Page 57 of Our Sins in Shadows (Coven of Sin 2)

Sharpe thrashed against his captor, but Vincent’s grip was unrelenting.

I caught the smoldering gaze of my dark fae, and the decadently devious grin he gave me sunk straight through my core, making my insides molten.

“You’re so damn beautiful covered in the blood of our enemies, elbow deep in the innards of those stupid enough to betray us,” he crooned over Sharpe’s screeching. “I could just lick you clean right now. But I think I prefer it when you’re filthy, covered in my cum, with my scent curling up from between your thighs.”

“You’re fucked up, Feral,” I purred, unable to keep the smile off my face.

I paused to admire my handy work, not at all put off by the way I’d decimated the body of my childhood doctor, half of him turned inside out. I stooped to pick up the sword and speared his heart on the blade’s tip.

Sharpe crumbled into ash, his screams evaporating with the rest of him. I kicked at the dust heap and pointed my sword in Erik’s direction, ink-like blood streaking the steel blade all in black. The rubies on the pommel gleamed and glittered through the gore, making me smile.

Everyone in the theater was so still, it felt empty for a moment even though eight-hundred eyes had just witnessed my wrath.

“We’re not done yet. I have one last score to settle tonight, Thorn. I’ll spare you. I won’t kill any more of your people tonight, but you have to do something for me.”

The entire room held their breath as their leader slowly stood to his feet. “What will you have me do?”

“Kneel.”

Chapter twenty-two

Escape

Everyeyeintheroom was glued to Erik Thorn as he approached me from where I stood in the aisle. Vincent stepped close to me, his clawed hand coming to rest possessively against the small of my back.

I resisted the urge to lean into his muscled chest, to feel myself sink into his embrace and revel in the way his wings folded around me. I wanted to get the fuck out of here, lock ourselves up in his den, and explore every inch of his body in whatever form he desired to take on. Although we’d need pain for him to shift into anything large, anything fun. Maybe I’d be able to convince Eros to let Vin join in on a play session in his torture room.

Nowthatwas an idea.

“Focus, little monster.” Vincent hunched down to chuckle in my ear, his rough voice sinking straight to the place where remnants of him still dampened my skin. “The scent of your need might distract Thorn. If he tries to touch you, I’ll tear him to pieces in front of his entire coven. And I’m guessing you intend to let him live.”

I took in a breath, trying to redirect my thoughts away from the winged male at my back, whose darkly potent presence charged the air with a viscous energy that might have been a warning to lesser creatures to stay away. For me, it just made me wet all over again. And considering I wasn’t wearing pants, it wasn’t a secret to anybody. While it didn’t embarrass me, I fully intended to keep Erik alive. There was a chance that these people would turn into allies. If I could just convince them that I’d be a better ruler than my asshole of a brother, it would be that much easier to take him down.

“Cover me,” I said to Vincent. He looked down at me, blinking. Then he knelt to the floor, one knee pressed into the carpet and the other bent toward me. He patted it. I realized he wanted me to sit on it. I hopped on, perched on his knee like a queen on her throne. Even though I was now sitting, with Vin’s height, I was still as tall as I’d been when I was standing.

Vincent’s wings rustled as he stretched them, folding over me to shield my body from Erik’s predatory gaze.

As the ancient Viking approached, I kept the sword in hand with the flat of the blade resting in my palm. My claws clacked against the steel.

Erik’s expression was stony, impossible to decipher. Would he kneel to me? If he did, it wouldn’t be out of loyalty to me. Then again, I didn’t need his loyalty. Not yet, anyway. That would come with time.

“Your queen gave you a command, Thorn.” My mate’s rumbling growl ripped through the room so everyone heard it. “Kneel.”

Erik’s eyes narrowed to nothing but slits as he approached, stepping through Sharpe’s ashes like they were nothing. That was a good sign. Erik hadn’t liked Sharpe one bit, we had that in common. It made me wonder how much he actually supported Dagon.

To my complete and utter bafflement, Erik knelt. His jaw flexed as he looked up at me. Defiance shone in his eyes, even though he was kneeling. “You’re not our queen yet. The Elders haven’t crowned you.”

“They will,” Vin snarled, his tone daring the coven leader to challenge him.

“And I suppose you plan to become our king?”

“No,” I answered before Vincent could. “He won’t be crowned king.”

“Then who? Sterling Knight?”

“No, not Sterling. Not Deathwish. Not the youngblood,” I said loudly enough for every single ear in the theater to hear me. “I will claim my father’s throne for myself. My four mates will become my council, but I will not be taking a king.”

A rush of murmurs swelled up from the crowd. I could tell by the low, guttural growl rolling from Vincent that he did not approve of me telling our enemies this. I ignored him. My gut told me this was right. They needed to know just how ballsy I was. The whole reason they wanted Dagon as king was because they thought he’d be able to keep order over the people, and that was true to an extent. But the bastard used dark, slimy magic to gain respect.

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