Back at Crimson Estate, Anya sat curled up on the couch with the rabbit she had just healed settled in her lap. She flipped through the Grimoire of the Nights Children, stopping on a particularly interesting section about vampires.
"Vampires are typically depicted as undead creatures without a heartbeat," she read aloud to herself. "But here, it explains why they do."
As she read on, her eyes skimmed across the page. The Grimoire explained that vampires' hearts used a unique circulation pattern, called Cryptodynamic Circulation, that allowed blood flow and delivery of oxygen.
It was like their red blood cells had been upgraded to high-performance vehicles, needing a powerful engine (the heartbeat) to drive them.
Excited by the information, Anya walked over to Damien, who was lounging with a comic book in his hands.
"Damien, did you know that vampires have something called cryptodynamic circulation? It's how your hearts can still beat despite being technically undead," Anya said with a fascinated tone.
Damien barely glanced up from his book, he was clearly uninterested. "Mmhmm, that's cool," he muttered, turning a page without much enthusiasm.
Anya frowned. "You're not even listening!" she exclaimed.
Damien gave a half-hearted shrug. "I am, just... sounds like stuff we've always known."
Frustrated, Anya peered over his shoulder to see what had captured his attention. Her eyes widened when she saw the comic. "Wait... are those two boys kissing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the scene on the page, where two boys kissed passionately, and their conversation was filled with naughty dialogue.
Damien looked up at her, caught off guard. "Uh, yeah, it's just a boy love manga," he said nonchalantly.
Anya stared at him for a moment. She hesitated before she asked. "Are you… gay?"
Damien's eyes widened. "No!" he said quickly, clearly taken aback. "I just like reading boy love mangas. Doesn't mean anything."
She crossed her arms, unconvinced. "Mmmhmm. Right."
Damien, sensing her skepticism, turned to her. "Wait, wait, so just because I read this stuff, you think I'm gay?"
"Prove to me you're not," Anya shot back, with a teasing smile on her lips.
Damien blinked. "What? How exactly do I—"
Before he could finish, Anya flashed him her perfect sized titties. She pulled her top down just enough to expose her chest, and Damien's jaw dropped. "What the f—?" he muttered, quickly averting his eyes.
Anya smirked with her gaze drifting downward. "You're not gay," she said with a chuckle, glancing at the bulge forming in his trousers.
Damien scrambled to cover himself with the manga, with his face redder than ever. "Shit," he mumbled, he was mortified.
Anya laughed softly, picking up her rabbit and her book. "Don't worry, Damien. You're not gay. But I'm on to you." She winked and turned to leave.
Damien chuckled to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're unbelievable," he muttered under his breath as she left the room.
Meanwhile, Kai stood in his room, staring at the tall, curtained window with his hands clasped behind his back. It had been many months since he had seen the sun. Though he possessed the Day Walker's blessing, he always preferred the darkness. But today felt different. Today, he wanted to bask in the sun's warmth, a strange urge he hadn't felt in a long time.
He drew the curtains open, and the sunlight poured into the room, it was blinding at first. His pale skin glistened as the rays hit him directly. He took off his shirt, letting the sun seep into his bones. Kai felt like himself again, majestic and immortal.
Just as he was savoring the moment, his eyes caught movement near the gates of Crimson Estate. Squinting, he saw two figures—a woman and a boy—lingering near the entrance. His curiosity piqued, Kai quietly observed them, focusing his enhanced hearing on their conversation.
Lizzie took the orb from Justin and slipped it into her bag. "This is crazy," Justin muttered. "All this time, we never knew a mansion like this even existed on the outskirts of Burdly Town."
Justin's gaze was still fixed at the estate as he asked, "Should we knock? See if anyone's home?"
"Are you insane?" Lizzie snapped, giving him a look. "We're on a mission. We're not trying to make new friends. If they find out we're snooping around, we're screwed."
Justin nodded, acknowledging her point. They turned to leave, but as Lizzie stepped forward, a thorn from the rose bush lining the gate slashed through her leg. She gasped in pain as blood began to pour from the wound.
"Shit!" Lizzie groaned, clutching her leg.
"Hold on, let me help," Justin said quickly, pulling off his scarf and tying it around her wound to stem the flow of blood. Despite his efforts to stop the blood flow, the blood continued to seep through his scarf, staining it.
Kai's eyes twitched as he watched the scene unfold. The sight of Lizzie's blood—fresh, warm, and intoxicating—awakened a part of him he thought was asleep.
His heartbeat quickened, his throat felt dry, and his hunger intensified. He clenched his fists, trying to rein it in. His brothers were nearby, and it was broad daylight. He couldn't risk losing control, not now.
But the sight of the blood was overwhelming. He couldn't hold back any longer.
Without thinking, Kai headed for the door. His mind was clouded by the bloodlust coursing through him.
As he went down the stairs, Zephyr caught sight of him. "Kai," Zephyr called, raising an eyebrow. "Where are you going in broad daylight?"
Kai paused for a moment, there was a slight edge to his tone. "Just... going to soak up some sun."
Zephyr glanced at the open window, finding it odd. "Since when did you become a daywalker?"
Kai shrugged, already halfway out the door. "It's good to change things up," he replied, not stopping to chat.
Zephyr shook his head but didn't press further. "Have fun," he said, turning back to what he was doing.
Kai stepped out into the daylight, with the sun glaring down on him, but it didn't matter. His focus was on the blood... and he was going to get it.
Kai approached the woman and the boy standing near the gates of Crimson Estate, his eyes were locked onto them. "Is there a problem here?" he asked calmly.
Lizzie's eyes widened, her facial expression was worried even more as she took in the sight of him. His skin was unnaturally pale, and something about him put her on edge. She winced in pain, clutching her leg as blood still seeped through the scarf.
"We should go," Lizzie said quickly to Justin with urgency.
Kai's gaze shifted to her and his smile faded. "Is that how you talk to strangers?" he asked coldly.
Justin, sensing the tension, quickly apologized. "I'm sorry about my aunt. She's just—"
"Justin, we need to go now." Lizzie interrupted with desperation.
Kai's eyes darkened and dark veins filled his eye area as his gaze dropped to Lizzie's leg, where the blood continued to drip onto the ground. His hunger intensified, and the beast inside him took over.
Abruptly, Kai was upon Lizzie with his hand snapping her neck with a crack. She fell to the ground, unconscious.
Justin was confused as he stumbled back, slowly backing away from Kai, but before he could even understand what had happened, Kai was in front of him, gripping his shirt.
"Please... don't kill me," Justin begged, he trembled as he struggled in Kai's tight grip.
"You should've listened to your aunt," Kai said, his face inches from Justin's. "But because you weren't rude like her, I'll spare you." He loosened his grip slightly, watching as Justin's fear grew.
"Thank you, thank you..." Justin stammered, not realizing he was talking to a predator.
Kai's expression quickly changed into something almost serious. "Forget everything you just witnessed," he said. "Forget why you came here, forget you have an aunt. Go home, and don't ever come back."
Justin's eyes glazed over as the compulsion took hold. "Go home..." he repeated blankly before turning and walking away, his mind erased of the horrors he'd just seen.
Kai watched him go, satisfied that the compulsion had worked. He then glanced down at the ground, spotting their things scattered around. His eyes caught on the orb, which had fallen out of Lizzie's bag. He picked it up, turning it over in his hand with curiosity.
"Interesting..." he murmured, before looking back at Lizzie's limp body. Without another word, he hoisted her up and carried her to a hidden spot behind the estate.
"I'll feast on you later," Kai whispered to her unconscious form, as he set her down, out of sight.