Chapter 6
Six
The cathedral erupted in furious whispers as the newcomer leaned against the front pew, observing the outrage.
The man was just as he was the night of the engagement party.
The sunlight captured long, silvery hair draped over his black-and-red suit hidden underneath by a cape.
Those same golden irises peered out from the mask covering the white lines of his scar as he scanned the room.
“Well”—he stalked toward the altar with a slow, steady gait—“I have an objection to this marriage and I’d like to make myself clear on this matter.”
“Who the hell do you think you are waltzing in here and demanding a woman who is about to be married?” William spat. “Valeria is mine.”
“You act as if the girl belongs to you.” He studied William with a bored look before his fiery gaze landed on me. “Have you asked what she wanted?”
“What she wants is of no concern to the matter at hand,” William growled. “What matters is your interruption and rude behavior of declaring Valeria as your wife.”
“But have you asked her what she wanted?”
“No, of course not. What she wants is of little interest to me for this marriage to be.”
Gloria hopped out of the pew, flanked by Mama. “Perhaps we should take this elsewhere, sir. Would you follow me to—”
Ignoring the women, he continued on stalking the altar as if he were a cat and William a mouse. “You have no thought nor bother to ask Valeria what she wants,” he added with a sly grin. “Perhaps she doesn’t want to marry you? Ever thought of that?”
Whispers from the crowd erupted, and William, red in the face, glared at the stranger. He gripped my wrist like an animal, thrusting me nearly off the altar, then raising my arm high in the air for all to see. “She is mine, do you hear? Her life is mine.”
“No, her life belongs to death, and I am here to collect.”
Gloria approached William, attempting to alleviate the pressure from my wrist. “Honey, calm down. Let the poor girl go. You’re hurting her.” She stroked his back in swift motions.
The priest staggered forward, his rosary clutched in his shaking hand. “Be gone, evil beast.” He launched himself into prayer, white-knuckling his beaded idol.
“Let us be rational here,” Mama said, turning toward the confused crowd. “I am sure this is all a misunderstanding. Everyone, please calm down, and, sir”—Mama gestured to the man—“please see yourself out.”
“Mama,” I started, twisting out of William’s grasp. “Stop.”
The man remained stoic, prowling to the stained glass windows at the edge of the church. He flickered up at the images of the gods who bore down on us all, who were judging us all in the events transpiring.
A delicate finger traced upwards to the lines of the images. Shimmering light refracted under his command, twisting colorful strands around his fingers.
“Unto love’s curse, I surrender thee a lamb to the slaughter. Find a way to set free your greatest desires.”
He whispered the odd phrase softly to himself, almost sounding like a prayer in a holy place in front of the crowd.
William grew further flustered as the gentleman’s refusal to leave became more apparent.
William marched over to the man. “From gentleman to gentlemen. I suggest you take your leave before this gets ugly.”
The man’s gold gaze hardened.
He swept forward and met William where he stood with his arms behind him. “I’ll only leave if Valeria wishes it so.”
“She wishes to marry me,” William growled. “Isn’t that right?”
“I didn’t ask you, did I?” He flickered to me and nodded. “What do you want, Valeria?”
I hesitated, my mind spinning as my legs threatened to buckle underneath my body.
Chest heaving, I struggled to form any words, shifting to the crowd, then back to the stranger.
William backed away from the man, grabbed my wrist, and pointed toward the priest. “You—marry us this instant. I will not stand for this insolence.”
“I-I . . .” I struggled against the bite of pain in my wrist.
“One more word, and I’ll have your head on a pike,” William threatened. “I will make an example out of you if I must.”
“William!” Gloria exclaimed.
She and Mama gathered around us, closing in tight, as William pressed the ring onto my finger.
The stranger sauntered toward the altar leisurely, jaw clenched. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“What is a stranger like you going to do about it! She is nothing more than spoiled goods anyhow. What is her value to you?” William barked. To the priest, he demanded, “Say the fucking words.”
The priest, still bearing his holy object, clambered down from the altar, much to the displeasure of William, and approached the stranger. “I know what you are and violence in the holy sanctum is strictly forbidden.” He flashed the idol into the man’s face. “In the name of those revered be—”
The man grabbed the priest, shoving his head aside to reveal his wrinkled neck. Long, ghastly teeth protruded from his soft lips and plunged deep into the priest’s flesh, nearly ripping him in two.
