Fear the Wicked (Illusions Series Book 2)(62)
Heart swelling in my chest, it staggered me to think that I’d missed the company and love of my family, but hadn’t thought about how long it had been since I’d spent time with them. Elijah and I had been married for a few months now. I was certain he’d want me going back to the way my life had been before marrying him.
“I’d like that. Where would you like to go? There aren’t many places that are safe. Elijah told us that.”
A shadow crossed behind his eyes, his expression souring before the shy smile returned. “Maybe just for a walk? I want to talk to you about something, but I –“ His voice trailed off, his gaze shooting past my shoulder towards a window. It was night outside and I knew he couldn’t see much, but still he stared as if gathering his thoughts.
“I just want some alone time with you. To talk and catch up. I feel like when we’re with the family, we never really get to hang out like we used to.”
It wasn’t that I felt leery about my brother. Except for what happened the night of the ceremony, he’d never led me astray, but something about his poor mood tonight drew my concern. “Is everything okay, Joshua? Did something happen to upset you?”
Shaking his head, he squeezed my hand. His smile stretched wider and the shadow behind his eyes dissipated. “I just miss you. I feel like ever since you’ve become a married woman, I’ve lost touch with my sister. I’d like to change that.”
My smile matched his. “Okay.”
A noise from the hallway outside my door grabbed his attention, his body twisted so that he could glance back to see if someone was coming in. When the door never opened, his shoulders relaxed and he squeezed my hand again.
Eyes locking to mine, he flashed me another smile before he said, “I should probably get going. Elijah wanted me to see to the children tonight and help Richard keep them away from the sanctuary.”
That caught my attention. “What’s going on in the sanctuary? Is Elijah giving another sermon?”
Reaching up to rub at his neck, he shook his head. “No. Nothing like that. I think he needs to deal with a guest, or whatever. It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.”
I knew which guest he was talking about after having already been out there to see him. But I didn’t want to admit who the man was that Elijah had brought into the compound. I couldn’t bring myself to admit the harsh fact that I’d almost given up my purity to a monster. It was far too disturbing. Far too harrowing. Far too…everything…for me to speak the words and make them true. But after tonight, after Elijah vanquished that monster, I knew my life would improve. What was he doing that he demanded the family keep their distance? It worried me and I wanted to know more.
“Okay,” I answered, not letting on that I knew more than I was admitting.
The mattress dipped beneath me as Joshua leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on my forehead. He was right in what he said: we had become distant in the past few months, my attention so wrapped up in Elijah and the demons that I’d practically forgotten about the people who loved me. I would fix that as soon as I was well again. I’d show them how much I missed them and work to correct whatever distance had grown between us.
“I’m going to go, Eve. But I’ll be around the compound tomorrow. If you get out for some exercise, come look for me in the garden. I want to show you how well the vegetables are doing, I swear the tomatoes are the size of your head.”
Laughter bubbled up from my lungs. “I’ll do that.”
I watched him leave a few seconds later, his boots heavy against the ground as he walked away. The door closed quietly behind him, and while I should have taken the moment alone to try again to sleep, I couldn’t help wondering what was happening in the sanctuary. Picking up my Bible, I continued reading passages, but found my mind wandering off so much that I was reading the same sentence over and over again.
Giving up, I dropped the book on the table and sat up to throw my legs off the bed. The floor was cold against my bare feet and it took me some time to find my shoes, but after locating them in the closet beneath a dress that had fallen from the hanger, I set out in search of Elijah.
He would be mad that I ventured out again after he’d warned me off the first time, but I couldn’t help my curiosity. How he’d found the man in the first place was a mystery to me, one I’d ask him about when we had time to be alone again.
Pulling the door open, I peeked out to make sure nobody lingered in the halls. I hurried down making a right and a left before coming to the doors that led to the sanctuary. I heard three voices arguing, all low and angry, the words becoming louder and more urgent with each passing second. Fear shot through me to hear someone scream, the sound piercing and unholy.
Pushing the door open as slowly as possible, I hoped the hinges wouldn’t squeak and give me away. Not that it mattered much with the way that man was screaming, even the blare of an air-horn wouldn’t be heard.
I poked my head out just far enough to have a clear view of the large room, my view obscured by the benches and pews between where I stood and where the men were gathered. I couldn’t see the man from the side of the road, but I distinctly saw Elijah standing by the large crosses, as well as the town sheriff and Richard.
“How are we going to hide this once the poor bastard bleeds to death?” Richard asked, the low timber of his voice vibrating across the room. I swear if that man was an animal, he’d be a big ol’ grizzly bear given his size and the depth of his booming voice.