Blood & Amber Eyes: A Craving Crimson World Story

by Kate Bonham

  “He’s as good as dead,” Marques said. “Let it be.”

  “If you don’t release him in the next minute, I’m going to turn you into one of me. Then I’ll be able to track you for the rest of your life, do you understand?”

  Fear flicked through his eyes as he turned to Notre Dame and started to mutter under his breath. For a few minutes, I waited, and finally he stopped and turned to me.

  “If he’s still alive, he’ll be on the building somewhere.”

  “Get him here.”

  “I can’t,” he said. “I’ll be burned.”

  “You little piece of shit,” I said, grabbing his collar and running past the fire crews and onto the building. Marques screamed as I dropped him onto the landing close by as I ran to look for a body. Finally, I saw him, pulling himself up from the ground, dirty and red, a man stumbling to get away from the flames behind him. I ran to him.

  “My name’s Bram, and I am a friend of Mae’s. I’m here to help you.”

  He nodded, unable to speak. I put his arm around my shoulder, grabbed the weasel and ran off the building, and to safety under a tree.

  Once we came to a stop, Bastien knelt down in the shade and started to cough up soot and rubble. After a sleep as a gargoyle, I knew they usually got cement lodged in their throats which was horrific when you thought about the ramifications.

  “How did you know where I was?” he asked finally. I looked to Marques who shied away from him.

  “I figured,” he grunted. “Where’s Mae?”

  “She’s in his apartment, waiting for him to remove the willow poisoning.”

  “What?” he asked, confused. “Why would she be affected by willow?”

  Oh that’s right, he wouldn’t know about her condition, would he? How do I tell her damned father that I’d turned her into one of me? How did I say ‘hey, I kind of fell in love with your stepdaughter and turned her into a hybrid by accident’?

  Bastien’s red skin was starting to turn back to its normal color. There was no real damage done, luckily, we had been just in time.

  “Mae isn’t just half Lycan anymore,” I said. “She’s a hybrid.”

  “I suppose you had something to do with that, did you, son?” he asked, picking himself up, but he wasn’t angry, he seemed quite calm considering.

  “I did, sir.”

  “Sir?” he laughed. “Come on now, Mae’s old enough to make her own choices. I’m not going to tell you to behave yourself or to look after her because I raised her to be strong and never take crap from anyone. Now, let’s get this piece of shit back there to save her.”

  I turned to Marques and grabbed him by the collar again, before I raced us all back to the apartment.

  Marques bent down to look at the damage he’d done, only to gasp when he saw the empty bottle of stasis.

  “You used all of it?” he asked. “How could you use all of it?”

  “Why does it matter?” I asked him.

  “That was the last batch of it.”

  “So make more,” I replied, getting annoyed.

  “I cannot.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Maron here isn’t Marques Dubois. He’s Maron Dubois, the bastard son of Marques.”

  I turned to Bastien who was kneeling down beside Mae.

  “How could he have the power to do to you what he did?” I asked him.

  “He killed his father, didn’t you, Maron?” Bastien said. “He’s no more powerful than you or I. But he does know how to heal, so how about you get down here and help Mae?”

  Maron jumped down next to her and held his hands over the wound, it looked almost black. I’d never seen it look this bad, although I’d only seen a few poisonings, seeing it on someone I cared for, and loved, was heartbreaking.

  I should have told her to stay behind, I should have made sure she did. If I really wanted her to, I could have. Cassia had taught me how to manipulate another Nosferatu, but I never dared used it, because I never needed to before, but if I had, Mae wouldn’t be on death’s door right now. There was no miraculous way to bring a Nosferatu back to life after death.

  Relax, I heard Bastien’s voice. I looked to him but he was focused on Mae. Goddamn Watchers, I hated that they could communicate in your mind, it was something I had always hated.

  Maron had a bright green light shining from the middle of his palm, hovering over her black wound. I sat down on the closest chair, and waited. What if she didn’t make it? Could I go back to the life I had before if she was gone?

