In the Shadows

love more?”

“What?”

“Which would hurt worse — being the son loved so much he

is worthy of sacrifice, or being the son who’s spared because he is the

lesser?” She raised a hand and rested it on Thom’s cheek. He

flinched, but she didn’t seem to notice. “I think the latter, but

you’ll have to tell me.”

Thom swallowed hard. A sacrifice. Constance had spoken of

that, and it was on the list next to his father’s name, too. “He loves

Charles more,” Thom whispered. “He always has.” It hurt some-

thing deep inside him to finally say it out loud, to admit to this

stranger what he had always pretended not to know.

She nodded, patting his cheek. “Then Charles is the offering.”

“Should we run?”

She drifted past him, lingering at the top of the stairs. “There

isn’t enough time.”

“I’ll fight him. Alden. I’ll kill him if it means keeping my

brother safe.”

She turned toward him, a smile splitting her face in two, eyes

bright with delight. “You should! You absolutely should. I thought

it would be the Liska boy, but you might do as well.” Laughing,

she picked her way lightly down the stairs.

“So that’s the answer? Kill Alden?”

“No, silly. Kill us all,” she said just as she disappeared

from view.

April, 1968

nineteen

C

harles sipped his tea on the front porch and

watched as a crooked man, obscured by a lengthy