Carolyn's stomach was in knots as they drove up to the gate of the Light Keepers compound around mid-afternoon the next day. Tobias drove, of course. Anything else would look suspicious. They drove in Tobias’s Land Rover, because it was guaranteed that the guards would check his license plate as soon as the surveillance camera took a picture of it. They would instantly know about Tobias—his military service, his father's murder, his recent departure from the Army.

Maybe they would see Tobias, with that background, as a good fit for the Light Keepers Brigade. That would make Carolyn and her would-be husband even more appealing to the group; at least that was their working theory.

He'd even put a few temporary tattoos on his arms and shoulders. Flames, a cross, a skull, a chain link. The sort of tattoos someone casting around for an identity might choose.

Every time she looked at him, she had to remind herself that Tobias wasn't really like the men of the Light Keepers.

He was strong, of course, the "alpha male" in appearance. But he didn't need to exert power over other people. He was confident in himself and he respected her. Don't forget that.

Besides, this was all an act. None of it was real. That was her mantra.

At the gate, the camera scanned their faces, then a voice came over the intercom. "This is a private organization. No entrance allowed."

Tobias gave Carolyn a glance, and she nodded. Go time. He addressed the intercom. "We're here to see Levi Moore. My name is Tobias Knight, and I'm here with Carolyn, Levi's daughter. We're here to request his blessing for our marriage. If you could let him know that, we'll wait."

Carolyn felt slightly nauseous at the word "marriage." This was real. Or at least pretend real. She kept her eyes down and her hands folded in her lap, the way women were supposed to at the compound. It felt so strange, after her time as an independent person in the outside world. And yet it came back to her so easily. Terrifyingly so.

After a long wait, another voice came over the intercom. Carolyn squeezed Tobias hand in the prearranged signal indicating this was the leader, known simply as Ray.

"Carolyn Moore is a pariah here. That means her father Levi has cast her out. She's no longer one of us."

Despite everything, that hurt. Carolyn dug her fingernails into the heels of her hands.

"I understand that. Since I've met her, we've spoken about it at length. Carolyn feels deep regret for the way she behaved back when she was a mere teenager. Now that we're together, she sees that she went down a wrong path. She's not expecting to be allowed back into the Light Keepers. All she's asking for is her father's blessing."

Another pause while the guards and Ray talked among themselves. Carolyn peered under her eyelashes at the high fence. Here at the entrance, the fence was fortified with barbed wire curling around the top edge. But at some points, she knew the perimeter of the property was less protected. "Carolyn Moore brought shame to her family and herself."

Carolyn tightened her hands into fists. Shame. She hated that word.

"Yeah, I get it. She's not after forgiveness. We know it's not going to happen. Just a blessing from her father, that's it. She says she won't marry me without it. It's part of why I fell for her, that old-fashioned quality. It's like a throwback to the way things ought to be. The man's the head of the household, and that's the way it should be."

Still Ray and the guards hesitated. Tobias had done his job—he'd sounded just as arrogant and "alpha" as the Light Keepers Brigade guys. Their request made sense. But would they bite?

She needed to do something to make it seem even more realistic. She needed to…

Swallowing down the taste of bile and defeat, she turned to Tobias and bowed to him, touching her hand to her forehead in the familiar Light Keeper gesture of female submission. It came back to her so easily, forehead lowered, the heel of her hand between her eyes, symbolizing the willingness of the woman to empty herself of all but what the man graced her.

She'd forgotten about that gesture until just now—probably blocked it out—which meant she hadn't taught it to Tobias. He flinched in surprise. "Put your hand over mind," she hissed in a whisper. "As if you're blessing me."

"Are you serious?" he muttered.

"Do it." It would look so suspicious if he didn't. "You promised to do what I say, remember?"

He placed his big palm on top of hers, all the while muttering something about how fucked up the whole thing was. She tried not to laugh at his reaction. But she found it incredibly reassuring. If he thought this was batshit crazy, she could probably trust him.

She did trust him. But damn, this was mortifying.

She completed the gesture by bringing her hands to her heart, whispering a quick prayer—"keep the light"—and placing her hands back in her lap.

