by L. C. Son
“Oh sweet, Elena, did you think you were here to become one of us? Oh no, my sweet dear, I wouldn’t dare think of doing such a thing.” I answer.
“Good,” she says, biting her bottom lip, puffing her chest with her typical arrogant stance.
“You’re the first course,” Tabitha whispers at her ear. Elena yells in response and Tabitha mutes her screams with her hands.
“Now ladies, this may hurt a little,” DeLuca says from the back corner.
“But once your pain passes, you’ll open with new eyes,” I add. “And a snack,” I continue with a wink to Elena.
Within minutes, Tabitha, Scotty, DeLuca and myself bare our fangs and venom into all the women except Elena, leaving she and Preston as their first meal. While most scream and writhe under our grip, none seem to relent of their choice.
Why would they?
Corrine has suffered countless venereal diseases and been beaten by some of Preston’s companions. Yasmine was sold to Monroe to pay off a gambling debt of her brother. Gretchen, an orphan, was picked up off the street by my mother at fourteen and has spent the last two years used for Monroe’s pillage rape parties. Sasha may be the only one who entered the house willingly, but with her hair and features reminiscent of Sebastian, intuition tells me she uses the saloon as cover to keep from enslavement.
Each of these women have reason to reclaim parts of themselves taken by the savagery of men. I intend on helping them take the reins of their own fates. While I know some may think we’re simply stepping into more villainous acts, I’d beg to differ. The truth is a woman with her own mind is a villain to the patriarchy and victor to the feminine oppressed.
A few days pass before DeLuca agrees the women are ready. No doubt Monroe is up in a tizzy since so many of his main dames have been gone from the saloon this long. Most never spend much time away from the saloon, and if any, it’s never this long.
Normally, we like to allow a little more time to train newly turned vampires, but my patience is far spent. Both Scotty and Tabitha have kept the girls sufficiently fed without allowing them out of the house, for fear they’d be too conspicuous.
Tonight is their first night on the prowl.
Watching them stroll down the street now, my chest swells with pride. With their more prominent and alluring features shining through, all heads turn in their direction as we near the saloon. There’s a new stride in their step and the confidence exuding from them beams across their moonlit faces.
Looking at them makes me proud.
“Ready when you are, Red,” DeLuca says as he and Scotty stand at the top of the staircase leading to the saloon.
Scotty looks at me and shoots me his dangerously sexy grin and winks as he holds his large palm on the large walnut doors. Looking behind me, I see the huddle of women at my back, each standing eagerly with an axe to grind all their own.
“Ladies, when these doors open, your life will never be the same. Tonight, you reclaim your power!” I shout as they echo in a chorus of hisses and snarls with blackened eyes.
Walking forward, DeLuca and Scotty part the doors wide for me and the women follow me inside. Tabitha and Corrine stay at my sides while both DeLuca and Scotty guard our rear.
Crawley is the first to see us and his hand clashes one singular note on the piano, halting his normal Irish melody. Looking around, I notice the saloon is not as filled as usual but there yet remains of barge of drunkards crowding the stage as Monroe stands with a new girl I’ve never seen at his sides. Some of the house girls I recall from before stop in awe, surprised to see me.
Only one house girl catches my eye I had not expected to see. Victoria. With a tear-stained face, standing at Mother’s side, shock fills me as I see her adorned in one of my former fabrics. Staring at her, something tells me she was crying long before I entered. How she ended up here, is beyond me but whatever her cause will have to wait.
“That one is off limits,” I whisper over my shoulder to the girls and they all nod in acknowledgement. DeLuca keeps his gaze set on Victoria as we both exchange glances, and he knows no harm is to come to her.
Mother’s face tightens into a tight scowl as soon as our eyes connect. Batting her eyes quickly to Monroe, his gangly features seem more repulsive to me now than they did before. He shrugs, seemingly more drunk than usual.
“What are you doing here, girl?” Monroe shouts as I watch Crawley stand up from the piano, backing up against the wall.
“Well it’s good to see you too, Monroe! You too Mother!” I snap, swiftly moving myself to the center of the room. Loud gasps and expletives pour through the barroom congregants as my girls parry my motion, positioning themselves throughout the saloon.
“Devil!” Monroe mutters as the loose cigarette from his mouth falls to the floor. The young girl at his side runs from him, barreling out the door, leaving him alone on the stage.
“Close, but not quite,” I answer with a sly grin, holding up one of my hands, revealing my long claws. “I’ve noticed you needed more house girls, Monroe. Let me introduce you to my ladies of the night. I’ve brought them here to ensure everyone here gets the happy ending they deserve!” I continue with a broad, razor-tooth smile that stretches from ear to ear.
Looking to the door, Monroe looks to run, but Scotty’s broad frame blocks it, leaving Monroe to run toward his back room.
“Ladies,” I start, turning about to observe their dark, beautifully haunting faces staring back at me. “Give them nothing! But take from them, everything!” I shriek with a loud yelp.
