Chapter 22 #2
Magic pooled at his fingertips, a low thrum beneath his skin.
The thin lines of light wove through the air, settling on her entry door before spreading outward, lacing across the perimeter walls, covering the windows and all the openings, hooking into the bones of the building.
Everything shimmered for a moment before the light died down, and the barrier was complete.
“It will hold. For now,” he said. A hollow promise. Nothing felt enough against this threat.
Her fingers tightened around Anuck, the cat’s ears peeking from beneath her coat. “And tomorrow?”
“I am calling for reinforcements.” The phone was already in his hand. His thumb moved quickly across its screen. “Caius’s wards are artistry. Mine is a blunt instrument where finesse is required. He will secure both premises before you open. Is dawn an acceptable intrusion?”
An almost involuntary smile touched her lips, though tension still bracketed her mouth. “A baker’s day starts well before dawn. Remember?”
He stopped typing. The thought of her in the pre-dawn light, a world away from this darkness, hit him with the force of a physical blow. “I do.”
They started walking back, the silence between them a chasm.
“So, Alderrath is targeting me, and my business,” she said. “I suppose that’s to be expected from a coward.”
A sharp, protective fury locked his jaw. He raked a hand through his hair—but the gesture did nothing to quiet the storm inside him. He should have seen this coming. Should have known Alderrath would stoop to this.
Guilt sat heavy in his chest, a cold weight he couldn’t shake. He had placed Cassia in a role that made her a target. If he hadn’t provoked Alderrath with the fake engagement, the Sanguine would have simply ignored her. Now his petty trick had brought retaliation to her door.
“This entanglement was never meant to draw a target on you. I took your conflict and turned it into a war, and I won’t let you bear its cost.” He drew a slow breath.
He’d been using her as a shield, and the thought now sickened him.
“My commitment to Starlight stands, but I understand if you wish to sever all connection.”
For her, it might be a relief.
For him, it would be an amputation.
The only sound was their footsteps on the sidewalk. Then, Cassia stopped and turned to glare at him.
“So that’s it?” she said softly, incredulously. “We back down? Because the engagement’s fake, so it doesn’t matter?”
Ark’s lips parted.
Cassia stepped closer, chin lifting, shoulders squaring.
“What will that say? That Alderrath can snap his fingers and the world folds to him? That someone like me—an Untethered witch, an outsider—shouldn’t even think of standing beside someone like you?
That if I dared, he’d just destroy everything I hold dear? ”
She shook her head fiercely. “You know what?” Her voice wavered, then steadied, brimming with defiance. “If this engagement were real . . . I’d sure as hell fight for it.”
The words punched through him like a spark to dry tinder. His pulse kicked hard. His magic stirred low in his chest, restless and sharp. For a heartbeat, he just looked at her—the fury, fear, and courage braided together in her voice.
He drew a slow breath, his voice dropping rough and low. “Cassia . . .”
Anuck chose that precise moment to mrrreow from inside her jacket, as if to remind them that he still deserved that dish of cream. Ark let out a helpless laugh.
He shook his head, awe and guilt and a pull he could no longer evade tightening beneath his ribs. “Remind me,” he murmured, “to never underestimate either of you again.”
He’d never been more aware of just how much he’d underestimated her—her strength, her pride, the way she could carve out space in a world that tried to keep her on the margins. She’d stepped into a role he’d invented on a whim and made it real.
They continued walking. Her home looked the same as when they’d left it.
The moment the door swung open, Anuck launched himself from her arms and hit the floor running, an urgent blur fleeing for the comforts of the kitchen.
Cassia followed him, Ark trailing just behind.
He placed a dish on the counter while Cassia opened the fridge, Anuck watching them both with twitching whiskers.
As Ark poured the cream, Cassia said, “Rhodes and Caius are coming at dawn, but what about till then?”
He held her gaze. The thought of leaving her alone—even for a few hours—was inconceivable. Alderrath had already reached for her once. If anything happened, he wanted to be the one standing between her and the threat. The one who made sure nothing touched her.
“I’ll stay the night,” he said.
Her throat bobbed. Her fingers slid down the front of her sweater, smoothing it with a restless edge. Then she nodded. Ark lowered the dish of cream to the floor, and by the time he straightened, she was already heading toward the hallway.
“I’ll show you the guest room.”
“No need.”
She paused, glancing back at him.
“I should stay near the door,” he explained. “In case something happens.”