Bloody desires

Adrienne “Give it back!” “Don’t wanna.” “Give. It. Back! I will melt your head off, you little-“  Chuckling to myself, I watched two menaces that were my little cousins Rosalyn and Morgana. The two reminded me so much of my twin - Noel, and me when we were their age. Really, if I didn’t know my family was so used to seeing the two of us trying to literally kill each other when we were little, I would’ve been concerned that they are all so cool right now.  The two little girls were rolling around, trying to take the doll from one another. They often did that. If it wasn’t a doll, it was cake. And it was always a chocolate cake. Morgana, who was two years younger than her sister, made her business to always annoy her older sibling. I looked around to see if anyone was going to stop their brawl any time soon, but nope. It was Sunday family night, so my parents’ house was full and everyone was minding their own business. Nana Alecta was snapping at her husband Vincenzo, while nana Fallon, as always, cackled while eating popcorn and watching them. It was a sight that was unfortunately very common. Uncle Valentine, mom’s brother and the girls’ father, was whispering something to aunt Sasha, dad’s sister. There was no big difference between them, the one was as immature as the other.  As Rosalyn was about to take her doll back, uncle Valentine yelled,“ Oh, come on, Morgana! I’m betting on you. You can’t let your daddy lose again to this obnoxious woman!” Sasha laughed next to him. “You have no chance of winning this. As it happens, you should give me my money right now.” “Don’t you think you should maybe stop them before it’s too late?” I asked from my armchair. I mean they were entertaining, truly, but if they’re not stopped soon, Rosalyn was going to try to melt Morgana’s face off for real.  Valentine looked at me and rolled his eyes. “They’re fine. They’re just practicing in case there’s any dange- ROSALYN!” He shot to his feet, glaring at her before she could release a small flame in her sister’s face. “Don’t you dare do it.” Luckily, the girls listened and stopped fighting, but not before both of them tried to set fire to their father’s socks. Unbelievable. “Aw, remember when I burned half your hair to ashes?” Noel appeared next to me, watching the show longingly. “I will never forget.” I muttered. And it was the truth. Not because I looked like a nightmare for a month, but because I could never forget the satisfaction at hearing Noel scream around like a lunatic that his blood was attacking him. Good times indeed. Noel began to say something else, but grandpa Vincezno interrupted him. He was apparently done with his little snapping match. “Adrienne, I have something of yours. My friend gave it to me to forward it to you.” “To me?” I asked skeptically. His tone was too sweet, too endearing. I didn’t like it. “What?” “Well,” he walked to me and gave me an envelope closed with red wax seal, “why don’t you look for yourself. And please, Ennie, don’t kill the messenger.” Sigh. He was so dramatic. Looking closely at the seal and seeing the Circle’s crest on it, I already knew I wouldn’t like what I was about to see. Opening it, I took a deep breath and began reading. Dear Miss Roxana, As a newly appointed member of Crimson Circle of Witches, your presence at the up-coming Binding Ritual is mandatory by orders of the High Council of Witches and Warlocks. Please, join us at the entrance to Tower of the Damned next Sunday, an hour before midnight. Sincerely, Melisandre Brilare, Second witch of the Crimson Circle Sighing, I put away the letter. I expected it at some point, honestly. With the passing of yet another blood witch, it was my time to take a position in the Crimson Circle. I knew I had to, it didn’t mean I wanted to. As one of few witches born under the curse of Blood Moon, I knew there was a chance of this happening from the beginning. You see, people tended to avoid giving birth to children during the night of the Blood Moon because there was rarely anyone who wanted to risk their child’s life. At the beginning, before anyone knew of the consequences, many children died at birth, unable to bear the force of the curse embedding in their very being. When Noel and I were born, there were some complications and our mother needed to either give birth right that moment or lose both of us. I was born first, just in time for the last shine of the Blood Moon to fall upon me. Noel, luckily, wasn’t born until the danger passed. So as it happens, I was able to perform not only regular magic, but to have power over the blood itself. To feel it, control it, smell it, bind it, purge it. Whatever I wanted. I could use it as a weapon, I could use it as a cure. It didn’t matter, it answered to me.  The downside? It was calling to me. Calling me to taste it, to devour it. And I did. I had to, just as every other blood witch that survived the embedding of the curse. If we wanted to live, of course. There were cases in which witches let themselves die on purpose.  