CASSIAN’S POV
The taste hit me first—sharp, the smooth bitterness of black tea, something that clung to the back of my throat like rust.
I’d been standing at my desk, flipping through the quarterlies, when the edges of the page blurred. My vision tunneled. My pulse thundered in my ears.
It didn’t take a genius to know I’d been poisoned.
I remember the way my hands braced on the desk, the glass tipping over, amber liquid spilling across my reports. My knees went soft. Then Evan was there—shouting my name, his hands hauling me upright, dragging me toward the elevator.
By the time we reached the hospital, I could barely keep my eyes open.
***
The doctors said I was minutes away from my kidneys shutting down. Whatever was in that tea was potent. Not enough to kill me instantly, but enou
