go to passed during the final war,
she’d been scouring the city for someone who could make her new clothes.
It was even harder since she was growing out of her old ones so fast, and
waiting for his connection in the western sector to come through was killing
him. But he’d done it, and on the best day too.
After a much-needed pep talk to himself, he headed back into the
room, holding one up in each hand.
Salem’s eyes flitted from the small set of pajamas to the
significantly larger one.
I thought you might want to be comfortable tonight. They’re cotton,
he added.
She curled her lips inwards.
Cassian sighed. Don’t laugh.
“I’m not,” she said quietly, almost snorting.
He looked up. Forget it.
“No, I’ll wear it,” she said quickly, taking the smaller one from him.
“Why did you get one?”
I wanted to match.

Salem barely looked at the decorations as they arrived at Emori’s. She

walked straight past the others in the middle of the room too, heading to the
snack table that he’d set up with every single thing she’d mentioned craving
in the last four months.
The others lowered their signs, turning to Cassian for further
direction.
He closed the door. Sae.
“Mhm?” she hummed, turning around with her stuffed cheeks, her
hand already dipping back into the bowl of lightly salted jerky.
Looking from her red plaid pajamas that spread over her growing
belly to her fluffy slippers to her messy bun, he couldn’t be mad. She was
just too perfect.
‘Happy birthday,’ he signed, chuckling as he gestured to the others.
She finally turned, looking around the room. “This is for me?” she
said, swallowing.
He nodded.
“Why?” she asked, looking over the others.
‘Because it’s your birthday,’ he responded carefully, his nerves
playing up again. ‘Do you like it?’
She looked back to the food table. “Yes,” she breathed, her eyes
lighting up at all of the choices. “Thank you,” she said with an almost evil
grin, eyeing the bowl of plantain chips.
Shaking his head, Cassian strolled over to her, wrapping his hands
around her waist before turning her to the group. When she tried to go back,
he redirected her again.
Presents, he said.
Emori met her in the middle, offering her a wrapped box, the girls
told her that they had a present for later. Cade and Deianira brought her
multiple bags of items that catered to comfort. Silicone soles for her shoes
when she was working, a few pregnancy bands to take some of the weight
off, and much more. Lia and Nadeen, who he’d picked up on his way back
to the city, gave her a pair of shoes, to which she responded, “These are too
small,” before they told her they were for the baby. Don, Aiko, and Lilo had
jointly managed to get her a dagger made to fit her hand precisely. Akilah
discreetly handed her a flat red box, telling her not to open it around
anyone. And Aadil, who she’d only met on a few occasions but seemed to
have a strange bond with, offered her a coconut. She grabbed it from him, a
wide smile breaking out on her face as they shared a small nod.
Cassian shrugged. The kid was quiet, but Salem liked him and that
said enough.
“There she is,” Cassian called as Emori stepped back into the room
with Davina. He held his arms out as Emori handed her over. “Hey, fatty,”
he smiled, lifting her as her chubby, little face scrunched.
Even though he barely had time to think some days, Emori had been
more than indulgent when he offered to take her on as a practice baby. In
only a month, he had feeding times down, one-minute diaper changes, and
burping.
He frowned as her playful brown eyes blinked at him. “She looks
like him,” he said quietly. Everything about her was Devin.
“Oh, how unfortunate.”
Cassian turned to the door as Devin unsteadily stepped through with
a box under his left arm and more bags than he could count, clutched in his
bionic one.
“The hell is this?” Cassian snorted.
Devin tilted his head. “You think I’d skimp on my bestie’s B-Day?”
“Bestie?”
“Hey, Sae sae,” he smiled, as she turned around. Her eyes widened
as she looked at the bags. “Go crazy,” he said, dropping them before he
strode over to Cassian. “Gimme my baby.”
Cassian turned away. “No, I just got her.”
“You have your own baby.”
“But mine’s not out yet.”
“And who’s fault is that?”

