Page 63 of Wicked Salvation

Meet me by the tree at dusk.

I spend the rest of the late afternoon avoiding classes—it’s not like I need to attend them anyway, Augustine is just where wealthy Catholics send their children for matchmaking. It’s also a gateway toanyuniversity. The government will never investigate why Augustine has a 98% acceptance rate into the best schools in the world. In fact, the only reason why it’s not 100% is because some girls don’t choose to go to university after finding their match. They opt to go straight into homemaking.

Though I had dreams of Eden and I attending Oxford together, the more she tries to resist me, the more I’m certain that I’ll be getting her pregnant on our wedding night. Well, that’s if she isn’t already—we’re getting married so soon that no one would be able to tell. The thought sends a thrum of excitement through me, straight to my cock. As much as Eden pisses me off right now, I love her. She will be the cornerstone of the Peregrine-Ashford empire.

And the thought of her carrying my heir.

Her belly round and full, needing me foreverything.

That would be a dream. As I pace the length of the breezeway, I realize that I’m going to make it a reality. I just need to know the best time. The next time I see her, I’ll check if she has one of those period tracker apps on her phone. If not, I’ll just have Anastazya keep track of it for me. At least she’ll be good for something else, too.

I spend my time roaming the campus.

The tension is palpable. Ever since the arrest of the archbishop, the leaks, the vandalism, everyone has been on edge. That’s the thing about the wealthy—they think they’re untouchable until somethingactuallyhappens. They came here with the expectation that they’d be sequestered away from the reality of life.

Lucian is shattering that facade.

Unlike The Order of The Holy Sacrament, the school officials can’t just turn a blind eye. This kind of thing spreads like wildfire in high society social circles. Parents have already started pulling their children from the school. If this continues, by next semester there’ll hardly be any students left enrolled.

Finally,night envelopes the campus.

I’ve been stalking the grounds relentlessly, hoping that the burn from walking so much would calm the chaos in my mind. It doesn’t. I pass students frozen in fear, nuns hastily retreating to their rooms. Lucian is nowhere to be found, but his presence is everywhere like a ghost’s. The voices have only gotten worse, the need to seal Eden to me burns every inch of my nerves.

I can help you.

The Spirit’s voice slices through the cacophony of thoughts in my head. My heart finally stops feeling like it’s going to beat out of my chest. I find the nearest quiet enclave to commune—locking myself inside an empty broom closet.

Bring me real blood and I shall grant you what you desperately seek.

You failed in your last attempt to bind her.

This will ensure your success.

The surety that comes from The Spirit’s promise rattles my spine, sending a shiver of electricity shooting through the base of my neck.

“What do you seek?”

Sacrifice her to me.

My whole body turns hot.

“Eden?”

Yes. I shall bind her to you irrevocably.

My heart starts to thrum in my chest…

“Are you suggesting?—”

Yes, the Sacred Binding Rite.

Hesitation wraps around my throat like a cloak on a dark night, clawing at my windpipe, stifling my breaths. The Sacred Binding Rite was banned from use in The Order of The Holy Sacrament. The last time it was done—albeit accidentally—the entire school was destroyed. The details are sketchy, word of mouth passed down from the 1900s.

But one uncomfortable detail remains true…

“The one who is bound loses their soul to the one who binds them.”

The dust in the broom closet swirls suddenly, knocking me back a few steps. A hacking cough rips through me. As leader of The Order, The Spirit is most connected to me. The campus is its domain, and despite my position, I’m aware that at the end of the day, I’m still an adherent.