The women do as I command, snatching tippers left and right, feasting upon their flesh. Some men scramble, trying to find exits but none do with Tabitha, Scotty and DeLuca marking their steps. Many of the house girls huddle together while Corrine quickly provides their options. However, I don’t wait to learn of their fates. Their fates are not my concern.
Gazing around the saloon, I notice Mother has slipped away from my reach. I am thankful to find Victoria now at DeLuca’s side and away from danger. I’ll deal with her later, but now I must find the two who’ve to which my fury belongs.
Making my way to Monroe’s back room, Crawley finds his way in front of me.
“I want in,” he says as his eyes lock deep with mine. His words surprise me and for a moment I have interest. “The moment you left with Marchand I knew this day would come. I want in,” he repeats his damning request. I don’t take time to know if he truly understands the weight of his wish, but I snap my fingers and Tabitha is on his neck in an instant, releasing before she drains his last breath. Crawley doesn’t buckle as her venom seeps into his veins, but he keeps his sights on me as I make my way to Monroe.
Entering Monroe’s room, the stench of his musk and drunkenness hits my nose as soon as I cross the threshold. With a wooden chair in his hand, he hits his window, unsuccessfully trying to break it open. Only the chair breaks and he holds a broken piece of wood at me, shaking it in fear.
“Are you frightened, Monroe, darling?” I taunt him.
“Stay back!” He warns. “Well you’re too late for Marius!” he shouts with a callous laugh. Pausing, it takes me a minute to recall the name. As I do, his menacing grin glares back at me. “Yeah, I bet you thought he would wait around for you. Why would he wait for a harlot? He’s gone! Married too! Got a pretty little gal. Better than anything you could offer—”
“That’s great news, Monroe. Now, Marius doesn’t have to witness your end,” I bite back. Whatever remains of my mortal mind finds solace knowing Marius won’t have to witness my barbarity, but I truly could care less.
Inching closer, I bare my fangs and he drops the wooden leg to the ground. Reaching to his rear, he grabs his pistol and aims at me.
“I’ll shoot! I swear it!” he says as the gun trembles in his hands.
“Oh I’m counting on it, darling,” I begin with a low hum. “The only problem is you’re aiming it in the wrong direction.” Continuing my melo
dy, I raise my voice an octave and Monroe’s eyes glass with fear. His hands slowly ease as his trembling ceases and his hand turns toward his face. A part of him is fully aware of his actions, but with each note I sing, his will bends to my own. “I’ll not touch you, Monroe, for your flesh has nothing to desire, nor does your blood entice the pang of my hunger. Your death be your own to take, your own deeds seal your fate,” I sing as I watch his eyes grow as he puts the gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger.
Blood and brain matter splat to the wall behind Monroe as his limp body falls to the ground. A few girls crowd at the threshold of the door, salivating at the invitation of his still warm corpse.
“No!” I lash at them. “I’ll not have another part of that man remain in the earth!” I shout. Turning to Scotty, now posted at the edge of the hall, I slam the door behind me and tell him not to let anyone inside and that no one is to feed on him.
Scotty nods in understanding and points upstairs to my suite. “She went up there,” he says in a quiet tone. His eyes scan me for a moment, and I know he wants to ask if I’m okay, but with the girls looming about he only tightens his thin lips and resigns to ask for now.
Humming as I make my way upstairs, I do my best not only to lull the remaining victims into a calmer state, but also to douse the gnawing energy rising within me.
Opening the doors of my former suite, I find my mother perched in my window seat. The window is open halfway, and the cool air of the evening helps ease my nerves.
“I know you’d come back home,” Mother begins, using my brush against her long, pillowy soft hair. “Its just what we do—it’s in your blood,” she adds with a piercing glare.
“You know nothing about what is in my blood, Mother!”
“Ha! I know more than you think. More than that devil’s blood you’ve got coursing your veins now. You think because you let that monster do to you what they were going to do Calida that your fate would be different? You were always going to end up here! For it was a place like this where I first met your father.”
“Lies!” I shout back and my eyes blacken.
“Truth! More truth than you know. When I met Victor, he was grieving the loss of his first and only true love, Elizabeth. She died giving birth to their one and only son. His name was also Victor. Unfortunately, the child was stillborn, and his wife died shortly after. Months later he found himself in a place like this and that is where we met.”
“You’re lying!”
“Oh how I wish I were, my beautiful girl, but I am afraid, I am not. My family were indentured and to cure our family’s debts, my father sold us into a brothel much like this one. I was only a girl—twelve, I believe.” A lone tear escapes her eyes as she recounts her memories and my mind warps at the truth of her words. “Anyway, your father arrived a few years later. I was only about sixteen. He took me for the first night in a room like this and the next day he paid my hand for marriage. Being older, I think he figured I’d be easy at breeding. He wasted no time ensuring I’d bare his first child. And so Calida was born.”
“Why is this the first time I’m hearing of this?”
“Because you and your sisters romanticized him so much, I thought it better you not learn both of your parents to be monsters. However, seeing as though Victoria has met a similar fate, Chalmette has died in the same manner as Elizabeth, and that you’ve taken life as monster yourself, I suppose you can now learn the truth.”
