Page 126 of The Hunt of Night

“A puppet spell?” Adrianna repeats, frown lines forming between her eyes. I want to sweep them away, but I know they’ll only return over something else the moment I do.

“I’ve heard my father talking about it. It basically places you under the control of the one casting the spell, and there would be nothing we could do about it.”

“Fuck that,” Kryll blurts, squeezing the back of his neck in anger as his nostrils flare.

“What he said,” I add with a nod, my gaze finally flicking to the rest of the ballroom as I try to observe the situation from all angles.

“We can’t let them win,” Cassian grinds out, and Adrianna stands taller, channeling her inner goddess as she nods once. Firm and decisive, like a queen.

“What can we do?”

Brody looks her dead in the eye, nibbling at his bottom lip before he speaks. “There may be something.”

50

ADRIANNA

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I know what he’s saying without uttering a single word.

“What?” Kryll asks, glancing between Brody and me with a bewildered look on his face.

“I’m not ready for this,” I ramble, swiping my damp palms over my dress to no avail. “I haven’t even considered…” My words trail off, my chest tightening as I try to take a breath.

“Considered what?” Cassian prods, inching closer as I feel my temperature rocket with panic.

“Spoiling their plan,” Brody murmurs, his hand finding the small of my back as he draws small circles. He still isn’t saying it, likely in hopes of allowing me to find the right words, but my tongue is like lead in my mouth as my pulse thunders in my ears.

“How?” Raiden asks, stroking his thumb over my knuckles and reminding me he’s here, but all I can do is gape at him.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Brody takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly before pressing a kiss against my temple. “By finding her mate to try and activate her wolf.”

My next breath lodges in my throat, refusing to budge as I blink, my gaze fuzzy as Cassian scoffs.

“There is no finding,” he grunts, squeezing around the small space so he’s standing toe to toe with me.

“What?” Kryll asks, thankfully echoing my thoughts, despite my inability to speak.

“It’s me.” Cassian speaks the words so matter of factly, so calmly, that all I can do is frown at him, my jaw slack as I stare in shock. “I fucking know it’s me,” he repeats, fiercer this time. I shake my head, lost in the turmoil swirling in his eyes. “Do you want to stop them or not?” he rasps, stroking a thumb down my cheek as I gulp, dislodging the lump in my throat enough to croak out a few words.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you’re my—” He effectively cuts my words off as he grabs my waist and hauls me over his shoulder. “Cassian,” I squeak, hearing the chuckles coming from Arlo and Flora.

“Stall them,” Cassian snarls before he cuts through the ballroom with me firmly in place.

“Cassian,” I repeat, slapping his ass as discreetly as possible so we don’t garner a bigger audience than I’m sure we’ve already got, but he completely ignores me.

Fucker.

Now is not the time for this.

The music dulls down as he heads out into the hall, and a few moments later, the women’s bathroom door swings shut behind us. He lowers me to my feet and reaches for my chin. The touch is gentle and sweet. It makes my walls fall away, but my body tightens in the next breath when he spins me on the spot, turning me toward the mirror over the vanity.

“Look at us,” he grates, his grip on my chin tightening as he meets my stare in our reflection. “Look at me and tell me it’s not me. Tell me I’m not the one because I sure as fuck know you’re my alpha.”

“Cassian,” I breathe, my chest heaving with every ragged breath. I don’t know what he wants me to say. I don’t know the answer, but more than that, I’m scared that he won’t be. Then what? I can sense my thoughts, but conveying them is something else entirely.

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