I felt it in my heart.
I reached forward, taking Lilah’s and Maddie’s hands. “I love you, my sisters, no matter what happens, okay?”
They both frowned and Maddie flinched. “What do you mean?”
I resolved not to stay married to Prophet David. I could not join with him, under any circumstance. I also knew what would await me if I refused. I was prepared to face any consequences.
I pulled Maddie in for an embrace. “Be strong, sister. Keep strong,” I pleaded.
“Mae—”
Lilah was interrupted as my bedroom door opened… Gabriel. Gabriel in his white ceremonial garments.
He ogled me as I sat on the bed and I shuddered as he smiled. “My, my, Salome, you look exactly like Jezebel sat there.”
My heart sank and my fingers grasped the bed sheets for security. “Do not talk of her ever again! You killed Bella. You are a murderer, Gabriel. You will burn in hell for your crimes.”
His smile faltered. “I did the world a service, ridding it of her darkness. She was a whore, a temptress of the highest form. She deserved to die. She was too disobedient to be broken into the righteous path.”
My fists clenched. “Why? Because she refused to love you? You made her a whore, kept her—us—locked up in this… prison. We are toys for you and the other elders to have your wicked way with… for your own entertainment! You raped us over and over and over again! And you took poor Bella, whipped her until she could not move. You left her to die from her injuries, bleeding out on a dirty cell floor! You bastard!”
Gabriel stormed forward and grabbed me roughly in his arms. I heard Maddie and Lilah whimper from behind me.
“It is the Lord’s way. It is what was revealed to Prophet David through his writings.”
I locked my gaze with Gabriel’s. “Bullshit! If you believe that, you are a fool! This whole setup, the teachings, the rituals, is all for the enjoyment of men. I read the real Bible when I was out there, the one not doctored to suit The Order’s purpose. I read about what normal people on the outside believe… and it is nothing like this!”
Gabriel went wide-eyed, completely shocked. He recovered to state, “Well, the outside world has surely corrupted you.” He leaned in close. “Must have been all those hours you spent under that mute devil worshipper.”
My eyes burned with rage. I lifted my hand and set to strike it across his face, but Gabriel seized me by my wrist. “I will enjoy breaking you back into our ways. Now Bella has gone, I have been needing a new project.”
Gabriel grasped the tops of my arms and abruptly spun me around to face my sisters. “Guards!” Gabriel yelled.
Two disciples entered the room and made a beeline for Lilah and Maddie. Maddie scrambled to get away, but a disciple grabbed her by the hair. She froze, pure terror gripped her.
“NO!” I screamed. “What are you doing with them?” I whispered as I watched Maddie zone out, go numb to her surroundings. She was taking herself to the place that no one could touch her. The place we all had learned to find. Lilah stood quietly obedient, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.
“They are to be put away for insurance, just in case you decide you want to try and escape again. You run, they pay the consequence.”
Every fiber of my being tensed and all the fight left my body. I went limp, passive and quiescent.
“Why, Mae, you seem to have found your obedience again,” Gabriel mocked once again. With a wave of his hand, the disciples led my sisters out of the door and out of sight, but not out of mind.
Gabriel spun me around and grasped my face with his hand. “We are to go to the altar now. You are to marry Prophet David, with no trouble. Do you understand?”
I nodded meekly.
“Good. Let’s go,” he said. Gripping my elbow, Gabriel led me from the room.
We traced a familiar trail through the forest to the altar and no words were spoken. I would not put my sisters in harm’s way ever again. My stomach churned as my life’s path became more and more real. I would marry the prophet and that was all there was to it. Styx was a fleeting fantasy, a dream. I was again trapped.
As we rounded into the ceremony space, I beheld hundreds and hundreds of guests. They were dressed in white, sitting cross-legged in rows, facing a large wooden altar… the altar at which Prophet David stood, looking bloated and old. Next to him stood… Cain.
As Gabriel slowed us to a halt at the end of the walkway, I stared at my former friend. He looked thoroughly miserable, standing dutifully next to his uncle. He looked drawn and his head remained bowed. Even now, I found it hard to believe that Rider is Brother Cain. Lord help me, it just all seemed so surreal.
