7 Deadly Instincts (The Sinfire Chronicles Book 1)

Settie didn’t join them for lunch even though the entire house smelled like the dough pockets that Midj had spent the morning making. She didn’t just make the dough, she had to make the red gravy, which meant simmering the tomatoes, garlic, and spices for hours and hours. She’d bought special spicy sausage and fresh cheeses to stuff into the pockets.

The kitchen wasn’t that cold thanks to the wood that Pinch had nailed into place covering the hole that Gray had created. Still, it was cold enough to push them into the living room where a fire in the fireplace crackled happily, a mixture of wood they’d found scattered around the neighborhood and lust rock.

Midj hadn’t just made the pockets, she also brought out the beer she’d bottled in their basement. When she’d brewed the beer was a mysterious, but it had to be when she first moved into Ruin Manor.

The homebrew and the dough pockets were delicious together.

Midj climbed up onto her chair. “A toast! To Gray, to Rynn, and to Ames. I don’t judge, but if you guys are happy together, we’re happy for you!”

Tomi smirked, “I’m judging. I’m totally judging. Little did I know that I was moving into a whore house. Sex this and sex that. Blech.”

Rynn blushed.

Ames smiled. “It’s less blech, and more, oh, oh, oh!”

Then it was Tomi’s turn to blush.

Midj made a face. “Let’s not get graphic, now. Mother’s oven, I’d have slept with Gray to bring back our Ames.” Her eyes went wide as she realized what she said. “I’m going to stop talking now. You know what I mean. Let’s just eat.”

There was a long span of awkward silence.

Pinch ate while she kept her eyes down. She didn’t seem to mind the quiet.

Rynn, though, finally couldn’t keep it in. “Listen, I never, in a million, billion, trillion years thought that I’d be in this situation. It doesn’t happen. You guys know it never happens. And I know some men cheat, even with the danger of harming their cores, but I never wanted a man like that. I wanted someone I could trust. I can trust Gray, and with Ames, it just felt right. We all know that Gray is strange. Oh, I mean, not strange, but very strange. Sorry, Gray.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “I am strange. But we don’t—”

“I do.” Rynn continued. “So this is going to be uncomfortable for a while, but I hope we can move beyond it.”

Pinch finally spoke up. “Then you have to be quiet. I heard you three last night. Please.” She then went back to eating.

Rynn squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m so sorry.”

Ames only smiled. “Then you can confirm. There was no bleching. It really was oh, oh, oh. A great deal of that. And sometimes, ‘harder’ or ‘faster’ when it felt too good to keep quiet.”

Midj slammed a hand on the table. “Ames! Don’t get graphic!”

They all jumped.

Pinch then gave the Quelling girl a tiny smile—just a flicker. “I can confirm. There was no bleching.”

Tomi sighed. “Is this helping? I don’t think this is helping. I didn’t hear a thing.”

“Because you sleep like the dead,” Midj shot back.

Ames raised a hand, “Being dead doesn’t feel like sleeping. It’s warmer. There is silence but not quite silence. A murmur of love, a whisper of comfort, and you are held by the world, cradled, forever and ever and ever. And time stops because it’s love. It’s all the world loving you forever for having been a spark.”

They all stared at her.

Ames didn’t seem to mind. “And there’s a shack, and an ocean of dead people. Oh, and cookies.”

“Death has cookies?” Pinch asked it as a straight question.

Ames nodded. “Death has cookies.”

“On that note,” Tomi said, “we are changing the subject to literally anything else. The less I know about what Gray does with his harem in his bedroom the—”

Both Gray and Rynn interrupted her, saying the same thing. “It’s not a harem.”

Tomi cocked her head. “It’s a harem. You know, this isn’t the first time in history this has happened. Akazel the Bound had seven wives.”

“Wasn’t he second avatar?” Midj asked.

“Third avatar,” Tomi corrected. “He’s the reason why we the Weeping Well and the Joyful Threshold were closed. He couldn’t have done it without his wives.”

“Or the Cambrosians,” Ames added. “The wives talked with the Cambrosians of the various races—half-elves, half-orcs, half-fae, and half demon. From Malchutt.”

“Don’t say his name,” Midj hissed.

Ames mimicked locking up her lips with a key.

