Page 55 of Sinner
“He has?” West shook his head. “I thought Beck likedhim. That’s what Beck’s been leading me to believe for years.”
“So, after learning it was really you he has a thing for, you needed time to consider your options?”
“Come on, Nixie, you’re being an asshole.”
“Me?” He pointed at himself and then stabbed a finger against West’s chest. “In comparison to the way you all treat me when you’re angry, I’m being a gods damned saint!”
“I don’t have any feelings for Beck,” West reassured. “I never have, and I never will. He doesn’t mean anything to me. If you want me to cut him out, I will.”
“And risk pissing him off enough he turns on us?” Nix blew out a breath, realizing how irrational he was truly being. “What exactly did he threaten you with? What’s the real reason you didn’t say anything to me?”
He’d known there was something off about the Demon the other night. He’d been quieter than usual, a bit reserved. When asked, West had requested time to sort through things on his own. This was obviously what’d been weighing on him.
“You really don’t have any—”
“No,” West said before Nix could finish. “Beck means nothing to me. That’s not why I couldn’t tell you. I just…” He closed his eyes for a moment and centered himself before continuing. “What if he meant it and he followed through on his threats? He’s trying to blackmail me into spending time with him romantically.”
“Define romantic?”
“Dates.” He leaned back against the counter. “Sex.”
“Hell no.”
“That’s what I told him,” West promised.
“What were the threats?” Lake chimed in.
“He’d use his likability with the Order to stall things for you. I’ve been thinking about it, and while he won’t be able tohave you removed or stop you from ascending, he can certainly bullshit his way through the Order and the High Council and convince them to delay the coronation. Technically, the period of mourning can stretch for another six months if it’s called for.”
With no one on the throne, the High Council controlled how long the state of mourning for the planet lasted. There were restrictions, of course, but West was right. The mourning period had three timeframes, one chosen depending on the severity of the death, and the position that the person had been in.
If there’d been someone to immediately take the late emperor’s place, an immediate family member like a son or daughter, or someone of proper age, the mourning period would technically have been set for two whole years, because they could have ruled without their coronation.
“The Council has already announced the date,” Lake pointed out. “They’d look foolish if they went back on their word.”
“Yes, but it’s not completely unheard of,” West argued. “Beck can be convincing. You know that. You’re cousins, after all.”
“Barely.”
“You were brought up the same way.”
“We all were.”
“He’s a professor,” West added. “He can easily mess with our grades and ensure we don’t graduate on time.”
“Did he say he would do that?” Nix frowned. “He really has no sense of responsibility, does he? First, he fucks a student, and now—”
“He what?” West shook his head. “I never slept with him!”
“Relax,” Lake drawled. “He wasn’t referring to you.”
“Then…who?” West’s brow remained furrowed as he considered. “Yejun?”
“Dew.”
“Dew? Dew Seaborn? The one that was stalking him?”
“Supposedly stalking him,” Nix said. “He told you that?”
