“Yes.” She used her mouth to tilt the cigarette up to me, not peeling those eyes from her book.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my mechanical lighter, flicking the wheel to spark a flame.
She finally pulled her attention from her literature to lean in, puffing the cigarette as the tip cherried. It was easy to fall for those misleading lips—so soft, but hiding a sharp tongue like no other. My urge to rip her apart faded every day I pursued her, but I was sure her urge to dissect me and jar my insides grew in tandem.
As she pulled back, I dragged another chair out to sit at a safe distance, lighting my own coffin nail against the cool air.
The morning air nipped at my face in contrast with the bitter smoke. It was no wonder why she liked it out here. Birds fluttered about their waking hours, and the dew coated the greenhouse glass, giving a soft glow to the humble workspace.
I would bother her, but she was so bewitching like this—absorbed in herself, confident enough not to flee, but intelligent enough to have several weapons hidden on her person no doubt.
Against my higher urges, I chose to let her be, to admire herin the open for once.
21
THE POISONER
“This one looks like you.” Viktor pointed at the piebald fox, taxidermized in a fierce stance with its jaws open wide. The specimen had a darker coat, with flecks of red peeking through the undercoat. Seemingly random splotches of white took over patches of the hide.
“And this one looks like you.” I pointed to a four-eyed grub preserved in a jar of ethanol.
He frowned. “Well, I thought the fox was cute.”
“Who said I didn’t find the bug cute as well?” I gave him a mocking smile, continuing through the exhibit.
Viktor had asked if I wanted to see the temporary oddity exhibit that was traveling across Europe. I was impressed with the skillful articulations, though I was unsure if the exhibit was real, exotic and domestic animals with all their deformities and uniqueness proudly on display for our viewing pleasure.
My favorite was the two-headed calf. She was quite beautiful. They’d positioned her in a way that she would have looked uponbirth, eyes closed and curled up. How peaceful she was. If I spoke above a whisper, I feared I would wake her.
Viktor found more interest in the wall of spines, organized by color. He was studying to be an orthopedist and was currently researching more about the human spine. How charming it was when his eyes lit up upon closer inspection of the vertebrae—brown, white, black, even green spines on display. I was almost afraid to ask where they got so many, but they claimed they were left over from cadavers used for science and education. Whether I believed that answer or not, it did not matter. The bones were here regardless.
A long glass display caught my eye. There were three shelves, with skulls varying in shape, size, and features stacked neatly in a line. I eyed each of them until I reached a particularly odd piece.
The jaws were propped open, a long fang exposed, the other tucked against the roof of the mouth.
Maybe the displaysweregenuine after all.
“What have you found?” Viktor rested his chin on my shoulder to see it from my point of view.
My vision shifted from the skull to our reflection in the glass. I tipped my head, touching my temple to his. “Do you think it’s real?” I asked.
“I don’t know, though I wouldn’t bet my last coin on it.”
“Do you think something like that could exist?”
“There’s not really much point in wondering.”
“Humor me. How do you think an irregular human could live without being noticed?”
“Like many creatures, in plain sight perhaps.” He glanced at my face instead of my reflection this time.
“Perhaps,” I mumbled, moving away from him and the display to continue on.
The exhibit became less interesting the deeper I lost myself inthought. From what I had seen so far, it was possible to have a poison and a cure come from the same body. I only got a small, rather literal, taste of that at the botanical gardens. It gave me an idea, a terrible one, but I had two people to convince if I wanted it to work.
“Viktor, do you know anyone in phlebotomy?”
“I might. Why?”
