The Providence Trilogy Bundle: Providence; Requiem; Eden

by McGuire, Jamie

  Father Francis looked up from the pages. His eyes were unfocused as he slipped deeper into thought. “There is an ancient Jewish apocryphal text called the Fourth Esdras. The archangel Uriel describes many things about the end of days.”

  Jared frowned. “I know what you’re about to say, and I know Uriel. Gabriel is the loudest adversary of Hybrids. Uriel is the second.”

  “Nevertheless, his prophecy has some merit. He says—”

  Jared cut him off. “Father . . . .”

  My curiosity and sense of self-preservation outweighed everything else. “Tell me, Father. I want to know.”

  Jared sighed and the priest continued, “He specifically mentions pregnant women in the Fourth Esdras. He says, ‘Pregnant women will give birth to monsters.’”

  Jared rolled his eyes. “Uriel thinks I’m a monster.”

  I hesitated. “What . . . what kind of monsters?”

  The priest glanced at Jared and then back at me. “He makes many prophecies similar to Revelations. He refers to this as ‘The Beginning of Sorrows.’ Jesus also states, ‘Woe to those who are pregnant or nursing babies in those days.’”

  “That doesn’t mean anything,” Jared said.

  “You need to listen,” I said. “Maybe you’re unable to figure this out because you refuse to hear the truth. Maybe this is out of our hands.”

  Jared’s brows pulled in. “Those prophecies state an abundance of Hybrid births. If something like that were happening, we would hear about it. Besides, Bean isn’t a Hybrid.”

  Father Francis pushed up his glasses, clearly intrigued. “You know this for a fact?”

  “Yes. The only child capable of this kind of reaction from Hell, a child capable of disturbing the Balance, will be more than a Hybrid.”

  “Your child isn’t human?”

  I wrapped my arms around my belly, cradling Bean protectively. “You make the baby sound like an abomination.”

  “Isn’t it?” Father Francis said.

  Jared stood. “No. It’s a child. Our child.” He took my hand and I stood with him.

  “Forgive me,” Father Francis said. He stood before us. “I didn’t mean to offend you. We are in strange times—frightening times. I let panic get in the way of my thoughts. I just don’t see how it’s possible.”

  “Nina is a descendant of the Nephilim,” Jared said, matter-of-factly.

  The priest was confused. “But this is what you are. Nephilim are children of angels, born of human women.”

  Jared shook his head. “I am the son of an Arch. The Nephilim bred the likes of Goliath, giants not meant to blend in. These angels roamed the earth. They had . . . rebelled.”

  The priest’s eyes grew wide and I felt mine mirror his. I gripped Jared’s shirt. “What are you saying? That I’m a descendant of demons?”

  “That’s not what I said. We’re talking thousands of years ago, Nina. Many things were different back then.”

  “Rebellious angels were cast out, Jared.”

  Jared cupped my arms. “My mother is a descendant of Celts. They were savages, Nina. They drank the blood of their dead. I don’t personalize it. That’s not what I am.”

  “Then why did you leave that part out?” I covered my face with my hands, ashamed to even look at Jared. He was half angel, and I was carrying around the genes of Hell. No wonder our child was so rare. “Did you know that before?” I asked, my eyes filling with tears.

  “No.”

  My cheeks felt as if they had caught fire. I was hesitant to ask the question that had come to my mind, but I would anyway. I always did, no matter how horrible I thought the answer would be. “Does it change the way you feel about me?”

  Jared took my jaw gently into his hands, and he looked straight into my eyes. “Nina, of course not. How could you even think that?”

  “Because I don’t know how I feel about me, now.”

  Jared put his lips on mine, and then he pulled me to him. It was my father’s last secret, the last thing Jared had tried to keep from hurting me. But now that it was in the open, everything made perfect sense. I could never quite fit the pieces together until now.

  Still, I felt . . . The only way to describe it was that I felt dirty. After all of that, we were no closer to an answer than when we’d arrived. “Is that what Uriel meant when he said ‘monsters’? What will the baby be?”

