Page 5

“Holy shit,” I whispered as Jake drove us down a long, winding driveway.

It was more like a road than a driveway. We'd been stopped by a soaring metal gate where Jake spoke into a box with a keypad, and some guy on the other end opened the gate for us. Then we'd gone down the driveway, past two huge rustic homes. And when I say rustic, I don't mean run-down or cheap. I mean two-story mansions with a log cabin theme. Something a millionaire would vacation in. And there were two of them. Neither of which was the main house.

People were going in and out of those mansions. A lot of people. If this was a cult, and it was looking more likely, then it was a big one. Just how many people had Silas healed? Were they all like Jake? And by that, I mean, were they acting strange? I peered at them through the window, but they looked normal to me. Just regular people, no Amish hairstyles or clothing. No guns. No packs of kids running around, sired by Silas.

Jake pulled around the back of an enormous version of the first two mansions. If those were mansions, this was a palace. Four stories, wrap-around balconies on the upper floors, and a fucking tower. What kind of log cabin has a tower? The kind that's actually a palace pretending to be a log cabin.

I said a quick prayer to the real God that I wouldn't get locked up in that tower.

We parked beside a row of vehicles behind the palace. A lake was back there too, off to the left. There were a few boats on it. Across the lake were trees, then a mountain. I got out to stare at that mountain. At least the state name wasn't false advertising. Then I shivered. It was cold. Like snow-cold. In October. Aw, fuck. Sure, it was autumn. It was cold in a lot of places. But not that cold. It was a good ten degrees colder than it was in Spokane. Cold enough that I popped back into the car for my jacket.

“This is amazing!” Jake said as he got out. “Isn't it, Indie?”

I pulled on my jacket. “Yeah, it's . . . big.”

He came over and took my hand. “Come on. Let's get inside. It's cold out here.”

I grimaced at him—my told-you-so face.

Before we got to the door, it opened, and a bunch of people rushed out. A good twenty or so. They ran over to us. No, not us. Jake. I was eased aside as the group surrounded Jake. I stood off a few feet and gaped as they welcomed him to his “new home,” telling him how everything was prepared for him. And then they fucking knelt. They knelt to my Jake! Yup, too crazy for my blood.

I backed toward the car.

“Come on now. You're making my girl nervous,” Jake said, his eyes strangely wide. He glanced at me pointedly, then did a double take when he saw how I was easing toward the car. “Indie.” He held his hand out to me.

I shook my head. “What the fuck is going on, Jake?”

Jake sighed and waved the people to their feet. “Come inside and I'll explain.”

“Nope,” I said. “You can explain right here. After you toss me the car keys.”

Jake stared at me.

“Jake!” I snarled. “I have had enough! You give me my keys right the fuck now!”

He dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out my keys. “Just let me explain, Indie.”

“I think I can do that better than you,” someone said from the backdoor.

I looked over to see a man step out of the palace. Average build, brown hair, and Caucasian. Nothing special about him. But then he stepped into the sun. It had only taken us six hours to get there, including stops for food and to use the restroom. So, it was still early afternoon. The sun was high. And that sunlight was playing tricks on me. It made it look as if the man glowed. He drew closer until he was abreast of the crazy group of people who had knelt before Jake. And that's when I realized it wasn't a trick of the light. The man was actually glowing.

The glow simmered down as he approached me. Me, not Jake. He held my stare, his eyes kind, and stopped before me. “Hello, Indigo.”

“Hello, Silas,” I said.

He grinned. “Well done. Yes, you can call me Silas.” He glanced at Jake, then said, “I know you're confused. There have been so many charlatans in the world. It's hard to believe it when a man says he's God.” He laughed. “Ridiculous, right? I must be tricking people.” He held out a hand. “Will you give me a chance to show you the truth, Indigo?”

I stared at his hand.

Silas swung that hand toward Jake. “The keys, if you please, Jacob.”

Jake immediately tossed Silas my keys.

Silas offered them to me. “You are not a prisoner here. Now, that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it? God doesn't need to cage people. After all, there is nowhere on this planet that you can go where I can't find you.”

I snatched my keys from him. “That sounds like a threat.”

Silas held his hands up even as those weird people gasped. “It's not. It's only the truth.”

Then he vanished. Just fucking disappeared.

I flinched, then spun to look for him. I found him standing beside my car.

“What the fuck?” I whispered.

And then he was right in front of me again.

I lurched back with a scream.

Silas steadied me. “I am who I say I am, Indigo. But there is more to me than most humans know. I'm willing to share things with you because you're special to Jake, and Jake is special to me. Will you listen?”

Fuck no! I screamed in my head. But aloud, I whispered, “Okay.”

“Good girl.” Silas took my hand and closed it around my car keys. “These are yours. You can leave at any time. You have my word. And the word of God is carved in stone.” He winked at me.

