Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Below the altar of the Madonna in Santa Maria Ai Monti in Rome, Evie knelt. Well after midnight and lit only by candlelight, this was her most desperate option.
Sacrilegious for a lycan to bow before a Christian altar, right?
After years of researching every possible way to lift the curse, her sons remained trapped in subservience to the whims of the monarch of England.
Fortunately, the curse only allowed the monarch to order they eliminate nonhuman threats.
They weren’t human assassins, which meant they couldn’t be used as an elite army in war, not that the queen hadn’t tried to enlist them despite this.
They could say no to killing humans, but other than that, they couldn’t go against a direct order from the monarch.
The order could be something as stupid as don’t wear clothes for a week, and her sons would have to obey.
Her children were showing signs of intense stress. Jonas suffered the most. He had no stomach for battle. Jonas teetered on the edge of insanity. The others tried to keep him out of the worst of it, but Willem enjoyed torturing the “weakness” out of him.
Willem continued to posture as if he ran the show, but he dodged any serious confrontations.
Somehow, her boys had avoided Willem detecting where they went during full moons, using the excuse that they needed to lay low when the drive for sex hit.
They often distracted their father with women since he refused to take a suppression serum.
But it was getting harder to shake him in order to visit her once a month.
The sculpture of the Madonna stared down at her judgmentally.
“As a mother I plead to you, Mary, to advise me. How do I keep my children safe? I’m not one of the preferred children of God, and I have not prostrated myself before God before.
Those two things I’m certain are strikes against me.
You may deem me unworthy of your help, but they are brave and noble souls who have been unfairly imprisoned.
They put their lives on the line every day to preserve the safety of your blessed humans. ”
Nothing.
She swiped at tears. This was silly. To believe Mary existed was a stretch. To think such a being could assume a real form and deign to speak with her, a lycan, was ludicrous. “Would my life in exchange for theirs be amenable?”
The echo of a side door to the main sanctuary opening and shutting boomed through the empty space.
The candles around the room flared brighter.
A brunette woman in a dark overcoat with a long braid draped over one shoulder sauntered up the aisle.
Her high-heeled boots clicked as she walked to the first pew.
She removed her sunglasses to reveal eyes so pale they were almost white.
With a wave, she gestured for Evie to sit next to her.
Was this her? She glanced up at the Madonna statue.
Impossible.
Her heart pounded a rapid beat inside her ears.
She moved as if in a dream to sit beside the newcomer.
The being didn’t smell human, nor like any nonhuman she’d encountered.
In fact, the being had no smell. Her aura engendered a sense of calm, but nothing with nails that sharp in that shade of pink could be peaceful.
“You offer a unique skillset that intrigues me, Evie.”
“Are you her? Mary, mother of Jesus?”
“Yes.” The woman’s head swiveled to meet her gaze. In the power of those eyes, Evie found judgment, forgiveness, and determination all at once.
She bowed her head in deference to the celestial being. “How do I know it’s you and not some demon pretending to be you to take advantage of me?”
“Smart to be skeptical. You have encountered demons before. What did they make you feel?”
“Sadness. Despair.”
“Do you feel that now?”
“No, but that proves nothing. You might be more powerful and able to mask that part of you.”
“Then you must go on faith.” She held up her hands. “If you want to converse, then let us do so.”
I don’t believe in anything these days. Faith?
She put a hand around the pendant Dom had given her. “I did seek you out.”
“Excellent. You have been quite a bad girl in the way that you have hunted humans for many years. God is not pleased.”
“I only eliminated the worst ones. Most were terrorists or serial killers. There was one rapist who abused his wife, though.”
“Death appreciates your help to welcome those souls to hell. I’m sure Lucifer liked his recruits. If you indeed want to try to save your children, then perhaps we can come to an agreement.”
“What sort of agreement?”
“It doesn’t matter if God likes you or not.
You’re not human and therefore have no option for admission into heaven.
Obviously, God isn’t upset enough over your actions to end you, since you’re still alive.
The Fates seem to have some sort of plan for you that I don’t quite understand.
I propose that you work for me. I am unable to purge the horrendous souls who threaten and harm the children of the world whom I protect.
I will identify to you the worst offenders. You will eliminate them.”
