#wrathling

“Can’t have you running off on me.”

Patience rolled her eyes and gestured up and down her bruised and broken body. “I don’t think I could.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t have a good sense of self-preservation.”

“Good enough to know I should leave.”

He snorted out a laugh, but otherwise ignored her words. Pointing things out in the small space he told her, “Bathroom is through that door there, but there’s no tub. So, no showering until you’re off bedrest. Record player’s on the dresser and albums are in that cabinet over there. I’ll get some clothes brought up for you. I’ll have someone come up to bring you meals, refill your water, and clean your wounds. Try not to get up too often.”

Patience was surprised. “You’re actually letting me go on bed rest?”

“I take care of what’s mine.”

A wave of revulsion flowed through her at that, and she made no move to hide it. “I am not yours.”

“Well, if you’re not mine, you’re John’s. And I’d take care of what’s his, too.” He smiled cruelly.

“John is the one who did this to me,” she said stonily.

“Well, Johnny’s always played a little too rough with his toys. Something you might want to take into consideration.”

She continued to glare at him, but stayed silent.

“I have things to attend to. I’ll send someone in with dinner for you in a few hours, and I’ll be back late tonight.”

“Why?” she muttered, absently picking at the pilling blanket below her.

He snorted again. “For bed. I know I have a lot of responsibilities, but I don’t actually sleep at my desk.”

A cold wave a fear washed over her. “For bed? This is your room?” She looked around the room with new eyes.

“Sure is.” That cruel smile was back. “Wouldn’t do to keep the Mrs. in a separate bedroom.”

Her eyes widened in shock and anger. The Mrs.? Patience didn’t even know where to begin in refuting that statement. She would never marry him. And even if they would be married, they weren’t now. And wouldn’t a religious cult frown on that? Besides, did he really think he could keep her here? Even injured, the Resistance would look for her. And she would kill Jacob before she let him lay a single finger on her.

Instead of any of those things, she said, “It’s a twin bed.”

“It is.”

She hated how calm he stayed while pressing her buttons, and liked to imagine she’d be able to keep it together better if she wasn’t in excruciating pain. And kidnapped.

Taking a shaky breath to compose herself, she said, “I’d rather stay outside in a cage.”

“Well, that isn’t up to you.” With that, he shut the door behind himself and left her alone, the lock clicking ominously into place.

That asshole.

Of course this was Jacob’s room. It was so obvious once it was pointed out to her. The old-fashioned record player, the balcony access, the red accents throughout the space, including the bedspread she was laid out on. The twin bed had thrown her for a loop, especially after seeing how John lived at Seed Ranch, but it was utilitarian in a way she thought Jacob might be pretentiously proud of.

Patience took a deep breath that, of course, hurt her fractured rib. She was tempted to get up and check the doors, but it wouldn’t matter. Jacob wouldn’t be sloppy enough to grant her an escape route and, as she’d pointed out him, she wouldn’t be able to make it very far even if she did get free.

She considered getting under the covers, but the amount of movement and adjusting it would require would hardly be worth it. Instead, she turned her head, burying it in the surprisingly soft pillow. Suddenly assaulted by the scent she’d recently come to associate with Jacob, she whipped her head back up to stare again at the ceiling.

Three days. A week at the most. That’s what the doctor said. She could do that. Just heal. Regain her strength and get the fuck out of dodge. Rest…

Patience opened her eyes when the door slammed loudly shut. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, the bright fluorescents a shock to her system.

“Sleep ok?” Jacob asked in his low timbre. He strode into the room and stripped off his jacket, tossing over the edge of a chair. He toed off his boots and ran a large hand through his hair, looking at her expectantly for an answer. As if this was routine, normal. A regular domestic exchange.

She stared blankly at him.     

“Slept heavy it looks like,” he said, gesturing to the bedside table.

On the table was a tray of food. A sandwich in saran wrap, a whole apple, a baggie of pretzels, and bottled water. Beside the tray was a folded pile of clothes in that shade of white that Adelaide had once dubbed “Peggie mayonnaise.” She hadn’t heard anyone enter before Jacob, so she must have really been out of it.

“Are you hungry?”

She shook her head no without thinking, still processing, not fully awake. Jacob took the tray and put it on the floor outside his room before locking the door again. He left only the water and apple on the nightstand, in case she “changed her mind.”

“It’s late. Go into the bathroom. Use the toilet, brush your teeth, whatever you need to do. You need help getting up?”

Once again, she shook her head no. She pushed herself up and swung her legs onto the floor. She managed to keep herself silent, though she was definitely grimacing. Rising to her feet and hobbling toward the bathroom, she was hyperaware of his eyes on her. A few steps before she reached the bathroom, she turned back and spoke for the first time since he’d returned.

“Pass me the clothes.”

“You can change out here.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she otherwise remained unmoving. Jacob acquiesced, crossing the room to gather and hand her the clothes. She took them and yanked her arm away from him, in spite of the ache the motion produced.

 She slammed the bathroom door behind herself as he called with a smile in his voice, “Just shout if you need help changing!”

Patience looked at her reflection, hardly recognizing the woman in the mirror. Her long hair was messy from sleep, but her eyes were still rimmed by dark circles. Small cuts and bruises were interspersed with her freckles. She looked terrible, but mostly she looked tired.

