Panic taking over, I race back over to my phone and pick it up.
I have so many missed calls, I can’t even begin to sort through them, so I just go straight to voicemail.
Hitting play, Charity’s voice blasts through my speaker. “You bitch! How dare you leave me in a dumpster! I remember everything from last night, and if you think—”
Grimacing at her screeches and honestly not caring about what she has to say, I skip to the next message.
Father Dominic’s cold voice slithers into my ear, cranking up my sense of dread. “Chloe, I’ve received your codeword. Call me back at this number.”
His message promptly ends, and nothing plays after.
That’s it. Two voicemails.
Two voicemails from the people I dislike the most in the world…
What about Father McCall? What about Isaac?
Did they forget about me?
I finally check through my missed calls but they’re all from Charity and a number I don’t recognize. The number that must be Father Dominic’s.
Why is he calling me? How did he get my codeword?
Fearing the worst but hoping I’m just being pessimistic, I tap on his missed call and dial the number.
The line rings five times before he answers. “Hello?”
“Father Dominic,” I croak out then clear my throat. “It’s Chloe.”
“Ah, Chloe,” he says, his voice oozing his dislike. “How nice of you to finally call me back.”
“I’m sorry, I…” trailing off with a sigh, my shoulders slump.
I don’t even know how to explain why I passed out.
Or why I should have to explain it. He obviously got my message and knows I’m in danger.
“You ran into a little trouble? Hmm? Ran into your vampire lover?” he finishes for me.
“He’s not my lover—”
Father Dominic interrupts me before I can fully defend myself. “Not yet. But we both know it’s only a matter of time before you spread your whore legs and let him defile you.”
“What?” I gasp in disbelief.
Did he really just say that to me?
“Chloe, Chloe, Chloe,” he says, chiding me like I’m child. “Drop the innocent act. You should know by now that it doesn’t work on me. I’m immune to your wicked charms.”
What on earth is he talking about? What wicked charms?
Scratch that, I don’t really want to know.
“Where’s Father McCall?” I ask, trying to keep my anger out of my voice. “I need to speak to him. It’s an emergency.”
“He’s dead,” Father Dominic says simply.
So simply I’m not sure I heard him right.
“What?” I find myself gasping for the second time.
“He’s dead, Chloe,” Father Dominic says more firmly, his own anger leaking into his voice. “He was killed yesterday, by vampires.”
“No,” I moan as the truth of his words hits, taking all the strength out of me.
Father McCall is dead.
Killed by vampires.
The man who’s been my only protector in this cursed world is gone.
“Yes, he’s gone,” Father Dominic says cruelly, “and I’m stuck with you now.”
Looking up at the ceiling, tears stinging my eyes, I ask, “How?”
But I’m not asking Father Dominic, I’m asking God.
How could He take him from me?
Have I not lost enough?
My mother. My father.
My entire life.
All gone.
Have I not sacrificed enough? Have I not given enough?
How much more must I suffer? How much more must I endure to prove my devotion? How many more people around me must die?
Die because I’m cursed.
“He was attempting to rescue a cursed girl,” Father Dominic growls. “The mission went bad.”
A sob bubbles out of me and I quickly slap my hand over my mouth to smother the next one.
All of my heart and soul is in pain, terrible pain, but I know better, even now, than to show weakness in front of Father Dominic.
“Are you crying?” Father Dominic asks, and there’s so much disdain in his voice I can’t bring myself to answer him.
Another sob tries to bubble out of me and I gulp it back.
“You are crying,” Father Dominic says with smug certainty. Then his next words almost destroy me. “Good. You should be crying, Chloe. You practically killed him yourself.”
I shake my head hard in denial.
“It wasn’t me, it was vampires…” I remind him between sobs.
“It was your kind,” he practically spits. “You Whores of Babylon. Evil Jezebels that will usher in the End of Times. Tempters of Man and Beast. You should all be burned at the stake. If you had any righteousness inside you, any love for God Almighty, you’d save us the trouble and end your own life.”
His words are so harsh, so cruel and unexpected, I feel like each one just slapped me in the face.
“You want me to kill myself?!” I practically screech.
“Yes,” he answers with no shame. “You should kill yourself, Chloe.”
I rock back on my heels, almost falling over in disbelief. Disbelief so strong it temporarily numbs my pain.
“That’s an unforgivable sin,” I remind him with a hiss.
“For a human,” he snaps back.
He couldn’t insult me more if he tried. I can take being called a whore, a jezebel, and everything else under the sun.