  “Our baby, Bean, will be our baby, nothing more. You know what you need?” he said with a small smile.

  “What’s that?” I said, wiping the delicate skin under my eyes.

  “The comfort of experience.” Jared tugged on my hand. “Let’s invite Lillian to dinner.”

  Father Francis held out his hand. “We’re not finished, are we?”

  Jared frowned. “The answers aren’t in those books. I don’t know what else to do.”

  “The answer is always in this book,” Father Francis said, holding his Bible in his hands. He held it to his chest. “We’ve just missed something.”

  “We haven’t missed anything. I had hoped He would lead you to the answer, Father, but He hasn’t so much as whispered in your ear.”

  Jared’s words sent my mind spinning. Had we missed something? Had the answer been in front of us all along? I clicked through each idea and passage of scripture I’d heard them discuss like channels in my mind. I kept coming back to Shax’s book and returning it to Jerusalem.

  “Maybe it’s not in my ear he’s whispering?” The priest said.

  Jared waved him away. “Nina’s exhausted and hungry. It’s clouding my thoughts. All I can think about is that damn book and returning it so Shax can’t get to it and we can concentrate on keeping Nina safe.”

  “Wait, what?” I said, stunned.

  “I have the Jerusalem trip on my mind. I can’t focus on anything else. It’s maddening.”

  “He’s whispering,” I said.

  Jared raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  Father Francis nodded and hobbled to where we stood. “She’s right.”

  I gripped Jared’s shirt. “The Sepulchre. The only place they aren’t allowed to desecrate. The one place the book is safe from Hell’s hands.”

  Jared’s eyes lit up like twin fires. “We can keep you safe there.”

  9. Due

  Bex finished the last place setting and then returned to the kitchen. Lillian sat happily at one end of my mother’s long, imported table, Cynthia not so happily at the other. I waited anxiously with them, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. Almost to a beat, Cynthia would shoot me glances of disapproval. She hated it when I fidgeted, but now that I was married, she felt it impolite to mother me. Bex and Jared worked furiously in the kitchen, their laughter and conversation filtering to the formal dining room along with the delicious smells of savory herbs.

  Bex appeared again with a basket of hot dinner rolls and a butter dish. His eyes darted to the empty doorway and then back to the table. “It’s about time.”

  The front door opened, and then I heard Claire grumbling under her breath. She and Ryan made their way to the table like summer and winter—Ryan was all smiles and Claire sported her usual scowl.

  Bex brought in a pot of steamed vegetables in one hand and a bowl of rice in the other. Ryan pulled out Claire’s chair and then clapped his hands, rubbing them together.

  “I can help,” he said.

  Bex nodded once toward the kitchen. “Just pick something and bring it out to the table.” He pulled off his apron and took a seat next to his mother.

  “I think you should leave it on,” Claire said. “Pink pinstripes look good on you.”

  Bex stuck his tongue out at his sister and then placed his napkin in his lap. Lillian shot a look at Claire and then smiled at Bex. “It looks wonderful as always, Son.”

  Ryan returned with a casserole dish of scalloped potatoes, and Jared brought in a huge ham. They were laughing about something, and I couldn’t help but attempt to sneak a peek at Claire’s reaction. She allowed a half smile, but it qui
ckly vanished when Ryan took a seat next to her.

  Jared sat next to me, and we began passing around the different dishes, filling our plates. As stressful and dark as the situation seemed, the banter was jovial, and Jared’s mood was nearly cheerful. The weight of an answer had finally been lifted, and he felt hopeful again.

  Cynthia barely finished her meal when she looked at her watch. “Jared, Bex, thank you so much for dinner. I do apologize. I have an engagement.”

  Jared nodded. “Of course, Cynthia. Thank you for joining us.”

  She paused behind my chair and cupped my shoulders, kissing my cheek. “It was good to see you, Nina dear.”

  I nodded, and her heels clicked to the front door.

  Ryan’s brows jumped. “She’s not one for family functions, huh?”

  “Not really, no,” I said.

