Vampire lore - Carmilla/First Kill

Chapter 9

As Juliette vanished up the grand staircase, the room's tension tightened like a noose, coiling around each person trapped within. Carmilla and Danny exchanged a wary glance with Juliette's parents, Sebastian and Margot, while Talia Burns stood off to the side, her anxiety seeping into the room like a cold draft. It was as if the very walls were holding their breath, anticipating the inevitable clash.

Sebastian's gaze, sharp and probing, zeroed in on Carmilla. His eyes, a steely blue, carried the weight of centuries of legacy and responsibility.

— You're a vampire, aren't you? - he asked, though it was more of an accusation than a question. His voice, deep and laced with the authority of someone accustomed to power, echoed through the room, leaving no room for evasion.

Carmilla met his gaze without flinching, her own eyes, dark, ancient, and filled with the memories of a thousand lifetimes, boring into his.

— I am - she answered simply, her voice carrying the kind of calm that comes from centuries of facing down threats.

Margot's voice, in contrast to her husband's, was softer, almost hesitant, as she turned her gaze to Danny.

— And you? - she asked, her tone laced with the kind of fear that mothers feel when their children are in danger.

Danny straightened, her military discipline showing in every controlled movement, the memory of countless battles etched into her posture.

— Same as her - she replied, nodding toward Carmilla.

Talia, who had been silent until now, finally found her voice, though it trembled with nerves.

— You're here to protect Juliette? - she asked, her question more a plea for reassurance than anything else.

Carmilla's eyes narrowed, a hint of steel entering her tone.

— Among other things - she replied, her words hanging in the air like a challenge.

Sebastian wasn't satisfied. His voice grew colder, more insistent.

— And what else? - he demanded. - Why are you really here?

Before the tension could boil over, Danny stepped in, her tone measured, but firm.

— Juliette's in danger - she said, cutting to the heart of the matter. - From Elinor, the hunters, and now, apparently, her brother, Oliver. If there's more we need to know, now's the time to spill.

Margot sighed, the weight of countless secrets bowing her shoulders. The lines on her face, carved by years of worry and fear, deepened as she prepared to share the burden she'd carried for so long.

— Oliver... he's always been different - she began, her voice heavy with maternal sorrow. - But after what happened with the Burns family, something in him broke. He's... unpredictable.

Sebastian's tone dropped, thick with regret, the guilt of a father who had lost control of his son evident in every word.

— Sending him to Prague was a mistake, but we didn't know what else to do. We were afraid he might hurt Elinor, or Juliette - he confessed, his eyes momentarily betraying the pain he felt.

Carmilla's voice sliced through the thickening tension like a scalpel, precise and unyielding.

— Unpredictable how? - she asked, her mind already turning over the possibilities, each one darker than the last.

Theo, who had been lurking silently in the shadows, finally stepped forward. His face, normally so guarded, was etched with concern.

— He's been dabbling in dark magic - he revealed, his voice low and filled with the weight of the secrets he'd uncovered. - Stuff no one should mess with. I found out when we... when we took him.