Chapter Thirteen
Axton
S hit, everything that built Creed’s Lake was probably a sin to that woman. There was enough lust to pollute the Midwest alone coming from Creed’s Lake. There was also greed, we all wanted wealth. I wasn’t sure sloth was an issue since nobody neglected their responsibilities. Then again, was not being a faithful follower of God neglecting a responsibility? So yeah, probably sloth as well. Wrath wasn’t even a question, that was definitely prevalent in the community. Pride, I wasn’t sure about that, most of us deep down knew we weren’t above anyone else and we did value the lives of innocent people. So yeah, an innocent soul like hers was fucked at Creed’s Lake.
“You may be right, and I could use your guidance, Michael.” She had a raspy whisper when she spoke.
I chuckled but hoped I hid my nervousness. “I wouldn’t seek my guidance as a role model of how you should live, especially when it concerns your soul.” I fed her another spoonful of soup. I hadn’t been that nervous speaking to a female since I was probably fifteen years old.
“Do you feed the hungry, try to heal the sick, and use your body as a shield to protect those who need your protection?”
“I guess we do some volunteer work, mainly for veterans and the elderly at the nursing home. We do offer some second chances. So, yeah, I guess we do. You’ll find that we spend quite a lot of time in the county trying to raise money.”
She flashed the cutest damn smile. “You don’t normally spoon feed them?”
I continued to feed her. “Not usually, but it’s fine and I don't mind.”
I went for another spoonful, but she held her hand up. “I believe I’ve already eaten my fill, but thank you.”
“Would you like a drink?” I asked.
“Yes, but I believe I can hold my own cup.” I could tell she was in pain, but I handed her the cup of ginger ale, and she took a small sip.
“It’s time for your medication and to get some rest.” I set the bowl down on the tray sitting on the nightstand. I wasn’t disappointed, she ate most of the soup.
“Before we do that, would you mind pointing me in the direction of the bathroom?” She asked.
I looked down to the side of the bed then cleared my throat. “You um…there’s a catheter, so that’s doing the work for you. I’d suggest maybe getting some rest or at least giving yourself time before you try to walk.”
Her face turned red. “Oh.” She was devastated for me to tell her that, but it obviously couldn’t have been avoided.
“The good news is, we plan to leave for Indiana tomorrow night and that will have to be removed. One of the club member’s old ladies is a nurse and she will be here in the morning to remove it.”
I could see she was relieved.
“Your medication is in the refrigerator, and I could get that for you now.” I offered and she gave me a nod.
She didn’t know how shameful I felt when she sat up and I could see the swells of the most perfect sized teardrop breasts under that gown. She didn’t know her lips were the most tantalizing I had ever seen. Thank God she didn’t know I could imagine those gorgeous eyes looking up at me as she kneeled in front of me. I committed at least one sin just by sitting next to her. I stood and picked up the tray just as Koty knocked on the open-door frame.
“How did she eat?” Koty asked me, probably wanting to avoid making her speak.
“Good, I was just about ready to go get her medicine.”
“Mind if I sit with you until you fall asleep?” Koty asked and she nodded.
“I’d like that.” She smiled.
Koty stepped inside the room, and I carried the tray and passed him at the foot of the bed. I wasn’t but one step out of the room when I froze.
“Koty, what is a dildo and why would an elf stick it up their Santa's donkey?” She asked.
Koty was caught off guard and laughed with a cough. “You did not ask that question.”
“Sure, I did, it was something I overheard.”
I shut my eyes. “Jesus Christ.” I muttered. Creed’s Lake was going to be one hell of an experience for that girl.
I gave her the liquid morphine and skipped the lorazepam since she was calm, but that might have been a mistake. It had been a few hours, but I took off running when I heard a scream come from the house. I had only walked to the bar for one drink of whiskey, but the one moment I left her something happened. My heart raced as I ran across the gravel parking lot and almost slid into the front door, before I threw it open and went to Belle’s room. Bolton and Koty ran in right before me and I saw Crock with his hands up and he was panicking. “I walked by, and she was awake. I only wanted to introduce myself and see if there was anything I could do to make her more comfortable.”
Belle was covering her eyes and had both legs pulled up like she was trying to curl into a ball. Koty tried to calm her, but she was still crying and refused to uncover her eyes. I knew the way she was moving had to be painful and she may have even broke open some of her scrapes and cuts.
