Thus far, Sin and I have been hinting at my having great power, but we don’t say it outright. There’s no use in giving the Council more information than we want if word gets out to them. Still, before now, most of our prospective allies have been intrigued, and most have walked away looking hopeful or impressed.
Why do I feel like these women may be an exception?
“I would wager she’s as weak as a mouse.” Gabrielle grins. “Sin, stop this madness and come dance withme,” she orders.
An unexpected bolt of rage fires through my spine, and I inhale deeply, trying to shove it back into the box where it belongs. Sin goes rigid but says nothing. Instead, he quirks an eyebrow at me to see if I want to handle this on my own.
At our lack of response, Gabrielle steps forward, moving to place her hand on Sin’s arm.
The bolt of rage becomes white-hot, and in an instant, my dagger is pressed against her throat, humming a faint purple before her flesh ever connects with Sin’s. “Touch what is mine, and I will cut your hands off and feed them to you,” I hiss.
There is some major Cassandra channelling happening, and I couldn’t be happier to have access to her memories. It is doing things for my badass bitch image.
Slay, Queen.I mentally cheer myself on.
Gabrielle freezes, her eyes widening a touch before scowling at Sin. “What is the meaning of this?” she demands, and her sisters reach for their own weapons.
Sin’s tattoos flare a deep red, freezing their actions before they ever touch the weapons. “I believe mymatejust told you not to touch me.” He pauses to press himself more closely against my back, running his lips across my head before continuing, “Ifshe lets you live after the insults you’ve thrown at her, I suggest you leave immediately because I will not be so benevolent.”
“I – I – I’m sorry,” Gabrielle stutters, now looking at me like she’s terrified.
Her fear cuts through my rage, and I sheath my blade but don’t show them an ounce of remorse. We’replay-acting tonight, and that means Sin and I need to be strong.
“Leave. Now,” I demand, and the sisters don’t need to be told twice, as they run for the small section of the wards, specifically designed to allow them to apparate back to their own realm.
“Did I just blow it?” I whisper, now realizing I likely messed up a potential alliance.
“No, kitten, you were fucking phenomenal,” he growls against the top of my head, pressing me even closer to him.
“You weren’t really going to kill them, were you?” I ask, assuming he was just putting on a show.
I can feel him smile against my head.
“You wouldn’t,” I reaffirm, mostly for my own benefit.
Sin answers with a dark laugh, “You keep telling yourself that.”
Chapter 30
Rule thirty:If someone is worth stabbing once, then they’re worth stabbing twice.
After another hour of making small talk with people whose names I will never remember, Sin leads us to one of the smaller tables by the edge of the forest.
I sag against it, exhaustion starting to take hold, while Sin continuously scans the guests.
“Do you think anyone else saw the blade glow?” I ask in a hushed tone.
The worry has been living rent-free in my mind since the incident, but Sin only shrugs. “It’s likely they did. It will only further support the whispers that you’re very powerful.”
I sigh, relieved. “I’m sorry for calling you mine,” I add, remembering how Leon was obsessed with the term. I don’t want to make Sin feel objectified.
That comment has Sin’s attention turning back to me. “Why would you apologize for that?”
“Because it was a lie to get them to back off,” I explain, fighting the flush in my cheeks.
I mentally kick myself for trying to take the high road and apologizing.
But of course, Sin is focused on me and notices. He smirks. “It didn’t sound like a lie, kitten.”
