Page 32 of The Sin-Binder’s Fate (The Seven Sins Academy #1)

The couch is perfect. Soft, warm, positioned at just the right angle where I can close my eyes and pretend I don’t exist for an hour. Maybe two. Maybe forever. I stretch out, sighing as I sink into the cushions, ready to disappear into the bliss of not giving a shit,

Something hits me in the face. Not hard. Just annoying. I crack an eye open to see a crumpled piece of paper bounce off my chest and onto the floor.

Elias sits across from me in the chair, legs sprawled out, looking obnoxiously pleased with himself. He hums, inspecting his nails like he didn’t just assault me with garbage.

I close my eyes again. “Don’t.”

Another paper ball smacks into my forehead. I inhale slowly, already regretting my entire existence.

He grins. “You looked too peaceful.”

I don’t respond. Because if I acknowledge him, he wins. Something else flies at me, softer this time, landing on my stomach. I refuse to look, but I already know what it is.

A fucking sock.

“Elias,” I mutter .

He leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Yes, my sweet?”

I rub my temples. “I’m going to kill you.”

“Bold of you to assume you could.”

I lift my head just enough to glare at him. “Bold of you to assume I won’t.”

He smirks, flicking another paper ball toward me,

The door slams open. We both jolt as Luna storms into the room and throws herself down between us on the couch.

For a second, neither of us move. Because, What the fuck?

She sits there, arms crossed, jaw clenched, and looking like she just crawled out of a battlefield.

Her boots are caked in mud. There are twigs in her hair.

Her shirt is torn at the sleeve, streaked with dirt, and her expression is pure, unfiltered rage.

Elias blinks. “Holy shit.”

I shift slightly, peering down at her. “Did Riven kill you?”

She exhales sharply, still not looking at us. “Almost.”

He grins, leaning over the arm of his chair. “Did you kill him?”

She groans, tipping her head back against the cushions.

I glance at Elias. “That’s a no.”

He nods, dramatically solemn. “Sad.”

Luna lifts a hand, flipping him off without looking.

I huff a quiet laugh. “You look like shit.”

She glares at me. “You look useless.”

Elias wheezes, clutching his chest like she just stabbed him. “Oh my gods, marry me.”

Luna finally looks at him. “I would rather set myself on fire.”

He grins, waggling his brows. “ Kinky.”

I groan, dragging a hand down my face. “Can you not?”

Luna exhales again, shoulders dropping slightly like she wants to be pissed but doesn’t have the energy anymore.

“So? Did you at least hurt him?”

She scowls. “I made him stumble.”

Elias and I exchange a look.

I clear my throat. “Uh. Congrats?”

Luna groans again, dragging her hands through her hair, twigs crack as she pulls them free.

Elias smirks. “You’re so feral.”

Luna glares at him. “I hope you choke on your ego.”

He puts a hand over his heart. “You love me.”

She tosses a twig at his face. It’s beautiful.

Luna shifts next to me, and I malfunction. It’s not immediate. Not obvious. But somewhere between her throwing a twig at Elias' smug face and her muttering under her breath, I become painfully aware of the fact that she’s sitting right next to me.

Like, right next to me. Close enough that I can smell the faint trace of whatever soap she uses, all warm and vaguely sweet beneath the scent of dirt and whatever war she just fought outside.

I stare straight ahead, hands clasped together like I’m at my fucking funeral. Because here’s the thing. She’s pretty like so pretty. And that fact has been easy to ignore when she’s yelling at Riven, or fighting for her life, or generally looking like she wants to murder us all.

But right now ?

She’s sitting here, all flushed from exertion, shoving her fingers through her mess of hair, frowning slightly as she picks dirt out from beneath her nails, And it does things to my innards. Horrible, inconvenient things.

I try to focus on literally anything else. The ceiling. The fireplace. The fact that Elias is watching me with way too much amusement.

Luna sighs. “I hate everything.”

My brain short-circuits.

“Same,” I say immediately. Too fast. Too eager.

Elias chokes on a laugh. I ignore him. Because I have to.

Luna shifts again, leaning her head back against the couch. “Riven is the worst.”

I nod too many times. “Absolutely.”

Elias grins, looking back and forth between us. “Wow, Silas. You’re being so normal right now.”

I kick him.

Luna glances at me, brows pulling together. “Are you okay?”

No. No, I’m not okay. My hands feel weird. My bones feel weird. She’s too close, and she smells good, and my brain has fully left my body.

I need to say something. Anything.

