“You've made your choice,” Adam said. “And as a gentleman, I accept it. I only ask for two things in return. First, please deliver the key to the snake goddess. She'll know when the time has come to release me.”
“Are you sure?” Haven asked. “Leah thinks you're the next closest thing to the devil.”
“The snake goddess knows that even the devil should have his day.”
“And your second request?”
“Kiss me again,” Adam said. “Let me imagine for a moment that you belong to me. The memory will keep me company in my solitude.”
It was a terrible deal, Haven thought. A single kiss in exchange for her life. He deserved much more than that. So without saying a word, she gave him a small piece of her heart as well. Iain could keep the rest, but Haven needed Adam to take something in return for the sacrifice he was making.
Haven stepped toward him and closed her eyes. Adam's lips were cold, his fingers ice. The kiss they shared felt different. In the lobby of the Gramercy Gardens Hotel, Haven had embraced a young man. Now she was wrapped in the arms of an immortal being. She could feel Adam draining the warmth from her body. Her heartbeat slowed. Death was dragging her into the chasm, and she couldn't find the strength to struggle. Her very last thought was of Iain.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Snowflakes floated down from the heavens and settled among the graves. The cemetery paths had vanished, and Haven wove around marble monuments in the darkness with the golden key burning like ice in her hand. A tiny angel blocked her path. Its hands were pressed together in prayer, and its eyes pleaded with her to stay. Haven tried to step around it and felt her knees buckle. It was so cold, and she desperately needed to sleep. A raised grave beckoned her with a plush, white bed.
How long had she been in the tomb? It was morning when they had been locked inside, and now it was already dark. She remembered Adam pressing his lips to hers, but after that her memories were a blizzardlike blur.
She lay down in the soft snow, her face turned to the sky. The flakes didn't melt when they met her skin. Haven closed her eyes and felt them burying her, one tiny crystal at a time. Then a warmth spread through her body, and she found herself standing on the balcony of her apartment in Rome. The sun was shining, and in the square below, someone was whistling an ancient tune.
With the melody still dancing inside her head, Haven opened her eyes, determined to forge on. She saw three bright circles of light appear on the hill above her. They bounced downward, expanding into radiant orbs as they drew closer.
“It's her! Haven!” yelled a voice.
She squinted into the lights that now held her in place. The pain that streaked through her body was that of a frozen finger dipped under a hot tap. Her eyelids flickered then shut. She felt herself fall again and sink into the snow.
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BEATRICE COULD FEEL her bones creak as she made her way down the stairs. She wasn't yet old, but she was no longer young. Thirty years spent praying on the hard floor of the cathedral had destroyed her knees while the guilt had eaten away at her soul. Her loose lips had doomed her beloved brother. And she had allowed another to be incarcerated for a crime she wasn't convinced he'd committed.
At the bottom of the staircase stood the door to his cell. She listened at the keyhole and heard nothing. Then, one by one, she removed the wood planks with which the door had been barricaded. She drew in a breath, prepared at last to face her punishment, and dragged the door open. What would Adam say to her after all of these years?
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“SHE'S FINE,” HAVEN heard a man say. “No frostbite, and her temperature is back up to normal. When was the last time she ate?”
Haven moved her hand to her belly. It felt concave. She hadn't filled it in days.
“She just moved!” It was Leah's voice.
“Haven?” Now Iain. “Haven, are you awake?”
Haven opened her eyes and saw water-stained ceiling tiles and an IV stand. “Iain?” A shadow passed over her, and she felt his lips. They were warm. She could taste the whole world in his kiss. Haven reached up and dragged him closer. She slid one hand under his sweater, just to prove he was real.
“Did you do it?” Iain asked, pulling back just enough to see her face.
Haven nodded, tears filling her eyes. “He
let
me.”
“He
let
you?”
“The Horae double-crossed me. They locked us both inside the tomb. They must have been worried that I'd set him free someday.”
