Heart Recaptured (Hades Hangmen #2)(22)
Heart beating furiously in my chest, I replied, “I do not know.”
“No,” Maddie suddenly said, shaking her head. “Mae would not allow this. Her Styx, he would not let them treat us in such a manner.”
My mouth gaped at her trust. “Maddie, they are sinners. They openly worship the devil. They are capable of anything.”
“I do not think they worship the devil, Lilah. I have seen no such ceremony or service from my studies out of the window. They simply rebel like Satan did against the Lord when he ordered his angels to bow down to his greatness.”
My eyes narrowed. “They are willingly letting in the occult by wearing the devil’s face on their backs! This is a mortal sin, most certainly not the way we live our life. I do not trust them, and I am fairly positive Mae has lost her senses and her moral core.”
Maddie’s eyes roved down my body, and she said, “If you do not trust these men, why are you ready so early?”
My stomach flipped, but I said curtly, “Because I will do what I have to do to survive. I shall do as commanded until the Lord sends his disciples to save us.”
Maddie stayed silent after that, her gaze intent on her hands, fiddling with the top of the bed sheet. I knew she didn’t want to be rescued. She would rather live in isolation here in this room. But thoughts of deliverance occupied my mind every second of every day.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs and every part of me turned to stone. He was coming. Breathe. Breathe. You can be strong. You can be around him, I told myself.
The doorknob turned. I held my breath in anticipation…
“Sisters?”
Exhaling in relief, my body returned to normal. Mae entered cautiously, wearing those immodest garments, and she had cosmetics painted on her face. She was holding out a tray filled with food, and behind her were her new friends—the blond woman and the large, dark tattooed woman. I feared her immensely. In the commune, there had only ever been people of my color and race. I had not encountered someone like Letti.
The three of them stepped through and shut the door, sealing us in.
“I thought we could break our fast together this morning,” Mae said with a kind smile.
I loved my sister; that lovely smile of hers had brought me out of some very dark times in my life. But now I felt disconnected from Mae. She was embracing a life I could not understand, loved a man who with one glare I feared could incinerate a person. He was a dark, large, silent, brooding fallen angel.
Styx. His name said it all.
But Mae was happy. I could not recall a time when I was ever truly happy.
Placing the tray on the table at the side of the room, Mae gave me an encouraging smile. I dipped my head in gratitude, though I was positive I would not be able to eat. I felt as though butterflies had made a home in my stomach just at the very thought of spending time alone with Ky.
The blond woman stepped forward and said, “You remember me, darlin’? Beauty?” She pointed to her chest.
I nodded and gave her a small smile.
“Why… why is your… Beauty?” Maddie asked in a quiet voice, shocking us all that she had spoken to people she did not know. She immediately dipped her eyes. Mae walked over to her younger sister, slipping beside her on the bed, and took her in her arms.
Although Maddie was twenty-one years in age, she had the timid disposition of a small child. Brother Moses was a harsh disciplinarian. He fulfilled his role as a blessed elder of Prophet David with the utmost of authority. Maddie had always been given the sternest of lessons. It had left her meek and weak. When Bella died and Mae left us alone in commune, she imploded, barley speaking, barely eating, existing like a soul adrift in purgatory.
Beauty flashed Maddie a huge smile and she laughed. “Well, my name’s Beauty now, darlin’. Was born Susan-Lee, but who the f*ck wants that name?”
“Then you renamed yourself Beauty? I did not know this,” Mae asked, humor on her face. “I am still learning the outsider ways, I suppose.”
Beauty shrugged. “Was a pageant queen my whole life, real Toddlers and Tiaras shit that my momma forced me to do. Y’all are looking at a former Junior Miss Texas. When I met Tank, it’s the name he gave me, and I was never Susan-Lee again. I’d just run outta a national competition, still wearing my crown and sash, when he almost ran me down on his Harley, out on a ride after a Klan rally. Got on the back of his bike and never looked back.”
We all stared at Beauty with blank faces. I had no idea what she’d just said, her references lost on me. Beauty looked to Letti in confusion at our blank reactions. Letti said nothing, just shrugged.
Beauty pulled out a chair and explained, “Out here, and especially in Texas, we have competitions that judge women on their beauty, poise, talent, and all that fun stuff. The most beautiful girl wins.”
Shock ran through me and I saw that same reaction mirrored on my sisters’ horrified expressions. “You have competitions to judge beauty?” I asked in astonishment. “But it is sinful. It is wrong! Excessive beauty can corrupt people’s sensibilities. Excessive beauty is a curse, not a blessing.”
Beauty pointed at me and said, “You’re preaching to the converted, Blondie. Those pageants are torture camps covered with glitter and hairspray!”
A loud knock suddenly rapped on the door, and my gaze slammed to the closed piece of wood.
“I’m f*ckin’ doing it, ain’t I?” a deep male voice said, and I instantly recognized who it was. “I was sleeping off my fifth of Beam and a night of long, hard-assed f*cking when you dragged me up here for this shit, so give me a motherf*ckin’ break!”