Page 58 of Judas
He groans and I stand firmly in place.
“You can do it, or I can do it for you. I’ll be joining you because we both need it. And, again, I have no interest in a child’s body. Hell, women don’t interest me either, let alone one that’s not finished developing.”
“Such a gentleman,” I clip.
Trying to swallow my pride, I reach for my shorts that are more or less plastered onto me now—like a second skin—and shove them down my legs. The cold air that meets my flesh is shiver inducing but it’s even worse when I pull my shirt up and over my head, tossing it to the side. As soon as my feet touch the water, every hair follicle goes goose-y and my teeth begin to chatter from the cold. I stop to let myself adjust to it, inching in a little bit at a time as the water crashes up higher and higher on my legs.
Suddenly, I’m pulled from the water and squeal. A longer, stronger arm is wrapped around my waist and next thing I know, I’m thrown several feet away from where I was just standing. The cold slices through me and goes straight to the bone. I wail under the surface, cries captured in bubbles before I come up gasping for air. It’s not warm enough to make me feel like I’ve managed to capture an adequate breath. I cough and splutter, arms wrapping around myself to ward off the shivering but there’s no way I’m making it through this without shaking.
“What was that for?!”
“You acclimate quicker if you just jump in. It’s a shock to your system, but you get over it,” he answers.
Keeping my body below the surface, the cold almost feels better than being above the edge. Lucien quickly busies himself with washing off what he can. Head tipped forward into thewater, he scrubs it vigorously before moving on to his face, neck, shoulders, and chest. Doing what we came here to do while I give him my best ‘go to hell’ eyes.
“You didn’t tell me who the other voice was. If you do, I’ll help you with your hair, that way we can get out of here faster. Blood is caked in there pretty bad.”
There’s a catch to this; there’s a catch to everything, but what choice do I have? I could cooperate right now, or he could force me, and we know how well I do with that now that my riders are off in la-la-land, not helping a bitch out. So, I wade closer to him and turn around, waiting for him to approach where he can start helping get all of the blood out of my hair.
At first, he helps me dunk quickly, pulling me back up—this water is so damn cold it’s paralyzing. Suppose he doesn’t want me to drown. Not when he still wants to boss me around and have me help him kill people as if we are some fucked up version of Bonnie and Clyde. Feeling the tension in his hands, I open finally, and let him in on who I know her as.
“I call her ‘the ancient one.’ She, uh—“
Something urged me to stop, a sixth sense I guess, or the voice herself. I keep going though.
“Her name is Naamah. I don’t know where she’s from but she’s like the leader of all of us. Well, more so the other two. Especially Kate. Total mother-figure, you could say.”
“Naamah,” Lucien repeats. When he doesn’t ask for more, his hands still working, I take that as him waiting for me to share. So, I do.
“I wasn’t always like this, damaged. Once upon a time, I was a regular little girl singing and dancing around at the playground to my favorite lullaby.London Bridge, you know that one?”
“Of course,” he answers, dipping me under the water again to get my hair wet once more. I wipe my face off, using some of the draining fluid to clean it as I continue.
“Liz was first. She helped me find my voice, as I didn’t talk much or even try to at first. Then Kate came in. She made me feel fun—running around with tons of energy. Sillier, made more friends, and some enemies. Eventually, though, things turned sour and she started to lash out but only when I wasn’t awake. I learned later on that my adopted parents would lock themselves in their bedroom to keep themselves safe from me, as Kate was violent. Then came Naamah, only allowing Kate out when there was danger.”
“Makes sense as to why she was after me when I showed up at the house. She saw me as a threat.”
“You are.”
“Were. Why do you call her the ancient one?” he asks.
“When I said her name out loud in church, the preacher kicked me and my entire family out. Sometimes we would pass a few members of the congregation after that and they would cower away. I didn’t like it, so I changed.”
“Do you know who she is? Why is she significant?”
Something feels off. There’s a heaviness in the air. His hands have become rougher too, like they’re trying to comb through tangles, and instead of starting at the bottom of the rats nest, he’s trying to force them through. Feeling the need to stay quiet, I barely notice the dip in his tone, or how he’s moved closer to me. My head tilts back a fraction, his hand tangling in my hair now, and dread fills me.
I— fuck. Where’s Kate?!
Holding my arms over my chest, I look up at Lucien. Seeing nothing but disdain in his features. He’s angry at me, and I don't know why. I… I was giving him what he wanted. Answered his questions, gave him the information he was after even if it doesn’t make sense why he would care. Even got in this cold-as-hell water when I would rather sustain every infection known to man than be anywhere in a ten mile radius, naked, with him.
“Remember when you called me Samael, sweet girl?”
“Uh… yes.” My teeth chatter between the words.
“Naamah, well, she’s my wife.”
“I do—“
