[Scarlet, Our Little Fang!]

  All noise momentarily died in Scarlet’s mind as she stared at the pile of ashes that had been Selene, the vibration of the bell still rippling through her body. Had she just been witness to an assassination? She’d just come to talk to Selene, not witness her murder, and now she was dead. The woman who had her father’s corpse was dead. What was she supposed to do?

  Did this…just happen? Red killed Selene before the meeting; isn’t that against the rules?

  Abruptly, the still-playing orchestra humming through the bloody walls collapsed against her brain, the organ’s shrill sounds making her shiver. She wasn’t on Earth or in some movie; this was a real world, filled with vampires and horrors.

  No, I don’t care about the rules; I need to find Dad’s body!

  Thoughts catching up, Scarlet scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping as she almost stepped on a pile of ashes. Stomach squirming at the thought that all of these white mounds used to be people, she scooted around or hopped over them to reach the center of the room.

  She hardly noticed Cássia stumbling after her, spinning in a circle and looking somewhat panicked, the 13-year-old’s liquidy ruby eyes scanning the scene. “Scarlet, we have to go to the Grand Ballroom Hall. If the bell rang, then they’re coming.”

  “Who?” Scarlet absently mumbled, vampiric eyes filtering out everything she could see as she searched for her father’s corpse. “Dammit! Why can’t I see it—it should be here… I can’t see my dad’s coffin! Why isn’t it here?!”

  “Mmmmgmmm! Damn bell.”

  Scarlet’s spine jolted as a gravely male groan came from the hallway; her eyes darted toward it as the door across from Selene’s opened, revealing a giant, 3-meter-tall black-furred werewolf. His fur flickered with dark flames, giving off an eerie, spiritual pulse as he stepped forward, reverting into the appearance of a tan man, smaller than his wolf form but still towering over her.

  An identical werewolf was right behind him, returning to her shapely human form with a yawn and scratching her exposed, muscular belly. Her crimson irises drifted left and right, observing the scene they’d just walked in on.

  Her low voice was groggy and rippled the air with a growling undertone; Scarlet’s instincts told her they were blood-related, likely twins, and very, very dangerous.

  “Varc, seems the new neighbor checked out early. We didn’t even get to say hello.”

  Cássia straightened and put on a charming smile as she gave them a polite curtsy. “Lady and Lord Varcolac. Please, do not mind the mess; the festivities are about to begin in the Grand Ballroom Hall. I am sure Lady Colia will be by shortly to guide you there.”

  “Humph.” The male figure rolled around his neck, narrowed eyes centering on Cássia and her. “Meh. None of our business. Let’s go, Colac, the fun is about to begin. Can’t you feel them coming?”

  The she-wolf looked Scarlet up and down before sniffing and following her brother, wolf ears twitching and tail wagging. “This might turn out to be fun after all. Better than that giant fish we ate a few days ago. Maybe we’ll find a better fight this time around.”

  Cássia visibly showed relief, but Scarlet was too focused on finding her father’s corpse to worry about the twins. And after triple checking the area in vain, she fell to her butt before the pile of ashes, tears forming in her eyes. Yet, her blood soon froze against her cheeks as she fixated on something buried within the mound.

  “He’s gone. Why isn’t he—no…”

  Her shaky fingers reached forward, flinching as she touched the powder, digging under the dusty gown that had been left to pull out a tiny box underneath, open and empty. She hadn’t been able to spot her father’s body because he wasn’t here, but the coffin they’d brought him in was.

  “What does this mean? Did…Red steal my dad’s body, or…or did they reanimate him? Did he kill Selene?! Did Red just stumble upon it?” Her memory of Selene’s hole-ridden body flashed back, air locking in her lungs as she thought about it closer. “Red uses an ax and guns, right? She doesn’t use spikes…but she ran away from the murder scene? What is happening?!”

  “Ahem.” Cássia walked to a nearby table, fingers sliding over a letter before tapping a familiar bottle that the teen had brought Illa. “Lady Scarlet, please, we must make haste back to the event. The barons and baronesses will be arriving shortly to exact their revenge against The Countess, and the nobility in this world are…far more powerful than you might think.”

  Scarlet puffed out a long breath as she forced herself up, blood exiting her wrist to clean off the ash and deposit it back onto the mound. “My dad is still in this world. It’s fine. I’m fine! It’s just…weird.”

  Her gaze wandered the pristine room, not a hint of a struggle present other than the crooked door, and her focus was soon drawn to the table Cássia stood beside, trying to get her to leave. The bottle first caught her attention before it moved to the letter, and she walked forward to study them.

