“You need to stay away from him, Sin. I can’t give you the details now, but you’re smart. You can detect threats, recognize who is and who isn’t because you’ve been around them your whole life. You catch a whiff of him, leave immediately.”
Halfway through telling her this, his hands slid to just above her knees, reinforcing the tension and connection between them. Her chest tightened, her breath catching as his thumbs brushed the edges of her thighs, making it increasingly more difficult to keep her composure around him. Not to hide her reaction, his previous smirk proved that would be rendered moot. But so long as she fought it down, she knew he would respect it.
The blood pounded in her veins, struggling between fear and a deeper thrill. Sin found her breath shallow at the sight of him kneeling before her. A prince. An heir, was kneeling for a slave. Her toes curled at the thought of placing her foot on his shoulder to push him onto his back.
A sparkle caught Sin’s attention, her eyes grateful for the distraction, shifting her gaze to glass stilettos on a mantle. Those stilettos were now in Max’s chambers, reminding her of the horrors from wearing them, delicious and not.
“Why do you have those?”
He turned to look at them. “Why wouldn’t I?” Turning around, he shifts the direction. “We’re still searching for your sisters. Their trace stopped at the harbor, but my contacts there haven’t been able to locate them. They might’ve fled the continent.”
“I don’t fucking care about my sisters,” she nearly growled, struggling to keep her temper in check at the thought of them. He narrowed his eyes at her response, but kept silent as she asked him. “I need your help. My—”
Her question faltered as he rose from his knees, his cheek brushing hers as he whispered in her ear, “That isn’t safe, Little Blade. There’s only one way to communicate without these walls listening.”
“And how’s that?” she asked, turning her face to look at him, his mouth inches from hers.
He looked only at her mouth as he spoke. “Mates can speak to each other mind-to-mind. But you have to accept one another first.”
Her breathing hitched at the implication. “More than once, you have made it known you could hear my thoughts.”
He smiled, meeting her eyes again. “I’ve accepted you long before I even knew, my Sin. Every part of me wanted to breathe you in.”
Sin felt her betraying eyes soften.
“And when you accept me, whenever that may be, we can have those conversations privately. And Iwillearn that right, Sin.” His brows narrowed as her name left his lips. “Do you remember your mother’s name?”
Sin reared back, taken aback by his question. “Iris.”
Max showed no reaction.
“You already knew, didn’t you? How do you know her?”
A sly smirk curves the side of his mouth. “Your mother was one of the most powerful sea witches to have lived, famous amongst pirates. And everywhere, really.”
Pride swelled in Sin’s chest.
“I never had the pleasure of meeting her, but everyone loved her.”
“Not everyone,” Sin breathed, forcing down the memories flashing of being paralyzed, unable to do anything. Rage filled her bloodstream. Rage, and frustration.
Max’s hand cupped her cheek. “I understand, Sin. I know how it feels to be completely powerless. I have power and yet, it means nothing.” Their gaze held for a moment before he whispered, “No matter what, you are my mate. Nothing in this world can change that. You will always be my priority. With everything I am, I will keep you safe.”
Sin could feel the bond then, pulling taut between them, like a blazing tether heating her chest.
Feeling overwhelmed, Sin forced herself out of the chair, desperate to leave, but each step feeling like she was fighting gravity. Max’s eyes bore into her back, a silent demand pulling at her resolve.
Max stops her with a sudden, forceful grip on the back of her neck, searing her skin, sending a shiver that splits between fear and yearning. The scent of him was intoxicating, a mix of danger and raw masculinity, and before she could resist, the world twisted.
A sharp gust of wind pressed against her skin as the room dissolved into darkness, replaced by the narrow halls of the servant’s quarters. The predatory gleam in his eyes couldn’t mask the urges he kept in check.
“Tell me how I can help you,” he breathed. The rawness in his voice and closeness of their bodies made Sin’s throat bob.
“Tell me how you plan on protecting me,” she demanded in a low voice. “With more taunts? More beating of your chest that I don’t need?”
Max growled as he pushed her against the wall, fingers digging into her hips. Someone turned a corner into the hall, but Max paid no mind. They immediately turned around and left Sin alone with the frustrated prince.
He didn’t move as he declared in a low voice, “Keep away from my brother, and lie low. No more wandering into libraries, and learn to fucking trust me. I see you getting into trouble? I won’t hesitate to lock you up in my room.”
