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WHITLOCK brOTHERS

“ H e needs to drink all of it,” Lady Helena Blackthorn fussed, hovering over Luca’s bed like a gothic mother hen. “Every last drop. The ancient blood is crucial for his recovery.”

“My dear, I believe he heard you the first dozen times,” Lord Richard Blackthorn Sr. said dryly, though he too hadn’t taken his eyes off Luca since they’d arrived with the precious vial.

Luca sat propped against silk pillows, looking bewildered as he stared at the ornate crystal goblet in his hands. The ancient blood inside gleamed like liquid rubies, its power making the air shimmer.

“Um…” Luca glanced uncertainly at his brothers. “Is it normal for vampire nobles to personally deliver blood?”

“Oh, prince.” Archer grinned from his sprawl in a nearby armchair. “Nothing about you is normal. You’ve got the entire Blackthorn Clan wrapped around your tiny finger. I’m pretty sure Lady Helena would spoon-feed you if you asked.”

“I would not!” Lady Helena protested, then paused. “Unless… would that help, dear?”

Zane pinched the bridge of his nose while Ryker attempted to hide his smile behind a diplomatic cough.

“The ancient blood is responding to him,” Lord Richard murmured, watching the liquid in the goblet swirl with unusual patterns. “I haven’t seen it react this way since…”

“Since the prophecies mentioned in the old texts?” Lady Helena asked eagerly.

“What prophecies?” Luca asked.

“Never mind that,” Zane cut in smoothly before the Blackthorns could start quoting ancient scrolls. “Drink your blood, little bat.”

Luca’s nose scrunched adorably. “But they’re all… staring at me.”

Indeed, beyond the Blackthorn elders, a small crowd of vampire researchers hovered near the door, taking notes and whispering excitedly among themselves.

“Did you see that?” one whispered. “The ancient blood—it’s creating patterns I’ve only seen in Lady Elena’s journals!”

“Write it down, write it down!” another urged. “Lady Helena will want every detail for her research.”

“We most certainly are not staring,” Lady Helena said, while continuing to stare intently. She paused to call over her shoulder, “Alan, dear, are you recording the resonance patterns?”

“Y-yes, my lady,” Alan managed, though his usual poise seemed to desert him entirely when Luca smiled in his direction. He nearly dropped his crystal tablet.

“Think of it as having your own royal blood sommelier service,” Archer suggested, clearly enjoying the show. “Very exclusive. They even dress up in Gothic formal wear for the delivery. Complete with research assistants who’ve apparently forgotten how their legs work.”

“This is our normal attire,” Lord Richard sniffed, adjusting his Victorian cravat while his researchers frantically documented Luca’s every breath.

“Of course it is,” Ryker murmured, his eyes dancing. “Very practical for morning hospital visits and impromptu research sessions.”

Luca giggled, then quickly tried to hide it behind the crystal goblet as he took a sip. The ancient blood’s power made his skin glow faintly, like moonlight through crystal.

“Fascinating,” Lord Richard breathed, leaning closer. “The resonance patterns are exactly as described in the?—”

“I believe,” Zane interrupted firmly, “Luca needs his rest.”

“But the texts clearly state—” Lady Helena began.

“Thank you for the blood delivery,” Ryker said diplomatically, already ushering the reluctant Blackthorns toward the door. “Your dedication to Luca’s care is appreciated.”

“We’ll be back this evening with the next dose,” Lady Helena called over her shoulder. “Remember, dear—every drop!”

When the door finally closed behind them, Luca let out a breath. “That was… intense.”

“Welcome to vampire prince life, sugar fang.” Archer winked. “Wait till they start bringing out the ancient crowns.”

“Don’t give them ideas,” Ryker warned, but his usual stoic expression had softened as he watched Luca finish the blood.

Zane checked his watch, his wolf already growing restless at the thought of leaving Luca for the council meeting. “We need to go.”

“No!” Luca’s hand shot out, grabbing Zane’s sleeve. He immediately blushed and let go. “I mean… do you have to?”

Something in Zane’s chest tightened at the boy’s obvious reluctance to be left alone. His wolf urged him to stay, to protect, to…

“Council meetings wait for no one.” Archer sighed dramatically. “Not even for adorable vampire princes who float when startled.”

“I do not—” Luca started to protest, then noticed he was indeed hovering slightly above the mattress. He dropped back down with a squeak, his cheeks flushing pink.

“We’ll be back soon,” Ryker promised, his tone gentle. “Try to rest.”

