Chapter 30 Azrael
Azrael
The bucket of vomit was still sitting in the hallway, untouched by the people who had forced it out of her. Let the church smell like the sins they commit every day. Let their walls reek with the stench of the god they chose to worship.
When the backs of the people were worse than my own, that was when the true problems began to burn through me like battery acid on the skin of a babe.
They spoke of covenant and love, of forgiveness and faith. They spoke of law, but what they never considered was being beaten by the snake who was playing the game by the rules they created.
I had seen the depths of the cruelty of this world. I had seen Hell itself, what I never considered in all my years was that this would be so much worse.
Worse than the padded rooms with chains laced in metal thorns.
Worse than the flowers they planted on my windowsill to reinforce that their reprogramming was good.
Worse than the wolf cubs they had forced us to kill in order to kill the insanity within ourselves.
Worse than the frigid mountains we were forced to climb in bare feet.
Worse than the electricity they had run through our bodies, trying to cleanse us.
Because at least we were allowed to keep some of our autonomy. They only raped us when they thought there was nothing else left. Raped us in the name of their god.
I never left the asylum, I simply moved locations.
I walked through the Back Hall door, some of the Leaders, their wives, and a few of their sons still lingering. Discussing church politics, I assumed.
“Hey, when is the next transportation day?” I heard L.J. ask the moment I walked out the door.
Had they been waiting for me? Waiting for me to bring out their precious little gem? Well, now I had half a mind to keep her back there until they were all gone.
I probably wouldn’t. She deserved to go rest, but even so, how selfish of them to be panting for another look at what they would never have.
I stopped on my way to Pastor Masters’ office and turned, my smile wide, the feeling of that black fog creeping around the edges of my mind.
“Tuesday,” I answered. “But don’t you worry your young head, dear boy, I’m sure you’ll have your pick of the slaughter if you can’t wait that long.
After all, who can say no to a man in mourning? ”
His mother frowned but said nothing as the boy’s eyes raged. He took a step forward. “You need to learn your place, Thorin.”
I angled my head. “My place? Have I not had access to the Back Hall longer than you boys? Do I not have favor in the eyes of the Elders to be able to transport such precious cargo? Perhaps it is you who should learn your place.”
“L.J,” Young said sternly when the boy went to take a step forward. “That’s enough. He outranks you.”
He sneered but followed orders like the good little lamb he was.
“Apologies, Azrael,” Young said. “Our boys are still learning, their mothers do what they can.”
“Well, it’s difficult to teach boundaries when you don’t give them any.” I headed for the office again, walking in without warning.
Thomas was sitting in the chair, his father at his desk, probably discussing in depth the future of the woman I was about to steal from them.
“What the Hell,” Thomas snapped.
“I’ll call you back, Mr. Adams,” Garrett said and hung up the phone.
I locked the name in as I stepped up to the desk.
“What can I do for you, Azrael?”
“I’m not cleaning up her vomit,” Thomas put in before I could answer.
“Then it shall sit in the hall,” I told the child without looking over. “I’ll pay 10 million. An extra two if you move up the date.”
Garrett leaned back, studying me carefully. “Why?”
“Do I need a reason?” The only way to save the information in her mind long enough for it to be worth my time was to separate her from those taking away the shards I needed to rebuild her. She could still be a weapon, but only if I actually kept my word in this world and not just my own.
I told her I could protect her, what she didn’t know was that I meant I could protect her in my world. I could protect her from the monsters haunting my own mind, but now I needed to protect her from her world.
He thrummed his fingers, his eyes shifting to his son’s.
“What?”
Garrett inhaled sharply. “Fine. She’s yours. I’ll do what I can to move up the date, for now, just send the 10 million.”
Thomas straightened then. “What are you doing?”
“I’m selling Scarlett to someone who actually sees the value in her.”
He stood abruptly, the chair sliding back against the carpet. “You can’t do that,” he snarled. “Do you know how much work I put into her to turn her into something desirable? All the hours will be wasted if you just give her away.”
“I’m not giving her away, Thomas, I’m selling her. The church would greatly appreciate the money, and I’m sure their offspring would prove far more useful than yours. I mean, look at him.”
Thomas turned to me.
I rose a brow.