I clear my throat. “You, uh, ” I gesture vaguely at her everything, my voice coming out a little too high. “You have…dirt.”

Her lips part slightly, and I immediately regret speaking.

Elias is vibrating with suppressed laughter.

Luna blinks. “No shit.”

I nod. “Right. Yes. That was, obvious.”

Luna watches him for a second before looking back at me. “Are you always like this?”

Yes .

No.

Worse.

I open my mouth,

Elias claps a hand on my shoulder. “Oh, sweet summer child. You have no idea.”

Luna hums, then, she smiles. Not big. Not even really at me. Just this small, amused quirk of her lips, like I’m the strangest thing she’s ever encountered.

I flick the bronze coin between my fingers, rolling it over my knuckles in a way that’s supposed to be calming.

It’s not.

It’s too light.

Too smooth.

Not mine.

Not the one she fucking stole. And I should ask for it back.

I should make some snide comment, demand she stop being a thief, but every time I think about it, my throat does this weird thing, and the words don’t come out.

So instead, I sit here, flipping this shitty coin and pretending like I’m not still malfunctioning over how pretty she is.

Luna, meanwhile, is watching my hands. Not in a way that makes sense. Not in the way people normally look at something small and unimportant like a coin trick. She’s focused. Like she actually wants to learn.

She tilts her head. “How do you do that?”

I blink.

She’s looking at my fingers, at the way the coin rolls between them, her expression shifting from curiosity to something softer .

I clear my throat, flexing my hand. “It’s just, ” I flip the coin again, trying to ignore the way my palms feel suddenly too warm. “Takes practice.”

Her brows lift. “Show me.”

I short-circuit. Because that would require touching her. Physically holding her hand. Which would mean prolonged skin-to-skin contact.

Which would mean, Nope. Absolutely not.

I shake my head, flipping the coin faster. “You just, um. You just move your fingers like this.”

I demonstrate again, hoping she’ll get bored. She doesn’t. Instead, she holds out her hand.

“Show me,” she repeats.

I panic. My throat is dry. My hands suddenly don’t work. I drop the coin, and Elias wheezes like this is the best thing to ever happen to him.

I glare at him.

He grins. “Silas, my sweet, my light, my absolute disaster, are you shy?”

Luna lifts a brow. “He does look like he’s about to pass out.”

I grab the coin off the floor, gripping it tight. “I am perfectly fine.”

Luna hums, unconvinced. “So?”

She holds out her hand again.

Elias leans forward, grinning. “Do it, Silas. Touch the girl.”

I’m going to kill him.,Luna smirks slightly, like she’s enjoying this now. Like I’m the entertainment. And because I have no way out of this, because I can’t let Elias have this win ,

I exhale shakily, grab her hand, and immediately regret everything.

Her skin is warm. Softer than I thought it would be.Her fingers flex slightly against mine, testing, and my stomach plummets straight into hell.

I guide her hand, placing the coin between her fingers, forcing myself to focus on teaching instead of the way she smells good and how our hands fit together too well and.

I can do this.

It’s just teaching. Just her hand in mine, just guiding her fingers over the coin, just, Her leg brushes against mine. And the world tilts. It’s nothing, really. Barely even a shift. But the second it happens, the second, something in my spine ignites.

Like a wire sparking too close to an open flame. Like something in my very existence recognizes her, drags me closer without my permission.

I freeze. The coin clinks against her skin, slipping from my grasp as every muscle in my body locks up at once. She doesn’t move away. Doesn’t notice. She’s still focused, brows drawn, biting her lip as she tries to maneuver the coin the way I showed her.

I can feel my heartbeat. Too fast. Too loud.

Her knee presses just slightly firmer against mine as she shifts for a better angle, and fuck, fuck, fuck, I yank my hand back like she just electrocuted me. The coin drops between us.

Luna blinks, looking up. “What?”

I shake my head. “Nothing.”

Her gaze sharpens. “You flinched.”

I did. I so did. But if I admit that, if I let her know,

Elias snorts, and fuck, I forgot he was even here. He’s watching me like a predator with fresh prey, delighted .

I send him a murderous glare before clearing my throat. “I, uh. You got it. You’re good.”

Luna raises a brow. “I dropped the coin.”

I nod too fast. “Yeah, but like… in a cool way.”

Luna narrows her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Totally fine,” I blurt, already standing up too fast, needing air, needing space.

Elias leans back, arms behind his head. “I think you broke him.”

Luna hums, unconvinced.

