Justus Read online

  “Run,” Paige yelled at Justus. He stood and stared as the woman he loved was pulled into view.

  He could feel his control slipping. His eyes now glowed, their light reflecting off the steel of his gun, and several men stepped back at the sight.

  “The Devil’s sign!” John shouted. “We stand before evil, and we will stand firmly, resolutely. The Devil’s children have tried to take me, tried to burn me, tried to fight back the forces of the Lord, but here I still stand with you, my good people, to fight back against this darkness that would swallow our town and then our world.”

  Justus took a step forward and stopped when John held a knife to Paige.

  “I must say, my dear, I’m surprised by you. I thought you were better than this.”

  Paige gave a hollow laugh. “I’m just full of surprises.”

  John turned her to look at him. “You could have more than this,” he said quietly. “I could give you more than that beast ever could.”

  John turned her in his arms and held her, so she faced Justus. Paige held her chin high as she locked eyes with him.

  “Look as his eyes glow with the power of Satan,” John said. “This isn’t natural. This is the thing you really want? To lie with an abomination? The Devil’s spawn?”

  “He is more of God than you will ever be, you sick freak.”

  Rage passed across John’s face. “She will be punished as well.”

  He shoved Paige hard into the arms of one of the men, and they forced the two captive women to kneel on the ground. Dozens of people moved forward, some with guns, some with knives or bats, some with no weapon at all.

  A deputy pulled out some zipties and bound the women’s hands.

  “I won’t let you,” Justus said and stepped forward, his gun aimed once again at John. “I will kill you.”

  The man looked up and gave a smile. “You may kill me, but you won’t be able to save them. If you shoot me, my flock will kill them.” He laughed. “The Lord has seen fit to spare me once. Perhaps he’ll spare me again. If he doesn’t, then I’m glad to trade my life to help cleanse this world of wickedness.”

  He nodded over his shoulder at the mob of people that had surrounded the women.

  Justus could feel his heart being ripped out of his chest. He couldn’t let them be hurt. Not for him. But turning himself over only meant that he prolonged all of their deaths. After the way Paige talked to John, he doubted he’d let her go.

  John looked to the crowd. The two men that had shot him before stood behind the women and grinned as they pulled out knives.

  “Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!” John shouted.

  He walked up to Paige and looked over at Justus, knife held just above her back.

  “She will pay for your sins.”

  His knife dipped slightly.

  “Wait.” Justus sat the gun to the ground and stepped forward. “Take me.”

  “No!” Paige screamed.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Paige stared at Justus through her tears as John walked behind him. His eyes locked with hers, and she struggled to hold herself together as the madman stared at her. His mouth curled up at the corners. He was enjoying the pain he was causing.

  John nodded, and the men that had been holding her stepped to either side of him and dragged Justus to his feet.

  Justus stood there and didn’t struggle. He could break free. She knew he could. He was stronger than them. She’d witnessed the strength of hybrids more than once. All he had to do was toss them off.

  Justus looked over to her. She could see the resolve in his eyes, and she struggled to get to her feet. He wouldn’t run. He’d let himself be killed to save her.

  “It will be fine,” he said quietly to her.

  She shook her head. It wouldn’t be fine. There was no way it would be fine.

  “Fight them,” she shouted. Tears streamed down her face. “Don’t do this.”

  John smiled grimly.

  “I will do what I need to, so you are safe,” Justus said.

  “The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy,” John said to the crowd. “Prepare the cleansing fire for the jezebels. They will be purified as I was. Perhaps the Lord will even see fit to let them live after the cleansing.”

  Paige noticed that some cheered, but others seemed to be like Megan, lost in some sort of trance. She didn’t know which scared her more: the people in the trance or those who’d willingly participate in this insanity.

  A dozen people moved forward, holding woods in their arms, they deposited the wood into a growing pile. A few other men started dousing the wood pile from plastic kerosene containers.

  “No,” Justus shouted. More men closed on him as he spoke. “You said you would take me. That wasn’t the deal, you son of a bitch.”

  John gave a satisfied smile.

  “And we are taking you. They will face the cleansing before meeting their maker,” he said with great joy. “We do this to save their souls, but you, infernal creature, you will know true pain before you meet yours in Hell.” He rubbed his chin. “Maybe, just maybe, if you go to your death and repent, they’ll be so moved they’ll accept the Lord’s grace, and we won’t have to do the cleansing. That’s up to you, abomination.”

  His grin suggested she wouldn’t escape the fire no matter what Justus did.

  Paige let out a cry. She felt her knees shake as she slumped to the ground.

  “Show him no mercy,” John said.

  The crowd descended on him like vultures. The thump of punches, kicks, and grunts filled her ears.

  She couldn’t bear to look and squeezed her eyes shut as even more people arrived to join the mob. Seconds later, a wave of heat passed over her. She opened her eyes. A roaring fire now feasted on the wood. She was surprised that they’d already lit the fire. The savages just intended to throw her in she guessed.

