Chapter 28
Rule twenty-eight: Stop having sexually charged encounters with your partner.
T he next day is so busy with party preparations that I don’t have any issue avoiding Sin, which is a relief since I can’t look him in the eye after what we did last night.
I’m trying to stay at least six feet away from him. I need the social distancing. Otherwise, I become flushed all over again, and I can’t quite tell if that’s from the embarrassment or the desire for him that doesn’t seem to be lessening.
I’m not too proud to admit that I’m running from my problems. But as of this moment, I don’t see a better way to deal with the growing attraction. Not when there’s a prophecy looming above my head, stating that I’m going to love a Destroyer .
Falling in love with Sin is entirely off-limits. First, because my life is complicated enough as it is. Second, because men are the root of all my problems, and I’ve sworn off them. Third, because Sin doesn’t love me, and he’s an asshole. And finally, he would break my heart.
So, no thanks.
Did I write that list in one of my notebooks this morning, color-coding the reasons by their severity?
Yes.
But only because it will help me remember them.
Morgana has handed off party planning to Rosie, and much to my surprise, the sweet, soft-spoken fairy has become an absolute terror. Seriously, I’d rather lick the underside of Dr. Parnard’s foot than disobey her right now. Morgana is away, letting all our potential allies know about the event, and she only left vague instructions to Rosie.
Namely, the party should be in the Shadow Realm but well away from the castle and any villages. You’d think that Rosie would be flexible, given the loose guidelines, but she has a vision and made it amply clear that we will make it happen. It took her all of two minutes to decide on a spot, a large clearing by a huge sparkling lake, far beyond one side of the forest of the forgotten dead. After apparating in the team to the location, Sin got to work building extra wards. At the same time, Magnus and Damien started apparating in an army of cooks, decorators, and other citizens of the Shadow Realm, all thrilled to be at Rosie’s command.
Arianna and I are paired together today, since the party is on the other side of the realm, and she can apparate us back and forth. I’m relieved to see that she’s already looking healthier, especially when she threatened to blind me when I suggested she take it easy.
Our job is to bring ‘the fancy wine,’ as Rosie explained.
She fills me in on the updated wards as she dusts off wine bottles and hands them to me, deep in the cellars. “The Realm’s wards are highly selective. Only a handful of us can apparate in without passing out, and no one not cleared under Morgana can apparate near or into her castle. Morgana is imbuing the emissaries now as she passes out invitations. Only people she imbues can apparate into the area Sin is warding. Once they’re in Sin’s wards, they can only apparate back to their own realms.”
“The whole intricate wards thing still makes no sense to me,” I answer. “Can’t the guests just leave the wards and then apparate into other areas of the Shadow Realm?”
Arianna grins, and the same mischievous look I see in Cassandra’s memories is reflected in it. “That’s why the location is tactically sound. All our potential allies know about the forest of the forgotten dead. And no sane creature would ever venture into there. Sin will pull the wards a few hundred feet into the forest. Between that and the water, no one is leaving the bubble.”
A pang of anxiety hits my gut, but I nod, accepting that the others have been playing at war for a lot longer than I have .
After a full day of party preparation, I’m too worn out to worry about the wards or the socializing I’m about to do. It took a huge team of people and a solid ten hours of hard labor, but finally, I take in the completed sight.
I have to hand it to her. Rosie can throw together a party.
The clearing has a few trees interspersed through the grassy field, and Rosie had huge flowers enchanted to float between them, each glowing a different color. Along the right, long tables stretch on for ages, though they haven’t been stocked with food just yet.
Beyond the buffet table, tall wooden tables dot the field, leaving room for mingling and snacking. To the left, Rosie has enchanted part of the field to look like a skating rink, only it isn’t slippery. The area is large, which allows for dancing as the night goes on. Small lights dance below the ice’s surface.
The effect is magical.
Rosie spots Arianna and I taking in the scenery and flies towards us. Her pink wings twitch, even once she’s touched the ground. “What are you two still doing here? The party starts in two hours. You should be getting ready,” she scolds us.
Arianna raises a brow. “Rosie, sweetie, shouldn’t you be doing the same?”
I can’t help but nod in response. Rosie has gone hard all day. If anyone deserves a break, it’s her.
Rosie gives us both an exasperated look. “Don’t be ridiculous, both of you. I’m a fairy. I don’t need time to get ready. I glamor. ”
With that, she twirls, and her leggings and backless tank are replaced by an elegant, pink, open-backed dress. It tapers to a V on one of her calves, and her hair is now pinned up in a French chignon.
I gape.
Arianna rolls her eyes. “Show off. You look amazing, Rosie.”
“Are you sure you don’t need more help here?” I ask.
Rosie’s wings twitch again as she starts gently pushing us away. “No, no. I’m fine. Arianna, make sure Vivian looks the part. I apparated your things up to your room earlier today.”
I pause, but Rosie snaps, “Now!”
That does the trick. Arianna grabs my arm, and we apparate away.
We land back in the hallway in front of my room. Arianna points to my door. “Go shower, and I’ll help you with your hair afterward.”
Planting a hand on my hip, I raise a brow at her. “You’re getting way too comfortable bossing me around. You do remember I’m older than you, right?”
