Page 78 of Saints & Sinners

“I kissed her,” I said abruptly, my voice harsher than I intended. It was not something I had wanted to say in the first place.

The admission hung heavy in the air, and I could feel their eyes on me.

“What, now?” Silas asked, off guard.

“So, you kissed...” Brandon started, and I shook my head. “Wait, let me get this straight. You kissed—”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I snapped. “It won’t happen again.”

Silas let out a low whistle. “It better not. You know how much trouble you’d get into? I mean, there is a reason why everyone blames Eve. She was the sole cause of the fifth angelic rule being put into place.”

Brandon and I shot a questioning look at Silas. “What are youeven talking about?”

“Uh, you know the first woman slash human and the ultimate betrayer? She literally had a relationship with Lucifer that led to the war.”

“What does this have to do with anything?” Brandon asked. I also wanted to know myself. “And since when do you pay attention in Rael’s classes?”

“I always pay attention,” Silas said defensively. “I’m just stating that Eve messed up, and I would hate for Cain over here to do the same.”

Brandon snorted. “You do realize she’s not the only one to blame, right?”

“Yeah, but Eve’s the one everyone remembers for screwing up. Like I said, she caused all of this.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “She’s more than just that, you know.”

“Oh, right. Forgot you had all the insider knowledge, Cain.”

I shot him a glare, but Brandon cut in before I could respond. “What’s your problem with her anyway? It’s not like she ruinedyourlife.”

Silas smirked. “Oh, I don’t have a problem with her. I just think it’s hilarious how one bad choice can screw over billions of people. Makes you wonder what other Celestial screw-ups are hiding in history.”

His words hit a little too close to home, and I clenched my jaw. Silas was just being Silas, running his mouth without a care in the world. But I couldn’t help thinking about how one choice—one mistake—could ripple out and destroy everything.

My chest felt too tight, and I ran a hand over my jaw to regain some semblance of control. “Either way, like I told you both. What happened between me and Grace won’t happen again.”

Brandon tilted his head, studying me. He rolled his lip piercing between his teeth before he said, “Are you sure about that?Because it sure as hell looks like you’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to when he was right.

“Even if that is the case, Cain will restrain himself, right?” Silas cocked his brows. “Just like we all have to.”

I stared at him, knowing there was more to that than he was letting on. He didn’t just mean me, but he would never admit that himself.

“Now,” he said. “What about your brother? Did you find anything?”

I shook my head, and the room went silent. Brandon and Silas exchanged a glance, but neither of them pressed further. They wouldn’t understand why I couldn’t afford to let myself get close to Grace—or anyone. It wasn’t just the rules. It was so much more than that.

Chapter Forty

Marnie’s hands hovered over my arm, a faint golden glow radiating from her fingertips as she worked to heal the angry Riftkeeper mark. The burn still throbbed, but the pain was at least dulling with each passing second.

“You shouldn’t have done this, Grace,” she said with a shake of her head. “I told you this wasn’t a good idea. Why don’t you ever listen?”

I stared at the mark as it began to fade under her touch, and my thoughts drifted back to the motel, Hunter’s hands on me, his lips against mine. The kiss had been a mistake—one we both knew—but that didn’t stop me from missing the way he held me, as if I was the only thing grounding him amidst the chaos.

“Are you even listening to me right now?” Marnie’s voice snapped me back to the present.

“Yeah,” I lied, my voice quieter than usual. “Thank you... for doing this.”

---