Page 47 of Magic of Sins

My head is spinning. With every sentence Rey utters, a thousand more questions spring to mind, but I keep them to myself. I don’t want to know any more about her world, and I want to be a part of it even less.

For the rest of the drive, I close my eyes and pretend to doze off. I’m sure Rey could be a well of information, and she seems more than willing to share her knowledge with me. But I don’t want to hear it. Not now. Preferably never.

Later, Ava finds me on the sofa, curled up in a blanket with Tinkerbell on my lap. I’ve used the last few hours to escape into a historical novel about the old England. When she sinks down on the cushions next to me, I put it aside.

“You’re still here,” she notes. “Isn’t there a secret mission waiting for you at the palace?”

“Not one I want to be a part of.”

I sent a message to Ophelia to thank her for her hospitality and to let her know that I would no longer be needing it. Hopefully the message will satisfy her, and she won’t show up here. It’s bad enough that Caden’s limo has taken up position in front of my house. Apparently, Rey also functions as a bodyguard of sorts, making sure I don’t get any unwanted visits from Caden’s enemies.

I’m exhausted. I rub my eyes—they burn and are swollen from all the crying. Ava must have noticed by now. She looks like she wants to give me a hug but doesn’t dare.

“Did that sin mage do something to you?” she asks.

“No.”

He didn’t do anything except confront me with the truth. Maybe I shouldn’t have just left like that. But I was in shock and confused. Still am.

“I learned something about my mother,” I tell Ava. “She wasn’t murdered. She… she gave me away.”

Ava gives me a sympathetic look, making me feel bad for only telling her part of the truth. Now she does move closer, and wraps her arms around me. A mewing Tinkerbell jumps off my lap in protest.

“She doesn’t deserve you,” Ava whispers into my hair. “Trust me, if she didn’t want you, you’re better off without her.”

“You’re probably right,” I mutter, but I feel uneasy.

My mother gave me away because she didn’t want me to become like her. A sin mage. Can I really blame her for that?

Ava carefully disentangles herself from my arms.

“Hey, I might have something to cheer you up.”

She gets up from the sofa and walks over to her bag, which she carelessly dropped next to the coat rack when she got home. There is a rustling sound, then Ava triumphantly holds up a colorful bag.

“These things are called taffies. Elias got them for me on the black market.”

Elias is one of the guys Ava knows from the illegal parties. I’ve advised her before to stay away from them. They’re going to get her in trouble someday. Thinking about it now, I’m probably the wrong person to be giving that kind of advice.

“They must be old,” I state with a sniff. “They haven’t made anything like this in ages.”

Ava shrugs.

“Elias says these things can’t go bad.”

She tears open the bag and takes out a caramel piece, eyeing it from all sides before shoving it into her mouth.

I can savor the sweetness without having tasted it myself. It’salmost unbearable—and unbearably good at the same time. My tongue prickles, and Ava moans.

“Oh my god, this is so good!”

Wait! Am Ifeedingon her right now?

Damn it!

Frantic, I jump up from the sofa but have to hold on to the backrest because I feel dizzy again. For a moment, black dots dance before my eyes.

“Is everything all right?” Ava asks, already reaching for the next taffy and stuffing it into her mouth.

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