Deep Redemption (Hades Hangmen Book 4) (26 page)

“I know that now. I understand.”

His head tilted to the side. “And you will adhere to our practices?”

Bile rose in my throat, but I forced myself to nod my head. “Yes,” I said. “I will fall into line . . . I will stand proudly by your side. You were always the one who should have been our leader. I see that now.”

Judah’s nostrils flared in triumph.

“And after my isolation period with the Cursed has ended, you will take a consort in my honor?” I nodded my head. Judah leaned forward. “You will awaken a
child
in my honor? We have three that have been prepared for next week’s post-wedding celebration.”

My cheek twitched as a sudden, blistering anger roared through me. But I quelled it enough to say, “Yes. I would do anything for you.
Anything
.”

Judah opened his mouth to say something else, when a loud crash came from the entrance of the cell and I heard Solomon and Samson raise their voices as if they were under attack. Judah’s attention snapped to the open door. “What the—?” he began, and I launched from the floor and tackled him to the ground.

Judah’s wide shocked eyes were the last thing I saw as I raised my clenched fist and slammed it against his jaw. Judah lost consciousness immediately. I was careful where I’d hit him. I couldn’t draw blood and stain his pristine white tunic.

“Now!” I called out and several feet immediately came rushing into my cell. Brother Stephen smothered Judah’s mouth with the chloroform-coated rag. Solomon and Samson helped me rid Judah of his clothes. In minutes I was dressed in the tunic and Sister Ruth had applied the makeup to my bruised skin. Judah was now dressed in my filth-ridden pants.

My heart pounded as adrenaline rushed through me. Sister Ruth stepped back, water filling her eyes. “Well?” I asked. “Will I pass as him? The bruising is not too much?”

Sister Ruth looked down to the unconscious Judah on the ground, and then back to me. “The guards have not harmed your face too badly in recent days, so it is fine.” She paused, then said, “The two of you are completely identical in every way . . . it is . . . it is astonishing.” I breathed out a sigh of relief, but Sister Ruth’s sudden sadness touched something inside me. She did not belong in a place like this. Her soul was too kind, too tender. She only looked to be in her late thirties. If I could just pull this off, she could have a life outside. A good, happy life.

Another reason why I couldn’t fail.

“Brothers Luke, Michael and James were in the prophet’s quarters when I collected him,” Solomon said. “They have already gathered the people for the ceremony. Judah told the brothers he would be back, then they would go straight to the altar.”

I cast a glance down at my unconscious brother. “We will be fine,” said Brother Stephen. I inhaled deeply. Just as I was about to leave, he said, “Protect her, Cain. Take her back to her sisters . . . Just get her to a better life.”

“I will be coming back for you,” I promised.

He nodded. “I believe you can do this.”

I cast a final look down to my twin, sprawled on the ground. My gut twisted . . . and I knew that when the Hangmen came, Judah would pay. It had to be that way, but . . . I could barely stand the thought of being without him. He was my brother.

I left the cellblock and went out into the fresh air. When I arrived at the mansion, Brothers Luke, Michael and James were there, exactly as Solomon told me they would be.

Brother Luke watched me closely as I entered. “Did he repent?”

I nodded my head and smiled as Judah would do. A prideful smirk. “Of course. He was never going to stay in that place forever. He has pledged his allegiance to me. And he accepts me as his lord and prophet.”

Brother James looked behind me. “Where is he?”

I waved my hand. “He is filthy and not fit to be seen yet. I will collect him after the four days have passed.” I forced a salacious smile onto my lips. “Then I will reintroduce him into the fold at the post-wedding Lord’s Sharing.”

“He will participate?” Brother Luke asked suspiciously.

I smiled even wider. “Not only that, but he will awaken a child.”

Brother Luke reached for my hand and kissed the back of it with reverence. “You are truly the prophet, my lord. God has blessed you. He has blessed us with your power.”

