Page 126 of Our Sins in Shadows (Coven of Sin 2)

I nodded, throat bobbing with a gulp. “I have.”

“You have a very naughty way of telling me,” he murmured, his grated voice dropping to a lullaby-soft hush. There was no keeping the smile from his lips. He liked chasing me as much as I liked being chased.

His thumb stroked the apple of my cheek, and the smile he donned stole my heart away. “Happy birthday, Ruby.”

I held up the needle by its chain, the light inside the glass bathing his face in a soft golden glow. “It’s beautiful. But...what is it?”

“It’s a storm glass needle.”

“What’s that?”

“An artifact from my village. It’s a family heirloom passed down through the women of my bloodline. My mother gave it to me to give to you.”

A weird but pleasantly warm sensation shimmered through me. “You told your mom about me?”

“Of course. I went home a mated male. How could I not tell her about the woman who will continue our bloodline?” He stepped behind me, taking the storm glass needle and fastening the gold chain it hung from around my neck. “In my culture, blood is everything. Our connections to our parents are considered blessings bestowed by the gods, as the knowledge of the older members in one’s direct bloodline should always be revered.”

I held the needle in the flat of my palm and watched the little spark of life within it dancing to and fro. “What is the energy inside?”

“In Fairie, storms radiate electric energy that gives life to everything. Storm glass is where some of this energy has been trapped.” He strode back around to face me, took the needle, and pricked his finger. The bead of black glittered and stretched into a long tendril that swayed for several moments before picking a direction.

It stretched right through the ceiling.

“It’s a path, isn’t it?”

“Mhm. This needle will create a path to the living biological parents of whoever’s blood it wears. If we were to follow it, it would lead us to my mother back in Fairie.”

“Vincent—” His name in my mouth cracked from the flurry of emotions rolling through me. I couldn’t get the words out, but that was okay because I barely knew what to say. I was too overwhelmed to process this properly.

Tears filled my eyes. Vin shifted, looking uncomfortable and unsure of what to make of my reaction. It was Eros who padded over to me, gathering me in his arms.

“I’m not sure what I did. I’d thought she’d like it,” the fae told his brother.

“Bro. She does like it. Can’t you see she’s happy?”

“No, she’s crying.”

My face was buried in Eros’ chest, but I could hear the eye roll in his voice. “Sometimes people cry when they’re happy.”

Vincent mumbled something in his own language, probably something about how confusing and dumb humans were. I pulled back from Eros’ embrace with the needle clutched to my chest. “Look. He brought me something to help me find my mom.”

For the first time ever, I felt like a little kid on Christmas Day.

“I see, babygirl, and that’s so wonderful,” Eros cooed tenderly. “We’ll find her.”

I threw myself into Vin’s arms and looked up at him to find a rare smile on his face, one that lightened his broody physiognomy and erased the shadows beneath his eyes.

“You do like it,” he whispered in awe, his voice an octave lower than his norm.

“Likeit? I’m stoked. This will show us where my mom is!”

Vincent swapped a look with his brother, then tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. “Princess. You have to be prepared for the worst. If she’s passed, there won’t be any blood thread to follow.”

“I know. I’m honestly expecting it. But if she is gone, at least I’ll know for sure. I need that closure.”

I held my finger, ready to prick it with the needle. Vin captured my hand and gently lowered it. “Not yet.”

“Why not?”

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