Page 15 of Firefly

“I’m evil too, then. I’ve done terrible things for him.”

“I never should have believed my father,” she said, resting a hand over his fingers, nervously drumming on the table.

“I should have told you myself,” he said after a long pause. “I was afraid.”

“Afraid of my father?”

“Afraid of what you would think of me.”

Rebecca swallowed again, remembering the night she had seen him in the orchard, dragging two boys back to her father.

“He made you do those things. I… understand. He would have hurt you.”

Simon closed his eyes, pulling his hand free. “He did.”

Tears formed along the edges of Rebecca’s lashes. She had seen enough evidence of that and could only imagine what he had done to Simon to make him comply.

“But that wasn’t what I meant. I’ll tell you everything tonight. When you know the truth, you may change your mind.” Simon stood, giving her a soft smile. “I need to see your father. Meet me in the orchard in thirty minutes.”

He left the kitchen, stopping in the doorway to glance back at her before disappearing.

Rebecca wiped the wetness from her cheeks and stood, wincing at the pull in the stitches under her bandage. She moved to the door and out into the expansive foyer of her family home.

Dark banisters met at the bottom of a four-story climb, taking her all the way to the top floor and her room. Once, the family had been spread out, her father living on the second floor and her oldest sister, Mary, choosing to live on the third floor, calling it her wing and declaring it off limits to the others.

That left the fourth floor to Rebecca and Margaret, who had cared for her more like a daughter than a sister. Until she left.

But several years ago—around the same time her father had the gargoyles commissioned—he demanded everyone move to the fourth floor. It was around that time strange things began happening.

A boy Margaret fancied turned up dead, followed by several more over the years. Then, random incidents of fire began popping up all around their town. Although Rebecca hadn’t known it then, her family was responsible for all of it.

She reached the top of the stairs and stopped to catch her breath.

She stepped into her room and her lips lifted in a smile. Sarah’s soft snores came from the crib beside the bed as she leaned in, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and whispered, “I’ll be back soon, sweet girl.”

Chapter 11

Simon

Simon paced beneath the large oak tree where Rebecca often brought Sarah to sit. He had watched them so many times, never brave enough to approach.

Now, he would lay it all out for her and pray she accepted him. Fear spiked through him. He had already lost everyone. If he was forced to spend eternity under the same roof with her, knowing without a doubt she despised the thing he was, it would be torture.

A thousand times worse than anything he had endured at her father’s hand.

The back door creaked open, and her favorite rose water perfume wafted toward him on a phantom breeze.

Simon stopped pacing, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He froze as she came around the corner and he took in the sight of her. Her lips were deep red, a stark contrast against too-pale skin; her bright, sparkling sapphire eyes met his as she stumbled, losing her footing.

He was by her side, catching her before she fell, and she clung to his arm, looking up into his eyes.

“Another of your magical abilities?” she asked breathlessly.

He hadn’t considered any of his new gifts magic, but perhaps that was exactly what they were. More proof he was something vile, like her father.

Steadying her, he moved at her pace, stepping carefully over tree roots until they reached the base of the tree.

Rebecca slid to the ground, resting her back against it, and Simon followed, sitting beside her.

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