When the heavy church door opened again, my heart stopped. One woman peeked her head out, her head was not only cloaked, but her face was veiled now, a red sheer over it as if to block her identity.
“Mr. Astor. Please come in.”
I was aware that she’d said my name, but seemed to be frozen, rooted to the spot. The hum of the conversation happening around me ceased as they watched me finally gather my thoughts and lift my feet to walk over. The woman held the door open just enough for me to walk inside. The church was dark with the exception of the candles lit in the front, circling the altar. My gaze became transfixed on the front of the room. I wasn’t sure what I expected to find inside, but it wasn’t this. The women’s heads were bowed as they stood, covering something in the middle. A bench maybe? Was that where Eva was? My heart was in my throat as I walked over and sat in the center of the pew the woman led me to. I tried to go through the motions of what I’d do if this was a repeat of what we’d seen that night of the party. My pulse quickened at the thought. Even though I wasn’t a believer, I’d always respected the sanctity of the church, but if anyone tried to rape Eva, I’d kill them all. With what? I didn’t know. I had no weapon, but I’d make do with whatever was on the altar if need be. It was sick. The whole thing was sick. The fact that I could even sit in a church and think about using their crosses as defense tools.
I thought back to the night I’d been initiated and how weird it had been for me. I thought being buried alive had been enough of a test and figured the initiation ceremony would be a welcome party. I hadn’t expected to be drugged or questioned. They’d used psychedelics as a form of therapy, a way to let go of the past and past guilt. Before that night, my anxiety, which I hadn’t dealt with since I was a teenager, had found its way back into my life, making it difficult to focus on simple tasks. By the time The Swords sent their calling card, I was desperate. It was something no one would have guessed and how could they? After all, I was smart, good looking, worked out, was charming, privileged. I was also exceptional at hiding my emotions.
For me, initiation had been a transcendence. From the burial to the altar. The psychedelics they used were unlike anything I had ever taken, but they served their purpose. When they worked. I was a believer that all drugs, even the ones with a bad reputation, could be used to serve a helpful purpose. After all, there was science to back them up. I wasn’t an idiot, though. I’d seen the experiment go wrong. It only happened once, but it had been enough for me to know that not everyone could handle it. As I sat there, knee bouncing, I hoped like hell Eva was one of the ones who could. The priest was speaking in Latin now, facing the cross and Jesus, his back turned to the spectacle behind him. The women’s heads were all bowed as if in prayer. I couldn’t see Eva, but I knew she was in there. She was quiet. I hadn’t seen many quiet ones. I’d seen a lot of guys try to do a lot of crazy things while under the influence.
I scooted forward, my knee hitting the back of the pew in front of me as I tried to get a glimpse of her. I could see the white and gold robe. Finally, the women shifted and I saw her lying on a bench in the middle. She looked like a version of Sleeping Beauty, with her hair cascading to one side and her hands neatly placed over her midriff. A peaceful smile replacing her usual scowl. The priest turned back to her, this time waving that thing filled with incense as he chanted. The women began to walk around her, chanting along with the priest. Then suddenly, they all stopped. The priest turned and faced them and I knew he was waiting for something. Normally, the person on that bench stood, or spoke, or sat up and swayed as if they were drunk out of their mind. In the church, you could hear a pin drop, until Eva gasped loudly, her chest coming off of the bench as if being pulled by a string. I wished suddenly I hadn’t chosen last night, of all nights, to watch The Exorcist, because it was the only thing that came to mind as I sat there.
She sat up, her hands on either side of the bench, and began to speak in perfect Spanish. At least it sounded perfect to me. It wasn’t like I knew enough to understand it or know whether she was pronouncing things correctly. Unlike my brother, who could have a perfect conversation in Spanish if he wanted to, I’d taken Mandarin and German instead. What good was it doing me now? The priest asked her a question, which she answered, then another, and another, until they were having a full conversation right before his eyes. The only thing I could make out clearly was the name Karen spilling from her lips before she began to cry. I fought the urge to stand up and demand they stop.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Eva
My eyes opened slowly, fighting against the beaming sun to open fully. As my vision adjusted, I realized I was in my bedroom. Inside The Manor. I didn’t remember anything about last night, but I definitely expected to wake up in the woods. I heard myself groan.
“You feeling okay?”
“Jesus.” My head whipped toward Adam.
“You were in bad form last night. I stayed just in case.” He swung his legs off the bed and sat at the edge, his back facing me.
“Just in case I died?”
“I know how to perform CPR.” He shot me a smirk over his shoulder that I knew I would’ve felt down to my core had it not been for the fact that I felt like absolute shit.
“Well, I can officially say I’ve slept with a guy twice without seeing his penis.” I tried to sit up and fell right back down.
“Third time’s a charm, right?” Adam chuckled. He stood up with a stretch, his shirt riding up high enough for me to see the definition in his abs.
“I’ll hold you to that.” I brought my eyes back to his and lifted a hand to my forehead. I felt clammy. “What did that priest give me?”
“LSD.”
“What?” My eyes widened.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d done it before.”
“I’ve never cared to experiment in that department.” I sat up and stretched as well. “Is that legal?”
“For them to give you drugs?”
I nodded.
“For fifty grand?” He shrugged a shoulder. “I’m going to make us breakfast, unless you need me to bathe you.”
“I don’t.” My cheeks warmed.
“So I’ll meet you in our usual spot.”
“Our usual spot?”
“The piano room.”
“Right.” I smiled. “I’m feeling very slow today, sorry.”
“Take your time.”
I watched him walk out and shut the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, I sighed into my pillow. I still felt high. LSD was definitely something I wouldn’t be doing again. I didn’t remember anything about last night, but I could have sworn I saw Karen. It couldn’t be right. I mean, unless somehow she was there last night, but that was impossible.
We spent the majority of the day hanging out with Will and Wolf. I’d made it a point to wear a dress today, it was lavender with small white flowers, just above my knees and cinched at the waist. I loved the way it fit me because it was sexy without being too revealing. When Adam saw me walk downstairs in it, his heated gaze told me it was the perfect thing to wear. We’d spent the majority of the day touching, holding hands, brushing fingers, hugging as we laughed at Will and Wolf’s jokes. I felt like I was completely in. Maybe that was the point of all of the tests, not to prove to them that we were worthy, but for them to give us time to let it all sink in and make us realize that we belonged to this family. There were still people around who had attended the ceremony, but even though we’d spoken to some, most of them were mingling amongst themselves and with women I’d never seen before.