Arianna bursts out laughing. “Vivian – I’ve been alive this entire time you were doing whatever before being reincarnated. You’re just confused because I’m aging better than you.”
I gasp and try to pinch her arm, but Arianna just jumps away laughing, heading down the corridor to her room.
I huff, deciding I’ll get her back later, and head into my room .
It’s strange feeling so comfortable with people so quickly.
Maybe it’s because of the looming threat of death by the Council. Trauma bonding sounds likely. Still, it’s nice to feel like I belong here.
The thought shakes me.
I don’t belong here.
No matter how much this room feels like home, and the others are starting to feel like family, this isn’t my realm. I need to focus on making sure my friends back home are okay.
The guilt stabs at me, and I try to stamp it down. Being in the Shadow Realm and building trust with the people here, it’s all working toward a common goal.
Peace.
And if I want peace, then I need to perform tonight.
With that thought, I head to the bathroom, washing off all the sweat and dust that accumulated on me today. The wine cellars looked like they were part of a haunted house, with all the cobwebs and dust. I’m pretty sure I’m wearing half the cobwebs in my hair right now.
Once I’m scrubbed, shaved and fully moisturized, I step back into my room, wrapped in a fluffy towel. Arianna is waiting for me, already dressed in a long black dress. It has a halter neck and no sleeves. The dress becomes a sheer black lace above her knees and trails to the ground. Her hair is pulled into a sleek ponytail, the light color contrasting her dress perfectly.
My brows lift when I take her in. “First of all, wow. Second, how the hell did you do that so fast? ”
Arianna grins. “A lady never tells.” She pats my bed. “Now, sit and let me work some magic.”
She starts adding rollers to my hair, and once they’re in, she fusses with my face. “Stop squirming.”
I grimace. “Ari, I think you’re great and all, but I can’t keep my eyes open when you’re coming at me with a pencil.”
I have done my makeup plenty of times, but I’ve never let someone else do it for me. Watching the sharp pencil near my eyes is unnerving.
Arianna sighs, “Look, you are the guest of honor tonight. You need to shine if we’re going to convince people to go to war with us. So, you’re going to put on your big girl panties and let me do your makeup, got it?” She finishes the statement by holding up a lacey black thong.
I grab at it. “This isn’t mine.”
I like it, though. There’s a small opening at the back, where two silk ribbons crisscross into an ‘x.’
“Rosie had our entire outfits ordered new. Here.” She throws a bra at me. It’s a matching lace, but there’s no backing.
I hesitate. “Uhm, how?”
I don’t see any hint of lingerie tape in the bra. How is it supposed to stay on?
Arianna pulls her dress aside to reveal a similar bra. “They’re charmed!” she notes, smiling. “It will stay on and push up your boobs until you want it off. The stockings are the same. They won’t ride down unless you want them to. ”
I take the stockings from her, gaping at them. “That is the coolest thing I’ve seen here,” I note, seriously impressed.
Arianna grins and turns around. “Now, put them on. We’re getting you dressed before I finish your hair.”
By the time Arianna is finished with me, I hardly recognize myself. I’m dressed in a long silk emerald gown. It falls loosely around my legs, and there’s a long slit going almost all the way up my thigh. The dress has two small straps but has an open back, so low that I’m seriously concerned my thong will show if I shift the wrong way. But Arianna assures me there’s a charm for that, too.
She’s styled my hair in loose, elegant waves and pinned half of it so it flows over one of my shoulders. My makeup is simple but brings out the blue of my eyes.
“It’s perfect, thank you,” I say from the bathroom, swirling to try and see more of my dress in front of the mirror.
Arianna beams. “You’re a masterpiece!”
I spin, loving the silky feel of the dress, swishing against me, but pause when I look at my exposed arms.
“Did Rosie send a wrap or something?” I ask, eyeing my old scars and the newer scratches from the forsaken.
“Absolutely not,” Arianna answers, her voice like steel. “Own the battle scars. Wear them with pride.”
I cringe at the marks but nod .
“You’re going to do great tonight,” Arianna promises, heading to my door. “I’ll see you down there.”
“Wait, we aren’t going together?” I ask, confused. “How am I supposed to get halfway around the realm in time?”
Arianna rolls her eyes as she opens the door. “You’re not. You and your fated boyfriend are going together.”
I freeze. “Ari, no. I can go with you, I’ll see Sin there. It’s fine.”
Arianna steps out the door and turns back to me, grinning like a maniac. “See you later, Vivian. And try not to smudge the makeup,” she finishes before apparating out of sight.
I frown at the spot where she just stood.
Well, that was dramatic. Why open the door if she was just going to apparate out?
My thoughts are answered a second later when Sin appears in the doorway.
I am so unbelievably screwed.
The man is dressed all in black, save for a small green silk square in his shirt pocket that perfectly matches my dress. His beard has been trimmed back and neatened. It does nothing to tame his warlord appearance. He still looks deadly.
My stomach does a flip, and I swallow, trying to remember how to small talk.
Sin looks me up and down twice before frowning as he walks to me .
