Chapter 2
Cold air rushed beneath the delivery truck, carrying the smell of damp soil and crushed vegetables.
I curled tighter beneath the chassis.
One hand gripped the dinner knife.
The other counted the thud of the tires over the stone road.
Three.
Two.
One.
The second the truck turned, I shoved open the side panel and rolled onto the wet grass.
Gravel tore into my knee.
I ignored the pain and ran.
The morning fog hadn't lifted yet.
The iron gate was right ahead.
Twenty yards.
Fifteen.
I was almost there when a deafening crash made my ears ring.
The entire gate shook.
Outside, several massive gray beasts were throwing themselves against the fence.
Thick forelegs hooked over the iron bars.
Sharp claws tore slowly through the welded steel.
Blood hung from their mouths.
Their breathing came in heavy, broken bursts.
The guards had their guns raised.
Not one of them dared get closer.
One of the beasts suddenly leaped.
The driver didn't even have time to scream.
A gray blur shot past me.
Fast as the wind.
Two enormous bodies slammed into each other.
Dirt exploded into the air.
Bones cracked.
Again.
And again.
I fell backward onto the grass.
All I could see was a tangle of gray bodies rolling across the ground.
Claws.
Fangs.
Blood.
There was no pattern to it.
Only claws, teeth, and raw animal violence.
Then, seconds later—
Silence.
One beast lay in a pool of blood.
It didn't move again.
The one still standing slowly straightened.
Gray fur began to recede from its body.
The claws that had nearly ripped through steel shortened into long human fingers.
And then—
Cassian stood there.
He was shirtless.
Fresh wounds covered his shoulders and back, blood running in thin streams down his spine.
Someone hurried over with a coat.
Cassian took it but didn't put it on.
He simply draped it over one shoulder.
Then he looked up.
A trace of dark red still lingered beneath the blue of his eyes.
His gaze moved across the guards.
Then landed on me.
It stopped for one second.
"Back to your room."
His voice was painfully hoarse.
Then he turned and walked away.
No explanation.
No accusation.
He didn't even look at me again.
The guards began clearing the bodies.
Someone dragged the dead beast toward the woods, leaving a long trail of blood across the grass.
Within minutes, dirt had been thrown over it.
I looked down at the dinner knife in my palm.
At some point, the tip of the blade had bent.
After that day, another lock appeared on my bedroom door.
New guards took their places beneath my windows.
I finally understood.
Getting out wasn't going to be as simple as I'd thought.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
The fire in the fireplace had gone out at some point.
But a light still burned at the end of the hallway.
I eased a door open just enough to look through.
The study was dark.
Cassian was crouched on the floor alone.
Yesterday's blood had dried.
He wiped the floor inch by inch with a wet cloth.
Slowly.
As if he were erasing something no one could ever be allowed to find.
The broken vase from yesterday sat beside him.
Cassian picked up the last bloodstained shard and dropped it into a metal bucket.
Flames rose.
The porcelain disappeared into them.
When he stood, one of his wounds must have pulled.
He braced a hand against the desk and stayed there for a long moment before straightening.
I instinctively stepped back.
The floorboard creaked beneath my foot.
Cassian didn't turn around.
He simply stood there.
Then said quietly,
"Go to bed."
His voice was soft.
Almost as if he were speaking to himself.
I stayed in the darkness.
I didn't move until the last of the flames died.
The storm began sometime after midnight.
When the first bolt of lightning struck, every light in Ashcroft Estate went out at once.
I sat on a bench in the greenhouse, staring at the darkened estate beyond the glass.
No lights.
No blinking red dots from the security cameras.
None of the guards who were always standing in the corners.
The prison that had trapped me had finally lost control.
But standing there in the darkness, I no longer knew which side of the walls I should fear.
A heavy impact sounded beyond the glass.
I shot to my feet.
That wasn't thunder.
Something had hit the wall.
A second impact.
Then a third.
The entire greenhouse trembled.
