Page 134 of Godless Saints

MOON

The cathedral looked exactly as it had on initiation night. Tall Gothic spires. Intricate stonework climbing into a pale sky. Cold air off the steps.

Vivienne was waving from Aster Court seating. I pulled Cillian with me.

“Am I getting déjà vu? Is he really sitting with us, hyung?”

“Yes, Sawyer. He’s my fiancé now.”

The outgoing Patronage Seats waited at the altar, four figures in formal black, each holding their Court’s symbol. Professor Korolev stood next to the faculty.

I leaned in and whispered to Sawyer, “Did you finally let the whole grade thing go?” I nudged my head toward the professor.

Sawyer didn’t even glance over. “Yeah, yeah. Gave up. Not worth the effort.”

“Excuse me,” a girl with long blonde hair said. I didn’t recognize her. She wasn’t Aster.

“Hi, Cillian. You forgot this last night.”

Sawyer, Vivienne, and I all whipped our heads around.

“It’s nothing like that,” Cillian said quickly. “It’s part of the story I’ll tell you about later.”

I hated that he’d started this whole thing. I hated even more how possessive it made me feel. I didn’t think he’d cheated. But I didn’t like that someone else had his attention when I couldn’t reach him. She had his phone. He’d left me on read.

“Hey, Moonshine.” He put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me in. “I lost it, and she returned it. That’s it.”

“Don’t worry, Hyun,” the blonde girl added. “He just lost it at the mansion. That’s all.”

I let my knee press against his. “What mansion?”

Vivienne was standing up, crowding us, when Misha ran in, looking frantically around the Thorn Court seating.

“Cil?”

“I’m over here.” Cillian waved once in the air, gesturing for him to come over.

Misha passed the blonde girl. “Bianca, what are you doing over here?”

“Returning Cillian’s phone. He lost it at the Glass House.”

“The Glass House?” The words left all three of us at once. Heads turned.

Cillian didn’t seem fazed.

“Cil, fuck. Last night. I will explain, but where the fuck is Declan?” Misha barely enunciated the last words.

I looked around Thorn Court. Where the fuck was Declan?

“What did you do at the Glass House? And where is Declan?”

Cillian cracked his neck once. “Prince, listen. I will tell you. But not here.”

Sawyer leaned in front of me again. “Were you invited to the Glass House?”

Vivienne sat back. “You know what? I’m resigning. It’s impossible to run PR with you guys.” She crossed her arms and leaned back in the pew, just shaking her head.

“Well, I just wanted to return your phone, Cil. You two are cute together though. Okay, bye boys.” She left the pew and headed back to Thorn Court seating. Misha stayed seated with us, and Sawyer sat back.