CRIMSOM HEARTS

Blood on the Staircase

The creature’s body hit the marble floor with a sickening crack.

Silence filled the ruined room afterward.

Elena Hart stood frozen beside the shattered table, staring at the dead monster lying only a few feet away.

Black blood spread slowly across the floor beneath it.

Its twisted body no longer looked human at all.

And standing nearby, surrounded by living shadows, Adrian Nightbane remained terrifyingly calm.

The darkness around him slowly disappeared back into the corners of the room like obedient servants.

Elena’s breathing felt uneven.

Nothing about this night felt real anymore.

Not the monsters.

Not the vampires.

And definitely not the way Adrian had crushed a creature without even touching it.

“What are you?” she whispered.

Adrian’s black eyes shifted toward her.

“Tired,” he answered quietly.

Kael Draven laughed softly despite the blood covering the room.

“That’s not exactly reassuring.”

Lucien Valemont remained near the destroyed doors, watching the hallway outside carefully.

“There are more.”

As if summoned by his words—

Another howl echoed deep within the castle.

Closer.

Hungrier.

Elena flinched instantly.

Kael sighed dramatically. “Wonderful. They brought friends.”

Lucien’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

“They’re moving toward the upper halls.”

Adrian suddenly stepped forward.

“They’re not here to kill her.”

Everyone looked toward him.

Elena swallowed nervously. “That somehow sounds worse.”

Adrian’s gaze darkened.

“They want her alive.”

Fear twisted sharply through her chest.

“Why?”

“The Crimson Bloodline requires living blood.”

The room went cold.

Kael’s playful expression faded slightly.

“You really think they know what she is?”

“They can smell it.”

Elena wrapped her arms around herself tightly.

Every vampire kept talking about her blood like it belonged to them instead of her.

It made her skin crawl.

“I’m standing right here,” she snapped.

Kael blinked before smiling faintly. “Good. Means you’re still conscious.”

“That’s your response?”

“It’s the best you’re getting tonight.”

A loud crash suddenly echoed downstairs.

Then screaming followed.

Human screaming.

Elena’s eyes widened. “There are people still inside this castle?”

“Servants,” Lucien answered shortly.

Another scream cut through the air.

Then silence.

Something dark crossed Lucien’s face.

Without warning, he moved toward the hallway.

“Elena stays here.”

Kael pushed himself away from the wall immediately. “You’re not fighting alone.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“And I’m ignoring that.”

Before either vampire could leave, Adrian spoke quietly.

“There’s another presence here.”

All movement stopped.

Even Lucien turned toward him sharply.

“What presence?”

Adrian’s black eyes focused somewhere beyond the walls.

Ancient tension filled the room.

Then softly—

“A hunter.”

Elena frowned. “Hunter?”

Kael cursed under his breath.

“That explains the silver scent.”

Silver scent?

Nothing about vampire conversations ever sounded normal.

Lucien’s expression darkened immediately.

“They entered Valemont territory?”

“They’re desperate,” Adrian replied.

Thunder exploded outside the castle windows.

Then—

A gunshot echoed through the halls.

Elena jumped violently.

The vampires didn’t.

Another shot followed.

Closer this time.

Kael sighed. “Yep. Definitely hunters.”

Elena stared at them. “You’re telling me vampire hunters exist too?”

Lucien looked toward her coldly.

“You thought vampires would go unchallenged for centuries?”

Honestly?

Yes.

A figure suddenly appeared in the ruined doorway.

Female.

Tall.

Dressed entirely in black combat clothing.

Silver blades hung from both sides of her waist while rainwater dripped slowly from dark hair.

Sharp gray eyes landed instantly on Lucien.

Then Kael.

Then Adrian.

Hatred filled her expression immediately.

“Well,” she said coldly, “this room is somehow even worse than I expected.”

Adrian became completely still.

Kael groaned softly. “Oh no.”

The woman’s gaze shifted toward Elena.

And everything changed.

Shock flickered across her face.

Then disbelief.

“The mark…” she whispered.

Lucien moved instantly between the hunter and Elena.

“Careful.”

The woman slowly drew one silver blade.

Its surface gleamed unnaturally beneath the candlelight.

“Elena Hart,” she said quietly.

Fear crawled beneath Elena’s skin.

“How do you know my name?”

The hunter ignored the question completely.

Instead, she stared at the Crimson Mark glowing faintly on Elena’s neck.

“You shouldn’t be alive.”

Elena was officially tired of hearing that sentence.

“Can everyone stop saying that?!”

Kael snorted softly behind Lucien.

Surprisingly, the hunter almost smiled.

Almost.

Then her expression hardened again.

“My name is Selene Moura,” she said coldly. “And every monster in this room should already be dead.”

Kael placed a hand dramatically against his chest.

“That’s rude.”

Selene ignored him.

Her attention remained locked on Elena.

“You need to leave this castle.”