He was about to jump into the main event of the night, trivia, because
Salem would obviously win, when Devin shut everyone up. “The girls want
to give you their present.”
Shrugging, they moved to sit as Devin stood up to dim the lights
even more, the girls running out of their bedroom.
Devin shushed the room again. “Three, two, one,” he whispered
before nodding.
They started with a jump before launching into a song and dance.
He had to admit, thought went into it. They were almost in sync. It was the
‘singing’ that concerned him. At some points, he thought he heard the
words ‘Happy birthday’, but it was as if his ears were rejecting the pitch at
which they sang. It was quite alarming actually.
He tapped Salem’s thigh.
You wanna hear?
She politely shook her head. No, thank you.
Yeah, probably for the best.
“Shh!”
He winced as Devin gestured to his head and then slashed a hand
across his throat before pointing to the girls.
Pay attention. Got it.
He even clapped along when they forgot the words to some parts
and discreetly tried to cover his ears when Kenny started belting.
As soon as the floor started to buzz, Devin initiated another round of
applause, cutting them off. They didn’t seem too bothered as they basked in
the praise.
The next two hours told him that he was spot on with the idea for
the night. Her eyes were practically twinkling as she slammed her hand
down on the buzzer first for every question, getting each one right. As the
game master, a title he bestowed upon himself because he didn’t know shit
about shit, he was fully prepared to cheat for her, but he didn’t need to.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter Ninety-Nine
Limiting the time that he spent away to none since Salem was nearing
her due date, Cassian worried that they’d be at each other's throats. It was
bound to happen, being cooped up together day in, day out, but he just
couldn’t get enough of her. He wasn’t sure that she could say the same, but
her mood didn’t dampen his in the slightest. He just found new creative
ways to work with her. Granted, most of them failed, but he was feeling her
out.
Sometimes, the solution to her blues was simply calling her name
and smiling at her. It often did cheer her up, but he couldn’t deny that he
was doing it for himself more than her. She just had this look in her eyes
when he’d call her that sent his butterflies into a frenzy and he wanted more
every time.
His most recent strategy was an ambitious remedy for the silent
treatment. Salem was a particularly strong-willed woman and could go days
giving him the cold shoulder for a plethora of reasons. He wasn’t sure what
his offense was this time, but she was going on hour twelve without
speaking to him.
Stepping out of the bathroom, he folded his arms, leaning on the
doorframe with a smug smile as he watched her search the kitchen like an
addict for her sun-dried plantain chips. Like she knew he was there, she
spun with a glare in his direction.
He inclined his head. Is there something you’d like to ask me, Sae?
Working her jaw, she cut her eye as her nose twitched. Slowly, she
ambled around the kitchen in a more systematic nature. He cursed under his
breath when she stopped by the sink, leaning down. She opened up the
cupboard and reached in, pulling out the container. Curling her lip, she
tucked it under her shoulder before storming past him to head to the closet.
As much as he appreciated the view, he closed his eyes, looking up
as he adjusted himself through his towel. He carefully opened them when
the closet door slammed, wincing as he followed after her, wondering if the
next stage was a little too far.
Making sure her things were set out for the next day was a nighttime
ritual of hers. The small growl she let out as he opened the door confirmed
that it might have been a little mean.
Salem was staring up at the handle of her gun on the top shelf of the
unit, her chest heaving.
He was so close to caving and just getting it down for her when she
marched over to his chest of drawers, pulling out two of his knives.
Storming back to the wall next to the shelf, he flinched as she stabbed the
wall with the one in her right hand, then the one in her left, a little higher.
Pulling up with her left arm, she yanked her right knife free and plunged it
higher in the wall. Stab by stab, she scaled the wall until she was level with
the top shelf. Hanging from her left hand, she swung right and retrieved the
gun. His jaw hung as she released both knives and landed on her feet with a
grunt. Placing it down on the shelf with her belt and outfit for the next day,
she dusted her hands and brushed past him once again.
Fair play.
No matter how mad she was at him, no matter how many hours she
went without speaking, she always let him hold her. If he was being honest
with himself, that was probably the thing that kept him going, that reassured
him. Wrapping his arms around her waist, his thoughts momentarily took a
turn as he remembered that there was a time when he couldn’t hold her. By
far, it was the hardest trial he’d faced and he knew not to take it for granted.
I’ve got it, he said, pulling her closer. Elia. E-L-I-A. It has an even
amount of letters, which each appear once, and if you add ‘em up, you
know, with where they fall in the alphabet, it’s twenty-seven, which is three
multiplied by three.
He didn’t know whether her silence was because she was still mad
or because she actually liked the name. He waited for a few more seconds
and sighed. But when she tensed, the hairs on her neck rising at the brush of
air that met her back, he realized his mistake.
Get-
Yeah, yeah, I know the drill.
Groaning, Cassian rolled over and off the bed.
Her senses had been on overdrive since she hit the third trimester,
and while that was amazing for certain activities, it wasn’t too great for his
sleeping schedule, especially when ‘breathing too hard’ was at the top of
the list of offenses.
One part of him wanted to take the win because she’d broken her
silence, but he was just too tired to celebrate. He was on his way out when
he heard a hushed voice behind the door to his left.
Lilo’s room.
She basically had her own little apartment adjoined to their room, an
adjustment that he’d insisted on because there was no way she was running
free with her own place at sixteen. Evidently, she’d forgotten her age.
Again.
With a sigh, he altered his journey and opened her door.
“I know you’re not sleeping,” he grumbled at the turned-over lump
on the bed as he went straight for her closet.
He didn’t say a word to Aiko as he swung open the door and
grabbed him by his collar.
“I wasn’t gonna stay the night, I swear.”
“Mhm,” Cassian hummed, dragging him along.
Aiko looked over his shoulder as Cassian stepped out of the room
and closed the door behind them. He snorted. “In the dog house again?”
Hand raised to slap him, Cassian gritted his teeth when Aiko ducked
his swipe. “Get lost,” he told him, heading in the other direction.
The trip to the kitchen was short, but he took the long route to give
her some space. No one was there to reprimand him for stealing from the
fridge, so as soon as he grabbed what he needed, he headed back up.
Sae, he called, approaching the door.
She didn’t respond, but he didn’t expect her to.
I got some potato chips. The soft ones, he specified. She didn’t like
them too flaky. He looked at his hands, grumbling when he saw what he’d
forgotten. And I can run back downstairs and get some yogurt. You know, he
mused. If you wanna open the door.
Still nothing. She usually always opened the door for yogurt.
Scratching his head, he sighed. I think we're out of that rice you like-
He cut himself off. You know what, don’t mind me, I’ll run to the store.
Which store, he didn’t know. But he’d find one. She’d never
actually made him stay out all night, but the silent treatment plus the dog
house? He needed all the points he could get and he really wanted to sleep.
Before he could turn away, the door swung open.
“You can come in.”
He narrowed his eyes, cautious of her willing words. Why…? he
drew out suspiciously.
She pointed to the bed. “My water broke.”

