Marrying a Warhound (Cassian) novel Chapter 66

“My lady, the rumors outside…”

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“Don’t mind it, Rio,” I cut him off. “They can say what they want. None of it matters. All I care about is that Cassian wakes up.”

We sat in the living room. The fire in the hearth was low, giving just enough warmth to cut the chill that seeped through the wooden walls. Beyond the door, I could hear faint footsteps, guards changing posts, but inside, it was only the three of us.

I rubbed my temple and looked across at Mendez. “I don’t understand what’s happening. He should be healing. I pulled out the poison. His body has always recovered quickly, faster than any of us. But this time…” My voice trailed off. “This time, he isn’t waking up.”

Mendez’s shoulders slumped. He looked tired, his hands stained from hours of work. “This is the first time I’ve seen something like it,” he admitted. “Its been days. His body is stable. Everything from his breathing, pulse, temperature, all steady. But it’s as if something keeps him from coming back to full consciousness. Almost like he’s trapped in between.”

Rio leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, brow furrowed. “Could it be the curse? Maybe the witch who shot him failed to kill him outright. What if the curse didn’t end, just got stuck inside him? Holding him down.”

The thought made my stomach tighten. I turned to Mendez. “Is that even possible?”

He hesitated, then gave a grim nod. “It is possible. Curses are dangerous because they don’t follow the natural laws of poison or medicine. As long as a witch sacrifices enough blood, they can forge a curse to do nearly anything, rot the organs, burn the veins, blind the mind. But there’s one rule they all share.”

“And that is?” I pressed.

“They only destroy,” Mendez said flatly. “Curses don’t heal. They can’t give strength, only strip it away. Which means if he isn’t waking, the curse is still clinging to him in some form. Hidden and probably waiting.”

Silence fell. The only sound was the faint crack of the firewood in the hearth.

I exhaled, long and heavy. “Then I’ll stay with him.”

Mendez looked at me carefully. “My lady, you don’t have to. You could return to the manor, keep the household steady until we-”

11:20 Wed, Sep 10

Chapter 66

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“No,” I cut in. “I came here for one reason, to be his wife. That means I take care of him, not hand him off when it’s inconvenient. The council and the servants can wait. My task is him.”

For a moment, Mendez simply watched me. Then he gave a slow nod, his expression unreadable.

I stood and made my way toward the staircase. My steps were heavy, but my decision wasn’t. Reaching the second floor, I paused at the door before pushing it open.

The room smelled faintly of smoke and blood, but most of it had been cleaned. Cassian lay stretched across the bed, his frame almost too large for it, his chest rising and falling in shallow rhythm. The bandages had been changed, his skin pale under the lamplight.

I moved closer, pulling the chair to the bedside and lowering myself into it. For a long while, I just looked at him, the man who terrified half the north and who now lay still, unmoving, almost fragile in a way I’d never seen before.

I reached out and brushed my fingers across the back of his hand. It was warm, alive, but unresponsive.

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