by Kelly Hall
While Jarreth turned on the shower and went about his business, Canter walked over to the closet and got his knife out. He took the whetstone from its bag and proceeded to sharpen the blade. He had spent many days and hours sharpening one knife or another, and it had become a sort of therapy for when he needed to think.
He couldn’t help letting his mind go back to Rebekah. She had looked tired the last time he saw her in the visitation room at Arcadius in Rome. She had seemed thankful for him coming, even though he’d been the bearer of bad news. Canter couldn’t say that he wasn’t glad that Grady and his goons had left the academy, but the look on Rebekah’s face was like someone had kicked her in the gut. What she thought would happen, did. He still couldn’t believe it himself. Or that Rebekah was now a prisoner of the Church, for that matter. So much had changed in the short time since he and the others had gotten their marks.
Minutes later, the sound of the water shutting off in the bathroom brought his head around.
He stroked the blade across the stone and closed his eyes, listening to the sound. He knew it was the last bit of peace he’d get before Jarreth opened the door. Which happened sooner than he expected.
Jarreth walked into the room, drying his hair with his towel. “Oh shit. You’ve got the whetstone out. That means you’re doing some heavy thinking.”
Canter wasn’t surprised that Jarreth could read him like a book. The two had roomed together for the past two years and had been best friends since. After their falling out, he had missed the guy. “Yeah, I don’t see how anyone is getting any rest around here with all that’s going on. We’ve been searched twice since Rebekah was taken, the Church has appointed that douchebag Fisk as second-in-command to Father Timms, and suddenly, they give a shit if we don’t have the proper equipment or supplies.”
Jarreth tilted his head and tapped the water from his ear. Then he went back to drying his hair. “Hey, I don’t mind the better-quality food. I’d forgotten what a good cook Lulu was until Rebekah took over the expenses.”
Canter focused on his task. “That’s just it. She’s not using Rebekah’s money. The Church is finally stepping up.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” With how bad things had been, Jarreth thought they could only get better after Elder John had been arrested.
Canter shook his head. “Not if you think about it. They probably have an agenda for that too. This is the Church we’re talking about. I mean, I’d like to think they care about us, that they’re good, but I just can’t. Seeing Rebekah locked up in that place was just too fucked up.”
The bitter tone in his friend’s voice didn’t go unnoticed by Jarreth. “Do you regret going?”
“No, I don’t. It certainly made things easier for me.” Canter would honor his vows.
“Easier?”
“Yeah,” said Canter. “It’s easier to choose a side. So, I guess while we’re here talking, you can tell me which side you’re on.” He had a feeling he already knew.
“I’m not sure how I feel about what Rebekah did. I mean, if she did it. I know how things can look like something they’re not. Banging Kayne? Shit. I just can’t see it. I mean, the heart wants what it wants I guess, but I don’t think Rebekah wants that parasite.” He made a face of pure disgust.
“Please don’t tell me you still think she wants you,” Canter teased.
“Hey, I’d be a better choice than some bloodsucking maggot,” he said, knowing that Rebekah didn’t have any interest in him.
“That’s not saying much, my friend. So, are you on her side?” Canter knew that everyone in the academy would have to choose sooner or later.
Jarreth nodded. “I think I have to be. I mean, I believe her excuse. She came here to find out what happened to Merik. How many other academies have had the pleasure of having the Immortal Huntress stay with them? Not many and especially not any lately. She could have been anywhere else in the world, and yet, she was here. She wanted to find Merik’s killer, and I can’t blame her for her tactics. Hell, I’d use my body to get whatever I could with it. Why should I fault her for doing the same? Besides, it’s kind of hot.”
“Hot?” Canter couldn’t believe he saw it that way. He was still on Rebekah’s side, but her actions disgusted him, no matter the reason. “So, you think she’s innocent?”
