Page 77 of Happenstance
I glared down at my phone when it dinged with the twentieth text I’d gotten today. And of course, there was Parker’s sister.
Parker sauntered over and knelt down in front of me.
“Don’t worry, Angel,” he said, running his hands over my belly in a way that helped me relax. “Before you know it, we’ll be holding our babies.” I smiled down at him as he leaned in and whispered, “You guys need to take it easy on your momma.”
He was going to make a great father. I honestly didn’t know if I could do this without him. While I was starting to hate being pregnant, motherhood terrified me. When they came out, I’d have to care for them, feed them, and teach them stuff. What if I screwed it up? I was about to have my own kids and I’d never changed a diaper. Parker was so sure of everything that it kind of made me less afraid.
I gazed down at him and pushed my fingers through his blond locks. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He beamed up at me with the proudest smile on his face.
I might’ve attempted to fold my oversized body and kiss him, if Nan hadn’t ruined the moment by clearing her throat.
“What about me?”
I rolled my eyes. “We love you too, Nan.”
“Good, because I almost died.”
Groaning, I dropped my face in my palm.
The small stonebuilding tucked away behind Oakleigh Manor was a little disappointing. My eyes ran along vines of ivy crawling across the aged walls, searching for hidden symbols or secret levers. Shouldn’t the Orders uber secret ritual place be bigger, or fancier? I wasn’t expecting dungeon walls with glowing torches and obsidian ravens everywhere… Okay, maybe I was. Maybe a couple pools of blood, some naked women, and robed men chanting weird phrases? Not this simple place in the middle of a clearing surrounded by trees. The way the moonlight shone down on it was kind of cool. It gave the place an eerie kind of ambiance.
“You ready, Baby?” Parker asked, placing his hand on the small of my back.
My lip curled. “I guess.”
He snickered. “I told you most of the rumors were bullshit.”
That he did. But I’d been imagining their meetings and stuff my entire life. I expected… more. With a sigh, I followed Parker through the arched doorway, down a small flight of stairs and around a corner. The only thing I saw were a couple of faded etchings on the wall. One of which looked a bit like a cross. Was this a church?
We passed a wall that had an old tapestry on it of the Virgin Mary.
Oh my God, this was a church. Things just got interesting.
My giddiness levels peaked when I saw a flickering glow casting shadows on the floor next to a room where everything was covered with thick black cloth. Piles and piles of stuff wrapped up in soft fabric and chains. Sparkling heavy locks made me wish I’d watched some lockpicking videos before coming. What kind of treasures would I find?
“What’s in there?”
The corner of Parker’s mouth twitched in the faintest smirk. “I have no idea.”
Uh huh.My gaze narrowed as I eyed him. He probably knew exactly what was in there. I bet it was secrets and stolen artifacts. What if it was something better? Like the answer to who killed JFK, or Jimmy Hoffa!
“In here,” Parker said, pushing open a large wooden door.
My jaw dropped. Along the pews lining the large room were eight black metal braziers. The fire crackling in each one cast a soft glow through the metal ravens carved in the braziers’ sides, making it look like birds were flying around. Up at the altar, where a priest would normally stand, were five robed figures, three of whom I recognized to be Louis Kessler, Dr. Creswell and Parker’s dad, Dean. Now this was what I was talking about!
“Do I get a robe too?”
Parker chuckled and nodded at three women standing in the back corner. “None of the wives do.”
Well, damnit.
“Come on.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the left, where Shelby, Riley, and Logan were waiting.
I’d completely forgotten they were coming. But, I mean, could you blame me? I glanced back at the shadowy ravens flocking around the chapel and tucked away my smile. This was awesome.
“Great,” Riley muttered as we joined them, “Here’s the next sacrifice in our ritual line up.”
