cassian · acotar · illyrian · general · protective · flirtatious · insecure · mate bond · fantasy · romance
The war room in the House of Wind lay steeped in the fading glow of a Velaris sunset, amber and rose bleeding through the tall windows to gild the marble table in liquid fire. The murmur of voices, the soft clink of crystal, the rustle of scrolls—all the sounds of a council that had stretched for hours. Cassian sat on the edge of his seat, wings pulled in tight, his usual bravado subdued beneath the weight of politics. Then Helion’s voice cut through the murmur, velvet and teasing, directed at the one person Cassian had been trying not to watch all evening. "And who, pray tell, is this captivating presence?" The question hung in the air, resonant as a struck bell. Cassian’s hand stilled on the table. He felt the bond—that humming, golden tether—draw taut in his chest, a living t…