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“And?” Is there something left over from our unfinished business? From the entries in the book, Christian and I had never really threaded our ties.

“And we do not really know each other. Not this version.” His hands sag against mine and he squeezes my arms gently, like grasping a fragile object that might shatter.

Fragility does not exist in this future.

I pivot before he squeezes in another sentence. “I do not know you?” I jab a finger into his chest. “How about you let me live here without telling me anything? You let me feel the safety of your presence. For hell’s sake—” I wipe my hand across my mouth, the words stopping as they form because being angry at him feels wrong.

“I didn’t tell you much, not out of malice—out of care,” he murmurs, brushing my finger away. Here we are, in a well-contained world with the hands of an invisible god toying with us and a man who believes he’s a god. I swat his finger, the air between us lightening for the briefest moment.

A huff of laughter escapes his lips and he slips out of his coat and drapes it around my shoulders.

“So, what really is the deal with this place, and with you?” My voice might be steady, but my heart is a riot.

“The mind and this world work in mysterious ways, Marisa.” His lips curl upward, eyes warming just a fraction.

“So, tell me about her.” Daisy, I want to know what leads a woman to such lengths—to kill.

He laughs. It’s a laugh that is sharp like lightning ready to strike you down if you stand in its way, and some wicked part of me delights in the feeling. I like his laugh; I like everything about him. But I didn’t know enough of myself to bask in this ocean of emotion.

You knew yourself enough to fuck him.

“Glad I can amuse you with my lack of understanding.” I shove him again then begin walking toward the house.

“It’s been a long month. Look at where we have found ourselves.” He catches me by the waist and pulls me against his chest.

“You mean you got stuck stalking a woman with missing memories?”

“Protecting, and the rest.”

“The monsters? The bodies we found? What else am I missing?”

“I need you to trust me tonight.” He grips me tightly, penetrating me with a pleading gaze.

“Where have you been these last few weeks?” I shove another finger into his chest.

He laughs and laces his fingers through mine. “Thinking about our escape. And tonight might just be the perfect night.”

“The party?” There is a sense that glamorous facades were used as veils to commit atrocities among Kieran’s circle.

“There’s going to be a hunt.”

A hunt.

“What are we hunting?” I ask, though I already have a suspicion.

Christian releases me and nods to the forest. “Demons.”

“The dead women?” I didn’t want to hurt them; they were unwilling participants in Kieran’s experiments.

“We’re going to need their blood to use the relic,” Christian says.

“How are we going to get access to that thing if Kieran has it?”

Christian glances away then meets my eyes with an expectant gaze.

“This is why you approached me all those weeks ago.” Of course, just like any well-trained detective would. He needed someone who had close access to Kieran, obviously, but it all perfectly culminated to where only I can access this item.

“I needed you to use your eyes. You are your own freedom.” He cups my cheeks, his fingers cool.