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It won’t change a single thing about that night.
* * *
Rain clouds linger in the air, dark and angry. It’s fitting really for such a somber day. Sasha and Bexley flank my sides as we stand outside, listening to the priest give his internment. Only his words don’t register, because I’m too lost in what this moment represents.
Goodbye.
It steals my breath every time I allow myself to look at the two matching coffins resting beside the open graves. Oddly, I can’t help but think about the fact that my mother, Temperance Thompson, would have loved the service, from the flowers to the chosen hymns and intimate readings.
The church was full of Gravestone’s Elite, the entire verus bloodline and their families turning out to pay their respects. Now they stand behind me in a show of support as we wait for my parents to be lowered into the ground.
“I don’t think I can do this.” My legs buckle as I lean on Sasha.
“You can,” she whispers.
Quinctus are here, in a rare show of force. They stand slightly separated from us, in their black woolen coats and expensive shoes. Phillip tried to offer his condolences again earlier, but I swiftly walked away from him.
I have nothing to say to him.
Not a damn thing.
I stare directly at the Quinctus elders, the men who play God with people’s lives. At least Bexley’s grandfather and Harrison Rexford have the decency to look upset. The same can’t be said for Tim’s father, who looks positively bored. Then there’s Phillip. Town mayor. Leader of Quinctus in Gregory Kingsley’s absence. From the way Sasha talks about her father, I know he’s a cold man, but I still can’t figure him out. He upholds the traditions of Gravestone and Quinctus, and yet he sanctioned Gregory’s murder.
Bile rushes up my throat. It’s not every day you discover your father, the man you thought you could always trust, is—was—an assassin for a corrupt organization.
He knew.
My father knew all along that Phillip and Quinctus decided to leave me as Cade’s prosapia despite the fact that my name should never have been called from the calix.
Anger ripples through me, only making my tears fall harder.
How can they stand there and act so composed—so together—when this is all their fault?
A bird caws in the distance, drawing my eye. Gravestone Cemetery is quiet except for our small gathering. Quinctus security lines the perimeter, blending with the trees. Their presence should bring me some reassurance, but it’s only a stark reminder of why they’re here.
I sweep the cemetery again, a chill running down my spine as something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. A figure hovers on the edge of the cemetery, nestled between the trees. My hand shoots out, gripping Bexley’s arm.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“I saw him… Cade…” I inhale a ragged breath, pointing toward the trees.
But he’s gone.
Cade is gone.
“You’re sure?” Bexley’s jaw pops and I nod, trembling.
“Okay. Wait here.”
People are beginning to watch us instead of listening to the priest’s words. Sasha wraps an arm around me as Bexley and Channing slip away. I watch them converse with the security guy nearest to us. He radios into his wrist mic and the three of them take off.
“You’re sure it was him?” Sasha asks, and I frown.
It was.
Wasn’t it?
“I-I think so.”
