"Young master, young miss," Duncan called out, adjusting his sunglasses as he followed the twins across the rooftops.
They had moved from one building to another to get a closer view of the battle between Levi and the other vampire.
"I suggest we return to the court and report Mr. Sartori's… strangeness," Duncan said carefully, struggling to find the right word.
He had never seen a vampire feed on another vampire before. Even Hollows, as violent as they were, still preferred human blood. What Levi did defied reason.
"My Daddy is very special, isn't he, Duncan?" Aly said brightly, clasping her small hands against her chest as she tilted her head and hummed a soft tune.
To her, Levi's strangeness wasn't alarming, it was fascinating.
"Yes… special," Duncan muttered, unease flickering behind his polite smile.
"Why should we report anything?" Kai asked, his tone sharp. "The mission isn't done, and Mom won't appreciate us coming back without Dad. That's an unwise suggestion, Duncan."
The boy's expression hardened. "I told you to exercise your brain with puzzles or logic games instead of playing hide-and-seek with your prey."
Duncan bowed slightly.
"Yes, young master," he said, stepping back into the shadows.
***
When Levi returned to his apartment, the twins were already waiting in the living area, sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn between them, eyes glued to a cartoon on the TV.
Duncan's presence lingered somewhere nearby, invisible in the eye, but Levi could sense him now. His scent alone told him exactly where the man was hiding.
His gaze shifted to the twins. With their hazel eyes and soft laughter, they could have easily passed for ordinary children. If not for what they were.
Vampires could still eat human food, technically, but to Levi, the smell of popcorn was nothing compared to the taste of blood.
Still, the sight of them waiting for him stirred something unfamiliar. It was the first time he'd ever come home with people waiting in his house.
A faint spark bloomed in his chest. He wasn't sure what to call it.
They looked… cozy.
But then he noticed something strange. Earlier, he could see the aura of sin essence around vampires, clear and distinct. Yet the twins had none. No color, no pulse, nothing.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He turned toward the shadows where Duncan hid, and there it was. A black aura clinging to him. A lot similar to his shadows but held a slightly different shade that a vampire couldn't miss.
Could it be that it doesn't apply to my children because we are blood-related? he wondered.
"Daddy!" Aly chirped, her voice pulling him from his thoughts. "I'm happy you had a nice first hunt!"
Levi blinked. "I suppose you could call it that."
"You were amazing when you fought that bitchy woman!" she continued, frowning as she spoke. "She looked ridiculous with her hair pretending to be snakes. What kind of Sin Art was that?"
She wrinkled her nose, clearly offended by the woman's existence.
Kai spoke next, still chewing popcorn without looking away from the TV.
"Now that you've fed and opened a core gate, the next step is to register to a vampire court, Dad."
Levi leaned against the window, watching the horizon shift from black to pale gray. Dawn was coming.
Vampires, like humans, had rules. They didn't survive without laws among themselves. If they did, the world would have long since slid into chaos.
But the smart and powerful vampires didn't want to preside over a bleak wasteland. They wanted thrills and control, not complete anarchy. They wanted to keep humans bright and useful, safely locked in the bubble where life still looked normal.
That illusion relied on a treaty between human governments and vampire rulers.
Vampire Courts were the pillars of their society. Above those courts sat the High Council – a handful of the oldest, most powerful vampires. Levi didn't know their names or faces, only that that the hierarchy mattered if you wanted to live comfortably as a predator.
"Join the Court of Nightshade, Daddy," Kai said.
"Why Nightshade?"
Nightshade was one of the top three courts alongside Death Lily and Foxglove. Those three held the most prestige and the best privileges.
"Because Mommy, Kai, and I are members of Nightshade," replied Aly.
Joining a court wasn't required, but it made vampire life easier.
The treaty gave vampire courts the power to regulate feeding rights, vampires who wandered unaffiliated could be hunted for unlawful feeding.
Each court had assigned territories where its members could feed under the rules. Walk into another court's turf without permission and you were asking for a fight. Become independent and you were a liability, both to yourself and the fragile order the powerful had built.
"Mmm, can you tell me who your mommy is now?" Levi asked. He'd been curious about the woman he'd slept with but couldn't remember anything about her.
He wasn't used to situations that slipped out of his control, and it felt wrong.
The twins shook their heads at the same time. "Not yet!"
"Daddy, you need to train first. Joining Nightshade isn't easy."
Most vampires could only dream of joining the top three courts. They offered the most privileges, and their names alone carried prestige.
As for how one could join them, Levi didn't know the entire process. His research about vampires had only gone so far. There were limits to what a human could learn.
Now, things were different. And it helped that his children were so knowledgeable. It made him even more curious about their mother. If she was Bloodborn like them, then she probably held a high position within the court.
The twins had said their mission was to make him a vampire. It must be their mother's orders. But why did they only appear now? Why help him become one of them?
Those questions hadn't mattered before. Back then, he was too focused on turning, too obsessed with the idea of becoming a vampire to care about who gave him that chance.
But now, thinking about it clearly… there had to be a reason behind everything.