  Mae

  I woke up in a strange bed, with a strange smell wafting in from outside. Bram’s voice could be heard from outside, so I sat up. My stomach ached as I moved. I looked down at my ripped shirt to see a pink wound.

  What the hell?

  I carefully slid off the bed and moved out of the room. Vague memories of being in here came flooding back. Maron was tied to a chair, and knocked out. Okay, so a lot of questions, and no one here to answer them.

  I looked everywhere for Bram, and finally I heard his voice, accompanied by another familiar voice.

  Bastien.

  I ran for the room, bursting through the door and locking eyes with my stepfather.

  “Pumpkin,” he smiled at me. I ran into his outstretched arms and hugged him tight. “Whoa, there, kiddo, don’t forget I don’t have super-strength like you.”

  “Sorry,” I said, pulling back. “I forget, it’s just so good to see you.”

  “Hey there, kid, I’m fine,” he said in his southern drawl. “I hear a lot of that has to do with you.”

  “I needed my dad back,” I said. “And a lot of stuff happened in between.”

  “Bram, here, has been catching me up. Seems like you’ve done a lot of growing in that time, pumpkin, I’m glad to see you thrivin’.”

  “Bastien,” I sighed. “Did you know mom was going to divorce you?”

  “Yes,” he said. “We only stayed together so I could continue raisin’ you, our love burned out a long time ago.”

  “Did she ever love me?” I asked.

  “In her own way, darlin’,” he told me. “Now, I’m going to get some air.”

  He walked out of the room and left me with Bram. He smiled at me, a small smile, one full of regret.

  “So, that’s my stepdad.”

  “Yeah, I figured as much.”

  I moved over to him, and pulled him into my arms. “Are you going to tell me what happened to my stomach?”

  “You don’t remember?” he asked me.

  “No.”

  “Hm, okay, well Maron out there was the one who turned Bastien to stone because he was in love with your mother, he also stabbed you with a willow stake which poisoned you.”

  “Oh, so… just another day in my life.”

  “Pretty much.”

  He kissed the top of my head and we headed outside. Bastien was sitting near Maron and had his eyes closed.

  “What’s he doing?” I asked.

  “Watchers can read minds to a certain degree and they can communicate into your mind.”

  “Seriously?”

  “He never did it to you?”

  I started to shake my head when I heard Bastien speak. I turned around but he wasn’t looking at me.

  “Damn, for real?”

  Bastien stood up and moved over to us. “I don’t do it often, but when you were little, it was necessary.”

  “What did you find out?” Bram asked.

  “Nothing. He really knows nothing, and the punishment was not connected to Mae at all.”

  “So it was just some sick coincidence?” I asked.

  “Appears that way,” Bastien said. “Don’t fear, pumpkin, we’ll have it all sorted soon enough.”

  “I need to get back to London,” Bram said. “I have business to take care of. Mae, why don’t you stay here with Bastien and I’ll be back soon enough.”

  He made a move to leave when I ran to block his way. “Uh, did you forget I’m not a no-
brained twit? I know you have a warrant out for your death, and London is where it will happen. If you go, I go. That’s how this happens.”

  I was more than a little upset he was trying to leave without me and that he thought I wouldn’t figure out what he was doing. Bastien made his way toward us.

  “She’s right,” he said. “From what you’ve told me, this is a death sentence, and there’s no way on this green earth I’ll let them hurt the innocent.”

  Bram sighed. “I knew I should have left when you were sleeping.”

  “And you damn well know I would have followed.”

  Bastien was snickering behind Bram. “You better listen to her, bud. Once she sets her mind to somethin’, there ain’t nothin’ stoppin’ her.”

  “Fine, but I don’t want you entering the compound again.”

  “Why not? My brothers and sisters are in there.”

  “And two of them are as evil as they come,” Bram said. “You can only trust your brother.”

  “And my younger sister.”

  “I just told you she was evil.”

