Krimson Mind: The Krimson Cycle Vol. 1

Epilogue - Krimson

After we got James home, Max and I tried to bind his wounds to the best of our ability. He had thirteen major puncture wounds. There was one in his right arm through the bicep. There were two in his left arm, both through the bicep. He had three in his left thigh and another through his right calf. He had two through his chest. One of those had come dangerously close to hitting his heart. He had another pair of holes in his abdomen. The last one was where Alexioff had tried to rip his heart out.

Once we had him bandaged, we laid him on the couch, because our room was still a wreck from the grenade explosion that had taken place earlier that morning. Max told me that I was going to have to fix the room the old fashioned way. I asked him what he meant, but he just walked out of the room. I pretended not to see the tears running down his cheeks, and he pretended that he wasn't crying. It was a game we sure to keep playing while we got ourselves together.

By the time that the sun crept over the horizon, my eyesight had fully returned. But my eyes had changed. They were no longer emerald green. Now my irises were an angry metallic red. Max and I had discovered by accident that they now had a tiny pinpoint of light that showed up if the room was dark enough. I had been sitting in the living room, with the lights out, when Max had walked in one night. He cried out and fell flat on his ass when he saw them. He jokingly demanded that I carry a flashlight from then on. That night I found a bell on a black neck ribbon laying on my pillow. Just because the both of us needed a laugh I put it on for the rest of the night. Max laughed for the first time in days when he heard it. I felt better. So did he. At least for little bit, anyway.

Out of the three us, Max had suffered the least amount of physical trauma. But he was suffering the greatest loss, none the less. Alexioff had somehow bound him from his ability to use magic. Max had retained his true immortality, but he couldn't cast any spells. Max told me that he wasn't completely cut off from magic however. He began mixing potions and creating amulets that caused various effects in the kitchen. It kept him busy, so I didn't complain.

My days were spent watching over James and feeding him blood whenever possible. Because I was his dame, I fed him directly from my veins. I hoped that my blood might have a stronger regenerative effect than the stuff that Omni Inc. sent us. I guzzled blue bottles until I was seriously sick of the taste of blood. I hadn't had to feed this much since I was a bloodling. But Max pointed out that James might recover faster if he was to have daily feedings from me. I agreed. So I kept drinking and feeding James and watching his body knit itself together. It was slow and difficult to watch. It was worse when one of his bones moved itself into position to heal. James, despite being unconscious screamed like he was being murdered all over again. All I could do is hold his hand and tell him that everything would be alright. In other words, a whole lot of nothing. I hated every moment.

After I found out that Max couldn't cast spells like he used to, I asked him if he wanted to leave James and I. While I didn't say it to his face, I was now counting him as a liability. I didn't want him to get caught if Kaign suddenly came to get revenge for his fallen general. Max flat refused. He wanted revenge on Kaign, as much as I wanted to be free of him. So Max opted to stick around. He said that he had plans for the bastard. I didn't argue. I did too.

I called Savanna and ordered repair crew to come out. It took them a full week to repair the house. It also took that long before James became conscious again. James filled us in on what had happened to leave Wright Park looking like a Hiroshima survivor's worst nightmare. He was up and moving about after that. He seemed stronger somehow. I wasn't sure if it was my blood, or the fact that he'd stood up to some of the scariest vampires the world had known and had come out on top.

We knew that we couldn't run. Not anymore. Kaign might have lost his general and his favorite assassins, but that would only embolden him. That would only make him more determined to find us. We keep our eyes peeled. I brought up the fact that the American Tribunal might start coming after us. When Max argued, I brought up the fact that the Tribunal was just another arm of Kaign's empire. They belonged to him heart and soul, despite what they might like to believe. Max didn't want to believe it, but right after our little debate, I noticed that he'd doubled the wards on the house. So we do what we can, while we wait. I've been stockpiling silver weapons, Max has been mixing spells like a psycho chef gone mad in his kitchen, and James keeps using his mind to search the city for those who would see us dead. I made James a promise. I told him that when we finally got Kaign off our backs, I take him around the world, show him how vampires have been subtly influencing the world for millennia.

James made me a better offer. I told him that we'd wait until this madness was behind us. The days are long, and the nights even longer. There is one thing we know for certain. He is coming.

  A/N: For those of you who don't know, I have more than one story. i'm working on the second book now. It's called Krimson Hunter. I invite you all to come and take a look. Thank yo for reading a Krimson Mind. I hope you enjoyed it. Now, go listen to Cedric's tale. He will appreciate it.