“Yeah, I mean, we made our vows to her, right? Her blood made me what I am. If I trust the woman to mark my flesh, trusting her with gathering information shouldn’t be a stretch. I guess I’m a little surprised that you’re pro-Huntress in this situation, considering your upbringing as a ward of the Church.”
“Rebekah’s a ward of the Church too, and look where she ended up. So, forgive me if they mean little to me after locking up the woman who made my dreams come true.”
Jarreth breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t been sure how Canter felt. “It’s good to know we’re on the same side. I know Delilah was pretty pissed when she left. I doubt she feels the same.” Jarreth hung his head. “I’m sure she’s made it home by now.”
Canter couldn’t help but think about how deep in denial his friend was. He felt sorry for him and knew how bad it had to hurt, losing Delilah that way. Canter didn’t even have that long of a past with Katie, and he still felt like someone had ripped out his heart and stomped on it with stilettos.
Jarreth not only had it in his head that she would come back, but he also refused to believe the possibility that she could have gone with Grady and the other guys. While it was a slim chance, they had left at the same time. But she’d also put in for a transfer.
“Father Timms confirmed she’d been accepted to the New Orleans academy, Jarreth. If she went home at all, that’s her next stop.”
Jarreth’s chest burned. “She’s blowing off steam. She’s going to come back when she realizes that she misses me. I know her. We haven’t been apart since we were kids.” He knew he had to convince himself, or else he’d fall to pieces. His chest ached so fucking badly from missing her, he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to hold his shit together if he didn’t believe she’d be back.
Canter hated the way things were going for all of them. “I hope you’re right, man, but you’re going to have to prepare yourself sooner or later for if she doesn’t.”
“She will.” He closed his eyes and swallowed. His phone rang as if he’d willed it to, echoing from the bathroom where he’d left it. “Shit!” He ran for it, hoping it could be Delilah, but his mom’s smiling face was on his screen instead. “Mom?” He walked back into the room with the phone to his ear.
“Yes, honey. It’s me. I just wanted to call and see if you’d heard anything from Delilah. She dropped in a couple of days ago, but she left upset, and well, she hasn’t claimed her ticket to New Orleans, and her mother didn’t know where she was going.”
Jarreth’s blood boiled. “What? She was there? You didn’t call and tell me?”
Cindy breathed a sigh into the phone. “She asked us not to, honey. I didn’t want to get in the middle of things, and besides, it’s a really tight spot with me and Sage seeing each other.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s awkward for you.” He rolled his eyes. “Look, do you have any clue at all where she’s going? Did she say anything?”
“Sage told her if she was smart, she’d go through with the transfer. I can’t think of anywhere else she’d go. Can you?”
“Great,” said Jarreth, pacing the floor. “If Sage told her to do it, then you can forget it. She’s been pissed off at the woman ever since she tried to go over her head and have her transferred at the marking ceremony. Maybe she’ll come back here.”
“If you hear from her, honey, have her call home. Her mother is trying to play it off, but she’s very worried. I’m worried too. You know she’s like a daughter to me too, Jarreth.”
“Yeah, a stepdaughter. I get it, and before you go and fuck up my life any worse than you already have by making her my stepsister, could you please let me find her? I’d like us to
be married first.” He knew without question that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the girl. No one else had ever made him feel the way she could, and all of that pain of losing her had to be more than just familiarity.
Canter’s head snapped up at hearing Jarreth say he’d like to marry Delilah. He’d be lucky to get her to ever speak to him again, much less say “I do.” That would take a miracle. Whatever happened between them in New Orleans must have been bad.
Cindy let out a long breath as a single tear slid down her cheek. “I know you really love her. Good luck, honey.” With that, she hung up the phone, and Jarreth stood there a minute, looking at the phone and then the floor.
He hated that he had been so hateful to his mother, but he couldn’t help but blame her and Sage for his and Delilah’s rocky relationship.
He looked up at Canter. “Mom said Del’s missing. She left there yesterday and hasn’t been to pick up her ticket for her transfer. Since she’s not answering the phone, I can only guess she’s screening my calls.” He sank to his bed and stared off into space.
