Bitten (Book 1 - Book 4) novel Chapter 14

“So what’s on the agenda for today,” Natalia said while they sipped tea on the patio.

The sun kept trying to break through the clouds.

“Might be a good day to go for a ride along the coast. It’s been a rainy summer. We need to enjoy these nice days while we can,” Uri said.

“I haven’t ridden up the coast in a long time. My parents use to take us on trips when I was a kid. There was always this neat restaurant up there.”

“Whoa Dough Bakery.”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Fresh baked bread and my favorite, cinnamon rolls. Is it still there?”

Uri nodded with a smile.

“We’ll drive up there for lunch.”

He finished his tea.

“Mag?”

It was a moment before Mag appeared.

“Yes, sir?”

“We’ll need a thermos of sanguine tea.”

“Yes, sir.”

She turned and left.

“Whoa Dough isn’t Viperian,” Uri said.

“So, no raw meat or sanguine tea?”

He shook his head.

“I like that you cover up every morning,” he said touching his right cheek.

“I want to be in the habit,” she said, not voicing her fear of being spotted in public.

“A good habit,” he said. “You finished? We can head out.”

“Let me hit the bathroom first.”

She chose to go upstairs. When she flushed the toilet, she checked that her cheek was covered. There was no sign of her mark. The liquid skin was so absolute in covering the mark that she not only couldn’t see it, but she couldn’t even feel that she was covering anything up.

Uri was waiting at the foot of the stairs with a thermos.

“You haven’t been in the car, have you?” he said, taking her hand and heading to the garage.

“No, I haven’t.”

Uri hit the opener for the middle door.

“Is there ever anything in the closest stall?”

“Only if there’s a guest. We try not to keep any vehicles outside.”

He opened the car door for her.

The traffic was as heavy as a work day. It took them some time to escape the city limits and to reach the highway that wove along the coast.

“Big clouds, but we’re getting some sun,” Natalia said. “I’m sure I’m quite pale.”

“You have good color. You glow,” he said.

She frowned.

“You glow with the health of a pregnancy,” he said, clarifying, but he chuckled.

“You always know how to make the simplest of comments seem… horrible.”

“Enjoy the view, Nattie.”

Uri seemed to enjoy driving, slowing when there were good views or pulling off if there was too much traffic behind him.

“Everyone’s out today,” she said.

“Nice weather for once. Looks like Whoa Dough is busy,” he said, pulling into the lot.

“Is that Ravi’s limo?”

There was a white limo taking up a huge area.

“Yes. Yes, it is,” Uri said.

She was amazed that he managed to find a parking space. However, she knew they would have a wait. There was a line out the door.

“Let’s take a chance here,” he said under his breath to her, squeezing up to the door, pulling her along.

“We have a table waiting,” he said to the hostess when they slid past her.

Natalia saw his nostrils flare once before he wove around the tables. He seemed to know exactly where Ravi was sitting. He wasn’t alone. There were two older women with him. She suspected they were two of his wives.

“Morning, Ravi,” Uri said when they approached the table. “Such a nice day to be out for a drive.”

“Uri.”

Ravi stood, showing some respect.

“Beah. Nancy. Scoot over. Please, join us.”

“Thank you. I’m sure the restaurant will appreciate us sharing tables. They are very busy. This is my wife, Nattie.”

“Nice to meet you, Nattie,” Ravi said.

He had a clear voice that was a little high pitched.

“These are my wives Beah and Nancy.”

Both women nodded but said nothing. Nattie noted the large amounts of jewelry that both women wore.

“We just ordered,” Ravi said.

A waitress stepped in to give them menus and take a drink order. When their drinks came, they were ready to order.

“Cinnamon roll to go, and the ham and swiss on the sourdough,” Natalia said.

“Roast beef on the sour dough,” Uri said.

“The sourdough is the best bread here,” Ravi said with a smile.

Both wives nodded in agreement.

Most of the conversation was between Uri and Ravi. Natalia noted that they kept the talk general and avoided any business talk. She tried to engage the two women in chitchat, but they tended to just nod or shrug.

“Well, we’re heading up to Henson point, then turning around to come back,” Uri said after they had finished lunch.

“We were there before lunch. Enjoy,” Ravi said.

“Thank you. Have a good day.”

Uri took a little longer to pay for lunch. She noticed that he paid for Ravi’s lunch before they headed out.

“That was nice of you to pay for lunch,” she said when they headed out to the car.

“He won’t like it. It’s really his option being that he is of higher status, but he didn’t suggest it.”

“You playing games?”

“Always a fun game when you show respect and honor and then one-up them.”

He pulled out of the lot and into the stream of traffic.

“I don’t ever remember going to Henson point,” she said.

“It’s just where the road curves on the highest point and you can see nothing but water in front of you.”

Traffic was moving slow, but the view made up for it.

“Henson point,” he said.

There were cars stopped everywhere, making it even hard for the traffic in the road to pass.

“One picture and then let’s go,” he said.

The drive back to the city was quicker than leaving it. There still seemed to be more traffic heading out then heading in.

“That was really nice, thank you,” she said.

She couldn’t resist nibbling on her cinnamon roll.

He nodded, then seemed to get more sober. The city seemed to envelope them with its haze, dampening their mood.

At a stoplight, the console on the car lit up with a number and there was a ring.

“Phone,” Uri said, hitting a button on his steering wheel.

“Yes?”

“I have a rescue for you,” said a female voice.

Natalia didn’t recognize it at first.

“Now? I have Nattie with me.”

“She can go with. You’ll look less threatening.”

Natalia decided the voice was Sherri’s.

“I don’t know if I want her with me. Don’t you have girls in there?”

“I don’t want to risk their positions. I need you on this one, Uri. There are four of them with her.”

Natalia wondered what they were talking about.

“Can I handle this however I want?”

“You’re free to do whatever you want. Anything goes.”

Sherri’s voice was soft and inviting.

“Where?”

“You have a dress?”

“Yes. In the trunk.”

“Church. Second corridor from the main hallway to your left.”

“We’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Don’t dally.”

The call ended.

“What’s that about?” Natalia said.

“You’ll see, but you need to be silent,” he said.

While his voice was calm and quiet, she heard the command.

She watched the clock. It was seven minutes when they pulled into the lot of the church; the same church her parents had bought her to.

“Follow me,” he said, leaving the car.

“I can’t go in there?” she said, but he was already walking to the back of the car.

She felt dread when she got out and joined him.

Uri popped open the trunk and took out a floral dress. He handed it to her.

“Silence,” he said, taking her hand.

He pulled her along at a fast pace toward the front entrance of the church. The door opened with a slight creak, giving pause to Natalia, but his hand pulled her along. The air was as stifling as it had been the last time she had been in there. Then, Uri paused to take off his shoes. She quickly followed suit.

They now walked silently at a fast pace down the main hallway. As Sherri had directed, they took a left at the second corridor. When they turned, she could hear the voices.

“Take off the habit. Now.”

It was a man’s voice. He was speaking quietly but forcefully.

“But… but…” a woman’s voice said, sounding terrified. “I’m naked underneath.”

“Take off your clothes,” the man demanded.

“I’ll tell the Lord Abbot on you.”

“You go right ahead. He’ll be here soon anyway to get a taste of you.”

The lights were low in the corridor, but Natalia could see the five people: four priests in robes and one nun.

Uri stopped so they were still in the shadows. She felt and heard him speak, causing the hair on her neck to rise.

“Hollooow,” he said, drawing out the word in almost a whispered breath.

The word echoed down the corridor.

The men paused and looked around. They didn’t seem to see her or Uri yet.

One man turned back to the nun and pulled on her habit.