Page 12 of Be My Salvation

“Atasi, fucking shoot him. Shoot him now, baby!” I yell and watch as her eyes flutter. She’s not going to do it. She won’t make any attempt to save herself, believing that she deserves this punishment. I can’t lose her, not now, after everything that we have been through. I’ve been so fucking stupid, acting like a petulant child and refusing to speak to her. She wasn’t to blame for what David did to me, any more than she’s to blame for what Noah has done to Sammy. These evil men have broken something inside of each of us, and instead of banding together, I have spent all this time pushing her away. “Snow, please!” Zeke begs with desperation from beside me, his hands trembling as he reaches out, pleading with her. A crystal tear slides down her face, followed by another, as her gray-blue eyes fill with anguish, as if she’s trying to communicate her goodbyes to us.

“I don’t have a clear shot,” my mother yells, but I’m too terrified and consumed by the image in front of me, to tear myeyes from my Atasi. “Please, Atasi. Don’t leave me, don’t leave us. He’s not seeing you. He’s seeing what Noah told him to see.”

“Sammy! You’re trapped in a nightmare, and whatever Noah has pumped you full of is doing this. You don’t want to hurt your Nightstar, she’s the love of your life. I swear to you, Noah has lied to you. She never stopped looking for you.Never.“ I cry out in terror as Sammy’s grip tightens, forcing Dinah to the tips of her toes, as she makes a horrific choking noise.Please fight, baby, please,my heart begs as I watch her losing the battle with consciousness. “If she dies, I’ll rip your fucking heart out, Sammy!” Zeke shouts, his hands clenched, and fear riding him. He feels as hopeless as I do, knowing if we charge him, he’ll snap her neck, and if we don’t, we will watch her die either way.

“Fuck this shit!” I roar as I prepare to charge him. If she’s going to perish either way, then I’ll take my chances, and hope I die with her, and we are reunited where she goes in the afterlife. “I love you, Atasi!” I rush forward, and, at the very last second, it’s as if something in Dinah clicks. Some form of self-preservation that refuses to bow down and die. Her hand, with the gun, strikes back and slams into Sammy’s face, causing his head to thrust backward, and forcing him to release his tight hold on her. She turns in his arms, headbutts him, and uses all her strength to push him away, following with a kick to his stomach, causing him to stumble backward. Immediately, two of my mother’s men grab hold of him and wrestle him to the ground, as he kicks, pushes, and shouts like a wild animal being contained. Once they have him restrained, and he’s snarling viciously, and foaming at the mouth, Dinah shuffles forward, her breathing heavy, and her eyes large. She stares down at him with such devastation that my chest tightens painfully. I wrap my arms around her, cradling her carefully, so as not to hurt her injured arm further, and try to give her some of my waning strength, even though I know she doesn’t need it. Thispetite woman, with a fierce heart, and an even stronger sense of determination, continuously surprises me, and proves to me I should never underestimate her.

“I was prepared to die, if that’s truly what you wanted, Sammy. I would gladly take my last breath at your hands, if I believed the real you wanted me dead, but this... this is not you. This is a monster Noah has conjured up in some dungeon, and unleashed, hell-bent on hurting everyone you’ve ever loved.” Dinah pulls away from me, and squats down in front of Sammy. “I never stopped looking for you, never stopped trying to get you back. I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you, and I still will, long after we are both gone, whether that is by your hand or someone else’s, and nothing will change that. I will always be your Nightstar, and you will always be my Sammy.Come back to me. I am your home.”

“Secure him, and get him placed somewhere he can come off whatever Noah has given him. Check him for injuries, but don’t give him any drugs,” my mom orders, and it takes two additional men to help remove a thrashing Sammy from in front of us, and all the while Atasi never takes her eyes off of him.

“I hate you! You’re the real monster, Dinah! You need to die!” Sammy continues to shout, as he’s dragged out of the vast space by force. Zeke and I exchange worried glances, filled with concern and pity, as each word out of Sammy’s mouth seems to pierce through our girl’s tough exterior, and straight into her weary heart. Zeke looks angrier than I’ve ever seen him, as if he’s holding himself back from going after Sammy, and bashing his head in. All I want, however, is to wrap Atasi in my arms, and take her away from all of this. Fuck, I want to get down on my miserable knees and beg her forgiveness, for being a callous idiot all the days we have been captives of David’s. I do nothing, however, as I’m unsure if my words and touch will be acceptedor spurned, and I can’t risk the rejection. It would gut me now. I have too much to lose, and not enough courage to see it through.

“Dinah, you’re injured, and we need to get you medical attention.” My mom grips the shoulder of Dinah’s dress, and tears the material, so she can get a better look. Her pale, tattooed flesh is coated in blood, and already blooming with bruises. Dinah flinches with my mother’s probing, but bites down on her lip to silence her cry.My brave, beautiful girl.

“It’s a flesh wound. It’ll be fine.” Dinah tries to shrug off her grasp, but sways in her hold. “Where is David, and my... father?”

“Father?What the hell do you mean, your father? He’s dead?“ My mom questions with confusion.

