He lifted the final piece of wood off the sawhorses and fit it carefully over the box. Proud of his fine craftsmanship, he grinned at Silus.
The male tensed and took a step back. “I want to speak to my father. I demand to face The Elders!”
Eleazar chuckled and swatted the sawdust from his pants. “I’m afraid your chance to make demands has passed.”
He swept the wood shavings toward the wall with the side of his boot and closed the sawhorses. Once his materials were stacked neatly out of the way, he reached into the tool box and withdrew a long machete, wrapped in cloth. Unraveling the fabric, he revealed the freshly sharpened metal that caught the glint of the torch in its polished blade and spine. He flexed his fingers around the handle, fitting the bolster comfortably at the base of a tight fist.
The blade sliced through the air with a quick practice swing, and the flame flickered on the torch. He grinned at Silus.
“We buried Cerberus in a box about that size, and that is where he remains today, starved, alone, and trapped for the rest of his eternal existence. Nothing to do but think about what he’s done.”
The bishop’s flat mouth flexed into a quick smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. “Like I said, I had no real attachment to Adriel back then. Imagine if I had shared the friendship we share today. I wonder how much worse I would have made Cerberus’s atonement then.”
Eleazar glanced at the crumbling ceiling where cobwebs gathered and centipedes crawled. “I’m in love with the female sleeping in my bed. You’ll never grasp how all-encompassing such an emotion can be, but I can sum it up for you. I would gladly die a thousand deaths to save her one moment of pain. I would forsake my God and all my laws to protect her, not because it’s my duty, but because we share an unbreakable bond akin to nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”
He kicked the box and it slid loudly down the wall, clattering to the floor.
“Tonight, you tried to kill her.”
“Bishop—”
He launched at the bars and snarled, “You put your hands on my mate and tried to drain her dry! I could hear her screams!”
He shivered. The only thing worse than the sounds of Larissa’s screams was the silence that followed in the time it took to get to her when her screams had stopped.
Seething, he glared through the cell bars. “Now, it’s your turn to scream.”
Silus staggered back as the bishop revealed a key. The bars creaked open. And before he could escape, Eleazar was on him, snarling and slicing through limbs, biting and drinking back his mate’s stolen blood. Eventually, his screams stopped too.
It was still dark outside when Eleazar emerged from the safe house, dragging the heavy box behind him. His clothes were soiled with blood and adrenaline thrummed through his veins.
He dragged the box far into the woods, to an area crawling with poisonous oak that most would avoid. It took only a short time to dig the hole. He inspected the box one last time, making sure the lid was nailed tight, when he noted some blood had seeped through the wood, staining the corner.
He knocked on the top. “Rest well, Brother Silus. Should we be here when you heal, I may consider your apology then. But no promises.” With a booted foot, he shoved the handcrafted coffin into the ground.
Chapter 42
Cain held up a hand and they stopped moving. “Quiet. Something’s out there.”
Dane stilled and placed a hand on Colby’s head, calming the dog. Since losing his mother, he didn’t like being in the woods after dark. He wanted to ask why the cab had dropped them off so far from the house but he was too afraid to make a sound, unsure what was out there.
“Take your sister.” Cain deposited Cybil’s sleeping body into Dane’s arms and pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t move.”
He disappeared beyond the trees and Dane’s breath hitched. Anger battled with his worry as he quickly spiraled into a frenzied panic. How could he have just left him there?
Tears of frustration formed a boulder in his throat as he wanted to yell for Cain to come back, but screaming might alert whatever was hiding in the woods. Should he wake up Cybil?
His body trembled, unsure what to do and Colby pulled on the leash. Suddenly, Cain reappeared, strutting out from the trees with a smirk.
“What was it?” Dane hissed.
Cain grinned and examined his hand. “None of our business. Damn, I think I touched poison oak.” He collected Cybil and they continued walking.
Bitter, cold and exhausted, Dane snapped, “Next time, don’t leave us like that.”
Cain glanced over his shoulder. “You’ll be safe here.”
He rolled his eyes. As if the Amish had any sort of security system to protect him. They didn’t even own guns.