Page 46 of The Preacher's Pet

“You can do magic. I want you and the other Preachers to cleanse me of him.”

I hold my breath, half expecting him to laugh me off, but he doesn’t.

Instead, he nods. “Let me speak to the others. I think Malachi will be fine with it?—”

“But Roman…” I finish for him.

“Yeah, Roman might not be happy about it. He doesn’t think you’re good for us.”

“I know. He told me.”

“Malachi will be on your side. Maybe we need to go to him first.”

“Won’t that make Roman feel like we’re ganging up on him?”

A muscle ticks in his jaw. “Maybe Romanneedsus to gang up on him. He needs to know that things can’t always go his way. There are more of us in this than just him. We’re all equally important.”

It isn’t easy to think of myself as being important, but I understand Cain isn’t only referring to me.

“As long as you’re sure,” I say hesitantly.

He gives me a definite nod. “Leave Roman to me.”

24

MALACHI

I sit in the big,black, leather chair in the corner of my room and strum my guitar, gently humming to myself. My fingers are calloused from playing. I’m mentally composing a song about a white-haired girl running wild through the woods, and the anguish of the man who is chasing her, though deep down he knows she’ll never be his. She’s wild, like the trees and the wind, and cannot be owned.

It’s still early. I haven’t bothered with breakfast yet, content to drink coffee and spend time lost in my own space. I have classes later, but I’m not sure I’ll bother attending. I’m not focused enough to concentrate. All I keep thinking about is the girl who kissed me in the bar then ran away from me like I was the Devil incarnate.

Maybe I am.

I don’t need to question why she ran. After she’d left, I’d checked the water tower and discovered the door to our altar room slightly ajar. I’d kicked myself. I should have shown her exactly where the bathroom was instead of giving her a vague direction. The room was clearly what scared her off, and how can I blame her? It does look like we’re into some dark and freakyshit. I don’t know the full story of her background, but I know enough to understand this would have frightened her away.

It was stupid of me to even invite her back to the water tower. What had I been thinking? I could have asked her to come back to my room. Maybe I’d suggested the water tower because I’d told myself she’d have said no to coming to my room, and perhaps the possibility of Cain also being at the water tower would have made it more likely for her to agree? Or perhaps I’d just been trying to impress her?

I can’t even speak to the other Preachers about it because I know they won’t be happy. Roman will say I’m breaking my vows of celibacy, even though it was only a kiss, and Cain will knock me out for kissing his childhood best friend.

A knock comes at my door, and I put down my guitar and go to answer it.

It’s as though my thoughts have conjured them. Ophelia and Cain are standing there, looking at me expectantly.

“What are you two doing here?” I ask with a frown.

Cain doesn’t wait to be invited in. He muscles his way into my room, and Ophelia follows, her beautiful hair falling around her face and cascading over her shoulders. Why are they together so early in the day? Could Cain have spent last night with Ophelia? I discover I hate the thought. Why him and not me? Of course, they have history, but I’d genuinely believed Ophelia and I had a connection.

Ophelia lightly closes the door behind them.

“We need to talk to you about something,” she says and glances over at Cain.

He nods in agreement. “We need your help.”

The pair share another look, and I feel weirdly left out. But then I tell myself, they’ve come to me. They’ve included me in whatever this is.

“Do you want to tell him?” Cain asks Ophelia.

She shakes her head. “I’m all talked out. Can you?”

---