Being kidnapped, tortured, and sold off into marriage will do that to a girl.

Scanning the countertop and medicine cabinet didn’t yield a hairbrush, though she did find a comb. It would be woefully inadequate on the amount of hair she had, so Patience just skipped it. A new toothbrush, still in the plastic wrap, sat beside the toothbrush cup holding a used one. Though it was clearly set aside for her, she ignored it as well, turning her attention to the clothing.

Unfolding the pile, she found a pair of socks and a tank top. The sweater included was very thin and slightly oversized. But it was thankfully plain, not emblazoned with their bastardized cross, so she pulled it over her head. The only bottoms in the pile were a soft pair of shorts, presumably to keep her thigh wound accessible for cleaning.

Dressed in a shade of white nearly matching her pale skin, she looked like a bruised, bed-headed specter.

Despite the hours of sleep she’d just gotten, she was still exhausted. Exiting the bathroom, Patience was confronted with Jacob standing just outside the door. A lot of Jacob. A lot more than she’d ever want to see.

The soldier stood before her, arms crossed and legs apart, emulating the stance he’d been in when she arrested his brother. Unlike that time, though, he was wearing only a pair of boxers and the chain around his neck. Now that they were visible, she could see that his scars went all the way down his body. They looked like they had been horrifically painful to receive, and if he were somebody else, maybe she would’ve felt sympathy for him. As it was, she simply brushed past him and made her way to the bed.

She and Jacob didn’t speak to each other as she climbed under the covers, relief washing over her at the feeling of lying down once again. The relief was short-lived, though, as the bed dipped under the man’s weight when he sat down. Patience froze, muscles tight, and squeezed her eyes shut against the dark. She had been almost certain, based on what he’d said earlier, that he intended to share the twin bed with her. But feeling him slide under the blankets and press his large body against hers was another thing all together.

He draped an arm over her, squirmed around in the small space, and finally settled comfortably. Patience opened her eyes, staring into the dark, breathing shallowly, as quietly as possible, trying not to move. To not draw any undue attention to herself.

But when Jacob moved his leg over to cover hers, his coarse, red body hair brushed against her exposed skin and let out a small squeak in surprise. He chuckled lowly and brought his rough lips to her ear, his beard brushing against her jaw while he whispered.

“Relax, honey.”

“Don’t,” she shakily said, fearing the worst from this man who’d claimed she ‘wasn’t bad to look at.’ She was in no shape to defend herself. “I’m on bed rest.”

The hand draped over her rubbed small circles over her stomach. It may have been intended to soothe, but it only served to scare her further.

“Just sleep. I’m not going to do anything.”

She nodded rapidly, further brushing their faces against one another.

Not believing her, he sighed and told her, “I won’t touch you unless you want me to. You might end up married to John, and I don’t think he’d take to kindly to his brother having fucked his wife.”

She nodded again, ignoring his crudeness and unwilling to refute the claim that she’d marry one of them. If that was the only thing keeping his hands on this side of her clothes, she’d nod and agree with him all night.

“Sleep.”

He followed his own command much faster than she did, eventually falling into repetitive snores, his hot, humid exhalations puffing against her neck. Stuck between him and the frigid wall, Patience had trouble relaxing enough to sleep. But somehow, eventually, she did sleep.

And when she woke, she was blessedly alone.

Light streamed in through the uncovered window, the sun warming her face. She was again greeted by the discomfort of her various injuries, but she was hardly surprised. Turning her head, she was confronted by a handheld radio with a sticky note affixed to it. It took her a moment to decipher the messy scrawl, which read “Finish the water and apple. Then radio me.”

The note was unsigned but obviously from Jacob. She wanted to disobey just to piss him off. But the fact was that she was starving, parched, and in pain. And she imagined she probably wouldn’t get ice or painkillers until she let him know she was awake.

So she cracked the seal on the water bottle and downed the entire thing without pausing for breath. She doubted it was drugged and, honestly, wasn’t so opposed to the idea that she felt bothered to check. Drugs brought pain relief, after all. She flattened the empty bottle and started in on the apple.

Red delicious. Ugh.

She grabbed the radio and, assuming it to be programmed to the correct channel, called out for Jacob.

“Be right there,” was his only response.

Damn. She’d hoped he would just send someone to help her. Now she had seeing him to look forward to first thing in the morning. Great. Patience didn’t know where his office was, but it couldn’t be too far away, as he was entering the room within only a few minutes.

He set down a new water bottle and first aid kit and dragged the chair out of the corner of the room to sit beside the bed.

As he folded the blankets down over legs, exposing the bandaged stab wound on her left thigh, he abruptly said, “I’m not interested in playing games.

Yeah. Apparently not, given that opening.

“Okay…?”

“So here’s what’s going to happen– you’re going to end up married to me or to John. That is a fact and there’s no way around it. You’re not escaping. You’re not getting rescued. This is happening.”

Patience raised one arching eyebrow and scoffed.

Intentionally jostling her while he rebandaged her leg, he said, “The sooner you can accept that, the smoother this all goes.”

“Have you considered that I’m escaping, though?”