I grab the nearest object, a pillow, a damn pillow, and launch it at his face before I run for my fucking life.mI don’t make it far.

Because the second I launch the pillow and bolt, Luna turns on Elias.

And I can’t miss this. So, naturally, I hover in the doorway, arms crossed, absolutely invested in watching his downfall.

Luna narrows her eyes at him, sharp and dangerous. “And you, ”

The absolute dumbass that he is, points to himself, all wide-eyed and innocent. “Me?”

Luna tilts her head. “You think it’s funny? Watching Silas turn into a malfunctioning twelve-year-old?”

He snorts, fighting a grin. “Hilarious, actually.”

She leans in. Just slightly. Enough to make him sit up straighter. Enough to make him realize that she’s, right there.

His smirk twitches. “Uh, ”

Luna raises a brow. “You’re such an asshole.”

Elias short-circuits. Because I know him. I know exactly what’s happening in that dumb, brain of his right now. He breathes destruction. But the second you put him on the spot, the moment he has to interact with a pretty girl who is directly speaking to him ,

He panics. And oh, it’s happening now. His throat bobs. His fingers twitch. His mouth opens.

And then.

“Oh my god, you’re so pretty.”

Luna blinks.

Elias freezes.

And I? I ascend. Because never in my life have I heard such pure, unfiltered failure come out of another person’s mouth.

He must realize it the second it happens, because his entire soul leaves his body. He sputters, hands lifting in immediate damage control. “I mean, in a normal way! In a respectful way! Not in a creepy way, ”

Luna stares.

He scrambles. “Like, obviously, I see people all the time, I’m around so many people, but your face is just..”

I choke on laughter. He glares at me.

I shrug. “Keep going. This is great.”

He whips back to Luna, voice pitching up slightly. “And Silas agrees!”

I stop laughing. The betrayal is instant.

I point at him. “No. No, don’t fucking drag me into your mess.”

Elias is drowning, but he doubles down. “He does! I heard him say it!”

Luna’s lips twitch. Elias sees it. And now he’s spiraling.

“I mean, statistically, it’s impressive to be this pretty,” he blurts out. “It’s rare, ”

“Oh my god,” I mutter.

Luna smiles. Like a full smile. And Elias is doomed. Because the second she does, he loses whatever was left of his brain-to-mouth filter .

He leans forward, voice dead serious. “Listen, if you’re trying to kill me, just do it fast.”

Luna laughs.

And Elias? He fucking gasps, like he just unlocked the rarest achievement in existence.

He beams. “She likes me.”

Luna shakes her head, still grinning, before she gets up, swiping her coin off the couch. “You’re both idiots.”

He clutches his chest. “Say it again.”

She tosses the coin in the air, catching it easily, and walks out. The second she’s gone,

He collapses back into his chair, staring at the ceiling.

I stare at him. “What the fuck was that?”

He exhales, dazed. “I blacked out.”

I throw another pillow at him.

I scrub a hand down my face. “That was the worst thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

He exhales like he’s seen God. “She laughed at me.”

“She laughed at you, not with you.”

He ignores me, turning his head slightly. “We’re so fucked.”

I don’t even argue. Because he’s right.

I flop back onto the couch, letting my limbs sprawl out dramatically. “Why is she so pretty?”

He sighs. “It’s rude.”

“It’s irresponsible.”

“It’s downright selfish.”

We both groan in agony.

He kicks my leg. “I bet you’re the first to bind to her.”

I bark out a laugh. Because that? That is hilarious.

Binding isn’t a fucking joke. It’s not casual, not some light decision where we go oh, you’re cute, let’s bond for eternity.

It’s serious. Permanent. A connection that doesn’t break.

Binding is the closest thing we have to marriage. And none of us take it lightly.

I shake my head, still grinning. “You’re insane.”

He smirks. “I mean, just imagine it.” He makes a sweeping gesture. “Silas, Luna Evernight’s first.”

I physically cringe. “Don’t say it like that.”

He cackles.

I kick him back. “She’s not going to bind to me.”

He lifts a brow. “You sure?”

Yes. No. Absolutely not.

I wave him off. “Lucien’s already talking about who’d be the best to bind to her.”

“Riven, obviously.”

I snort. “Because he’s so emotionally stable.”

“The picture of restraint.”

I sigh, rubbing my eyes. “She’s doomed.”

He stretches, tilting his head toward me. “But if it was you?”

I swallow. Because, No. Nope. Not going there. Not entertaining that thought. Because if I start thinking about her, really thinking,

I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop .