Cassian

I keep reading, turning page after page, feeling their roughness on the tips of my eyelids warns me that it’s time to brest/b.

my fingers. From

ito /i

time,

i? /i

yawn finds

me, and the heaviness in

I close the book cover, leave it where I found it, and btake /brefuge under the sheets, searching for the mostfortable position. I had barely closed my eyelids when a gust of icy air hit my face. At first, I think it must be one of the many drafts that sometimes bpass /bthrough the castle, but this feeling lingers so much that I’m forced to sit up in bed.

I let out a sharp scream at the presence at the edge of my bed.

the app

He’s wearing his shirt open down to his sternum, the front stained with what at first bI /bwould have taken for wine. The mic smell tainting the air tells me otherwise. His beyes/b, bas /bblue bas /bthe ocean, now look bas /bck as a raven’s and stare at me with a mixture of amusement and ravenous hunger.

“Cassian?” My voicees out strangled. “What are you doing here? Get out! This is not bat /ball chivalrous

of

The depth of hisugh sends chills through my body. I shrink back on the soft mattress, trying to press myself as bfar /bheadboard of the bed. I hear the wood knocking against the wall. There’s no more space I can put between us, and he

What must I have done for the little beast of the castle to think I’m a gentleman?”

as

thephie

possible against the

bseems /bre

ready to close it.

“Leave. Please.”

He ces his hands on either side of my legsb, /bcovered by the quilt. His body leans over like gesture makes his eyes travel to my neck. I hold my breath.

?

predator stalking

swallow hard, and the

His body is nearly on top of mine, his breath bso /bclose bI /bcan bfeel /bit brushing my cheeks. The heart in my chest beats rapidly, betraying me. He doesn’t know how much this harms bus/b–my pulse bis /bcalling to him like a siren’s song to a sailor. The darkness in his eyes gleams while the white of his fangs shows in ba /bchilling smile. I watch his tongue slide along the edge of one as he scans my horrified bface /band lowers slowly to my neck. He stops where my pulse is pounding.

“We’re dragging this out too long, little beast.” He leans over meb, /band the edge of his nose brushes my chin. “It’s

time you let me taste you.”

My muscles go rigid, and I be aware of his weight on top of me. Even though his frame isn’t particrly broad and he doesn’t look like a warrior, the weight and hardness of his body reveal a defined muscture beneath his clothes. Plus, his nature makes him stronger than humans. He could rip a tree from the roots with a mere flick of his wrist.

“I don’t want to–I’m not ready,” I blurt out like an idiot.

“I don’t care.”

His gaze drops ba /bfew centimeters, pausing on the slight curves of my bbreasts /bthat the nightgown does little to hide. I cross my arms over trying ito /icover my body and near–nakedness. A new, deep, and masculineugh bleaves /bhis lips, making my stomach flutter.

my chest,

I bump the back of my head trying to pull baway/bb, /band bthat /bbrief moment of confusion is enough for Cassian to pull me down bso /bthat I’m lyingpletely on the mattress, his body over mine.

“Get out!” I pound at his chest. “You disgust me! bGet /baway from me!”

Hisughter drills into my bears /bbas /bI feel the tickle of his breath against my skin and the brush of his nose, inhaling the scent of my neck.

Wasn’t he supposed to hate my smellb? /b

That thought is pushed aside when I feel the edge of his fangs grazing the delicate skin of my throat, followed by the moistness of his tongue, as if tasting what he’s about to sink his teeth into. I writhe beneath him, trying to kick and hit him. Nothing seems to faze him–his body is ba /bb of granite on top of mine.

“I promise you’ll squirm more from pleasure than from pain,” he murmurs against my skin. “Stop being stubborn and enjoy.”

I’m about to scream something when his teeth sink into me.

I scream like ba /bmadwomanb–/band then I wake up.

It bwas /ba dream.

The sheets are aplete mess tangled between my legs, and it takes me a while to free myself from them. My nightgown clings to my sweaty back, and the bhair /bon my temples seems to have met the same fate. I light a candle and approach the dressing table, which reflects my wornb–/bbout /bappearance. I’m covered in sweat everywhereb, /band my skin has taken on ba /byellowish hue.

bI /bcan’t help stretching my neck to check for any marks, something bto /bbprove /bbit /bbwasn’t /bba /bdream, but my skin is smooth and unbroken. I run my fingers over it, thankful that everything remains intact. bThe /bidea of being bitten by Cassian terrifies meb–/bthe warnings that his thirst is utterly insatiable

b1/2 /b

12:19 PMolli0./li/ol

echo in my mind all too frequently.

+15

The sun has byet /bto rise, and though I try to sleep again, the nightmare seems to rey every time I close my eyes. I recall every second, every word, every gesture. I can still feel his breath brushing my skin, the coldness of his body against mine, the sharp edge of his fangs.

I toss and turn in bed until dawn arrives. Then I begin to clean myself up as best I can, and I don’t know if they making at the vanity, but rissa and Naida appear to help meb. /b

Soon after, I leave my room with the intention of visiting the library, certain that Cassian is currently

biin /i/b

sense the mess I’m

his chambers, likely

I go down the main stairs and look for bthe /bhidden ones behind them that spiral down to a deserted, dusty, forgotten library. In my first days, I explored the castle looking for secret spots and remote ces, and I ended up finding this staircase down to the library. There are others scattered throughout the bcastle/b, bas /bmuch to my surprise–Cassian has a fondness for booksb. /bI don’t know if he’s an avid reader him look smarter and more sophisticated.

Or

simply thinks they make

Upon entering, the air was heavy with the smell of old books and dust, weing me. I wander through the shelves might exin more about what Cassian told me during dinner. Reading the book from my nightstand is not something I’m

I run my fingers along the spines until I stop at one with golden script. The Image of the Species.

looking for

Tor right

that

now.

I hide away in what has be my reading nook: the ledge of a boarded–up window with no view outside. wooden table where ba /bcandbrum rests. I’m surprised someone bothers toe down here every day to light the candles.

iI /i

Sir

on

it and nce

mall

round

I bring the mes bcloser /bso I can bsee /band open the book.

a

b“/bVampires are considered the dominant bspecies /band bsee /bthe rest of the creatures bas /binferior beings, lowest among them the humans, whom ithey /iuse bas /ba food source without hesitation. Ruled by the night, shapeshifters and vampires are natural rivals. Throughout the centuries, there have been numerous wars between the two sides with considerable losses, thest being the most devastating for the shapeshifters. The Dravenb, /bsupported by the other ruling houses, managed to mobilize all their kind to wipe out most of the shapeshifter poption and condemned the few survivors to live on the small ind of Wastnd, hostile to all life forms. These events have only worsened tensions between the factions, and it’s unknown how many more decades this fragile truce canst. Theck of amon enemy for the vampire race may have triggered the many internal disputes that have clearly divided them into btwo /bsides: the Diluted and the Pure. The former have taken action, forming small rebel groups in the Southern territories, while the brest /bcontinue to live under the constant scorn of the Pureb.” /b

My