Redder Than Red Wine

“Some wines are so red… Redder than the reddest shades of scarlet. I wonder what kind of wines they are~”

• 

“Sit, please.”

The young woman in the wine red gown ‘dripped’ down the stairs as she brought her admirer down to the cellar. The man had his gloved hands shoved deep into his pockets. It was snowing outside.

“Why the cellar, my lady?” The baritone sounded laced with the ghost of a shiver as the man looked around. “People prefer living rooms or halls…”

“It’s cold up there.” The young woman’s deep, scary voice sent chills down his spine. He got even more uncomfortable when she shot him a backward glance, and her lips curved upwards into a menacing smirk.

But she was so… alluring. The Ruby woman, he called her in his mind. It took him a lot to summon up the courage to express his feelings to her. Now he wished it had never happened. But still… the woman continued to draw him towards herself. She was intriguing, unearthly in a manner.

He sank into the black couch as he observed her from behind. That hourglass figure attracted him so strongly. The cellar smelt like roses, which made the man take a deep breath of relaxation for once. But his moment of peace was short-lived. He realized that the cellar actually smelt like dead roses.

“Here.”

His eyes darted towards the woman who walked up to him and handed him some red wine. The room was very dimly lit, and therefore he couldn’t see the container which he had been served the wine in. Its shape felt weird though, as his long fingers curled around it, and he took the first sip.

“Mmm…” His eyes closed. “This tastes really good.” He commented. Now he mused to himself, which was more alluring, this red wine in his hand or the one standing in front of him?

An unusual grin made his lips stretch towards the left cheek, making his dimples become more obvious.

“I never thought a goth woman would attract me so strongly…” He whispered, more to himself, but obviously, the woman heard him, and her smile widened. She sat on the opposite sofa, placing one leg on the other and resting her cheek on her hand. Her arm was fluidly placed on the armrest and she had her back arched a bit forward, making her gaze look darker than it actually was.

“The red wine is very precious…” The man… The normal man with a normal life spoke in a hushed voice, trying to match her own. “It is in short supply… We must preserve it. The best should always be preserved… for the best.” He winked.

The woman closed her eyes and chuckled softly, and… darkly.

“Do not worry. The red wine in here gets replenished.” She replied, her voice as cold as ice and as smooth as stainless steel. He definitely felt like a steely knife had run down his throat as he took a nervous gulp.

He decided to concentrate on the red wine in his hands. Alas! It must have been the worst decision at the moment, as he noticed that the container in which he was drinking the wine was whitish, and smooth, and… bony.

He gasped and dropped the wine on the floor, standing up with a start. “What- WHAT IS THIS?! What have I been drinking?!”

The woman remained where she was, not moving an inch. Her chuckle echoed in all directions.

“Are you my enemy?” She asked in a very smooth voice.

“You freak! You WITCH! Anyone would be an enemy to a creep like you!” His voice bellowed through the building.

Her smiled remained as it was.

“Well. I follow the old customs. As you can see,” she pointed at the container he had dropped on the floor.

He gazed aghast as he realized what it actually was.

“We drink,” the woman finished her sentence. “From the skulls of our enemies. And there’s no wine redder than their blood.”

By the next day, the wine had been replenished and the woman had got a new, and a very similar container like the previous one in the cellar. The red roses lay drenched in the red wine.

P.S. The picture included isn’t mine. Thank you.