Crimson Moon

Chapter 1

~Ruby~

“You need to pay attention Rubella!” father yelled, using that dreadful name.I looked up from the book I was reading from an app on my phone.

“Father, I told you I want to be called Ruby.” I looked at him, and saw the vein popping out of his forehead. “Please, father. Rubella makes me feel like a disease. Ruby makes me feel like a precious gemstone.” I flashed my brightest smile at the man.

That seemed to calm him a little, “You are my precious gemstone Rubella, but you need to pay attention! Stop reading that silly human story. You are going on a vital mission tonight, and you need to be prepared!”

I sighed, locking the phone and putting it in the back pocket of my jeans. “I know the mission father. Spy on the Grimfurs pack and see what their weaknesses are. Use the mole to get past their defenses and watch from the trees closest to the pack house. Sneak in and place the bugs so we can hear their conversations, the same thing I did to Berzerk Shadows, and Silent Tails, and Dead Paw, and Warhide Nights, and Nightshade Keepers. I got it, father.”

“Grimfurs is the biggest pack and it also hosts the Lycan King! This is not as simple as the others!” Father said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger, sighing. “The patrols are completely different, and the security around the packhouse is advanced.”

I stood up from the couch in the simple little 1 bedroom apartment in Chizar, the closest human kingdom to the Grimfurs pack. Walking over and taking father’s hand away from his face. “I promise, I won’t let you down father. Just think, once this is done, we’ll be able to finally put together a battle strategy to take over Tamaska! Melchoir is already ours, and Oberon will be next!”

“You are my favorite daughter, you know that right,” father said, smiling.

I cringed inwardly, for a vampire who’s been alive for over one thousand years, he was not immune to dad jokes. “I’m your only daughter!”

“Well, rest up, once darkness falls I want you to be on your way!” Father said before he left to go eat someone. I shuddered, wrapping my arms around my body and opening the curtain. Usually, vampires combust in the son. Even my three older brothers cannot be in sunlight. However, I was special.

“Ruby? Are you OK?”

I smiled at my twin's voice in my head. “Yes, Rachimova.”

I laughed at his hiss, “You just yelled at father for using your full name!”

“Well, what kind of little sister would I be if I didn’t push my big brother’s buttons?” I smiled at his laugh. “I just wish we could run away where father can’t find us. We can walk in the sun, we could go to Hawaii or something.”

“You know we can’t leave Dagny, the outside world isn’t safe for our kind.” I can just see his frown, his brown eyes cast down. “Besides, we can’t leave without our mother, and she can’t be in the sun.”

“I know Ratch, we are stuck.” I heard him sigh before the connection was cut.

I took my phone out and unlocked it, staring down at three smiling faces. There I was with my long brown hair, bright blue eyes with my arm outstretched to take the picture. My other arm wrapped around what could be considered my identical twin. The only difference is mom has dark green eyes. We have the same facial features and are the same height. Next to her is my actual twin. Rachimova, or Ratch as he likes to be called. He was taller than me, a little taller than our father with his chocolate brown eyes and short black hair.

I looked out at downtown Chizar, at the humans going about their day. Father and his business owned practically all the apartment buildings, stores, and restaurants. When you are as old as he is, making money gets easy, just control some humans to do all the hard work.

There was a knock on my door and I closed the curtains. Walking over and opening the door, I smiled. Gertrude Christenson walked in holding a cooler. The short red-haired girl was in her 20s, and worked at the local blood bank. Father thinks I control her to bring me blood, but she's one of my only friends.

“I just saw papa fangs leave. I guess you're leaving tonight?” Gertrude frowned. “I don’t understand why you still do as he says.”

“Gertie, I have to think of Ratch and mom. Father has her confined to Serris’s castle.”

“How do you know he’s going to let her go if you take over Tamaska?” Gertie glared at me, sighing.

“He’ll kill her if I don’t! Can we please not talk about this?”

“ OK, I don’t want our last evening to be spoiled by sadness.” She winked at me as she walked to the kitchen with the cooler. Putting the cooler down on the table, she got two glasses and a plate. “I have a surprise for you!”

She opened the cooler and took out a pint of blood, alcohol, tomato juice, and a giant piece of devil's food cake. “What is that for?” I smiled at her.

“Well, since you have the blood of a drunk woman named Mary. I’m going to make myself a bloody mary and we are going to share the cake. You know, some good old-fashioned girl time?”

I laughed. Usually I only drink animal blood. However, Ratch has opened a couple blood banks so that people can donate blood to us. The process is exactly the same for regular blood bank. They get a nice free dinner at one of the restaurants Ratch owns.

We spent the next few hours gossiping and laughing until my father’s voice sounded in my head. “The sun is down, you need to leave now!”

Gertie saw the look in my eyes, “Our fun’s over, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so, I’ll see you when I get back.” I hugged my friend, “Lock up before you leave for me, OK?”

“As if you need to tell me.” Gertie laughed, washing our dishes. I gave her a small smile as I opened the door to leave, grabbing the bookbag from the floor.

Using my vampire speed, I knew I’d be running for at least the next 2 hours.