He ignored her sarcasm. “I don’t know if my brother talks to God or not. But I do know that he hasn’t been wrong yet.”

She pointedly did not respond to that.

“You can choose John or you can choose me. I frankly don’t care who gets you, as neither of us are too eager to take you. So, here’s what the deal is: You can marry whoever. But if you marry me, I have conditions, as I imagine John would. We don’t need to like each other; we just need to get along in public. You’d be faithful to me, and I’d be faithful to you. I would expect consummation of the marriage.”

Patience raised a shocked eyebrow at both the statement and the matter-of-fact way he said it.

“You would need to contribute,” he continued. “You wouldn’t need to join as a soldier if you didn’t want to. You could hunt or fish, work in the mess hall, laundry facilities, whatever. You would not be allowed to aid the resistance in any way. You would have to be loyal to the Project. And I’d expect you give me the Whitetails’ location.”

“Yeah, no, I’m not going to do any of that.”

He brought his warm hands to her chest, removing the bandage from her tattoo and cleaning it with a damp cloth. He gingerly smeared it with ointment, and she sneered at his hands on her skin.

“I can make it easier for you. I can get you in my chair, condition you to feel love and loyalty to me or my brother.”

Patience froze in fear at his words. “…Joseph told you not to do that. It has to be real, he said.”

“Relax, honey, I’m not threatening you,” he said calmly, covering the tattoo once again. “I’m offering you an easy out. No guilt. You’d be happy enough.”

She leveled a glare at him. “You put me anywhere near that chair of yours and it will be the last thing you ever do.”

He simply snorts out a laugh in response. “Cute.”

Patience just crossed her arms petulantly over her chest while Jacob pulled the blanket back over her lap.

“Uncross your arms and take this.”

Jacob held out an ice pack wrapped in a stained kitchen towel, which she gratefully took and placed gently against her rib, grunting quietly at the cold. She continued to hold it lightly to her side as Jacob fiddled with the tray he placed on the bedside table, opening another bottle of water and grabbing the orange pill container.

“Do you want a painkiller?”

She nodded.

He placed the pill in her waiting palm, and she restrained herself from making a displeased face as his large fingers brushed her skin. She dry-swallowed the pill and hoped it would take effect quickly.

“Are you hungry, honey?”

Her eyes narrowed once again. “Don’t call me that.”

He continued to stare at her, unemotional, waiting for her to answer his question.

Eventually she answered. “Yes.”

“You slept through breakfast. The mess hall starts serving lunch in about two hours. You can have a snack in the meantime.” He gestured loosely to the tray. “You want a granola bar? Nut mix? Banana?”

“A banana and granola bar.” She fought her initial instinct to say please.

He peeled the banana himself before handing it to her, presumably because one of her hands was occupied with the ice pack. She resented it anyway.

“Do you need to go to the bathroom? Need any help getting up?”

“No. I’m fine here,” she said tersely.

“I’m busy for the rest of the day, but I’ll have someone bring you lunch when it’s served.”

Patience did not respond.

“I’ll leave the radio here for you. It’s tuned to my channel if you need anything or want to talk.”

Want to talk? She curiously arched an eyebrow.

He sighed. “The whole point of this is to get to know each other, see if we’re compatible. Can’t do that if we spend all day apart.”

She scoffed.

“You will leave the radio on and you will answer when I radio you. Understand?”

She pointedly did not answer, which he apparently read as agreement, as he pushed the chair back into the corner and gathered up the tray before leaving the room. He told her to rest before exiting the room and closing the door behind him, the lock clicking ominously into place.

Patience slid further down into the bed after he left, finishing her banana and fuming quietly. After tossing the peel in the trash bin, she grabbed the radio off the nightstand. A radio wasn’t just a means of communicating with Jacob. It was a means of communicating, writ large. Had he really been so stupid as to leave her a radio? Or did he simply trust her not to use it? She doubted that immensely. Maybe it was a test of some sort. Perhaps he had his men monitoring all the frequencies, waiting to see if she reached out to the resistance behind his back.

If that was the case, she was certainly willing to risk it, to take whatever punishment he would deem fitting for that. The chance alone was worth it.

She grabbed at the radio and attempted to switch the frequency. Unfortunately, the dial didn’t turn. Of course. Patience firmly grasped the dial and pulled, breaking the cap off the radio and exposing the mechanism beneath. Though she never actually seen one before, she was fairly certain it wasn’t supposed to look like this. It had clearly been tampered with, soldered into the base to keep it on this one frequency. Jacob’s frequency. She flipped the off switch and set it back on the table.

So much for that.

Patience set the ice pack on the table and slowly, carefully, rose to her feet. Despite Jacob telling her not to yesterday, she was going to take a shower. She felt disgusting and there was certainly nothing better to do. Just because there was no tub, didn’t mean she had to stand. Nothing was stopping her from sitting on the shower floor. Maybe the hot water would even help soothe some of her pain.

Once in the bathroom, she shed her clothes and bandages and placed a towel on the floor just outside the shower where she could reach it once she was finished. She took the only bottle in the shower off the ledge and moved it to the floor where she could reach it while sitting. It was a bottle off off-brand men’s three-in-one, one of those soaps that claimed to be body wash, shampoo, and conditioner while not actually doing a sufficient job being any.

