9. Sebastian

9

Sebastian

Rose glanced up at the sky and narrowed her eyes with concentration, seemingly noting something in the position of the moon. “We should leave,” she said. “Tonight’s ritual begins soon.”

I stood and extended a polite hand to help her up. She accepted it with a smile, and with that small gesture, I knew I was earning her trust.

She led me to the main street of Alderwood and then back down to the town square. A lot of people were still there, simply milling about or finishing the last of the food, but a heavy stream of other locals was slowly moving toward a path that led away from the north-east section of the square.

Rose nodded toward that same pathway. “That’s the way to the main ritual clearing,” she explained.

Now that the locals were good and drunk, a lot of them were far more open in the way they stared at me. A few waved and smiled, but the vast majority regarded me in a wary manner, as if they were afraid of what I might do while I was here.

They really didn’t need to worry about that. They needed to be afraid of what I would do when I wasn’t here.

“You might be the first outsider to see this particular ritual,” Rose said as we joined the procession. The path was lined with flickering torches, casting shadows all over her face.

“What about my mother?” I asked. “Wouldn’t she have seen it?”

“Maybe. I can’t be sure, because I was only four or five when she was here,” she replied. “I don’t remember many specifics from that time. I just remember what it was like to have her here.”

My lips tightened. “I see.”

“I remember the feeling she gave me so clearly,” Rose went on. She hesitated and tipped her head slightly to one side. “Remember what you said earlier, about your college society feeling like a second family?”

“Yes.”

“I felt that way about Miranda. I remember wishing she would be my second mother,” she said softly. “She was so kind and attentive to me, and I attached myself to her because of that. It’s very hard growing up without a mother.”

“I know,” I said, jaw clenching. A blinding red rage was suddenly pulsing in every cell in my body. Who the fuck did she think she was?

She looked over at me, eyes widening. “Oh. No. I’m so sorry, Sebastian,” she said hurriedly. “I shouldn’t be saying all of this. She was your actual mother, and here I am raving on—”

I lifted a hand and forced a half-smile. “It’s all right. I’m glad you have such fond memories of her.”

Her pretty face fell with relief, though her voice was still tinged with anxiety. “I wish you could have had more memories with her,” she murmured, turning back to face the shadowy path.

The people in front of us stepped away, revealing the massive clearing ahead.

Jesus fucking Christ.

This place was like the Blair Witch movie series on steroids. Huge stick talismans forming humanoid figures hung from the trees that surrounded the space, and carefully stacked piles of rocks sat in various locations across the grass.

A roaring bonfire lay in the middle, with an enormous altar in front. My stomach tightened at the sight. It was just like the altar my mother’s body was found on; stone adorned with deer antlers and animal bones.

“Let’s find a spot close to the fire,” Rose said, gesturing to the center. “That way you can see everything.”

We slowly made our way through the crowd of Alderwood locals. The whole clearing was alive with activity—rhythmic chanting, people dancing around the fire, others drinking and singing—and the atmosphere was electric, charged with anticipation and energy.

A man in an elaborate crimson robe stepped forward, handing each of us a chalice filled with sweet-smelling liquid. I watched as he retrieved a small glass bottle filled with blood and carefully added a drop to each chalice. “For vitality,” he explained.

Rose looked at me, eyes glimmering in the firelight. “You don’t have to drink it,” she said softly. But I knew it was a test, a way to prove myself to her and the rest of the Covenant.

Without hesitation, I raised the chalice to my lips and drank deeply. The liquid was sweet and warm, tinged with a metallic hint from the blood. I swallowed, feeling the eyes of the gathered crowd on me.

Rose gave me an approving look, her smile one of genuine satisfaction. The others observing us turned away, looking equally satisfied, and the robed man swept over to another group to offer them a drop of blood for their drinks.

The music and chanting swelled around us, and for a moment, I felt as if I were trapped in a fever dream. The firelight danced in Rose’s doe eyes as she took my hand again, leading me toward a series of log seats near the bonfire.

Augustus stood by the altar, along with several other men in hooded robes. When he spotted us, he smiled and dipped his chin in a brief nod.

“When does the ritual start?” I asked, looking at Rose.

“Soon.” She looked up at the sky. “He should arrive in a few minutes.”

Just as she predicted, a teenage boy in a white linen shirt and black trousers stepped up to the altar three minutes later. The music stopped, and the people in the clearing fell silent.

Augustus and the other elders greeted the boy. Then they lifted their hands, palms turned upward to the dark sky. A ritual chant went up, filling the space with a low hum until Augustus’s voice sliced through the night once more.

“Welcome, everyone,” he boomed. “Tonight, we observe Thomas Dubois’s proving ritual to determine his fitness in becoming a healer. If he is successful, he will be sent to prove himself further in the outside world.”

“And if he’s not successful?” I muttered, leaning toward Rose.

