Crimson
“Next!” I shout, unable to hide the irritation in my voice. It’s barely two hours after sunset, and I already feel like stabbing myself with a silver knife.
I’m seated lazily on my throne in the war room, before a line of vampires from my clan and the surrounding region who are waiting to speak with me.
Whydid I allow Murad to convince me that I should hold court? I feel less like a vicious vampire king and more like a professor at a state college during office hours.
One of our younger vampires steps up next. She has curly, brown hair and freckles sprinkling her pale pink skin. She pulls along Thomas, the vampire that I helped to glamour a breather the other night. He looks extremely apprehensive as they approach my throne.
“Thank you for seeing me, my king. My name is Cassandra Covey,” says the other vampire, her nose twitching.
“And what do you have to say to me, Cassandra Cov-”
“Hestole my breather!” she shrieks, tossing the other vampire to the ground.
I narrow my eyes, sure I’ve misheard. “Hewhat?”
“He stole her!” she repeats. “Obviously,Iliked her first, and heknewthat, and then he just swooped in and…”
“Wait, wait!” Thomas says, getting to his feet and addressing me with an appealing tone. “I actually liked herfirst, but I just didn’tsayanything…”
Cassandra lets out a harrumph, her nostrils flaring. “Like hell you did! You said you liked the other one, the one with the braid…”
Thomas’s cheeks redden (anextremelyunusual reaction for a vampire, even a young one, but he seems particularly bashful). “Well…well, I liked him too! Is it my fault, sir, if I liked two breathers?”
He looks at me as though I’m supposed to relate to whatever they’re babbling on about.
Cassandra tosses her curls over her shoulder haughtily as she looks up at me. “See? See how his story’s changing? You can’t trust him, my king!”
“I haveno ideawhat you’re talking about,” I snap. “And if you don’t explain quickly, I’ll throw both of you in locked coffins for wasting my time!”
“Sir, I liked this breather-”
“Her name isJocelyn,” Thomas mutters pointedly.
“I liked herfirst, and I clearly said that I was going to drink from her at the celebration,” Cassandra tells me, as though what she’s saying is the most reasonable thing in the world. She gestures accusingly at the other vampire. “And thenheswooped in and glamoured her first!”
“That’s not true!” Thomas says. “She told me she liked her, but sheneversaid she was going to…”
I glare down at both of them. “Can’t you justshareher? I’m sure she would enjoy both of your company.”
“That’s whatIsaid,” Thomas replies, giving Cassandra a pointed look.
“I don’t want to share her!” she says with a frown. “I saw her first! It’s notfair.”
“Well, why don’t you fight for her, then?” I suggest with a sigh.
“We tried that already, sir,” Thomas answers, with a hopeless expression.
“We’re evenly matched,” Cassandra concurs. “We were turned at the same time.”
“Fine then,” I snarl, unwilling to continue this conversation for another moment.
I lean forward in my seat, sharpening my expression. Bothvampires look up at me desperately.
“If you can’t decide who the breather will belong to, and you’re not willing to share, then there’s only one possible option,” I declare, flashing my sharp fangs. “I’ll cut the breather in two, and you’ll both get half of her.”
All the colour drains from Thomas’s face. “What?”
