Chapter 36 Tap
Tap
“What happened that day? After you left the garden?” Phin asked.
The Nephilim looked completely exhausted now that they had full stomachs.
“We made it back to my dorm,” Harmon said quietly.
“They came and took her while we were sleeping that first night.” His jaw and fist clenched at the same time.
She squeezed her fingers around his, but it was clearly a sore point for them all.
“We fought, but they were stronger. We thought at first it was just because we had her with us overnight, which was against the rules. But it was so much worse.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Councilman Armaros and those loyal to him.” Harmon shook his head and ran his hand irritably through his stringy hair.
“We were promised special privileges,” James continued.
“Nice apartments. Access to everything the full angels have. We were told we were special. They swore they’d care for us since we had nobody else.
So stupid to believe it,” he sneered, pounding his fist into his thigh.
“It was all lies. They took her to a breeding room and us to a cell.”
Phin put her hand to her mouth, eyes shimmering with tears. “You have no family at all? None of you?”
James shook his head. “None worth speaking of. Our fathers were all soldiers, and our human mothers were elderly by the time we were allowed to get our schooling. We were housed in the dorms out of what little pity Heaven held for us. None of our families remained when we searched for them after escaping.”
“I’m so sorry,” Phin said. She frowned, as though just doing the math on her age versus that of her own mother. “They destroyed our home too. We were able to get away, but I haven’t seen my parents since shortly after that.”
There was a heavy silence.
After several long moments, I asked, “Apologies, but did you say breeding room?”
“Yes. They had a whole hallway of awful little cells in the basement of one of the fancy apartment buildings for higher ranking angels,” Brinda said, voice low.
“Bed, sink, toilet. Nothing else. Two meager meals a day. Not enough for me to keep my strength, just the bare minimum to keep me alive and healthy enough for their purposes. I wasn’t ever let out to so much as take a walk; I just paced around my little cell.
It was ten steps from the door to the wall, five from the bed to the sink.
I made a game of it, to keep my sanity.” She scrubbed her hands up and down her upper arms. “It was so quiet, so lonely. I couldn’t hear anybody else down there with me, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there.
” She swallowed. “I was visited by the full angels I was matched to breed with, as often as possible. Sometimes more than once a day, sometimes I’d get a day or two between. ”
My blood was roiling under my skin. “I would appreciate names, if you have them.”
Brinda’s face fell. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any.
I never saw any faces. The angels I was matched with came only when it was dark and wore coverings.
It was not … intimate. I was made to face away from them, both so I couldn’t run and for their anonymity.
” James and Harmon made angry noises and she sniffled, blinking away her tears before they could fall.
“Councilman Armaros came by once a week to make sure I was still well enough to do what they wanted. Once, he brought a healer after …” She shook her head but didn’t elaborate.
She didn’t need to; we could all guess why just fine. “There was nobody else.”
I glanced at Seir, who indicated with a slight head nod that he’d heard that as clearly as I had. The rage I felt down to my bones was reflected in his face, his red eyes and elongated teeth. They would pay, one way or another.
I turned to the men. “And your prison, it was elsewhere?”
James played with the frayed threads on his pant leg, clearly agitated.
“Only female Nephilim are truly useful to them. Our potential breeding contributions are considered insignificant—they just want rid of us. The female angels that reproduce the same way we do are already matched with full angels, and anyone with an angelic parent that isn’t completely evil would never stand for their offspring being treated in such a way, male or female.
” He looked away. “We were only a nuisance. So we were left to rot in a dungeon.”
“At least we were together,” Harmon said, strong affection in his eyes. “And that allowed us to plot our escape. So we could get back to Brin. Get her out.”
“How did you escape?”
“Our guard got careless. We were intentionally compliant. Docile.” His jaw rolled. “He liked to chat, though we rarely responded because that wasn’t the point. He loved to hear his own voice. Though he did enjoy the challenge of getting a reaction out of us.”
“He did, at first, too. Until we got smarter,” James added.