“I’m ready,” Salem breathed as she fisted the sandpaper that was
supposed to be a bedsheet and swayed from side to side and back and forth.
Cassian’s hand paused on her lower back. Right now?
“Yes.”
It’s been four hours.
She turned to look over her shoulder to see the fear in his eyes.
“Okay?” She wasn’t sure what else to tell him.
It’s too soon.
“The doctor said I should listen to my body.”
He threw a hand at the young warlock in the corner who he’d told to
shut up by the second hour because he suggested an epidural. Cassian had
been all for it until he saw Salem tense at the thought of a needle in her
back, prompting him to yell at him to face the wall.
Well, the doctor looks younger than Lilo, he said speedily. Should
we really be listening to him?
“Cassian, I’m ready,” she sighed, wincing at the sharp contraction
that hit her.
Shit. Okay, okay, what do I do?
The doctor turned around at her cry. “You should turn on your back
and-”
Cassian whirled on him. “What did I tell you?!”
“Cassian!” Salem hissed as the healer faced the wall again.
Sorry, he murmured.
She looked up at him as he rounded the bed and crawled right on.
“What are you-”
He kneeled in front of her and gently placed her hands on his biceps,
holding her arms as he raised her into a position where she was kneeling
and squatting at the same time.
She wasn’t necessarily more comfortable, but the position felt
natural.
See, he said, dipping to kiss her sweaty forehead. Gravity.
She rolled her eyes, done with him spouting every fact from every
book he’d read in the past six months. But she did have to give it to him.
She felt better than she did on her back.
He reluctantly nodded to the doctor. “You can come back. But keep
the bullshit to a minimum.”
Salem couldn’t see what was going on behind her, but she assumed
that he was speaking as she felt her dress, the one that Cassian had brought
for her because ‘comfort was key’, in his words, being lifted around her
thighs. Cassian started repeating the warlock’s instructions to her, but it was
like the man wasn’t even behind her. It was just her and Cassian in the dark
room.
A few more, he said so softly.
Tugging him closer, she put her head to his chest panting as her legs
almost gave out.
She didn’t want to say it out loud, but she was beginning to question
if she could do it one more time, let alone a few. Deianira had done it,
Nadeen had too. Emori did it three times. But there she was, tears brimming
as she stopped every five seconds.
It was hard. Salem liked challenges, but not this one.
“I’m tired,” she whispered.
I know. We’ll go slow, okay? Forget twenty, just ten seconds at a
time. Just ten.
He said ten seconds, but she heard ten beats.
Pressing her ear more firmly against his chest, Salem waited for
another contraction, and as soon as it came, she gripped his arm.
Now, Salem.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
“Is it done?” she asked quickly, gasping.
Almost.
Salem squeezed her eyes shut as a small hiccup burst from her chest.
He stroked her back, his chest rumbling as he said something to the
doctor. His thumbs paused. Two more tens or one more twenty?
“Twenty,” she cried.
Good girl. When you’re ready, okay?
She waited for it. “Now,” she ground out.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten…
She gasped, squeezing his arm.
Come on, Sae.
Twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…
Her lips parted with a shrill scream as the fiery sensation intensified.
That’s it…
Seventeen, eighteen-
You’re done. Cassian released one of her hands to lift her head from
her chest with the proudest smile she’d ever seen grace his face. You did it,
it’s done.
Salem collapsed onto his chest with a cry, overcome with emotion,
relief being the most prevalent one. She couldn’t count the number of times
she’d underestimated him in the last four hours, let alone months. He’d had
an answer for every question, a solution for every request, even the ones
that weren’t quite possible. She’d even surprised herself when she asked for
Nadeen, of all people, in the first few hours, but she figured out why. No
matter how shaky their interactions had been since that day, she never
forgot how her presence affected her. Nadeen had seen her at her lowest,
and she wondered if a part of her called for Nadeen because she didn’t want
Cassian to see her like that. But even though she couldn’t be there, he’d
called Lia so that she could speak to her, and not once did Cassian bat a
judgmental eye at her cries or her tears. She’d sold him short. He hadn’t just
been a calming presence for her while she did it, it felt like he did it with
her.
Salem didn’t know that her eyes had been closing and that sleep had
been taking her until he patted her back with a rumbly chuckle.
She lifted her head to see a watery smile.
Told you, was the first thing he said.
He pulled back a little and she missed his warmth until two women
came up on either side of her, one of them handing her the tiniest baby
she’d ever seen.
A baby girl.
Her purple lips were wide open as her arms and legs wriggled,
making her look even more like a little monster.
Salem let out a soft snort, holding her higher. She was a really pretty
monster.
When Cassian hadn’t spoken for a while, she peered up to meet his
eyes, eyes that hadn’t left the little bundle for a second.
Knowing exactly what he needed, Salem leaned forward, gently
placing her into his quickly cradled arms.
Wait, wait, wait, what if I drop her?
“You won’t,” she told him, because she knew he wouldn’t.
Okay, but she’s really small, he said quickly.
He was right. She was.
He finally looked up, turning to one of the witches. “Should she be
this small?”
“Five pounds and ten ounces,” the lady said with a smile. “On the
small side, but perfectly normal.”
OceanofPDF.com
Epilogue
Five years later…
“...for as long as you both shall live?”

