Page 30 of Magic of Sins

“I’m fine,” is all I say.

“You’re not.”

Caden’s matter-of-fact statement makes my throat tighten. I don’t want to cry again, so I swallow down the feeling of my own helplessness. He takes off his jacket and puts it around my shoulders. It smells like him. Expensive whiskey and a crackling fireplace.

“Come on,” he says gently. “Let’s get you away from here.”

A little later, we’re back in the limo. Caden looks at my scraped knees in the dim interior light. Before we reach my apartment, I’ll have to pull the tights back over them.

Hopefully, Ava’s not back yet. She’d know something was up right away. What would she say if I told her about my involuntary visit to that strip club?

Caden seems absentminded and almost a little nervous. He sits across from me and keeps running his hand over his mouth. I pull his jacket tighter around myself and would disappear into it completely if I could.

After we’ve sat there for a while, I finally dare to ask, “Why aren’t we driving?”

I just want to go to bed. To sleep and forget about what happened tonight. Even though I’m sure the events of tonight will follow me into my dreams.

Caden glances at me before immediately looking away again.

“You can’t go home,” he says softly.

I frown. “What do you mean?”

Of course I can go home. I just need to wipe my tear-stained cheeks and put on my tights so Mrs.Hughes or Ava don’t ask any prying questions.

Caden gives me a pained smile.

“It would be different if any other sin mage had claimed you. But I’m not just anyone.”

I’m trying to remember what Ophelia told me about Caden. He’s one of the most dangerous sin mages of all time. He owns most of East Virtue and has information on all sorts of influential people.

Okay, so he’s not just anybody. But what does that have to do with me and with why can’t I go home?

Caden leans forward in his seat. A lock of blond hair falls intohis face. His hands jerk forward as if he’s about to reach for mine, but then, as if coming to his senses, he crosses his arms in front of his chest and looks at me urgently.

“I have enemies, Kaya. People who would love to see me dead and who would do anything to hurt me.”

“You think they might try to hurt me,” I say in a strained voice.

It’s more of a statement than a question, but Caden nods anyway.

You’ve got to be kidding me. I haven’t even been with Caden for four hours. It’s not even midnight, yet my world has already been turned upside down. I worry at my bottom lip.

“These people don’t even know where I live,” I try to reassure Caden as much as myself.

“They’ll figure it out.”

“Maybe Jared doesn’t tell them about your claim on me. Maybe he’s embarrassed by the whole thing.”

I know that I’m grasping at straws. Jared was intimidated by Caden, but he didn’t exactly seem like the type who was good at keeping quiet.

Caden leans his head back and sighs.

“I could take you to my place. You’d be under my protection there,” he suggests.

Under his protection. Yeah right. He’sone of them.It’s only a matter of time before he tries his sin magic on me and manipulates me like Jared did. But I don’t want to go back to my apartment either.

“I want to go to the palace,” I say.

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