After the long, blood-sucking session, the two remained silent, staring into space.
"There's something I don't understand," Lucien said aloud, his head resting on Selene's lap.
"What don't you understand?" She said softly, stroking his hair tenderly.
"It was hard for me to control myself..." He said, remembering a few moments earlier when he killed the drunk man. "It was as if my body moved of its own accord, as if I was simply driven by the desire for blood."
Selene gently caressed his face and gave him a loving smile. "Welcome to the club, darling. No newborn has control. We're not like those romantic movies where the vampire goes ten years without tasting blood."
"I see... so it's normal," Lucien sighed inwardly. "So... biting your neck was like signing a vampire marriage certificate?"
"Hahaha~ No, it's like this, you're watching too many movies, darling." Selene let out a light, musical laugh that echoed in Lucien's chest. "Not exactly, but I admit it sounds romantic. Although... there was something about your transformation that tied us closer than expected."
"..." Lucien noticed that she didn't answer his question directly, but he decided to ignore it for the moment... 'Huh? How could I forget something so important?' He sat up abruptly, as if he had remembered a mortal sin.
His powers!
He had completely forgotten something so important.
"What's up, darling?" Selene blinked, surprised by the sudden energy.
"I don't know what powers I have now that I'm a vampire," he said sincerely, but you could hear the excitement in his voice. What powers did he have? Were they strong, weak, or unique? He was too curious.
Selene looked at him with a mixture of tenderness and exasperation. She rose gracefully and held out her hand to him.
"Follow me. I'll teach you the basics that every vampire must master. And then..." She leaned over him, her lips brushing his ear. "...we'll find out just how 'special' you really are."
Lucien swallowed hard. Something about that "special" sounded more like a threat than a compliment.
He followed her out of the room and down to the basement.
When he entered, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"What the hell...?"
The basement wasn't a basement. It was an underground stadium. As large as a basketball court, with reinforced metal walls that looked like they were designed to withstand nuclear explosions.
That wasn't all; there wasn't a single light bulb, but he could see perfectly, even into the corners. Was it part of his vampiric powers? As creatures of the night, they should have night vision, right?
Then he noticed something else: Selene had changed her clothes at some point. She was now wearing a black sports top and leggings that shamelessly emphasized her thick legs and butt, accompanied by dark sneakers.
Lucien stared at her from head to toe.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head with feigned innocence.
"Uh... no... nothing." He coughed awkwardly, looking up at the ceiling as if he had just discovered an astronomical phenomenon in the concrete beams.
Selene smiled with satisfaction.
Then she clapped softly and spoke in a serious tone.
"Before we begin, I will first tell you about our racial powers that you gain when you become a vampire, whether you are a noble or a slave."
Lucien focused all his attention on this, but he couldn't help frowning. 'Am I accepting everything too quickly? Could it be because I'm not human now? Meh, whatever.' He decided not to dwell on it too much.
"One of our main abilities is regeneration." Selene made a move, without hesitation, cutting her wrist. The wound disappeared instantly, the skin closing without leaving a mark.
"This ability can be strengthened to speed up regeneration time; however, it is not all-powerful. The more serious the injury, the longer it takes to regenerate."
Lucien nodded, understanding, but it was still a powerful ability; it made them practically immortal.
Vampires, as a race that does not age and does not suffer from human diseases, were truly immortal; they only had to lock themselves in a room and live for all eternity.
When he thought about it that way, it made it a pretty OP race.
Selene continued:
"We also have claws, we can transform into bats, walk through walls, turn into mist, or float. Some forms require practice, but all of them are part of your vampiric nature."
"Bats?" Lucien raised an eyebrow. "Great, the winged cliché. I hope we don't get the Batman version in a spandex suit, at least."
Selene rolled her eyes, ignoring his sarcasm. Instead of continuing to talk, she raised her hand. The air immediately turned frigid. An ice spear emerged in her palm, glowing with a deadly sheen. The cold was so intense that Lucien's breath turned to vapor.
"This... I have mastery over."
Lucien swallowed hard. He didn't know if he was more fascinated by her powers... or by how incredibly dangerous and attractive she looked at that moment.
Selene slammed the ice spear into the ground with a loud thud, then looked him straight in the eye.
"And now, darling..." she smiled like a predator toying with its prey "...let's see what you're capable of."
He opened his eyes slightly in surprise, then Lucien planted his feet firmly on the ground and began to do small jumps, moving his shoulders freely. He rotated his wrists in circles, then his entire arms, and finally threw a quick punch into the air, a clean and precise jab.
