I throw my head forward as hard as I can.
He yells and releases me, then puts a hand to his bloodied nose. “Castro!”
The impact reverberates through me, amplifying every bit of pain in my face. Then the butt of Castro’s gun comes out of nowhere, and the world goes black.
Chapter 31
Delilah
The drive to the Cathedral is shrouded in night, and I cower in the back seat of the sedan as we roll through the compound. Noah sits next to me but doesn’t look at me as one of the other Protectors drives.
We turn off onto a narrow road through the trees and check with a guard before continuing down the lane. I don’t know what awaits me, and all I can think about is Adam.
“Where is he?” I whisper.
Noah stares straight ahead, his body tight. I hate him and despise him even more for his silence.
We pull up outside a stark white building almost as large as the sanctuary. Two guards stand at the wide front doors. My car door opens and a Protector yanks me up, then pushes me forward. I stumble and catch myself, but manage to make it to the doors. The nearest guard looks down his nose at me, but enters a code to let me in. I hesitate and glance at the woods.
“Don’t even think about it.” The Protector at my back shoves me forward into a new hell that gleams in shades of white and baby blue.
A large living room sprawls to my left, several couches strewn around along with children’s toys in different areas on the light blue carpet. On my right, a huge dining area sparkles in the bright lights from overhead. Plenty of high chairs and round tables, as well as smaller tables for children, fill the space.
“Walk.” The Protector stays on my heels as we follow the tile floor that separates the living and dining areas. Another set of doors is open just ahead, both of them pinned back against the wall.
I’m herded down a long corridor decorated with children’s handprints and whimsical animals along the walls. Doors line the way, all of them closed, but windows show me sleeping children inside. I can’t tell, but I know they must be the same ones from Sunday service—the same ones at the solstice ceremony.
Where is Adam? Here? I doubt it, but I hold onto that vain hope anyway.
We pass through more doors, and this time, the scent of baby lotion tinges the air. A Spinner holds a crying infant and dances back and forth in a nursery area to my right. There have to be at least a dozen babies in there.
“All the Prophet’s?”
“Shut up.” He shoves me again until we pass the nursery, then enter a wide open room.
Above, glass separates the inside from the night sky, square panes framing the inky blackness. The floor is carpeted in the same baby blue, and there are cushy couches and sitting areas here and there. A few women look up as we enter, whatever conversation they were having halting abruptly. They are barely dressed, as if negligees are standard issue, and regard me with open suspicion.
“New girl?” One stands, her dark hair in a long braid down her back.
“Temporary.” The Protector pushes me down onto the nearest couch, then turns and leaves. When the doors shut behind him, some sort of pneumatic lock shoots into place.
“Name?” The one with the braid walks over and sits next to me, her green eyes perusing my face.
“Delilah.”
“I’m Ruth.” She doesn’t shake, but gives me a small smile. “Looks like you’ve been thrown into the pit with the rest of us.”
A pregnant woman waddles over and rests on a chair across from us. “Temporary? What does that even mean?”
Something catches my eye behind her. A side wall is arranged with several of the same implements from the training room, along with many others I can’t name. A bench sits to one side, the same sort of “horse” I’ve been on at the Cloister. A chill shoots through me, and my mouth goes dry.
I turn back to the one with the long braid. “I need to get out of here.”
She laughs, but it’s not mean—not like what I’m used to from Grace. “If you find a way, be sure to tell the rest of us.”
More women creep out from the alcoves along the walls, their eyes bleary with sleep as they inspect the new arrival.
“That’s blasphemy, Ruth.” The pregnant one stands and waddles away. “We are safe here with the Prophet.”
Ruth ignores her and leans closer. “So, what are you in for?”
“I have to get out. He’s going to hurt Adam. Maybe kill him. I don’t know. He’s at the Rectory, I think. But—”
“Adam?” She cocks her head to the side. “His son Adam?”
“Yes.” Can’t she hear the urgency in my voice? “But I need to get to him. Now.”