Page 23 of Love Bleeds
"Do you know anything about my past?"
Vlad's eyes darted to the house, then back to Crimson, but he said nothing.
"You know something," Crimson insisted.
"I know that two of the vampires who were here the night you were turned were killed by other vampires."
"Vampires kill each other?" Crimson wasn't sure why that surprised him. He should have thought vampires capable of any crimes by now, no matter how heinous, but Nicolai had stressed his obligation tothe covenso much that it had felt like some sort of sect. A cult that would protect its own members, if nothing else.
"Rumor has it they had relations with the humans." Vlad said, then turned away from the house before Crimson could make another comment. "I think we've done enough for tonight. Follow me." Before Crimson's eyes, a dark mist obscured Vlad from sight as he changed into his animal form—a large wolf with fur that shone a deep black, the color broken only by a single streak of white just below his right ear.
Crimson focused, trying to find that core of magic inside of himself that his sire had taught him about. Shifting didn't come naturally yet. Few things did. Some nights, he still felt like a toddler, trying to walk on unsteady legs. Then, there was a pulse. A spark of energy, somewhere near his solar plexus. Mentally, Crimson held on to it. His world tilted as his body changed. The whole process didn't take longer than a few seconds, but it made his mind swim for several minutes longer. Everything felt oddly off balance.
Vlad waited for him, his eyes keen on Crimson's fox-form.
Crimson nodded his head once, the same way he would have done if he were still in human form, and then, after one last glance at the Lego pieces, he followed Vlad off the estate.
* * *
Crimson wasn't sure that the bar scene was for him. There were too many people, the music was too loud, and the smell of sweat in the air didn't exactly make things better. He sat at a table with Vlad, but Vlad kept his eyes on the crowd more than on him.
Crimson had never thought he'd ever wish himself back into the quiet of the basement, but this night might just change his mind. He grabbed the menu off the table. It wasn't like he could stomach food anymore--at least not in this form--and he wasn't sure if alcohol was going to do anything for him, but the menu would give him something to read.
Vlad cut his gaze to him. "That menu is more decorative," he informed Crimson. "In case mortals stumble in here. If you want type O blood, you order a subtle red wine, for A you ask for a sweet red, an order of dry house wine will get you type B. AB is rarely in stock, but you get it by ordering today’s special red."
Crimson nodded as if he could keep all that in mind.
Vlad smiled. Again, the gesture didn’t reach his eyes. "Of course, there’s also the option to order spiked blood."
"Spiked blood?"
"Drunk people's blood," Vlad specified. "This is one of the few places in the city where you can acquire it with relative ease." He let his gaze sweep the crowd. "One reason all the vampires flock here."
"So we can get drunk?"
"We can," Vlad agreed. "Not something you should make a habit of, but every now and then, it's a good way to relax after a particularly gruesome night."
Crimson wondered what would count as a particularly gruesome night to Vlad, but decided not to ask. Someone had taught him that. Don't ask if you don't want to hear the answer. For a second or two, the thought threw him off. Who'd taught him that?
"Is something the matter?" Vlad asked.
Crimson shook his head. "It's nothing." Just a random spark of something that was almost a memory. He suppressed a sigh. Maybe everyone else was right and the sooner he let go of the idea of his old life, the better.
After all, he'd already killed one of his old friends.Thatmemory wasn't hiding from him, and it made everything inside of him draw tight.
"Perhaps you should try some spiked blood," Vlad decided.
Crimson didn't argue. He had no idea how he behaved when he was drunk, or if he'd even liked liquor in his previous life, but he was ready to find out.
Vlad waved a waitress over. The girl had purple hair, streaked with a silver that seemed to glow in the low light of the bar. She gave them a kind smile, as if she either didn't know or didn't care that she was serving vampires. "What can I get you?"
"Juiced up Bloody Mary's for me and my friend."
The waitress nodded and then she was off again. Crimson watched her go.
"She's pretty," Vlad commented. "But you don't want to get involved with the staff here."
"I wasn't going to." Sure, the girl had been attractive, but Crimson hadn't been interested. Not that way. "I can't even remember what my sexual orientation was," he murmured. Possibly not something he should be sharing with Vlad, but it was just so... frustrating.
