Page 11 of Unkindness of Crimson Ravens (The Crimson Duet #1)

A Gift

T he shock left my eyes unable to close, unable to look away, revealing everything I had only seen in my nightmares as a child.

I didn’t see pain in these people’s eyes, just indifference and... enjoyment.

Perhaps, they’d gone mad in the moments of anticipation, unable to process what was happening to them. Perhaps, some of them had been prepared for such an outcome, and were patiently waiting for their endless dream.

Would they be dried empty of any thoughts? Would their hearts stop pumping, realizing there was nothing left to pump? Would some of them become the very thing they were victims of?

“Cordelia?”

Thunder broke into the room, making the windows shudder in protest.

The buzz in my head grew louder, as I watched a human leaning against a vampire's chest. Simon’s chest. The woman threw her head back, allowing him closer.

I wanted to scream, run for her, take her away; though my body didn’t move—paralyzed.

Simon moved his victim’s hair, kissing her neck before piercing the skin with force. The woman squeaked in pain, her eyes rolling back.

Simon drank the woman's blood with pleasure, drying her empty. My head spun, but my eyes could not escape the horrific scene.

“Cordelia?” Cold hands gently held my face. “Please, look at me.” Florence’s worried eyes found mine.

“I will take her, go enjoy yourself, Florence.” A voice came from behind me, making the back of my neck prickle.

Florence nodded, letting free of my face as I closed my eyes, not wanting to witness that spectacle again.

Strong hands held me by my shoulders, moving me towards the exit. My vision blurred, forcing nausea upon me: weakness entered every inch of my being.

“Princess?” The voice exclaimed. “I know you wouldn’t want me to carry you out, so please walk.”

The bitter words made my heart race with anger. His annoyed tone made me push him away, but I did as he said—I walked.

The sound of rain calmed my nerves; I focused on the noise, forcing the dark images out of my mind.

“Almost there,” Francis said, making me realize he was not taking me to my room.

“Where are we going?” I asked him. I was in no position to protect myself, and the longer we walked, the less people I saw.

“Outside,” Francis pulled on the large metal handle. “I figured you would like some fresh air, you haven’t been outside in months.”

The back door of the castle opened with a horrible squeak. A wave of air brushed over my skin, hitting my face with relief.

The rain drizzled into my hair, relaxing my wandering mind. I closed my eyes, putting my face directly into a stream of rain.

Francis' hand left my shoulder, reminding me of his presence.

I faced the man, meeting his gaze. “How can you allow this?” I accused him. My hands turned into fists, even the rain couldn’t calm my fire.

“We need to feed.” Francis shrugged, immediately understanding the subject of my question.

I took a deep breath, refusing to acknowledge the calmness of his answer. “Who are these people?”

“Someone who needs gold, someone who broke the law on human grounds, although, most of them are just lunatics.”

My brows furrowed.

“They think of us as their high beings, gods sent by the Moon, if you will.” He rolled his eyes at the absurdity of such words. “They bring themselves as sacrifices.” He chuckled, as a new wave of nausea threatened to end me.

I staggered backwards, leaning against the wall of the castle. “You are no Gods, just monsters,” I bit out through clenched teeth.

“We are higher beings, Princess, despite what you wish to believe.” Francis took a step closer. “Besides, when did you hear about good gods? They’re all just as gruesome as we are. Might as well call ourselves ones.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “Your arrogance has no limits.”

“So you’ve said.” Francis took out a pipe from his jacket, covering it with his hand from the rain. “Do you mind?” He pointed at the pipe he’d already lit.

“Why just not give them gold? You have plenty.” I gestured back towards the castle. “This is cruel.”

“Again, we need to feed, Princess. It is what it is.” The air filled with the smell of tobacco as Francis inhaled it.

“It is very hypocritical, hearing it from a royal. How is this any different than people coming to court with gifts , offering their last goods? What about those knights who put their lives for your family’s well-being? ” Francis’ eyebrows shot up.

“This is different!” I screamed in disbelief. How could he have compared the two? “We are not ending the lives of those who supply the castle.” I added. “As for the knights, they protect the whole Kingdom, not just Royals. Moreover, they are paid to do so.”

Francis laughed so hard, it made my blood boil.

The urge to hit him just increased with new power.

“When’s the last time you’ve seen a knight beyond the royal grounds.

Those humans you saw,” he said through his laughter.

“No knights protect them. Their villages are too poor for your crown to care about.” He added seriously, “And we do not kill them either, not all of them at least.” He shrugged.

“Only those who broke the law and were sentenced to death.

Anyone here on their own accord may leave this castle whenever they please.

“They know the risk of entering our castle, but no one is dragging them down here against their will. We offer safety to their children, we give them gold, and they give us just enough blood for us to survive without giving up their lives.” Francis paused, filling his lungs with tobacco.

