Rage and Redemption (Rebel Angels) (28 page)

She paused before the huge stone church in the center of the village, tempted to pound on the door and demand answers from the priest. Gideon would have approved of the plan but the time was not yet right. She moved on along the rutted lane.

Swirling mist curled around her ankles as she moved deeper into the trees. Naomi shivered. Moonlight silvered the area, creating eerie silhouettes and pockets of darkness. A leafy branch brushed against her arm, a twig snagged her cloak. She walked faster, suddenly wishing she had waited for Gideon.

Something rustled in the bushes to her right. She veered sharply to the left and collided with a tree.

“This is ridiculous,” she muttered, rubbing her bruised shoulder. “You are frightening yourself.”

She stood there for a moment, dragging the crisp night air into her lungs. The fresh scent of damp earth soothed her and the evening breeze cooled her skin. Lifting her face to the moonlight, Naomi released the tension in her body with a long exhale.

“You should not be wandering in the forest alone.”

Naomi spun to face the speaker. She didn’t recognize his voice. A tall figure lurked in the shadows, the details of his appearance concealed by the night.

“Who are you?”

“Who I am is not important. I have come to help you.”

“Help me with what?” Naomi asked casually, but her eyes searched the ground for a weapon. If she ran toward the ruins, she would lead this person to the children. He blocked her way back to the village and the underbrush on either side of the trail was dense.

If he tried to harm her, she must fight!

“You cannot fight me, Naomi. You would be foolish to try.”

The faintest taint of sulfur sharpened the air as if she could smell his breath. Fear gripped her stomach. This was no random act. He knew her name. “What do you want with me?”

“I want only to warn you.” He took a step forward and moonlight touched his face.

Naomi recoiled from the creature, ready to scream. In an instant he stood in front of her, his hand clasped around her throat. The scream became a strangled sob and waves of revulsion washed over her. His flesh was icy and his nails bit into her skin. She grabbed his wrist with both hands. His hold remained steady.

His features were ordinary, his hair light and long, falling to his shoulders in lank strands. But his blank, soulless eyes radiated evil.

A demon held her—a demon who knew her by name!

Trembling within his hold, Naomi could do nothing but await his next move. She was helpless and they both knew it.

His fingers loosened yet remained on her throat.

“Warn me about what?” she whispered.

“Gideon belongs to us. He always has. He always will! The longer you continue to confuse him, the harder it will be for him to accept the inevitable end.”

She tensed, repelled by his touch yet more appalled by his words. “I do not accept that his end is inevitable and neither does Gideon.”

“I know. That’s why I have sought you out. Gideon will Fall. The only real question is, will he drag you down with him?”

Feeling the pressure of his fingers relax, she shoved his hand away and took a quick step backward. “Gideon will not Fall. He has made great strides toward the light. You fear you are losing him. That is why you have sought me out.”

He laughed, his putrid breath gagging her.

“The first thing he did when he saw you again was to take your virginity. Was that his stride toward the light or your descent into darkness?”

“You know nothing about it. He has shown kindness and selflessness in the past few days. He is trying to improve himself. He wants—”

“Not even Gideon knows what he wants.” The demon sneered at her. “A few pots of ink and a kind word to orphans do not change the basic nature of a
predator
. That is what Gideon is, Naomi. He is a predator.”

She stared at the creature and doubt flickered to life within her. What did he mean?

“He has not told you, has he?”

Laughter lightened his tone and Naomi stiffened. Anything that amused this creature could not bode well for her. “Told me what?”

“What Michael did to him.”

“Michael?” Naomi relaxed just a bit. “Michael banished Gideon from the light. He already told me about his punishment.”

“Did he now? And what did he tell you?”

Tension gripped her again. Why did he still sound smug? “Sunlight burns his skin and drains his strength.”

“That is true but it is incidental. Did he tell you what he must do to survive? Did he tell you how he
feeds
?”

“I will not listen to any more of your lies.” She turned toward the ruins but he was in front of her again.

“I do not lie. Ask your lover on what he feeds.”

She watched in fascinated horror as the demon disintegrated into a cloud of foul-smelling vapor.

Ask your lover on what he feeds.

Fear and dread held her motionless on the moonlit trail as the words echoed over and over through her mind.

“Why did you not wait for me?” Gideon asked, carefully restraining his anger.

After confirming that a cart had been readied with food, clothing and blankets, Gideon returned to the great hall and discovered Naomi had left without him. She sat now against a section of the ruined wall, little Midge curled on her lap.

“You knew where I was going,” she said. “I was too anxious to just sit still.”

Gideon searched her steady gaze, not understanding the quiver in her tone or the tightness in her expression. She raised her hand to stroke the child’s hair. Her hand trembled. If Gideon didn’t know better, he would think she was afraid—of him.

