Priest and his Anarchist

Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven

luna

A bloody hand is around my throat before the room tilts. My back hits the ground, sending shock waves through my body and knocking the air out of my lungs.

“It’s me! Hey!” With both hands on his face, I try to keep his focus on me. Sweat drips onto my cheek, his breathing an animalistic rhythm drawn from the very core of his body.

A snarl escapes the back of his throat, as if someone had tried to mark his territory.

“Priest!”

The weight of his pain is suffocating, but I’d carry it forever if it meant he didn’t have to. All of it. The pain, the resentment, the burden, the loss.

“ It’s me. Hey! Hey!”

He’s never looked more beautiful than he does now. The unfiltered instinct of the beast that resides within the man, ready to use his final breath to raze the world to pieces like a predator. Every muscle taut, holding himself back. His chest slick with sweat. Blood spreads through my dress the same way that familiar cold fire does my veins.

His fingers flex around my throat, lowering until the tip of his nose touches mine. He’s untamable, his pupils swallowing the green in his eyes. It’s too much.

He’s too much.

I kiss him once, searching his eyes. “It’s me.” Skimming my nose over his, I kiss him again. “It?—”

He forces me back to the ground with his forehead, the growl rattling from his chest a primal warning. His lips sail over mine gently, a contrast to the beast weighing me down. “Stop talking.”

Releasing his grip around my throat, his eyes close and the tension in his shoulders weakens.

“I’m s—” They open back on me, the moss green in his eyes finally expanding.

“Stop talking, Madness.”

“O—okay.” I nod, desperate for him to come back. For him, I’d do it all. For him, I’d do anything. Because I know for me, he lost everything.

His hand rests against the one I have on his cheek, sliding it down to the corner of his mouth and pressing a gentle kiss against my palm before pushing up to his feet and lifting me right up with him. If his intention was not to be obvious, he failed, pushing me behind his wall of muscle, blocking me from seeing anyone else in the room.

When Vaden had unlocked the door not ten minutes earlier, I knew it was bad. To expose me this early only meant one thing.

“We’re losing him.”

My world stopped. I didn’t see anyone but him. No one. Not the danger, threats. My life meant nothing if he wasn’t in it. I left Vaden behind, following the screams and cries from the people who loved him. Everything moved in a blur through the tears in my eyes, passing the collection of framed art. I’d spent years fighting my feelings for him, and he’d spent all his years drawing his.

Silence.

Nothing but silence hovers around us and in a room full of Kings after finding out that someone had been taken from them, and not just anyone, Madison, this is the calm before a storm.

“Priest, I need you to lie down so we can fish this bullet out of you. If it hasn’t already moved,” Evie grumbles. “Even on death’s doorstep, you’re stubborn and pissing me off.”

He listens— hallelujah —keeping one hand on me while lowering us both onto the sofa. Swiping a stray bottle of whiskey on his way, he pours it over the wound with his free hand.

“Care to explain?” The strain in Bishop’s voice sends waves through the room around the clinking of Evie’s tools.

Priest’s thigh connects with mine and my heart slows when darkness closes in around me, absorbing my fears and worry. He claims my surrender as if reading my mind. My mother. I’m not strong like her. It was what she loved most about me. Was her. What would she think of me now? Without the influence of something she resonated with.

“I’m not having that conversation until her parents get here, and since we have a more pressing issue at hand, I’m going to go ahead and say Novit enim dominus qui sunt eius. ”

Bishop leans back in his chair, his composure threatening. Blood stains his suit and his hair is in disarray. Dark shadows form under his eyes, and even though he’s most likely going through unbearable pain, he’s a picture of controlled rage.

“I could tell you…” Her voice falls over the room. I’ve heard it before. It settles under my skin like an uninvited guest. “After I explain the reason why I’m here. Right, Priest?”

“I don’t doubt it,” he growls, leaning farther back in his chair, his hand moves up my thigh, stopping over his inflicted scar.

