The End of Eden

XXI

The door opens silently, and it's Two who lets me in. He steps aside, and I walk in silently. Everyone's eyes are on me, on my body.

"Happy wedding day," I whisper, looking down at the bundle of flowers in my hand, fingering the ribbon that Two gave me, before looking up again. I want to laugh nervously, but Two gently takes the bouquet from my hands and sets it down on a desk as we pass beside it.

"My love," Vessel says, taking my hand from Two, and pulling me into him. I can feel his eyes look me up and down, still in my dress. "You are a woman worthy of a god."

I'm much too shy to think of any single reply to that, so I drop my eyes to our joined hands.

"I dreamed about these," I say, wiggling my left arm.

"Your dreams are a gift from Sleep himself," Vessel says, nodding. "He gave us the same visions for those, and so they were made."

Vessel's thumb runs over my wrist, bringing me a bit of comfort at his light touch, a lightness coming to my heavy stomach, and an ache between my legs. I close my eyes, for only a brief second, until I feel a weight on my shoulders. I turn my head to see Three behind me, his fingers running up my hair to the flower crown, and he pulls it from my hair.

"There is one last ritual to take part in before Sleep," Vessel says, and I nod. I know exactly where it's going. I can feel the pins loosen from my hair, letting the braid tumble downward. "We have given you our flesh and blood. Now you must do the same."

"I know," I say, my voice barely even a whisper. He turns me to the bed low on the floor, and guides me to it.

Four is beside me then, and I turn to him. His eyes are tender, and in his hands, loosely hanging between them, is a length of thick satin white ribbon. I look back up to him.

"So we may worship you freely," he says. His eyes are staring into mine, and I can feel an unspoken command in the air between us. Trust this, trust us... trust me. Three is behind me again, his hands smoothing over my bare back as I nod once.

Four raises his hands up and slides the ribbon over my face, to cover my eyes. He is careful with me, like they always are, as he wraps the satin around my eyes a few times before tying it off. I raise my hand up and touch his arm, solid in front of me, and because he is with me, I am brave. Three slides his hands back over my back, catching the edges of the dress, and he pushes it off my shoulders, exposing my chest, my hands dropping so the sleeves are freed from my arms. My heart thunders in my chest, but I don't shy away.

The time for that has long since passed.

There is the swish of fabric along faces and bodies, as they all remove their masks, the soft whisper of jackets falling to the ground, the clatter of Vessel removing his rigid mask and setting it down. And then there are fingers running down my spine, one hand on my waist, a mouth skimming over the slope of my breast.

My lips part, and I raise my hand again. I know it's Four who grabs my hand, his hand at my waist before. He gives me a reassuring squeeze, before he sets my hand down on someone else's neck before his hands are at my waist again, sliding the skirt of my dress down over my body until it falls completely off.

There is a mouth that connects with my neck, and I know that it's Two and it's Vessel who is in front of me, already on the bed, Three behind me, and I can feel him nudging me forward. I move on my own then, mouths and hands sliding free of me as I straddle Vessel, my knees sinking into the mattress, leaving behind the puddle of my dress on the floor.

"There's a good girl," Vessel whispers, my hands first on his shoulders, then move to his face, where there is soft stubble. I lean forward, and let my mouth find his, and fuck is it hot finally to be kissing him. And he is hungry for me by the way he tongue attacks mine. I wouldn't have needed the blindfold anyways from the way my eyes rolled back into my head from his kiss alone.