Page 11 of A Sin So Pure

Bouncing on my toes, I stand watch in the space between dancing fae and the u-shaped bar at my back.

The lights are dim in this half of the bar; chandeliers dangle from the vaulted ceiling at different heights, setting the room aglow with warm amber. It’s bright enough to see the person in front of you, but dark enough to let you enjoy a spark of anonymity. With the band plucking a rousing beat from the raised stage, the dance floor is a sea of sparkling sequins and fluttering tassels, roaming hands, and sweaty bodies.

The energy of it all is overwhelming in the best way.

I give people a place to be free, and my body tingles from the high of my magic. It urges me to join in the revelry, to get lost in it.

The lead singer croons into the microphone, red-stained lips nearly kissing the metal. Cream feathers frame her body, her wings out and on display for everyone to see. Most fae keep them tucked away—my own included. There isn’t much need for themanymore. With trains coming to Faerie over a hundred years ago and automobiles now more common than not, wings aren’t practical for our modern world.

But that’s opened the door for them to become somethingmore, transforming from a practical piece of ourselves to something sensual and intimate.

Why have them out nowadays if not to impress, seduce, or intimidate?

The singer onstage somehow does all three, the feathers ruffling against her bejeweled green dress, not unlike my own with its high square neck, low draped back, and swishy skirt. Though the one I wear is a simple silk—I wanted something a bit lighter than beading and fringe tonight.

“Had fun with the Royal pricks?” a deep voice calls.

I spin, spotting Leo, my Second, behind the carved wood bar. His coarse curls sit perfectly coiffed atop his head, only a few shades darker than his brown skin.

I roll my eyes as I slip onto one of the unoccupied leather stools. It squeaks as I swivel towards Leo, and I make note to fix that later.

“You saw that?” I say.

“I see everything, Mo.”

Leo smiles, revealing the cute little gap between his two front teeth. He signals to one of the bartenders, then points to me, silently ordering my usual.

“More like you love to stick your nose in everyone’s business.” I snort.

“You’ve got me there,” he says. “Though I’m not eager to stick my nose nearthem.”

I click my tongue. “Better start preparing yourself now, Leo, because dealing with all of those idiots is your future.”

His wide nose scrunches. “Not unless you plan on dying anytime soon. I’d like to see you live a long and healthy life, please and thank you.”

A twinge of something that’s not quite guilt pinches my stomach. It’s not that the idea of spending the rest of my life as head of House Lust is unappealing… it just wasn’t the original plan.

My chest tightens. Taking over the business side for my family was never the problem. It’s the rest of it. The position of Lust was supposed to be my brother’s, not mine.

I bat the somber thoughts away.

“It amazes me how they can still think Nora and I areclose friends. I’m 90 percent positive they’ve seen us kissing in this bar,” I say.

“I mean, you aretechnicallyclose friends.” Leo crosses his arms as he leans his elbows on the bar, muscles flexing underneath the rolled sleeves of his button-down. His lips twitch as he tries to hold back his smirk. “Maybe their definition of friendship includes orgasms.”

“Then I’dloveto see what their friendship looks like after a few drinks,” I say, sarcasm dripping off each word.

Leo laughs, but it quickly fades to the background as my senses home in onher.

She’s a beacon to my magic. Her emotions are silent compared to the patrons who are feeling soloudly. She’s a black hole in a sky of stars. It’s not quite a nothingness, but an absence of emotion caused by her mental shields being fastened tight.

There are no cracks in her defenses. No lock to pick. Just a door welded shut.

Gods, I want to break down that door.

The crowd parts for her like she’s a god, both feared and desired.

It’s not only the threat of who she is—a soul-stealer, whose magic can kill with a touch—that sets fae on edge. It’s the sharp cut of her cheeks, the cold glint in her eyes, and the night-black hair set in perfect waves to her collarbone that merge together to create somethingmore.

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