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

Fayn

She took the child to the bloodwhore's wing. Christin and Tony were waiting for them. From now on, the wellbeing of the child was their responsibility.

As they watched the child's crying face, sorrow became visible in the faces of the women. A confirm that they choose the right bloodwhores.

Fayn looked at the two bloodwhores. Christin was as light as Tony was dark. Her long, blond hair, the pale skin, which was the standard for bloodmates, caused by blood deficiency, and the white clothes she always wears. Tony, on the other hand, had dark skin, her eyes were deep brown, they seemed nearly black, and her long dark hair also reached her waist. They had both arrived at the same time. Instead of indulging in the usual hostilities that were common among the bloodwhores, they became friends. They were also willing to visit a vampire in pairs if someone demand so.

Their friendship had prevented them from slipping into the dull catatonia that possessed many bloodwhores and could only be broken by having sex with a vampire. When Fayn finally stopped in front of them, they both kneeled. »You may rise,« the vampire explained. The child next to her pulled up her nose. Fayn avoided a sniffing and wondered how disgusting humans were in many ways. She looked at the child with a friendly smile. »Joleen, let me introduce Christin and Tony. They will take care of you for a while now and show you your room,« Fayn explained. Joleen nodded. The small body still shaken by silent sobs. Fayn looked back to the bloodwhores. »If she doesn't calm down, let us know. We'll take care of it.«

Christin and Tony nodded. Fayn noticed the uneasiness in the women's eyes. They heard the words Fayn didn't say. They would mentally manipulate the child. That would calm her down, even if she didn't want to.

» Aren't you coming?« Joleen asked and pressed Fayn's hand.

»No, I have to take care of your mother,« Fayn explained.

Joleen's mouth formed into an understanding, »Oh,« and the girl let go of the hand.

After a moment of reflection, Fayn said: »You stay here and be a good girl!« She wasn't sure if these were words spoken to human children when they were left alone, but Joleen nodded.

As soon as she entered the lobby, she noticed the change. The mother's body was no longer lying on the floor. On of their servants must remove the blood. However, she felt the presence of her family in the salon, and they all seemed thrilled.

Curious about what was going on there, she approached the closed door.»... not a good feeling about it,« Zacharias explained as Fayn entered.

»What are we supposed to do? Letting the girl watch her mother bleed to death?« Nikolas countered angrily. »Excellent start for our experiment. The child would blame us for her mother's death.«

»So what do you want to do with her? You changed her. That means you have to take the responsibility,« Zacharias said to his cousin. »You saw the way she treats that kid. Do you really believe it would be safe to keep her here?«

»As you said, I changed her, and so she is subject to my instructions,« Nikolas replied. He looked over to the couch, and when Fayn followed his eyes, she saw the girl's mother.

»We all should keep an eye on her,« Cirrus now explained. Nikolas drove around and looked at him angrily. Cirrus raised his hands. »I agree. Right now, you're doing the right thing. However, this woman has an amazing potential for aggression against her daughter.«

Fayn finally stepped into the room and sighed softly. All eyes turned to her, and she smiled at her family. »I think it could be a chance,« she said. »We'll take care of both and see how it goes. And maybe this is the rupture she needs to get closer to her daughter.«

»What do you mean?« Zacharias asked, defensively.

»Perhaps she now succeeds by shedding the hatred she feels for her daughter. She's going to start a new life. Maybe it is also a fresh start for mother and daughter,« Fayn continued. »This child is yearning for her mother's love. If we can get the two of them to come closer, it might be conducive to our attempt.«

The faces of her family had become thoughtful. Fayn was sure they would agree.

»All right,« Zacharias finally said. »Nikolas, it's up to you what happens to Martina. You're in charge of her in all matters.«

»In exchange, I should stay away from the child?« Nikolas asked.

»No. But she has for a while. As long as we can't be sure about how to avoid something like that in the entrance area earlier. She's much stronger now, which means it could be lethal for the child the next time,« Zacharias explained.

There was tension in the air as Zacharias and Nikolas stared at each other. Finally, Fayn saw her brother nodding, and she relaxed. He was temperamental and stubborn, but he also knew what was right and what wasn't.