She averted her gaze and continued to cuddle the child. Gideon braced his feet apart and inhaled deeply. The scent was subtle but he could definitely smell fear.

“What is amiss?” he asked gently.

Her throat worked nervously and Gideon shifted his gaze to her mouth. She had been angry when he left her but not afraid. He had overcome her fear long ago. What had rekindled it now? Clasping his hands behind his back, he fought down his own anxiety.

“Where is Jack?” he asked when she didn’t respond to his first question.

“No one has seen him since he rushed into the forest earlier.”

His heart leapt within his chest. Was her fear for the boy? Had he misunderstood her expression? Energized by hope, Gideon relaxed his stance. “I will find him. Wait here.” He paused and smiled at her. “May I have your word that you will?”

She only nodded.

If her mood didn’t lighten once he had found the boy, Gideon would question her more closely. Much had happened this day. Perhaps she was just overwrought.

Transforming into a falcon, Gideon circled the area and spotted Jack on a fallen log near a narrow creek. Diving back into the trees, Gideon regained his human shape and waited a moment before he walked out of the woods.

“Lady Naomi is worried about you.”

In one hand Jack held a fistful of pebbles, with the other he threw them into the sluggish creek. “Lady Naomi…weren’t the other one named Lady Naomi too?”

Gideon straddled the log, facing the boy. “Aye. Roderick’s wife was Lady Naomi as well.”

“She means to save us but she will only make it worse.” Jack threw a rock hard enough to span the creek and bounce off a tree trunk.

“How can it be worse?” Gideon’s tone was just a bit challenging. “You are living like animals in the forest. You are strong, Jack, but what about Midge and Tot? Do they not deserve something better?”

The boy’s defiant gaze slashed through the darkness. “They deserve many things I cannot give them.”

“You cannot, but Lady Naomi can. Do you realize who she is, Jack? She is Lord Roderick’s granddaughter and Lady of Monthamn Castle.”

Jack jumped up from the log and dumped the rocks back into the dirt. Planting his fists on his hips, he faced Gideon. “The Lady of Monthamn Castle wants to save us?”

The question snapped with sarcasm but he chose not to reprimand the boy. “Speak with her. Tell her all that has happened. We already know Father John is at the heart of this. We need to understand what transpired.”

“Why should I trust you? Father John seemed to be kind in the beginning. I still think it’s best if I just care for the little ones here.”

“I’m not asking you to trust blindly. I ask only for the opportunity to understand.”

Jack didn’t argue so Gideon led him back to the ruins. Naomi sat just where he’d left her. Midge had moved off to play with another girl. Naomi had drawn up her knees, tenting her skirts. Firelight accented her delicate features as she poked at the fire with a long stick. Her expression was so forlorn Gideon’s heart gave a mighty lurch. He wanted to take her back to the castle and kiss away her pain.

“You were looking for me.” Jack drew her attention from the fire.

She raised her troubled gaze to the boy and motioned to the large rock across the fire pit. “Please sit. I have some questions for you.”

Gideon stayed back a pace, leaning his shoulder against the wall. She hadn’t so much as glanced his way.

The boy sat, silently waiting for her to speak.

She curled her legs to one side. “Jack, I need you to tell me everything that has happened since you were taken from the castle five years past.”

“Now that would take five years, would it not?” He offered her a cheeky grin.

She smiled and Gideon’s heart pulsed out of time. She was so beautiful. His senses smoldered just looking at her.

“Lord Roderick explained that Father John took all the orphans to the abandoned cloister where the nuns used to live. But he is under the impression Father John found homes for all of you.”

Jack pulled a piece of leaf off his filthy ankle and tossed it into the fire. “Oh, he found homes for us all right. He started with the older boys and worked his way down through the ranks. Two men came and carted off the strong ones all at once.”

“Do you know who the men were or where the boys were taken?” Her brows crinkled slightly above her expressive eyes.

“Father John refused to say, but no family wants five sons unless they have lots of work for them to do.”

Naomi shifted restlessly. “They may not have been taken to one place. They might—”

“Same men came back twice more. I thought for sure I’d be taken the third time but I’ve always been scrawny.”

“They took only the older, bigger boys?” she asked.

“Until there weren’t none left.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Naomi finally glanced at Gideon. He sucked in a startled breath. Her gaze churned with a potent mixture of pity and desolation. This was a tragic tale, but why was she reacting so strongly to events she could not change?

Gideon sat down beside her and tried to put his arm around her shoulders. She rose abruptly, pacing beside the fire. Why wouldn’t she let him comfort her?

“What became of the girls?” she asked.