Some needed to drink it often, some didn’t. It all depended on the level of power they had. But most were drinking it weekly. I only needed it once a month. The blood prolonged our lives each and every time we took a sip, so basically we could live forever if we so wanted. Most didn’t though, because it came with complications rarely anyone wanted to face. “So, what's it saying?” my mother, Lorelei, suddenly appeared, curious as a cat. Her blue eyes sparkled with expectation. “It says,” I held out a hand with a letter to her, “that I was needed at a Binding Ritual. It seems Crimson Circle made its choice, and that choice is me.” “Really? This early?” my dad, Joel, who at that moment entered the room, stopped dead in his tracks. It was true that Crimson Circle often waited for witches to come to a certain age, and that they were always at least a century old. They required the strength that came with their age if they wanted to be able to guard the prison’s gate. “I heard about Aurelia passing, but I didn’t think it would be you they’d call upon.” “Why?” Sasha asked her brother, clearly confused. “Well, she wasn’t even sent an official notification of their decision, not to mention there must be someone more powerful. This doesn’t make sense-“ dad suddenly stopped mid-sentence and narrowed his eyes at me as he saw my guilty expression. s**t. “What aren’t you telling us, Adrienne?” For a single second I thought of lying, but honestly, there was no point. Sighing in defeat, I leaned back in my chair, waiting for the inevitable explosion. “ I did get the  official invite. I just didn’t want to listen to all of you freak out about it for a month.” “A month?” nana Alecta asked, stunned. “A month?! You knew of this for a whole month?! And you didn’t think to tell us? Would you have even mentioned it at all if it wasn’t for the Binding Ritual?!” “Now, Alecta.” Vincenzo turned to his wife. “She had every right to keep it to herself. Must you really shout so much.” Her eyes widened, and I knew she was seconds away from exploding. “Must I- Must I shout?! I’ll show you shouting!” “Let’s hope not.” Nana Fallon said from her seat. “No one here wants to hear it. God knows my ears couldn’t bear it last night.” Vincenzo barely managed not to laugh, while nana Alecta went beet red, huffed and marched out of the room. Eyes shining in delight, Fallon turned to me. “Now that Alecta has taken her frustrations out with her, why don’t you tell us all about your invite, darling?” Six faces watched and waited expectantly. Noel, however, was the only one who already knew everything about it. The problem was, my family would never learn that I just didn’t like to make a fuss of things. I had been shocked, naturally, when I first got the letter. I liked my life, I liked my potion parlor, and I didn’t want to change it. Not only that, but I was also in mild panic because I didn’t think myself ready. But then I started thinking rationally and got to the conclusion that witches of the Circle knew what they were doing, and so I would deal a day at a time. “There’s nothing to tell. One of the witches serving the Crimson Circle came to me with a letter. I was in my shop at the time. I saw the crest, read the letter, and that’s that.” My mother was readying herself to speak, but before she could, I pulled up my hand to stop her. “I needed time to get used to the idea. I was shocked and honestly, I didn’t need added fussing.” “Yes, we know you operate like that, god knows you’re my daughter. But you shouldn’t’ve kept that to yourself for that long.” Dad wasn’t looking much happier than mom, but it was understandable. How many people wanted their children to entangle themselves in ancient blood magic? None, that’s how many. “Well, I did tell Noel, so that should count for something.” I shrugged, not caring really. It wasn’t about them, it was about me. And I was fully able to decide what I wanted to share and with whom. Unfortunately for my brother, six pairs of eyes turned to him, glaring. “What?” he asked, unbothered. “She asked me not to tell, and I respected that. I will always respect her wishes. If you plan to shout at me or her, please spare yourselves because I’m not sorry, and I suspect neither is Adrienne.” “Unbelievable.” Mom muttered, turning to dad in accusation. “They’re still doing it. I’ve been telling you since they were little that they are going to drive me to madness, haven’t I?” “You have, and I’m sorry I thought differently.” He shook his head. Nana Fallon huffed at that moment, giving dad an amused look. “Don’t kid yourself, Joel. Was it not you who came hiding at my home from, and I recite, ‘two little demons’, every so often?” He waved it away, giving Noel and me a patronizing smile. “I didn’t mean it. You were delightful children.” Noel looked at me from the corner of his eye, and we both snorted. Yeah, right. Just delightfully awful. “Anyway, I’m glad we cleared that up.” Taking a letter from my mother’s stone grip, I proceeded to the door. “If you don’t mind, I have some things I need to take care of, so I’ll see you all soon.” They, as it happens, did mind, but I ignored them and went to Rosalyn and Morgana. Crouching between them, I asked, “Am I going to get goodbye kisses from the two of you? Or is that too much to ask for?” Morgana instantly latched to my neck and started kissing me on the cheek. Yeah, the four-year-old was my greatest fan. Rosalyn, too, leaned in and hugged me, but it was not long after that she was occupied elsewhere once again.  “Don’t go yet!” Morgana climbed in my arms like a monkey. “We haven’t played!” Standing up with her in my arms, a whispered, “You know what, if you’re bored, Noel just told me he’s a little chilly, and he hasn’t been able to warm himself. Why don’t you go help him with that, if you know what I mean?” Morgana’s mischievous eyes sparkled with intent as she shouted “Yay!” and hopped to the floor. “Nooeeel!”  As I left the room, I just so happened to see a flicker of fire near his feet. Good girl. Wanting to finish brewing someof the potions my clients ordered, I headed to my small parlor. As it was directly under my apartment, it meant it would be quite a walk from my parents’ house. Let’s just say, when I first moved out, I wanted to be as independent as I could. The distance, of course, never stopped my mother from putting her nose in my business. As I walked down the cobbled path from the house to the small forest in which the entrance to the estate was hidden, I couldn’t help but remember all the times Noel and I ran around and played along these exact trails. We were always hiding somewhere in the woods, always looking for some new hidden places. It was what we liked the best — the harder to find and the more hidden it was, the more magical it felt to us.  