Sin met the queen’s gaze.
Queen Ecithys’ voice echoed through the chamber, carrying a warmth that seemed almost out of place in the cold, stone hall. “No matter what other shadows you’ll walk through, my door will remain open to you.”
The words settled over Sin like a mantle—both heavy and comforting. She swallowed, her throat tight, a warmth spreading through her chest that she hadn’t realized she needed until that moment.
Sin’s throat bobbed, and she nodded before leaving.
Max
The bedroom chamber was bathed in the soft light of the fireplace. Flickers of the flame cast dancing shadows on the wall, and on Max’s brooding face.
Max leaned against the bedpost, the muscles in his arms straining as he kept them pinned against his chest, every fiber of his being screaming to grab her, to make her stay.
His stomach twisted, nausea creeping in as he watched her pack. His fingers itched to grab the satchel, to throw it into the fire. He hated every second of this, the way she zipped up the bag as if she wasn’t walking away with his heart. But he stayed rooted, his jaw clenched, forcing himself to let her go. It took everything not to beg her to let him go with, to make sure she was safe, but he knew better.
Anyone who thought to take on Sin wouldn’t get the chance to think again. She wasn’t a killer at heart, but her magic was, and it wanted to consume her fully. He could feel it in her sleep, like a demon poking and prodding her soul to let them in. There was nothing that even a mate could do to stop that. She needed to learn how, and sulking in a library with her mate wasn’t going to do that.
Nails dug into his palms, his arms clenching with restraint and frustration. He just got her back, and now he had to say goodbye.
“Stop,” Sin’s voice pulled him from his thoughts, his eyes meeting hers, and he failed at covering up the vulnerability behind them as she approached. Turning his back against the bedpost, his arms slid around her waist, pulling her body flush with his. No words escaped his lips, because he didn’t trust what they might say.
Her eyes glimmered in the firelight, and she raised her hand to his face, her fingertips tracing along his jaw. Max took her in, memorizing every inch of her face, as if he could ever forget.
He didn’t know how long she’d be gone—or if she’d return at all. The thought of her alone, with her magic untethered and hungry for control, facing whatever monstrous force waited for her—if she was consumed, if she broke—terror unlike anything he’d ever known coursed through him.
“Are you scared?” she asked.
“Terrified.”
Sin cupped his cheek. “Nothing is going to—”
Max threaded his trembling fingers in her hair, pulling her close as he whispered against her lips. “I know you’re strong. That doesn’t make this any less difficult for me, little blade.”
She visibly shivered at the pet name, making the corner of his mouth lift into a smirk that didn’t match his eyes. She swallowed audibly before she spoke. “I wish this were easier, that I could just wake up one day, and over time have gained control over this and returned to you.”
Max gritted his teeth hard as he lifted her chin, hating the words that would leave his lips. “Even if you didn’t, I would understand. This life…”
“I want it,” she interrupted him. “I could never stop wanting a future with you, Max.”
Max’s hands trembled as he cupped her face, his thumbs brushing over her cheeks as though trying to wipe away the fear etched there. He lowered his forehead to hers, his breath shaky,his eyes closing against the flood of emotion threatening to undo him. He held her as if she were something fragile, a delicate thing that he had to protect even as his own heart splintered.
“Promise me,” he breathed, closing his eyes, but he couldn’t finish it. He sighed deeply. “I’m not even sure what I’m asking. I just—” He paused, his throat tight. “I can’t lose you. Not again.”
“Max.”
When his eyes met hers, they softened at the tears falling from her gorgeous face.
“I have to do this.”
“I know,” he choked.
“But I promise you, I am doing this for me, so that one day Icanhave a future with you.”
Max crushed his lips to hers, the force of his need making her stumble against him. He wrapped an arm around her waist, the warmth of her body pressing against him.
Max clung to her as though shielding a fleeting ember in a midnight storm, as if a gust of wind would tear him away and extinguish everything he knew her to be.
The other hand gripped her hair, not allowing her to break the kiss he demanded.
