Crimson

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I felt anxious as soon as I got into the room again, worried that Lamech would be angry with me. He hadn't really said it, but I had an inkling the deal with the wolves was important to him. He had likely spent a lot of time and effort to make it happen. But in just one moment I had maybe destroyed it.

I stopped my anxiety. What did it matter if I had? Did I really care? Didn't I hate him?

The mess my head had been in before my sleep slowly started to return, but it didn't get far. My mind was much clearer than before and I knew one thing for certain. Yes, I did care about him and no matter how hard I tried not to, that wouldn't change.

But what about my parents, I thought to myself. Vampires from the Midnight Refugees had killed them.

Then I thought about the dungeon below the basement and how I had at first gotten angry, when the truth was that I had no right to be angry about that. My coven had a prison as well and I didn't even know if the dungeon was in use. Could it be something similar about my parents?

I didn't know the exact circumstances. I only knew that vampires from the Midnight Refugees were responsible. Could they have had a reason that somehow made the action less horrific? And truly I had no idea if Lamech had been aware. I actually didn't even know if he had been the leader then. Wasn't I judging him only on assumptions and on things I had seen other vampires do? I had just been called foul by a person that knew nothing about me purely because I was a witch. Wasn't I doing the same to Lamech?

I had to give him a chance and I had to ask him about it, hear what he had to say.

It felt wonderful. Finally, my feelings towards Lamech didn't seem like a tangled ball of yarn. But that feeling only last for a moment.

I still didn't know what Lamech wanted. What Lamech felt. He had shown me both a protective and caring side. Hell, he had just growled at the Luna simply because she called me foul. But all of that could be simply because of the mate bond. It didn't have to mean that he actually wanted me. His words and actions from my first two weeks there were still etched into my mind.

And there was another question that I hadn't even really thought about yet. If I decided to be with him, I had to give up being a witch. Did I want that?

There was a knock on the door and I just knew it would be Lamech standing on the other side, before I even opened.

"I just wanted to make sure you're alright," he said without making any signs of wanting to go in.

"Yeah, I am," I answered and couldn't help but feel awkward.

"The Luna is sorry for what she said," he continued.

"It's okay. Really. I'm not upset. I hope they aren't going to leave or be difficult because of me."

He shook his head hastily. "No, of course not!"

I let out a sigh. "That's good then."

We both just stood there in silence for a long time. I had no idea what to actually say to him, while he looked like he had more on his mind. So I just waited.

"Did you sleep well?" he finally asked.

"Yes," I smiled.

"Good. I... I was getting worried, but I didn't want to wake you up."

"Saida's sleeping draughts can really knock a person out," I laughed and earned a small smile in return.

"If you feel up for it, dinner will be at seven."

"Ehm, I'm not sure," I said and started fidgeting with my fingers. "Wouldn't that just risk causing problem?"

"Not at all. In fact, it was the Alpha that suggested it."

"And you don't think he has any bad intentions for it?" I frowned.

"Crimson," he said and placed a hand on my cheek. He gave me a warm smile that made my heart go crazy. "No one would dare to do anything to you for as long as I'm around."

I felt the heat on my cheeks and dryness in my mouth. I just nodded because I wasn't sure I could speak.

"I'll see you at seven then." He leaned in ever so slightly and for a moment I thought he would kiss me, but then he pulled back. "You look good by the way," he said before taking a step back and turning to leave.

I didn't want him gone though. Didn't want him to leave at all. I wanted to soak in his presence and... I wanted the answers I needed sooner rather than later. If the answers would smash my heart to shreds, I wanted it done before I could fall even more in love with him.

"Lamech," I said and saw as he halted. He turned around with a complete mix of shock and joy that I found extremely odd. "Do you have time to talk a bit before dinner?"

He looked at me in a daze and didn't reply. I couldn't help but to frown, being completely lost as to why he acted like an idiot.

"Lamech?" I repeated myself and saw him shake his head and seemingly come back to himself.

"Yes," he said and walked back to my side.

"Do you have time to talk before dinner?"

"Yes! Of course. I always have time for you."

I shook my head to myself and decided to ignore his somewhat weird behavior. I walked in and settled myself on the bed. He seemed to hesitate a bit before deciding to sit on the couch. I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"You said you are 577 years old, right?" I started, deciding that the best approach was to first determine if he even had been a part of the clan and the leader when my parents had died.

"Yes," he said slowly, hesitantly.

"Have you always been a part of this clan?"

"Yes."

My heart sank a bit, but I went on. "And when did you become the clan leader?"

"Soon four hundred years ago."

My heart sank even further. He had been the leader when my parents had died. I took a deep breath.

"Has any vampire that you're aware of had any dealings with my coven? The Starlight coven?"

He frowned now and nodded. "But it was a long time ago."

"How... How long ago?"

He shrugged slightly. "I can't remember exactly. Two, three hundred years ago."

I closed my eyes, I didn't want to continue the conversation. My parents had been killed 233 years ago and the way the conversation was going, it seemed like it really had been someone under Lamech and he had known about it.

"Does this have anything to do with your parents?" Lamech suddenly asked, making me look at him with wide eyes.