The Cannibal by I.V.Ophelia

Here is a summary with spoilers for The Cannibal by I.V.Ophelia

The Cannibal begins six months after the events of The Arachnid. Alina wakes up in the Manhattan Nest with very little understanding of what has happened to her during the time she has been unconscious. She immediately knows that something is wrong. She does not like the food she is given because everything tastes bland and unpleasant, and she wants to return to the normal human life she had before. As she begins examining herself, she eventually discovers that she has fangs and realizes that she has been transformed into a Vipera. She learns that Silas was responsible for turning her. This angers her because he had promised that he would never turn her, but the others explain that there was no other option if they wanted to keep her alive. The Manhattan mansion is both her home and a kind of prison while everyone waits to see what will happen to Silas and the Nest. The larger political problem is the upcoming Appraisal, an ancient trial in which the established Vipera authorities will judge Silas for the destruction of his father's Nest.

Alina is particularly frustrated that she has not yet seen Silas. She knows he is alive and nearby, but she is angry about what he did to her and wants answers directly from him. At the same time, her physical condition becomes increasingly strange. She cannot enjoy normal food and does not understand what her new body requires. Eventually, while outside the mansion, she experiences an overwhelming impulse to bite someone. She attacks a man, kills him, and drinks his blood. Almost immediately, she spits the blood back out. She is horrified by what she has done, but she also realizes that drinking the blood has temporarily satisfied the hunger inside her. The police arrive, but she is able to get away and return to the Nest. Rather than being shocked that she attacked someone, the people around her are sympathetic and explain that something like this was eventually going to happen. They insist that she should remain inside the mansion because it is safer for her and everyone else.

Alina refuses to simply stay locked away. She desperately wants to find Silas and eventually reconnects with Luka, who offers to take her outside. She manages to convince him to take her near Silas. Meanwhile, Silas has been miserable while continuing his work. He has spent the six months not knowing whether Alina would wake up, whether she was alive, or what condition she would be in. When Alina finally appears, her arrival causes a commotion. Silas has to make an announcement to calm everyone down, but he immediately sees her. Their first reunion is brief and tense. Silas makes it clear that if she ever does something like that again, he will make sure she stays alive, even if that means forcing her to do so.

Alina begins approaching her transformation scientifically. She researches Vipera biology and experiments with blood samples, trying to understand what has happened to her and what her body needs. Silas eventually learns that she has barely been able to keep anything down and realizes that she must be starving. He becomes determined to find a way to feed her. The problem is that neither Alina nor the people caring for her initially understand exactly what kind of blood she requires.

Alina and Silas eventually reconnect sexually. Their relationship is still complicated by everything that happened between them, particularly his decision to turn her despite his promise. During one encounter, however, Silas does something that normally would not hurt her and Alina suddenly experiences significant pain. She uses her safe word and stops the encounter. The incident concerns both of them because it is another indication that her transformed body is not behaving normally. Alina continues trying to understand what is happening to her rather than simply accepting that she is now a vampire.

Her experiments with blood become increasingly dangerous. She discovers that her blood can cause a reaction in Luka, effectively making his blood congeal. This alarms her because Luka is a Vipera and should theoretically be able to survive something that would be dangerous to a human. Alina than remembers that she tried the same experiment on a human, and she begins to panic that it will kill him. She eventually finds the affected man half-conscious and is able to help stabilize him. Phoebe, Alina's closest friend and one of the people helping run the Nest (and Sila’s sister), is angry about what Alina has done. The two argue, and Alina calls Phoebe egotistical. Alina later regrets saying it and apologizes.

Silas eventually takes Alina into the forest to try to determine how she can feed properly. Instead of simply giving her blood, he turns the situation into a controlled game of cat and mouse, allowing her instincts to emerge while attempting to keep her from losing control. Alina manages to feed somewhat, but it does not solve the larger problem. Later, while she is with Phoebe, Alina suffers a seizure and passes out. She is given time to recover, but Silas is not told that it happened. The seizure becomes another sign that whatever is happening inside Alina is becoming more serious.

The Nest then prepares for a party that will take place before the appraisal that Silas is responsible for. Security is increased because they expect Levi, Silas and Phoebe's father, to arrive. Silas places additional security around Alina and also has a personal guard watching her. He even arranges a private sexual game for Alina to participate in during the party to distract her. When Levi arrives, his presence immediately causes tension. He goes directly to Alina and attempts to bait her, trying to provoke her into reacting to him. Alina refuses to give him the reaction he wants.

Levi eventually attempts to cross a physical boundary with Alina. He tries to touch her with his fang. Silas had already promised Alina that anyone who harmed her would pay for it, and he follows through. Silas removes one of Levi's fangs. Alina later helps reattach it, but the encounter leaves her even more uncomfortable around Levi and makes the hostility between Levi and Silas unmistakable.

