Chapter 204 — A Man at the Window

Chapter 204: Chapter 204 — A Man at the Window

~ Raven ~

"You want to bring WHO into our room?"

Raven winced as Brielle’s voice rose considerably higher than necessary, drawing the attention of both Tessa and Thalia.

Oh, Goddess.

She’d known this conversation wouldn’t be easy, but she’d rather hoped they could discuss the matter without waking half of Hale Wing.

"Could you lower your voice?" Raven asked, glancing toward the door. "And I said he wants to come here, not that I’m bringing him here."

Brielle stared at her in disbelief. "And that’s supposed to make a difference?"

"Technically, yes."

"Raven."

"Alright, fine. No difference."

Tessa, who had been removing her earrings when the conversation began, set them on the bedside table and looked between them.

"Perhaps we should start with why Cassian Blade wants to visit our bedroom in the middle of the night."

Raven opened her mouth, only to realize that she’d have a rather difficult time answering that particular question.

"He said it was important," she explained, shifting uncomfortably on her bed. "He asked whether he could come over and told me to trust him."

Brielle looked almost offended by the explanation.

"That’s it?"

"Well, yes."

"You agreed to let a man into our bedroom because he asked you to trust him?"

"He’s Cassian."

"And?"

Raven frowned. "And what?"

Brielle turned toward Tessa as though requesting assistance from somebody capable of understanding how ridiculous the situation had become.

Tessa merely raised an eyebrow.

"I think Brielle’s asking why you agreed without knowing what he wants."

"Because he wouldn’t have asked unless it was important," Raven replied, beginning to regret bringing up the matter at all.

Thalia had been unusually quiet until now, sitting on the edge of her bed with her gown gathered around her knees. She looked from Raven to Brielle, and something about her expression changed before a small smile appeared on her face.

"Oh."

Raven immediately narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Thalia."

"I’m just thinking."

"Well, stop."

Unfortunately, Tessa appeared to have reached a similar conclusion.

"You did spend quite a lot of time with Cassian at the Ball," she observed, reaching for her other earring.

Raven felt her cheeks warming. "That was different."

"Different how?" Brielle asked.

"We were dancing!"

"Yes," Tessa agreed calmly, setting the earring beside the first. "We noticed."

Thalia pressed her lips together, clearly fighting a smile, while Brielle continued watching Raven with an expression that made her increasingly uncomfortable.

Unbelievable.

She was trying to arrange something important, and these idiots were apparently determined to turn it into an interrogation about her romantic life.

"Nothing inappropriate is happening," Raven insisted, looking between them.

Brielle folded her arms. "Nobody said anything inappropriate was happening."

"You were thinking it."

"Interesting that you knew exactly what I meant."

Raven opened her mouth, realized she’d walked straight into that one, and promptly shut it again.

Tessa finally took pity on her.

"If it’s genuinely important, I don’t mind him coming. But I expect an explanation before he starts doing whatever mysterious thing he’s apparently planned."

"Thank you," Raven said gratefully, turning toward Brielle.

The other woman sighed before reluctantly agreeing.

"Fine. But he’s explaining himself to all of us."

Raven nodded immediately, relieved that she’d finally managed to convince them.

That settled, she was just beginning to relax when Thalia frowned.

"Wait. How’s he getting here?"

Raven looked at her.

"Through the window."

There was a brief silence before Brielle slowly turned toward the window on the opposite side of the room.

"Raven, we’re not on the ground floor."

"I know."

"And he’s not allowed through the main entrance."

"I know that too."

"So how exactly—"

"I’d appreciate it if you stopped discussing my abilities as though I weren’t here."

The unexpected male voice came from behind them, making all four women turn toward the window.

Cassian Blade was crouching right outside.

For several seconds, Raven simply stared at him.

The bastard looked completely comfortable, one hand resting against the frame as though crouching several floors above the ground was an entirely ordinary way to visit somebody.

His white hair had been disturbed slightly by the night breeze, but his expression remained as cold and composed as ever.

"How the hell did you get up there?" Brielle demanded, looking between him and the open space beyond the window.

Cassian glanced at her.

"Good evening to you too, Vance."

Raven hurried over and opened the window before Brielle could respond, stepping aside as Cassian entered with an ease that made the entire journey seem absurdly simple.

A faint current of air followed him inside, and Raven caught the last trace of pale essence disappearing beneath his skin as his feet settled on the floor.

Of course.

His damned Air Lattice.

She really ought to stop being surprised by what he could do with it.

The atmosphere changed almost immediately, the relatively confined bedroom making Cassian’s presence considerably more noticeable than it had been in the ballroom.

Although he wasn’t deliberately releasing his Dominant aura, Raven could still sense the enormous difference between his essence and that of the other women in the room.

Tessa straightened slightly, while Brielle studied him with renewed attention.

Thalia, however, became noticeably quieter.

Raven glanced at her friend, catching the uncomfortable way she avoided looking directly at Cassian.

After everything that had happened earlier, she could hardly blame her.

Fortunately, neither Tessa nor Brielle appeared to notice, and Raven had no intention of drawing their attention to it.

Cassian turned toward her.

For a moment, his pale silver-blue eyes met hers, and then, without the slightest warning, he winked.

Raven’s cheeks immediately grew warm.

Oh, the bastard.

Before she could react, his expression returned to its usual cold composure, and he turned toward the others as though absolutely nothing had happened.

Unfortunately, all three of her roommates had noticed.

