Their Fireheart

Chapter Fifteen

Cassian

The sharp pounding against the wooden door reverberated through the small apartment, and I honed in on the entryway, narrowing my eyes as the scent of the male I now knew had once been my mate's lover filtered under the door. Inhaling sharply, I fought to control the rage bubbling in my gut.

I'd already been fighting a losing battle against my agonized terror after hearing everything Aelin had endured while we were apart - all while believing that her fate was sealed. The fact that she was still alive and whole was a miracle in itself, and all I wanted to do was wrap her in cotton wool and keep her locked away from the world - safe, secure and well-fucked - for the rest of her long life.

Not that Aelin would ever allow that, but it was a nice thought.

Still, after hearing about all the risks she'd taken, all the threats she was still facing ... my primal beast was entirely too on edge. Learning about this Captain could not have come at a worse time.

Was it rational to be filled with seething jealousy at the mere mention of another male who'd been romantically involved with my mate?

Absolutely not.

Did I care?

Not at all.

Aelin was ours, and I'd be tempted to murder any male who even thought about her in that way, let alone one who'd acted upon it.

The worst of it all though, was Aelin's face when she revealed what that useless fucker had called her.

A monster.

He had called my mate a monster.

And on some level, she had believed him.

My exquisite, selfless, flawless mate had believed that there was a part of herself, no matter how small, that was inherently monstrous. It was unacceptable.

I was aware enough to realize that it wasn't wholly the Captain's fault, but it was because of men like him. Weak-minded, sniveling fools who couldn't see the magnificent female beneath her facade of power. All they saw was the threat she posed, the destruction she could wreak.

And she was powerful. She was a threat.

But more important than that was every single other way she was absolutely incredible. All it took was a peak behind the curtain shrouding Aelin's true nature, and it was obvious that she was utterly remarkable.

And still, it barely scratched the surface of her full, uncensored story.

A child of a brutal war, she'd been orphaned at only eight to then be raised under the regime of a brutal assassin king. She'd earned her freedom only to be thrown into slavery and was then forced to serve the tyrant responsible for the decimation of her kingdom, her family. Lost loved one after loved one to brutal, vicious violence while the gods conspired to make her a pawn in yet another conflict.

Despite all of this, she hadn't lost her inner fire. Not only was she the strongest, most magnificent individual I'd ever encountered, but she still cared so cauldron-damned much. Still fought for the repressed, to protect the innocent, to save everyone other than herself. Was somehow still compassionate, warm and free-spirited.

She was the furthest thing from a fucking monster.

So while I still wanted to remove any body part of his that had seen, touched or tasted my mate intimately, it was that word that had solidified the soon-to-be-dead Captain's fate.

Although maybe I'll remove those body parts first ... just to be thorough.

I'm torn from my cheerful thoughts of death and dismemberment by my mate's small hand pressing into my chest. I look down, blinking when I realize I'm only a few feet from the front door. I hadn't even realized it, but I'd started walking towards the foul stench of the human, subconsciously intent on enacting my bloody promises.