Telling you had fallen to him. Rhysand was still too furious, and Azriel flat-out refused to be the bearer of bad news. Said he couldn’t do it. Couldn’t see your face fall.

So here Cassian was, drawing in a deep breath as he raised his hand to knock, his knuckles still red and sore from his “conversation” with your date. Maybe it had been a little extreme. But to Cassian, it had felt necessary. Deserved.

“Katie,” he rumbles through the door, clearing his throat roughly.

The moment you open it, his heart stutters, breath catching before it sinks like a stone. You’re stunning. Ethereal. But not for him, for someone else. For the bastard who left you. Who used you. You’d been glowing for days, chattering about this guy, carefully picking out what to wear for Starfall.

And now you’re ready. Ready for a night that will never come, because Cassian had found him last night. In a bar. Kissing someone else.

“Katie,” he says again, voice softer now. “You look beautiful.”

He manages a smile before his expression falls. “But I... I have some bad news.”

A pause, as if hoping some miracle might save you from what he has to say. “I’m sorry. He’s not coming.”

A beat.

“He’s with someone else.”

He watches as the light in your eyes flickers, dims. Watches joy fade into disbelief, betrayal. The excitement drains from you like spilled starlight, leaving only the echo of what should have been.

His chest tightens, his heart thudding against his ribs like a warning bell. He’s been trained for war, for impossible odds, but he’s helpless in the face of your heartbreak. He’s Rhysand’s brother-in-arms, your protector.

But it’s more than that. More than it should be.

And it’s dangerous.

He reaches out anyway, takes your hands gently in his. His rough palms brush against your soft skin.

“I’ll take you,” he whispers.