Cassian wasn’t actually sure if she’d say yes. It took her four years to
even accept Don’s proposal, only took a month for her to rescind it, and
another six to accept again. He wondered if Don planned the wedding so
quickly to decrease the risk of her changing her mind again, but with
Akilah, it really depended on the day.
She narrowed her eyes, looking Don up and down as he stood in
place, foot tapping the floor.
From the front row, it was easy to hear his firm words as he leaned
closer to Akilah.
“Would it kill you to say yes?” he hissed.
“Well, will you give me a second to think?” she shot back, hands
clenching around the bouquet.
“Think about what?”
“Waking up to your face every day!” she whisper-shouted.
Cassian winced, subtly turning around to look at the packed hall, at
the enforcers filling the back rows and spilling out of the doors, at the ten
girls on the other side of his row, shooting Akilah proud looks, then at his
family.
Salem looked beautiful, as always, as she stood behind Akilah,
watching the hushed argument play out, probably wondering what was
taking so long.
He was kind of glad that she’d opted out of having a wedding. The
family was still there, but he didn’t think he would’ve loved this part.
He looked down at Elia, who looked bored out of her mind. She
usually looked that way if there wasn’t a book in her face, but she didn’t
complain or fidget. She was a little woman of little words. Little as in few,
not small, because the girl had a vocabulary the size of Terra. Every
conversation she had with her mom had him on the verge of a brain
malfunction, but he never got down because she was a mommy’s girl. Not
when she was so obviously her mother, her eyes the same shade as Salem’s,
her hair only a few tones darker than his, her favorite phrases being ‘no’, ‘I
don’t like it, and ‘that’s not funny, Daddy’. The little lady had character. All
of them did.
Cal was a beefy little kid, more silent than Cade, but cross him and
you’d learn exactly who gave birth to him. Cassian found that out the hard
way when he made a rip about his long hair and Cal responded by asking if
he wanted to wake up with none.
The twins had gotten even closer as they grew, taking their sign
language lessons and running with it, developing their own little twist so no
one knew what they were saying to each other half of the time. And if he
thought that they were feral when they were little, he was quickly humbled
by Davina. The girl was scarier than Mila. When she and Elia were little, he
and Devin had many arguments regarding who had the better baby, which
resulted in ‘pen wars’, but when she started to grow teeth, he quickly pulled
his baby off that play mat.
The real golden child was Aadil. Lia had called multiple times,
worried about the fact that he never misbehaved, but since Cassian had a
kid who knew how to install a lock on the fridge when she was mad at him,
he told her to enjoy it.
“You already do! We’ve lived together for years!”
Cassian looked back to the couple, surprised that they were still
going on.
“Oh, I’m so sorry that I want to be sure!”
With a huff, Don straightened, staring at her. Akilah took a subtle
glance around the hall, tapping a manicured fingernail on the bouquet as she
sighed. It was when Don looked like he was about to combust that she
rolled her eyes, turning back to him.
“Fine. I do,” she quietly forced out.
“Finally,” Devin whispered beside Cassian.
The officiator sighed with relief. “With the power invested-”
“Yeah, yeah,” Don grumbled, glaring at Akilah, even as he locked a
hand around her neck and dragged her mouth to his.
Before Cassian could even cover Elia’s eyes, she was covering them
herself.
When the hall erupted in applause, she tapped his leg.
“Yeah, princess?”
She tucked her hair behind her ear, standing. “Can we go home
now?”
He picked her up so that she could see the bride and groom walk
back down the aisle. “Not yet,” he said over the cheers. “We’ve got a party.
After weddings, there’s usually a celebra-”
“I know what a reception is, Daddy,” she said pointedly, her eyes
scouring the hall.
He nodded, trying not to laugh because he didn’t want to get
pinched. “Of course, you-”
She kicked her legs. “Put me down.”
When he caught Salem walking up to the front row, he let her go,
smiling as he watched her run over. Salem didn’t speak as she put out her
hand for her to grab.
Cassian stepped out of the row as everyone started moving,
grabbing her for a quick kiss. You riding with Akilah?
She nodded before her attention was drawn down, her eyes finding
Elia’s.
‘Can I come with you?’
Saleem flicked her eyes to his. ‘You don’t want to go with your
father?’
“Yeah,” Cassian said, frowning. ‘What’s wrong with me?’
She raised her shoulders. ‘I came here with you, so I want to go to
the reception with Mommy. So it’s fair.’
He couldn’t fault her reasoning. Faking a pout, he nodded as he bent
down to give her a hug. ‘Fine. I guess I’ll just drive off a cliff since you
don’t want to read me the directions.’
She gave him a kiss on the cheek like she always did before she
paused and scrunched her face.
“That’s not funny, Daddy.”
Salem pointed over his shoulder as he stood.
Lilo was waiting at the end of the row with a raised brow. Knowing
exactly what she wanted, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his
backup card. She’d told him, not asked, because ‘she wasn’t a kid
anymore’, that she was going out to eat with Aiko between the ceremony
and reception.
He looked over her shoulder at Aiko, who waited for her at the end
of the hall. “Shouldn’t he be paying for dates?” he asked, handing the card
over.
A smile spread across her face as she plucked it from between his
fingers. “He does.”

