ATASHA’S POV


    be vouchers


    “How are you so familiar with this cave?” I couldn’t help but ask once we finished eating.


    He didn’t answer me. Instead, his hand suddenly closed around mine, and he pulled me toward the far end of the cavern. At first, I didn’t notice anything unusual, but then he stopped in front of what looked like an uneven pile of rock. When he moved aside a loose boulder, a narrow crevice revealed itself, hidden in the shadows.


    Without hesitation, he stepped into it, still holding my hand.


    The space was so tight that he had to turn sideways to fit. The walls pressed close against my shoulders, rough stone scraping the edges of my cloak as we shuffled through. The ground sloped slightly, and the air grew cooler the deeper we went. His grip never loosened, guiding me forward each time the passage narrowed.


    I should have been nervous, but instead, a strangefort settled over me. His hand, somehow made me feel… secure. I didn’t know how to exin it. Cute wasn’t a word I would normally use for Cassian, yet something about the simple act of him not letting go kept me calm.


    After what felt like minutes of squeezing through stone and ducking under jagged edges, the tunnel began to widen. My shoulders had room again, and the ceiling lifted just enough to let me straighten fully.


    Then we stepped into a new clearing.


    This chamber was smaller than thest, the ceiling lower, but it held something I hadn’t expected. At the center was a pool of water, not perfectly round but close, its edges uneven like nature had carved it over years. The surface glowed with a bluish hue, reflecting a soft light that came from above. I tilted my head back and saw it—another fae stone embedded high in the rock, its light feeding the pool and making it shimmer.


    The water wasn’t wide, mayberge enough for three people at most, but the color was mesmerizing. Blue so clear it almost looked like ss, shifting faintly as the light touched it.


    I turned to him quickly, only to find his eyes already on me. His red gaze never wavered.


    “Hot,” he said.


    I blinked, frowning. I nced back at the pool. There was no steam rising from it, no mist in the air. It looked cold, like any other mountain spring.


    But his word told me otherwise. Then he spoke again. “Drink.”


    I stared at him, confused. “I can drink it?” I asked.


    This time, he gave a single nod.


    It hit me then, we had been traveling without a real source of water. My throat felt dry just thinking about it. I didn’t waste time questioning him further. Even if the water carried poison, my body was built to neutralize it. That was one thing I didn’t fear.


    I crouched by the edge of the pool and scooped some up with both hands. The water was not really hot but warm against my palms, glowing faintly from the light within. I brought it to my mouth and drank deeply.


    Relief spread through me almost instantly. I hadn’t realized how dry my throat had be, how empty my body felt, until the water slid down and eased the ache. My shoulders rxed as if the tension had been waiting for this exact moment to let go.


    I immediately turned toward him. “There’s no poison. You should have some too,” I said, wiping the back of my wet hand across my mouth.


    He didn’t answer, but he stepped closer to the pool. Without hesitation, he crouched down, lowered his hand into the glowing water, and scooped some up for himself. The bluish light ran off his fingers as he raised it to his mouth and drank.


    At this point, I was almost certain, Cassian had been here before. The way he moved, the way he seemed to know exactly what to do, it wasn’t by chance. He knew this ce too well.


    I looked back at the pool, the water shimmering under the fae stone’s glow, and a thought struck me. I perked up, my voice breaking the silence. “Do you think… I can take a bath too?”


    His gaze shifted to me, sharp as always, but this time he looked almost surprised. Still, he gave a small nod.


    That was enough to make me smile.


    “Our clothes are filthy,” I said, ncing down at my own. “Bloody, torn, and probably covered in poison. It would be good to wash them.”


    Another thought hit me, and I frowned at the water. “Wait. Has this been sitting here all this time? Stagnant water usually carries something harmful, but… I don’t sense anything.”


    He shook his head and pointed to a corner I hadn’t noticed. Following his finger, I saw it. A small stream trickling out of the pool, cutting through the ground before disappearing into the stone floor. So the water was flowing, not trapped. That exined why it felt clean.


    I nodded at him. “Then I’ll wash our clothes,” I said firmly.


    His expression shifted, almost as if he didn’t like the sound of that. I raised both hands quickly. “We can’t wear them as they are. They’re soaked in poison and blood. If we put them back on, it’ll just spread more infection. We’ll wash them here and let them dry next to a fire.”


    I nced down at myself again, biting my lip. “I just… I would have to do it alone.”


    He gave a short nod. That seemed enough for him. Then, without a word, he stood and left the chamber, disappearing back through the narrow tunnel.


    I stared after him, blinking. For a moment, I wondered if he had just walked out on me. But no–he wasn’t the type to run from something like this. My best guess? He knew I wanted privacy. Even in his feral state, he still seemed to understand things like that. We might be married, but that didn’t mean I wanted him watching me bathe.


    The thought brought an unexpected smile to my lips.


    I pulled at the ties of my cloak, stripped off theyers, andid everything neatly to one side. The cold air stung instantly against my skin, goosebumps rising across my arms. I didn’t let myself hesitate.


    One step at a time, I lowered myself into the pool.


    The water wrapped around me. It was warmer than I expected. Heat soaked into my skin, chasing away the sting of the cave air. For the first time in days, I felt clean water on me instead of blood, sweat, and grime. I let out a slow breath and dipped lower, until the pool covered mepletely.


    I dipped under once, letting the water wash over my head, and came back up with a sharp gasp. The warmth clung to me, loosening the stiffness in my muscles. I wiped the water from my eyes, pushing my hair back, then froze.


    He was there.


    Cassian stood at the narrow pathway, half in the shadows, his broad frame blocking part of the light from the fae stone above. His red eyes were locked on me, unblinking.


    A startled yelp escaped before I could stop it. I twisted in the water, arms crossing over my chest. Heat rushed to my face so fast I thought the pool itself had turned hotter. “Howe you are back?” I asked, voice higher than I meant it to be.