Chapter 213 — Fire Against Air

Chapter 213: Chapter 213 — Fire Against Air

~ Cassian ~

The third training marker broke apart before Cassian’s feet touched the ground.

He landed several paces beyond it, allowing the Air Lattice gathered around his body to loosen as the shattered pieces scattered across the training court.

"Finally," Rowan muttered from somewhere behind him.

Cassian glanced over his shoulder, mildly amused by the irritation on the man’s face. "Something wrong?"

"You’ve been distracted for the last twenty minutes."

"Have I?"

Rowan gave him a look that suggested he wasn’t remotely interested in entertaining that question, while Nikolai chuckled beside him, the rushing sound of water echoing faintly through the training grounds as his lattice surged.

"I thought he was doing rather well," Nikolai offered.

"He nearly missed the second marker," Rowan pointed out.

"Nearly," Cassian repeated, turning toward them with a smile. "An important distinction."

Rowan sighed and turned toward the remaining training markers, clearly deciding that arguing with him would only waste more time.

The three of them had been training since shortly after their morning lessons, running through exercises intended to prepare them for the approaching Renewal Concord. With the vampires due to arrive at Valerius, Rowan had apparently decided that every available moment should be devoted to ensuring none of them embarrassed the academy.

Cassian understood the reasoning, of course. He simply had considerably more interesting things to think about.

Raven, for one.

He’d barely had a proper moment alone with her since returning to Valerius, and the few opportunities they’d managed to find had been interrupted by one thing or another.

There had been the Ball, of course, and Cassian had to admit that particular evening had turned out far better than he’d dared expect, especially considering how it had begun.

Even now, the thought of Raven pulling him down into that kiss was enough to make something warm settle in his chest.

He could still feel her fingers tightening in his hair, the softness of her lips against his and the way she’d drawn him closer without the slightest hesitation.

Goddess, that woman.

The kiss itself had been extraordinary enough, but what happened afterward was something he was still trying to understand.

Their wolves had finally accepted each other, strengthening the connection between them beyond anything Cassian had experienced before. And somehow, in the middle of it all, Raven had advanced to Tempered.

Then there was that strange silver marking.

Cassian could still picture the delicate pattern spreading across the skin near her collarbone, glowing brightly enough to illuminate the neckline of her gown before gradually fading into a faint silver trace.

He’d certainly never expected to witness something like that during a kiss.

The old Alpha Queen records had mentioned extraordinary changes accompanying the strengthening of mate bonds, but Cassian was beginning to suspect that reading about such things and experiencing them were two entirely different matters.

He still wanted to examine that marking properly, preferably when Raven wasn’t distracted by the rather alarming discovery that kissing him had apparently improved her Power Class.

Although, knowing Raven, she’d probably accuse him of looking for another excuse to get his hands on her.

And perhaps she’d have a point.

He had a few ideas about that.

Still, now that she’d advanced, there were techniques he’d previously avoided teaching her because her essence control hadn’t been developed enough to handle them properly.

A private training session would be useful.

He could reserve one of the smaller courts, preferably somewhere nobody would interrupt them, and spend a few hours helping her adjust to the changes in her body.

It would also give him an excellent excuse to spend some time alone with her.

Although, as Cassian considered the prospect of correcting her stance and guiding her movements, his thoughts began drifting toward activities that had very little to do with combat.

He could already imagine Raven glaring at him for standing too close, probably accusing him of taking advantage of the situation.

And if she looked at him the way she had during the Ball...

Cassian smiled to himself.

Perhaps they wouldn’t get much training done after all.

"Blade."

He looked up to find Rowan staring at him.

"What?"

"What the hell are you smiling about?"

Cassian’s smile widened slightly as he adjusted the cuff of his sleeve. "Nothing particularly important."

"Then perhaps you’d like to return your attention to what we’re doing."

Nikolai glanced between them, looking mildly entertained. "I don’t know, Rowan. Whatever he’s thinking about seems to be making him unusually happy."

"That," Rowan replied, "is precisely what concerns me."

Cassian opened his mouth, already considering several responses that would irritate Rowan considerably more, when the doors leading into the Cardinal training grounds opened.

Dante Prymont entered.

Cassian noticed his expression immediately.

The familiar amusement was gone, replaced by a look of such obvious anger that even Rowan abandoned whatever complaint he’d been preparing.

