Please, Lord. Protect us. Don’t let me lead these people to their deaths.
The silent prayer rushed through her mind. It had taken the possibility of facing off with Wax again to lift her prayer drought.
Ava looked to Caleb for emotional support and saw him nod.
She turned the knob and closed her eyes, half expecting the world around her to explode.
When nothing happened, she slowly opened the door. A blast of freezing air rushed past her.
She hesitated. Goosebumps scattered across her arms. Shadow pushed inside, pulling Ava along with him.
She was barely aware of Caleb at her side. All she could see was the walls of ice bathed in amber. Candlelight flickered all around the room, softening the horror ofthem.
Two statues, their wax faces contorted in pain. She became aware of Shadow tugging hard against his lead, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the statues.
Against her will, Ava neared the first one. A man. All of Wax’s previous victims were female. Who was he?
Once she drew closer the truth became clear. These weren’t just statues.
These were victims.
Chapter Eighteen
Full Circle
The storm outside had abated to a soft snowfall. One of his favorites. He loved it when the world quieted under the blanket of white. Everything made sense up here.
He sat in the quiet glow of the lantern, surrounded by more of his creations. They lined the walls. Silent witnesses to his progress. Each face reflected an echo of something he’d once loved, or destroyed, or both.
But tonight, his thoughts were on Ava.
“It’s almost our time.”
Excitement coursed through his veins at the prospect. She’d made her decision. He’d offered her his world and she’d thrown it at his feet by betraying him in the worst possible way.
Now, she would become his final beauty before he disappeared to newer hunting grounds.
But now he had a surprise for those with her.
They’d never walk out of his mine alive.
He’d studied the footage and smiled. They’d reached the room with his present for her. Would she recognize them?
He knew the answer already.
Her little group of survivors had joined in the hunt. The Redeemed. Just like him. He’d been redeemed from the darkness others had placed on him. He was no longer the victim but the victor.
“Every masterpiece needs contrast,” he murmured, melting another stick of wax into the bowl. “Shadow can’t exist without light.”
It wasn’t wasted on him that her K-9 partner was named Shadow.
Did she feel him close by like a shadow that wouldn’t go away?
In time, Ava would feel the weight of her decision three years earlier. He’d make sure of that. Pain always found its way home.
She’d caused him pain in ways she didn’t know.
He’d return the favor.
