Chapter 49
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule forty-nine: Don’t go knocking on death’s door. Blowing it up is much more efficient.
The stone floor scrapes my knees as I drop and pull Sin’s body against mine. Sobs wrack through me, and his blood is sticky and warm as it smears over my skin. There are slashes all over his lips and neck, still dribbling blood from the vines Lilanthara grew inside him.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I plead between gasps. “I didn’t want to risk using my Reaper power. I was afraid the magic would trap me too, and I wanted my hands free to fight,” I ramble, even as his strong arms wrap around me.
His skin knits back together before my tear-filled eyes. He coughs, and this time, only a few droplets of blood splatter onto the ground.
“Worried about me, kitten?” He rasps, and there’s laughter in his tone.
I swat his arm and pull back enough to glare at him. “Of course, I was worried! You were choking on your own blood. Are you okay?” I search for any other signs of bleeding but find none.
He gives me a devilish grin. Blood stains his teeth. “Good as new.”
“I’m sorry I got you hurt. I was stupid, I–”
He reaches over and cups the nape of my neck, tugging me closer in a possessive gesture. “You did fucking perfect.”
Then he kisses me. His mouth claims mine, and my skirt rides up as he drags me atop him. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, swallowing my moan.
My fingers curl into his hair, and I return the kiss with equal passion.
There’s a scuff behind us, and my eyes dart open, only now remembering the redhead is still here.
Of course, she’s still here. Where else would she be?
Why am I so bad at life?
Flushing, I yank away from Sin. “Uhm, sorry. Hi. I’m Vivian, and this is Sin. We–”
She rolls her eyes and cuts me off. “I know who you are. Everyone does.”
Nothing about her demeanor suggests she’s happy to meet us, and she makes no move to introduce herself.
I’m not entirely sure what to say, and I’m saved from trying when Sin helps me stand.
Still, the redhead continues to stare at us silently. The longer the silence grows, the more the animosity hangs between us.
Sin is molded against my back, and a quick glance over my shoulder confirms he’s eyeing her suspiciously.
Something tugs in my gut. I should probably salvage this. From the rings on her necklace, I’m pretty sure she’s working for Ragna. That means she might be an ally.
Alternatively, Ragna sent us to her realm to screw us over.
That would suck – a lot.
“Look, we know the way out of here, so we can take you home,” I offer, trying to extend an olive branch.
Unmoved, she turns on her heel, heading for a door on our left. “Not until we figure out what Lilanthara was doing here.”
Sin shifts like he’s thinking of dragging her right back.
I give him a slight shrug. “I mean, she has a point. We should check it out.”
His jaw works as he slowly nods, and his eyes return to tracking her steps. “You work for Ragna.” It’s a statement, not a question.
Immediately, she stops short and whirls around to glare at him. “Stay the fuck out of my head.”
Before I can speak up, Sin returns her hostility. “Trusting strangers is what got us into this mess. If reading your thoughts is what it takes to ensure you aren’t a threat to my mate, then I can assure you that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
His threat floors me, but before I can wonder if he’s bluffing, Sin’s power pulses. Red light creeps in her direction.
She doesn’t even flinch.
At this point, I’ve decided she’s either a badass or an imbecile. Exasperation bleeds into my tone as I try to find common ground. “Look, it doesn’t take mind-reading to realize we work for the same person.”
Figuring the bone ring is likely our best bet at proving we work for Ragna, I reach into Sin’s pocket. His brow lifts, and then he looks amused as I dig around, not finding it.
I narrow my eyes at him. “A little help?”
He lets out a low chuckle, reaching into his other pocket and handing me the bone ring. The moment it leaves his fingers, it pulses against my hand.
I ignore the sentient jewelry, because frankly, I have bigger problems. “We work for Ragna, just like you.”
I hold up the ring, hoping it’s not just some super common Beast Realm trinket.
She nods but doesn’t look any more trusting. Sin’s suspicion hasn’t eased either.
Work with me, people!
Still, no more accusations are thrown out, and we manage to leave the cavern in search of evidence.
The redhead leads the way, likely because Sin doesn’t want her walking behind us.
The dark tunnels are quiet, and despite our earlier scuffle, there’s no clanging metal of guards to indicate reinforcements are coming.
We walk through the silence for only a few minutes before I hear it – whispering static echoes down the tunnel. It’s faint, but growing louder with our every step.
Souls.
