Page 39

Chapter

Twenty-Five

JUNIPER

I collapsed into one of Gluttony's plush armchairs in the parlor the moment we went inside. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, but in the good, achy way that came with purging demons physically and emotionally.

Kiva was resting, led to her room by Sloth. The poor dear had been ecstatic about her own room, bouncing around for an hour before passing out on the lush carpet. Sloth had tucked her in.

"Drink?" Lust appeared at my side, offering a crystal tumbler filled with amber liquid.

"Thanks," I murmured, accepting it gratefully. Our fingers brushed, and despite my exhaustion, that familiar warmth sparked between us. That strange pull I'd been feeling toward all of them seemed stronger now, more insistent, like invisible threads drawing me closer.

Around the parlor, the other Sins were making themselves comfortable.

Pride stood at the bar, measuring out scotch with scientific precision.

Sloth had already claimed an entire chaise lounge, one arm draped dramatically over his eyes while somehow still managing to hold a drink aloft.

Envy paced near the windows, casting occasional glances my way.

Greed examined Gluttony's collection of vintages with calculating eyes.

Gluttony himself took a seat in a massive leather chair across from me, looking oddly at home despite the chaos we'd just left behind.

"The child is asleep," Pride announced, settling into an armchair with his perfectly proportioned drink. "Fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow."

"Poor thing was exhausted," Gluttony agreed, swirling the dark liquid in his glass. "Though not as exhausted as our resident witch seems to be."

Six pairs of eyes turned toward me. I took a larger sip than intended, the liquor burning a path down my throat.

“The magick is...incredible,” I began. “But confusing. Mother said I needed to...you know...in order to get it.”

Lust blinked at me. “I don’t know.”

"The virgin thing,” I grit out, my face burning.

Pride choked on his drink, coughing as Lust patted my back with a little too much enjoyment.

“It’s a sin thing. More powerful than your witch stuff, which is powerful on its own. But are you saying you feel…unfulfilled?” Lust asked.

His smirk sent my stomach fluttering with butterflies.

"She’s blushing,” Greed chuckled.

Sloth lifted his head slightly, interested.

"Well," Lust said, settling back in his seat with a satisfied smirk, "I'd be more than happy to help you…resolve some of your…energy. We all would." His eyes sparkled with mischief as the other Sins tensed. "In the name of settling our power and further our connection, of course.”

Pride's glass made a sharp sound as he set it down with more force than necessary.

"Back off, Lust," he warned, his voice carrying an edge I hadn't heard before.

"Must you always be so crude?" Envy's expression darkened.

"She's not some plaything," Sloth added, his eyes narrowing.

"Children, behave," Gluttony said, not even looking in their direction. The reprimand carried weight nonetheless, though his subtle side-eye at Lust spoke volumes.

But Lust merely grinned wider, clearly enjoying the territorial reactions he'd provoked. "Relax, brothers. I'm simply pointing out that the fated mate bonds we're all feeling are getting stronger. And when our dear Wrath is ready to fully embrace what's between us..."

The admission hung in the air. Fated mate bonds. With all of them.

I felt my face burn even hotter.

"That won't be necessary," Pride said, his voice tight with barely controlled jealousy.

"I'd be happy to discuss it," I said quietly, surprising myself. The pull I felt toward each of them was undeniable, and Lust's mention of their growing connection resonated with something deep inside me.

The room went very still.

"I'd be happy to help you solve this particular problem," Lust offered, leaning closer. His fingers trailed lightly over mine, a reminder of our previous encounters that had skirted but never crossed that final line.

"That won't be necessary," Pride said again, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

"You're Wrath," Gluttony said simply, his ancient eyes fixed on mine with something approaching reverence. "The Sin of Wrath incarnate."

The room went silent. I stared at him, my heart pounding. Something inside me had been waiting for this confirmation, but hearing it still sent shockwaves through my system.

"I had wondered," Pride added, looking infuriatingly smug. "There were signs. That’s why I was drawn to you in the Underworld. That’s why I re-animated you."

"You knew?" Envy accused, glaring at Pride.

"I theorized," he corrected primly. "There's a difference."

"It’s true then," I interrupted, my head spinning. "I’m actually the seventh Deadly Sin?"

"The missing piece," Gluttony said solemnly. "Wrath died half a century ago. It seems the essence of Wrath was hidden within your bloodline, waiting."

"Waiting for what?" I asked, feeling cold despite the warmth of the room.

"For an unjust death," Sloth said quietly, his eyes meeting mine with understanding. "For resurrection."