“Dad!”
Devin threw his head back with a groan. Cassian tried to smother a
laugh as Kenny marched up to the ridiculously large round table at the head
of the ballroom.
“Why do you never call your mom?” he asked, gesturing to Emori,
who slept on his shoulder, hands on her small bump.
Ken didn’t even pay him mind. “Davina bit Cal, then he shoved her
face into the cake.”
Devin winced, throwing his eyes to Deianira and Cade on the other
side of the table. “Fair?”
Cade shrugged with a nod. “Fair.”
“Tell her to wipe it off,” he threw back.
Kenny shook her head. “No, he put her whole head in the cake.”
When Deianira snorted, looking over their shoulders, Cassian turned
to see what was so funny and spotted Davina, silently dragging her feet
over to them. There wasn’t an inch on her head, hair included, that wasn’t
covered by icing.
Devin’s jaw dropped. “Oh baby…” he breathed as she tried to blink.
“I can’t see,” she said quietly, her voice panicked.
He grasped her shoulder and held her at arm’s length when she got
too close. “Ken, can you take your sister to the restroom please?” he sighed.
Kenny grabbed her shoulders, steering her away.
“How did you do that?” Devin asked, pointing to Elia where she sat
between him and Salem, back straight as she wrote lines on a napkin.
Cassian smirked. “I didn’t-”
“Dad!”
Devin looked like he wanted to sink into his seat. “What did you
do?”
Tyla stopped behind his seat, narrowing her eyes. “Nothing. Ki
wants you at the front. They’re about to do speeches.”
Devin said that he was going to keep his speech short and sweet, but
after twenty minutes of him telling Don to start running as fast as he could,
the mic was quickly taken from him. A few of his sisters got up and made
speeches of their own, all of which contained some sort of threat to Don.
Aiko spoke too. He told the crowd about how happy he was that Akilah
would be joining the family and that he was joining theirs. He also thanked
Salem for convincing Akilah to say yes, but Cassian knew that for all her
snark and attitude, she wanted to say yes as much as he wanted her to. For
some reason, they worked.
When they opened up the floor for others to dance, Cassian asked
Elia if she wanted to join him. Her disgusted face was answer enough, so he
dragged Salem off her feet and pulled her onto the dance floor, quickly
joined by Elia because she didn’t want to be left out. He held Salem as they
swayed, Elia holding her hand to the side as she kept her head down,
reading whatever she’d written on the napkin. Eventually, she left them
when they opened the candy bar.
Cassian squeezed Salem’s waist with a smirk. Remember what
happened the first time we danced together?
She nodded. You got your head smashed in with a bottle.
His face flattened. You know that is not what I’m talking about.
She bit down on her lip, stepping closer as she pressed her head to
his tux, swaying slowly. I really liked you that day.
He laughed softly. Was it all the blood and cuts? That get you going,
you perv?
She snorted. No. She paused. Yes.
He pulled back, jaw slack.
But, she interrupted. You just worked with me. You didn’t question
anything I did, you just followed and made it better.
He nodded, feigning a frown. Right. You just want me drunk and
pliable. You’re real sick, you know that?
Stop that, she snipped, kneeing his shin.
He finally gave in to laughter, quickly tugging her up to kiss her
forehead.
“Daddy!”
He whipped his head to the side, finding Elia at the edge of the room
by the candy stand, her face red. They quickly made their way through the
crowd, Cassian’s eyes set on the man behind the cart.
She drew in a breath, pointing to the man. “He said I can only have
one candy bag, but that boy,” she jabbed a finger at the kid running back
across the dance floor, “stole mine.”
Cassian took a step closer as Salem turned around and started after
the child.
The man raised his hands. “It’s one each,” he said quickly.
Elia marched past Cassian. “There are only twenty-three kids here
and fifty-one candy bags!” she growled, before he picked her up and put her
on his hip.
He never dropped his eyes from the guy’s as he swiped three bags
off the cart and handed them to her.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“Your welcome, princess,” he responded, trying his best to
remember those techniques that his doctor was always blabbing on about.
Taking a breath, he settled on a glare and turned around in time to
see Salem walking back up to them, another candy bag in her hands.
I don’t hear crying, Cassian said, looking over her shoulder.
She reached up and took Elia before giving her the last bag. I told
him not to.
Compulsion?
No.
Deciding that he didn’t want to know, Cassian nodded.
As much as she grumbled about needing to be home for bedtime,
Elia had a good time. She and Aadil had played a game that she said Akilah
had taught her. They yelled colors and pointed at different people in the
room for hours, never getting bored, and by the end of the night, she was
passed out in his lap. That was why he never cared that they didn’t have
similar interests or that she looked at him like he was an idiot half of the
time. At the end of the day, he always got the cuddles.
He pushed the door open, letting Salem into the room before
heading in with Elia, who still slept on his shoulder.
Salem turned around, her question written on her brow.
He shook his head with a soft smile. I got it, he said, heading to El’s
room.
The girl slept like the dead so she wouldn’t have noticed if he just
put her to bed in her dress, but he knew she’d have a few choice words for
him in the morning, so he changed her into her pajamas. Setting her down
on her low bed, he kissed her forehead and winced as she blinked up at him.
“You forgot my hair,” she told him, sitting up and turning around.
Laughing softly, he pulled a hair tie off his wrist, pulling her hair
back into a high ponytail. He sat back on the floor. “How’d I do?”
He beamed with pride when she didn’t immediately pull it down.
“You’re getting better,” she whispered, settling back down. “But still
not very good.”
“I try,” he chuckled, quieting his laugh when she rolled onto her side
and closed her eyes. He tilted his head at her, waiting.
She sighed, eyes still closed. “I love you.”
“Love you too, monster,” he smiled, leaning forward.
He barely dodged the hand that swiped out to hit him. “You already
gave me a kiss,” she said, offended. “And I don’t like monster.”
“Too bad,” he groaned, standing. He faked turning to the door and
rushed back in, slapping a fat kiss on her cheek.
“Daddy!”
He darted away from her kick and had just made it to the door when
her voice reached him again.
“Don’t forget to wake me up.”
He shook his head. Every night. “You know, you could stay home
tomorrow. Take a day off, sleep in.” Her jaw dropped as she stared at him
like he’d asked for her firstborn. He quickly held his hands up. “I won’t,”
he smirked.
“Thank you,” she sighed, closing her eyes.
“Night, Elia.”
“Goodnight, Daddy.”
Salem was already in bed with the wife hog when he stepped back
in.
Is Lilo back?
She continued to pet Echo, shaking her head. Cassian lifted his
wrist.
CASSIAN: Get your ass home.
LILO: There was too much traffic so I’m staying at Aiko’s house.
Cassian scoffed.
CASSIAN: It’s three in the morning. What traffic?
When she conveniently stopped responding, he sighed, heading to the

