Page 86 of The Preacher's Pet

I can’t stop crying. “My parents are making me leave, right now. I can’t explain the whole story. Can you find the Preachers and tell them I’m leaving?”

She pulls me into a hug. “Is there nothing you can do to stay?”

I shake my head. “This is my fault. I did something stupid. But will you tell them, please? Tell them I didn’t want to go.”

“Yes, of course. Oh, my God, I’m going to miss you.”

Her kind words only make me cry harder. “I’m going to miss you, too.”

And them,I think.I’ll miss them most of all.

I untangle myself from her arms. I need to get my belongings and meet my parents outside.

48

CAIN

Camile burstsinto the water tower in a flurry of dark hair and wide eyes.

“You need to go to the college,” she exclaims, breathing hard. “Ophelia is leaving.”

I jump to my feet. “What?”

“Her parents are here, and they’re making her leave, but I don’t know why.”

Malachi has been playing his guitar, and he drops it to one side. “She can’t go.”

“I don’t think she wants to, but her parents aren’t giving her much choice.”

Roman stands from the couch and stabs his fingers into his hair. “Where is she now?”

“She was going to her room.” Camile is still trying to catch her breath. “She needed to pack her belongings, but she doesn’t have much, and it’s taken me a while to run over here.”

Ice washes through my veins. “So, she might be gone already?”

Camile shakes her head. “I don’t know. She said she had to meet her parents at the front of the building.”

I exchange a glance with the other two. If we go to her room, we might miss her, but if we go to where she’s supposed to meet her parents, we might be able to intercept her.

“She needs us,” Roman grits. “She can’t just leave.”

Camile spins to him. “Then get the hell over there and stop her!”

She’s right.

We shove our feet into our boots and race from the water tower. Why hasn’t she called us to tell us what’s happening? How much power do her parents have over her?

I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast in my life. Malachi and Roman run at my side. I’m sure we’re all thinking the same thing— what if we’re too late to stop her?

How the fuck are we going to exist with her gone? She’s a part of us now.

It’s the longest run of my life. I ignore the burn in my calves, and the way my lungs feel like they can’t draw enough oxygen. The college building gets closer, and we traverse the perimeter to take us to the front.

A large black vehicle sits on the gravel. The rear lights glow red, and the tires crunch as it pulls forward.

“No!” I yell, putting on a burst of speed.

I manage to catch up to the car. Ophelia is in the back seat, her face pale and streaked with tears. Clutched to her chest is her worn childhood rabbit. She’s so vulnerable and small, it makes something in me break right in two. She sees me, and her pretty lips part in a cry. She places her palm to the window, as though reaching for me.

Her father puts his foot on the gas, and the vehicle picks up speed. The tires spin on the gravel, kicking up dirt and dust, then it’s pulling ahead of us.

Leaving us behind.

I turn to the other Preachers, certain their expressions of shock and dismay are matched on my face.

I’m fucking shaking, my legs barely holding me up.

They took her. Our perfect, precious pet.

Ophelia is gone.