Crimson

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The foul smell of death and decay pressed on me everywhere. It was also cold and damp and dark, but those things didn't bother me, but the smell. It made me wish that I was anywhere but there.

They had chained me to the wall in one of the cells and had my arms and legs locked together in iron cuffs. They searched me and took all weapons I had been carrying away. There was little I could do, but wait and hope I would get an opportunity to escape and kill them all.

I wasn't sure for how long I had been there when the door opened and the Priestess walked in. The scent of fear on her was gone and triumph shone through her eyes.

"This was quite unexpected," she said as she reached my cell. "I always wondered what you were, who your father actually was. But it really was the vampire. I wonder how it's possible."

I didn't say anything, but just glared at her.

"Well, that matters little now, does it? Your life will soon come to an end anyway. You will never leave this cell. Did you know," she said and placed a hand to one of the bars in an almost affectionate sort of way, "that this is the cell that I threw you filthy mother and father into?"

A growl left me and the Priestess laughed.

"Yes, it really is. And how pathetic they were. They could have ended their own misery at any moment, but instead they decided on prolonged their suffering. How they escaped though..." She shook her head. "Well, that also doesn't matter. I got them in the end and I should have killed you that day as well. That was a mistake of mine. But perhaps a happy mistake, because that means I'll get to have some fun now as well."

An ominous feeling settled in my heart.

"I have just had a nice little chat with Saida," the Priestess continued and it felt like life had left me. "Don't worry. She's alright. I'll reward her with her life for the information that she held and for how highly effective her truth potions are."

That calmed me a little, Saida was at least physically alright. But it also made me aware of who the Priestess planned on hurting and that made my heart ache in a similar way as it had when I had rejected him. An ache that made it hard to breath.

"You were busy while you were gone. You found your mate," the Priestess continued, "and rejected him as well. Sadly Saida couldn't tell me who it was, other than a vampire. But don't worry. I think I know who it is."

She held up her hand and waved it. In it she held my phone.

"New technology can be quite handy. You have received quite a number of messages during the past twenty-four hours, all from the same number, all very similar in content. He seems to really want to talk to you. Seems to care a lot considering that you rejected him. Maybe I should give him a call? It's been a while since I spoke to Lamech Carnell leader of the Midnight Refugees. It would be nice to catch up."

I still kept quiet, because I knew that anything I said would just make things worse. My only hope was that she would misjudge how dangerous I was to her, that she would tell me too much or get too close. Anything that I could use to sort out the mess I had caused.

I really had been too impulsive. I had been when I had rejected Lamech and I had been when I had stormed into the headquarters without any plan at all.

The Priestess clicked a few buttons on the phone and pressed it to her ear. Lamech answered on the first signal.

"Crimson, thank Goddess. We need to talk. You have to get away from your coven. You're in danger..." I could hear him speak in a frantic voice.

"Hello, this is Lamech Carnell that I'm speaking with, I presume?" the Priestess said into the phone.

"Who are you? And what are you doing with this phone?" Lamech asked after a pause and his voice had turned icy.

"I'll take that as a yes. I am the Priestess of the Starlight coven and unfortunately Crimson is unavailable to talk at the moment."

"What have you done to her?"

The Priestess let out a disgustingly sweet giggle. "Don't worry. I haven't done anything to her yet. Though that would also hardly be any of your business. She's a witch in my coven and nothing to you."

"She's my mate," I heard Lamech growl and through the despair I was feeling, I felt more whole than I had since rejecting him.

The Priestess laughed again. "Your mate? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she reject you?"

A growl left my throat and I pulled at the chains, not caring about the stinging the iron produced on my skin. I wanted nothing else than to get out and rip her to pieces for saying that. I moved around so much that I almost missed Lamech reply.

"She'll always be my mate. My evermore. And if you care for your life, you better not hurt her."

"Well, I'm glad that's the attitude you have. This wouldn't be fun if you didn't. You won't have to worry about her well-being as long as you do as I ask. I would very much like to meet you. Betsom's Hill. In an hour. If you do not show up, well, then I really don't know what might happen to Crimson. Oh, and make sure to come alone."

"Lamech! Don't..." I yelled but didn't have time to say more before the Priestess had ended the call.

"Now," the Priestess said and smiled at me. "I can't have you doing anything stupid while I'm away meeting the vampire. I'll think we'll need an incentive for you to behave."

And on cue, Saida was dragged inside and pushed into the cell opposite of mine.

"You fucking bastards!" I yelled and tried to rip myself free from the chains again, but the only thing I managed was to make the iron burn against my skin.

Saida looked up to at me and I could see that she had cried. Her body also shivered and I could make out a cut on her arm and what looked like bruising around her neck. And I knew that all of that was my fault.

"You may do whatever the fuck you want with me, but let her go. Now!" I said in a low voice that was steady and calm and filled with power. I watched as the Priestess took a step away from me before raising her chin.

"Don't worry. We'll do something to you too. It's better if we weaken you as well."

Three witches entered into my cell. With them they had a syringe looking thing, only that it was thick enough to rather seem to be a tub. Two of them held onto me as I struggled in my chains, doing everything I could to keep my neck away from that tub. But chained up and three against one, made it so that the tub pierced my neck and as soon as it had, my blood started spilling out of it. The witches immediately let me go and stepped back.

I moved around and tried to get the tub out of my neck, but I couldn't reach it with my hands and it also seemed to be magically locked into place as it didn't move at all when I tried to scrap it off against the wall.

"Don't worry," the Priestess said with a menacing glint in her eyes. "As long as your vampire does what I want, that syringe will come off. But if he displeases me in any way..."

She laughed and then turned and left.

"Crimson. I'm sorry," Saida sobbed when we were alone. "I didn't want to tell them about him. I tried not to. But they..."

"Saida, none of this is your fault," I told her, a forced a smile on my lips and tried to make my voice as comforting as I could. "It's mine. I'm sorry that I got you involved in my problems."

"We're family. Your problems are my problems."

I smiled at her and then leaned back. I looked to the side, where my blood made a puddle. The tub worked fast as it sucked the blood out of me.

"Is it true?" Saida asked. "Are you really half-vampire?"

"Yeah. I'm one of a kind," I said with sarcasm.

"Well, that I already knew."