Asher pov
Jealousy was a poison I hadn't tasted in years. I thought I was immune to it, too hardened, too disciplined to let something as human as that crawl under my skin. But then I saw him.
The leader of the Ravens. Cassian.
Tall, sharp-eyed, carrying himself like he owned every shadow in the room. He stood too close to Rose, close enough that I noticed the way her shoulders relaxed around him—something I hadn't seen before. They spoke in low tones, voices meant only for each other, and every quiet laugh she gave him felt like a knife pressed between my ribs.
I shouldn't care. She wasn't mine. She would never be mine. Rose Varela was fire, steel, and blood, and men like me weren't supposed to want women like her. We were supposed to destroy them, or at the very least, resist them.
But every time her hand brushed his arm, every time he leaned closer, I wanted to drag her away from him, pin her against the wall, and remind her who she belongs to. Hell, she wasn't mine either, and still the thought of her with him made my skin burn.
Rose turned then, her eyes catching mine from across the table. That single look rooted me in place. She knew. Of course she knew. Rose Varela always knew.
Her lips curved in the faintest smirk before she turned back to her so-called ally. That smile wasn't for him—it was for me. A deliberate provocation. A reminder that she was in control, that she could twist me in knots if she wanted, and that I would let her.
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to breathe evenly. This wasn't the time to lose focus. Adrian was still out there, gathering strength. The Serpents wouldn't stop until they'd gutted her empire and burned the rest of us down with it. And yet, instead of thinking about strategy or survival, all I could think about was Rose's laughter lingering in the air like smoke.
When the meeting broke, I caught her alone in the corridor. She leaned casually against the wall, the low light painting her in shadows and flame.
"Detective King," she purred, her tone mocking and intimate at once. "You looked… distracted."
I stepped closer, too close, my control fraying at the edges. "Maybe I don't like the way he looks at you."
Her brows arched, dark eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Jealousy, Asher? That's dangerous. Especially for a man like you."
I held her gaze, refusing to flinch. "Maybe I don't care if it's dangerous." she smirks
The silence between us thickened, charged. For a moment, the world outside—the wars, the alliances, Adrian's looming shadow—faded into nothing. There was only her, and the way she tilted her head, studying me as if deciding whether to draw blood or grant mercy.
Finally, she pushed off the wall, brushing past me so close that her shoulder grazed mine. Her lips ghosted near my ear as she whispered, "Careful, Asher. Keep looking at me like that, and you'll forget which side you're on."
The scent of her lingered as she walked away, leaving me in the dark with my pulse hammering and a truth I could no longer deny: I was already forgetting.
I had long forgotten.