Текст книги "Berries and Greed"

Автор книги: Lily Mayne

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 33 страниц)

Chapter Five

Beryl

The demiurgus was staring down at me, frozen in place, when I reached them. My mouth started twisting into another scowl, but I smoothed it out because the high priest was gazing at me with streaming eyes.

“Beryl, my dear.” He reached out and clasped my hand with wizened old fingers that trembled. “Today, the rest of your life begins. You are to be transcended.” Letting out a shaky breath, he squeezed my hand and said, “Turn to face your new mate. Let him see his chosen.”

Everyone was staring at us. The courtyard was utterly silent. Gritting my teeth, I slowly turned to face the demiurgus directly, tilting my head up—and up—to look him in the eye.

He had to be about seven feet tall, and seeing as I was five foot five at a push, my neck was craned right back. He was staring down at me in quiet alarm, and his yellow eyes with their oval pupils were darting over my face. I was beyond relieved when his gaze didn’t turn all heavy and lusty.

Frankly, he looked terrified of me.

As the high priest turned to murmur to his entourage, I took the opportunity to glare up at him. A scathing, warning look. You put a single fingertip on me, buddy, and I’ll rip your balls off.

My pulse leapt when his eyes flared. His throat bobbed with a swallow. Neither of us had said a word, but after casting a sheepish look around, he cleared his throat and parted his lips hesitantly, revealing sharp yellowish-white teeth.

“Uh… Hi.” His voice cracked. The little thorns around his hairline twitched, and the frondy tips of his ears fluttered as he cleared his throat again. “Hi,” he repeated in a steadier voice, though it was thick with apprehension.

Before I could say anything back, the high priest turned and gently gripped my arm. “Now, Beryl, as is right, we give you the opportunity to reject the Greater’s claim.”

Everyone laughed like the mere idea was hilarious.

“You can accept him here and now, and we can begin the process”—the high priest squeezed my arm—“or you can request some time alone to get to know each other first.”

Fuckety fuck fuck. I resisted the urge to glance back at my aunt, to see what she was thinking. If I said no straight away, what would happen? To me? To Violet? Would they start to suspect us? Would they kick us out? It wasn’t like it would be the end of the world if they did. I earned a small salary working on the vineyard, although I tended to… kind of spend it all on stuff I wanted every month, like fancy skincare, shampoo and snacks. It wasn’t like I had to pay bills.

Violet earned a proper salary, but I didn’t know how much she had saved. It wasn’t like it would be a lifetime’s worth anyway. How would we find other jobs when our only experience was ‘training to be a demiurgus’s sex pet’? I supposed Violet had office management experience, but she was nearing retirement age and, well, everyone in the city thought we were weird anyway. Who would hire us?

Maybe if I asked to spend time alone with the demiurgus first, I could come up with a legitimate reason to reject him.

My blood whooshed through my ears. My medical record.

I’d brought up my vaginismus at every single health check, and I always refused to attempt treatment for it for a few reasons. One: I didn’t think it was something that necessarily needed “fixing”, seeing as I wasn’t at all interested in being penetrated anyway, and there was more to life than having a dick shoved in you, despite what some of The Order’s members thought. Two: I preferred oral sex.

And now three: it was going to keep me safe. Surely once he saw my records, once he realised he wouldn’t be able to fuck me, he’d change his mind. And then I wouldn’t have to do anything. We’d be safe and it wouldn’t be my fault.

Besides… I was pretty sure it’d take even less than that for him to change his mind. I had no idea what had caused him to declare that he “wanted me”, but he looked like he was seriously regretting it now. Which actually made me feel a little better. I didn’t know why he’d come here, but I got the feeling this wasn’t the intended outcome. He was wildly out of his depth.

Taking a breath, I gritted my teeth and managed to give the high priest some semblance of a smile. “I’d like some time alone together first.”

Some of the entourage behind him guffawed, like they thought I wanted to take this dude for a test-run in the dark, creepy suite of rooms they kept immaculately prepared for the arrival of a Greater.

