Desmond's expression darkened like a storm brewing behind his eyes.
"We should send some men looking for information about Eimi," said Desmond.
"But wait, didn't the human say that Eimi doesn't have a heart?" Kael questioned. "She could easily kill our men, no?"
"You know, whenever you use your brain, I feel like my efforts in raising you weren't wasted!" said Desmond.
Kael scoffed. "Rude!"
"Sir, respectfully, this is not the time to joke," I said.
"Yes, yes. I'll send some men to look into her, not follow her," said Desmond.
"Alright, sir."
"By the way, Kael, where were you?" asked Desmond.
Kael pointed at himself. "Me? Uh…"
"Yes, you. There is so much we have to get done; Xavier is doing your work all the time. Where do you disappear off to?" said Desmond, getting angrier with every word.
Kael sighs. "Uncle, I have met someone…"
"Like a girl? As in a lover?" I said.
"Yes…"
"Who?" Desmond raised an eyebrow."
"...a human…"
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Desmond and me.
"Yes…"
"Hold the fuck up, how come you're with a human, didn't you hate them?" I said, bewildered.
"Let me make something clear, human: I hate you, not your kind."
"What's that supposed to mean? What did I ever do to you?!"
"You did do something!! The day Kiara, my cousin! Keywords, my cousin! Went to the stupid area of the human world! We used to go out alone to see the human world, but that time she didn't take me! Do you know how betrayed I felt!" Kael yelled.
"What has that got to do with me!" I yelled back.
"That was our adventure, and you ruined that!"
"How was I supposed to know that Kiara was coming for me!"
"That's not all; ever since you came to our empire, she has been spending time with you and you only! So naturally, I don't give a fuck about how good you are. I fucking hate you."
"Okay, yeah, those are valid points… when she comes back, I won't even be by her side for at least a week… do whatever you want then."
"Thank you!"
Desmond burst out laughing.
"What?!" exclaimed Xavier and me.
"N-nothing, finally some normality in this house," said Desmond, laughing.
"By the way, Uncle, how will you send men if you do not know what Eimi looks like?"
"Xavier will write that in the report for this 'mission'," said Desmond.
"Not fair, dude, I also wanna know what she looks like," said Kael, crossing his arms.
I breathed out slowly, leaning on the table. My fingers gripped the edge, trying to hold back my anger. "Silver hair. Gold eyes. Pretty tall. Sharp features—like she was carved with a blade. She had this… grin. Like she already knew everything about me."
"Whoa, dude, if it feels like you've been paying too much attention to her, are you going to cheat on my cousin? Because if you do, I'll kill you before her."
"Never. I would never cheat on her."
"Good, because you do not want to end up like that guy."
"What guy?" I questioned, my tone sharp.
"There was a horrible guy that we all hated; that's all you need to know," said Desmond.
"Why?"
"Because he's dead. So no need to bring him up anymore," Desmond said, his tone suggesting not to ask more questions.
"Alright, sir."
…
A tall figure stepped out of the shadows at the hall's far end. Her silhouette stood out brightly in the torchlight.
"Eimi, where have you been?"
Eimi's grin bloomed instantly. "Darling," she purred, her tone soaked in playful venom, "you can't be mad at me—I was hungry."
She leapt gracefully, closing the gap. Her arms wrapped around the man's neck like silk and steel.
"Come on, Damien~" Eimi teased, running her fingers through the man's dark hair as if she were petting something wild. "Don't pout. I brought you leftovers."
Damien didn't smile. Didn't even blink. His eyes, sharp and unreadable, flicked towards the edge of Eimi's mouth where a smear of blood still lingered. His voice, when it came, was low and grating, like stone grinding against stone.
"Did you destroy the area at least?"
Eimi removed her hands from around Daimen's neck. "I was going too… but I'm pretty sure the dude I met already did that."
Damien's gaze sharpened. "Who?"
"I don't know who he is~" Eimi sing-songed, collapsing onto the cracked velvet throne as if it had always belonged to her. She sprawled across it like a cat in a sunbeam, one leg thrown over an armrest, arms draped carelessly. "But he was a cute vampire. Can I sleep with him?"
