Page 17 of House of Crimson Kisses
“NO. No, you fucking won’t,” I shriek and shunt forward, but the stake the vampire is holding is sharp enough it pierces my chest.
Red hisses as a line of my blood dribbles down my clothes. I instantly stop, but Fucknut’s grip is like steel. I stand there, blood leaking from my chest, knowing that Red is going to struggle harder the more of my blood that spills.
There must be something on the stake because my head feels woozy. I glance down and see the silver threaded like ribbons through the wood. But it’s more than that. There must be some kind of potent herbs in the wood, too.
“Looks like we’re in a stalemate,” Fucknut’s friend says.
“You can’t stop me, Octavia,” Red whispers, ignoring the vampires.
My heart is in my mouth, all I can hear is the roaring of blood in my ears. My stomach is so tight I think I’m going to be sick. I can’t allow her to do this. I will not. She won’t die for me. Not after what I’ve done to her. Not after how angry she is with me.
“I will not let you sacrifice yourself for me,” I say.
“Oh, because you’re the only one who gets to be a martyr?” she snaps.
“LADIES,” Fucknut barks. “If you can stop fucking bickering for a second, I’ll tell you how it’s going to go. Red is going to come with us, and Octavia, you’re going to sit here like a good little vampire bitch and let us leave, otherwise I’ll make you watch as I pluck her eyes from her head and rip her arms off and slap you with them.”
He pushes me forward as he pulls the stake out of my chest and his friend drags Red aside.
But just as suddenly, both vampires are on the floor, giant blades sticking out of their chests.
Red stares at me, open-mouthed. But I am equally confused.
“This wasn’t me,” I say.
“No. It was me,” Scarlett, the magician assassin from New Imperium, says and steps out of the shadows.
Red drags Scarlett into her arms. “Mother of Blood, thank you, Scarlett.”
Scarlett slides her arms around Red, a little stiff as she pats her on the back and holds my gaze.
She’s right to check with me, too. My jaw is tight enough I may break a bone in my face. But I suppose this is only a natural reaction to someone having saved your life.
“Thank you, Scarlett,” I say and incline my head. “But why are you here?”
Scarlett untangles herself from Red. “I came to make sure you got back to your own city. I can’t afford Morrigan going off at me because I let a vampire into the city. You understand, I only followed you to make sure you left.”
“Well, we did. And now we’ll make it home too. I am in your debt.”
Scarlett wrenches her long swords out of the hearts of the now desiccating vampires.
“It’s a shame we can’t question them. We need to know who is behind these attacks. Otherwise, none of us are going to make it to the end of the trials,” Red says.
“I will leave you to it. I can see you’re only a mile out from your city’s border now. Will I see you at the wedding?” Scarlett says to Red.
She nods. “Bella asked me to go. As long as the trials are all done and dusted, I should be able to make it. Are you sure Morrigan and your sister are okay with me attending?”
I stiffen. I don’t want Red in another city unguarded, especially at the moment.
Scarlett nods. “They’d love to you be there. It’s the least they can do for all your help with Roman.”
Roman? The magician blood bag in my club? Interesting.
“Octavia,” Scarlett says, and then she surprises me and holds out her hand. “I misjudged you in assuming you were coming for my city, when I can see now you were coming for your heart.”
I take her hand and shake it, and then she’s off, sprinting down the tunnels back to New Imperium.
It’s only Red and I left in the tunnels with the weight of everything we’ve done settling between us. I relax a little as Red looks up at me.
