Crimson Eyes

Rocks crashed all around them. Lila covered her head as dust filled the air. The Blood King pulled her close, his body protecting her from the falling stones.

"Stay behind me," he growled, red eyes burning in the darkness.

Through the hole in the ceiling, Lila saw a man with gray hair and ice-blue eyes. He smiled down at them, his teeth sharp and white.

"Found you," Darius said, his voice smooth as silk. "The witch's daughter and the fake king, trapped like rats."

The Blood King pushed Lila toward a small crack in the wall. "Go through there. Run as fast as you can to the red door at the end of the east hall."

"What about you?" Lila asked.

"I'll hold him off."

Before Lila could argue, Darius jumped down through the hole. He moved so fast she could barely see him. He slammed into the Blood King, sending both vampires crashing into the wall.

Lila squeezed through the crack. Her heart pounded as she ran through a tight passage. Behind her, she heard roars and crashes. The monsters were fighting.

The hallway opened into a small room with three doors. Lila froze. Which way was east? She didn't know. She picked the door on the right and ran through.

Wrong move. The room beyond was filled with graves. Some were open, showing sleeping vampires inside. Lila tiptoed through, trying not to wake them.

A hand shot out from one box, grabbing her ankle. Lila screamed and kicked free. The vampire inside sat up, eyes blood-red and hungry.

"Fresh blood," it hissed.

Lila ran for the door on the far side. More vampires were waking up, drawn by her smell. She burst through the door and slammed it shut behind her.

This hallway was wide and fancy, with paintings on the walls. At the end was a red door. Lila ran toward it, hearing scratching and banging behind her as vampires tried to follow.

She reached the door and yanked it open. Inside was a bedroom with dark red walls. She slammed the door shut and locked it.

"That should hold them," said a voice behind her.

Lila spun around. The Blood King stood by a fireplace, his shirt torn and bloody. A deep cut ran across his chest. His usually perfect hair was messy, with dust in it.

"You're hurt," Lila said.

"It's nothing." The Blood King winced as he sat in a chair. "Darius got away. He'll be back."

Lila looked around the room. It was huge, with a big bed, bookshelves, and old furniture. "Is this your room?"

"Yes." The Blood King closed his eyes. "You'll be safe here for now."

Blood soaked through his clothes. The cut was worse than he admitted. Lila found a bathroom and wet a towel with warm water.

"Take off your shirt," she said. "I need to clean that cut."

The Blood King raised an eyebrow. "Are you concerned for me, little witch?"

"I just don't want you to bleed all over the furniture."

He smiled a little and took off his shirt. The cut was deep and ugly. Lila cleaned it gently.

"Who is Darius?" she asked.

"An old enemy. He wants what I have."

"The throne?"

"Among other things." The Blood King watched her face. "He wants you too."

Lila's hands froze. "Me? Why?"

"Your blood is special. Darius believes it will give him power beyond imagining." The Blood King caught her wrist. "He's right."

Lila pulled away. "I'm not giving my blood to anyone."

"You don't have a choice. The blood moon is coming. Either I use your blood to strengthen the seal, or Darius takes it to break it completely." The Blood King's eyes softened. "I don't want to hurt you, Lila. I never did."

Something in his voice made Lila look closer at him. Behind the hardness, she saw sadness. Deep, old sadness that made her heart ache.

"You knew my mother," she said. It wasn't a question.

The Blood King nodded. "I did. And her mother before her. And her mother's mother." He touched Lila's cheek. "I've known your face across centuries, Lila. In different bodies, different lives."

Lila backed away. "That's impossible."

"Is it? Haven't you had dreams of places you've never been? Of people you've never met?" The Blood King stood up despite his pain. "Haven't you felt like you've lived this life before?"

Lila thought of her dreams. Castles and magic. Blood and darkness. A man with red eyes, hugging her close.

"You're lying," she whispered.

The Blood King went to a picture on the wall. It showed a woman in old-fashioned clothes with long black hair and amber eyes—just like Lila's.

"Selene," he said. "The first of your line. The Crimson Witch." He touched the picture gently. "My love."

A crash from outside made them both jump. Something was banging against the door.

"Darius," the Blood King growled. "He's gathered his followers."

He grabbed Lila's hand and pulled her to a bookshelf. He pulled a book, and the shelf slid open to show a secret passage.

"This leads to the north tower," he said. "Mira will meet you there."

"What about you?"

"I'll hold them off."

"You'll get killed!" Lila shocked herself by caring.

The Blood King smiled sadly. "I can't die, little witch. That's my curse."

He pushed her into the tunnel. Before it closed, he pressed something into her hand. A small crystal bottle with red liquid inside.

"If I don't come for you by midnight, drink this," he whispered. "It will protect you."

The tunnel closed, leaving Lila in darkness. She could hear fighting on the other side.

She ran through the tunnel, feeling her way along the walls. After what seemed like forever, she reached a door. She pushed it open and found herself in a small room at the top of a tower.

Mira wasn't there. No one was.

Lila looked out the window. The sun was setting, making the sky blood-red. In the distance, she saw strange forms flying toward the castle. They weren't birds. Their wings were too big, their forms too human.

She clutched the crystal bottle, wondering what was in it. Blood? Magic? Poison?

The door behind her burst open. Lila spun around, expecting to see Mira or the Blood King.

Instead, Darius stood there, his silver hair shining in the dimming light. Blood dripped from his mouth and hands.

"Hello, little witch," he said. His eyes glowed purple now, not blue. "Your protector won't be joining us. He's... indisposed."

Lila backed against the window. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing he won't survive. Eventually." Darius stepped closer. "But you and I need to talk about your true heritage. About who you really are."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, worn picture. He held it out to Lila.

"Your mother wasn't just hiding you from the Blood King," he said. "She was hiding you from me. Your true father."

Lila looked at the photo. It showed her mother, much younger, standing beside Darius. They were happy. Happy. Her mother's hand rested on her stomach.

The room seemed to spin around Lila. She looked from the photo to Darius's face, seeing now the similarities she'd missed before.

The same sharp cheeks. The same small tilt to their eyes.

"No," she whispered. "It's not true."

Darius smiled, showing fangs. "Oh, but it is. And now, daughter, it's time for you to help me take back what's mine."

Behind him, two more vampires emerged, their eyes glowing with hunger.

The crystal bottle felt heavy in Lila's hand. Midnight was hours away. The Blood King wasn't coming to save her.

She was on her own.