Page 58 of Magic of Sins

“Which car?” I ask.

He points to a shiny black limo parked not far from us. I suppress the impulse to start sprinting. It’s important that the guard thinks I have everything under control. Even if it feels like there’s not a stone left standing in my world.

Hold on, Ava,I plead silently.I’m coming.

Chapter Sixteen

The drive seems to take forever, even though there is hardly any traffic on the roads at night.

“Drive faster,” I snap at the guard more than once.

He does as he’s told, probably exceeding every speed limit. I can see the fear in his eyes. Fear that I’ll betray him or that someone could have witnessed his sin. But I don’t have time to feel guilty.

As soon as we reach my apartment, I yank open the car door while the car is still moving.

“Wait here,” I instruct him.

The last thing I need is another person seeing Ava in her current state and maybe even being harmed by her.

The front door has been left slightly ajar, lights are on in the hallway. Tinkerbell presses herself against my legs as I enter the house. She mews softly.

“Miss Ashton, is that you?” asks a frightened voice.

I look up and find Mrs.Hughes standing on the top landing, keeping close to the wall. Her face is pale, and her wrinkled hands are trembling. How much of what happened did she witness? She must have heard Ava screaming.

“Yes, Mrs.Hughes, it’s me,” I reply, trying not to sound quite as out of breath as I am.

“What’s going on? There were men. And then all that racket…”

The old lady coughs, and I seize the moment to slip through the open door to Ava’s and my apartment.

Please, don’t let me be too late!

It’s like a bomb went off in here. There are broken things everywhere. Shattered cups and plates, and a vase Ava used to collect dried flowers in is smashed, the plants and shards now spread across the floor. In between torn books and clothes is something that looks like oatmeal mixed with blood, leaving a trail from the living room to Ava’s room.

I press a hand over my mouth to stifle the panicked sound that wants to crawl out of my throat. What happened here? Did Ava do this in her unbridled rage? Or did the sin mages who manipulated her wreak havoc on the place?

I tiptoe my way through the chaos to the closed door of Ava’s bedroom, trying to avoid the broken shards. Tentatively, I raise my hand and knock.

“Ava?”

Nothing.

“Ava, are you in there?”

I knock once more. I’m feeling queasy. My roommate could be lurking in there, waiting for me to enter, waiting for just the right moment to attack me. Maybe she’s taken one of the knives from the kitchen or… Or maybe something has happened to her. All that blood had to come from somewhere.

Please! Please let her be okay!

I briefly consider waiting for Caden. But who knows if he’ll even come, and if Ava’s hurt, every minute counts.

“I’m coming in now.”

My voice is quiet, almost toneless. For a moment, I’m not sure I’ve even spoken the words out loud. Slowly, I push the door open, prepared to retreat the moment Ava tries to attack me.

The silence is stifling. To be honest, I would prefer a scream or any outburst of rage, really. But there’s nothing. Nothing at all. Just the sound of my erratic breathing.

“Ava?”

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