I pushed my way through and stormed toward her. “Belle, it’s okay.” The moment she heard my voice she uncovered her face and reached for me. I pushed Koty out of the way and the girl practically jumped into my arms. She was shaking and my blood was boiling.
“What happened?” I held her tightly.
“A man stepped into the room, and you weren’t here.” She cried.
“I was still standing by the door, and she started screaming. I only wanted to see if I could get her anything to make her more comfortable.” Crock was panicking.
“You’re shaking. What happened, Belle?” I asked her as she continued to cry.
“He stood by the door. What does he want from me?”
I turned toward the people staring at us. “Everybody out.”
“But she’s scared, and she is my sister.” Koty protested.
“I’m so sorry, young lady. I didn’t mean any harm.” Crock said.
“Just leave.” Instinct to protect her happened without a second thought, and I was so protective that my behavior didn’t hit me until later. I was also surprised she reached for me and wanted my arms around her. She was still shaking in my arms. “Is that what happened, Belle? He walked in the doorway, and you got scared, or did he try to hurt you?”
She hiccupped. “He stood by the door. I don’t know that man.”
“He didn’t mean any harm, Belle. That’s just Jason Crocker, the police officer that has been putting his own job on the line to help you and Koty.” I tried to pull back, but her eyes were still squeezed shut. “Open your eyes, Belle.”
She shook her head.
“I need you to look at me. You are safe, and nobody here wants to do any harm to you.”
“It’s safe in the darkness, they can’t see me or know my thoughts.” She said.
“Please look at me, Belle. You’ll be just as safe with them open. Whatever you were thinking isn’t true. Nobody in this world can read your thoughts.”
“Promise?” She asked.
“I promise.”
She opened her eyes, and a strange feeling of peace came over me, at the same time she stopped shaking. Her eyes were a bright vivid blue that seemed delicate and calming. My heart was no longer racing in fear, instead I had a hunger that couldn’t be explained appropriately. It was a hunger to do what she feared and read what was going through that mind. I needed to know everything from what made her feel joy to what gave her peace. She lifted her left hand and reluctantly she went to touch my face but stopped just before her eyes met mine, then those delicate fingers touched my beard. At the exact second those delicate fingers touched me, my body came alive. I needed to control my breathing so she wouldn’t notice that I was probably doing what she saw as a sin, I felt attraction and lust. I grew hard, my cock feeling strained against the zipper of my pants and I had to fight every urge not to brush my lips against hers. Her eyes studied my face with her lips parted then they met mine again. I glanced down and had to shut my eyes because I saw something that made my cock scream in pain. I could see hard nipples brush against her granny nightgown. Fuck, she was beautiful, and I wasn’t speaking of her outer appearance. It was as if her warmth wrapped around me, and I could see into her soul. I saw nothing but a soul that was pure and open to me. It was the feeling of her touch that was beautiful, and I could have sat there like that for an eternity. My eyes opened and met hers just before I had the instinct to pull her into me and hold her in my protective arms. I did just that, and she melted perfectly into my arms, and I knew she felt safe.
“God forgives our sins, Belle.” The words left my lips with absolutely no guidance from my brain. “Thoughts and dreams are not sins, and other people’s sins are not your burden. Being around people that do things that you were taught to believe as sins do not put you at risk of sinning. Somehow, we have to find a way for you to let go of everything that was taught to you in your father’s church.”
“I don’t think my father is a bad man.” She whispered. “He was raised to believe things most people see as wrong, but it’s what he was raised to believe. It's what I was raised to believe. I know the young brides are wrong, but none of his other laws harmed anyone.”
“Making people believe others that are not like them are sinners, is wrong, Belle. It’s no different than racism and sexism. You should never judge anyone’s character by the color of their skin, their gender, or their religious and political beliefs. Even if they don’t believe in God at all, they can still be good people and not wish harm on others. Socializing with them is not a sin. Your safety is what everyone here is trying to ensure. They’re willing to risk their livelihoods and even their own lives to make sure Jeremy or anyone else never gets the chance to hurt you.” I knew trying to convince her might have been a waste of time. How do you completely erase someone’s beliefs? Not that I normally would, but her beliefs could have brought her harm. Maybe not physically, but mentally. She had to acclimate to a world she was raised to fear and never trust and that would take time. We saw it time and time again in other cultures that were not like ours.
