Page 46 of Their Will be Done

The sip of wine he gives me from the chalice tastes like ash.

* * *

“You coming?”Jasper asks when I don’t take his hand.

“Not yet.”

He scowls at me, sends a withering look Zachary’s way, and stalks out of the chapel like Satan is nipping at his heels.

I stay in my seat, watching Gabriel through my lashes. Instead of immediately exiting the stage like he does after morning prayers, he weaves through the loitering students and staff clasping a hand here, patting a shoulder here, murmuring, “Child this, child that.”

When it becomes obvious he’s ignoring me, I stand up and make my way to the aisle. I’m dimly aware of Zachary from my peripheral view. He’s still seated, head bowed over a standard-issue bible as if he’s contemplating the word of God before heading off to breakfast.

Gabriel is talking with Sister Miriam when I come up behind him. Miriam sees me and frowns, but I stand my ground. Gabriel turns with a small frown between his thick, dark eyebrows. When he spots me, his face lights up.

Then he turns back to Miriam. “If you’ll excuse us, Sister.”

Miriam nods, but from the way she adjusts her habit as she leaves, it’s clear what she thinks about me interrupting their conversation.

“Are you well?” Gabriel asks, reaching for me.

I sidestep his hand before I can catch myself, and instantly regret it when his smile fades and his frown returns deeper than before.

“Is something wrong, child?”

“Of course not, no,” I blurt out. I can’t seem to stop wringing my hands. “But, if you’re not busy, I’d like to, I mean, could we talk?”

“Certainly.” He reaches for my elbow as if to steer me somewhere private, but I step back again.

“Dinner. Um…could we have dinner again?”

His frown deepens. “Are you sure everything is okay?”

I’m itching to get away from his x-ray eyes. I’ve never been able to lie to him, and I don’t think that will ever change. “Tonight?”

“I’m afraid I already have plans with—” He waves away whatever he’d been going to say. A broad smile replaces his frown, and I hate the fact that it makes me feel warm inside.

“I would love nothing more.”

“Thank you, Father.”

He watches me with that same enigmatic smile as I strut away on stiff legs.

I don’t dare look up until sunlight hits my face. The relief I was expecting doesn’t arrive. I could be looking over the side of a cliff.

Why does it feel like I’ve just set a date with the Devil?

Chapter Twenty

Zach

Fabric whisks. Cass slips into the lair, his eyebrows twitching when he sees me on my chair, smoking a cigarette. I guess he expected me to be sulking in the dark, fighting my demons.

“Didn’t get enough of me yesterday?” he asks, face pinched tight as he walks past and sticks his head into the bedroom. Making sure we’re alone? “And here I thought we were trying to be circumspect.”

“We set up this place for a reason. No one would think to look—”

“Might as well install a fucking revolving door at this rate.” He comes back in my direction and snatches the cigarette from my lips before I can take another drag.

---