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It hit the ground with an indignant squawk and flapped away. Julian didn't seem to notice. He took a step toward me, and then another. He came so close that I instinctively moved back, my shoulder blades thumping against the reassuring firmness of Theo's chest. His hands came up and rested protectively on my upper arms.
"Hey—" he said, but Julian ignored him.
He was reaching toward me, and I thought he was going to touch my face. I flinched away, shutting my eyes, and I felt Theo's hands on my arms tighten and pull. Instead, though, Julian's rough hand closed around my wrist.
"Where did you get that?" he barked.
My eyes flew open as I yanked my hand away, the phone flying out of it and landing in the grass. Theo moved in front of me, barely-controlled rage on his face. "What the fuck, dude?" he said, jaw clenched.
Julian sidestepped him, and though he didn't approach again, his hand was still extended toward me. "The ring," he said tightly. "Where did—"
Luca took Julian's arm. "Inside," he said. "As I told you, this will take some explanation."
Julian didn't look at Luca, but after a moment, he turned and stalked into the cabin, leaving the door open behind him.
I stood there, heart pounding, and glanced at Theo. The man had just grabbed me—I had absolutely no desire to follow him into the house. "He doesn't touch me again," I said, hoping my tone sounded more assertive than I felt. "Or I walk."
Luca glared at the empty doorway and the darkness within. "I promise," he said. He followed Julian into the cabin, and a moment later, I saw faint amber light flickering inside. I heard Luca's voice, pitched so low I couldn't make out the words, and Julian's, equally unintelligible. A minute later, Julian appeared in the doorway once more.
"Inside," he growled.
"Keep your hands off me," I said, forcing myself to meet his eyes.
He grunted. "Fine.”
I glanced at Theo, who didn't look at all mollified, but what choice did we have? Clearly both Luca and Julian knew something we didn't. "Come on," I murmured to him.
He hesitated a moment, then seemed to steel himself and nodded.
Together, we stepped through the door.
24
The inside of the cabin was as sparse and odd as the outside. A worn wooden table sat near the fireplace, where several bundles of dried herbs and flowers were hung upside-down. There was a single oil lamp turned low on the table. There were only two chairs, both of which looked as though Julian had made them himself, but there were also several large cushions that appeared to be made out of animal fur. A narrow bed was pushed against one wall, blanketed with furs and an ancient-looking patchwork quilt. The little white chicken, which had followed us through the door, made its way to one of the cushions and settled down beside a speckled brown hen with an irritated-sounding cluck.
Julian was leaning against the windowsill, arms folded. But the expression on his face in the flickering light belied his casual pose. He was watching me intently, his jaw set. His sleeves were rolled up, and I could see the tension in his forearms, the way his large hands gripped his elbows.
I glanced at Luca, hoping he would at least provide some segue into what was proving to be an increasingly difficult conversation, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. He was staring at Julian with an expression on his face that bordered on sheer hatred. What, I wondered, was going on in his head?
"Somebody needs to talk," Theo announced.
Luca and Julian both stopped staring long enough to look at him. Julian seemed vaguely startled, as though he hadn't realized Theo was there.
"Yeah," I said, finally mustering my voice, "somebody does." I glanced at Luca, adding, "It might as well be you."
Luca met my gaze and took a deep breath that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul. When he blew it out, something seemed to drain away with the air, leaving behind a sadness that I'd never seen in him before. "Perhaps we should all sit."
I folded myself to sit cross-legged where I'd been standing and waited impatiently while Theo and Luca each took one of the chairs. Julian didn't move from his place by the window.
"Well?" I prompted.
"I would like to tell you a story," Luca said in a quiet voice. "You will have questions, I am sure, but I ask that you let me get through it uninterrupted, and then I will answer any questions you have of me."
He glanced my way, and I gave a quick nod.
"You have been told, as a child, stories of Heaven and Hell. Tales to frighten children into behaving, to introduce concepts of morality, to teach us how to be good people. These concepts appear in many religions—angels, demons, sinners and saints, no?"
I shared a quick confused glance with Theo. I wasn't sure what I'd expected Luca to say, but this wasn't it. Theo gave a small shrug, and I turned my attention back to Luca, whose gaze had drifted to settle on the floorboards by his feet.