Tomi took back control of the conversation. “In all the books, they describe Akazel as having a harem. It was strange but look at the good it did. Not that I’m saying we all should pile into Gray’s bedroom for any of that, but there is a precedent.” The cat girl paused. “Can we now talk about something far more interesting?”

Pinch smirked, “I doubt it will as interesting as all this. If we slept with Gray, would we get the mana skills from the elves? Would we add our own skills to the mix? From a clearly strategic point of view, the sex might be worth it.” She’d lost the smirk. It was clear she was trying to be nicer. It was a welcome change.

Rynn, though, looked pained and tried to change subjects. “What’s more interesting, Tomi?”

Tomi pointed upward. “Is you know who really…well, you know who.”

“Who?” Midj asked in a loud voice.

Tomi shushed her. “Keep your voice down. I’m asking if the captain is really Little Dani Witherstep? Oh, excuse…Witherhand.”

No one said anything.

Gray sipped from his mug of beer and set it down. “I don’t think she’s ever really going to tell us. Part of me thinks that she just told us that in the crypts because, well, because…”

Tomi winced. “Because I was about to claw my own face off. I hated being underground. Hated it. All those times we walk under the Hellbinder Barrier makes me want to puke.”

“Don’t,” Midj said. “No clawing faces off.”

“She was there,” Ames said quietly.

They all turned to look at her.

Ames smiled, and it was beautiful to see. “I like having my friends look at me. I’m the center of attention. I have things to say you are interested in hearing. Why do I feel oddly powerful?”

“Okay, Ames.” Tomi had a big smirk on her face. “Tell us that history is a sewer and we’re all flowing out to the ocean, and while it stinks, it makes the flowers grow. Or something.”

“History isn’t a sewer. History is whispers in the darkness, but you can only hear one part of the conversation, and even then, you have to fill in the gaps.”

Tomi’s mouth dropped open. “I got that one, Ames. Nice job! What about you know who?”

Ames thought for a moment. “You all want me to be clear. But it’s hard because the words aren’t there for me to tell you what I know. After Settie kissed Gray—”

Pinch interrupted. “You’re joking. Captain Sevanya and him? I don’t believe it.”

Rynn squeezed her eyes shut. “And we’re moving on…”

Pinch continued to look mystified.

Ames kept on talking. “Settie had to kiss Gray to get mana into his meridians after he was branded. It’s why we needed the demon mana. You remember, don’t you, Pamalee? Do you remember the sloth squids?”

Ames studied the fae girl’s face, who seemed a little unnerved by being called her first name.

“I remember,” Pinch said quietly. Then she said nothing more.

Toim shook her head. “Settie could tell us about harems. Remember? She said she was in love with both Princess Cassandra and Prince Thraxis. I mean, it wouldn’t work to bond them because Thraxis, who was really the most famous archduke of hell, wouldn’t have had a core. Demons don’t have cores. They basically are mana and a little skin. It’s why they distintegrate after they die.”

“Steam,” Pinch mumurred. “A foul smelling steam.”

“That’s right,” Rynn threw in.

Pinch then got loud. “All those tales of Alastria don’t mean a fucking thing, and you’re all idiots if you think your captain is that old. If she were this ancient slave girl person, you’d think she’d know not to piss off the Watchfire families.”

“Thank you!” Midj was even louder. “All that history stuff don’t matter—”

Tomi couldn’t let that lie. “No, don’t you see? It makes the captain this total mysterious powerhouse. She was taught core work by Princess Cassandra herself! I mean, come on! It was Cassandra who finally killed Malchutt, right? I mean, right? Gods couldn’t even do it. And no angels. Sorry, Rynn.”

The elf girl scowled. “I have nothing to do with angels. Please.”

“Sorry,” Tomi whispered.

Gray waded into the conversation. Trying to steer it was probably going to be impossible, but he had to try. He had a question for Pinch. “What can you tell us about who paid you?”

Pinch’s face darkened. “Duskdrop handled the payments. I didn’t…I didn’t care. I just wanted the money. I needed it.”

She stopped talking, looking very uncomfortable. Was she lying?

“Freek mentioned something about money coming from someone other than the fae. I mean—”

Pinch got nasty. It wasn’t a bit shocking. “I don’t fucking know. It was gold from the fae queen. Who gave her the gold? Why should I care? I was being paid.”

“But you’re a duchess,” Rynn said quietly.

“We are not talking about that,” Pinch hissed. She got up and stormed out.

