When I woke, the sun was lowering itself to bed. I sat up and pushed a fist into my stomach. I was starving, hollow all the way through in stark contrast to how I fell asleep. Leaning forward into the ache, I swore and licked gathering spit off my lips. Quiet footsteps and Rosaria was there with a cup for me. The smell was obvious even from a distance, blood blood blood blood blood. I took it in two steadying hands and drank it down in one swallow.

      The small meal was enough to settle the pain and I regained awareness outside my body. She had changed my clothes while I'd slept, I recognized the rich yellow fabric. Herself, she is as dressed in a lavish suit that I recognized. Rose was bold for stealing from the lord of the house, I covered a chuckle at imagining her creeping around his bedroom.

      I stood, appreciating the swish of satin against my calves, and took Rosaria's hands in my own. Grinning, she twirled me once then pulled me close. "Is this what you wanted to show me?" I asked, smiling back.

      Rose shook her head. "It's on the other side of the house," she said, "so get your shoes on."

      Rose's excitement was contagious so we were giggling and kissing the way there, unable to resist. The lights inside were all on but the house was empty. I thought perhaps she had planned us a romantic night in the master room. I was surprised but not disappointed when she pushed the door to the grand bedroom open and revealed something I never would have guessed.

      Five prone bodies were hogtied in front of the four post bed. I recognized the butlers, Samuel and Patres, Bab, and my lord and lady. I glanced at Rose, who's grin was so wide it split her face in half, then back at the restrained people before me. Three days ago I would have been horrified. Now I was angry, hungry, and gleeful.

      Patres was the only one clearly dead, the carpet was soaked black beneath him. Not that the rest seemed much better off. I wondered how long Rose had kept them like this, a couple days at least. Sensing my hesitation, she came up behind me to speak in my ear.

      "Your lady tastes the best," she purred, "drink her and do what you want with the others."

      I leaned into her, lifting a hand to pull her hair. "Do you want one?" I offered, eyeing my lady's slack face.

      "Yes please." Rose kissed my ear then immediately launched herself at Bab. The lady's maid just opened her eyes and had time to squeak in terror before her neck was being crushed between Rose's teeth. I watched her, studying the way she crouched over her victim and pulled them to herself possessively. My stomach growled.

      I caught Samuel watching me, he seemed barely conscious. I shot him a wink then dropped to my knees. As I yanked my lady into a better position, I could hear Sam start to scream but I ignored him. The walls were thick. My lady was pale and breathing shallow, whites just showing between her lids. I could see her heart beating clearly through translucent skin. My own heart stayed steady as I moved to top her. I pushed her onto her back, hearing cracks as I forced unyielding limbs into the wrong positions. Hands and knees crushing elbows and thighs, I was unmovable even as she put a surprisingly good fight. It was kind of funny.

      It was fun to play but I had enough. Something shifted in my gums, not painfully, and I licked across my teeth. There was a second set of teeth slipped over the old and they were sharp enough to cut my tongue. I tasted a drop of blood before it healed. My new teeth made handy work of opening my ladies throat, skin and muscle and artery ruined so I could have my meal. Rose was right, she was delicious. Blood didn't taste different than before the turn, but the way my body craved it made me deeply appreciate every mineral within. I drank until I felt my belly start to expand and stopped, sure I'd be too tired if I continued.

      Sitting up, I relished the quick sprays of arterial red that stained my chest before the heart that pumped it gave up. Curious, I pressed my palms down on my lady's cheeks. With a splintering crack and a squelch, her face caved in, destroying her identity and leaving behind red gore speckled white and yellow. I giggled. The textural contrast between muscle, fat, and bone was fascinating, I couldn't help but play in it. I found a tendon or a nerve and wound it around a finger, pulling it free to see how long it was.

      Bored, I stood from the used corpse and stomped it absently, slimy pink string dropping from my hand. Rose was watching me, a struggling Samuel held up by his hair. I stepped out of the smear of gore, wiping my feet on the carpet then walking over.

      "I never like you, Sam," I mused, poking a finger into his eye. He cried out so I grabbed his tongue and yanked it free. "Shut up, I'm talking!" He was still trying to scream so I grabbed his throat and squeezed. "You never did touch me," I grumbled, reaching around the back of his neck, "but you got close, didn't you?" I slipped two fingers into the base of his brain and watched his face go blank and lifeless.

      Rosaria gasped with excitement, dropping Sam's dead weight to grab me. She kissed me and I pulled her to myself, biting, licking, kissing. Moving back to see her eyes, I shook my head at my dumb luck. She was gorgeous and she was all mine.