I swayed.

“Indie!” Jake rushed over to me, but Silas was already helping me into the house.

“She's fine, Jacob,” Silas said. “Would you oversee the preparation of some refreshments while I speak with your Indie? You can advise the chefs on what she'd prefer.”

“Sure.” Jake looked at me. “You okay if I leave you with Silas?”

“Uh.” I looked from Jake to Silas. “I guess so.”

Jake frowned.

“Jacob, you know she's safe with me,” Silas said.

Jake blinked, straightened, and then nodded. He followed us into the house. I had to focus on walking. Shock like that doesn't mix well with ambulation. As we went down a long hallway, Jake broke off with his groupies, heading into a room. Silas continued to lead me deeper into the log palace, and I couldn't help feeling as if I was leaving reality behind. The deeper I went into that place, the deeper I went into madness.

And yet, I kept walking.

“Here we are,” Silas said and ushered me into a living room decorated to go with the log palace theme. Rustic but wealthy. The curtains were plaid velvet in hunter green, thick rugs covered the polished hardwood floor, and the furniture was all overstuffed and upholstered in red cotton. Perky plaid pillows adorned the sofa Silas led me to.

I sat down against the puffy plaid, and he sat beside me. It was then that I realized the door was shut. Not that it mattered. I had the feeling that he could have murdered me in front of those people and not a single one would lift a finger to stop him. My heart raced. What had I followed Jake into?

“Be at ease,” Silas said as he laid a hand on my shoulder.

Something wonderful swept through me. My muscles relaxed, my heartbeat slowed, and happiness filled me. It was as if he'd given me a shot of dopamine. Silas didn't glow or show any sign that he was behind my instant calm. But when he drew his hand away from me, I felt bereft. And I didn't like that.

“I'm going to tell you something that none of those people out there know,” Silas said.

“Not even Jake?” I asked.

“Jake knows.” He pressed his lips together. “We'll get to Jake in a moment. First, I want to explain why I'm here.”

“All right.”

Silas folded his hands on his lap and held my stare. “I am God. The one true God. I rule in Heaven and normally I send angels here when something goes awry.”

“Uh-huh,” I said.

“Enough, Indigo!” Silas's voice went deep and commanding. It vibrated through me and made me go still. He sighed. “Just listen.”

I nodded.

“I am God. The stories in the Bible are true. I'm real, but so is my counterpart.”

I lifted my brows at him.

“The Devil.”

I leaned back and stared at Silas.

“He rules Hell. Like me, the Devil sometimes sends his soldiers here. We have an agreement. Balance must be kept. But he has upset that balance and sent his hounds to live on Earth indefinitely.” He cocked his head at me and said, “You may speak now.”

“Hounds? Are you saying there are hellhounds on Earth?”

“Yes, but not what you're imagining.”

A knock interrupted us.

Silas looked toward the door. “Come in, Jake.”

Someone opened the door for Jake, then he stepped past them, carrying a large tray. On it was a selection of sandwiches and a pile of cream puffs. My mouth watered when I saw the cream puffs. Another person came in behind Jake with a tray of drinks. Both of them set the trays on the coffee table before Silas, then the stranger left, while Jake took the chair on my right.

Silas waited until the door was closed before he waved at the food. “Please, help yourself, Indigo.”

I hesitated.

“Jake oversaw the preparation,” Silas reminded me. “Jake, please assure Indigo that nothing bad has been put into the food.”

“Babe, it's just food.” Jake picked up a sandwich and took a bite. “Eat.”

I chose a few sandwiches—they were cut up into triangles—and a cream puff. Jake handed me a can of Coke.

“Thank you,” I said to him. I opened the Coke first and took a bracing swig, then gasped through the burn. “Oh, that's good.”

Silas chuckled. “Yes, bubbly drinks were a wonderful invention. Humans have surpassed my expectations.”

It suddenly occurred to me that this could be real. And if Silas really was God, I had a rare opportunity to ask him questions. But what should I ask God? “Why did my mother abandon me,” seemed so petty.

“Go on,” Silas said.

“What?” I squeaked.

“Ask me whatever it is you want to know, Indigo.”

Holy shit. Can he read my mind?

“I can't read your mind,” he said.

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed aloud.

Jake burst out laughing.

“Jake!” I growled.

“Sorry, babe. I know what you're going through. I had the whole healing thing to convince me. That and . . . well, it was faster for me. But I know this is hard.”

“I would never invade the privacy of your mind, Indigo,” Silas said. “I'm just a good guesser.” He winked at me. “Now, shall I go on about the hellhounds, or did you want to ask me your questions?”

“Oh, my goodness. I forgot about the hellhounds,” I said. “Uh. Let's get back to that.”

