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You have completed your tasks to the best of your ability. Take the steps ahead of you to the Chapel, and you’ll find your reward on the altar. Congratulations. You’re almost done.
Blowing out a breath, I nod. “Let’s finish this,” I murmur.
There are one hundred and thirty two steps from this cavern up to the Chapel. I know because Levi has made me descend and climb them often when I mess up. His favorite punishments are either sparring or exercise. The plus side is that my ass looks amazing, and I have incredible perseverance on the football field.
Everyone hates how fast I can run, and while some of that is talent, it’s also a ton of conditioning. The guys don’t complain as we climb, because they are often at my side. Levi believes that we are a unit. So if one of us messes up, the three of us pay for that mistake. In the eyes of The Society, it ensures that we learn faster from those screwups. Unfortunately, I am incredibly pigheaded.
I’m slightly winded by the time we escape the caverns, and Jonas grunts, rubbing his ribs where he must have a cramp.
Stumbling, Bast walks to the altar to see what awaits us. Jonas and I follow, my arm around him, even though we’re both sweating. He still leans into the comfort of my touch, worried about what we’ll find.
“Guys…” Bast lifts a photo and I worry it’s another hallucination.
As he turns the image toward me, I wish it was. “Jonas, you see what I do, right?” I ask, my breath hitching.
“Yeah, but I wish I didn’t,” he mutters.
Chastity has her arm around an older guy with dark hair and whiskey-colored eyes. They’re grinning at the camera, and his hand is on her stomach. I blink, an irrational anger making me see red. My neck feels hot, and I’m reminded again that my feelings for Chastity are toxic.
“Who is this guy?” Jonas asks, sounding like a kicked puppy as he stares at the photo.
“I don’t know,” Bast mutters, coming closer to look at how happy she appears. “Her eyes are so bright, she doesn’t look scared of him. Could he be a boyfriend? I thought she was pure before she had her daughter…”
My lips press against each other as I think. “Levi calls her ‘Little Sinner’ for a reason. I wonder if he knows her secrets and just doesn’t care? What else could he be keeping from us? The Society chose this as our reward because there’s something we need to uncover. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but what if this is Angel’s father?” I muse.
Jonas’ face scrunches up as he stares at the photo. “There’s no way we can compete with that,” he mutters. “This man is so self-assured. I doubt he’s a twenty-something-year-old virgin. Why aren’t they still together?”
“Who says they’re not?” Bast counters, scowling.
“Is there anything on the back of the photo?” I ask, knowing Levi would be alerted as soon as we left the caverns.
Jonas flips the picture, and there’s a note.
King and Chastity, scandal in a small town. Do you know who your Eve is?
The reality is that we don’t know, and I think this needs to change. The church doors open, and I grab the photo, folding it up and sticking it in my back pocket.
“We ask her what she’s hiding. This has to end,” I growl.
“Don’t fly off the handle,” Bast says worriedly, chewing his lip as he glances over his shoulder at our mentor.
“No. But we won’t go easy on her. We owe it to Levi to make sure we know who he is marrying. We do it before the wedding,” I promise.
“You made it!” Levi booms, closing the conversation. Bast and Jonas nod, and we smile as we turn to face him. “How was it?”
“Exhausting,” Bast sighs. “I swear we were drugged. We all saw different things that weren’t there.”
Levi frowns as he nods. “The Elders didn’t tell me this would happen until after you were already down there. I wasn’t very happy to hear it. Apparently, it pulls out your worst nightmares and breathes life into them. The three of you have not had easy lives, and it could have manifested in various ways.”
“We got through it together,” I reassure him.
He glances over at me, brows knitting. “What happened to your robe?”
“It caught on fire,” I tell him, knowing he’ll lose his shit.
“It what?!” Levi thunders.
“I’m perfectly fine, but I am starving,” I cajole. I don’t want him focusing on me or the trial, and I know Levi will agree to feeding us.