Belle
My brother was right, Valerie was a very kind woman. After the scare earlier, she came into my room and sat with me to talk before she addressed my wounds. I did not speak to her of Michael, or why he brought me peace. I would never have brought up his mark or my father’s prophecy. Michael did not know what he was or what he was searching for in his life. He was born merely a man, although his soul was very old. I read plenty about the world around me to know nobody would believe my father’s teachings or trust the words he received from God.
The most of my injuries were not from the crash in my brother’s truck. I obtained them from the motorcycle. I saw it just before we crashed, and I knew my brother was right about everything when the man from the motorcycle reached inside the upside down truck to pull me out. He told me that Jeremy wasn’t pleased, and I had to face him. He was going to take me to Jeremy, but he only had his motorcycle. He threatened to kill my unconscious brother if I did not climb on the back of his bike. My only injury at that point was to my right leg and my back, because I was still on the floor of the truck when it flipped. I was thrown against the seat where I landed. I explained this to Valerie as she listened to how I got on that bike to spare Koty's life, but I jumped off as soon as I could, then watched as the bike flipped onto its side then slid into a tree where the man’s head hit it so hard I knew he was dead. I lost consciousness, and when I woke, I forced myself to walk. I could see the town from where we crashed and was scared of the people, but my head began to ache in a way I never felt in my life, so I hid where I passed out. The injuries to my right side felt like nothing compared to how bad my head hurt.
The incident made it very clear exactly how dangerous Jeremy was and how far he was willing to go for a marriage to me. I feared for my mother and the rest of my family, but letting him win would only fuel his darkness and make things worse for everyone.
I also didn’t tell Valerie that Michael’s touch gave me comfort before I ever opened my eyes. That his voice gave me the peace I needed to rest. That I could sense him before I ever saw him. It wasn’t the first time I felt his presence during my life. I felt it when I found comfort in the darkness when I wanted to escape my reality. I felt it when I had my dark sinful thoughts and imagined his hand running along my bare skin. He was also there in my dreams when the most erotic and sinful things happened to my body because of his touch. Seeing his birthmark only confirmed what I felt when he was near me. Michael was the soldier God sent to me, the one that would save all of us. He wouldn’t have saved us in the way my father hoped, but in the way that had to happen. I saw that in my dreams when the medication wouldn’t allow me to wake. The Veiled Order of the Unseen Hand would not exist long after my father’s death. I wasn’t sure if God sent me my own prophecy, or if it was what I wanted deep down inside. It was certainly nothing I have ever thought I’d want to see happen. My family and the people in my community would be safer if they left the order and avoided Jeremy’s influence.
Before Valerie examined the wounds to my right side, she explained that she is a psychiatrist, but was trained as a medical doctor. She only practiced psychiatry, but did receive the kind of training that made her qualify as a medical physician. She said some of what her community called operatives, sometimes experienced minor head wounds like mine, and she worked with their onsite physician to treat them.
I did cause a few of my wounds to bleed, but the stitches were still in place and everything looked alright. It hurt when she cleaned my wounds, but gave me an over the counter pain reliever so I didn’t have to take the strong medication just yet. I promised I would take it along with the medicine that made me calm before bed. She said I needed all the rest I could get before we left for Indiana.
She helped me up to walk around a little, then I begged her to remove the catheter and not make me wait until morning. She agreed and it was uncomfortable when she removed it. She also helped me into a shower, and hung the IV bag so I didn’t have to hold it with my only good hand and could wash myself. I felt disgusting but the shower felt great. She brought me a clean pair of pajamas and took the dirty gown to wash it with the only clothes Koty had. My brother wasn’t a very big man, and the clothes of the other men didn’t fit him. I did giggle when she told me that Koty could only fit into a pair of her jeans and her t-shirt. I knew without seeing him that he was not happy about that situation. I had no undergarments because mine were ruined in the crash along with my dress. I did have a packed bag, but it was with the remains of my brother’s truck. I was too tall and curvy for Valerie’s clothes. She teased that my breasts would have fallen out of one of her bras.
While Valerie was brushing my wet hair, the bedroom door was open, and Michael stepped inside with some dinner. “Hope you are hungry. Crock’s wife went all out and made a nice home cooked meal for everyone. Its roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. There’s also some asparagus and a homemade dinner roll. I wasn’t sure if you wanted a soda or water, so I brought both.” He said as he placed the tray on the nightstand.
“Would you have dinner with me?” I asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sure, if that is what would…well sure…I guess.”
“Go on and grab your plate, Axton. I’m almost done with her hair.” Valerie said. My hair was knotted, and she could barely get a brush through it.