Evie whacks him with the back of her hand. “Sit still.”

In a display of tempered evil, the kind that’s patient and deliberate, he relaxes, keeping the tension in his jaw tight.

I trace the corded veins that ripple from his hand up his arm. When I feel the weight of the intruder’s gaze, I find her watching with a curved brow.

“…Huntress Supreme.” He squeezes my thigh. Right. That’s who she is. The one who…chooses the others?

“So quick to dust off death, Mad Prince. If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I’d think this one was another pretty girl on your wall.” Her deep-brown eyes darken, almost matching the color of her skin. Flawless. Not a single blemish. Bitch hasn’t changed.

Her dark hair curls down her back in tight coils. Shuffling out of the oversized coat, she chooses the chair opposite. One long leg crosses the other. She shouldn’t unnerve me, but when the corner of her burgundy lip twists up in a menacing grin, it triggers what little memories I have of her and I at Del Morts. She was gone the day after I arrived.

“Are you threatened by me, oh, Madness? I promise you do not need to be. He only took me to Wonderland once.” She pretends to ponder. “…maybe four times.” Her eyes darken to match her smirk as she holds Priest’s stare. She wreaks of femininity.

Jesus. He was fucking a Huntress? I thought she was off-limits for everyone except for her kind.

“Ah…” As if reading my mind, she locks on to me this time, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her thighs. “You’re thinking how? How did he bypass the laws written by his ancestors of Echelon.”

“Well, one is wondering why you would want to,” Evie grumbles, piercing a needle into his arm. She shoves the bag filled with liquid up to Vaden. “Here. Your height has finally come in handy with something else other than your ability to reach every level of my patience.”

Her eyes drop to Evie. “Oh, don’t be jealous. I’m sure we’ll see each other a lot since you’re the doc.”

“Isabella!” Priest snaps at her, and my eyes swing to the Huntress. She’s everything Priest was supposed to marry. Powerful, relentless, would probably not have a closet full of skeletons that always needed to be burned.

Nate enters the room, as a flurry of pink hair moves directly to the kitchen where Brantley and Saint disappeared into. “As much as we’ve all enjoyed this visit, oh Huntress Supreme, he’s clearly happy with your work, no need to leave claw marks behind. Get to your point.”

What does he mean, her work?

“Why do you assume he’s happy with me being his Huntress?” she asks, sugar dripping from her tongue.

Nate hisses through the first hit of whiskey. “Because you’re still alive.”

I groan, shifting away from Priest. Evie catches the movement, but not before Priest’s fingers sink into my thigh to stop me, holding me in place with a force I can only assume is inhuman.

She’s his fucking Huntress. Every member of The Echelon of the Five has one—why does he have to have her. Probably because of all the qualities I mentioned.

Like a magnet, my eyes land on Nate. If I could read his mind, I’d imagine him telling me to pull my shit together and not embarrass him.

Fine. Straightening my shoulders, the Huntress Supreme , or Isabella, responds with a wide smirk. “Touché.”

The Huntress can only be with a Hunter…

My eyes close to keep myself in check before reopening. “Madison’s maiden name was Venari.”

Isabella chokes on her laugh. I fucking hate her. “That she was, although she never took the title, since being a Hayes far outweighs any other name.” She makes sure to add emphasis. “But I’m sure she would have been great.”

“Isabella. What the fuck are you doing here?”

She uncrosses her leg and pulls a black manila folder out from beneath her cape that’s beside her. She hands it to Priest. “Everything is in here. They worked fast. Too fast, even for me.” She pauses, and now it’s her who is probably reading my mind. “And let this be a warning to you both: Because she clearly does not like me, that does not mean you can kill me. I won’t go down easy, and as Priest knows, I’m damn good at what I do.”

We all pause.

“Which is?” I study her closely. “I mean, aside from hunting out what he needs and ensuring his path is clear—which, by the way, it wasn’t tonight—what is it that you do? ”

“Luna…” Nate warns from behind her.