  An old-weathered face moved in front of her own, but she continued to stare past it to the mob of men who now blocked any view of Justus.

  “You need to stand,” the old man whispered to her.

  Her eyes came into focus on the familiar voice.

  “Mr. Cobb?”

  He had a shotgun slung over his shoulder and was frowning.

  “Stand, or we won’t be able to save him,” he whispered.

  Paige stood, her legs shaking as she did.

  Mr. Cobb glanced around. Everyone was focused on the beating of Justus. He quickly leaned in and cut the zipties with a pocket knife. Lena, who had been quiet beside her, linked their hands together behind their backs.

  “They want to burn you,” he said. “How messed up is that? I’m not going to let some mind control garbage mess my town up. I’ve been ready for this crap for my whole life. The freak is going to want to do it himself. He comes over, you shove him toward the fire with everything you got. I’ll get your fella.”

  Paige gave a short nod. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to watch that bastard burn in his own flames. He wanted purification, she’d give him purification.

  She watched John with hatred in her eyes as he kept his attention on the mob beating Justus. He was the cause of all this with his hunting of the hybrids. And he dared to claim he was doing this for God? He was soiling her faith with his disgusting crusade.

  Lena gave her hand a squeeze, and Paige turned to the terrified woman.

  “I’m sorry I got you into this,” she said.

  Lena shook her head. “I’m sorry I didn’t do more to help. I didn’t know things were so out of control.”

  “Isn’t that sweet?” John said, looking over his shoulder. “The traitors to humanity and the Lord have bonded, even as they await death.”

  Paige turned her eyes to him. Bile worked its way up her throat as she tried to control herself. He needed to be just a little closer for her to get the leverage she needed. His smug arrogance would be his downfall.


  “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness,” Paige shouted.

  John’s face turned red as he moved toward her. He stopped when they were nearly nose to nose, trembling with rage.

  “How dare you put me in with those filthy Devil-spawn abominations,” he nearly screamed at her. “They are demons sent by the Prince of Lies! They are not our brothers.”

  Paige gave a sweet smile. “You’re right,” she said. “They are better than you.”

  With all the strength she had, Paige shoved the nasty man into the fire. He screamed as several of the mindless towns people tried to fish him out.

  “Go,” Mr. Cobb yelled, his shotgun now in hand. He raised it. “Get to the field. I’ll get him.”

  She nodded, trusting a most unlikely savior.

  * * *

  Justus sucked in breaths as the blows continued to rain down, the rest of the world lost to the pain. His side and leg ached where the bullets had hit him the other day. Something wet dripped into his face, and he was sure it was blood. He struggled to hold back the side of him that had been kept in heavy check since he’d escaped the Horatius Group.

  Someone screamed, and he jumped at the sound.

  “Paige,” he whispered, unable to see around the fists and feet pounding him.

  No. He couldn’t wait. They were going to burn her. If he let them finish him off, it wouldn’t save her.

  A loud roar erupted from him.

  The men surrounding him stepped back.

  “Fuck, look at his eyes,” one man said. “Why are they all black?”

  They backed off slowly, some trembling. Not so brave when he was resisting apparently.

  “Fuck this,” another man said. “I say we shoot him.”

  Justus snatched the man and lifted him by the throat, squeezing, but not crushing his throat just yet.

  “I’d like to see you try,” he growled out.

  Justus swung the man around, knocking down three other men with the limp man.

  A gunshot rang in the night. Several people shouted.

  He heard the click of a gun behind him and instinct fully kicked in.

  Justus whirled around, swinging his foot as he did so. Contact was as expected. A loud crunch followed.

  Something tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to deal with the next man, growling.

  “Wait!”

  An old man with a shotgun held up a hand to him as if he could stop him. He stepped forward.

  “I promised Paige I’d help you,” the old man said. He looked around at the bodies scattered around. “I guess you really didn’t need help.”

  Justus stepped toward the man, the yells of other people around reaching his ears.

  “Where is Paige?”

  He could hear the growl in his voice. Nothing would be right until he could see her safe.

  The man pointed to the back of the house. He could see several men were running in that direction and knew there were too many of them to guarantee her safety.

  Something wasn’t right. He’d taken out the men around him, but where were the rest? He heard shouts and screams around and started to turn.

  “You look like shit.”

  He turned to the side of the house and found Titus staring at him with a few other Luna men. People from the mob lay on the ground, unconscious, but apparently not dead, judging by their breathing. Titus raised a brow.

  “This is me,” Justus growled.

  Titus nodded. “Makes sense,” he said. “I always figured you were from the assassin squad. Do what you need. We’ll clean up here.”

  Justus nodded and moved toward the field.

  “I have to get to Paige,” he said but stopped when Titus placed a hand on him.

  “Don’t hurt the townspeople,” Titus said. “They aren’t part of this.”

  Justus jerked his arm away and glared at the leader of the lodge.

  “Bullshit they aren’t.”

  Titus shook his head. “They aren’t part of Reverend John’s men. They are in a hypnotic state. They’re innocent tools. Besides, you kill a lot of innocent people, it’s going to cause way more trouble for us in the future.”

