Page 138 of He Who Sleeps

"Perhaps I may be of assistance here?" Easton had cracked open the door and drifted in unheard under the shouting. He was wearing a beatific look on his face that Petra had never seen before. "The God wants you to come home, Fiona. If you require a miracle to believe, then He loves you enough to give you one."

He held out his palm and a flame sprang up on it, burning so hotly that they could feel the heat on their faces, but Easton's hand was untouched. "Behold His power," he intoned. Walking across to the modern glass hearth, where a fire had been laid but not lit, he stood a couple of feet away and tossed the flame. The fire roared into life and the others gasped, but Fiona was pale.

"How do I know this isn't a trick?" she demanded. "This might just be parlor magic. Someone with a remote for the fire. Some kind of gel..."

"Fiona." Easton looked sad as he walked toward her and displayed both sides of his hands. "There is no trick. But if you still doubt, then He will tell you Himself." He touched two gentle fingers to her forehead and Fiona went rigid, her eyes rolling back in her head like she was being electrocuted. When she came back to herself, twenty seconds or so later, she was weeping.

"I need a moment," she choked out and ran to the bathroom, locking herself in.

Petra looked to him. “Thank you, my love. That was getting hot. Fi is like a dog with a bone sometimes.” She looked to her remaining friends. “This is Easton, my Snake,” she said proudly. “Easton is a brilliant artist, and owns a piece of my heart. He’s also kinda a conduit for He Who Sleeps. A reward for what he’s endured.”

Carlee looked him over and blinked. “And hot as fuck to boot.” She grinned. “I’m Carlee, and it’s nice to meet you, Easton. You treating our girl good?”

Petra looked to Victoria and smiled. “You okay? You have been quiet. And believe me, I know how this sounds...”

"Do you?" Victoria shook her head. "Fiona's objections weren't unreasonable and you guys are making out like she's the crazy one. A dog with a bone? You asked her to believe in magic, sight unseen. I'm with you guys. I believe what I just saw. But I don't blame her for being suspicious, and I think you need to go a little easier on her."

"She also didn't feel the calling that you did," Easton said gently to Petra. "He understands. That's why He sent me in. I'll go and see if she's okay." He went to the bathroom door and knocked, quietly murmuring something they couldn't hear. Then the door opened and he went in, closing it behind him again.

"He seems rather sweet for a multiple murderer," Victoria said drily. "Are you sure that bit was all true?"

She nodded. “Had Fiona not lost her shit, I would have told you guys what happened to me at Christmas.” She sighed. “And this is going to make it all seem more crazy but...I was kidnapped while the guys were in the Balkans...and before you think it had to do with them, it didn’t. The dude was apparently obsessed with me being a good girl and wanted to force me to marry him,” she said bitterly. “I was stuck in south Philly for three fucking days, asshole snatched me from the shelter. My guys came to get me, strung him up and killed him,” she said matter-of-factly. “They have the capacity to do it, but it’s not who they are. Well, it’s who Kendrix is...”

“I heard that,” she heard from the other room and giggled.

“Seriously, it’s not like they are just psychos from the cradle, they were taught this, all for the glory of someone that was not their God. They were lied to. We were lied to. Things are better now, and while He expects sacrifice, it’s not like Fiona thinks. Everything has balance.”

"So what does this mean for us?" Victoria asked. "Do we have to join? Like...is it mandatory? Are we expected to turn up and do stuff? This is so far out of my comfort zone, I think I'm going to need a little time to process it."

“Well, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Our bloodline is special, because, well, we are direct descendants to Gaia, via her sister Estra. Gaia and He never had children, but her sister kept our line from the thirteen, and kept it pure so to speak. We are, for all intents and purposes, royalty in their world. If you choose not to join, that’s on you.”

“And if we want to? Will we get seven horse hanging studs to service us?” Carlee asked with a grin. She heard someone snort from the other room. Clearly the guys were listening en masse, and probably worried since Easton hadn’t made it out of the bathroom yet, with or without Fiona.

“The Order has males looking for their own devotions, as many do not wish to kill, and will take part in the balance through self-sacrifice and their own kinks,” Petra said to Carlee.

“So we are called devotions?”

“Women that belong to a group, yes. If you end up with one or two men, they are just your men, and you are their woman. It’s all very personal.”

"Can we think about it?" Victoria asked. "It's a lot. I mean, I'd love to see where my people come from, and do some reading and get to know the family, but I can't just make a decision like this right now. I want to meet people and see places first."

“No one would ever make you,” she said with a nod. “I’m hoping you guys will come to the Balkans with us, to meet the other matrons, and the priests...”

“And hot dudes?” Carlee asked.

“Yes and meet hot dudes. There’s a spring festival that we are bringing back. A more elaborate version of the May Day celebration we used to have. You are of the blood, so you can be there and not participate, and I think you would all enjoy it. I’m looking forward to it. Wine and cakes and flower crowns and...” She blushed. The rites she found with the guys would be the highlight of the trip, though that wasn’t for them to know.

"I could probably swing a trip in May," Victoria nodded, starting to catch up with their enthusiasm. "They don't know what happened to our mothers? Why we were at the orphanage at all, instead of with them?"

“Our mothers were matrons,” she began and then stopped as Easton and Fiona walked out. “Hey,” she said as Fi came into view and then looked to Easton. “Everything okay?”

"We're fine." Easton was still smiling. "She just needs some time to process this. It's a lot. Being touched by Him can be overwhelming."

Fiona was still pale, with red blotches on her cheeks, and she had the crease in her forehead that meant a migraine was brewing, but she nodded. "I maybe need to lie down for a bit," she said, her voice quiet and raspy from crying. "But Easton says the other guys are here, too, so it might be nice to meet them before I go and rest?"

She nodded. “That was what I was working up to.”

“Wait, you were talking about our moms,” Carlee said. “What happened?”

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