Dante crossed the entrance without acknowledging the students training in the adjoining courts. His uniform was immaculate, but there was something unusually rigid about the way he carried himself.

Nikolai raised an eyebrow. "Morning, Dante."

Dante gave him a brief nod, offering little more than a curt greeting before continuing toward them.

Rowan folded his arms, looking unimpressed. "Nice of you to join us."

"Had something to deal with."

The answer was sharp enough to make Rowan’s expression tighten, but Dante didn’t appear particularly interested in explaining himself.

His gaze had already settled on Cassian.

Ah.

Cassian watched him approach, and the reason for that expression became unpleasantly obvious.

The Renewal Ball.

Or, more precisely, what had happened after Raven kissed him.

He hadn’t known Dante was nearby until the movement of air behind Raven caught his attention. When he’d looked past her shoulder, he’d found Prymont standing farther along the path.

The bastard had seen everything.

Cassian had recognized that immediately, and although the kiss itself had been far too important for him to waste it thinking about another man, he couldn’t deny what he’d felt afterward.

Satisfaction.

His wolf had responded with an almost embarrassing sense of triumph, immensely pleased that another male had witnessed Raven choosing to kiss him.

Unfortunately, Cassian hadn’t been much better.

He’d spent six days away from Valerius while Dante enjoyed her company, trained with her and most likely found enough opportunities to make himself indispensable.

Then Cassian returned on the night of the Ball and caught Prymont’s scent lingering on Raven.

He’d recognized it almost immediately when he drew close to her, mingled with the familiar scent he’d spent the entire journey back hoping to find.

Dante had been close enough to her that evening to leave his scent behind.

Cassian hadn’t appreciated that discovery.

Not remotely.

Because knowing Raven had agreed to attend the Ball with Dante and actually encountering the evidence of how close they’d been were two entirely different matters.

So when Raven kissed him, and he’d subsequently noticed Dante watching, the satisfaction had been rather difficult to suppress.

He’d smiled.

A rather unfortunate decision in hindsight.

Judging by the expression on Dante’s face, the bastard had taken it personally.

Cassian supposed he couldn’t blame him, although that didn’t mean he particularly regretted it.

"Are you joining us?" Rowan asked, drawing Cassian’s attention back to the present. "Or have you come here to stand around looking miserable?"

Dante glanced toward him. "I’m joining."

"Good. Then perhaps we can get through one session without somebody deciding to be difficult."

Nikolai laughed quietly. "That’s a little optimistic."

Rowan ignored him and turned toward the training markers, already expecting the others to follow.

Cassian, however, remained where he was.

Dante was still watching him, and after several seconds of enduring the attention, Cassian tilted his head slightly.

"Something you want, Prymont?"

Dante’s jaw tightened. "Enjoying yourself, Blade?"

Cassian considered the question for a moment before offering a faint smile.

"Until recently."

Nikolai glanced over, his expression shifting with mild curiosity, while Rowan stopped walking altogether.

Dante gave a short laugh, although there was nothing amused about it.

"Of course."

Cassian raised an eyebrow. "Have I missed something?"

"You tell me."

"I would, if you were making any sense."

Dante took another step toward him, and Rowan looked between them with growing irritation.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Nothing," Cassian answered easily.

"Right." Dante’s expression darkened. "Nothing."

Cassian studied him for another moment before exhaling quietly.

Whatever conversation Prymont wanted to have, he clearly had no intention of letting it go, and Cassian was beginning to find the entire performance tiresome.

"Would you like to explain your problem?"

Dante stared at him.

"My problem?"

"Yes. You’ve been glaring at me since you walked in, and I’d rather not spend the entire morning guessing why."

"Maybe there’s a reason for that."

"Then by all means, enlighten me."

Rowan made an irritated sound, already looking as though he regretted arranging the training session.

"Goddess, both of you—"

Dante ignored him and approached until only a short distance separated him from Cassian. Then he lowered his voice, keeping their conversation beyond the hearing of the other two Cardinals.

"You saw me that night."

Cassian’s amusement faded slightly.

There it was.

"Yes."

Dante stared at him, apparently surprised by how readily he’d admitted it, before his expression hardened further.

"And you thought that was funny?"

Cassian glanced briefly toward Rowan and Nikolai, who were still watching with increasing suspicion, before returning his attention to Dante.

"Not particularly."

"Bullshit."

Cassian’s eyes narrowed. "Careful now."

"Don’t fucking tell me to be careful."

