twenty-nine
Vince offers me his arm when we step into the hall. I force myself to smile as I curl my arm through his, force myself to ignore the voice in my head that tells me to take the knife I stole and drive it into his flesh. I tried to be subtle when dropping the discarded food from my napkin into a nearby plant, hoping they won’t discover it until long after we leave this house of horrors.
“I thought I might show you the gardens.”
He nods at the guards as we walk down the hall that leads from the dining room. “They’re quite exquisite at night. I feel you’ll adore them.”
I offer him a smile and a curt nod, but my mind focuses on the distance that grows between us and the safety of the archangel. When I stepped out the door two nights ago, I feared the skies and the beasts within them. The creatures of darkness were the lesser evil of the two. Now I fear leaving the archangel’s side, and the safety it provides. I’d have died by now if it weren’t for him.
A snort bubbles out of my nose at the irony. Vince’s eyes drift over to me, but he doesn’t question my outburst more than raising a brow.
We take a different route back to the foyer, and I focus on committing each turn to memory as we navigate the maze of hallways. He leads us through the archway under the golden staircases to another large room at the back of the house. The wall is covered in vine-adorned windows, small patches of freshly polished glass visible beneath the leaves.
The double doors to the gardens are made up of glass panels, a curled handle on each one. Vince nods silently in command and guards open them for us as we approach.
I don’t realise how late it is until we step outside. The moon shines brightly above us, its glow blending with starlight and illuminating the gardens through the protection of the trees.
The rotation of guards still patrols the perimeter, hovering around an area for no more than three minutes before moving to the next. As each moves, they’re replaced with another, and the cycle continues. Not to mention the two guards who trail behind us, trying to blend into the shadows and remain undetected. I felt the shift of light behind us as soon as we stepped outside and they followed.
“Tell me, Jessica, what is it that has you and your companion this far out from the city?”
Vince’s voice no longer holds the falsified tone that he’s mastered so well.
I look over at him to find his features hardened, his smile nowhere to be seen. “We’re looking for someone.”
I glance away and focus on my breathing, trying to reflect the picture of icy indifference that the archangel has mastered so well. One breath in, one out.
Vince’s chuckle vibrates through the skin where our arms touch, raising every hair. “And what would they be doing all the way out here?”
Hedges taller than I can see over line the garden. In the middle, a beautiful green archway leads through them. As we near, I notice a stone path in the centre.
I hesitate, calculating my next move. I want him to think that I pose no threat, that I’m nothing but a silly girl with an attitude who needs to be put in her place.
I shrug, forcing an innocent smile to grace my lips. “It was Matthew’s idea. He thought they may have gotten lost and ended up in the woods somewhere.”
I focus on my body as I lie. I make sure not a single muscle is out of place: no twitches, no taps of my feet, no hitches in my breath.
“Interesting.”
He seems unconvinced as our feet connect with stone, the path leading through the archway of greenery.
I let out an exasperated sigh and let my eyes fill. “It’s just… Someone I love has gone missing. Matthew was kind enough to help me, but I’m starting to lose hope. I’m starting to think I’ll never find them.”
My voice cracks at the last word, and Vince’s head turns towards me. I squeeze my eyes shut, my brow furrowing as if I’m trying to stop the tears. I can feel his gaze assessing me. I can feel him judging my sincerity.
Honestly, even I’m almost convinced by the performance.
I open my eyes and shake my head, letting out a big breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s come over me. I don’t usually cry in front of strangers.”
I offer him a small smile, my arm tightening around his in an attempt to convey affection. I’m almost sick at the movement.
He studies me for a moment longer, his eyes narrowing as they scan my face. Then they soften.
Sucker.
“It is quite alright. I know women can be ruled by their emotions sometimes. I am married to one.”
Vince winks at me, chuckling to himself.
Prick. I don’t let the disgust show; I push it down and instead force out a laugh. “Tell me, why is it that you brought us here?”
“Is it not believable enough that I saw two people in need and wanted to help?”
I raise my brows and offer him a lopsided smirk.
“I suppose in a world like this, trust is hard to earn,”
he says, as if he’s done anything at all to even try. As if he didn’t have someone steal my clothes and weapons while I showered. “I was curious.”
We exit the archway and step into the most exquisite garden I have ever seen.
Hedges littered with red roses, trees that have been perfectly sculpted into various shapes, golden benches surrounded by flower bushes, and in the centre, a pebble pathway lined with pencil pine trees. Despite its beauty, the people lurking in the shadows make my stomach churn. What kind of estate is this well guarded?
We follow the path through the centre, and I turn away from the guard watching my every move. “Curious about what?”
“You.”
Vince stops, releasing my arm and turning to look at me.
I scan his face, looking for the twitch on the left side of his jaw. Nothing. He’s telling the truth. He stretches his neck to one side and then the other, and as he does, I notice dark veins creeping from beneath the collar of his blazer and towards the back of his ear.
The same dark veins I saw on the scraggly man in the forest.
