Chapter Twenty two
Eve
My heart sank into my boots. I darted to the side, trying to escape him. He never was fast as a child.
But as I slid away, ignoring his bellow, I slammed into the other, older elder, Jasper Tomes. He was smarter and faster. He grabbed my shoulders. “What do we have here?” His nasal voice felt like fingernails down a chalkboard.
Fear skittered down my spine. “Let go!” I jerked away from him, but he held on tight. Absalom finally got into motion and came up behind me. He grabbed me, one hand around the nape of my neck, the other squeezing my upper arm.
I bit back a cry of pain as I squirmed. The more I fought, the harder the grip became. I could feel the bruises forming.
“Tomes, Meadows, the Lord Erlik revealed to me through prayer that we should—oh.” Zorababel Grimshaw’s voice joined the fray. “Eve. You aren’t running away, are you?”
Absalom’s vise-like grip on my nape tightened even more, and I whimpered.
“No,” I tried to brazen my way out.
But Elder Tomes ripped my valise from my hands and pawed through it. The chink of coins in my coinpurse filled the thin air.
Zorababel stepped into view, the disappointment on his face clear.
Behind it, deep in his eyes, lurked anger.
It flashed for a heartbeat, then disappeared again behind the shepherd-of-his-flock look of concern he’d perfected years ago.
“Eve, Eve, Eve.” He shook his head. “You are weak of heart and mind. Abandoning your god-given duty? It was a privilege to be chosen for this role. There were other, more qualified people, yet Erlik chose you. And this is how you betray him? This was your chance to prove your obedience to his plan.”
I cringed, the words sinking deep into my skin, acting like a barb to catch on my heart and let shame leech through me.
But I rallied, thinking of how I didn’t trust him.
This was the same reverend who forced Silence into marrying Absalom, who took my parents’ savings and left them near destitute, who strung me along for years as his betrothed, who lied about why he wanted Gabriel.
I didn’t have to believe him anymore.
“Eve Lovejoy, your lack of trust in the plan I imparted to you is a strike against you. But fear not, my child.”
I ground my teeth. I hated it when he called me that.
“We will welcome you back into the fold, won’t we, Absalom?”
Absalom grunted, likely because he had no clue what to say.
Zorababel smiled at me, a holy, beatific sort of smile that masked the darkness within him. “Eve, we will forgive you your trespass, if you can demonstrate true repentance.”
“I do not repent!” The words burst out of my mouth before I could stop them.
The Eve from before would never have said them out loud.
That Eve would have hidden her defiance, kept her face smiling and sweet, her eyes sparkling, as she submitted to whatever the reverend desired. That Eve knew how to survive.
The Eve of today had grown lax, complacent. Idiotic. Love had addled my brain, but stiffened my spine.
Zor’s anger burned in his eyes. “You will repent,” he growled.
“You will repent even if I have to whip the rebellious spirit out of you myself. But I will be merciful for now.” His eyes flicked up over my head, likely to Absalom.
“Take her to the pub and restrain her. It appears we will be attending our meeting with the Herald earlier than expected.”
I bucked and fought against Absalom, but he was far stronger than I.
For a moment, as we entered the pub, I hoped the owner would intervene.
But anyone who worked there had made themselves absent.
They pushed me up the stairs, one hand covering my mouth and my nose.
The hot, smothering flesh made me gag. Spots danced before my eyes, though I kept fighting.
They dumped me suddenly. I spilled to the floor in a tangle of twisted skirts, sharp fingernails, and rage. I shoved to my hands and knees and made for the open door.
It slammed shut inches from my face.
Rage and despair tore through me. No. I’ve given up everything for this. Everything. They can’t take me back.
Zorababel gripped my unraveling braid and hauled me backward.
Something between a moan and a scream escaped my lips as I fought to free myself. But the three men were too fast. They grabbed my arms and bound my wrists behind me, then hauled me back to the foot of a bed and tied my feet together and then to one of the legs of the bed.
“What’s happening?” A feminine voice broke through the men’s grunts and my growls. I whipped my head around, surprised another person was in the room.
