This is good. This is better. Instead of showing up unannounced and scrambling, we have an advantage. We have time. We can plan.

My phone buzzes in my hand.

Orion: We need to talk. Everyone at Selene’s. Now.

I swallow, my pulse kicking up a notch.

Another buzz.

Bennett: On my way.

Theo: Be there in 10.

The cafe is still busy, a hum of chatter and clinking cups filling the space, but I feel a sudden urgency—like if I don’t move fast enough, the moment will slip through my fingers.

As I step outside, the crisp evening air bites at my skin. The sun is lower now, casting long shadows across the sidewalk. I adjust my grip on Valkyrie’s leash, my other hand tightening around my phone.

We don’t have all the pieces yet, but we’re getting closer.

And tomorrow, at Gabriel’s grave, we’re going to find out just how deep this goes.

27

Selene

The cold air feels sharper on the walk back like it’s cutting straight through my coat and into my skin. Or maybe it’s just me, raw and unsettled after running into Aubrey. Valkyrie trots beside me, tail wagging happily, blissfully unaware of the storm in my chest.

It’s strange—how someone can smile so sweetly, laugh so freely, and hide so much darkness underneath. I can still feel the warmth of her hand on mine, the weight of her words about Gabriel, about Theo. About love and loss and memories. She sounded so genuine, like a person who would give you the shirt off her back. A person who wanted to see everyone happy.

But she’s not.

I know the truth now. Gabriel. George. Theo’s parents. The same woman who tried to set me up with her nephew, who teased me about romance and gave me tips on how to win over the town, killed at least three people to protect her secrets.

Thinking back on it she probably even used the tips she gave me. She knows they work because she is the one who used them in the first place.

I clench Valkyrie’s leash tighter, my fingers stiff and cold. The streets blur around me, the charm of Shadow Grove’s picturesque houses and friendly shops dimmed by the shadow Aubrey cast over the morning. How did I not see it before? How did anyone not see it? She’s so good at pretending—at making everyone believe she’s someone she’s not.

By the time I reach my house, my head is pounding. The sight of my porch is a relief, and I fumble for my keys as Valkyrie bounces up the steps, her tail nub thumping against the railing.