Gabriel signaled for the ceremony to begin. The waiting witnesses silently turned their heads to look my way, as did Cain. I met his brown eyes and a sadness swept across his face.
He looked like he was in agony, suffering; he looked as miserable as I felt.
A hand prodded my back. “Move, girl.” Sister Eve stood behind me. Her crepe-thin skin gray, as she stared me down.
It took all the will I had to lift my foot one step forward. My hands shook as I gripped my small bouquet of wildflowers as if they were a lifeline. The witnesses watched me make my way slowly down the scattered rose petal aisle. Some were happy, some indifferent, others annoyed—they knew I had escaped once, most probably believing I was evil incarnate. I kept my head high and my back straight.
Screw them all!
The guards surrounded the crowd, their guns visible and ready for any problems. The elders flanked the prophet… and, of course, Brother Cain. Bewitched, he could not stop watching me.
As I approached the altar, I braced for the inevitable. But then a cacophony of gunshots rang out in the near distance, deafening, threatening… welcomed. In a matter of seconds, hundreds of men swarmed into the center of the commune. Hundreds of men, all dressed in black leather… My heart sang. It was the Hangmen.
Styx has come for me.
“Mae!” Cain screamed from the altar. Prophet David was dragged away by the elders. I ignored them, my eyes glued on the Hangmen.
The witnesses jumped to their feet and the place instantly became a seething frenzy of terrified people. Women headed for the children, scooping them up, then ran for shelter. The disciples broke from their positions and charged the Hangmen, firing shot after shot at the black leather wall headed directly toward them.
The war had begun.
I stood firm in the aisle as I was buffeted by scattering witnesses fleeing the gunfire. I scanned the Hangmen for Styx, but I could make out very little. Everything was moving too fast.
“Styx?” I screamed. Somehow I hoped he could hear me. The noise of the battle and the sound of panic was deafening. I stood transfixed as men began falling to the ground, writhing in pain from being shot or, worse, dead. The Hangmen were well equipped and stormed forward, taking out disciple after disciple. It was rapidly turning into a massacre. Most of the Hangmen were ex-armed forces; the disciples did not stand a chance.
And I was glad. Lord, forgive me, but I was glad.
“Styx?” I tried to move, this time with some success and I reached the end of the altar when I saw him, Styx. Dressed all in leather, his dark hair messy and his muscled arms held out, two guns in his hands rapidly firing out bullets—bullets that ripped through the flesh of the disciple guards. He did not stop. He kept on coming, taking out disciple after disciple. Bullets shredded through limbs, stomachs, and heads.
But all I could think through the carnage was, He has come back for me…
“STYX!” I screamed as he scoped the area, I hoped, for me. He stilled, obviously hearing my call, then his hazel eyes connected with mine.
Babe, he mouthed as relief spread across his face. Then he stopped dead and his expression hardened with murderous intensity.
Dropping my flowers, I lifted my dress, ready to run to my man but I was suddenly grabbed around the chest and I yelped as I was aggressively
dragged away.
“Mae, calm. It’s me, Cain. I’m getting you outta here.”
“No! Let me go!” I struggled to get free. I could see Styx running like a man possessed toward me and I knew he had seen Cain. Styx’s nostrils flared and he picked up speed but Cain was pulling me back too fast and I was unable to get away. Then I watched in horror as Styx was tackled to the ground by a disciple.
With Styx on the floor, fighting, I then spotted Ky, Tank, Bull, Viking, AK and Flame sprinting out from the cover of the forest. Cain stiffened on seeing his former brothers, then two arms hooked under my legs and Cain lifted me clean off the ground. He began to run for the fence, but not before I heard a roar and Styx scream out, “MAE!”
Cain stilled and turned us around just in time to see the elders trying to stealthily get Prophet David to safety down a secluded trail. “Styx! Over there!” I shouted, pointing to the decrepit old leader.
