Envy (Dark Waters Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-two:

1873

Priscilla lay in my naked arms. I traced her arm, thinking of what we had done, not regretting it. She fitted perfectly with me, as if she was destined to be mine. Perhaps that was my now romantic heart putting reason to our sudden, forbidden union. Still, I couldn't have it any other way. She'd moved and met every part of my body with as much need as I gave it.

I thought of the way she said my name until I couldn't.

A gentle knock on the door made my head snap up from our spot on the bed. I was alert. Had the homeowners returned? Was it someone nearby who saw us entering a house that wasn't ours? And if it was, would I have to go to the extreme of murdering them to keep our presence a secret?

Priscilla, having not heard the sound, rolled the opposite way, placing her face on the pillow. A gentle sigh slipped past her lips. I took the chance to pull away without waking her, reaching for my pants on a chair beside the bed, and glanced at the door. The knock came again.

I took three steps towards the door. "I am asking you to leave," I said loud enough, I hoped, for whoever was outside to hear.

There was a grunt, a sigh, and another knock. "And I am asking have you completed what you were sent to do?" a deep voice said opposite the door.

My eyes widened. I knew that voice. And I didn't hesitate to rush to the entrance and open the door. As I expected, Gluttony stood in the grass just outside the front. He passed his hands through his hair before adjusting his clock. While I smiled, relieved to see the Sin I always saw as my friend, he frowned. He glanced behind my shoulder, trying to see inside. "She's alive, isn't she?" he asked.

Gritting my teeth, I looked back into the room. Priscilla, in her sleep, pulled the pillow close to her under her head. Her chest softly rose and fell, undisturbed by us. Wanting to keep it that way, I stepped outside, quietly closing the door behind me. I gave Gluttony my full attention with what I hoped he'd see as a pleading gaze. "She is alive, but listen to me—"

Gluttony growled, passing his hands over his face. "You looked into her eyes, didn't you?"

I gulped. "How could I not?" I hissed. "You look into the eyes of the mortals you kill—you taught me that. It was an exhilarating feeling, you said, to see the life fade from their eyes. To watch death overcome them. So, yes, of course, I looked."

"But she isn't your regular mortal." Gluttony pointed at the door. "She is one of the pure souls placed within this realm to rile us. If they are here, we cannot do our duty to Him and Her." He stepped close to me, pulling me by my arm. He gently shook me. "They are resistant to us, Envy. They cannot give into sin with their light and—"

"She gave into me," I said, lifting my chin. "She looked at me, into my eyes, and wanted every bit of me."

"You are not Lust." Gluttony pushed me. "That doesn't count. And, and," he bit his bottom lip, hard, before shaking his head, "what do you mean she 'gave into you?' What did you do, Envy?"

My heart sped in my chest. How could I tell him I sinned? That I ruined the connection between light and dark by combining two conflicting souls for my selfish desires? How could I admit that I was a liability for what we were? The others always disliked me. I wasn't dark enough to enter the Seven. And here I was, giving them the reason to want me to leave.

That also didn't matter because I didn't want to stay. I wanted to remain with Priscilla.

"I love her," I whispered, licking my lip. "I want to be with her."