“Yes. We learned. Watched. He had a bad habit of leaving his keys in doors after he opened them. One day, we got lucky. He went to use the toilet after leaving us near the tubs for our weekly bath. The keys were still in the lock, and he was across the room in a water closet, proving his diet was not to be envied.” Harmon relayed the information in a detached tone that indicated he’d ventured back to that place in his mind.
James took up the tale, seeing Harmon’s gaze go distant.
“We were still dressed even, the fool. We glanced at one another, turned on the taps to make it seem like we were still there preparing to wash, grabbed the keys, and locked every door we could on our way out to slow him down. Then we ran like the devil himself was chasing us.” He looked up, eyes wide. “No offense.”
I couldn’t help but smile and Seir was openly chuckling. “None taken.”
“How did you know where she was?” Phin asked.
“The idiot had gleefully taunted us about how close and yet how far from us she was.” Harmon snarled. “Told us more than once exactly where they were keeping her, what she was being put through.”
“Were you able to find any other women?”
“Only her.” James’s somber tone weighed down the air.
“We opened five other rooms before the guards came. They were all empty. But there were perhaps another twenty we didn’t get to check.
” He swallowed and reached into his pocket.
“I still have these.” A ring with dozens of keys dangled from his fingers.
“And where you were kept, were there any other men?” Seir asked, perplexed.
They shook their heads. “Not many. Not anymore,” James said sadly.
“There were four other cells. Nine other men. Only three still alive and one of those … barely,” Harmon breathed.
Brinda whimpered and Phin closed her eyes, tears running freely down her cheeks.
“We opened their cell doors on our way out. They all went their own way, and we’ve never come across them again.
I didn’t recognize any of them either.” He sagged.
“I hope every day that they are recovered and safe somewhere.”
“Armaros was behind all this?” I bit off his name like a curse, eyes lifting to Seir who was as disgusted as I was.
“Yes. It’s his initiative,” James affirmed. “That’s what he called it when he came every so often to see if we were dead or dying yet.”
I recalled with rage how I had viscerally responded to the man that day in the church.
“I came across him in Vincara, shortly after you had passed through. It’s a wonder he didn’t try to snatch Phin right from the church on the slightest suspicion she was Nephilim.
” I hated to be thankful for the tincture that had quite literally been poisoning her, but it had done a good job keeping her hidden from him, even at close range.
“You were there,” Brinda gasped. “We were so close.”
“He’s too careful for that.” Harmon shook his head.
“We’ve been trying to find you, Phin, since we first escaped.
Our first stop was to check the garden, but you were obviously already gone.
The door was wide open again though, a clear trap.
We’ve wanted to be sure you were okay, and to warn you.
To apologize. This whole time. We went to Vincara because we’d heard a rumor that there was someone with eyes like ours in that village, a dark haired boy.
” I raised an eyebrow, and the corner of Phin’s mouth twitched.
“That was you, right? Not someone else?”
“Yes,” Phin confirmed.
“I hate that us going there drew his attention to you. It seems we’ve put you in further danger, and I’m sorry for that too, none of this was how we intended.”
They bled sincerity, and I found myself letting down my guard. They’d done what they could to survive and saved others in the process.
“I understand,” Phin assured them. “So … you escaped Heaven and have been running since then?” Phin asked. “How long were you held captive?”
“Two cycles,” Brinda said. “The end of that first one and into the next.”
“So four months or so?” Seir exhaled when she confirmed. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded gently, accepting his empathy. “It could have been far worse.”
“It should never have happened at all,” James snapped. “To you or anyone else.”
“You came for me.” She patted him comfortingly. “You got me out. And those men. That’s what matters.”
Do you see the difference now, Watchman?
They were running from that terrible councilman but also seeking you out, Phin.
I misunderstood, I thought they were after you, mistress.
I chased, they ran. I never realized someone was after them aside from me.
Terrible mistakes, all the way around. The real enemy is that hideous angel, not them.
“Agreed,” I sighed.
“Thank you for your kindness, but we really shouldn’t linger here,” Harmon sighed, shifting like he was about to stand.
