Satan's Hunger

9

Jacob wouldn't admit it but he was extremely uncomfortable: the floor was hard against his back; Kaitlyn's head was heavy against his arm; and the cold was starting to seep into his muscles, making him tremble.

Still, he would not move. Kaitlyn was having a good night and he didn't want to disrupt it. He did need to talk with his brothers, though.

Gently, Jacob shifted his wing so he could see around him. The little church was dark, the only light the silvery stream of moonlight coming in through the one window and the doorless entrance. And, of course, from the light of his brothers' auras.

'David, I need to speak with you,' he whispered. The angel came over, hardly making a sound. Samuel watched as he stood by the window, leaning against the wall, arms folded. There was no need for Jacob to speak to them both. They would communicate with each other.

David crouched beside him, violet eyes bright.

'There is something you must know.' In barely a whisper, Jacob told him about Kaitlyn's pregnancy. About her miscarriage. About how she wasn't sure whose it was.

David's auburn eyebrows raised as Jacob spoke of the possibility of Satan's progeny.

'Perhaps she was mistaken,' the angel offered.

'I don't think so. She seemed quite certain.'

David and Samuel glanced at each other. David turned back. 'It's disturbing but I don't see how it changes anything. If he cannot have her, he cannot use the child. Our plans won't change.'

'It's distressing to Kaitlyn.'

The angel studied Jacob with his sharp violet eyes. 'And what about you? Is it distressing to you?'

'Don't talk to me like I'm a mere man, David,' Jacob said.

'But you are a man. You're becoming more a man every day. We've all seen it. And a man grieves for the loss of his child.' His eyes trailed over Jacob's wing where Kaitlyn lay hidden. 'How do you feel?'

'Troubled,' Jacob said in a tight voice. 'I feel both relieved—and sad. I feel an ache in my chest I cannot get rid of.' Jacob blinked rapidly. He turned his head before the angels could see. 'It could have been ours. Something we created together. How could I have been such a fool? Why did I not see this coming? Why did I not see the risk?'

'The risk?' David said. 'When is a child a risk?'

Jacob tried to answer but couldn't find the words. He turned back to Kaitlyn as she stirred in his arms. Kaitlyn's voice echoed in his ears: If we're going to be on the run for twenty years I want you to be happy. I want us to be happy.

Perhaps a child wouldn't be such a terrible thing, if it made them both happy. Kaitlyn deserved a real life. It wouldn't be perfect. But it would be something.

'How far away are Catherine and Ezekiel?' Jacob asked.

The angel didn't answer.

'David?'

Jacob frowned. David remained crouched to the floor, gazing at the ceiling. Standing by the window, Samuel was doing the same. Jacob felt a pang of regret. He still missed their connection acutely.

Jacob waited for them to finish communicating with Catherine and Ezekiel. He shifted slightly, the hard floor digging into his shoulder blades. As he looked around the dark little room, he felt the hair stand up on his arms. More hair stood up on the back of his neck. Something made him look towards the entrance, and as he did, his heart thumped at the sight of a passing shadow.