Beauty and the Don

Awakening

— CASSIAN

Pain woke me.

Sharp. Familiar. The kind that told me I'd been stupid enough to tear stitches again.

Worth it.

I forced my eyes open. White ceiling. Sterile smell. Private recovery room at the estate's medical wing. Better than a hospital. Fewer questions. Fewer witnesses.

"You're awake." Nic's voice came from my left.

I turned my head. Mistake. Everything hurt.

"How long?" My voice was gravel.

"Eighteen hours. You coded twice on the table."

Eighteen hours. Too long. Anything could have happened in eighteen hours.

"Where is she?" I demanded.

Nic's expression went carefully blank. "Who?"

"Don't play stupid. The girl. Mara. Where is she?"

He exchanged a glance with someone behind him. Dr. Chen stepped into view, checking monitors with professional detachment.

"Mr. Rourke, you need to rest," Chen said. "Your body has been through significant trauma."

"I don't care. Where. Is. She."

"Cassian." Nic leaned forward. "You need to focus on healing. The girl is fine."

"That's not what I asked."

Silence.

Too long.

I tried to sit up. White-hot agony lanced through my abdomen. Chen moved to stop me. I shoved him back.

"Where is she?" The words came out lethal.

"Your mother has her," Nic said quietly.

Everything went cold.

"My mother."

"She arrived while you were in surgery. Said she was taking over the situation."

"And you let her?"

"You were unconscious. Bleeding out. I was trying to keep you alive."

Fair. But that didn't make it better.

My mother. The woman who'd taught me that love was weakness and mercy was death. The woman who'd smiled when my sister overdosed and said it was natural selection.

She had Mara.

"Get her back," I said.

"Cass, I don't think that's—"

"I don't care what you think." I ripped out the IV. Chen protested. I ignored him. "Bring Mara to me. Now."

"Your mother won't allow it."

"My mother doesn't give orders in my house."

"This is her house too," Nic said carefully. "She funded the rebuild after the fire. Technically, she owns half of Ashgrave."

Technically. That word again.

I swung my legs off the bed. The world tilted. I gritted my teeth, forced myself to stand.

"Boss, you're going to collapse," Nic said.

"Then catch me." I took a step. Then another. Each one felt like dying. "Where in the estate is she?"

"East wing. Your mother's territory."

Of course she was.

"Get me a phone."

Nic handed one over. I dialed the number I'd memorized years ago and never wanted to use again.

She answered on the third ring.

"Cassian. I heard you were awake." My mother's voice was silk over ice. "How are you feeling?"

"Where is she?"

"The girl? Safe. You're welcome, by the way. Your men were careless. I had to intervene."

"You had no right."

"I had every right. She's a liability. A witness. You should have eliminated her the moment you woke up."

"Bring her to me."

"No."

The single word hung between us.

"Mother. I'm not asking."

"Neither am I." Her voice sharpened. "You're weak, Cassian. Sentimental. That girl has made you soft. I won't allow it."

"She's under my protection."

"She's a threat. And threats get neutralized."

My blood turned to ice. "If you touch her—"

"You'll what? You can barely stand. You're in no position to make threats."

She was right. I hated that she was right.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"For you to remember who you are. A Rourke. A predator. Not some lovesick fool."

"I'm not—"

"You nearly died for her, Cassian. You tore your stitches running into danger to protect a woman you barely know. That's not pragmatism. That's obsession."

Maybe it was.

Probably it was.

But I didn't care.

"Let me see her," I said.

"Why?"

"Because I need to know she's alive."

Silence on the other end. I could almost hear her thinking. Calculating.

"Fine," she said finally. "But understand this, Cassian. That girl is mine now. Not yours. Mine. And I will do with her what's necessary to keep this family safe."

"She's not—"

The line went dead.

I stood there, phone pressed to my ear, rage and fear warring in my chest.

Nic watched me carefully. "What did she say?"

"That Mara's hers now."

"And?"

"And I'm going to get her back."

"How? You can barely walk."

"Then I'll crawl."

I moved toward the door. Each step was agony. I didn't care. I'd torn myself apart before. I could do it again.

Nic caught my arm. "Cassian. Stop. Think about this."

"I am thinking."

"No. You're reacting. There's a difference." He pulled me around to face him. "Your mother is dangerous. She's already proven she'll go over your head. If you go charging in there half-dead, she'll use it against you."

"I don't care."

"You should. Because if she sees how much you care about that girl, she'll hurt her just to prove a point."

He was right.

Goddamn it, he was right.

I leaned against the wall. Breathed through the pain.

"So what do I do?" I asked quietly.

"You heal. You get strong. And then you take back control."

"And in the meantime?"

"In the meantime, I'll keep eyes on her. Make sure your mother doesn't do anything... permanent."

It wasn't enough.

But it was all I had.