“You want me to assassinate child molesters and killers? You would help me find them?” Of course she would do this. Any monster that targeted the young deserved death.
Mary, the Madonna, grinned as if she’d heard her thoughts. The heat of her smile blasted her as if she were sitting in the sun on the beach on the most brilliant day in the middle of summer.
“That which is deep in your heart is why your sons have a clear sense of morality,” Mary said. “It is why I may be able to offer them a form of protection.” Her smile fell. “Nothing is free, as I am sure you are well aware.”
“How can you protect them?”
“I can assign each a guardian angel.” She crossed her jeans-clad legs. “I was put in charge of the archangels some time ago. Managing their daily minutia doesn’t interest me, but if I can use them for my cause as guardian to children, then this works for me.”
“A real angel? Like Gabriel or Micheal?”
“Yes. It may provide your sons with more protection against that which they fight and help each keep his soul intact. In exchange, you will swear your loyalty to me for the rest of your life. Neither our agreement nor their guardians are items to be discussed with others. It will be between you and me.”
“Can their curse be broken?”
“Not by God or any of us. We don’t have the power to supersede this kind of magic. I’m afraid it must be managed by those trapped in it.”
“Then I will do everything I can to protect them.” Evie got on her knees before the deity. “I swear fealty to you. At your direction, I agree to eliminate the evils that prey on young humans. In exchange, you will provide angelic protection for my children.”
“As one mother to another, I will do all I can to help them. I believe we have an agreement.” Mary touched Evie’s head. “What’s fascinating to me already is that at least two of your sons already pray to one of the angels on an almost daily basis. Perhaps this is already part of the Fates’ plan.”
“How will you contact me?”
“You will know.” She disappeared.
“Ahh,” she gasped and rubbed her right wrist. A tattooed picture of a Madonna now rested on the inside of her wrist. It winked at her.
“Inconvenient,” she said to the tattoo. “I’ll have to cover you. If I don’t, everyone will ask why I got a tattoo of you there.”
Outside, Efrem waited beside the car to drive them to a property they’d purchased years ago on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
He’d helped her buy many private properties across the world with their funds.
They lived a nomadic life, hopping from one property to the next so that Willem couldn’t find her.
Crisp air bit into her skin. She zipped closed her jacket. The piece had been designed for fashion, not to be effective against icy gusts.
A bird cried out from where it sat on a light post. The falcon flew to a nearby building, glanced back at her, and cried its piercing call again. It reminded her of the one she’d seen in past times when Dom was nearby.
Chills traveled along her shoulders, settling into a dropping sensation in her stomach.
The bird flew farther away before landing to glance back. At her. It wanted her to follow.
She jogged after the bird. She increased her speed to keep up, weaving through the streets.
The falcon settled on the doorway of a dilapidated building hidden by remnants of a wooden scaffolding to repair what had long ago been abandoned.
All its windows were broken. It reeked of something chemical mixed with the smell of charred wood.
Inside lacked light. Dawn would bring light within the hour.
Someone lay propped up against a metal chair. The closer she got, the stronger the smell of blood.
No. Don’t be dead.
“Dom?”
A huge spike protruded from his chest. It wasn’t wood or metal, but something organic. He pushed up as if he had something to do but collapsed. Blood leached around the base of the spike.
With that through his chest, he should be dead.
“This has to come out.” With a cringe, she pulled out the spike. Blood gushed in its wake. When she applied pressure, blood seeped around her hand. She resorted to using her jacket. His body slumped and his head lolled back. “Dom? Come on, wake up. Now isn’t the time to die on me.”
“Evie?” Efrem called out.
“Here! Help me stop the bleeding.”
Efrem stood above her, glowering. He folded his arms across his chest. “Who’s that?”
“He’s the one who helped us get free in Afghanistan. We’re helping him.”
“Whatever he is, he can heal on his own. Leave him. This place stinks of dangerous things beyond our understanding.”
“Exactly. We’re taking him. The falcon told me so.”
“The what?”
“The bird that led me here. You saw it, right?”
He cast her the you’ve-lost-your-mind glare.
“Forget it.” Dom’s bleeding ebbed. Her lungs finally allowed her to breathe easier. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath.