Page 107 of The Gathering
“Why are you whispering?” he whispered back, her fearless soldier side still humorous. “Don’t forget God cast Satan from the Heavens.”
She stepped right up to her enemy now, allowing him a closeup view of her bravery. “Watch yourself,” she ordered quietly. “Or I may just request the Bishop forceyouin servitude to a bully master.”
He grinned. “Like you?”
Her lips tightened and she spun, walking to Morgue. “Remember, you are a brilliant man with a beautiful mind and… soul,” she said, lightly patting his shoulder, possibly seeing the body compliment as inappropriate. “Your duty is to your own choices, no other.”
Morgue gave a near reverent nod, and it had Sinrik curious as to how he saw her.
“Soyou’rehis new master?” Sinrik asked, getting whipped with her gaze.
“I am not,” she said, “but if I were, I would be a kind one,” she assured, the condemnation just for him. “With common sense,” she added, looking up at Morgue, visoring the sun from her gaze. “Remember to break whenever you want,” she said, her voice transforming to soft silk as if to prove to him her kindness. “The Sisters have lunch prepared. Your very favorite. And mine.”
“Thank you, Sister,” Morgue said, kneeling down at his new passion—trimming plants. With no conscience. He now wondered howTheBishopjustified giving him that much unrestrained power.
“I need to speak to The Bishop,” Sinrik said.
From warmth to wrath, Beatrice’s little body came at him like a tiny human war hammer.
Her wide eyes pinned him then flicked sharply to the right twice as she went right past him.
A signal, he realized, following her angry march to the bayou’s edge.
“I don’t know where Bishop is,” she said quietly to him, glancing back at Morgue.
“What’s going on, what aren’t you telling me?”
“Shhh!” she fussed, facing the water. “I forgot about the instructions!”
“What instructions?”
“For Morgue!” she strained, barely glancing at him. “For the first seventy-two hours, all inputs need to be clean and gentle and constructive. For nine days, he is to avoid anyone tied to old command structures—which isyou!” she said, explaining her panic. “I shouldn’t have brought you! He could have harmed you if he saw you as a threat!”
Fuck him.
“Iseveryterrible thing funny to you?” she blasted, crossing her arms and slamming them over her chest.
“Why should I fear him with you as my shield?”
She stepped into his kill zone, fury fully lit. “You mock me. But do not foolishly forget the army that stands behind me.Mr. Mayhem.”
He angled his head, taking in every inch of her fearless warrior stance.
“What are you looking at,” she demanded.
“You,” he said. “I’m imagining how you would look in official tactical gear. As my new first in command.”
She threw her arms out and up, like he was a hopeless case before drawing her sword-finger on him again. “One, I will never serve under you. And two, I will never serve over you.”
His laugh escaped him. “Wherewill you serve?” he demanded, needing to hear the fun words, whatever they would be.
“Figure it out,Mayhem!”
“Come on, just tell me. Please?” he added.
“I see that you know the answer and want to hear it said. I will assume there is some part of you that hungers for human connection, therefore I will say it. I will only serveforyou.”
Fuck him three times. He’d thought the answer waswithhim.
