Page 34 of Betrayed In Crimson
His eyes dart around the bar. “Easy fix,” he states before jumping up on the bar. “Bar’s closing! Lilith has just spotted a rat out in the stores. Health and safety!” Clutch yells.
“Clutch,” I say through gritted teeth. “What are you doing?” I hiss, yanking at his leg, trying to get him down.
“I’ll go to Ken’s for you, Lilith, tomorrow and get you some poison,” Marvin states, chucking down his money on the bar and walking out, carrying his bottle of beer with him. Clutch jumps off the bar as, one by one, the patrons leave their half-drunk drinks. I sigh.
“Now I’ve got more cleaning to do,” I sigh, annoyed.
“Blame Prez,” Clutch shrugs.
“Go before I lose my shit,” I snap.
Clutch presses a swift kiss on my cheek before running off through the front door. “Lock it behind me!” he yells, swiftly swinging his leg over his bike. I salute him and pull the door shut, the lock clicking a little too loudly in the silence.
For a moment, everything is still. Then I hear it, a low, uneven snore. I frown and follow the sound, my footsteps soft against the floor. It leads me to one of the booths. Sid is sprawled across it, limbs loose, completely out cold. I exhale sharply, rolling my eyes, and tap his leg. “Sid. Wake up. I’m closing.” He groans, dragging himself upright like it physically pains him. I grab his arm and haul him to his feet, but he sways, nearly taking me down with him. “Easy,” I mutter, steadying him. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”
His full weight leans into me, heavy and uncooperative. I grit my teeth, thankful—just this once—for the strength that comes with being a vampire. As a mortal, this would be impossible.
I grab my keys off the bar without letting go of him and flick off the lights. Darkness swallows the room. The door shuts behind us with a dull thud, the lock clicking closed. The street outside is quiet, too quiet. Thankfully, Sid only lives across thestreet. I half-drag, half-carry him to his place and shove the door open. He barely makes it to the couch before collapsing onto it. “Night, Sid,” I say, already backing away. No response. Just silence. I step back outside and pull his door closed.
That’s when it hits me, that feeling, like eyes pressing into the back of my skull. I freeze. Slowly, I turn, scanning the street. Shadows stretch long under the dim lights. Every doorway, every alley, every darkened window feels occupied. Watching. Waiting. But there’s no one there. Not a single soul. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that something was watching me.
Hurried and distracted, I fumble with the key more than I should. The metal scrapes against the lock before it finally gives, the door creaking open like it’s protesting my return. The moment I step inside, something feels… wrong. Then I see it: an envelope, stark and pale against the dark wooden floor. My breath catches, and my brow furrows. Slowly, I bend down and pick it up, my fingers hovering for a second as if it might bite. My name isn’t written on it, but I know it’s for me. I kick the wooden door shut behind me harder than necessary, the sound echoing through the empty bar. Lock. Bolt. Chain. My hands move on instinct, securing every entrance before I even realise what I’m doing. Only then do I turn the lights on. The sudden glow feels harsh, exposing, like I’ve dragged something hidden into the open. I sink onto a stool at the bar, the envelope trembling slightly between my fingers. And then I tear it open.
Lilith,
For years, I thought you were dead. For years, I mourned you. Then I saw you, and my world came crashing down around me. There is so much you don’t know. So much you deserve to know. It was never my fault. It was beyond my control. There has only ever been you: my one true love,my queen, my goddess. Meet me at the bird-watching shed. Midnight.
Morbius.
The letter slips from my fingers like it’s burned me. Morbius. The name alone is enough to poison the air in my lungs. Bile rises in my throat, thick and bitter. My stomach twists violently with anger, grief, and dread. The worst. Under the depths of it all, still lingering Love. Everything collides inside me, clawing for dominance. I can’t breathe.
My eyes stay locked on the letter where it lies on the floor, as though it might move if I look away. As though he might step out of the shadows attached to it. Watching. Waiting. A sharp jolt of panic shoots through me. I jump from the stool and rush to the door, pressing my eye against the stained glass. Darkness stares back. No movement. No figure lurking. No violet eyes glowing in the night. Still, I check the lock again. And again. Only when I’m certain do I back away. I leave the letter where it fell. I can’t touch it again. I won’t.
Upstairs, I move quickly, almost frantically. Window after window locked. Latched. Secured. My hands shake as I test each one twice. Safe. But the word feels like a lie. My gaze drifts to the clock. 11:35 PM. Too close. Far too close. I start pacing, the floorboards creaking beneath each restless step. My teeth drag over my bottom lip. Do I want to see him? No. I hate him. I hate that he made me this, then left me. So why. Why does the thought of him still make something deep inside me ache? The questions loop endlessly, tightening like a noose around my mind. Tick. Tick. Tick. Each second drags me closer to midnight. Closer to him. He has to know. He has to understand what he did to me, what he destroyed. My final thought fractures apart as my body moves before my mind can stop it. And then I’m running.The forest swallows me whole. Branches claw at my skin, roots threaten to drag me down, but I don’t stop. I can’t.
If my heart were still beating, it would be deafening, thundering against my ribs, desperate to escape. Instead, there’s only a hollow sickness spreading through me. Cold and wrong. Anticipation laced with dread. The bird watching shed comes into view, or what remains of it. Collapsed beams and wood lie scattered across the ground.
My eyes dart wildly, scanning every shadow. Nothing, he isn’t here. A bitter laugh almost escapes me. Of course, he isn’t. Of course, I came all this way for nothing. I turn, searching the darkness one last time. Anger surges hot and violent, but not at him. At myself. For coming. For still being weak enough to answer him. I squeeze my eyes shut, my nails biting into my palms hard enough to tear skin.
“You came.” His voice, deep, familiar, devastating, cuts through the silence. My eyes snap open. I spin around, heartless chest tightening painfully as I collide with those violet eyes. Those eyes. Once, I would have drowned in them. Once, I would have given everything to see them soften the way they do now. He stands there, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Lips I used to dream about. Lips I used to crave. Now they only make something inside me fracture further.
“Why are you here?” I snap, my voice sharp enough to cut. “Because I needed to see you.” He takes a step toward me.
I throw up my hand instantly. “Don’t.” The word comes out low, dangerous. “Don’t come any closer, or I will destroy you.” For a moment, something flickers across his face, hurt, maybe, but he raises his hands in surrender.
“I’m sorry,” he breathes. “I just… I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you were gone. I thought I lost you forever.”
A hollow laugh escapes me. “You did.”
His jaw tightens, but he pushes on. “When I saw you at the battle. I wanted to run to you. To take you away from all of it. I’ve dreamed of you for years, Lilith. Longed for you.” His voice softens, almost breaking. “And now you’re here, one of us. More beautiful than I ever remembered.”
Rage ignites. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” I spit. My voice rises, shaking with everything I’ve buried. “My family got slaughtered, and you disappeared. Do you understand that? I watched them burn, Morbius. I heard them scream and beg for their lives.” The words tear out of me now, unstoppable. “And you bring me here to tell me you still want me?” I take a step forward, fury radiating from every inch of me. “In what world do you think that’s enough?”
Silence hangs between us. Then “I didn’t know.” His voice cracks. I freeze. “I didn’t know that would happen,” he continues, tears burning in his eyes now. “I would never have let that happen to you. To them. You were the love of my life. I would never hurt you.”
“But you did,” I whisper, the words more devastating for their quiet. He shakes his head desperately. “You left me.”
“No. I was set up. I went to Silas. I begged him for help. I knew something was wrong; I felt it. But he turned me away.”
