Chapter 43 Silas
SILAS
“Evie!”
I hear the muffled sounds of a struggle on the other end, then a loud bang. The phone must’ve dropped, but the silence that follows is quickly cut short by heavy breathing.
Someone is listening.
“You’re dead, motherfucker. You hear me? You’re fucking—”
“This is your fault.”
The fine hairs on the back of my neck prick as his voice rushes over me.
I grind my teeth together, stepping away from my half-finished easel, and use every ounce of self-control I have to keep quiet.
The confidence in his voice doesn’t belong to someone who’s easily intimidated.
No, this asshole thinks he has it all figured out.
“How is this my fault?” I bite out, slipping into my boots. I don’t give a fuck about his answer, but I need to keep him talking.
I tap the speaker icon and send an SOS message to the Seven as I finish getting dressed. Noctis responds instantly, syncing with my phone to trace the call. That small difference of knowing I have the full force of my brothers behind me gives me the slightest edge of hope.
Hope that we’ll find her before it’s too late.
Because if they take her, if Evie ends up trapped in the same fucking nightmare as Morana… if I lose them both—
“Evie had been doing so well,” the voice drawls. I can hear the subtle patter of boots over stone. He’s pacing. “Sure, she had a rough childhood. Needed to be disciplined often, but she finally stopped fighting us. Until you found her.”
“She’s no longer your problem,” I say, trying to keep my tone neutral. Arguing won’t work, not with someone like him, but maybe if he thinks she’s beyond saving he’ll give up.
I mute the call briefly as I step into the rain and start my motorcycle, making sure the call connects to the comm in my helmet before I unmute. “You said yourself, she’s fallen into sin.”
Evie had a meeting with the dean this morning. I’d already planned on visiting him after he abused his power by texting her. But now, that creepy fucker just became my number one suspect.
For a moment, I think the man on the other end of the call realizes I’m on my way, but then he speaks.
“That’s true. Sometimes I wonder why we try to save them, why we taint our bodies with theirs, but then I remember everyone must make sacrifices for the greater good.”
My nostrils flare as I pull onto the highway. I hear the crack of thunder over the call seconds before it echoes around me.
“And there’s no greater good than saving a soul destined for hell.” His tone grows smug. “Besides, despite her namesake accepting the poisoned fruit and turning her back on heaven’s glory, Evie here still ran to the church when she was in need.”
A bell tolls in the background.
My eyes widen.
The cathedral.
I push my bike harder, splitting lanes, heading straight for the offramp that will take me to her.
“Don’t follow, Silas,” the voice purrs—silk over daggers. “You’ve already lost one sister. And I’m sure you wouldn’t want me looking too closely into Tempest’s moral state, now would you?”
“Don’t you fucking dare—”
The line goes dead.