Page 143 of Saints & Sinners

Joe’s silence told me everything I needed to know.

“No,” he said. “She got away.”

As much as I wanted to scream and cry at that moment, I still couldn’t help but feel empty inside. It was the kind of emptinessthat was just as bad as being able to feel everything.

Joe’s gaze searched mine. “Where’s Hunter?” he asked, but there was a bite to his words.

My jaw tightened suddenly, and every bit of emptiness I felt became an anvil, pressing down on me like the world itself was trying to break me. “It doesn’t matter where he is.”

“Grace—”

“You were right about him. About all of it.” I looked at him, my throat tight. “And I’m sorry, I didn’t listen to you when you were just trying to help.” My lower lip trembled. “I know... I know that there is so much I have yet to ask, to find out but you’re also the only person now left in this world who actually cares about me, so please don’t leave me, Joe. I don’t think I could handle another loss.”

He didn’t respond right away. His brows furrowed as he studied me for seconds, maybe minutes. Then, he reached out, hesitating momentarily before placing a hand on my shoulder and wrapping his other hand around me.

I clung onto him, gripping the back of his jacket as I pressed my face to his chest and let out a shaky breath.

“We’ll fix all of this, Grace,” he said quietly. “I promise.”

I nodded, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe him.

Not when Lucas was gone.

Not when Marnie risked herself for all of us.

And not when everything around me had fallen apart, and the one person I’d come to trust had proven me wrong.

Eden was right. I was so stupid. I had always been.

I made a promise to myself then. A promise that I would never let anyone have that kind of power over me. Never again would I let my guard down.

Because doing so cost me everything. And I refused for that to be my undoing.

Chapter Sixty–Four

The tires screeched as I yanked the wheel hard, the car skidding to a stop in a cloud of dust and gravel. I didn’t wait for the engine to cut off—I was already throwing the door open before the car had even fully stopped.

The door hung open, creaking on its hinges like it might fall off, but I didn’t care. All I could focus on was the building in front of me—the rotting, hollowed-out skeleton of what was once a hotel.

I didn’t hesitate. My hands curled into fists at my sides, and I barrelled toward the door, shoving it open without a second thought. It groaned in protest, but I was already inside when the stench of alcohol and cigarettes permeated the air. My breathing was harsh, my chest tight with anger, but I forced myself to stay steady.

A few flickering torches dimly lit the lobby, and laughter sprang through one of the rooms. I entered and saw that the space was filled with demons I’d been associated with for a while.

One sat sprawled on a broken sofa, flexing his tattoos at others. Another leaned against a collapsed pillar, blowing out puffs of smoke as he grinned at what someone else was saying.

But the only person I wanted to find was Eden. I pushed past a few girls before finding Eden laughing and holding a glassof wine. She looked almost unchanged from the Eden I had known at Celestia—still poised, still sickly beautiful—but there was something even darker now, something unhinged. Her eyes gleamed with malice, and her smile was a weapon of glee.

The laughter died down as I stormed toward her and roughly turned her to face me. Drops of wine spilled across the dusted floor, but that didn’t matter to her as she looked up at me with that lustful smile, she’d always given me.

I felt sick.

“If it isn’t the golden boy,” she chuckled, setting her glass down on a broken table. “Or should I say the tarnished boy?”

“Stop,” I said through gritted teeth. “This isn’t a fucking game, Eden.”

“Isn’t it? Because I think it’s been a spectacular game so far. And you, Hunter, have played your part beautifully.”

I stared at her, disgusted by everything that fell from her mouth. “What are you talking about?”

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