  “No, the younger one. She’s like ten or something. Her name is Reina.”

  Bram was confused but he shrugged. “Okay, so we rescue them and then what? What is the outcome you want to see here, Mae?”

  “I want to confront him, in front of everyone.”

  Bram was clearly horrified, as was Bastien. “Do you know what they could do to you if your father doesn’t back you up?”

  “I don’t care,” I said. “Let them deal with a hybrid and see how they fair.”

  Bram smirked a little. “Thatta girl.”

  “Come on, then. We need to set off if we’re going to take them with even an ounce of surprise.”

  ◆◆◆

  The plane ride to London was long for some reason, although only an hour in the air, the tension was tight between Bram and I. Bastien, being a Watcher, had opted to fly himself, using those wings of his to fly high into the sky. He’d make it there before us, which means we only had this flight to talk.

  “Why were you so surprised when I told you about Reina?” I asked him, finally.

  He looked over at me, as if I’d broken him from a deep thought. “Well I was just surprised, Hal had never loved his wife and only lain with her when he had to procreate, but after your brother Kolten was born, he knew he didn’t have to anymore. We lost touch about eleven years ago, we used to keep up to date with each other in case we needed to, but he stopped getting in touch around that time. I feel that it’s because he may have fallen in love with his wife.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “Well, yeah. She’s evil, always has been. If she’s pushed her agenda on Hal, it means all of this has been a ruse, and now he’s trying to get you under his control so he can either kill you or hide you away.”

  “But why?”

  “You’re a threat from a time when he was good, as am I. He’ll want to eradicate that memory, and now it all makes sense. All of this was meant to culminate so he could rule the Blackmaws. He just got us to get our hands dirty instead of him—a true king.”

  “So we’re walking in to our deaths?”

  “I told you to stay behind, Mae.”

  “I am not backing down. He needs to know I am not someone he can hide away.”

  Bram took my hand in his and squeezed it tight. “I know, he won’t hide you away, that I can promise.”

  It chilled me when he said that, and suddenly, I realized this man would do anything for me and I would do anything for him.

  I’d rip the faces off anyone who even dared try and harm one hair on his head, and for some reason I know I’d like it. That should scare me, and yet, it didn’t.

  FOURTEEN

  Bram

  Days later

  London, England

  The sun went down over the horizon in a matter of minutes, and yet, after all these centuries of living it still amazed me how fast it could turn from day to night. Mae was flicking through channels on the TV on the wall, while I waited for Bastien to return from whatever he’d had to do. It wasn’t an easy choice to sit and wait, especially with my own enemy just a few minutes run from here. The door opened and Bastien came through with a woman.

  “Mae,” he said. “I want you to meet someone.”

  She got up off the bed and stood in front of the two of them as I watched the exchange from afar. I knew exactly what the girl was and wondered how Bastien could have talked her into being here.

  “This is Sehrenna,” he said. “My daughter.”

  Mae’s eyes widened and she looked from Sehrenna to Bastien and back again. “I didn’t know you had a daughter.”

  “I kept that part of my life secret for a reason,” Bastien said. “She can help us.”

  Sehrenna nodded. “I can, and from what I hear, it’s about time someone stepped in.”

  “Forgive me,” I said, coming forward. Sehrenna bristled for a minute, realizing what I was, before she regained her composure. “But what will a Watcher do in the court of a Lycan king?”

  “Sehrenna happens to be the Queen,” Bastien said.

  “The Queen of the Watchers?” I questioned.

  She nodded. “Yes. And as you know, any royal member can question a reign of any species, and bring it to the Elders.”

  “This may just work,” I said. Sehrenna and Mae moved off to speak and Bastien joined me by the window.

  “What’s on your mind?” Bastien asked.

  “Sehrenna is a unique name,” I said, looking him in the eyes.

  “Seren was my father, not my ancestor as I have told Mae. He told me of the father figure he had in Belgium.”

  “You knew who I was.”

  “Since we had the chat when Mae was recovering, yes.”

