Page 135 of A Sin So Pure

The room is divided in half, with one side hosting a cluster of Seelie and the other the Unseelie.

“Did they bring civilians too? Or are those Seelie Royals?” I ask, snagging a glass off a sprite’s passing tray.

I take a tentative sip, sparkling wine mixed with sharp orange bursts on my tongue.

“Silas said celebrations here used to amass hundreds, so probably a mix of both,” Nora says, pulling me towards a grazing table at the center of the room.

Leo and Josie linger there; Leo points at different pastries, plate in hand, while Josie waves us over with a look that sayssave meover her orange drink.

“—it’s dark like blackberry jam, but it could also be blueberry. What do you think, Joze?” Leo perks up when sees us. “Hey guys.”

“Leo’s very intrigued by all the Seelie food,” Josie informs us.

Leo piles another few pastries and some fruit onto his plate. “I am viewing this whole trip as a way to experience a new culture. And what better way to do that than with their food?”

“I wouldn’t eat any of it,” Nora says. Her head swivels, scanning the room with her eyes narrowed. “Could be poisoned.”

“I don’t think it’s poisoned, Nora,” he says with a mouthful of flaky, buttery goodness. “Poison doesn’t taste this good.”

“You think the sprites would poison us?” I ask.

Nora’s lips turn down at the corners. “No. But I wouldn’t put it past the Seelie. Make sure you watch your drinks around them.”

“So, basically like any other normal night out,” I say.

“Stakes are a little bit higher this go-around, love,” Nora says, placing a protective hand on the small of my back. “Remember what happened two weeks ago.”

A pit forms in my stomach, my mood instantly souring. “I’m fully aware of the stakes, Nora.”

“Here.” Leo shoves his plate at me. “I already took bites out of all these, so they are pre-approved, no poison?—”

The double doors at the opposite end of the ballroom burst open; the energy in the air instantly shifts as a wave of thrumming of power washes over us.

An entourage much larger than our six pairs of Sins and Seconds enters the hall: a peacocking group of men and women alike, dripping in gemstone fabrics and sparkling jewels. The gaggle of Seelie surrounds one woman, who is draped in a figure hugging, white frock. It shines like opals, reflecting rainbows as she passes under the beams of sunlight filtering through the window. A light tinkling rings through the now silent room when she moves—and I realize that the dress ismadewith shards of opalescent seashells.

The bodice wraps around her neck in a halter trimmed with pearl details. Her hair sits in waves of golden honey; cropped short, the edges curl around her ears and at the nape of her neck. She has a certain kind of beauty that the humans would describe asfairy-like. Her pinched features err on the side of youth and rosy, sun-kissed skin accentuates the apples of her cheeks.

Despite her small frame, which stands nearly a foot shorter than her companions, her power is great. It’s familiar, this well of magic, though it is less suffocating than Silas’s.

It’s clear that this is the Seelie Queen.

Her entourage giggles and paws at her, stroking her bare arms as she struts towards us. One whispers in her ear, and she laughs. It rings through the hall, echoing off the vaulted ceilings.

She stops opposite us and inspects her options, tongue darting out to lick her lips, before plucking a single grape from the vine and popping it in her mouth. As she chews, her gaze lifts, meeting mine—ice-blue eyes clear as crystal freeze me where I stand.

Swallowing on a smile, she winks before turning back to her companions and flittering among the Seelie. The action reveals the open back of her dress. But where the smooth panes of shoulder blades should be, a set of wings hang down.

The thin film shimmers in a near-translucent rainbow, and like rivers on a map, white veins spread out from the midpointbetween her shoulders. The wings are two-fold, the upper pair smaller than the lower, much like the insects that they mimic. The lower set drape to the ground, close, but not quite long enough to touch the tile. They curl at the end, the long tendrils twisting to a point.

“If you haven’t already guessed, that’s our dear Seelie Queen.” I jump as Silas appears at our side. “She is a bit of a flirt, based on what I can remember. Do be careful,” he warns, snagging a small cream-filled pastry from my plate and popping it into his mouth. He hums. “That’s pretty good.”

“Silas, darling!” The Seelie Queen’s voice bellows through the room, a melodic siren’s call. “Are you going to stand there all morning chit-chatting or are you going to introduce us to all the new meat?”

Silas sighs, muttering, “That’s our cue.”

He quickly pulls on a mask of cunning indifference, striding forward. With a casual crook of his hand above his shoulder, he pulls all six of the Sins across the room with him, while our Seconds stand back and watch on.

We line up, matching one-for-one the Seelie that step forward and bracket the queen.

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