She held her ground and didn’t blink.
I had to stand there and let it happen.
Forneus reached for her hand and interlocked their fingers.
She didn’t pull away—but a momentary look of disgust crept into her eyes.
“Come on, An-gel.” He guided her away, and the Malevolent closed around them, obscuring them from view.
I knew that I would never see her again.
And that hurt—so fucking much.
Twenty-One
Constance
He didn’t drug or blindfold me.
There was no point.
Benton wouldn’t come to my rescue, and without him, there was no escape from that place. Even if I tried to run, I wouldn’t get far, and if he caught me again, I wouldn’t be surprised if Forneus threatened to hurt Claire if I tried to flee again.
We took a chopper just the way Benton had, and when we landed next to the trees, they were caked in snow. It was February now, the end of winter, and hopefully spring would bring a new beauty to this place.
Maybe I could learn to appreciate it.
If I wanted to survive, I had to convince Forneus I was the real deal, that I truly was a fallen angel, walking among mortals.
But did I want to survive?
Not really.
Not anymore.
Without Benton and Claire, my spirit was officially broken.
We walked through the tree line and saw the cabins scattered among the trees and statues. It was exactly as I’d left it, still and quiet, covered with a blanket of Malevolent that peered through the eye sockets of their skulls.
Home sweet home.
Instead of taking me back to my old cabin, he escorted me up the hill to his, past the church that he used as a confessional. The Malevolent were everywhere, and there seemed to be more than before.
He stepped inside his cabin, where a fire was already burning in anticipation of his arrival.
The door was shut, and we were alone, but my heart didn’t race like it used to. I was totally numb, unable to feel fear or anything else, not even stress. Once you didn’t care if you lived or died, you were granted overwhelming peace. That was how I felt now. Whether he gave me a piece of paper, a pill, or just wanted to talk, it made no difference.
Claire was safe. That was all I cared about.
He took a seat in the armchair, his eyes looking me over like it was the first time he’d seen me, like he couldn’t believe I was real.
I took a seat too, finally comfortable in a chair because I didn’t have those bulky wings behind me anymore. The costume had been warm, though. Now I was in just a blouse and jeans, and that didn’t protect me from the cold. Not the way Benton’s body did. Not the way his fireplace did. Not the way the love in my heart did.
With his elbows on his knees, Forneus stared, his eyes steady and locked on my face.
We spent the next thirty minutes that way, him enjoying his prize.
I looked at the fire, forgetting he was there most of the time.
One thing did hurt. I’d told Benton I loved him…and he didn’t say it back. I wished we’d been together a little longer because perhaps he would have said it then, would have made my sacrifice a little easier. But maybe it was better that he didn’t. Maybe it would be easier for him to move on…and forget about me.
“I missed you, An-gel.”
My eyes shifted back to Forneus.
“I’ve worshiped you in your absence. I never forgot you—not for a single day.”
I figured.
“Now that you’re with your demon again, everything will be as it should be.”
Maybe in a few months, maybe in a few years, I would end up in that graveyard too. A blank tombstone would stick out of the dirt. When the cult was over and someone new moved in, they would find the bones, but I would never be identified. My body would be far too decayed by then—as if I’d never existed at all. “I’m sorry that my absence has taken such a toll on you. I’m here now—for whatever you need.” It was so easy to lie, to play the character he wanted, because I didn’t care anymore.
Slowly, his face pulled back in his ridiculous smile. He showed all his teeth, every single one, somehow making his jaw move in ways it shouldn’t.
I was totally unaffected by it at that point. “Tell me your sins, Forneus. Let me absolve them so we can ascend.”
I was back in my old cabin—and I wasn’t alone.
I had a new roommate.
With dark brown hair and blue eyes like crystals, she was beautiful. Her skin was the color of snow, her lips the color of a rose. And she was young, younger than I was by a few years.
I introduced myself. “Constance.”
“Rayna.” She shook my hand. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions—”