The Ritual

“Taste yourself,” I order, watching her cum slide down her tongue to the back of her throat. Closing her lips, she swallows, and I press my lips to hers, wanting another taste.

She moans, her tongue meeting mine for a quick kiss before I pull away and she sucks in a breath.

Reaching up, I grab the back of my shirt and rip it up over my head. “Here, you need to wear something while I carry you to the house.”

She lets me help her sit up, and I place my shirt over her head. Now that I know Matt is aware of where we live, I need to make sure she’s never outside uncovered, no matter what time of the day or night it is. This also means I need blackout curtains for all the windows in the living room. Too many opportunities for him to watch her.

He could be sitting outside right now because he knew Cindy was here.

“Fuck!” I hiss. I had forgotten about her.

“What?” Blake asks, her body tensing.

“I’ll take care of it,” I tell her, yanking the shirt down to cover her.

“Of what?” she asks, and then her eyes fall on the dead girl in the room. “I want to help you.”

“Blake …”

“Ryat, let me help you.”

Letting out a sigh, I nod. I can’t leave her here alone anyway. I have to take care of a couple of things tonight. She doesn’t know it, but I’m about to test her again. Only difference is this time I won’t blame her if she doesn’t pass. “Okay. We have to go get my SUV first.”

_______________

I’M DRIVING DOWN the two-lane road, my headlights illuminating what’s ahead when my cell goes off, and I pick it up to check it really quick.

Ready!

Exactly what I wanted to see. I had made a phone call while I had Blake pack a bag for us. We’re not going back to the cabin tonight, possibly not for a while. I exit the text from Gunner and drop it back into my lap. Pulling off the main road, I turn into the open gate.

“What are we doing here?” Blake asks, sitting up straighter.

“Taking care of business,” I say vaguely. She’ll find out soon enough. The cathedral comes into view, and I pull into a parking spot. We’re the only ones here right now. “Come on.” I turn off the SUV.

Getting out, we both go to the back of the vehicle, and I open the hatch. “Take this.” I hand Blake a shovel. Then I grab the body wrapped in plastic and throw it over my shoulder. “You okay?” Looking over at her, I make sure she doesn’t want to bolt or stay here instead of following me.

She nods in answer.

Adjusting the weight on my shoulder, I start walking away from the SUV and to the side of the building. Blake follows me silently around to the back. We pass the spot where I first fucked her after the vow ceremony and keep going. It’s getting darker the farther we get from the cathedral. “Almost there,” I tell her.

Coming up to an old wrought-iron gate, I stop. “Open that, please,” I ask her.

She rushes past me and removes the broken lock and pushes it open, the creaking sound making her flinch, and she quickly looks around as if someone will hear it.

We enter the graveyard, and I walk over to the right, where I know there’s a spot. Dropping the body to the ground, I reach out for the shovel.

Blake hands it to me, not saying a word, and I start digging.

BLAKELY

RYAT GRUNTS, PUSHING the end of the shovel into the ground and then stomps on it, digging a grave. It only took me a second to figure out why we’re here.

Looking out over the graveyard, I see most of the headstones are the same—small with nothing but a first and last name and the dates they were born and died. No beloved father, or loving mother … nothing further mentioned like you usually see. Some are completely blank.

“What is this place?” I ask him.

“An old burial ground,” he answers, shoving the tip in again before tossing the excess dirt to the side.

“Why are we burying her here?” I wonder. “Aren’t you afraid someone will find her?” They use the cathedral for the vow ceremony, but it could be for more things for all I know.

“Lords, chosen ones, and Ladies are buried here ... Well, that’s not the total truth. It’s more complicated than that.” He stops digging and looks up at me. His eyes look a darker shade of green with only the moonlight. Or maybe I’m just seeing them that way because of what I just witnessed him do to Cindy.

“Mostly members who betray their oath, but if a member has to kill someone, they too are buried here. If a member dies of natural causes, then they are buried wherever they want.” He shrugs carelessly, going back to digging. “Or cremated. They get the privilege of choosing before they die.”