Chapter 223 — Watch Her Die

Chapter 223: Chapter 223 — Watch Her Die

~ Raven ~

"No."

Cassian’s refusal came so quickly that Raven barely had time to react to the Dreamwalker’s demand.

The bastard turned toward him, looking surprised by how little consideration he’d given the matter.

"No?"

"That’s out of the question," Cassian answered, his expression hardening as he stepped slightly in front of Raven.

The Dreamwalker sighed through Deb’s mouth, looking almost disappointed.

"Ah, I thought you might say that."

He wandered toward one of the chairs and settled into it with an ease that made Raven want to drag him out of the girl’s body with her bare hands.

After crossing Deb’s legs, he looked up at them with renewed interest.

"Tell me something, you three. Do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to kill this girl right now?"

Isolde made a small, strangled sound.

"Please don’t."

The Dreamwalker looked at her, and the smile on Deb’s face became almost playful.

"Don’t believe me? Watch."

Deb’s hands suddenly clenched against the arms of the chair, and her entire face twisted as though she’d been struck by an unbearable pain.

Raven stared, unable to understand what was happening until she noticed the thin trickle of blood slipping from the girl’s nose.

Another drop followed, falling onto the front of Deb’s dress, and then blood began gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"Oh, Goddess!"

Isolde rushed forward before stopping herself barely a step from the chair.

"Deb?" she called, her voice trembling as she studied her sister’s face. "Deb, sweetheart?"

The girl didn’t answer.

Her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, and her breathing came in short, uneven gasps as the blood slowly slid down her cheeks.

Isolde dropped to her knees beside the chair, her hands hovering helplessly near Deb’s face.

"Please, stop it! Whatever you want, please just stop hurting her!"

The Dreamwalker smiled through Deb’s bloodstained face, looking almost curious about her reaction.

"Something wrong?"

"She’s just a child!" Isolde sobbed, reaching toward her sister before hesitating. "Please, I’m begging you. She hasn’t done anything wrong!"

Raven couldn’t move.

She could only stare at the girl sitting before them, struggling to reconcile what she was seeing with the Deb Marchmont she’d met only a short while ago.

The same ridiculous girl who’d spent the last several minutes teasing Cassian about his love life and boasting about how wonderful Valerius would be when she finally enrolled.

She’d been so excited about coming here, and she’d only visited because her sister had been unconscious for days and she hadn’t wanted to sit at home worrying.

Raven thought about the way Deb had laughed earlier, looking so pleased with herself whenever she managed to irritate Cassian.

Now that same girl was bleeding from her eyes because some bastard had decided their suffering was entertaining.

Raven swallowed painfully, her hands curling into fists as a terrible helplessness settled over her.

Beside her, Cassian had gone completely still.

His eyes were wide, fixed on Deb with an expression Raven had never seen on his face before. His hands were trembling badly now, and the muscles along his jaw kept tightening as though he was physically struggling to keep himself from moving.

Yet his aura remained suppressed.

Raven knew why.

Cassian Blade, the man who had fought his way through the Moonless Court during the Founders’ Hunt and could reduce trained fighters to helplessness before they even understood what he’d done, was standing there watching a little girl suffer.

And for once, all that terrifying strength couldn’t help him.

"I’m going to find you."

Raven almost didn’t recognize his voice.

The Dreamwalker looked toward him with interest.

"Oh?"

Cassian took one slow step forward, his pale eyes fixed on Deb’s bloodstained face.

"I don’t know who you are," he said, his voice frighteningly steady despite the trembling in his hands. "I don’t know where you’re hiding or how you’ve managed to stay hidden for this long, but I swear to you, I’m going to find out."

Deb smiled.

"Scary."

Cassian didn’t seem to hear him.

"And when I do, I’m going to tear your beating heart out of your chest. I’ll hold it in my hand while you watch, and then I’ll squeeze until there’s nothing left."

The Dreamwalker stared at him for several seconds before throwing back Deb’s head and laughing.

"Ooh, very scary, Blade. I’m practically trembling."

Blood began slipping from Deb’s ears.

Isolde screamed.

"STOP!"

Raven flinched at the sound, and when she looked toward Isolde again, she almost wished she hadn’t.