I ignored them, turning to follow as they all began walking back to those big, imposing black doors. The demiurgus walked in silence beside me, but I heard him gulp. It would have been comical if this situation wasn’t so fucking weird.

I’d been planning to ream him out the moment we were alone, telling him he was a creepy perv who could just go and find a life partner in a normal way, like normal people, not come here to select one from a group of worryingly adoring and obedient humans. But even though he looked as apprehensive as I was, I didn’t know him. I didn’t know what he’d do if I made it clear I didn’t actually subscribe to the demiurgus-higher-being-sex-god bullshit they believed here. I didn’t know what he’d repeat to the high priest.

My medical record was going to be my saviour, just as I’d always planned if this near-impossible situation ever occurred. As we reached the big doors and two cult members stepped forward to heave them open, I asked, “When will the dem—When will the Greater see my medical files?”

“Oh, not until you have consented to the claiming, my dear.” The high priest patted my arm in what was probably supposed to be a reassuring way. “Your consent allows us to share your private information.”

Darting a look at the demiurgus, I said, “Well, I consent to it now. The medical record, I mean,” I added quickly with a stab of terror.

The high priest stopped as we stepped into the hall and turned to face me. His milky eyes creased as his wispy brows drew into a frown. “My dear, is there something wrong? You are healthy. All of my flock are healthy, I assure you,” he added in a rush, directing it at the silent demiurgus. “They eat well and exercise every day. They are given regular health check-ups.”

The demiurgus just let out a strangled sound.

“Don’t worry, my dear,” the high priest whispered to me in a conspiratorial tone as we made our way down the hall, his arm tucked through mine. “He is already besotted. You can see it in his eyes.”

Could you? I side-eyed the demiurgus, and he quickly looked over at me, his face filled with dread. We shared a brief, meaningful look that told me he also had no idea how to handle this. It relaxed me somewhat. Maybe it was too risky to chew him out, but we could calmly talk about why this was a monumentally terrible idea.

Or maybe if he did seem interested in the slightest once we were alone, I could act all coy and ashamed when I told him, No, I’m sorry Mr Greater Being, I’m afraid you can’t stick your giant ethereal penis inside my vagina. Oh, I’m so distraught that I won’t get to experience it. What use am I if I can’t have your big, awe-inspiring cock tunnelling through my insides?

Even if I did subscribe to the cult’s beliefs, I was pretty sure I’d be a terrible partner to a demiurgus. They were known to be dominant and overbearing, rumoured to be a little bit feral during sex. The exact opposite of what I was interested in, both in and out of the bedroom. I wasn’t good at letting people tell me what to do, and nothing turned me off faster than someone trying to take the lead in bed.

Essentially, I was one hundred percent wrong for a demiurgus. Now I just had to convince him of that, without giving away the long con my aunt and I had been playing at this place.

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Chapter Six

Beryl

The heavy door closed behind us with a resounding thud, leaving us alone in the weird black bedroom with its enormous bed covered in satin sheets. I eyed it and then him, wondering if he was into that. I hated satin sheets. Beds were supposed to be cosy and warm, not feel like a slip-n-slide.

Neither of us spoke at first, and in the silence I ran through my list of options if he suddenly lunged at me. Demiurgus weren’t known for being violent in that way, but still. He was just some guy. With a tail and claws and frondy ears.

At least living in this cult and having to study the demiurgus meant I knew all their weak points, which were not too dissimilar to a human’s. Groin, eyes and throat. The eyes… well, I’d have trouble reaching those in a rush. But the groin? That was nice and accessible for a well-placed haymaker.

The demiurgus suddenly moved in a rush, making me tense up, but he didn’t come near me. He strode further away, toward another set of double doors, practically tripping over his own long legs to get there.

“Let’s… uh, let’s talk in here.” He pulled them open with ease, revealing an equally dark and dreary sitting room. I immediately followed, wanting to get away from the bed in case he got any ideas.

Neither of us made a move to sit, instead hovering awkwardly by the couches. His shoulders rose in a great, silent sigh before he turned to face me.

