The smile she gave him was neither evil nor ironic, but nor was it altogether pleasant: there was a distinct element of hunger in it. In all justice, however, anyone with canine teeth that long and sharp would have struggled to keep that element out of their smile.
After a few moments of petrified silence, Alexandru mustered his failing mental resources, pulled on his reins, and was turning to leave (at a gallop, he fully intended), when the lady spoke, in a clear, dispassionate tone of unmistakable authority:
“Wait. Turn back.” As if she had his arms on an invisible line, he found himself pulling on the reins again and turning back to the altar.
His panic was slightly mitigated to witness the lady slipping out of her sheer robe to reveal a flawless body, like some beautiful Greek statue come to life, although the lust now building in him was no more conducive to his willpower than the panic had been.
