Chapter 3

My mom was over the moon.

I hadn't seen her that happy even during the holidays. She couldn't stop fussing over Leland, asking his needs. She even brought out the smoked pork she had been saving for years, determining to fatten him up a little.

That night, I played my part too. I dragged him back to the bedroom early, wrapped myself around him, and kept going until he finally passed out from exhaustion. Only then, completely drained, did I slip out of the room and find my mom.

The moment she saw me, she gave me a big thumbs-up and whispered, "Sweetheart, we really owe you for this. If it weren't for you, Judd would be done for."

I whispered back, "Mom, this is what I'm supposed to do."

"When do we take him up the mountain?" I asked.

My mom thought for a second and said, "Tomorrow morning. We'll take him straight to the Serpent Shrine. Sorry you had to go through this tonight, but I promise, once this is over, I'll find you a good man. I won't let you suffer again."

Hearing that left me with mixed feelings.

I had given up a lot.

And what I wanted was far more than just one promise.

But I didn't say anything. I just nodded like a good daughter and went back to the room. Out of caution, I stayed up all night, holding Leland close.

The next morning, Leland woke up early. First thing he did was beg me to take him around the village, saying how peaceful and beautiful the place was, and how much he liked it here.

I smiled and turned him down, saying we had to go up the mountain and pay respects to Lady Serpent first.

When we stepped out of the room, my mom had already prepared everything-offerings for Lady Serpent-and the villagers were gathering outside our house, waiting.

People kept praising me, saying I had found such a good man, and that the village would surely have a blessed year because of it.

I couldn't help but laugh.

Leland laughed too, a little awkwardly, as if he thought they were all complimenting him.

And just like that, with the villagers surrounding us, we made our way up the mountain to the Serpent Shrine.

It was May, the season when pink flowers bloomed all around the shrine. That was the sign that Lady Serpent was in heat, and it was time to offer her a man.

Of course, Leland had no idea. He looked around at all the villagers praying with such devotion and whispered to me, asking if this was some kind of special festival.

I told him that his coming back with me was indeed a special day.

He didn't get it. And my mom didn't give him the chance to ask more. As soon as we finished praying outside, she nudged me to lead him inside.

No one else from the village followed us in. They all stayed outside-that was the unspoken rule.

If it had been Judd inside, they would be standing guard to save him if anything went wrong. But since Leland was an outsider, they were just there to make sure he didn't escape.

Once inside, Leland looked around, confused, and asked what we were supposed to do next.

I told him we were about to meet Lady Serpent, and that only if she accepted him could the two of us truly be together forever. He clearly didn't understand, but with me and my mom gently pushing him forward, he finally stepped into the room that had always been used to offer men to Lady Serpent.

Shortly after the door closed behind him, he started pounding on it, panicking.

"What is this?! Let me out! I said let me out!"

I could hear him yelling, but I didn't go back. Instead, I walked right out of the shrine, pulled out the phone I had swiped from Leland earlier, opened his contacts, and sent a message to the last person he had spoken to, "All clear. Sending you the address. You guys can come now."