“Mae! No!” Cain hissed as Styx followed the direction of my finger and his eyes narrowed in rage. Cain and I watched as Styx searched around the Hangmen, fixing his attention on AK. Putting two fingers in his mouth, Styx let out a piercing whistle and AK’s head lifted up. Styx signed something; what, I could not make out. AK nodded in understanding, looked toward the prophet and the elders, propped his rifle into position, and fired a single bullet with perfect precision into the back of Prophet David’s skull.
Stunned, the elders shrank back in horror as the prophet’s body arched and dropped to the ground. Glancing back briefly to Styx, the elders ran into the cover of the forest.
Styx then turned back toward me and I mouthed, thank you.
Prophet David was gone forever. I was freed from being the seventh wife.
“Shit! SHIT!” Cain spat as he held me. His arms tightened around my chest and legs, and with a strong jerk, he carried me from sight until I could no longer see Styx or the Hangmen. I knew exactly where we were heading: the perimeter fence.
“Cain, put me down!” I protested.
“Shut up, Mae! You’ve just helped them kill our fuckin’ prophet!” he snapped, trying to pick up speed. I began thrashing around in his arms, fighting to get free. Cain increased his hold so I dug my nails in his shoulders, but still he kept hold. Finally, I bit into his arm… as hard as I could.
“Fuck!” Cain hissed as he dropped me to the ground.
I scrambled to my feet.
Cain made toward me.
I thrust out my hand. “NO! Cain. You have to stop this!” I said breathlessly.
He darted his gaze around us, the sounds of bullets approaching. “Mae, come with me. I’ll get us out.”
“I don’t want to go with you. I want to go with Styx.”
“Mae, please. I’m begging you. They’ll kill me if they find me here. We must go now.”
“Where are my sisters? They were taken away. Where are they being kept?”
“Mae, forget them—”
“Tell me where they are!” I shouted hysterically. I would not leave them again. I made them a promise.
Cain sighed in exasperation. “In the cell. They were taken to the cell.” The cell… the cell where they had imprisoned Bella… the cell where Bella had died in my arms.
“SALOME!”
Our heads whipped around toward the sound of my name being called somewhere in the shelter of the surrounding trees. Hope blossomed in my chest for a brief moment. It quickly gave way to mortal dread when I recognized the voices of elders, barking out commands, hot on our trail.
“Fuck!” Cain spat out and grabbed my arm. He yanked me into step, only to stop dead when Brother Jacob stepped out from behind a large oak tree, gun aimed squarely at Cain’s chest.
“Brother Cain, where are you taking Salome?” Jacob asked, knowing full well we were trying to escape.
Cain stayed silent and squeezed my hand in support.
“Brother Cain, your silence betrays your guilt. You were taking her, weren’t you?”
Cain braced himself and thrust me behind him. “Brother Jacob, step away,” he warned. I recognized this side of Cain. His protective instincts were kicking in… he was embracing his Hangmen side.
Jacob smiled and cocked his head. “I don’t think so. Salome stays here, where she belongs. How quickly you forget the teachings, brother.”
It all happened so fast that my mind could not take in what had occurred until it was over. Cain reached forward, disarmed Jacob, then wrapped his hands around Jacob’s neck from behind. With one quick twist, Cain snapped Jacob’s neck and the sound of breaking bone launched vomit into my mouth.
Jacob’s lifeless body fell at my feet.
My hand flew to my mouth. Cain panted with the exertion and he towered over Jacob’s dead body.
“Mae?” I looked up at Cain, his face ashen, voice breaking and I raced to his side.
Shaking, he pulled me into his arms and I fell into his embrace. I held him for saving my life for a second time. I held him for the friend he once was… I held him in a final farewell.
“I love you, Mae,” he whispered. I could hear his heart breaking with every word.
I squeezed him one last time, letting him go. “You must leave, now!”
He stared at me blankly. “They are here to kill me, Mae. The Hangmen. They’re here for their revenge. Styx, he’ll—”
“And that is why you must flee!” I asserted and pushed on his arm.
His head dropped. “I deserve to die. What I’ve done, Mae… I’ve been so confused with what is right… I… I… don’t know who I am anymore…” He stared down at Jacob’s body. “Everything I’ve done to you is unforgiveable. I should never have brought you back here… I didn’t realize what they were really like…” He gripped my hand and water filled his eyes.