“I, uh… Beryl, right?”

“Yes.”

When I said nothing else, he coughed awkwardly and held out his hand, then dropped it as his ears twitched. “I’m Greid.”

“Okay,” I said blandly, not particularly interested. “Look, I don’t—”

“I don’t really want to mate you,” he blurted, the frondy tips of his ears fluttering so rapidly I heard them brushing against his black hair. “I don’t know why I said that. I didn’t come here for…” He stopped and rubbed his face with a long-fingered hand as I exhaled a relieved breath.

“Okay, that’s good,” I said cautiously. His hand immediately dropped, dark features twisting with a hint of offence.

“I thought—” He looked at me and away again. “It seems like that’s what you all… want.”

“Not me,” I muttered before I could stop myself, then went stiff when his head cocked, eyes flaring with intrigue. Like I was a puzzle he suddenly wanted to solve. The gesture reminded me of a curious animal, which in turn promptly reminded me that I was speaking to a non-human person. I’d rarely spoken to demiurgus before—rarely interacted with them. They were still kind of a mystery to me, despite how much I knew about them thanks to the cult.

“Why not?” he asked with definite interest, his voice more animated than I’d yet heard it.

Oops. Did they have cameras in here? I tried to look around furtively. Was the high priest eagerly watching our interaction, hands clasped under his chin like he was witnessing a romance for the ages?

I didn’t want to risk it, so I decided to ignore the question and take a different route. “Look, you don’t want me to be your mate.”

He took a step back, shaking his head. “I already told you, I didn’t come here for that.”

“Why did you come here then?” I could admit I was intrigued. I’d been here for twenty-five years, and he was the first demiurgus to ever set foot through the front doors in all that time.

Cue more wild ear twitching, as well as those spikes fluttering along his hairline. I was starting to realise they were his nervous tell. It’s not kind of cute. No, definitely not.

“Just… to look around,” he mumbled, not meeting my gaze.

“Bullshit.” His yellow eyes snapped back to me and widened, so I continued, “We both know that’s bullshit, pal. You’re the worst liar I’ve ever seen.”

And I should know—I’d been lying for more than half my life.

His nostrils flared, but he didn’t necessarily look angry. “You’ve talked to me for about five fucking minutes. How would you know?”

“Just trust me.” I crossed my arms and raised my chin, although, it was already raised pretty high so I could actually look at him. “Tell me why you really came here. If it wasn’t to select an ‘eager and willing bedmate’.”

“I—” He crossed his arms, then uncrossed them, then squirmed with a groan. “Alright, fine. I came here to see if… I just wanted a… companion. Not a bedmate,” he added in a rush. “Not for sex. But when I got here, this place creeped me the fuck out. It’s creepy as shit. All those statues and the weird pictures of… I mean, what the fuck?”

I heard myself snort with humour. “Tell me about it.”

That made him focus on me intently again, eyes darting over my face. “You were the only one out there who wasn’t staring at me like…” He shuddered. “Like you wanted to tear my clothes off and worship my—” Cutting himself off with an awkward cough, he looked at me again and asked, “What’s your deal?”

“What?” I straightened and glanced around nervously again. “I don’t have a deal. I’m not—”

“I’m pretty sure there aren’t cameras in here,” he told me. “I’d be able to hear them. Electronics are so loud. So tell me. I told you, even though my thing is surely way more pathetic.” His eyes narrowed just a little. “Why are you even here? If you’re not… interested in my kind the way the others are?”

I pressed my lips into a grim line as I stared up at him in silence. I was a pretty good judge of character, and my gut was telling me I could trust him. He seemed… fairly guileless, to be honest. A little sheltered, maybe?

And okay, yeah, I was kind of softening just a touch at his confession that he’d come here looking for a simple companion. Was he lonely? Why didn’t he hang out with other demiurgus?

“I won’t say anything,” he murmured to me, his inhuman face open and honest. “To that weird old man or any of the others. Anyone.”

