Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Varys
I wake up to silence, the kind that settles heavy after chaos. My chest aches, like it’s been torn open and set on fire. When I try to move, the pain hits sharp, and I wince.
The room is lit by a dim bulb overhead. Shadows gather in the corners, stretching out. The air smells faintly of iron and antiseptic, and my skin crawls with unease. I’ve been in rooms like this—cold and impersonal—but this one feels different. It’s not sterile. It’s thick with tension.
“You’re awake,” comes a familiar voice.
I turn my head, wincing as every muscle protests, and see her. Vienna, my older sister, stands at the foot of the bed, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her dark hair is pulled into a messy bun, and there’s a streak of something dark smeared across her cheek. Her usually sharp features are softened by worry.
“Where am I?” My voice is hoarse, cracked from dehydration or screaming—probably both.
She hesitates, her fingers twitching as if she’s deciding whether to approach or keep her distance. “You’re safe now. I had the Crimson Brotherhood MC rescue you.”
I pale, my stomach twisting into a tight knot. “The… Crimson Brotherhood?” I croak. “What did they ask of you, Vienna? They don’t do anything for free.”
She shifts uncomfortably, looking away. “Nothing major,” she says, too quickly. “Just blood. Every four weeks.”
I groan, dragging a hand down my face. “Vienna…”
“They would have killed you, Varys! You think I was just going to sit back and let those lunatics carve you up like a goddamn roast?” Her voice cracks, an edge of desperation cutting through her usual composure.
My mind flashes back to the cell—the black-hooded figures, the needles, the guttural laughs as they tried to force me to shift. And then… her. Bloody Mary. I shudder involuntarily. But alongside the terror, another memory surfaces; the vampires who saved me. Their presence, commanding and unapologetically sexy, made my chest tighten in ways I couldn’t fully understand, even through the pain.
“I had the craziest dream,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
Vienna’s eyebrows lift. “Tell me about it, baby brother.”
I swallow hard, the memory clawing its way to the surface. “At least I think it was a dream. I called for Bloody Mary. That I know actually happened, but then I think I passed out ‘cause I saw her… talked to her.”
Vienna’s eyes widened, her face draining of color. “You what?”
“She was…” I trail off, searching for the words. “Kind of hot. But also a total bitch.”
“Varys,” she whispers, stepping closer. “Grandma warned us about calling on her. That shit was serious. What did she say?”
“Not much,” I admit, shifting uneasily under her scrutinizing gaze. “She said she’d think about helping, but then the Crimson Brotherhood showed up. I don’t even know if she was real, or if I imagined the whole thing.”
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” Vienna paces the room, her boots clicking sharply against the floor. “This is not good, Varys. Not good at all.”
“Why?” I ask, though the dread coiling in my gut tells me I already know the answer.
Vienna stops and looks at me, her eyes dark with fear. “Because she’s a ruthless killer, Varys. And someone stole her job.”
I blink, confused. “Her… job?”
She groans, and the sound tells me she’s annoyed. “Don’t you remember all the things Grandma told us? Bloody Mary’s whole deal is vengeance,” Vienna explains, her words tumbling out in a rush. “If someone else—like the Crimson Brotherhood—steps in and takes what she considers her domain, she’s going to want compensation. And she doesn’t do small favors, Varys. She’s going to want you to pay in the ultimate way.”
“Ultimate… way?” My pulse quickens, but I force myself to stay calm. “We don’t even know if she’ll show up. That she’s real.”
Vienna’s expression darkens. “Oh, she’s real and she’ll show up. You don’t call Bloody Mary without consequences. The only question is when.”
She storms to the door, grabbing her jacket off the back of the chair. “I need to figure this out. In the meantime, don’t say a word about this to anyone.”
“Vienna,” I call after her.
She hesitates, her hand on the doorknob. “I mean it, baby brother. Keep your mouth shut. If they find out, they’ll throw you out on the street. You’re still healing, Varys. You need to rest.”
And with that, she was gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I lean back against the pillows, the weight of her words settling over me like a lead blanket. My thoughts churn, each one darker than the last. Bloody Mary. The Crimson Brotherhood. None of this feels real, but the ache in my body and the wounds on my skin say otherwise.
I glance around the room, taking in the details I missed earlier. It’s sparsely furnished, just a bed, a nightstand, and a single chair. A small window lets in a sliver of moonlight, the glow cutting across the wooden floor like a blade. The air smells faintly of blood and leather—the unmistakable scent of the Crimson Brotherhood.
I hate hiding things. It’s not in my nature, and the weight of keeping this secret sits heavily on my chest. The Brotherhood saved me, but that doesn’t mean I trust them. The two head vampires, the ones who led the rescue, barely spoke to me during the ride back. Their silence was more unnerving than any threats could have been. And yet, their sharp features and predatory confidence made my heart skip a beat—a fact I was definitely not ready to examine too closely.
My gaze falls to my hands, the faint shimmer of my unicorn magic flickering just beneath the surface. It’s weak, barely there, but it’s enough to remind me of who I am. What I am.
The memory of Bloody Mary’s smirk flashes in my mind, and a shiver runs down my spine. She had looked at me like I was a puzzle she couldn’t wait to take apart. And yet, there had been something else in her eyes—something that made my chest tighten and my breath catch. Desire? Curiosity? Whatever it was, it scared me almost as much as it intrigued me.
But then, so had those vampires—their gazes heavy and unyielding, like they could see right through me. It was unsettling. It was thrilling. And it was a problem.