  “Cássia… This is very rare stuff, right? Would it have the same effect on Selene as Illa? Was she drugged up on this blood? Could someone have questioned her while she was loopy, and then killed her?”

  The brunette gulped, looking up at the crimson light bathing them from the ceiling as it dimmed, the darkness intensifying further with the music’s tempo change. An eerie stillness came to the atmosphere, an unnatural pressure that was like cold air on the back of her neck. It was accompanied by a light mist that started to thicken everywhere at once, and an intense bloodlust vibrated the air.

  Cássia suppressed a quake, fingers knotting at her front. “They’ve left their rooms.”

  Scarlet was only half listening, though, a knot forming in her gut, but it wasn’t from the approaching barons and baronesses. Her fingernail pressed down on the bottom of the half-curled letter, a single, dreaded name leaving her lips and taking her back to her nightmare.

  “Twilight…”

  The ocean had been tainted red with blood, the sun turned black, and the horizon darkened into fading reds. Crimson lettering burned into Scarlet’s mind as her vampiric eyes centered on the hidden phrase invisible to her normal vision.

  Welcome to the masquerade, where nothing is what it seems. Who is the enemy? Who is your friend? Sharpen your fangs, Scarlet. I’m watching.

  - Twilight

  She could feel Veronica’s hot breath at the nape of her neck, making her stumble back. Casting her gaze to the corners and searching for the blonde woman who had braved the Red Sea, Scarlet only saw Cássia’s worried face.

  “Scarlet, what can I do to help? Are you…afraid of me?” she asked, promptly stepping back and spreading her arms in a way to say she meant no harm. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. I can—”

  “Cássia…why are you here… What have you done this time?” The girl froze, both their attentions darting to the doorway, where a fancy-dressed, handsome blond man stood, hands held behind his back as he swept the space. “Is this…your handiwork, Lady Scarlet, and you supported her in this?”

  Cássia swiftly shook her head, fingers knotting at her dress front as she turned toward the man. “No. No, this is not what it seems, Lord Leopold! Please, allow us—me to explain…”

  Scarlet jumped in, the hair rising on the back of her neck with the increasing, nail-scraping sensation that was igniting the air. “I only came to talk to Selene! I found the hallway littered with ash, and Red teleported away—I saw Selene turn to dust—it wasn’t me!”

  Leopold’s passive stare didn’t say if he believed or accused her, not helping her rising anxiety. “I see… Lady and Lord Varcolac gave their own account of what they saw. I will conduct my own investigation when time permits. Please, Lady Scarlet, Cássia, refrain from further…tainting the crime scene. I must address the guests in The Countess’ place since she is…feeling unwell. This way, Lady Scarlet,” he stated, stepping aside and gesturing for her to make her exit.

  Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Was all of this a setup?! I have a motive. I was at the scene of the crime. I was rummaging through her belongings—in her dusty-ass corpse! Dammit. Why am I such a screwup?! Rachel wouldn’t have been caught skirt down like this… What am I supposed to do? I don’t want to cause trouble for her, but that’s all I seem to do! Just…do better, Scarlet. Do better.

  Taking one last look at the ash pile she’d stupidly stuck her fingers inside, never mind having been caught reading Selene’s letters red-handed, Scarlet felt sick as she hesitantly left the room. Cássia’s lady-like charm had returned as she followed, yet she paused as the man whispered in passing, pricking Scarlet’s hot ears.

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  “You may be The Countess’ daughter, Cássia, but that only places a higher bar under your neck. Regardless of the circumstances, you should not have guided her here. How do you think this will reflect on your mother and me when I am the one who is charged with beginning the party and introducing the barons and baronesses? First Blood has already been spilled, and you were at the scene.”

  Cássia gracefully responded to his scathing words with a formal curtsy, placing one foot at an angle in front of the other. “I acknowledge my actions and will accept my punishment when The Countess deems it necessary. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Lord Leopold, I would hate to miss your speech. I am sure it will be a riveting one.”

  Damn, that was kind of badass! Scarlet felt a little better as the 13-year-old turned and joined her. The Countess’ daughter, though? Crazy… Well, I guess I can see why the other girls are hard on her. I thought Elizabeth’s daughters’ names were Anna, Orsolya, and Katalin. Maybe she goes by her original name and not her Legend’s name?

  Glancing back, she saw Leopold quietly scrutinizing the room, his hand moving to the door to run a hand down its length. “You okay? I’m sorry I got you in trouble. So…you’re Countess Elizabeth’s daughter, huh? That’s cool.”

