Page 48 of Our Sins in Silver (Coven of Sin 3)

My flesh torched red beneath his greedy gaze. I was sure I looked straight-up obscene covered in blood with a nun’s habit torn to my belly button, legs spread, the gentle breeze roving through the abbey tickling the coils at my apex.

Sterling’s spine bent with a sinuous arch, his porcelain-pale features streaked in the shadows his hanging trusses created. With how the atmosphere of his mind churned and swirled around us, I knew something was troubling him. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

My father read my mind when he’d invaded my head. So it was a safe bet that I possessed the same power. But that wasn’t a facet of my magic I dared touch. Not with Sterling.

Not ever.

He chewed the corner of his lip. “Something you said earlier about me ruling you... It got me thinking about a fantasy I’ve had.”

My breath caught when his dick hardened against the swell of my thigh, trapped against his pelvis. “Whatever you want to do to me, you can. I’m yours.”

His brow contorted, almost like he was angry at my quick submission. “Don’t agree too hastily. Understand the depths of the depravity and…” His face flushed ashen as black blood rushed to the apples of his cheeks. Holy crap. Sterling wasblushing.A tendon in his throat quivered with his thick gulp. ”…what I’m wanting from you.”

“It–It’s okay. You can open up to me. Especially here.” Hope soared in my heart. This was what I wanted. He was willing to open up to me. I couldn’t ruin this by backing out now. Whatever he wanted from me, I’d give it if I could.

Sterling fell quiet for a moment as he seemed to select his words carefully. The silence entwined around us, drawing us closer. His eyelids drifted shut for a moment as he took a deep inhale, then opened his eyes a heartbeat later.

“It’s a particular fantasy of mine to be more dominant. To own. To take.”

The dark bend in his voice made my thighs tense and the place between them throb. “You want to dominate me?”

“I want to do so much more than dominate you.”

Capturing my chin, he pulled my face toward his—close enough to feel the tickle of his feather-white lashes. Normally, proximity like this with Sterling was natural and easy. But the white-hot flames dancing in his eyes were like staring into a flame. I was like a moth and couldn’t help but lean into him and his light.

“I want toownyou, Ruby Renada Knight. I want to paint you in my seed. I’ll become a fucking contortionist if that’s what it takes to mark every inch of your body.” Another pause. His hand fell from my chin like he suddenly couldn’t stand the contact.

“I... I...”

A horrible forbidding feeling knotted in my stomach. The hackles of my monstrous instincts raised. Sterling wasn’t acting himself. Since when did he get choked up? I could practically taste his shame souring the air.

Taking another breath, he locked eyes with me. “I want to breed you, Ruby. I want you to grow round with my child...and I wanthimto see.”

I didn’t have to ask for clarification to know who he meant.

“Well, anything is possible in a dream, I guess.”

He shook his head slowly, the buttery glow from the buttercup petals on his chest illuminating his face in ways that felt all wrong in this moment. “I’m not talking about my dreams. Not a fantasy or an illusion created with Knight magic. I’m talking about real life. When we wake, I want to mark you as my mate and fill you with my child.”

Confusion and anxiety roiled inside me, making my stomach flip. The dream flickered around us as my focus slipped. He gripped my shoulders, shaking me. “Focus on me. Just a little longer.” His sclerae pinked as if he might cry, but no tears came. “I’m not ready to go back to the darkness. Let me look at you a bit longer.”

Panic rose through me like a tidal wave, threatening to sweep me away. “W–what do you mean you want to breed me in real life? You’re sterile.”

My silver prince bowed his head, his hair falling to mask his face. “Ruby—”

“Fuckinglook at me!” Rage made my blood boil, my insides a cauldron bubbling over.

He raised his head, silver tresses parting to reveal his face. Everything within me crystallized and shattered when I found myself staring at the same haunted expression I’d seen in the attic the day I’d discovered he’d been keeping secrets from me.

“Ruby. I lied.”

Chapter twenty-one

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Acoldnesssweptoverme like a chill in your sleep that made you jump awake. Only I didn’t wake up. I was still in Sterling’s mind, the spell holding strong as I found myself lost in his haunting eyes.

His confession echoed all around me, falling in line with my heart’s tempo.

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