Tessa looked at Raven, Brielle raised an eyebrow, and Thalia, who had been looking miserable only moments earlier, suddenly appeared dangerously close to smiling.

Raven seriously considered throwing all three of them out of the window.

Cassian, meanwhile, seemed entirely unbothered by the attention.

"I appreciate you allowing me to visit," he said, looking toward the four beds. "There’s something I need to install. It’ll help keep all of you safe while you’re sleeping."

Brielle frowned. "Install?"

"Protective inscriptions. Beneath your beds."

Tessa glanced toward hers, clearly confused. "Against what?"

"I’ll explain as I work," Cassian answered. "But I won’t touch anything without your permission."

Brielle considered him for several seconds before giving a reluctant nod, and when Raven looked toward the others, they eventually agreed as well.

"See?" Raven said, turning back toward Brielle. "I told you he had a good reason."

"That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped asking questions."

"I never imagined you would."

Cassian had already begun moving toward the nearest bed when Brielle suddenly stopped him.

"Wait."

He turned, but Brielle was no longer looking at him.

Her attention had settled on Raven, and the longer she stared, the more uncomfortable Raven became.

"What now?" Raven asked.

Brielle stepped closer, studying her with the same concentration she’d shown at the Ball.

Then her eyes widened.

"Holy Goddess!"

Raven flinched. "What?!"

"You advanced!"

The room went quiet.

Tessa turned toward them, while Thalia straightened on her bed.

"What?" Tessa asked, looking confused.

Brielle was still staring at Raven.

"She’s Tempered."

Thalia’s mouth fell open.

"No fucking way."

Raven shifted uncomfortably, wondering why Brielle had to figure it out at the one moment when Cassian was standing right there.

"Raven," Brielle demanded, "when the hell did this happen?"

Raven hesitated, and that was apparently all the confirmation Brielle needed.

"Oh, for Goddess’ sake. You really did!"

Tessa approached, looking at Raven with genuine astonishment.

"But you only became Awakened during the Hunt."

"Exactly!" Brielle exclaimed, gesturing toward Raven. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to advance that quickly?"

Raven grimaced. "I have a general idea."

"A general idea?" Brielle repeated incredulously. "Your body has to adapt to the increased essence circulation, your wolf has to develop enough to withstand it, and that’s before you even consider bloodline potential. You can’t simply decide to become Tempered one evening!"

Raven glanced away, feeling increasingly uncomfortable beneath their attention.

Well, technically, she hadn’t decided to do anything of the sort.

She’d decided to kiss Cassian.

The advancement had been a rather unexpected consequence.

"When?" Thalia asked, looking almost as astonished as Brielle.

Raven swallowed.

"Earlier tonight."

Brielle stared at her.

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

"How?"

Oh, Goddess.

Raven could practically feel the answer sitting on the tip of her tongue, and there was absolutely no possibility of sharing it with three women who would probably never allow her to forget it.

She glanced toward Cassian, only to find the bastard watching her with the faintest trace of amusement.

Worse, she could feel his amusement through their bond, which made the situation considerably more embarrassing than it had any right to be.

Tessa followed her gaze toward Cassian, then slowly looked back at her.

Thalia’s expression changed, while Brielle, who was apparently incapable of missing anything when it came to embarrassing Raven, narrowed her eyes.

"Raven..."

"Can we please discuss something else?" Raven interrupted, desperate to end the conversation. "Cassian didn’t come here so you could interrogate me about my advancement."

Brielle looked deeply dissatisfied, but Cassian finally intervened.

"She’s right. There’ll be plenty of time for that later."

Raven turned toward him.

Later?

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Cassian ignored her expression and crouched beside the first bed, placing two fingers against the floor beneath its frame.

Pale silver-white lines began spreading outward as he channelled essence into the inscription, and Raven watched with growing fascination as the markings curved into one another, branching and reconnecting in arrangements she struggled to follow.

The pattern was considerably more complicated than the ones she’d encountered during her lessons with Berry, and even with her recent progress in Sigil Writing, she couldn’t quite understand how the separate lines were supposed to function together.

Within moments, an intricate sigil had formed beneath the bed.

Brielle stepped closer.

"What exactly is that?"

"A protective Focus Sigil," Cassian replied without looking up.

"I can see that much. Why is it so complicated?"

"Because it has to remain active when I’m not here."

Cassian continued working, guiding another thin line into the existing structure while Brielle watched with increasing interest.

After several seconds, she frowned.

"Does it only work when we’re asleep?"

Cassian’s fingers paused briefly, and Raven noticed his attention shift toward Brielle.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you specifically said it was meant to protect us while we’re sleeping."

Thalia suddenly straightened.

"Brielle."

Brielle looked over her shoulder. "What?"

"Maybe we should just let him finish."

"Why?" Brielle demanded, looking irritated. "He’s drawing something beneath my bed. I think I’m entitled to know what it does."

Raven frowned.

Something about the exchange was beginning to feel strange, particularly because Thalia looked uncomfortable again.

Tessa had grown unusually quiet too, watching the conversation with an expression Raven couldn’t quite interpret.

Raven opened her mouth, intending to reassure Brielle, but the explanation stopped before she could give it.

Because she knew exactly what Cassian was trying to protect them from, and telling Brielle would mean revealing something she’d spent weeks trying to keep from her roommates.

She hesitated, uncertain how much she should explain.

Cassian, meanwhile, looked from Brielle to Thalia before briefly studying Tessa.

Then he spoke.

"Dreamwalker."