She raised her brows. “You’ll see,” she whispered.

The crowd around us slowly parted, revealing a man in brown clothing. In his arms, he held a hissing snake, its black scales glinting in the firelight. He stepped forward, the snake coiling and uncoiling with each movement, and began to chant in a low, rhythmic voice. The crowd fell silent once more, and an eerie stillness settled over the clearing.

Thomas Dubois’s face had gone pale, but he stood with his shoulders straight and chin lifted high. The snake-handler slowly stepped closer, holding the snake right out to the boy’s chest.

“What the fuck?” I looked at Rose again. “Is it venomous?”

“Extremely,” she replied calmly. “If it strikes him, he will perish. But if he is worthy, the snake will leave him alone.”

“How does that prove his worthiness?” I asked. “Isn’t it just luck if the snake strikes him or not?”

A beatific smile lit her face. “What is luck if not divine providence from the Entity?”

I turned my attention back to the strange ceremony. The snake’s forked tongue darted out, tasting the air by Thomas’s face. Then it lowered its head and coiled around the handler’s arm, seemingly uninterested in biting the boy.

“Thomas is worthy,” Augustus called out. “Praise the Entity!”

A great cheer arose from the crowd, along with a repeated cry. “Praise the Entity!”

With that, the elders patted Thomas on the back and released him to the masses. Two adults rushed forward to embrace him—presumably his parents—and the three of them quickly disappeared into the crowd.

All around us, people were suddenly undressing and falling all over themselves, kissing and groping and moaning. I turned to the right, forehead wrinkling, to see multiple couples already going at it on the grass like wild animals, fucking in every position imaginable.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked, fascinated.

Rose rubbed her forehead and sighed. “This always happens after the rituals,” she explained. “It promotes bonding and fertility.”

She looked embarrassed, cheeks flushing and eyes focusing downward. I turned my full attention back to her, acting as if I no longer noticed or cared about the massive orgy unfolding around us.

I needed her to think I only had eyes for her. That I’d come here just for her, like the Entity had supposedly informed her of during her so-called visions. And truthfully, I did only have eyes for her. The people around us were entertaining for sure, but they didn’t turn me on. Only Rose turned me on right now, with those innocent eyes and big pink lips that she couldn’t stop biting. I couldn’t wait to bite them myself.

“This Entity of yours,” I said, turning back to her. “Is he actually male? Or do you just say ‘he’ to make it easier to discuss?”

“The latter,” she replied. “In truth, the Entity is neither male nor female. As I told you, we are all equal here, so it wouldn’t make sense for our god to be male.”

“But you still can’t go to college, can you?”

She laughed softly. “We already discussed this, Sebastian.”

“I know. I’m just teasing you,” I said, flashing her a small, playful smile. “As a woman, you’re too important.”

“That’s right.”

“Tell me more about this celestial virgin stuff,” I went on. “What’s so significant about being a virgin?”

“Many things,” she said. “Firstly, our blood is important for many rituals. For example, the lifeblood everyone imbibed tonight. I added some to it earlier today, and so did the other celestial virgins. Everyone knows our blood is pure and safe, so it is the best for vitality.”

I stared at her, brows furrowing. “I thought that was animal blood.”

“No, of course not. You drank from me and all the other virgins.” She raised a brow and tilted her head, telegraphing her concern. “Does that bother you?”

Jesus fuck, these people are insane.

“It’s a little strange to me, but nothing I can’t handle,” I said. “Your father told me you’re one of the most important celestial virgins. Is that true?”

Rose nodded. “I was granted the status when my mother died giving birth to me on the night of a blood moon.”

“I take it that’s significant in the Covenant doctrines.”

“Yes. It means I was destined for the Tetrad ritual,” she said. “Do you know what a tetrad is?”

“Er…” I frowned, rubbing my jaw. “Don’t think so.”

“You know what a blood moon is, don’t you? A total lunar eclipse?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Usually, there are only one or two blood moons per year. But, on extremely rare occasions, something called a tetrad can occur. This means there will be four consecutive blood moons in a singular year. It can be predicted by astronomers, including our own.”

“How rare are we talking?”

“Every few hundred years,” Rose said. “You’ve actually arrived at a very important time for us, because the tetrad is happening as we speak.”

I glanced up at the sky. “It is?”

“Yes. We’ve had two consecutive blood moons over the last two months. The third is happening in a week, and the final one is four weeks after that.”

“So you’ve already completed your ritual, then?” I asked, tipping my head.

“No. There are four Blood Moon idols altogether, and I was the last to be born, so my ritual will take place during the final blood moon,” she replied. “The first woman, who completed her ritual seven weeks ago, was ninety-two years old. The second, forty-seven. Next week’s is thirty-two.”

“Ninety-two. Wow,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I guess it’s quite rare for a woman to die in childbirth. Even rarer for it to happen during an eclipse.”

