"The heck!"
"What's happening now?" Evadne called out, confused, when she heard Casadin curse again while she was in her walk-in closet.
She peeked out from the doorway and saw shirtless Casadin in the middle of her room, trying... and failing... to zip his pants.
"My pants are tight," Casadin said.
"What's new about that? You always like your pants tight," Evadne replied, frowning as she stepped out of the closet.
"Princess, I mean tight tight. Like I can't fucking zip it tight." He kept bouncing lightly on his feet, sucking in his stomach and holding his breath.
Evadne straightened abruptly and walked over to him.
Now that she was closer, she finally saw it... the fabric across his hips looked like it was seconds away from splitting. This wasn't his usual fitted look. His pants looked dangerous.
"Isn't that the same pair you were wearing when you came here?" Evadne asked, trying to help while still looking stunned.
"Yes. And it was fine. You even pulled it off me perfectly earlier, remember?" he added, tone turning teasing.
Evadne's cheeks heated instantly.
"You can't even zip your pants and your mind is still in the gutter," she complained, glaring at him. "And can you stop jumping?"
Casadin obediently stopped hopping in place.
"Hold your breath," Evadne said.
He did as told, chest expanding... and instead of pulling his zipper up, Evadne got distracted. Her gaze dropped. His abs looked more defined than usual… and without thinking, she flattened her palm against his stomach, fingers tracing the ridges.
"Princess, between the two of us, remind me... who's horny again?" Casadin arched a brow at her, though there was laughter in his eyes. He was clearly very willing to drag her back to bed instead of going out to greet their new neighbor.
"Oh my gosh… now I know what it is," Evadne said suddenly, her playful expression fading into something more serious.
"What is what?" Casadin asked, now genuinely worried.
"I've had this gut feeling since earlier that something was different about you. I just couldn't pinpoint it. Now... aside from that wing tattoo on your back... I am very sure you physically grew," Evadne said.
"Princess, I always grow. Especially when you touch me. Look, it's growing now," he said, and true enough, an obvious bulge was beginning to push against the already-strained zipper, making the tightness even more unbearable.
"Aghhh, be serious," she scolded, pinching his side lightly. "I'm talking about your entire physique, okay? Not just that part. You're taller. Your muscles feel firmer than before and lastly..." she pointed at his abs one by one, tapping each ridge, "you have eight-pack abs now."
"What the heck…" Casadin finally realized what she meant. Just to be sure, he grabbed his polo shirt and pulled it on. Like his pants, it was suddenly too snug... he could button it up, but one deep breath would probably send the buttons flying.
"What the heck!" he repeated, louder.
Even through her surprise, Evadne couldn't help licking her lips. Her mouth had gone a little dry staring at his newly sharpened lines and enhanced build.
"Well… I'm not going to complain," she admitted with a slow smile, biting her lower lip without shame. "You look more appetizing now than before."
"Princess, stop looking at me like that," Casadin groaned. "You know your bed is just two steps away from where we're standing."
"Is that a challenge?" Evadne asked, voice turning soft and teasing as she stepped even closer. She set both hands firmly on his now-firmer chest and tilted her chin up, that familiar fire burning bright in her eyes.
"Young Miss…"
Horace's voice from outside Evadne's door cut clean through whatever Casadin had been about to say.
Evadne gave Casadin a little push, rolled her eyes at him with a mischievous smile, then walked toward the door to unlock it.
Casadin quickly turned his back to the entrance so Horace wouldn't notice his unzipped pants. From behind, with the shirt on, he looked more or less presentable... even if every stitch was working overtime.
The Monteverde staff were already used to finding Casadin inside Evadne's room... it was nothing new to Horace. After all, Casadin is her best friend, and Hades knew perfectly well that he came and went from her room freely. Most of the time, both Hades and Casadin entered this room together.
"The food you asked the kitchen to prepare to bring to the new neighbors is ready," Horace said with a respectful, doting smile.
"Thank you, Horace," Evadne replied, smiling back. "By the way, do you know why the Daltons sold their villa?"
