Page 15 of The Sin Binders Ascent

But that’s not what stops my breath.

It’s the third shape.

Too tall. Too casual.Too smug.I blink. Then squint harder. No, that’s not,gods, no.

Theo.

Oh. Fuck me with a holy relic.

I drop the mug. It shatters, but I’m already moving. I kick open the front door and stalk out into the heat, barefoot on stone, because my priorities haveneverincluded shoes.

“What the actual fuck,” I say loudly as they near the crest of the hill. “Lucien, if this is a sex cult thing, I swear on Elias’ stupid novelty socks,”

Luna doesn’t even slow. She stalks right past me like her body’s running on war-fueled caffeine.

Lucien glances at me. One look. That’s it. And I know. It’s worse than I thought.

Theo’s following them like this is a vacation, and we’re his summer home. Same dark hair, same ridiculous bone structure, same fucking smirk that looks like it was designed by someone who thoughtemotional devastationwas a love language.

“Hi, Silas,” he purrs. “Miss me?”

I point a finger at him. “You don’t get to say my name. Ever. You don’t get tobreathe near my name.”

He presses a hand to his chest. “Still dramatic.”

“And you’re still the reason two entire cities outlawed open-mouth smiling in public.”

Luna doesn’t stop walking. Doesn’t look at me. But I see the set of her shoulders. The way she’s vibrating.

I catch up to Lucien instead.

“Tell me that’s a hologram.”

His jaw ticks. “No.”

“A mirage?”

“No.”

“An elaborate prank that ends with Elias duct-taped to the ceiling?”

Lucien says nothing.

“Shit,” I whisper, then louder, “WHY is he here?”

“Because Blackwell decided the seventh circle of sin wasn’t enough,” Luna mutters ahead of us. “He wanted aneighth.”

Theo’s grin widens.

And all I can think is, someone’s going to burn something tonight. And God's help us, it might beme.

“No. No no no no no no,”

I say it fast, like maybe if I stack enoughno’son top of each other, reality will buckle under the weight and undo itself. Or Blackwell will pop out of a bush and screamJust kiddingbefore Theo spontaneously combusts.

But nope.

Desire himself is still walking casually like he’s on a goddamn dating show.