The Vampire's Crimson Kiss (Editing)

Image: preflood London image of the Shard (now known as the black keep) 

Victoria's POV

It was two days after my first encounter with him. Mary had let me free of the chair, so you might be thinking 'she's like a good familiar', if that's not an oxymoron like 'happy zombie' or 'good vampire' or 'super model dog'  . Unlike the previous jailer she hadn't tried to force me into the vampire clothes. Instead she had stood there while a couple of guards ripped my clothes off me. Let me tell you know these dead people don't go much for heating, cheap asses.  So I was just naked and my old clothes had been taken away. I'd be grateful if you didn't think about my ice cold chest while you're reading this. Yeah I have upper chest issues, so it' be very grateful if you don't sit there judging me while you read the rest of this.     Mary had taken a bed in a small set of hidden rooms off mine. Apparently, these were vampire quarters and each vampire's bedroom suite had a place for their servant and 'pet' (aka night time snack) to sleep. With nothing else to do, I had a brilliant idea,  I had gone on hunger strike for my old clothes. Mary, not to be out done, had done the same (gone on hunger strike not got her clothes ripped off) . She wouldn't eat until I did. Talk about unfair.

I sat looking at Mary.

Neither of us had eaten for more than a day and I was desperate, but I was more desperate not to be beaten by Mary the succubus. Hunger was eating me and I was tired,  drowsy  and just a little bit teensy tiny weeny bit pissed. Yeah not very princess like but as I've point out I'm not a princess.  

"I still don't get why you're doing this?" I said.

"If you die, I'm going to be killed anyway, so why not?" said Mary shrugging.

There was a silence.

"So why did you become  a familiar?" I said trying not to think about food.

"Usual reasons, they handed out pens at the graduate recruitment fairs. Nice promo film. Cool tattoos. Good Dental plan. Best part is you get food every day which is something you can't say about the fishing villages in the really poor areas like Kensington. Starving like this is just reminds me of my childhood." said Mary.

"So all the death, killing, blood didn't sell you" I said getting up from the table and lying down on my bed .

"I can take it or leave it. It's not the big draw everyone thinks it is." Mary said.

"Why did you join then?" I said.

"Funny story. I was arrested. I was at a party after curfew. They gave me a choice - be blood stock and be drained daily, be a sacrifice or be trained as a familiar. I thought I could escape as a familiar."

"Your right it is a funny story, but you stayed?" I said.

Mary leant back and sighed "As a familiar your given a tattoo, the mark of the coven. It marks you as their property. If another vampire taps you then your owner is free to kill who ever drank you or ask for compensation."

I had seen the black permanent graffiti on their bodies. I had been taught to recognise the glyphs each coven used, like the arcs and spots of the coven of the meridian as Mary had.

Mary got up and came and sat on the edge of the bed. "So the funny thing is and this is so hilarious I need a waiver to say it. Turns out if you go around the ruins of London with a coven's mark on you alone, the First Earth Army will kill you. Turns out they don't like traitors, collaborators and spies, go figure huh?"

The First Earth Army was a revolutionary movement. They hid in the owned populations near the coven towers fighting the Vampires guerilla style.

Mary continued "So I was stuck. I didn't have much of a choice so it was get with the program and make the best of it or die."