We broke the bed. Emphasis on "we," because I could hardly do that alone with furniture of that size. All I can say is what happened next was nothing short of... wild, very wild.
Is it a normal trait for demi-humans to get so turned on during sex that they turn into beasts? Probably, because I discovered an unknown side to women.
While we were making love, I noticed several things about Moriah's body: the way the fine hairs on her neck and arms bristled when I touched a sensitive spot or hit the entrance of her uterus, or even the humming sounds coming from her mouth. She also had a habit of wiggling her antennae and staring at me with glazed eyes for an uncomfortably long time. In the end, somehow I survived.
I'm lying here, with her head resting on my chest, sleeping deeply. Now that all the adrenaline has passed, the muscle pain came worse than a subway running me over back then... It hurts so much it's tempting to spend the whole day here, beside this beauty.
If it weren't for the chance of Count Vandric showing up at any moment, I'd even enjoy a little more time with this moth. At least, my theory is confirmed. Moriah isn't a crazy villain who kills bunnies and bottles men's hearts for her own pleasure, but just a frustrated woman whose husband unfortunately didn't satisfy her desires.
I slowly drag myself out of bed. Is it already night? Damn, I can't believe it.
By now, Vivandir must left, I'll have to figure out how to escape, since the escape plan itself wasn't something I delved too deeply into... Wait, my clothes!
There's nothing left of the cook's uniform, what do I wear back to the palace? I can't go back naked, and I left the purse in my room, damn it! I run to the wardrobe and open it, but only dresses fill the wardrobe, not at all friendly to my masculine taste.
I also have no idea how to adjust them, but hey, it's too late to complain. I grab the least... flashy one, a humble green dress, and put it over my sweaty skin. I try to pull the ties in the back, seeing if it helps in any way.
I look at myself in the mirror.
The dark green dress gives me the air of a repressed governess, the kind who hides a dagger in her garter belt. It's tight, it's hot, and the neckline seems designed to display my entire chest as if it were a fair trophy.
I try to pull the fabric up, it went down more. I pull it down, the lining went up. I give up.
The bed creaks behind me. Did I accidentally wake Moriah? She's grumbling in her sleep, with her semi-open wings dripping with exhaustion and her antennae slowly moving in circles. One of them points in my direction.
What a strange thing, you know, I'd better get out of here.
I carefully search the room, avoiding the shards of the picture frame that fell off the wall during the carnal destruction session. Without decent clothes and with my muscles begging for mercy, I walk into the corridor like a humiliated thief trying to look dignified.
The corridor is dark, there are no servants walking around at this hour, not even the light of a candle appears through the crack of one of the doors. This atmosphere gives me chills, I can never like empty environments like this.
I try to walk on tiptoes, but the hem of the dress keeps catching between my legs. I turn left, coming face to face with a pair of black doors.
This must be it, when the entrance is grand, it means it's the Boss's room!
I press my ear against the wood. There are no footsteps inside, in fact, it's too silent for my liking. If this is the Count's office, then the coast must be clear. I hold my breath and slowly turn the doorknob. Locked.
Damn. I pull a bobby pin from my hair... Wait, since when did I put this bobby pin in my hair? Oh, whatever.
I crouch down, starting to work on the lock with trembling fingers. Sweat trickles down my back, making the dress stick to my skin and suffocate me. For all that is holy, just let me get out of here safely.
I push the door open ever so slowly, only to sigh in relief at finding nothing out of the ordinary. The fireplace is unlit, and everything is in absurd darkness. Fortunately, there's a little moonlight to guide me through the shadows.
The Count's office is overly organized. Symmetrical shelves, a desk with no papers out of place, chairs perfectly aligned with the fireplace, a set of weapons installed on racks on the walls... Let's just say he's a passionate man when it comes to work.
A raven pedestal, right? There's a very scary one staring at me this very instant. In fact, this one looks somewhat similar to Count Vandric's family crest, curious. There must be something underneath or inside... No?
There's nothing. In fact, when I lay the pedestal on its side and look at what would be there, there are only inscriptions and a strange carved square at the bottom. Shaking it too, I realize it's heavy, meaning it shouldn't be hollow, and there's nothing moving inside that I can feel.
I have to be careful not to make a scene here. If I break this thing and scatter a lot of marble dust around, this could easily attract one of the servants and get me caught sticking my nose where it doesn't belong.
There's no point in rummaging through drawers or moving books, if I do that, it's likely to raise the Count's suspicion, and he'll investigate what happened during the days he was away!
But after all, where are the secret files? Ravenna mentioned something secret specifically on the pedestal... I thought it would be right underneath, like a secret button or the person literally leaving a secret compartment, but when I run my fingers over it, theres only the waxed floor.
Calm down. There are inscriptions on the bottom of the pedestal, right? Could it be... Aha! I knew it! The part with the carved square is nothing more than a loose block, which you can pull out.
The question now is: where can I fit it? I scan the surroundings with my little eyes, and in the midst of this darkness, it's extremely difficult to find anything.
I start feeling around every possible corner: the walls behind the fireplace, between the baseboards and the floorboards. Whoa, there's something different here, a recess the size of a palm, with a slightly different texture, it's almost imperceptible, but there's an engraving in the center, just like the one on the cube.
I look at the cube, the cube looks at me, and I look at the hole. The three of us silently and mutually agree, urging me to fit it in.
The cube emits a cloc, followed by a click, then a clack, and finally a clic-clac-clic. The entire block vibrates for a second and opens with a poff. Literally, one of its faces slides open like a secret compartment of a magical artifact.
Finally, I found you, baby. I pull out with trembling fingers. Neatly folded pieces of parchment, sealed with Count Vandric's crest. One letter, in particular, is written in dark red ink, just like... wait, is that blood? Gross, what terrible taste.
I waste no time and open the letter directly, reading it from end to end.
Ugh, ehhh, uuuhhh, damn, how disgusting! This is treason, conspiracy. Big players neck-deep in rotten business! All that's missing is the king's name here too...
I tuck the documents into my waistband, hidden by my hairy, plunging neckline, which now seems useful for smuggling. I'm about to leave when I hear the doorknob turn. Oh no.
I freeze. The door lets out that extremely long and painful creak, just to announce the presence of a naked Moriah, bathed in the pale moonlight streaming through the window.
Her hair is loose, plastered to her skin, her wings semi-extended like a wet demonic cloak. Her eyes... they're wide, dilated, and fixed on me, glowing like a pair of lamps holding flames.
She closes the door behind her without averting her gaze for a second.
"Why did you come here... instead of waiting in bed?"
Her voice is melodic and low, but there's something in its intonation that makes the hairs on my big toe stand on end. She takes another step. A knife appears, sliding from behind her thigh.
"You..."
The blade rises, glorifying her golden eyes hidden in the darkness.
"Are perfect."
She finally cracks a smile.
"Perfect for my experiments, perfect to be cloned as my man. My perfect mate..."
Her mouth trembles, teeth chattering with excitement.
"I'm going to rip out your heart... and keep your essence just for myself, my dear. Only then can I repay you for how much you loved me."
I can't move. I'm fucked! My blood pressure just dropped through the floor, this lunatic is going to kill me now!
She advances, dragging her feet across the carpet and brushing the tip of the blade against her thighs.
I... I flattered this woman. I complimented her eyes, her wings, her body. I stroked her hair, I told her I'd be jealous of her with another man.
My God.
I courted a crazy basement villainess, and now she wants to turn me into her own harem of taxidermied clones!