She frowned at the boy. “You may be right, but he’s not your concern. This is his own path to follow. Don’t throw yourself on that same path.”

Rose broke the silence that had swallowed all but me. “Take the boy,” she said.

I glanced over to where Bobbie had stood, but she was gone. Now what?

Claude and Morton grabbed Eli by each arm and spun him around. The sight of such innocence being led away to whatever cruel demise awaited him proved too much for me.

“You can’t!” I cried, stepping back. “He’s innocent!”

They all looked at me. Me, the one who was speaking out for Eli in defiance of Sylous. Was I doing that?

“How dare you defy the truth after all we just witnessed!” Rose spat.

“She brought the boy in!” someone cried.

Rose glared at me. “This is true?”

“He led me in.”

“How did you know where to find him?”

I hesitated, then tried to follow Bobbie’s wisdom. “He found me.” And then I betrayed myself. “He’s shown me a way beyond darkness. He can save us.”

The blood drained from Rose’s face. If a pin had been dropped in that moment, we all would have heard it.

A hand grasped my arm. “Enough, Grace.” I turned to see Jamie’s blue eyes shadowed with anger.

“Please, Jamie,” I begged, knowing I had already condemned myself. “Listen to me.”

“I am listening to you! How dare you betray us?”

“No,” I said. “I just wanted you to hear him. He . . .” But I ran out of words.

“You did this to us,” Rose said, her voice dark and menacing. “It was you who brought the Fury into our holy sanctuary! You’re as guilty as the boy!”

Jamie’s grip on my arm tightened. Tears collected in my eyes.

“No,” I whispered, knowing it was no use.

Someone moved out from the crowd and got my attention. I turned to see Andrew staring at me with disbelief. I wanted to rush to him for the first time since our wedding. I wanted to beg him to understand, to protect me, even though I’d never loved him. I’d been wrong! I needed him now.

“Please, Andrew. Listen to me . . .”

He glanced at Rose, then turned away from me. And I knew then that no one would come to my aid.

“Lock them both away,” Rose snapped. “We will cleanse our holy sanctuary of sin and repent. Our inheritance awaits us all in holiness and grace.”

Chapter
Thirty-One

I WASN’T EVEN AWARE THAT HAVEN VALLEY HAD A prison until I was locked inside one. It was located in the basement of the security office, a building I’d never been inside.

There was no sign of Eli when I entered, and I didn’t have time to ask because I was quickly forced down a flight of creaking steps into a dark basement.