After the party, Phoebe is walking alone and thinking about everything that has happened with her father when she hears a clicking sound. She encounters Alina, but Alina is not behaving like herself. Phoebe is forced to run and hide from her. Alina eventually wakes after falling from the roof and breaking her legs. The people around her explain that she was sleepwalking and now needs to remain still and heal.

Silas becomes increasingly frustrated because it seems that every time he leaves Alina alone, something happens to her. His friend and second-in-command tells him that he believes Alina's body is rejecting the turning. He warns Silas that her condition may continue getting worse. Silas refuses to believe that the transformation itself is killing her and continues looking for another explanation.

Phoebe and Silas, who are brother and sister, spend time together away from the others and discuss what is happening. Alina meanwhile experiences a fever dream involving Phoebe. In the dream, she holds Phoebe's hands and tells her that she loves her. Silas is eventually called away because of an emergency. When he returns, he finds Alina curled up on the floor with blood around her. Phoebe's lifeless body is underneath and beside her, her neck badly chewed apart. Silas immediately realizes that the group has misunderstood Alina's condition. They have been feeding her the wrong thing. She does not need human blood. She needs Vipera blood.

Alina sees Silas arrive and sees him process what appears to have happened. When she fully wakes, she is told that Phoebe is dead and that she is believed to have killed her. Alina insists that she did not do it. Silas is not there when she fully processes the accusation. Alina, Luka, and Silas are all placed on trial and plead not guilty to Phoebe's death. The other Vipera are furious that Alina refuses to accept responsibility.

Alina and Luka are taken away and she is chained. Alina remains convinced that she did not kill Phoebe and demands to see the body. When she examines Phoebe, she notices a black substance. The substance makes her realize that something is wrong. She knows that she did not kill Phoebe and concludes that she has been poisoned or otherwise manipulated. The black substance becomes the clue that allows her to start putting together what actually happened.

Alina and Luka are eventually taken to Levi. Despite having lost his daughter, Levi is disturbingly pleased to see Alina. Rather than behaving like a grieving father, he immediately attempts to negotiate control over her future. He offers her a breeding contract, explaining that she is an unusually powerful woman and could be valuable to the Vipera population. His proposal essentially treats Alina as reproductive property, with the intention of sending her around the world to breed with other Vipera.

Levi then gives Alina black blood. The smell immediately reminds her of Phoebe. This confirms her suspicion that Phoebe's death and the black substance are connected to Levi. Levi has used Phoebe's death as part of his attempt to gain control over Alina. The fact that he is willing to sacrifice his own daughter in order to obtain Alina makes his manipulation even more apparent.

The political situation surrounding Silas and the Appraisal continues at the same time. The established Vipera authorities are still trying to hold Silas accountable for the destruction of his father's Nest. The Appraisal is supposed to determine what happens to Silas and whether his new Nest will be allowed to continue. The conflict is therefore no longer simply about Alina's transformation or Phoebe's death. It is also about whether the old Vipera hierarchy will retain control over Silas and the people around him.

Alina eventually receives a visitor: Silas. He tells her that he is absolutely furious about everything that has happened, but that he would forgive her in every lifetime because he loves her. Alina finally tells him everything she has discovered. She explains that she believes Phoebe was poisoned and that she did not kill her. Silas listens, and the two begin putting the pieces and a plan together.

While Alina is waiting for the final outcome, Rebecca attacks her. Alina manages to get the upper hand and drains Rebecca completely. This is another important point in Alina's transformation because she is no longer simply terrified of her hunger. She is beginning to understand how powerful she has become and how to use that power deliberately.

The truth about Phoebe's death is eventually established, proving that Alina was not responsible for killing her. The evidence against Alina, Luka, and Silas is overturned, and the three are cleared. Alina's physical problems are also finally explained. Her body was not rejecting the transformation. She had been starving because everyone had been trying to feed her the wrong kind of blood. Her unusual physiology requires Vipera blood rather than human blood, which explains the hunger, seizures, abnormal behavior, and deterioration that had been occurring throughout the book. Alina has become a Vipera who requires other Vipera as a source of nourishment, making her a cannibal among her own kind. The hunger that initially appeared to be destroying her is actually a fundamental part of what she has become. Once she understands it, she is able to stop treating herself as a failed transformation and instead accept that she is something different from the other Vipera.

The final conflict also changes the balance of power between the characters and the old Vipera hierarchy. The people surrounding Alina and Silas no longer have to accept the rules imposed by the older generation. Silas's conflict with his father's legacy reaches its conclusion, while Alina's transformation gives her a new position within the group rather than returning her to the human life she originally wanted.

Alina and Silas ultimately remain together. Their relationship has survived the transformation, the separation, the accusations surrounding Phoebe's death, Levi's attempts to control Alina, and the political conflict surrounding Silas's Nest. Alina has accepted that she is no longer human and that she cannot return to the life she had before. Silas remains committed to her, and they agree that she will not be left alone to deal with her new existence. Luka also survives and remains part of the group, but goes his own way.