Sin squeezes my hand.“Stay with me, kitten.”
I snap back to the present and grind my teeth together.
I’m not his victim anymore.
I’ll never be his victim, ever again.
“Rosenthal,” the Fae Queen drawls, her eyes skimming over Rosie before her lips pinch in obvious distaste.
I think this might be the first time I’ve heard her speak. Unlike Lilanthara and Rosie, there’s no musicalring to her voice. It’s low and cold, and the single word comes out as a threat.
Rosie lifts her chin. “Mother.”
“I see you’ve finally crawled out of whatever hole you’ve been hiding in,” the Queen drawls, and her stare is cutting. “And as usual, you manage to be an embarrassment to our bloodline. Truly, I should have killed you the moment you were second to leave my womb. You were a disappointment before you even drew your first breath.”
I expect Rosie to shrink under her mother’s cruelty, but she only gives her a bored look before shrugging. “Luckily for me, you needed a spare, just in case my dearest sister turned out to be unsuitable.” She doesn’t bother to greet her sister.
Oddly, Lilanthara doesn’t take the opportunity to rip her sister’s feelings to shreds. She only stares straight ahead, and her eyes look weirdly flat. All of her usual superiority and disdain are missing.
Unable to resist inserting himself, Leon crosses his arms and smirks at me. “How are your thighs, pet? Did my teeth leave permanent marks? Or will we need to start over once I kill your Destroyer scum?”
A flicker of rage sparks within me, and an answering surge of power crackles beneath my skin.
I force it down using sheer stubborn determination. This is exactly why we’re here. The longer we get them talking, the better.
But no sooner have I swallowed my own anger than a tide of fury surges through the mate bond. The force of it is violent, and leaves me reeling until it’s abruptly shuttered away.
Sin’s hand tightens over mine. It’s the only outward sign he gives that he’s seething.
“I love you, kitten,”Sin purrs in my mind, even as he gives Leon a menacing grin. “She hasn’t noticed your marks,” he drawls. “Because every time she’s looking at her thighs, they’re wrapped around me – and she’s too busy coming apart to remember you exist.”
Leon’s fists clench together, just as Sin sends a wave of reassurance through the bond, checking that I’m okay with this.
“It’s alright, I know you’re baiting him,”I soothe, remembering that Leon is less focused when he’s angry.
“But if you must know…” Sin adds, pausing just long enough to smile, “I watched your marks fade to nothing, every time I watched my cum drip out of her sweet pussy.”
Leon’s eyes flare, his growing fury barely contained. “I’m going to enjoy killing you, Sin,” he starts in a low tone, before his feral stare shifts to me. “But I’m going to love hearing Vivian scream while I fuck her next to your useless corpse.”
He watches me like he’s expecting me to flinch or cower, and his eye twitches when I do neither.
Once, that look would have turned my stomach inside out. Now, all it does is remind me how small he really is.
Sin laughs, but it’s humorless, “As much as I would enjoy killing you, your death isn’t mine to claim.” He kisses the top of my head before continuing, “That right belongs to my mate.”
The moment he hears the word mate, Leon’s tattoos flare, and he takes a threatening step forward.
“Enough,” Need snaps, lifting a hand.
Leon immediately stills.
“As thrilling as this little reunion has been, I’m growing tired of your pathetic attempts at stalling for more time. You’re already outnumbered. But before you sentence so many to death, I’d like to give you a final chance to surrender,” Need delivers coolly, her white eyes fixed on me.
I raise a brow. “Not happening.”
She gives me a patronizing smile. “Yes, I assumed you might say that. As always, Vivian, your predictability is almost pitiful. A good leader surprises their opponent.”
Another pulse of unease fires through me, and Need gives me a knowing smile before continuing, “You see, I’ve come to realize that using Keepers is inefficient. And once we learned that Lilanthara could create a mental leash strong enough to control you, I decided we should try for an even bigger conquest.”
