Sinner
I don’t know for how long I watch her sleep, ever since she returned from Victor’s bedroom, her eyes swollen from tears. I wanted to console her, to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay, but I knew the last thing she’d want is to be touched right now. And I couldn’t blame her. At first, I came to snoop around and then I had to see her, but the moment I saw her broken like this, I couldn’t leave. I stayed, watching as she cried herself to sleep, each sob like a dagger to my heart. But it was getting late, and Victor is a creature of habit. I could end it all now but that's like removing a tumor and leaving the cancer. I needed to eradicate them all.
She seems at peace now. Standing up from her reading chair, I walk towards her bed and kneel beside her. "Soon, I'll save you from this hell.” I whisper before kissing her tenderly on her lips and slipping out the same way I snuck in. Her French door. She needs to learn how to lock it. With one final look at her, I slip into the night.
The chill of the night air bites into my skin as I leave her, a stark contrast to the heat I felt in Marisol’s room. My breath fogs up in front of me, matching the smoky whispers we shared moments before, her lips so close to mine I can still feel their warmth. But that warmth is gone now, replaced by a creeping cold that settles in my bones as I make my way back to the church.
My burner phone buzzes. It’s unusual for him to be calling this late at night, but I haven’t checked in. While it’s late here, it’s probably morning where he is.
“What do you need?” I answer, a grin spreading across my face as I imagine his expression of disapproval etched into every line. You insolent boy.
“How are things going?” he asks, his voice calm, collected, and fucking irritating.
“Still figuring out if I should just remove the tumor or eradicate the cancer,” I reply, my tone casual despite the storm brewing inside me.
He tsks, a sound that grates my nerves. “You need to burn that shithole of a church to the ground. Why haven’t you done that?”
I roll my eyes, biting back the urge to tell him to go fuck himself. It’s not like I can explain to him that I’ve gotten tangled up with the cult’s princess, and now all I want to do is save her. But the bastard knows me too well, knows my weakness.
“I hope you’re not falling for another pretty face and sad smile,” he says, his voice laced with venom. “Must I remind you of what happened with the last girl?”
My nostrils flare, and I clench my jaw so hard I’m surprised my teeth don’t crack. “Don’t fucking go there,” I growl, my grip tightening on the phone.
“You’re playing with fire,” he warns, his tone now ice-cold. “And if you get burned again, I won’t be there to pull your sorry ass out of the flames. Get it done, or I’ll come there and finish the job myself. And trust me, you won’t like my methods. ”
I pause, letting the threat hang between us like a noose. “Touch her, and I’ll make sure you’re the one burning,” I snap, my voice low and dangerous.
There’s a beat of silence, and I can almost hear the smirk on his face. “We’ll see,” he says, and the line goes dead.
I stand there for a moment, staring at the phone, my heart pounding in my chest. The anger coursing through me is white-hot, but underneath it, there’s something else—fear. Because I know he’s not bluffing.
This has to end, and it has to end my way. As I shove the phone back into my pocket, my thoughts drift back to Zia, to the last time I saw her. Something about that night has been gnawing at me, just out of reach. Then, like a cold splash of water, the realization hits me.
It was them—this fucking cult. Victor's church. The way Zia reacted when she saw them that night, the fear in her eyes—it should have been a dead giveaway. I should’ve known then. They must have followed me. And if they were following me, then they’d seen more than I’d like to admit.
A wave of unease washes over me as the truth sets in. I’ve been watched. My nightly activities, the things I thought were hidden, aren’t secrets anymore. They know. They’ve known for a while. The real question is how much do they know?
My fists clench at my sides as I piece it together. This isn’t just about Zia anymore—this is about survival. This has to end, and I need to do it before they get another step ahead.
My fists clench at my sides, my knuckles turning white with rage. I need to act quickly, to kill them all before they get any closer. There’s no room for error or failure. This town needs purification, and I need to get my little sinner far away from this godforsaken place .
The church looms ahead, dark and foreboding. I push open the heavy wooden doors, the creak echoing through the empty nave. Stepping inside, I feel the familiar chill of the church, the air thick with the scent of incense and something more sinister. But it’s not the church that makes me stop in my tracks—it’s the figure sitting in the dark, their silhouette barely visible in the dim light.