Kidnapping, brainwashing, and murder aside, Patience felt quite comfortable saying she could never marry a man who voluntarily used three-in-one.

She turned on the water, triple checking she was happy with the temperature before she sat on the floor, out of reach of the dial. She sat on the cool shower floor, hissing in pain as the hot spray hit her tattoo and her cuts and wounds. The first thing she intended to do when this shit show was over and done with was get that fucking tattoo either removed or covered up.

She rubbed the scented wash into her body and hair as her muscles relaxed. Though, she couldn’t be sure if that was the hot water or the painkiller finally kicking in. It didn’t really matter though. She just leaned against the shower wall and relaxed…

“Rook…!”

Patience opened her eyes to someone calling her name and shaking her shoulder, jostling her sore body as they did so.

“Hey… stop that…”

“Rook, come on, wake up, what are you doing?”

Looking down, she found a towel covering her nudity. The water had been turned off, but her fingers were pruned. Strong painkillers, then.

“Rook.”

She looked up, startled to see Staci crouching beside her, worry in his hazel eyes.

And Patience was suddenly alert, sitting upright abruptly, despite the twinge of pain it caused.

“Staci? Oh my god, Staci!”

She threw her arms around the man she hadn’t seen in weeks.

“Rook…” He gently extracted himself from her arms. “What are you doing? You’re supposed to be in bed.”

“Who gives a shit? Staci, how are you? Are you ok?”

He didn’t answer, simply hoisting her up as she held the towel to herself.

“Can you get dressed on your own?”

His voice was softer than she was used to. His shoulders were slightly hunched. Small differences. Barely noticeable. Oh, but they spoke volumes…

“Staci…” He didn’t react to his name, and so she just nodded. “Yes. Yes, I can get dressed.”

He nodded worriedly, stepping back. He turned his back on her, giving her privacy while not leaving her unattended. She didn’t dare ask him to leave. Seeing her cocky friend so uncharacteristically meek… It unsettled her.

When she was dressed, she cleared her throat, letting him know she was done. He gingerly escorted her back to bed and tucked her into bed as though she were a child. He sighed, as if in worried exasperation.

“Rook, you have to take it easy. He’s going to be pissed when he finds out you were pushing yourself like this.”

Patience scoffed. “Jacob? He doesn’t give a shit about me and the feeling is mutual. And if he’s really that pissed I took a shower, he can get over it or shove it up his ass.”

“Patience,” he sighed.

That froze her. Staci had never called her by her name. Not that she could remember at least. From her day on the job, he’d playfully hazed her as ‘Rookie.’ He’d been the first to shorten it to ‘Rook,’ giving her the name she’d been known by most of her friends and allies in the county. Hearing him use her name like that felt wrong in a way.

“Patience, he’s not going to just get over it. He’s going to get mad at you. And he’s really going to get mad at the people he assigned to take care of you.”

Him, he meant. She had done something that would upset Jacob, but Jacob would take it out on Staci.

Fuck.

“…I’ll fix it. I’ll apologize and let him know it was all me.”

Staci sighed in exasperation as he offered her the lunch tray.

“Don’t. That’ll just make it worse. Just don’t do it again.”

“…Ok. Sorry…”

Patience allowed the awkward silence to remain as she ate her food, with Staci simply supervising, watching her eat, but seemingly not really seeing.

Eventually, she broke that silence, warily speaking. “Staci… it’s me. You can talk to me. It’s not like I want to be here. I’m not on his side, you know that, right?”

He scoffed, like she was the one being foolish. “See, that right there is your problem, Rook. You’re way overestimating your hand. Whatever you think you know about Jacob, whatever you think goes on here- it’s worse. You need to start playing nice with him.”

“We need to get the fuck out of here, is what we need to do. I’m not going to just stay here and play happy housewife to Jacob fucking Seed, are you nuts?”

He shot her a look. It was odd, him looking at her like that, like he was world-weary and wise while she was foolish and naïve. She really didn’t feel a man who just months ago had been pulling over attractive women just to shoot his shot ought to be looking at like her like that.

“Playing happy housewife to him is a hell of a lot safer than being his enemy.”

Staci took the handheld radio off the nightstand and turned it back on. She wouldn’t be turning it off again, not now that she knew he would be held responsible if she did. He took the empty food tray and left, shooting her one last pitying look.

And pity from this version of Staci was definitely not welcome.

She was only afforded a few minutes of peace before Jacob’s voice crackled over the radio.

“What do you want for dinner? Bison or elk?”

Her answering tone was biting, freshly livid with him after seeing how Staci had changed. “I thought I didn’t get to choose? The cafeteria decides what we get and all that?”

“Well, tonight you do. Bison or elk?”

She frowned at his no-nonsense tone. “Whatever. Elk, I guess.”

“Elk it is. I’ll see you in a few hours. Radio if you need me.”

“Don’t be sad!” she said, voice high and lilting as usual. Remorseless. “It’s ok. Angels don’t tend to last very long. They work themselves to death pretty quickly. But there’s no reason to be sad! I’m sure- what was his name again?”

“Virgil. No!” That wasn’t right. “Ethan.”

