Preview: Crimson Red - The first season of the Colors of Moonlight series

Zacharias

There was a knock, and Zacharias made the door open with a quick mental command.Bored, he looked at his brother, who entered the room. One of his current bloodslaves followed him.

»Brother,« Cirrus said as he sat down in the chair. His bloodslave sat down next to his feet.»What do you want, Ci?« Zacharias asked.

»Our visit will be here soon. I'm just here to inform you,« Cirrus explained, stroking his bloodslaves hair. »If you want to eat something before entering the human company, this would be the time.« He grabbed the black velvet ribbon the young woman was wearing. It was used to cover the bite marks on the bloodslaves' throat. »If you don't like any of the bloodwhores, I'm willing to let you have Angela for a while. I don't mind sharing her with you.«

Zachariah's eyes wandered over the white neck. Immediately his eyes found the perfect place to approach, and his hunger appeared. However, it vanished when he discovered the many bite marks of his brother. Slowly he shook his head.

»Thank you, Ci. I appreciate the offer, but I was already eating early in the evening,« Zacharias said.

»As you wish, brother,« Cirrus replied and giving the young woman a little push. »Go back to the others. I'll call you.«

»Thank you, Sir,« she whispered. The woman kept her eyes lowered. As he watched her leave the room with her hips swinging, Zacharias realized how extensive her education must have been. Too many people forgot the first rule of dealing with a vampire.

Never look into their eyes.

It was easy for them to manipulate humans. In many cases, even a short look was sufficient. One glance and the will of the person who crossed it was subject to the will of the vampire. Of course, some people had an unusually strong will. They managed to resist the vampire for a while longer. But in the end, they all came out on penalties.

»Who is our guest again?« Zacharias asked. He looked closely at his brother. When the time didn't matter, the nights would merge. Usually, he rarely took care of the family business with humans.

»Brother. After all, it was your vote that led to this deal agreeing,« Cirrus' voice easily contained reproach and sharp amusement. » It's about the crack whore who's trying to sell us her daughter.«

Something was bothering Zachariah's mind. Yeah, he remembered. The contact to this whore had been mediated to them, a few weeks ago, by one of their human coworkers. One of the days, she told them that her neighbor was looking for contact with a vampire who would be willing to buy her daughter.

Zacharias shook his head with a smile. The price the whore demanded was ridiculously reasonable. Especially considered how young her daughter was.

They had discussed for a long time whether it would be advisable to take in such a young person. Cirrus and Fayn, one of their cousins, thought it might be worth preparing a human for life as a bloodwhore from an early age. Agenta, Zacharias' sister, and Nikolas, also a cousin, however, believed that the waiting time, until the girl gets useful, did not outweigh the effort. Of course, ten or twenty years was not a significant time for those who lived for eternity.

Nevertheless, they expressed concerns. In the end, Zacharias' voice was the determining one. They agreed to take the girl as a test subject. Her development would show whether it was worthwhile for them all to make this new path. This human child would have a better life under their roof than in the care of the crack whore. There were many women, like the mother of the kid. Should this girl become a success, they were able to breed an entirely new generation of blood companions. And the children would find a better home than with the people who didn't care anyway.

At that age, they were innocent and effortless to manipulate. The kids would grow up with the tasks that would be their responsibility and have a completely different relationship to those who choose to commit to the vampires in later years.

Whether the children were willing to, or not, he did not care, most of the bloodwhores were just like that because they could not resist the rapture which came over them when one of the vampires feed himself on a human.

Zacharias got up, and his brother matched him.

»I will receive our guests,« he explained to Cirrus. »You can get to meet the others. They certainly won't be unaware of the arrival of our latest addition.«

Cirrus nodded while they left the room together.


Although they had servants, Zacharias refused to miss the opportunity of welcoming customers who offered them lucrative deals. He knew how humans were a necessary evil. The connection with them was essential for their survival. However, it did not occur to him bind himself to a human being.

Taken a bloodwhore was a one-night deal. Bloodslaves were bound to a vampire, but the vampire also attached itself to this person. As far as his family was involved, this was always voluntarily.

The bloodwhores lived in a separate wing of the house. There, they waited to be chosen for one night, whether he, a family member or a befriended vampire. They were given food, lodging, and, if necessary medical care. Al least, it was their choice as to whether they wanted to be the vampire's will. In the end, they still had the opportunity to reject the offer. Besides, they could learn from more experienced humans.

The bloodslaves get a room near the vampire to which they were bound. Because his brother likes to keep several bloodslaves, they get a separate part of the house. They were granted more room to move because they were physically and emotionally attached to their vampire. This connection could vary in strength, but it always kept them from betraying them.

The girl they would buy from her mother today would get familiar with the rules of the vampires all over. When she was old enough, she was allowed to choose for herself whether she wanted to become a bloodwhore or a bloodslave. Besides, of course, she had the choice to refuse if someone tried to make her his slave. A decision that was denied to bloodwhores often when they joined a harem. Bloodwhores had to be available to every vampire. They were also used much less for this purpose.

