Page 128 of Saints & Sinners

Marnie raised an eyebrow at him. “And how exactly do you plan to do that? Leave a trail of breadcrumbs behind?”

“Maybe carve something into the trees,” he suggested, ignoring her sarcasm.

Silas snickered. “With what? Your stick?”

“It’s a spear.”

“No, it’s a glorified stick.”

“You have a fucking branch to defend yourself with; stop talking.”

Marnie stifled a laugh at both Brandon and Silas, and I couldn’t help but crack a small smile. Sometimes, I wished—no, Ialwayshoped for a moment like this where everything felt normal, like we were just a group of friends out for a walk in the woods instead of being hunted by monsters and Celestial judgment. But that wasn’t the case. Not for me. Not ever.

A sudden rustling sound had us all stop.

I tightened my grip on my blade, my pulse so loud it drowned out the words Brandon was muttering.

“Relax,” a familiar voice drawled from somewhere to the left.

Hunter stepped into view with his spear hanging loosely at his side, and relief shot through me, seeing him again, even if it was under different circumstances.

“Finally!” Silas said.

Hunter rolled his eyes at him before they locked on me, his focus so intense it felt almost tangible. “Any luck?”

I shook my head, though I was finding it impossible to breathe. “Nothing yet.”

His gaze lingered on me for a moment too long, reminding me of how much was still left unspoken between us.

My chest tightened, and everyone around us seemed to notice.Marnie cleared her throat loudly, and I tore my gaze away.

Suddenly, the ground became the most fascinating thing in the world as I stared at it. Unlike everything else, it wasn’t threatening to tip me over the edge. It was solid, steady—something I could rely on when the rest of me felt like I was free-falling.

Gravity couldn’t pull me under as long as my focus stayed there.

The five of us moved together this time, as the earlier humor had drained from our group. The only sounds were the crunch of leaves and the occasional twig snap as we stalked through the forest. Hunter took the lead, guiding us through paths like he knew exactly where he was going.

“Does anyone else feel like we’re being watched?” Marnie whispered, glancing over her shoulder as she shuddered.

“We’re always being watched,” Silas muttered. “The Council are probably having a good laugh at us right now from the comfort of their headquarters.”

“Either that or the monster from earlier is watching us, too,” Brandon added.

I opened my mouth to say something reassuring, but honestly, I wasn’t sure I could come up with anything worth comforting.

“Wait, stop.” Hunter held up a hand, and we all came to a standstill beside him. My gaze tracked his, and that was when I saw a faint golden glow peeking out from beneath the roots of a gnarled tree. It was barely visible through the dense underbrush. Still, there was no mistaking what it was.

“Another stone,” I whispered.

“Thank fuck,” Silas said, stepping forward, but Hunter slappeda hand against Silas’s chest, stopping him in his tracks.

Hunter approached it cautiously, the group spreading out in a loose circle around the tree. The sigil stone pulsed faintly, just as the last one had done before we realized it was cursed. Up close, I stared at its intricate carvings that seemed to shift the longer I kept my eyes on it.

It looked small and harmless—an object I would gladly collect just for how beautiful it looked. However, the memory of the boy screaming earlier was still fresh in my mind, and I knew that this could just as well be deadly.

“It doesn’t look... cursed?” Marnie said, though there was doubt in her voice.

Hunter crouched by the tree, his spear resting across his knee as he studied the stone. “Looks can be deceiving.”

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