“Kind of late for a priest to be out and about,” the figure says, their voice low and taunting.
My jaw clenches. Through gritted teeth, I reply, “Some would say early, but the real question is, who are you? And what are you doing in my church?”
The man pulls down his hood, revealing a gash that runs from his eyebrow down to his lips. I grimace as he smiles.
“Nasty wound, isn’t it? I’m your ally, priest—if you can even be called that.”
I tsk, my hand slipping into my pocket, searching for the familiar feel of metal. One of us is about to die tonight, and I’d rather it be him.
“Don’t do anything hasty,” he warns. “I know why you’re here. While you’re here to kill Victor, I’m here to make sure you see it through. For Zia.”
His words halt my hand in my pocket, fingers frozen mere centimeters from the cool steel of my concealed blade.
“What do you know of Zia?” I growl, my voice echoing through the quiet church, a ghostly counterpoint to the whispers of our conversation.
He cocks his head. “She was my woman. She left to find her brother, and I followed her here. But I was greeted with a knife to the face and left to die—only to wake up and find the woman I love crucified.”
I sigh, still not lowering my guard. “I didn’t know she was your woman. ”
He frowns. “We had broken up by the time you fucked her.” His eyes drift to the altar as I close the distance between us, my hand still in my pocket. “You don’t look like a priest, nor dress like one—no offense. And given the fact that you were fucking her…”
“I don’t see where you’re going with this,” I interject, the threat in my voice as palpable as the darkness encasing us.
He leans back against the pew, his nonchalant demeanor etched onto his scarred face.
“Relax, man. I’m not here to pick a fight with you. You stalk them. Why?” He lifts an eyebrow, the scar pulling grotesquely with the movement.
“You should know, considering you already know so much,” I reply, my eyes fixed on him.
He runs his hand down the unscarred side of his face. “I’ve been watching you since I pulled my ass back from the brink of death. You move in and out of shadows—a priest who’s not exactly a priest. What are you waiting for? The right time to strike Victor down?”
I resist the urge to reach for my concealed weapon, my fingers brushing lightly against its hilt. My code is clear. I only draw blood when absolutely necessary. The man in front of me smiles, but the coldness behind it never allows it to reach his eyes.
“I wasn’t following you at first,” he says. “I was tracking them for Zia’s sake.” His words hang in the air between us, and for a moment, I consider trusting him. But my instincts are on high alert, warning me not to let my guard down.
“I can be of use to you,” he continues confidently, mimicking an explosion with his open arms. There’s something about him that feels familiar, but I can’t quite place it. Nevertheless, I remain wary of his offer. “I can make things go up in flames quite beautifully. And look, I know Victor and his cult of crazies are on to you—the sinful priest. ”
Rolling my neck until it cracks, I keep my eyes fixed on him. “You know an awful lot for someone who barely made it out alive,” I say, raising an eyebrow as I palm the blade into my hand.
He shrugs and stands, brushing off his hoodie. “You can trust me or not, but the truth remains—he’s on to you. This town has eyes everywhere. I can smell her cunt on you.”
I stiffen at his last words, my grip tightening around my weapon.
“Crude, aren’t you?” I retort, the disdain in my voice matching the disgust on my face. He simply smirks, seemingly unfazed by my flippant response. “You watch your mouth,” I growl, on the brink of forgetting my code. But this man’s irreverent talk hits a nerve I didn’t even realize was exposed.
“I’m just stating facts,” he answers with a shrug, his scar twisting grotesquely with his grin. “Your clock is ticking, Priest, just as Zia’s did, and just as your precious little angel’s is. Victor would kill you and her before he lets his Dove go. Your best bet is to let him capture you and pray that she feels as strongly for you as you do for her.”
The audacity of him, trying to tell me how to manage my affairs. I’m not a man who listens well to others, least of all a stranger. Yet his words hold weight, and I can’t ignore the truth hidden within them.
“You make it sound so simple,” I let out a sarcastic laugh, my voice dripping with disdain.
