Grim Rites by Bilinda Sheehan Page A

his hands to his chest as though my words had physically wounded him. His expression made me smile despite the turmoil going on in my head. “There’s a smile,” he said, his voice softening as he climbed to his feet.
    His voice sent a frisson of longing through me. What was it about him that made me want to throw caution to the wind and forget everything I was, if only I could get another taste of his lips?
    Coughing awkwardly, I glanced down at my watch. “We need to get going,” I said. The moment was broken and yet Nic continued to watch me for a few seconds more, his gaze searching mine.
    “Where to?” he asked, an almost imperceptible sigh escaping him. If we hadn’t been standing so close, I would have missed it.
    Was he honestly disappointed? The idea certainly wasn’t impossible, but why would he be? Pushing the rogue thoughts aside, I focussed on the flyer I still held in my hands.
    “We’re going to church,” I said, with a shudder. The last time I’d been to church had been when I was still living in Ireland. Organised religion didn’t exactly look favourably upon witches and truly devout priests seemed to have a sixth sense for my kind. Meeting with them tended not to end with them inviting me back for tea and biscuits.
    “And what are we going to do with her?” Nic said, gesturing to the stiff body of the woman in front of us.
    “I want to find Mia first, make sure she’s safe, and then I’ll call the Elite. However this went down, there isn’t a mark on the woman; it had to be a preternatural kill…. If Mia’s safe, then I’ll come back here and walk the scene,” I said, pity flipping my stomach as I stared at the woman’s unseeing stare.
    Whatever had happened to put the look in her eyes had terrified her, and no one deserved to die like that. Death was bad enough without your last moments on Earth being filled with terror and pain.
    “Victoria is going to be pissed,” Nic said with a smile. “Are you sure you want a Changeling being that angry with you?”
    “I’m a big girl now; I can take her if I need to….” I spoke with confidence, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I’d seen what Victoria had done to Zeck—the last thing I wanted to ever do was fall on her bad side. I had a feeling it would end with me cold and stiff like the body on the floor.
    “Let’s go,” I said, striding out of the room. The less I thought about that, the better I would sleep at night. And, for now at least, I had bigger fish to fry.
    My plan was simple: find Mia and make my mistake right … no matter the cost.

Chapter 8
    S tanding outside the church , I stared up at its stained glass windows and shuddered. So much could go wrong with this plan. I’d heard tales of Shadow Sorcerers of old entering churches, the gargoyles screaming out their warning right before the witch was reduced to little more than a heap of ash.
    Not that I really believed that story … or at least, I’d spent a lot of time telling myself that. And of course I’d attended church when I lived in Ireland. It was simply a part of the curriculum and everyone was expected to toe the religious line. That had been fine until I’d come face to face with a priest who was truly devout.
    He’d known what I was—maybe he’d even know what I truly was, what my potential was. If he had, he hadn’t mentioned it, but I wasn’t ruling anything out. That particular priest had only been too happy to make an example out of me, drawing me up in front of the class to inform my classmates that an abomination walked among them.
    That had been the first time in my life that I’d wished my mother had taught me black magic instead of white. If I could have turned that man into a toad—or worse—I would have….
    “Are we going in?” Nic asked, breaking into my thoughts.
    I jumped. I’d been so lost in my own mind I hadn’t even remembered he was with me. I really needed to stop doing that; it made me far more