Page 10 of Magic of Sins

I’m not, but I nod anyway.

We walk through corridors and up and down some stairs, until I lose all sense of direction. The part of the palace we finally reach seems older than the rest. Instead of tiles, the floors are laid with gray, polished stone. A harsh breeze makes me cross my arms in front of my chest protectively. Ophelia gives me a worried look.

“It’s not far now,” she assures me.

Just wonderful! I can’t imagine a better place to dine with a sin mage. I’m sure I won’t be able to eat a single bite. Right now my stomach’s in knots.

“Will the king be there while I…?”

While I sin,I want to say, but the words get stuck in my throat. The idea of what I’m about to do still seems too egregious to me to speak out loud.

Ophelia shakes her head.

“Father just wants to make sure Caden Nox fulfills his end of the bargain. The sin mage has specifically requested that you two be alone during dinner. But there will always be a guard within shouting distance.”

I’m not sure that puts my mind at ease very much. But at least the king won’t be there, should I lose all control during dinner. There are stories of people who are said to have gorged themselves on food in the presence of sin mages until they vomited. Is that what’ll happen to me?

The king is already waiting for us. He’s standing in the doorway to a candlelit room. I hear the clatter of dishes from inside, and lush scents reach my nose—something sweet and spicy, fruity and smoky. Some of them I can identify, for example the smell of fresh-baked bread and melted butter. Others are completely foreign to me.

“If you please, Miss Ashton.”

The king points to the room in front of him. His voice sounds friendly, but his gaze is impatient. Full of unease, I follow him and the princess into the room.

It’s dominated by a large table laden with several serving trays covered in cloches, which gleam in the light of the candles. Placed in front of a fireplace with a flickering fire are two leather armchairs, one of which is currently occupied. He has his back to us, but I can make out black boots and the sleeve of a dark blue shirt with gold cufflinks.

It’s the first time I’ve ever encountered a sin mage—that I know of. They are said to be unrestrained, self-indulgent, and eccentric. And according to Ophelia, Caden Nox is the most notorious of them all.

“Mr. Nox.”

The sin mage doesn’t turn around, though he must have heard the King. His ungloved hand reaches for a long-stemmed glass that stands beside him on a small table, and he takes an indulgent swig of the dark red liquid it holds.

“Miss Ashton?” he asks in a dark, silky voice after setting the glass down.

I watch the red liquid slosh in the glass. Is he really drinking wine with the king in the room? It all seems surreal to me. A man like Caden Nox belongs behind bars, not sitting by a fire in the royal palace.

“Yes,” I reply in a hoarse whisper.

Caden Nox raises a hand, motioning for me to stand in front of him. I freeze. Even if I wanted to, it would be impossible for me to put one foot in front of the other, to get even closer to him.

Seconds pass. Finally, the king gives me a push that makes me stagger forward and snaps me out of my stupor. I muster all my courage and turn to face the armchair.

Caden Nox is younger than I expected. I estimate him to be maybe two or three years older than me, so twenty-two, twenty-three. And he’s attractive. So attractive in fact, that I involuntarily swallow.

No wonder he’s such a dangerous sin mage. With a face like that it’s probably hard for anyone to deny him anything. High cheekbones, full lips, and curly blond hair. His blue-gray eyes remind me of clouds announcing the approach of a storm. Heated, ominous—beautiful. They scrutinize me brazenly, and with what might be best described as mocking arrogance.

“Kaya Ashton.”

The way my name slides off his tongue sounds more like a caress. It’s almost indecent the way he says it. I feel my cheeks getting hot.

“Mr. Nox, before you do whatever you need to do, I’d like totake care of business,” the king says.

He doesn’t seem to care in the slightest that I’m standing right there—the trembling prey before the wolf, fearful of being eaten. Literally. Ophelia gives me another apologetic look.

It’s just dinner,I remind myself.And a guard is always nearby. Caden Nox can’t hurt me.

But he could if he wanted to. I see it in his eyes, which he doesn’t take off me for a second as he holds out an envelope to the king.

“In here you will find the answers you seek. Now leave us!”

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