Page 125 of The Sin Binder's Chains

Elias

The ground shifts beneath me, and I hate that I’m awake for this. Rocks scatter, the earth beneath us groaning like something alive, waiting, pissed the fuck off. It rumbles, low and warning, and I exhale through my nose, already done with whatever fresh hell this is.

Severin is such a sore loser. Honestly, fuck that guy.

I don’t even have the energy to pretend to care about whatever mind game he’s pulling now. Probably trying to fuck with Layla’s head, the same way he tries to fuck with all of us.

Gods, he’s exhausting.

Across from me, Silas stretches his arms over his head like he’s waking up from a nap, even though the ground is shaking.

He side-eyes me, casual as hell.

"Hey, Elias, why is the ground bumping?"

I blink at him. Stare.

I do not dignify that with a response.

Silas tilts his head, waiting.

The ground shudders again, a deep, ominous crack running through the rubble near our feet.

I sigh heavily, rubbing my face. “Because the Void hates us.”

Silas hums, nodding thoughtfully. “Seems fair.”

The rocks shift again. Louder this time. More pronounced.

Layla, who is decidedly too new for this level of bullshit, glances between us, brows furrowed. “Should we… do something?”

I wave a hand, already so fucking tired. “No, no, we should just wait for it to consume us whole. That’s the logical next step.”

Silas grins. “You’re so dramatic.”

“Oh, I’m dramatic?” I gesture at the literal cracking earth beneath our feet. “We are about five minutes away from the ground straight-up devouring us, and I’m dramatic?”

Luna appears next to Layla, arms crossed, watching me like she knows exactly how close I am to snapping.

“I think you’re just bitter,” she muses.

I narrow my eyes. “What exactly do I have to be bitter about, Evernight?”

She smirks, a slow, wicked thing that makes my life worse. “That I keep you up at night.”

Silas chokes on a laugh. Layla looks like she wants to be anywhere but here.

And I, Elias Dain, am going to walk into the nearest Void crack and let it take me.

I roll my shoulders, stretching lazily. “Wow. You got me. I lie awake thinking about you. Just you, Luna. Just your stupid , ” I wave my hand vaguely at her face. “ , face.”

Luna lifts a brow. “My stupid face?”

“Don’t get cocky about it.”

Silas pats my back. “Buddy, I think she’s already won this round.”

The ground shakes again, this time more violently, and I drag my hands down my face with a long-suffering sigh.

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