The Stars Never Rise

“We may have an ally on the inside,” I whispered, and Finn’s borrowed brows rose. “They just escorted my friend Anabelle inside. She’s a teacher, but unconsecrated. I don’t know how many of the lies about me she believes, but there’s no way she could look into my sister’s eyes and believe Mellie is possessed. If you can get to her, she may be able to help us.”


“Okay. But even with your friend, we’re short on manpower, so I suggest we proceed with stealth rather than brute force.”

“We’re not going to need either,” I whispered, and his green eyes narrowed. “We’re going to walk right in. Congratulations, Officer…”—I squinted at the name tag pinned over his chest—“Jennings. You’ve just captured public enemy number one.”

Finn blinked. “You want me to turn you in?” His dark brows furrowed, and I could practically see the objection forming. “What’s to keep them from shooting you on sight? They already tried that once.”

“They were trying to shut me up. This time I won’t give them a reason to. Even if they want me dead”—and I was far from sure about that—“they’ll want a public execution, which they can’t get until morning.”

His jaw tightened. “And after they’ve interrogated you about the rest of Anathema.”

“I suspect they’ll call it an interview.”

Finn’s grim gaze held mine. “It won’t be an interview.”

“No.” It would be torture. That’s what demons do. “But it won’t last long. With me in custody, Melanie won’t be so closely guarded. You can get her out. With any luck, Anabelle will help.”

Finn’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not leaving you here.”

“Glad to hear it. Did the police costume come with handcuffs?”

Finn started patting down Officer Jennings’s cassock. “Try the inside pockets,” I said, and he reached into the front of his robe through a fold across his chest and pulled out a bundle of plastic zip ties.

“Even better. Got a knife?”

Another pocket search produced a small multi-tool. A minute later, he’d bound my wrists at my back with the doctored zip ties, and suddenly the reality of what we were about to do hit me. I choked back panic and turned to look up at him, steeling my spine with determination. Necessity. “Get Mellie. No matter what. Get her out, Finn.”

“I’ll do my best. But I won’t leave you here.”

“Finn—”

“No. I won’t leave you,” he said, and I could tell from the look in his eyes that he meant it. The only way for me to guarantee Melanie’s survival was to fight for my own.

Committed to the course and running out of time before the fake-exorcist contingent returned from the town gate, we rounded the building again and I clenched my fists at my back to keep them from shaking as “Officer Jennings” marched me through the front door.

Two other cops stood guard just inside, and we’d made it fewer than ten feet across the marble floor of the large, open lobby before one of them shouted for us to halt. “Jennings!”

Finn turned with me slowly, cautiously, his hand on my arm more comfort than restraint, and I wasn’t surprised to see both of the other officers aiming guns at me, feet spread in identical “on alert” stances.

“Where…? How did you…?” the older of the two said, and I swallowed my fear along with deep, slow, quiet sips of air. Both of the officers were unconsecrated. They were human. I didn’t want to hurt them, but they were clearly willing to hurt me.

When Finn obviously didn’t have answers to the questions they couldn’t seem to complete, I opened my mouth. “I turned myself in,” I said, and both guns swung upward, aiming at my head in sync. “He was the first officer I saw.”

The one on the right—his name tag read “Lonnigan”—pulled a radio from the belt around the waist of his cassock and pressed a button. “This is Lonnigan, at the front door. Officer Jennings has just brought in the prime fugitive. Repeat, Jennings has brought in Nina Kane. Over,” he added, almost as an afterthought.

The moment he let go of the button, a cacophony of shouts and orders erupted from the radio, and the other cop made some slight correction to his aim. At my head. A door opened down the hall, and rapid, heavy footsteps clomped toward us. A second later, we were surrounded by armed men in navy cassocks, and my throat suddenly felt as tight as my chest.

“Thank you, Officer Jennings. We’ll take her from here.”

Finn’s hand fell away from me, and another replaced it in a rough grip. Metal clicked all around me as more guns were cocked, and when the new hand turned me, I found myself looking into a face I knew from the news. “Chief Kaughman.” My gaze traced the white embroidery climbing the center of his cassock and scrolling around his broad sleeves.

He was possessed.

“Nina Kane. I have to say, I’m surprised to see you here.”

“She turned herself in,” Officer Lonnigan said, and the chief nodded without even glancing at him.

“And why might she do that?” he said, looking at me even as he directed his question to Lonnigan.