The Seven Sins

16. The Father

"Can I have this dance, Lady Ava?"

It wasn't only a month ago that I denied him a dance. But now with one hand on my back and the other on my hip, sending heat through me, I couldn't speak. When I didn't respond, Pride's eyes shifted away from me, and he shifted to step back.

"You can." I said and hated that I sounded a little breathlessly. His eyes met mine again, his gaze intense. His hand shifted on my waist before the other took a hold on my hand, his long fingers curling over it. We started to dance in sync. Like we knew what moves the other would make. I couldn't tear my eyes of his stormy grey ones. He twirled me under his arm and when I came back, we stood closer together.

"I didn't know mortals still danced like this." He said.

I licked my dry lips, a movement he didn't miss. "Most of us don't. Just like our clothes and behaviour, things change."

Pride was taking lead and he was guiding me all through the garden. It seemed like every prince could dance with elegant strides. Next to any of them, I looked like a stumbling idiot. It was silent for a few strides before he said. "But you do."

I shrugged a little. "Your brothers taught me."

"Hm." He hummed as we kept dancing. Silence stretched between us, just the music swirling around us, like it wrapped around us, pushing us closer together. Pride's eyes had shifted to a point next to me as he guided me around the garden. I tried to read his facial expressions but that was nearly impossible. Together with Greed, he was the hardest one to read. But at least Greed was polite or just silent. Pride sneered at me, saying the word mortals like we were vermin. He couldn't stand that I wasn't an obedient little girl. I couldn't figure out how he could look or say things like that but still 'claimed' me, why he asked me to dance. Not once but twice.

"How do you mortals dance now then?" He sounded genuinely curious.

"You wouldn't like it." I said quickly. Lucien would love it, Griffin too. Pride would not. The grinding, seductive sway of the hips. The dance floor sometimes looked like it would cross the line to porn these days. "It's not as defined as this."

Pride didn't answer as he twirled me around the garden. I lifted my eyes at the black night sky. I missed the stars. There wasn't a single one in the sky, just black, like it was endless above us. I felt Pride's gaze travel over my body. But not the way Lucien's eyes travelled over my breast or hips. I felt the burn of his gaze moving over my arms, my shoulders, my extended neck as I looked up until the burn reached my lips. But when I looked down, his eyes shifted away.

"Why did you want to dance with me?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"I wanted to see what all the fuss was about." I couldn't make out the tone of his voice.

"And?" My heartbeat fast in my chest. He didn't answer immediately, his grey eyes lingered on mine for a long silent moment, then he looked away.

"Nothing memorable."

My fast-beating heart slowed pace immediately, and rage took its place. Asshole! "I could say the same." I said with an icy voice. I let go of him and took a step back. "I'm really not looking forward to spending an entire month with you." I sneered. I was done with this, I was done with him.

"You and me both, Lady Ava." He said, his expression void of anything. "It's all a waste of time." He looked me up and down with a scrunched-up nose. "You are a waste of my time, mortal."

I huffed a laugh. Anger burning through my body, I was so close at pulling out my dagger and slicing it over his perfect face.

"I'm a waste of your time? Don't kid yourself, prince." I spit out the title. "You are the one stuck in here, nowhere to go, nothing to do. I actually have a life, work, friends." I poked his chest with the hand that was twitching over my dagger not even a second ago. I ignored the spark that coursed through my finger to the rest of my body and glared at him. "The only reason I'm still here is because of your brothers. If I could, I would just skip the whole month with you, you arrogant ass!"