Page 140 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

“You take a shower and get dressed while I feed,” Corry said as he hauled himself to his feet. “I’ll meet you by the bikes in twenty.”

I perked up at the mention of motorcycles. I hadn’t had a chance to take the Ninja out for a spin since I’d stolen it from Corry and the thought of riding it to Boston sent a thrill through me. “We’re going to take the bikes?”

He grinned, beaming at the excitement lighting up my eyes. “Hell yeah, babe. The Ninja is yours now. I’ll take the Harley.”

“I get to ride the Ninja by myself?”

“Why not? You’ve already done it.”

“Yeah, trying to gain my freedom. Now that it isn’t a life and death situation, shouldn’t I get a license or something?”

“Only if you get pulled over.” He shrugged. “If you do, it will be great practice to see if you’re able to mesmerize people. Anyway, I plan on letting you drive in front of me. Need more material for the spank bank.” He winked at me. “I can’t wait to see that ass straddling my bike.”

Parting on a quick kiss, I left Corry’s room and went to mine for a quick shower. I opted to wear black leather platform boots with a chunky heel and thick straps that ran up to my knee paired with some high-waisted black jeans with torn knees. After some thought put into it, I opted to wear the “Deathwish Dethrones The Feral King” sweatshirt and tucked the front into my bra, so it created a crop-top-like effect.

For makeup, I went with a red lip and smokey eye, then pulled my red locks into a sleek ponytail mounted high on the top of my skull. The final touch was the fang tiara tucked into the base of the ponytail. Examining my reflection in my bathroom mirror, I couldn’t help but grin. I’d never felt more like a vampire princess than I did at this moment.

Heading out into the hall, I froze with my hand still on the handle of my bedroom door. The upstairs hallway was totally packed. New and old faces crowded around the staircase, and all turned to face me. I felt my chest go tight as I realized pretty much every eyeball in the coven was centered on me. I blew out a sigh of relief when I picked out Kenzie’s face from the crowd and moved toward her.

“What the heck is going on? What’s everyone staring at?” I whispered to Kenzie. Apprehension twisted my insides all around, not only because everyone was looking at us but because I still hadn’t had time to fully apologize to my friend for almost bleeding her dry the other night. I’d sent her a quick text thanking her for the blood donation, but a few words and a smiley emoji over text wasn’t the apology she deserved.

If Kenzie carried any animosity for me, she didn’t show it. She grinned, waggling her eyebrows as she took in my outfit. “Wow, the princess is looking hella good. And they’re staring at you, duh.”

I gave a hard blink. “Um, why?”

“Because word got out that you’re going out tonight. Princess’s first day out.”

“So?” I wasn’t accustomed to being the center of attention and found it hard having so many people gather around just to look at me.

“So, it’s a big deal. That building where sups gather to fight will have a buttload of vampires from other covens there tonight. Now that word has gotten out about the new princess, eyes will be on you.”

Great, so no pressure or anything.

All the niggling anxiety for the outing fell to the back of my mind when my line of sight slipped past the second-floor railing down to ground level, where a familiar face waited beside the manor’s main entrance.

Sterling.

I gave Kenzie a quick hug and whispered “thank you” in her ear before hurrying toward the silver prince.

As I descended the stairs, I could feel all eyes glued to my back, but my full attention was on Sterling. He stood in the manor’s foyer, a smile slowly stretching his lips as I came close.

My heart squeezed, and my breathing went uneven as my pulse took off. With his waxen eyes centered on me, my awareness of everyone else ebbed away.

The prince was as gorgeous as ever. With his silver hair swept back from his eyes, each strand fell perfectly into place.

He wore gray dress slacks and a burgundy sweater that made his pale skin and hair pop. The most notable detail was the neckline of the sweater. Crew cut, not a turtleneck. My breath hitched. His scar—my mating mark—was on bold display for the entire coven to see.

“Miss Baxter,” he greeted coolly as I approached.

I stopped just before him even though everything in me ached to throw myself into his arms. Tamping down on the instinctual urge to be close to my chosen mate, I held back.

It’s not like we were together, at least not in the traditional sense. He wasn’t my boyfriend, and while he carried my mating mark, I didn’t carry his, meaning we weren’t “officially” a mated couple. So I wasn’t sure how professional he wanted to keep things when we were in public.

When someone catcalled, I ripped my attention from Sterling to see the front door open, with two motorcycles sitting outside just beyond the door. Corry waiting beside them.

Sending him a scowl, I dragged my gaze back to Sterling. “Thank you for the tiara. It’s beautiful. I feel so official now.”

The elder vampire smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes making the ice over his chilly expression melt away. And there it was, that heart-breaking smile I’d seen for the first time when we’d mated in the attic. “I know you look radiant in it.”

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