Page 115 of The Tenth Muse

Obsidian City: The Vampire Accords

Blood Tithes

the guy sure looks like plant food to me

Santana Knox

author’s note

Content Considerations

death of parents (historical not on scene), gruesome/gore descriptions, un-aliving, maiming, cooking of a human, descriptions of human soup, vile men.

dedication

To the ones who bite.

one

. . .

Runa

It’s not oftenI wake from the sound of sharp teeth turning flesh into ground meat. That’s only because I try to keep my intimate affairs to the daytime. Chewie is far too loud for nighttime feedings.

“Chewie!” I whine, throwing my pillow at the oversized Venus flytrap chimera.

She yelps like a dog that got its tail stepped on, but it does nothing to cease the loud crunching of her chewing.

“Please!” My begging is deplorable, “We have to open the shop early for the medium tomorrow.” I look over to my clock to see that it’s too late; it’s already tomorrow.

The early 2000s analog alarm reads two fifteen.

It’s today.

Crunch.

Crunch.

“Ugh.” I throw my feet into the mattress, frustrated, grabbing my only surviving pillow and wrapping it over my head to dull the sound.

She’s getting too large to stay in my room now. I had assumed once Chewie reached maturity she’d stop growing, butit seems that there is no limit to my spell. She just keeps getting bigger.

As a witch, I use my skills to keep my metaphysical shop going and the customers flowing in and out. About four months ago I acquired a Venus fly trap that was crossbred with a tiger lily but I may haveaccidentallydropped an entire vial ofactualtiger blood in the growth solution. When Chewie here sprouted a trap with razor sharp teeth I hadnooption but to feed her.

Right?

Well,Ithought so at least.

Except Chewie is nearly seven feet tall now and requires the same amount of fresh meat as a large jungle cat before she starts meowing like a caged predator waiting to be fed. Becauseshe can’t hunt on her own.

Okay, ethically I fucked up big time.

I was lonely.

I wanted a friend.

I wanted scary dog privileges in the shape of a plant and I should have probably consulted someone before attempting this spell. And I would have,if I still had friends.

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