      "What do you want to do with him?" Rose asked with a nod, trailing a thumb across my lower lip.

      I turned, pressing my back to her, to regard my lord. He was tied wrists to ankles, spit and vomit soaked rag gagging him quiet. His eyes were full of panicked fury as he glared at me. He was pathetic.

      "I have an idea of where to start," I said and stepped out of Rose's hold.

      Eyes locked on my lord's, I kicked off my shoes as I came. "I want to let him out," I said and Rose didn't tell me not to. I wanted a chase, I knew it wouldn't be a challenge but it would hurt more if he thought he had a chance. I bent and grabbed the rope around his feet with two hands. With a rough yank, it came free and I could drag him to standing.

      "Good luck!" I yelled in his ear and waited.

      My lord stumbled, almost falling on his face. If he had, I would start in on him. Thankfully for him, he kept his footing and struggled at the bedroom door. I waited patiently, wondering if he'd fail at such a small hurdle. He barely made it into the hallway and I started to count out loud.

      "10, 9, 8..." I called after him, bouncing on my toes and eager to let out the power I felt building there. "...3! 2! 1!"

      It was an easy catch but it was worth the effort. He had almost made it to the front door when I grabbed his shoulder and threw him to the ground. I had pulled the joint from the socket so his arm hung loose still tied behind him. As he fell, he turned and crushed the limp arm under him. His pants were soaked at the crotch and I pointed, laughing.

      "Fucking pitiful," I barked, "even I didn't piss myself."

      I stood next him and brought my foot back. When I slammed it into his ribs, I heard four distinct cracks. Satisfied, I knelt and connected my fist with his nose to flatten it against his cheek. On my feet again, I admired my work then turned when I heard a creak on the stairs. Rose was watching me.

      "I want to heal him," I said, "show me how?" I glanced at the table across from the front door and swiped a silver letter opener from on top. For Rose to use.

      My love obliged, ready to share her knowledge. She needed a knife for the job and I handed her the blade I had acquired. Instead of thanking me, she grabbed the letter opener and slashed me across the arm. The wound hurt and bled freely. I waited but it didn't heal. Clearly, silver was a no go and Rose threw the object across the room. Besides, she told me I had strength enough in my hands. I bit my fingers and shoved them into my lord's side until I felt my nails hit bone. I repeated this a few times, Rose instructing me and helping to hold the man down so he didn't ruin my work. He screamed and screamed into his gag but it made no difference.

      "How's it look?" I asked, leaning back to check. The skin was barely bruised and I could see his lungs moving freely. Rose offered her praise then pointed out the nose. I smiled. "I have a better plan."

      I bit my palm and let the blood flow over his face, healing the break in place. Then I grabbed the deformed tip of his nose and snapped it to the other side. I healed it again, amused by the gurgling sound in his breathing. I broke it a couple more times then twisted and shoved the shattered pieces into his sinuses before healing them in place. Now he looked like he had lost half his face to bone cancer. It was becoming.

      Crouched by my lord's head, I ripped the gag out his mouth with enough force to tear the fabric. He started hurling insults at both me and Rose. "You can't do this to me you demons! Lilith and Eve you are whores cast out of the kingdom! I am a man of God, you have no power under this roof!"

      These were the last words I would let him speak and he didn't have a thing interesting to say. As easy as a grape off the vine, I plucked the tongue from his mouth then bit my lip and spit into the back of his throat. I didn't want him choking himself to death and getting away easy.

      "Can you paralyze him for me?" I asked Rose. I swung a leg over him to sit heavy on his chest. I didn't want him bucking or kicking me in the back of the head and was glad when I felt Rose move behind me. A gurgling squeak from my lord's throat announced the severing of his lower spine. "Thank you love," I sang, "I don't think he'll like this next part."

      I wanted him to wish for death once I left him. I'd taken his speech and legs yet he had more to give. This required me more restraint so blood loss wouldn't claim him before I was done. My lord's head pushed to one side, I bit my cheek to coat my teeth in blood before cleanly snapping off an ear. Of course, I repeated the same on the other side. Craftsmanship was important. Next came the eyes. I plucked and discarded them one by one then filled the empty sockets so they would heal shut. He screamed and screamed, a guttural and ineffective noise. I wiped slick fingers on my thighs then pressed them to my lord's throat.

      "I'll find your voice," I warned, "and tear it out if you don't quiet down."

      He called my bluff, on purpose or not. I didn't want to dig around in his neck and make a mistake so for now he could burst a vessel attempting to call for help. I had solution coming either way. For now he needed air.