She would initially live with the bloodwhores because they had enough time to take care of the girl. It was Agenta who had selected two women and instructed them to care for the child's wellbeing. They received a small payment in return. Although his sister was against the admission of the child, she had been anxious since the decision. This trial run should go as smoothly as possible.

That child would be the beginning of a whole new era for all of them. No member of his family wanted to risk anything going bad.

They had decided to provide the child with a comprehensive school education. That would take place in their house, next to the classes in which every bloodmate could participate. They did not agree on the age when they could feed on her for the first time. But they all agreed on one point: She needed to decide on her own.

Humans who were forced to offer themselves as a source of food went mad or died often. It was irrelevant whether enough blood flowed through her body. In all the centuries, they had not been able to find out the reason for this. Natural protection of human beings against their peers?Zacharias shrugged off the thought and concentrated on the road that passed in front of her mansion. The car had already arrived. He could feel the presence of the driver, who was working for his family. So his guests had to be somewhere on the property.

He found them almost immediately when he focused his senses on the family estate. He opened the door and waited, looking outside.

So far, he had only met the mother, and she had undoubtedly been gorgeous by human standards in the past. But the years of increased alcohol and drug addiction had taken away her beauty. Nevertheless, he was curious about the daughter because she would have no chance to fall into such vices.

By the contract they had drawn up, the girl gets bound to his family for her entire life, except if they would release her as well. That only would happen if she were willing to commit to a vampire as a bloodslave. His view wandered across the property. The high cedar trees lined the entire estate and blocked the view from the outside. Because of their daily servants, the extensive lawns were neat and clean. The path leading up to her house softly gleamed in the moonlight. The flowers exuded a pleasant scent that merged with the mild air of the night, creating a perfect alliance.

Then he discovered the tall, blonde woman dragging a child by her hand. He narrowed his eyes slightly and watched them more closely. The girl struggled to keep up with her mother, almost ran. Her eyes were wide open, and he could see the speed of her breath.

Disgusted, he shook his head. It was a long way up to the house. If the mother had set this speed from the very beginning, the girl's exhaustion did not surprise him.

The wind turned direction and carried their voices over to him. He understood only scraps of words, but it was clear to him what was spoken.

»...ait please, Mommy,« a wheezing was brought by the wind. »...ot that fast, please, Mommy.«He could see the woman stand still and turn away from him to look at her daughter.
»... on't....ch... no-- on! You...untank...ucking brat!« He heard the helpless sobbing of the child as it was grabbed by the mother's hand again, which continued at a consistent pace.

Zacharias wished that this child would prove itself. He was aware of how many of these children still existed, which would undoubtedly find a better life among them.

A scream reached his ears even before he consciously perceived what could have led to it. He only knew this one had come from the child.

When he focused his eyes on the mother and daughter again, he saw the girl lying on the floor and heard a quiet sob. The girl's little hands enclosed her knee. Apparently, the child had stumbled over the stones. Or maybe it had been moved on by its mother, as it could no longer keep up.

Again he heard the nagging of the mother. She grabbed the girl by the upper arm, pulled her to her legs, and began to shake her. » Don't be stupid! Why are you always ruining everything for me? You're ungrateful! I always, always took care of you, and what do you do? You always ruin everything,« she shouted. Her words went on as she shook the girl more and more firmly, and the teeth of the little one hit each other.

Before Zacharias became aware of what he was doing, he left his position and moved towards them. When he came to a stop just behind the mother, she raised her hand to beat her daughter.»Can I be of any help?« the vampire asked in a gentle voice. It gave him immense pleasure as he saw the mother freeze in her movement.

She drove around to him and smiled at him without looking him in the eyes. So, she had informed herself. »Dear Sir,« she purred, and there was nothing left to see of the disparaging attitude she showed towards her daughter. »You didn't have to meet us. It was very kind of you and your family to send us a car.«

Zacharias' eyes slipped past her and got caught on the girl. Huge green eyes stared at him. The face was reddened from crying. But curiosity lay in her look, and she looks at him in the way only human children did.

»You must be Joleen,« he said with a smile.

The child's gaze wandered insecurely to her mother as if she were looking for instructions about what she should do now. Zacharias suppressed a smile when he realized that these were the right conditions for a bloodslave.

»Hush, don't be so rude and introduce yourself,« the mother hissed and pushed the girl.She tripped one step forward and came to a stop right in front of him. Zacharias gave the mother an angry look and then turned to the girl with a smile. »Did you hurt yourself when you fell?« he asked. He was not interested, and the question was redundant because the smell of blood had already got into his nose, but he wanted to allow the child to find her own words.

The little one continued to look at him, said nothing, but managed to nod. Blond curls bounced slightly to the beat of movement. The uncertainty in the child's eyes vanished.

»Shall we go inside and see what we can do about it?« Zacharias continued, and again the girl looked at her mother. The woman nodded barely noticeably, so the girl nod again, too. »Well, come with me,« Zacharias told her, and went off.