“It is a simple transaction. We have a treaty. No innocent soul gets hurt if they act upon their part of the deal.”

“They will turn into vampires!” I screamed at him again, disgusted by his calmness.

“Do they not teach you about our kind in your realm anymore?” Francis shook his head, taking a deep breath before continuing. “They will not turn from a bite unless that is what their souls wish to happen; they certainly will not turn from simply giving us blood.”

My lungs refused to work as though someone hit my chest, forcing the air out. What in the Kingdom was he saying? If they wish for it to happen .

There was only one book I’d found in the library that had any kind of information besides the brief history we were given in our lessons. Of course, everyone at the castle knew the basics, but no one bothered to study the topic deeper. Nothing about the choice had been mentioned in the book.

“What—” My brows furrowed. “What are you saying?”

Francis grinned, as he let the tobacco escape his mouth. “Unless you are a reborn vampire, in order to turn, a bite has to be presented as a gift. Nothing should be taken in return: no blood.”

I held onto the wall of the castle, steadying myself as the rain hardened, making my gown soaking wet. The lightning interrupted our conversation, dividing the starlit sky into two.

“Then,” Francis continued quietly as I held my breath, dreading his next words.

“The one who got bitten will only turn if they aren’t willing to fight for their human nature.

Someone who is unhappy with their being, per se.

” I shook my head at his words, not believing in them.

“Otherwise the bite will heal on its own, as any animal bite would.” Francis said, watching my reaction carefully.

“Odd they don’t teach you that at the royal palace, don’t you think?

Sounds pretty important to me. Every human at this village knows it. ” He took another inhale from his pipe.

It couldn’t be true. He had to be lying to me. My whole body shook in unison with the thunder. My mind traveled, unable to comprehend the words Francis threw at me.

Surely I had not wished to become my greatest enemy.

I stared at the ceiling of my new room, deep in my thoughts.

A whole week had passed since my conversation with Francis, yet his words were still loud and clear in my mind, taking the ability to rest from me.

The one who got bitten will turn only if they aren’t willing to fight for their human nature.

Had he told me the lie to redeem his choice of creating me—blaming me perhaps?

The bite has to be presented as a gift, nothing should be taken in return . A gift. What kind of gift was that, where your life is taken from you? Had my human life truly been so disastrous that my consciousness chose a different form?

A week in the room with all the questions floating above me like a heavy cloud, yet I still hadn’t found any answers.

The walls narrowed down on me with every passing second.

My thoughts slowly drove me mad. Everytime I lost the battle of staying awake, my mind was invaded by dozens of humans bleeding dry before me.

I understood the extremes and necessities of such a treaty, although my heart refused to accept it. How could I participate in such gruesomeness?

No innocent soul gets hurt, if they act upon their part of the deal. What kind of hardship had one faced to be willing to put their lives at the mercy of whomever had gold and safety? How could the crown allow this?

I’d always known my mother only gave time to those she deemed worthy, but as a ruler, how could she allow innocent people—her people—to take such risks to feed their own children.

Could I really take the lives of those who were forced to come here because of a broken law?

Darkness slowly creeped into my vision, making my eyelids heavy. No matter my best attempts at staying awake, my consciousness abandoned me.

“What are you doing?” My whisper echoed through the hall of the Royal palace. “Someone will see.”

“No one is here,” he rolled his eyes. “Stop being so prude, Cordelia.”

My chest squeezed tight. My trembling hands caught his, forcing them away.

Run. As though a statue, my body did not move. My legs were frozen in place.

Scream. A scream escaped my lips. The sound did not reach my ears. As though under water, my voice was silent.

The music from the ballroom grew louder.

And louder. And louder, and louder, and louder.

My eyes frantically searched for an exit when bright red covered my vision.

“Stop fighting me,” he roared into my ear.

Dozens of lifeless bodies laid all over the floor. Their empty eyes did not leave mine when Timothy’s hands wrapped around the fabric of my birthday gown.

The knife shimmered under the candle light. A woman’s empty eyes stared at me from the reflection of the blade. Her crimson lips stretched out in a slow smile.

Timothy brought the knife closer to my flesh. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Stop!” My voice finally broke through the heavy fog, forcing me awake. “Stop!” My eyes flew open, searching the room for any kind of invasion.

No one was here. He was not here. He would never hurt me again.

Nausea creeped into my being, turning my insides upside down. I barely made it to the bathing chambers before my stomach emptied itself out. I desperately needed a wash.

My skin cried in pain from all the scrubbing, though I still felt the shadows of his fingers on my flesh. My mind still felt his shadows hiding in the corners.

I needed to get out of this room.