      I turned myself around so face his feet. I sat back, using his chin as back rest. I could feel the vibrations of his screaming against my ass. His hands and arms were my next target, I would work small to large. Sharp teeth glistening red, I pulled up his hand and went finger by finger. I crushed the small bones between my teeth then bent them sharply so they touched the back of his hand. When they healed moments later, they were stuck that way, stiff and useless. When I saw my work, I decided it needed to be changed. I broke all five digits first so I could play them a little and figure out the best arrangement from there.

      Rosaria was still beside me, holding our toy down for me to enjoy without issue. I left his dangling fingers as is to lean over and catch Rose in a grateful kiss. The man wasted his muscles struggling beneath me, barely making an impact to my stability on top of him. I squeezed his chest with my thighs and giggled into Rose's mouth. She nipped my lip and kissed me deep before dragging me back to the task at hand.

      I had decided, I wanted his fingers spread far apart as possible. When I was done healing them in place, I was reminded of a star fish. I liked it. I used the first hand as reference to shape the other one. It took a few tries, but I managed to get them identical. With Rose's encouragement I started on his elbows, my goal being to make his arms as useless as possible.

      "Hold his arm out, please," I asked Rose, pointing. She did as I asked and my vision started to take form. I smashed his joints to pieces with my fist, punching and crushing until solid bone was grit. Rose offered her blood this time so I covered my fingers from the pool in her palm. They slipped into the bruised flesh then pulled back clean. Healing complete, I was pleased to find his elbow completely immobile, an ugly discolored lump belying and issue within.

      For the shoulder... I needed him turned over so I asked Rose to move. She watched with sparkling eyes and I easily yanked the man up by his arms to carelessly threw him onto onto his stomach. I admitted to being impressed by how long he managed to make noise, but this finally stopped him. Sitting on his back, I punched his shoulder blade gently sure that I was overestimating my strength. The crunch was perfectly satisfying and set with a bite.

      "Is he still with us?" I asked.

      "He's just winded," Rose replied, "don't worry, he's plenty alive."

      While I finished my masterpiece, Rose force fed him from her wrist. His energy was starting to flag despite losing little blood. The solution was simple and effective. Some of the fight I had enjoyed was returning to his ruined body and his last defense was his teeth. I actually let him get in a good bite and it was deep enough to start gushing blood. I held him there as punishment, watching him panic as he started to drown in it then attempt to drink it. When I released him, he was coughing hoarsely as if about to choke but just as quickly his breathing relaxed.

      Arms complete, there was a final step. I flipped him again, this time by the legs, and weighed him down with myself. Rose held his head so he wouldn't break his own neck attempting to escape. The first issue was the teeth, they all had to go. Mouth held open with one hand, I used the other to extract. I slid a finger nail under the gum then forced it up to find the root where I could get a good grip. Then it was an easy flick of the wrist. Each time I stopped and placed the tooth on the back of his tongue and held his mouth shut until he was forced to swallow. I reasoned it would be a waste of calcium otherwise.

      Pink and raw and healed, I ran an appreciative hand over the smooth gums. Finally, I could finish. I tested a finger nail against his lip and easily cut a ragged edge around his mouth. I made a similar cut on the inside of his lip with Rose's help. When I started to peel the thin skin away, it was similar to opening an orange. The flesh came away in pieces instead of a whole section as I'd been hoping. But when I was finished, the muscle was even and glistening and perfect.

      I slit my wrist to fill my lord's mouth before having Rosaria hold it shut for me, freshly exposed flesh meeting and sticking. I slipped a finger between his former lips then allowed my blood to flow over his lower face. When I pulled my finger free, the skin below his nose was flawless beside a small black hole where his mouth had been. My work was finished.

      Still sat on my lord's chest, admiring my work, Rosaria came behind me to curl her arms around my shoulders. Her mouth rested beside my ear. "Ivy, did you know you were such a talented artist?"

      Rose's words made me blush. I had the feeling she was the one only who could make me feel nervous anymore. I thanked her with a kiss across the living corpse of the man who'd once called himself my master. He was now a grotesque copy of the cross he foolishly wore to protect him.

      "Do we run now?" I asked her, head tilted back lazily to smile at her.

      "First I want to take you upstairs," Rose breathed, "then we take what we want, then we run."

      I was on my feet before she finished talking and easily swept her into my arms. I bounded up three stairs at a time to claim the house I'd barely ever had the privilege to enter. Our combined blood and spit trailed us as we couldn't help but taste and tease each other. It was arousing and energizing and reassuring, a violent and honest way of communicating desire. We played so perfectly off each other, symbiosis between creator and protector.