“I’m sure Ethan was a very happy angel. He had faith. He died serving the Project, the Father! It’s a fulfilling death.”

Patience nodded. Angels never seemed sad. Maybe she could tell Virgil that. Maybe then he could be friends with Faith.

Faith giggled. “Maybe.”

Oh. She must have said that out loud.

A butterfly floated past her head, but she knew better than to reach for it. They were so hard to catch. Beautiful and blue, it reminded her of him.

“I miss John.”

Faith huffed out a sigh as she began braiding the deputy’s hair. “You know, sister, I think you and Jacob would have made a nice pair.”

Patience could see it in front of her. Whether it was a hallucination formed from the bliss or just her imagination, she couldn’t be sure. But, instead of sitting in front of Faith, she stood with her back pressed against the man’s torso. His beard scraped roughly against her neck as he kissed her, rumbling in her ear.

“You’re going to be such a good, strong mama for me. Aren’t you, honey?”

Feeling large, warm hands running over her stomach, she looked down to find it round and swollen. She was heavily pregnant. With Jacob’s child, apparently. Ugh.

Her nose scrunched up, and she was suddenly sitting cross-legged in front of the siren once again.

“Why Jacob?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Faith Seed’s soft, lilting voice chimed in. “I spoke with him an hour ago, and he said he’d be here.”

As if on cue, heavy, thudding footfalls announced the soldier’s presence. “I’m here, I’m here, relax.”

Holy fuck, where the hell was she?

She pried one eye open and was greeted with the sight of tall wood walls, lots of natural light, and a taxidermy grizzly. Seed Ranch. Definitely not rescued, then.

A rapid scan of her surroundings revealed herself to be draped across John Seed’s leather sofa, a pillow tucked beneath her head, and a fur throw over her legs and belly. She was in clean clothes, her jeans and the “troublemaker” top she’d lifted from Lorna’s gone. Instead, she wore a pair of blue flannel pajama pants and an oversized white t-shirt. She didn’t know whose clothes they were or who had put her in them. Probably the same person who had bathed her. The blood that should be covering her was gone, and her long, dirty blonde hair was sprawled around her on the pillow, not pulled behind her in a braid as usual. Patience couldn’t imagine a single Peggie she would be comfortable having bathe or dress her unconscious form.

She gritted her teeth, but otherwise remained still, not wanting to alert the Seeds to the fact she was awake. The back of the sofa hid her from their view and vice versa. She didn’t know what to do, but staying silent and assessing the situation could only help. Probably.

“You’re late.”

“Well I’m here now, so what’s this all about? I’ve got trials to run and soldiers to train.”

Of course he did. Fucking lunatic. Patience heard the heavy scraping of a chair being dragged, followed by two thuds.

“Get your boots off my table! What is wrong with you?”

“John, please,” Joseph interrupted. “We have much to discuss.

“You all know the deputy is of great importance. But, I haven’t told you why. That’s because the Voice had not told me why. Until today.”

Faith gasped, and Patience rolled her closed eyes. She was certainly good at acting her part.

“The Voice spoke to me this morning, revealed a vision. It was as clear as any message I’d received before, clearer even. The deputy was walking towards me in the church…”

Sunlight filtered in through the tall, narrow windows of the church. The air smelled fresh, of pine and linens. The choir sang a soft song that he knew he knew, but couldn’t place. He didn’t focus on it, instead letting the peaceful notes wash over him. The congregation stood, as one, and faced the double doors at the back. They opened and she stepped in. The deputy.

She was the deputy, but she was so much more to him. He loved her, as a Father loved his child, but stronger than with his followers. He cared for her, her well-being, her happiness. She was his family. And it was about to become official.

She smiled shyly as she came up the aisle, demurely looking down so as to not meet the admiring gazes of the congregants. Her white dress fluttered around her with every step she took. Wisps of her dark blonde hair fell randomly, framing her face beautifully, as they came loose from the braided knot at the nape of her neck. She glanced up and her gray eyes briefly met his, shining with unshed tears of joy. The lightest flush tinged her freckled features. She was either nervous or excited – likely both. After all, it was her wedding day.

Her gaze settled on her intended and a wide, adoring smile took over her face. She looked beautiful, yes, but more importantly, she looked happy. Calm. Peaceful. He had never seen her look so unbothered, her features untwisted by rage. The comparison was stark, and he was glad. He was happy to have her officially join his family. He was happy for her and happy for his sibling.

As she came forward, head held high, love and joy alight in her every move, the sibling in front of him stood tall, confident, and happy. To the congregation, perhaps they looked at ease, but he knew them. He knew them better than almost anyone else, except, perhaps, the approaching deputy.

She took her place beside her soon-to-be-spouse, without a single glance his way. Good. She only had eyes for her beloved. The love he felt between the two of them was almost overwhelming. They would do anything, give anything, for each other. After having gone through so much, his sibling deserved this. To love and be loved…

One of the Seeds, either Jacob or John, audibly scoffed, saving her the trouble. Yeah fucking right. She’d marry a Seed when pigs in party hats flew out of her ass.

“You saw yourself officiating the deputy’s wedding? To one of us?” Faith asked, awe in her voice. No wonder Joseph kept her around. She was certainly good for his ego.

