Page 104 of Crushed Vow

He leaned down just enough for his voice to slice the air like a knife.

“You’re only alive because of the promise I made to our mother,” he said. “But keep testing me, and I’ll send you to hell where our father is rotting.”

Luca spat blood, laughing through the agony. “She’ll still be mine,” he rasped. “She’s meant for me. You stole her from me, Cassian. I’ll have her one way or the other. Maybe I’ll fuck her little creamy pussy while you watch.”

Time stopped.

Cassian’s entire body went too still. Not the calm of a man restraining himself. The calm of a storm about to detonate.

His hand slid into his coat pocket, and before I could even process what was happening, he drew his dagger in one swift motion and drove it directly into Luca’s left eye.

I gasped and turned away, a scream breaking out of my throat. But the sound of it—the sound of the blade cracking bone and the howling that followed—haunted the air.

Luca screamed like a wounded animal.

“You knew better,” Cassian said coldly. “I told you not to fuck with me.”

I turned back just in time to see him pull away, the dagger still buried in Luca’s eye socket. Blood soaked his face, his shirt, even his throat. He looked like a monster... a devil drenched in red.

But at least he was a monster who wouldn’t hurt me.

Cassian turned to me, eyes still wild with fury, and took my hand. “Let’s go.”

He led me to the car I’d driven here in, took the keys from my trembling fingers, and slid into the driver’s seat. I sat beside him, stunned into silence.

“Luca has evil plans,” I murmured at last. “Should I be scared?”

Cassian’s expression didn’t change. “No. I’ll always be one step ahead. “But you need to always keep me updated about yourmovements, Charlotte.” His voice wasn’t demanding—it was low, almost pleading.

“I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are.”

“Alright,” I whispered, watching the streaks of crimson still clinging to his jaw. “Is your vision getting better?”

He didn’t answer right away. Just drove, one hand on the wheel, the other twitching slightly at his side.

“I’m allergic to smoke,” he said finally. “You know that. But I ran into the fire to save you.”

I turned my head slowly, eyes narrowing. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I’m suffering the consequences,” he admitted, voice low. “And it’s not just my eyes, Charlotte. It’s more than that.”

My stomach sank. “What else?”

He hesitated so long I thought he wouldn’t answer. Then he gave me a faint, bitter smile. “It won’t matter in the long run.”

“Stop speaking in riddles,” I snapped. “Is it something serious? A health problem? Something you did?”

“Both,” he said simply.

My chest tightened with dread. A million worst-case scenarios flashed through my mind. “Explain.”

He pulled up in front of the house. Didn’t look at me. “We’re not married,” he said, voice almost too calm. “You don’t owe me loyalty. And I don’t owe you the truth.”

I stared at him.

“I can’t marry someone who keeps secrets from me,” I whispered.

He didn’t reply.