I placed my hand on his bowed head. “Come,” I said. “We have souls to save.”

I turned back to the daylight and led the way out of the mansion, praying that I had played my part sufficiently well. I waited for a hit or strike to come from the men behind me . . .

But none came.

As we arrived at the altar I gave a long sigh of relief. I looked at the bed in the center of the raised platform. A new nervousness flooded my veins when I thought of what I had to do . . . what Harmony must do with me so we could be free.

I waited at the altar, waiting for my bride . . . all the time praying that Judah did not wake and foil our plan.

Then Harmony appeared at the end of the aisle and all thoughts of Judah fled my mind . . . I had only one focus now. One reason to live . . . and she was walking toward me, flowers in her hair, looking like an angel sent from heaven.

Just . . . beautiful . . .

*****

The sound of people rushing around brought my thoughts back to the present. I crouched by a nearby tree and looked over the commune. The commune that should have been sedate.

The people were out in force. Tension thickened the atmosphere, and no face looked calm. I had no idea what was happening, but when I saw guards barking out commands, it hit me like a truck—they were preparing for the war.

I slinked back into the trees. My heart raced as fast as my feet as I ran through the thick foliage and over to the cellblock. Only a day had passed. The people should be in celebration, not preparing for the attack.

I burst through the entrance, only to see overturned chairs and tables on the floor. I searched each of the cells—they were all empty.

My stomach dropped to the floor.

No one was here.

Judah was gone.

They were all gone.

What the hell could have happened? I pushed my hands through my hair as I tried to think of what to do next. Then a noise came from behind the cellblock. As quietly as possible, I snuck around the building to see what it was. There was a small cell built into the wall; it looked like it had been meant for guard dogs. Somebody was putting a young girl inside. I sighed in relief when I saw it was Phebe.

I whipped my head around, scanning every possible inch of land—she was alone. I silently stepped toward them. Phebe jumped as she saw me, but I made it to her in time to slam my hand over her mouth. “Shh, Sister Phebe. It’s me. Cain . . . the real Cain. I am back.”

Phebe’s body was rigid in my arms. “I’m gonna let you go. Please don’t scream. Okay?” She nodded her head and I slipped my hand from her mouth.

She turned to face me, blocking the child in the tiny cell from my view. Phebe’s face was pale, and I could see how much weight she had lost. She was still sporting bruises on her face, neck and hands. “You did it,” Phebe said, staring at my clothes. Her eyes glistened. “You took her to them . . . Harmony. You got her out. She is safe?”

I nodded my head, and tension seeped from Phebe’s shoulders.

“Is… Is she well?” This time I knew she wasn’t talking about Bella.

Lilah. She was referring to her sister.

“Yes,” I said. “She is well and happy. She is married.” I didn’t tell her about her hair, the scar, the surgery. Phebe was already broken enough. If I got my shit together and pulled this off, she would see Lilah soon enough.

Phebe chased her tears away with her hand. I felt sympathy for her sadness, but I needed her to speak. I needed to know what had happened. “Phebe, where are they? Where’s my brother? What the hell happened?”

Phebe shook her head, devastation on her face. “He arrested them all. Brother Stephen, Ruth, Solomon and Samson.”

I started to panic. “How? What?”

“Brother Luke.”

I froze.

“He and the guards came for you at sunrise this morning.” She took a quick breath. “He knew you had repented and wanted to prepare you for the post-wedding Lord’s Sharing. He wanted to bring you to the mansion, feed and bathe you. He wanted the prophet to return to see his brother ready to stand by his side.”

“No,” I said, feeling my cheeks lose their color. “He found Judah?”

Phebe nodded her head. “He had been subdued by the medicine Brother Stephen was giving him. But it must have worn off, or been ineffective, because when Brother Luke came into the cell, Judah managed to tell him who he was. Then . . . then all hell broke loose. The defectors tried to fight Judah’s guards, but there were too many; Samson and Solomon could not take them all on. Brother Luke took Judah away, and Judah told them what had happened, what you had done. The guards searched the isolation house and discovered you had never even been in there . . . and that you had taken Harmony with you.”

