CASSIE BLAKEâ:
Cassie noticed a sudden change in Jakeâs demeanor, sensing that maybe they all werenât on the same page. Had this been earlier in the year, she mightâve been more timid, but frankly? After the year they had and everything they had been through? Cassie couldnât bear to take a setback. âWe are, Jake.â she insisted, her tone rising a little. She made it apparent she wasnât afraid of him. In fact, she wasnât afraid of anybody. Not anymore. All the while, she didnât feel a need to posture her dominance, and simply let him try to intimidate her, showing no actual sign of inferiority. âI didnât tell anyone- I said it because I knew you would jump to conclusions â can you blame me with the way youâre acting right now?â she was rather rash and spewed her words quicker, as if rushed. Cassie took a moment, a deep breath. âLook..â her mind was dizzy with her own frustration, holding an arm out to give them both space. âWhoever took it- us siding against each other isnât helping.â The blonde eyed him, firm in her stance. âYou know I wouldnât do that. We canât waste time turning against each other.â If he didnât believe her? Well, that was too bad for him, and that was evident enough in her delivery.
Jake knew he wasnât wrong here. Cassie was clearly attempting reverse psychology and trying to gaslight him into thinking he was acting crazy. The simple truth remained: no one knew about the talisman but her and Faye. Blaming Faye should have been the more obvious option between the two of them and she would have been IF the talisman couldnât render Cassieâs dark magic defenseless. She had every reason to steal it. Jake knew if there was something out there that could hider him, heâd want to keep it close, too. âOkay, then you didnât tell anyone.â he was detached, showing no emotion. He wanted to believe her but wasnât so sure he could.Â
âWell... I donât know that, actually.â Just because they all went through hell and back together didnât mean any of them were trustworthy. âLook, clearly thereâs some tension here, between the two of us.â Jake was good at making girls feel like they were the problem. Heâs done it to Faye and now he was doing it to Cassie. âWe would both do anything to get what we want...Tell me you didnât want the talisman, Cassie. Tell me it didnât bother you not having it in your possession. Tell me the truth and Iâll believe you.âÂ














