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Gabriel sighed, his right hand flexing around his glass. “I don’t think he’s connected with the council at least.”

If Blair was to be believed, he was currently sleeping in a hammock under a bridge. Whatever flaws the council had—and it had many—Gabriel couldn’t imagine its leaders subjecting one of their hires to such harsh conditions.

Clement frowned. “You have always been so trusting. You make it easy for people to play you for a fool.”

“Thank you,” said Gabriel sardonically. “Your vote of confidence is much appreciated.”

“I would compliment you if it were warranted.”

“It isn’t.” Gabriel dragged his chair closer to the table. “I just wish there was a way to get through to Iris. To make her see him, without⁠—”

“—Without seeing you,” Clement said with a nod. “A classic conundrum of deception.”

Gabriel leaned back in his chair, growing a tad agitated. He was starting to regret this cozy meeting which was rapidly turning into a roast.

“Do you believe he’s a threat?” Clement asked, looking genuinely curious. There seemed to be a touch of concern in there too, or perhaps it was merely a trick of the dim light.

“I don’t know.” Gabriel kneaded his forehead, his eyes burning with exhaustion.

“Don’t assume the best intentions, my friend.” Clement slid his hands off the table to allow the waitress to set down his salad. When she was no longer in hearing range, he leaned forward. “Not every Similar is as pleasant as you or I.”

“Now that is a scary thought.” Gabriel tried to smile, but his fear was too heavy.

The weight of having to protect someone other than just himself—especially someone as fragile as a human, as Iris—still wasn’t something he was used to.

Clement drizzled a small amount of dressing over his salad before swirling his fork through the leaves. “We’ve both been through much worse than this.” His tone was lighthearted, but Gabriel detected the undertone of truth beneath his words. “Even if this Similar isn’t as benign as he appears.”

On the short drive home, Gabriel’s attention was far from the road, his steady hands knowing the exact moment to turn the wheel from muscle memory. Light snow coated the windshield, the wipers squeaking across the glass every few seconds.

He’d spent the better part of his existence staying as far away from fellow Similars as he could—apart from Clement—knowing it was the only way to live a safe and quiet life. He understood that Iris felt sympathetic toward Blair, but he had to make her see that involving him in her life would only poison it.

She would listen to him this time. She had to.

Iris would already be home, no doubt, probably heating up the leftover casserole Gabriel had made the previous evening. He pulled into the driveway, his tires crunching over the gravel, and came to a stop just behind the old Nissan. Heaving a sigh, Gabriel gathered up his hat and cashmere scarf and switched out his driving gloves for his warmer outdoor pair. He stepped out of the car.

Something flickered in the dark trees to his left, causing Gabriel to tense. He froze, his head cocked to the side, listening carefully, eyes peeled.

It wasn’t unusual to glimpse a deer, a lonely porcupine, or even a black bear on occasion. But the way Gabriel’s throat seemed to close in on itself told him that what he had seen, what he had sensed, had been none of those things.

He stayed still and silent for a minute longer, before finally approaching the house, keeping his head angled in the direction of the sound. It was never a good idea to turn your back on a predator, something Gabriel had had to learn the hard way on more than one occasion.

Especially when there was a distinct possibility that the predator in question was neither human nor beast.

When he reached the front stoop, he hesitated, an anxious thought spiraling through his mind like a cold breeze: What if this has something to do with him?

Gabriel’s hand tightened around the knob as a sudden flashback threatened to sweep him off his feet like a piece of driftwood caught up in a whirlpool.

What if Blair wasn’t a stranger?

…What if he was a memory?

8

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NEW YORK

OCTOBER 1815

The aged church had been abandoned for nigh on seventy years, or so the people believed. If there were rumors that it was haunted, well, who would want to test them? Occasionally, a passerby claimed they saw a flicker of light emanating from one of the lower basement windows. But the doors were locked, the collapsing pews undisturbed—and anyway, the place was said to be cursed by the devil himself.