“Holy freakin’ cow!” Cassie jumped up and began to pace back and forth across the room. “Let me see if I get this straight. You were married to a guy twice your age, and now you’re married to one who’s old enough to be your great granddad?” She stopped pacing long enough to stare at the girl for confirmation.
Hannah bobbed her head. “Yes.”
Cassie dreaded the next words that were about to come out of her mouth, but she had to ask the question. “And your marriage to this Abraham was... uh... consummated?”
“Often.”
The pythia flopped down beside Hannah and peered intently at the girl. “Do you have any idea just how gross that is?”
“Gross?”
Cassie tried to come up with another adjective. “Sordid, awful. Just plain weird. Not to mention illegal!”
“I was very unhappy with the arrangement,” the girl agreed simply.
“Good for you,” Cassie said with some relief. “So that’s why you ran away?”
“Not only that. I’m going to have a baby.”
“You’re— What? Wait! Don’t answer that. I need an aspirin!” Cassie made for the bathroom but stopped dead in her tracks. She whirled around. “Give me that!” she snatched the bottle of tea out of Hannah’s hands. “Everybody knows you shouldn’t have caffeine when you’re pregnant.”
“Really? What’s caffeine?”
“Oh, my goddess!” Cassie regarded the girl with a mixture of exasperation and dismay. “Just stay put. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” She marched off to the bathroom and rattled around in the medicine cabinet until she found the pill bottle she was looking for. Her head was spinning. It was almost unthinkable what that poor kid had been through. Cassie splashed some cold water on her face. For a second she glanced at herself in the mirror. “And you think you had it rough?” she asked her reflection.
The suspicious part of her brain warned her that this might be a set-up. Maybe the Nephilim really did know she was alive and Hannah and her sob story were a way to win Cassie’s trust. It would be a perfect opportunity for them to gain access to the secrets of the Arkana. Cassie shook off the idea. If she had learned anything in her brief time as pythia, it was to trust her instincts. She wasn’t picking up any vibe that suggested Hannah was lying. She decided to ignore her paranoia and follow her intuition. She commanded herself to take several deep breaths before returning to the living room.
She sat down next to Hannah and stared at her intently. “What can I do to help?”
“I was hoping to find refuge with you.”
“No problem,” the pythia agreed and then paused as another thought struck her. “Where were you staying before you came here?”
“At the maternity home where Daniel brought me. They don’t know I left today.”
“Then they’ll be looking for you too.”
Hannah’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll figure out some way to deal with that tomorrow. You can sleep here tonight in my old bedroom. I’ve already moved into my sister’s room.”
“Thank you.” Hannah’s eyes filled with tears. “They told us the Fallen were evil people who would do us harm.”
“Guess they lied about that too.” Cassie shrugged. “The main thing is to get you somewhere safe where they won’t be able to find you.”
The girl’s face registered alarm. “You mean it isn’t safe here either?”
Cassie patted her on the shoulder. “It is, for now. They haven’t connected you to me just yet.” She noted how pale and tired the girl looked. “I’ll make us some dinner, and then you’ll get a good night’s sleep because tomorrow will be a big day.”
“What’s going to happen tomorrow?
Cassie grinned. “You start a brand-new life.”
Chapter 13 – Rumors and Board
Faye heard a sharp knock at her front door. Before she could move to answer it, her visitor let herself in. It was Maddie.
“Are they here yet?” the operations director asked cautiously.
The old woman shook her head. “No, but they ought to arrive any minute now.”
“At last!” Maddie exclaimed. “The Arkana catches a break.”
“We don’t know that,” Faye cautioned. “All Cassie told me was that one of Abraham Metcalf’s wives ran away to seek refuge with her. Apparently, the poor dear thought she was safest with someone who was at odds with the Nephilim.”
“So, this wife might not even know about the Arkana at all?” Maddie asked in surprise.
“Probably not and that’s the way I’d like to keep it for the time being. We are simply co-conspirators with Cassie on the trail of artifacts which the diviner also wants.”
Both women turned their heads simultaneously at the sound of a car door closing outside.
“That must be them.” Faye bustled to open the door as quickly as her aged limbs would allow.
Cassie strode up the front stairs followed by a much taller, much younger girl who looked positively terrified.
The pythia turned to regard her charge. “It’s OK, Hannah. Come on inside. These are friends of mine. They won’t hurt you.” She took the girl by the elbow and propelled her forward gently to make the introductions. “This is Faye.”
The elderly woman shook hands with the girl.
“And behind her is Maddie.”
The operations director stepped forward to greet the girl, apparently registering her extreme youth. “Holy frickin’ goddess!” she exclaimed.
Hannah shrank back.
Cassie stepped in front of the girl and scowled up at Maddie. “Hey,” she warned, “we’re trying to make her feel safe, not make her jump out of her skin, OK? Take it easy.”
Maddie stepped back a pace. “Sorry, kiddo.” Then to Hannah, she gave a broad smile of welcome which appeared almost as unnerving as her earlier greeting.
The girl hesitated to shake hands, seemingly unconvinced that Maddie’s intentions were friendly.
Cassie put an arm around Hannah’s shoulder and guided her inside, darting a glance of reproach behind her.
The two older women exchanged looks—both surprised by the protective stance their pythia had adopted.
“Well, that’s new,” Maddie murmured as she followed the others inside.
Faye went
