19. Forever #2
It was on the tip of my tongue, but a siren sounding had us both standing at attention.
“Please proceed to the garden.”
Those moans of pleasure had now turned into panicked conversation. Once outside, I understood why anxiety had heightened. They were separating us, pulling sets of two from the crowd as we migrated toward the garden.
Demetrius and I were allowed access, which told me either we’d done something right or his long-lost family was cheating the game.
Whatever went on in that room had been a test, and some failed. Probably the couples who went too far.
The fuck was this?
“How’s your head?”
I blinked and glanced at him.
“For the first time in a long time, I don’t feel any pain.”
It was exhilarating, and that terrified me for some odd reason. My life was beginning to feel like a simulation, like someone was controlling my story and none of this was actually my choice.
But he had to be.
I knew in my heart that Demetrius was the one choice I made just for me. And here I was making it again.
“Reunited with the greens and reds,” he muttered, pulling me out of my head and into the moment. “There are fewer of them, too.”
The whole experience so far had me paranoid. Eyes were on our every move.
I wasn’t sure, but it all felt like an initiation of some kind. Not an orgy disguised as a prayer party like Kai made it out to be.
Were they recruiting us?
“Please face forward for tonight’s sacrifice. Maybe the Gods keep you.”
The center of the garden lit up in flames, and the screams came next.
I tensed as they danced higher, casting shadows across the masked faces around us. The screaming wasn’t coming from the fire; it was human. Or at least it sounded real.
“Easy, my forever,” Demetrius whispered against my ear as he positioned himself behind me like before. “Look closer. Effigies.”
Oh.
The flames weren’t consuming flesh, but they were burning effigies, crude human shapes made of straw and cloth.
When I was a kid, my grandfather burned one for each of us every new year. He said they were meant to represent shedding our old skin and starting anew.
“Tonight, you witness rebirth,” a voice boomed as the screams ceased, their tenor carrying across the garden. “Death of the old ways. Birth of the new. Those who remain have proven worthy of truth. Please proceed through the flames.”
I had no clue what came over me, but I laughed, and it caught the attention of others.
Through the flames?
Demetrius and I stayed rooted in place as bodies began to move through what was clearly fake fire.
“Stop laughing,” he said, sounding like he was having a hard time holding his back as he took my hand. “Come on.”
I started to understand that the people around us experienced this before. They obeyed each command without a second thought.
Whatever the air and communion had been dosed with wasn’t meant to harm but to relax. Nothing, other than meeting the man beside me, had ever felt so freeing.
I snickered at what I once thought was fire, but now realize was only fog mimicking its look and movement.
“Choose an empty cabin and wait for instructions.”
Their land was much bigger than I thought.
The cabins were scattered throughout what looked like a miniature village, each one identical with heavy wooden doors and no visible windows.
“What a weird game,” I muttered through my laughter as he led us to a cabin on the far left, while most everyone else went right. “This feels like an illusion. Is this real? Or are we dreaming?”
He chuckled, and it made me laugh harder.
Were we the only ones who found this ridiculous?
“Everything about you having the fucking giggles is making my night, baby,” the flirt mused as he pushed open the cabin door.
Inside was sparse and smelled like lavender and vanilla. There was a single bed with white linens, a small wooden chair, a table with a pitcher of water atop it, and what looked like a meditation cushion for two on the floor.
“Are you floating like me?”
He pushed me down on the bed and sat beside me.
“I’m not that far gone, baby,” he said, pushing his hood back, then doing the same for me.
A soft chime echoed through the cabin, followed by a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
“The communion you drank contains a mild truth serum,” the voice continued. “It will not force words from your lips, but will prevent falsehoods from forming.”
I stared at Demetrius, my mind racing despite the pleasant fog still clouding my thoughts. A truth serum?
“That’s why I can’t stop laughing,” I whispered, touching my lips. “It’s like my body won’t let me hide anything.”
Demetrius smiled, his eyes even more intense without the mask.
“You have nothing to hide from me,” he said, taking my hand. “I already know all your truths.”
Another chime sounded, softer this time.
“Remove your masks. Shed what hides your truth.”
I reached up to untie the lace covering my face, my fingers trembling slightly. Whether from the drugs or anticipation, I couldn’t tell. Demetrius did the same, and immediately our eyes met.
“Face your partner and look into their eyes. The first truth must be spoken.”
I turned to face him fully, lifting and resting my legs over his. The room felt warmer suddenly, more intimate. The drugs were still working through my system, but clarity was starting to peek through.
“I’m in love with you,” he whispered, dark eyes peering deeply into mine. “I’m afraid of losing this again.”
“I-”
Another chime interrupted my response.
“Kneel on the meditation cushion. Face each other.”
We moved to the floor, both of us unable to look away from one another. The room pulsed, like the walls were beating to the drum of our heartbeats.
Unzip your robes and place your hands on each other’s hearts.”
I felt in sync with him as we reached for each other’s zippers, sliding them down simultaneously and completing the task.
“The second truth,” the voice commanded.
We drifted closer.
“I don’t remember loving you,” I said, counting his heartbeats. “But I feel like I’m falling again.”
The room seemed to pulse again, and I swear I could feel energy flowing between our connected hands.
It’s all in your head.
“Remove your robes completely. Bare your truths as you bare your bodies.”
Not real.
Not real .
But still, I couldn’t stop myself from following instructions and removing the heavy fabric from my shoulders. Demetrius did the same, never breaking eye contact. The air felt charged, the need to be closer to him even stronger.
“Final truth,” the voice said, much softer now. “What do you see when you look at each other?”
I stared into his eyes, those beautiful dark eyes that made me feel protected and desired. The drugs were making everything more intense, but underneath it all was something real.
“My heart in human form,” he said gently, tilting his head slowly as if to admire what he spoke of.
“I see home,” I replied without pause. “I see the only choice I’ve ever made just for me.”
The room fell silent except for the sound of our breathing. The voice didn’t return with another command, leaving us kneeling there but unwilling to detach.
“Why does this feel unlike what should be happening tonight?” I asked, shaking my head.
Before he could answer, the door to our cabin creaked open.
A figure in a white robe entered, face hidden behind an ornate golden mask. They moved with a grace that seemed almost otherworldly.
“Congratulations,” the figure said, voice a deep rumble meant for late-night radio. “You have passed the trials of truth. Few couples make it this far.”
I frowned.
“Trials?” I questioned.
The masked face dripped in response.
“The communion tested your trust. The garden tested your bond. The cabin tested your honesty.” The figure approached slowly, hands clasped in front of them. “Your ceremony is complete. Please secure your robes and follow me. The prayer is about to begin.”
What had we gotten ourselves into?