Page 87 of Sinful

All I knew was if he got his ass kicked by the watchers, he must have fucked up badly. Church didn’t typically beat you to near death unless you really pissed him off. He was levelheaded like that.

And Ashes certainly didn’t. He was the calm, collected one. If he was angry enough to beat a motherfucker, chances are, it was deserved.

“Why are you trying to convince me?” Mirage asked.

“I’m not. I’m just saying we talked. He told me what happened—”

“Cadence, I say this to you as someone who cares about Sirena,” Mirage cut in. “But fuck that guy. He’s not worth it.”

“You don’t even know him, Seth—”

“I know her,” he interjected. “And if it makes her uncomfortable, why would you want him around? Clearly, the shit he did bothered her. It bothered the guys enough to beat his ass. Did it bother you?”

She stared up at him for a moment. “Yes.”

“Then why entertain his excuses? Mental health or not, it upset her. He could snap and do it again. Why risk it?”

She chewed her bottom lip nervously, a look of defeat on her face.

“Cadence,” Mirage called out, moving into her space and resting his hands on her biceps. “Look at me.”

She forced her gaze to his.

“He’s not worth it. She’s come a long way. She’s been through a lot.”

“I-I know,” she whispered. “I just, I’m always living my life around hers. I love her so much, but I-I—”

“Are being selfish,” I said.

Both she and Mirage looked at me, her eyes wide.

“It’s OK to be selfish,” I explained, my voice soft. “As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone. When it starts to hurt those we love, we need to examine the reasons we’re doing it. If those reasons don’t align with who we are deep in our hearts, then it’s time to back away from them.”

“Sinclair, I didn’t think you had it in you,” Mirage said, a smile working its way onto his lips. “You know what you’ve experienced?”

I crinkled my brows in confusion at him. “What?”

“Personal growth,” he said. “Nice.”

I blinked at his words, rolling over what I’d said. It had been like some forgotten part of my soul had spoken those words.

“Cadence.” Mirage focused on her again. “Sin is right. You can forgive the guy for his mistake, but that doesn’t mean you need to let him occupy your time. OK?”

She nodded. “OK.”

“Now smile for me.”

“Go to hell.”

“I already live there,” he murmured, chucking her in the jaw before backing away. “Go on now. Git.”

“I’m not a dog,” she said, scowling at him.

He unearthed a carrot from his back pocket and bit into it, chewing as he considered her.

“No, you’re more like a cat, aren’t you, kitten?”

“You’re so weird.”

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