I closed my eyes. My head swam as I tried to take it all in. A hand landed on my arm, and I opened my eyes. “Did you see this?” I asked her.

Phebe nodded her head. “The other women who had been caring for you were given the day off for the celebrations. I had been sent with your food when it happened. I managed to hide from sight.”

“I am so sorry,” I said and meant every word. My body felt weak with fear and hopelessness.

Phebe sniffed. “Cain, he has punished them—Ruth, Stephen, Solomon and Samson. He . . . he is preparing to kill them for their defiance. Your kidnapping of Harmony, taking her from the wedding, has thrust everyone into a frenzy. They believe this is God spiting us. Judah has told them God is testing us to see if we can truly beat the devil. The attack is scheduled for tomorrow. He brought it forward. He wants revenge.” She lifted her hand to her forehead. “It is a mess. Everything is a mess.”

The sound of soft crying came from the cell behind Phebe. Her eyes widened, and her hand dropped to her side in defeat. “Phebe?” I asked and moved her aside by her shoulders. I crouched down and saw a huge pair of blue eyes looking up at me from the tiny cell. A little girl with long blond hair.

I knew in an instant what she was. I straightened and met Phebe’s eyes. “She is called Delilah,” Phebe whispered. I stood still, fucking stunned. Phebe’s eyes closed tightly. When she opened them again, she said, “She is two months away from her eighth birthday.”

My blood turned ice cold.

“He has already declared her a Cursed . . . and . . . ” she cried. “He has decided to be the one to awaken her when the time comes.”

Judah. Motherfucking Judah!

Phebe’s eyes fell to the little girl, who was looking up at her like Phebe was her sun. Phebe bent down, and the little girl reached through the bars. Phebe kissed her hand. “She arrived not long before Harmony and the others did. I saw her being brought to him by his men. As soon as I saw the happiness in his eyes at her beauty, I told him I would care for her until it was her birthday . . . but, Cain, I always planned to get her out somehow before then.”

Phebe kissed the little girl’s hand once more, then stood to face me. “Sister Ruth was to take her if for some reason I could not get out too. I cannot see her hurt, Cain . . . not like I did my sister. She looks just like Rebekah did when she was her age. And . . . and then he named her Delilah. He named her that awful name too. I knew it was because he saw the resemblance. I have to protect her. I cannot see another child suffer. I cannot . . . I cannot take this life anymore. There is so much pain . . . ”

I pulled Phebe into my chest and held her while she cried. Truth be told, the embrace kept me from screaming out in rage. My brother . . . my motherfucking brother! He did all this. Everything had gone wrong.

“There’ll always be another one,” I said. “Mae, Lilah, Maddie, Harmony . . . now this little Delilah too. Even if we save all the Curseds in existence, he will always find another,
brand
another. He will always strive to keep this bullshit prophecy alive.”

Phebe nodded. “I . . . I think that too. He will never stop hurting these children. All because he finds it too hard to resist their beauty. He wants to own them, possess them, control them. Like he does us all.” Phebe stepped back and gripped the lapels of my leather jacket. “You need to get her out for me. Just get her out.”

“Where are Stephen, Ruth, Solomon and Samson now?” I asked, checking my watch. Fuck. The Hangmen would be coming in less than two hours. What the hell did I do now?

Phebe watched me closely. “They are coming . . . aren’t they? The devil’s men?”

I nodded. “I need to get the innocent out, Phebe. The plan has gone to shit. I don’t know what to do—”

“Judah has them in the public cells,” Phebe interrupted. “So all the people can see who was responsible for thrusting us into chaos. So they can see the souls that the devil polluted. They are in the cells that face the Great Plain.” The Great Plain—the area where Judah held his sermons.

“Fuck!” I spat. That land held no cover. It was exposed.