  A hybrid with a scarred face stepped next to him. He recognized Lucius, even if he hadn’t dealt with the hybrid much at Luna Lodge.

  “Shit,” Justus said, some of his fire dimming. “How do we know if they are a part of this or not?”

  A man charged at them.

  “Look at small dick here, thinking he’s got a chance,” Lucius yelled with a snort.

  “Fuck you!” the man screamed.

  Lucius pulled out his gun and shot the man. Then, he turned back to Justus.

  “That’s how you know.”

  Justus gave a nod and sprinted off into field. He had his other half to save.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Paige raced with Lena through the field. The townspeople that had once been waiting for her had moved to deal with the arriving hybrids, and she was glad she didn’t have to fight with them as well.

  “You can’t escape me, Paige,” Reverend John shouted behind them. “The fire has failed to take me again. The Lord smiles upon his warrior.” Even as he yelled it, she could hear the pain in his voice.

  Lena whimpered as Paige pulled them down to take advantage of the tall grass.

  “We’ll be fine,” she whispered. “All we need to do is make it to the forest, and we can hide there till this is all over. The Luna hybrids will end this.”

  Lena nodded.

  Paige listened. The cold wind shifted through the grass and trees, rustling all around them

  She cursed her lack of super-hearing.

  They moved again through the grass, and she only hoped they were still heading toward the woods. Not being able to see over the tops, it was hard for her to navigate.

  Something moved in the grass near them. Paige pointed to the left, and Lena followed her.

  Suddenly, she jerked to a halt. Her hand slipped from her friend’s as she screamed out.

  A dirty man held her hair in his hand. He pointed his gun at Paige.

  “You make one fucking move, you cunt, and I’ll blow both your fucking brains out.”

  He gave a sick smile to her as he did so.

  “The boss will be proud of me,” he said. “Catching both of you. He’s gonna make you pay for that fire stunt.”

  A loud roar ripped through the air, and for a moment, she was almost sure it must be Justus.

  Instead, another hybrid jumped through the grass at them, his tanned skin and dark hair just a blur as he rushed the man. She didn’t recognize him.

  Paige backed up to give him room.

  The new hybrid kicked the man hard in the stomach. He snatched the man from the air before he fell and then threw him even further. The man landed with a loud grunt and moan off in the distance.

  Paige wrinkled her nose as smoke assaulted it. Glancing around, dark and gray clouds rose all over the field, fueled by fire ripping through the grass. The hybrid moved in her direction, but she shook her head.

  “I’ll find a way around,” she said. “Please find Lena.”

  He gave a sharp nod before racing through the grass.

  Paige moved further into the field as the flames chased her. She coughed and covered her mouth as she tried to find the path that led to safety.

  “He makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.”

  A voice rose over the crackle of the flames. She shivered knowing who it belonged to.

  “You could have been a messenger, Paige,” John shouted. “We could have been the arm of the Lord, but you’ve chosen the infernal path instead.”

  Paige gagged at the thought. “I don’t really like the way you choose to worship.”

  A loud laugh from behind sent her whirling in that direction. She found herself face to face with the crazed zealot, his clothes blackened and skin bubbling in new spots. She winced, surprised he wasn’t scr
eaming out in pain. He held a make-shift torch in his hand.

  “And you think your love will be accepted by our Lord?” He gave a knowing smile as if he were on a personal level with the higher power.

  “I think we are all Gods’ creatures.”

  John laughed, his voice high and strained. He paced around her, setting the grass around them on fire with his torch.

  “God’s creatures? Satan’s spawn are not of our Lord.” He stepped toward her. “I have lived through the fire. Twice. God has chosen me, saved my life. He has appointed me as his minister, his arm on this Earth.”

  “God didn’t appoint you,” she spat out. “You decided to live your life by hate and got what you deserve. You’re a lunatic pretending to be a holy man.”

  John narrowed his eyes at her, his hatred clear. A laugh burst from his lips.

  “We’ll see who gets what they deserve,” he said and waved his arm around them, “and if you can survive the cleansing flames as I have.”

  * * *

  Justus coughed and covered his mouth as he made his way through the smoky field. The raging fire had him worried. It seemed the closer he moved, the more townspeople in trances he came across.

  Varius stepped into view through the smoke. Lena lay limply in his arms.

  “Paige’s back toward the flames,” he said. “She was trying to go around, but I’m not sure.”

  Justus nodded. “Take her to safety and then gather some of the others to get these people out of here. With the way they are, they’ll burn to death and not even see it coming.”

  He didn’t wait for Varius to reply and raced off into the rising flames.

  A man jumped out at him.

  “Die, you demon.”

  Justus tossed the man to the side as if he were a rag doll.

  Nothing was going to keep him from her. He didn’t care if he had to go through a dozen of those men.

  A shot rang out. He could feel the bullet rip through his shoulder. The pain sliced through him, and instantly he knew that the bullet had been laced with the wolfsbane.