Chapter 3 – The Girl with Crimson Eyes
The night was heavy and damp. Rain pattered faintly against broken windows as Damon Cross lay slumped on the cold, cracked floor of the abandoned warehouse. His body ached from every punch, every kick the hunter trainees had rained on him earlier. His ribs felt like they were on fire. Dried blood caked his mouth. His shirt was torn, his knuckles raw.
He had run until his lungs screamed, until the lights of St. Raven's Academy were just a glow behind him. No more polished stakes, no more mockery, no more being kicked aside like trash. He had sworn as he staggered through the alleys: I'm done. Done with hunters. Done with humans. Done with their cruelty.
Now he was here—alone, bleeding, and exhausted. He pulled his knees to his chest, pressing his forehead against them. The air smelled of rust, oil, and damp wood.
> Why does it always have to be me? Why was I born like this?
His thoughts burned like acid. Hunters hated him. Vampires probably hated him too. He was nothing—just an orphan with no place in this world.
A soft creak echoed from somewhere above. Damon froze.
Another creak. Slow. Deliberate.
His eyes darted upward. Between the broken rafters and crates stacked high, there was only shadow. But something in that darkness felt alive—eyes crawling over his skin.
The hairs on his neck rose.
He tried to tell himself it was nothing. Just rats. Just the wind. But the pressure of that unseen gaze grew heavier, like claws pressing into his mind.
And then he heard it—a voice like silk brushing across his thoughts.
> "Mmm… you're awake."
Damon's eyes snapped open fully. He hadn't even realized he'd dozed off.
There, perched on a massive crate just meters away, was a girl.
She was about his age—sixteen, maybe seventeen—but everything about her was wrong. Her skin was pale as moonlight. Her hair fell like black silk down her back, glinting with a faint red sheen. And her eyes—her eyes were a deep, glowing crimson, like burning coals in the night. She had one leg crossed over the other, her boot dangling lazily. A small grin curved her lips, playful and hungry all at once.
Damon's breath caught. His whole body locked in place. He had never seen a vampire alive before—only in books, training dummies, and the corpses dragged in by hunters.
She was stunning. Beautiful enough to steal the breath from his lungs. Beautiful enough to terrify him.
Her grin widened at his frozen stare.
> "Like what you see?" she asked, her voice lilting like a teasing melody. She chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the cavernous room.
"I didn't know I was starving tonight, but those damn hunters won't let me go on a hunt anymore…" She tilted her head, the grin sharpening into something hungrier. "…and here you are. Served directly to my home."
She hopped down from the crate without a sound, landing gracefully. She began walking toward him, each step slow, deliberate, almost like a predator savoring the approach.
Inside Damon's head, alarms were blaring.
> Run. Run now. Get up. Get out.
His mind screamed at him, but his body didn't obey. His muscles refused to move. His chest rose and fell in shallow, trembling breaths.
The girl crouched in front of him, her crimson pupils locking on his. She smelled faintly of iron and flowers.
> "You're not running," she murmured, tilting her head again. "Good."
She opened her mouth slightly, and for the first time Damon saw her fangs. Long. Sharp. Perfect.
He wanted to scream, but only a choked sound left his throat.
Her grin softened almost playfully.
> "Don't worry… it won't hurt much."
And then she moved, a blur too fast for human eyes. Damon felt her cool hands on his shoulders, pressing him against the floor. Her face hovered inches from his neck.
Her fangs brushed his skin. A shiver of pure terror ran down his spine.
> "Mmm…" she breathed in, her lips grazing his pulse. "You smell… incredible."
And then she bit.
Pain flared white-hot. His back arched, his breath catching as her fangs sank deep. He tried to push her away, but she was stronger—infinitely stronger. His limbs were weak from blood loss already.
She drank.
> "Mhhh…" she moaned softly, eyes fluttering closed as his blood flowed into her mouth. "Your blood… so tasty… I've never tasted anything like this…"
Her voice was muffled against his skin, but he could feel her shudder as she swallowed.
Damon's vision blurred. His heartbeat pounded slower and slower. His arms fell limp. His thoughts scattered like leaves in a storm.
> I should have stayed in the academy… I should have never run…
His last coherent thought burned like a dying ember as darkness swallowed him.
The girl drank until he sagged completely in her arms, his skin pale as snow, his lips blue. Then she gasped, pulling back suddenly.
She fell to her knees, wiping blood from her mouth. Her body trembled with energy, her crimson eyes burning brighter.
> "W-what…?" she whispered, staring at her hands. "How… how can a human's blood be so sweet?"
She clenched her fists, feeling strength pulsing through her veins. Power she'd never felt before.
> "I definitely feel stronger… Wow…" She looked back at Damon's lifeless form. "I guess today really was my lucky day."
Her grin faded. For a long moment she just sat there, staring at him.
Damon's body lay still, his head turned slightly to the side, his eyes half-open but unseeing. Blood stained his torn shirt.
She tilted her head, confused by a strange tug of unease. But the hunger and thrill of power soon smothered it.
Above the silence, a faint hum began.
Somewhere inside Damon's mind—a voice, cold and mechanical—whispered.
> [System Voice – distant, echoing]
"Condition fulfilled… Do you wish to activate Bloodline System?"
A flicker of light appeared in the void behind Damon's eyes. A translucent screen blinked faintly in the darkness.
> [System Prompt]
"Yes / No"
Damon's lips parted slightly, though no sound came out. His consciousness floated between life and death, between nothing and something vast and ancient.
> Bloodline System…?
The screen pulsed again.
> "Do you wish to activate Bloodline System? Yes / No."
In the warehouse, the girl sat with her back against a crate, still watching him with a mix of fascination and hunger. She licked a trace of blood from her lips, unaware that the boy she'd just drained might not be entirely human anymore.
Damon's pale fingers twitched.
>