Chapter 1: The Night Everything Went Red
The first thing I noticed was the cold.
Not the kind that comes from a winter breeze or a broken heater, but a deep, bone-piercing chill that soaked through my skin and into my soul. My eyes opened slowly, blinking against the dim red glow that bathed the chamber. I didn't recognize the ceiling above me—vaulted, stone-carved, etched with strange symbols that pulsed like embers beneath ice.
I sat up, groaning as pain flared behind my eyes. My clothes were still damp with… something. It clung to me in patches and smelled like rust and roses.
Blood.
I stared down at my hands, stained crimson, my palms marked by shallow cuts that had already begun to close. My chest heaved. My mind spun. I had no idea how I got here, or why every fiber of my being screamed that I shouldn't be.
Then I saw her.
She stood across the circular room, framed by pillars of obsidian and flickering candlelight. A woman—no, something more than a woman. She was statuesque, her presence regal and terrible, like a goddess pulled from myth. Her long hair flowed like liquid midnight, her eyes glowed with an eerie red fire, and her gown shimmered in a way that defied the laws of fabric and reality alike.
She stepped forward, bare feet gliding soundlessly over the floor, her gaze fixed on me with unreadable intensity.
"You awaken," she said, her voice silk wrapped in steel. "Good. The bond holds."
I scrambled back, hitting the stone wall behind me. "Where the hell am I?"
She raised a single eyebrow, as though my confusion mildly amused her. "The Sanctum of the Blood Oath. You stand within the heart of my domain, husband."
"H-husband?" My voice cracked. "Lady, I don't even know your name!"
A flicker of something—amusement?—passed over her face. "Names are unimportant. You bled. You drank. You spoke the vow."
"I don't remember any vow!"
Her gaze darkened. "You said, 'Let this blood bind what cannot be broken.' Those were your words. Spoken in the circle. Beneath the crimson moon."
I staggered to my feet, mind racing. Twelve hours earlier, I had been in Belgrave, dropping off a delivery to some private party in a penthouse uptown. That's it. Just a delivery. A weird job from an app that promised cash for last-minute gigs. The client wanted a bottle of something exotic—Dark Vintia, or whatever it was called. Deep red, almost black, with a wax seal and a crest I didn't recognize.
The instructions had been strange: knock once, don't speak, don't ask questions.
Of course, I knocked twice. And I asked questions.
That's when things got fuzzy. There had been a man in a tailcoat. Eyes like fogged-over glass. He told me to enter. Said I'd been "chosen." There was chanting. Candlelight. A circle drawn in chalk. And then—then she appeared.
Her.
The Queen.
This woman—this vampire.
It had to be a dream. A hallucination. Maybe I'd been drugged. Maybe I was lying in a gutter somewhere with a head wound. But when I looked down at my wrist and saw the mark etched there—dark crimson, shaped like an interlocking rose and fang—I knew it wasn't a dream.
It pulsed.
And across the room, so did hers.
"You marked me," I whispered.
She nodded. "The Blood Contract is sealed. You are now bound to me. In power. In name. In life. And in death."
I stood on unsteady legs, heart pounding. "This is insane. You can't just… marry someone with a blood ritual. That's not how anything works!"
"Among my kind," she said coolly, "it is."
I stared at her. "And your kind is…?"
Her lips curved slightly. "Vampire."
Of course.
I laughed. It came out broken and hysterical. "Right. Great. Vampires. Next you'll tell me I'm turning into one too."
She tilted her head. "Not yet. The transformation is… conditional."
That shut me up. "What condition?"
Her smile was beautiful—and terrifying. "You must survive the first three days. If you live, the bond will strengthen. If not…" She trailed off.
I swallowed. "Then what?"
"Then you die. And I die with you."
That silenced the rest of the panic trying to crawl up my throat. My knees threatened to give out.
Her expression turned unreadable. "The bond is not a joke. It is ancient. Sacred. Unbreakable. Your blood touched mine within the Circle of Binding. Our lives are now tethered. If one perishes, so does the other."
"I didn't ask for this."
"You entered willingly."
"I delivered a bottle of wine!"
"You were chosen."
I stared at her, a hundred thoughts crashing into each other in my skull. "Why me?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she turned and walked toward the tall, arched doorway at the edge of the chamber. "Come. You will need rest before the Court meets."
"Court? What Court?"
"The Vampire Court. They will wish to judge the legitimacy of our union. Some will challenge it. Others will wish you dead."
My mouth opened. Closed. "Why?"
"Because you are human. Unblooded. Unworthy." She paused, then looked back over her shoulder. "For now."
She vanished into the shadows beyond the door.
I stood there, stunned, still reeling from every word. My heart thundered. My vision swam.
Then I followed her. Because honestly? What else could I do?
---
The corridors were unlike anything I'd seen. Gothic arches, candlelit walls, and red velvet tapestries. Everything screamed medieval vampire royalty. Despite the grandeur, a quiet dread hung in the air. The kind you couldn't see, only feel.
We arrived at a room that looked like a cross between a throne chamber and a war council. At the far end, a stone dais supported a throne of bone and onyx. My wife—the Vampire Queen—took her place without fanfare.
I didn't know where to stand, so I just hovered awkwardly near a pillar.
Then they entered.
At least two dozen figures in cloaks, armor, or elegant suits. Each carried an aura of power. Some looked old, impossibly old. Others looked like rich playboys or ruthless CEOs. But their eyes—every one of them had those glowing eyes.
"My Queen," one said, bowing low. "You summoned the Court."
"I did."
"Is this him?" another sneered, looking me over like I was a roach in a tuxedo. "This… mortal?"
"He is bound to me. The Blood Contract has been fulfilled."
Murmurs rippled through the Court. Some nodded with respect. Others hissed.
"This bond threatens our order," one said. "You've brought a human into our sacred rite."
"He was chosen," she replied coldly. "The bond cannot be undone."
"He is a liability!"
"He is my husband."
Dead silence.
She stood. "Let any who would challenge my bond step forward."
Nobody moved.
Good. I wasn't in the mood to be eaten today.
But something told me this was far from over.
---
After the meeting, I was taken to a guest chamber. Luxurious but prison-like. A servant brought me food. Normal food, thank God. I didn't have the stomach for blood popsicles.
I tried to sleep. Couldn't.
Instead, I stared at the ceiling and wondered how my life had turned into a gothic horror-romance novel.
I accidentally married a vampire queen.
And now, if I didn't survive three days, I'd die.
Worse?
So would she.
And maybe the whole damn kingdom with her.
To be continued...
End of Chapter 1