Page 26 of The Sins of Silas

Elowen hadn’t killed anyone yet, but I knew witnessing it affected her.

“I think we have a while before the killing ceases…” Despite myself, I pulled her into a hug. She easily hugged me back, and I felt her delight.

I wasn’t the best at showing affection, and once upon a time, I despised my sister. Not because of who she was, but because of what her existence had taken from me. But Elowen had always been loving and sweet. She had always been a good person.

When she pulled away, smiling up at me, my eyes caught Edmund’s, who was wearing a nasty glare on his face. I returned the sneer, and his face shifted to adoration as El turned to walk to him.

Jealousy.

I was going to beat the shit out of him if he was the type of boyfriend who was jealous even of family members. Just as I went to confront him, I was stopped by Viola, who was getting ready to shift before we began our second day’s trek.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Her violet eyes slid to mine as she stretched her arms. “Getting ready to turn into the hottest horse you’ve ever seen.” She snorted, and I shook my head.

“You need to rest.”

She rolled her eyes. “Merrick, I’ll be—”

“You need to rest,” I demanded. “If we need you to shift overnight, if we’re ambushed again—”

“Fine.” She sighed, her hands going up in surrender. “You win. I’ll climb atop Hendry’s horse again, and you can continue walking.”

I smiled, inclining my head ever so slightly. “Thank you. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

My cheeks heated as her violet eyes burned into mine. When she saw my darkened eyes, her full, plump lips curved into a knowing smile.

Desire. Desire forme.

My lips parted, a short exhale escaping from me. “Yeah?” I asked breathlessly, blood rushing to my groin.

“Yes,” she answered, her voice downy and sensual. “When we get to Forsmont.”

I sucked in my lips to hide my smile. I’d always thought Viola was beautiful; anyone with eyes did. But we’d never crossed a line in our friendship…nor had I ever felt such strong desire from her before, certainly not toward me.

I wonder what changed.

“Okay,” I agreed softly.

She bit back her own grin before leaning forward and pressing her soft lips against mine for a fleeting moment. She smiled before walking away.

My whole face had to be red—my pale skin doing no favors to hide my nerves.

Holy shit…Viola just kissed me!

I glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. No one had.

Except for Erabella.

Her brows were raised, and when we met eyes, she quickly glanced away, lips puckered as she studied the rock formations, her hands tucked behind her back.

I didn’t need to read her to feel her awkwardness. I chuckled to myself before finishing the rest of my bread.

Then, I tied my hair back into a low pony, pieces falling out in the front, framing my face, and readied myself for another long day of walking.

We were halfway through the second day when we finally took a longer break. My legs were aching from all the steps I completed, and Viola gave me a raised brow as she dismounted Hendry’s horse.

“I’m fine,” I laughed. “Just building more muscle in my legs is all.” My eyes flickered to Lena, who was passed out, resting back on Roland’s chest. We determined it would be best for her to be awake at night from here on out—just in case Vampires happened to confront us.

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