Page 166 of The Cannibal

I was handed the chalice first.

“This is now bone of my bones . . .” Silas lifted the veil from my face.

Our reflections danced in the chalice, filled with both of our blood. I took the first drink.

“ . . . and flesh of my flesh,” I recited, passing the cup to him.

“She shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man . . .” Silas continued, taking his communion.

“ . . . he shall be called ‘man,’ for he was gifted life by woman,” I finished, as our hands joined together again.

“May you bear fruits from the flesh and an eternal love that is timeless,” Luka said, stepping back.

Silas’s fingers brushed against my face before fully holding my cheeks. The light shone down on us giving him such an angelic halo, I could be swayed to forget my Creature’s nature. Our nature.

I lifted on my toes, he smiled before his lips met mine.

Suddenly, petals littered the air, dancing over our faces as we kissed. Shrouded in a veil of pollen that glittered in the light.

“My formidable Creature,” I breathed against his lips.

“My venomous wife.” He smirked back.

I closed my eyes as our lips met again, and again, until Luka had to pull us apart and nudge us down the aisle.

The new connecting wing was beautiful, convenient, and built on a rather strong foundation.

An arched door opened into the connection, allowing guests movement to and from the main home and into the apartments. We would be adding more recruits soon, Hosts and Vipera alike. Hopefully Luka returned with promising protégés.

“It shouldn’t be a problem for now, but it’s something we may want to make adjustments to, if you plan to do flooring,” John said, as we stepped from the spectacular hallway down to the basement.

The room’s ceiling was low enough that I could touch it.

John walked me over to the middle of the floor.

His shoe tapped the faintest hairline crack in the concrete. You could mistake it for a loose string.

“Tile over it.” I shrugged. “We won’t be using the basement for anything practical. Storage, at most.”

John wrote something down on a small pad of paper. “Will do.”

As we ascended the stairs, I looked back at the floor.

A dark, lonely room. No furniture, no equipment, and no one could tell it encased the worst evils of this world.

We made it to the top of the stairs, I locked the door and handed the key to John. “No copies of this one,” I instructed.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with great humor, then pulled me into a hug. “Safe travels, Crow. May the wind take you far.”

“I’ll be back in no time,” I laughed. “Make sure it doesn’t fall apart in our absence.”

As I reentered the grand foyer, my trunks were stacked as footmen brought them out to the carriage one by one.

I lifted the sleeve to my walking suit to check the time, which we had plenty of before we had to catch the boat. It would be a long trip, but worth it.

A blue walking suit turned the corner. Mary stopped when she caught my gaze, then relaxed when she saw it was only me.

I walked up to her, my hands clasped in front of me as I looked down at the brunette.