The Dark Divine
Page 65
"From where?"
"From Gabriel. Your father tried to contact him after Thanksgiving, but the colony doesn't exactly welcome intrusions from the outside world. They don't own cell phones or anything like that."
"Welcome to the club," I mumbled.
"Your dad sent several letters, but there was no reply. When he got those blood-test results, he took the first flight he could get."
"So my father knows about Jude?" That made sense. "Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he tell Jude?"
"He wanted to wait until we had another moonstone. He thought if Jude knew what was happening, he would only change faster. Your father came to see me before my shift ended at the market. He asked me to keep an eye on things while he was gone." Daniel bowed his head. "That was a mistake. I should have been the one to leave."
I grabbed his hand. Here was exactly where I needed him to be. "Jude might be headed home. Charity and James are in danger, and if Dad's not here, then I don't know what--"
"We can run there."
"No. If I'm wrong, we could lead him right to them." I slumped my shoulders. "I don't know what the right thing to do is. I don't know where we go from here."
"Jude's scent is in the air. It's more confused, though. I can't tell where he is. I don't know if he's just been here or if he's nearby." He squeezed my hand. "There's a phone in your dad's office. We can call Charity. Tell her to get to a neighbor's house or something. Maybe we can call the airport, too. Leave a message for your father as soon as he lands."
The clouds parted slightly, and a sliver of moonlight shone down on us. Daniel inspected the scrapes across my knuckles. I was scraped all over from tumbling across the wood roof shingles. His eyes glinted too bright as he kissed my wounded hand.
He shuddered and backed away against the base of the steeple. He held his moonstone against the hollow of his neck. "Just give me a minute," he said softly, and closed his shimmering eyes.
"It'll be okay."
"That's what you think," a voice snarled behind me.
Chapter Twenty-seven Fall From Grace
SECONDS LATER
"I knew you were here." Jude teetered on the apex of the roof. He walked across it like it was a balance beam, closing the distance between us. "I don't know how. I just did." His eyes seemed so black yet bright in the dim moonlight. "Kind of a fortuitous place to end this, don't you think?
It's like God led me here."
"God isn't what led you here," Daniel said. "Think about it, Jude. Think about what you taste and smell. Think about what you feel writhing inside of you."
Jude laughed. "God led me to this, too." He pulled something from behind him. It was Don's knife, still stained with blood. "It was just lying in the alley, waiting for me." He turned it in his hand and watched the moon glint off its tip. "Do you know what this is made of? It's silver. It's what can kill you."
"Jude, please." I moved in front of Daniel, balancing myself with the base of the steeple. "Please stop." Jude looked at me, stumbled, and almost fell. He took in the sight of my bruises, my torn and bloody dress, and his hard expression crumpled into a look of concern. "Gracie, what happened?" His voice was soft and childlike. He took a step toward me, his hand held out. "Gracie, what's going on?" He sounded so frightened, so confused.
"Jude?" I reached for him.
Daniel grabbed my shoulder. "Don't."
My fingertips brushed Jude's. "I'm here," I said, and took his hand. Jude's eyes shot with silver light. He wrenched me out of his way and flew at Daniel. I fell against the shingles. I steadied myself and looked up just as Jude grabbed the front of Daniel's shirt.
"What did you do to my sister?!" Jude roared into Daniel's face. Daniel bowed his head.
"Nothing," I said. "Daniel did nothing."
"Don't lie for him." Jude's body heaved with heavy breaths, but he kept the knife at his side like he was afraid to lift it.
"Pete did this to me ... because you told him to do whatever it takes."
"What?" Jude turned slightly. "No ... that's a lie. He's confusing you. He's getting you to lie for him even though he hurts you. The Bible warns about people like him--ungodly men who feast on your charity and turn grace into lust. That's what he's done to you, and I'm the only one who can see it. He's a monster."
"No," I said. "You're not a saint, Jude. You're the monster here." Jude shook his head. "How can you defend him? How can you love him? You know what he did." He shifted closer to Daniel. "You left me," he said to him. "You were my best friend. You were my brother--and you left me there to die!"
Daniel's head bowed lower, resigned.
"No, he didn't," I said. "I saw him."
Daniel glanced up. The moon was bright in his eyes, and it illuminated his pale skin. I imagined it setting off his once white-blond hair like it did when he crouched under the walnut tree in my memory of three years ago.
"I saw you that night," I said to Daniel. "You brought Jude home." Daniel opened his mouth a bit. He closed his eyes and breathed out a tiny sigh. "I did?" "Yes." Daniel looked up at the night sky. "Oh, God," he whispered, like it was a prayer of thanks. Jude stepped back. He loosened his grip on the knife.
"Jude," I said. "It's okay. Daniel helped you get home--"
"No!" Jude clenched the dagger. "No more lies! He's a monster, not my savior. He hurt Maryanne. He killed that girl. He tried to steal James. He's defiled you. I have to stop him before he destroys our entire family." He lifted the knife.
"You hurt those people," Daniel said. "You did it. And if you don't stop right now, then you'll turn into the wolf just like me."
"Shut up!" Jude smacked him across the face with the butt of the knife, leaving a long, burn like welt on Daniel's cheek.
Daniel grunted. "I will not fight you."
"Then you'll die like a coward."
Jude tried to yank him forward by the front of his shirt, but all that came with him was the leather strap of Daniel's necklace--and the moonstone.
