Revenant (The Midnight Society #3) by Logan Patricks

would allow her to heal from her deep wounds. It was a path I had no business being on.
    A few years later, after we vanished from each other’s lives, I discovered the Midnight Society and the rest was history.
    I always wondered what had happened to Karina.
    Today I had my answer.
    Calisto had found her, ripped her away from whatever innocent life she had, and forced her onto her knees while tears streamed down her face.
    The crowd of stupid people sat there silently and watched.
    “Lincoln, do you know this girl?” Odin asked me.
    Karina looked up at me, confused. She didn’t know me as Lincoln. She knew me by my real name.
    “Let her go, Calisto,” I said.
    “Clearly he does,” Calisto replied, addressing Odin’s question directly.
    Odin nodded, like a bitch to his master, and directed his attention to me once more.
    “You have been found guilty, Lincoln Richards, of adultery. Therefore, for your transgressions your first love shall bear your cross. Because the Revenants are not done with you yet, Karina shall die on your behalf.”
    “Don’t do this,” I said. I was responsible for too many deaths already. I couldn’t stand watching Karina die as well. She still owned a piece of my heart.
    “There’s no other choice, Lincoln,” Calisto said. “Someone needs to be punished.”
    “Punish me then,” I demanded. “If I was the one who sinned in your eyes, then it’s my cross to bear. Let her go.”
    Calisto shook her head. “You know we can’t let that happen. She’s seen everything. She’s seen all our faces. She’ll talk. You know she will.”
    “No, she won’t,” I replied. “I swear to you, she won’t talk. Isn’t that right Karina?”
    I looked at her with desperation in my eyes. I needed to save her. For once, I needed to save someone from Calisto and her twisted vendetta against me.
    Karina looked at me with sadness in her eyes. I knew that look. It was one void of hope.
    No, no, no. Karina, don’t give up hope yet, please. I can still do this. I can still save you.
    “Give me the opportunity to bargain with you.” I begged. “I’m asking you for a fair trade. What do you see as the equivalent value for her life?”
    Calisto raised her brow. “Well, Lincoln, what do you think her life is worth?”
    “You perceive the value of life differently than I,” I said. “I’m asking you , what value do you place on the life of a civilian?”
    She laughed. “You know that I don’t place high value on the middle class working folk. They’re all vermin in my eyes—weak and expendable.”
    “Then let’s trade. I’ll give you something of higher value, in exchange for her life.”
    Calisto laughed. “You must be kidding yourself. Whatever I want from you, I can take.”
    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and then directed my attention towards the rest of the court and spoke. “I once called you all colleagues and friends. Many of you once belonged to an organization with rules and boundaries. We never killed civilians before and we certainly never murdered our own. However, in an effort to take control of the Midnight Society and rebrand it under her own organization, Calisto murdered five council members. I want you to remember James Takeshi, Lucien Gamble, Brevin West, and Donald Huff. I want you to remember Abraham Constantine. These five men were killed in Calisto’s ruthless plot to wrestle control away from Shadow.”
    I swallowed hard. “You also witnessed Calisto’s insanity when she burned a civilian alive—an innocent man who did not belong in this world of ours. I know that the Midnight Society was never on the side of angels but we left the innocent alone. This is not what we do. Think about it. How many of you have civilian friends of your own? I can tell you the answer, each and every damned one of you.”
    Calisto yawned. “I don’t see the damn point to all of this, Lincoln.”
    I turned to Odin. “You hate me, don’t you?”
    “Immensely,” Odin