The statement seemed to knock Iain senseless. She could tell he was imagining a hundred other outcomes, each more horrific than the last. He stared into space until he found the power to speak. “I should have known! Why wasn't I at the cemetery with you instead of looking for Padma? I could have lost you forever, and it would have been my fault!”
“How did you escape?” Leah asked.
“Adam had a key that opened the door from the inside. He gave it to me, and he stayed behind. He saved my life.”
“And I didn't,” Iain muttered.
“You're the reason I wanted to live,” Haven told him, smiling for the first time in days.
“Is this what Adam gave you?” Leah asked, twirling the golden key between her thumb and forefinger. “You were carrying it when we found you.” She tried to hand it to Haven.
“No. It's yours now,” Haven told her, refusing to touch it. “Adam wanted you to keep it.”
“
Me
?” Leah asked.
“He said you would know when to use it.”
“The Horae
really
locked you inside?” Iain asked. He still couldn't seem to believe it. “Didn't they know we'd rescue you?”
“Adam said they probably planned to kill you guys, too” Haven explained.
Iain seemed to be playing back the previous twelve hours in his head. “Maybe they tried, but we were with the police most of the day. I had to call them when I found Padma's body.”
“Oh my God!” Haven exclaimed, sitting bolt upright on the hospital bed. “Padma's dead? What happened?”
Iain closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “It was horrible, Haven. I found her hanging from a tree in Gramercy Park this morning. Adam made an example of her.”
“No! Adam didn't kill her. He couldn't have!”
“We don't know who did it,” Leah admitted. “The police aren't exactly short on suspects.”
“Well, whoever it was must have saved Leah and me from the Horae,” Iain said. “I spent all morning being interrogated. Leah heard about the murder on the news and came down to the station. She was still there at three o'clock when the police made me answer questions for a bunch of reporters.”
“That New York news channel was running a clip from the press conference a little while ago,” Leah said. “I saw some nurses watching it when I went looking for the bathroom.”
“See if it's on again,” Haven urged.
Iain turned on the television that was mounted on the wall and flipped through the channels. When he found the twenty-four-hour news station, Haven took the remote from his hand and turned up the volume. It was the second time she'd seen Iain Morrow on television. Almost two years had passed since she'd discovered his handsome face staring out from her grandmother's TV screen.
Haven felt a surge of pride at the sight of the young man standing beside a grizzled old captain from the NYPD. Iain looked harried and uncomfortable. He clearly didn't enjoy being grilled by a roomful of rabid reporters. But there wasn't an ounce of fear in his eyes.
“Mr. Morrow. You're the one who discovered Padma Singh's body early this morning, is that correct?” A reporter asked.
“Yes,” Iain confirmed, blinking as fifty cameras seemed to flash at once.
“Can you describe the condition of the corpse for us?”
Iain grimaced, as if nauseated by the memory, and the police captain patted him on the back. “I arrived at Gramercy Park around six thirty this morning. I saw Padma Singh's body hanging from a tree across from the Ouroboros Society headquarters. She was naked. The word
traitor
had been carved into her skin.”
“Why were you at Gramercy Park so early in the morning?” It sounded more like an accusation than a question. Haven could tell the reporters were eager to make Iain the story's villain.
“I was searching for Ms. Singh. The
New York Post
had released the contents of her files on the Ouroboros Society a day earlier than agreed, and I wanted to help her get out of town before she came to any harm.”
Another reporter jumped in. “Captain Fahey, would you care to explain why Mr. Morrow is not a suspect in Ms. Singh's murder?”
The tall police captain bent down to speak into the microphone. “Mr. Morrow has a solid alibi for the time of Padma Singh's death. And he had no motive for killing her. Ms. Singh accused many Ouroboros Society members of crimes, but Mr. Morrow is the only person she exonerated.”
Another reporter popped up out of his seat. “Mr. Morrow, how
does
it feel to no longer be the prime suspect in the murder of Jeremy Johns?”
