Kiss of Crimson

by Samantha Coville

  Hopefully, they weren’t ordered to kill on sight.

  I stopped the car reluctantly and stepped out with my hands above my head.

  “I’m unarmed and alone. I need to speak with Jardin,” I shouted to the two guards who were already making their way toward me. One flashed his fangs at me.

  “Stand down, boys,” I heard a familiar voice call out. A chill went down my spine. It was Jardin himself, standing on his balcony a couple of floors above, watching me with obvious disdain.

  He wore a suit, a bejeweled cane resting on the marble railing next to him. He smirked devilishly.

  “The prodigal son returns, eh, Arden? I thought I was going to have to bargain with Leona and that would have put me in such a sour mood.”

  If this was his idea of not being in a sour mood, I was screwed.

  Then again, I’d seen Jardin when he was pissed. I’d worked for him long enough to see people fall out of his favor. It was never a pretty sight.

  “I want out, Jardin!” I yelled up to him. His vampire hearing could probably have heard me just fine in a normal tone, but I only had the courage to say it once, so I did it with gusto. “I’m out of this business.”

  He hissed and rolled his eyes. “Over a girl? And a human one at that? I thought you were better than that. I was offering you the chance to be a true blood trader yourself. That’s how much confidence I had in you!”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want that anymore. I have someone else to think of and look after now. I trust I’ve worked long enough to repay whatever debt you thought I owed you.”

  Jardin slammed his fist on the railing, sending a hairline crack through the marble.

  “I thought you had more brains in that pretty head of yours. But, alas, you are correct to a point. You’ve worked off your debt to me. Almost.”

  I raised a questioning brow.

  Jardin put his fingers to his mouth and let out a high-pitched whistle. The front door of the mansion opened and a myriad of my vampire coworkers spilled out. Most all of them were dressed in black and looking at me like I was a new toy at a playground.

  Crap.

  “You killed two of my men,” Jardin crooned. He looked like he rather bemused with the situation. “In penance, I’m going to give these loyal workers of mine the chance to use you as a punching bag for a little while, and then...you can have the freedom you so daftly crave.”

  I looked up at him with an open mouth. He was really letting me go. He was going to let me live.

  Or, at least, he wasn’t pulling a trigger himself.

  I glanced back at the growing crowd that I was going to have to survive. These were all vampires that stuck to a strict workout and strength-building regiment.

  This was gonna hurt like a bitch.

  “I hate to see you go, Arden. I really do. But I have to admit you were one of the best of us. Letting you live is the least, and I mean the very least, I can do for you. Just don’t come crawling back to me if the girl leaves you out in the streets.”

  I swallowed hard and braced myself as the crowd surged forward. Jardin disappeared from the balcony. He wasn’t even going to watch the spectacle.

  I let out the first of many swears as the first vampire threw a solid right hook right into the side of my face.

  I groaned and tried to sit up on the couch. My whole body was sore but vastly improved from how it had been even 48 hours prior.

  After I had been the undead punching bag for an hour, an old buddy of mine put his neck on the line to offer to drive me back to Eloise’s mansion. Instead, I convinced him to let me crash at his dump of a place.

  Because damn, did I look like hell.

  My eyes had both been black and swollen shut. My lip had busted open. Bruises covered my body like splotchy art. And I’d definitely broken a couple of ribs and a wrist.

  It felt like some sick karma for the carrier boy. I supposed I deserved it.

  I was more fortunate than the poor kid. I was a vampire. I was healing at incredible rates compared to humans. My bones were already fused back together. It was just down to regaining my strength and trying to move without feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.

  That was probably going to take at least a week.

  I checked my phone. There were dozens of messages from Eloise. My heart hurt to see the missed calls and the full inbox of voicemails.

  I didn’t want her to know what had happened. A few more days and I’d go back to her like everything was fine.

  And it would be fine. I was a free vampire, finally. She and I could try and build a real, normal relationship.

  Crazy, right?

  A few days of her fretting over where I was would be worth it. Better than her seeing me like this. I’d considered at least sending her a text, but then she’d go out looking for and who knows where she’d end up.

  At least Eloise had stopped texting and calling the last couple of days. Hopefully, she was resting and doing something leisurely for now. I pictured her sunbathing or going dress shopping. It made me smile.

  As if on cue, my phone chimed. I had received a text message. I furrowed my brows and checked to see what Eloise had sent.

  But it wasn’t from Eloise. It was from an unknown number.

  I sat up with some small difficulty and read it.

  Jardin may be done with you. But I’m not. You don’t get to quit us that easily.

  What the hell was that supposed to mean? Everyone had gotten a literal jab at me, so it seemed like all was well that ends well.

  I didn’t have to wait long for an answer as the unknown number called me, my phone ringing shrill in the small living room I was sleeping in.

  I clicked the green pickup button and put the phone to my ear. I didn’t even have to say hello as the caller started talking immediately.

  “Gosh, this chick has a lot of books.”

  My blood ran cold. Not everyone in the Jardin empire had taken their turn on me. One particular vampire hadn’t been in attendance.

