Page 50 of Our Sins in Silver (Coven of Sin 3)

“That night your father murdered Elizabeth and the baby, he did take the same knife and cut me. The scar you felt was real…but...Thomas Knight—while a master in his crafts of butchery and fearmongering—is no surgeon. I kept up the lie.”

A heavy mix of relief and fury pressed against my chest. The knowledge that Sterling could be the father of my children made an instinctual part of me pulse and heat with unbound joy while the rest of me wanted to tear his cock off for tricking me.

“Do your brothers know?” I feared the answer. By the tug on the invisible tether bonding Sterling to me as my mate, I sensed his regret. He had his reasons for keeping this from me. I’d get over it. Probably.

I didn’t think I could survive the heartbreak knowing the guys had kept this from me. They were supposed to be in my corner. Especially Corry and Eros. They’d been my allies since night one. So when he shook his head, the tightening sensation in my chest evaporated.

“Not my brothers. Only the doctor.”

“Lavinia?” I hedged.

“No,” he said quickly. “I couldn’t trust Dr. Sharpe to keep my secret. Nor could I go to his apprentice.”

“Because she’s in love with you.”

The vampire’s facial scars stretched with his frown. “She takes her profession seriously. But you can see why I left her out of the matter. I sought out the Salem Coven’s doctor. He confirmed my virility remained intact. I never thought I’d take another mate, yet it was still a glimmer of light in an otherwise dark future. In order to keep it from a man who could flip through my mind like a book, I had to bury it so thoroughly inside me, I nearly convinced myself of the lie.”

“What changed?” I challenged.

He leaned in, his potent demeanor licking at the exposed flesh my torn clothes barely covered. Everything from the feminine scent curling from my thighs, the puckered buds of my nipples, and the blotchy flush of my skin betrayed my desire for Sterling’s monster. Even without my traitorous body begging to be taken, I kept the spell going. The fact that I was still here was all he needed to know. I was just as deeply entrenched in this dark dream as he was.

As terrifying and confusing and emotional as all this was, we leaned into it. We had some steam to blow off, baggage to unpack, and internal demons to play with.

“What changed?” my desecrated priest repeated, eyes flashing dangerously. “I’ll tell you what changed. The daughter of my personal devil waltzed her pretty ass into my room, saw the scar of her father’s claim on my throat, and without even knowing what it was, decided all that mattered was that it be removed.” His downy timbre made a jarring contrast against his mangled physiognomy. Against all odds, he maintained his allure, looking every bit like an angel—a dark angel, that was, at least on the inside. On the outside, he was moon-pale perfection. Knowing the flawed creature that lurked within had my toes curling in the grass.

“Do you see now? I deceived you because I had to convince even myself of the lie. I’d forgotten the secret I’d buried.” He captured my chin, his grip tender even now, forcing my gaze to lock with his. “But you’re so damn stubborn, digging where no little girl should play. Now, look what you’ve uncovered. A monster...”

His hold on me dropped, insanely strong fingers slowly gripping like a vise around my throat—a collar made from his own body to replace the one of buttercups. He squeezed just enough to make my entire being flame red-hot.

“A monster that craves to fuck and fill every goddamn curve, corner, and crevice of your body.” His expression turned grave.

“And I don’t have the strength to fight it a second longer.”

Chapter twenty-two

Blessings and Curses

Sterlingappliedpressuretomy throat, making my lips part on a wheeze of a breath.

I clutched his wrists, but I didn’t pull him away. It felt too damn good.

Suddenly he jerked away from me with his chest heaving and hands quaking violently. It was as if he had to exert every fiber of his will to rip himself away, his two halves warring in a battle that could be waged and won in a heartbeat.

I knew that feeling.

When he spoke next, his voice dropped to a hushed whisper that had goosebumps exploding over my arms. “And there are no words to describe how much that terrifies me…”

Jolting up, I took off in a sprint through the field of wildflowers. Not because his monster scared me, though. I ran because if I didn’t, I might just give it everything it asked for. If that became the trend—between Eros, Cor, Vin, and Ster—there’d be nothing left of me.

And yet, fucked-up me couldn’t bring myself to shatter the spell.

I couldn’t face reality yet.

Throwing a glance behind me, my heart lurched to my mouth at the sight of Sterling chasing me. The buttercups blackened and withered as he passed them, coming for me with powerful, purposeful strides. The sky turned from bright blue to crimson, and the clouds began to weep.

As frigid rain drops pelted my skin, my pulse kicked into high gear. Thrills of excitement along with pangs of fear rippled through my tummy, making my veins buzz like electric wire.

“Ruby...” My name on his mouth came out thick, its last syllable leaching from his lips on a primal growl. “Break the spell if you don’t want me catching you. When I do, you know what I’m going to do.”

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