Joseph hummed in affirmation.

“I don’t know, Joe…” Jacob said.

“Do you doubt the Voice, brother? Have faith.”

Jacob did not reply.

“The deputy is important because she is to join our family. She will join herself to one of you. The question is who.”

“You don’t know who?” Faith asked.

“No. It is one of you. A specific one of you. It is preordained. But the Voice has not chosen to enlighten me which of you it is. John, you’ve been fairly quiet.”

“…It’s a lot to take in.” Ever political, that Seed.

Joseph hummed again. “Yes. It was surprising to me as well. But, we need to find out which of you is destined for her. We need you together as soon as possible if we are to get the deputy to love you. So, I’ll ask the most obvious question first: Do any of you have any existing desire to wed the deputy? Or any reason you would be opposed to marrying her?”

“Yeah, I can think of a few…” John mumbled. Joseph ignored him, though Patience felt he had a point.

She hated the Seeds and the Seeds hated her.

“Um,” Faith meekly began. “I tend to prefer men… But, if it’s just a marriage of convenience, I guess…”

“No. This marriage is to be based on love. So, it must be one of you,” Joseph said, addressing his brothers.

“Doesn’t matter who. Give her to me. I’ll get her in the chair and get her to love whoever we want,” Jacob offered.

Patience felt herself stiffen in a cold rush of fear. He wanted to brainwash her right into one of their beds. And she didn’t doubt that he could; she’d seen his handiwork.

“No,” Joseph said, far too calmly in her opinion, given the suggestion. “Mutual love. She will love you or John. And she will be loved in return. This is how she saves us. This is the final obstacle to our entering Eden.

“So I ask again: Do either of you want her?”

John snorted. “Not in the slightest.” She’d be offended if the feeling wasn’t entirely mutual.

“I’ll take her. She can stay with me at St. Francis for a bit and we’ll feel it out. I can’t promise any romance, but she’s easy enough on the eyes, so we’ll see how it goes.”

A slimy feeling of fear and disgust rushed through her body. She would not be going anywhere with that man.

“I think that’s a wise plan.” Ugh. She’d always hated Joseph.

She needed to go. Now. Before they shipped her to the vet center as a mail-order bride.

Patience shifted the blanket off of herself, slowly, quietly, and rolled herself onto the floor as stealthily as she could. Unfortunately, that wasn’t very much. As sore and painful as she was, her controlled descent to the rug turned out to be more of a flailing thud. She stifled an agonized groan, but it didn’t matter. The Seeds had gone silent upon hearing her hit the floor.

And suddenly they were above her.

“You don’t appreciate my hospitality?” John asked in that smarmy tone of his.

Joseph knelt beside her head and lightly pet her hair. “This is your destiny, my child. Do not be afraid. You must accept your role in the coming Collapse.”

Faith then bent down and blew a handful bliss into her face.

And as she lost consciousness, Jacob just stared at her, his arms folded and a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

~

“This is so exciting!” Faith called as she flitted about, kicking up the sandy soil of the runway.

John supposed it was exciting, in a way. The Collapse was coming at last, and they were that much closer to New Eden. Though, it was much easier for Faith to be excited, now that she was free and clear of having to marry the deputy. Whether or not she “preferred” men, John wasn’t sure. But he did know that she didn’t like them exclusively. He’d seen the way she’d eye up her priestesses. He couldn’t exactly blame her. But, unfortunately, he had too much evidence against him to use the same excuse with Joseph. So, despite his wishes, his hat was in the ring for the title of husband.

“I’m just glad she’ll be out of my hair for the time being,” John muttered.

Jacob laughed heartily at that and slapped him on the back a bit too roughly, jolting him forward as they walked along his property. “Happy to help.”

“Why did you?”

“Hm?”

“Agree to take her,” John clarified.

His brother shrugged, nonchalant. “Didn’t see why not. She’s supposed to spend time with us both and, like I said, she’s not half bad to look at.”

John could admit the deputy was attractive. Just shorter than him, she had long, slim but muscular legs. Her skin was pale, almost unbelievably so considering how much time she must spend outside. Her time outdoors, though, would explain the shock of freckles coating her face, chest, and arms. Her hair was darker than his sister’s, but not quite brown, and very long, always braided out of her face. Her eyes were big and a cloudy gray color, he’d learned when taking her confession, not blue, as he’d previously assumed. Her figure was athletic, but her chest large, a trait he knew his brother shared his own admiration for. If he’d never met her, he’d love to spend a night in bed with her.

But this wasn’t a night in bed; this was marriage. And he had met her. She was a hellion. A murderer. A being made of pure wrath. He loathed her. He couldn’t picture himself, or Jacob, ever growing to love her. And he couldn’t picture a godless monster like herself ever loving anyone.

Yet Joseph claimed it was true. The Voice had shown him. And if this is what it took to get into New Eden, he hoped Jacob and the deputy managed to find love, and that his brother managed to temper that woman. Still, though, he’d want better for Jacob, and he told him as much.

He laughed at that and shook his head. “Why’s that? Decided you want her for yourself after all?”

John felt his nose and lip twitch in a snarl at the thought.

“Relax. I’ll take her. A pretty young wife that can hunt and fight? There’s worse women out there.”