My hand covers Priest’s that’s on my thigh. “Don’t worry.” I hold her gaze. “This won’t take long, because you see, Oh Dear Huntress Supreme, I’m beginning to think you may not be as good as you claim to be, and mark my words, he will only have unparalleled excellence at his back at all times, or the next bullet that’s flying, is going right between your eyes.” I shift forward a little, the muscles around my eyes tensing to match my smirk. “And you and I both know I’ve got far better aim than you do.”

Her smile stretches over her face. “Ah, well, some shit doesn’t change, but don’t fret, oh Chosen one— ” I stiffen, my eyes flying to Nate. He notices my panic and closes in. She turns over her shoulder slightly. “Oh relax, Malum. I’m not threatening your favorite child.” She winks at someone behind me and continues. “This is everything I could find. After I got off the phone with you when you were with Archer, his right-hand man was shot and killed. Not sure why yet, since there’s no trail. Whoever they are, they’re good. Great, even.”

“Is she dead?” Priest asks the question I know we all want to know. I can’t imagine a life without someone I have known my whole life. I’d had moments of feeling close with my mom, but I’ve seen the way Priest is with his. I didn’t have that.

The ticking clock in the foyer fills the silence.

“No. I don’t believe so.”

Relief unties all the tension in my body.

“…But she may as well be.”

What does that mean! I keep my questions locked in my head as she and Priest go back and forth. When they break, I turn to Priest, locked in my own thoughts and forgetting we’re not the only ones in the room. Asking him the question I can’t say out loud.

He shakes his head.

Losing Madison wouldn’t only shift the dynamics of the EKC, but—everything. She is the foundation of the entire family. When the foundation dies, it’s not long before everything built from it rots alongside with it.

A line furrows between his two perfect brows. He knows what I’m asking. I’m sure of it. His brows fan out over high cheeks, and as if on cue with reading my thoughts, the muscles in his face relax, his mouth a flat line. If the tension on either side of his jaw gives away anything, which it does if you know him the way I do, he’s pissed at me.

“Huntress or not…”

Everyone falls quiet when Bishop speaks. Whether the temperature drops in the room or it’s the effect of an angry Hayes man, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m pretty sure someone is about to die.

“I’ll kill you if you don’t tell me where the fuck my wife is.”

“She won’t be dead. Yet…” the Huntress murmurs and I can’t tell if she’s brave or stupid. “But she will be, and when they do it, they’ll make sure to make a show out of it.”

All the good was taken from Bishop the moment they snatched her. I get it now. The anchor of his honorable nature relies on one thing.

Her.

She’s the anchor to the admirable way he spent his time with the gavel. A Hayes with that look in his eyes is never a good thing. I’ve never seen it in him because I didn’t know him without her, but I see it. Clear as day. Beneath the surface, buried deep beneath his love for one woman, is the same beast that lives within his son.

“They won’t be touching her.”

Huntress has the balls to lift a single brow. “I have been hunting these animals since Priest put me on their trail after Hector fell short. I can assure you, they will be.”

Bishop holds her stare, and if I was on the receiving end of it, I’d run. Fast.

The Huntress doesn’t cower, remaining unbothered in the presence of an impending war.

“My daughter-in-law is right. You’re not very good.” His eyes narrow on his son. “Not that I questioned her intellect to begin with.”

As soon as the words leave Bishop, someone begins to laugh before choking on their cough. Priest’s thigh taps against mine.

Like ice to my fire, I feel the leather straps he’s referring to.

“The fact that I haven’t found them means I’m good, Bishop.”

“How so?” Bishop asks.

It’s surprising that not a single person has cut in. Even with Nate and Brantley, I’m surprised Halen hasn’t snapped at her, War hasn’t started demanding answers, and Vaden hasn’t outwardly killed her.

