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"How do you know she didn't kill that guard and flee herself?"

Mario snorts in amusement. "That girl is a wet blanket and she stayed here, willingly, for days. She wasn't that much of a prisoner, actually."

Heat suddenly rushes across my shoulders and crawls up my throat at the audacity of his lies. Thankfully, Cassian isn't buying it and he leans forward. "No."

"Cassian, please. Come to the estate so we can talk and I will tell you everything."

"Now you want to tell me everything? Because you lost her?"

"Maybe we're after her for the same time," Mario murmurs. "I reacted harshly with you and for that I am sorry. It's just been so long since we saw one another. Please, come to the estate and we can talk. I will tell you the truth and together we can find your friend. Then, once you know the truth, you'll know I did the right thing."

Cassian's eyes lock onto Valentina's, who, after a swipe of her phone, nods once.

"Alright," Cassian sighs. "I'll come by. But you have to tell me the truth and you have to help me find her. I can't tell you how important she is. I didn't come all this way for nothing."

"Excellent!" The delight in Mario's voice is sickening. "You'll head here now, yes?"

"I'm leaving as we speak."

"I'll inform the guards so you do not run into any trouble."

The call ends with a click and the air in the room suddenly eases as if the walls themselves sighed in relief.

"You can't go!" Panic bursts out of me. "You have to know this is some kind of trap, right? A man like that? You can't just walk back to him!"

"I know," Cassian says and he slowly walks toward me. "But I know what I'm doing."

"You'll need to be careful," Valentina remarks. "Either he knows exactly what you did and he's playing you, or he's in the process of finding out, and it will be even worse for you if he finds out while you're by his side."

"I know. But this might be our only chance to get a lick of insight into what's going on from Mario's perspective. Maybe I can find out how he's connected to this whole terrible thing and I can find out how Illyana is."

Illyana.

I hadn't thought about her properly until now. "They were supposed to be cutting me open today," I murmur. "They said she was in a bad way."

"I'll call Raven. Maybe she can get some eyes and ears around here for us." She stands and looks at me with a very brief, warm smile that's almost strange to see considering her rather cool aura. "I will look after you."

Valentina excuses herself through to the next room and Cassian approaches me.

"It will be okay," he says softly. "We know what we are doing."

"Do you?" I squint up at him and cross my arms. "Do this kind of thing a lot, do you?"

"Actually… yeah." His laugh is warm and light. "I promise I will explain everything I can when there is time, but for now I need you to stay here with Valentina. She will protect you. Trust her like you trust me."

In any other situation, I'd almost be jealous to hear the man I like talk about another woman like this, but the affection held in Cassian's eyes is so clearly for me and part of me still tingles from our earlier frantic session. It was addictive, the feeling of safety in his arms and the rush of finally giving in to something I've harbored for months, even if it was under the threat of never having the chance again.

"Okay," I murmur, and I uncross my arms, laying my hands on his arms. "But you have to come back in one piece, okay? You have to come back."

"I will."

"Promise me," I insist. "Promise me you'll come back, and all of this overwhelming hell will be over, and everything will be okay, and then we can go on a real date and see if we actually are compatible when adrenaline isn't dictating everything."

"That's a heavy promise," Cassian replies, and his smile pulls adorably to the side. "I promise I will come back."

"Promise?" Unable to resist the urge, I slide my hands up and cup the sides of his neck, then I lean up on my tiptoes and press a gentle kiss to his lips.

"I promise," Cassian murmurs against my mouth. One of his hands slides around my waist and his hand splays across my lower back while he pulls me closer. His other hand lightly curls his fingers under my chin, and he keeps my head raised so he can kiss me one more time. "I promise."