Page 33 of Wicked Salvation

Maybe she was scared.

But she called me the last time she was scared.

She knew that I would have protected her—with my life if I needed to.

At the very least, she could have fucking told me before…

I push the thoughts of that night out of my head. If I focus on them, I’ll change my mind about all this. I’d end up on my knees begging Eden to be mine, I’d rip Silas’ heart out of his chest with my bare hands.

Maybe I’d get what I want that way.

But that won’t be fulfilling for me in the long run.

She needs to choose.

Eden thinks she’s engaged to somebody untouchable. Compared to Silas, compared toher,she might think me a commoner, a powerless one at that.

If she wants a powerful man…

Then I’ll show her power.

I grin to myself. The fear in her eyes when I smashed the window—glass shattered against her desk like frozen pieces of a cracked rainbow. I spoke to Tyne while staring through the jagged mouth in the wall.

She held my gaze until she couldn’t anymore.

The infection sunk deeper, then.

Oh my sweet, Edie. This is just the beginning.

Augustine is a den of vipers masquerading as a holy school. Beneath every golden accomplishment, every act of piety is just to mask the decay this school was built on. But I know the truth.

The blood of a cursed commoner once destroyed this place.

She brought The Order to its knees, and ravaged the entire school. It was rebuilt—but the spirit of her and her lover still haunts these halls, angry that The Order was recreated, angry that “men of importance” still torment the girls at this school in pursuit of even more power.

The school might be named after my family, but that doesn’t mean I agree with anything that happens here. I was clear about my feelings, but my parents still thought it was a good idea to send me here—their only requirement? That I didn’t disrupt the school’s image. This wretched school is still part of my family’s legacy, part of their wealth—albeit, a small part—but they’d rather ignore what happens here than try to fix the underlying problem.

That’s how wealth works.

It eventually corrupts you even when you have the best intentions, just like religion.

Until now, I had been able to follow their instructions.

I declined the offer to join The Order.

Through my family’s charity, I made sure that each girl they used for their fucked up ritual would get psychiatric help and everything else they needed to recover. It was the only thing I could reasonably do. Other than that, I was disconnected.

Until her.

Lady Eden Grace Lockhart.

The interesting girl I first met in the shadows.

Vivienne’s roommate, my English Literature partner.

The more I learned about her, the more I found myself pulled to her.

It was more than just her beauty. Something in her soul called to mine. Deep down, I felt like we were more alike that she realized, that our souls were destined to meet at this crossroad.