  Cássia’s lips lifted a little, but it looked sad to Scarlet. “The Countess sees every girl as her daughter. We are all an extension of the House of Báthory and represent her by our conduct. I do not regret what we did.”

  Her gaze fell to the ash-painted carpets and walls, spotting the Varcolac twins’ disrespectful footprints tracked through the halls. “The Countess teaches that if one is to break the rules, then do it defiantly and with one’s head held high, owning your decisions…for they are your decisions.”

  Scarlet found her elbow as they turned down another branch, spotting a few dozen men and women stuck inside the wall, gagged by blood and looking thin. She could see their blood being siphoned off with her vampiric vision and see the tears in their eyes as a maid fed each of them with a cart, some of which included tainted blood for the vampires.

  “I…still don’t know what to think about your mom, to be honest, but…I like you so far. Wait, wouldn’t your mom know that a murder happened and where everyone is?”

  A short giggle bubbled out of the young teen as she returned a wave that the beaming maid gave her. “The Countess is a complicated woman with a grieving heart… And not necessarily. She is dealing with some…growing problems due to various reasons. I would also appreciate it if you did not refer to her as my mother, Lady Scarlet. She is The Countess.”

  Scarlet’s heart went out to the girl as she saw a pained look cross her face. “No, yeah, of course, umm… I’m sorry. I guess you guys take this stuff pretty seriously… You’re from Hungary, right?”

  “Indeed, I am,” the brunette replied, her cute charm returning as she took the lead. “Now, we really should be going before Lord Leopold overtakes us.”

  “Okay!”

  She smiled and walked beside the vampire as silence ensued, and her vampiric eyes scanned the inside of the teen’s body again. Her cheer diminished slightly upon spotting the pure blood organs that kept Cássia alive. She knew the 13-year-old was powerful—quite powerful—and the fact she was Elizabeth’s actual daughter made all the more sense now.

  Yet, she was also struggling to maintain herself, and Scarlet knew there was something wrong with her body. As she watched, the girl’s organs were constantly being revitalized through trace amounts of blood that flowed up from the crimson floor and into her body, and a new angle bloomed in her mind.

  Her mother is sustaining her… The blood inside her feels so similar to everything in this castle because she’d die if it weren’t keeping her alive. What happened to Cássia that put her in such a terrible state? She’s so dedicated to her mom…yet everyone seems to dislike her. Why? Wait, Leopold didn’t even call her lady; that was so rude for this culture!

  “Leopold is an ass,” she huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at the gothic paintings lining the walls. “Who even is that guy? He’s human, not even a vampire, and he’s supposed to do the introduction?”

  The brunette giggled and glanced back at her as she fixed the top of her red and black silken gown. “Lord Leopold is one of the Board of Directors in The Countess’ corporation. He may not look it, but he is actually quite old and a Legendkin. The Countess’…late husband and he were best friends, serving with one another in the military; he has supported The Countess greatly since her loss.”

  “Oh…I’m sorry to hear that,” Scarlet mumbled, putting pressure against her cuticles at the sour topic. “I’ll shut up now.”

  So…both our dads are dead. And what is with this weird atmosphere… It’s getting stronger. Just how powerful are these barons and baronesses? This is who we’re supposed to fight? Now that I think about it…I have no clue why we’re really here. I just came to get my dad’s body back.

  “I am not offended,” she chimed, folding one of her loose bangs behind her ear. “I am here to serve and answer your questions to the best of my ability. As of right now, I expect most of the guests will be arriving for the introductory show.”

  Her voice lowered while glancing around at the darkening atmosphere, light fog, tense vibes, and bloodthirst that radiated through the corridors with the ominous music. “The Countess has to follow certain rules for this Legend Quest if she is to see it to its conclusion, which…reminds me.”

  “Reminds you of what?” Scarlet asked as the girl slowed and took them to the wall. “Oh.”

  Cássia set her brow and sunk her fingers into the crystal blood, liquifying on contact, and a pulse reverberated through its interior. When she removed her hand, she held an elegant, bloody masquerade mask, cut at an angle with a flower attached to its more complete side.

  “Here you are,” the girl smiled, speaking a little raggedly as she presented it, trying to recover from her effort. “One must play the part of the Bloody Masquerade to be counted amongst the participants.”

  “Thank you; don’t strain yourself, though! I’ll—” Accepting it, Scarlet shivered the moment she touched the bloody item; it was absorbed into her skin, and her body instantly reformed it over her face, molding it to her facial figure. It gave her a surge of power that left her breathless for a second. “Oh, that was dirty, Cássia! You did that on purpose,” she said with a light glare.

