Chapter 4 The Ritual
The Ritual
Icouldn’t catch my breath.
It felt like I was being stabbed by a thousand knives, and I gasped as I tried to lower myself inch by inch into the freezing water. Counting always helped.
One. Two.
Fuck, my ass was already numb.
Three. Four.
My nipples peaked as they grazed the cold water, making a hiss fly from my lips.
Five, six, seven.
I needed five minutes alone, truly alone. Sadly, the only way to have silence filter through me was by enduring these miserable ice baths.
Eight. Nine.
My mind emptied as I fully dropped into the tub—not even my snakes were able to disturb me during these baths. The big babies couldn’t stand the frigid temperature, and it was as if a mental shield was built between us.
Ten, eleven, twelve.
I dunked my head, allowing myself to wash away the mask I wore every day. I let the Serpent Queen’s persona freeze off, chipping away piece by piece with each dip beneath the icy water.
All I wanted was one moment to simply exist as Seera.
Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.
When I dunked beneath the surface for the third time, I opened my lips and screamed. The cold water flooded my mouth, eager to race down my lungs and drown me once and for all.
I was tempted to let it.
Sixteen. Seventeen.
Another agonized scream flew out of me as the traitorous man’s words floated through my mind—all hail the Serpent King.
Eighteen. Nineteen.
Muffled banging made me burst out of the freezing water, and I gasped for air while Reena barreled into the bathing chamber. My lady-in-waiting was too busy fuming to notice I was trying to catch my breath.
“I can’t stand Gustavo. He is such a nasty, vile little man.
With his thin mustache and his pompous attitude.
He is always talking bad about everyone, and today I was the subject of his gossip.
” A low growl crawled up her throat while she blabbered on about my butler, as if I didn’t already know such things.
In fact, it was the exact reason I hired him in the first place.
Reena shook her head, spreading a black towel wide before her. “And don’t even get me started on his ridiculous getup. Who wears bow ties anymore?”
With my moment of peace completely shattered, I stood from the frigid water. An intense shiver raked down my spine, prompting my lady-in-waiting to wrap the towel tightly around my body. I let out a long breath when the freshly warmed cloth absorbed the frigidness from my bones.
“I have no idea how you stand those baths.” She cringed, bending down to unplug the drain at the base of the black-chrome tub.
“Not much bothers you when you are soulless,” I said, watching the dim lighting catch onto the tiny specks of grey peppered throughout her chestnut hair. Reena wasn’t nearly old enough to have grey in her locks, but she did have a rather demanding role here.
Quite frankly, I was betting she would turn completely grey before the end of this year.
My wet feet slapped against the marble as I made my way to the black-framed floor length mirror in the corner of my bathing chambers. After a few glorious moments savoring the heat from my towel, I let it drop and pool around my ankles.
Let the ritual commence.
As always, I started by examining my eyes, the deep green shade making the inner ring of gold around my pupils even more heightened.
Not an ounce of the mortal girl I once was shined through them, tugging a ghost of a smile onto my lips.
Yet, my smile faltered when I glanced at the scar situated atop the left side of my lips.
Two faded bite marks glared back at me, serving as a permanent reminder of the bargain I made nearly eight decades prior—a deal where I sold my soul in exchange for the power coursing through my veins.
I dragged a hand through my black locks, which trailed past my waist, where beads of water dripped down my pale skin.
I pulled my hair to one side, revealing the birthmark that kissed the side of my neck and scoffed.
It looked like a drop of blood permanently adorning my skin—rather fitting for the Serpent Queen.
My gaze dipped while I took in the serpent tattoo spiraling around my abdomen.
The head of the snake was nestled right between my breasts, its rattling tail flicking across the top left curve of my ass.
Its mouth was stretched wide open, as if it was ready to strike, with its sharp fangs prepared to devour anyone who dared to harm me.
Some days, I wished it would come alive, just to swallow the man who left his mark on me.
This tattoo was the reason I performed such a ritual every night after bathing. It served as a reminder to stay angry, to never let another man close to me for the rest of however many miserable years I had left.
He never told me his symbol would spread across half of my body when we sealed our bargain, and I vowed to bring the Serpent King to his knees one day for marking me in such a permanent way.
