Chapter 235 — Tomorrow Evening

Chapter 235: Chapter 235 — Tomorrow Evening

~ Raven ~

"What kind of history?" Raven asked, still studying Cassian’s expression.

"An unpleasant one."

She stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to continue, but he apparently considered that an adequate explanation.

"That’s incredibly informative."

His mouth twitched slightly, although the amusement didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"The disagreement goes back to the old conflict between werewolves and vampires. There are things Veyrholt believes about my family’s techniques that House Blade has never accepted."

Raven frowned.

"Such as?"

"They’ve made certain claims about where some of our methods originated."

"And you disagree?"

"Strongly."

Something about the way he said it made Raven look at him more carefully.

This wasn’t the ordinary rivalry she’d seen between the Cardinal heirs whenever someone mentioned rankings or family achievements. Cassian sounded genuinely offended, although she couldn’t understand why a disagreement about combat techniques would bother him quite so much.

"So it’s personal?" she asked.

Cassian nodded, his expression remaining unusually guarded.

"It has been personal for generations."

Raven watched him for another moment before lowering her water bottle.

"That’s all you’re going to tell me?"

"For now."

She sighed and shook her head.

"Goddess, what is it with noble families and keeping secrets?"

Cassian gave a quiet laugh, although his expression remained thoughtful.

"Believe me, Raven, that’s one family disagreement you don’t need to involve yourself in."

"Considering I’m supposed to compete against them, I might not have much choice."

He looked at her for a moment before nodding.

"Perhaps not."

Raven took another drink, thinking over everything she’d learned.

The four vampire heirs sounded considerably more dangerous than she’d expected, although she supposed that shouldn’t have surprised her.

The Cardinal wolves had spent their entire lives receiving specialized training, and there was no reason their vampire counterparts would be any different.

"Are they all Dominant?" she asked.

"Their Power Classes are comparable to ours," Cassian answered. "But don’t judge them by that alone. Their experience, control and Bloodscript mastery make them dangerous even against opponents with similar strength."

He glanced toward the training inscriptions before continuing.

"Remember what happened when you tried to get around that barrier? A skilled opponent doesn’t necessarily need to overpower you. Sometimes, making you move in the wrong direction is enough."

Raven looked toward the markings and sighed.

"I was hoping we’d finished discussing my mistakes."

Cassian smiled slightly.

"Only because you’re starting to recognize them."

She gave him an irritated look.

"And here I was hoping the vampires might be easier than you four."

"I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed."

That wasn’t particularly reassuring, although Raven had already suspected as much.

She considered the four Houses for another moment before remembering something else that had been bothering her.

"If werewolves and vampires have spent so much time fighting each other, why are we holding competitions together?"

"The open wars ended a long time ago," Cassian replied. "Both societies have reasons to preserve the peace, and the Concord is one way of maintaining those relationships."

"So it’s a friendly competition?"

"Publicly."

Raven narrowed her eyes at his choice of words.

"And privately?"

"An opportunity for powerful Houses to study each other, establish relationships and measure how strong the next generation has become."

Cassian folded his arms before continuing.

"Winning matters, but so does what happens outside the competition. Noble families pay attention to who speaks with whom, which Houses cooperate and which heirs appear capable of becoming future leaders."

Raven considered that for a moment.

"So everyone will be watching us."

"More closely than you realize."

That was hardly reassuring.

As though being Second Seat hadn’t already attracted enough attention.

At least ordinary academy competitions usually ended with someone winning, someone losing and Bellringer finding a way to make the entire thing embarrassing.

The Concord sounded like it came with considerably more politics, and Raven wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about becoming involved in any of it.

Cassian seemed to notice her expression because a faint smile appeared on his face.

"You’re thinking too much again."

"I’m beginning to think that’s your favorite thing to say to me."

"Only because it’s usually true."

Raven rolled her eyes and pushed away from the boundary.

"Fine. Let’s continue before you find another reason to lecture me."

Cassian laughed softly and followed her toward the center of the court.

Raven noticed that his expression had relaxed considerably since their conversation about Veyrholt, although she was still curious about what had happened between their families.

However, considering how he’d reacted, she suspected pressing him further wouldn’t accomplish much.

For now, she had enough to worry about without becoming involved in a centuries-old disagreement between noble Houses.

Cassian resumed the exercise, using the training inscriptions to force Raven into different positions while she practiced recognizing the openings they created.

He corrected her whenever she committed herself too early, occasionally stopping her mid-movement to adjust her footing or show her where she’d exposed herself to an attack.

This time, Raven concentrated on watching both Cassian and the surrounding court instead of allowing the inscriptions to distract her from everything else.

She managed to avoid the first trap without much difficulty, although Cassian immediately changed his approach and forced her to retreat.

Raven adjusted her footing, preparing to move around him, but he intercepted her before she could complete the movement.

"Careful," he warned, catching her arm before she stepped backward.

She frowned and glanced over her shoulder, realizing that another marked section of the floor was directly behind her.

"Oh, for Goddess’s sake."

Cassian released her arm, looking rather amused.

"You’re improving."

"Your definition of improvement is becoming increasingly suspicious."

"It means you’re recognizing your mistakes before they become dangerous."

Raven considered that before reluctantly nodding.

She supposed that was something.

They continued for several more exchanges, and although Cassian still managed to catch her whenever she became careless, Raven gradually found herself responding more confidently.

At one point, she successfully avoided the first inscription and slipped past his approaching hand, only to realize that she’d moved toward another marked section.

Before she could step into it, however, Cassian approached from behind and caught her by the waist.

"Not there," he murmured, guiding her slightly to the side.

Raven paused, suddenly aware of how close he was standing.