Damien's jaw ticked. Just once.
"Describe him," he said, his voice cold and impatient, ignoring the question.
"Tall. Broad. Pale skin, black eyes like the void. I think he had blonde hair, with that depressive aura you warned me about."
A pause. Just long enough to let the tension crackle.
"And oh, he bled so prettily."
"He's just the man I warned you about," Damien said coldly, moving closer as the flickering firelight carved his face into Eimi. "But sure, go ahead. Do what you want."
His voice dripped with sarcasm, yet it carried something darker beneath. It felt old and venomous, like a blade steeped in time.
Eimi slowly swung her legs down. The playful look in her eyes shifted to something sharper and more curious. "Ooh," she drawled, eyes glittering with mischief, "did I poke a nerve?"
Daimen stared down at her, "Yes, you did. And if you are not careful, I'll rip that pretty throat of yours."
Eimi's smile widened, delighted by the warning. She tilted her head, almost coy.
"But I injured him pretty good today~" she sang, dragging the words out like a lullaby made of thorns.
"Will you listen to me or not?" Daimen said, his voice cutting clean through Eimi's theatrics—sharp, cold, and final.
Eimi's smile faltered, a fraction. Enough for the air to shift. She leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, eyes gleaming with something unreadable. "You know I always listen," she murmured, tone softening. "I just don't always obey."
Damien's stare didn't waver. "That's what gets people killed."
"Anyways, forget that," Eimi said breezily, waving the tension away like smoke. Then, in the next breath, she closed the distance between them. "Why don't you rip my pretty little throat out today, hmm?" she whispered, tilting her head just enough to bare her neck, fangs glinting in the dim torchlight. "Right here. Right now."
Daimen didn't move at first. Just stared, gaze like a drawn blade. "Can you handle it, my love?" he asked.
Eimi's grin widened, her breath hitching. "Yeah," she whispered, eyes half-lidded with anticipation. "Try me."
"Let's take out the bullet first."
"Daimen~, you can't do this to me," she whined.
"Shut it, we need to get it out."
"Alright," said Eimi with a pout.
"Wait here."
Damien went through the hallway and into the nearby medical room. Inside, he picked up antiperspirant, cotton, gloves, a tray, and tweezers, and made his way back to Eimi.
"Will you be quick so we can make out?" yelled Eimi.
Damien walked back even more slowly.
Eimi huffed. "You're such a tease."
"That's what you get for not listening to me," said Damien, finally reaching where Eimi was.
He knelt in front of her.
"You're going to pull it out just like that? I don't get to lie down?" questioned Eimi.
"Yes. The more you don't listen, the more I do things like this."
"You know that makes me want to listen even less," she said, licking her lips.
Without a warning, Damien took the tweezers and stabbed the hole where the bullet was.
Eimi winced. "Be careful!"
"Shut up, you talk too much," said Damien, looking at her reaction with amusement.
"Yes, sir!" she giggled.
After a moment of digging, Damien pulled out the bullet. Eimi's chest began to heal right away.
"Whose crest is it?" asked Eimi.
"I don't know, it's a moon; it looks like there's a new fraction," said Damien, observing the bullet.
Then Damien moved swiftly, his fangs, glinting like silver in the low light, sank deep into Eimi's neck. No warning. No hesitation. The sound was immediate and visceral—a wet, sharp crack as teeth pierced flesh.
Eimi's entire body went rigid. Her fingers gripped Damien's shoulder, nails digging in. She breathed in, caught between a moan and a gasp. Pain flared white-hot—but beneath it, curled tight in her spine, was that dark, molten pleasure. The kind that left her shaking.
Damien held her there, unmoving, his grip tightening around Eimi's body with possessive force. He fed, each pull slow and deliberate, drawing in the heat of Eimi's blood like it was something sacred.
Eimi's fingers twitched on Damien's shoulder, grasping blindly. It was unclear if she wanted to hold on or pull him closer. Her head tilted further back, exposing her throat. She surrendered completely with reckless devotion.
A breathless, shaky chuckle slipped from her lips. "And humans use drugs," she murmured. "This is so much better…"
"Oh, yeah?" Damien mumbled.
"Y-yeah."