In a flash, my dreams became nightmares.
Our congregation gasped, panic rising, with bodies scattering to the fringes of the church and screams echoing in the sanctum.
The man dropped the priest’s lifeless body, blood pooling, as empty eyes rolled toward us.
Blood coated the strange beast’s mouth, his hands stained crimson as he tilted his head toward the sky to reveal to the nonbelievers the sin he committed for all to witness.
Screams erupted, and the doors of the church were thrown back. Many rushed onto the street, crying out for anyone to save them from the hellish beast inside.
William dragged me toward the back door of the church, only to be faced with the man blocking the exit. “You will not have her! You—you monster!”
With speed so blinding, the man snapped his arm, twisting it as his screams filled the drenched sanctum.
I pressed shaky hands to the wall, a coughing fit bubbling to the surface, needles scraping my insides, while terror further climbed. Bile and blood rose in my throat, my legs finally giving out.
Tears escaped as I wheezed out, “I’m not ready.”
With bloodied fingers, the creature tilted my chin, and the terrified reflection of me stared back within his pupils. “Please—I-I—don’t want to die.” I coughed into my gloved sleeves.
He took my hand and pressed it to his lips, cradling it like before. His mouth opened and then closed.
Miriam ran up behind him and struck him in the chest with the athame, the slick knife sliding into soft flesh.
“Leave my sister alone!” she cried, withdrawing the knife with a sickening squelch.
The man’s head fell to the blooming wound under red fabric before he chuckled. Swiftly, he gripped Miriam by the throat, her blue eyes wide and filled with absolute terror.
I trembled, mouth dry, transfixed on Miriam’s ashen face. “No, please, let her go. I’ll do anything.” My voice cracked as the metallic taste coated my mouth. “Just let her go. Please.”
He regarded me, then released her.
Miriam scurried next to William, throwing herself onto him. She sobbed into his chest, which he did not react to. He clutched his arm, his muscles tensing, scowling either from pain or anger.
No one dared to come any closer to the stranger and me.
“Come closer,” the stranger said.
I obeyed. My legs shook with every step until I was standing inches from him. I braced myself, eyes shut tight, as I expected him to do the same to me as he did the priest, draining me dry upon the altar.
I was startled instead by the touch of careful fingers against my face, tucking a loose strand of black behind my ear and twirling the end of it in front of me. Cloves and spice mingled with the austere stench of death, pressing down on the tightness of my chest.
“Don’t be afraid.” He leaned in, a hand brushing dark curls back, exposing my neck.
Fingers hovered over pale, delicate flesh, tracing the space, and I imagined he could hear the racing pulse underneath.
“And if I am,” I replied shakily.
When soft lips twisted upwards and brought down upon my neck, I stiffened, shuddering a breath against his touch.
I didn’t feel the sharp pain I’d pictured or had witnessed in horror. No, the man simply pressed his lips to my flesh and drew back, taking a hold of my chin to meet his sorrow-laced gaze.
“What do you say we make a bargain?”
I shut my eyes, steadying my knees, which threatened to buckle once more in front of the man—a devil in sheep’s clothing.
Another cough boiled in my chest, needles prickling my throat as I rasped, “What kind of bargain?”
“Come with me willingly, and I will spare them.”
“And if I don’t?” I gulped.
The man sighed, dropping my chin to fold his hand in mine and slip William’s ring off. “I can easily sweep you away into the folds of darkness in which you may have a chance to outrun death if you so wished it to be. Just as easily as I can slaughter every man, woman, and child.”
The man dug into his suit jacket and pulled out a ring wrapped in black thorns with a ruby rose-shaped jewel at the center. After tossing William’s gaudy ring aside, he placed it onto my finger and pressed a kiss to my hand. “Choose.”
Miriam and Mama huddled together, gazes widened as they hugged one another. It’s always been my life for theirs, and this was no different.
“Give me your word.”
He dropped my hand. “You have my word.”
I shivered as the heavy placement of the ring seared through the gloves. “Then, I accept.”
The man turned to leave.
Sirens filled Endovier’s night air with the masses screaming inaudible words.
Halfway down the church aisle, he stopped. “I’ll be back to collect you. Don’t think you can run from me.”
He bowed his head and walked out of the church into the failing sunlight as twilight approached.
I crumbled to the ground and coughed up blood onto the stained floor.