Crimson's parents were killed by vampires when she was 6 years old. Because of that, she's sworn vengeance on all vampires and spends every night tirelessly hunting for vampires to kill. Lamech is the leader of the biggest vampire clan in the world...
It was two days left and then the wolves would come to discuss in detail what assistance they wanted from us and what they would offer in return. I was in the kitchen on the top floor with Kyle, going over the menu for the visit. It was something that I generally paid more attention to than was necessary. But to me that was a way of showing that vampires were more than blood-suckers. Almost no one that ever visited expected the food to be grand.
I was just about to taste the desert Kyle planned to serve when I received a mind-link from Alair.
"Kitchen. Third floor. Now," was all he said but the urgency in his voice made me freeze.
"What's going on?" I asked back.
"Everett and the witch are fighting."
I leaped from my chair and left the room without giving Kyle any explanation. Not a single thought came to my mind as I rushed through the corridors expect for the need to get to Crimson and make sure she was alright.
As I got closer, I heard the obvious sounds of fighting and then the terrified voice of Aideen.
"Shouldn't we..." she said but Alair's voice cut in.
"Lamech is almost here."
He had barely finished his sentence before I came in. The first thing I saw was Aideen in a corner, Alair stood in front of her, made sure to protect her from what was happening in the room. The next thing that I became aware of was that lovely scent. How I had missed it, how I had missed her.
But the total bliss I felt at having my nostrils filled by Crimson, evaporated quickly as I realized that her scent was far too strong. It could only mean one thing, she was bleeding, she had already been hurt.
Next, I managed to take in the fight and what I saw made anger burn inside of me.
Crimson was on her way to turn around, to Everett that had somehow managed to get behind her. Everett in turn moved towards her and it was clear that she wouldn't have time to protect herself from his attack.
I rushed forwards, pressed Crimson to me with one arm while I used the other to hit Everett in the chest with an open palm. The force made him crash into the opposite wall, but he was quickly on his feet and ready to attack again. His eyes landed on me and his steps halted.
"Lamech," he exclaimed and I watched as the red receded in his eyes. He looked around the room at the damage that he and Crimson had done to it and seemed embarrassed. But then his eyes fell on her again and they hardened. "It's all that bitch's fault! She..."
I let out a growl, not giving a fuck about what she had said or done, but just wanting to rip his head off for calling her by such a word.
Everett's eyes widen and he looked down while tilting his head to the side, exposing his neck as a sign of submission. That act definitely saved him in that moment. It calmed my raging anger enough to grab hold to an ounce of sanity.
"Alair," I said and I didn't need to say more. Alair immediately went up to Everett, grabbed his arm, and dragged him out.
Once they were gone, I focused on the woman in my arms. I drew in her scent and from it could tell that the wound had already stopped bleeding. I let out a sigh.
"Ehm, I'll be in my room," Aideen's voice came from behind me. As she walked out of the room, she looked back at me, gave me a knowing smile and a wink before disappearing.
I didn't move to let Crimson go. Anger still boiled in me and I knew that if I let her go in that moment, I would go after Everett and do something I would later regret. So I held on to her, let her presence calm me. I bent down my head to make sure that all I could smell was her and in that moment the grapes were the most pronounced part of her scent.
She started squirming around in my arms, to move a way, I was sure. My anger intensified again and before I could stop it another growl had left me. She stopped moving and though I never wanted to growl at her, in that moment I couldn't bring myself to regret it.
Minutes passed. Slowly my anger subsided, but far from completely. I doubted it would properly go away before I had given myself an outlet for it.
"Ehm, can you, could you let go of me now?" Crimson finally asked.
I took one last deep breath, wrapped myself in her scent before I released my hold on her. My eyes fell immediately on her arm and the anger intensified again. I took a hold of her wrist and dragged her to the sink.
"What are you..." she started saying and I could feel how she resisted my pull. I only needed to give her a hard look for her to turn docile.
I lifted her up to sit on the counter next to the sink, grabbed a towel from the cupboard and wetted it under running water. I then started to, carefully and meticulously, wipe off the blood that had dried on her right arm.
As I got the blood away, I saw three long thin claw marks. They looked to be several days old though, the skin had already healed over them. My finger traced them and if I hadn't been so upset, I would have been astounded over how healed they were.
Crimson had stayed quiet the whole time, but as I bent my head in and started trailing kisses over the wound, she spoke.
"You don't have to worry. I've always been a fast healer."
She patted my head, an action that seemed more suitable towards an animal, but it calmed me ever so slightly more. I borrowed my head into her stomach, hugged her waist, let her mere existence sooth me some more. Then eventually, I let go to look at her.
Her eyes widen immediately and she placed her fingers by my eyes.
"They are still red," she mumbled, more to herself than me.
"Yes," I answered her. "Anger tends to keep them that way."
"Why are you still angry?"
"What do you think?" I snapped at her. "And what were you thinking? Did you really believe you could take on a vampire on your own without any weapons? What would you have done if I hadn't come when I did?"
She had been so gentle and concerned, but as I spoke her eyes became icy.
"I can handle one lousy vampire on my own," she said and withdrew her hands from my face.
"Really? It didn't look like that to me. If I had been one second later, he would have ripped your throat to shreds," I scoffed back. She pushed me aside and jumped down from the counter.
"Like hell he would. I would have gotten him first!"
I laughed coldly. "You truly believe that you're so mighty. Wake up, Crimson. You're not as strong as you would like to think."
"Right!" she yelled. "I'm just some weak and pathetic witch, right! Not worthy of being your mate. So why didn't you just let him kill me and be rid of me?"
She turned and ran away. I was in half a mind to run after, stop her, and shout at her for daring to say something so utterly ridiculous. But I didn't. I let her disappear through the corridors and instead just felt self-hatred. Even though my emotions had been in a turmoil, everything had been calm between us for a long period. It had been the most peaceful moment I had had with her. But I had destroyed that as soon as I had opened my damn mouth.
"Fuck," I growled and hit my fist into the wall, creating a long crack in the stone.
اوووه! هذه الصورة لا تتبع إرشادات المحتوى الخاصة بنا. لمتابعة النشر، يرجى إزالتها أو تحميل صورة أخرى.
