Cassian's POV
I never thought her name would taste like blood in my mouth.
“Aria.”
She turned fast, eyes wide, lips still shaking. Kael’s hand dropped to his side, but I’d already seen it. His fingers had been on her. On my Aria.
Everything inside me went silent first...the kind of silence that comes right before something explodes.
I took one step forward. My voice came out low, steady, but I could feel the tremor behind it.
“What the hell was that?”
She froze. Her eyes darted between me and Kael, panic spreading across her face. “Cassian, it’s not what it looks like. He...he kissed me. I didn’t...”
But I wasn’t even hearing her. My blood was pounding too loud in my ears. My chest felt tight, like I’d been punched straight through.
Kael didn’t move. His jaw was tense, his hands i
