Cassian caught the shift in her expression immediately and shifted his grip, pulling her firmly against his chest, wrapping his arms around her body to provide a solid wall of warmth and safety.
Cixi buried her face in the crook of his neck, looping her arms around his shoulders and clinging to him as the steady scent of him grounded her senses. They remained quiet in that embrace until her ragged breathing smoothed out and she regained control of her emotions.
"Tell me about those three who came after you at the stadium," Cassian spoke in his low and velvet voice against her ear.
Every muscle in Cixi's body snapped to high alert.
"What are you hiding from me, Cig?" He ran a hand slowly up the line of her spine, feeling the sudden tension in her frame. "Why are you trying so hard to protect them? You know very well I can drag them into a cell and force every truth from their throats."
Cixi went rigid as stone in his lap, her breath catching in her throat.