"From Gabriel. Your father tried to contact him after Thanksgiving, but the colony doesn't exactly welcome intrusions from the outside world. They don't own cell phones or anything like that."
"Welcome to the club," I mumbled.
"Your dad sent several letters, but there was no reply. When he got those blood-test results, he took the first flight he could get."
"So my father knows about Jude?" That made sense. "Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he tell Jude?"
"He wanted to wait until we had another moonstone. He thought if Jude knew what was happening, he would only change faster. Your father came to see me before my shift ended at the market. He asked me to keep an eye on things while he was gone." Daniel bowed his head. "That was a mistake. I should have been the one to leave."
I grabbed his hand. Here was exactly where I needed him to be. "Jude might be headed home. Charity and James are in danger, and if Dad's not here, then I don't know what--"
"We can run there."
"No. If I'm wrong, we could lead him right to them." I slumped my shoulders. "I don't know what the right thing to do is. I don't know where we go from here."
"Jude's scent is in the air. It's more confused, though. I can't tell where he is. I don't know if he's just been here or if he's nearby." He squeezed my hand. "There's a phone in your dad's office. We can call Charity. Tell her to get to a neighbor's house or something. Maybe we can call the airport, too. Leave a message for your father as soon as he lands."
The clouds parted slightly, and a sliver of moonlight shone down on us. Daniel inspected the scrapes across my knuckles. I was scraped all over from tumbling across the wood roof shingles. His eyes glinted too bright as he kissed my wounded hand.
He shuddered and backed away against the base of the steeple. He held his moonstone against the hollow of his neck. "Just give me a minute," he said softly, and closed his shimmering eyes.
"It'll be okay."
"That's what you think," a voice snarled behind me.
Chapter Twenty-seven Fall From Grace
SECONDS LATER
"I knew you were here." Jude teetered on the apex of the roof. He walked across it like it was a balance beam, closing the distance between us. "I don't know how. I just did." His eyes seemed so black yet bright in the dim moonlight. "Kind of a fortuitous place to end this, don't you think?
It's like God led me here."
"God isn't what led you here," Daniel said. "Think about it, Jude. Think about what you taste and smell. Think about what you feel writhing inside of you."
Jude laughed. "God led me to this, too." He pulled something from behind him. It was Don's knife, still stained with blood. "It was just lying in the alley, waiting for me." He turned it in his hand and watched the moon glint off its tip. "Do you know what this is made of? It's silver. It's what can kill you."
"Jude, please." I moved in front of Daniel, balancing myself with the base of the steeple. "Please stop." Jude looked at me, stumbled, and almost fell. He took in the sight of my bruises, my torn and bloody dress, and his hard expression crumpled into a look of concern. "Gracie, what happened?" His voice was soft and childlike. He took a step toward me, his hand held out. "Gracie, what's going on?" He sounded so frightened, so confused.
"Jude?" I reached for him.
Daniel grabbed my shoulder. "Don't."
My fingertips brushed Jude's. "I'm here," I said, and took his hand. Jude's eyes shot with silver light. He wrenched me out of his way and flew at Daniel. I fell against the shingles. I steadied myself and looked up just as Jude grabbed the front of Daniel's shirt.
"What did you do to my sister?!" Jude roared into Daniel's face. Daniel bowed his head.
"Nothing," I said. "Daniel did nothing."
"Don't lie for him." Jude's body heaved with heavy breaths, but he kept the knife at his side like he was afraid to lift it.
"Pete did this to me ... because you told him to do whatever it takes."
"What?" Jude turned slightly. "No ... that's a lie. He's confusing you. He's getting you to lie for him even though he hurts you. The Bible warns about people like him--ungodly men who feast on your charity and turn grace into lust. That's what he's done to you, and I'm the only one who can see it. He's a monster."
"No," I said. "You're not a saint, Jude. You're the monster here." Jude shook his head. "How can you defend him? How can you love him? You know what he did." He shifted closer to Daniel. "You left me," he said to him. "You were my best friend. You were my brother--and you left me there to die!"
Daniel's head bowed lower, resigned.
"No, he didn't," I said. "I saw him."
Daniel glanced up. The moon was bright in his eyes, and it illuminated his pale skin. I imagined it setting off his once white-blond hair like it did when he crouched under the walnut tree in my memory of three years ago.
"I saw you that night," I said to Daniel. "You brought Jude home." Daniel opened his mouth a bit. He closed his eyes and breathed out a tiny sigh. "I did?" "Yes." Daniel looked up at the night sky. "Oh, God," he whispered, like it was a prayer of thanks. Jude stepped back. He loosened his grip on the knife.
"Jude," I said. "It's okay. Daniel helped you get home--"
"No!" Jude clenched the dagger. "No more lies! He's a monster, not my savior. He hurt Maryanne. He killed that girl. He tried to steal James. He's defiled you. I have to stop him before he destroys our entire family." He lifted the knife.
"You hurt those people," Daniel said. "You did it. And if you don't stop right now, then you'll turn into the wolf just like me."
"Shut up!" Jude smacked him across the face with the butt of the knife, leaving a long, burn like welt on Daniel's cheek.
Daniel grunted. "I will not fight you."
"Then you'll die like a coward."
Jude tried to yank him forward by the front of his shirt, but all that came with him was the leather strap of Daniel's necklace--and the moonstone.
