Page 47 of Claimed

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“Thank you, Onyx,” Tanner calls.

She smiles. “Welcome. I think.” Her eyes lift to me, grin still in place. “Though, I’m not sure what I did.”

“He’s a cat,” I say. But my voice is deeper, rasping.

Fuck.

I take a step back.

Her easy humor wilts at the edges. “Caine?”

God. If you can hear me …

She climbs to her feet and I catch sight of her long, tan legs.

I bolt to the door of my room and slip inside.

The space is dim now thanks to the electronic curtains and the low lights. My eyes alight on the unmade bed and then the chair.

There is a knock on the panel behind me. “Caine?”

Horan.

More surprised than anything, I move back as he opens the door. He takes in whatever emotion is on my face before entering the room and shutting the door behind him. “Your Asmodean nature?”

I stare at him. “How did you—”

“You are fighting it. Why?”

“Because I’m a—”

“Don’t say demon, Caine.” He crosses his arms. “You have to feed Sin as Ruin must drink blood. As Tanner must shift. As Gage must battle his fire.”

“I notice you have nothing to fight.”

His teeth flash. It’s not quite a smile. “I have my inner demons, Caine. Everyone does.”

“Only in this case, Iama demon and my Sin is sex.”

He shrugs. “If your bedmate is willing …”

“Premarital sex is a sin,” I say, incredulous.

“So is divorce, but many people don’t care about that either.” My jaw drops. He pushes from the door. “You are who you are, Caine. The reason you are so torn is because you cannot accept who you are. You see it as a blemish on your soul.”

“It is.”

His amber eyes fill with fire. “No. It is who you are.” He grips my shoulders. “It does not make you evil. Sinful, perhaps. But all are sinful before the glory of God.”

“But I’m a demon, Horan,” I say, sagging in his hold.

“And Lucifer is a fallen angel.” He takes in my expression. “What’s your point?”

Any argument I have dies on my tongue.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I guess I thought with absolution …”

“Came freedom from Sin?” he asks, and I nod. “I did not absolve you ofyoursins, Caine. I absolved you of the sins done to you.”

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