  “Evangeline, what the fuck do you want?”

  “Tsk tsk tsk,” she purred. “Is that any way to talk to me? I thought we had something special going on, hot stuff.”

  I clenched my fist, feeling the muscles beg me to stop. To take it easy.

  Books…

  Was Evangeline at…

  “You know, it would be a real shame if anything were to happen to all her precious books. Or to her.”

  I stood, my head feeling light, the room spinning as I struggled to keep my voice even and threatening. I couldn’t let her read me through the phone. Couldn’t let her hear me fight to stay on my feet.

  “Evangeline, I swear if you touch a hair on her head-”

  Click.

  The line went dead. I double-checked the screen on the phone but, sure enough, Evangeline had hung up on me.

  My body was shaking with nerves and adrenaline.

  Evangeline was in Eloise’s house.

  And there was no way she was going to just leave quietly.

  I was in no shape to take her on. She could best me on my better days. And this was far from being one of my better days.

  But if we got through all this just for Evangeline to do something to Eloise…

  I shook the thought out of my head and reached for my jacket.

  This ends now.

  Nineteen

  Eloise

  How long had I been in bed? Days? Weeks? I tried to think through it in my head. I couldn't count the number of meals I had eaten, as those were very few. I could count the number of meals Jewel had brought up, but that I left untouched. Five days by my calculations. Thank god my mother had convinced me to leave my bed long enough for a bath the day before. Otherwise, I would have started smelling pretty foul by the point.

  When I read fairy tales, I always thought it was stupid when the princess locked herself away in her room in a wallowing mess of self-pity and despair. And yet, there I was. Doing exactly that. I was that disappointing me
ss of a heroine who lost the will to fight just because the guy turned tail and ran. I had fallen asleep that night with Arden next to me, his fingers tracing my naked spine. I had expected to wake up the next morning, the smell of him on me, ready to tackle the problem ahead of us.

  But when I woke that next morning, the bed was empty next to me. The sheets were thrown back and his clothes were picked off the floor. I was so confused and hurt and worried. Had something happened to him? Or had he lied to me and left me to defend myself? I was shocked when my mother calmed me and told me he had left for my own protection and hidden his plans so that I couldn't follow. Even my mother, of all people, could admit he loved me and was being selfless. But I felt betrayed and abandoned.

  The revelation of what he had done didn't help. I spent the next few days nearly comatose in my bed. The ceaseless concern of whether he was dead or alive kept me paralyzed. With every second that ticked by, the irrational thoughts filled my head more and more. I wondered if that breath I took in bed coincided with his last a hundred miles away at the hands of Jardin or one of his goons. I knew it was crazy to become consumed by thoughts like those, but I felt responsible for whatever happened to this man I had admittedly grown to love. If I hadn't meddled at the warehouse that night, Arden wouldn't have put his neck on the line for me.

  I squeezed my blanket tighter around me and shoved my head into my pillow, screaming into it so that no one could hear. I had run out of tears already. The only thing that was left to do was decide to either brush myself off like nothing had happened or continue to wallow like a spoiled brat. I want to say that I was deciding on the former, but the latter was a much more likely possibility.

  When I pulled my face away from the feather pillow, I noticed something that I swore wasn't there a moment before. There was a faint smell in the air, something bitter and earthy. The smell of something burning.

  I pulled myself off the mattress and my head felt heavy on my shoulders. Was something on fire in the kitchen? But that couldn't have been right, because I remembered my mother had come in to tell me that she and the entire staff were going to the funeral for the carrier boy. We weren't even able to save him, and he succumbed to his injuries a few days later. The house was supposed to be empty for everyone except me.

  So where was the smell coming from?

  My feet met the cold wood flooring, and I pulled my robe tighter around my body. I pushed my hair behind my ear and stumbled across the room to my bedroom door. As soon as the door was open, the smell was stronger. It hit me in the chest, the smoke and the stench. I tried my best to wave at the air in front of me as my eyes watered. I fought the urge to scream as I realized the grey clouds were coming from the library, my library.

  My pace picked up as I bolted for the library door. It stood cracked open, which was a blessing as I brushed against the handle of the door and felt that it was burning hot. I stepped inside and saw to my horror that there was indeed a fire in my father's library. The red and orange flames licked away at the hundreds of books that he had carefully selected and collected. The room that was my safe haven was going to turn to ashes, and the fire was already too large for me to hope to extinguish.

  Then my eyes fell on the woman. Her back was turned to me and all I could see was her flowing brown hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall. I thought maybe one of the servants had stayed behind and was too scared to move once she discovered the fire. I called out to her, but coughed as the contaminated air filled my lungs. The woman must have heard me though because she turned around and I noticed the shining daggers strapped to her waist and thighs, the white of her fangs peeking out in her wild grin.

  "I finally get to meet the Lady Eloise." The way she said my name was akin to how I would have mentioned a dead rat floating in the fountain in the backyard. The woman sauntered closer to me and I stumbled backward, catching myself on one of the bookcases that hadn't fallen victim. Not yet. But I needed to get out of there fast.

