Page 133 of Deathless & Divided

Lily checked the clock on the wall. Abriella was right.

“What is next?” Lily asked.

Abriella shrugged. “The church. Confession to start out new. What else?”

Great.

Lily sat in the private room, counting on the beads on her rosary. The black globes felt smooth under her fingertips as she recited the words of prayers she couldn’t ever forget. Over and over. One more time …

Penance was never really over.

Touching the rosary gave her a sense of comfort she hadn’t expected. The rosary had been a gift from someone—Lily didn’t know who—and delivered to her when she arrived at the church from Theo. He’d said nothing when he handed over the sleek, blue velvet box. Only that someone had wanted her to have them. She started her last confession before becoming a married woman with peace settling in her heart.

Something else she hadn’t expected to feel on her wedding day.

Clicking each bead on the rosary as she went through the final words, asking to be forgiven and cleansed for her past transgressions, a knock on the private room’s door broke her concentration. Lily assumed it was just the priest coming to see if she had finished.

“Come in,” Lily called, setting the rosary aside.

The door opened a crack and Theo poked his head in. Her brother flashed her with a smile that was known to dazzle women and set men off-guard. Theo had a way about him. Out of Lily’s two brothers, Theo was the more charming, likeable of the two whereas Dino had a roughness around his edges that kept people at bay.

Lily figured nobody really knew Theo well enough to know his demeanor was nothing more than a trick to draw people in. He could be just as ruthless as Dino, but he had a cleaner way about doing it.

“I’m not interrupting, am I?” Theo asked.

Lily waved at the seat across from her. In their church, confession wasn’t done in a booth, but instead a private room decorated with beautiful tapestry and rugs. Two chairs, sitting directly across from the other so the priest and the parishioner could look at one another, served as the confessional. The room was then used as a private area for penance if that’s what someone wanted.

“No, I’m done. Or as close as I’m ever going to get for today.”

Theo laughed. “Tomorrow, new sins arise.”

Lily grinned. “Always. Come in.”

Theo stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. Lily waited as her brother moved the seat across from her so that it was positioned beside hers instead. Sitting in the ornate wood chair meant for a priest, Theo kicked his legs out and crossed his shined leather shoes at the ankles. Her brother looked sharp in his black suit with a blue tie and vest to match the color scheme of the day.

Glancing at her from the side, Theo reminded Lily of when she was young and so was he. “How’re you really doing?”

Lily shrugged. “I’m doing okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Theo. I’m good.”

Theo sucked in a deep breath and chewed on his inner cheek. “I wondered. I mean, you keep saying that to everyone but with you, it’s hard to tell. You always were good at hiding shit when you needed to.”

Lily scoffed playfully. “Church, Theo. Watch your dam—watch your mouth.”

Theo barked out a laugh, pointing at her. “You almost said damn.”

“Shut up.”

Throwing his hands high, Theo conceded. “Fine. I did wonder. I know you didn’t choose this, Lily, and it’s probably the last thing you want to do.”

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Actually, I did choose it. In my own way and in my own time,” Lily said, reaching out to pat her brother’s arm gently.

“Good. I was thinking maybe I would have to steal you out of here and run you down to the Mexican border or something.”