Sin
Her leg had been folded over his waist, as if pulling him close. And a hardness pressed against her core, even in his sleep. Her body heated, and it took everything not to grind against him. A tugging inside her chest raging at her for fighting it.
Mate.
That was the bond flaring inside her.
Green eyes fluttered open, looking down at her with concern as she wretched herself away from him, falling off the bed.
Grunting on impact, she rolled onto her back, looking at the ceiling, contemplating her life choices that led to this moment.
Auburn hair peered over the bed as Max watched her with a smirk on his face. “Sleep well, Little Blade?”
A growl escaped her lips as she jumped up, making her way towards a door she hoped led to a bathing chamber.
Upon looking at herself in the mirror, she paused at what she saw in her reflection. Her wounds didn’t scar thanks to Audrira’s healing—further proof that the rest of her scarring from her wretched life was intentional. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her still, making every movement feel sluggish.
Max watched her in silence, his small smile tinged with worry as he watched her comb through her hair, getting dressed in the servant’s attire folded neatly on the counter, moving stiffly.
“Are you ready?” he asked, his tone casual, almost playful, as though he weren’t about to lead her away from his lavish chambers and back into the reality of her servitude.
She nodded, swallowing hard, not trusting herself to speak. Her time with Max had been confusing—emotionally draining—but the comfort of the bed, the warmth, and the strange tenderness in his touch had left a mark on her.
They walked in silence through the castle halls, Sin following behind if only to watch him while he wasn’t looking. Watching the way his muscles shifted beneath his tunic, the body of a warrior, rather than a spoiled prince.
The further they moved from the opulent chambers, the more the atmosphere changed. The castle’s grand elegance shifted into something she was more familiar with, an obvious contrast in their stations that made her stomach churn. How in the hells was she mated to him?
Max’s body shifted, stopping in front of a door, his hand resting on the handle as he looked back at her. “This is where I leave you—for now,” he said, his voice dropping at the end, carrying a hint of something she couldn’t quite place. Concern, perhaps?
Sin narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll survive.”
A smirk tugged at his lips. He leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. “You always do.”
He opened the door, motioning for her to step inside.
With her heart racing, Sin entered the servants’ quarters.
Her eyes darted around the room as she stepped inside, cataloging the exits, noting the cracked stone walls.
It wasn’t luxury, but it was better than what she was used to in the manor.
Warm, in a way Vivienne’s estate had never been.
Before she could fully absorb her surroundings, the faces staring at her, a familiar glint of silver hair rushed toward her, moving faster than an elderly fae should be capable of.
“Maurice!” Sin gasped as she met his embrace. Eyes wide with shock. More familiar faces surrounded them as Maurice stepped back. All the servants from the manor were here. In uniforms. They could’ve had the option to find other work, move wherever they wanted now that their contracts were void.
A peek over her shoulder, and Max’s wink told her everything she needed to know. He did this. Because if she couldn’t be with him, if she couldn’t leave, she would have familiar faces who would likely look after her.
“We thought we lost you for good!” Maurice exclaimed, forcing her attention away from Max.
Maurice looked and sounded like he’d been genuinely worried. The others looked worried, but they kept a healthy distance from her. A wave of awkwardness filled her as she realized the last time they’d likely seen her, they’d been running from her screaming.
Max wasn’t worried, because he knew they now feared her.
Except Maurice. She didn’t remember seeing him as they all ran from her that night, screaming in fear. But he had to have known it was Sin. Even if not at the time, by the looks on everyone else’s faces, there was no way they didn’t know.
A light tugging in her chest, and when she peered back over her shoulder, Max was gone.
* * *
Sin was given no time to take everything in as she followed the others.
They led her through their quarters, showing her everything she needed to know.
The corridors were narrow, with faded, dusty tapestries lining the walls.
The scent of baked bread wafted through the air, mixing with the laughter of tired but cheerful workers.
“This is where we bathe,” Jocelyn said, one of the castle servants, her lips curling in a sneer as she pointed towards the shared baths. “Not much privacy, but we manage.” Sin could tell Jocelyn didn’t like her, but the woman held her tongue, her disdain clear without words.
Sin looked at the bathing chambers, and it made her uncomfortable. The lack of personal space, but she knew she’d have to adjust. It’s not like at least one person here didn’t see her getting her ass eaten by the prince at the ball.
They moved on to the dining area, a cramped hall with long wooden tables. The air was thick with the stale scent of bread and roasted vegetables from the previous feast. Her stomach growled, but she remained quiet, watching as the others move at ease within the space.
“You’ll fit right in,” a warm voice sounded. Chloe, one of the older servant’s here she’d just met. She gave Sin an appraising look as she continued. “We switch off serving the royals and eating here first.”
Sin nodded, taking it all in. The work was familiar, but everything felt more intense and demanding here, yet purposeful. It was different from the chaos that was Vivienne’s chore list.
By nightfall, Sin was exhausted. She collapsed onto the small bed assigned to her, her body aching still from fatigue, and what she assumed was the fallout from the horrible night.
The quarter’s were cramped, each bed space close to the next with barely any in between.
She pulled the thin blanket over herself, her eyelids growing heavy as she listened to the quiet murmurs of the others around her.
Perhaps the mattress was thinner, less cozy than the prince’s feather bed, with its silken sheets and soft pillows. But it beat her old torturous bed by miles. It was another motivator to learn with Magnolia rather than sleep.
Sin’s muscles tensed, reminded of nights spent on cold stone floors whenever Vivienne’s anger struck, how Sin could sleep in far worse conditions. She rubbed her wrists absentmindedly, phantom pains lingering from shackles that were no longer there.
As she drifted off, a new sound reached her.
Soft moans.
Her eyes snapped open, irritation prickling at her temples.
She turned her head slightly, her gaze landing on two figures tangled together on a bed across the room.
It took her a moment to process what she was seeing, but the quiet gasps and sounds of snapping hips left no room for misinterpretation.
It was Maurice. With Chloe.
Sin blinked, her face heating despite herself. The audacity of it. The slight worry that a male of his age shouldn’t be moving so fast like that, lest he injure himself.
Sin glanced around, expecting someone to react, but the other servants carried on as if nothing was happening. Conversations of those still away continued in low murmurs, most drifting into sleep, entirely unbothered by the noises cutting through the otherwise quiet room.
Sin huffed and yanked the blanket over her head, squeezing her eyes shut and turning her face to the wall.
Though she supposed she was a little happy for Maurice, sleep wasn’t going to come easily tonight, not with this circus going on.
What kind of culture normalized this sort of behavior in a shared room?
This was her bedroom, supposed sanctuary, not the ball where indulgence was expected.
She fidgeted, tugging the blanket tighter around herself. It didn’t matter how comfortable they were—she wasn’t. And this was her new reality, like it or not.