Page 56 of Sinful

I shrank back from the glass. “What? Why?”

“I already told you why.” He took a slow, menacing step closer, eyes skating over my body. “Because you’re mine.”

In the past, I’d liked being naked around this man. But now, I suddenly felt too exposed. Vulnerable in a way that filled me with shame and fear. I covered my breasts and vulva with my hands and backed away, head facing downward to avoid Sebastian’s cold gaze until I could wrench the blanket off the bed and wrap it around myself.

“Don’t bother,” he said. “I’ve seen it all before, and I’ll see it again whenever I feel like it.”

You idiot!A voice screamed in the back of my head.You stupid, crazy girl!

I should have listened to my initial instincts about this man. They’d warned me about him time and time again. Warned me that he was a dark spirit sent to hurt or destroy me. I’d brushed it all off, ignored every sign, and twisted everything in my head tojustify my choice to spend time with him, threatening my purity in the process.

Now I was paying the price for that ignorance, and I had no one to blame but myself. I was foolish, naïve, and impious. I’d walked right into this situation, and worst of all, I’d done it with a smile and a willing heart.

“You’re a dark spirit,” I said, looking up at him again. “You tricked me and led me astray.”

“I’m just a man, Rose.”

“A vessel for a dark spirit, then. It’s the same thing,” I murmured, eyes narrowing.

“Nope. Just me.” He smirked. “Your new master.”

“Stop saying things like that!” I shouted, incensed. “You don’t own me. I belong only to the Entity!”

“Oh, yeah?” Sebastian’s smirk widened, and he motioned to the glass wall that separated us. “Where is he, then? Why don’t you get him to beam you right out of here in a big ray of light?”

I glowered at him. “That is not how it works. His divine hand cannot possibly be in every single—”

He cut me off. “The Entity isn’t real, Rose,” he said. The smirk had faded, replaced by a cold expression that sent shivers racing down my spine. “ButI’mreal. And I’m keeping you.”

“He is real!” I shrieked. “And he won’t allow you to keep me here!”

“You can scream as loud as you want, baby girl. No one can hear you down here.”

“Downwhere? Where are we?”

“Underground. This glass is shatterproof, so don’t bother trying to break it.” He pointed to the door. “The only way in is through there, and it only opens with a keycard.”

“What?”

He fished a flat black and gold rectangular card out of his jacket pocket. “This,” he said. “It opens the door without having to use a normal key.”

I briefly closed my eyes and drew in a shaky breath, chest heaving with a mix of fury and fear. “The Covenant will look for me,” I said, opening my eyes again to glare at Sebastian. “They’ll find me.”

He laughed, head tipping slightly to the side. “How do you imagine they’ll do that?”

“They’ll know I left with you, and they’ll search your property. If they still don’t find me then, they’ll take you and force you into a Confession until you tell them the truth.”

“They don’t know we left Alderwood together, sweetheart. Don’t you remember the last day at all?” he said, cocking his head. “They won’t suspect me. They’ll think you went missing all by yourself.”

“I…” I faltered as I recalled the events leading up to the two of us leaving town.

Sebastian was right. He’d set this up perfectly, insisting that we leave separately under the guise of safety for both of us. In reality, he was only doing it that way to make himself look innocent. Make it look like I simply wandered off into the woods on an early morning walk, only to be snatched up by a wild animal.

“Even if they eventually realize someone took you, it won’t matter,” he said, voice silky-smooth. “No one will know you’re missing except your village, and they’ve purposely isolated themselves from the rest of the world. No one out here even knows you exist. So what’s the Covenant going to do? Call the police? Contact the media? Try to get the word out about a girl who barely even exists, from a cult everyone fucking hates?”

I glowered at him. He was right, again, and I hated him for it.

“You’ve been planning this for a long time, haven’t you?” I said, pulling the blanket tighter around my chest. “You’ve thought of everything.”

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