On and on they walked.
Instead of Camilla’s being fearful of the snarls and roars all around, a sense of adventure reemerged, her creativity spinning visions of what the creatures hidden in the forests might look like, how she might paint them when she won her talent back. Because she would win it back.
Would the creatures be great winged beasts, perhaps with the head of a lion and the body of a whale? Would their fangs be the size of her arms? Would they be covered in thick coats of fur, or in scales, or something wholly new?
The possibilities were endless.
Excitement rushed through her as the next roar sounded, vibrating through the ground. It sounded like it was directly over the nearest hill. Camilla thrilled at the pounding of her heart, the rush of her pulse.
Envy shook his head, his expression still mildly amused at her reaction, but remained silent.
Camilla realized that fear had shaken something awake inside her, made her want to shed her civility and become all animal too. Dangerous. Batting aside these pestering sins, it was the only thing that truly tempted her. Aside from the prince himself.
But he was dangerous for a far different reason. She sensed he could unleash in her all she’d kept locked away, hidden. And the idea of him unraveling her secrets was no longer as frightening as it should be.
Winds gusted with renewed vigor, the tops of the trees swaying, beckoning her to let go too.
The snow began falling more heavily, dotted with ice.
Envy stopped abruptly.
“We’ll stay here for the night.”
Camilla peered through the dense foliage.
Here was nothing but a battered cabin built from roughly hewn trees, barely large enough for her, let alone the two of them together. Not after this day of Envy tempting her so fiercely.
For the first time since she’d entered this realm, Camilla’s heart raced for an entirely different reason. It seemed her true test of will was about to begin.
And this time, she had little hope of winning.
Brushing off magic was one thing, but ignoring her growing desire was something else entirely. And this sinful realm knew it.
TWENTY-NINE
AFTER YOU, MISS Antonius.”
Envy held the giant spruce branch back, fully revealing the tiny cottage he’d hidden beneath the giant evergreen the last time he’d brought a mortal woman into his realm.
He didn’t like to think of that, of her, so he focused instead on his handiwork—though cottage was a generous term for the little cabin he’d made by hacking away at trees, fusing them together with bits of magic. Nothing too intense, nothing that would anger the Corridor. If he’d been able to conjure the building entirely, he would have done so. Alas, he’d rolled up his sleeves and had gotten to work.
Envy supposed he still felt some small sense of accomplishment.
Camilla seemed startled at first, but now looked the structure over with interest, just as she’d done with every inch of the Sin Corridor today. He hadn’t known this blasted place to inspire such amazement or intrigue before; Camilla had surprised him with her enthusiasm for its arctic depths.
And even more surprising, thus far she’d seemed to avoid most influence, furthering his growing suspicion that she was keeping a secret. But Envy knew that when sleep eventually pulled her under, Camilla would succumb to the wicked realm. No being—not even the strongest vampires, shape-shifters, or Fae—could withstand the seductive pull of the Sin Corridor.
And that was without the physical attraction already sizzling between them.
He’d kept his connection to her senses open, ensuring that he’d know if she felt distressed or fearful at any point along their journey. If something attacked, he wanted to know immediately.
When they first arrived, she’d been burning with anger that he’d brought her without warning. What he’d neglected to admit was that he’d waited until he sensed her readiness, long before she’d formally given him an answer.
The true surprise came as she trudged through the storm behind him.
He’d felt a tingle of fear that had quickly turned to excitement. When her arousal slammed into him next, he’d nearly lost his footing. He’d glanced over his shoulder, and her gaze had raked over him from head to toe, carnal and untamed. He’d strained to feel any indication that she was being tested for lust, but he didn’t think so. What she’d felt had been her own emotions. He wasn’t sure she’d been aware of it. But he couldn’t forget.
And now they were about to be trapped for hours, alone in the cabin with one large issue.
Envy reached past her and yanked the frozen knob until it twisted free, the small door popping open with a loud crack as its coat of ice shattered. The shards sparkled atop the snow like broken glass.
Camilla gave him a look, then stepped inside. Just past the doorway, she paused.
He knew why.
They were going to be very cozy tonight.
The tiny one-room cabin was dark and windowless, the square space taken up almost entirely by one large bed. And by bed Envy meant the thick layers of pine boughs he’d braided into a lush platform.
The “bed” was pressed against the far wall, leaving only a small path for him to open the door fully.
The air was stale but laced with the warmth of the pine. They’d be warm and safe from the elements. Hours had passed, and even if she wasn’t tired yet, Camilla needed to sleep before the worst of the storm hit.
Envy gently nudged her forward.
She dug her heels in.
“There’s barely enough room for the bed.”
What she avoided mentioning was the fact that they’d practically have to lie curled around each other to fit upon it. A fact he’d been partly dreading, partly anticipating.
It was going to be his own sort of personal hell to have Camilla pressed against him while experiencing the sensation of sins.
“Apologies for the less-than-stellar accommodations, Your Highness,” he mocked softly. “Next time we travel through the Corridor, I’ll make sure to add another wing to the cabin.”
She called him a gloriously filthy name under her breath but let him step past her, swirling his cloak from his shoulders and spreading it over the bed of boughs, like a sheet of sorts. He gestured that Camilla could lie down, which she did with a glare, crawling onto the mattress and testing its stability before moving to the far side. Envy closed the door behind him, making sure it caught firmly in its frame, and then climbed atop the mattress at her side.
Her warmth enveloped him almost instantly, her scent filling the space between them until all he could think of was how much he envied her perfume for touching her skin when he couldn’t.
“Will we travel directly to House Sloth?” she asked. “Once we’re… done here?”