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Once outside, the cold night air hits my skin. My eyes lift to the ominous clouds swirling in the sky, mocking me as if screaming at me for my foolish decision to align with this psychotic cult.
But there’s no sacrifice I wouldn’t make for Mackenzie, including selling my soul to the devil. People have done it for far more shallow things. At least, I did it for love.
I squeeze her fingers, and she smiles up at me. I’m unworthy of the trust and love shining in her angelic eyes. It’s like someone drove a fiery stake through my heart.
No, Chase. You can’t doubt yourself. You love this girl with every fiber of your being, and there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for her.
As we head through the double doors of the ruined church, my gaze locks with Daemon. Something passes between us in an instant, but I’m unsure what it is. I don’t know if he can somehow see the guilt in my eyes over what I’ve done or if it’s something else entirely.
The church has been cleaned and cleared. Candles, skulls, and crows adorn the walls. A giant pentagram has been drawn on the floor, and a huge altar has been erected in the center of it.
Orpheus points to a spot on the pentagram. Hand in hand, Mackenzie and I stand where he commands. Mackenzie trembles beside me. Although she’s terrified, when I turn my head, all I see is her timeless beauty. The long, white, lacy gown molds to her body as though it was designed specifically for her. Golden blonde hair shimmers beneath the candlelight, emphasizing her ethereal beauty.
As her long lashes blink up at me, acid churns inside my guts.Will she understand I did it for her? What if she’s unable to forgive me for making a deal with the devil?
“Chase? Are you okay?” Intuitively, Mackenzie knows something is amiss. Our bond has only strengthened and grown in this place. There’s no one on earth who knows me as intimately as she does.
“I’m fine, angel.” I paste a reassuring smile on my face. “You look gorgeous.”
She beams beneath my praise, chasing my fears and doubts away.
My attention is drawn to another group of robed cult members as they file into the church. Six members walk in a single line, a young girl in the middle of them. Like us, her wrists are bound with rope, and she’s wearing a gown similar to Mackenzie’s. She appears to be a couple of years younger than me, possibly fifteen or sixteen.
The cult guides her to a spot on the pentagram across from us. She dares to lift her gaze to ours for a moment before looking down at the floor. Her spirit has been broken, not even the faintest glimmer of hope in her dull, glassy eyes.
Two more groups of six cult members come in, each with a young woman who is bound and dressed like Mackenzie.
The church doors are pulled shut with a bang, and Orpheus ascends the stairs of the skull-lined podium. He has the leather book in his hands. Arrogance and power float around him, making him appear indestructible.
When he turns, his gaze briefly flits to mine before circling the room. Rosario stands a short distance away, holding a chalice against her chest. She appears enamored by Orpheus as he spreads his arms out and begins speaking.
The ceremony passes by in a blur of chanting and strange dances. The inner circle of the cult heads to the altar. The four men grab small trays containing colorful paper squares and what looks to be some tea, then begin heading to the other cult members and disbursing them. I watch the members put the square on their tongues before washing it down with a tiny cup of tea.
“What are they doing?” Mackenzie whispers against my ear.
“My guess is drugs.”
Her eyes widen, and I squeeze her hand, wondering how fucked up these people are going to get and what exactly this harvest will entail.
Blowing out a breath, I do my best to remain calm as the trays are stacked at the opposite end of the church before more dancing and chanting ensues. I’m taking it all in, watching as Orpheus’s inner circle surveys the members.
When one of them starts dancing a little too foolishly, an inner circle member in a blue robe walks over and hits them with a whip. The man screams before dropping to the floor. The blue-robed figure immediately pulls the man to his feet, whispering something in his ear that makes the guy’s eyes widen, his face paling, before he steps away from the man. Whatever he said, it made him comply, as he immediately joined in on the next dance, squelching his earlier exuberance.
Of course, the cult demands compliance. Compliant sheep are easy to manipulate and control.
“And now. The first of two sacrifices.” Orpheus's voice is a low, commanding tone, drawing my attention to him. There is a fervent glow as his eyes land on the girl across from us. My body begins to shake as the six cult members grab her, lifting her overhead like she’s lying on an invisible stretcher. She trembles from the hysterical sobs. The cult appears immune to them as they carry her up the steps to the altar in front of Orpheus.
Orpheus pulls a dagger from inside his robe. He raises it overhead, the candlelight flickering over the sharp blade. He makes an upside cross in the air while the men stand the girl on her feet. Suddenly, they tear at her dress like a bunch of scavengers, and within seconds, her youthful body is bared for all to see.
Orpheus reaches inside his robe, pulling out a remote. With a press of a button, the floor parts, revealing two five-foot upside-down crosses that rise from the hole.
Bile rises in my throat as they lift her, binding her small form to the cross by driving nails through her skin. Her terrified screams don’t muffle Mackenzie’s sobs as she watches, a horrified expression on her face.
Tears fill my eyes, making my vision swim. The girl’s slight form changes, and my deceased sister,
Elsie, stares back at me, accusation in her eyes before changing to brokenness and despair.Why won’t you save me?
I can’t. He’ll kill Mackenzie.