bed. He took off his clothes, folding them instead of dropping them on the
floor when Salem raised a brow at him, before getting into bed. He scooped
Echo from Salem’s arms and set her on his chest, turning his head as she
nudged his hand.
Did you remember her hair? Salem asked, rolling over to look at
them.
He gave her a bored look. Yes, I did actually, he lied.
She turned her face into the pillow with a smile. She just told me to
tell you to remember for next time.
He looked at her door. Snitch.
I’m trying to sleep.
He huffed. Sorry, princess.
He was still getting used to Elia’s link since he’d only ever had one
with one person before, but he was getting there. Elia had presented a year
ago, and when he and Salem told her that she couldn’t tell anyone, she
seemed to understand. They were still the only ones that knew, but it wasn’t
about her, Cassian wasn’t sure what it meant for him. He presented late so it
was perfectly likely that she’d just presented early, but a nagging voice in
the back of his head told him that that wasn’t the truth.
Do you know your parents’ names…
“Cassian.”
He blinked back into focus. Huh?
“Where did you get her?”
He slowly turned his head to find Salem’s eyes on Echo as she
reached over to give her a head rub.
He shrugged. I found a litter, three of them, stuck under the
floorboards of my old place. I cleaned them, fed them, but when the other
two died, I accepted that the same thing would happen to her. So I made her
comfortable in the basement, but she just kept getting out and scratching on
my door every night. no matter how much I tried not to get attached. I guess
I just stopped closing the door.
When she didn’t say anything, he got the urge to continue.
My mom really liked animals. He chuckled. She literally wouldn’t
hurt a fly. She took bees outside, left cheese out for mice, fed strays. I don’t
know. I kinda felt like she’d be proud to see me doing the same. I mean, I
would’ve done it anyway, but I liked the thought of her smiling down at me.
He sighed. I was a really stupid kid and I feel like I still owe her a few
smiles.
Salem stared into his eyes, watching him carefully. Slowly, she sat
up and pulled Echo from his chest, putting her down on her other side
where she curled up, satisfied. He moved over when Salem crawled on top
of him, straddling him before laying down on his chest and closing her
eyes.
She smiled a lot.
He looked down at her head at the words. He knew that Salem had
met her, but he didn’t like to think about that too much. It kind of stung that
she had more time with her than him.
Close your eyes.
Huh?
Salem reached up and brushed a hand down his face. With a snort,
he obeyed.
Why are my eyes clo-