  "I'm Evangeline. You don't know me, but I used to be one of Arden's associates. I've come to... settle a score. I'd say I'm sorry that you're caught in the middle of this, but," she laughed. "I'm really not."

  It was like she could tell I was about to pivot and run as fast as I could out of the mansion. Because, with a twinkle in her eye, and faster than I could ever react to, she lunged at me. The last thing I remembered before my vision went black was the sound of a deep growl from her throat as her hands clenched around me.

  Twenty

  Arden

  I broke my phone.

  The moment I held it up to my ear, my hand convulsed, and the chrome crumbled under my hand as though it were clay.

  I wasted precious time trying to locate a pay phone with a slightly more durable handset.

  It still cracked ominously under my grip as I dialed Jardin’s personal number.

  I’m surprised I didn’t leave the buttons permanently sunk into the device.

  When he picked up, I didn’t bother with the pleasantries.

  Evangeline wouldn’t dare act alone, not with someone like Eloise.

  She had to have been directed.

  And there was only one person who’d dare lay on a hand on Madame Hart’s youngest daughter.

  “Call your attack bitch off, Jardin, or so help me, you won’t live to see the sun set again.”

  He didn’t miss a beat.

  “I’m afraid I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re referring to.” He continued in the same honey-sweet tone that put my teeth on edge. “And I’d watch your tone if I were you, son. You may have left my employ, but that doesn’t mean I can’t find you and turn you over on my knee.”

  “I’ve paid my debt to you,” I said. “Why the hell did you send Evangeline after Eloise? What kind of point were you trying to make? That no one can leave? Goddammit, Jardin, why Eloise?”

  My knees buckled, and for a moment, I thought I was going to hit the pavement.

  Only a firm grasp on the edge of the telephone booth kept me upright.

  Damn it.

  I was weaker than a newborn babe from my “de-initiation” from Jardin’s gang.

  Even on a good day, odds were split on whether I could take Evangeline down in a fair fight.

  But this was not a good day, and the witch didn’t know how to fight fair.

  “My, my… won’t you just look at all these books…”

  My throat tightened painfully.

  “Jardin, please.”

  Help me.

  I couldn’t say it, though.

  I owed Jardin nothing.

  He owed me nothing.

  That’s the way it should be.

  I didn’t get the crap kicked out of me only to owe my ex-Master a favor straight out of the gate.

  Jardin made a sound in the back of his throat.

  “Stay on the line.”

  There was a slight muffled sound on the other line, the low murmur of voices in the background.

  Then the shuffle on the other received as he removed his hand from the mouthpiece.

  “She’s not here.”

  I growled, barely managing to keep the rage at bay and turning the phone booth into a pile of metal and wires. “No shit she’s not. She’s currently holding Eloise hostage. You fucking promised, Jardin. When I went through your fucking ordeal, you gave me your word that you would not seek retribution on the Harts.”

  There was a thoughtful pause on the other line.

  “You are correct,” he finally said. “I did swear such a thing, did I not?”

  “So what’s the deal with Evangeline?” I raged. “Are you telling me she’d risk angering you just to piss me off? Why? Why would she give me such a hard time about this?”

  He sighed. “My apologies, my boy. I’m afraid that I—well, I may have made a mistake.”

  “You may? You may have made a mistake?” The pay phone handset was slick under my death grip. “No, you know who’s made a mistake? Evangeline. Because by holding
Eloise hostage, she has signed her death warrant. And I don’t care who that snake-skinned witch owes her fealty to.”

  My voice lowered to a whisper because I was terrified I’d start screaming.

  Screaming is not a good look for men.

  “I’m going to rip her to shreds,” I continued. “And if that places me in your path, then so be it. At least I get to kill the demon bitch first.”

  “Whether you choose to believe me or not, you must know that I did not intend for the Harts to be injured in any way.” He tsked. “While it pains me greatly to say this, Evangeline went against my mandate. I cannot abide that kind of recklessness any longer.”

  “Then…?”

  “She’s yours,” he said curtly. “Do with her what you will. She is no longer welcome in my home or under my protection.”

  I didn’t bother to exchange goodbyes; I heard what I wanted, and now Evangeline was going to pay.

  The smell of rubber was thick in the air as I peeled out of the parking lot towards the Hart residence.

  Please be okay, Eloise.

  Please, please!

  Even from several blocks away, I could smell the acrid scent of smoke thick in the air.

  I didn’t want to consider the worst-case scenario.

  That it was the Hart’s residence, that Evangeline had lit fire to the building, fully knowing that it would send me deeper into the proverbial sea of despair and pain.

  When I arrived at Eloise’s street, the police had set up a cordon, putting up blockades at both sides of the street to prevent any kind of traffic.

  The smoke was almost too dense to bear, and tears sprang to my eyes as I stepped out of the Audi, gaze glued to the sight of the inferno spread out before me.

  Evangeline had done it.

  It hadn’t been enough that she’d held Eloise as a hostage.

  She had to put fire to everything Eloise loved.

  Jesus, her books.

  A small sound left my throat as I realized just how powerless I was.