Chapter 249: The world of mystery - 2

"What did he threaten you about?" Cassian asked, his voice calm enough to hide how carefully he was listening.

Sashkia gave him an annoyed look. "You are not asking because you care."

"No," Cassian admitted without shame. "I am asking because if the King of Hell is troubled enough to break Raynor’s shoulder, I want to know what has managed to disturb him. And if I can use it against him?" Cassian’s mouth curved faintly.

Sashkia stared at him for a second, then shook her head as though men like him were precisely why disasters happened. "He told us not to touch a human female named Liora Valentine. She has arrived in our city, and we were ordered to maintain a distance of ten feet from her."

Cassian’s brows rose slightly.

A human female. Ten feet.

The King had never placed such rules for anyone as far as he remembered. He waited for Sashkia to continue.

"He broke Raynor’s shoulder because Raynor said aloud that perhaps it would be better to send the girl away from Valtham... or kill her, since she might be a curse to our kind. She reminds me of ’Land of Poison Roses’."

"The Land of Poison Roses," Cassian repeated, remembering the deserted land from centuries ago. "Are you telling me it is somehow connected to your dark witch mother?"

Sashkia did not answer. She simply looked at him, and Cassian found her silence far more revealing than anything she could have said. So his suspicion was correct. He had heard enough about Sashkia’s mother, who destroyed the whole howlgrove, which was once a livable continent, along with the important bloodlines.

He would have enjoyed digging further into it, especially when Sashkia was clearly reluctant to speak, but he had not sought her help merely to satisfy his curiosity. But there were more important matters demanding his attention, and Cixi was at the centre of them.

"This time, I need you to give me your best, Sashkia," Cassian said, abandoning the previous subject. "Those culprits are hiding behind a spell powerful enough to prevent me from reaching them. I have managed to find one lead, but the person appears to be bound by another spell that prevents them from revealing anything. I cannot get the information I need, and whoever is responsible has gone to considerable lengths to make certain the truth remains buried. I wonder if those white-winged dogs are behind it...?"

Sashkia now understood why he had brought up the Syrvoskis and Hawthornes earlier. She stared at him incredulously, curious about what had made him doubt two bloodlines whose loyalty to the ancient laws had always been unquestioned.

"If they wanted you dead, Cassian, you would be dead by now."

Cassian raised an eyebrow, looking more offended by her assessment of his strength than concerned about the possibility of being killed. "Are you suggesting those morons have the power to kill an ancient demon?"

"I am suggesting that if they wanted to kill you, they would not hide their intentions behind a spell," Sashkia replied firmly. "They would confront you openly. They would challenge you openly. They would be loud. You know they do not attack from behind, and you certainly have not forgotten the Trinity Contract that binds the three worlds. They would never violate it."

"Even if everything you say is true, it does not mean every member of those bloodlines would be innocent.... One rotten apple is enough, Sashkia."

Sashkia shook her head, unwilling to entertain the possibility. "You are speaking of something that has never ever happened since the beginning. Their entire bloodline exists under its ancient rules. I have never witnessed one, nor have I heard of one violating any."

"Then perhaps the first offender has finally arrived," Cassian remarked.

"You are determined to suspect them, aren’t you?" Sashkia asked, her irritation becoming evident. "Remember, Cassian, the women in their world have accepted customs that would seem absurd to women living in modern society. They have never been seen in public by anyone, yet they have never questioned or challenged the restrictions placed upon them. Think about that, Cassian. In a world where women are increasingly willing to challenge centuries-old traditions, the daughters of Syrvoki’s continued to live by the laws of their ancestors."

Cassian did not immediately respond because he knew there was truth in her argument. As an ancient demon, he was familiar with the Syrvoskis and Hawthornes and their unwavering devotion to the laws they had inherited.

Centuries had passed, kingdoms had fallen, and civilisations had changed beyond recognition, yet those families continued to uphold their traditions as though every command had been carved into their hearts, minds, and souls.

Sashkia was correct that an accusation against such bloodlines could not rest on suspicion alone. Yet he could not dismiss the thought.

Something about the spell concealing the culprits continued to trouble him, and for reasons he had not yet been able to explain, his mind kept returning to those two families. "An impeccable history does not guarantee an impeccable descendant," Cassian said at last, meeting Sashkia’s eyes.

"And if you find nothing?"

Writing

"Then I will look elsewhere," Cassian replied, his expression hardening. "But I will not cross a name off my list merely because they belong to a white-winged bloodline."

He turned his attention toward the car window, considering the possibilities Sashkia was so determined to dismiss. "If the investigation leads me to them, I might consider kidnapping one of their daughters. Nothing brings a rotten apple out of hiding faster than threatening something it holds dear."

Sashkia’s eyes widened until the whites showed prominently. She immediately covered both ears with her palms. "I heard nothing! I know nothing about this, Cassian. Whatever you are planning, I have absolutely no involvement in it. As of this moment, I sever all ties with Cassian Crown!"

Cassian turned towards her, and a smirk appeared on his face when he saw how seriously she had taken his words. "Relax, Sashkia. I was joking."

"No, you were not!" Sashkia protested, keeping her hands firmly over her ears as though refusing to listen could somehow protect her from becoming an accomplice. "You can fool the rest of the underworld with that expression, but not me. And do not forget your mate will never forgive you if she discovers what you have done."

"Who is going to tell her?"

"Me!" Sashkia answered immediately, finally removing her hands. She faced him properly, all traces of amusement disappearing from her expression. "Cassian, if you are so desperate to investigate those families, kidnap one of their men. Beat him, interrogate him, do whatever you demons usually do to make each other miserable, but do not touch their women. Their females are FORBIDDEN!"

Cassian regarded her pale, grim expression of growing amusement. He had expected her to object, but he had not anticipated that the mere suggestion would make her abandon centuries of acquaintance with him. "As I said, it was a joke."

Sashkia continued studying him, searching his face for some indication that he genuinely intended to abandon the idea. Only when he appeared sufficiently unconcerned did she allow her shoulders to relax, although she remained far from convinced.

Unfortunately, Cassian had no intention of letting her enjoy that relief.

"Besides, I would ask Cixi’s permission before attempting a kidnapping," he remarked casually. "I would not want her to misunderstand my intentions."