“Exactly.”

“What about the other celestial virgins? The ones of lesser importance?” I asked. “Do they come from women who died in childbirth when there wasn’t an eclipse happening?”

Rose nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

“So what happens during this tetrad ritual? Can I watch?”

She shook her head. “It is sacred. No outsiders may attend.”

“Can you tell me what happens, at least?”

“I can briefly describe it for you,” she said, raising her chin. “The whole town gathers at the Red Rocks, and the virgin submits herself to the Entity there. It is a truly wondrous experience. I cannot wait for my own.”

I noticed she suddenly looked horny as fuck, eyes gleaming with anticipation and lips slightly parted. It was no wonder. She was twenty-four and had to see the other Covenant members fucking all the time, never getting a single piece to herself. That would drive anyone up the wall.

“What exactly happens when you submit to the Entity?” I asked, wildly curious.

“Well, it is extremely effective at keeping the Darkness at bay. Once the tetrad rituals are complete, it will be pushed even farther back into the cave where it lurks, and it will have much less of a chance to escape.”

“Sorry, I meant… what do you do during the ritual? What exactly does submission mean?”

“All I can tell you is that we submit… physically.” Rose pressed her lips together. “I cannot say more. As I said, it is a sacred ritual.”

Given the comment about the physical aspect, along with the lusty glimmer in her eyes, I had a feeling all these virgins were likely ‘submitted’ to various men during these rituals. But she clearly wasn’t going to be forthcoming about it, and neither was anyone else in this place. I’d have to find out for myself.

I made a mental note of the ‘Red Rocks’ Rose had mentioned. Later, when I had internet access again, I needed to research the geology of this area. If I could find locations where red sediment existed around here, I might be able to pinpoint the exact position of the ritual spot.

Rose looked over at a couple going at it doggy style. Her brows pulled downward, and she bit her lip and snapped her gaze away again, one hand roughly pinching at the tender underside of her arm. Clearly, she was trying and failing to stop the onslaught of sexual feelings inside her. She wanted to be fucked so badly, but she wasn’t allowed, and it was killing her.

A charge of excitement zipped through my blood, my dick twitching again. The thought of her fighting her horniness all the time in her attempt to retain her society’s twisted notion of purity was driving me insane. I would be the one who made her finally give up that fight, and I couldn’t fucking wait.

I stood and offered her a hand. “I can walk you home, if you like.”

“You want to leave?”

“Yeah. I’m kinda tired.”

She smiled faintly. “All right.”

No one seemed to notice us leaving together. They were all too busy, either fucking or watching all the fucking.

Our walk back to town was perfectly chaste. Right up until the moment we arrived at the Trudeau’s front door, and Rose turned to look up at me, eyes wide and mouth slightly open as her gaze came to rest on my lips. Christ, she was the perfect blend of innocent and sexy. So sweet yet so tempting.

I reached out, gently cupping her jaw in one hand. “Has anyone ever kissed you, Rose?” I asked, eyes lingering on her plump lips.

“No,” she said breathlessly. “Except…”

“Except?” I arched a brow and slightly tilted my head, goading her to continue.

“Sometimes in my dreams,” she murmured.

“You’ve dreamed of me, haven’t you? Since you had your vision?”

She gulped and nodded. “Yes.”

“You want me to kiss you,” I said in a low voice. “Don’t you?”

Usually, I wouldn’t ask. I’d just push the woman I wanted up against the closest wall, grab her jaw, and go in for a hard kiss, knowing she wouldn’t say no to me. They never did. But Rose was different, so she had to be approached differently. Carefully.

“I…” She swallowed audibly and abruptly pulled away. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Please… don’t be offended. I find you attractive. Very attractive,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “But I must remain pure. My ritual is in five weeks. I cannot give it all up now. I’ve waited so long.”

“It’s just one kiss, Rose,” I murmured, taking a step closer. “That’s okay, isn’t it?”

She vehemently shook her head, eyes suddenly filled with panic. “No. Not for me,” she said in a slightly strangled tone. Her chest was heaving now, as if she could barely stand to bite out that ‘no’. “Maybe for the other virgins. But never me.”

“Why?”

“Technically, it’s not against the rules, but…” She bit her bottom lip and averted her eyes. “I know it can cause temptation to go further. I don’t want to risk that.”

Jesus. She had it bad. So bad she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop if she started.

“That makes sense,” I said. I cocked my head and went on, lips curving into a faint smile. “But what about your mind? Can you use that with me?”

“My mind? What do you mean?”

“What if I never touched a single hair on your head?” I asked, brows rising. “What if I simply spoke to you in a way that made you feel good? That would be okay, wouldn’t it?”

Rose pressed her lips together, spine going rigid. “I… I don’t understand,” she murmured. “I’m sorry, Sebastian. I have to go now.”

With that, she turned and fled.

Fuck.