Page 7 of Where We Ended
We finally stopped walking once we reached the dining room.
“Sit.” Fable ordered as Alec gently led me to a chair.
The room was sparse, with just the table, four chairs and a hutch against the far wall. The windows were all covered with white sheets. It was still early enough that it allowed in natural light. The walls were so similar to what was in the Stone Riders clubhouse, it had an ache gaping open in my heart. A pleading prayer coming right after it.
Please let everyone be okay.
Let them be alive.
Fable’s stern voice cut into my thoughts. “Tell me your name.”
I had a suspicion that he already knew my name, which was why he’d taken me but maybe I was wrong.
A woman pushed through a side door, leading to the kitchen. She had dark hair, green eyes, and a willowy frame. Her gaze quickly scanned the space, inspecting each of us while holding the wooden tray in her hands. She made her way to the table and set a bowl of soup down in front of Fable then let the tray hang by her side.
“Rachel. Please bring bowls for our company.”
The woman…Rachel, peered over at me, giving me a blank expression before turning toward the kitchen once more.
Alec took a seat next to me, pulling my chair directly next to his so our knees touched.
I bristled, trying to create space, but he only held firm to the back of my chair.
Fable watched us, taking sips of his soup.
“Your name,” he repeated.
I watched him swallow his soup, wondering how I might kill him in that position then sadly recalling I couldn’t even kill a man using a gun when he was directly in front of me. For all of Silas’s efforts to prepare me for likely this exact moment, I was completely useless.
Alec cleared his throat, his hand on the back of my chair moving to my shoulder.
I tried again to push him off, but he held firm.
“Alec, encourage her to speak.”
The man next to me tapped a lazy finger against my shoulder as if his father’s command didn’t matter. Regardless that I knew it did in fact matter, especially to someone who had become a glorified errand boy for his evil father.
I did what Silas told me and cleared my head, then started counting.
I could take it. Whatever he was about to do to me, whatever punishment, or pain…I could take?—
Warm lips pressed against my ear as Alec’s hand traveled down to my hip, wrapping around it.
“He’ll watch me do unspeakable things to you, Artie. Don’t make me do that. Just tell him.”
I wanted to rip out of his hold and glare at him. Throw back in his face that he didn’t have to do anything his disgusting father wanted. Instead, I leaned forward and leveled Fable with a glare.
“Nomen est Caelum.” My name is Heaven.
Fable’s eyes lit up, his spoon dropping to the bowl with a clank. He waited three seconds before he burst into laughter before replying in Latin.
“Caelum non est verum.” There is no Heaven.
My smile faltered the smallest bit; regardless, I wasn’t surprised in the least he spoke Latin fluently. I was still hoping he didn’t. I waited for him to continue. He’d asked for my name, I’d given it, I had nothing left to offer him.
“Your full name.”
The smallest flicker of unease slid in through my ribs.