She gasped and pulled her wrist free of my hold. “He tried to get me to go inside.”
“Oh, I’m sure of it. A pretty lass like you all by her lonesome.”
“It’s not like he could have... done things to me... right?” She shuddered, biting down hard into the plump flesh of her lower lip.
“If the spirits are still here, there’s no telling what kind of strength they’ve amassed over the years. A century is a long time, Sunday.”
“But Kelly wasn’t in the village. She...”
“Was on the beach?” Pain speared me at the mention of the O’Shanahan girl. I remembered her well. She’d been the final soul to be trapped here. Fitting, as her mother was the first. Her beloved daughter had been my last.
Sunday nodded.
“Aye. Because that’s where she died. Where I drained her as she begged me to spare her.”
“Caleb.” Her voice was pleading but also confused. As if she wasn’t entirely sure what she was asking me for.
“What’s wrong, Miss Fallon? You no longer want to learn my truth. Do you think less of me now? I wouldn’t blame you. Trust me, I hate myself more than you ever could.”
“Don’t fuckingMiss Fallonme, Caleb. You’re trying to make me see you as a monster. But the truth is, you don’t want to face what you did.”
I sputtered. “Don’t want to face... Sunday, all I bloody do is reflect on the crimes I’ve committed. Make no mistake, I knowexactlywhat kind of monster I am. Doyou? Do you know who you’ve let in your bed? Inside that sweet cunt of yours?”
“Aren’t we all monsters in the dark?”
“Not you. You’re an angel sharing her light with me.”
Her laugh was low and harsh. “I highly doubt an angel would have found herself knocked up by four different men at the same time and somehow ended up engaged to the man who kidnapped her. I’m just as fucked up as you are, Caleb. My sins just look a little different.”
“They’re the most beautiful sins I’ve ever heard. And even angels fall.”
Her expression softened, her blue eyes piercing me with their earnest intensity. She took a step closer to me and rested her palm against my cheek. “And even good men are forced into situations out of their control. You need to forgive yourself, Caleb. If I can do it, so can you.”
“The things I did...”
“Come with me,” she said, threading our fingers and bringing my knuckles to her lips. “It’s time for you to make your confession, Father Gallagher.”
We walked silently toward the church, my mouth growing drier with each step. I hadn’t set foot in there since the night I was turned. My very essence protested the thought of bringing my mate to the scene of my worst crimes. And yet there was a small part of me that wanted her to see it. To punish me. I deserved her hate more than I ever deserved her love.
“Sunday... I can’t. The things I did...” I hated how my voice faltered as I repeated my protest, more for me than her.
“The things you did don’t make you who you are now. A person is more than a series of moments. It is what they do after they fall down that defines them. They will always haunt you unless you lay yourself bare and face them head-on.”
“I don’t think I’m strong enough.”
“You don’t have to do it alone. We’re stronger together, Caleb. I will see you through this. Be there for you like you’ve been there for me. That’s what a wife is supposed to do, right?”
Her smile was teasing, the lift of her brow a challenge. I knew I was lost. I’d never been very good at denying her. And that one word coming from her lips.Wife. Christ, it ruined me. Shattered any resolve I might have clung to. I had no defense against her.
We may not be married in the eyes of God, but I wasn’t even worthy of His gaze anyway. We may never make official vows. That didn’t change the simple truth of it. She was still mine, and I was hers. We’d already promised ourselves to one another. That was enough for me.
“Lead the way, wife. I’ll follow you into hell if you ask me to.”
She smirked. “Careful, you might get your wish.”
Together we pushed open the old wooden doors, the creak of rusty hinges echoing through the sanctuary. Flashes of that night hit me hard, but Sunday gripped my hand and reminded me she was there, holding me fast, keeping me grounded.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be so dark in here. Aren’t there supposed to be stained glass windows or something?”