Page 54 of Always Eros

Chapter Eighteen

JUSTICE

The massive stone fortress I called home my entire life appears through the trees. Upon seeing it, bile rises in my throat. I never wanted to see this place again, but here I am. My only hope of getting through this is believing Eros and his brothers will protect me.

“Whoa,” Thorn says, peering out the window. “You were not joking about appearing out of nowhere.”

“What kind of security is there?” Raphael asks. “I don’t see guards.”

“No guards,” I answer. “No major security. It’s not needed. We’re mentally beaten into submission, and I am one of the rare ones to actually escape.”

“How did you get out?” Bowie asks, twisting in his seat to face us.

“Just crawled out the window in the library. There are always people in the common areas, no matter the time, so I waited for the library to clear out and just left. As long as it’s dark enough, you can get away.”

“How did you get back to the main road?” Tru asks, peering out the window at the large walls surrounding the property.

“Climbed” I answer. “And then just a long walk through the woods. When I made it to the street, I grabbed a bus with money I took from the supply fund. There wasn’t enough to get all the way to New Onyx, but I got close enough to walk the rest of the way.”

Eros kisses the top of my head.

I clear my throat. “We should be able to go through the trees where the Devotion room is. It has its own entrance because there are services outside sometimes. Guys, I don’t know if it’s true, but I don’t think good things will happen if we get caught. The Supreme Being believes the outside world is ruled by demons and should either be saved by us or destroyed. I mean them. I’m not one of them anymore.”

“We’ll be fine,” Yves says, his gaze intent on the building. “Stay together. Hale, you stick with me, Eros, and Justice.”

“Of course,” Hale mumbles.

Another wave of nausea hits me as I slide out of the car. As a group we move through the darkness, me slightly in front, leading the way. Having all these men around me does make me feel somewhat safer, but now that I know this place might be way more dangerous than I thought, it’s hard to feel relaxed.

“Through those glass doors,” I whisper, pointing through the trees.

“It’s beautiful here,” Tru says. “Too bad it’s toxic.”

“Probably one of the ways they get you,” Syn says. “It’s peaceful.”

“I was born into it,” I say. “I wasn’t given a choice.”

“You made your own choice,” Eros says, squeezing my hand.

“I’ll go ahead to clear the way,” Yves says, and before I can even comment, he’s gone.

I tilt my head, wondering how he can move that quickly, but it doesn’t matter. He opens the door—mere seconds later, I swear—and motions for us to enter.

The Devotion room is dark, as expected, except for the few continuously burning candles on the altar. Above it is a picture of the Supreme Being dressed in white robes, his long white hair like a halo around him. In his hand is a painted version of earth.

Hale stands before it like a statue.

“Is it familiar?” Eros asks.

Hale slowly turns his head and nods, his expression blank. “Vaguely.”

“Where is the disciple hall?” Yves asks.

“This way.” I turn to the left and lead the others to the hall, which is really more of a room of its own. The walls are lined with major historical points and accomplishments of Nightsky, and on the other side, past and present disciples.

I walk to the one I recognize as Hale. “Here. Look.”

Hale is right next to me, gazing up at what is obviously his own image.

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