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if Bertrand’s murder was too convenient. Anthony had confronted him at the hospital; there could easily have been someone who’d seen or overheard them together, and casting suspicion on Anthony would cause Skye personal and professional grief.
    Though Skye had closed the investigation into the murders of the priest after her only suspect died, Martin Truxel had pressed her to look at Rafe as an accomplice. Of course he hadn’t been, but Skye couldn’t very well explain to the D.A. that a coven of witches had been responsible.
    Moira didn’t push him about the alibi he’d given Anthony. Instead, she said, “We have another issue. Lily’s daywalking, for lack of a better word. She found me on the cliffs today, two hours after she walked out of the school. But she didn’t remember how she got there or how she knew I was there.”
    “Did you—?” Anthony began.
    “Of course,” she said. “I checked her, her car, her locker, the Santos house, every place I could think of for any sign of external magic. Nada.”
    “It sounds like what happened to me when I awoke from the coma,” Rafe said. Lily had pulled into herself. She was pale and skinny, but what worried Rafe the most was her haunted eyes. “I didn’t know how I got to the cliffs, or how I knew the ritual was taking place.” It still bothered him, not knowing what had happened to him during the coma. Not knowing why he knew things he’d never learned, languages he shouldn’t be able to speak, memories he hadn’t experienced.
    But there would be time for contemplation later.
    “We need to put a leash on her,” Moira said. “Jared and Hank haven’t been able to keep a close enough eye on her.”
    “My mother came to the school today,” Lily said, speaking up again. “I ran from her. But she said something… ” Her voice trailed off.
    “What? Specifically?” Anthony said.
    “That I needed to prepare myself, that I was the arca .”
    The arca , born and bred to house a demon. Not only a demon, but the Seven Deadly Sins. Her own mother had conceived her with the sole purpose of sacrificing her. Had the ritual on the cliffs continued, the Seven would have been contained within Lily’s body—the arca —in order to do Fiona’s bidding. Lily would certainly have died that night, and Rafe felt protective over the young girl. So did Moira. They all did.
    “Father Philip baptized you,” Anthony said, his voice soft. Sometimes, Anthony could be truly kind and compassionate. He, too, understood what Lily had endured. She hadn’t even known what her mother had planned to do until she nearly died. “They can’t use you for the Seven, Lily.”
    “She was certain that they can,” Lily said. “She scared me.”
    “That’s her job,” Moira said. “To keep you anxious. We’re not going to let them get to you.” Moira bit her lip. Rafe studied her. Something else was on her mind. Then she said, “I’ll take her to Olivet. It’s the only place she can truly be safe.”
    “I don’t want to leave Jared,” Lily said.
    “It’s not forever,” Moira said. “A couple weeks. Olivet’s a fortress. Everyone there is well trained. And while you’re there, maybe Rico and his band of merry men can figure out what your dreams mean.” She glanced at Rafe.
    “And?” Rafe asked. She was holding back.
    “Rico wants me up there, anyway. I’ll bring Lily with me.”
    Anthony leaned forward and glared at Moira. When was his hostility going to end? It was grating on Rafe. “He didn’t tell me.”
    Moira jumped up, confrontational. “Always suspicious, aren’t you? Think you need to be consulted on everything?”
    Rafe interceded. “Why?” he asked her. “What does Rico want?”
    “A hot spot popped up and he needs my help. We’re spread too thin right now.”
    “I’ll join you,” Rafe said.
    “I wish you could,” she said. “But Rico said specifically for you and Anthony to remain here. And with Bertrand dead, we don’t know if he was