I snorted at his apt description of the high priest. The high priest was a weird old man. And… shit, after twenty-five years here, I really, really wanted to vent to someone about how odd this whole place was. I wanted to talk about how wild it was that all these people were dedicating their lives to the dream of one day getting banged by a demiurgus. I knew Violet agreed with me, but there weren’t many places to be truly alone here, and it was too risky for us to talk about it often.

Judging by what Greid had just said, he found it as strange as I did. The idea of talking to an actual demiurgus about it all was really tempting.

And for some reason, I wanted him to know that I didn’t subscribe to any of it. That I wasn’t a mindless follower of the cult. That I did not believe he was some ethereal sex wizard.

Even though… he did kind of look like one, with his fancy suit and long black hair and sharp, angular features. I could grudgingly admit it—only to myself, and never, ever to anyone else. Especially him.

“Okay, so…” I took a step closer to him and kept my voice hushed, just in case the high priest had his ear pressed to the door. Not that his hearing was that great. “My aunt is the general manager here, but she doesn’t believe in any of it either. I came here to live with her after my dad abandoned me when I was ten, so I grew up here. But I’m not really a follower. Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not interested in your big demiurgus dick.”

His ears fluttered wildly. “I’m—I don’t—”

“I could’ve left when I turned eighteen,” I continued with a shrug. “But I just… didn’t. I like it here well enough, aside from all the sex cult stuff. And, I mean, it’s not like I’d be able to go and get a normal job and afford my own place. Who’s gonna hire me? I’m thirty-five. I’ve spent most of my life living in this place, and my only job has been tending to the vineyards.”

“Vineyards?”

“We make wine here. Including nightberry wine for demiurgus.”

“You make nightberry wine?” He perked up. “Is it any good?”

“You tell me,” I said flatly. “I don’t drink it, but we supply basically everywhere in the city. People like locally sourced products.”

“Oh.” He fidgeted a little. “It’s good. I, uh, I drink it… sometimes.”

A smile finally cracked my face. “Bet you’re gonna be drinking a whole lot of it tonight after the shitshow of today, huh?”

“Yes, I fucking am,” he grumbled, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I don’t know how the fuck I got myself into this mess. The moment I get home I’m opening a bottle and smoking a whole bunch of shade.”

“Shade?” I asked curiously.

“It’s similar to the weed humans smoke.” He shrugged. “Gets you loose. Makes you hungry.”

I chuckled, feeling way more relaxed now than I had been in the courtyard. “Sounds fun.”

“Humans can smoke shade.” He glanced at me. “Haven’t you tried it? I know lots of humans like it.”

“No, I’ve never… We’re not allowed to do that kind of stuff here. Not even allowed to drink.” I gestured at myself with a sardonic smile. “We’re supposed to keep ourselves in tiptop condition for the mighty Greater Beings, remember?”

His eyes darted down my frame, and his ears fluttered again. “So you’ve never even gotten drunk?” he asked incredulously, then shifted. “Not that people have to drink, but… you make wine for a living.”

“Nah. I’ve considered it when I’ve gone into the city before, but it’s not worth the risk. They’d be able to tell when I got back. Plus, we’re only allowed into the city in pairs or more, and none of the others would ever dream of breaking the rules.”

He grunted. “This place sounds fucking boring. Why didn’t you leave when you were old enough?”

I felt heat flood my face, and saw his gaze dart briefly to my pink cheeks. “I, uh… I don’t know. I guess I was just comfortable here. I’m a creature of habit, and it’s basically all I’ve ever known. Plus, my aunt is here. She’s my only family.”

He nodded in understanding, but he was eyeing me curiously now. “So you don’t ever want to leave? You’re going to stay here forever surrounded by people who dream of…” His face spikes twitched. “You know.”

“Fucking a demiurgus?” I said dryly, just to see his ears flutter.

“Well.” He coughed. “I can’t speak for the humans interested in demiurgus with female anatomy, but… trust me. If any of them ever actually saw a demiurgus cock, they would not be so eager.”

“What?” Before I could stop it, my gaze darted down to his crotch. “Why?”

