All Chapters of The Crimson Accord: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The darkness is overwhelming and eerie. It touches everything in the alleyway except for a small sliver of light that is given to me by the overhead streetlight. Besides my own soft steps,I can hear the rats rustling the garbage along the walls, the stench overwhelming, I pick up my steps so that I am slightly jogging. Halfway through, I see my apartment building. Waiting for me, the soft glow of the outdoor lanterns show me the path forward. But I don’t make it fast enough. I feel a hand from behind my pull my arm back so that I stop walking and a scream escapes my lips. Prepared to defend myself from whatever was attacking me, I turned to find a bloody figure. Vivienne.Her broken nails dig in my skin and her cracked lips that were once painted pink distract me. I recognize her blue eyes as twins to my own, but beyond that. She is unrecognizable. Blood is pouring from a head wound and she is covered in bite marks. Her pink night dress is ripped to shreds so that her nak

I floated through Tencrest’s halls without a plan. It was my wedding day and yet I didn’t have anything to do. Everything was done. Decorations were being added. My guests were here. My dress was steamed and ready for me to wear. I had a few hours to kill before lunch with my family. And then the wedding preparation would start in the early evening. Nathaniel had asked for a wedding after dark. When Celia had told me the plan, I hadn’t cared enough but now I was happy. It felt right to have the entire day to myself as a single woman.Tomorrow I will wake up a wife and queen. It was surreal but I was growing accustomed to the looks as I walked through the halls and the hellos that random vampires and humans would whisper to me. I was going to have to make friends eventually though. The loneliness was starting to gnaw at me. One day I would take those hellos and utilize them for introductions. But today I just nodded at the few people I saw and made my way to find Nathaniel. He would

I close the porch door behind me and climb down the stairs, not surprised to see Celia waiting on me. She was staring at her watch, her toe tapping on the marble floor. I could see her flushed face. Embarrassed about what she almost caught me doing with Nathaniel, I kept my head down and started walking toward the direction of my room. “Margot, you’re actually meeting your family in the blue dining room. It's down another flight of stairs. I will show you.” She gestures for me to follow her and I do as she asks. I was better about navigating the house now, but I had no idea what room she was talking about.She grins over at me and I realize that I probably have the face of a woman well pleasured. As we reach the dining room, I pull my dress down and try to make myself presentable.“Nobody can tell. It’ll be fine. Enjoy your time together. I will come to collect you in a bit and we will start getting you ready.” She must see the panic set on my face as I realize I would be weari

The hope I’d felt earlier didn’t survive the hours of being painted, pulled, and cinched into place. Ghosts never do you the courtesy of leaving for good. They pass, like ships across water, then circle back when you most want peace. My room was filled with women I didn’t recognize. A few hair stylists whose weapons of choice were not just one, but multiple cans of hairspray that thickened the air around me, suffocating me. Then there was the makeup artist, a woman who didn’t speak English . She quietly painted me like the royal I was becoming, all heavy eyes and a generous amount of foundation. I was grateful for the peace that was brought from our language barrier. The photographer was a surprise, but she darted between me and the other ladies, snapping pictures that would have to be edited because I knew I plastered on a fake smile with wide eyes in every one she took. Celia had another lady with her whose name I hadn’t asked. They pulled accessories for me and kept refilling my

The aisle stretches longer than any road I’ve ever walked, each step echoing like a nail in the symbolic coffin of my former life. I take a deep calming breath as my father clutches my arm. I don’t know who’s more worried about falling, me or him. He tries to whisper something to me, but I can’t hear him over my heavy heartbeat. The aisle is a strip of white with red and gold roses lining the edges. I can see deep red and gold in my peripheral vision, but I still look at the floor, praying for steadiness. The air smells of roses and after a deep inhale it hits my nose so strongly that a sniffle escapes me. I freeze momentarily. A whisper nearby is loud enough that I can hear the tail end of it. Someone mentions me crying. Wanting to dispel that rumour before it grows, I look straight up and see the altar that I am aiming for. Nathaniel’s back is to me but I can tell it’s him from the shape and height. I wasn’t going to cry. My emotions were exhausting me today, but I wasn’t sad t