Eden Grace
'MARK HER! NOW!'
Rael's roar crashed through Cassian's mind like a storm unleashed. His body reacted before reason could intervene.
Muscles tightened in his jaw. Breath turned heavy. His canines pressed painfully against his lips as instinct surged, wild and uncontrollable, screaming for possession, for claiming, for binding her to him forever.
His grip on Eden almost turned bruising. She could feel the heat of him, the dangerous pull of the bond trying to awaken, trying to drag her into something she was not ready to face.
No…! Eden's heart screamed. If he marked her now, everything would end…! She has to do something! It's now or never!!
Cassian almost lunged upon her when suddenly Eden grabbed him by his collar and crashed her lips against his…!
What!? Cassian's entire body froze at the sudden contact. Even Rael fell into a shocked, unnatural silence.
For a single stunned heartbeat, neither of them understood what had just happened!
Time seemed to fracture as Eden kissed him briefly, her tongue thrusting in his mouth in a way that was unapologetic and daring, as if she were staking her own claim on him before he could claim her.
A fierce heat surged through both of them as the dormant bond stirred awake with violent intensity.
It was their first true contact as fated mates!
It ignited something primal inside Cassian's body that he had never learned to control.
His restraint shattered and with a low growl he pushed her against the wall and his lips claimed hers in return, deep and commanding, pouring into the kiss every emotion he had buried for years.
Cassian felt excited, because this was the first time Eden had ever chosen him, the first time she had reached for him without fear and it shattered every restraint he had built.
Eden gasped as Cassian's hand grabbed her thighs and pulled her flush against him, deepening his kiss.
Eden's heart raced, but she did not retreat.
She kissed him back just as fiercely, just as boldly, her fear dissolving into reckless warmth, her resolve hardening into something beautiful and dangerous.
"Oh my…" The staffs around them flushed red and emptied the room one by one because who would dare interrupt Cassian Blackthorn?
Silence wrapped around them and they finally parted, both of them breathing hard aftermath of their long, passionate kiss.
Eden was still pressed against the wall, still wrapped in his arms, their foreheads almost touching.
Cassian's heated gaze searched her face like he was trying to memorize every trembling breath she took.
Eden's lips brushed against as she spoke in a quiet, steady whisper, "Isn't this enough for you to seal our connection? For you to believe I will never betray you? Must we really mark each other?"
Cassian's emotion flickered dangerously in his eyes. "What?"
"Cassian, do you realise we are only husband and wife on paper. A contract marriage of three years." Her voice grew steadier, stronger.
"Why would I give my soul to someone I am meant to walk away from…? There is no love between us. You don't love me and I don't like you at all. Do you really think I will let you stain something sacred as a mate bond for something temporary like you? Keep dreaming."
The words fell clean and sharp, they cut deeper than she expected.
Cassian's jaw tightened, the warmth from moments ago vanishing as something far more dangerous rose in its place.
Inside him, Rael stirred violently.
'She is ours, I definitely felt her. She is really our mate.'
The words thundered through his blood.
Cassian grabbed Eden by her neck, his grip tightening around her, "So you are just going to pretend you felt nothing…?"
"Do not lie to me." he growled. "You felt it too. Do not stand there and pretend nothing happened between us."
Eden's throat tightened under his grip, yet her voice did not waver.
"It's just a simple kiss, why are you overreacting? Also I agreed to your contract, not to your soul, Cassian! I will give you loyalty. I will give you time. I will give you silence. But I will not give you myself."
She continued, "And moreover you already know there are many ways to fake marks on necks, so drop the act, will you?"
Rael snarled, 'This audacity of this woman…how dare she! Let me out, Cassian! I will tear that arrogance from her bones.'
"Go ahead then." Eden retorted in anger. "Unleash him. Break me. Mark me. Cage me. And you will be holding my dead body instead of your Luna."
The words hit harder than any blade. Cassian froze as Eden moved before he could stop her.
A sharp glint flashed between her fingers, torn from the broken pen she had hidden since the moment she signed her life away, and she pressed it to her own throat with steady hands and burning eyes.
"Go ahead and try it." she whispered. "One step closer, and I'll end it."
Rael roared within him, panic ripping through his instincts. 'No. Our mate! She can't die yet!'
Cassian felt it then….the sharp and unmistakable hatred rolling off her in quiet waves, cold and familiar, cutting deeper than any blade she could hold.
It was the same look she had worn years ago in school days where her gaze was filled with full hatred for him whereas for Jake it was all unconditional love.
It drove Cassian mad. Did she truly hate him that much? That she can't even stand his presence?
His jaw tightened, veins standing out as a low growl vibrated in his chest.
He stepped back slowly, eyes burning with animalistic intensity.
"Well played, Eden." he muttered with a dark laugh. "Very well played."His voice suddenly dropped, rough and feral.
"Fine, I will leave you for now. So you better hide. Lie. Breathe carefully. Do whatever you must to survive. Because…"
He leaned closer, his words brushing her ear like a curse. "Because the day I uncover your secret, little pet, I will strip you bare…of every lie, every wall, every last piece of who you think you are. And when I am done, you will belong to me in ways you will never escape."
A wave of cold terror crashed through Eden, stealing her breath, and before her mind could catch up, her body was already moving, feet stumbling backward before she turned and ran, heart hammering wildly in her chest.
She did not look back.
She did not slow down.
Behind her, Cassian remained where he was, watching her disappear down the corridor, his eyes dark and unreadable, his lips curving slowly into a dangerous, patient smile.
Because a hunter never rushed. He always waited for his prey to believe it was free.
Eden had believed it was nothing more than a loveless contract between two strangers bound by necessity.
But what she did not know was that, to Cassian, it was never a contract.
It was a claim. An obsession.
A quiet, unhinged devotion that would rather destroy her than ever let her go.
A shadow approached from behind. "Boss."
Cassian didn't move his gaze from where she had gone. "Make someone keep an eye on my wife. I want every detail of what she does."
"Yes, boss."
.
.
.
.
Eden ran until the office vanished behind her, lungs burning, heart hammering, until she stumbled into the thick of the bushes.
He's scary! Way too scary!!
Eden slowed down, not until she made sure she was safe now but then a sharp pain seized her chest.
"Ahck.." She held her chest, feeling the unbreakable pain. She crouched down.
She had drunk the potion this morning but then why was she feeling the sudden pain?
Eden leaned against a tree feeling weaker than ever and she closed her eyes.
And then she froze. Ishira stood before her, small but stronger, fur glinting in the dim light, eyes sharp and alive. She had grown…just enough to take Eden's breath away.
Ishira!