Page 15 of Love Bleeds

Chapter Five

Crimson had learned not to bombard his sire with too many questions, but after half an hour of sitting in silence, watching the impressively long entryway to an old manor on the west side of town, he couldn't reign his curiosity in any longer. "What are we doing here?" he asked.

When Nicolai turned to smile at him, a chill raced down Crimson's spine. He'd been with the vampire for long enough to know thatthatsmile never meant good things.

"There isn't anything you can tell me about this place?" Nicolai asked.

Crimson shook his head, studying the house once more. Had he been here before? If so, he couldn't tell. There was nothing that stood out to him. "Did I live here?" he tried a guess.

He had no idea why Nicolai would take him back to his old place, but so many things his sire did made no sense to him.

"You did not," Nicolai said, still with that smile on his face. "This is where we first met."

Crimson's stomach tightened. His eyes snapped back to the house. "I died here?"

"You did not," Nicolai repeated. "I took you with me, and then I gave you the gift of immortality."

The gift of immortality.Crimson wanted to scoff, but knew better than to display such obvious disrespect in front of his sire. It was better not to give Nicolai any more reasons to punish him. "What was I doing here?"

"Wasting your time." Nicolai pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped on the screen a few times before showing it to Crimson. "Look at this boy."

The phone showed a photograph. Crimson studied it carefully. A blond man about his own age grinned at the camera. Green eyes, boyish face. He wore plain jeans and a t-shirt that said,I love my Wifi—We have a strong connection.

For some reason, Crimson found it hard to tear his gaze away from the picture. It wasn't like he recognized the man, not consciously, in any case, but there wassomethingabout this photograph that tugged at his mind and refused to let go.

With some effort, Crimson made himself look up at his sire. "Who is he?"

"Your target," Nicolai said.

"He lives here?"

"Not anymore." Nicolai glanced in the direction of the house again. "But he might be back. Some nights you will wait here, other nights I'll have you wait in other locations, until he finds you."

"Until he finds me?" What an odd way to word that.

"He's protected," Nicolai explained. "Shielded from our attention. But that won't matter if he approaches you."

And why would he do that? The question burned on the tip of Crimson's tongue, but he knew asking would be pointless. Nicolai wouldn't tell him. He'd only say something cryptic that would open up more questions in Crimson's mind. Even without asking, though, he could reach some of his own conclusions. Whoever the man in the picture was, he knew Crimson. Had known Crimson, before he was Crimson.

"Will you be with me?" Crimson asked.

"I'm afraid I can't spare that much time," Nicolai said, not sounding all that regretful. "But you'll have company. We wouldn't want you to get any stupid ideas. It would be a shame if I had to get out the animal blood again, wouldn't you agree?"

Involuntarily, Crimson shuddered.

His sire's lips curled up. "That's what I thought. You are to notify me the moment you see him. You will be given a phone for this purpose."

"I'm not to attack?" Crimson clarified.

"No, child, he's more valuable to us alive."

Crimson nodded as if he understood.

"I will beverydispleased with you if you kill him," Nicolai added sharply. "You will not drink from him. Your orders are to report to me and keep him in place until I get there. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Crimson was almost relieved. It would be easy enough to follow those orders. It wasn't like hewantedto kill any more of his old friends.

Of course, getting captured by vampires might mean an entirely worse fate for the blond, but Crimson tried not to think about that too hard.

With a small smile, Nicolai turned around, gesturing at a figure approaching from the distance. “Here’s your new partner now.”