Page 46 of Magic of Sins

Doesn’t she need Caden’s permission to do that?

I approach, unsure of what to do. It’s too far to walk back to my apartment. It would take me at least an hour.

“Are you allowed to do that?” I ask.

She laughs, seemingly unconcerned. “Of course. Caden can call a cab if he’s needed somewhere.”

“All right, then.”

Once more I look at the empty hallway behind me, then close the door and head down the steps.

I’ll just pretend none of this ever happened,I tell myself as I get into the limo.Everything will right itself.

The divider is down, and Rey looks in the rearview mirror as we drive off, scrutinizing me with her mismatched eyes.

“So he told you,” she says.

“What?”

I’m so out of it, I can barely focus on our conversation.

“Who your mother was and what powers she passed on to you.”

“You know?”

Suddenly I feel terribly stupid. Caden, Sasha, Rey—they allseem to know more about me than I do about myself. How could I have been so in the dark? I should have realized something was wrong with me.

“This must come as a shock to you, Miss Ashton,” Rey says gently.

She steers the limo onto a narrow street and curses softly as the light in front of us turns red.

I snort. “That’s an understatement.”

Rey turns to me and gives me a long, thoughtful look. “Believe me, Caden wanted to tell you earlier. He just didn’t know how.”

Earlier?

I frown.

“How long has he known about this?” I ask, but Rey merely shrugs.

“He’s a good man,” she says, as if that answered my question.

“He’s a sin mage.”

I bite my tongue, wishing I had the presence of mind to keep the words from slipping out, given the fact that Rey is probably a sin mage herself. Just like me. The amused look she gives me in the rearview mirror seems to convey just that.

The traffic light turns to green, and we drive on. In the gaps between the buildings, I catch glimpses of the Thames, the sunlight glinting on the water.

“We’re not all bad,” Rey says after a while. “Some of us just want to live in peace. But unfortunately, there are also sin mages like Jared, who think they’re above the law.”

“Aren’t you all? Above the law, I mean.”

Aren’tweall,I should say. But the idea of being one of them terrifies me.

Rey tilts her head.

“Yes and no. The East End is outside the King’s jurisdiction, but we have our own rules. Like, stay away from the West End. Never feed on a sinner without their permission. Don’t geta willing victim into trouble. Never challenge another sinner’s claim on a victim. Caden enforces these rules, but it’s not always easy. There are simply too many sin mages who insist on the law of the strongest and who are unwilling to abide by the rules. But a society without rules just doesn’t work.”

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