The Vampire's Crimson Kiss (Editing)

Chapter 23/Blood by the bottle

Even in the Duke's personal elevator, the journey was not fast enough. I emerged into the small hospital Dr. Sklarnok ran. He was standing there with the Duke. The Duke's clothing was damaged, but he looked unperturbed.

I rushed in to talk to Mary. Mary lay on a hospital bed, her once vibrant features now pallid and sunken. Her skin, once flushed with warmth, had turned an eerie shade of gray, almost translucent. Her eyes, which had once sparkled with life, were now dull and empty, reflecting the profound exhaustion that had taken hold of her. Her lips, usually rosy and full, were now dry and cracked, a stark contrast to the vitality she had once possessed.

Her chest rose and fell in shallow, irregular breaths, each one a struggle for survival. Her hair, once glossy and flowing, now clung to her forehead in sweaty, disheveled strands. Her body, which had always been agile and graceful, now lay still and frail, as if drained of all its energy.

"You look terrible," I said to Mary.

"I've felt worse," Mary replied, then grabbed my hand in her cold grasp.

"I'm sorry about leaving you to Electra," I said.

Mary looked into my eyes, her gaze intense. "Do me a favor. Let me die. Don't let him sire me. One day you might find someone called Elizabeth asking after me. Tell her I came back. Tell her I came back for her."

"I'm not going to let you die," I told her, but her eyes had already closed. I got up and went back to the Duke, who was talking to Dr. Sklarnok.

Dr. Sklarnok was a vampire with a sinister demeanor that hinted at his dark inclinations. I had been told he was once a prominent physician and medical researcher in the human world, but he had fully embraced his vampiric nature and now revelled in his newfound powers.

His appearance was hauntingly striking, with sharp, angular features that seemed almost predatory. His eyes, an eerie crimson hue, were cold and calculating, betraying none of the warmth or humanity they once held. His pallid skin, devoid of any color, gave him an otherworldly, ghastly appearance. Dr. Sklarnok's hair, as black as a moonless night, fell in disheveled locks that added to his eerie aura. He often wore dark, tattered garments that seemed to absorb the very light around him. He normally resented being disturbed from his alchemical investigations. His left hand was black and nearly dead after a failed experiment with silver. I could hear someone cry out in pain, and Dr. Sklarnok didn't flinch or seem to be affected by this.

"Don't ask me questions," Dr. Sklarnok said in the shadow tongue as I approached . "The unspeakable will recover. General Mary will die. She's asleep and will not wake up. You are lucky you came back when you did. Both were left bleeding out. They would have been past saving if you had come back later."

"In that case, as soon as she dies, I will sire her," the Duke said, reassuringly.

"Which, the reverent mother will veto. It will give the girl an extra week before she has a stake through her heart," Dr. Sklarnok said matter of factly.

I knew that in times of war, vampires could sire fallen familiars, but the high priestess had to agree to any permanent creation of new vampires. It was one of the few things that were outside the Duke's power. I was sure this was not what Mary wanted. She had always been scornful of familiars who aspired to become vampires. I was knew Mary wasn't keen on becoming a leech.

Dr. Sklarnok looked over and said, "It's better to let her die comfortably on the table."

The Duke took a deep breath and spoke quietly, "Well, you know how creative I can be."

"Why can't you give her blood?" I asked the doctor. "You have a hospital full of it."

"She has a rare blood group, AB negative. My small stock went missing. Some of the staff have a tendency to skim off the blood bank. The other A-Bs in the coven are dry," Dr. Sklarnok explained, picking up the register and handing it to me.