Page 74 of Twisted Truths

Hadley sniffs, and I look over to see her brush a tear from her cheek. Guilt twists in my stomach. If it weren’t for the Solomons’ cult, she never would have come into my life, but I’d give up anything to have my family back.

“So, a child born of pure bloodlines is the Divine Light?” I swallow around the lump in my throat before voicing my biggest fear aloud. “What will they do if they suspect he’s not your son?”

“They won’t hurt him,” Gabriel says confidently.

I narrow my eyes. “How do you know?”

Pain flashes over his face. “When I lost Madeline and Annie, the first thing my mother said to me was the child was not meant to be as she wasn’t born under an eclipse. I had just lost the love of my life and my daughter, and that was how she comforted me.”

My stomach drops. While I may not like the guy, the poor bastard has been through something I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. “I’m sorry for your loss, but?—”

“They won’t hurt Franklin,” Gabriel interrupts. “He was born on the first annular eclipse in thirty-five years. He was the first child born under the ring of fire, and the entire congregation believes him to be my heir. Even if my mother knows or suspects the truth, she won’t hurt him. To her, he is the miracle she’s been waiting for. Regardless of his true parentage, he is the illumination who lit up the darkness.”

I mutter a curse under my breath. “You’ve got to be kidding me. They won’t give a shit what bloodline he has?”

He shakes his head.

Another curse slips from my lips. This whole thing blows my fucking mind.

“How do we find out if it really was Tanner and Seraphina?” Hadley asks. “We have no proof.”

“There has to be something connecting them,” he says.

“I’ll call Grimshaw. He’ll know where to look.” He casts a quick glance at me. “Are you okay?”

My laugh is humourless. “Peachy-fucking-keen.”

He frowns and looks over at Hadley.

“Go,” she tells him. “See what you can find out.”

Gabriel exhales a heavy sigh before leaving the room. When it’s only the two of us, Hadley takes a couple of steps towards me, but then she hesitates, clearly remembering my request for space.

“When’s it all going to stop?” I ask her.

“What?” she asks softly.

“All of it,” I say, my voice cracking. “The bad news. I thought it was supposed to come in threes, but I feel like I keep taking hit after hit. My family’s dead, my sister was assaulted by her boyfriend, and now it looks like he might have been involved in her murders. My nephew’s existence was hidden from me, and now I find out he’s been dragged into some insane prophecy cult that thinks he’s their divine light, whatever the fuck that means.”

I ignore the pain in her expression over her part in keeping the truth from me. Deep down, I know she was only doing what she thought would keep him safe, but it doesn’t hurt any less and it doesn’t change the fact he’s now in more danger than before, with no one to look out for him.

When I continue, my voice is low. “He’s the only piece of my sister I have left, and he’s being held by psychopaths who see him as a symbol and not a person.”

Hadley steps closer. Not close enough to touch, but closeenough to feel her presence. “I think Gabriel’s right. They won’t hurt Franklin because of that fact. They will do whatever it takes to keep him safe because he’s their salvation.”

“He’s a child!” I choke out, staring at her in bewilderment. How can she be so calm?

She smiles sadly. “I know, and we will get him back.”

I shake my head.

As much as I want to believe her, something in my gut isn’t sitting right. I’m terrified I’m going to lose even more than I already have. The worst thing is, I don’t know if I’ll survive anymore blows. How much more can one person take before it all becomes too much?

Sensing the internal chaos flowing through my mind, Hadley closes the distance between us, sinking to her knees in front of me and cupping my cheeks in her hands. My heart races as I meet her gaze.

“I promise you, Nash. Gabriel and I will help you get Franklin back and bring down the Circle for good. They need to be held accountable for all the atrocities they’ve done.”

We’re still locked in our intense moment when Gabriel returns, clearing his throat.