Beauty and Betrayal

Chapter 3 The adventure into forever

The fire crackled as Juliette stood just a few feet away from a man she didn't know, but cauldron boil  her she doesn't care at all not one bit. **A week into their trip**, Jude and Cassian were foraging for berries when Jude, her voice soft yet resolute, asked a question that hung in the air. "How did you and Rowan meet?"

As they walked through the quiet woods, Jude cast a curious glance at Cassian, her eyes sparkling with intrigue. "You don't exactly seem like... friends."

Cassian chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "We're not what you'd call friends, at least not in the usual sense." He hesitated for a moment, his expression turning serious. "We met years ago on the battlefield, fighting on opposite sides of a conflict neither of us truly believed in. I was there for a cause, trying to protect something important. Rowan... well, he was a mercenary. No loyalties, no side—just whoever paid him the most."

Jude raised an eyebrow, clearly captivated. "So, how'd you end up working together?"

Cassian's expression darkened as the memory resurfaced. "Things went south fast. Our sides were getting wiped out, and we found ourselves trapped, surrounded by a common enemy. Outnumbered, with no way out." He shrugged, a small smirk playing at his lips. "We didn't have a choice. We fought our way out together, and I have to admit, the bastard's good with a sword."

Jude smiled faintly. "And after that?"

"We realized we made a damn good team. I won't lie; at first, I didn't trust him—still don't entirely. But over time, we built something resembling respect. Rowan's ruthless; he does what needs to be done without hesitation. I don't agree with his methods, but I know I can rely on him in a fight. That's more than I can say for most people."

Jude looked thoughtful for a moment before glancing at Rowan, who was up ahead. "But he's hiding something, isn't he?"

Cassian's jaw clenched, his eyes flicking briefly to Rowan. "Yeah," he said quietly. "He's always been hiding something. Whatever this Prism means to him, it's personal—and dangerous."

Meanwhile, at the camp with Rowan and Juliette, tension simmered in the air. "WOULD YOU STOP CALLING ME THAT?" Juliette screamed at Rowan.

"Is the poor princess angry?" he said, looking down at her with a teasing glint in his eye.

She marched over, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "I don't know why you insist on calling me that, but stop it—or I will make you."

In an instant, he pinned her against a tree, his strength palpable. "Please, princess, I'm not scared of you," Rowan taunted, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "You're almost adorable with how you think you could stop me from doing what I want." He leaned in, his lips hovering just above hers, the electric tension crackling in the air between them.

He tilted his head slightly, his gray eyes darkening with an intensity that sent her heart racing. "There's something about you that makes me want to do things, princess."

Juliette's gaze fell to his lips, her breath catching in her throat. "You said you're not a good man. So why don't you do anything about it?"

Rowan chuckled softly, the sound low and dangerous. "Because, my dear, part of me enjoys the chaos I create. It's easy to say I'm not good, but actually doing something about it would mean facing the consequences, and I'm not ready for that. Maybe there's a part of me that relishes the thrill of being bad, of defying expectations. But you..." He leaned even closer, their breaths mingling, "you're different. You make me question what I want, and I'm not sure I'm ready to let that happen."

"What if I want you to give in?"

Rowan's smirk deepened at her challenge, his eyes glinting with mischief. "What if you want me to give in?" he echoed, his voice a low, sultry whisper that sent a shiver down her spine. "Then I suppose that would complicate things, wouldn't it?"

He leaned back slightly, allowing a teasing distance between them, as if gauging her reaction. "You see, princess, giving in means surrendering control. And for someone like me, that's a dangerous proposition. I thrive on power, on the thrill of taking what I want. But if I were to give in to you, well... you might just find that I'm not as easy to handle as you think."

His gaze intensified, locking onto hers with an intensity that made her pulse quicken. "So, tell me, Juliette—do you truly want me to surrender? Because once I do, there's no going back. I might just discover how much I like being the villain in your story."