"Can I help you find something?" A store clerk approached Mary, his nametag reading 'Brad.' His cheeks flushed a tad too obviously.
He quickly suggested a few knife sets, carefully keeping his distance as Mary inspected each one. She lifted a particularly sharp chef's knife, its polished steel reflecting the harsh store lights.
She sliced through the air in quick, efficient movements, more like a trained assassin than a casual shopper. Brad swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"I'll take this one," Mary finally decided, holding the blade aloft. "No need for the whole set, this one will do just wonderfully."
Brad nodded and answered her, his voice barely above a whisper. "I-I can help you with that, if you want. We can check out just over here."
"That won't be necessary," Mary said, gracing him with a serene smile. "I can help myself, thank you."
And with a swift, effortless movement, she drew the blade across his throat, slashing it like wet paper. Brad gurgled, hands desperately clawing at his neck, eyes wide in shock and terror as blood poured all over his blue shirt, his face going white.
"Always be prepared to help yourself," Mary murmured as the clerk's blood painted her face and neck. Her smile never wavered as the light faded from Brad's eyes.
"Those that aren't afraid to take what they're after usually get what they want, Brad."
As blood dripped on the linoleum and Brad collapsed completely, horrified gasps filled the air. Shrieks of panic echoed around her, but Mary remained unperturbed. She bent over and casually wiped the blade on Brad's shirt before sheathing it in a specially-designed compartment in her purse.
She strode confidently towards the exit, her high heels clicking against the floor, matching the rhythm of the chaos erupting behind her. Shouts of terror and cries for help punctuated the air, but none of it fazed her.
After all, she was the Undying Duchess, Bloody Mary.
The camera lenses that peppered the corners of the store couldn't see her.
She had been given gifts that made her unseen and unfollowed, able to vanish from sight at her leisure. It was one of the many privileges of serving Thanaros, of being bound by his ethereal chains.
She reached for her neck and found some wetness there. She reveled in the slick warmth of Brad's blood as she smeared it over her skin, feeling the pulse of life that was no longer his.
The blood seeped into her pores, a price
she willingly paid for her immortal existence.
This was no spell for her master—this was just her topping up for what might prove to be an intense encounter in the days to come.
Her lips bowed into a satisfied smile as she slid back into her Corvette, leaving the sounds of mayhem and panic behind. The roar of the engine echoed through the still evening air as she drove off, a crimson queen cloaked in the throbbing heart of the night.
A frown marred Mary's face as she drove, the memories of the past resurfacing like phantom pain. Once, she had been a duchess, a woman of high standing and prestige.
That was before the rebirth, before the blood and the eternal servitude to Thanaros.
A memory of Vladira, the Countess herself, rejecting Mary's heartfelt proposal flashed in her mind—she knew it would. How could it not? With the Countess so near, it was bound to happen. But it still hurt. She could
hear her voice even now.
"Marry you, Bloody Mary? The Undying Duchess? Please—don't make me laugh. Like I could ever lower myself to consider someone of your… repute."
Those words hurt her more than any of the false deaths she'd suffered as an immortal.
Dammit, they were both immortals. They could have ruled the world side by side, an unbreakable pair. Yet, Vladira had remained
indifferent to her plea, dismissing Mary's affection as a mere whim.
Her rejection had sparked a fury in Mary, a resolve that turned admiration into an all-out war. The stage for this epic confrontation had been set years ago, in 2013.
Mary had marked the start of her vengeance by killing thirteen innocent people, each murder taking place in the 13th room of some forsaken hotel or motel, spread across the 13th county of Wisconsin.
It was her signal to Thanaros, a grim beacon that would bring Vladira to this unsuspecting town as his spell finally reached its end.
The mere thought of Vladira, sheltering with a man, sent a bitter taste to Mary's mouth after the amusement attached to it had passed.
But it was a sweet bitterness, one that stoked the fires of her vengeance.
She would make Vladira pay for her rejection. She would set fire to everything
precious to her—she already had. The Countess just didn't know it yet.
Yes, the Countess of Wallachia would soon realize the gravity of her rejection, would understand the fatal error of dismissing the undying duchess when she should have embraced her.
A conflict was on the horizon, a final battle ignited by the flames of scorned love, and Mary would stop at nothing to ensure her victory.
Glancing at the rearview mirror, Mary couldn't help but let a grin play on her lips.
Where any other person would see their reflection, all she saw was the interior of her sleek car and the road stretching out behind her.
Immortality had its perks and curses, and the lack of a reflection was one of each.
She stared at the empty space, her smile never wavering. The worldoutside was drowned out by the purr of her car, and the chill of the evening air was kept at bay by the warmth inside.
In the solitude of her vehicle,Mary spoke the words, a chant that had been a part of her existence for centuries, as the last drop of Brad's blood seeped through her skin.
"Bloody Mary," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, yet resonating with an eerie power as she focused on the mirror.
"Bloody Mary," she repeated, louder this time, as if trying to etch her name into the very fabric of reality.
And then, bracing herself for the rush that would come when her own power was invoked, she closed her eyes and opened them again.
This time, for a split second, her reflection was there, clear as crystal, and it was then
that she repeated her chant one final time.
"Bloody Mary."