I stepped back and reached for the scissors on the table.
Then the greenhouse door flew open.
Cold wind and rain rushed inside.
Cassian stood in the doorway.
He wasn't wearing a coat.
His black shirt was soaked through, clinging to his body and exposing the half-healed wounds across his shoulders and arms.
He didn't look at me.
He came straight inside and grabbed my wrist.
"Move."
His palm was burning hot.
Too hot.
Nothing like a normal human temperature.
I instinctively tried to pull away.
"Let go of me."
His steps stopped for half a second.
Before, I would have assumed he was angry.
But this time—
I felt his fingers slowly loosen.
As if he were reminding himself not to hurt me.
"Not now."
His voice was low.
It wasn't a command.
It sounded more like restraint.
He led me through the dark hallways.
The pounding outside grew closer.
Emergency lights along the walls flickered on and off.
With every few steps, I felt Cassian's body growing more rigid.
His breathing became heavier.
His stride began to falter.
I glanced down.
There was blood on the back of his hand.
I didn't know if it was his.
Or someone else's.
We slipped into an abandoned storage room.
The moment the door closed, the noise outside dulled.
I pressed myself against the wall.
Cassian stood by the door.
His back to me.
Completely still.
Lightning flashed across the window.
For one second, I saw his face clearly.
There was dark red in his eyes.
His breathing stopped.
Then—
He spun around.
"Don't come closer."
His voice was rough.
I froze.
He wasn't warning me.
He was warning himself.
Another flash of lightning lit the room.
I saw his hand.
The same hand that had torn through metal with ease was wrapped tightly around his own wrist.
His nails dug into his skin.
Blood slipped between his fingers.
One drop.
Then another.
They hit the cold floor.
He still didn't touch me.
Even though I stood only a few steps away.
The pounding outside grew louder.
His shoulders trembled.
As if he were fighting something invisible for control of his own body.
For the first time, I realized Cassian was afraid.
But not of dying.
"Cassian."
It was the first time I'd said his name willingly.
His entire body went rigid.
"Shut up."
But there was no threat in his voice.
It sounded more like a plea.
I didn't know why.
But for once, I didn't keep backing away.
I didn't search for an escape route.
I just stared at his hand.
"You're hurt."
He didn't answer.
"Let me see."
"No."
The refusal came instantly.
Too quickly.
Not like a man who controlled everything.
More like a man who had spent his whole life enduring things alone.
Suddenly, the pounding outside stopped.
The silence was terrifying.
Cassian's head snapped up.
A second later, he opened the door.
"Stay here."
Those were the last words he said.
Then he stepped into the rain.
And disappeared into the darkness.
I didn't know how long I waited.
Five minutes.
Maybe longer.
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
I tightened my grip on the scissors.
Then a figure stopped in the doorway.
Cassian.
He didn't come inside.
He just stood there.
Rainwater dripped from his hair.
His face was even paler than before.
A fresh wound cut across his arm.
He was silent for a moment.
Then he took off his coat.
And placed it by the door.
"Put it on."
I stared at him.
"What about you?"
He didn't answer.
He simply turned away.
Then took his place in the hallway again.
Blocking the wind for me.
I looked at the black coat.
I didn't pick it up right away.
He could have left me alone in that room.
He could have been exactly what everyone said he was—
a dangerous monster.
But he hadn't.
I don't know how long I stood there before I finally reached for his coat.
The fabric still held his warmth.
When I looked down, I saw a small smear of blood near the hem.
It wasn't mine.
It was his.
For the first time, the sight of that red didn't frighten me.
The next morning, I found a silver badge outside the storage room.
It lay there quietly.
As if someone had dropped it by accident the night before.
Complex markings were carved into the back.
I reached down and touched it.
A trace of warmth still lingered on the metal.
I didn't know what it meant.
I didn't know how many secrets Cassian was hiding.
But at that moment, a strange thought entered my mind for the first time.
Maybe I wasn't the only one trapped inside this estate.