Page 113 of Love Bleeds
Crimson moved in that direction, wishing he could also sense just how damaged--or not--his sire was.
A voice sounded in his head as he took another step.Yes, that's right, come closer.
Crimson swallowed. Was he playing right into his sire's hands? No, he couldn't be. He had to end this. Tonight.
He could sense Nicolai moving too, shrinking the distance between them. He didn't know if there was anyonewithNicolai, but he hoped not.
At least if he died here tonight, truly died, Luke wouldn't have any more reason to seek Nicolai out. He could stay safe.
Even as he thought that, though, Crimson knew it wouldn't make Luke happy. He'd hurt him by sacrificing himself the last time they'd been in danger. His fingers tightened around the knife in his right hand. If he wanted to make Luke happy, truly happy, then he had to survive.
He held on to that thought as his sire appeared around the corner.
He could see now why Nicolai hadn't come after him immediately. His clothes hung in tatters off his body and his skin shone an angry red. He was a vampire, and given enough time, he would recover, but the recovery would draw on his energy sources--was drawing on it right now. A younger vampire would have died in the blast he'd endured. Crimson would have, if not for Luke.
"You have no honor," Nicolai said, and somehow, in spite of it all, he still managed to hold himself in a way that communicated confidence, superiority. He might be hurting, but he didn't let that show in his posture, or ring through in his voice. "Using dirty tricks like that. Did you really think you could beat me by mortal means?"
"Vampires aren't immune to fire."
"It's more harmful to the young. You have killed a few of them tonight. Are you proud?"
Was he really going to try claiming the moral high ground now? "I will never be proud of killing, no matter how many times you made me do it."
Nicolai's eyes narrowed. "I would never have made you kill your own kind."
"But you're about to kill me, and I'm a vampire."
"You're a mistake I have to rectify."
A mistake... The corner of Crimson's mouth quirked up. "Yeah, you really shouldn't have turned me."
"I could have given you a better life than the one you had."
"But you didn't, and you won't. "
"You truly believe that little mortal is going to bring you happiness." Nicolai smiled a little, as if he couldn't believe just how stupid Crimson was. "You know he doesn't return your feelings. Not really. He can't. Even if he loves you, it'll never be the way you love him."
"What do you know about love?" Crimson spat, because he didn't want to let Nicolai know that he was hitting a weak spot. For so many years, he'd made his peace with the fact that his feelings would always remain unrequited. Even after everything, it was hard to believe that things could be different.
"I suppose it doesn't matter," Nicolai said. "Because no one's bringing you back from the dead a second time."
Crimson had hoped that his wounds would slow Nicolai down, but they didn't. In a flash, he was right up close, and then, within another heartbeat, he was behind Crimson, with his arm around Crimson's neck.
"I don't have a weapon on me," he mused as if all of this took no effort on his part at all. "I could tear your head off, but that's so messy. Did you know...?" He ran one long finger down the side of Crimson' s neck. "I could kill you simply by taking what I gave to you."
A chill went down Crimson's spine. He knew he needed to move and get out of his sire's grip, turn around and sink the knife he'd brought into his flesh, but Nicolai was still much stronger than he had any right to be.
"It's a pity," Nicolai went on. "I had such high hopes for you."
"Fuck you." Crimson twisted the knife in his hand to point it backward, at his sire. Before he could ram it into Nicolai's thigh, though, Nicolai caught his wrist and squeezed so hard Crimson lost his grip on the weapon entirely. It clanked to the ground.
"You didn't truly think that was going to work, did you? You've wounded me, I'll give you that, but you're still far too young to take me on. You've barely taken your first steps out of the grave, child. But to your grave you shall return."
Nicolai didn't waste more breath on words, after that. His fangs extended, and then broke through the skin of Crimson's neck.
It was honestly one of the weirdest sensations Crimson had ever experienced. Disgusting--definitely disgusting--but also oddly calming. As if all of his troubles didn't matter anymore and if he just drifted off to sleep everything would be fine.
Which was bullshit, of course.