“Good. I look forward to being able to walk down the street without having to watch over my shoulder.”
“Can you tell us where you've been for the last eighteen months?”
“I couldn't stay in New York,” Iain said. “I'd been framed for a murder I didn't commit. When everyone assumed I'd died in the fire, I decided to lie low in Europe for a while.”
“Where in Europe? Can you be more specific?”
“No, I can't.” Iain glowered.
“And what do you have to say about the suit your mother has brought against Haven Moore, the young woman who inherited your fortune?”
“I'd rather not answer any more personal questions. But I think it's clear that my mother no longer has much of a case. My will was not forged. Haven Moore will keep the money.”
“You were a member of the Ouroboros Society. Do you have any firsthand knowledge of the crimes Ms. Singh described?” Watching this scene from the hospital, Haven could no longer tell who was speaking. The reporters were like a pack of wild dogs fighting over the same scrap of meat.
“I will let Padma Singh's files speak for themselves.” Iain was clearly growing frustrated.
“Captain Fahey, how do you respond to reports that Chief Gordon Williams belongs to the Ouroboros Society and has been known to perform favors for high-ranking members?”
Captain Fahey huffed. “It's ridiculous,” he said. “Next?”
“There's one name that appears repeatedly in Padma Singh's files. Adam Rosier. To my knowledge, no one has been able to locate a man by that name. Captain Fahey, do you have any idea where Mr. Rosier might be found?”
As the captain began to address the question, Iain stole a look back at Leah, who was seated behind him. She held two phones up in the air and shook her head, her face grim. Iain tapped the police captain on the shoulder and whispered in the man's ear.
“I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but we're going to have to cut this conference short,” Captain Fahey announced. The camera followed Iain and Leah as they hurried out of the room. Standing at the edge of the crowd were Chandra and Cleo.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
“Are you sure you're feeling strong enough for this?” Iain asked as their taxi turned north onto the West Side Highway.
“You heard the doctor. I just needed to eat. Are there any more energy bars?” Haven asked, her mouth still full. Leah handed her another dirt-flavored treat.
“And you're convinced this is the smart thing to do?” Iain asked. “Even Adam thought the Horae would kill us.”
“Are they going to kill us?” Haven asked Leah as she bit into her second energy bar.
“No,” Leah said.
“How do you know?” Iain asked her. “Have you had a vision?”
“Nope. But this ain't how I'm going out,” Leah said. “The Lord has other plans for me.”
“You keep talking about the Lord, but the Horae always call you the snake goddess,” Haven teased her. “Adam does too.”
“They can call me whatever they want,” Leah replied. “I know
exactly
who I am.”
“And who exactly
are
you?” Iain asked.
“A girl with a gift.”
“What about Adam?” Haven asked. “You still think he's the devil?”
Leah raised an eyebrow. “Maybe the devil isn't the best name for him, but I wouldn't trust Adam for a second. He ain't in love with
me
.”
Their cab stopped at the foot of a staircase on St. Nicholas Avenue. On the hill above sat Sylvan Terrace. The quaint yellow houses were all dark but for one at the end of the lane. Leah led the way, bounding up the stoop and pounding on the door. Chandra answered.
“Hey,” Leah said, pushing past her. “We're here to get Beau.”
Chandra almost licked her lips, like a fox that's just had a rabbit hop right into its den. Then she caught sight of Haven. Her jaw dropped, and she rushed back inside the house.
“Phoebe!” Chandra shouted as she sprinted toward the council room where the Horae held their meetings. Haven, Iain, and Leah followed. All of the Horae were there. Haven counted twelve females in white robes and one brightly dressed young man. Calum Daniels was with them. He stumbled backward, almost falling onto the logs that were burning in the fireplace. Virginia Morrow caught sight of her son and swooned. One of her sisters helped her into a chair.
“Haven!” Even Phoebe's face was ashen. “What are you doing here? Where is the magos?”