Page 15 of Corrupt Shadows

“I’m serious, Evie. Alcohol and benzodiazepines are both depressants. It can stop you from breathing.”

I wave her down. “I know, I know.” I curl my top lip between my teeth. There’s a huge part of me that wants to tell her everything. Because then she might understand why I have no choice. I’d rather die than kill her. My death magic has killed five before, and I can’t have her as the next casualty or, God forbid, Gomez. “I won’t drink, I promise. Anyway, Jay will be here soon. I have to get ready for work.”

She tsk-tsks. “Seriously? Brittany is making you work again?”

I shrug, grab my black knitted sweater, and pull it on. It drapes down one shoulder and hangs baggy around my torso. “I need the money.”

“Call in sick,” she begs, pressing her hands together. Her normally straight hair hangs in ringlets down her back, the dark brown melding into the bright pink ombre. Her smile is contagious, and I almost caved when she presses her fingertips to her lip in a praying motion. I know what she’s thinking, but I can’t.

“I’ll get fired.”

She tilts her head. “Really? You know they can manage without you. Let’s go out.”

“Brittany will find out. You know she will. Look, I’m off tomorrow, and it’s a Saturday…” I say, and she relents, throwing her hands down at her side.

“Fine.” She strokes Gomez, who has perched himself on her shoulder. “But no excuses. We’re going out.”

“Where to?” I tease, as if there’s more than one bar in Darkwood.

The doorbell rings again, and Rosa opens the door. Jay stands in the doorway and smiles at Rosa, then grins at me. He runs his fingers through his sandy-blond hair, and his blue eyes glisten when he looks at me. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Hey.” I smile back.

His brows pull downward. “You’re not ready yet?”

I place my hand on my hip. “Seriously? What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

He grimaces. “No, no, nothing. Sorry.”

I blow out a heavy exhale. “Let me grab my purse. Then we’ll go.”

When I turn around, my heart almost leaps out of my chest. My brows draw together, and Rosa looks behind her at the small mirror on the wall.

“What is it?” she asks slowly as I stare at the mirror.

I could have sworn I saw something. I swallow thickly, then face her. “Nothing,” I lie. “Are you still going out?”

“Not without you.”

“What about Aiden?” I ask, and my chest tightens. I tie my hair back into a ponytail as Jay closes the front door. The cold, fall air creeps through and into the living room.

She places a hand on her hip and tugs her orange cardigan down, which complements her bronzed skin. “He hasn’t even kissed me.”

I make a face. “Come on. You can’t actually be interested in him.”

“He’s a pastor,” she says and smiles. “Well, in training, but still. It’s forbidden. I don’t know. I like him, except for his preaching.”

“Just be careful.”

“Oh.” She jumps a little, then reaches into her shimmery-gold purse. “Speaking of, he gave me this.”

Jay chimes in. “Aren’t crosses supposed to be, like, the other way around?”

I freeze and bile climbs my throat. He’s given her the fucking branding from the Order. “Rosa…” I stutter, as a lump forms in my throat. I take a step back from the cross hanging from the necklace. “I’ve seen that before.”

“You have?” She runs a finger along the gilded edge. “Because he says it’s a symbol for some important, secret mission, but he wouldn’t say what.”

My chest heaves. How the fuck do I tell her without implicating myself? “It’s devil-worshipping,” I lie, hoping it’ll get her to break things off with him. “He’s probably just pretending to be a pastor.”

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