Chapter 4: Red eyes

The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps, causing Ethan to raise his head and stare at the newcomer. Looking at the familiar face made him raise his eyebrow; he recognized the man as one of his attackers from the house.

Terrell seemed surprised to see him up. He turned his head upstairs and shouted, "He's awake!"

Ethan remained silent, observing as Terrell hesitantly approached his cage.

"Hey there, remember me?" Terrell nervously gulped and stopped a few steps away from the cage.

Ethan didn't reply. His eyes carefully studied the man before him. Golden eyes, he's weak.

'They are all weaker than us,' the voice returned, but Ethan ignored it.

He wasn't sure what type of situation he found himself in, but his mind was strangely clear. Surprisingly, he felt no fear. Looking at the man nervously staring at him with an awkward expression, Ethan came to a simple conclusion: he was superior.

'Yes, we are better!' The voice continued, making Ethan frown.

Seeing that, Terrell misunderstood and hastily took a few steps back, nearly climbing the stairs the way he came.

"I don't mean you no harm," he raised his hands.

"You tried to kill me," Ethan spoke for the first time, his voice sounding gruffer than he remembered.

"No- Well, yes, at first only!"

Smack

"Shut up, you idiot," Clara, who just appeared, spoke as she slapped the back of his head before making her way toward the cage.

"Welcome to the world of the ever-living," she said, "My name is Clara, the idiot's Terrell."

Ethan frowned. He remembered her as well, she was also there back in the house.

"This is the part where you also introduce yourself," Terrell chimed.

Ethan's frown deepened, he hesitated for a second before answering, "My name's Ethan."

Clara nodded, "I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but really, it's not," she said while massaging her forehead.

"Where am I?"

"In one of the Council's safehouses," Terrell replied, finally gathering enough courage to approach the cage.

"The Council?"

Clara sighed and replied, "The Eternal Council, The Crimson Covenant, or just the Council for short. It's the governing body of the vampire society. Comprised of the oldest and most powerful vampires, they oversee all matters related to our kind. They enforce laws, maintain order between the clans, and ensure the secrecy of our existence from the human world."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Why did you bring me here?"

Terrell chuckled, "I'm not sure how to break the news to you, buddy, but you are no longer human."

"Ignore him. What do you remember from last night?" Clara moved closer to the bars and asked.

'Kill her! Feast on her blood! Who does she think she is?'

'Shut up!' Ethan grimaced in pain as he struggled against the voice in his head.

"It's talking to you, isn't it?" Terrell asked with a grim expression.

"I-It?" Ethan clutched his head and asked.

"It has many names. Some call it the Curse of Bloodlust, but most refer to it as the Thirst. It tempts you, promising power beyond your imagination. However, the more you listen to it, the more you lose yourself. Control it; don't let it control you. The first day is the worst," Clara explained.

"Usually it's your Sire that's supposed to walk you through this," Terrell grumbled.

Clara nodded by his side, "Which is why we need to know. What do you remember from the night before?"

Ethan leaned back against the wall and raised his head to stare at the dark ceiling. 'What should I do?'

The Thirst persisted, slowly gnawing at his sanity. He could keep it at bay for now but wasn't sure for how long.

"You can trust us; if we wanted to harm you, we wouldn't have brought you here and would have done so while you were unconscious," Clara reassured him, her eyes glowing slightly in the dark.

"Stop doing that," Ethan growled.

"Doing what?" She asked, feigning ignorance.

"You ask me to trust you when you aren't being truthful yourself," he shook his head.

"I don't know what you mea-"

Bang

Ethan’s figure blurred as he moved with inhuman speed, reappearing by the bars in an instant. Before Clara could react, his hand shot out and tightened around her neck.

"Do not lie to me!" He barred his teeth.

"I-I'm sorry," Clara gasped as she clutched his hand.

Terrell had no time to react, frozen in place as Ethan’s grip tightened around Clara’s neck. It wasn’t until Ethan released her that Terrell finally snapped out of his stupor.

"Talk while I can still control myself," Ethan walked back and sat down.

Clara massaged her neck, her eyes wide with fear. She shot a glance at Terrell, who looked equally shocked and afraid before she finally spoke.

“Vampires are different from what you might be familiar with. Garlic doesn’t affect us, and neither does salt. We still have our reflections in mirrors, and sunlight doesn’t kill us. It weakens us, sure, but we don’t burst into flames.”

Terrell scoffed beside her. “The exaggerated stories are mostly the Council’s doing to hide what real vampires are like,” he added.

Clara nodded and continued, “The clans are divided by colors,” she explained, pointing to her eyes. “I’m Gold, same as Terrell. Our gifts are usually physical. You can think of us as the muscle of the Council.”

Ethan shook his head, "What you were trying to do to me, that didn't feel like a physical gift."

“Vampires usually inherit one special gift from their Sire when they turn. Most of the time, this gift is related to their clan. Gold is physical, Blue is mental, Black is shapeshifting, and so on.”

She paused for a moment, glancing at her hands. “In my case, I was fortunate to inherit a second gift from my master. It’s rare but not unheard of. It’s not very strong since I’m still a Gold, but I can influence others’ emotions to a certain degree. I can make them calmer, more agitated, things like that.”

Ethan nodded, "How many clans are there?"

Terrell whistled, "Too many, but the main ones are; Gold, Blue, Black, Green, Brown, and..." He seemed to hesitate for a second before continuing, "Red."

Ethan frowned, he remembered seeing himself in the mirror, those dead-looking grey eyes.

His fingers traced his face and reached his eyes before he stopped, "What about mine, Grey?"

Clara and Terrell exchanged a glance before she hesitantly replied, “It’s… complicated.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Elaborate.”

Clara took a deep breath. “Greys are special…”

Terrell glanced at her and interjected, “Ah, damn it! Just be straight about it. Greys are ticking time bombs. No offense.”

Clara glared at him but didn’t refute. “It could be put in a better way, but in a sense, he’s right.”

The creak of a door opening upstairs interrupted their conversation, drawing the trio’s attention towards the staircase.

"It's time," Clara whispered.

Ethan frowned, sensing an oppressive aura drawing near. His non-beating heart seemed to skip a beat. Moments later, a middle-aged man in an exquisite black suit appeared. His grey hair was neatly brushed back, and his face was clean-shaven. What unsettled Ethan the most, however, were the man’s crimson eyes—they reminded him of the crazed silver-haired lady.

Clara and Terrell stepped back, bowing respectfully as the man approached. Their faces were solemn, eyes fixed on him as he neared the cage. The man paid them no heed, his gaze unwaveringly set on Ethan.

“So, it’s true. A Grey has appeared,” the man spoke, his voice resonant and deep. His eyes, glinting with a trace of disgust, remained fixed on Ethan.

The cage door burst open with a deafening bang. Ethan’s mouth fell open in shock. He had been staring at the man—no, the vampire—since the beginning, but he hadn’t seen him move. He’s fast! I couldn’t follow his movements at all!

"Stand up," the man commanded, and Ethan obeyed.

The vampire before him was beyond his ability to confront. His instincts screamed that attempting to fight would be a death sentence. Cold sweat trickled down his back, and his legs felt like they might give out at any moment.

"Follow me."

With that, the man turned and began to walk away. Ethan briefly entertained the thought of attacking him now that his back was turned, but he quickly dismissed the idea. An inexplicable sense of foreboding told him that the red-eyed vampire was expecting it, almost daring him to make a move.

"Try to stay alive," Terrell whispered as he passed.