Neither the redhead nor Sin gives any indication that they can hear it, too. There’s a fork in the path ahead, and thankfully, the redhead takes a left, turning toward the sound before I can direct her.
A small part of me hopes she didn’t hear me mention my Reaper power to Sin.
It’s the delusional part.
The static becomes a cacophony of echoes when the tunnel opens into another cave. This space is easily double the size of the throne room, and unlike the other passages, it’s blindingly bright.
The light comes from row upon row of cages that cut across the cavern. Each one glows brightly blue, thanks to the souls packed inside them. There are thousands of them.
My jaw drops. “So, this is where they’ve been hiding.”
The redhead doesn’t bother slowing as she responds, “No. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of how many souls have gone missing.”
She strides through the room, barely sparing a glance at the spirits, as she heads for a door at the far end. Anxious to see if there are more cages filled with souls, we follow.
We make our way down another tunnel until we come across another large cave. This one is set up like some kind of factory. Steel rods are piled against walls, tools litter the maze of work surfaces, and forges are still lit. It looks like it was just vacated.
Stifling heat radiates from the embers, causing sweat to drip down my back as I walk along the different workstations. A frown pulls against my lips as I try to figure out how this fits together.
“They were building collars,” Sin notes, picking up a metal circlet.
“Why, though?” I wonder out loud, even though none of us have any answers.
After a few more minutes of exploring the room, I start getting antsy about the caged souls.
What if someone comes back for them?
“Would you guys mind waiting here for a second?” I ask. “I’ll be right back. I just want to check something.”
The redhead shrugs, and I turn, heading back the way we came.
Footsteps trail behind me, and before I can tell Sin he should probably stay here and keep an eye on her, his low voice reaches me. “Not a fucking chance, kitten. Where you go, I go. Want me to tie her up again?”
He sounds cheerful at the prospect, and I vigorously shake my head. That probably wouldn’t go over well on the whole diplomacy front.
He smirks, and I give him an exasperated look as we enter the bright room. It takes less than a breath for my silver energy to wind through the cages, and the souls blink out of sight. Warmth radiates in my chest when I turn and take in Sin’s proud expression.
“You are so fucking impressive,” he says as he pulls me against him. He looks down at me with adoration and desire, and my thighs press together in response.
I fully intend on saying something witty.
Unfortunately, I think I used my last brain cell at the sex club.
Sin’s eyes flash with hunger, and I realize I’m unconsciously biting my bottom lip again.
“That’s two, kitten,” he warns, reminding me of his earlier threat.
Heat flares inside my core, and I can’t stop my answering smirk as I pull away and start back toward the factory room.
His hand immediately finds the small of my back as he follows, and I swear he trips when I answer, “Then maybe it’s time for you to collect.”
Our banter is stopped short when we find the factory cave completely deserted – because of course, the redhead deserted us.
I sigh, disappointed, but not surprised.
“There’s no way she’s already made it back to the entrance. Do you want to chase her?” Sin asks.
Even though it was my decision not to tie her up, there’s no judgment in his tone. This is a glaring ‘I told you so’ moment, and he’s choosing to be kind and helpful.
Yeah, I definitely love this man.
“No,” I answer, sighing again. “She doesn’t seem interested in working together. Did you really dig into her mind?”
I’m pretty sure he was bluffing. Sin hates using his power to invade people’s thoughts.
“Just enough to ensure she didn’t mean you harm.” He tugs me closer, like his hand on my exposed back isn’t enough.
His other hand tips my chin until I meet his gaze. “There is nothing I won’t do to keep you safe,” his fingers brush my pulse, “no line I won’t cross,” he leans in until his lips barely touch mine, “because you’re mine, kitten. And I fucking protect what is mine.”
Molten heat spears through me, and the broken fragments of my soul practically vibrate with need. It’s as if every sharp edge already knows he’s ours.
I expect him to devour me, to take me against the cavern wall, but instead, he presses an infuriatingly soft kiss against my lips and pulls back.
“What’s next?” He asks, like he didn’t officially become the universe’s biggest tease.
I sputter for a second, trying to get my mind back into super-spy mode, instead of climb-him-like-a-tree mode.
He chuckles, and I consider kicking him in the shin. “Easy, kitten. I let Hades watch you come once, and that’s all he’ll ever get.”
Remembering we have an audience cools my libido. “Hades, right. We should probably go check on him.”