“No, he’s not. He’s been alive all this time, and with David’s help, he managed to replace the actual Holy Father years ago, and has been playing the role without anyone realizing it, due to the stupid mask, and all the secrecy that surrounds that position. He’s the reason all of this shit is happening!” Dinah replies in aggravation, as we all look around at the chaos surrounding us, and all the dead bodies of fallen Brotherhood men, and rebel forces. It’s utter destruction, and it feels like a war was just fought, right here in the chapel of the Brotherhood of the Sacrament. I wonder how many are dead now?

“Then who the fuck is this?” My mom uses the toe of her combat boot, to push against the dead body of the man dressed as the Holy Father. She’s got rage painted across her face, and that causes a chill to race down my spine. She’s furious that the man sprawled, in a pool of blood, isn’t the real Holy Father. Is that because she needed him dead too? Did my mother really come to save us, or is something more nefarious happening here?

“A phony, used to distract the masses, so that I could murder the Holy Father, and reveal that I am the Unholy Ghost.” Dinah looks around with vacant eyes, as if she’s not reallyhere, but somewhere far inside of her mind. “He...my father... wants a revolution. He wants a new world order, one that the Brotherhood no longer controls.”

“What I still don’t understand is, if he was pretending to be the most powerful man in the world for years, why would he give that up?A revolution?To what end, Snow?“ Zeke questions, and mirrors my own thoughts. None of this is making any sense. Why would someone with all that power and control give it up, only to manipulate Atasi to reveal herself as the Unholy Ghost? What does he gain with the world knowing that information?

“You were going to be a puppet for him?” My mother questions, trying to work out Francis Camrose’s plans. A thought I hadn’t considered before in all this mess pops into my mind, and with it, a bonfire of rage erupts inside of me. “He could have stopped what happened to Gabriel. He could have saved him! Why the fuck did he allow that to happen to his only son? Why didn’t you tell us, Dinah?” I seethe through gritted teeth, but an image niggles at the back of my mind like deja vu, and unsettles me. I’ve seen him before, but where?

“I... I’m sorry. I had to put it out of my mind, so I could keep going. I couldn’t allow thoughts of Gabriel to bury me in grief, when our situation is so precarious. My father... He chose not to save him, when he could have stopped all of this years ago. Instead, he allowed it to play out. He told me he sent Sammy to me to keep me safe, and knew that the two of you would also protect me.” She drags her blood-tarnished hands down her face with distress. “He planned all of this years ago, laid the foundation for everything that has happened, and then sat back and watched the pieces moving on the board. We need to fucking find him and David, and ensure they both don’t take another breath.”

“Dinah, all of the world just watched you murder the Holy Father. This ceremony was being broadcast. They set you up. Allof the remaining Brotherhood, and the populace, will be after you now. They made you a target. You’ll have to convince the masses to follow you now, or there will be an uprising.” My mother’s worried eyes meet mine. I can’t read what is going through her mind, as she’s holding her cards too tightly to her chest. Whatever it is, I hope she doesn’t plan to betray my Atasi. Mother or not, I’ll slit her fucking throat if she dares to harm a hair on Dinah’s head. I’m tired of everyone around us attempting to manipulate her for their gain. My mother is a rebel leader, and someone I no longer know. I can’t trust anyone outside of our tight circle not to harm us. With Sammy out of commission, and lost to his demons, that only leaves Zeke and me to protect Dinah from the world at large, and herself.

“Let there be. It’s time for the populace to take back their power. If they want my head, they’ll have to come try to part it from my body. I won’t make it easy for them either.” Dinah walks in the direction they took Sammy without a backward glance. After a quick look at my mother’s expression, Zeke and I follow her as two sentinels at her back, ready to wage war on anyone who comes for her.Game on, motherfuckers.

Chapter seventeen

The Sinner

Dinah

His screams pierce through my heart, and crush my soul, as he slams himself repeatedly against the heavy steel door preventing him from escaping his captivity. I sit on the cold, hard tiled floor outside of the room Sarah and her rebels forced Sammy into, with my back pressed against the wall. They commandeered a storeroom, in the basement of the Holy Father’s mansion, with a firm lock after the attack on the chapel. Sarah and her rebels defeated the remaining Brotherhood forces here in the mansion, and we have been here ever since. I clutch my knees to my chest tightly, forcing myself to endure all of what he’s experiencing, without daring to release him. It’s a wonder he has any energy left, since he’s been at it on and off for over twenty-four hours, and that alone tells me the poison inside of his system is very strong.Slam.“Let me out of here!”Slam.“Lying whore.”Slam.“I’ll kill you, Nightstar!”Slam.“Dead, she’s dead.”Slam.“Fucking monster!”Slam.

I don’t bother to look up when I glimpse, out of the corner of my eye, a pair of long legs encased in dark material approaching, and squatting down in front of me. His scent of pine needles and cloves wraps around my senses like a warm hug. Zeke’s fingers reach out and softly cradle the top of my head, shifting my hair out of my face, so he can get a glimpse of my eyes. “You need rest, Snow. It’s going to take a bit for whatever he’s on to flush out of his system, and until then, there is no reasoning with him, and you lost a lot of blood.”

