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...
I spent a couple of days just resting at home with Saida during the day and jumping from roof top to roof top by night. The Priestess didn't come back to pressure me into coming to the coven and help deal with whatever it was that she found so important. But after four days, I decided that it was better to just get it over with.
I went there in the early afternoon and as I always did, I went straight to the Priestess' office and opened it without knocking. I sat down on the couch and put my feet up on the small table by it.
"So what is it that you need my help with so urgently?" I asked and yawned.
The Priestess pursed her lips and the muscles around her eyes tensed. But she didn't comment on my behavior or the fact that it had been four days since she had requested my help.
"We have had more vampires finding their way here and attacking us. They are all locked up in the prison, but I have yet to interrogate them. It is of utmost importance that we find out what they are planning though. No doubt the Midnight Refugees have some grand scheme."
My eyes narrowed and I had to clench my jaw shut to not curse her. How dared she suggest that Lamech and the rest of clan would plan something sinister? If they wanted to attack Starlight, they would do it openly and directly. Let their strength speak for itself and if it wasn't enough to win, then they would accept defeat. But what they absolutely wouldn't do was scheme in the dark and send vampires into what clearly would be their deaths in order to win.
But I stopped the angry words that wanted to escape and nodded.
"Let's go then," I said and stood up.
When we entered the prison, I partly wanted to turn and run away, but also rip the occupied cells open. There were three vampires there, each in their own cell. All of them had eyes glowing red, all of them looked paler than was normal even for a vampire, all of them looked skinny in a way I had never seen a vampire look. And all of them talked, screamed about how thirsty they were.
When our scents hit them, all of them snapped their heads in our direction as one. They all had their eyes on me and all licked their lips.
"Thirsty," one hissed.
"Delicious," another groaned.
"Want," the third concluded in a snarl.
"They are completely out of their mind. Vampires certainly are nothing but pest," the Priestess said disdainfully as she moved to stand behind me.
In the conversation with her four days ago, it had first been Alair's words and then Stuart's that had guided my replies. Looking at the three chained vampires, it was Olivier's words that came to mind.
As vampires, we have the animal side to us, but it isn't separated as is with shifters, which means that it's less likely for a vampire to lose complete control and generally only happens to newly turned that's been left without guidance.
More sadness and anger took control of me. A vampire had to be at fault for this, but these three were victims, not predators.
My mind went to Aideen and bone-chilling horror engulfed me as I looked at them. If Lamech hadn't found Aideen in time and taken her in, was this what she would have become? Then my thoughts went to the vampire that I had killed in this very prison right before meeting Lamech. He had also been a victim and I had treated him with loathing.
"Who sent you? What's your purpose?" the Priestess asked the three vampires, but she might as well have asked the wall. They were fixated on me and screamed about thirst and how delicious I smelled. They pulled at the iron chains that bound them. The scent of burnt flesh was in the air, but none of them reacted to the pain they had to be feeling.
My heart broke for them and I wanted to find a way to make it all right by them. But I could see when I looked at them, that they were lost. That thirst and instinct had destroyed anything they might have been before.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you," I whispered to them so low that I knew the Priestess wouldn't make out what I said. But the vampires' screams ceased for a second and I knew they had heard.
The Priestess continued to ask them questions, but nothing came of it. They didn't pay her even the slightest interest.
"This is useless!" she spat in annoyance. "I've had enough of them. Do what you want with them Crimson."
She turned to leave, but I snorted which made her stop.
"Do it yourself," I snarled at her and hurried out of the prison. Because though I knew that it was more merciful to kill them, I also knew I wouldn't be able to bring myself to do it.
As soon as I was out of the prison, I teleported myself home.
"What did she want? Are you alright? You're deathly pale!" Saida said as soon as I arrived in our living room. I shook my head at her and turned to go to the bathroom.
I got into the shower and turned it on without taking my clothes off. I put the heat at max and stood there as my skin was scolded, but the coldness of the prison remained. I could see their faces, filled with nothing but a hungry insanity. The smell of burnt flesh lingered in my nostrils. And their growls and snarls and hisses... They really had been more like animals than humans.
Who would do something like that to another and why?
Tears started to streak down my face and I felt so lost. I wanted to run back to the Midnight Refugees. I wanted to joke and laugh with Aideen, spare with Everett, talk with Alair, have Stuart teach me how to fight better, and listen as Olivier explain some obscure magic. But most of all I wanted Lamech to hug me until I was warm, until everything inside of me had melted.
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