“Because we’re… It’s—” He shifted uncomfortably. “Just… We wouldn’t fit.”

After a pause, I snorted and rolled my eyes. “You know, people who brag about their dick size are generally overcompensating for something.”

He shot me an embarrassed glare. “I didn’t mean size, although that’s… I was referring to other things. Just trust me. A human would not want a demiurgus cock inside them.”

I was ridiculously intrigued, but it was inappropriate to ask him to keep talking about his dick. Instead, I let out a breath and said, “Okay, so… I guess we’re on the same page? Unless… I mean, if you did still want a… companion, you’re gonna struggle to find one out there who won’t try to climb into your lap the moment you’re alone.”

He cringed, casting a nervous glance at the doors. “God, so fucking creepy. Are they all… brainwashed?”

“I mean, it’s a cult, so”—I shrugged—“I guess as much as any other cult.”

Focusing on me again, he cocked his head. “You never answered me. Are you really going to spend the rest of your life here?”

I flushed defensively, glaring at him even though I suddenly wanted to wrap my arms around myself for protection. “What’s it to you?”

He held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Hey, you can do what you want. Doesn’t make a difference to me. It just… This seems like a shitty place to be if you’re not into it.”

My shoulders unclenched a little as I chuckled. “I mean, yeah. It’s weird, but like I said, how would I find somewhere to live? How would I find a job when my only experience is…” I gestured around us. “This?”

“Don’t you get paid for working on the vineyards? Couldn’t you save up for a while?”

I shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, I get paid, but I don’t have any savings. And I… I mean, I guess I could start saving for a deposit on a place. But that doesn’t solve the job thing.”

“Why are you so sure nowhere would hire you?”

I gave him a flat look. “Because the whole city thinks we’re weirdos, right?”

He made a face. “Well… yeah.”

“Besides, I…” I wasn’t sure why I was admitting this, but he was surprisingly easy to talk to, given we’d just met. “It’s kind of scary. The thought of it. Going out there on my own and being totally alone. I’m not a true member of the cult, but at least here there’s always people around. Everyone pitching in and helping.”

“Yeah, ’cause it’s a weird-ass sex commune,” he muttered, which made me shoot him a wry smile. “So you don’t like the thought of being on your own?”

“I…” Shifting again, I let out a slow breath. “I guess not. I was alone a lot when I was a kid, before my dad dumped me here and left. And then I was the only child here. It was…”

“Fucked up,” he supplied, making me smile again.

“Yeah. Pretty fucked up, thinking about it. So, I guess I’m just a giant wimp.”

“You’re not a wimp,” he said immediately. “You just had a bad start in life. It makes sense you’d want to hold on to what feels safe and comfortable to you. But you seem… You’re… I don’t know.” His shoulders rose in a shy little shrug. “You seem pretty self-assured. Confident.”

That made me grin at him. “Thanks.”

His yellow eyes darted down to my mouth and away, ears fluttering as he shifted nervously.

“You know…” Flustered, he shot me another quick look. “If you did want to leave, experience the real world, we could… You could…”

“I’m not becoming your human sex toy,” I told him flatly, which made him glare at me.

“I told you I didn’t come here for that.”

That made me feel a little bad, because he had told me that. And I believed him. He’d come here for a… companion. Which surely meant he was lonely.

“Sorry,” I said gruffly. “I know. What… what were you going to say?”

And why did I suddenly want to hear it? Why was my belly filling with excited nerves? Talking to him about all this—talking to someone about it properly for the first time in my life—had made me feel… restless.

I imagined him telling the high priest he’d changed his mind and leaving, never coming back. I imagined going back to my nice, airy room, getting into my big bed and waking up tomorrow to work on the vineyards with the same people I’d spent every single day with for years. And I imagined doing it again the next day. And the next. For the rest of my life.

Greid cleared his throat, fiddling with his suit cuff. “Well, I did come here for a roommate or whatever, and you’re the only one who doesn’t creep me the fuck out. If you’re interested, I… You could try it out. See how you like the world outside.”