  “Cynthia shows her humanity by way of charities. She’s very busy, but she’s helped so many people,” Lillian said.

  “That she has,” I said. “Is there pie?”

  Jared laughed and Bex popped up. “No, but there is cake.”

  “Angel food?” I asked.

  “Of course,” he said, leaving for the kitchen.

  Ryan pulled his fork from his mouth, clearly ready for dessert. “So what’s the real occasion?”

  Bex returned with the cake, setting it right in front of me. “Trying to keep the pregnant woman fed. It takes a village, ya know.”

  “Very funny,” I said, but I couldn’t help from cutting a huge piece. Pregnancy was the perfect excuse for gluttony.

  “Ryan has a good point,” Lillian smiled. “You’re in a very good mood for a change.”

  Jared smiled. “I took the book to Father Francis.”

  “Again?” Claire said, surprised.

  I swallowed the delicious, spongy bite in my mouth. “We were there all night.”

  Ryan cut his own piece of cake but handed it to Claire. “So you found something?”

  “Not a damn thing,” Jared said, smiling.

  Ryan cut another piece for himself, causing a wider smile from Lillian. Claire just rolled her eyes.

  “I don’t get it,” Claire said.

  Jared used his fork to attempt to cut a piece of cake from my slice, but I stuck out my elbow to defend my plate. Everyone laughed, including Jared.

  Jared finally gave in and cut his own slice. “Nina and I were distracted. All we could think about was getting Shax’s book back to Jerusalem for Kim.”

  Ryan pointed at me with his fork. “She called me today. She’s past impatient. She was yelling. I’ve never heard her yell.”

  “It’s her lucky day, then,” I said.

  “Oh yeah, why’s that?” Ryan said, chewing.

  Jared put his elbows on the table and folded his arms. “Because we’re leaving for Jerusalem next week.”

  Claire shrugged. “Well, that’s smart. Ryan and I are both starting Brown in the fall, and it’s Nina’s senior year. It’s good to get it out of the way.”

  Lillian paused. “You’re going to Brown?”

  Claire shrugged. “Ryan wants to start back. I just thought . . . .”

  “No, I’m thrilled!” Lillian said, beaming.

  “We’re not coming back until Bean is born,” Jared said. The entire table was silent. No one moved and all eyes were on Jared. “The answer has been right in front of us all along. The Sepulchre is the one place I know she’ll be safe until she can deliver.”

  Claire frowned. “You want to live in Jerusalem for nine months?”

  “Not an entire nine months,” Lillian said. “I’m not exactly sure, but she probably only has a couple of months left.”

  Jared’s face blanched. “What?”

  Lillian fiddled with her napkin. “I should have said something, Son. I’m so sorry. Nina’s situation is obviously different, but a full-term Hybrid pregnancy is six to seven months. I assume it’s the same, maybe less for Bean.”

  Bex smiled. “Now you’re saying it. That poor kid is never going to get a real name.”

  I looked down at my belly. Because of our situation, we had refrained from prenatal care, but I’d just assumed my pregnancy would be a normal gestation. I was measuring a bit larger than normal, but nothing out of the ordinary. Jared assumed it was because of my small frame.

  “So . . . July? August?” I asked.

  “Possibly,” Lillian answered.

  Jared nodded. “Then it’s settled. The closer it gets, the more danger she’s in. We should leave now.”

  I shook my head. “I have things at Titan I need to wrap up.”

  Jared sighed, but agreed. “Okay. We’ll all take the week to prepare. We leave on Sunday.”

  “Sweet!” Bex said.

  “Not you,” Claire said. “You have to stay with Mom.”

  “What?” Bex wailed.

  Jared glared at him. “We can’t leave her alone.”

  “But I have to go. You know I do!”

  Lillian frowned. “Jared, that’s ridiculous. You need everyone with you to get her there safely. The second you land, you’ll be bombarded. They will do everything they can to keep her from somewhere they can’t go.”

  I swallowed. It was so close. I’d always felt as if we had plenty of time before the pandemonium started.

