Page 17 of The Sins of Silas (The Otacian Chronicles #2)

Chapter Seventeen

MERRICK

S ilas wore a scowl nearly our entire walk after Leroy came to fetch us, taking us on some shopping spree. I found it surprising at times that this was the Quill Lena had told me stories about.

The charming, witty, sweet man she fell in love with…what the hell happened to make him change so much?

Then again, I understood. He and I had both lost our mothers. And to make it worse, he lost the love of his life a few days after that tragedy.

I supposed that would make any man turn cold.

“Tell me, Leroy, my man,” Roland quipped. “What’s this Freak Show all about?”

Leroy gave him a half smile. “No spoilers. It’s best to go into it with no expectations. "

I watched Silas’s frown deepen as his eyes flicked to Roland. Other than the obvious, him bedding his first love, what had made him dislike the soldier so much?

Edmund and Hendry would roll their eyes occasionally at his comments—we all did. But they clearly enjoyed his presence.

The Prince…not so much. Yet he was willing to let him tag along with us for this journey, which meant that in spite of his loathing, he trusted him. So, if he hadn’t broken his trust, what exactly did Roland do?

“We first need to get you guys some appropriate attire. Something fancy and not fit for battle. That would surely unnerve the guests.”

My eyes darted away when I heard my sister’s laugh, and I saw that the girls were striding out of a lingerie store.

My mouth slightly fell open—all of ours did, actually, as Vi shot me a smirk while dangling her bag.

My cheeks heated, and I gave her a shake of my head, grinning like a fool.

Naughty.

“Hell yeah, Ginger Snap!” Roland hollered, and Lena flushed, biting back a smile and giving him her signature middle finger. He chuckled in response.

“She sure is fiery, that one,” Hendry noted, crossing his strong arms.

“Feisty as shit. I love it,” Roland replied, biting his lip.

Era sheepishly looked to Silas, clutching her own bag, and I watched as he gave her a strained smile.

I felt an unpleasant feeling bubbling in my chest, and I found it was for Era. She really was clueless about the Prince and the Supreme of Ames's past. She was just innocently going with the flow.

And the Prince…his feelings overwhelmed me.

Silas couldn’t fully enjoy these moments with his wife, not with his past staring back at him, taunting him.

What he really craved was out of his grasp, the forbidden fruit too high up in that damned tree. His fingertips could only brush the delicate flesh—unable to extend his reach to wrap his fingers around and pull .

I felt it then…felt how her presence was nothing more than a constant tease—a reminder that he could not satiate that hunger…could not feast on what it was he truly desired.

And it only enraged him further.

I cleared my throat, blinking rapidly.

Fuck, I wasn’t even trying to read him! Why are his emotions bleeding into mine?

Leroy snorted. “C’mon, boys, no getting distracted now.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “That’s what the evening is for.”

We walked along the cobblestone roads, passing many smiling faces, and I found myself liking this place. I’d never traveled outside of Ames…not in my entire life. Despite everything, it was fascinating to see how other groups of people lived.

The people here beamed at Leroy, their expressions displaying no fear. Respect shone in their eyes, and he walked with humility. A far cry from the terror ruling Otacia.

How I wished my people could experience this one day. The freedom to be themselves, travel, and find homes in more than one little place.

“You mentioned you had a wife,” Silas said as we walked opposite the girls .

“I do. She doesn’t come out for the Show often.” He tilted his head back, blue eyes set on the Prince. “We have four children. Quin is the oldest, and our youngest just turned one.”

“You both have got your hands full,” Edmund commented, a pleasant smile growing on his face. “How’d you two meet?”

Leroy’s eyes sparkled as we continued onward. “She’s my childhood love. I had a crush on her when we were six years old.” He chuckled. “I didn’t admit my feelings until we were fifteen. Thank the Gods she felt the same.”

We were approaching a tailor's shop, where fine suits were exhibited in the windows. I’d never worn a suit in my life, either.

“Now, fifteen years and four children later, we are happier than ever.”

“You’re only thirty?” Silas asked, surprised.

“Yeah…why? Do I look older?”

“No,” Silas remarked. “You’re just very well established for being so young.”

Leroy gave him a grin. “I am a King, am I not?”

“A young King,” I added. “How did that happen?”

We stopped just outside the door of T & L Tailors. “We don’t grant the title of King to just anyone, but we also don’t follow the rules of keeping our leader in a royal bloodline…just a certain bloodline.”

Warlock bloodline.

“The people here have a voice. Our council picks different candidates, and the people decide who they want to rule. I’ve been King for five years now, and every three years, we vote.” He shrugged. “The same goes for the council. It’s the only way we can ensure our safety…staying within the bloodline. I hope one day it won’t be so. ”

He pushed open the windowed door, a bell chiming from above as we strolled in.

“Ah, Leroy! What brings you in?” a male voice called out.

A dark-skinned man with wine-red hair appeared, striding up and giving a brotherly hug to the Warlock. His warm brown eyes skimmed over our group as he pulled away.

It was so bizarre how comfortable everyone was with their King. Even our villagers were a little nervous around our Supreme from time to time.

“I need some suits for my guys here for tonight’s show.”

A woman with qualities similar to the man before us popped out from the back somewhere. Her big blue eyes skimmed over all of us in surprise. She appeared to be around our age.

“Sure thing. Let me measure you guys, and I’ll see what I can find that fits. Taira here—” The man nodded his head toward the woman. “She can make small alterations if needed.”

