Page 127 of A Sin So Pure

It is a possessive, all-consuming thought. But one that pulls my lips into a smirk every time I think it. She was mine before, but the words mean something different now.

It’s her turn to grumble and complain about waking up at the crack of dawn, a day of travel ahead of us. Her energy is low as she begrudgingly moves through the steps to get ready. Meanwhile mine is electric and thrumming under my skin.

Today we head to Casimir.

We have our plan. All we have to do is pull it off.

I toss the shadow gloves, courtesy of Silas, into my suitcase. We’d decided that given he was the stronger fae, we would use his shadows to craft them instead of Wrath’s—though, oddly enough, I would have preferred Wrath’s.

The idea of being coated in Silas’s shadows raises the hair on my arms.

No less than an hour later, we’re congregated at the roundabout outside of Silas’s palace. A caravan of automobiles waits for us, exhaust pipes huffing a steady stream of steam into the chilled air.

We agreed driving was the best option, as not to drain any of Wrath, Silas, or Gluttony’s power ferrying all of us back and forth. Greed isn’t strong enough to shadow-walk long distances and Envy is an empath, so they aren’t any help.

And so, here we are. Six Sins and their Seconds hauling suitcases as if we are headed off to a family holiday—which I guess it is, in a way.

Silas is Wrath’s counterpart for this trip, and they stand side by side at the center of the hustle and bustle. Silas directs us all to our cars, a ringleader for the impending circus.

Gluttony, Greed, and their Seconds claim seats in one, while Silas pawns Wrath off to Envy and his Second.

“For gods’ sake,” he says, throwing his arms up. He points accusingly at Silas. “I refuse to be his babysitter when we get there.”

“You’ll do what I say regardless,” Silas chirps.

Now that I’ve seen their dynamic up close and personal, I clock the joy sparkling in Silas’s eyes with the command. I can also see the twitch of Wrath’s lips trying to hide a smile at Silas’s antics and can’t help but silently chuckle. They continue to bicker as my attention moves to the first car of the caravan.

“I guess we get this one then,” I say, pointing.

Imogen, Josie, and Leo follow me to the car, Leo whistling at the shiny chrome and sleek blue paint of the Cadillac as we approach. He rounds the back of the car, putting our bags in the trunk; I open the door to the backseat with a wide swipe of my arm.

“Ladies first,” I say, playfully. Imogen snorts.

“Nora, you’ve gone from cute to downright sickening,” Leo says over the hood, letting himself in on the other side.

I roll my eyes. “Watch your mouth, Leo.”

It may be a threat, but he laughs it off, hopping into the car with a slam of the door. I place one hand on the roof of the car and lean down so I’m eye-level with Imogen.

“Put your seatbelt on.”

Warmth blooms in my chest as her freckled cheeks bloom with pink.

“Yes, ma’am,” she says.

“Josie, you want me to drive? You’ve always been better at reading maps and turning them into directions,” I say.

“Sure.” She shrugs.

“Actually, I’ll be driving.”

All our heads whip towards the voice; Silas stalks towards us with a smirk.

“Are you not taking your own?” I frown.

“Why would I use another car when there’s enough room for all of us here?” he says, bypassing both Josie and me in our stunned silence.

I rip open the front passenger door, leaning in to talk to him. Silas pauses, already sitting, but reaching for the handle to close the door on his side.

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