Page 16 of Temptation
But for all my struggling, for all my attempts to shake him off, he didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t even flinch when I bit into his skin with my nails. He just kept looking straight ahead, right at Judah.
“Sempiternum, Fili Mi,” Judah said.
“Sempiternum, Pater,” Dylan responded and started going down on his knees, pulling me with him.
“No, Dylan,” I hissed. “Please.”
“Skylar.” My name rolled off of the snake’s tongue, and I looked up to see Judah grinning at us. “Years ago, your mother and I kneeled in front of our father, ready to take the mantle from him, to start the new reign.”
Wait. Just fucking wait.
Did he say our father? Were they—
Oh my God.
My mind raced. My heart pumped.
Whatever he saw on my face made him grin even more.
“That’s right, daughter. Us Blackwoods, we keep our lines pure, and our blood untainted by outsiders. You are not the first, and when the time comes, your daughter and your son will stand in front of Dylan, waiting to take on the next step in their life.”
I was going to be sick.
“They’ll finally be ready to enter into Unholy Matrimony, and to carry on the legacy our ancestors brought with them. They’ll be ready to continue worshipping our Lord, our savior.”
I didn’t have to ask anymore. I didn’t need to guess.
“No,” I whispered, my lips trembling
“Servitutis Aeternitas,” he continued, lifting the dagger up.
“Servitutis Aeternitas!” the crowd chanted after him.
“Sanguinem Sacrificium.” He cut through his palm and spilled his blood into the chalice.
“Sanguinem Sacrificium!” they repeated, and I realized that Dylan chanted along with them.
“Sanctum Sacrificium.” Judah lifted the chalice and closed his eyes.
“Sanctum Sacrificium!” They were like a choir, like a brainwashed choir, worshipping the darkest of forces, going against everything good.
The monsters, the depravity, the darkness, it was all real, and I was in the middle of it.
“Stand up,” Judah instructed, and Dylan pulled me up. My legs protested, and I could feel something wet trickling down my knee. I didn’t dare to look down.
I couldn’t speak, couldn’t say another word as Judah extended the dagger he held toward us.
His blood was smeared all over the handle. The vermilion red a stark contrast on the head of a white snake, wrapped around it, with its mouth open wide, pointing at the blade.
“Take it.” Judah nudged the dagger toward me, annoyance flashing on his face. “We need to continue the ritual, Skylar.”
It was like watching a scene unfold from afar. I could see myself, but everything I did felt as if somebody else was doing it.
I grabbed the dagger, feeling the warm handle in my palm. My eyes found Dylan’s, a silent warning in them, and I understood why. I was the one with the weapon now. I was the dangerous one.
If I pushed the dagger into his stomach, no one would be able to stop me. No one could be that fast.
But as soon as the thought entered my mind, my heart constricted painfully, disagreeing with the idea. No matter how much I tried to break the cord connecting me to Dylan, how much I tried to forget all the good times, all the love I had, it still stood strong. Even knowing what he did and where this was going, it didn’t change a thing.
