With a clenching jaw, a muscle near her ear twitched. “You’re promised to another.”
Max’s silence was unnerving, his irritation clear. Rather than answering her, he said nothing. He simply lay down on his side, sinking into the soft bed as if the conversation had never happened. The silence stretched between them, heavy and substantial, as the flicker of the hearth cast fleeting shadows across the walls, painting a dance of darkness.
As Sin drifted off to sleep, her mind swirling with everything that had happened, she couldn’t help but feel the tension between them deepen—an invisible thread that tethered them together, pulling them closer despite everything that stood in their way.
Sin
The morning light filtered through the high windows as Sin dragged herself from the warmth of Max’s bed. Well, she tried to.
A heavy arm around her waist made her pause. A hard warmth practically suffocated her. The scent of Max causing a war of comfort and panic to stir.
One of them had taken apart the pillow barrier, and based on how snuggled Sin was in Max’s embrace, face pressed against his chest, she had a suspicion it may have been her.
Her leg had been folded over his waist, as if pulling him close. And a hardness pressed against her core, even in his sleep. Her body heated, and it took everything not to grind against him. A tugging inside her chest raging at her for fighting it.
Mate.
That was the bond flaring inside her.
Sin tentatively slid her head back, looking up at Max’s slumbering face. The stubble on his jaw tempting her to reach up and graze her fingertips against it. His warmth and scent making her thighs press together.
Max’s steady breathing hitched, body tensing as he stirred awake.
Sin panicked.
Green eyes fluttered open, looking down at her with concern as she wretched herself away from him, falling off the bed.
Grunting on impact, she rolled onto her back, looking at the ceiling, contemplating her life choices that led to this moment.
Auburn hair peered over the bed as Max watched her with a smirk on his face. “Sleep well, Little Blade?”
A growl escaped her lips as she jumped up, making her way towards a door she hoped led to a bathing chamber.
Upon looking at herself in the mirror, she paused at what she saw in her reflection. Her wounds didn’t scar thanks to Audrira’s healing—further proof that the rest of her scarring from her wretched life was intentional. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her still, making every movement feel sluggish.
Max watched her in silence, his small smile tinged with worry as he watched her comb through her hair, getting dressed in the servant’s attire folded neatly on the counter, moving stiffly. “Are you ready?” he asked, his tone casual, almost playful, as though he weren’t about to lead her away from his lavish chambers and back into the reality of her servitude.
She nodded, swallowing hard, not trusting herself to speak. Her time with Max had been confusing—emotionally draining—but the comfort of the bed, the warmth, and the strange tenderness in his touch had left a mark on her.
They walked in silence through the castle halls, Sin following behind if only to watch him while he wasn’t looking. Watching the way his muscles shifted beneath his tunic, the body of a warrior, rather than a spoiled prince.
The further they moved from the opulent chambers, the more the atmosphere changed. The castle’s grand elegance shifted into something she was more familiar with, an obvious contrast in their stations that made her stomach churn. How in the hells was she mated to him?
Max’s body shifted, stopping in front of a door, his hand resting on the handle as he looked back at her. “This is where I leave you—for now,” he said, his voice dropping at the end,carrying a hint of something she couldn’t quite place. Concern, perhaps?
Sin narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll survive.”
A smirk tugged at his lips. He leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. “You always do.”
He opened the door, motioning for her to step inside. With her heart racing, Sin entered the servants’ quarters. Her eyes darted around the room as she stepped inside, cataloging the exits, noting the cracked stone walls. It wasn’t luxury, but it was better than what she was used to in the manor. Warm, in a way Vivienne’s estate had never been.
Before she could fully absorb her surroundings, the faces staring at her, a familiar glint of silver hair rushed toward her, moving faster than an elderly fae should be capable of.
“Maurice!” Sin gasped as she met his embrace. Eyes wide with shock. More familiar faces surrounded them as Maurice stepped back. All the servants from the manor were here. In uniforms. They could’ve had the option to find other work, move wherever they wanted now that their contracts were void.
A peek over her shoulder, and Max’s wink told her everything she needed to know. He did this. Because if she couldn’t be with him, if she couldn’t leave, she would have familiar faces who would likely look after her.
“We thought we lost you for good!” Maurice exclaimed, forcing her attention away from Max.