“The line was in you all along, dormant, until Xavier murdered you,” Gluttony explained.

"When you returned from death," Pride added, "it wasn’t enough in itself. Today, when you faced your killer, Wrath finally awakened. You broke the seal."

I looked down at my hands, remembering the golden light that had poured from them. The impossible strength. The righteous anger that had felt so foreign yet so familiar.

"That's why you feel drawn to us," Lust said softly, his earlier teasing replaced by something deeper. "Why you've been able to see our true forms from the beginning. You're one of us. Family."

"But I don't feel like a...a cosmic force of sin," I protested weakly.

"You must simply embrace it,” Gluttony encouraged me, “and further your relationships with the other sins.”

"You have other talents too. Your witch talents are extraordinary,” Pride added.

Lust nodded, his lips curving into a knowing smile. "That bottle of fear you extracted from yourself? Quite the talent. Most impressive."

"I call it emotional alchemy," I explained, the term coming naturally to my lips.

The Sins exchanged looks of surprise and interest.

Gluttony leaned forward, suddenly concerned. "You extracted emotion from yourself? That's extremely dangerous.”

"Reckless," Sloth added with a frown.

"I know it was risky," I snapped, frustration flaring. "I'm not a child. I'm thirty-five, for god's sake. I did what I had to do to cope with what happened to me."

Lust raised an eyebrow, looking pleased at my outburst while the others seemed taken aback by my flash of temper. At least someone was on my side. I’m not going to sit here and let another person dictate what I do again.

"Emotional alchemy," Gluttony repeated, changing the subject tactfully. "An apt name for a rare and powerful art."

"Most practitioners of traditional alchemy spend decades trying to achieve even basic transmutation.

It's not a talent that any witch has ever mastered," Pride said, studying me with new interest. "Yet you've intuitively mastered the emotional variant.

It makes perfect sense for Wrath, being such an emotionally driven sin. "

"I just did it instinctively," I admitted, my tone softening. "It felt...natural."

"Yet another sign of your true nature," Envy said, his voice tinged with admiration and, well, envy.

"So what happens now?" I asked, looking around at them, these immortal beings who claimed me as their own. "Do I just...stop being human?"

"No," Sloth said with unexpected gentleness. "You don't lose yourself; you expand. Become more."

"Either way, we are here for you." Gluttony said. "We shall help you understand and control your abilities. And strengthen the bonds between us."

Me, a Deadly Sin? It seemed impossible, and yet...something about it rang true in a way I couldn't deny. The anger that had simmered beneath my surface my entire life. The satisfaction I'd felt seeing Xavier trapped. The magick I shouldn't have been able to access.

I noticed something else too. The way the Sins kept glancing at me.

Not just Lust with his obvious interest, but Pride too, watching with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.

Even Envy and Greed seemed drawn to me in a way they hadn't been before.

As if some invisible thread was pulling us all together, growing stronger with each revelation.

"I need to..." I gestured vaguely. "Process."

"Of course," Gluttony said, understanding in his ancient eyes. "Your room is prepared."

"Thank you," I managed, making my way toward the door. "Goodnight."

"Juniper," Lust's voice stopped me. "The offer stands. When you're ready to fully embrace your power...and us." His grin was equal parts wicked and sincere. "I do have certain advantages in that department."

A pillow flew from Pride's direction directly to Lust's head.

Various responses followed me as I slipped out, each Sin acknowledging my departure in their own way. My mind was still reeling as I walked the ornate hallway toward my room.

“I will show you to your room,” G offered, standing. “Your room is this way.”

I followed without a word. Quiet steps, shoulders tense. I kept glancing at the paintings, the furniture, the walls, like I was in a dream.

Upstairs, we turned down a hall and he opened the second door on the left, into a central suite.

I stopped short at the sight of the room: a four-poster bed, heavy velvet curtains, centuries of indulgence layered in every inch.

I walked slowly into the room, brushing my fingers across the velvet, not quite sure any of it was real.

“It’s too much,” I murmured.

“Everything here is,” G said. “That’s the point. Why be a centuries old vampire if you couldn’t be...what did they say now? Extra?”

I grinned twitched at the corner of my mouth as I peered out the window, which gave a magnificent view of the gardens. G lingered a moment longer, watching me.

“Don’t touch the gargoyle in the hall. It bites,” he said gruffly, before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

Inside, I slumped against the door, exhaling slowly. Too much had happened today. Learning I was apparently a primordial force of divine wrath with six fated mates, killing my murderer ... Just another Tuesday in my new life.