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Did my father kill his mother? That would explain his obsession with me. One thing I am certain about, that makes my stomach turn: my father is connected to both ‘orphans.’

I flip my light off at midnight and close my eyes. My inner thigh is still throbbing, his scent lingering, his translucent eyes still embedded in my vision.

I roll to my side, then to the other, and stare outside—desperation clawing at me.

Whatever his plan is, it’s working.

I can’t get him out of my head.

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

MIKAEL

Disguised with my mask and hood, I traverse the candle lit cave. A rock serves as our symbolic altar in the center, while the rest of our order forms a circle around it. I’m the last to arrive, and no one recognizes which version of me is standing among them.

I’m alive, alert and have a scent for blood as I stand among my enemies, in a place that holds sacred significance to me. The cavern is hidden away from the rest of the town, yet close enough to bring those who are marked to their final resting place.

The last time I was here, I watched as Summer’s father cut out my mother’s eyes and fed them to the God they worship—the same God they expect me to bow to.

Today, I feel older than I did last night at the rave. My body is more familiar, my mind still adjusting to missing the last two years of my life. Some of his memories are starting to infiltrate my own. Just as I suspected, none of them have any emotional substance.

And without emotion, he is nothing.

Since waking up I’ve shown immense self-control, as I’ve successfully avoided the temptation of slaughtering everyone. Patience is my best course of action right now, even if I’m not good at practicing it. Destroying this Order is the only thing that holds more importance to me—more than death itself, even surpassing my obsession with Summer.

The guardian walks toward the center of the cave and, with precision and grace, lights a series of candles, forming a perfect circle. I can’t see the rest of them, but their evil and greed are palpable.

The Order of the Shadows.

The mayor, the police chief, the doctor, and the professor.

I am intimately familiar with each one of them, having spent my early years learning about their lives, observing their every move, their families, their wives and husbands, their sons and daughters. I wondered how they could live their lives so effortlessly, despite selling their souls to the devil.

The children of the Order will follow in the footsteps of their parents. They are connected by bloodline, destined to inherit both his wealth and wickedness.

The guardians believe, in their naivety, that Lincoln is one of them, oblivious to my return or the fact that their reasoning is flawed because he is not technically bound by blood. They put their faith in his loyalty and his ability to continue, despite the fact that Summer is the rightful owner of that position.

Tonight, I want to fuck shit up for all of them. Tonight, I will forge my way forward as one of them.

The guardian walks around the flickering circle and raises her hand. The hushed whispers come to a halt as the candles flicker from a distant wind rushing through the cave.

“Who among us has found their mark?” she asks, as if taking a life were a casual matter. Draining blood, offering eyes, hearts and souls.

I step forward, raising my hand beneath my hooded robe. In a low voice, I reply, “I have.”

Hushed murmurs and Xander scoffs. No one else in this generation has found their mark yet. And Xander is tethered because of his relationship with Bianca.

Talia Garcia’s curious gaze meets mine; even beneath her hood, the firelight reveals her surprise, and recognition flashes in her eyes.

She lifts her head and steps toward me. “And whom have you marked, my child of chaos?”

Child.

I suppose I am her child, since she technically adopted me.

I keep my voice low and steady. “Summer Landry.”