Page 111 of Sin

“No. But I see what he’s saying,” Chaos said, already taking off his shirt. “Scarcity breeds desperation.”

“He’s right. She nearly put me in a coma because her need to replenish her energy was so great the last time.” Malice pulled up a chair and sat only a few feet from Merri. “All of us together give her a supply she won’t drain. More of us equals a bigger pool to draw from. Less risk all around.”

Ah. That made sense.

I scowled at Sin. “Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?”

“Pretty sure I did. Not my fault you don’t understand metaphor, Grimsby.”

“Piss off.”

Didn’t they understand how dangerous I was to her? Could she feed off of me safely? Or would my darkness corrupt her simply by taking my energy as sustenance? I was the personification of death. How could anything about me nourish instead of destroy?

Sin finally seemed to register my internal debate. He brushed Merri’s hair away from her forehead before whispering instructions to her. “Get comfortable.” Then he came to me. Keeping his voice low, he met my stare straight on. “You’re not going to hurt her, Grim.”

“How can you know that?”

“For one thing, the three of us won’t let you. For another, Hades fucks without killing all the time. If he can do it, so can you. You don’t own the market on death magic.”

“Hades doesn’t kill everything he touches.”

“You’re not going to touch her.”

I was ashamed of the tightness in my chest at the thought. “But?—”

Sin reached out and grabbed my shoulder, the heat of his palm radiating through the fabric of my shirt and startling me. Touches were few and far between with the four of us. We kept to ourselves, and they certainly gave me a wide berth, but right now, this bit of connection grounded me.

“For once, we aren’t the bad guys, Grim. Lilith came to us so we could save her. You and I both know she would never risk Merri’s safety by doing so if she thought we would do more harm than good. Feeding her is part of that.”

He was right. In all my years, I’d never once been charged with saving anyone. But that was exactly what I wanted to do for Merri. I wanted to save her as many times as she needed me.

Heaving a sigh, I nodded before unbuttoning the cuffs of both of my sleeves and rolling them up. “Fine. Where do you want me?”

“You can sit anywhere you’re comfortable,” Merri answered, her voice raspy with exhaustion. “I don’t even need to be able to see you if you don’t want me to. But it will work best if you’re in the room.”

“I don’t mind you watching.”

I was startled by my admission, but the way her eyes seemed to flicker with interest was enough to soothe any embarrassment my vulnerability caused.

“How come that line never works when I say it?” Sin asked, choosing a spot that allowed him to touch Merri.

“Because we don’t like you?” Malice offered.

“Because she’s prettier than you are,” Chaos said right on his heels.

Sin pouted and rubbed at his chest. “Ouch, guys.”

Merri lifted her hand and gently touched Sin’s thigh. “I think you’re pretty.”

“Yeah?”

“So pretty, Sinclair.”

His smile was shockingly tender as he brushed his thumb over her lower lip. “They’re right, though. I’m nowhere near as pretty as you.”

She smiled, but it was weak and sent a bolt of worry through me.

“How do we start?” Chaos asked, his dark brows pulled together as he watched Sin flirt.

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