"I heard from one of the Dalton staff that the eldest Dalton daughter is marrying into the Lambert family from California," Horace explained. "They're old money, under the influence of the Heavensblade clan. As far as I know, any family that joins the Heavensblade clan has to offer a tribute to the main family. So the Daltons gave their villa."
"Thank you, Horace. We'll go down later," Evadne said.
Horace bowed his head slightly and left.
Evadne closed the door, though this time she didn't lock it. It wasn't as if any of the staff would just barge into her room without knocking and asking permission.
She walked back to where Casadin stood and took his hand, leading him toward the still-closed veranda doors.
"So tell me," she said, stopping in front of them, "how did you see Michael looking in this direction from this distance?"
"Using my own eyes, Princess," Casadin said, brows drawing together. He genuinely didn't understand why she was asking.
"Look again, Cas." Evadne opened the doors and pointed out toward the Dalton villa.
Still frowning, Casadin followed her line of sight... toward the exact balcony where he had seen Michael standing earlier, staring in the direction of Evadne's room.
He didn't yet grasp what was wrong with that picture.
Evadne just watched him quietly, giving him time to realize it.
"What the fuck…" Casadin's eyes widened, and he turned to her in disbelief. "How am I seeing the Dalton villa clearly from this distance?"
"Exactly," Evadne said softly.
The Dalton villa might be the neighboring property, but it was still far enough that no normal human should be able to see anyone's face clearly from here.
"Princess, what's happening to me?" Casadin asked, actually stepping back from the veranda as if the view itself unnerved him.
"I don't know," Evadne replied. "You're the one who should know what's happening to your own body. Can't you feel the changes at all?"
Casadin dropped down onto the lounge chair, still shaken.
"I don't feel anything changing in me. Like, seriously," he said. Then suddenly he looked up at her, something clicking behind his eyes. "Wait… I think it's because of what you did earlier, Princess."
Now it was Evadne's turn to frown. She sat beside him.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"The only time I felt something strange in my body was when you bit me earlier," Casadin said.
And just like that, the memory slammed into her.
"Wait. Why did I bite you?" Evadne asked, genuinely baffled.
"I don't know. You tell me." Casadin stared at her. "You weren't aware of what you were doing?"
Evadne shook her head.
"I think I blacked out," she said quietly.
"You blacked out?" he repeated, stunned, and she nodded.
"I remember smelling something so… appetizing," she said slowly, trying to piece it together. "And when I realized it was coming from you, I blacked out. When I came back to my senses, your neck was already bleeding… and then you attacked me." She gave him a look. "And let me tell you, Mister... you were really rough. Like you hadn't had sex in a year."
"Well, in my defense, it's been ten days since we last did it," Casadin replied with a smirk, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Shut up," Evadne muttered, but her cheeks were already turning pink.
Then worry replaced the flush as she remembered the bite itself.
"Let me check your neck. We forgot to clean the puncture," she said.
She shifted, half kneeling on the lounge chair so she could get a good look. When she brushed the collar of his shirt aside and saw the skin of his neck, she gasped softly.
There was no bloody wound. No torn flesh. Instead, in the place where her fangs had sunk in, there was now a mark. Not a bruise, not a scar... something that looked like ink but wasn't quite a tattoo either. A tribal-like design shaped into a heart wreathed in stylized flames, its lines clean and dark against his skin.
Without thinking, she reached out and brushed her fingers over it.
Casadin hissed under his breath, his grip tightening on her thigh.
"Does it hurt?" she asked quickly, snatching her hand away.
"No," he said, voice rougher. "It's… sensitive. It feels warm." He tilted his head back, arms sliding around her waist as he looked up at her. "Did it get infected? I forgot to check it in the mirror earlier."
"No. There's no wound," Evadne said, still staring. She grabbed her phone, angled it carefully, and took a picture. "Just this mark."
She handed him the phone. Casadin stared at the image of his own neck, disbelief etched across his face.
"What is happening?" he asked quietly.
