Word Count: 1648

~Millicent

I stayed in bed probably longer than I needed to.

It's not that I'm concerned about facing Sinful, even after what happened last night, I'm just trying to gather my thoughts to prepare myself. Just because he kissed me doesn't change anything. I know he's my mate, and he knows I'm his. And we both know that it can't be. Even though I will admit, it has done me some good having him around.

I want to know Kyser's motive, and it might seem like the only way to figure that out, is through the man that is manipulating him. But that's no all that easy when I'm not sure what the motive is off Sinful, either. He told me he wants me to do something for him.

What that is, I'm sure he will take his time in telling me.

Finally, I slip out of bed, bathe and dress - still taking my time - before padding downstairs in search of Sinful.

Naturally, I bump into him in the hallway. He appears from a room at random, closing the door quickly behind him. I'm not about to question him in his own home, so I'm going to maintain my innocence and force a smile onto my face, remembering I have to avoid all conversation about last nights kiss.

"Morning. Sleep well?" He asks, to which I nod. He's playing nice, not jumping to the point too quickly. Thankfully, of course.

"What's your plan for the day?" I question, trying to prompt him to give something away. I'm not sure how I feel about blindly stumbling into a day with Sinful without knowing something that is going on. He smiles so slyly, I have a feeling I'm not going to get what I want out of him. Why the hell did I agree to this?

He motions for me to follow him. "All will be revealed later on today. First, why don't we start with breakfast?"

As skeptical as I am, at least that's relatively easy to deal with. I can feed of what he says and does during breakfast and hopefully get my bearings. I'm still intimidated by the size of this never ending estate. There has to be something magical about it, which would be expected considering its Sinful. It makes me wonder whether I should explore one night, on my own, or keep to myself in my room, where I will be safe.

The latter seems the smartest.

A breakfast spread is already laid out for us when we get the dining hall. I haven't seen a single staff member around here since I arrived, which I'm sure is a doing of Sinful. Either way, they have chosen some great food, and as I sit down in front of an empty plate, Sinful sits opposite me. I watch him carefully, as he doesn't touch any of the food, waiting for me.

"I have a gift for you," he murmurs, watching me pour myself some year. I refuse to even blink, finishing my pour before I shit my attention back to him.

"Gift?"

He brings his hands up from under the table, a book suddenly appearing out of nowhere. The book immediately looks familiar, and not just because of the words 'Moon Goddess' printed on the cover. This was the book he had that first night he visited me, but I was too overwhelmed by his presence to question him on it. And now, it sits in front of me, teasingly.

"You can have this, for one favour in return," he offers, raising a taunting eyebrow at me. It basically asks, do you dare?

I breathe in deeply, keeping my composure. That book right there, I have no doubt, has everything that I could ever possibly want to know. Maybe why the Moon chose me to be his Goddess, or maybe why I'm still here and how to escape. My fingers itch to reach out and touch it, but Sinful's ultimatum lingers in the air. With it, the one constant value I try to keep. Never make a deal with an immortal.

"What do you want?" I question, sipping my tea while pulling a variety of foods onto my plate. I'm not going to halt my breakfast just for this reason. I've been hungry since last night.

"All I want is for you to be completely honest with me. I get this feeling you're lying to me, and when I get this feeling, I'm not often wrong," he comments, that lavender gaze studying me, analysing me. I know I haven't been completely transparent with him, but it's not like he deserves that. He knows how I feel about our relationship.

Loosening a breath, I lean back in my seat. "I am being honest."

Sinful raises a skeptical eye at me, as he sips his own tea. He's wanting something from me, I can tell. The trick is, he wants me to admit it without him having to ask. The moment he confronts me about what he wants, is the moment he opens himself up for manipulation. Wants make us vulnerable. It's words I've heard from him myself, and I completely agree.

"Tell me, Millicent dear, what is life really like up there on the Moon? In that beautifully crafted estate of pure hell?" He asks, his voice sickly sweet and poisonous. He's taunting me, but I refuse to even let my concern reach my face.

"It's fine. I'm serving my people and that is all that matters to me," I tell him. Just saying that makes my stomach fill up with a horrible feeling like hot oil is pooling.

Shaking off the uncomfortable feeling, I focus on Sinful again.

"Is it? Then why are you here then? I don't think it's to see me, or to truly experience what freedom is like. You want something from me, and I want to know what that is," he says slowly. I'm not sure why he is talking to me like this, but for whatever reason, I feel almost guilty as I recycle through my own thoughts, finding the true reason why I came here.

"I'm being honest about coming here for a moment of freedom," I tell him, quickly reigning what what I was about to admit. Either it's those searching eyes, or maybe I'm tired, but suddenly I just want to break down and admit all to him.

Sinful breathes in, but never once takes his eyes off me. "Do you want the book or not?"

"I'm being honest. I want the freedom, and I also want you to slip up and tell me something about Kyser that will help me with my plan," I say. Words just flowed out of my mouth, my mind taking a moment to catch up with what I just exposed about myself. The moment I realise what I done, I'm completely mortified.

"As I thought," SInful comments.

Bringing my hand up to my mouth, I feel as though I've just stepped out of my body, watching myself reveal all my secrets to Sinful. He doesn't look smug, just thoughtful, probably wondering why I decided to suddenly be so honest when I was attempting to hide behind my usual veil earlier.

"I didn't mean that, I just don't feel so well," I tell him. Partly true. My stomach feels as though it's going to dissolve within itself.

"What is so interesting about Kyser? What do you want with him?" Sinful questions, leaning forward, clasping his hands together as if this is some kind of interrogation. Despite trying to my hardest to consider a reply, it's as if my mind has forgotten all the training I put it through.

"I need to know who Kyser is, and what role he plays in regards to the Moon," I tell him all in one breathe.

He raises an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"Because I can't not know everyone's motives, especially someone of power like Kyser, I must go to the greatest lengths to finding out. If I don't, then it might be detrimental to my plan," I say, having no connection between my mouth and my brain anymore. "That's why you bother me so much, because I also don't know what you're doing."

The moment it comes out of my mouth, I push my chair back, moving myself away from the table, and away from Sinful. "What have you done to me?"

"I put a truth serum in your tea. I had an uncanny feeling that you were hiding something, and maybe that the Moon was doing something to you, but it doesn't seem like that is the case," he comments, not looking concerned, but curious.

"That's a complete breach of trust," I breathe, completely dumbfounded that that just happened. I feel as though I should go through up, or lock myself in a room until it wears off. It seems absurd that he would do something like to me, but also, what reason is there for me to trust him in the first place?

"I didn't ask you anything about me, as tempting as it was. The way you feel about me is your privacy," he tells me.

I narrow my eyes. "And that wasn't?"

"As your mate, I was concerned that something bad was happening to you. Whether you chose to tell me anymore is up to you," he says, standing from his seat. "Now, I have a plan for us today, to maybe you'd like to join me? I have something to make the serum go away."

"How am I meant to trust you?" I question. After this, I've been reminded of exactly why I'm wary around him.

Sinful's eyes gleam. "You're not. But that's what makes this so fun."

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If you're liking the story, head over to Radish, where this book is ten chapters ahead (:

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~Midika 💜🐼