I know he’s right; my body aches with fatigue, and the pain in my shoulder is escalating, but I still can’t find the strength to leave him. I did that once, and look at what happened. Have I truly lost him for good? Does he mean the things he’s saying, or is it really only whatever toxin is racing through his system? I never imagined that Sammy could ever grow to hate me. He has always been my fiercest protector, my champion, and my knight.Slam.“Let me out of here, Brotherhood whore!” Now, he’s someone I don’t recognize at all, someone who wouldn’t hesitate to kill me. The reality has a shudder racing down my spine, at the memory of the unhinged look in his eyes, when he grabbed me to choke me.

“Sarah is insisting that we all speak, Dinah. She says contingency plans have to be put into place. The masses are angry at what they saw, and there have been riots in various cities, and different countries throughout the world. They are fighting against the Brotherhood’s tyranny, but not necessarily joining the rebels. Shit is getting worse out there. We are not safe here.” He releases a heavy sigh when I don’t acknowledge his words.

“He’s not safe here either, Dinah. If a mob attacks the compound and he gets free, they will murder him, just like they will us.” His words finally cause me to raise my glance and meet his. I observe the exhaustion along his handsome features, and his emerald eyes tinged in red.When was the last time he slept?He’s still recovering from all the torture he endured, at David’s hands, on my father’s orders. My eyes trace over all of his features, from the dark hair that has become a little longer and shaggier, and now hides his stunning skull tattoo, to his thick brows, and down the ridge of his strong Roman nose, that is still healing from the beating he took. I catalog all the new injuries, layered over the healing bruising on his square jaw, covered in days’ worth of dark stubble, the state of his cracked,downturned, pouty lips, and the stunning artwork along his neck that meets his jawline. He’s a beautiful mess, the man I fell in love with as a girl with a child’s heart, romanticizing him as my Prince Charming on a white stallion, coming to save the princess that I thought I was. I know better now, he’s no more perfect than I am, and this is no fairytale, and happily ever after now feels like a fucking impossible dream.

“Any word on David or my father?” My voice sounds hoarse to my ears, after hours of sobbing and not uttering a word. He shakes his head, and I release a deep breath filled with agitation. I didn’t really think there would be any news. My father has proven that he’s a snake, that knows how to go to ground, and disappear when it’s convenient. I know that wasn’t the last I’ll be seeing of him. He put all of this into motion meticulously, and he won’t just give up so easily. Silence finally comes from the room, and I force my body up from the floor, Zeke immediately grasping me under my arms, and wrapping me in his warmth, to help steady me. “Promise me you won’t lose yourself in all of this, Dinah. You have so much to live for. We have so much to live for...together.”

I wish I could affirm his request, but I refuse to lie to him. I don’t know what will happen to me if I lose Sammy for good. I can’t even guarantee that we will all be alive tomorrow, or even an hour from now, for that matter. Enemies surround us, and there is no safe place for us to be. Do I believe that Sarah, and her rebels, don’t have a vested interest in us, and are currently protecting us out of the goodness of her heart, and our shared past?No,I am not foolish enough not to see the opportunity that having me at her side provides. She too is hungry for power, and it might not be the same as my father’s, or the Brotherhood’s, but it’s there nonetheless. What will happen to us next is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for sure: I will protect Zeke, Abe, and Sammy, with my dying breath, and before I do die, I willtake a horde of people with me. They wanted the Unholy Ghost resurrected, and at her most vicious, they should have all been more careful about what they wished for.

“Take me to Sarah. It’s time I heard her lies straight from her mouth.” I pull away from Zeke, straightening my aching back, and with one last look at the door that conceals the man I love, I turn and walk away, ready to cut the head off of another snake.

“As you can see from the map on the screen, various whole towns are burning, surrounding many major cities. The Brotherhood is currently outnumbered, and stretched thin. No one seems to know who is still in charge after yourverypublic assassination of the Holy Father. Although different high-ranking officials are claiming that it’s them.“ Sarah’s man, Rob, stares at me from across the table with indignation, and a sneer. I can feel the disdain coming off of him in waves. He doesn’t like me very much, or my men for that matter, and he disapproves of Sarah’s plan to actively involve me in whatever they’re planning next. My lip curls as I bare my teeth at him and wink, causing his face to flush crimson. It doesn’t matter either way. Rob’s hours are numbered, and he won’t be breathing for long, based on the way Abe is staring at him with undisguised malice. My berserker has set his eyes on a new target, and he won’t settle for anything less than Rob’s painful death. “Hey,fucker, remove that judgemental tone, or I’ll fucking cut off your tongue, and shove it up your hairy ass. I’ll bet you would enjoy it too,“ Abe sneers at him, while gripping the edge of the table as if it were Rob’s neck. Rob immediately backs his chair up, giving himselfspace to move out of Abe’s reach, with wide, frightened eyes. All these men are playing at being alphas, until they meet a real one that will tear them apart, and it’s almost comical to watch how quickly they piss themselves, when they get in Abe’s crosshairs.

---