The Crimson Veil

Chapter III ☾ Reunion - Lily

"Ah, you must be the new blood maid," said a voice from behind me. I turned and was greeted by a young person who appeared to be my brother’s age. He was tall and slender, and had his jet-black hair slicked back except for a few stray strands here and there. His ruby red eyes were vibrant, and his skin was a healthy ivory white. He wore a white bishop sleeve button-down shirt tucked into deep crimson dress pants, a pair of sleek black shoes peeking out underneath. "I am Haemon. What is your name, dear?”

“Haemon...?” I muttered. My eyes scanned his features carefully once more, feeling familiarity in his face and name but unable to place exactly where I've seen him.

“Yes, that is my name.” He frowned, raising his eyebrow in confusion. And suddenly, I remembered.

“Do you not recognize me? It’s me, Lily! We used to meet up at the graveyard as kids!”

“Lily...?” He went silent for a moment, his eyes searching my face. He then gasped with realization and smiled. “It really is you! I can’t believe it!" He exclaimed, extending his arms to me. I grinned and hugged him tightly, and he laughed. "This is incredible! I've missed you so dearly."

"I missed you too, Haemon," I gleamed. We pulled away but Haemon kept his hands on my shoulders, scanning me up and down.

"You look quite different. You really have changed since I last saw you," he noted with a sad smile. "It's a shame we had to meet this way."

"What exactly are you doing here in the first place? Do you work here or something?"

"Yes, I do. The same one who captured you took me as well, and I served as a blood source for him until... well, you can take a guess." He sort of smiled in a way that showed off his... fangs. Oh.

I frowned. "So you're a vampire now, too?"

He nodded, patting me on the shoulders before letting go and pacing around the room. "Yes, both fortunately and unfortunately.

"Who turned you into one? Actually no, how does this vampire stuff even work in the first place? I didn't even know they were real until today."

“All will be explained eventually, Lily. I promise," Haemon said kindly, turning to face me. "But for now, we must get you cleaned and dressed to meet the king."

"The... the king?"

"Yes. He's the one who took you."

The king... of vampires? Just how many are there? I raised my brow at Haemon. "King?"

"It's... complicated. I will tell you everything you need to know in due time."

"Why does he even get special permission to kidnap random people? He kidnapped you and now me. How many others has he captured? This whole thing is wrong."

“I suppose you’d be right," a voice said from behind me.

I turned around to see where the unknown voice had come from and nearly jumped at the sight. It was the man who kidnapped me. The "king".

He was tall, and I had to tilt my head back to look at his face. His heavy-lidded eyes were a deep shade of red, with soft eyeliner around the corners of his somehow angry yet tired eyes. He had a soft face, and he looked quite young (for a supposed "king", anyway). He wore a black button up shirt, black dress pants, loafers, and had a vial hanging around his neck, suspended on a dainty silver chain. The vial contained some sort of a red liquid. He noticed me staring and a grin crept onto his face. He brought his large hand up to his head, trying to slick back his curly black locks. Which failed, as they just sprung back into place. The curls fell over his eyes in places, and some curled out onto his cheeks, which had very light but noticeable freckles dusted on them.

“No matter if it's immoral or not to you humans...” He began, taking a step towards me. "...It means nothing to me."

“What do you want from me?” I asked with a grimace.

“It’s not what I want, it’s more of what I need,” he said. “And what I need is blood. And you are to provide me with it.” I stayed silent, trying to comprehend all of this. The man just stared down at me, his cruel smile gaze not leaving mine once. “Haemon?”

“Yes, my lord?"

“Get her cleaned up and dressed. Quickly. It’s almost dinner time.” With that, he turned on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him.

I turned to Haemon with a sheepish smile. “What does he mean by 'clean', exactly?”

“He just needs me to bathe you and bring you clothes.”

My eyes went wide and I blushed. “Um, I can bathe myself! It’s not like I’m a child or anything.”

“His Excellency doesn’t think so. He notes that you looked quite injured. And if you haven't noticed, you're covered in blood." It was then that I looked down and noticed that almost every inch of my skin was covered in dried blood. It was a rather thin layer, but still very noticeable. I began to panic and Haemon reached out his arm to comfort me. "Please, do not panic. Here, give me your hand."

“Um, why?”

“Just trust me,” he soothed. I held my hand out, and he gently took it into his, rubbing his thumb over the surface. A stinging sensation spread through my hand, and I seethed.

“Ow! What was that?!”

“I’m… not sure, actually. Does it truly hurt that bad?”

I nodded, watching as a bit of blood started to rise up and out of my skin. Where was it coming from? “It- ouch!”

“My apologies.” He stopped rubbing my hand and held it up to his eyes, examining it. “Hm, just what I suspected. It was a charm.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll explain later, I promise. I just need to fetch some new clothes for you and an elixir for those wounds of yours," he offered, releasing my hand. He walked towards the door, turning to me before leaving. “I’ll be back in a moment.” He locked the door behind him, and I was left in the darkness again.