Blood Runs Red

Chapter 3 - Anastasia

I have to be honest, I was scared that the werewolf wouldn't send Yuri back, especially when I started seeing the hours pass by and the skies getting brighter... What if they'd killed Yuri? But then I saw him at the edge of the forest, I quickly ran to him, he was covered in the stench of Blackthorn, strong enough to still make me cough. He tried to push me away, but I wrapped his arm over my shoulders and helped him back into the castle, he was in really bad shape and the fact that he still smelled of fresh blood told me that he had been worse not too long before.

The moment I got him into the castle I took him to the nearest bathroom so he could wash off the stench of the poisonous plant.

"Take your clothes off and take a bath, the blackthorn will wash off, then you just have to drink some blood and you'll be fine." I assured him and he went inside "I'll go get you some clothes."

"Anny!" Yuri grabbed my arm before I left "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" I frowned confused.

"I got caught... Sorry... Then you---"

"And I did what I had to." I interrupted him "I wasn't gonna leave you hanging. My mother would've, not me. You're my best friend and however this ends up, I'd have done it again."

"If your mother finds out---"

"What? She'll kill me? She can't or she'll lose her throne. She's not a Dracula, I am." I assured.

"There's worse things than dying, especially with your mom. You know that." He seemed guilty but it hadn't been his fault.

"Go wash off all that blackthorn, it'll make me sick if you don't." I dismissed with a smile, even though he was very right "I'll go get you a change of clothes."

I left him in the bathroom and went to his room to pick up a clean set of clothes for him. Walking back out I almost bumped into someone "And what are you doing here?" it was my mother's voice.

"What are you doing here, mother? You don't usually come to this part of the castle." I retorted and she looked me up and down, she was analyzing me.

"Can you imagine that the mutt escaped?" she spoke calmly but coldly, I didn't react, I knew she suspected what I did, she just wanted me to say it "Without being seen, heard OR smelled by a single vampire on his way out. Can you imagine how he did that?"

"I told you. Werewolves aren't as stupid as you think they are." I calmly replied.

"So it seems..." she continued "When did your servant come back?"

"Yuri's not my servant, he's my friend. And not long, in fact, he's just washing off the blackthorn, I'm taking him fresh clothes, the ones he was wearing need some serious detox." I smiled to my mother.

"And how did he find his way here?" my mother asked.

"Escaped. He's pretty capable, contrary to what you might believe. And he was pretty messed up." I answered.

"And where have you been? Haven't seen you since dinner." My mother continued.

"Wait. Are you asking me if I released the werewolf?" of course she was.

"That would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?" she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Yes it would, because for your theory to work I'd have to have trusted a werewolf not to kill my best friend the moment he laid his claws on him. Do I seem that stupid to you? Have I disappointed you that much?" I faked being offended, it had been exactly what I had done. Foolish, yeah, but I didn't have any other choice.