Seventeen

I yanked my chin out of Elijah’s grip, desperate to get away from him. His words held the promise of something more. The kind of something I wanted no part of.

The papers fell from my hands and floated to the floor. The same trapped, helpless feeling I’d felt for so many years washed over me. I kept waiting for Joseph to do or say something … anything. He didn’t. He sat there with his gaze fixed on me in that same silent warning. The one that told me to keep my mouth shut and do as his father said.

I went to get off the bed, but Elijah shifted with me, his body shadowing mine. He was close, so close. I told myself that if I could get my legs loose from the quilt, then I could kick him.

I tore the quilt from my body and threw myself at Elijah, intent on clawing my way through him to get to the door. He caught me mid-strike, his hands banding around my upper arms. His breath was ragged, his grip growing tighter as he tried to hold my jerking body still.

I saw Joseph out of the corner of my eye and tried to squeeze out the word “please.” Joseph’s eyes widened, and a low hiss of breath escaped his lips. But he didn’t move. He wasn’t going to help me. All he wanted was to get his sister out, and he didn’t care who he screwed over in the process.

Elijah loosened his hold and blood rushed back into my tingling hands. When I didn’t come at him again, he let me go completely.

“I understand that you’re confused and a bit scared about the path God has chosen for you. But I assure you that you are not alone. I am here to guide you, to teach you,” he said as he bent over to pick up the papers scattered across the floor. “It is time for you to listen, Rebekah. You’re going to read every word written here. You’re going to memorize them, because it is the only way to rid you of your past, of the life that has tainted you. This is your history now. Your rebirth. This is you.”

Screw self-preservation. I had to know. “And if I don’t?”

He laughed, a maniacal sound that had me wishing I’d kept my mouth shut. “You’ve seen too much of the outside world, my sweet girl. But have no fear, it only means I need to be overly sure that you are cleansed of the evil you were once immersed in. In time, you will come to rely upon my wisdom, understand my responsibilities, and accept my divine authority.”

I shook my head; he hadn’t answered my question. “And. If. I. Don’t?”

Elijah tossed out his hands, amused by my persistence. “You’ll find me to be peaceful man. We are a peaceful town. But as Joseph can tell you, I find that fear and pain work equally as well as reason. In a matter of days, you will come to see the truth of my words and embrace your new life, your salvation. If not … well, I’d hate for us to start our life together under those circumstances. And make no mistake about it, Rebekah. You now belong to me.”

“I won’t stay,” I said, unsure of where that flash of courage came from. “You can’t keep me. I have a family that will come looking for me. Friends.” And Luke, I silently added.

I wasn’t sure if the Hoopers counted as family, but I had a place to live, and people who liked having me around. I was almost a full person again, and I’d be damned if this man was going to take it away from me now.

“Yes, friends. All right, we can play it that way. Joseph?” Elijah called, and Joseph took two steps toward his father as if he were a puppet and Elijah controlled his strings.

“I’m not sure if my son has told you, but he has a younger sister,” Elijah said.

“Eden,” I whispered.

“Yes, Eden,” Elijah replied. “Joseph is quite fond of his sister. He takes on more responsibility for her than he should. He sees himself as her protector. My guess is he’ll do the same for you.”

I had no clue what Elijah was getting at. I knew Joseph was hell-bent on getting his sister out, but he’d done absolutely nothing to help me. In fact, he’d done everything he could to trap me here, including slicing me open.

“One of Joseph’s greatest strengths, what will make him such a great leader, is that he is a good judge of character,” Elijah said. “I’m presuming he’s figured out you have a soft side, one he’s depending on you to help him with Eden.”

Joseph clenched his hands at his side, his gaze remaining steady and cool despite the revelation that Elijah apparently knew about his plotting. I stared at Joseph as he stood unblinking and still as a statue, wondering what he was thinking. Was he afraid? Pissed? I had no clue, but I had to hold on to the hope that the one thing he wasn’t was resigned.