“Because that’s what seals her fate,” Priest hisses through his teeth after taking a long pull of his whiskey. He drops the folder onto the coffee table that separates him and his dad in a spray of paper and photographs. “If you catch the bait, they’ll kill her. It’s all the trickery of the game.”

Bishop’s eyes turn to his son. “Sounds like something familiar.”

Vaden tosses the empty IV bag at Evie, which earns him her middle finger. “They’re trying to use our game against us?”

“Explain.” Bishop reaches forward to grab the files.

“The first hunt we did didn’t go as planned. Created to scare Luna, we’d tie her up somewhere and people would need to find her by a range of clues sent to their phones. It didn’t work. She wasn’t scared. But there was something Moses showed me on his phone beforehand. A stopwatch. It was near her feet, but when we got her, it was gone.”

Silence.

“I need a drink.” Pushing up from the couch, Priest forces me back down by my thigh. Once again, I feel every single eye on me. As if I was Priest’s little pet.

I kind of was.

“Call Moses.” Bishop flicks his wrist out at us. When did they get back from overseas?

“You gonna tell them, or am I? And remember, they can’t hurt you?—”

“—Jesus, Priest,” Nate snaps. “He means we won’t hurt you.”

“I killed Moses.” Silence. “And Jeremiah.” Some shuffling. I hold my breath. “And Danny Dale.”

River’s behind the bar, the loud clinking of glass bottles displaying her annoyance. She snatches two glasses and the long-neck brown bottle. She moves through the large open space and sits on the coffee table, tearing the lid off with her teeth and pouring us both a glass.

Her eyes shift to me every few seconds before a glass is in my hand. It’s a silent gesture of support. The kind she’s always offered me.

“Wanna tell the class why you started a war?” Halen asks from somewhere.

The first sip stings as if I embody an open wound. The second warms my blood. “I knew them. The Gentlemen, I mean.”

Priest moves from beside me, and the side of my face burns.

“I haven’t told my mother yet, so I wanted to wait until she was here, but I guess it’s important to the story, so I may as well fill you in.”

“Will it help find Madison?” I’d spoken with her a handful of times. At first, I thought she didn’t like me. After Nate’s words to his mother, it makes sense.

Shifting over my shoulder, my eyes land on Tillie. The short stream of her pink hair cut sharply around her jaw, only enhancing the elegance of her features. “Yes, I believe it will.” A sad whisper.

Tillie dips her head.

Sweat trickles down the side of my temple, the air becoming tight. I clear my throat, and River lifts my glass to my mouth.

I swallow.

Running my palms down my thighs, my teeth catch the inside of my cheek. Spiral. Like the climb of a rollercoaster knowing your belt is faulty. The room closes in around me, the walls—cold—damp—screams.

I don’t realize he’s shifted me onto his lap until I come back to. River glares at Priest before sliding herself and the bottle over.

“Priest wasn’t so forthcoming with the truth when it came to the Hunt. He lied to others, but he did to me as well.” His arm tightens around my belly. “But I was as much of a liar as he was.”

He stills. We haven’t spoken about this yet.

“This isn’t going to work.” I pull at the ties around my wrists. “Why can’t you let it go.” I glare at Priest, but he lowers to the ground to tie a knot around my ankles. He didn’t know that I was aware of his obsession with her. That I knew the real reason why he created this was to frighten me enough to draw her out by recreating elements of that day.

I sniffle. “The concept was simple. He leaves me somewhere, and they have to find me. Whoever does, can do as they please.”

“You get off on hanging your wife to a crucifix?” Bishop asks his son, the leather of his chair complaining beneath his weight.

“He’d give them a time limit and two hints, but he’d never allow them to get me when it came down to it. It mirrored hide-and-seek, only he’d kill those who’d find me instead of them killing me.”

“You and I both know that I end up killing everyone anyway.”

I pull again, staring at the high-arched ceiling of the cathedral. It was always my favorite place to visit in Riverside. There’s something about the ancient stained glass and the smell of torn scriptures that makes it feel…warm.

