Her Assassin's Heart - Book 2

Chapter 37

*Trigger Warning* - I never thought I'd preface one of my chapter with this, but here we are. I wanted to make sure you guys were aware that there's going to be some foul play (i.e. assault) in this chapter. It is disturbing. In fact, I disturbed myself writing it, but it's a part of Cassandra's story, and I couldn't leave it out as it play an important part in a chapter coming up. Well, without further ado. . .
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A shiver, that had nothing to do with the temperature, shook her body. It must be nearing midnight, and the sky would be fiercely dark, but she was blindfolded so her world was black, anyway.

"I had expected something a little more clever." Lord Fulsmith's—the Lord Chancellor's assistant—silky chuckle was like scraping fingernails on pewter, and Cassandra didn't try to veil her disgust. "Did you people really think Granger wouldn't warn me when the one person, who knew our plan, turned out to be alive? I've been waiting for you to show up at my door." Fingers stroked her arm. "I didn't imagine there would be something so. . .enticing involved."

Cassandra jerked away from his touch, eliciting only a laugh from him. She had nothing to say to him—even if she'd been ungagged. In fact, there wasn't much she could do but wait. She had to be on her toes in case a chance to escape presented itself.

The fleeting thought that Nickolas would save her had fled her mind along with the paralyzing grips of fear and despair. Nickolas had no idea how to find her or even where to start looking. She had only herself to rely upon.

She was going to die.

The knowledge had hit her the moment she'd thrown that shoe in a last, desperate attempt at escape. When she'd finally come to her senses in the violently rocking carriage, she'd realized it was the truth.

She'd almost cried at the realization. Honestly, it would have been so much easier to just throw it all down and give up. There wasn't anything she could do, anyway.

Then, in the midst of her near-despondency, her pride kicked in. Maybe this was the end, maybe there would be no 'after' for her, but that didn't mean she had to make it easy for them. Fulsmith could have killed her, but she was still alive. Obviously, there was some reason for that.

Defiance had followed, and when Fulsmith taunted her, her only response was an imperious inclination of her head. She sat with all the regality of a monarch, and next to her, his threats and taunts were cheap. She was a lady of high birth, and he was nothing more than the dirt beneath her feet.

"Don't worry, love. I like my possessions fiery: it gives me so much more entertainment when I'm mastering them." He leaned close, his fingers tracing the neckline of her gown from her bared shoulder to the swell of her breast.

Cassandra pulled away, gagging on his foul breath. Fulsmith was a much older man than she'd anticipated.When Nickolas and Julian had first begun talking about him, she'd imagined a young man in his lates twenties, desperate to prove himself in a harsh world. Instead, she'd been directed to a man in his late forties with unkempt hair, a bulbous nose and extravagantly fine clothes.

As they'd sat at the bar talking, she'd learned very little about him. She knew he felt slighted in some way by the higher powers, and to her surprise, she thought he said something about being dismissed from his prestigious position. Perhaps, that was the reason for his deception and betrayal?

A shout met her ears, and Fulsmith tensed beside her for a brief moment. A swell of hope and excitement flooded her heart. Had Nickolas somehow located her? Was he coming to save her? But no, that was impossible. Fulsmith had told her of the trap he'd set to eliminate Nickolas and Julian. As talented as Nickolas was, even he couldn't survived an explosion of the sort Fulsmith had described.