Page 41 of Twisted Truths

He’s quiet for a beat before switching gears. “Look, I hate to bring this up right now, but the Shamrocks are getting a little antsy. The season kicks off at the end of next month, and they’ve got some preseason games pencilled in two weeks earlier. They’d love their new point guard in the lineup.”

I close my eyes. There it is.

My dream is so close, yet it feels so far away.

When I hadn’t been able to make the meeting to sign the new contracts, Clay organised for me to sign them with Paige’s uncle in Rafters Falls. I’m officially on an NBA roster.

“They’re sympathetic,” Clay adds. “They just need to know where your head’s at.”

Where my head’s at?

My mind flashes immediately to earlier today, and the intoxicating touch of a certain auburn-haired beauty. Hadley’s mouth on mine, the taste of her, the way time seemed to stop long enough for everything else to fade into the background.

I’ve kissed many women in my life, but this one somehow got under my skin, and I don’t know if it’s because of her connection to the Sunfire Circle … or something more.

It doesn’t matter.

No, itcan’tmatter.

I need to forget the feel of her lips on mine. It can never happen again. She’s in bed with the enemy, bound to the people who destroyed my family.

Releasing a deep breath, I answer carefully. “I need a couple more weeks here, Clay. There’s the estate to deal with, paperwork, lawyers, all that crap. I’m not ready to leave yet.”

Clay doesn’t push it. “Got it. I’ll let them know, and I’ll check in again soon, alright?”

“Yeah. Thanks, man.”

We hang up, and I stare out at the dying light of the day. The world feels like it’s spinning without me. Basketball. The funeral. Hadley. All of it tangled together in this strange, inescapable knot.

Something tells me it’s only going to get messier.

Chapter Fifteen

HADLEY

The air is thick and suffocating as I join the rest of the congregation in the Sunfire Circle chapel on Tuesday evening. I fold my trembling hands neatly in my lap; inside, I’m unravelling. Guardian Solomon’s voice rolls over the congregation like thunder made of silk, low and commanding, every word soaked in fire and fate.

I can’t focus on what he’s saying. Something about divine purpose, chosen paths, and sacred unions.

Sacred unions. The Awakening.

This is for your safety.

No one will know of the deception.

I’m lying to myself. Seraphina will know.

She will be suspicious when Gabriel announces me as his Chosen.

Angry, even.

My throat is dry, and I swear I feel each heartbeat ricocheting through my ribs like a drumbeat announcing war. Our war.

Gabriel went to his father after he snuck me back to mycabin early Saturday morning, and they made an announcement that night—his eldest son is ready to fulfill his duty to the Circle and take a new Chosen. I haven’t seen Gabriel since. He said it would be too dangerous for us to be seen in one another’s company before he proclaimed me at the ceremony. Gianna hasn’t let up on her theory that his Chosen will be me, but I’ve kept my mouth shut, not wanting to give anything away.

Nervous tension causes my stomach to clench. When he lost Madeline, his parents forced him to take a new Chosen after six months. Will they be suspicious of him coming to them only two weeks after Zara’s murder?

What we’re about to do is dangerous. Gabriel thinks this will protect me, but what if his plan backfires?