No. I slammed the lid back on.

Luke was cleaning his tools when I arrived. He looked up. “I wondered if you were coming,” he said.

I held up the bowl. “Tenzin wanted you to have this,” I said.

“Ah, a lovely woman.” He wiped his hands and took the bowl from me.

“I forgot a spoon,” I said, hiding my hand behind my back. But he only winked and retrieved one from the shed. Then he sat down on the bench, bowl cradled in his lap. He stirred, but didn’t take a bite. I couldn’t take my eyes off the chili. I thought of Serena’s blood cooking in the hot mess, steaming up into Luke’s eyes.

“I’m worried about you,” he said.

“It’s a really good batch today,” I said, pointing at the bowl.

“All right,” he said. “I get it.”

Then he began to eat.

He ate quickly, greedily. When the spoon hit glass, he licked the bowl. I could see his wet, pink, sea-creaturey tongue flattening itself again and again against the clear bottom, lapping up the stray bits of Serena. Lap lap lap lap lap lap.

I wondered if he would change immediately, if it would be something I could see. Would he sprout wings, or take off his clothes, or grow enormous or small, or declare his love for Serena, or become Serena, or turn the color of the hibiscus flower, which is also the color of blood?

“Thank you for this,” he said. “You’re too good to me.” I felt the silver string again, pulling at me. I was overheating. There were no clouds in the sky. It was unbearable. I would fit into his lap so easily. I didn’t move. He was full of Serena’s blood. What would happen if I kissed him now?

I stepped forward, and he smiled. I came closer, and he reached a hand toward me. I moved slightly to the side, plucked the bowl from his lap, and turned away from him. “I’ll go return this,” I said, and then I walked out of the garden without saying anything else, and whatever Luke felt about that, I couldn’t say, because I didn’t look back to see his face.

How can I explain? I felt charged with power, run through with it, my bones turned to hot iron. I had forced something upon the world. I had changed something. Yes, I had fed Serena’s blood to Luke, but it was more than that. I had wanted something, with my whole body, and then I had refused it. Snap the flower arrows of desire and then, unseen, escape the king of death. The king of death had nothing on me. I was not a peach!