“Oh shit!” Maddock said, and we all turned to see what he was staring at. “According to the headlines, the Church is blaming thirty-eight civilian casualties on us!”

But the degenerates hadn’t killed anywhere near that many.

Devi was right. The Church had executed the survivors who’d heard my plea. I’d singlehandedly raised the death toll by at least sixteen.

“Your sister doesn’t know the Church is being run by demons, so she’s safer than any of us,” Reese said gently.

“They just burned Melanie’s boyfriend alive. She is not safe,” I insisted.

“I have to agree with Spawn on this one,” Devi said, and I glanced at her in surprise. “They burned the boyfriend for a reason.”

“Yeah. He embarrassed the entire town by getting a fifteen-year-old pregnant. Not the kind of press the deacon wanted.”

Devi rolled her eyes at Reese. “Seriously? They’ve just told the world there are demons on the loose, yet they have nothing better to do with the national spotlight than punish a teenager for making a baby without a license?”

“Enlighten us,” Maddock said, and I turned to find Finn’s green eyes staring out of his best friend’s face once again. “We’re not all gifted with your insight into the world’s spiritual authority.”

“What?” I glanced from Finn to Devi, but neither elaborated.

“Devi was raised as an ecclesiastical dedication. Her parents gave her to the Church,” Grayson said finally, accepting the packed bag Reese handed her.

“Really?” Other than a soulless death, my worst fear for Melanie’s baby was that the Church’s price for providing the infant’s soul would be both Mellie’s and her child’s service, for life.

“Yeah, well, the joke was on them.” Devi threw her long black braid over one shoulder and sat straighter on the edge of the coffee table, her dark eyes glistening. “I was conceived in sin and chose to honor the lifestyle. But what my unfortunate upbringing has taught me is that the Church does nothing without a reason. They burned Adam to send a message. To Nina. And that message was…?” She turned to me expectantly.

“They’re willing to kill people I care about. People who have nothing to do with my being an exorcist. Including Melanie.” I sank onto the couch again, weighed down by the grim understanding. “If I don’t turn myself in, they’ll douse my sister in gasoline and burn her alive on national television.”

Reese set his bag next to his feet. “How long do you think she has?”

Devi shrugged. “Another day or so. They have no way of knowing whether or not Nina understood their message—she’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer—so I’d guess they’ll replay the footage a few times or torch another one of her friends before they trot out the pregnant sister.”

Who else could they hurt? Anabelle? Ironically, if she were a demon, she’d probably be safe from their “purifying” flames, but if she was human…

“Either way,” Devi continued, “I think they’ll give you until tomorrow to turn yourself in.”