Silas nodded. “Hellhounds can shapeshift into men, but they are not men. They are demons. They've invaded the world, covering the planet in military groups of three hounds each.”

“Isn't that, uh, your number?”

Silas grinned. “It is a holy number, yes, but it doesn't belong to me. Trinities simply have power. The Devil knows this as much as I do. So, he has infested the world with his hound trinities.”

“Why?” I asked.

“To cause trauma. As demons, they can instill fear, incite wrath, and generally wreak havoc. They also command the dead, and they've used the dead against my champions.”

“Your champions?”

“Yes. I'm gathering people to counter these teams. As I said, I usually send angels, especially where demons are concerned. But these hounds are tricky. They've woven themselves into human society. I need humans to unweave them, as it were. So, I sent angels to find humans who are courageous enough to fight the evil that has infected their world. My angels will lead my chosen soldiers, protecting and guiding them while they fight the hounds.”

“Angels,” I whispered. “One of those people is an angel?”

Jake cleared his throat and met Silas's stare. Silas nodded.

“Angels aren't what you think, Indigo,” Jake said.

The mere use of my full name froze me in place. Jake didn't call me Indigo unless we were talking about something very serious.

“What are they?” I asked.

“They're incorporeal.”

“Spirits?”

“Pure energy,” Silas said. “There are benefits to being incorporeal.” He grimaced. “And detriments. The hounds are corporeal. The Devil gave them physical forms. This means that they can be hurt, even killed, but it also makes it easier for them to interact with humans.”

“And it's the opposite for angels,” I concluded.

“Yes,” Silas said.

“Why don't you just make your angels corporeal, as the Devil has done with his hounds?”

Silas glanced at Jake, then said, “I have.”

I set my plate and Coke down. I looked at Jake. He stared back at me. And I saw it again—the not-Jake inside Jake.

“No,” I whispered.

“It was the price of my healing,” Jake said.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered.

“Yes, I'm here,” Silas said.

I grimaced at him.

“Sorry.” Silas held up a hand and smiled. “Just trying to bring some levity.”

“What did you do to him?” I growled at Silas.

“I offered Jake a choice,” Silas said.

“A choice? If you're God, why couldn't you just heal him?”

“I could. But I have laws I try to follow, Indigo. There is a reason for suffering and death. I don't like breaking my own rules.”

“What was the choice?”

“It was death or hosting an angel,” Jake said.

I let out a sob that verged on hysterics. “I knew there was something inside you. I knew it!”

“Indie, it's still me,” Jake said. He tried to take my hand, but I jerked it away and shot to my feet. “Indie, please.” He stood up as well.

“Who are you? You , the fucking invader, not Jake. Who the fuck are you?”

An unfamiliar voice came out of Jake's mouth, one that was more velvety. Softer, but more powerful. “My name is Michael.” Jake smirked. “Perhaps you've heard of me?”

“Michael?” I snorted. “So, not only are you an angel, but you're also the angel. The dragon-killer.”

“Well, that's future-me. I haven't killed the Devil yet. And that's uncertain. Those prophecies are only possibilities.”

“And the possibility of us winning is growing slimmer every day,” Silas said.

I swung my head back to face him. “But you're God. You're stronger than the Devil.”

“That's what I let humans believe,” Silas said. “It comforts them. And I do help as much as I can. But the Devil and I are equals. We were formed out of the Void to create life and keep it in balance. So we were made as equal counterparts.”

My knees gave out, sending me back onto the sofa. “Equals?”

“Yes. For thousands of years, we have maintained balance,” Silas said.

“But now that motherfucker is upsetting the balance,” Michael growled. Michael, not Jake.

“Go away,” I said to him. “I want to talk to Jake.”

Jake's face twisted in anger, and his stare went to Silas.

“Michael!” Silas snapped.

Jake shuddered and sat down. When he looked at me again, he seemed to be himself. “Sorry about that, Indie. He can be a lot.”

“You have an angel inside you?”

“Yeah.” He grinned. “I know. Bonkers, right? But it's kind of awesome.”

“I've chosen Jake to host Michael,” Silas said. “He is in a partnership with my angel now. Together, they will lead this group and add to its numbers. You are welcome to stay, Indigo. But I understand if you wish to leave. All I ask is that you do not speak a word of this to Jake's family. I don't want to upset them.”

“Then what am I supposed to say to them?”

“If you go, you don't have to say anything to Jake's family.” Silas glanced at Jake. “He's going to call them today and tell them where he is. He'll explain that he needs some time to recuperate on his own.”

“Why not tell them the truth?”

In his best Jack Nicholson impersonation, Jake said, “They can't handle the truth.”

I snorted a laugh. Jake winked at me. I sighed. He had always known how to work me.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Jake said as he put my plate back on my lap. “Have a cream puff and think it over.”

I ate the cream puff.