To Become The Monster
SnowBoundInkhow to become a monsterblood of my monstermated to the monstertaming the monster
she said, “or when emotion overwhelms restraint, the red rises.”
Mae swallowed audibly.
“The shade tells you everything,” the Ancient One continued. “Newly turned vampires flash bright crimson—thin, unstable, almost glowing. Hunger rules them.”
She turned her head slightly.
“Lower-ranking vampires darken with time,” she said. “Brick-red. Rusted. Thickened by obedience, fear, and survival.”
Then her eyes shifted.
The red that surfaced was deep. Heavy. Like old wine steeped in memory.
“High-ranking vampires,” she said softly, “do not merely turn red.”