"What happened to me when I bit you?" Evadne countered, needing his side of it.
"Your eyes changed," Casadin said, dragging his gaze back to her. "They dilated and then turned… different. Like in those fantasy movies... dragon-like. Gold, with slit pupils. And your four canines turned into razor-sharp fangs." He touched his neck where the mark was, as if half expecting it to sting. "Then you bit me. You drank my blood. But while you were doing that, it felt like you were also pushing something into my veins… like a snake injecting venom when it bites."
He paused, remembering the sensation vividly.
"I felt that warmth spreading through me," he continued. "Then I literally felt my heart stop for a beat... just one. And when it started again, I'm sure it wasn't beating on its own anymore. It was beating in sync with yours."
Casadin took both of Evadne's hands and guided them... one over his heart, the other over hers.
For a moment, they simply sat there, listening.
They felt it at the same time.
Their hearts were beating in perfect sync.
Evadne's breath caught. The rhythm was unmistakable... one steady, shared pulse, like their bodies had quietly agreed to move as one.
Casadin exhaled slowly, then pulled her fully into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his voice low against her ear.
"And earlier… when I 'attacked' you," he admitted, "I kind of lost control."
Evadne stilled.
"There was this voice in my head," Casadin continued, brows drawing together as he tried to put it into words. "Screaming at me. It was so loud I couldn't ignore it. It kept demanding that I claim you. That you're mine. That you're my soul mate."
Evadne's eyes widened and she turned her head, looking at him over her shoulder.
"And I was rough," Casadin said, guilt and wonder tangled together in his tone, "because everything in me was… magnified. The need, the want, the pleasure. It's like I could feel what you were feeling too. Like your pleasure was echoing in my veins. I don't know how else to explain it."
"I understand," Evadne said softly.
He searched her face, trying to see if she was just comforting him, afraid she might be saying what she thought he wanted to hear. But her eyes were clear, steady, and honest... like they always were.
"I felt it too," she admitted. "Like I couldn't get enough of you. Like I wanted to mold our bodies into one and never let go."
"Yes," Casadin breathed, a slow smile spreading across his lips. "That. Exactly that."
He lifted a hand and threaded his fingers into her hair, gently angling her face toward his. Then he kissed her... fiercely, without hesitation.
They both felt it the moment their lips met.
Not just sparks.
Fire.
It was as if something ignited between them, burning hot and bright, as though there were actual flames licking at the edges of their connection, threatening to consume them whole.
And then Evadne heard it.
A voice in her mind... one that sounded like Casadin, but older somehow. Deeper. Ancient. Like an echo from another lifetime.
Mate.
With that single word, their kiss grew hotter, more desperate. Evadne shifted on his lap, straddling him fully without breaking the kiss, her fingers threading into his hair as if anchoring herself. They only pulled apart when breathing became absolutely necessary, foreheads pressed together as they caught their breath and laughed softly at the same time.
"I love you so much, Princess," Casadin murmured, brushing soft, lingering kisses over her lips now... gentler, reverent.
"And I love you too," Evadne replied, holding his gaze with a smirk curving her mouth. "My mate."
The word was a claim. A seal. And the moment it left her lips, something deep inside both of them settled, clicked into place... as if the world itself had shifted just a little to make room for what they were.
Any thought of going downstairs to the kitchen... or of being polite, sensible neighbors... vanished completely.
Casadin rose in one smooth motion, lifting her easily in his arms, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. He carried her back to the bed and lay her down, following her onto the mattress, their bodies already reaching for each other with newfound urgency.
This time, everything felt even more heightened.
Every touch.
Every kiss.
Every sigh.
His pleasure bleeding into hers, hers into his.
They were attuned to each other in a way that felt almost unreal. The mate bond hummed between them... constant, electric... making every shared breath feel like too much and not enough at the same time.
It quickly became a battle to control their sounds, to muffle their moans and gasps as pleasure built again and again. But even trying to be quiet, their voices still slipped out, filling the room in broken whispers and breathless cries long before lunchtime ever came.