Brut


    <b>Chapter </b><b>92 </b>


    5 vouchers


    ATASHA’S POV


    When the ground started shaking, I ducked low and threw my arms around Cassian’s body as if <b>I </b>could shield him. It was ridiculous. I knew even unconscious, one falling stone wouldn’t take him down, but in that moment, instinct overruled logic. I pressed my body against his, waiting for the ceiling to copse.


    Nothing did. The shaking passed, leaving only the sound of my own ragged breathing. My arms refused to let


    of him. Somewhere between fear and exhaustion, I drifted off like that, curled against his bare chest.


    go


    When I woke, the first thing I noticed was the emptiness. My arms clutched nothing but stone. My eyes snapped open. Cassian was gone.


    I shot upright. The cloak I’d draped over him was missing too. My chest squeezed, panic sparking hot in my ribs. But then I noticed the fire. It was burning brighter than before, fresh wood stacked neatly around the embers. My lips parted. He’d woken. He’d seen me sleeping against him, tended the fire… and left.


    Scrambling to my feet, I scanned the chamber. There were no traces of him. My legs carried me toward the narrow tunnel before my mind could catch up. I pressed my hand against the stone, forcing myself forward until the tunnel spat me out into therger passage. Still no sign of him.


    I moved carefully, my dagger drawn, until I reached the cave entrance. Cold air rushed against me. I braced <i>a </i>hand against the wall and peeked outside.


    The forest was gone.


    Or <i>at </i>least, it looked that way. Treesy splintered and ttened in every direction, their trunks broken like sticks. Snow was churned up, dark patches staining the ground where beasts must have been crushed. My throat tightened. This wasn’t a battle. It was carnage.


    This was the first night of the Beast Tide.


    I tilted my head up. The sun still hung low on the horizon, staining the snow a reddish tint, and above it the red moon bled across the sky. I frowned, my stomach knotting. How long would itst this time? Days? A week? Longer?


    I swallowed and scanned the clearing again. No sign of Cassian. My fingers tightened around the dagger hilt. “Don’t tell me he… left me here?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. The thought stung. My jaw clenched. Of all things, why would he abandon me now?


    Was he still a beast? Did he lose himself again? Or worse, did he choose to leave me?


    A deep growl split through the silence, cutting my thoughts short. My heart jumped into my throat.


    I ducked back, retreating into the cave. My body pressed against the wall as another growl rumbled outside,


    closer this time. My knees bent, and I crouched low, peering toward the entrance. Was it him? Was Cassian the one growling? Was he out there, guarding the cave like some feral sentinel?


    Another louder growl came.


    5 vouchers


    Before I could react, a hand mped over my mouth. My entire body jolted. I twisted my head and froze.


    Cassian.


    He stood behind me, red eyes locked on mine, his finger pressed against his lips in a silentmand. My eyes widened, but I forced myself to nod.


    The growling outside dragged on for several more beats, vibrating through the stone floor. My lungs screamed for air under his hand, but I didn’t fight him. Finally, the sound faded, echoing away into the distance.


    Cassian’s grip loosened. He pulled his hand back. I gasped softly, dragging in a shaky breath. Relief poured


    out of me.


    Then his voice came. “You really are foolish, aren’t you?”


    My mouth dropped open. I stuttered, the words tripping out of me. “You–you spoke-” Not just a word. He actually spoke a full sentence. Those were actual words!


    My heart pounded harder than it had when the beast growled.


    “Inside,” he ordered.


    “Eh?<b>” </b>I blinked, still stunned.


    His eyes narrowed.


    I let out an awkwardugh, rubbing the back of my neck. “Right. Inside. Of course.”


    I turned and scurried back into the inner chamber. My boots scraped against the stone, my cloak dragging behind me. Cassian followed close. I nced at him, trying to catch his eyes, but he gave nothing away.


    And I didn’t dare ask where he had gone, or what he had faced outside. We reached the pool just like that. When I turned, I found him holding a piece of meat. “Do you want me to- ” I wasn’t able toplete my words when he shook his head.


    Cassian didn’t sit. He looked at me, then pointed to the ground near the fire. “Stay.”


    I nodded fast and dropped beside the mes, pulling my cloak tighter around me. The warmth helped, but not nearly enough to settle the way my stomach twisted.


    He turned his attention to the b of meat in his hand. With precise movements, he pulled out a dagger, a new one I hadn’t seen before, and sliced through the flesh with clean cuts. That was when I noticed it.


    Clothes. He was wearing clothes now. A dark tunic, rough but intact, hanging over his shoulders as if it had always been there. My mouth opened, but the words caught in my throat. Where had he gotten them? When? The urge to ask nearly burned out of me, but I shut it down quick. I didn’t dare. Not when I didn’t know how he’d respond.


    So, I just sat there, hugging my knees and watching him.


    <b>12:02 </b>Mon<b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>15 </b>


    :


    To my shock, he pulled something else from his pocket, a small, round container. He twisted it pinched the contents between his fingers, sprinkling it carefully over the cuts of meat.


    My jaw dropped. “Is that… salt?”


    His eyes flicked up at me, then he gave a short nod.


    <b>45 </b>


    5 vouchers


    open and


    I blinked and bit my tongue, pressing my lips shut before more questions slipped out. How did he have salt? Why was he carrying it? Why did he even think to use it? Hold on… why does it look like the meat itself wasn’t poisonous? None of it made sense.


    He fashioned a few skewers from nearby branches, then slid the pieces of meat onto them. The smell hit me when he set them over the fire, smoke curling upward.


    When the first skewer was done, Cassian pulled it from the fire, checked the meat, then turned to me.


    My body went rigid when he extended it in my direction. For a moment, I just stared at the food, blinking like an idiot. My braingged behind my body.


    Finally, I reached out and took it from him. “Thank you,” I muttered, voice softer than I meant.


    He gave me a nod in response.


    I blinked again, caught off guard. My heart gave an odd twist. Was this the normal Cassian?


    The thought ran circles in my head as I sat there with the skewer in my hand. I kept sneaking nces at him, trying to piece together which side of him I was looking at now. Was it the man or the beast?


    Then, his voice broke the silence. “Prepare yourself. We leave for the northern outpost after we finish our meal.”


    I froze with the meat halfway to my mouth.


    “We’re going back?” I asked slowly, my eyes fixed on his face, searching for any trace of the wildness that had consumed him before. My chest squeezed as I waited for some kind of answer in his expression.


    Did this mean he was himself again? Was he truly back in control?


    But his eyes were still red.


    This was not what Mendez told me. If Cassian was speaking, thinking, making decisions… then why hadn’t his eyes changed back?


    <b>12:02 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>15 </b>