There. That ought to do it. Now they'd see that she hadn't forgotten the old ways that had been drilled into her for eight years.

"You may enter," the guard finally said. "Leave your cell phones in your vehicle. No electronics allowed. Keep the light."

"Keep the light," Tobias muttered.

The gate slid open on its tracks, Tobias put his Land Rover in gear, and they drove into Light Keepers territory.

It felt surreal to Carolyn. She kept her eyes down in case anyone was watching them. But she had lots of practice in surveying her surroundings through lowered lashes. The heart of the compound was a former Grange Hall that had served the surrounding farmers. The Light Keepers had bought it nearly forty years ago and added many more buildings—the chapel, a longhouse, guest cabins, a barn, a solar power station, a grain silo. Each building sported the Light Keeper logo with its rays of sun. Fields of last season's wheat and corn extended as far as the eye could see, along with herds of alpaca and goats.

She was all too familiar with those alpaca. The women were responsible for shearing them and spinning their wool. The women did most things together, and even though she had chafed at the work, that sense of togetherness, of being part of a tribe, that was probably the one thing she truly missed.

"Ready for the next phase?" Tobias asked under his breath.

"Ready." Ready or not, they were approaching the meeting house, which was the old Grange Hall, the only building where visitors were allowed. This was where her father would meet with them. If they had any hope of seeing other parts of the compound, it would be through the grace of Levi Moore.

They were shown into the "atrium," which was where all contacts with the outside world happened. The computers and phones were located here, which meant no one under eighteen was permitted to enter. Carolyn glanced around curiously, since she'd never set foot inside this room before. On the whitewashed wall, big flowing letters read, "Keep the Light."

They sat for barely a moment before Levi Moore—her father—strode in, wearing the traditional white tunic of an Elder. Her heart squeezed at the sight of him. He showed every bit of the past ten years in the length of his graying beard and the sun wrinkles fanning from his eyes. In truth, she'd stopped thinking of him as her father long ago. At the compound, parental relationships weren't encouraged. Families were supposed to abandon all ties other than the spiritual one with the group. But she could still remember the time before the cult, when he'd been a distracted but generous father.

"Wow, you're an elder now," she said, forgetting for a moment the required protocol. "Congratulations, Dad."

He looked stunned at her break in etiquette.

Quickly, she kneeled on the floor, both hands held to her forehead instead of just one. That was the greeting reserved for elders.

But he didn't place his hands on hers to accept her gesture. Not a surprise—she was a pariah. No member of the group would ever greet her again in that way.

Instead, Levi Moore lifted his hand, palm open and swung it at her cheek.

She flinched, ready for the sting of his blow. It was what she "deserved," as one who had left. All she could do was brace for it and hope it didn't hurt too much.

But his blow never landed. Tobias stepped between them and caught her father's wrist. "No," he said simply. "She's my woman now. If anyone's going to hit her, it's my right and duty."

Carolyn cringed. Damn it, she should have warned Tobias this might happen. This was a potential disaster because he had it all wrong. According to the rules of the compound, she belonged to her father until she spoke her marital vows. Levi Moore had the right to hit her.

But maybe her father would let it slide, since Tobias didn’t know the rules.

She peeked up through her lashes, trying to read his face. His beard made it difficult, but his body language told it all. Tobias was younger, stronger, and had that natural power-alpha presence. Her father never had possessed that kind of aura; he'd always feared weakness, especially his own.

With a sudden flash of insight, she wondered if that was why he'd joined the Light Keepers, so he could feed off the power of others.

"So you intend to marry my daughter," Levi finally said.

"I do. But it depends on you, sir. Carolyn believes it won't be a true marriage until you've blessed it."

"My daughter is correct. In order for her marriage to receive the blessing of the Light Keepers, she must bow before her father."

"So I understand. That's why we're here." Carolyn could hear the tension in his voice, though maybe to someone who didn't know him quite as well it sounded like toughness. "That's why she's kneeling here. Carolyn?"