John snorted in disbelief.

“Besides, I’m trying to find out the Whitetails’ position. The deputy on my side can only help that.”

“I can’t picture you loving her, though,” John said.

“I don’t really believe in love, Johnny. And I don’t think it matters.”

“But Joseph said-“

Jacob raised a hand to silence him. “I know what he said. But as long as I can get her on my side, and we like each other enough to coexist without bloodshed, I think that’s enough.”

John wasn’t sure he agreed.

“I can’t really imagine wrath incarnate as a sister.”

“I’ll keep her in line,” Jacob laughed. He was so unshakeable, even now. John couldn’t imagine what that was like. Stoic among others, but affable with family, no matter the circumstances. John didn’t think there was ever a moment he could have been described as genuinely affable.

“I’m glad she’ll be my sister,” Faith chimed in from just behind them.

Where had she come from? Had she skipped a lap around the entire property?

Faith pushed between the two of them and stopped them in their track as she pivoted to face them. She had an orange flower she had pilfered from somewhere placed in her hair, and two more in her hands. Tucking one behind John’s ear and the other into the breast pocket of Jacob’s jacket, she spoke.

“It’s just me and three brothers. I’m excited for another girl to marry in! I’ll finally have someone to do girly things with!”

If she wanted to do “girly things” with the deputy, she could’ve just married her herself. But John decided to let that go, along with the flower in his hair.

“How do you think it’s going in there?” she asked, gesturing to the house.

Based on his previous dealings with the deputy, John couldn’t imagine it was going well.

~

When Patience woke again, she expected to find herself either in one of Jacob’s cages or tied to his bed. She didn’t know which would have been worse. As it was, she found herself back on the leather sofa in the high-ceilinged living room of Seed Ranch. The sun was still up, though the light falling through the windows was angled differently than when her eyes were last open. She had no idea how long she was out. She couldn’t remember her dreams, just the remnants of green sparkles and confusion. Though the bliss dreams were awful, being in a deep, drug-induced sleep at least prevented her from feeling pain. Awake again, she felt the stings, sharpness, and aches bloom through her.

Fucking John.

“My child, I’m glad to see you awake.”

Patience groaned at hearing Joseph’s voice.

“You’re skeptical of God’s plan.” It wasn’t a question.

Patience snorted and sat upright, despite the throbbing in her skull.

“Here, take this,” he said, handing her a glass of ice water. She did not take it, despite her thirst, instead keeping her gaze level with this until he acquiesced and lowered the glass onto the coffee table beside her. “In case you need it.”

She continued to stare. He leaned back in the plush armchair, making himself comfortable. “You can speak with me. I’m going to be your brother one day.”

He looked so calm, at ease. Like he wasn’t a conniving manipulator. Like he wasn’t talking about marrying her off against her will. And Patience felt rage bubble through her.

“You will never be my brother.”

“The Voice has never lied to me before,” he countered, still very much in his element. “You will marry one of my brothers.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you,” she said with a tone that made it clear she didn’t, “but I don’t believe God talks to you, so your claims don’t mean much to me.”

“You think I’m mad.”

“Probably. But, I haven’t ruled out that you’re just a power-hungry liar.”

He hummed in acknowledgment of her words, not getting angry like she’d expected. “John said that you didn’t believe.”

“I thought confessions were supposed to be private.” She’d be mad if she was a Peggie. As it stood, her ‘confession’ was taken against her will, and she didn’t consider John trustworthy at all.

“They are. I know none or your specific transgressions, only the sin you wear on your chest,” he said, gesturing to the bandaged tattoo on her chest. “However, John thought it prudent to share your lack of faith with me. As the Father, I am uniquely suited to address your doubts. “

Patience rolled her eyes.

Misreading the action, Joseph attempted to placate her. “John only shared that much because he wants to help you. He cares deeply about your salvation, you know.”

“Bull. He doesn’t give a single flying fuck about my ‘salvation.’ And even if he did, it’s only because you told him his salvation depended on it.”

Joseph sighed and shook his head, still playing the part of the magnanimous preacher. “You underestimate my brother.”

Patience didn’t really want to get into it, so she didn’t. Instead, she asked, “So what happens now?”

He arched an eyebrow behind his yellow aviators, leaning forward to rest his arms on his thighs. “How do you mean?”

“Well, I want to leave and not marry anyone. I imagine you won’t let me do that. And thanks to baby brother, I’m in no shape to fight my way to freedom. So. What happens now?” she asked tersely.

“Well, you have a say in that. Do you have a preference between Jacob or John?”

Patience scoffed. “A preference?”

“Any feelings or romantic interest?”

“I know what you meant, thanks,” she snapped. Patience shook her head. “Fuck off, ‘romantic interest.’ I fucking hate you all.”

“Many are resistant to our message.”

“You can’t make me marry anyone!”

“No one is going to make you do anything.” His voice was still obnoxiously level. “You will find love with one of my brothers. You will marry of your own free will.”

“Bet.”

Joseph sighed, much to Patience’s delight, though seemingly more out of disappointment than irritation. Still, it was at least something.

“In that case, you will go north with Jacob and stay with him for at least as long as you’re healing from your injuries.”