"Fine." I straightened. Forced myself to look steady even though everything hurt. "But the second I can walk without collapsing, I'm going to the east wing."

"I know."

"And when I get there, I'm bringing Mara back."

"I know that too."

We stood there in silence.

Then Nic spoke again. Carefully. "Cass. Can I ask you something?"

"No."

"Why her? What makes this girl worth dying for?"

Good question.

I didn't have an answer.

Not one that made sense.

All I knew was that when she'd knelt in the snow and pressed her warm hands against my wounds, something in me had shifted. Cracked. Opened.

And now I couldn't close it.

"She saved me," I said finally.

"Lots of people have saved you. You never kept them."

"This is different."

"How?"

I met his eyes. "She looked at me like I was human. Not a monster. Not a weapon. Human."

Nic's expression softened. "And that's enough?"

"It has to be."

Because if it wasn't—if I examined too closely why the thought of losing her made my chest constrict and my hands shake—I might discover something I wasn't ready to face.

The door opened. Dr. Chen returned, flanked by two nurses.

"Mr. Rourke, you need to get back in bed," he said firmly.

"I need to—"

"You need to heal. Or you'll be useless to everyone. Including her."

The truth of it hit hard.

I let them guide me back to the bed. Let them reconnect the IV. Let them give me something for the pain.

But as the drugs pulled me under, I kept thinking about her.

Mara.

Alone in the east wing.

With my mother.

* * *

I woke to shouting.

Muffled. Distant. But unmistakably my mother's voice.

I forced myself upright. The drugs had dulled the pain but not eliminated it. Everything still hurt. I didn't care.

I stood. Steadier this time. The IV was gone. Someone had replaced it with bandages and prayer.

I found clothes. Dressed slowly. Each movement deliberate.

Then I walked.

Out of the medical wing. Through the halls of Ashgrave. Past servants who averted their eyes. Past guards who snapped to attention.

To the east wing.

The shouting grew louder.

"I don't care what he said!" My mother's voice. Sharp. Angry. "That girl is a liability. We should eliminate her now."

A man's voice. One of her advisors. "But Cassian ordered—"

"Cassian is weak. Compromised. I'm making the decisions now."

I stopped outside the door. Listened.

"What if he fights us?" the advisor asked.

"Then we remind him who he is. A Rourke. And Rourkes don't let emotions cloud judgment."

"And the girl?"

"She dies. Tonight."

No.

I shoved the door open.

Four people stood around my mother's desk. They all turned. Shock registered on every face except hers.

"Cassian." She smiled. Cold. Calculating. "You should be resting."

"You're not killing her," I said.

"I wasn't asking permission."

"Neither was I." I moved closer. Pain radiated with each step. I didn't let it show. "She's mine. You don't touch her."

"She's a witness."

"She's under my protection."

"Your protection is worthless. You're barely standing."

"Then test me. See how worthless it is."

We stared at each other. Mother and son. Predator and predator.

"Why?" she asked finally. "Why risk everything for a girl you don't even know?"

"Because she saved me."

"So? Kill her and be done with it. Clean up the mess before it becomes a problem."

"No."

"Cassian—"

"I said no." My voice went cold. Dead. The tone I used when I wanted people to understand I was serious. "She lives. In this house. Under my protection. And if anyone—anyone—tries to hurt her, they'll answer to me."

"Even if it means war?"

"Even then."

My mother studied me. Looking for weakness. Finding none.

"You're making a mistake," she said.

"Probably. But it's my mistake to make."

Silence.

Then she laughed. It was a hollow sound.

"Fine. Keep your pet. But when she betrays you—and she will—don't come crying to me."

"I won't."

She waved a hand. Dismissal. "Get out. All of you."

The advisors scattered.

I didn't move.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Upper floor. Third door on the left."

"If she's hurt—"

"She's fine. Untouched. I may be cruel, Cassian, but I'm not stupid. I knew you'd come for her eventually."

I turned to leave.

"Cassian."

I looked back.

"That girl will be your downfall," my mother said quietly. "I can see it already."

"Maybe."

"And you don't care?"

I thought about Mara's dark eyes. Her warm hands. The way she'd stayed when any sane person would have run.

"No," I said. "I don't."

Then I left.

* * *

I found the room.

Third door on the left.

Locked.

Of course it was locked.

I pulled out my phone. Texted Nic for the code.

He replied instantly. As if he'd been waiting.

I entered the code. The lock clicked.

I pushed the door open.

Candlelight flooded out. Warm. Soft. At odds with everything else in this house.

And there, in the center of the room, was Mara.

Alive.

Breathing.

Safe.

She turned at the sound. Saw me.

Her eyes went wide.

"You," she whispered.

"Me."

We stared at each other.

Then she spoke again. Quiet. Fierce.

"Then she lives here."