My lips twitched. I crossed my arms and shot him a suspicious look. “What exactly would being your ‘roommate or whatever’ entail?”

“Not sex,” he said immediately. “That wasn’t what… It would just mean living with me. But my house is pretty big. You’d have your own room, obviously. We’d just…” He shrugged shyly. “I don’t know. Hang out sometimes. Watch TV and smoke some shade, if you’re interested in trying it. Maybe eat together every now and then.”

Damn him. My unfeeling heart was softening. He was clearly lonely and just wanted some company. And what he was offering me… A safe, secure way to experience the world without the stress of immediately having to find a job or somewhere to live.

A legitimate way out of here with none of the worry.

My gut clenched with nerves. What if I hated it, though? What if I couldn’t handle the total culture shock? I’d always told myself I stayed here purely because it was easy, because I was successfully duping everyone for a comfortable life, but now that I was faced with the actual prospect of living outside of this place, I felt… scared. Greid had told me I wasn’t a wimp, but… I felt like one.

The outside world seemed utterly terrifying, now that it was within reach.

“If you hate it, you could come back,” Greid told me, as if he knew what I was thinking. It made me feel painfully exposed, like all my insecurities were written on my skin. “I’d make something up about how it was my fault and you were the perfect mate but I couldn’t keep you.” He snorted, then gave me a pointed look. “I can be a good liar when I need to be.”

I highly doubted that, but I didn’t say anything as my lips curved into a tiny smile. Not that it would matter anyway—Greid could saunter into the compound and tell everyone that he ejaculated dark matter and shat tennis balls, and they’d all lap it up and believe every word without question.

“So… I’d just be, like, your roommate?” I asked cautiously. “Or would I be more like a kept woman, waiting around the house for you to come home?”

He grimaced. “Definitely fucking not. I could help you find a job, if you wanted. And anyway, I work from home.”

For the first time, he shot me a tentative grin. It revealed all his sharp, yellowish-white teeth and made those smile lines crack open wider, as if he could unhinge his lower jaw and have his smile stretch all the way to the sides of his face.

I couldn’t help it—I smiled back. “What do you do? For work, I mean.”

“I make jewellery.”

I felt my eyes spark with interest. “Really? Cool.”

Suddenly, my mind was whirling with all the different things out there. All the different jobs and hobbies and lifestyles. Did I even know what I wanted to do for a job, if I could do anything? I hadn’t ever really thought about it, but now, the prospect of tending to vineyards and making wine for the rest of my life seemed really unappealing.

Now, the thought of watching Greid—my unexpected shot at true freedom—leave alone and going back to the only life I’d ever experienced made me queasy. This was my chance. To be brave, but not so recklessly brave that I left with only the clothes on my back and the desperate hope that I wouldn’t end up homeless and destitute. To experience something new for the first time. To actually live.

Greid stayed silent as my mind churned, waiting for me to make my decision. The dark room had felt creepy before, but now it was kind of soothing, like a peaceful void that allowed me to truly think and come to a firm decision.

“Okay,” I croaked, my fingers twitching with an intense rush of nerves. “Let’s… We could try it.”

Greid’s breath caught, his face spikes fluttering, but he tempered his endearing reaction to give me a sly grin. “See if we don’t want to kill each other within a week.”

I laughed, some of the anxious tension melting away. After a hesitation, I held out my hand to shake on it. “Can we get high and watch shitty TV? We only get a few channels here and they all suck, but not in the good way.”

“You just described my typical evening, so yes. We can definitely do that.” Greid’s fingers flexed before he gently grasped my outstretched hand. His engulfed mine entirely, his fingers impossibly long and topped with those little jewel-green claws.

His skin was warm and dry, and felt slightly tougher than mine. I wondered what his other form looked like—his true form. No two demiurgus looked exactly alike, same as humans.

The enormity of what I’d just agreed to hit me in a rush, but instead of feeling terrified, a bolt of excitement fizzed in my gut. I grinned up at Greid, and after a second he grinned back, and we stood there looking at each other like we were partners in crime who’d just concocted our next heist.

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