Selene watched him with an arched eyebrow and an amused smile.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Lucien didn't respond immediately. His smile widened as he leaned forward slightly, adopting a fighting stance.
'Finally... I've fulfilled a dream,' he thought with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. 'I'm warming up like Goku before a fight...'
He looked up, his blood-red eyes shining brightly. The idea made him chuckle softly. "The difference is that, unlike Goku... you could rip my head off with a single blow."
The air between them grew thick. The silence in the underground chamber was broken only by the echo of their breathing.
Selene leaned forward, flashing a predatory smile.
"So, darling... prove to me if you're an anime hero... or just fresh meat ready to be bled dry."
Lucien clenched his fists. His heart was pounding like a drum, not out of fear, but out of pure excitement.
"Come and find out."
Just then, footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs quietly. Lucien looked up at the steps and saw the black-haired maid with glasses.
"Miss Selene..." she said in a neutral voice, watching them for a few seconds before continuing. "Please get dressed appropriately, we have a visitor."
Selene frowned, not at the maid, but at those who had arrived uninvited.
"Tsk..." she clicked her tongue, melting her ice spear. Her mood changed immediately.
Lucien also let out a frustrated sigh. He had been interrupted at the worst possible moment. 'Damn... I had even shown off with those moves!' He blushed slightly at the thought.
They both left the basement and headed to one of the many rooms in the house. In front of them, a large closet opened, and three maids were waiting for them: in addition to the one with glasses, there was one with white hair and another with dark purple hair.
"Choose any outfit and change. If you want, you can ask them for help," Selene said with a mischievous smile.
The white-haired maid stepped forward and, with a slight bow, spoke:
"Lord Lucien, what kind of clothes would you like? Even though the guests are nothing but worms, since they are nobles, it is appropriate to show some respect." He opened the wardrobe: everything was black or dark brown.
Lucien looked at her closely: shoulder-length white hair, violet eyes, European features, and short stature, no taller than 5'2. Her expression was as cold as her tone of voice.
'Lord Lucien? Why are you calling me that?'
"What is your name? And why do you speak to me with such respect?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
"This servant's name is Mayla. You are Miss Selene's husband, therefore it is our duty to treat you with respect," she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"I see..." Lucien nodded, resigned. He sighed as he looked at the limited selection of clothes. "I guess I'll wear the dark brown one."
Before he could blink, Mayla moved with superhuman speed: she took off his clothes, dressed him in a dark brown suit and burgundy tie, and even folded his used clothes neatly.
"Ready, Lord Lucien," she announced calmly, folding his old clothes.
Lucien blinked, stunned. The maid's speed had left him speechless. "Perfect..." he murmured, genuinely fascinated.
Mayla smiled with just a curve of her lips and bowed again.
Selene approached to inspect him. Seeing him in a suit, she smiled with satisfaction.
Lucien swallowed, unsure. "I'm ready... darling?" The last word came out awkwardly, as if he wasn't sure about using it.
But when he saw Selene's wide, delighted smile, all his discomfort vanished. And for the first time, he felt happy with his choice.
...
After a few minutes, Lucien was sitting on a sofa, with Selene beside him, clinging to his arm as if it were a trophy. Her bearing was impeccable.
Lucien, on the other hand, felt like a guest in his own life. Until he noticed something.
His eyes glowed red with blood, and then he saw them. Vampires. Many of them.
On the ceiling, crouched like shadows. Behind the walls, motionless but watchful. Even under the floor, he counted quickly... twenty. Maybe more.
A chill ran down his spine, but a sarcastic smile appeared on his face.
At that moment, a voice echoed through the room.
"Lady Selene... I didn't know you had a partner now."
Lucien looked up. Standing in front of them, accompanied by a woman, was a tall, very tall man who almost touched the doorframe. He was about six feet six inches tall. His brown hair fell to his shoulders, and he wore dark glasses. He was dressed in a neat black suit, without a wrinkle.
Next to him stood a woman with short pink hair, dressed in a sober work outfit. She was shorter, around five feet seven inches tall, but with a more serious demeanor.
Lucien frowned, not out of fear, but because the scene reminded him too much of an anime villain entering with his serious assistant.
Selene, however, did not smile. Her mood remained low. "What brings you here, Loic?" she asked bluntly, each word laced with edge.
The tall man took a step forward.
"I come to ask for refuge in your territory for a few days," Loic said calmly, his deep voice filling the room. "I am being persecuted..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
"The Inquisition, right?" Selene interrupted him, her lips curving slightly.