Chapter 28
Bar Dates
“May I ask whose corpses these are?”
“You may,” Vincenza answers, dragging out the fleshy cadavers from the bar’s freezer.
“What—Oh, uh, who did these corpses belong to?”
“These are vintage, from right when the Immortal Queens began their reign. The bodies are unlabeled, but I assume they were just common laborers who were stolen out from a crematorium’s storage. More importantly, they should already have the reagents lodged into the fat of their skin.Dikivda lakdet vetev. Xak vetev ve. Tirit lavdexi.”
All three corpses climb off the ground, shaking off the ice scale along their surface.
“I thought I was animating them?”
“You will. I’m just tired of dragging them.” She locks the freezer shut. “Repeat ‘kivde kilit dilakdev ixak ve. Tirit lavdexi’ to take control of them.”
“Kivde kilit dilakdev ixak ve. Tirit lavdexi.“ I grab their chains from right out under her.
“I was hoping you’d wait until we got the drinks ready, but good job with them nonetheless.” She pulls me by the hand to the main room. “Would you order our servants to set up the drink mixer?”
I turn my gaze upon them, burning my will into their mind.
I almost wish they could feel pain.
“Good.” Vincenza sits us down on the stools. “I don’t want to drain you, so you can take the front facing servant while I make sure the two in the back keep the fryer and oven running.”
“Could you do that now? I want to enjoy the pizza before my head gets dizzy.”
“Kivde kilit dilakdev ixak ve. Tirit lavdexi.“ Vincenza steals two of my servants and sends them into the back. “I’ve particularly enjoyed their flavor of near-cheese-like toppings.”
“I liked the pizza you bought last night. How does this compare to that?”
“Worse. Absolutely worse,” she laughs. “How have you been finding… your new diet. You know I don’t expect you to follow it.”
I sigh, “it probably would’ve been better to start itbeforegoing into necromancy. It’s hard to find new foodsnow.”
“I know. But, there is a small upside. Your sense of disgust is about as dulled as your sense of pleasure.”
“Is that why there was a half-eaten tomato on my desk last night?” I tried to have the rest this morning, and… it was so odd. The texture was completely unlike an apple, but I couldn’t tell that the flavor was off.
“It was our only fruit, besides pepperoncini. We’ll get some more tonight.”
Ours. We.
We are sharing a life and house. It feels so intimate when I’m reminded of it like that.
“I look—Should we not appear so dovey? When do people start coming in?” I ask.
Her face falls. “Half an hour, about. Piero likes being early, so we should be presentable before then.”
“Am I?”
“You’re perfect.” She places a kiss on my lips. “That should keep you sated for the rest of the night.”
I touch my lips, hollow without her against them. “I could be abitmore sated.”
“Don’t test me.” She attacks me in an assault of physical affection that I cannot resist.