Elijah smiled, then turned his attention from Joseph to me. “If you give me any problem, if you so much as question your newfound role in Purity Springs, then I’m going to beat my son here to within an inch of his life. The pain will be so bad he’ll wish he were dead. But I won’t give him the mercy of death, not until he tells me where he’s stashed those two boys you’re with. And as for them … I’ll rid them from this earth rather than risk contaminating my town with their filth. Do you understand?”

My breath caught in my throat as the truth bore into me. Elijah’s knowledge wasn’t restricted to Joseph’s plan to free Eden … he knew about Luke and Mike as well. He’d been aware of us from the very beginning.

“I will remind you once more not to test me.” Elijah leaned in so that his breath whispered across mine as he spoke. “I assure you that you will not win. In the end, you’ll be sitting in exactly the same position as you are now, bound to me and this town. I’ll kill your two friends, Joseph too if I have to. But not you. You, I have plans for.”

He pulled back and handed me the papers. “If you don’t believe me, ask Joseph. He will be happy to remind you exactly who I am and the respect I command. He’s got the scars to prove it.”

I glanced at Joseph. He was standing there silent, his lips pressed into a thin, tight line. No wonder he seemed to get me. He was living my life. My old life. If I hadn’t been so scared, I would’ve laughed at the irony. Here I was, away on a weekend where I was supposed to be celebrating my anniversary with Luke, and instead I was trapped in a hellhole with a delusional man, at the mercy of his equally damaged son.

Elijah took my stunned silence as assent and ran his hand down the side of my face, lingering on my cheek before tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I’d think the gesture fatherly, almost soothing, had it not been for the crazy shit he’d just unloaded on me.

“Now that we have that settled, Rebekah, let’s get you cleaned up and introduced to your new family.” He walked over to the dresser and sifted through the top drawer, taking a few items out. He held them up, judging them for size, then swapped them for a smaller, matching set.

They were plain, nothing more than a long all-white skirt and a shirt that covered everything from wrist to chin. Clean and neatly folded, there was not a single color to be found.

Elijah dropped them onto the bed and pulled a bottle from his pocket. “The polish needs to come off your nails,” he said as he placed the nail polish remover on the dresser. “Your makeup is pretty much worn off, but you should give your face a good scrub anyway. Then fix your hair. Nothing fancy. A plain braid down the middle will do fine.”

I watched as he assembled all the necessary items—a bar of soap, a black hair tie, a scratchy white towel not big enough to cover much of anything, and a pair of beige clogs.

“That basin there is filled with water,” Elijah said, gesturing to the glass bowl on the dresser. “Give the clothes you are wearing, undergarments included, to Joseph. He’ll burn them along with any trace of your former life. This is a new beginning for you, Rebekah, your chance at a better life. I can guarantee you an eternity of peace and happiness. Embrace your new self. Embrace me.”

I nodded and forced a smile to my face. I wasn’t consenting to anything, and I had no intention of relinquishing my jeans and bra to anyone. But I wanted him out of the room, and agreeing to wash up and change seemed like the quickest way to do that. Once he was gone, I was going to get out of here. Clothes, nail polish, underwear and all.

“And once I’m changed?” I asked, trying to figure out how much time I had.

“I will introduce you to your new family, to my followers. They are excited to meet you.”

“I bet they are,” I mumbled under my breath.

Joseph brought a finger up to his lips, warning me to stay quiet. Too late. Elijah heard me and was already turning around.

“You say something?” he asked.

I doubted he wanted an answer. It seemed more like a challenge than anything else, but I responded nonetheless. “No, not a thing.”

“Good. I’ll leave these with you,” he said, gesturing to the documents outlining my fictional past. “I think you will find it quite thorough, but if you have any questions, you ask me. Only me. Is that understood?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Joseph will stay here with you while you prepare. We had a bit of a chat after he brought you to me this morning, didn’t we, son?” Elijah turned to Joseph, who nodded. “I’m quite sure he no longer needs to be reminded of his duties within the community.”

I looked at Joseph, wondering what Elijah was talking about, why his use of the word “chat” made me nauseated.

“And welcome home, Rebekah.”