The woman was crying so hard that she could barely speak, one hand hovering helplessly near Deb’s face while she begged the monster inside her little sister to show mercy.

Raven’s throat tightened, and something wet slipped down her own cheek.

She touched it without thinking, then stared at the moisture on her fingers.

Tears.

She was crying.

The realization filled her with such furious disgust that she lowered her hand immediately.

She couldn’t stand this anymore.

"Stop," Raven whispered, taking a step forward.

The Dreamwalker turned toward her, looking thoroughly entertained by her attempt to intervene.

"Hmm?"

"I said stop."

"Oh, Rivers." Deb laughed, shaking her head as though Raven were being particularly foolish. "Haven’t you understood yet? We’re not inside that ridiculous dream anymore, sweetheart."

Raven continued approaching, her eyes fixed on Deb’s bleeding face.

"There’s no nightmare for you to interfere with," he continued. "And you certainly can’t save yourself by running around trying to be clever."

His smile gradually disappeared as something uglier entered his expression.

"Do you have any idea how humiliating it was watching you and that bitch make a mockery of me?"

Isolde raised her head, but the Dreamwalker ignored her.

"I had you both exactly where I wanted you, and somehow you managed to ruin everything again. Now you think a few tears are going to satisfy me?"

Raven took another step, although something strange was beginning to happen inside her.

She couldn’t feel her wolf responding, and no familiar surge of essence came to her aid. There was nothing beneath her ribs except the same terrible anger she’d been carrying since watching Deb begin to bleed.

Yet the longer she looked at the bastard wearing the girl’s face, the more an inexplicable certainty settled inside her.

Her fear was disappearing.

Not because she’d stopped caring about Deb or because the Dreamwalker had somehow become less dangerous.

It was something else entirely, something Raven couldn’t explain even to herself.

She knew this man.

Not his face or his identity, but she knew what he was, and somewhere deep inside her, a conviction began growing so powerful that it made everything else seem strangely insignificant.

He was her enemy.

No, that wasn’t quite right.

He should be afraid of her.

The thought came with such force that Raven almost stopped walking, but the certainty remained, growing stronger with every step she took.

This creature had no right to stand before her, much less challenge her authority or threaten those under her protection.

He was nothing before her.

Insignificant.

And she was—

"What did you just say?"

Raven blinked, momentarily startled by the Dreamwalker’s furious voice.

He was staring at her with an expression that had changed completely.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" he demanded, his anger rising. "How dare you speak to me like that?"

Raven frowned, struggling to understand what had provoked him before slowly realizing that the thoughts running through her head hadn’t remained there.

She’d been speaking aloud.

And somehow, without remembering crossing the remaining distance, she had ended up directly in front of Deb, with one hand resting against the girl’s head.

"Raven!"

Isolde’s desperate voice reached her from somewhere nearby.

"Please, don’t make him angry! He’ll hurt her!"

Raven glanced back and found Isolde still kneeling beside the chair, looking at her with such naked desperation that her chest tightened.

Cassian stood a little farther away.

His hands were still trembling, and his expression remained frighteningly tense, but when their eyes met, Raven noticed something she hadn’t expected.

He wasn’t trying to stop her.

Despite everything that had happened, despite the danger to Deb and the fact that Raven had no idea what she was doing, Cassian was watching her with unmistakable trust.

Raven swallowed before turning back toward the Dreamwalker.

The bastard was staring at her hand, and for the first time since he’d revealed himself, she could see uncertainty beneath his expression.

Raven leaned closer, looking directly into Deb’s eyes.

"You’re going to leave her head."

The Dreamwalker’s gaze snapped toward hers.

"What?"

"You heard me," Raven answered, tightening her hand slightly against Deb’s head. "You’re going to leave her alone, and you’re never going to enter her mind again."

A muscle twitched near Deb’s mouth.

"Careful, Rivers."

Raven ignored the warning.

"If you ever touch this girl again, I swear I’ll end you."

For a moment, the Dreamwalker said nothing.

Then he chuckled.

Except the sound wasn’t quite right anymore, and Raven recognized what lingered beneath the strained amusement because she’d heard something similar during their confrontation inside Isolde’s nightmare.

The bastard was afraid.

Raven had no idea why, but as she looked into Deb’s eyes, she saw his smile slowly disappear.