Chapter 1: Stolen Seeds and Shattered Vows

The stained-glass windows glowed like bruises in the midnight dark. In order to steal a rare seed, I snuck into Silver Hollow Church—only to stumble right into a pastor writhing in agony from a butterfly venom overdose.

The whole place smelled faintly of old hymnals, lemon Pledge, and the ghost of Sunday coffee. Butterfly venom is nasty stuff. That night, the pastor pinned me to the bed and, in a fevered haze, broke every vow he’d ever made.

After a night of total chaos, I grabbed my fox tail and bolted.

I didn’t bother to look back—my pulse thudded in my ears as I slid out the side door, barely catching the glow of an old neon cross flickering in the window. The air outside was cool, smelling of wet pavement and autumn leaves. I tucked my tail beneath my hoodie, heart hammering, and ran straight through the cemetery, not stopping until I hit the edge of Main Street. The taste of that night would stay with me, bitter and sweet, for a long while.

When we met again, he led the entire Silver Hollow Task Force to surround me. Furious, I let loose in front of everyone:

"You damn hypocrite! You sleep with me and don’t even own up to it—still wearing your pastor’s collar and acting all high and mighty! Fine, but I didn’t rob anyone or hurt a soul, so why the hell are you arresting me?"

The crowd, mostly church folks and townies, froze. The streetlights hummed, and someone’s dog started barking from across the road. I could see the flicker of recognition in a few faces, but Caleb—standing at the front, still in his collar, eyes dark as black ice—wouldn’t meet my gaze. My heart pounded against my ribs, a hot, wild mix of shame and anger.