It took me about twenty minutes to get through the little forest and emerge at the end of a narrow, mostly abandoned street that went uphill, straight into the center of the busy, loud world. Taking a step at the time, it wasn’t too long before I could hear the deafening sound of the bass coming from the nightclub near the corner, before I could see the shine from the shop windows and signs all around, before I could feel the thrumming of life, of blood, in people’s bodies as I passed them. I liked this busy life. I loved it, in fact. It was easy to lose yourself in the big streets amongst millions of people. I loved the fact that I became invisible, just one of many. Nothing special, nothing to be looked at with wariness or curiosity. I loved the fact that I could just breeze these streets and watch the dealings of the normal world. Passing one of the pubs, I decided on a whim to stop for a drink. It wasn’t like I was rushing to be somewhere. All the potions that were left to be finished were almost done anyway, I just didn’t want to stay with my family and discus the Crimson Circle anymore. A shining sign above the door said “Hell’s Pub”. Huh. Not very creative, but whatever. I’ve never been here and honestly don’t know how I missed it up until now. Especially with how close it was to my parents’ house.  The first thought I had upon seeing the inside of the pub was that I was pleasantly surprised. It had that dark sophisticated vibe, with a dash of green and gold lightning here and there. The furnishings were all sleek, dark wood and fine leather. The name all of a sudden seemed suiting.  At the bar, serving drinks to a man I couldn’t see well, was a strangely beautiful woman. She was dark-skinned with curly black hair and eyes a mesmerizing shade of bourbon. Her wrists were full of all kinds of bracelets, and she wore the strangest earrings I’ve ever seen, in a shape I honestly couldn’t identify. Taking a seat a few stools away from the man on my right, I waited. It was only a moment later when the woman turned to me. “What’s it gonna be?” “Gin tonic, please.” She nodded and I continued watching her. There was something about her that wasn’t right. Not in the way that was surely bad, but something about her unnatural beauty seemed off. Other than that, though, she seemed normal, so it could be that I’m just losing it a little.  As she was setting the glass in front of me, I spoke. “Is this place newly opened by any chance?” I tried to seem as casual as I could. Her eyes shot to me, and for a second there I thought I detected a flicker of something cross her eyes, but I couldn’t be sure. What I was sure, though, was that her blood became uneasy, I could hear her heart pumping harder and faster. Interesting.  “No. It’s been here quite a while.” she answered. Her mouth opened a second later as if to ask something, but her eyes flashed with indecision. At the very last, she closed it and turned to busy herself elsewhere. “Are you new here, girly? I haven’t seen you before.” A rough, croaky voice sounded. My head turned in the direction of the man I couldn’t see clearly before, but now that he angled his body my way, I could distinguish pale blue eyes that were surprisingly clear. “You could say that. I’m not sure how I missed this place.” Bringing the drink to my lips, I took a sip. At that moment, the same flash that was in the woman’s eyes earlier, was in his. And this time I saw what it was – a recognition. Damn it. As I thought of it, it dawned on me that they recognized what normal humans wouldn’t and that would be my little fangs. A sure way of recognizing a blood witch.  I could sense the way the bartender’s eyes watched me carefully, tracking my every move, which quite frankly annoyed me. “You can relax, I’m not going to do anything to you.” My eyes flicked to her, and she lifted her chin haughtily. Well, now. “I know you won’t. You wouldn’t dare. Not here at least.” It was a statement. A statement told with a barely hidden sneer. Raising my brows in surprise of how sure she was, I couldn’t help but ask, “Please, do tell me why I wouldn’t dare do that?” I would never attack without a reason, but the way she spoke to me didn’t sit well. I guess I wasn’t in such a good mood I thought I was. “Because this is LaVerna property. No one in their right mind would dare attack here.” She smirked smugly as she added, “Not even a blood witch.” I returned her smile. “What’s your name?” “Estrella.” “Estrella.” I nodded and looked down for a moment before locking her gaze to mine. “Next time, if you could restrain from speaking of what I would or wouldn’t dare.” Her body tensed, obviously seeing that I just may be one of those who weren’t in their right mind. “I came here for a drink in peace. Instead, I am gawked at and sneered upon. That’s not mentioning the pathetic attempt at threatening me.” “I never threatened you.” She quickly added. The man on my right smartly stayed silent. “But you did. You just had to dangle the threat of LaVerna family over my head. I don’t appreciate that, especially when I’ve done absolutely nothing to provoke such an answer.” She gulped audibly, and I could practically feel the thrum of her blood in her veins. It was calling to me. Calling me to bite, to taste just a little. I wouldn’t, I preferred to do the feeding in a little more erotic atmosphere. “I didn’t mean it like that.” She said. “You did, but I honestly don’t care. See that you don’t do it again, because I must admit, I’m not particularly scared of LaVernas.” “You don’t say. That would be a first.” An even, rich, deep voice came from somewhere behind me. And by his scent alone, I knew exactly who it was.