Brute 86_Married to the Devil

Chapter 86

 ATASHA’S POV

 67 

 55 vouchers

 When he said nothing, I wasn’t surprised. Still, the silence stretched until I couldn’t stand it anymore. My throat tightened, but I forced myself to speak. “Lord Cassian…” I blurted, then immediately regretted it. “I believe this isn’t the best ce for that.”

 The words came out too fast, too awkward, and the moment they left my mouth, I wanted to sink under the water and nevere back up. My face burned hotter than before. Married or not, I couldn’t believe I had just said that.

 For once, even Cassian looked surprised. His brows shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing, not in anger, but as if he was trying to process what I’d just implied.

 But he ignored me.

 Instead, he stepped forward, the sound of his boots scraping lightly against stone as he moved closer to the pool. His cloak came off in one fluid motion, falling over a rock nearby. My heart jumped into my throat.

 Oh no. He wasn’t-

 The moment his hands went to his shirt, I squeezed my eyes shut. Heat spread through me all over again. If he was about to strip down and climb in here with me, I didn’t know if I’d scream or drown myself first.

 But the ssh never came.

 Slowly, I opened my eyes again, confused. He wasn’t in the pool. Instead, Cassian was crouched near the edge, holding a long, thin branch. He rubbed the end of it against the stone until a strange, sticky liquid oozed out. He gathered it quickly with his hands, then stood and leaned toward me.

 Before I could ask what he was doing, his hand came down, and he pressed the substance into my hair.

 I froze,pletely still.

 When I touched my hair, my fingers slipped through the thick paste and bubbles formed. My mouth dropped open. Soap? No, not exactly. But itthered, foaming as if he’d done this before.

 Then he moved.

 Without a word, he stepped into the pool and came up behind me. His hand slid into my hair, spreading the mixture evenly, his fingers massaging my scalp with slow movements.

 I sat rigid, the water warm around me, my pulse hammering in my ears. I couldn’t even bring myself to speak.

 Cassian, the man who had ripped beasts apart with his bare hands, who had nearly strangled Mendez in a frenzy, who had stared at me with blood–red eyes and a feral grin, was washing my hair.

 The absurdity of it left mepletely speechless.

 E55 vouchers.

 I sat stiff as his fingers working through my hair, bubbles running down into the water. The silence was unbearable. Then my mouth moved before I could stop it.

 “H–how do you even know about this nt? Is thismon in the North?” My voice cracked halfway, and I winced at myself. I sounded like an idiot.

 Of course, he didn’t answer. He just kept rubbing the foam into my hair like this was normal.

 I cleared my throat, desperate to fill the silence. “We… We have something like this in the south too. Well, not exactly the same. But close.”

 Still nothing.

 I kept talking anyway, the words spilling out. “I found it once. I was out gathering firewood, and it started raining. Hard. I was still new as an omega then, and I didn’t know the forest well. I got lost and ended up near the border of the west. I panicked and hid under a boulder until the storm passed.”

 My cheeks burned hotter just remembering it. “I hadn’t eaten dinner that night, and I was starving. So I caught a frog. Don’t look at me like that, I was desperate. But I didn’t even know how to cook it. Or clean it. I just… tried.” I grimaced at the memory. “It tasted awful, and I smelled like mud for the rest of the night.”

 His hand paused briefly, then kept moving, the bubbles thickening at the crown of my head.

 “My father was very particr about cleanliness,” I muttered. “He didn’t allow anyone into the mansion if they came back filthy. So I couldn’t just sneak in. I was too scared he’d find out I’d gotten lost. So…” I swallowed.” So, I bathed outside. Alone. And I found a nt thatthered like this one.” I raised a hand, feeling the foam between my fingers. “I thought I was lucky.”

 I let out a short, humorlessugh. “Turns out it was poisonous. It burned my skin almost immediately. But I fixed it with my ability before it spread too far. If I hadn’t… well, let’s just say I learned not everything that bubbles is safe to use.”

 My ears burned.

 I mped my mouth shut after that. Goddess, what was I even saying? Eating frogs, bathing with poisonous nts–why would I ever admit things like that? My stomach twisted with embarrassment, and I forced myself to stay quiet.

 Cassian didn’tment. He just finished what he was doing, his fingers rinsing through my hair until the bubbles were gone. When his hands finally left, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

 “…Thank you,” I muttered, still not daring to turn around.

 He didn’t answer.

 Instead, I heard the sound of fabric shifting. I stiffened, then whipped my head around in time to see him pulling his shirt off.

 My eyes widened, and I quickly turned my back to him. “Wait–I didn’t mean-“I mped my eyes shut. Why did I even think logic would work on him? Reasoning with Cassian was pointless.

 8:13 Mon, Sep 15

 67

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 The next sound was water moving. My whole body went tense as I realized he was entering the pool. Slowly, I cracked one eye open, hesitant.

 He was there, not far from me.

 But to my surprise, he wasn’t looking my way. He leaned against the side of the pool, one arm propped on the stone edge, his head tilted back slightly. His eyes were shut, his chest rising and falling steadily as if he were… rxing.

 I stared, dumbfounded. Cassian now sat in the same water as me, looking almost calm. What about the red moon? Was he not supposed to turn feral from it?

 I swallowed hard, hugging my arms around myself under the water.

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Brute 86