Page 15 of Sinner
“Already acting like the regent.”
“Come Friday, he will be,” Kori said.
Finally, after all this time and struggle and plotting, Lake would get what he wanted.
And he’d take care of what was his in the process.
Free West and Yejun from their parents.
Bind Nix to them in a way he would never be able to escape from.
Then Lake would give him everything he’d ever wished for. He’d prove that he was the perfect partner for Nix Monroe.Prove that they were meant for each other. Always.
Forever.
Chapter 5:
The house was quiet when he finally stepped from the room and made his way silently down the stairs. Briant had fallen asleep a couple of hours ago, with Nix still perched on the window seat, blindly staring out as the sky darkened and the view turned pitch black. He’d needed to move after a day of doing nothing, so he’d left the room to wander.
The quiet didn’t worry him. He knew without having to be told the Demons would never leave him alone. One or more of them were certainly here, somewhere in the Roost. The fact he hadn’t seen Lake, even though they’d been occupying his room, meant everyone understood Nix’s state of mind.
He appreciated that they were giving him space. If this had been two months ago, they wouldn’t have. Hell, a monthago, he wasn’t convinced they’d even care enough to consider it for a moment.
Things had escalated so quickly between them. It was frightening and overwhelming when he stopped to think about it, but he tried not to allow himself to. It wasn’t like he could do anything anyway. The past couldn’t be changed, and he’d already made up his mind.
Nix had chosen.
And he’d chosen them.
All of them.
Including the one currently brooding into the night.
Brooding was probably the wrong word. Yejun Sang looked like he was modeling a mysterious midnight blend perfume.
He certainly had the face for it. His messy dark hair was up in his signature bun, and his jewelry, tiny black studs for snake bites and a single eyebrow piercing, winked in the porch lighting.
The glass double doors leading to the back porch had been opened wide, and he was standing with a shoulder propped against the frame, head tipped slightly up toward the sky. His ankles were crossed, and he’d ditched the school uniform for a black t-shirt and jeans. His feet were bare.
Nix didn’t know what it was about that last detail, but it had him pausing in the living room. Maybe it was how domestic it looked. A picturesque depiction of the perfect, considerate boyfriend, waiting patiently.
He wondered what Yejun was thinking about so deeply. He was completely still, even with the breeze blowing toward him, bringing with it a scatter of raindrops. It was more mist than anything at the moment, but it was still enough to wet his skin as he stood there.
There was a lot to think about. Nix had been focused on himself, but he wasn’t the only one dealing with changes. Sure, the Demons were the reason for everything that had happened with him, but it was also true they’d been targeted before he’d come along. And he certainly hadn’t helped the situation any by bringing Juri deeper into their world.
There was a lot of guilt there, not just toward Briant, or Branwen, but toward Yejun and West.
It was interesting how quickly things could shift. Just a couple of days ago, Nix had struggled with forgiveness, but now he was the one feeling like he needed to beg for it. Logically, he understood he’d been tricked, but…
Yejun chose that moment to let out a deep sigh before turning on his heel. The moment he caught sight of Nix, he froze, going so still it was hard to tell if he was even breathing. They remained like that for a spell, his eyes wide and his nerves obvious, like he wasn’t quite sure what to do or if he should even do anything at all.
“Hi,” Nix broke the silence first, internally wincing over how stupid a comment that was.
“Hi.” Yejun didn’t make any movements aside from his lips.
“Can I…join you?”
He blinked at him and then took a step back onto the porch, waving his arms for Nix to follow almost comically. “Yes. Yes! Of course!”
