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Hyme grinned, clearly pleased with himself. His tail flicked smugly as he strutted toward San, slipping into the kitchen like he owned the place—which, technically, he did.
"You're coming," he declared, hopping onto one of the barstools. "I already wrote your name down."
"You what?"
"Well, I needed a name for the human escort section and I panicked. Do you know how fast those vampire assistants move? They were going to assign me someone. Probably someone named Claude with long fingers and suspiciously good bone structure."
San narrowed his eyes. "I don't care about Claude's bone structure—"
"You should. That guy once seduced a whole council member's harem."
"I'm not going."
"You are."
"I'm—"
"San," Hyme said, suddenly serious. "If I go alone, I'll be surrounded by people who hate humans and think I'm weak for liking them. They'll eat me alive." He paused, then added softly, "Figuratively, I think."
San was caught off-guard by the vulnerability in Hyme's voice. Despite his constant purring arrogance, the kid clearly didn't want to face this alone.
"…Fine," San muttered, scrubbing a hand down his face. "But only because I don't want to explain to your dad why you got kidnapped by a vampire duchess with boundary issues."
"Yay!" Hyme practically leapt from his stool and latched onto San. "You're the best muscle butler ever!"
"I'm not your butler."
"You're my nanny, and I gave you a raise."
"I regret everything."
As San tried to pry the hybrid cat boy off his waist, a low growl echoed from the hallway.
San froze. "Did… did you hear that?"
Hyme blinked. His ears flicked. "I did. That wasn't me."
A shadow passed across the far end of the hall. Something large. Something that wasn't supposed to be there.
San's instincts kicked in. He pushed Hyme behind him and grabbed the nearest object—a frying pan.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
But Hyme, to his credit, didn't hide.
Instead, he crouched down, tail lashing, pupils shrinking to slits.
"That scent," Hyme hissed, "It's familiar."
A shape stepped into the hall—a man. Tall, elegant, with silver hair that shimmered unnaturally. His eyes glowed faintly blue. Not human.
"Hyme," the stranger said, smiling. "Long time no see. You've grown. And you've got a human now?"
San tightened his grip on the pan. "Who the hell are you?"
The stranger bowed slightly.
"I'm Veylor. Hyme's fiancée."
"…EXCUSE ME?" San and Hyme both yelled in unison.
To be continued...
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