“And no more floating without supervision,” Archer added cheerfully. “Hospital policy. Very strict about unauthorized levitation.”

Luca threw a pillow at him, but he was smiling.

The sight eased something in Zane’s chest, though his wolf remained unsettled.

He nodded to the Whitlock security teams stationed throughout the private wing as they left—Uncle Owen’s best men, handpicked for this duty.

The man had tripled the guard rotation since Luca’s fever began, with teams monitoring every entrance and exit.

“The security feeds are linked directly to my command center,” Uncle Owen had assured them that morning during the shift change. “Any unauthorized movement, any suspicious activity, and I’ll know immediately.”

It should have been enough. The highest security in their territory, their best guards, direct monitoring from their head of security. Even the Blackthorn researchers added an extra layer of protection, their presence deterring any would-be intruders.

But as they headed to the council meeting, Zane couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. His wolf paced restlessly beneath his skin, agitated despite all the precautions.

The black luxury vehicle from Whitlock’s private fleet glided through New Vale’s bustling streets, a silent predator among the morning rush.

Through the tinted windows, the city’s supernatural essence pulsed with life—kitsune darting between crystal shops with ethereal grace, wolf packs moving with military precision, and vampires strategically navigating around the morning sun’s reach.

“If you stare any harder at those UTS entrances, they might burst into flames,” Archer drawled from the back seat. “Though that would be more Ryker’s department.”

Zane’s eyes snapped away from yet another Underground Transit System tunnel—those discreet entrances that led to New Vale’s supernatural highway network, where clan members could travel at impossible speeds through magically enhanced passages.

He’d passed four already, each one tugging at his attention like a splinter under skin.

“He’s right,” Ryker said from behind the wheel, his usual calm voice touched with dry humor. “That last kitsune messenger nearly crashed into a blood vendor’s cart. Poor thing dropped all her crystal tablets.”

“I’m not—” Zane started, then caught himself staring at tunnel entrance number five. His wolf’s restlessness had him counting them, marking their locations like escape routes. But escape from what?

“You know,” Archer mused, “this might be a record. Our mighty alpha, distracted from his usual brooding by… infrastructure.” He gasped dramatically. “Unless… are you secretly passionate about urban planning? Should we alert the council?”

“I don’t brood,” Zane muttered, just as tunnel entrance number six caught his eye.

“Of course not,” Ryker agreed smoothly. “You merely engage in prolonged strategic contemplation. While looking moody.”

“Usually in conveniently shadowed corners,” Archer added helpfully. “Very aesthetic. Very alpha-like.”

The Council Hall rose before them, its crystal and steel facade hiding centuries of supernatural politics and power. As they stepped into the marble lobby, the usual buzz of activity died faster than a vampire’s feeding frenzy.

“ Did you hear? ” a young fox shifter whispered to his companion, not quite quietly enough. “ Prince Valentine’s power manifested so strongly it shattered every crystal monitor in the hospital wing! ”

“ I heard he made the Blackthorns’ ancient blood resonate ,” a leopard shifter added breathlessly. “ Like pure starlight in liquid form. ”

“ My pack brother works security at the hospital, ” a wolf insisted, “ and he swears he saw the prince floating while surrounded by pure light! And then he smiled at Alan from research and he ? — ”

“ Walked into four pillars and Lord Richard’s blood fountain, ” several voices finished in unison.

“Poor Alan.” Archer sighed happily. “Our little sugar fang claims another victim. Though I hear the fountain needed remodeling anyway.”

They found Sebastian Blackthorn and his commanders, Edmund and James, waiting outside the inner chamber. The vampire noble’s usual aristocratic bearing seemed slightly disheveled, as if he’d spent the night buried in ancient scrolls.

“Ah, the protective alphas,” Sebastian greeted with a knowing smirk. “How’s our favorite luminous prince? My research team is still compiling data from the morning’s blood delivery. Though Alan might need a few days to recover.”

“Still walking into things?” Edmund asked, not quite hiding his amusement.

“He’s upgraded to floating crystal displays now,” James reported dutifully. “Much more expensive than pillars.”

“Improving,” Zane said shortly, though his wolf preened slightly at the ‘protective alphas’ comment.

“Thanks to your clan’s ancient blood,” Archer added with an elaborate bow. “Though I’m not sure Lady Helena needed to bring the entire research division. The way they all gasped in unison when Luca thanked them was quite impressive.”

“A coordinated research response,” Sebastian said with dignified gravity. “Very professional.”

“Is that what we’re calling mass swooning now?” Edmund muttered.