“I hate this dress,” I interrupt, frowning.
He looks me up and down. “I would be more than happy to remove it for you. Preferably while you sit on my face.”
I laugh. “I wore this with Leon. It has bad memories for me. I figured I may as well spoil it further.”
Sin stalks towards me, all predatory intent. “When you come back to me, kitten. And youwillcome back. We are going to burn this dress, and I’m going to fuck you in front of the flames.”
Butterflies flutter in my stomach as his hand comes around the back of my neck, and he pulls me in for a steaming kiss. When his lips release mine, he adds, “And after that, we are buying you more of these. One in every color.”
I giggle, warmth spreading throughout my body. “That sounds perfect. Now let’s go find the others so I don’t need to wear this any longer than necessary.”
Sin and I head over to the dining room, hand in hand. The butterflies in my stomach show no signs of slowing. It’s almost enough to make me forget that I’m going to die today.
When we enter the dining room, we find Rosie, Magnus, and Arianna seated and having lunch. At the sight of us, they burst into applause, catcalling and hollering. My cheeks heat, and I wonder how they could possibly know what Sin and I got up to last night.
Arianna grins at me. “In case you guys are missing them, we picked up your clothes off the beach this morning when we cleaned up from the party.”
Sin laughs, and I groan as he pulls me over to the table. He doesn’t let go of me, taking me to his seat and settling me on his lap.
I might feel more mortified if he wasn’t looking at me with such heated tenderness. I smile at the others. “Thank you for getting our things. We appreciate it.”
There.
No hiding, no feeling embarrassed.
Arianna wrinkles her nose at me and Sin. “I love you both, but gross.”
Magnus stands to clap Sin on the back, and Rosie is beaming, telling us how happy she is for us.
Sin pours me some coffee while I chat with the others about the party, and I sip at it, letting the contentedness linger a while.
I manage to eat a chocolate croissant, even though I was sure I’d be too nervous to eat. Sin holds on to me the entire time, his hand running up and down my back in a soothing motion. My pulse flutters and I steal glances at him, always finding his eyes on me.
When the others have eaten, I finally ask the question I’ve been holding on to since my cry session. “Do you have any poison here? The kind that will put you to sleep, and you die painlessly? I know Morgana agreed to kill me, but I’m just hoping we can find a pain-free route to do it.”
Sin’s fingers tighten against my thigh and his tattoos flare, but he says nothing.
Arianna and Magnus look at a loss.
“I could scan the markets…” Magnus starts.
But Rosie’s whisper stops him. “I do.”
All eyes turn to her, and Rosie looks like she might wither under the attention. “There’s a flower in the garden. It only blooms under the light of the moon. But if you harvest it when it’s blooming and brew it into a tea, just a few sips will kill you.”
Magnus gapes at her. “Rosie, why in the Fates do you have such a thing? Are you growing more poisons?”
Arianna lifts her hand to give Rosie a high five. “Way to grow a useful plant, Rosie.”
Rosie gives a slight shrug. “It was a gift from Irena. She touched the seeds when she gifted them to me. I’ve been cultivating the vines ever since.”
“That sounds perfect. Thank you, Rosie,” I say, and she smiles at me.
“You’ll have to wait until tonight, but then…”
She’s interrupted by Morgana entering the room. Her face is ashen like someone has died. Sin immediately goes rigid. “What is it?” he demands.
Her eyes find mine, and my heart sinks.
