The Eating Woods, #2
Eldritch
by Keri Lake
Contents
Chapter 9
Overview
Snow confines Maevyth and Zevander to the hovel, where domestic tasks and enforced celibacy intensify their attraction. Maevyth witnesses Zevander’s scorpion manifestation used for private relief and confronts him, learning of his venom-marked origin. They set boundaries, strike a bargain over temptations and reading, debate love’s worth, and agree to resume training with a walk outside.
Summary
Confined by snowfall and a collapsing roof, Maevyth prepares food while watching Zevander repair the thatch, their mutual attraction straining the distance they agreed to keep. A slip of her knife draws blood, and Zevander’s tender response sharpens her longing. Restless and stifled, Maevyth asks for a short walk to gather herbs and resume training.
Over a bland meal and wine, Zevander grows pale and abruptly retreats. Worried, Maevyth glimpses him through the cracked door, witnessing his scorpion manifestation encircle him in smoke and black flame as the stinger repeatedly strikes his back, bringing him intense release. Shaken, she returns to the hearth before he reemerges, suddenly hungry.
Maevyth confronts Zevander about what she saw. He apologizes for the proximity and explains his affinity for scorpions—his mother was stung while pregnant, leaving venom in his blood and shaping his prodozja. The admission fascinates Maevyth and deepens her understanding of his body and scars.
As they talk, teasing escalates into a frank acknowledgment of desire. They negotiate boundaries: Zevander will wear proper clothes; Maevyth will read in private to avoid provoking him. Their conversation turns to literacy, her grandfather’s influence, and values that prize intelligent women.
Finally, they debate love—Zevander’s cynicism likening it to a storm that ends in disappointment, and Maevyth defending the bliss of impermanence. The exchange exposes their opposing beliefs while strengthening intimacy. They agree to step outside for air and resume training, signaling renewed focus amid unresolved longing.
Who Appears
- MaevythNarrator; struggles with enforced distance, spies Zevander’s scorpion-aided relief, confronts him, debates love, and negotiates boundaries while planning training.
- ZevanderAssassin repairing the roof; overtaxed and aroused, uses his scorpion prodozja; reveals maternal sting origin; apologizes, bargains limits, and agrees to walk/train.
- AleysiaUnconscious in the next room; her condition weighs on Maevyth’s mind and constrains Zevander and Maevyth’s behavior.