CRIMSON TAINTED [BOOK 1]

6. Vampires

Vampires. They are creatures of the night, they haunt the night. They were the sources of atavistic dread kept reasonably well suppressed in the modern world. But when they would surface, humans might have as well, been living half a million years ago.

"Arnold, what is this you have done!?" Asked a brawny man. He stood in what looked like a darkly lit council room with two other people.

"I'm inclined to think that you've gone deaf all the while I spoke, Fabian. Perhaps, I should rephrase in a more understandable manner?" Replied Arnold, mockingly.

"I beg your pardon?" The man called Fabian spoke, almost in rage. "You stand there and say nonsense. You've been going on rampages against the Lycans, you and Callus. That is not supposed to happen."

"You're biting off just too much, Arnold." Came the voice of a woman. Her black hair was dark as charcoal but soft as silk. Her eyes shone with an aged intelligence, as though she had seen every large atrocity.

"Rowena, why am I not surprised." Arnold loathed. "Of course, he's your mate. You take his side always, as expected."

"This has nothing to do with who's side I take." Rowena maintained. "For your own seemingly, foolish reasons, you violate the truce we have with them. If the others learn of your random kills, I'm afraid Fabian and I shall do nothing when they come after you."

"Single handedly have I wiped out many, single handedly I shall do to those after them. I do not need help from both of you" Arnold flared and began to walk away.

"Doesn't he know the consequences of his doings will put us all in jeopardy?" Fabian asked.

Rowena replied. "He's always been that way. Reckless and selfish." She shifted her gaze towards Arnold's direction but he was gone.
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Slowly but surely, the captured shape shifter opened his eyes. The dark room was reeling. He couldn't quite make out anything yet, but he could feel the presence of someone else. He wasn't alone.

"He's awake now, Arnold." He heard a familiar voice say from the shadows that enveloped him. It was Callus'. Arnold slowly walked up to where the boy was.

Upon realizing who they were, the boy struggles to get up but is hit with a sudden sharp pain all over his body. He felt like he'd been battered over and over again.

"Stay away!" He growled. It was weak and held no demand. He had stopped trying to move and just lay there.

"It's all alright, boy. It's alright." Arnold spoke soothingly, squatting before the boy till he was at eye level. Callus stood behind, bewildered by Arnold's sudden show of affection. Odd.

"What do you want from me?" The boy asked in a low, strained voice. Irritation filled him, giving him some strength to continue looking at those eyes defiantly.

Arnold shrugged. "Honestly, I just don't know yet." In one swift move, he grabbed the boy by his hair and pulled him close.

"What is your name?"

"Claudius!" He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder down to his groin.

"Listen here, Claudius," Arnold's pupils became enlarged and dilated, and so did the boy's. "You will have no recollection of events from the previous night. All you can remember is that you were attacked by vampires, vicious vampires. And so were the others with you. Till I and Callus here, jumped in and saved you."

"That is all I remember." The boy replied, appearing to be hypnotized.

"Exactly. Now, you shall stay here without further argue." The boy slowly nodded under hypnosis. With that, Arnold got up to face Callus who still stood in shock.

"What do you intend doing with him?" Callum questioned. "Leaving him not contained could prove disastrous for us, you know."

"Fret not, Callus. The lad doesn't even know his own strengths. Besides, he's still battered from our brawl earlier on." Arnold reassured. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got an old acquaintance I need to rekindle with." He sauntered away. Callus turned to the boy, Claudius. He seemed to have fallen asleep.

"What's so special about you that he let you live?" He wondered.

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A/N
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