Lucien’s voice became ice.

“She stays.”

“She dies if she stays.”

“And dies faster with hunters.”

Tension exploded instantly between them.

Elena looked between the vampires and the hunter anxiously.

“So let me understand this correctly,” she muttered. “There are vampires, failed vampires, hunters, ancient bloodlines, and apparently shadow magic now?”

Kael nodded casually. “You’re adapting beautifully.”

She glared at him.

A fresh howl echoed downstairs.

This time much closer.

Selene’s expression sharpened immediately.

“They breached the eastern staircase.”

Lucien cursed softly.

Kael blinked. “You know this castle suspiciously well.”

Selene twirled her silver blade once.

“I’ve invaded it before.”

“Again,” Kael said, “rude.”

Before anyone could continue arguing—

A servant suddenly stumbled into the hallway outside.

Covered in blood.

Terrified.

“Lord Valemont—”

Something grabbed him from behind.

The servant screamed as claws ripped through his chest violently.

Blood splattered across the staircase walls.

Elena gasped in horror.

A monstrous creature slowly climbed over the servant’s collapsing body.

Then another appeared.

And another.

Dozens of glowing eyes emerged from the darkness below.

The failed vampires had reached the upper halls.

Kael’s smile vanished completely.

“Well,” he murmured quietly, “that’s significantly more than before.”

Lucien stepped forward instantly.

“Protect Elena.”

Selene scoffed. “I’m not protecting a vampire.”

“You misunderstand,” Lucien said coldly. “I wasn’t speaking to you.”

Then he disappeared down the staircase.

The monsters roared immediately.

Chaos exploded through the castle.

Kael rushed after Lucien seconds later, moving faster than human eyes could follow.

Screams echoed below.

Furniture shattered.

The sound of bodies crashing into walls shook the entire staircase.

Elena backed away instinctively.

Fear overwhelmed her senses completely now.

She could hear monsters snarling downstairs.

Hear vampires fighting.

Hear bones breaking.

Selene grabbed Elena’s arm suddenly.

“We’re moving.”

Elena jerked away instantly. “Don’t touch me.”

“You want to survive? Then move.”

Adrian remained near the staircase silently, shadows curling faintly around his feet.

Something about his expression looked distant.

Almost troubled.

Then his black eyes shifted toward Elena suddenly.

“Stay close to me.”

The seriousness in his voice frightened her more than shouting would have.

Another creature burst onto the staircase.

Its mouth dripped black blood as glowing eyes fixed directly on Elena.

It lunged.

Selene threw a silver blade instantly.

The weapon sliced through the creature’s skull midair.

The monster collapsed onto the staircase with a scream.

Elena stared in shock.

Selene caught the returning blade calmly.

“You freeze too much.”

“I’m HUMAN!”

“That won’t matter if you die.”

Another monster climbed over the railing.

Then another.

Adrian finally moved.

Darkness exploded through the staircase violently.

Shadows wrapped around the creatures before crushing them against the walls with horrifying force.

Blood sprayed across the marble steps.

Elena stumbled backward.

The shadows moved like living things.

Obeying him.

Fearing him.

Selene watched Adrian carefully.

“I heard rumors about you,” she said quietly.

Adrian didn’t look at her.

“Rumors exaggerate.”

“No,” Selene replied coldly. “I think they underestimated you.”

A deafening roar suddenly shook the castle.

The floor trembled beneath Elena’s feet.

Then Lucien appeared halfway up the staircase covered in blood.

Not his blood.

His crimson eyes glowed unnaturally bright.

“Move!” he shouted.

Everyone turned instantly.

A massive creature crawled upward behind him.

Larger than the others.

Twisted.

Its jaw stretched unnaturally wide while black veins pulsed beneath pale skin.

The thing barely resembled human anymore.

Kael appeared beside Lucien seconds later.

For the first time, both vampires looked genuinely strained.

“That one’s ugly,” Kael muttered.

The creature’s glowing eyes locked onto Elena.

Then it smiled.

A horrible human smile.

“The Crimson Bloodline…” it growled.

Elena’s blood ran cold.

It could speak.

The monster suddenly rushed upward with terrifying speed.

Lucien attacked instantly, but the creature threw him through the staircase railing.

Wood exploded everywhere.

Kael slashed at the monster’s throat, only for the creature to grab him violently by the neck and slam him into the wall.

Selene moved next.

Her silver blade buried deep into the creature’s shoulder.

It screamed furiously before backhanding her across the staircase.

Elena watched in horror.

They were losing.

Adrian stepped forward slowly.

The shadows around him darkened unnaturally.

The entire hallway suddenly became colder.

Even the creature hesitated.

Black eyes met glowing monster eyes.

Then Adrian spoke softly.

“You recognize me.”

Fear appeared on the creature’s face.

Real fear.

And for the first time tonight—

Elena realized the monsters feared Adrian Nightbane more than death itself.