The man stops in his tracks, his back still toward me, but I can feel the smug smirk on his face as he responds. “It’s your only chance, Priest. This town is crawling with his followers; there’s no way you can purify this forsaken place and save your woman. You should leave while you still can. Get rid of the Prophet and leave.”
He turns and continues making his way to the exit. The door slams shut behind him as he leaves the church.
Days later, I still barely get any sleep. I never see him again, but the feeling of unease remains. And to make matters worse, I think he’s right—Victor is definitely preparing for something. Despite my desperate urge to seek out Marisol, it’s been days since I last saw her, and yet I can still taste her on my tongue. My cock hardens at the thought, and just as I reach to palm it, forcing it back to calmness, the scent of cocoa butter and fields invades my senses.
I’m outside the Church of Eden, hidden in the shadows, staking it out. There she is, standing beside her father, dressed in all white. Her face is covered by a white lace veil, and a white satin dress covers her entire beautiful body, leaving only her hands exposed. I want nothing more than to rip that hideous dress off her and take her right there in front of everyone. But I’m here to watch, I remind myself, trying to swallow down the animalistic urges threatening to take over. My fists clench in frustration, knuckles white as my nails dig into my palms, the pain bringing me back to reality.
I watch from the shadows as men in white robes appear in front of the altar.
“I welcome the new generation of seedlings,” Victor preaches, his voice booming through the church. “The men blessed by God with the gift of procreation, only their blessed seeds can be used on the pureness of the maidens in wait.”
He places his hand on the small of Marisol’s back, and she flinches at the unwelcome touch. That’s my girl .
I can’t believe I’m listening to this. I grit my teeth, trying to maintain my composure as he continues to preach his nonsense, and these idiots eat it up as if it’s their last meal, offering their lives to follow a fake. This town has become a medieval hellhole, with its cult-like followers worshiping a power-hungry monster.
“My Lilith has blessed the young Seedlings, and I have blessed the maidens. Now we should join them,” he shouts. “Celebrate the union, the creation of new life. As many of you know, my marriage to Marisol—”
His words fill me with a rage I’ve only felt once before, a very long time ago. But now, I want to feel his blood, and that moment seals his fate. I will kill him and claim her while she’s covered in his blood. And I will, because she’s mine.
Victor continues, his voice echoing, “—means the prophecy is coming to fruition. We are creating a new world, a world free of sin and corruption, a world in which my vision will be realized. A world where only the chosen, flawless souls shall roam.”
His followers join together in a chorus of agreement, their voices bouncing off the stone walls. The sight of them makes my skin crawl, and I can feel anger and hatred building up inside me like a volcanic eruption waiting to be unleashed.
Marisol, still covered by the veil and dressed in white, looks around nervously. A sense of protectiveness surges within me, and I know I have to act quickly to put an end to this madness. Victor raises his hands to the ceiling as he continues to preach to his mindless cult.
“Tonight, we will join together in the act of creation. The Seedlings will plant their seeds in the wombs of the maidens, bringing new life to our sanctuary.”
My blood boils at the thought of these assholes getting away with this. And that asshole is definitely not filling Marisol with his seed, nor is he marrying her. Sick bastard .
As the service continues, I carefully creep closer to the altar, maintaining my position in the shadows. I want to see everything Victor has planned and make sure Marisol is safe. My hand grips the handle of my concealed weapon, ready to strike if necessary. But that moment doesn’t come. The men in their white robes follow Victor out to another room, while the maidens go to a different one, leaving my precious little demon all to herself.
In a swift movement, she unveils her face, gasping for air. She pulls at her clothes—my girl is freaking out, and as much as I want her, I can’t risk getting caught now. Watching from the shadows, I see her grip the altar, her dark curls falling over her face like curtains, shielding the panic rising inside her. Marisol’s mind is waging a war—her duty, all she’s ever known, fighting against her demons. The parts of her that reach for me and separate her from the Dove she was groomed to be.
Forcing myself to stay hidden, I know the time is drawing near to make a move, but I can’t risk it until I’m absolutely sure.
She races out of the room, and from the shadows, I follow her as she storms into the forest that separates the church compound from the outside world. She runs and runs until she crashes into a tree. The scent of cocoa butter and fields grows stronger, and my heart pounds in my chest. She’s close by, and I need to help her.