Salem stood straight, watching all of the corners in the room. It wasn’t
usual that they’d leave the palace without an extended detail, so Deianira
insisting that she went to dinner at Grace’s without ‘all the extra fuss’ was
nerve-wracking. But she still followed, keeping her eyes peeled.
“Sweetie, you can sit down, you know.”
Salem flicked her eyes to Eliza as she smiled, gesturing to the seat
beside Deianira.
“Thank you. But I’m fine standing.”
Eliza shook her head with a soft grin. “Nothing’s going to happen, I
promise.”
When Deianira turned around with an awkward nod, Salem fiddled
with her hands, conceding. Sitting down, she pushed the chair a few inches
away from the table and angled it. When she could see the door in her
periphery, she settled.
Deianira waved a hand to her. “You were saying?”
Eliza nodded, getting back into their conversation. “Yes. The
sweetest little boy. That Cade is a little old man,” she laughed softly. “So
wise, so smart. I mean, I get anxious when he looks at me across the
classroom. He’s just so perceptive, it’s like he’s picking the world apart in
his head rather than just experiencing it.”
Deianira tilted her head with a smirk. “This is a six-year-old we’re
talking about?”
Eliza nodded with a sigh. “Trust me, you have to see it for yourself.
Sometimes, I worry that the other kids might not understand him, but he
never seems to care. Maybe I worry too much.”
Grace put a hand on hers. “You care about your students. There’s
nothing wrong with that.” She took a sip of her wine. “Besides, he has a
brother, doesn’t he? That one’s plenty company.”
Eliza snorted. “Sorry,” she laughed, covering her mouth. “Yes. His
name is Cassian.” She shook her head. “That boy is ten friends wrapped
into one. Curious, energetic, and I shouldn’t say this,” she giggled, “but
what he lacks up here,” she tapped her head, “he makes up for in here.”
She put a hand to her heart. “Emotional intelligence. He’s just so
accommodating and patient, a good boy when you get to know him, but,”
she looked over at Salem, tipping her glass with a smile, “he can be a bit of
a protector himself when it comes to his brother. There isn’t a line he
wouldn’t cross for the ones he loves.” She shrugged, looking over at Grace
with a sly smirk. “If
we decided to take that step,” When Grace opened her
mouth to protest, she raised a hand, laughing. “I said if. If we decided to
have one or two of our own, that’s what I’d want for them…”

Cassian slowly blinked open his watery eyes, his gaze clashing with
Salem’s as she looked up at him.
When was that?
She rested her head on her interlocked fingers. A few weeks before
she passed.
He had to just look at her for a moment. She always complained
about him giving her everything and feeling like she didn’t give enough in
return. But she paid him back every time she looked at him. And now
this…
“She had a lot of smiles. I don’t think she would worry that you
didn’t give her enough of them,” she whispered. “You did before you were
even born.”
His chest stuttered as he pulled her up under her arms. Thank you,
he breathed, kissing her over and over again. Thank you.

