Chapter 86: I’m going to kill him.

I lift my hand to get the waiter’s attention when someone grabs me.

An arm hooks around my waist, and before I can react, I’m pulled backward against a solid chest.

My heart leaps into my throat as Instinct takes over.

I twist, raising my hand, fully prepared to slap the living daylights out of whoever has decided that grabbing women from behind is an acceptable social activity.

"Touch me again and I’ll...."

I stop.

The face staring down at me is one I’ve missed so badly that, for a moment, I forget how to breathe.

Dark eyes, a familiar smile and that infuriatingly handsome face I’ve known for years.

Oh, my God.

"CAS!"

The word bursts out of me and I throw my arms around him, clutching him so tightly that he lets out a surprised laugh.

He catches me around the waist, lifting me just enough for my feet to momentarily lose contact with the floor.

"Easy, kiddo," he murmurs, laughing against my hair. "You’re going to break my ribs."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Good,"

His laughter softens as I bury my face against his shoulder and inhale.

His scent is familiar. Warm, woody cologne with that faint trace of tobacco that always seems to cling to his clothes, no matter how expensive the perfume he wears.

I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until now.

How much I’d missed him.

I close my eyes and hold him a little tighter.

Just for a moment, I let myself forget the arranged marriage, the hostile household, and the men who look at me as though my entire existence is an insult.

For a moment, I’m just Nerissa.

Cas’s kid sister,

His little shadow. The girl who used to follow him around and threaten to expose all his embarrassing secrets whenever he refused to buy her gelato.

When I finally pull back, I realize my eyes are burning.

Damn it.

I blink rapidly, hoping to get myself under control before he notices.

Too late.

His smile changes. It becomes softer, gentler, and infinitely more dangerous to my composure.

"It’s good to see you, kiddo."

I swallow the lump in my throat.

"Good to see you too, Cas."

Then I pull him into another hug because apparently, one isn’t enough to make up for all the time we’ve spent apart.

He chuckles and wraps his arms around me again.

"Missed me that much, huh?"

"Don’t flatter yourself."

"Too late. My ego is already growing."

"Then I hope it explodes."

"There’s my girl."

I laugh against his chest.

God, I missed this.

When I finally pull away, Cas places both hands on my shoulders and holds me at arm’s length.

His smile remains, but his eyes become serious as he studies my face first, then moves his gaze down over my figure.

I shift uncomfortably.

"What?"

"You’ve gotten a little slim, Ris."

I scoff. "Have I?"

"Yes, you have." His eyebrows draw together. "You aren’t eating or what?"

I roll my eyes.

"I’m eating well, Cas. Linda makes sure I eat properly."

"Linda?"

"The housekeeper."

"Ah."

He nods, apparently filing that information away for later.

"Good. That’s good. At least somebody is making sure you eat."

"I can feed myself, you know."

"I know. You could also burn down a kitchen while making toast."

I gasp.

"That happened once!"

"Twice."

"The second time doesn’t count. The bread was defective."

He bursts out laughing and I grin, pleased with myself for getting that reaction out of him.

For a few seconds, everything feels normal again.

Then his smile fades all at once.

His gaze has shifted to my neck, more specifically, to the spot just below my jaw.

Oh, shit.

I feel my blood turn cold.

Cas’s hands are still resting on my shoulders, but his fingers have gone completely still.

He leans a little closer, his eyes narrowing as he studies the skin beneath my jaw.

My heart begins to pound.

No.

No, no, no.

I covered the bruises with makeup before leaving the house. I spent nearly fifteen minutes in front of the mirror blending foundation over every faint mark until I could barely remember where they were.

I thought I had done a good job, I thought nobody would notice.

Except Isabella grabbed my neck earlier and now the makeup is probably smudged.

Fuck.

It’s not like I want to hide my offender, there’s no use for that given his alredy dead anyways. It’s just that I know Cas. I know he won’t take it lightly, he would definitely report back to don Lorenzo, then it will turn into a whole other issue that I don’t want.

They won’t care that Lysander didn’t do it, the o ly thing that matters to them will be the fact that I got hurt under Lysander’s protection.

Cas tilts my chin slightly, examining the area from another angle.

I force myself to smile.

But stop when i realize it probably looks like a grimace and It’s probably the worst "smile" I’ve ever produced.

"What?" I ask, trying to sound casual. "Do I have something on my face?"

He doesn’t answer I instead his thumb hovers near my jaw, careful not to touch the skin.

When his eyes meet mine again, the warmth and the teasing is gone.

In their place is an expression I know far too well....The one that appears when Cassian has found or seen something he doesn’t like.

The one that means somebody is about to have a very, very bad day.

"Ris," he says quietly.

I swallow.

"Yeah?"

His gaze drops to my neck again.

"What’s that on your neck?"

I try to act confused.

"On my neck?."

Cassian looks at me unimpressed.

So I sigh.

"It’s nothing, Cas. I, uhmmm..." I swallow. "I fell, that’s all."

"That doesn’t look like a fall. Ris."

His jaw tightens as he examines my neck. "That looks like someone put their freaking hands on you. Was it Lysander?"

"No, Cas..."

"That fucking dick!" His eyes darken with fury. "I’m going to kill him."