Chapter 79

Chapter 79 Complicated mystery

CA SSANDRA

Though we managed to untangle from one another and separate just in time for the prince to enter the room, I could tell the boy wasn’t happy to see me as he ran to his father. I could pretend our moment hadn’t happened, but it was clear that Marco suspected at least something. The prince’s eyes narrowed as they fell on me, and I did my best to smile and remain calm.

“What are you doing?” he demanded and he glanced between Asher and me. “Why wouldn’t the guard let me in right away?”

“What we’re doing is none of your business,” Asher said firmly, and then he raised his chin. “Besides, Marco, I’ve told you countless times before. I didn’t hear a knock. It’s impolite to enter anyone’s room without express permission. You didn’t wait for me to reply.”

The young prince’s eyes dropped to the ground and he audibly gulped.

“Sorry, Daddy,” he murmured.

“Now, why are you here?” Asher asked directly.

Marco raised his gaze and peeked at me. His cheeks darkened he gulped again. He clearly wasn’t about to say anything, not with me around.

It was definitely time for me to leave.

I straightened myself out and then presented the Alpha King with a polite bow of respect.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Your Majesty,” I said in my most professional tone. “For the health check, of course.”

“Of course,” Asher replied, and after we exchanged a brief look, I took a breath

and then headed toward the chamber door. With every step, my b*dy shook, but I managed to step out of the room just in time.

As the doors closed behind me, I could hear Asher’s voice, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. The guards allowed me to pa*s, and for a moment, I considered lingering, but decided it was time for me to go back to my own room. I’d been in the king’s chamber for far too long already.

On my way there, I remembered Asher’s mark and found myself at a crossroads. It was probably best to go straight to my own room, but I was too worried to just go to sleep. So, I decided to make my way downstairs to the lab.

Since it was so late, there were no people on the stairs, which meant I could sl*p around undetected. Technically, I was still under confinement, or at least I a*sumed I was, but I needed to do some reading before I could rest.

knew I was likely overreacting to the mark, but I couldn’t be too safe.

As I walked down the hall, the events of the last ten minutes raced through my mind.

The k*ss.

The bed.

Everything about it was so intense.

Not to mention that all of that had been done completely sober.

My b*dy shuddered as I remembered Asher’s hand on my thigh, the way he pulled my hair, and the way he’d bitten my l*p.

I had just vowed to myself that I would be more careful and that I’d stay away from trouble, but it seemed that no matter how much I tried, I just sank deeper and deeper. There was no getting away from it, no matter how much I wanted to.

As images of Asher danced in my head, I reached the lab, and when I opened the door, I was surprised to see Becky there.

“Ca ssandra?” she greeted me in surprise, and then she rushed over to me. She pulled me into a tight hug and then squeezed. “Oh, Ca ssy, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

She pulled away and then frowned. “Are you… in pajamas?”

I suddenly became very aware of my attire and heat spread to my cheeks. I hadn’t even realized I was still in such a casual state of undress.

day.”

“Oops,” I remarked and I crossed my arms against my chest. “I… it’s been a long

“Don’t worry about it,” Becky said with a smirk, and then she tilted her head. slightly. “What are you doing down here?”

“I’ve got a lot on my mind,” I explained. “Thank you for taking care of the guards. The Alpha King told me you did a great job.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” my a*sistant said. “It was simple.”

“Still, it means a lot,” I replied. “Thank you,”

I walked over to my desk and took a seat. As I started to look over my papers, Becky approached.

“Ca ssy, I found something else when I tested the venom,” she revealed. “Some of the snakes we found in the basement seemed to be like the vipers that had appeared in the garden, but a few were different.”

“Did you find Udosyn in any of them?” I wondered.

Becky nodded.

So, my a*sumption was correct. The bottles I’d seen on the tables had in fact. been poisons and the mysterious man who’d attacked me was using them to change the venom of the vipers.

“That’s good to know,” I said, and then I took a good look at my a*sistant. She seemed pretty exhausted. “Becky, why don’t you go get some rest? I’ll handle

things from here.”

She seemed like she wanted to fight and continue working, but she took a moment and then nodded.

“Okay,” she said. “But don’t be up too late, Ca ssy. You need to take care of yourself. And besides, you Adalyn might come back-”

“I don’t think so,” I said with a small laugh. “She might not be the brightest, but I think she knows better than to mess with the lab anymore.”

“True,” Becky agreed, and after she smiled, she left the lab. Once she was gone, I took a look at the notes she’d made about the venoms.

From what I gathered in the notes, there were only two types of vipers but many kinds of unknown venoms, as I gathered from the question marks Becky had written beside them. Had the snakes been tested in any sort of way? Did certain

poisons work better in different snakes? What was the meaning of it all?

This was all still such a mystery.

Who was the man? And how had he managed to clear out every trace of evidence before we’d arrived down in the basement? What had he wanted with me?

He seemed like he was going to take me with him, but what would have happened after that? Was he going to kill me?

Asher said that it would be difficult to track the man since it wasn’t clear where he’d gone. The hidden door had led out to the sewers. Where would he have gone. from there?

Though none of this made any sense right now, I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, a hunch that we were getting closer and closer to the truth.

Hidden pa*sages, mysterious men, poison-carrying vipers… this was like. something out of a twisted fairytale.

As I examined the notes and the data analyses from the snakes, a chill ran through me. Whatever the truth was, it was likely complicated, horrible even. This

situation was dangerous, probably more so than any of us were ready for.