  Claire sighed. “We can’t leave you unprotected, Mom.”

  “What about Grant?” Bex said.

  “Bex!” Jared yelled. His voice boomed throughout the house. Bex’s face turned red and his eyes immediately fell.

  “Grant?” I said, confused. “Grant Bristol?” No one said a word. All eyes were on the table but mine, which danced in every direction. “Titan’s Grant is a . . . Hybrid?”

  “No,” Lillian said, cupping Bex’s shoulder. “He’s an Arch.”

  I dropped my fork, and it clanged against my plate. “I don’t believe it.”

  Lillian attempted to soften Jared with one of her sweetest smiles. “It’s not a bad idea.”

  I turned to him, thwarting Lillian’s effort. “This isn’t something you thought I needed to know? Are you kidding me?” I wailed.

  Jared’s expression turned desperate. “You can’t expect me to tell you about every angel or demon that passes by.”

  “I work with him, Jared. I . . . I’m just baffled why you chose to keep it from me! This makes twice today!”

  “What else haven’t you told her?” Ryan asked, enjoying the show.

  Jared shot a death glare in Ryan’s direction. “It was his secret to tell, Nina, and it’s really not paramount that you know. In the grand scheme of things, it’s really minute. You’re being unreasonable.”

  “Minute.” I stood up from my seat. “I don’t think asking for a little trust or having the expectation to not be treated like an outsider in my own company or family is unreasonable. I don’t think being upset to be the last to know that I’m pregnant is unreasonable. I am tired of you choosing what is and is not acceptable for me to know, only for me to find out by chance sometime later like a slap in the face!”

  Jared’s eyes drifted to the floor. I threw my napkin to the table, stomping up the stairs to the bedroom in Oscar-worthy fashion. I sat on the bed, still fuming. A small knock at the door only amplified my anger.

  “Go away, Jared.”

  “It’s Claire.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you, either.”

  Claire, being Claire, walked in anyway. She sat on the bed next to me, crossing her arms. She sat silent for the longest time and finally took a breath.

  “I get it, you know. They don’t tell me nonessential information, either. It’s crap.”

  “It’s demeaning is what it is.” I frowned in her general direction. “I’m his wife. I understand I’ve been the token human who doesn’t understand the rules of the universe, but for the love of all things holy, I know enough by now. He should trust me.”

  “It’s not that he doesn’t trust you. He tries to keep your life as normal as possible. He
knows how important that is to you.”

  “It’s a moot point these days, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “I would, but I don’t love you as he does.”

  My mouth pulled to the side. She was fighting dirty. Jared loved me and at times let that fact cloud his judgment. It was impossible to stay angry at him for it. Jared keeping Grant a secret from me defied logic. It simply didn’t make sense.

  “He should have a good reason for keeping things from me, and he doesn’t have one.”

  “It’s a very human reason, actually.”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “Grant’s been in love with you for ages. Why do you think Jack was constantly pushing him in your direction?”

  “That doesn’t make sense, either. Jack didn’t want me with Jared because of the prophecy. He definitely wouldn’t want me with an Arch.”

  Claire raised an eyebrow, and the same side of her mouth turned up. “What do teenage girls do when their parents tell them not to do something?” Claire said. “If Jack told you to stay away from Grant, you would have run straight for him.”

  “Ick,” I said. “No one’s that stubborn.”

  “You are.”

  I sighed. “Why didn’t Jack use the same logic with Jared?”

  “He didn’t have to. He forced Jared to stay out of sight. That solved the problem. Grant didn’t take orders from Jack.”

  “Oh, yes, he did. I saw it on many occasions.”

  “You saw what they wanted you to see.”

  “Still doesn’t explain why he kept it from me.” I huffed.

  “Jared might seem divinely perfect, but he’s human, too, Nina. He can make decisions based on the fear of losing you to someone else just like any other insecure boyfriend. It hasn’t been the first time.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend anymore.”

  “Once he waited to tell you, it was something he’d kept from you. It was already too late, wasn’t it?”