Page 23 of Crimson Devotion
The girl has blonde hair and is shorter than the rest of them. There’s a certain glint in her gaze, the blood-red dress matching the color of her eyes. Her upper lip is tugged into a faint, almost sadistic smirk that manages to send chills down my body. She’s definitely not someone I’d ever want to be alone in a room with.
“Is she…maybe a half-sibling?”
Ophelia shakes her head. “No. The six of us, minus Juliana, grew up in a poor village in the south of England. When Lucifer was sixteen, our parents bolted. We haven’t seen or heard from them since, and well, they’re long dead by now. But Lucifer and I took on the burden of raising our little siblings. It was like that for years, and although we were struggling a lot, we had food and water most of the time, and we were happy.’’
A sad, sardonic smile is on her lips. She’s staring at the painting like she can’t look away, her eyes softening. That look tugs on my heartstrings. I’ve never seen Ophelia with even an ounce of vulnerability, and I don’t dare to break the moment.
She looks real. She looks raw.
Like someone who’s gone through hell and back, and someone who carries a burden so heavy that I’m surprised she’s stillstanding straight.
Raising one sibling is hard, let alone five, especially as a child herself at that time. I don’t even want to imagine what her upbringing must’ve been like.
“It was fine for a few years. Then, when we were all almost adults, with the youngest, Cassius, just turning seventeen, a young girl stumbled across our small cottage. She was about eighteen, nineteen at the time. She was banging at the door in the middle of the night and begged for help. Apparently, her father wanted to sell her, and she escaped with nothing but the clothes on her body, and she was barefoot. Darius was the one who opened the door, and we all welcomed her in. A couple of days after, Yvonne put the curse on us, by throwing spells and potions at the cottage. We were all inside, including Juliana. So, by default, the curse hit her as well. That day, she became one of us. She may not be our blood-related sister, but blood doesn’t define family.’’
I step back, giving her a moment to compose herself.
That was not what I expected at all.
My eyes lift, looking at the portrait again. Despite the circumstances, they all seem…somehow content. Perhaps it was the artist’s way of drawing them, but it’s a happy moment, one of the rare ones they’ve had.
“Why did Yvonne curse you?”
Ophelia turns to look at me, and for a split second, I see genuine remorse flash behind her eyes.
“Yvonne belongs to the oldest, the very first, coven of witches. At the time, she was just an apprentice, learning from her betters. But it wasn’t a secret. People were scared of the witches; they were scared of the unknown power.’’
“Go on.’’ I swallow a sudden knot that forms in my throat. Something about her tone tells me I won’t like where the story is heading.
“We were one of those people. The coven was dangerouslyclose to our cottage. So we killed them. Every single one of them. Yvonne wasn’t there at the time, and because she was a part of the coven officially, despite being an apprentice, the power of the twelve witches we’ve killed went to her. That’s why she’s as powerful as she is. She’s the oldest witch alive.’’
TEN
Faith
Ididn’t fucking expect that.
Back when I peeked into Yvonne’s life, I didn’t see this. I don’t know if it’s because it’s such a distant past, or because somehow, it didn’t want to be revealed to me, but this information shook me to my core.
“You killed them?” I whisper.
“We burned them all at the stake.’’
“How?” I ask, stepping back. “They were witches. How come they didn’t just…use spells against you?”
Ophelia chuckles. “Because they knew that if they fought back, it would prove to the people that they were a danger to society. So, they died instead. And they knew that there would be more witches to come, to avenge them. Our karma came in the form of Yvonne. Even if she were in front of me, without using any magic, I would not be able to kill her.’’
“That’s fucked up.’’
“Yes,’’ Ophelia agrees, then walks over to the couch and sitsdown, crossing one leg over the other, still looking at me. I’m rooted to the same spot in front of the portrait, unable to move. “We acted out of fear. Back then, we didn’t know any better.’’
“You didn’t know any better?” My voice raises slightly. “Your first instinct was to kill them?”
“Oh, little hunter, don’t act so innocent.’’ She chuckles, leaning forward, spreading her legs. Why the fuck is that little action so damn attractive?
“You’ve killed…how many vampires?”
“That’s different.’’ I grit my teeth, hands clenching next to my body.
