Sinners' Kingdom #1: The Book of Lust (Complete)

27

Sarina brought us breakfast herself, two deep bowls of a meaty broth that smelled and tasted — amazing, actually. Suspiciously so. I stalled by thanking her and seeing her out of the room before I took the first spoonful, just in case.

"Thank you so much," I said. We stood in the dim hallway with only the light of the few flickering wall torches to illuminate us. It cast strange shadows on Sarina's angular face, unnerving me with how calm she looked despite the clear evidence that she didn't trust me at all. Why else would she have personally brought us our meal? She could easily have sent one of her acolytes to do a menial job like this. She didn't want her people around us, that was why. "I was hoping you could show me to your library later, if you don't mind. Or if you could tell me how to get there, I don't want to impose."

"It's no trouble at all. In fact, you are welcome to use my private library. It's in this very sanctuary. Would you like me to return in an hour to show you there?"

How convenient. A private library located well away from everyone else and right in the building I stayed in. It didn't seem like she was doing anything to lock us in, and she had said she would do all she could to help, but that could be part of the pretense. If we didn't know we were prisoners, we had no reason to try to break out. As soon as Sarina left, I needed to check the doors to make sure I wasn't actually locked in.

For now, though, I had to play the part.

"I'd appreciate that. Thank you very much."

When I retreated back into the room, Lust sat against the wall. He watched me with the look of predatory satisfaction that sent goosebumps racing up my arms no matter how often I caught him wearing it. When would he get bored of that? The mark on my wrist tingled as if I'd run a corner of an ice cube along the gleaming symbol, and I inconspicuously pressed it hard into my hip, using the billowing sleeve as a cover. The last thing I needed was to make him aware of how much he affected me. I couldn't keep letting him get his way. At this rate, he was going to have me on my knees and start petting my hair, telling me what a good pet I was.

I ignored the heated twinge that curled in my belly at the thought. Long, forceful fingers raking through my hair, forcing my head back, what a good girl you are.

Nope.

"You heard her," I said shortly, keeping every syllable tight and composed, no emotion leaking. "We'll check the private library for now, then later, if needed, we'll ask for access to the main library again. I'm assuming she doesn't want us there, so if she refuses, I'll just ask for books on the topics we need." Barring anything on Princes, of course. No one here needed to know I was harboring Hell nobility right in their midst, or that I'd entered into a contract with one. The second anyone figured that out, it was lights out for me. Next thing I knew, someone would contact the Coven and inform them exactly where they could come fetch me for a joke of a trial.

"As you wish, my love."

"So far, we need books on dowsing or other locating spells. Also, anything on Lilith, and Adam and Eve. What else do I need to brush up on to make our cooperation work? I expect transparency since we entered an agreement in good faith, both of us."

Instead of yielding to my ice-cold seriousness, he became amused, smile widening. "Our cooperation," he repeated. "Is that what we should call it? I like how it sounds. Our cooperation."

It sounded dirty, somehow. The way the words just dripped off his tongue, molten hot. But that was the point. He was doing this on purpose. Too bad for him, his probing would go nowhere. I'd spent my first five minutes awake this morning meditating and centering myself. Strength of mind didn't have to come from magic. I'd learned to hone my willpower since I was a little girl. Even if I'd forgotten it all in the years since, it was all coming back to me little by little.