Page 6 of Our Sins in Shadows (Coven of Sin 2)

“They own half of Boston.”

“So we’re smack in the middle of the city? Not exactly subtle for a vampire coven.”

Eros released an incredulous scoff as he began flipping his lighter, flicking the cap open and closed. “Subtle isn’t exactly BC’s style, babygirl. Look how they’re planning to get this random vampire spawn of Thomas Knight’s on the throne.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Vincent, who now sat on the coffin they provided us. We shared a brief look before he shot his brother a brittle stare through the cell’s bars.

“Apparently, he’s not just some random turned by our master, Deathwish. They say he’s Ruby’s brother.”

There was a flicker in Eros’ chocolate eyes. He chewed on one of his lip piercings. “No shit? Nah. There’s no way.” Scrubbing his chin in thought, his gaze went distant. “I don’t know much about him, only that he was a member of the coven in the sixteen hundreds, but not for long. They tossed him out on account of being a necromancer. The coven saw him as a liability. During the warlock and witch craze, I assumed he’d been killed. But even if he survived, if he’s a half-blood, he’d be old as dust by now. Why would they want some arthritic halfling on the throne?”

Vincent’s jaw clenched, and his brows settled in a way that wrapped his glare in shadow. “I doubt he’s still a half-blood. I read of Dagon Knight in the coven ledgers Sterling keeps in the library. He was one of the first members of the Cape Cod Coven. Master turned him out. Sterling’s records didn’t say why. Though it’s easy to figure out in hindsight. Master probably impregnated a local witch, and when the child picked up necromancy, they gave him the boot. You don’t want to keep a man who can control the dead around a vampire den, even if he’s your son. He probably found refuge among the Boston Coven as well as a vampire to turn him.”

Eros’ head bobbed with a nod. “And he’s been lying low all these years, waiting for his opportunity to snatch the crown. Of course the viperous son of a bitch would come slithering out of the woodwork the moment someone does all the dirty work for him to get his daddy off the throne…”

The sadist allowed his words to trail off as his mind seemed to shift to a different thought.

“To think you didn’t get so much as a thank you for your trouble, Feral. Then again, I guess Hallmark doesn’t make ‘thanks for slaying my ancient vampire dad, now I can inherit his empire’ cards.”

“Wait.” I turned, so I was now facing Vincent with my back to the bars. “Something’s not adding up. If Dagon can control the dead, why would the BC risk having him around?”

Eros’ warmth kissed my back as he pressed against the cell bars, his breath tickling my ear.

“Because they’re afraid of him. Imagine how scary we are, vampires who want to feast on your corpse and fuck you while we do it.”

He took a lock of my red hair and strung it loosely around my neck, snickering as he probably heard my heart rate taking off like a jet plane. “He’s got a talent for invoking fear, and for many of our kind, that makes for the perfect leader. Someone who can control the masses with intimidation.”

“That’s fucked up.” I spun, untangling myself from the collar Eros had fashioned from my own hair. He held it through the bars, winding it around his finger with the most sinister smirk perched on his pierced lips.

“Yup. Welcome to the fam, baby. The Knights are fucked up. Meaning we can’t let your demented brother resurrect daddy. It will be game over if this ritual goes down.”

“How do we stop them?”

Vincent was behind me in an instant. His powerful arms looped around my waist, drawing me against him. He drew me away from Eros, my thread of hair slipping from his brother’s hand. The ex-monster hunter sent a knife-sharp glower in Feral’s direction, but instead of saying anything, he dug another cigarette from his pocket and jammed it in his mouth.

“We’ll do what we’ve always done to our enemies,” Vincent gritted in my ear. His voice was husky as he spoke, like something dirty he might say in bed. “We’ll kill them. And we’ll make it hurt.”

I swallowed thickly, my temple resting against his cheek as I pressed close to him, intoxicated by the dark words coming off him as acidic and palpable as Eros’ veil of smoke. “How?”

“We wait for Corry and Sterling,” Eros grunted, his coffee-colored orbs glittering with the embers of his addiction clutched between his fingers.

“That’s the plan?” I balked, going rigid in Vincent’s arms. “We just sit here and wait for Sterling and Corry to show up? What if they don’t come? Sterling has to know about Dagon’s ability to control the dead. What if he stays away because it’s too dangerous?”

“I doubt Dagon has the ability to control a vampire like Sterling,” Vincent said. “If he did, he wouldn’t have needed to go through the trouble of getting Sharpe to pave the way for you to mate with all of us, all to ensure your father’s wrath once he’s brought back. Not if he could just make him kill us. No matter what, they’re coming, regardless of the risk involved.”

“Even if the Elders wouldn’t like it?”

“Sterling doesn’t have a problem breaking the rules where his loved ones are concerned. He’s always been like that.”

“So what do we do in the meantime? You can’t expect me to just sit around.”

Vincent flipped me around in his arms so that I was facing him. He pinned me with a smoldering look that made my breath hitch. “You should get some sleep.” He gestured to the coffin. They had provided us with onlyonecoffin. The fact that it was big enough for two people hadn’t slid by my notice.

Squirming in his arms, I couldn’t meet his eyes. “I don’t want to sleep—I’m notreadyto sleep. I want answers.”

“We’ve told you all we know about Dagon.”

“I’m not talking about Dagon right now. I’m talking about my mother.”

---