16. Casandra
I slowly push through the heavy glass doors of the campus cafe, the bell above chiming a soft note that is immediately swallowed by the ambient hum of chatter, clinking ceramic, and grinding coffee beans.
I weave my way through the clustered wooden tables, my eyes locked on the private booths lined against the far back wall.
Miranda and Tate are already there.
Miranda catches my eye and waves, her hand a quick, polite motion. Tate offers a bright, easy grin that practically radiates golden-retriever energy, his messy blonde hair contrasting sharply with the dark leather of the booth. I slide into the seat next to Miranda, offering a brief nod.
But the moment I settle into the plush cushion, the familiar, invisible thread snaps in my chest.
My gaze drifts past Tate’s shoulder, drawn like a magnet to a large circular booth across the room. Ilinca’s group. Which means, inevitably, he is there.
Nikolai.
He sits back with a lazy, predatory grace, one arm draped over the top of the leather seat.
Right next to him is a blonde girl from their group.
She is practically drooling on him, leaning so close her shoulder brushes his chest.
Her mouth moves in a rapid, animated stream, her eyes wide and rapt with adoration as she tries everything in her power to command his attention.
I feel a sudden, violent spark beneath my skin.
My blood begins to boil, a hot, toxic wave of irritation flooding my veins.
It’s pathetic. She looks pathetic, and he looks entirely too comfortable letting her stroke his ego.
I don’t even realize I’m glaring until Nikolai’s gaze suddenly cuts through the crowd.
Our eyes lock.
A slow, insufferable smirk spreads across his handsome face. He can see the fury rolling off me, and the bastard thrives on it. Maintaining eye contact with me, he intentionally turns his head toward the blonde bitch, murmuring something low that makes her giggle and press even closer to him.
My jaw clenches so hard my teeth ache. I force my eyes away, staring down at the dark wood of our table, my hands curling into fists in my lap.
Scanning the rest of their table, I notice their group is incomplete. Right now, it’s just Ilinca, Magnus, Nikolai, and the giggling blonde. The last member of their group, Julian, is noticeably absent.
He’s still in the States. He’s dealing with some issues within their clan.
I lean back against the chair, a cold weight settling in my stomach as I think about his eventual arrival.
I already know that a meeting with me is at the very top of his priority list the exact second he touches down in Blackmere.
Before I can dwell on it any longer, the air shifts. The temperature in our booth seems to drop a fraction as Elias steps inside, his massive, brooding frame instantly commanding space. Right behind him is Olivia. They slide into the booth, completing our circle.
“Alright, brilliant, we’re all here,” Tate says, trying to inject some of his usual cheer into the suddenly cramped space. “Let’s talk strategy.”
“Yes, especially with what’s coming next week,” Olivia adds, pulling out a tablet and tapping the screen. “Did you all see the message?”
“Yeah, the Survival Challenge,” Elias clarifies, his low, raspy baritone vibrating through the small booth.
His icy gray eyes scan each of us in turn.
“Graves uses it every year to get a clear sense of where everyone stands. He wants to see our strengths, our weaknesses, and how we handle high-stress environments under pressure.”
“It’s a benchmark test,” Miranda explains, leaning in.
As third-years, she and Elias have actually been through this twice before.
“Don’t stress too much about it. Compared to what’s to come later in the winter term, it’s a fairly easy challenge. It’s mostly tracking, basic endurance, and sometimes a bit of combat simulation.”
“Yeah, it’s a breeze if you keep your head on straight,” Tate agrees with a thick British accent, offering an encouraging smile.
“Just a lot of running through the Blackmere woods, avoiding a few low-level enchantments, and making sure you don’t get turned inside out by some guest playing the villain. Standard academy hazing, really.”
As Tate and Miranda carry on, detailing the specific terrain traps from previous years, my eyes betray me.
They slide sideways, drifting right back to the opposite side of the cafe.
Nikolai is still ignoring the blonde’s desperate chatter, but his eyes are fixed on the door now, his fingers idly tapping the tabletop.
The blonde is practically sitting in his lap at this point.
A sharp breath hitches in my throat.
Elias’s quiet, lethal gaze follows my line of vision. He looks at Nikolai, then looks back at me and shakes his head.
I pull my shoulders back, forcing my focus back to my own group. By the time we finish talking, the heavy tension in my shoulders has settled into a dull ache.
The group finally disperses. Tate and Miranda head out together, while Elias and Olivia slip into the crowd toward the library.
I stand up, slinging my bag over my shoulder, ready to make a quick exit.
“Cassie!”
The voice stops me. I turn around. Ilinca is standing up from her booth, waving me over.
I take a breath, smoothing down my sweater, and walk over to their table.
Magnus gives me a curt, respectful nod, while Nikolai doesn’t even look up, entirely engrossed in a text on his phone—though the sudden tightening of his jaw tells me he knows exactly how close I am.
