Page 154 of The Cannibal

The room was empty except for one.

The furniture had been moved back to the way it was before, in anticipation of the end of our guests’ stay.

Silas flipped through a paper, the light casting his silhouette through the pages and producing a dancing smoke as he breathed, the cherry of the tip pulsing to life with every inhale.

It may have been that he sensed my presence. A bond so strong that his soul knew mine, that no matter where I was, we would always be able to find each other.

But it was likely the scent of blood.

And then my tears that came after.

Silas dropped everything. The paper, the cigarette from his lips. The legs of the chair scraped as he stood.

I almost made it to him, steps away before I collapsed in his arms. But he did too.

Silas fell to his knees the minute his arms had me, like catching me was more important than remaining upright.

“Where were you?” He was so angry, but his embrace was desperate. “Luka went to look on foot when we realized you weren’t here. Sidney said Mary slipped you a note before you left.”

“Enough questions,” I breathed. “Tell Luka to take better care of where he keeps his calling cards.”

I felt him touch the blade in my back, yanking it out quickly when he realized it was there.

A groan melted into a sigh, rolling my shoulders to celebrate their newfound freedom.

“My God.” He sank fully to the floor as he held me. “We should have run when we had the chance,” he whispered, his grip tightening. “We can go now. Leave everything behind.”

I shook my head. “It’s already in motion, be patient.” I looked up at him. There was no concealing the smile with such bliss in my soul. “There’s no escape now.”

45

THE POISONER

The trial started early.

I wore black, selfishly. A red ribbon tied around my arm. They said it was for the safety of others, but in reality it was akin to sewing a scarlet letter to my clothing.

Most of the trial was tuned out in my mind. It didn’t matter anymore.

Character statements, eugenic arguments, laws not bound by civilization—it was whatever benefited the representatives. It wasn’t intended to be fair; it never was.

“If the Nest was fit, it never would have been able to be killed so easily. Not only is this a natural succession from Sire to spawn, but it only strengthens the value of why bloodline-structured Nests are outdated and a danger to the species,” Luka argued.

“It’s unreasonable because no typical Vipera would have seen a necrotic poison as a threat—they didn’t even know it existed!” Levi replied.

“Which may be a better argument for why thinking you are untouchable is not only flawed, but a degeneration of instinct,” Luka retorted sharply.

He stood at the end of the table, Silas stood in the middle, and I remained seated.

At this point, we’d had glowing testimonies as well as scathing ones. There was a vote to be had on the crime of kin-killing, next would be my arguments. Levi stared as the representatives deliberated, quite loudly. Nothing they said would matter. This was a decision reserved for me.

From where I observed, it was evenly split. It was harder to argue since they valued evolution, and Silas and Luka made convincing arguments for our Nest’s fitness as well as their own, the significant evidence for and against them being the fact that they’d gathered one hundred and twenty-five deaths with only four vials of my poison in the bloodwine decanters.

I let it go on because I wanted to hear it for my own ego.

But it was time.

“We will be moving on to the case of Alina Lis, the Cannibal.” The judge slapped the table to dampen the deliberation.