Part of the drill was that women were supposed to wait to speak in formal situations like this. But now that her "husband" had given her permission, it was her turn. "Please, Father. I deeply regret my past actions. I'd like to move forward with my life in a manner that's as close to the Light Keeper way as possible. I beg you to grant me forgiveness and shed your light on me."

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Tobias’s fist briefly close. She knew how this sounded, how totally embarrassing it was if you weren't used to it. Humiliation crept over her, sent blood into her cheeks. He was witnessing a grown woman, an educated professional, acting like a ridiculous child. Kneeling before the irresponsible man who'd dragged her here and abandoned his paternal obligations in order to play at being some sort of patriarch.

Then she took another look at Tobias’s hand. He was lowering his middle finger ever so slightly. He was subtly, for her eyes only, flipping off her father.

And that one gesture sent renewed strength flooding through her. "I beg you, dear Father, to find the grace of forgiveness in your heart for your shamed daughter."

She was starting to feel the strain of keeping her hands at the level of her forehead. Maybe Levi was drawing out this moment in order to make her suffer physically. She wouldn't put it past him. He probably thought it would be proof that she was sincere.

Well, she was sincere. She sincerely hated every moment of this. But if she could do her part to find her sister, it was worth it.

Finally she felt a waft of air on her palms as he waved his hand across hers. "I will grant my blessing, on one condition."

Tobias spoke up, the way the "man of the family" should. "Anything you require, I stand ready to accept."

"You must spend a week here. We need to see you together, to confirm that you exhibit the proper deference to our way of life. How else can I, in good conscience, offer my blessing?"

Carolyn felt her gorge rise. A week? How the hell could she manage a week here? She couldn't! She wouldn't! She started to rise to her feet, to tell him that they had to discuss it. But Tobias put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "That would be a gift to us, and I accept your condition. I'm not as familiar with your way of life as Carolyn is, and I look forward to learning all I can."

Oh my God. Seriously? One freaking week? How dare he decide without even finding a way to consult with her? He was supposed to obey her, not the other way around. He'd done exactly what she'd asked him not to. She gave a little twitch of her shoulder to communicate her fury. He got it, and moved his hand away.

"Good, good. Another thing," said Levi Moore. "I want to see your marriage license."

Marriage license? Her blood ran cold. They hadn't gone that far with their charade. But Tobias was pulling something from his pocket. A piece of paper.

"This is our application. Obviously we're waiting for your blessing before we sign."

Levi looked it over, then handed it back without another word.

"We're a little tired from the drive," Tobias said. "Where will we be staying?"

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to stay with the members of Light Keepers, so you'll stay in a guest cabin while you're here. You are required to refrain from all marital contact."

No problem. Right now she was so frustrated the only contact she wanted was between her fist and something inanimate. A week? She was going to lose her mind. She already was losing her mind.

Her father bowed slightly. "Someone will show you to your quarters. Keep the light."

"Keep the light," Tobias answered. She made some kind of sound that hopefully passed for "keep the light."

The door clicked shut. Painfully, she rose to her feet. Tobias offered his hand to help, but she pushed it away. "You should have waited."

"I couldn’t," he whispered back. He said that with a tender smile, the kind a man in love might give to his future bride. She wanted to wipe it right off his face.

But she lowered her lashes and folded her hands together. How many times had she stood like this, steaming on the inside?

A woman opened the door and came inside. Carolyn didn't recognize her, but she looked much like every other woman at the place in her floor-length dress and her hair in the traditional long braid. She bowed to Tobias and shot Carolyn a nasty "pariah" look.

"I'll show you to your cabin," she told them. They followed her outside. Carolyn stayed a half step behind Tobias, as was expected. None of this is real. None of this is real. She chanted it over and over in her mind. If she didn't hang onto that thought, she might not have a mind left to lose. Focus. Observe, she told herself.

They walked down a pea gravel path to a small A-frame cabin under a grove of pine trees. Carolyn did as much surreptitious surveillance as she could while keeping her eyes downcast. They passed a few other women in long dresses, but no one under eighteen.

That seemed odd, to the best of her memory. Something was definitely off here at the Light Keepers.