Page 102 of Sinful

He had.

I headed inside and hurried upstairs to grab the beautiful black coat he’d given to me when I first arrived in this place. I would need it to stay warm, and I knew exactly where it was after my frantic search for him the other day.

As I pulled it out of the closet, my eyes fell on a familiar dress, shawl, woolen socks, and boots tucked into the corner. It was everything I’d worn when I left Alderwood all those weeks ago, minus the dirt and mud that had appeared on them after the long hike down the mountain. Sebastian must have laundered them for some reason. I couldn’t think of what that reason might be, though.

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek, considering my next move. The fresh clothes Sebastian had given me tonight were very soft and comfortable. Good for a long walk. But the Covenant might find it strange if I returned wearing outsider clothing, so it was probably best that I wear my old dress and shawl. Besides, the boots were sturdy and worn-in, which would be good for the journey. As for the cold weather… I could stilltake the coat with me and discard it in the woods just before I reached the front gate.

Mind made up, I slipped out of my new clothes and into the old ones. Then I laced the boots, headed back downstairs, and slipped outside, tightly wrapping the coat around myself.

I hurried down the winding driveway, gritting my teeth against the howling wind. When I reached the main road, I looked up at the sky, chewing on my bottom lip as I assessed the position of the moon and stars. Once I knew where I needed to go, I turned left on the road and started walking.

Headlights cut through the darkness a few minutes later. I stepped onto the edge of the road and kept walking, hoping the car would pass by me with no incident, but instead it pulled up to idle beside me.

“Hey,” someone called out. “What are you doing out here?”

I turned to glance at the vehicle. A herby, pungent odor was spilling from the open windows; one that made my nose wrinkle. A teenage girl and boy sat in the back, while in the front, a boy of a similar age sat behind the wheel. Next to him was another teenage girl.

“What are you doing all the way out here?” the driver repeated. “It’s fucking freezing.”

“I’m all right,” I murmured. “But thank you for your concern.”

“You know there’s no buses or Ubers out here, right?” the girl in the front said, leaning over to peer out at me.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“Are you drunk or something?” the driver asked. “Boyfriend kick you out?”

“No. I’m just going home.”

The girl’s forehead puckered in a concerned expression. “Where’s home?”

“Alderwood.”

The driver’s brows shot up. “Oh, shit, you’re one of those cultists?”

“No wonder she’s never heard of Uber,” the boy in the back said, lighting a cigarette.

“We are not cultists,” I said calmly. “But yes, I am a member of the Covenant.”

The girl in the front glared at the driver. “Don’t be so rude,” she muttered. She leaned over again. “I know where the path to Alderwood starts. Do you want a ride there?”

“Thank for you the kind offer, but I’m all right.”

“It’s like, fifteen miles down the road. You’ll be walking for hours. And then you also have to hike up there, right?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“You shouldn’t be doing that so late at night. It’s dangerous,” she said. She turned her head over her shoulder. “Scoot over, Zane. Make space for her.”

I shook my head. “Really, I’m all right.”

“Don’t be stupid, girl. Hop in.” The girl smiled. “We’re heading down that way anyway, so you might as well take advantage.”

I bit my bottom lip and hesitated. The girl was right—the path to Alderwood would take two or three hours to reach on foot, and then it would take another hour of hiking up the mountain to reach the front gate. For all those hours, I would be completely alone, at the mercy of nature and its freezing winds.

Then again, last time I trusted an outsider enough to get in a car, I wound up trapped in an underground cell.

“She doesn’t trust us,” the boy in the back muttered before taking a drag of his cigarette. “Probably thinks we’re gonna kill her.”

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