Page 115 of Sinner's Salvation

An hour later, I’m so revved up. A vein throbs in my neck. I march into her gaming room.

An annoyed look frames her face. “Oh, did I forget about our little therapy session? My bad. Rain check?”

I am inhaling gasoline and exhaling fire. I storm over to her and cage her between her chair and desk. “In my room, now.”

“No.”

I’m fed up with her saying no.

“Okay.”

She blinks at me. I use the moment of surprise to pick her up and throw her over my shoulder.

“Put me down.”

“You didn’t want the easy way.”

“This is manhandling.”

“Whatever you say.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Anything else?”

She beats at my back, and I hiss, daring her to continue. Fuck, she might be little, but she’s got some strength. My back is already killing me after sparring with Cato.

I kick the door shut inside my bedroom with the back of my foot and place her down. Violet crosses her arms over her chest and jerks her chin toward the door.

“Open it.”

“Sit.”

“You can’t order me around.”

“We can do this all night. Your decision.”

She sulks and drops into the armchair, her eyes burning me.

But she’s here, and I need to purge another confession. I doubt it will do us any good.

“I need a drink,” I grumble.

I go into my walk-in closet, take out two glasses and a bottle, and pour her drink first. She takes the glass and sips from it, her nose scrunching.

“You can’t deal with the hard stuff, can you?” I love goading her. I fucking live for her fiery expressions.

“So, first was manipulation. The second was betrayal. The third... hmm. The third is loss.” I sit on the floor propped up against the edge of the bed. “It’s easy being in denial or loving someone. It blinds you to the truth. But after you wake up, the fight begins; you want to survive. You want to tip the scale. Kieran and I always dreamed about becoming even more powerful than our fathers. In Kieran’s case, his intentions were quite honorable. Ethan was a good man with one weakness: my mother.

“My mother saw me that night when we came back and she tiptoed to my room, with tears in her eyes, her fingers trembling.

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

“Shh, it’s not your fault, but you’re my son, and you’re strong. You can beat Silas at his own game. Do it for me, and do it for your sister. She can never remain unprotected.”

“My father didn’t want to know whether my sister was his or not. It was quite satisfying to see him torn between loving or hating Aurora. But being the coward he was, the moment he could, he shipped her away to an all-girls boarding school in England.”

I lift my gaze to find her completely absorbed in my story, and I go on. “He taught me lesson after lesson: corruption, manipulation, and cunningness. I was quite the prodigious son. All the while I was planning his demise. I should have seen the signs. I should have paid more attention to him, but...”

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