Page 32 of Sin and Salvation

I brought the clothes with me and almost choked when I opened the door on the left, finding a massive walk-in shower. The black tiles shifted in shades of silver and green. Kylaea’s basket of toiletries had been left on the marble sink.

Even though my apartment from Maxime had been luxurious, at least in the material sense, it didn’t hold a candle to the penthouse above Club Onyx. I was almost afraid to touch anything, like my presence alone would leave slime on the VP’s belongings.

I dragged a brush through my wet hair after my shower, as presentable as I’d ever be, and slipped out of Zane’s room, retracing my way to the common area.

The smell of cologne gave way to the mouthwatering scents of fresh fruit and sugar. I stepped into the kitchen tentatively, and found Zane standing at the stove, flipping a crepe in a griddle.

The domestic scene in front of me almost didn't make sense. It just didn't line up with what I've been told about the Black Hearts.

I wasn't as sneaky as I thought I'd been, though. Zane turned around, giving me a smile over his shoulder. “Have a seat,” he said.

Without protest, I slid onto one of the bar stools at the island. Zane had even cleaned up our coffee cups from last night.

I couldn't help but feel awkward. Maxime had always expected me to pick up after both of us. I've essentially been on par with the cleaning service he had hired, to the point where there was almost no purpose in him having hired one at all.

“I hope you like crepes,” Zane said, sliding a perfectly cooked crepe onto a plate. He sprinkled it with sugar, and popped a spoonful of sliced strawberries on top. “It's about the only thing I know how to make.”

“I think I'm just surprised that a biker knows how to cook something this pretty at all,” I said, staring down at the plate he’d slid in front of me. It was perfectly arranged, not unlike the sort of thing you could get at Petit Gâteau.

I took a bite, and Zane looked at me nervously. “Is it okay?” he asked.

“It’s… amazing.” I wasn’t lying, not even a little bit. The crepe was perfect. “Who taught you?”

The faintest hint of a smile crossed his face as he began cleaning up. “My sister. She had a boyfriend from the House of Gluttony and thought cooking was the way to his heart.”

“Was it?” I asked, nibbling a strawberry.

“It was.” Zane’s smile faded. “But our parents didn’t approve of the match. She was married off to a nice, bland demon from the House of Pride, and that was that.”

“Is that why you’re in the Black Hearts?” My voice came out quietly, but Zane paused at the sink.

“Part of it, yeah.”

It hadn’t made sense to me at first how two high caste Alpha demons had come to lead a gang, but I was beginning to understand.

I’d always despised Maxime’s restrictions, and I wasn’t even close to high caste.

If the choice was between freedom and leading a biker gang… well, I could definitely see the allure. And I supposed the higher caste demons would have had about as much freedom as I did.

They had House honor and duty to uphold; if Zane’s sister had been told to marry someone else, she would’ve had no choice. It was either obey, or go into exile.

“Did… they ever try to marry you off?”

I kept my eyes on Zane’s rippling back muscles as he washed and dried the dishes.

He lifted one in a careless shrug. “That would be the main reason why I’m here. Crow and I grew up together; when I left my House, he let me join. I had to prove my way up to the position, though. He doesn’t play favorites.”

I looked down at my empty plate and joined him at the sink, taking the sponge. “He seems like the kind of demon who would do that.”

Although he hadn’t made me prove anything… he’d gotten one lap dance, and next thing I knew, I was in his thrall.

I helped him put the dishes away, and paused at the door. Just because they told me I’d be living with them didn’t make this a home for me.

Not yet, anyway.

“Where do I stay if I want privacy?” I folded my arms defensively when Zane looked at me. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the extra protection, but I do like to be by myself sometimes.”

“Crow will be working on furnishing the last room for you this week,” he said, giving me a sidelong glance with those golden eyes. “Until that’s done, use my bedroom as you want. I’ll be sleeping on the couch.”

---