“Love her!” Tomi said with a laugh. “So easy going, easy to talk, gentle-spirited. She is overflowing with milk of mana kindness. Total patience resonance.”

“Tomika Ka!” Rynn burst out. “We don’t talk about resonances!”

Midj nodded but laughed. “Yes, it was inappropriate but also funny. ‘Cause it wasn’t true.”

Tomi grinned. “Welcome so the town of sarcasm. Population me.”

Rynn looked like something was troubling her. And it wasn’t the cat girl’s resonance joke.

“What’s bothering you, Rynnanatha?” Ames asked.

Rynn squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t want to say. Because I’ll talk to much. You guys don’t want to hear me ramble.”

“Sure, girl,” Midj said. “Get it out.”

Tomi motioned for her to continue. “Go ahead. I’ll nap through most of it.”

Rynn glanced at Gray.

He nodded. “I’m with Midj. Let it out.”

Rynn took a deep breath. This was going to be a big one. “Okay, this harem thing is really awkward for me, and I don’t want you all to think I’m some weak-kneed girl. I’m a very good fighter, very strong, both inside and out. If I hadn’t wanted Ames to join us, I would’ve said no, but it just felt right. But then, I get worried about Amaranthis. And Pinch.”

The elf girl dropped her voice, so as not to be overheard. Still, she was getting mana because of her humility resonance. She knew her strength as well as her weaknesses, and her honesty fed her magic. “Is Pinch going to fit in? We need her for the Reckoning. I’m assuming we can’t do it with only four, and Amaranthis died, and even though she came back, thank the slut gods of old, First Field sees death as failure. So she’s out. I’m so sorry to say it, Amaranthis.”

Ames only smiled. “Better to live with you, my angel, even exiled, then to live without you and precious Gray. I’ve learned the rain can be pretty, however cold.”

Rynn kind of melted. “The good kind of angel?”

Ames nodded. “The best kind of angel.”

Rynn’s eye glimmered with tears.

Tomi sighed. “Ugh, they’re having a moment. And I’m awake for it. It’s so…elven and puke-inducing.”

Midj shrugged. “Kinda find it cute. Ames and Rynn and Gray, all lovey-dovey. Beats the alternative. Which brings us back to Pinch. Now, if you ask me, family is about the long game. I’m not saying that fae girl is family, but we should give her a chance. It’s obvious she’s going through some stuff. And she is one helluva fighter. Excuse my language.”

“Fuck,” Tomi hissed. “I wish you wouldn’t curse so much.”

Midj grinned at her friend.

“Well, we have some time,” Gray said. “The Reckoning is in three months. And remember, it’s not just Pinch, we have someone else joining our squad, though I don’t understand how she can.”

Rynn turned a little green. “Your princess.”

Gray held up his hands. “Not my princess. She hates my guts. It could be that Lilian Everheart is going to make Pinch looked like our best friend. I don’t know.”

“But you know her,” Rynn prodded.

“I know her as a princess in a palace in the Null Breaks. She was nice to me, but she didn’t exactly treat her servants the best. And she’s going to…” Gray couldn’t finish that sentence because he didn’t know how Lilian would react to life in the Belly with him and his two wives. It wasn’t going to be easy, especially with that letter hanging over them. The words came back to him. They should. He’d memorized that short letter.

Blind John is dead and it’s your fault. I will hate you forever for stealing from me. When both of us are dead, and when you are in hell, I will go there every day to spit on you.

The four women were waiting for him to finish his through.

He smiled, and knew his sadness showed. “Let’s just say the next three months are going to be interesting.”

Settie stormed into the kitchen. “Grayson Fade, we’re going to Emerilia Stone. I want her opinion. Gather your things.”

Ames stood up.

Settie laughed. “You, Amaranthis, are not one of his things. You and Rynnanatha will stay here for the time being. If Emerilia wants to see you, we can schedule something.”

Gray leaned back in his chair. “You’re joking.”

Settie’s face was stone. “Yes. I’m very famous for my fucking sense of humor. You’ve eaten. We’ll go. Now.”

Gray got up. “Coming, Mother.”

Ames shook her head. “Given relatively recent events, it’s a rather uncomfortable joke you just made.”

Gray only laughed. “Don’t I know it.”

He was looking forward to confronting Settie. About any number of things.