Chapter 229
Cassian's POV
I can't wait any longer," Elowen said, her voice cutting through the heavy silence in her room. Her amber eyes were red-rimmed but fierce. "We need to end this. Now."
Casper shifted beside me, his hand finding mine through our twin bond. We're with you, he sent silently.
"We are too," I replied aloud, my voice steadier than I felt.
The temperature in the room plummeted. Shadows pooled in the corners, thick and wrong. Then he appeared—Raven, the demon who'd been haunting our every move. Red smoke coiled around his feet as he materialized, that infuriating smirk playing on his lips.
"Well, well," he drawled. "Someone's eager."
Before I could tell him to fuck off, the world twisted. My stomach lurched as reality bent around us. When it snapped back into place, we were no longer in Elowen's bedroom.
The church. That same goddamn Gothic cathedral where he'd taken us before.
Blood-red moonlight poured through the stained glass windows, painting the ancient stone walls in shades of crimson and shadow. Candles flickered along the walls, their flames dancing to some phantom wind. The air tasted of metal and incense and something darker—brimstone, maybe. Or just pure malevolence.
Raven lounged on the altar like it was a throne, one leg crossed over the other. His massive hellhound, Grimm, lay beside him, eyes glowing with that unnatural fire. The beast's head swiveled toward us, intelligent and assessing.
"Cozy," Casper muttered, his body tense against mine.
I pulled Elowen closer to my side, my wolf Zero snarling in my mind. Protect mate. Kill threat.
Not yet, I told him. We need him.
For now.
"So," Raven said, those red eyes gleaming in the candlelight. "You've made your decision?"
Elowen stepped forward, and I had to fight the urge to yank her back. She was magnificent—shoulders squared, chin lifted, every inch the Luna she was born to be. Even facing a demon, she didn't flinch.
"I have conditions," she said.
Raven's eyebrow arched. "Do you now?"
"You don't hurt Cassian, Casper, or anyone I care about." Her voice was steel wrapped in silk. "In return, we won't try to kill you either. This is a truce, not a surrender. Non-negotiable."
A smile played at Raven's lips. "Fair enough."
"I also know about the deal you tried to make with Cassian," Elowen continued, and I felt my jaw clench.
Raven's gaze slid to me, something like surprise flickering across his features before he smoothed it away. "Well. Someone's been doing their homework."
"We can make this easier for everyone," she said.
I moved forward then, unable to stay silent any longer. My hand found Casper's on one side, Elowen's on the other. United. Always united.
"Let me guess," Raven said, standing from the altar. Grimm rose with him, a shadow made flesh. "You want Casper and Cassian to appear to have taken a new mate—say, that delightful Sarah creature—while actually maintaining their bond with you?"
The way he said Sarah's name made my skin crawl.
"She's jealous of Elowen," I said, forcing my voice to remain level. "She wants what Elowen has. That makes her easy to manipulate."
"And you chose her specifically because...?" Raven prompted.
"Because she's predictable," I continued. "Desperate for status. She'll believe whatever we tell her if it means getting close to us."
Raven's eyes gleamed with something I didn't like. "Tell me, Cassian—do you have any... interest in this Sarah?"
"No." The word came out flat and cold.
"What about you, Casper?"
My brother's response was immediate and crude. "I'd rather snap off my own dick and eat it."
Despite everything, I felt a flicker of amusement through our bond. That was Casper—never one for subtlety.
We both turned to look at Elowen, needing her to understand. But she'd dropped her gaze to the floor, her face twisted with pain that made my chest ache.
She thinks we might actually want Sarah, Zero whimpered. Mate hurts. Fix it.
"Elowen—" I started.
"So here's my proposal," Raven interrupted, circling us like a predator. "If you can get Sarah alone in Casper and Cassian's quarters, I can put her into a drunken stupor. Unconscious. Completely unaware."
"How does that help?" Elowen snapped, her eyes flashing gold as Juno surfaced.
"You show up with witnesses," Raven explained. "I cast an illusion. Everyone sees Casper and Cassian in bed with Sarah. Compromising positions. Very convincing." He paused. "But it's only a vision. They won't have actually touched her."
My heart stuttered. "You're saying we don't have to actually..."
"Fuck her? No." Raven's grin was sharp. "Though I have to say, I'm touched by your devotion to your mate."
He winked at Casper, and I felt my brother's revulsion through our bond.
"Let me be crystal clear," I said, stepping toward the demon. Zero pushed against my consciousness, wanting out, wanting to fight. "We don't want Sarah. We've never wanted Sarah. The only woman either of us will ever want is standing right here."
"Quite the declaration," Raven mused.
"It's the truth," Casper growled. "Sarah means less than nothing to us."
"Then why involve her at all?" Raven asked, though something in his tone suggested he already knew.
"Because Selene needs to believe the mate bond is broken," I said. "And for that, she needs to see Elowen publicly reject us. If we're supposedly with Sarah, Elowen's rejection will seem genuine. Justified."
"And you're certain this Sarah will cooperate?"
"She won't know it's fake," I admitted. "We'll tell her whatever she wants to hear. Let her think she's won."
"Manipulative." Raven's approval was palpable and revolting. "I like it."
"I don't," Elowen said quietly. "I don't like any of this."
I was at her side in an instant, my hand cupping her face. "I know, baby. I know. But this keeps you safe. Keeps our children safe."
"Does it?" Her eyes searched mine. "Because from where I'm standing, this plan has more holes than a fishing net."
She wasn't wrong. The thought made my stomach turn.
"The illusion will be flawless," Raven said. "I guarantee it. No one will suspect the truth—not Selene, not your pack, not even Sarah herself."