Page 62 of Magic of Sins

But nobody listens to me.

It’s a nightmare. A nightmare I have to wake up from somehow. I shut my eyes tightly and imagine that none of this is real.

Not the laughter.

Not the touching.

Not the pushing.

And then an arm closes protectively around me. I breathe in the scent of expensive whiskey and crackling fire. My legs give out in relief and Caden catches me, holding me tightly.

He’s here.

He came for me. To save me.

Everything’s going to be okay now.

The music abruptly stops, the spotlight winks out. And I suddenly realize we’re in the strip club in the East End where I first met Jared. The red carpet, the heavy purple curtains—this is unmistakably the Crime and Punishment.

The men and women gathered around us begin to back away from Caden. One girl is so frightened she drops her glass. A man with a cigar pulls her aside and stands protectively in front of her, as if afraid Caden will lunge at her like a tiger going after its prey. Only Jared seems unperturbed by Caden’s appearance, jumping off one of the stages where the girls usually dance. Wearing a burgundy suit and a top hat studded with silver sequins, he looks like a ringmaster in one of those old picture books.

“Mr. Caden Nicholas Nox.” He drags out each word as he leisurely saunters over to us. “How nice of the King of the Underworld to join us. We were just having a little fun with your little princess there.”

“Jared. What part ofshe’s minedidn’t you understand?”

Caden’s voice is cold and dangerously calm, but I can feel his heartbeat against my back. It’s racing, revealing more to me than Caden’s words ever could. I’m still in danger.

Jared tilts his head and watches us closely, then laughs.

“You know, there’s something I don’t quite understand, Caden. What exactly gives you the right to claim her for yourself? Why are you the only one who’s allowed to enjoy the princess? We are all her loyal subjects. Doesn’t that mean she belongs to all of us?”

He holds out his arms wide, gesturing to the entire the room. The bystanders murmur in agreement. Some of them even dare to step closer again.

Princess? Subjects?

None of it makes any sense. The whole thing makes me want to laugh hysterically.

Caden’s arm tightens around me.

“What do you hope to gain from this, Jared?” he asks. “Were you hoping to hurt the king by taking his daughter? He doesn’t even know she exists.”

Daughter?This hasgotto be a joke.

I free myself from Caden’s grip so I can look him in the eye, but his expression gives nothing away.

Jared takes his top hat off and twirls it in his hands. The sequins catch the red glow of the overhead lights.

“Just because you found her first doesn’t give you the right to decide what’s to be done with her,” he says, putting the top hat back on.

Caden’s muscles tense. “She’s one of us.”

“She’s the king’s daughter!” someone shouts.

And while I’m still trying to comprehend what’s been said, the murmuring of the bystanders begins to swell.

“Let’s go!” Caden says close to my ear and grabs my arm.

We try to make our way through the crowd. Past shimmeringclothes, sweaty bodies, and grim faces. The exit is only a few steps away. I feel as if I can already feel the cold breeze from outside on my cheeks. But Jared’s voice stops us.

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