A little while later, Damian left Luna to her thoughts. He still had other people to meet, after all.
Having left Luna's room, he entered the guest room next to it and crouched by the bed Lilith was in. Grinning slightly, he watched her for a moment. She was snoring cutely, her head lolling to the side, as her moderate chest rose and fell.
'So adorably!' he exclaimed in his mind, enjoying the sight of her. For a moment, he felt a tinge of sadness at the knowledge it might be a while before he could see her like this again.
But eventually, he knew it was time to move on. With a sigh, he started poking her nose, and, like an alert predator, Lilith's eyes flew open instantly.
Immediately, she felt the need to prove how little of a morning person she truly was. Whether instinctual or otherwise, she lunged forward and bit down on Damian's finger with a snarl. Damian chuckled at her response, feeling little more than a sting as Lilith started nibbling on his skin, her eyes narrowed in a glare.
"Sorry, little Lili," he grinned, not attempting to retrieve his finger. "But you said you wanted to come with me to Uncle Theon."
Finally, almost reluctantly, Lilith released his finger. "Fine… You're forgiven…" she pouted, before grinning mischievously and sticking her hands out at him. "Assuming you carry me there!"
Sighing, Damian made no futile attempts to refuse his little sister, and simply picked her up as she wanted. "Hehehe," she chuckled, snuggling into his chest.
"So needy," Damian sighed, despite the grin on his face. He obviously loved catering to her… because she repaid him by usually being a cute, adorable, obedient little sister.
And what more could he want?
"Are you sure I can't come with you, big brother…?" she muttered, her arms wrapped around his body, her face buried in his chest.
"I'm afraid so, little Lili," Damian sighed, now stalking through the abandoned halls of his home. Lavinia had already spread the news that he'd died and emptied out their personal residence under the pretence that she was grieving with Lilith.
Now, only a small number of people were still allowed inside, and Erik was on his way to see one of them.
"You haven't even awakened yet!" Damian continued wryly when he noticed Lilith wasn't convinced about her need to stay. "The place I'm going isn't exactly safe, little Lili, and I can't worry about your safety all the time!"
"I'm plenty strong!" Lilith huffed, unconvincingly. Intellectually, she was perfectly aware of their difference in power, not to mention that she'd just lost a fight to Luna, but she didn't like it one bit.
"You are incredibly strong for your age," Damian immediately agreed, smiling slightly. "But only time will solve your problem, little Lili. No matter how much it sucks."
"Uuuugh," Lilith groaned in frustration, finally lifting her head off Damian's chest, and looking at the moving ceiling instead. "I hate time! I need to wait for my awakening, 'and' for you to fuck me! I wish I was a few years older already!"
Others might be shocked by the second part of her outburst, but Damian simply smiled gently and looked down at her. "Just think how much sweeter it will be when you finally get your reward for waiting," he winked mischievously.
A small blush appeared on Lilith's face. Crossing her arms, she huffed and looked away. "Y— You'd better come back in one piece then… And make my wait worth it! You know delayed grattification is not exactly a Bloodkin trait…"
"I know, and I'm very proud of you," he chuckled, bending down to kiss her forehead.
***
Meanwhile, they'd arrived at the location of another three of the five people Damian needed to see: the Moroi private medical facility.Every powerful family had one of these, because why trust a third party when you don't have to? These families were rich enough to build and staff several of these facilities, and they weren't shy about spending money when it came to their health.
In the case of the Moroi, there was a passage connecting the main family home directly to this facility, and that was what they used now.
After opening the sliding door, they left the beautiful, ancient stone hallways to enter a more modern building with sterile white walls. Unfortunately, this place could not be emptied out without generating suspicion, but that was fine. They didn't need access to the entire building.
The room they entered was filled with medical equipment, and several MedPods lined the walls. These vat-like pods, filled with a clear liquid, functioned as biological recovery stations.
When heavily wounded and the limits of surgery and other methods had been reached, these pods would essentially keep you alive, under the supervision of doctors, while accelerating the natural healing processes. These pods, specifically, were intended for the private use of the main family.
Damian noticed two of them were occupied, and a middle-aged man was standing in front of one of them. This man held a tablet in his hands, on which he occasionally checked some readings before adjusting some values. A stern frown graced his brows.
His hair was blond but slowly greying, and deep blue, tired eyes were set in a handsome face. His features clearly proved he was a member of a Moroi branch family, as he didn't share their typical black hair and crimson eyes.
The air around him was entirely still and pressureless, but appearances could be deceiving. This man was already edging the age where most Eldkin would retreat into meditation and become an honoured elder, and his power reflected that status.
Yet, so far, he'd refused to retreat, saying he still had plenty of things to do.
"Uncle Theon!" Lilith cried out joyfully. Still in Damian's arms, she waved at the middle-aged man with a bright smile.
Despite his power, Theon blinked in surprise and looked up with a start. Clearly, he'd been too focused on his work to notice their arrival, but as soon as he did, he smiled gently.
"There you two are," he greeted them in a kind voice before a hint of amusement flashed through his aged eyes when he noticed the way Lilith was travelling. "I see you're still spoiling her, Damian?"
With a sigh, Damian shrugged, "What can I say, old man? She looks at me with those big eyes, and I become putty in her hands. I know it's no different for you!"
Wryly, Theon nodded and could only agree. "If it wasn't a power that only worked on weak men like us, she might become the best Moroi manipulator in ages."
Joyfully, Lilith giggled at their banter. She was intelligent enough to know neither of them was weak, but that the part about t it only working on them was true.
"We've arrived now, though, little Lili," Damian chuckled at his little sister's reaction. "So that's the end of the ride for you."
"Aww," she pouted and tried to cling to his arms, but Damian was merciless as he put her on the floor with a kiss on her forehead.
After he'd committed this unforgivable sin, he extended his hand to Theon with a genuine expression. "Uncle… it's good to see you, and… thank you for keeping me alive."