Page 12 of Ceremony of Lust

I laugh. “Tell me, who could be worse than me?”

“Chief Elder Huxley.”

I nod my head. “Yes, I agree with you there. Anyone else?”

“Can’t think of anyone,” she replies sharply.

I step toward her, waiting for her to back away, but she doesn’t, which both surprises me and makes my chest swell with pride. Instead, she remains completely still. Most people are eager to get away from me but not Yael. She’s either brave or extremely naïve.

My hand slides around her waist, resting on the slight curve of her hip. I bend my head slightly and inhale her fresh, clean scent. So young and innocent. An unfamiliar warmth spreads through my chest and travels the length of my body. I desperately want to step away from her, but something about her holds me there, tugging me toward her inch by inch.

“You’re not afraid of me?” I whisper.

She breathes deeply to mask the tremble of her body, but I can feel it. I can see it. She exhales and her lips form a hard line. “No,” she says at last.

“Liar. You should always be afraid of the big bad wolf.”

I release her and leave the room, finally breaking the spell she’s cast over me. I can tell she’s already erecting walls, trying to fortify her defenses, but I’ll knock every one of them down because now that I’ve felt the curve of her beneath my hand and inhaled her sweet innocence, I want all of her. Her light is the perfect match to my darkness.

When I arrive home, there’s already a jeweler waiting for me.

“Congratulations, son,” my father greets me as I enter the house. “The last one to be married! Finally!”

There is too much laughter in his voice, and I notice the cut crystal tumbler on the dining room table.

The jeweler stands to greet me, but there’s no need for introductions. He’s the family’s preferred jeweler, and I know him by name. “It’s good to see you, George.”

“You, too,” he says with a slight bow of his head. “I am pleased to see you finally matched.”

I smile and scan the black velvet trays dotted with glittering diamond rings. Tonight, I noticed Yael wearing a ruby ring on her right hand, no doubt a family heirloom.

“Gold band,” I say, and George immediately removes a few trays. I scan what is left, picking up a ring to inspect it before setting it back down.

Yael is feisty. I can already tell she isn’t like most girls raised in Ripley and will not be the typical cookie-cutter wife. From the corner of my eye, I see a flash of brilliant red.

“What’s this, George?” I pluck the ring from its bed of soft velvet and examine it. It’s simple yet complex.

“A very unusual choice.” George proceeds to explain the specifics, but I drown him out. The center stone is round, much like the diamonds on her ruby ring, and is surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds and an outer halo of round bright red rubies.

“It’s perfect,” I say as I place it in the palm of George’s outstretched hand. “Have it sized and ready for me tomorrow.” George tucks the ring into his pocket and packs up his trays of jewels.

In the corner, my father stands, nursing a glass of bourbon. “She’s too good for you,” he slurs. “You’re too dark. You’ll snuff out all of the light in that girl.”

“Everyone is too good for me now,” I murmur. “The Elders have ruined me. As Mother said, the best I can hope for is some kind of redemption.”

“Redemption, Zev? Your hands are far too dirty from shoveling the Elders’ shit for ten years.”

“What do you want me to do, Father? You refused to help me when I needed it the most.”

“You needed to learn a hard lesson, Zev. You took the freedoms you were given and abused them. Then you shook hands with the devil when the Elders offered you an easy way out.”

My head snaps up. “Easy, Father? Do you think one minute of what I had to do was easy? Far from it. Do you think anything the Elders have asked me to do for them has been easy? I’m beginning to think you cursed me with this name.”

My father takes a few unsteady steps toward me and places his hand firmly on my shoulder. He’s clearly had more than one drink because he reeks of alcohol. “Son, I gave you that name because when you were born, you came howling into this world. You had something to say, and I knew you were destined for greatness. No, Zev, your name is perfect. You have been a lone wolf for so long, but now it’s time for you to be a great wolf.”

“You’re drunk,” I whisper.

My father smiles. “I’m right.” He backs away and looks at me with glassy eyes. “Congratulations, son. You have been matched well.”