“Be quiet, Lilith,” Absalom snapped as he kicked my legs and backed away, face flushed and chest heaving.
Lilith? I twisted to see the edge of a skirt falling off the side of the bed, then the shape of fidgeting legs beneath it. I couldn’t twist further to see the rest of her body above me.
“Eve,” Zorababel said calmly, as if he wasn’t in the middle of kidnapping me, “has become confused while away from the safety of the fold. For her own well-being we are bringing her home. Once back in the shelter of our church, she’ll realize the mistakes she’s made, and we will guide her back into the light.
A few days fasting in the prayer closet will be a good start. ”
“Like hell you will,” I snapped.
Absalom grabbed me by the roots of my hair and jerked my head to the side, holding up his hand to hit me.
I cringed.
“Meadows,” Zorababel said in a deceptively even tone. “As of right now she is still my betrothed, and I will take responsibility for her discipline.”
Grunting, Absalom shoved my head into the bedpost and let go.
My head throbbed and my scalp burned. I blinked back angry tears.
“Men,” Zorababel said in a priestly tone, “I believe we should head out to visit with this Gabriel now rather than wait for our appointment. There’s no way to know if she’s sabotaged anything.”
They murmured their assent and left, filing out the door. Zorababel was last, and he paused in the threshold to smile at me.
My skin crawled. I glared at him.
“Don’t fret,” he told me. “We’ll make sure you’re obedient and follow the precepts’ commands.
Perhaps when we’ve rooted out the spirit of rebellion in you, when you’re your sweet, gentle self again, we can re-introduce you to the Herald.
” With those horrifying, parting words, he clicked the door shut.
I waited until their footsteps faded, then spoke, “Lilith! Please, let me go!”
Lilith sighed and I heard her slide off the bed, then walk around to stand in front of me. She was as beautiful as ever, like a porcelain doll, though her eyes held disappointment and censure. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” I demanded. “Cut me free and we can both run.”
She gave me a horrified look. “Run? Run where? My brother is an elder. I have multiple men begging Reverend Grimshaw for my hand in marriage.”
I swallowed the bitterness crawling up the back of my throat.
I’d assumed Lilith was as secretly unhappy as me.
She might be the favorite female in the church, but surely that came with special restrictions or unwelcome attention.
But perhaps not. Perhaps she was willing to believe her favor among the powerful would protect her forever.
More fool she.
I turned my face away from her, desperately close to tears but equally desperate not to let her see them. I slumped in my bonds, wondering if Gabriel would even miss me.
* * *
Gabriel
I stormed through Mirkwold, furious at Eve. I’d returned from several hours of flying, finally ready to speak with her again, to listen to why she had lied to me for so long. She was my mate; she deserved that much.
Even if I was still angry.
But then I couldn’t find her. I went from room to room, bellowing her name. Where is that blasted woman?
Something pounded in the Great Hall.
Grinding my teeth, I stalked to the minstrel gallery, jumped the railing, and landed on the floor with my bare feet. I went over to the front door and jerked it open. “What?” I demanded.
Three men stared up at me, mouths agape.
“G-g-gabriel? The Herald?” the center man inquired.
“Yes?” I growled, my wings flaring behind me.
Their eyes widened more, and the big one on the right fell back a step. They were likely shocked someone like myself was answering my own door. Well, a hundred years ago when I still lived with my parents in their palace I would’ve been shocked at this sight, too.
But times changed. Apparently.
“Greetings, most magnificent one.” All three men bowed. Their exaggerated obeisance made my feathers ruffle. “We humbly beg an audience with you.”
Oh. Part of Eve’s cult, then. “Which one of you is Zorababel Grimshaw?” I demanded, ready to toss them out on their rears.
The middle one, with the air of authority and smug expectation flashes an annoying smile at me. “I am the Reverend Grimshaw.”
Eve’s betrothed. I imagined ripping his head from his shoulders.
He was a tall, solidly built man with thick brown hair and trimmed beard.
His eyes showed sharp intelligence, though his large nose pointed in the air as if he didn’t wish to breathe the same air as everyone else.
