The Vampire's Luna

"Where is the queen?" Talon asked immediately.

Morvakar arched a brow. "What do you mean, where is the queen?"

"You didn’t take her?"

"How am I supposed to take her?" Morvakar asked, gesturing vaguely to his book-laden surroundings as though to imply he rarely left. His gaze didn’t waver, though, testing Talon’s resolve.

"I blew on the whistle you gave me," Talon said, each word heavy with frustration.

Morvakar’s head tilted slightly. "You blew on the whistle? Why are you the one blowing on the whistle?...When you blew, did you hear a sound?"

Talon shook his head slowly.

"That’s because the whistle is meant for Luna herself," Morvakar said flatly, as if explaining to a stubborn child.

"But... there was someone there," Talon persisted. His eyes narrowed, the memory surfacing fresh in his mind. "He helped us with the rogue vampires. It was all the kind of magical thing you would do."

Morvakar’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Didn’t you hear?" he said. "Someone out there is also as powerful as I am. I am looking for them myself."

"Oh goddess. So someone else has her?" Talon asked. The idea of the queen in another’s hands, unseen and unknown, was a personal failure. Talon had sworn his life to protect her, and now every beat of his heart pounded with guilt.

"That’s what I am guessing."

"What am I going to tell the kings?" Talon’s question came out hoarse, half to Morvakar and half to himself.

"That she is missing," Morvakar said unconcerned, the indifference in his voice making Talon want to shake him. He seemed to float above mortal panic, resting in some higher plane where urgency bowed to patience. But Talon knew Morvakar well enough to understand this calm was never without purpose.

Talon collapsed onto the nearest sofa. His clothes were still soaked and stiff with blood, the coppery scent rising in the room. His body ached from the fight, but the heaviness in his chest was worse. Every moment spent here was another moment the queen was beyond his reach.

"I think you should get a move on and look for the queen... like now," Morvakar said.

"Is there anything you can do to help us find her?" Talon pressed, desperation cutting through his usual composure.

"Tell King Damien to bring something that belongs to her. Something only she has ever used," Morvakar said. "Blood, sweat, the stronger the tie, the quicker I can track her."

Talon didn’t wait for another word. He surged to his feet. The sound of his boots striking the stone floor echoed in the chamber before fading toward the door, swallowed by the biting night air outside.

As soon as the door shut, Morvakar let the mask of disinterest slip. He rose, moving through the dim-lit corridors of his dwelling until he reached the concealed stairwell spiraling deep into the earth. The underground room was warmer.

Luna was already asleep, her head turned to the side on the narrow bed. The rise and fall of her breathing was shallow, her body curled protectively even in unconsciousness. Thessa knelt beside her, quietly cleaning the child with water.

"He is a true blood, isn’t he?" Morvakar asked, stepping closer. The sight of the newborn in Thessa’s arms sent a ripple through his chest—part pride, part awe.

"Through and through. This is a miracle," Thessa said. She looked down at the boy as if holding the heart of the realm itself.

"How is she?" Morvakar’s gaze flicked to Luna again.

"Her strength has left her. She held on for too long," Thessa said, glancing toward the warlock with an unspoken plea. "It will take a long time for her to recover even with her werewolf healing abilities."

"I would have offered, but rescuing you two took a lot of power reserved for emergencies only," Morvakar said. His eyes flickered to the child in Thessa’s arms.

"Uh... thank you. I have only heard of you in legends and myths. Didn’t even think you truly existed," Thessa replied. After she had been turned and moved to Blood City, she had heard tales of Morvakar, the mysterious figure who dealt with threats before the court even knew they existed. To see him now, flesh and blood before her, was disorienting. He wasn’t the towering, merciless demon she’d imagined.

Morvakar smiled faintly. "It’s nice to meet a fan." The rare warmth in his voice unsettled Thessa, because warmth was the last thing she expected from him.

"You want to hold the baby?" she asked, almost without thinking. The offer surprised even her. The child shifted in her arms, tiny hands curling as if reaching for something unseen.

"Oh... ah... it’s been..." Morvakar chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Wow... ages." His long fingers reached out, hesitating for the briefest second before taking the baby into his arms. If he had a heart that still beat, it would have been melting at the weight and warmth of the infant against him. He had seen countless horrors in his existence, but this... this was life in its most fragile and untainted form.

"What I have heard about you and what I see about you are too contrasting," Thessa said softly, studying his face. She expected a cold, ruthless creature, but here he was, holding a child as if it were the most sacred thing in the world.

"You know the saying—don’t believe everything you hear," he replied, his gaze still on the baby.

Thessa smiled. "Well, true. Is there a place I can take a shower while you hold the baby?" she asked. The faintest trace of weariness clung to her voice.

"You will have to go back up. I’ll have the lights direct you to the bathroom," Morvakar said, shifting his stance as if adjusting to the baby’s weight.

"Thank you." Her eyes lingered a little too long on him. She still couldn’t believe this was the terrifying Morvakar everyone in Blood City whispered about. Yet here he was, cradling a newborn as if the world outside didn’t exist.