“ Priest.” His voice catches me off guard, and I look down the aisle to see his grandad, Hector. He always made sure to be the sharpest man in every room. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t seen him.

“Naturally,” Bishop growls, drawing my attention to how close Nate is to me.

Priest stops what he’s doing, spinning around quickly. “You find anything?”

Hector doesn’t answer.

“Your wife doesn’t look too pleased with being tied to that cross. ”

Hector was right. “Tie my feet tighter in case I kick you in the face.”

Priest looks over his shoulder a little, not bothering to hide the smirk on the side of his face, before going back to Hector .

“Nah. She just requires more restraining than the average woman.”

Hector unbuttons his suit. “Explain it to me.”

“We set the bait, plant a couple of detours, and give the participants one hour to find it. If they do, they keep it. If they don’t, we kill it. It was a simpler way to unleash each other’s anger on one another without jeopardizing the treaty.”

I pause, wiping the sweat from my thighs. “First lie.”

River shuffles forward, almost protectively. “He never killed me. Obviously.”

“Yes—” Halen interrupts. “Very obviously.”

He takes a moment to look between me and Priest. “Games and tricks. Maybe you are like your father after all.”

“I said I kill them after. Not fall in love with them.” Priest takes the spot beside his grandfather and from this angle, it’s eerie. Not that they look oddly similar, because truthfully, they don’t. It’s that they’re two sides of the same coin. Both equally and morally challenging.

“And the why?” Hector flashes his wrist. “Or is it purely for fun?”

Priest turns to him, and from this side, I can see the newest tattoo crawl over his shoulder blade. I hadn’t seen it. Mainly because since being here, he and I can’t seem to stand being near each other long enough to do it.

“Well, and it allows us entrance into the enemies’ turf. We know there’s an entrance somewhere there, we haven’t found it yet.”

“Hold up!” War rounds the table, his eyes on Priest, who’s tracing my spine behind me. “What is an entrance?”

Hector’s eyes brighten before landing back to me. “Ah, of course. Speaking of, I had no luck in Rome. I truly thought I’d find something there, but I didn’t.” His head tilts. “Do you remember anything else?”

I shake my head. “No. Everything I remember from before Aspen, I’ve said. Trust me. I’ve wanted to be found so this can be over with.”

“My second lie.” My eyes burn from not blinking, the trail on my spine pausing.

“Luna…” It’s the second time Nate has said my name in warning.

A glass is placed on a table and Bishop stands to his height. “That’s enough about the history.”

The words get stuck in my throat. I don’t want to say it out loud, but it rolls off my tongue anyway.

“Her name was Darling, at least that’s what she went by, and she wasn’t a personality that lived inside me.” I swallow. “She was my twin sister.”

Mumbled voices move around the room like thunder, but I’m too lost in my own thoughts to hear them. Priest and I hadn’t spoken since he found me hiding in an abandoned house yesterday and brought me back here. I haven’t thought about it since. He knew that I was a twin before he killed her—he had to, right? — my emotions begin to spiral once again, an endless spin of turmoil.

Fingers are on my chin, forcing my head around to him. “Yes, I fucking knew, and yes, I have already told your parents. Though I had to tell them in less than ten seconds, but they’re on their way.”

I relax, but not enough to lower my guard. “This isn’t the time to be saying this, and I wouldn’t if it wasn’t relevant to Madison, but it is—” Priest’s grip around my stomach tightens, almost enough to force the air out from me, the muscles in his thighs stiffening beneath my ass. Because he knows. He knows that me telling everyone about my connection with Madison being taken, risks someone, well, killing me.

“The girl Priest killed was Darling.” A single teardrop. “I need to tell you what really happened for all of this to make sense, but I’ll try to.”

The front door opens and closes before Mom and my Dads fill the space. Not much shakes Lilith Patience, but when her legs dissolve from under her weight, I know that what I’ve done was probably selfish.

That not telling them, or anyone—my eyes land on River. Except for her—was probably selfish.