64. Follow
Follow
Helena
Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
I sit up, the soreness in my body protesting, and reach out finding Silas’s side of the bed empty. My eyes scan the room. His clothes, once draped over the chair, are gone.
No. Not again.
I shove the covers off, my heart pounding in my throat. It’s been over a month since he’s disappeared like this. Since I thought I’d pulled him back from whatever dark place had been calling him.
Maybe seeing Bennett the other night stirred it all back up. Maybe the offer for the land was just too much. Either way, I know one thing: he has to be stopped.
Slipping from bed, I yank on my pants and shirt, my fingers clumsy in my urgency. At the back door, I pull on my boots, careful to move as quietly and quickly as I can.
A shadow shifts in the hallway.
“Caroline.” My name slips out on his whisper. Eli steps forward, jaw tight. “He left again, didn’t he?”
I walk to the pantry, rummaging through the shelves. “Eli, where did you put that canister of salt?”
“It’s behind the box with the tablecloths.”
I grab the step ladder and climb up, reaching behind the cardboard box. My hand feels around until it makes contact with what I need. I step down, rushing to the drawer by the stove. Grabbing two latex gloves, I tuck them in my pocket.
“I see what you’re preparing for Caroline.”
“I need to be ready.” I exhale sharply, my frustration mixing with fear. “Eli, why won’t he let this die? I know Bennett wants the land, but?—”
“Bennett set the fire.”
The words knock the air from my lungs. My stomach knots, my skin prickling with ice.
No .
I stare at him, my breath coming in quick, uneven gasps. “What? Ruth told me he was after the land. She never said anything about the fire.”
Eli doesn’t blink. “It wasn’t an accident, Caroline. It was Bennett.”
My body sways, like my legs might give out beneath me. “Are you—” I swallow against the tightness in my throat. “Are you sure?”
Eli nods, his expression grim. “Marcel overheard him talking with his brother, Lee, at a Cattlemen’s meeting. They were planning it, Caroline. They wanted the land, needed it to expand their operation, but Silas never budged while he was alive. No matter how much money they threw at him.”
Tears blur my vision. “We were murdered ?” I say, my voice barely making it past my lips. My hands tremble as I press them to my face, my shoulders shaking with the revelation of it .
“Ruth thinks that’s why Silas is still here,” Eli says gently. “He loves this land, sure. But it’s more than that. Whether he knows it or not, his soul—” He exhales heavily. “It’s been seeking revenge.”
I drop my hands, my chest heaving. “So what Ruth said is true. He’s the one that’s been killing them off. One by one.”
Eli doesn’t answer. He doesn’t have to. It’s the final confirmation I needed.
God .
I press a hand to my stomach, nausea twisting inside me.
“Fuck, Eli,” I whisper. “He can’t kill again.
Not now. Not since he learned who I am. When my veil dropped, his chances ran out.
The angels made that clear to me.” I lift my gaze, my entire body shaking now.
“If he does, that means I failed. That means he was given a second chance and threw it away. This is it. His one shot. If he takes Bennett’s life, it’s over.
There’s no redemption. He’ll be damned.”
Eli’s jaw clenches. He knows I’m right.
I square my shoulders, gripping the doorknob so tight my knuckles go white. “I’m not leaving here without him. I need you to pray, Eli.” I snap my eyes to his, holding his stare with urgent desperation. “Pray hard.”
He nods once. “I will.” Then, his voice drops even lower. “Go.”
I open the door and as I hit the first step, I hear Shadow’s hooves hitting the brush covered ground of the treeline.
I focus my energy on the task of getting Merriweather out of the stables.
Once we’re under the night sky, I jump up, swinging my leg over her side.
I grip the reins and we set out, following behind Silas.
Then sharp, haunting howls pierce the night. I know without a doubt that Silas didn’t ride out in search of peace. He’s riding to claim his final revenge.