What’s wrong?
Salem turned around to see Elia standing at her door. Nothing’s
wrong. He’s just happy.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes. ‘Then why is he crying?’
Cassian lifted his head and gave her a watery smile. ‘Because I love
your mom.’
With a sigh, she closed her door behind her and ambled over to the
bed. He leaned over, grunting as he picked her up and sat her down on his
side. Salem made space for her to lean on the other side of his chest.
“You’re going to be tired for school,” she said, meeting her eyes.
She stared right back. ‘Daddy said I don’t have to go.’
Salem swung her eyes to Cassian as he swung his to Elia.
“Oh, now you bring that up.”
She looked back at him. “You did.”
He rolled his eyes before giving Salem a sheepish smile. I’ve got the
day off.
Elia never missed school, something that she made sure of more
than Salem. She loved that she took her studies so seriously, but sometimes,
she worried that she might end up getting so wrapped up in productivity and
forget to be a child. Salem never got the opportunity. She almost wished
that she had the day off too so that she could join them.
We’ll come see you at work.
He always knew.
There were still conditions though.
She sighed. “She has a math test in two days. You need to help her
study.”
Done, he smiled.
Elia’s little face scrunched up at Salem. “Daddy teach me math?”
Elia, she said in a low voice.
She knew that Cassian never took it to heart, but she didn’t want her
to make a habit of taking shots at his intelligence. He was smart, very smart.
Just in a different way to her and Elia.
She sighed. “Fine.”
He turned his face away. ‘If you don’t wanna spend the day with me,
just say that.’
Salem was expecting one of her usual lines when she tapped his
face, harder than necessary, to get his attention. ‘I do want to spend the day
with you.’
He narrowed his eyes at Salem. ‘Did Mommy tell you to say that?’
She shook her head as Salem tried to suppress her smile.
Did you?
She gave him a flat look. No, she huffed.
He looked back at Elia with a bright grin. ‘I wanna spend the day
with you too. You still need to sleep though.’
‘I’ll sleep here,’ she informed him, shifting into a more comfortable
position. Wanting to get closer, Salem lay her head down on the other side
of his chest, looking at her while she looked at him.
Objectively, she knew that Elia looked like her. It was strange to see
as she grew older and developed more of Salem’s features, but she liked it.
Nowhere near as much as she liked seeing Cassian in her though. She was
so decisive, and determined, but while she liked to act like she was fifty and
not five, she had her silly moments. At times, Salem struggled to pretend
that she wasn’t the funniest human being she’d ever met. Cassian was
funny, but he’d never jumped head-first off of a six-foot stage in front of a
school assembly as part of a physics presentation. Salem knew that it was
wrong to laugh, but seeing her fight back her tears as she assured the crowd
that she felt fine, and Cassian’s face as he jumped over the row of kids to
get to her was too much.
“Why not your bed?” he asked, his eyes flitting to Salem’s with a
less than discreet message regarding why he wanted to be alone with her.
As her eyes fell shut, Salem reached out and gently stroked her light
brown wisps back into her ponytail. She wondered if she was already asleep
when her lips slowly moved.
“You have numbers…”
OceanofPDF.com
The End
OceanofPDF.com
THANK YOU
Thank you for all the love and support on the rollercoaster that is this
series. You guys have no idea how fun you make my job, and this reaction
from a debut series has only solidified my decision to keep going. There will
definitely be more from me so stay tuned on my social media for updates
about upcoming works and projects.
I love you guys so much
- Amizah R
OceanofPDF.com

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Thank you so much for following this journey.

This book contains strong language, extremely graphic violence,

NAME: ALDEN, Cassian

DATE OF BIRTH: 10/14/40166

PLACE OF BIRTH: OUTSIDE

EYE COLOR: Blue

HAIR COLOR: Blonde

GIFT (if applicable): Psionic

CHARGE #2: Assault with a weapon

CHARGE #3: Grievous bodily harm

NAME: ALDEN, Cassian

DATE OF BIRTH: 10/14/40166

PLACE OF BIRTH: OUTSIDE

EYE COLOR: Blue

HAIR COLOR: Blonde

GIFT (if applicable): Psionic

CHARGE #1: Treason

NAME: JACOBS, Devin

DATE OF BIRTH: 12/01/40167

PLACE OF BIRTH: THE DOME

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown

GIFT (if applicable): Warlock

CHARGE #1: Treason

NAME: SAMBOR, Eulalia

DATE OF BIRTH: 05/21/40162

PLACE OF BIRTH: THE DOME

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown

GIFT (if applicable): Seer

CHARGE #1: Treason

After twenty minutes, Salem switched to her right shoulder.

QIN: I need your help. Can you do something for me?

FINCH: Where are you? What do you need?

QIN: I need you to come to the assessment room.

Salem could’ve growled at the message.

FINCH: What did the asshole do?

Salem huffed. He was wasting valuable time.

QIN: I’ll tell you when you get here.

Her hands shook as she waited for his response.

Relief soared in her heart. But only for a moment.

A few hours ago…

BREACH - FIRST FLOOR - INMATE DORMITORY

“Snap out of it!”

He paced, hands on his head.

“Hey, hey! Talk to me! What do you see?!”

The lack of movement settled Cassian enough to take a break as he

Pain. Stabbing pain.

As Cassian quickly threw himself behind a tree, Salem huffed, dropping

Cassian took a swig of his water.

As the sparks flickered in front of him, Cassian knelt, motionless.

Forty-four hours earlier…

“Status?” Devin asked as he stepped back into the operations room,

BREACH - FIRST FLOOR - INMATE DORMITORY

She nodded. “And he will…when he gets back.”

“What did you just say?”

“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?”

“Drink,” Cassian instructed, pushing the bottle of water at Lia as they

“You’re sure it’s her?”

She didn’t sleep. She couldn’t.