Heart Recaptured (Hades Hangmen, #2)(11)
Ah, shit!
“Please leave Lilah alone, Ky. I know you think you like her. She is utterly and breathtakingly beautiful… but she is very damaged, and I want her to get better. I want her to stay here with me. You have no idea how we were treated our whole life, why she is like she is. Sadistic men frequently took us against our will, forced us to do unspeakable things in the name of the Lord, and all we had was each other for support. Lilah believed those men and their actions were saving our souls because we were branded temptresses. She still believes this and that she must return to their instruction to finally reach salvation. It is what we were conditioned to accept and strive for. I lost my faith. Lilah’s has deepened.”
Mae glimpsed at Styx, and the brother was ramrod straight, breathing hard. I knew he hated hearing about the cunt who’d raped his bitch for most of her life. Fucker was dead now, of course, but his ghost was still there between them every day.
Mae turned back to me. “Ky, since the Hangmen killed Prophet David and raided the commune, Lilah believes she is being punished, that she is in hell because she left our sacred land, our protected Garden of Eden. She even believes that I, her sister, am being sinful in joining with Styx, a non-believer. She believes I am willingly joining the side of the devil.”
Styx slowly came behind Mae and, wrapping his arms around her chest, pulled her back against his body and pressed kisses along her neck, whispering something I couldn’t make out. Mae relaxed and she held on to his arms, knuckles turning white, as she whispered back, “You are my light, my love. You are my choice.” Styx’s eyes closed and he exhaled.
Mae faced me again. “Ky, Lilah believes our faith’s scripture to the letter, believes Prophet David’s writings were completely literal. We were told our entire lives that we—Maddie, Lilah, and I—were Satan-spawned, that we were born of the devil’s seed. Made beautiful enough to tempt men, steal, then serve their damned souls to Satan. Lilah always took this label the worst. She had a different life before she was brought to the prophet’s commune. Maddie, my sister Bella, and I had been branded Cursed from birth.
“Lilah never spoke of it, but we always guessed she had had a family outside of us. But they would have shunned her when the prophet named her Cursed. I understand that now. At present, Lilah will give anything to be welcomed back into our faith… for her soul to be saved in the eyes of the Lord. She believes she tempts men because she is evil, truly evil.”
Mae took a deep breath. “Ky, your behavior in the bar has just strengthened this belief. She thinks the devil is luring you in through her. She believes a man will never truly love her for herself until she is rid of her curse, of her temptress nature.”
Another tear trailed down Mae’s cheek. “I have no idea how to make her and Maddie want this life. There is no more commune, no more Order. I am unable to help her… them. What will happen to them if they cannot adjust?” Her huge wolf eyes focused on me as Styx wiped at her cheeks with his thumb, his nose flaring with protectiveness. “I need your help, Ky. Not for you to make this even more difficult. If they left me, I do not know… I do not know…”
Styx turned Mae in his arms and she cried into his chest. His jaw clenched and he glanced in my direction.
Great. He wanted to murder me again.
Running my hands down my face, I jumped to my feet, and Mae lifted her head in surprise.
“I’ll keep the f*ck away from Lilah. I swear,” I vowed.
Mae nodded, though her face remained blank. “Thank you.”
But Styx was still looking at me… and I knew that look. He was plotting something. I went to leave the room, when Styx cleared his throat, his infamous take-no-shit look on his face. Styx’s hands lifted to sign behind Mae’s back while her face was still tucked against his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
“Go find Lilah. She’ll be down by the river or in the apartment. It’s the only two places she ever goes. Tell her you’re f*ckin’ sorry for practically assaulting her tonight. Right?”
I nodded my agreement rather than say it out loud. He obviously didn’t want Mae to overhear our “conversation.” A lift of his finger made me pause again, and I watched a smirk curl on his lips.
“I’m putting you in charge of her and I ain’t telling Mae. Let’s call it your… atonement for being a whore-assed f*ck-up.”
I rolled my eyes at his shit attempt at a joke, but I could tell my brother wasn’t f*ckin’ around.
“Watch Lilah, protect her, and for f*ck’s sake, get her used to this life somehow. I ain’t losing Mae, and unless those bitches get on board, I’m not sure what she’s gonna do. We both know club life is the complete opposite of what they know. How we live is the complete opposite of Christian good, but we gotta find a way to make it work.”
Styx sighed and pressed his cheek on Mae’s head, but never broke my gaze. “You f*ckin’ get the blond bitch on track, Ky. But don’t you dare touch her. Cunt-struck or not, her * is off-limits. That’s an ironclad order as your prez. But you’re my best friend, my brother, my VP, and I really need your f*ckin’ help right now. I’m outta my depth here.”
I closed my eyes and dropped my head. This was the last f*ckin’ thing I needed. The Ku Klux Klan was still a potential problem. Fuck knows what else was coming our way; there was always a new enemy knocking at our door. That cunt Rider was still out there. Ran his * ass away. Hopefully he was festering in a pit somewhere, but f*ck knows if he was gonna rear his ugly head again. The guy was obsessed with Mae and might try to get her back.