He also heard mother and daughter start moving again. The girl stayed close to him. After a few steps, he felt something unfamiliarly warm and gentle on his hand. He looked down in puzzlement. The girl had grabbed his hand and looked up to him. She was still not speaking, but he could discover neither fear nor uncertainty in her eyes.

He carefully stretched out his senses to understand the girl's feelings. A useful ability when moving among humans.

No, the girl wasn't afraid, at least not of him. This child hungered for her mother's love, and he wondered why the woman who had given birth to her kept pushing her. The little one, Joleen, was curious because she had never seen anyone like him before. And she was surprised because no one had ever been so gentle on her.

In silence, Zacharias decided to investigate the girl's past in more detail. The access to her memories would be easy, and he might get a better impression of her life so far. But only a few vibrations he received from Joleen were enough to upset him.

And humans called vampires cruel. No one of them would ever turn anyone and then push them off like that. It was an unwritten law to care for those you created. She even treated her bloodwhores better than the mother had cured this child.

Zacharias takes a deep breath, for even if he did not need any air, it helped him to urge himself to rest.

Then they arrived at the stairs, and the little one stopped unsteadily. The child let go of his hand. She looked back at her mother, unsure of what to do now.

»Well, what are you waiting for? Get up there,« the woman instructed the child overbearingly.Zacharias watched as the little one stepped unsteadily from one foot to the other and pressed her lips together. »My knee is hurting, Mom,« she whispered.

» Don't act like that!« the mother hissed. »Get up the stairs!«

The child winced because her mother took a step towards her. Again Zacharias felt nothing but disrespect for this female. However, he was surprised by his behavior. Why did he get that upset? Usually, he was calm and didn't care much about humans. Yeah, he didn't even pay much attention to them unless he had to feed on them. But this child ... it had an urge to protect it.

Joleen followed her mother's instructions and put the uninjured leg's foot on the first step. She trembled with every movement, but she did not dare to ask her mother for help again. Zacharias felt pity, a feeling that was also completely unknown to him.

He crossed the short distance with a quick step and raised her. Surprised, Joleen stared at him, but then she gives him a gratefully smile. The smell of blood came back into his nose. He could feel his fangs coming out. But he didn't show and carried the child into the house, where he put it back on the floor. The mother followed them.

»Wait here! « he just told the woman and then looked at Joleen, who stared at her mother. The woman silently nodded. »Joleen, come with me! We're gonna fix your knee.«

She willingly took the hand he reached her. He led her into one of the bathrooms of the house and looked around.

It was only a small wound, and he was sure he could fix it without calling a doctor. It was better not to get the smell of blood into his family's nose while they were discussing the contract again. That would only distract them, and they might miss something important.

»Sit down there,« he said, pointing to the toilet. Employees or bloodmates usually used bathrooms in the house, but this one was extremely uncommon. The girl nodded and sat down.Zacharias reached for a cloth and moistened it by the sink. Then he was kneeling in front of Joleen and began to clean the wound. The girl twitched but didn't make a sound. Instead, she kept looking at him.

»What's your name?« Joleen suddenly asked and surprised him. Humans weren't often able to take him by surprise, but the girl had been that silent until now. He hadn't assumed she'd find the courage to speak. He smiled as he admitted to feeling a little impressed. Her innocence erased the inherent fear that most humans showed in dealing with him.

»Zacharias,« he just replied. »But, you better call me Sir.«

»Why? « Joleen frowned and kept looking at him.

It didn't seem to bother her at all to look him through the eyes. Irritating. »Because it's common. That is the way it is demanded,« he replied.

A thoughtful expression appeared on her face. »I was having a Zacharias in my kindergarten until my mom took me away,« she explained frankly and almost seemed a little sad. »But we all used to say Zach because Zacharias is such a dumb name.«

Joleen's statement took him by surprise, and he began to laugh without being able anything to do against it. When he looked into her face, he saw her smile for the first time. The tension she felt when her mother was around suddenly disappeared. He had to admit that he certainly felt sympathy for the child.

»Well, you can call me Zach if we're alone,« he admitted to Joleen and was again rewarded with a happy smile. »But if there's someone around, you'll say Sir, right?«

»It's our secret,« she promised, while nodding her head so hard her curls bounced up and down.

» That's right,« he confirmed and then continued to clean her wound.

»Why are your eyes that funny? « she asked a moment later, and Zacharias stopped again.He should have reckoned that question. Mortals used to avoid such questions, but human children were more guileless at such things.

»Because I'm a vampire,« Zacharias replied. »When we are changed, our eyes become cloudy and lose their color.«

»And then they turn grey?« the girl asked, and Zacharias nodded again.

And then she did something he didn't expect at all. She reached out her little hand and stroked his cheek. »I like your eyes. They are odd but beautiful,« she explained and smiled at him again.For the first time since he began his existence as a vampire, he found himself speechless in the presence of a mortal. He usualy holds control firmly in his hand, especially when humans surrounded him. This child, however, had managed to surprise him several times.

»Thank you,« he muttered and got up to get a Band-Aid. Joleen continued to watch him, and as he stretched out his senses now to experience what was going on inside her, he felt nothing but pure gratitude.