Eve could not marry that. He’d bore her to tears in less than a week.
“I am honored you already know me, oh Herald of Death.”
I inwardly sighed. Stormy skies, Eve hadn’t been exaggerating. It was as tedious as it was annoying. “I don’t have time for this.” I began to shut the door and turn. I need my mate. She was the priority now, even if the idea of beating the cult leader into a pulp was enticing.
The door caught on something. I turned, eyes narrowing down at the foot the reverend had stuck inside to block the door. The rage from a few hours earlier began to spiral. “Get your human foot out of my house,” I said coldly.
The other two, one a huge idiot and the other, a middle-aged man with the air of a scavenger, eyed me nervously.
Grimshaw, on the other hand, raised his hands as if placing a benediction on me and stepped further into my home. “My family has been searching for you for decades.”
I grunted, eying his limbs. How hard could ripping human limbs from their bodies be? Or perhaps I could take him into the air and drop him?
“Before we begin,” he said with an assurance I found grating, “I want to apologize for my messenger, the housekeeper you hired.”
My skin prickled. “Eve? What about her?” I barked.
He dipped his head. Humility did not become him. “May I come in, good sir?”
Grudgingly, I opened the door and let him into the Great Hall.
He walked past me, taking in the wide, open room with the exposed, soaring beams and the few windows far overhead.
He must’ve caught sight of colored light dappling the flagstone floor, for he turned toward the end of the Hall where the oriel was tucked into the corner between this wing and the servants’ wing.
I ground my teeth. “What do you have to say? Be quick about it.” I slammed the door shut in the faces of the other two men, leaving them trapped outside.
Grimshaw, hands in his trouser pockets, looked far too self-assured to be standing in the home of a seraph he didn’t know.
My hands twitched at my sides. I wanted to throw him out on his wingless back, but this could be my one chance to understand Eve better.
Before I tracked her down and demanded she stay and apologize properly.
He was squinting up at the stained glass of the oriel, a calculating look on his face.
“Well?” I demanded, crossing my arms.
Grimshaw looked at me. “Oh great Herald,” he began.
“You’re not fooling me with all those words,” I cut in. “Speak without trying to deceive.”
He looked affronted, and I wondered if maybe it wasn’t all an act. Maybe he did believe his grandfather’s tales. I’d assumed Eve had sent back less than glowing reports of me.
“First, I must apologize for the housekeeper you hired. I spent many years searching for you, mighty messenger. When we saw you were hiring a female servant, we knew that was the best way to make certain you were who we hoped.”
I clenched my jaw. “And you chose her. Why?”
He smiled at me, as if we were conspiring allies.
“Women tend to be biddable creatures, and that fit well with our needs. Eve doesn’t contribute much to the community.
She can’t cook, her mending is average, and she isn’t a great beauty.
Plus, I knew she was interested in the outside world.
It seemed little risk to send her off.” His face hardened.
“I was unaware she would lead you along and fail to communicate clearly our hopes and desires.”
My wings tensed. “What do you mean?”
“We should’ve had this meeting weeks ago,” he admitted. “I take full responsibility for her flightiness. She wasn’t up to the task, it appears.”
I bit back an angry retort. How could he not see that Eve was marvelous? She was far smarter than this idiot. It seemed like she had been telling me the truth after all—she’d stalled communications and hidden things from them for as long as she could.
My anger eased at the realization.
“We know you are mighty beings from another world,” Grimshaw said, and I realized I had missed when he’d changed the subject.
“You are still here in our world, which means you have a purpose here. Allow our church to provide a place of rest and worship for you. We will be your humble servants, your acolytes, and we beg that you will come with us.”
I frowned. “Why?”
“You have great powers that should be venerated,” the reverend explained. “Eve told us of your superior senses and your warrior background. But I also know you have the power of life and death inside you.”
My blood ran cold. He was wrong, but…with the ayim in seraph bodies, I could see how an ignorant human would draw their own conclusions. Had Eve betrayed me? I swallowed. “What do you mean?”