“Let’s get you dressed before you fall ill,” Reena said, shuffling behind me, breaking my trance of hatred.
Her plain grey dress swished while she raced out of the bathing room and into my bedroom chambers.
I slipped on my black silk robe and followed her, but I quickly had to dodge a gown from smacking me square in the face.
“Reena . . .” I growled, making my lady-in-waiting spin to face me, her shoulders caving in when she saw the daggers I shot at her.
“Apologies, my Queen,” She turned back to the red and black gown clutched between her small hands. “But you only have two color choices for tonight’s dinner, per usual.” She muttered the last remark under her breath, but thanks to my impeccable hearing, I still heard it.
I shook my head at the sight of Reena disappearing inside my large ebony wardrobe, her behind wiggling while she searched its depths.
“You won’t find what you are looking for. I specifically told the tailor to only make red and black gowns fit for a queen.”
My lady-in-waiting’s muffled groan had me chuckling as I made my way to my vanity.
While I combed my hair, I admired the black and gold serpent wallpaper lining my chambers.
The sounds of garments ruffling against the marble floor signaled Reena was having one of her episodes, which always resulted in my quarters being covered in a heaping pile of velvet and silk gowns.
With a heavy sigh, I faced my palm toward the floor, prompting Ember to spiral down my arm. Her scarlet scales gleaming as she slithered across the floor to start cleaning up Reena’s ever-growing mess.
“This one will have to do,” she muttered, pulling a plain, black gown from one of my many wardrobes.
I glanced at Reena in the reflection of the mirror as she moved toward the bed, laying the dress on the edge of my blood-red duvet.
Her brows scrunched as she stared at the garment. “Would you be open to possibly a color close to black? Maybe grey or silver—” Reena yelped when a discarded gown began to slide across the floor next to her.
Her fear permeated the air, her short legs quickly racing for the corner of the room where a step stool resided for times like this. A satisfied sigh slipped from my lips while I greedily consumed the fear saturating the air, easing the constant numbness in my chest with every bitter gulp.
She continued to squeal, yet Ember barely spared her a once-over glance before continuing to slither up the wardrobe to hook the gown back into its proper spot.
“I hate when you bring them out without warning me!” Reena firmly pressed herself against the wall, almost like she could disappear through it with sheer will.
Her tightly shut eyes had me working hard to stifle a laugh.
I found it rather amusing that the lady-in-waiting to the Serpent Queen was deathly afraid of snakes.
Reena has been in my service for nearly ten years, yet she never overcame her fear of snakes. If I didn’t revel in consuming the delicious taste of her fear so much, I’d consider helping her conquer such a silly fear.
But where would the fun be in that?
There were some perks to having no soul, such as not having the ability to feel guilty for such callous thoughts.
I turned to watch Ember as she slithered down the wardrobe with a black gown embellished with a gold serpent spreading throughout the entire dress. One side of the ensemble had a cut out to expose the left side of my midsection.
As much as the mark on my body irked me, I had to admit it looked exquisite in that gown.
Ember dropped the garment at my feet, then slithered her way up my legs and around my arm. I bent down, grasping the fabric while running my fingers over the sharp, gold sequins.
“Excellent choice, Ember.” I softly stroked her head, her contempt hiss wrapping around me like a comforting embrace.
For a snake, she truly had magnificent taste.
Rest.
As soon as the command was sent down our bond, Ember disappeared from my arm. An odd feeling raced through me when my snakes no longer graced my limbs . . . I immediately missed their steadying warmth.
“I’ll never get used to that.” Reena let out a shaky breath as she climbed down from the stool.
I shook my head, clearing the weird sensation spreading within me.
As I stood and stepped into the gown, the high neckline brushed against the column of my throat.
I turned, allowing my lady-in-waiting to button up the copious amount of buttons trailing the entirety of my spine.
Her slender fingers worked quickly, and the room grew silent as I stared at my reflection in the vanity.
“I know that look,” I said, watching Reena through the mirror as she gnawed on her bottom lip. Her grey eyes glanced up, meeting mine for a split second.
“What are you dying to say but aren’t certain you should?” I arched a curious brow at her.
She sighed before speaking in a hushed tone. “I wasn’t the only subject of Gustavo’s daily gossip . . .”