You don’t just go sacrificing your soul for someone youlike.
Sin waits for my answer, but I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth. I can’t break his soul, only to feel his emotions every day, and be constantly reminded that I made him lie. I can’t watch him die beside me, knowing I could have saved him.
Hurt flashes in his eyes when he realizes I’m not going to let him in.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, hating myself for constantly hurting him.
I brace myself, waiting for him to start putting walls between us. Instead, he gets that familiar look of steely determination.
“I’ll fight you for it,” he challenges, as he climbs off me and helps me stand.
“Fight me for what?” I clarify.
I amnotgambling with his soul.
He looks at me like he’s trying to peer inside my soul again. “No, not that. I want the truth. If I win, I want to know exactly what’s stopping you.”
Even as a bolt of fear slices through me, I don’t immediately reject the idea. I’ve beaten Sin before, andthere are things I want, too. “And if I win, what will you give me?”
Sin looks at me like I’m missing the obvious. “Anything. I’m yours, kitten. You canalreadyask me for anything.”
My heart stutters, and I take a shaky inhale before deciding. “Friendship. I want you to try and make friends.”
When I’m gone, I need him to be okay. Having friends will help with that.
His lip twitches, finally breaking his focus. “You could have asked for diamonds, a puppy, and unlimited orgasms, but you’re going with my social life?”
Smirking, I figure I may as well start trying to distract him now. “I can already give myself all of the above.”
His eyes flash, and his tattoos pulse with red light. “Anything goes, kitten. Do your worst.”
In less than a blink, he apparates behind me, and his hand wraps around my neck. “And I’d really like to see you giving yourself unlimited orgasms,” he whispers, before throwing me to the ground.
He’s toying with me, letting me stand instead of immediately pinning me. When I start circling him, he holds out his arms, making himself a bigger target. “While I love putting my hands on you… You do remember you have magic, right?”
I hesitate before reminding myself that Sin has always been able to dissolve the volatile purple energy.
It’s totally safe.
The key to lying to yourself is to really sell it.
Taking a measured breath, I tug on the slightest hints of both my powers. The answering crackle courses through me, and I grit my teeth at the burn.
Pain is fine. I just need to stay in control.
Sin arches a brow, and I let loose just a smidge of the energy, the same way I did in the Underworld last night. There’s a flash of red, and the purple energy disappears before it ever makes contact with him.
I exhale, relieved.
A second slight flash of red light is the only warning I get before something pinches at my neck. My breath catches. It feels like he just nipped at the sensitive skin.
“Focus, kitten,” he purrs. “Try again.”
Narrowing my eyes, I’m once again reminded that he could’ve pinned me twenty times already. So, unless I want to spill my deepest fears, I need to move faster.
I start throwing more bursts of power at him, focusing on keeping them small enough that the volatile energy won’t have a chance to try and consume me. Every snap of energy sizzles my insides, but I keep going.
Sin blocks each of them easily, and after a few moments, he blinks out of sight, only to reappear in front of me. His foot sweeps out, tripping me.