Dante’s voice had risen enough for Rowan to glance over again, and Cassian felt his patience thinning.

He understood why Dante was angry. That much wasn’t difficult.

But Prymont was standing in front of him behaving as though Cassian had committed some unforgivable offense simply because Raven had chosen to kiss him.

"I saw you," Cassian said quietly, holding his gaze. "And I smiled. Is that what you wanted me to admit?"

Dante’s expression changed.

"You really don’t give a shit, do you?"

Cassian frowned slightly. "About what?"

Dante stared at him for another moment before shaking his head, his mouth twisting with disbelief.

"Goddess, you’re an arrogant bastard."

"Coming from you, that’s rather impressive."

"Fuck you, Blade."

Cassian’s own irritation sharpened.

He’d been looking forward to finishing training, finding Raven and spending what remained of the afternoon with her.

Instead, Dante Prymont had decided to make his disappointment everybody else’s problem.

"Listen," Cassian said, lowering his voice further. "Whatever happened between you and Raven is none of my business. But I’m not going to apologize because she chose to kiss me."

Dante’s eyes flashed.

"I never asked you to apologize for the kiss."

Cassian paused, having expected an argument.

"Then what exactly are we fucking arguing about?"

"You."

For several seconds, Cassian simply looked at him.

Dante’s jaw tightened, and when he continued, there was considerably more anger in his voice.

"You knew I was there, and you fucking enjoyed it."

Cassian regarded him in silence.

He could have denied it. Under ordinary circumstances, he probably would have found some particularly convincing way to dismiss the accusation, but Dante wasn’t wrong.

And something about the man’s fury made lying seem both unnecessary and rather insulting.

So Cassian shrugged.

Dante went still.

The expression that crossed his face was remarkable, disbelief giving way to such immediate anger that Cassian felt the temperature around them change.

"You fucking—"

"Dante!"

Rowan’s voice cut through the exchange, and both men turned to find him approaching, looking thoroughly irritated.

"Would somebody explain what the hell is happening?"

"Ask Blade," Dante snapped.

Cassian smiled faintly. "I’m afraid Prymont’s having a difficult morning."

Dante’s hands curled into fists, and Cassian noticed the faint reddish shimmer of essence beginning to gather beneath his skin.

Nikolai, who had followed Rowan, looked between them with a growing frown.

"Alright, seriously. Did something happen?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Dante answered.

"Then perhaps you could stop acting like you’re about to murder somebody," Rowan said, gesturing toward the training courts. "We’ve got a Concord to prepare for, in case you’ve both forgotten."

Dante looked back at Cassian.

For several seconds, he said nothing, his jaw working slightly as though he was struggling to decide what to do with the anger.

Then something in his expression settled.

"Fine."

Rowan regarded him suspiciously. "Fine?"

"Let’s train."

Cassian had a feeling he wasn’t going to like where this was heading.

Dante confirmed it almost immediately.

"Blade. Spar with me."

Nikolai’s eyebrows rose, while Rowan stared at Dante as though he’d just suggested setting the entire academy on fire.

"Absolutely not."

Dante didn’t look away from Cassian.

"I wasn’t asking you."

"And I’m telling you that neither of you is in the right state to be fighting!" Rowan snapped. "Not with the Concord approaching."

Cassian folded his arms, studying Dante with renewed interest.

The challenge wasn’t particularly surprising. What interested him was that Dante had decided physical violence would accomplish something their conversation hadn’t.

Perhaps he was right.

Cassian glanced toward the reinforced training court behind them.

He’d already finished most of what Rowan wanted them to practice, and he wasn’t particularly interested in spending another twenty minutes discussing the Ball.

A proper spar might settle things.

Or make them considerably worse.

Either possibility was beginning to appeal to him.

Cassian smiled.

"Alright."

Rowan turned toward him so sharply that Cassian almost laughed.

"Blade."

"What?"

"Don’t."

Cassian ignored the warning and returned his attention to Dante, whose expression had grown considerably more dangerous.

"Unless you’ve changed your mind?"

Dante’s smile was immediate.

There was nothing friendly about it.

"Not a chance."

Rowan swore under his breath, while Nikolai sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Wonderful," he muttered. "This should end well."

Cassian turned toward the reinforced court, hearing Dante’s footsteps follow behind him.

Whatever Prymont thought this fight would accomplish, Cassian intended to make one thing perfectly clear.

He wasn’t going to back down.