  “I forgot how long a Watcher could live for.”

  “He only died a few years ago, it’s a shame he didn’t get to see you again before he went.”

  The news hit me hard. He’d been alive all this time and I hadn’t even realized. I should have looked harder, after all, I had made a promise.

  “Come on,” Bastien said. “We have a King to confront.”

  ◆◆◆

  Blackmaw Castle

  Hallec looked at peace sitting upon the throne with his wife, Veona, next to him. I’d known her only a short time but, every time I’d been in her presence, evil radiated off her. She looked down at Bastien and me with disgust. Hallec’s eldest son, Hadrian, stood to the side of him, a look of distrust on his face, but also intrigue, and beside Veona, stood their eldest daughter Melonia, who had the same face as her mother.

  “You have come back to face your punishment?” Hallec asked, breaking the sudden tension. He’d waited for enough of his people to fill the room for this showcase. Well, I’d give him one hell of a show. I was just glad Mae had listened for once and stayed in the hotel with Sehrenna. “Who have you brought with you?”

  “Bastien, of the Delacroix Watchers.”

  Hallec was impressed. “The man who rais—”

  He stopped himself, realizing he was in the room with his true family, and that Bastien had raised his eldest born. This was the man who had done the job he could have only dreamed of doing. No one knew of Mae here.

  That would end today.

  Veona shot her husband a quick glance of don’t you fucking dare before looking back at us.

  “Why have you come here?” Hallec demanded to know of Bastien.

  “Surely, to meet the man who could have fathered such an amazing young woman as Mae Nicholls.”

  Gasps could be heard all around us. Hallec’s eyes were on me, a familiar honey color I usually only saw in extreme stress from Lycans. Veona stood up, her fists clenched and her own eyes blazing bright.

  “Blasphemy, you cannot speak to the King this way.”

  “Where is Mae?” Hallec asked. Veona sat back down, her anger radiating off her.

  “She’s safe from you and whatever you ha
ve planned.”

  “Who is Mae?” I heard a familiar voice bellow from somewhere close by. Orphax, Fenneck’s younger brother, and the Lycan Elder, came forward in his Elder robe. “What is the meaning of this interruption in our court?”

  “Our?” Bastien repeated. “This is not your court, Orphax. It hasn’t been since you were elected to the council. Once you are accepted as an Elder, you denounce your family name, or have the rules changed?”

  Orphax bristled at being presented with a claim he couldn’t speak for the Blackmaws. I knew he’d only become an Elder for the prestige and the ability to speak for his family. If he couldn’t be King, he could be someone of equal stature.

  “I believe I asked a question, Watcher,” he spat.

  “Which question would you like the answer to?” Bastien countered.

  “Orphax,” Hallec spoke, getting off his throne and moving down to where we were. “Please, let me handle this situation.”

  “Remove those who need not hear this from the court,” Orphax said under his breath. “This is a private matter.”

  “Why keep quiet on this situation, Hallec?” I asked, loudly. “After all, it was you who loved a human enough to procreate with her.”

  Gasps all around again, and whisperings. It distracted Orphax and Hallec enough for us to prepare for what was to come.

  “How dare you!” Orphax pulled a blade from under his robe and held it to my throat. “You have no claim on this court, Nosferatu.”

  “Orphax,” Sehrenna called out from somewhere behind us. I felt dread creep up my spine as I knew if she were here, so was Mae. “You are an Elder, a blade is never to be kept on your person. Perhaps I should ask how dare you?”

  “Who the hell are you?” Veona asked, coming to stand beside her husband.

  “My name is Sehrenna, Queen of the Watchers.”

  “You have no place here, Watcher Queen.”

  “Actually, it is common law that any ruler can cast doubt on a reigning King or Queen and subject them to a tribunal.”

  Orphax gasped, dropping his blade. It clattered to the ground, echoing throughout the room.

  “Why are you casting doubt on this court?” Hallec asked, clearly dumbfounded.