Novel & Cerita Booktok Cassian

“If it weren’t for you and your fucking savior complex just to humiliate me, nobody would be talking about that.” Cassian doesn’t answer me; I’m not even sure if he hears the words. All I know is that his eyes automatically drop to my bare chest, tracing the muscles of my stomach before his tongue darts out to lick his lips—a quick, completely unconscious movement that he probably doesn’t even realize he does. But I see it. Fucking hell.

Lucian noticed her trembling hand. Without a word, he reached for it. She looked up. “You saw it too?” He nodded. “Yes.” “Who was she?” “I don’t know.” “But she wanted us to see her.” ⸻ Cassian slowly reopened the Book. Every page was blank. Not a single image remained. He turned another page. Nothing. Another. Still nothing. Aurelius frowned. “That’s impossible.” Cassian’s voice was barely above a whisper. “The Book has never hidden its memories.”

A long, heavily muscled arm easily slid the heavy ledger off the high shelf. I gasped, spinning around so quickly that my back slammed right against the hard wood of the bookshelf. It was Cassian. I stared up at him, my heart doing a violent stutter against my ribs. He was dressed completely casually. He wore a loose, simple black shirt with the top few buttons undone, and the long sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing the thick, powerful muscles of his forearms. His dark hair was messy, falling into his eyes as if he had been running his fingers through it.

CASSANDRA’S POV I don’t remember the days I woke up with a smile on my face, not for long. These days am getting too much of habituated to it. Last night I slept talking to Ivan on phone. We spoke about our favourite books. Ivan has a similar taste of books as mine. I like reading from male point of view so that I could understand what men usually think before speaking or doing anything.

Cassie stepped between Aser and Kael so fast that even Kael blinked in surprise. "I’ve been bitten, Kael," Cassie said coldly. "By my father, by my wimp of an ex-husband, and by the boy the Syndicate sent to cause me trouble, and I'm still standing. I know you've seen the numbers I make. That’s profit. That man lost money, and I make money. If the Council cares about strength, they should look at the balance sheet. If they care about bloodlines, well, that’s just a nice way of saying you’re afraid of change."

“I didn’t—” “You implied she was less.” Cassian’s gaze never left mine. “She is more than any of you deserve.” Wife. The word hung in the air like smoke. He called me his wife. Not “the blonde.” Not “the proxy.” Grandma Drevane slammed her poodle-cane down. “Enough! Serve the main course before the bœuf turns to dust.” As servants rushed in with plates of seared wagyu, Cassian finally spoke to me—just three words, so quiet only I could hear:

I nodded and got straight to work diligently checking through every letter of the lists like my life depended on it—heck, my life actually did depend on it. Hope swelled in my heart as I found her name in almost all the books’ list pages. It meant we weren't at a dead end but just as I started flipping through the mentioned page of the first book, Cassian let out a growl. “Shit, what is this?" He hissed and I quickly moved to his side. “Did you find something?" I asked eagerly. Cassian simply raised the book he was reading to me and I instantly frowned. The page he had opened was burnt off.

Ambrose remarked before sticking a cigarette into his mouth. Sharp as a tack, Cassian deftly picked up the lighter on the desk and lit the cigarette for Ambrose, which made him take note of Cassian's quick wit. He inhaled deeply before asking, "Have you read the historical novel, Triumph of the Three States, before, Cassian?" "I have." Cassian was a little perplexed. He wasn't sure why Ambrose had suddenly brought the book up. "In that case, who do you like more, Bowen Lavigne or Cenric Cassidy?" Ambrose followed up with another question, to which Cassian looked even more mystified.

Now the entire kingdom could burn politely without them for a few hours. Adrian shifted slightly, sinking deeper into Cassian’s chest. Cassian immediately adjusted with him, like it was instinct. “Read to me,” Cassian said suddenly. Adrian blinked. “You’re holding a book.” “I know.” “You’re literally reading your own book.” Cassian turned a page without shame. “Yours is more interesting.” Adrian glanced down at the cover of his own book. A ridiculous romance novel he had picked up out of boredom and then never put down.

I clutched my books tighter, kept my eyes on the ground, tried to breathe past the weight pressing down. “You know,” a smooth voice cut through, “the more you hunch like that, the more they’ll eat you alive.” I stopped dead. Cassian leaned lazily against the stone archway leading out of the hall, golden hair catching the lantern light, grin sharp enough to slice. He flicked a coin between his fingers like he had all the time in the world. I tightened my grip on my books. “What do you want?” “Want?” He pushed off the wall, falling into step beside me with too much ease. “Sweetheart, if I wanted anything, you’d already know. I’m offering you something.”