Page 14 of The Sin-Binder’s Fate (The Seven Sins Academy #1)

He tilts his head, silver hair slipping lazily into his face, a strand of it curling over his sharp cheekbone. He hasn’t even bothered to push off the wall, like this whole thing, me, them, the scene frozen in time, is barely worth his effort.

“You look surprised,” he murmurs.

My pulse kicks up. “I…” I swallow, glancing at the girls still stuck mid-motion, their expressions caught between sneers and cruel delight.

He follows my gaze, then sighs, like this is mildly inconvenient at best. “They were getting annoying,” he mutters, finally pushing off the wall.

His voice is low, smooth, wrapped in the kind of lazy indifference that makes it impossible to tell if he cares at all or if this is just something to pass the time.

Pun intended.

I exhale, forcing my shoulders to relax. “So… what, you just paused them?”

He gives a half-shrug, his hands slipping into his pockets as he takes a leisurely step forward. “Slowed them.” His silver eyes flick over me, assessing, unreadable. “You seemed like you could use a breather.”

“And what do you want?”

A small, wicked smirk tugs at his lips.

“Maybe I just like watching you squirm.”

His voice is almost a purr.

My stomach twists, not in discomfort. Something else. Something worse.

I roll my eyes. “Wow. How generous of you.”

He hums, stepping even closer, deliberate, unhurried. “I could just let them go. See how well you handle it yourself.”

I glance at the girls, at Sarie’s perfectly manicured nails poised mid- strike.

A slow, creeping shiver rolls down my spine. Not because I’m scared of them. But because I can feel it now, the weight of his ability.

The way the air thickens around him, the way everything drags just a little slower near his orbit. My breath feels heavy, like it’s not just them stuck in his power, but me too.

I meet his gaze again. “You like playing god?”

His smirk widens, lazy, teasing, dangerous.

“I like playing.”

And then, just as slow as the rest of the world, he lifts a hand, fingertips grazing my wrist, barely a touch, barely anything at all.

And yet, I feel it everywhere. A pulling. A weight. A warmth that shouldn’t be there.

I don’t move. I don’t breathe. And neither does the world around us.

I shouldn’t touch him back. I know that. The smart thing would be to step away. To act like he’s just another one of them, cruel and untouchable.

But I don’t. Instead, I press my fingers to the back of his hand. Just a light touch, barely more than a ghosting sensation. His skin is warm beneath mine, and it startles me because I didn’t expect him to feel alive.

His silver eyes darken.

Something flickers behind them, too fast for me to catch, but I know I’ve disrupted something. Maybe the same way he’s disrupted me.

His gaze drops to where my hand rests against his.

A single second stretches. Then another. Something strange passes between us, something slow and weighted and infinite. Like we’re trapped in this single moment, locked outside of time together.

I should say something.

I don’t .

I don’t move, don’t breathe, don’t do anything but watch as Elias inhales like he’s grounding himself. Like this, one touch has knocked him off balance, and he needs a second to recover.

Then, he moves. Not away. Not aggressively. Just enough that his fingers shift under mine, flipping our hands until my palm rests against his.

Like we’re holding hands.

Except we’re not.

Except we are.

A slow, languid grin spreads across his lips. “Careful, little thing.” His voice is softer than before. Darker, too. “You might make me think you like me.”

The spell shatters. The moment snaps. I jerk my hand back like I’ve been burned, my pulse slamming through me.

His smirk deepens. And then, just as effortlessly as he stopped time, he releases it.

The world rushes back in.

SArie’s hand shoves against my chest. The laughter erupts. The weight of the moment vanishes, leaving me breathless, off-kilter.

Elias is already walking away.

Like nothing happened.

Like, I didn’t just reach for him.

Like, I didn’t just change something.

I press my fingers to my palm, still feeling the heat of his skin. Maybe I should be afraid. But I think, instead, I’m intrigued.

And then he flicks his hand back at me without looking, a dismissive, sharp gesture. Like I’m an inconvenience, but also, like I belong to him, like the choice has already been made.

“Move,” he murmurs.

The girls hesitate. Not at the word, but at the voice. He doesn’t need to bare his teeth or make a show of power. He just exists, and that’s enough to make people think twice.

I don’t think.

I bolt.

Shoving past Sarie’s shoulder, I run to him, to the safety of something that is probably just as dangerous as what I’m leaving behind.

Elias doesn’t slow down. Doesn’t wait for me to catch up.

I have to push my legs harder to match his stride, to keep up with the lazy arrogance of someone who never rushes for anything.

He says nothing as we move through the halls.

Doesn’t check to see if I’m still there.

He knows I am .