“Hey,” I say, keeping my eyes strictly on Ilinca.
“I just wanted to catch you before you left,” Ilinca says, a warm smile on her face. “Darius and I are staying with Magnus today and we might stay the night if Darius is comfortable sleeping there, so don’t worry about me later tonight.”
At the explicit mention of Darius, a sharp, ugly sound breaks the air.
The blonde snorts, a mocking, dismissive scoff that echoes clearly over the low murmur of the cafe.
My head snaps toward her so fast I hear the faint click in my neck. My pale eyes narrow into slits, locking onto her smug face. The irritation that’s been brewing inside me all afternoon finally finds a target.
“Do you have something to say?” I ask, my voice dropping into a dangerously quiet, lethal register.
The blonde’s smug smile instantly vanishes as Magnus lets out a low growl.
Her eyes widen with a flash of panic as she registers the raw power radiating off me and the threatening look on Magnus’ face.
She quickly recoils, her shoulders hunching over as she tries to make herself look as small and insignificant as possible.
“N-no,” she stammers, her voice dropping to a terrified whisper. “Nothing.”
I give her one last, lingering glare before turning my attention back to Ilinca, whose cheeks have gone slightly pink.
“Have fun,” I tell Ilinca, a small, knowing smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
Ilinca’s eyes go wide, a deep, bright crimson blush rushing up her neck and flooding her cheeks. “Cassie!” she gasps, thoroughly scandalized, throwing a quick, mortified glance at Magnus.
I chuckle, turning on my heel to finally leave the cafe. I take long, deliberate strides toward the glass exit, desperate for the cool, fresh air of the courtyard.
But I don’t even make it to the door.
A heavy, calloused hand shoots out from the shadows, wrapping firmly around my wrist. The grip is iron, burning hot against my skin. Before I can even yelp, I am yanked violently backward, dragged away from the main exit and shoved into a dimly lit, narrow hallway used for staff storage.
My back hits the wall with a dull thud. Before I can snap at him, Nikolai steps into my space, pinning me against the hard plaster.
He places one hand flat beside my head, his massive, powerful frame completely cutting off any avenue of escape.
The scent of cinnamon fills my senses, making my heart kick into overdrive.
He leans down, his face inches from mine. His dark eyes gleam with a wicked, teasing light.
“Jealous?” he murmurs, his voice a low, gravelly purr that vibrates straight through my core.
I snort, masking the sudden tremor in my hands by crossing my arms tightly over my chest. I stare right into his arrogant face. “No.”
Nikolai’s smirk widens, turning into something sharper, hungrier. He dips his head lower, his breath hot against my cheek. “Then why were you throwing daggers at Arya the entire time?”
“Go fuck yourself, Nikolai,” I snap.
I push hard against his chest, trying to duck under his arm to leave, but he’s faster. Before I can even take a step, his hand wraps around my hip, dragging me right back against him. He slams me back into the wall, but this time, my back is pressed flush against his broad, solid chest.
His arm wraps securely around my waist, locking me in place. The heat radiating off him is suffocating, melting away my resistance.
“Running away so soon, baby?” he whispers directly into my ear. His deep baritone sends a violent shiver straight down my spine. He leans in closer, his lips brushing the sensitive skin just beneath my ear.
I open my mouth to retort, to tell him exactly where he can shove his ego, but the words catch in my throat.
A sudden, treacherous wave of heat pools low in my belly, a heavy, aching wetness making itself known between my thighs.
My breath hits. I hate how instantly my body betrays me around him, how this mate bond nonsense responds to his proximity even when my mind wants to kill him.
Nikolai lets out a low, dark chuckle against my skin.
“You’re wet for me, aren’t you, Casandra?” he murmurs, his grip tightening on my hip, pulling me back even harder against his pelvis. “So fucking needy. You want to pretend you don’t care, but your body is begging for me.”
To emphasize his point, he shifts his weight. I gasp as I feel the thick, rigid length of him, completely hardened, pressing firmly against my ass. The sheer size of him makes my head spin, a low whimper threatening to escape my lips.
He dips his head, his mouth finding the exposed column of my neck. He presses a slow, bruising kiss against my pulse point, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin just enough to make me throb.
“I like you jealous,” he growls softly against my skin, his voice thick with a dark, heavy satisfaction. “I like knowing I’m not the only one being driven completely insane by this fucking bond.”
Before I can recover my senses, before I can reach back to grab him or push him away, the crushing pressure of his body vanishes.
Nikolai steps back into the shadows of the hallway, a devastating, triumphant smirk playing on his lips as he looks down at my flushed face and ragged breathing.
Without another word, he turns on his heel and walks away, leaving me pressed against the wall, trembling, breathless, and utterly consumed by the heat he left behind.