Page 135 of Eternal Obsession

“Apparently, Snowstrom offered Jacob shelter and helped him through his grief. Jacob Roch was rumored to have lived out the last part of his life at Leeds Castle. Eventually the secret order died out, their rulers taken by disease. With no one to succeed and inherit the legacy, their extinction became inevitable.”

“How did Jacob seek revenge?” I said.

“You’ll have to buy the book. It’s probably well out of print by now. Fascinating theory, offering an explanation for the construction of Stonehenge. The most likely motivator to drag those rocks over thousands of miles, a timekeeping structure, or even more compelling, as Snowstrom scribes it, ‘a sacred circle’ that ensures the demise of man’s one true enemy.”

I bowed my head.

“A splinter of the fraternity continues to flourish today,” he said. “The Catholic Church has spoken out on how it disapproves of their activities, but this does not deter members or prevent others from joining. The society is made up of businessmen, men of law, doctors and the like. It’s men only, you understand.”

I was speechless.

“I am sorry. You are here to find solace, and all I’ve done is provide you with a history lesson.”

“The truth will out,” I said.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Nothing, just something . . .”

“I must admit I’m as excited by the ring as you are,” Father Jake said. “Let me copy down the markings. I will be delighted to investigate it for you. You never know, this ring may actually be an antique. It’s probably worth something.”

“Thank you Father,” I said.

“Come into the vestry. I’ll copy down the inscription off the ring, and you can give me your contact phone number and I can give you mine.”

I followed the priest.

“How exciting,” Father Jake said. “You never know where these things may lead.”

Chapter Fifty-Seven

JADEON

Hope shines with a fierce brilliance, made even more tragic by the ache of its inevitable risk.

Yet, I left the church inspired.

All that I had hoped for was spiritual solace, and I had gotten so much more. I reasoned that the splinter group might have knowledge pertaining to the Alchemist’s whereabouts. The ring’s inscription was significant, and I was eager to know its meaning.

Father Jake had promised to contact me as soon as he had deciphered the cuneiform. With a few hours remaining before I would have to find shelter, my thoughts turned to Ingrid. I wanted to check up on her and ensure Orpheus was leaving her alone.

I lingered at her doorway, wondering if such a visit would be a welcome one. Sensing she was home, I knocked and waited patiently for her to appear. The security chain jangled, then the door opened. Ingrid stood before me wearing jeans and a T-shirt. She looked even more beautiful, if such a thing were possible. For a brief moment, she appeared pleased to see me. Ingrid stepped backward into her flat, allowing me to follow her in.

I closed the door behind me.

“I wanted to offer you an apology, for leaving you at the castle.”

“Oh, not awkward in the slightest,” she murmured, voice silky. “I’d say I’m used to it—but frankly, it’s all a bit too tedious to be charming.” She frowned to prove she didn’t mean it.

“Maybe I should have brought wine?”

“Maybe answers.”

It was agony, this unbearable closeness, and yet I could not touch her. We had been entangled in the most intimate way. Still, despite the chemistry that lingered between us, this aching distance, pressing us apart even as desire drew us closer.

I want you.

I wished I could tell her this.