The Unholy Oath

stabbed my eyes like hot needles, and the first thought that hit me was how badly

al dress quivering with righteous fury. "Bec

d into me harder

orframe to stead

d faintly of whiskey, my mascara smudged like war paint. "The whole town heard you staggering throug

shook in

ather Daniel Moretti has

My stomach lurched as if the f

crow's caw in the morning quiet. I couldn't take it. I slammed the door shut in her face, the soun

He's real

ed in the air, but not him, not his cologne, not the trace of coffee he always left on his desk. The space was stripped clean, as tho

osary left behind on the n

otog

he dresser, positioned de

osed as I sn

ont-Saint-Michel, I realized, is the island monastery in France. He looked almost... alive in the pict

mbled as I t

hel, 2014. Bef

did that even mean? Why

ether what he meant. He must've been twenty-six, maybe twenty

ll did he leav

A warning

en avoiding sliced

becaus

tered onto the dresser. I pressed my fists

did. My legs carried me straight to t

he counter until Maggie slammed her

en flinch when she saw me looking at her like that. Mags just went behind t

irst. Th

s couldn't hold me up. My fingers s

old fishermen were whispering too loudly, their voices buzzing wi

cket like it was evidence. My

ut her face staye

out before." My throat burn

ned back. "You didn't

. My pulse spiked. "I just... I don't know. I c

sion unreadable. Then she sho

ked. "

, Elena. He didn't resign because you bared your soul

a shard of glass, s

back into my pock

m

hope sparking in my chest. I drowned it with the

e gone to the c

melled faintly of incense, though it had long burned out. Old Father O'Leary looked

holding back from saying somet

carried me straight t

at hadn't been washed in years. The magic of last night, the danger

ressed against the same grooves as before. My eyes traced the

I s

fresh enough that th

ath st

ight, when I stumbled away and left him to the silen

and my throat ached. I'm really confused right now. What

your actio

ce star

y, his white hair glowing in the f

he air itself had thi

on

he

I hadn't seen before. "Some

tep closer

ike pity. "No contact. No forwarding address. Especially not for you. I can't help you unfortuna

rs. Henderson's shrieking,

lly not

My hands curled in

eally doe

sional if he hated me? Why leave the photogr

it mad

ad, he turned back toward the altar. "Leave him be, Elena. Just let him go

gers still pressed to the carved E, my

down, I didn'

ause something inside him broke last night and maybe

eyes burning, my chest

My feet felt heavy as I carried myself out of the