Daddy?
Levi narrowed his eyes at the boy, uncertain if he'd heard the word correctly.
"What… did you just call me?"
"Daddy," the girl answered instead. She stepped forward with graceful steps, careful not to let her flowery yellow dress touch the dirt.
"…"
Levi's expression stayed blank.
After a pause, just as the girl stopped beside her twin, he finally spoke with a small fake smile.
"Hey kids, I don't think this is a good time to play. As you can see, I have a corpse to bury and," he glanced at his black wristwatch, "it's past midnight. I still need to sleep, so I don't have time to waste."
"If you were a vampire, you wouldn't need to worry about sleep," the girl said.
Levi knew that all too well. It was one of the many reasons he wanted to become one of them. Being a vampire had its many perks.
"We are not playing with you," the boy stated. Standing on the uneven ground, his small frame didn't lessen the quiet authority in his posture. Despite being a child, he carried himself like someone born to be obeyed.
"We came to introduce ourselves properly," the girl added with a soft giggle. "We're your biological children. I'm Aly, and this is my brother, Kai."
Levi blinked slowly. Of all the things he expected that night, becoming a father wasn't one of them.
***
Later, sitting on the couch of his cramped one-bedroom apartment, Levi stared at the documents spread across the table. The twins sat opposite him, side by side. They had insisted on coming, saying they had proof, and after burying Mr. Keg, he'd been too curious to refuse.
A DNA test lay on the table between them.
The words were clear: Paternity Test Result 99.99% match.
Levi's brows furrowed. How could he have six-year-old children when he couldn't even remember sleeping with a woman? He never donated sperm either.
"If you think this is just a prank, we can always take another test," Aly said sweetly. Her sharp canines flashed when she smiled. "You're not going to chase us away, are you, Daddy?"
Levi studied them closely like they were unfamiliar specimen. He didn't want to believe it, but the resemblance was undeniable, especially in the boy. Kai shared his raven-black hair, the same nose, even certain angles of his face. The girl, however, had striking ginger hair that caught the light like embers.
How could he have children without his knowledge?
Had someone… done something to him while he was unaware? That would explain it.
The twins had claimed to be Bloodborns, pure vampires born from vampire parents. In vampire hierarchy, that placed them at the very top.
But he didn't hear anything about Bloodborns born from a vampire and human parents.
If that was true, then their mother must have been a vampire. And if she had children with him… perhaps there had been an encounter he couldn't remember.
Vampires abilities could be powerful, deceptive, and invasive. Anything was possible.
"Why did you come to find me?" Levi asked.
Their mother didn't find him when she got pregnant, so she likely didn't want to share the responsibility. Sensible. Most people liked to drag others into their messes, but whoever she was, at least she'd been practical.
That was fine with him. He didn't see the appeal of fatherhood anyway. What he found odd was that they were only coming to him now.
"Because our mommy told us to," the little girl replied. "And also because we've always wanted a daddy!"
Levi blinked. Hmm… Was having children anything like raising pets? Maybe he should look that up later.
"You forgot to mention our mission, Aly," the boy said.
"Mission?" Levi echoed.
"Oh, right!" Aly clapped her hands lightly. "We also came to help you become a vampire."
Levi went still. Then, slowly, he tilted his head. His blank eyes caught the faintest gleam of curiosity.
"Interesting. And how exactly will you help me achieve that? I've tried countless methods. None of them worked."
He didn't sound skeptical, only intrigued, like a scientist being presented with a new experiment.
"It's because you are special, Daddy," Aly said brightly. "Otherwise, Mommy wouldn't have chosen you to be our father."
Special. People used that word when they didn't understand something.
He'd been called that once as a child. "Special case," the psychiatric doctor had said, back when they'd tried to fix what wasn't broken.
"We can't say much," the boy continued. "And don't ask about Mommy. She'll find us soon and introduce herself to you. For now, we should focus on one thing—you becoming a vampire."
The twins exchanged a knowing nod. Aly smiled like the idea thrilled her, while Kai's lips barely twitched upward.
Levi, as obsessed as ever with his dream of turning into a vampire, felt everything else fade from his thoughts. Nothing mattered more than leaving his human self.
"Alright. What's the first step?"
Aly glanced around the room until her eyes flicked past Levi. "The first step is…"
Levi turned his head. On the wall behind him, the shadow of a head peeked from around the corner.
So, the twins hadn't come alone. He wondered if that presence had been with them back in the cemetery. If it was the case, he didn't notice at all.
"Duncan, come here," Aly called.
In an instant, a man appeared beside the couch where the twins sat.
The male vampire wore a crisp black coat over a white shirt and tie. Dark sunglasses hid his eyes despite the dim light. Tall, broad-shouldered, and perfectly still, he carried a black briefcase in one hand.
"Duncan is our assistant," Aly said cheerfully.
That wasn't what Levi had expected. He'd assumed the man was a bodyguard.
The vampire gave Levi a curt bow, then set the briefcase on the table and opened it.
Inside, neatly arranged, were several things.
Kai reached in and retrieved a syringe. "First, you need to inject this into your bloodstream. It contains our mother's venom."
"I see," Levi nodded.
He examined the syringe without the slighest hint of hesitation. He'd done worse things to himself in pursuit of transformation.
"After that," Aly said, her red eyes gleaming with excitement, "you'll drink our blood. The turning will take 24 hours."