Chapter 37 Azrael #2
But my sinner? I would train her thoroughly. I would teach her that she didn’t have to be loud to be heard. That more often than not, the louder the voice, the more nonsense they spewed. That there was power in silence.
It would be an easy lesson for her, I was sure.
“Good morning, Mr. Thorin,” Red greeted before we could make it in the sanctuary doors.
I paused, finding her blue-green eyes, wondering why she was stopping me. “Some might say it’s a testing one,” I countered in quiet warning.
Her eyes didn’t flinch. “I had heard you were one for skipping services, I suspected that was the case when you didn’t arrive earlier.”
I felt my smile grow. Scarlett had needed a little break before we left the house.
She may be angry that we were to marry, but that didn’t ease her urges.
Part of me was starting to think that it wasn’t the fact that she was marrying me that had her in a sour mood, but the fact that she was marrying anyone at all.
Being betrothed at 9 years of age? Being told her only purpose in life was to marry, bear Thomas’ children, and allow the Leaders to fuck her for the rest of her days? I couldn’t imagine the hatred I would feel at such an institution if that were my life I was signing away.
“Thank you for your concern, Ms. Sorrehl, but I am a private person and don’t have any obligation in telling you where I am and why.”
She angled her chin, her eyes sparking. She looked over at Scarlett, dragging her eyes up and down, taking her in in her entirety before she turned back to me.
“I started coming here because I was sick of the other churches shifting their beliefs to reflect the beliefs of the world. I assumed this church would be better about that, yet here we are. Why is she on your arm this morning and not the arm of the Pastor’s son? ”
My smile tightened. The little minx was challenging me in a place she had no right to.
I appreciated her games outside of these walls, but this was a delicate balance of give and take, and she was taking far too much.
Perhaps another plague in her precious bottle would remind her where she stood in my life.
Before I could respond, however, Garrett appeared at my side.
“Good morning, Ms. Sorrehl, Mr. Thorin,” he nodded in my direction.
“It’s an announcement we’ll be making this morning, Poppy, tragic circumstances, I assure you, but Azrael here is doing a great service providing for the church.
Azrael,” he gestured towards the sanctuary. “May I have a word with you.”
It was easy to explain away. The normal people of the church, those not involved in the depravities, knew that she was close to Thomas.
That they were friends, but of course, they didn’t know that the two were betrothed.
She was only 19. It would look suspicious to announce their betrothal after watching them spend so much time together over the years.
The announcement of our betrothal would be normal. It was easy to tell the normal members that we had simply spent some time outside of the church and fell in love. There would be no worry of questions.
I gave Red a small, threatening nod, wondering how I could manage to step away long enough to poison the water bottle she had sitting in her car.
She had thwarted me in the past, but it’s been so long since we’ve had a good cat and mouse game.
She might have lowered her guard after the last two years.
I followed Garrett into the sanctuary, the little sinner still right beside me, only moving a step behind me when one of the other members of the church didn’t move first.
“Don’t worry, doll, they’ll be bowing down at your feet soon enough.” They would have no choice without the use of their legs.
He led me right up to the front of the stage steps and finally turned to me, his eyes flicking to Scarlett and back.
“Don’t worry, your son trained her well,” I hummed, holding my cane in my left hand so she could stand on my right side unencumbered.
“That’s not my worry,” he stated coldly. “You’ve had me move up the date, brought her here like a show-pony, breaking law after law, for what? What is your game, Azrael? To embarrass the church? We have excommunicated for less.”
My smile only tightened. “I’ve read the Good Book, Garrett, I’ve read the book of rules you’ve given to her, and every other book I could get my hands on.
There is no rule or law stating that my betrothed has to stand a foot behind me.
There is no law or rule stating that I must click my tongue like a trainer to get her to come, and there is no law or rule stating that she must wear the ugliest of clothes.
She is covered from head to toe. She isn’t speaking, looking, or breathing anywhere I don’t tell her too, and she walks and stops when I say.
I’m following every rule that the Founder has written.
Unless, that is, you believe your stances are above his? ”
His eyes widened ever so slightly, true fear in his eyes before he hardened his gaze. “How dare you say such things. If I had another transporter, I would—”
“Excommunicate me?” I offered only to shrug.
