Everyone who’d died in the city since the barrier had been put in place—they’d all been trapped. They’d gathered in the abandoned house, waiting for the time that they could escape. That time was now.

I turned to look at him as something very important occurred to me. “Could you leave, too? You could go right now. Out of the city, away from the barrier...Heaven could pull you back. Could heal you.”

He studied the torn barrier, the edges glowing with visible light. “It’s not that easy for me now.”

“Why not?”

“The mission’s not over yet and I know I won’t even be on their radar again until it is. With this soul in me, I’m basically invisible to Heaven. So I’m not leaving—not this city, not this problem and not you.” When I opened my mouth to argue, his gaze grew tense. “No arguing. My decision isn’t going to change. Got it? I’m not going anywhere till this is over.”

I blew out a breath. “Stubborn.”

“Remind you of anyone?”

“Yeah, your older brother.”

He snorted at that before his expression shifted to one that was more wary. “You can’t tell anyone about this.”

“Kraven already knows what I am.”

“He doesn’t know this. This is our secret. Promise me you won’t tell him.”

“One more secret?”

“It’s important.”

I nodded, my throat tight. “Fine. I promise.”

We kept watching until the cut in the barrier resealed itself a minute later. The souls had been released to find their way to the afterlife.

We, however, were still stuck inside until further notice.

* * *

Once we got back to my house, Bishop lingered by the front door, as if uncertain if he should come all the way inside.

“I need to meet up with the others,” he said. “And you need to rest. It’s been a hell of a couple of days.”

I nodded. “Understatement. Major understatement.”

But there was something I needed to get off my chest first, something I wouldn’t let be buried in the silence between us. Bishop was the one who was amazing at hiding secrets—not me.

“I saw your execution,” I said quietly.

His gaze shot to mine. “What?”

“When I touched you...when you were possessed. I saw you. You were hanged.” I swallowed hard and looked at the floral area rug my mother had bought to warm up the otherwise cold front foyer. “You thought you deserved it. And when it happened, it took a long time before you died. I felt what you felt. It was horrible.”

His expression darkened and he turned away from me. “Samantha, I really wish you hadn’t had to experience that.”

I moved closer to him and grabbed his arm. “All of those bad things back then. You keep them so close to you, that’s why they’re so vivid. There’s so much about you that you won’t tell me, but...”

“But what?”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “But I think I have you figured out.”

He snorted softly. “You have, have you?”

“I’m not afraid of you, despite everything I’ve seen and learned. I know you, Bishop, and you’re kind of amazing.”

He looked away again, but I grabbed his face and made him look at me. “And whatever happened in the past? I don’t care about any of it. Who you are now, what you do and how you look at me. Those are the only things that matter. To hell with everything else.”

His gaze searched mine. “I thought I’d lost you tonight.”

My throat hurt too much to swallow. “Ditto. But I’m alive. And so are you. We both got second chances.”

I finally let go of him and paced nervously to the door, then back.

He watched me, his expression wary again. “What is it?”

I’d been thinking about this ever since I got Stephen’s note. Ever since we went to the barrier. I knew it was the right thing to do.

“I want you to have something,” I said firmly. “I want you to hold on to it for me, because I don’t trust anyone else with it.”

“What?”

I pressed the gold locket into his hand—such a small object for what it carried inside. Bishop looked with shock at the chain now hanging from his grip.

“I realized two very important things tonight.”

He tore his confused gaze away from the locket to meet mine. “The first?”

“That I can’t have my soul back. Not yet, anyway. What’s been happening here in Trinity is bigger than me. Bigger than any of us. And now with Zach and Cassandra gone...” My voice broke. “Well, you guys need as much help as you can get. I won’t be able to access my nexus abilities if I have a soul again. I won’t be able to help you if I’m just a human.”

Bishop stared down at the gold locket as if stunned I’d give such a thing to him. “What’s the second reason you’re giving me this?”

A smile tugged at my lips and I gave him a small shrug. “I guess I’m a sucker for symbolism.”

His gaze met mine again and there were so many questions and doubts in his blue eyes, but he didn’t give voice to any of them.

“So?” I ventured when silence fell between us. “Will you take it? Will you keep it safe for me until I need it back?”

Finally, he nodded, then pulled the chain over his head, tucking the locket underneath his shirt. “I promise to take very good care of it.”