His expression twisted in disgust. “He’s put four years into this church,” Thomas went on, turning back to his father. “I’ve dedicated my entire life to this place. The blessing was meant for me.”
“Then may God forgive us of our sins.”
Thomas rushed the desk, slamming his hands down. “You will never get the chance to fuck her if you sell her to him. None of the Leaders will. He won’t share her like I swore I would.”
“Son, you will learn that no pussy is worth 12 million dollars. It’s rather immature of you to even be fighting me on this when that money will go straight into the church that you will inherit.”
“And give to who, father?” he seethed. “Without a wife, I won’t have children. Without children, I won’t have anyone to hand it off too when God finally takes me home.”
“There are plenty of others willing to bear the children of the Pastor,” he said tiredly. “Look around you. Many Pillars have married Favorites after only a few weeks. You can do the same.”
“But they won’t be the children of the Blessed One. Those are the offspring we need for the Church of Daylight. We need her to produce at the very least a girl and boy to give to the church for all we’ve given to her. For all we’ve provided her.”
I pulled out my watch, the secondhand ticking away, the gears moving slowly. She was probably dressed by now. I snapped it shut. “I don’t have time for this. Is the deal done?”
“Yes,” Garrett said.
“No!” Thomas snarled at the same time.
I slid the watch away. “You’ll get the money the day I marry her. I want his key revoked. I have that right.”
“You do,” Garrett agreed.
“You can’t do this!”
His father stood. “I need your key, Thomas.”
He straightened, stepping away from us both. “No.”
I shrugged and pulled out my phone. “I’ll have the locks changed within the hour,” I told Garrett.
Thomas’ face was bright red, his hands clenched, his eyes wild. “Don’t you dare.”
But I already sent the message. “Don’t worry about the compensation, Garrett, I’ll cover it. A small price to pay. I’m also going to make a request, as she is now my betrothed.”
Garrett waved on.
“I want her all to myself,” I told him, feeling the rage build in the room. “I will not share her with anyone else. No more meetings with Leaders or with the sons of the Leaders. She is mine.”
“Father!”
Garrett hesitated. “I’m sorry, Azrael, she is the Blessed One. I can’t take her away from the Leaders, not until you marry her.”
I gave him no emotion. I half-expected that, which is why I pushed for a quicker date. “Fine. Thank you for your business,” I nodded and turned for the door.
“You won’t get away with this, Thorin,” Thomas snarled after me.
I smiled as I opened the door, not sparing him even a glance back. “Looks like I already have.”
I headed for the Back Hall door again, Thomas following after me, already crying ‘woe is me’ to the people still lingering.
Whatever he had to say, I didn’t care to know.
The little sinner was mine. No more lashings, no more bruises around her wrists, and when we signed that certificate, solidifying our union, no one would ever lay a hand on her again.
She truly would be mine to use and abuse any way I wanted, and I couldn’t help the way my cock throbbed at the idea. Perhaps I wouldn’t be able to take advantage right away, but once she learned how to fight back, how to say no, I would take what was mine, refusing to accept her newfound ability.
You see, I was selfish. Much more than my brothers before me.
I suppose I had father dearest to thank for that.
When I wanted something, I took it, doing whatever was necessary to make it mine, even if that meant bloodshed.
It was one of the many things we learned in that asylum.
Even if she decided she wanted to run away from me after I gave her her new lease on life, she wouldn’t get far.
There was nowhere in this world of mine she could run where I wouldn’t find her. She was mine.
Mine.
Mine.
They wanted me to save her, to save someone. Didn’t they know? I was only a transporter from one Hell to another.
My phone started ringing the second I crossed the threshold. When I pulled it out, I saw a rose flash across my screen.
“Hello, wild rose,” I answered, the smell of vomit causing my stomach to churn. “One moment,” I said before she could say a word.
I leaned out the Back Hall door. “If someone doesn’t clean up this vomit then I will dump it onto the stage so all of you can see what your semen looks like swirled together with stomach acid. You have thirty seconds.”
I didn’t wait for them to respond before I headed for the changing room. “What do you need?” I made a note to get rid of this phone the second I could.
“How will you do it?” she asked, a familiar lilt in her voice.
“Painfully,” I answered, gagging a little. “Did you need something?”
“The address.”
“Rose,” I sang.
She was quiet a moment. “You speak to them as if they respect you.”