Joseph raised a hand to quell the interruption he assumed she’d make to point out that John had been the one to injure her. Which she would’ve. But it’s worth noting.

“This is a gift from God, Deputy. You are being given a loving partner to go through life with, to lead you into New Eden. This should not be taken lightly. You must try to be open to both Jacob and John.”

“You don’t know anything about me. What if I’m a lesbian?”

“You aren’t,” he stated assuredly. “The Voice told me you would find love with my sibling. My sister has assured me it is not her you marry in my vision; you are not a lesbian. You are going to marry my brother. You are going to be saved.” He spoke stonily, his tone leaving little room for argument. “This is a good thing, my child.”

Patience kept a level glare at him.

“I don’t expect you to become a believer in one conversation. I simply ask that you remain open to the possibility of a God who has a plan for you.”

The eye contact between them continued for too long, feeling too heavy, so Patience shrugged, lowering her gaze and turning away. In her peripheral vision, she saw Joseph rise from his chair, take ahold of the water glass and slide it closer to her.

“The bliss can be very dehydrating. You need to drink some water. Excuse me while I retrieve my siblings.”

Once he had left, Patience took the glass, dripping with cool condensation, from the coffee table. Joseph was right about one thing: the bliss was extremely dehydrating. Her throat was dry and she was immensely thirsty. She didn’t actually believe the water was spiked with anything, but she sniffed it briefly anyway, just to be sure. Not finding the sickly sweet floral smell of bliss cloying to the liquid, she drank it down gratefully, half-melted ice cubes and all. It was satisfying but simultaneously not nearly enough. If moving around wasn’t so painful, she wouldn’t rule out rummaging around John’s kitchen for more ice water.

She heard the approaching horde of Seeds before she saw them, Faith’s and John’s voices overlapping before they had even entered the building. Patience couldn’t make out what they were saying and didn’t particularly care to try. She was more worried about the eldest brother, who, upon the family’s entrance, beelined to her on the couch.

Standing above her, arms crossed, he told her, “Up. Let’s go.”

And so it begins.

~

His family now gone, John lay sprawled across the same couch the deputy had been, taking a drag from a recently rolled joint. Rubbing a hand across his face, he let out an exasperated sigh. He tried to focus on the impending Collapse, the fact that New Eden was practically within reach, and not on the fact that his brother had taken a murdering heretic into his home. Yes, she’d been marked. Yes, she’d been cleansed. Yes, she’d confessed. But she hadn’t atoned and showed no interest in doing so. He took another drag before rising to his feet.

Thinking of the deputy, he still needed to go through her things. He’d had one of his faithful toss her belongings into one of the spare bedrooms when he, Joseph, and the deputy had returned. Laying on the bed were her weapons, the pack she carried around everywhere, as well as the clothes she had earlier been wearing- the priestess who bathed and changed her appeared to have laundered them. He moved the folded clothes to the side before grabbing at her pack.

John unzipped it carefully, almost as if he was afraid it would detonate. Of course, that was absurd. Nothing in the pack was out of the ordinary. There were spare socks and underwear, but no other tops or jeans. A folded, worn map of the county was inside. It appeared that hunting and fishing locations were added, but nothing useful to the Project; no resistance locations seemed to be marked. Smart.

There was a water bottle and a first aid kit, as well as a few vials of bliss, bottles of liquor, and baggies of weed. There was a shocking number of bullets, arrows, knives, and explosives. He was almost impressed by her packing abilities. That, or Mary Poppins had gifted her the pack. Still, nothing inside told him much about her.

Moving onto her pile of weapons, he was immediately struck by the absence of a bow, considering the number of arrows he’d found. She carried a decent number of weapons, in a large variety. The most obvious, and largest, were the gray M60 and the silenced, scoped .50 cal sniper rifle. She carried a powerful handgun, a gray .44 magnum. She also carried a worn aluminum baseball bat and a rusted shovel. He rolled his eyes at the brass knuckles he found. But on the bottom of the pile was the most surprising of the bunch, a slingshot.

Picking it up, his fingers skimmed over the well-worn grips. It was clearly heavily used. Possibly pre-owned? He couldn’t imagine the deputy taking out so many of their flock with what amounted to a child’s toy and pebbles. He rummaged through the pack again, looking for rocks. Or did she use whatever was on the ground at the time?

He found no rocks. Instead, his hands once again found the arrows, and an idea dawned on him. He took an arrow, laying it on the frame and notching it into the pad. Raising the weapon up, he pulled back on the band and arrow before releasing, sending the arrow flying and embedded in the wooden wall. It flew with considerable force, but hadn’t landed anywhere near where he had been aiming. However, the slingshot felt small and light in his hand, awkward. In a smaller hand, more practiced and comfortable with the item…

He snorted out a laugh. My, she was just full of surprises, wasn’t she?

John piled the items back into the pack, including the jeans, shirt, and choker she’d been captured in. He pushed the contents of the bag down, but still couldn’t get the zipper to close. He had no idea how she managed to close the bag, let alone tote it around or find the needed supplies within. Lifting the enormous load by the splayed mouth of the pack, he leaned it against the foot of the bed before moving her boots and weapons beside it.

Once Jacob had her under his control, she’d get her things back.