Tears fall to my chin at the thought my mother has lived her own torment. While it yet does little to douse my ire toward her, it does bring everything full circle.
“Why didn’t you tell me? If I had only known—”
“Then what?” She snaps as more tears cover her face. “Do you think you would not still see a monster when you saw me? No, my dear Chartreuse. That changes nothing. Perhaps my monstrous behavior was just the provocation you needed to try to escape our fate, but I see that is not the case. Know this, beloved, no matter what we do, we’ll always be a monster in someone’s story. Better we control our own pen.”
Deepening her gaze into mine, her eyes soften but for a moment, quickly darkening as she throws herself from the window, falling upward of three floors to her death.
A loud shrieking cry belts from my core as both sadness and an ominous peace swell within me. Although I had every intention to exact some measure of revenge upon Catherine, watching her demise before my eyes does nothing to heal my dormant heart.
“Poppet,” I hear DeLuca call to me from behind. Turning to see his warm face, I smile, knowing that I am not alone.
For too long I’ve mourned the shadows of my human life. I am no longer human, nor shall I ever be. I am much more. I will not conform to dark curses nor the will of men. To my will alone will I avenge what now matters most—myself.
“They’re ready for you,” he says gently as he wipes a lone tear from my cheek.
Walking out to the balcony, I see the mass of newly made vampires, both women and men, staring up at me. Slain human carcasses lay scattered through the saloon and the scent of blood permeates the air. Snarls and hisses echo throughout and I issue a loud screeching yelp in response.
“I’ve only heard one thing that made sense to me tonight, only one thing that rings truer now than ever before and that is this: I have come home! And home I shall stay. Like a sweet wine press, we will crush what we must and make it into the sweetest Bordeaux. A Bordeaux of blood! And from its fountain we shall forever drink!”
Want more…
If you want to learn more about the origins of the bloodthirsty quest of Deaux Marchand and his enduring love for Chartreuse’s sister, Calida, read his short story,
With Hearts of Fire absolutely FREE! Click this link or visit https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3lsgdsqjcv.
About L.C. Son…
Known for her Amazon Best Selling Short Story, With Hearts Like Fire and the series starter and epic fantasy novel, Beautiful Nightmare (Book One), L.C. Son is the happy wife of more than twenty years to her teenage sweetheart and the loving mom of three.
Growing up, she spent hours reading comic books she "borrowed" from her older brother which inspired her love for heroes and all things fantasy and paranormal. Much like the characters she adored, she lives a duplicitous life. By day she works tirelessly to champion the employment of persons with severe disabilities. By night, she puts on her wife-mom cape, sharing with her husband at their church and juggling their kid's highly active schedules.
Presently, she's working on the next installment in the Beautiful Nightmare series.
For the latest info and to join the member-only newsletter visit: www.lcsonbooks.com.
More from L.C. Son…
Here are a few more books and short stories in the Beautiful Nightmare Universe:
Books
Beautiful Nightmare (Book One)
Hearts Eclipsed, A Beautiful Nightmare Novella
Awaken: Beautiful Nightmare (Book Two)
Beta Rising: A Beautiful Nightmare Novella- Coming Soon!
Untamed: A Beautiful Nightmare Novella- Coming Soon!
Breaking Curses: A Beautiful Nightmare Novella-Planned 2022
Beautifully Dark Things- Planned 2023
Dawn of Descent: Beautiful Nightmare (Book Three) TBA
Short Stories
I AM NO WITCH: A Beautiful Nightmare Short Story
With Clipped Wings of Butterflies: A Beautiful Nightmare Short Story
With Hearts Like Fire: A Beautiful Nightmare Short Story
One Winter’s Kiss- Coming Soon!
For more info on my books, visit: My Books & Short Stories - L. C. Son Books (lcsonbooks.com)
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Thank you!
Acknowledgements
First, to my Creator, thank You for reminding me, even as I write, nothing can separate me from your love. Thank you!
As always, many thanks to my family! To my
awesome husband and best friend, thanks for encouraging me to go for my dreams! Dark, twisted, and all! You are amazing! To my wonderful kids, thanks for your endearing and awesome support. I love you!
A special shout out to my A-MAZING L.C. Son Book team! Thanks for giving of your time, input, ideas, and suggestions. I could not have done this without you! Whether paid or just from the depths of your rare and kind human heart, I thank you!
L.C. Son ARC Team
Geeky Girl Author Services
Indie Sage Author Services
Roxana at Proofreadbooks.com
Leanne at TRN the Page
Sophie Hanks
RMGraphX
Every book blogger that posted, shared, and said any kind word about my book! Thank you!
L.S. Son – thank you for encouraging me to try new things! Mommy loves you!
…and last but not least…my beautiful Beta Team! Sydney, Terica and Jennifer—YOU Rock! Whether it was our late night emails, picking through dialogue or just rantings back and forth, your input inspired me more than you know! I truly appreciate you!