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

Martina

Stunned, Martina stared at her daughter. What had that vampire done at the time he was supposed to treat her wound? Did he hypnotize her? Vampires could do that. At least there were stories about it. Perhaps he had drunk from her blood? She wouldn't be upset about it. It's the reason she dropped Joleen here.

Nevertheless, the change in her daughter's behavior surprised her.

»Sit down,« the red-haired vampire says with a smile that caught a glimpse of her fangs. Martina shuddered, and her abdomen contracted as she remembered the last time such teeth pierced her skin.

She headed for the last free chair and sat down. Lasciviously she crossed her legs. It was an unconscious process after many years in her profession.

The vampire, who had approached her and Joleen, pushed a stack of papers across the table. Her fingers itched to grab them immediately, but Martina managed to hold herself in place.
»You'll notice that we have listed all the points in the contract that we had discussed before,« he explained, putting one hand on Joleen's head. »By signing this, you assign all rights on your daughter and hand her over to us. Give her to us. What we do with her is up to us; you will not have any role in the decisions we made.« Martina nodded to signal her understanding, and he continued immediately. »In exchange, you will receive a one-time payment of twenty thousand and a monthly payment of two thousand as long as Joleen is not of full age.«

These words warmed Martina's heart. She'll be fine with that. She needn't worry about care for that annoying child anymore. With the money of the bloodsuckers, she was able to make herself a beautiful life. To her, it was a win-win situation.

»Where to sign?« Martina asked.

The faces of the vampires seemed to be completely meaningless. As she arrived at the woman with the black hair, she couldn't help but take a look into those grey eyes. And she didn't like what she saw. The vampire's gaze may mean trouble.

She wasn't wrong. The woman leaned forward with her eyes wandering between Martina and Joleen.

»You are aware of the meaning of this? From the moment you signed, you no longer have a daughter,« the vampire explained and looked at Martina with a glance that made her uneasy. »You will have no right to visit or reclaim her. From the moment you sign, it will be like you never gave birth.«

» I'm aware of that,« Martina explained and looked at her daughter.

Fear had stepped into Joleen's eyes. »Mommy, what are you talking about? « the girl asked.»About yo...,« Martina set. The vampire sitting next to her daughter raised his hand, and Martina stopped immediately. It wasn't wise to disagree with a vampire. There were stories in which such thoughtless actions had caused death.

» We'd like you to stay here with us. We talked to your mother about that,« the vampire explained, and Martina was surprised about how gentle the sound of his voice was.

The black-haired female also got up and went over to Joleen. »There are not many children in our home, and we would like you to stay with us for a while,« she explained.

Joleen looked at Martina, who had already signed the contract. She doesn't need to stare at her daughter ... No, don't stare at the child who now belonged to the vampires to know how dumb Joleen looked now. The brat always got that look when she didn't get the point. And that has happened quite often.

»And my mom?« the girl asked, and Martina had a hard time suppressing a smile. That girl no longer had a mother.

»She won't live with us,« the vampire who was sitting on the other side of Joleen explained.The girl frowned again, and the third male vampire stood up and took out an envelope which he put on the table in front of Martina. Her heart started to race. Surely this was her payment.

»This is your compensation and the first monthly installment. Feel free to check it,« the vampire declared and sat down again. She was itchy to grab the envelope by her fingers and let every single note slide through them, but she controlled herself. She was smart, and so she had gone to friends to find out how to behave facing the vampires.

»I trust in your sense of honor,« she explained and gave the vampire her most beautiful smile. Her eyes were still on the envelope. »And now, I'll say goodbye if you don't mind.«

The vampires exchanged a brief look and then nodded unanimously. Martina grabbed the envelope and her copy of the contract. With calm footsteps and a frantic heart, she left the salon.