Stepping to meet his chest, I lifted to my toes and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. Cain did not move as I drew back and his brown eyes filled with pure adoration. Part of me wished I could love him as he desired. Deep down, he was a good man. He deserved to be loved. He deserved more than this…
Cain sighed in defeat, his palm was feather light on my face, then he whispered, “I would have given you the world…”
I ran my hand down his cheek in return, his soft brown beard tickling my palm. “Run, Cain. Please… Run…”
As the noise of firearms grew closer, Cain shook his head, refusal in his stance.
“Run, please… Save yourself… For me, if you love me, run… for me…”
Cain stepped away slowly with a pained sigh, tears cascading down his cheeks, until he disappeared into the heavy foliage of the forest.
He was gone.
Stifling a sob, I cast my eyes around me and found my intended route; I had to find my sisters. I took off, sprinting toward the cell, my heart slamming into my chest with every stride.
Smoke billowed around me, bullets ricocheted off trees, but I had to reach my sisters. They will be trapped and frightened. I had to free them, then I had to find Styx.
The sounds of people’s screams tormented me as I ran quickly to the cell and I rejoiced as the path began to narrow; the cell was just ahead.
“Help! Help us!”
Maddie and Lilah’s frantic screams pushed me to double my efforts. Speeding into the clearing, I spotted the claustrophobic gray cell in which Maddie and Lilah were confined. They scrambled to reach me through the bars.
“Mae! Mae!” Lilah shouted as I skidded to a halt and began pulling at the bars. They did not move.
“I need a key. Where is the key?” I yelled, desperation coursing through my veins.
“The guards locked us in!” Maddie exclaimed, fear written all over her sweet face.
“I cannot open it. I cannot open it!” I cried as my hands grew numb shaking the thick bars.
Helpless, Maddie and Lilah sat back as I worked for several more minutes trying to open the gate. But it was hopeless. I dropped my head as two hands reached through and grasped mine.
“What is happenin
g, Mae?” Lilah asked in a quiet voice. “Are we being invaded?”
A small smile ghosted across my lips. “It is my love. He has come for me.”
Maddie gasped. “The man from the outside?”
“Yes. He has brought his men to free us.”
They both paled.
“We cannot leave commune,” Lilah whispered. “It is too dangerous out there.”
“We must. There is no other choice,” I pushed.
“But the teachings, the prophecies!” Lilah stressed. Beads of sweat formed on her head in the sweltering summer night and Maddie began rocking in fear.
“You will have me. We will survive. We will all survive.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
Every inch of me froze.
I slowly turned my head, only to see Gabriel, Noah, and Moses. All three stood, towering over us, covered in blood, gripping their rifles. Vehemence was clear in their stares.
Standing up, I spread myself to cover the gate, ushering Lilah and Maddie with my hands to withdraw to the rear of the cell.
“Gabriel, be gone. They will be coming for you,” I warned, but my voice broke, betraying my fear.
The three elders approached. “Do you know what your sinner and his butchers have done?” he asked in a deep, gruff voice.
Darting my eyes around the line of trees, I shook my head and whispered, “No.” Gabriel knew I was lying. I could see it in his murderous glare.
“He killed Prophet David. He murdered our Messiah!” Gasps of shock burst forth from inside the cell and dread seeped into my bones. The elders were beyond furious and their wrath was aimed at me.
“Prophet David gave us one final revelation: if he is to be taken by force from this Earth, his people must follow.”
I stopped breathing and my eyes widened. They must kill us all.
Reaching forward, Gabriel grabbed my arm, pulled me to the center of the clearing and threw me to my knees. He lifted his gun, loaded a magazine and hissed, “Say hello to Jezebel, Satan’s whore.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Styx
It took about ten minutes and the interrogation of a whole lotta guards to finally get a sound lead on Mae after Rider hauled her the fuck away. Two hundred yards north in the forest, we found the ring of flowers she’d had on her head caught on a low branch, and her tiny footprints in the dried dirt path.