Page 78 of Sin

Heaving a sigh, I turned away from her. Just the mention of her ass had my eyes desperate for the sight. As her soft grunts and the sound of her punches landing filled the space, I ran a hand over my face and worked to regain control of my aroused body.

My mind drifted back to how I felt coming home tonight. I shook my head and swallowed back a groan. So much for feeling relaxed.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

SIN

Have you ever been so hungry your stomach ached? That was me right now. I was starved beyond reason. Desperate to feed. The only place I could safely do that was within the walls ofIniquity.

Lust was thick in the air, potent and all-consuming, but I forced myself to hold off. Lilith was very clear that she didn’t want to share her source, and I wasn’t stupid enough to try and steal a piece of metaphorical bacon off her plate. Besides it being hers to take when she wanted, the rules of this club revolved around consent. The patrons consented to her feeding, they consented to whatever acts they committed, and most importantly, they hadn’t consented to me taking a damn thing from them. If I did, I’d be on my ass in the street so fast I wouldn’t know what had happened.

As if mere thought could summon her, Lilith appeared beside my corner booth. It was dark up here, but there was enough light on the dance floor below that I could still make her out easily enough. She was dressed in a black leather gown, her tits nearly spilling out of the exaggerated W of the neckline. Her dark hairwas down tonight in loose curls that reminded me of the starlets I once knew. And, as always, her lips were blood red.

“Famine. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The words were casually offered, but there was nothing casual about them.

“Oh, you know me, Lil. I’m here for a good time, not a long time.”

Anger flashed in her eyes and her fae prince companion took a seat across from me, the thin gold chain connecting them glittering every time he moved. “Speak to her like that again, and your time will be shorter than you know.”

“You look like absolute shit, Sinclair,” Lilith observed, ignoring her pet.

Taking my cue from her, I did the same. I knocked back the glass of bourbon I’d been nursing. “You think? I’m starving. You failed to mention that the little gift of yours iscelibate.” I practically hissed the word like it was something contagious.

Her expression shifted to an exaggerated mockery of innocence. “Oh, did I forget to share that bit of information? Forgive me. I thought, based on your reputation, it wouldn’t be an issue.”

“Well, it is,” I said, very aware of the pout in my words.

Crombie snickered, his muttered, “Amateur,” making me grind my teeth.

“What I’m not understanding is why you’re here, in my club, attempting to feed off my patrons when you could find a willing meal on any street corner in London.”

Why did the thought of seducing a random person off the street make my stomach churn? It was always strangers for me. I never needed a connection to feed. Hell, I didn’twantone.

Instead of attempting to explain any of that, I went with the explanation I hoped would serve me best. “I thought you’d appreciate my discretion. Didn’t want to draw too muchattention to my whereabouts lest I accidentally get spotted withyou know who.”

Lilith’s eyes flashed as she slid into the spot next to her companion, but I couldn’t tell if it was with amusement or anger. “Is that so?”

I nodded.

“Then I suppose I have no choice but to extend you a very limited pass.”

“Lilypad, surely he should be at home, fulfilling his duty?” Crombie murmured in her ear. “It’s not our responsibility to be his babysitter. He’s a grown horseman.”

Lilith’s eyes dropped down my body, and her lips twitched up in a smirk. “He certainly is.”

Crombie snarled, and I would have sworn I heard thunder.

Lilith giggled and patted his knee. “I was simply agreeing with you, darling. No need to throw a tantrum. And besides, you just proved the point I was about to make. Just because a man is grown doesn’t mean he won’t find himself in need of a little TLC from time to time.”

I wasn’t sure if I should thank her for that one. It seemed like it might have been a thinly veiled insult. “I need my strength if I’m going to be at my best for her.” That much was true. I didn’t want them to know we’d already almost let her get taken by the Knights of Pride. Something told me Lilith would be a lot less accommodating if she found that out.

You’re assuming she doesn’t already know.

A little shiver shot down my spine at the thought. Lilith seemed to know everything, but since she hadn’t brought it up, I sure as shit wasn’t going to. I was afraid of very little—godlike being that I was—but this creature in front of me held one of those places, right next to facing my true death.

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