Taira tucked her long, silky hair behind her ear. Not pointed…but perhaps she was another Warlock hiding. “I’d be happy to help.”

Leroy grinned at her. “Taira, meet Merrick.” He pointed his thumb to me. “He’s a Mage like you.”

My eyes shot open, flitting between her and Leroy. The whites of her eyes were visible as she gaped at him, then at me.

“Leroy,” she hissed, her eyes going to Silas. “What are you—”

“We have a lot to catch up on,” he said, chuckling at her panic.

“You have a Mage here?” The red-haired man asked incredulously, his eyes darting around to make sure no one heard.

Taira’s gaze hardened. “With the Prince of Otacia.”

The man looked like he was about to faint. “Relax, Logan,” Leroy muttered, patting his shoulder. “I’ll catch you up later.” His attention went back to us. “Logan is a human, but his sister got magic from their mother.”

“Leroy,” she hissed again.

Surprisingly, Silas spoke. “You needn’t fear. I’m not going to harm you.”

Taira glowered at him, crossing her arms in fear…and in anger. “I will never trust you.”

Leroy sighed, then gave Silas an apologetic smile. “Don’t hold her anger against her.”

Silas’s eyes widened, and then, for the first time, I witnessed the Prince smile. His golden eyes went back to Taira, whose glare fell away at his expression.

“I don’t blame her. I have to prove I am trustworthy first.”

Her crossed arms slowly slacked at her sides, her blue eyes shining from unreleased tears.

Leroy clapped. “Alright, back to business. We are here for suits. I’ll talk to you two after, I promise."

After over an hour of fishing through various formal attire, we all settled on the outfits we'd be wearing that evening. Leroy insisted we stop for lunch at his home, the modest castle.

Leroy's wife was cleaning dishes as we strolled inside their kitchen. Her hair was a warm brunette, and I noted her eyes were a matching brown when she turned around and smiled at all of us. Quin was at their dining table, working on what appeared to be homework, while the other children were chasing each other, giggling .

“Keep it down, you two,” she scolded. “You’ll wake your sister.” Her loving gaze found her husband. “Oh, hi, honey,” she greeted, kissing Leroy on the cheek.

“It smells lovely in here,” he complimented, kissing her back.

She gave him a wink. “I made apple pie.”

“My favorite,” he murmured, then slid his arm around her waist. “This is my wife, Emma. Emma, this is Silas, Roland, Merrick, Hendry, and Edmund.”

She beamed at us. “Would you boys like some?”

The most amusing part of eating that apple pie wasn’t its delectable flavor, nor was it the goofy children fighting amongst one another. No, it was reading Silas.

He was completely baffled—even if I couldn’t read his emotions, his face gave it away. Emma was overly kind, never once showing an ounce of fear toward him.

He even went to take a bite of his pie, then froze, eyes nervously darting to the King’s wife.

She chuckled, then leaned down, taking a bite of his pie into her mouth with her own fork. “Baking poisonous pies in a house of children would be quite literally a recipe for disaster.”

Silas had inclined his head, the corner of his lip turning up ever so slightly, before conceding and tasting the warm pie. Leroy practically scarfed down his.

“So,” Silas began, eyes back on Emma. “Are you Forsmont’s Queen then?”

She snorted. “Queen? ”

Leroy chuckled. “She even laughs at my title as King.” He lifted a glass of milk, gulping down the cold liquid. “Like I said, we do things differently here. Technically, yes, she is Queen. The people call her so.”

“And I despise it,” she added with an eye-roll, leaning against the counters with crossed arms.

I felt warm emotions spread through Silas as he smiled down at his plate before resuming his eating.

Nostalgia.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Leroy drawled, and he snickered when she whipped her dish rag at him.

“So that makes little Quin here a prince then, huh?” Roland joked. Quin eyed him from his place on the floor, playing with his baby sister.

“Oh, that’s rich,” Emma laughed.

“I can be…princely,” Quin muttered.

Our empty dishes clanked together as Leroy gathered them in his hands. “Yeah, right,” he teased. “Quin could become King if the people vote for him one day, but because the title won’t be simply passed to him, no one refers to our children as princes or princesses.”

Leroy set the plates into the sink and began scrubbing.

A King…washing his own dishes.

“You clean up nice,” Viola purred as we made eye contact through the full-length mirror in my room that evening .

I smiled softly at her before glancing back at my suit. I felt a little ridiculous, but it did suit me well. The deep turquoise piece paired nicely with my porcelain skin, its silver accents matching my piercings.

I turned to face her. Her purple braids were up in two low buns, and she wore a long, white, sleeveless dress paired with a violet corset. It squeezed her waist even tighter than the form-fitting fabric encasing the rest of her.

“You look fantastic,” I admired.

She stepped forward, and my heart picked up as she kissed me slowly. I hesitantly gripped her waist, deepening our kiss, before we were interrupted by a knock on my door.

Followed by an immediate entry.

“Hey, we were going to head down—” Edmund began, his eyes bulging when he saw Vi in my arms.

I glared at him, and his whole face turned red. “Sorry, man!” He winced. “I'll wait out here.”

The door clicked shut before I could snap at him.

“He's really trying,” Viola commented while staring at the door. She turned back to smile at me. “I think it's sweet.”

I groaned. “It's not sweet, it's annoying,” I muttered.

Viola kissed my cheek, grasping my hand. “C'mon. Let's see what The Freak Show is all about.”