His hand remained against her waist for another moment, and when she looked back at him, she discovered that he’d already noticed her hesitation.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she replied a little too quickly. "I was concentrating."

"Were you?"

The amusement in his eyes made her suspicious.

"What?"

Cassian shook his head, although he looked entirely too pleased with himself.

"Nothing."

"Cassian."

He released her waist slowly, but instead of immediately stepping away, he glanced at her with a thoughtful expression.

"I was simply wondering whether yesterday’s training session had affected your concentration."

Raven blinked.

"Yesterday?"

"With Prymont."

Her cheeks grew warm before she could stop them, and the slight change in Cassian’s expression told her he’d noticed.

Of course he had.

"What about Dante?" she asked, making an effort to sound unconcerned.

Cassian tilted his head slightly.

"You seemed rather distracted when he was helping you yesterday."

"I was exhausted," Raven reminded him, folding her arms.

"I noticed."

"And my mark was doing something ridiculous, which I still haven’t figured out."

"That too."

Raven regarded him suspiciously.

"Then what’s your point?"

Cassian watched her for a moment before a small smile appeared on his face.

"You were looking at him rather intensely."

Raven stared at him in disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

Cassian merely shrugged, looking entirely too amused by her reaction.

"You know exactly what happened yesterday, Cassian!"

"I do, which is why I’m finding your reaction rather interesting."

Raven felt her face growing hotter.

"Goddess, Cassian, I could barely stand. I wasn’t thinking about anything except how much I wanted to get out of that court."

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

Cassian looked entirely too pleased with himself, and for several seconds, he simply studied her expression before leaning a little closer.

"That’s interesting, because I seem to remember you looking at me the same way."

Raven’s breath caught.

The amusement hadn’t disappeared from his face, but there was something warmer beneath it now.

She found herself remembering yesterday’s training session, particularly the strange heat that had spread from her Mark and the almost unbearable longing she’d experienced while standing between Cassian and Dante.

The memory made her cheeks burn.

She could still remember how Dante had caught her when her strength suddenly failed, and how Cassian had taken her arm to help steady her.

Neither man had seemed particularly unaffected by what followed, although Raven still had no idea why her mark had reacted so strongly.

Cassian seemed perfectly aware of what she was thinking.

"You’re blushing," he observed quietly.

Raven glared at him, although the effect was somewhat ruined by how close he was standing.

"You’re enjoying this."

"A little."

"Goddess, you’re impossible."

He laughed softly, and Raven hadn’t realized how much she’d missed hearing that sound until now.

After everything that had happened during the Renewal Ball and the argument with Dante, there had been moments when she wasn’t entirely certain how things between them would settle.

Yet standing here with Cassian, watching him look at her with that familiar mixture of amusement and quiet affection, things felt considerably less complicated.

At least for the moment.

His smile gradually softened as he studied her face, and Raven noticed the teasing expression disappear.

"Raven," he murmured.

She looked up, suddenly aware of the small distance separating them.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Cassian raised one hand and gently brushed a loose strand of silver hair away from her face, his fingers lingering near her cheek before he lowered them.

The gesture was so familiar and unexpectedly tender that Raven found herself smiling.

She’d grown accustomed to Cassian finding reasons to provoke her, but there were moments like this when he seemed perfectly content simply being close to her.

Unfortunately, he apparently had no intention of allowing the moment to last.

"We should probably finish training before you become distracted again."

Raven stared at him before shoving his shoulder.

He laughed and stepped backward, looking entirely too satisfied with himself.

"You bastard."

"Your stance," he reminded her, gesturing toward the court.

Raven shook her head, although she was still smiling as she returned to her position.

They continued for another twenty minutes, and by the time Cassian finally called an end to the session, Raven was tired enough to feel satisfied without being completely exhausted.

More importantly, she’d managed to recognize several of his traps before stepping into them, and she no longer felt quite so overwhelmed by the thought of facing an opponent who could combine physical attacks with inscriptions.

Cassian seemed pleased with her progress.

"You’re beginning to understand how to read the field," he remarked as they gathered their belongings. "Keep working on that, and you’ll be considerably harder to catch."

Raven smiled as she picked up her bag.

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

"You should."

She was about to respond when a notification sounded from her Linkslate.

Raven frowned and retrieved it from her bag, noticing that an academy announcement had appeared across the screen.

She opened it, expecting another reminder about the Concord preparations, but the moment she began reading, her expression changed.

VALERIUS ACADEMY — OFFICIAL NOTICE

Renewal Concord: Visiting Delegation

The vampire delegation has confirmed its arrival.

All participating students are advised that the representatives and accompanying officials are expected to arrive at Valerius Academy tomorrow evening.

Further instructions concerning the delegation’s reception and scheduled activities will be communicated through the appropriate academy channels.

Raven read the notice twice before slowly looking toward Cassian.

He’d received the same announcement, and judging by his expression, he was already considering what it meant.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Raven thought about everything she’d learned that afternoon, from the four Cardinal Vampire Houses to Bloodscript and the strange rivalry between House Blade and Veyrholt.

She’d spent weeks preparing to stand opposite opponents who had dedicated their entire lives to mastering techniques she’d only just begun to understand.

She’d known the Concord was approaching, of course, but somehow having an actual arrival date made everything feel considerably more immediate.

Cassian slipped his Linkslate away and looked toward her with a faint smile.

"Well, it seems our preparation time is almost over."

Raven glanced back at the announcement, feeling a strange mixture of anticipation and nervousness settle in her chest.

For weeks, the vampires had been little more than names, reputations and warnings from people who understood their abilities better than she did.

Tomorrow evening, that was going to change.

The vampire delegation was finally coming to Valerius.