Marrying a Warhound (Cassian) novel Chapter 27

When I handed the map to Cassian, I expected him to examine it immediately, maybe react, maybe start piecing together whatever secret my father had hidden from the King. But instead of urgency, he walked into my room like he had time to spare, as if this was just another lazy morning.

He sat down next to my bed, too calm, too relaxed, his attention divided between the parchment that contained the traces of the dark plate in his hand and the windows. I didn’t understand it. Maybe it was because I’d never been good at reading people like him, men who didn’t flinch, who wore masks with ease. Or maybe I really was too naive to grasp what was going through his head.

I let my gaze drift to his profile. I have been with him several times now, but it still felt surreal. How could a man with features that sharp, that striking, like something carved from ancient stone, be the same one they called a monster?

“Are you satisfied with what you can see, Consort?“He didn’t look at me when he spoke.

My breath hitched. I quickly averted my eyes, heat rushing to my cheeks. I had no idea what he truly meant, but the way his voice dipped made it impossible to respond. Then, I lowered my head, eyes on my lap. And didn’t dare meet his gaze.

“I–I just want to know if I brought the right one.” My voice barely above a whisper. I hated how weak I sounded. I wasn’t weak. I might look sick, my body pale and still, but I was very much alive and fully aware of everything.

Cassian finally turned his head, a faint smirk pulling at his lips. “We’ll know soon enough.”

That answer didn’t settle me. “What… what do you mean by that?”

I glanced out the window. The morning sun had already risen. We were supposed to depart for the North within the hour. There was no time left to decipher secrets or test theories. How could he be so sure we’d know soon?

Cassian stood slowly, rolling his shoulders as if this entire moment bored him. Then he turned to me and said, “We’re leaving shortly. If you intend to keep up your performance,

now’s the time.”

His next words dropped like ice into my stomach.

“Your mother and sister are on their way.”

At those words, I immediately lay back down and stared blankly at the ceiling. My chest rose

11:08 Wed, Sep 10

Chapter 27

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and fell evenly, and I tried to match the rhythm I remembered from the nights I truly was

sick.

Then… Mendez appeared beside me, holding out another tablet. He didn’t speak until I hesitated. “It won’t harm you,” he said simply. “Just makes it look like it did.”

I nodded and took the tablet. The moment it touched my tongue, I braced myself, but just like before, nothing happened. No burning sensation, no rush of cold through my veins. It tasted like stale tea. Bland. Harmless. I waited for my body to react, to warn me, to resist but nothing came.

That was the problem.

I had always known when something foreign entered my body. My healing ability screamed at the slightest imbalance. Even poison, even blood loss, it all triggered something.

But this… didn’t.

My body didn’t resist it because whatever was in that tablet, it didn’t register as a threat. Not to me. That alone made it more dangerous than any poison. This was the second time Mendez had given it to me, and I still had no real idea what it was.

It didn’t burn going down. It didn’t cloud my mind or slow my heartbeat. It mimicked the symptoms of poison perfectly but left no trace behind. Not even my instincts, the ones tied to my healing, could sense anything wrong.

Of course I was curious. Deeply. But there hadn’t been time to ask questions. I made a mental note to speak to Mendez as soon as we left this place. I wanted answers. About the tablet. About what it really did and why my body couldn’t see it coming.

I swallowed hard and closed my eyes.

And as if on cue, a knock came at the door.

I didn’t move.

I heard the hinges creak open, boots clicking softly on the wooden floor. Then came the voice I knew all too well.

“How is she?”

It was Genevieve,

Mendez answered calmly, “She’s relapsed. The fever’s back. The poison’s still in her system. I’ve done what I can, but she’s very weak. Barely responsive.”

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