Right now, she felt like every nerve in her body was stripped raw, sizzling and exposed and reacting to too much stimuli; that’s what she felt. But of course, she knew what he was saying. She was drawn to him too. But she was drawn to a lot of things lately—that was the problem. What was happening to her body—the visions, the impulses, the attraction—she wasn’t sure she could trust it.

“Max, everything that’s going on right now—”

“Is scary as shit,” he finished for her. “But still…I feel this.” His taped hand gestured between the two of them. “Do you?”

She chewed her cheek. “Of course I do.”

Without warning, he plunged across the space between them and pressed his lips to hers. Her chest, her skin, her cheeks, felt flushed. It was the opposite sensation from inside that house. All the chill melted from her body.

“There’s so much going on,” she whispered against his lips.

“I know.”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me….”

“It’s okay.” He kept kissing, gently biting her lower lip, tugging. She closed her eyes. “Let’s just be in this moment, right here.”

He started to move on top of her, and she pulled him closer. She wanted to feel something else, something good. She wanted to let it all go.

Then her phone vibrated in her back pocket. Max froze, hearing it too.

It could be her parents, or Chelsea at the rally, or an issue with Chloe.

“My phone,” she whispered.

Max sat back. His cheeks rosy, and his lips pink and moist. But his eyes—all the excitement, all the passion that had filled them a moment ago—were replaced by pools of dread.

Something was wrong. Vera felt it like a stab in the gut. So did he.

They both looked at her screen.

There was a text from Aunt Tilda:

Maxwell’s mom is HERE. Come home. NOW.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Vera

Vera stared out the passenger window, hoping to hide the fear in her eyes. Aunt Tilda never texted, and she never sounded rattled. But CAPS lock?

“We should have gone the moment the Durands said the church people left.” Max’s eyes jerked about. “We knew my mom was in danger. The whole town is in danger. I can’t believe I pulled over. This is all my fault.”

No, Max, this is our fault. We let our guard down. Maybe that was what the demon wanted. Was everything puppet theater? Was anything real?

“If we kept driving, we would have gone to your house, and we would’ve missed your mom,” Vera reasoned. “She would have already been on her way to mine.”

“How did she even get there? What, did she carpool with the cult?”

Probably. Vera shrugged. “At least she’s not at the rally.”

“Text your friend. Make sure everything’s okay.”

“I already did. Chelsea hasn’t gotten back.” Vera stared at her phone.

Max slapped the wheel, then pounded on it with bandaged hands. “I should’ve sent Chloe to my grandparents. I should’ve driven her to New Hampshire! She is at your house, with Mom, right now because of me!” He was blaming himself, like whatever his mom did was his responsibility, because he didn’t see it, and he didn’t stop her.