Page 24 of The Sin-Binder’s Fate (The Seven Sins Academy #1)

“Well, fuck me.”

Silas snorts beside me, leaning against the crumbling stone pillar like this is his theater. “Think she’ll slap him again?”

I hum, tilting my head as I watch Luna shove Caspian back for the second time. “I’d give it another minute. She’s still working through the existential crisis of wanting to murder him and ride him at the same time.”

Silas flicks a stray pebble off the ledge we’re perched on, barely stifling a laugh. “Can’t blame her. If someone made me come just by looking at me too hard, I’d have some thoughts about it.”

I raise a brow at him. “You do come when people look at you too hard.”

He grins. “True. But in my defense, I’m incredibly fuckable.”

Caspian’s voice drifts up toward us, low, dark, all honeyed cruelty, and Luna looks like she’s ready to commit an actual homicide.

Silas sighs dreamily. “I love a good enemies-to-lovers arc. ”

I stifle a yawn, resting my head against the cool stone. “Too slow-burn for me.”

Silas kicks at my leg. “Come on, this is good. This is art.” He gestures toward them like he’s narrating a masterpiece. “The push, the pull, the unresolved sexual devastation, ”

“The trauma bonding,” I add.

“Exactly.”

We both watch as Luna steps in closer, close enough that Caspian could devour her whole if he wanted to. If she let him.

Silas exhales. “Think she’ll stab him?”

“God, I hope so.”

Caspian’s fingers graze her wrist, barely there, and Luna jolts like she’s been electrocuted.

Silas whistles low. “He’s playing with his food.”

I stretch out my legs, watching as Caspian leans in, mouth brushing her ear. Luna shudders, and I swear Silas might combust from secondhand feral energy.

“I’d give my left nut to hear what he just said to her,” Silas mutters.

I hum, considering. “Probably something devastatingly arrogant. Like, say my name when you come, sweetheart.”

Silas clutches his chest. “Fuck, that’s good.”

“I am a writer.”

“You’re illiterate.”

I smirk, still watching the disaster unfold below. “Details.”

Caspian finally pulls back, leaving Luna looking thoroughly wrecked, thoroughly pissed, and thoroughly like she might follow through on the stabbing.

Silas exhales. “I don’t know if they’re going to fuck or fight.”

I grin, dragging a hand through my hair. “Same thing. ”

He nudges me. “This trial just got so much more entertaining.”

I grin back. “Oh, I know.”

“This is my favorite show,” Silas props his chin on his fist like he’s about to watch something Oscar-worthy.

I stretch out, getting comfortable on the ledge above the courtyard where Caspian just utterly wrecked Luna in ways I’m sure will haunt her and fuel a disturbing number of fantasies later. “It’s missing a dramatic monologue,” I muse.

Silas gestures below. “Give it a second. She’s about to go full heroine in her villain era.”

And fuck, he’s right. Luna shoves Caspian again. And this time, she’s not just pushing him. She’s unloading.

“You don’t get to do this to me,” she snaps, her voice still rough from the pleasure he just forced into her body. “You don’t get to walk around pretending you’re on my side, pretending you give a damn, when all you want is another way to mess with me.”

Silas exhales. “Mmm, that’s good. That’s so good.”

Caspian just tilts his head, watching her with that lazy, infuriating smirk that makes everyone want to slap him.

Luna takes a sharp breath, clearly realizing that if she doesn’t say everything right now, she’ll combust. “At least Riven doesn’t pretend.

At least he doesn’t lie about what he is.

But you, ” She shoves him again, and fuck me, this is getting good.

“You act like you’re helping me, like you care, when all you do is play with me like I’m some little game to you. ”

Silas gasps, clutching his chest. “Character assassination, live on air.”

I hum, watching as Caspian steps in closer, crowding her against the wall. “He’s not taking the loss well. ”

Silas scoffs. “Of course not. His whole personality is built on getting exactly what he wants. This is new for him.”

Caspian leans in, voice low, lethal. “You think I don’t care?”

Luna laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “No. I know you don’t.”

Silas fake-wipes a tear. “They grow up so fast.”

“Shhh,” I hush him. “Let her cook.”

Luna glares up at Caspian, practically vibrating with rage.

“You’re worse than all of them. At least when Riven pushes me, he means it.

At least when Lucien wants to crush me, he doesn’t pretend it’s for my good.

” She shakes her head. “But you? You look me in the eyes and smile while you’re ruining me. ”

Silas whistles low. “Oh, damn.”

I nod, impressed. “That was cinematic.”

Caspian doesn’t move, doesn’t even blink. But something dangerous shifts in his expression, something sharp and unreadable.

I grin. “This is the best day of my life.”

“Oh fuck,” Silas whispers, eyes wide with delight. “She’s gonna do it.”

