Page 102 of Sin

“Did you know him? How is that possible? You can’t be much older than me.”

Fuck. I’d forgotten myself for a moment. “There’s a photo of him in one of my other familial estates.”

“Ah, very good. Shall I show you inside?”

I nodded and gestured for him to lead the way.

Merri rushed over to me, her voice low. “You speak French?”

“Clearly,” I answered, lips twitching with amusement. Dropping my voice and switching back to French, I asked, “Does that turn you on, hellcat?”

When Merri’s only response was a blush, I chuckled. I’d take that as a yes.

“So that’s a yes to the French, then,” Merri whispered.

“We all speak it,” Grim added.

“Not me. I only speak French kissing,” Sin said with a wink.

Chaos shoved him. “Jesus. It’s a wonder you ever get laid. Seriously. Your game is so fucking weak.”

“As far as I can tell, neither one of us has gotten laid in a long fucking time. Your game is as weak as mine.”

Chaos’s gaze lingered on Merri. “Don’t be so sure about that.”

Christian pushed open the heavy arched door, and we followed him inside the château. “My apologies for not having everything ready for you, Monsieur. I was not aware you were coming or that you would be bringing guests. I will have supplies for you within a few hours. How long will you be staying?”

“It’s not a problem. We will be staying indefinitely. Our lodgings were destroyed in the earthquake.”

Christian nodded. “I understand. We were lucky here. The improvements your father insisted upon were fortuitous indeed. They kept the structure of the château strong and aside from a few broken windows and an unfortunately unlucky chandelier, the estate escaped unscathed.”

“My father was a very wise man indeed.”

Christian gestured to the left. “The main salon is aired and cleaned per your usual requirements. There are also a few snacks and some wine in the kitchen. The rooms will need to be prepared, but I will do that now so that you may clean up and rest. Is there anything specific you’d like for dinner?”

I looked to Merri and then realized she was following none of this. Switching back to English, I repeated the question for her.

“Oh, um, anything will be fine. I’m not picky.”

Christian’s eyes widened as it dawned on him that Merri didn’t speak a lick of French. “My apologies, mademoiselle. I will speak only English from now on.” He stepped forward and took her hand, dropping his head as he placed a kiss on her knuckles.

I thought Chaos was going to rip his head from his shoulders for touching her.

But it was Grim who growled, “That’s enough.”

“You have a most beautiful daughter, sir,” Christian said to Grim, a dazed expression on his face.

“Tone it down, kitten. You’re gonna get the guy killed.” Sin’s voice was full of humor as he pulled her away from the unfortunately smitten groundskeeper.

Merri blushed. “Sorry. I blame the French.”

“So do everyone else,” I muttered.

“Is this beautiful creature spoken for by any of you?” Christian asked, taking a step toward her, fully enraptured by Merri.

Even as I hated the attention he was giving her, I couldn’t blame him. The succubus was captivating. It was her literal nature. Still, best I remove temptation before one of my brothers decided my groundskeeper had outlived his usefulness.

“Yes,” snarled Grim, clearly put out at being referred to as Merri’s father.

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