“Did you mean what you said? That you’d marry Delilah?” He figured they’d do nothing but fight, but he knew the two loved each other in their own dysfunctional way.
“Yeah, if she’ll ever give me the time of day again, I’m going to ask her. I’ve always known she was the one. We did get married once.” He smiled. “We were in my mom’s garden. Delilah wore her pale-yellow sundress, and I took the fake flowers from my mom’s dinner arrangement for her to carry. We put one in her hair. She had this big grin with an orange Kool-aid mustache. I thought that if I played along with it all, she’d kiss me.”
“Did she?”
“Yeah, she did. She’s been all of my firsts.” He looked down at his phone where he pulled up a picture of his redhaired girl. “I want her to be all of my lasts, too.”
Canter didn’t know what to say, but he packed up his whetstone and knife and laid back on the bed to listen if Jarreth needed it.
But before the two got too comfortable in their room, a knock sounded at the door.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Jarreth asked, going to the door.
Canter sat up and shook his head. “No, no one.”
When Jarreth opened up the door, Katie Kelly stood on the other side with Aziel. The short blond huntress and Mr. Tall, Dark, and Angel were a mismatched pair indeed.
“What?” asked Jarreth. He didn’t have time or the patience for either of them.
“Don’t be pissy with me, Jarreth Barnes. I’ve come bearing gifts.” She pushed him aside and went in to see Canter, who she really came for. She had hoped by helping Sister Frankie pass out the new gear, she would have an excuse to see him. “Here.” She handed Canter a plastic bag that had clothing folded inside.
“What’s this? I didn’t order anything.”
Katie tried to control her emotions. She hated seeing the deep set of Canter’s expressions, which had hardened in her presence every time. “There’s one for Jarreth too; all of us, actually. It’s the workout clothes the Church sent.”
“New workout clothes?” asked Jarreth. “How about some battle gear?”
“That’s tomorrow,” she said with a half-hearted smile. “They’re still sorting it. We even get new boots.”
Jarreth walked over, leaving the angel at the door. “Lucky us,” he said, tearing open the package. He held up the gray shirt, which didn’t look too different than the one he had. Only this time, the shirt bore a different symbol. “What’s this?” He turned and looked at Canter, who frowned.
“What?” Katie shrugged. “Did you expect better quality?”
“No, but I didn’t expect a cross either.” Jarreth turned the shirt around to show them.
Canter quickly ripped his open to see if it was a mistake, but no, the Huntress Star had been replaced with a white cross.
“Where’s our star?” asked Katie.
Aziel, who had been quietly observing from the doorway, walked over and took the shirt. “I don’t think this was a mistake. The cross is a symbol of the Church, and I think they’re making it clear whose side they expect you to choose.”
“Well, they can think again,” said Canter.
Katie’s eyes lit up. “You mean you’re choosing the Huntress?” She hadn’t really thought about choosing a side one way or another. On the one hand, she had been taught to follow the Church and that the Immortal Huntress was a representative of it and all of its power, but without her, what were they? A bunch of bitchy old men who would rather make her eat crappy food and wear cheap gear.
But then, Rebekah had gone out with Kayne. The photos had made their way to Katie, and while she knew it was wrong, she couldn’t blame Rebekah for going out and doing that for her people. She secretly thought Kayne was a babe. A dark, brooding monster, sure, but sexy as hell. She couldn’t fault the Huntress for wanting to entice him to help the Fellowship seek vengeance for Merik’s death. Her feelings about the Huntress were the main reason she hadn’t followed Grady when he left. Well, that and because she knew if she did, she’d be leaving her heart behind.
Canter met her eyes. “Of course. She’s not only the mother of our kind, but she’s our friend, Katie. I guess you’re on the Church’s side? Passing their shit propaganda around. I mean, you could have gone with Grady, right? Or did he not invite you along?”
