Chapter 201 — The Bond Between Us

Chapter 201: Chapter 201 — The Bond Between Us

~ Raven ~

Raven knew it was Cassian.

She couldn’t have explained how she knew, but the presence reaching toward her wolf was unmistakably his, and the recognition passing between them was so immediate that she nearly lost her breath.

It wasn’t simply the attraction or recognition that usually accompanied their encounters.

Until now, the connection between them had been a collection of confusing reactions: a change in scent, a sudden pull toward him, moments when her wolf behaved as though it understood something Raven didn’t.

This was different.

Somewhere beyond the connection she’d only ever sensed in fragments, another wolf was responding to hers with such certainty that Raven found herself forgetting everything except the man holding her.

And her wolf welcomed him without hesitation.

Then warmth spread through Raven’s chest.

She stiffened slightly, startled by the sensation, but Cassian was already drawing her closer as another wave of emotion reached her through the connection.

Relief came first, followed by affection so intense that it made her chest ache, and beneath it was a longing she recognized because she’d spent the last six days carrying something very similar.

Raven’s eyes widened.

Those weren’t entirely her emotions.

For a moment, she couldn’t tell which feelings belonged to her and which were reaching her through Cassian, although the distinction seemed to matter considerably less to their wolves.

Something settled between them, and Raven felt the connection strengthen until the uncertainty that had always surrounded it disappeared.

Her wolf had accepted his.

And his had accepted hers.

The realization had barely formed when the warmth in her chest intensified.

Raven gasped against Cassian’s mouth, her fingers tightening reflexively around his coat as a sudden rush of essence moved through her body.

Her knees weakened.

Cassian caught her more securely around the waist and pulled back, his expression changing immediately.

"Raven?" he asked, studying her face.

She tried to answer, but another pulse moved through her chest and down into her limbs, bringing with it a sensation she hadn’t experienced since the Founders’ Hunt.

Except this time, there was no terror or desperate struggle to survive.

She could feel her essence circulating faster, pressing through pathways that had previously resisted her, and for several seconds her body seemed unable to decide whether it wanted to tremble or become completely still.

"Cassian—"

Her breath caught as the pressure suddenly eased.

A faint reddish distortion shimmered around her hands, and Raven stared at it in disbelief before another sensation drew her attention toward her chest.

There was light coming from beneath her gown.

"What the fuck?"

Cassian looked down at the same moment she did.

A silver-white glow was spreading across the skin near her collarbone, bright enough to illuminate the neckline of her dress. Thin silver markings began appearing beneath her skin, forming a delicate pattern Raven had never seen before.

She touched the area carefully, half expecting the lines to disappear beneath her fingers.

Instead, the glow intensified for a moment before gradually fading, leaving a faint silver marking against her skin.

Raven stared.

Whatever had just happened to the mark was extraordinary enough, but it wasn’t the only thing that had changed.

Her body felt different.

The essence circulating through her was steadier than before, and the familiar difficulty she’d experienced whenever she tried to draw too much power into her limbs had diminished considerably.

Even standing seemed strangely effortless.

She looked up at Cassian, whose eyes were still fixed on her with an expression of genuine astonishment.

"You advanced," he said quietly.

Raven swallowed, becoming increasingly aware of the stronger essence moving through her body.

"Tempered?"

Cassian nodded slowly. "Yes."

For several seconds, she could only stare at him.

Of all the ridiculous ways Raven had imagined reaching her next Power Class, kissing Cassian Blade had certainly never been one of them.

She would have laughed if she hadn’t still been trying to understand how their wolves had managed to do something so extraordinary.

And then there was the bond.

Even now, with their lips no longer touching, Raven could still sense the presence of his wolf through the connection between them.

It was quieter than before, but undeniably there.

Cassian seemed equally affected, judging by the way he continued looking at her.

His silver-white eyes held an intensity that made Raven’s stomach tighten, although there was something unexpectedly tender beneath it.

She was still holding his hair.

The realization made her loosen her fingers, suddenly embarrassed by how thoroughly she’d lost her head.

Cassian didn’t move away, and when Raven became aware of the faint emotions reaching her through their connection again, the heat in her cheeks only worsened.

Goddess.

She’d actually kissed him.

And judging by the look on his face, he was quite interested in doing it again.

"Cassian," she began, although she wasn’t entirely certain what she intended to say.

He seemed about to answer when his attention suddenly shifted past her shoulder.

Raven noticed the movement immediately.

For a moment, his expression became unreadable as he studied something behind her, and then one corner of his mouth lifted into a small, distinctly satisfied smirk.

She frowned and followed his gaze.

There was nothing particularly interesting along the path, only the trees, the nearby lamps and the empty stretch of stone leading back toward the ballroom.

"What?" she asked, turning back toward him. "What are you looking at?"

Cassian glanced at her, his expression entirely too innocent.

"Thought I sensed somebody nearby."

Raven narrowed her eyes.

He didn’t look remotely concerned, which made the explanation rather difficult to believe, but before she could decide whether to question him further, his arm tightened around her waist.

He pulled her against him again.

"Cassian!"

She made an indignant sound at his sudden boldness, but the protest died when she realized just how closely he was holding her.

His erection was unmistakable against her through their clothes.

Raven’s eyes widened.

Oh, Goddess.

Heat rushed straight into her cheeks, and the bastard noticed immediately.

His mouth curved into the familiar smirk she knew far too well, making it painfully obvious that he was enjoying her embarrassment.

"You’re doing that deliberately," she accused, glaring up at him.

"Doing what?" Cassian asked, looking entirely unrepentant.

"Oh, fuck off."

He chuckled, and Raven seriously considered stepping on his foot.

She was still angry with him, damn it. He had absolutely no business looking so pleased with himself when they hadn’t even finished sorting out the whole mess with Thalia.

Unfortunately, reminding herself of that fact was becoming rather difficult with his arm around her waist and their newly strengthened bond making her considerably more aware of him than she wanted to be.

Before she could find another suitably insulting response, a sudden burst of cheering rose from the direction of the ballroom.

Raven glanced toward the brightly lit windows, remembering with some embarrassment that the Renewal Ball was still underway.

She’d spent so long arguing with Cassian, kissing him and experiencing what was apparently an entirely unexpected breakthrough that she’d almost forgotten there was a celebration happening only a short distance away.

When she looked back, Cassian was watching her with an expression that suggested another thoroughly irritating idea had occurred to him.

Raven immediately became suspicious.

"What?"

His smile widened slightly as he glanced toward the ballroom before returning his attention to her.

"You owe me a dance, Rivers."