Page 56 of A Sin So Pure

“Frank. How are the girls?”

“Eh, you know how it goes. Can’t ever say no to nothing with ‘em.”

“Good luck with when they get old enough to realize they can take advantage,” Nora snickers.

“Yeah, I know. Irene and I are in for a doozy.”

“Hey, Pride, make sure to have the lasagna tonight. Nan made her special sauce,” another man, younger than the last, speaks through a mouthful of bread.

“Thanks for the gouge, Chester.”

“I got ya, Boss,” he says with a wink.

“You’re in for a treat tonight then,” Nora whispers my way. “That woman may be pushing five hundred, but she still manages to whip up enough food for an army every Sunday.”

Her hand tightens around mine, the leather of her gloves soft against my palm. She pulls me to three empty seats at the center of one table.

“Sit,” she says.

She doesn’t introduce me to anyone seated around us, but I don’t think she needs to; recognition dilates each one of their pupils when they glance at our linked hands.

Those to my left smile and say a quick hello, then turn back to their own conversations. Everyone keeps their distance now that we’re seated, but I’m still overwhelmed with the warmth of it all—the joy and respect radiating from each fae in the room. They’re genuinely happy to be here.

“Are Hattie or Claude coming tonight?” I ask.

“Not tonight,” she says, running her gloved hands over her trousers. “Josie should be here soon though.”

Nora pours me wine from one of the bottles scattered across the table. Then, she fiddles with her napkin, resetting it on her lap a few times until it’s layingjust rightover her thighs.

“Is everyone always so…” I drawl, not finishing the sentence.

I can’t quite find the right word, but my meaning must translate because she finishes the thought for me.

“Normal with me?” she says, one brow quirking up. “No. It’s the one time that I ask for status to be checked at the door. For everyone.”

“I’m surprised they go along with it.”

“It wasn’t a hard sell. I was one of them before I was Pride. Grew up alongside them.” She grabs a piece of bread from one of the baskets on the table, dipping it into a plate of olive oil and herbs. “Sometimes it’s nice to slip back into being Nora. Even if they don’t call me that anymore.”

My lips twitch with a sad smile. Being a Sin’s daughter always kept me separate from everyone else, but becoming one? That solidified a divide between me and my peers that couldn’t be crossed—that they didn’t want to cross.

Except for Nora and Josie, of course.

“I can understand that.”

Nora’s hand lands on my knee and squeezes.

“I know,” she says.

We were lucky to find each other when we did. Nora and me, Leo and Josie—the four of us are a rare bunch of perfectly matched friends.

Younglings burst from the kitchen doors to a chorus of cheers; the teens, clearly conscripted into being servers, roll their eyes, while their younger counterparts beam crooked smiles. Large, round serving dishes full of pasta and seafood are dropped in front of us along with basket upon basket of fresh bread. Inhaling deeply, the scent of melted butter and roasted garlic makes my stomach growl.

“They’ve got you running with the younglings again, Wes?” Nora asks, snapping me out of my food-induced haze. “When you’re done, you should join us.”

The fae stands between our chairs, ruffling his red-brown hair. He doesn’t look much younger than us, though he’s on the lankier side. He’s got his shirt rolled to his elbows and is wearing a stained apron tied around his waist.

“I figured I’d help Nan out. Like I told you the other day, she’s been complaining about her joints.” He leans in close to whisper, “Thank you for letting me keep that tonic. I’ve started slipping a drop in her tea at night. I think it’s working.” His smile turns nervous as he leans back and pats at his belly. “Also, I can’t say helping out in the kitchen is completely selfless. I get to be the taste-tester.”

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