I don’t have to force the frown that forms on my face. “Me?”
His lips curve into a smile and he nods to the left. I follow the gesture, noticing the large fountain for the first time. It’s carved from stone so pale it looks like marble. The fountain itself is as large as a swimming pool, the water just as blue. Two little cupid angels sit in a stone bowl at the top with bows pointing down towards two larger angels below. The angels face away from each other, each with an arrow pointed at their back. The one on the left is female, her wings tucked in tightly behind her back. On the right is a male with wings spread wide as if he’s about to take off. Their features are contorted in the shadows, what would usually be beautiful tainted by darkness.
“What do you think?”
Vince studies me closely, lines forming on his forehead.
I look back at the fountain, willing myself to see what he wants me to. The cherubs smile wickedly, standing atop a large stone pillar with a small engraved gold plate.
The story of Athena and Raphael.
The archangels.
I smile softly as I say, “It’s beautiful.”
Why do they have a statue of the archangels? Better yet, why is he showing it to me?
I think it over as his eyes bore into me, studying me as I stare at the fountain. He knows who the archangel really is, and he’s trying to figure out what I know.
I fake confusion. “Who are they?”
Vince lets out a long breath before turning back to the fountain. The left side of his jaw twitches slightly. “Two people on the wrong side of the war.”
Two people on the wrong side of the war. Vince’s words ring through my mind as we walk back through the estate. Athena and Raphael, the two archangels who ascended as a couple and suffered the same fate.
A tragic love story, but from what the archangel has told me, they were no traitors.
We take a different route back through the property, and I steal glances through doorways and down hallways. My attention is drawn to a large golden arch down the hallway to the left. “What’s in that room?”
Vince smiles wickedly. “Oh, I must show you.”
The guards reappear from the shadows behind us, stepping in front and opening the grand doors.
Large arched windows line the walls, moonlight bouncing off the marble floor. Golden chandeliers light up the ceiling in sparkling starlight. A small raised platform sits in the centre. To the far right of the room is an antique cabinet the length of the wall; on top sits an old gramophone.
“The grand ballroom is my favourite room in the entire estate.”
Vince walks towards the gramophone and begins to flick through various records. “What once would have been filled with people laughing, full of joy and happiness, now silent. Peaceful.”
“You prefer the silence?”
I watch him closely as he picks up a record and places it on the turntable.
“I prefer the privacy.”
He smirks over his shoulder as faint music begins to play.
A knot forms in my stomach as I look around the room. Privacy means no witnesses. Privacy hides horrid secrets.
A soft tune rings through the empty room, the echo ghostly as Vince looks at me and bows. “Care to dance with me?”
I do care, actually.
“I’d love to.”
The smile I give him is tight, strained by the nausea bubbling within me. His hand takes mine and my stomach twists again, bile rising to my throat. I swallow the feeling and follow his lead. “Do you dance with all your guests?”
His hand on my back tightens, pulling me an inch closer. “Only the beautiful ones.”
Bile.
Swallow.
My expression falters, the disgust seeping in for a brief moment before it slips away. “I’m sure your wife would be thrilled to hear that.”
He says nothing, merely stares at me.
“When was your last guest?”
I change the subject, letting the friendly tone of my voice fade with every word.
His lips twitch slightly. “You ask an awful lot of questions.”
I smile at him, but it’s anything but sweet. “I’ve always been told I’m stupidly curious.”
He steps forward and I follow his lead, music echoing in the background. “Hmmm.”
He looks down his nose at me. “We haven’t had another guest for a while.”
“No?”
My brows rise. “That is odd.”
Crinkles line his forehead. “How so?”
The hand on my back is so firm that I doubt I could get out of his hold without a fight.
I feign innocence, brushing off the statement. “Oh, it must be nothing. I must’ve heard them wrong.”
I shake my head as if shaking the thought away.
Vince’s crinkles deepen, his head tilting. “Heard who?”
“Your guards.”
I pause, my eyes locking with his. “They were whispering outside my room after you ordered them to steal my belongings.”
His face remains blank with no hint of recognition or remorse, so I continue. “Whispering about ensuring the others were kept in a separate wing.”
His eyes narrow on mine, his control slipping ever so slightly before his chest rises and his composure settles with his exhale. Then his jaw ticks. “They must’ve been talking about our previous guests. They stayed in the east wing.”
A lie. “That, or we’re not the only ones here.”
His breath hitches, his hand tightening on mine. “Why wouldn’t I tell you if there were other guests here?”
Perhaps because you’re the one on the wrong side of the war.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
His feet stop, and the only reason I don’t stumble over them is because of how tight he now holds me. His grip is firm enough to leave an imprint. “Be careful, sweetheart. If you dig too deep, you might come across something you wish you hadn’t.”
Bile.
Swallow.
“May I cut in?”
I didn’t realise I’d been holding my breath until the voice echoes through the ballroom. My eyes flicker to the doorway.
The archangel stands there with his hands behind his back, glaring at the man who holds me too tight.