Page 56 of Prodigal Son

Cain looked at Adam only to have his brother look away. The cold, detached way his siblings saw him now cut deep. Resentment bubbled, and he wondered if he should say to hell with them all and do his duty without apology, but then he thought of Anna and his calling to always protect her. “That’s correct.”

Adam’s expression remained indifferent. Another great sacrifice from Cain gone unrecognized.

“We will need volunteers. If Isaiah is not alone, it would be wise to ban together. How many were there, Brother Cain?”

“It’s difficult to say. The others moved quickly. There were swarms. They behaved like rabid primates and screeched like banshees. They’re vicious and deranged, but they speak.”

“Strong?”

“Very.”

“How large were these other males?” another elder asked.

“They’re not male. The ones I saw were all female.”

“You say they speak?”

“Yes. One claimed Isaiah was her mate.”

A rumble of deep whispers rolled from the pews and the bishop clapped the gavel. “Did Isaiah show favoritism to the one that made this claim?”

“No. I assume he sired them, but… If he found his mate, wouldn’t the bonding repair him?”

“At this point, the damage is likely done,” Elder Abraham Gerig stated. “How many would you assume are in the woods?”

“Close to one hundred.” More male voices rumbled with concerns and doubts. “They’re not as strong as Isaiah, but they’re fast and they’re reckless.”

“You have fought these abominations?” Elder Christian Schrock asked, appalled.

That was one way to describe the perverse creatures. “They attacked me. They’re quite strong.”

“They’re an affront to God,” someone yelled.

“How would you describe them, Brother Cain?”

Thinking back to the woods, a shiver teased at the base of his spine. “Their foulness is a result of an atrocity. They did not choose this life, Isaiah chose it for them. They speak as though their throats have been abused beyond recovery. Their eyes shine with crimson. They reek of ruined innocence, orphans that are now the devil’s children. They’re territorial and protective of their sire.”

“They must be put down,” Elder Abraham demanded. “There is nothing human left when an unmated soul is stolen. It would be merciful to end their suffering. We must exterminate all of them.”

“I call forth a band of brothers prepared to hunt our lost elder and exterminate the mess Isaiah has created. We are responsible for his crimes,” Cain’s maternal grandfather, Elder Thaddeus Christner, announced. “We must act swiftly, so that no more mortals are brutally harmed.”

Cain’s attention shifted to his other grandfather. Ezekiel’s head lowered. His brother’s suffering transcended to his own over the years. Isaiah’s resurfacing had taken a great toll on his grandfather once more. As an elder, Ezekiel would have a say in how The Council voted.

“Let us not allow ourselves to become monsters simply to save the world from one,” the bishop announced. “Isaiah’s sins are not ours to judge, and we will show him mercy in the end so that he might find redemption at the hand of God Himself.”

After countless murders and heinous acts of brutality, Cain wasn’t sure Isaiah deserved mercy. It surprised him that the bishop would make such a request. Perhaps his marriage to Larissa stirred a sense of loyalty to their grandfather, thereby making Isaiah his kin as well.

Ezekiel, Cain’s grandfather, kept his eyes downcast and his face devoid of emotion, but his pain was evident.

“What if there were enough males present to safely incapacitate Isaiah and return him to the farm where he could be locked in seclusion and studied?” Cain asked and the hall silenced, pews creaking as every male body twisted to gape at him. He shrugged. “There has to be a reason why he still breathes. All of our teachings claim an unanswered mate will die without the bond. If his mate was mortal, she must be gone by now, yet he still lives. Shouldn’t we try to understand why?”

A strange kinship toward his uncle had his heart pounding. What if Isaiah was like him? Cain feared he, too, would eventually wither away without Annalise at his side, but he was still here. Perhaps his survival was tied to Anna’s. Yet his father survived the death of his mate, so where was the actual science behind their theories?

“There seems to be much we still don’t understand,” Cain argued. “If we could protect the outside world from Isaiah and still study him, wouldn’t it be in our best interest to do so?”

“We are already asking our brethren to endanger their lives. Capturing Isaiah would make this mission all the more perilous.”

“Then send more males. There are hundreds of us and only one of him.”

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