She hated the tone of his voice. “No. It’s true he didn’t want me to go, but it wouldn’t have mattered. I didn’t want to abandon everyone like he did.” She wasn’t about to tell him that Grady’s last words to her were that he’d be coming back for her. “And as for the Church, I’d rather leave the Fellowship for good than choose their side. What they did to Rebekah was wrong, and quite honestly, I don’t understand it.”
“They’re trying to push her out,” said Aziel. He had a feeling that they were going to succeed, too.
Jarreth turned to Aziel. “Which side will you choose, angel? Being that you are kind of supposed to choose the Church in this situation, considering you serve God and the Church serves Him.”
Aziel was torn inside but not because he didn’t trust Michael and the other Warriors. It was because he wondered who they would choose if they were in the same situation. Now that he could see what was going on, he knew he had to report to Michael for counsel. In his heart, he feared they’d expect him to continue to be an example to the academy. As a representative of the Warrior’s program, he would be expected to uphold that honor. Only here with the hunters could he speak his opinion.
“I care about Rebekah,” said Aziel. “She’s been a friend to me, and I have no reason to be against her. She’s the whole reason I was able to return and the reason my sentence wasn’t much harsher.”
“So, don’t forget that when it comes time to choose,” said Jarreth.
Aziel met his eyes. “I won’t.”
Canter looked down at the cross. “I think that time has already come.”
Chapter 4
Aziel left Jarreth and Canter’s room with a heavy heart. It wasn’t like anyone had expected what had gone down with the Huntress, and he was certain that Michael hadn’t known when sending him back what was going on.
The Elders’ Council seemed to be the one heading things up, and while they didn’t represent the Church as a whole, they were a big part of it. He walked down the hall to the stairs and made his way to the main hall. He could only think of one other man in the academy who was in a similar position as him, stuck so close to the Church that choosing anything but to side with it and not the Huntress seemed like a no-brainer.
But Aziel had come to admire Rebekah in the short time he’d been with the academy and knew of no better person who cared for her hunters enough to lead them. The Church certainly didn’t, and he could tell that simply by seeing how they operated the academy.
Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he walked down the main hall past the front entrance and to administration. He rounded the corner,
thinking of how strange it would be to see Rebekah’s office empty.
But it wasn’t.
Father Timms stood behind Rebekah’s desk, staring out her window. He turned his head, hearing the footsteps of the angel, and welcomed him with a warm smile. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Aziel?” Father Timms took a seat in the chair behind the desk.
Father Timms couldn’t help but think of how amazing it was to be in the angel’s presence. He remembered the battle where the angel’s light had poured out with such intensity that it killed the evil mage. Aziel was a miracle of God.
Aziel stopped just inside the doorway. “I hoped that you’d have a minute to talk.”
Father Timms gestured to the chairs in front of him. “Please, come in and have a seat. I’m afraid I’m still getting used to this office. I had to give mine up to the new second in command.”
“I didn’t know we were getting another commander,” said Aziel as he walked in and lowered himself into one of the chairs.
“Yes, it’s the Church’s way of trying to keep a thumb on things. They’re afraid my loyalty isn’t fully intact, so they sent Commander Fisk to ‘help’ me keep things in line.”
“But you’re a priest, are you not? A man of the cloth?” He narrowed his eyes, wondering how the Church couldn’t trust one of their own.
Father Timms took a deep breath. “I am, and also one of the highest ranked Hunters of the Fellowship in my day. If I hadn’t been appointed to this seat by Rebekah herself, it wouldn’t have happened. And because of that, I’m lucky they have allowed me to keep the position.” Rebekah had appointed him commander of the academy when she knew she was about to be arrested. At the same time, she’d told Ignis he had to leave and take her weapons with him. He wondered how the mage was doing with his task.
“I’m surprised they let you, considering your loyalty to her. They seem to be making other changes around here. I’ve seen the new clothing. They have white crosses on them.” Aziel couldn’t believe the Father had allowed them to be passed out in the first place.