“She confessed to the crime, but she can’t remember Mr. Fibbersnap due to a spell,” I explained.
Decker rounded her desk to approach us quickly, eyeing each of us individually. “Who cast the spell?”
“She did, but Mr. Fibbersnap deflected it,” I said.
Decker examined them each harshly. “The two of you are mages?” she asked.
“That’s not against the law,” Cassian said, stepping up beside me.
“No, Mr. Fibbersnap, but it is suspicious. I’ll have to take you both in for questioning. A mind-altering spell cast without consent is a serious offense, and your deflection of it falls under that realm.”
I stepped between Cassian and Decker. “He did it out of self-defense. I witnessed everything. He’s innocent.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Youareinvolved with him, aren’t you, Thorndrop?”
I didn’t know what to say, but lying didn’t feel right.
“I’m afraid I can’t return you to your position as an investigator knowing you’ve had relations with an involved party on a case. You can either break it off or you’re fired, Thorndrop. Completely. Even from patrol,” Commander Decker said.
I turned to Cassian, who watched me with a lowered gaze, like he couldn’t look directly at me. I didn’t want to quit the Force, but Decker had backed me into a corner. This job gave my life meaning where there was none before, because I could spend my days helping people.
But I could live without this job. I couldn’t live without Cassian.
I pulled off my borrowed Force jacket and handed it to Commander Decker. “Then fire me.”
Her mouth fell open. Clearly, she hadn’t expected that.
“Sterling, you’re just going to leave me here?” Jasmine asked, still shackled by Commander Decker’s desk. “I need your help.”
“My job was to catch you, not help you,” I said.
Cassian stepped forward. “You really don’t remember me, Jaz? At all?” he asked.
She frowned, inspecting him carefully. “I don’t know you, but your face makes me angry for some reason. Maybe I do remember.”
“Angry…?” His heartbreak flooded his expression, but he didn’t wait for her answer. He ducked his head and turned to leave the room, cloak swishing behind him.
“Goodbye, Jasmine,” I said, nodding at her. “Ms. Decker.” It felt good not to call her my commander.
“Sterling, get back here! You can’t quit!” Decker shouted after me.
I did not turn around. Cassian was my biggest concern.
I found him on the footpath outside, facing the building with his face in his hands. His shoulders shook, and his stifled sobs told me he’d be crying a lot harder if he weren’t in public.
“Cassian,” I said, placing my hand on his back.
He turned around to collapse onto me, fully sobbing against my chest. “Sterling,” he cried, squeezing me tight. “Sh-she hates m-me…” He sobbed harder than before. “I j-just wanted to help her. I w-wanted her to be happy.”
“I know,” I said, petting his head as I held him. I wanted to absorb all of his pain. The sorrow in his voice broke my heart. This betrayal would stick with him for a long time. Possibly forever.
I let him cry on me until he couldn’t cry anymore.
When he peeled himself away, he brushed my damp shirt like he could dry it with his hand. “I’m sorry,” he said in a congested voice. “Your shirt is soaked.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I said, taking his face in my hands and planting a kiss on his forehead. “I’m just grateful I get to be here for you. And I’m grateful I remember you. You made a huge sacrifice for me, and I’m sorry it hurts, but gods… That brief second I thought I might forget you… I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
Cassian smiled through his tears. “For you, I’d do it again.”