My insecurities flood back at his expression. “What? I told Arianna to let me wear a shawl to hide them, but she vetoed the idea.”
Sin pauses a few feet before me, looking confused. “Hide what?”
I flush, hating that he’s making me spell it out. “The scars,” I mutter, staring at the floor and ready to wear a raincoat if it means avoiding this conversation.
“Why the fuck do you think I’m looking at your scars?” Sin asks incredulously.
My eyes shoot back to his. “You looked at me, and you frowned. I assumed.”
My insecurity is quickly being replaced by irritation with Sin.
What a promising start to the evening.
Sin narrows his eyes. “I’m still waiting on the names of whoever gave you those scars,” he says before pausing and giving me a pointed look. “But for now, I’m frustrated because you’re unarmed, aren’t you?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I’m too taken aback by his words.
Sin steps forward, and he’s back to invading my bubble.
He’s been doing it more and more these past few days.
“Answer me, kitten. Were you about to go into a crowd of people, who we have no formal ties to, without a weapon?” he asks.
I chew on my lower lip, likely messing up some of Arianna’s makeup, trying to find a way to answer him so I don’t look like an idiot .
I’m unsuccessful.
Sin reaches over, pulling my lip from my teeth and tilting my chin so I’m looking up at him. His gray eyes are darker, almost stormy.
“I forgot,” I whisper.
Sin growls, releasing my chin. I take a step back, but he follows me.
“So, are you ready to go back to being a Council whore then? Expecting everyone else to fight for you?” His voice is cruel.
I keep backing up, not wanting to be so close to him, especially while he’s being mean. But Sin just stalks me across the room until my back is pressed against the wall.
“You know that’s not true,” I snap, my voice a bit louder than expected.
Sin cages me between him and the wall, but he doesn’t press himself against me.
“Then do better, kitten,” he hisses, still very angry.
He kneels in front of me, and I stare at him, confused for a moment, until he lifts my foot and slips something around it. He pushes it up my leg, using the slit in my dress to gain access to my upper thigh.
His hands brush against my stockings, burning a path everywhere they touch. My breathing picks up.
So screwed.
Once satisfied with the object, Sin looks up at me, and I can still see the fire behind his eyes. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls something out, clipping it onto the band around my thigh.
It’s a small, sheathed dagger .
His fingers graze my exposed skin, just over the elastic of my stocking, and my eyes flutter. But his touch is fleeting, and he straightens up, letting my dress fall back to the ground.
The dagger is invisible but easily within reach.
“Thank you,” I breathe, trying to remember that I’m annoyed at him.
Sin eyes me again, but this time, he nods, seemingly satisfied. “You look stunning.”
I swallow. “You look nice too. Are you ready to go fool everyone?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood.
“Almost,” Sin answers before taking my waist and spinning me to face the wall.
I’m about to look over my shoulder at him to figure out what he’s up to when his hands reach around my neck.
I inhale but don’t move as he gently moves my hair. A moment later, something small and metallic is on my chest, and I look down to find a small, golden necklace. There’s a pendant at the end, the same one that Sin wears around his neck. My eyes jump to my dresser, where I keep forgetting to give back his necklace, only to realize it’s already gone.
“I’ve already retrieved mine,” he notes, and I release the breath I forgot I was holding.
“Thank you,” I whisper, eyeing the necklace and not letting myself get emotional.
This is just an act.
Sin kisses the mark he left on my neck, and goosebumps erupt over my body at the contact.
“We don’t have to fool anyone, kitten,” he notes as one of his hands trails down my exposed back .
I shudder. “What do you mean? Our allies expect us to be together.”
Sin bites the mark, and I gasp, arousal pooling in my lower belly at his touch. “Wouldn’t you call this being together?” Sin whispers before sucking at the spot again, no doubt making it even more obvious for the party.
“I think,” I inhale, trying to focus on the task at hand. “I think we are sexually attracted to each other.”
Sin’s hand circles my hips, and his fingers brush against my center. I arch into his touch.
“But that’s it. I think you’re an ass, and this is just lust.” My insult falls a little short, given the breathless hitch in my voice from the way he’s teasing me.
Sin only laughs at my comment, pinching my clit. I gasp, my hands flying to the wall for support.
“Go ahead and hate me, kitten. Throw all your anger at me. It’s only going to feel that much better when I ruin you.” Sin’s voice is filled with dark promises, and I try to spin around to face him. But his arms only tighten, stopping me.
“Think about how good it’s going to feel. When my cock stretches your pussy, and I fuck you so hard, you forget how to breathe. Because I will ruin you, and you’re going to love it. Focus on that tonight and not the people you’re trying to fool,” he finishes, letting me go.
I am so turned on by his words that I am seriously considering fucking Sin on my bed, just once before the party, to get him out of my system.
I turn to him and pause at his smug expression.
That’s when it hits me .
He’s just winding me up to distract me from my anxiety so that I don’t mess up tonight.
Oh god. Has he been doing that the entire time? Manipulating me so I’ll go along with his plans? My stomach drops at the thought.
“Fuck you, Sin,” I hiss, glaring at him.
Sin only grins as he takes my hand. “That’s my girl,” he notes, and then we apparate out of the room.