He glanced around as though just realizing where they actually were, and his face blanched.
“We probably shouldn’t have come here in the first place, but thank you, Ramsey, for your insistence that we follow you. ”
“Inter-planar transit rules are sometimes flexible, in times of emergency,” Seir said, thoughtful. “This certainly qualifies for an exception. Besides, you were accompanied by a hellhound, and that by itself gives a certain leniency.”
Ramsey lifted her head and panted lightly with a very pleased canine smile.
Your deference is appreciated, princeling.
Seir grinned, so she’d sent her message strongly enough for him to hear, as well.
“Surely you could stay long enough to rest?” Phin suggested, glancing at me to be sure I was in agreement. “Some decent sleep and a hot bath could do you a world of good. Another meal, as well, maybe? If you need to leave, it seems the least we can do is help you replenish your strength first.”
“You’ve been so hospitable, we’re very grateful. But we really shouldn’t. Trouble has a way of following us.” Brinda’s sad tone made my heart ache.
“I insist,” I said. “We have the resources to protect ourselves. A few hours should make no difference.” I wasn’t sure that was entirely true with an eclipse underway, but time would tell, and we could certainly manage protecting a few extra people should it come to that.
They all sagged visibly, tears forming in Brinda’s eyes. “Thank you.”
“Come on. I’m sure there are some clothes we can find for you as well.”
Phin led them down the hall toward her room, Ramsey taking the opportunity to sleep, right there on the sofa.
Seir and I followed behind the Nephilim, keeping a sharp eye on everything.
Tension pulled at my shoulders, the invasion of my personal space unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but for a good cause.
Before Phin came, not even Seir had ventured into the rooms beyond the living area.
Once Phin had them all tucked into her bathroom with soap and towels, she went straight across to my bedroom and began digging through the wardrobe.
I locked eyes with my brother, and he nodded, stationing himself right outside Phin’s bedroom door. It wasn’t that we didn’t trust them, but it would not do to be careless.
“Is there something I can help you find?” I asked.
“You said I could have anything I wanted, yes?”
“I did.”
“Well, I would like for Harmon and James to borrow some clothes. I have plenty to share with Brinda, but I don’t think those two would fit in my leggings, no matter how many meals they’ve missed.”
I smiled back and helped her find what she needed, equally amused and pleased that she’d taken my offer to heart.
“As you wish.” I kissed her temple, my front against her back and my arms bracketing her in as we sifted through my shirts and trousers.
“Are you alright?” I asked softly. “This is quite a lot to take in all at once.”
She paused, eyes going distant. A nod came, gentle at first, then more confident.
“Yes. I think I am. I really don’t blame them for what happened, I never …
rarely did. It was just terrible timing all the way around.
And from the sound of things, I got the better end, all things considered.
My father came for me, after all. I wasn’t taken to a …
” She grimaced and my own stomach lurched.
“Breeding chamber.” She shivered, and I rubbed a hand along her back.
“What’s happening will not stand, Feather. I promise you that.” My teeth clenched, and I tried not to picture the destruction that such a deplorable effort must have caused over the course of years. “You will be safe, and so will they. As will any others they still have captive.”
“It could start a war,” she whispered, fear in her eyes.
“Then to war we shall go. I have sixty-six legions at my command, ready to be summoned should the need arise. My brothers have hundreds more between them. You have my blade, and theirs, and likely that of the stone kin as well. I don’t particularly enjoy them, but I am not afraid of a fight.
Especially not over someone as important as you. ”
My brave, strong mate turned and wrapped her arms around me, silently sobbing into my chest as she finally allowed the wave of emotion to crash over her. What she’d endured, what she’d escaped, and what others had been faced with hit her all at once.
“I wish I could talk to my dad. I have so many questions.”
“I know, beloved.”
I shushed her, held her, and vowed to fix it all, even go to war with Heaven itself, if it meant she’d be safe once and for all.
Aside from vowing my loyalty and love for her, I’d never meant anything more seriously in my life.