Page 49 of A Sin So Pure

“Is that why you had Imogen report to you?”

“I struck a chord there with you two, huh? Can you blame me for wanting to get to know more about the first soul-stealer born in a millennium?”

“I didn’t realize I was that special.”

My sarcasm is thinly veiled. Pride had beaten the facts into me early on: the last soul-stealer had died years before he was born, and I had to claim that mantle seamlessly. Failure to do so risked more than just embarrassment.

“And it’s nothing we can’t move past,” I add, but forgo the details. I don’t owe him anything where Imogen is concerned.

That’s between me and her.

He huffs, almost surprised.

“I underestimated your loyalty to her.” Silas sets his glass down on my desk before clapping his hands together. “Now, tell me why you called.”

“You said you wanted to be updated on my business venture.”

“Yes…”

“So, I’m updating you,” I say.

I’ve talked Josie through how I wanted to approach my plans for Jamison with Silas a hundred times over. Our suspicions of who is pulling the strings behind the curtain complicates things. How much can we risk Silas knowing?

“We’re headed across the Veil tomorrow to handle a… misstep by our Seelie supplier.”

“Amisstep.”

I hum. “And I thought it wise to fill you in on the context beforehand, so you’re not surprised.”

Silas regards me with caution before saying, “Go on.”

“Do you know of the circumstances that led to Pride taking me in?” I say, the words forming carefully on my lips.

I remind myself that Silas has a bloodhound’s instincts. It’s as if he can smell the lies as they’re spoken, and I’m not willing to divulge every detail of that night. I don’t think I ever will be. Even Josie hasn’t heard it from my lips directly. Instead, she peeked into my memories when we were seven, an instant bond forging between us through shared trauma.

“Orphaned young, but your talents were noticed, so you were brought under his wing. It’s not an uncommon story, especially for your House,” Silas says, lips tucking into an unamused frown. “I assume you’ll connect the dots as to why this is relevant?”

“My biological parents weren’t caught in the crossfire of some raid on House Pride. We were targeted. They came to our house human-side, and they killed my parents.” The words are thick on my tongue. I don’t tell him that they came for me, to take me to Avalon like I was some kind of prized mule. “Well, one specific Seelie killed my parents. And he got away.”

It takes a second, but I can see the cogs turning in his head, the questions forming on the tongue that now pokes the side of his cheek.

“There’s always more,” Silas chuckles as he quotes my words from the Sins meeting back to me. A single dimple forms in his left cheek with his smug smile. “Let me guess, whoever orchestrated the murder of that family is also the man who killed your parents?”

My lips part into a scowl. “You already knew?”

“It’s naive to think I wouldn’t assign someone else to watch over you after the other day,” he says. “But don’t worry. It wasn’t one of Lust’s lackeys.”

I shake my head. “If you already knew about the attack, why didn’t you say so?”

He snorts, pushing off from the desk and heading to the window. “You’re cute when you’re confused.”

And then it clicks. My face falls into an accusing glare.

“You’re testing me.”

“I wanted to see if you’d be honest with me of your own accord.”

“Did I pass?”

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