I open my eyes to find Sin crouched in front of me, his expression schooled to be mild. But his mask isn’t enough to hide the red glow coming off him. He’s not calm at all.
“I was blamed for a death in my hometown when I was a teenager. In return, some kids tied me to a tree and…” I start, trying to give enough of the story to be honest, but not wanting to go through the pain of remembering that night.
But Sin shakes his head. “That’s not what I asked you. I know what they did to you. I just need to know who.”
I frown at him. “How would you know what they did to me?”
“You already know we were keeping an eye on you to make sure you survived long enough to find Leon,” he answers before squeezing the back of my neck lightly. “Now I want names, kitten.”
I pull away from his grip, and Sin lets me go immediately.
“What do you mean, keeping an eye on me? I thought you only found me when I found Leon. How did you even know I was reborn? And youwatchedthem attack me?” My voice picks up, and I can’t stop the betrayal that bleeds through.
I might not be on the best of terms with Sin, but I thought he was a better man than this. Better than letting a near child suffer that kind of pain.
Sin sees the hurt in my eyes and he looks crestfallen. “I didn’t find you in time to stop them. By the time I found you, it was dark, and you were still tied to the tree.”
My eyes widen, realization dawning. “It was you. The thing that growled in the woods.”
I remember it vividly, the menacing sound that led me to break my thumb in order to slip free from the ropes.
Sin nods. “I was furious. We weren’t supposed to interfere with you unless your life was in danger. I would have untied you, but you freed yourself.”
I’m still frowning as I try to piece it all together. “Who told you not to interfere? How did you find me?”
Sin runs a hand through his hair. “About five years ago, a spirit was sent to Morgana. She brought a message warning us that you’d been reborn. She showed us where to find you. The spirit had already been instructed to watch out for you, but we were asked to watch out for you as well in case you needed extra protection.”
“Why? Why did I need so much protection? And who sent the spirit?”
I don’t need to ask who the spirit was. I already know it was the ghost girl in the odd robes.
Sin continues, “You needed to be protected in case the Council found you. And…” he pauses, trying to find the right words, “the person who sent the spirit to Morgana knew that her sisters would try to kill you. The night you were attacked, the spirit found me and signalled to me that you were in danger. I came immediately.”
I swallow, getting the feeling that I really don’t want to know the answer to my next question.
“Who sent the spirit? Why did a ghost keep trying to save my life?” I ask, my voice shaking.
Sin sighs. “Her name is Clotho.”
I frown, trying to place where I’ve heard the name before, but Sin continues, “But you know her as one of the Fates.”
Chapter 21
Rule twenty-one:If someone is hunting you, uno reverse them.
I’ve never had a roommate before, and after the last two minutes of my life, I would have preferred if it had stayed that way. It’s barely dawn, and I’m trying to hide under my blankets as the psychopath from across the hall insists I get up.
“I told you to get your ass out of bed and get dressed,” Sin growls as he towers over my bed.
I respond by pulling the blankets even more tightly over my head. When Sin finished patching me up last night, he apparated us into my room so that I landed directly on my bed, still lying on my stomach. It was already completely dark, and I was grateful for not needing to move around with my injuries.
Of course, Sin then had to go and whisper above my ear that he’d be just across the hall and to call himif I needed him, promising he’d hear me. While I’m sure he only meant it in a platonic partner kind of way, my imagination ran wild. The only way I eventually fell asleep was by reminding myself that the man was disgusted by me and that I needed to avoid sexually harassing my partner.
The lack of sleep is not helping my current situation. Sin apparated into my room a few minutes ago, telling me we were training and ordering me to get ready.
Given the fact that my leg and back are throbbing, and the man entered my room without knocking, I’m not feeling too agreeable. “And I told you, no. It’s a complete sentence, Sin.”
“Either you get up and get yourself dressed, or so help me, kitten, I’ll dress you myself,” Sin growls.