“I suppose it’s a good thing for me that you don’t then.
Don’t worry, we’ll be married next week, and then all of these little problems you have will disappear.
She’ll be mine to use, abuse, and amuse for as long as I want, and she’ll no longer be under the rule of ‘For the Pure of the Church’.
” Although the book was a fun idea. Maybe I should commandeer the wild rose to write one for me.
He shook his head, clearly at a loss on how to handle me.
When he didn’t respond right away, I angled my chin. “You look tired, Garrett,” I commented. He did look tired, but more than that, he looked like a man who was at war with himself. Did the sudden loss of his future pussy push him to reevaluate who he was as a person?
It didn’t matter to me if he truly found God now, he had participated in this far too long to earn my forgiveness.
He looked towards the stage, towards his podium, something troubling in his eyes. After a few seconds, he shook his head and turned back. “I’ve heard rumors from the other Pastors that some of the Leaders and their sons are wanting to petition the Elders to go after The Family.”
How interesting. “And you worry,” I stated evenly.
He nodded, glancing at his slowly entering congregation. “Of course, I worry. I tried to warn them not to do something so…so…” but he struggled with the words.
Idiotic.
Stupid.
Daft.
There were plenty I could use.
“You don’t think they should try and fight against them?”
“I think it was irresponsible of Charles to release his daughter so he could ‘have fun’ with her before he killed her,” he responded in a hushed tone. “Had he not done that, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Louis dead, the branch in the woods gone, our church in Russia devastated.”
“Rebuilding, I thought,” I put in.
“Slowly but surely,” he agreed, his shoulders losing a bit of their tension.
Unfortunate, but the fact that he admitted that Louis’ death was due to their negligence was something he had yet to admit to anyone.
“They’ve proved to be an eager opponent, injuring us at every turn, but since that fire, they’ve been quiet.”
An entire three months. Success comes in small doses, I suppose. Was it that success that was causing Thomas to go to a judge to open up this non-profit or was it his anger at what I had taken from him? What was the goal, I still wondered.
“A blessing, but even God warns not to test Him in things such as these.”
On the contrary, in the original text, God encourages people to test Him. Malachi 3:10, although he wouldn’t know that with how often he’s studied their Good Book.
“And now they’ve grown.”
Something I already knew they knew, or else why specifically send out people to harm the rose or the mouse? They saw the women of the sons as weaknesses, still unaware that we had none.
“I’m sure the Elders won’t allow it,” I purred. “They, after all, have the last vote. It doesn’t matter how many Leaders petition for them to allow us to go after The Family, if they say no, we have to respect that. Is that not the hierarchy of this church?”
Garrett released a breath. “You’re right.
I’m just getting too old for this job.” He glanced at Scarlett, his eyes traveling over her.
“She does look good in that dress,” he sighed, causing my skin to tighten.
“I do wish Thomas hadn’t spent so many years keeping her in those ugly pencil skirts.
It would have been nice to have something pretty to look at during service. ”
My smile widened. “Yes, well, perhaps he did it so as not to distract you.”
“Perhaps.” He chuckled. “A blessing and a curse.”
“No cursing in church, dear Pastor,” I sang.
His shoulders fell as if my words had eased him. It was all part of the game, but not a part I enjoyed. “You are a breath of fresh air, Azrael, sometimes I wonder why you don’t want your praise from the Elders.”
Having a fake birth certificate made up with my ‘real name’ was something I knew would come in handy.
I had several, actually, although the others didn’t think it was right, taking the identities of the unsuspecting—the dead, usually—to use for my own personal gain. Yet here I was, benefiting from it.
Azrael Thorin was the name the people in this church knew me by, but my ‘real name’ on the documents for the church and when talked about to the Elders was ‘Kaz Reese’. Just another layer of protection.
“Good morning, Pastor,” someone greeted before I could reply.
I bid my farewell and led Scarlett to my seat.
It was the eighth row back, one seat in. Before, I had never had to worry about anyone sitting beside me, but this morning, I had my doubts people would refrain if they had the chance to sit beside the Blessed One.