I squint down at them, watching as Luna pulls her arm back, fury crackling through her like a live wire. “Nah. She won’t.”

Crack.

Silas screams.

I nearly choke on my breath. “Holy shit.”

Caspian’s head barely turns with the impact, but that’s not the point. The point is, Luna just slapped him. Full force. Right across that smug, too-pretty face.

Silas grips my arm like a man witnessing a religious event. “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen. ”

I shake my head, impressed despite myself. “She’s got a death wish.”

Below, Caspian’s tongue darts out to run along his lower lip, his fingers flexing at his sides like he’s debating whether to kiss her or kill her. Probably both.

Silas covers his mouth, muffling an deranged giggle. “Oh my god, he’s in love with her.”

I roll my eyes. “He’s gonna rip her apart.”

“Same thing.”

Luna doesn’t give Caspian the chance to retaliate. She just throws him one last scathing look and walks away, her head held high, her fury still simmering in the air behind her.

Silas clutches his chest. “She’s iconic.”

“She’s fucked.”

“Oh.” He exhales dramatically, draping himself over my shoulder. “Alright. Your turn.”

I go still. “My what?”

He grins at me, teeth flashing like a wolf. “Your turn. Go say something to her.”

I laugh, shoving him off. “Yeah, that’s a hard no.”

“Come on.” He nudges me, eyes glittering. “She’s mad, Eli. The perfect kind of mad. You should poke it.”

I groan, rubbing a hand down my face. “Why the fuck would I do that?”

Silas smirks. “For science.”

I shoot him a look. “You just want to see if she’ll hit me too.”

His grin is pure evil. “I’d pay good money.”

I sigh, dragging my feet as I reluctantly push off the ledge. “You owe me for this.”

“Oh, I’ll make it up to you.” He waggles his brows. “Probably. ”

I ignore him, exhaling hard as I shove my hands in my pockets and start toward Luna. She’s still stalking off, her fury trailing behind her like a stormcloud, and honestly? I don’t want to be anywhere near it.

But I’ve never been smart about my survival instincts. So I do what I do best. I make it worse.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I call lazily. “Need a rebound?”

Silas screams again. And I regret everything.

Luna stops mid-stride, shoulders locking up like she’s just remembered she has a whole other person to murder today. Slowly, so slowly, she turns toward me.

I go still. Not in the way Caspian does, all dark amusement and arrogance. Not like Riven, ready to meet violence with more violence.

No. I go still like an animal realizing it’s been spotted by something bigger.

“Oh,” Luna says, voice deceptively calm. “You think now is a good time to be funny?”

Absolutely not.

But I’m already in this. So I make it worse.

I clear my throat, shifting on my feet like I’m about to deliver the worst stand-up routine of my life.

“Well, technically, I always think it’s a good time to be funny.

” I gesture vaguely to the space where Caspian was standing.

“And, y’know, after that, I figured you could use a little comedic relief. ”

She just stares at me.

Unblinking.

Unmoving.

Fucking terrifying.

Behind me, Silas is making some choked, wheezing noise that is absolutely not helping .

I fight the urge to roll my shoulders, playing it cool. “I mean, come on. That was, ” I gesture vaguely again, giving up halfway through the sentence. “A lot.”

Her eyes narrow.

I panic.

“I respect women,” I blurt out.

Silas dies behind me. Full-body collapse, slapping the ground, gasping for air.

Luna tilts her head, voice sharp. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I don’t know.” I swipe a hand through my hair, internally begging the ground to swallow me whole. “This is a nightmare.”

“Agreed.” She crosses her arms, and that’s when it happens, her gaze flicks up. Just slightly.

Right toward where Silas is barely keeping it together behind a half-broken pillar. She smirks.

“Oh,” she breathes. “You’re not in this alone, are you?”

I don’t even get a chance to deny it before she lifts her voice.

“Silas, get your ass out here.”

Silas chokes mid-laugh. “Oh, fuck.”

Then, because he is an absolute menace, he dramatically steps into view, dusting off his sleeves like he’s making a goddamn grand entrance.

“Hello, Luna,” he says smoothly. “You’re looking murderous today.”

Luna glares. “Were you just hiding up there?”

“Observing.”

“Like fucking creeps?”

I point at Silas. “He’s the creep.”

Silas gasps, clutching his chest. “I supported you, Elias.”

“You set me up! ”

Luna groans, dragging her hands down her face before leveling us both with a glare that could probably kill a weaker man. “You two are insufferable.”

Silas grins. “Thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“I’m still taking it.”

Luna exhales like she’s debating actual homicide. “You both need to get a fucking hobby.”

Silas leans toward me. “We should start a podcast.”

Luna pinches the bridge of her nose, inhaling deeply before pointing at me. “You. Never do that again.” Then at Silas. “And you, stop encouraging him.”

Silas grins wider. “Never.”