Page 110 of The Sin Binder's Vow

“No,” I say, firm, quiet. “Youhaveto feel it. Envy isn’t something you wield—it’s something yousurvive.You either master it, or it eats you alive.”

Her knees almost buckle, but I catch her.

Not gently. I press my palm to her chest, right over her heart, and let it all drain back into me in a flood of shadow and gold. Her envy. Mine. The tangled mess we are.

When her eyes meet mine again, she’s trembling.

But she’s still standing.

I smile, breathless, feral.

“Congratulations, princess,” I whisper, voice like a sin wrapped in silk. “You didn’t drown.”

But gods, I almost wanted her to.

I am many things. Idiot. Flirt. Collector of abs and bad decisions. But beneath all that, I’m something far more dangerous.

And I’ve never shown her.

Not this part.

I shouldn’t.

But she’s standing like she’s not afraid of anything—not even me—and gods, that’s exactly why I want to ruin her with it.

So I do.

I lift my hand slowly, let my fingers hover just above her jawline—not touching. Not yet. My voice dips low, breath warm. “Want to know something darker?”

She nods, silent.

I brush my fingertips along her throat. Just enough contact. Just enough skin. And that’s all it takes.

The leeching starts.

Shadow licks out of me like a predator. It doesn’t explode—it slithers. A black tendril of want, ofhunger, curling beneath her skin. It sinks into her with an intimacy that isn’t physical, butexistential. It drinks from her, just a sip, just enough to taste the heat of her life. The magic inside her. The echo of the others bonded to her. Their powers are there, layered and wild and humming.

But hers?

Hers isripe.

It pulses like a living thing. Gold and wicked andso closeto snapping.

And I feel it.

All of her.

Her desire. Her ache. Her exhaustion. Her love. And herdarkness.

She gasps like I’ve touched something sacred—and maybe I have. Her hands slam against my chest, not to push me away but toanchorherself.

Her eyes are wide. Dazed. “What—what is this?”

“My other talent,” I murmur, mouth tilted into a grin that’s not even playful anymore. “Shadow Leech. By touching someone, I can sap their energy. Steal their strength. Fuel myself.”

I press closer, let the shadow stretch between us, curl around her ribs like it belongs there. “But I’ve never used it on you. Not even once. Not until now.”

Her breath is shallow, her pupils blown wide, and I see it in the way her body shakes—not from weakness, but from the sheerweightof what she feels. What she’s tasted.