The Church (The Cloister Trilogy 3)

Noah slinks into my room and gently closes the door behind him. He’s early. I don’t move from the bed as he slides in next to me and turns to face me.

“Hi.” He rests his hand on my hip.

“How is he?” I don’t say Adam’s name, but he knows who I mean.

“Fine. Well… Worried. He saw Dad come to get you.” His light blue eyes, so unlike Adam’s, peer deeply into mine. “I found out he took you to see your mom. Are you okay?”

“No,” I whisper.

He pulls me closer but keeps his hips back. “I went to see her afterwards, fixed up the cut. Assured her that she wouldn’t be here long.”

“I hope you’re right.” I let him stroke my hair, even though it’s wrong and he isn’t the one I want. A little bit of comfort from a friend—my thoughts halt. It’s odd that I think of Noah as a friend now, when only a little while ago I wanted him dead. But Heavenly creates strange bedfellows.

“I have to get her out of here.” I haven’t changed my plan. Swaying Evan to my side is my only chance of saving her. And I’ll give up everything to get her and Adam to safety.

“We will.”

“What’s going to happen tomorrow?” I press my forehead to his shoulder.

“A lot. Too much. But you’re my priority. I’ve sworn to Adam that when shit goes down, I’ll keep you safe.”

I don’t like the hardness in his voice, the promise of blood, possibly his and Adam’s. “Tell me everything.”

“The short and sweet version goes like this: Chastity, Jez, and some others are planning to blow up the entire church at service.”

I move back and gawk at him. Chastity would do that? Kill thousands of innocents. “No.”

He pulls me to him again, holding me tight. “Just listen. That’s their plan. I’m going to stop them. In the meantime, Adam will be in the crowd. Mom, Castro, and Grace are planning a big coup, probably just before the service or after. She won’t kill Dad in front of everyone. But—” he shrugs, “She’s a little bit crazy so I don’t know. Castro is on her team and won’t tell me anything other than some vague bullshit. I guess they don’t want me cocking up their big reveal.”

I can’t fathom it all. Rachel? I always thought she was cowed, a hostage in the Prophet’s game of control. But I was wrong. If she’s come up with a way to destroy him, then she has a lot more guts than I ever dreamed. A glimmer of hope ignites in me, and I swear I could kiss Rachel. So many people coming together against the Prophet. Is this the way out for all of us?

“I’ve been trying to get to Chastity to talk her out of her plan, but she’s slippery these days. I’m going to try again when I leave your room. If she could just hold off, maybe Mom will take out Dad, and then we can sort of work it out from there.”

“What does your mom want to do with Heavenly once your dad is gone?”

“That’s more complicated.” He sighs. “She wants to keep it going. Different, but really the same.”

“Keep it going?” I clutch his shirt. “Why?”

“She has her reasons. But I’m hoping Adam and I can talk her out of it.”

“It has to burn, Noah.” Acid rises in my throat. “All of it. We can’t let it go on.”

“I know.” He squeezes my shoulder. “I know, okay? But we have to get through tomorrow first. Once we do that, maybe we’ll see the right way to shut it down.”

This news changes the entire game. Maybe I don’t have to marry Evan to get what I want. But it all rests on the edge of a blade, and if I don’t marry him, I run the risk of getting cut. “What about the senator? And my mom?”

“Depends on timing.”

“We’re supposed to get married at the start of the service,” I hiss.

“I don’t know.” He shakes his head. “It all depends on what Mom does.”

“I’ll have to go through with it, then.” I take a deep steadying breath, and remind myself that this was my goal all along—getting out and swaying Evan. All these other webs could fall apart. So I need to stay strong and follow through.

“Maybe.” He hugs me again. “But we’ll sort it all out afterwards. You won’t have to… you know, stay with him or anything.”

“We’ll see.” I bite back my bitterness. Noah’s dangled a way out in front of me, but I can’t take it. Not yet. Not until I know for sure that Heavenly will be destroyed.

He rests his chin on the top of my head. “You’re kind of crazy.”

“What?”

“This whole thing you’ve got cooking to take the place down. I mean, it’s brilliant but also insane.”