Chapter 24

“ P ass the bread, please.” Merry wiggled her fingers in Edwin’s direction, and he handed her the breadbasket.

“This is delicious, ” Holly said around a mouthful of chicken. “What did you season it with?”

Haiden tapped the side of his nose. “Secret recipe.”

Padma picked at her food. She’d been unusually quiet tonight. Hemlock nursed a cup of coffee, silver coin flashing along his knuckles, his meal only half touched. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say he was worried about his brother back at the castle.

I tried to catch his eye, to communicate silently that I was sure Ordell would be okay, but his gaze remained fixed on the pile of coasters that sat in the center of the table.

“You okay, mate?” Edwin asked him.

Hemlock blinked sharply, snapping out of his thoughts. “I have some work to do.” He drained his coffee and pushed back his seat. “I’ll see you later.” He left the kitchen, and Holly’s brows went up.

“Okay, so who exactly is tall, dark, and brooding?” she asked.

“Oh, don’t tell me he’s your type?” Merry said.

Holly smirked. “I won’t.”

“He’s off-limits.” The words came out in a snapping tone, and everyone stopped eating to look at me. “What? He is.”

“Because…” Holly made a rolling motion with her hand.

I felt my eyes narrow despite my best intentions. “Because I said so. You’re here to track, so focus on that.” I shoved my chair back.

“Shit, Orina, I didn’t mean to piss you off.” Holly looked genuinely stricken, and I immediately felt like a bitch.

“You didn’t. I’m just tired. I’m going to visit the chapel then head to bed.”

Padma pushed her plate away. “Mind if I join you?”

“In bed?” Edwin squeaked.

Merry snort-laughed. “The chapel, silly.”

Edwin looked sheepish. “Yeah, of course.” He shoved chicken into his mouth.

Padma looked to me, waiting, and I realized I hadn’t answered her yet. “Yes, you can come with me.”

It had been too long since I’d worshipped alongside another blessed, and it was just what I needed.

The hush of the chapel, the flare of the candles, and the shadow of the white wings calmed my tumultuous emotions.

Padma and I knelt side by side, heads bowed in our own contemplations. I fell into myself, into the core of my being where my equilibrium resided and where I never failed to connect with the powers that be.

In that space I was able to recognize that my feelings toward Ezekiel were a guide. From disgust and hatred to a longing to heal. This was progress. This meant there was hope and I should embrace the shift and maybe…maybe it would serve to empower him to find the humanity he’d lost.

The markings on my arm heated gently in approval, and a smile tugged at my lips and filled my heart.

I surfaced to the sound of Padma’s sharp inhalation.

“What is it?”

She stared at me, wide-eyed, clutching her arm where her markings were hidden beneath her shirt.

“Padma?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

My gaze dropped to the hand she was clutching her arm with, and she quickly dropped it.

“Padma…is there something wrong with your arm?”

Her bottom lip trembled, and her eyes welled. “I…I don’t know. But it…it feels wrong.”

I reached for her, and she pulled away. “Padma, let me see.”

She sucked in her bottom lip and shook her head, blinking back tears.

“Padma…Please…Isn’t it better to know?”

She exhaled shakily. “Yes…Okay…Do it.”

The sleeve of her top was too tight to pull up, so she drew her arm out and lifted the material up, turning her head away. “What does it look like?”

I stared at the silver markings running up her arm, so similar to mine, solid and intact. The markings weren’t the problem, it was the skin beneath, covered in a network of inky black veins.

“Orina?”

I lightly touched her arm. “You need to see this.”

She took a deep breath and looked. “Oh…Oh no…” Tears tracked down her cheeks. “It’s happening. I’m changing.”

“When is your next transfusion?”

“Not for a couple more days.”

“Fuck that. We’re going now.”

“What? I can’t. I need to hunt for sucker rats.”

“No, you don’t. Not when you have my blood as payment instead.”

She looked up at me with wet eyes then burst into fresh tears. “I’m scared. Orina, I’m so fucking scared.”

“It will be all right. We’ll find a way. We’ll fix this.” I said the words she needed to hear and held her under the shadow of wings, silently praying for her salvation.

She’d given her life to the Order. To the white wings, and now she needed them. She needed their power and their grace to save her.

But for the first time in forever, a prickle of doubt skated over my scalp because what if there was no salvation?

What if this time, we were on our own?