Envy (Dark Waters Book 1)

Chapter Ten:

1873

"Will your father be upset that I've entered your home?" I followed Priscilla through the doorway of her small house. The inside was incredibly cozy, with one large room connecting to a smaller one. I peered inside to see a single bed and blankets.

"Oh, I believe he's already gone." Priscilla hurried over to that room and looked at the bed. "Yes, he's already gone."

My brows raised. "That is where your father sleeps?" I asked. When she nodded, I frowned. "What about you? Is there another room?"

With a small smile, she shook her head. "Oh, no. I sleep here." She pointed to the blankets on the floor with a single pillow. My brow furrowed, especially when she laughed as if it were nothing. "This home is only temporary. My father travels to sell his goods. We will only be here for a month. Maybe less."

As she walked past me to fill the kettle over the fire, I felt the uncontrollable need to protect and save her. I hadn't forgotten my mission. Her death was inevitable—or so I was told. What if I moved to preserve her soul instead? There needed to be a balance between good and evil. What if she was it?

"The tea won't take long," she said as she stoked the fire.

"I appreciate the gesture," I said, licking my lip as she waved her hands through the smoke. She wasn't afraid of the heat. Her face, so close to the flames, glowed in the light. And it enticed me.

I approached her from behind, slow, measured steps to not startle her.

"If you need a place to rest tonight, you're welcome to stay."

I stopped. "I'm sorry?"

Priscilla stood and turned, smiling at me. She pressed her curls behind her ears as she glowed. She was timid, blushing; I couldn't read her thoughts or emotions. Were pure souls resistant to our powers as well as our sins? Did she think of me as an ordinary man?

I was Envy. I drew jealousy out of people. Jealousy that would destroy friendships and burn families. I was the gateway to all sins. It was refreshing that she couldn't see or feel it.

Standing in front of her, I felt anew.

"Why would you wish for me to stay?" I asked. "You don't know who I am."

"I do not." She straightened and gulped. "You do not know me yet stopped to see if I was in trouble."

My eyes widened. I hadn't stopped to help her. I planned to kill her. But I broke the one rule Gluttony gave me and looked into her eyes. I saw nothing but light and was compelled to help her, be near her, and follow the sound of her voice.

Still, I could endanger her any more than I was already. "Priscilla, I will happily drink the tea, but I shouldn't stay."

She frowned, chewing on her bottom lip. She glanced back at the kettle before looking back at me. Her luscious bottom lip glistened as it pushed out with a sigh, swollen from sitting between her teeth.

Blood rushed through my veins, down to my legs. My pants tightened around my crotch. What was happening?

"What if I asked you to stay?" she whispered.

I gulped. If I stayed, I needed to kill her. If I left, I could get answers and see if she could survive.

"My father leaves for nights on end after making a sale, and he'll leave me here until either we leave or he needs help with Duloc and the wagon." She looked down at her nails before lifting her gaze back to mine. "If you had it in your heart to help me with Duloc—"