Page 38 of House of Crimson Kisses
I ignore her and race after Xavier, albeit slightly slower. Amelia speeds along behind me.
Xavier, Amelia, Red and I climb into a carriage, and I pay the man double to get us there extra quick. He shoots us into the tunnels, driving the horses aggressively as he veers under the city as the afternoon dwindles and dusk approaches.
Red tries to stay awake but she ends up nodding like a rocking horse and eventually falls asleep on my shoulder.
Xavier, thank the Mother of Blood, sobers up. His brow furrows, and he glances at Red. “She doesn’t look too hot.”
“No,” I shake my head.
“What’s wrong with her?”
I grit my teeth. I wasn’t going to remove the compulsion, but at this point I’m not sure who I trust? Perhaps no one? But how can I do this alone? I need a team around me, a confidante and unfortunately, Red is declining the closer she gets to transitioning. This is terrifying. I’ve never had to rely on anyone. I’ve never had people around me who liked me enough I could rely on them.
Xavier takes the decision away from me. “It’s her, isn’t it?” he says.
Amelia glances between Red and Xavier, her eyes widening. “No…”
Red rolls over, little snuffling snores emanating from her nose.
I sigh, “Look at me, Xavier.”
He frowns but does as he’s told. “Remember, Xavier St Clair. Remember what I took from you. Remember what you did, the sacrifice you made, but most of all, remember who she is.”
He goes vampire still for a moment, his gaze glossing over, and then he shakes himself free of the remaining vestiges of the compulsion.
He glances at Red, then Amelia, and then at me. “We have a problem,” he says.
“Yes. We do. It’s going to become increasingly obvious it’s her, and I’m not sure how to protect her from what’s coming.”
“It’s more than that. Did you not just witness the political unrest at Mother’s? It’s not just the increasing protests from the public and the fact there’s such division in the city. The vampires offering their houses will cause unrest between the nobles. It means that all the hunters, not only the ones in the trials, will be under increasing scrutiny. And the alliances between vampire families will be tested. Let alone hunter politics. What happened in the ballroom… it’s concerning.”
Amelia chews on her lip. “Wait. Wait. So, my sister is the…?
“Quiet,” I snap a little too harshly. “But yes.”
“Fuck,” Amelia breathes.
“Quite,” Xavier adds.
Amelia’s eyes go distant. “Our mother used to have some residual magic. She could do little party tricks. I was always useless, but Red picked up some forging skills.” She turns to Xavier. “You don’t seem surprised. You already knew?”
“I did. I worked it out after she saved my life. Gave me some blood after Dahlia stabbed me with some kind of poisoned blade. If she hadn’t let me drink her blood, I’d have died.”
“Oh,” Amelia says and then is quiet for a while before her head pops up. “The blood in the amulet…”
“Is Red’s,” I confirm.
“Gods,” Amelia leans back on the carriage seating, her expression drawn.
“I tried to compel her memories away shortly after I realised. I compelled Xavier’s, so that I was the only one who knew. It was a mistake. But aside from that, it didn’t work, anyway. We…”
Amelia’s eyes nearly bulge right out of her head.
“Mother of Blood, you bonded?”
“We did. She tried to leave Sangui and ran to her friends in New Imperium. Nearly killed herself stretching the bond like that. But I fear the bond has sped things up a little. She’s grown increasingly thirsty.”
“This is a lot to catch up on,” Amelia says. “Do you not think we should tell her about—” Her throat tenses. Her words cut off, just as they should. At least the compulsion still works on her.
