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leaned his forehead against mine. “God, I missed you.”
    “Me too.”
    Jared guided me toward a cluster of towering evergreens, and we ducked beneath them.
    “How did you find me?”
    “Elle helped us.”
    “Elle?” I hadn’t spoken to my best friend since the day I called her weeks ago, before my aunt had me shipped off to Winterhaven.
    Jared wrapped his arms around me, tucking my head under his chin. “She tried to get your aunt to tell her where she sent you, but the only thing Elle could get out of her was that you were somewhere in Pennsylvania. Luckily, it was enough to get Lukas started. He hacked into the admissions records of every boarding school in the state until he found you.”
    “There must be dozens.”
    “Fifty-four. That’s why it took so long.” He sounded apologetic, as if this was somehow his fault instead of mine. “We started with the most logical schools, and then Luke hit them alphabetically. None of us thought she’d send you to a place like this.”
    “My aunt thinks I ran away.”
    Jared took my hand. “Then let’s prove her right and get out of here.”
    I stiffened. “I can’t leave.”
    “Don’t worry. We’ll be more careful this time.”
    “I’m not afraid of getting caught.” I closed my eyes, dreading the next part. “I don’t belong with the four of you.”
    The real members of the Legion.
    “You belong with me no matter what,” he said.
    “I could’ve gotten you all killed. And who knows how many people Andras has hurt already. Dozens, by my count.”
    “It’s not your—”
    “Then whose fault is it?” My voice rose. “Because someone let him out, and I was the only person in that cell.”
    “You didn’t make that decision alone. All five of us were there, and we told you to put the Shift together.” Jared’s hand tightened around mine. “Come on. You’re not staying here.”
    I wanted to leave with him more than anything, but the stakes were too high. What if I made another mistake and Jared or one of my friends paid the price?
    A sick feeling settled in my stomach. “You guys have to find a way to stop Andras. If I screw up again, even more people could get hurt.”
    Or worse.
    Jared let my hand slip from his. “There’s something I need to tell you, but I don’t know how.”
    “You can tell me anything.”
    Jared didn’t say a word for what felt like minutes. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded far away. “Your mother’s death was a mistake. It never should’ve happened.” He still couldn’t forgive himself for accidentally leading the demon to my mom and the other Legion members.
    “It was an accident,” I said. “You have to let it go.”
    “You don’t understand,” he said quietly. “You were right all along.”
    He wasn’t making any sense. “About what?”
    “Your mother was never a member of the Legion.”

T he ground seemed to shift beneath my feet.
    “You’re wrong.” I doubted the words even as they left my lips. “A vengeance spirit killed my mom on the same night the other Legion members were murdered. And she died exactly the same way.”
    “I wrote your mother’s name on the list with the other Legion members’ names. That’s the only reason Andras hunted her down. It’s my fault.” Jared slammed his fist into the tree next to him. He punched it over and over, a hit for each word. “Everything. Is. My. God. Damned. Fault.”
    I caught his arm. “You’re not making any sense. Where is this coming from?”
    “We figured there had to be a reason why you didn’t get your mark after you destroyed Darien Shears’ spirit.So Lukas started digging and realized I made a mistake. When I found your mom’s name and she fit the profile of the missing member, I stopped looking. But there was someone else. Lukas found a birth certificate.”
    I still remembered the first time Lukas and Jared told me she was part of the secret society—and that I was destined to take her place. I had doubted my mom’s