Everly's face lit up with a radiance that could have powered a small city, a beatific, terrifying grin that promised glorious, unadulterated mayhem.
She launched herself at Cassian, wrapping her arms around his torso with the force of a small, delighted cannonball.
The hug was so ferociously tight that for a split second, Cassian, who had faced down rival families and cold-blooded assassins without a flicker of an eyelid, genuinely felt his internal organs consider staging a mass exodus.
"Aww, my sweet, murderous baby deer darling, you are simply the best!" she squealed, her voice muffled against the expensive fabric of his suit. "You've given me a license to maim! A permit to pummel! All the scheming harpies of the world are now my personal collection of stress toys to cure my boredom~"
She buried her face in his chest, inhaling his scent of cold spice and absolute power, a wave of pure, giddy triumph washing over her.