  The teen flashed her small fangs and giggled softly. “You are far stronger than you realize, Lady Scarlet. If you wanted to, I bet you could totally absorb me without much of a struggle. I am impressed by your willpower, but…”

  She held up the vial of blue liquid that snaked out from beneath her dress and dangled it in front of her. “Can you please entertain me? If you were to succumb to the bloodlust of the Baroness of Blood and Beauty, in conjunction with the Crimson Moon’s effects, and any other…issues that might come up, then I’m afraid all of us might be in trouble.”

  Scarlet pushed her lips to the side, gingerly taking the vial and studying it. “What…does this do exactly? You said it would help curb my bloodlust, but how?”

  “Umm. Think of it as an enchantment that soothes the soul. It is a combination of a rare blood flower in this world and Empress Wu’s advanced Mind Strengthening Elixir formula that she crafted herself.”

  “Wow… I don’t know much about Empress Wu, but apparently, she’s killing it in China,” Scarlet half-joked, forcing a laugh as she studied the liquid and Cássia’s pleading face. “So long as it doesn’t smell funny, like the thing you gave Illa…”

  She popped the cork, holding it away and wincing as the aroma hit her nose. “Mmm. It’s super sweet! Wow. It smells like I’d be drinking straight sugar. It, uh…doesn’t smell bad, I guess.”

  Cássia didn’t look away, hands held at her front, waiting for her to finish before they got to the party; they were supposed to be on a clock, so this was really important to the girl.

  Trust your instincts, Scarlet! she internally chanted, repeating Rachel’s advice. Trust your instincts… And they tell me this is really good stuff. So, why not?!

  “Oh, what the hell,” Scarlet laughed. “I mean, my body is pretty freaking resilient, so we’ll see. Bottoms up!”

  Holding it to her lips, she tipped it into her mouth; it slid down like a cool and refreshing glass of lemonade on a hot day. Immediately, Scarlet relaxed, vision sharpening to see every worried detail and fine piece of hair on Cássia’s head. A surge of clarity dispelled all doubt within her mind, and she felt…normal, unbothered by the weight of everything that had happened to her. Sure, it was there, but it was as if she could put it in a little box to isolate it.

  It took a second for her to respond as she processed the wealth of predatory information feeding into her brain. A single glance confirmed to her that Cássia was being kept alive by the castle, and threads molded from parts of her body into the structure, leading through the walls to where her mother no doubt resided.

  The clarity made her want to laugh. Is this what it feels like to be Rachel, seeing so much and calmly dissecting everything? It’s…nice. I know my father is still here because no one can leave for a week without Elizabeth opening another portal. There are too many possibilities surrounding Selene’s death, and ultimately, it shouldn’t matter.

  Lifting her hands to examine her black, perfectly groomed fingernails, Scarlet let her anxiety fade into oblivion. The effects soon dampened, returning her to a somewhat normal output, but they were far from gone, and she liked how she felt.

  A hopeful sparkle came to Cássia’s red irises. “Well, how do you feel? The effects should be almost instant for you.”

  “Shockingly better,” Scarlet said with a relaxed smile and throaty chuckle, showing her fangs and brushing her bangs behind her pointed ears. “Hmm. I’m not so panicked now. I kind of feel a little annoyed with how tense I was. I can tell the difference in strength between me and others, and…I’m actually pretty strong. Why am I even that scared? I’m not bad, and I’m not defenseless. All I can be is me, right?”

  Instinctually, she felt like the 13-year-old genuinely wanted to help her, and it made her heart sing to finally be rid of the pesky voice in the back of her head, telling her she was a monster. Her focus darted in the direction the brunette had been taking her, her hand rising to slide a finger down her mask.

  “Maybe this can be fun if I let it. There are mysteries to solve! I like detective manga,” she commented, shifting to hold out a hand for the brunette to take as if she were the little sister she’d always wanted. “Anyway, Rachel is already in the hall, and Leopold is coming this way. Ready to join the others?”

  Cássia’s apprehension melted away, her cute tiny fangs gleaming in the dim red light of the bloody ceiling. “One moment! I just need to get my own mask…”

  She reached into the wall, producing a half-face, artistic mask with a feathery flair to it that she placed over her eyes. “Okay. Now I’m ready. Let the masquerade begin!”

  The girl took her hand, and Scarlet moved them through the shadows, far easier with whatever one of the barons was doing to the atmosphere. She was a vespertine reaper. This was her scene, and for the first time, she felt comfortable in her own skin.

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