The blood stopped flowing a while ago, leaving only the crusty scabs atop the two tiny holes. After the crusts fell off, the holes remained, two eerie black dots at my neck.
My mother and I escaped the grounds before people arrived to take a look at the aftermath.
We lingered just long enough in the shadows to hear what they had to say about the late Calthorpe family.
Pure-blooded vampire families engaged in cooperative relationships with mortal families. They offered safety and numerous advantages to humans in return for a steady supply of blood through blood slaves.
These blood slaves had to be strictly virgin daughters of the family's bloodline, no less.
While other families greatly feared the vampires and dared not offer anything less but the best young women from their family, the Calthorpes dared to send unwanted daughters to the vampires.
First it was Shireen.
And then it was me.
The Blackwoods weren't stupid.
They found out about us, and they were not happy about the blood slaves from the Calthorpe family.
I did not dare to think about my elder sister's fate.
Did Elijah Blackwood kill Shireen because she fell way beneath his standard?
I still shuddered whenever I recalled Clementine's head, rolling across the bloody marble floor in a macabre performance.
In the end, it was all about the pride of the vampires.
Had my father sent Clementine instead of me, maybe Elijah Blackwood would not have murdered every single person in the family.
Well, save for me and my mother.
My mother gave me a squeeze on the upper arm.
"Charmaine, let's go," she said.
My mother, like I was, remained very composed when confronted with this unforeseen circumstance. That was my greatest solace.
"Mother, now that Father is gone, we should not remain in this region any further," I firmly said. "Let us go to the neighboring town and align ourselves with the reigning nobles. They will protect us from the vampires."
My mother nodded fervently in response.
We traveled throughout the day while the vampires slept and concealed ourselves at night when the nocturnal beings roamed freely.
Gathered closely for heat, we could hear sorrowful wails emerging from the shadows.
A few individuals were reckless enough to end up in the vampires' grasp, and we could only cling to one another, wishing to make it through the night.
It quickly became clear that we weren't the only ones looking for shelter elsewhere. Only aristocratic families were able to establish a connection with the vampire families. Without any noble families for support, the territory essentially turned into a vampire zone. No humans were ever secure in a vampire territory.
Unfortunately, the vampires did not like this plan, not one bit.
Because who would willingly allow their food to fall upon another's plate?
Reinforcement, mortal ones at that, were summoned to bring the situation in order and trap the mortals in the Calthorpe family's former territory.
At the borders, hundreds of human beings tried to break through the barrier.
"Please, oh, please, let us through!"
"I don't want to die... I have done nothing wrong!"
It didn't matter how much people begged and cried, the expressionless guards remained unmoved.
Their struggles proved futile. When the sun set, the vampires showed themselves before the runaway mortals.
Exquisite creatures they were, yet also immensely daunting and fearsome in their own ways.
The three vampires stood before the cowering mortals, staring at the lambs of sacrifices with haughtiness in their stance and cruelty in their gaze.
I widened my eyes in shock when I saw one of them.
Elijah Blackwood.
I quickly lowered my gaze, hiding among others in the hope of concealing my presence.
The others around me began to fall into a round of pleading.
The more they pleaded, the more nervous I became. And the two tiny holes at my neck suddenly began to ache. Probably in response to a certain vampire's presence.
I resisted the urge to scratch at my neck, out of fear that others might see the mark that Elijah Blackwood left on me.
Human beings despised the ones who had been tainted by the vampires.
They considered us damaged goods.
Traitors of the humanity.
Clap.
A blond-haired vampire clapped his hand once, and all voices ceased to exist. I saw that some people still had their mouths open, only that nothing escaped their throats.
"We don't intend to coerce any of you into compliance," he stated, "but we cannot provide our protection without some amends."
"In this world, the powerful typically prey on the vulnerable."
Thus, it was perfectly fine for vampires to feed on humans.
The ban on their voices lifted with a snap of his finger, and the mortals began to plead again.
"In that case, pray tell, what kind of amends do you want from us?"
The Calthorpes were gone. Another noble family must be appointed to rule over the abandoned land and form a blood contract with the vampires.
If that was the case, maybe there was no need to escape at all.
Just keep our heads lowered for the time being, and align ourselves with the new noble family when they rose in power.
Alas, things were not that simple.
At least not for me.
"The amends I want cowers among you," Elijah Blackwood spoke.
I could feel the blood in my veins freeze on the spot. The two tiny holes at my neck seemed to be oozing blood again, almost as if a heinous being was tearing me from the inside.
"I demand that the remaining daughter of the Calthorpe family steps up and fulfills her family's part in the blood contract."