Page 26 of Caution

Right?

“You’re still adjusting,” Cassius spoke up, in this soothing tone that instantly calmed the anxiety creeping up my spine. “And you’re tired. With rest, you’ll have more control.”

He didn’t wait on me to reply.

I blinked, and he was in front of me, undressing me.

As if he weren’t a stranger.

He’s not a stranger.

“I’m not a stranger.”

That time, the assurance was in my head.

And it was in his touch.

The way he ever-so-gently stripped me down to bare skin and carried me into the bathroom to a massive claw-foot tub. Filled with…red.

Not blood, I quickly, relievedly realized.

There was hibiscus floating in the water, which would explain the color.

He didn’t say anything, just slipped me into the water, way deeper than it looked from the surface. The steamy, floral-scented bath embraced me as I fully submerged, penetrating my skin and washing away any tension.

When I surfaced, hot rivulets of water ran down my face, momentarily blinding me. Still, I was somehow… grounded. I felt behind me, finding a molded seat in the side of the tub and planting myself there, then using my palms to clear the water from my eyes.

I was alone.

Surprisingly.

… Disappointingly.

I spotted products—botanical soaps and shampoos—nearby, so I busied myself with those, letting the herbal properties seep into me and wash away the day. Warm, oversized towels were in arms reach as well, and when I was done with those, a robe.

Everything perfectly laid out.

Too convenient, honestly.

“Or are you just paranoid?”

Immediately, the intrusion of Cassius in my head annoyed me, despite his claim that I was actuallyprojectingmy thoughts. My gaze snapped to where he stood in the doorway, watching me sit at the vanity. As I kept our eye contact, he started moving closer, but I held up a hand.

“Stop,” I insisted, drawing on the same…whatever…I’d used to command those people at the bar. I was angry with him, but unsurewhy.

Instead ofstopping,he simply smirked at me, closing the distance.

“You don’t have that privilege anymore,” he explained. “Or, more accurately, our bond precludes me from your powers of uh… suggestion.”

I huffed, breaking our gaze to revisit my hair in the mirror. “Is that why you were so anxious to bond with me? So I couldn’t defend myself against you?”

His eyes narrowed. “Again with the paranoia. What makes you think you’re under attack?”

“We can start with the fact that I still haven’t been given any of the answers I was promised in exchange for this so-called bond.”

“So-called?”

Amusement played at his lips as he came to stand behind me, planting his hands on my shoulders. Without permission or warning, my body sank into him immediately.

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