My Stepmom Is A Vampire & Her Entire Bloodline Wants To Breed Me

Seamus drove toward the campus to finish the last bit of paperwork and get his student card. The morning should have been peaceful, but the tension in the backseat was impossible to ignore.

Lulu and Diane sat side by side, both stiff, both glaring forward as if pretending the other did not exist.

They had spent nearly five minutes arguing over the seat beside him. He had ended the chaos by shoving both of them into the passenger seat so they would not arrive late.

What surprised him the most was how fiercely Lulu fought for the spot. She usually accepted things quietly, yet today she held onto the seatbelt like it was her last lifeline.

"Both of you," Seamus finally said with a long breath, "you do not have to fight for me. I am not going anywhere."

Diane folded her arms and shot him a look. "We do not know that, Seamus. You literally left me after sex and almost died somewhere else."

"Well, I apologized for that." He turned toward the campus gate as it came into view.

"But you could try not letting your territorial instinct take over so much, Diane."

Her gasp filled the car. "You think I am a beast? I get jealous because I love you. That is all. But never mind, forget it. I cannot control my feelings for you."

He gave her a small smile. He liked when she got jealous, at least in doses. Being fought over by beautiful women felt flattering, but the tension sometimes reached the point where he pictured a full fight breaking out in the car.

"I know how you feel. Lulu is the same, and so are the others. The difference is that they do not keep pressing the issue so aggressively."

His voice stayed gentle, but the words hit her harder than he expected. Diane went quiet instead of responding.

"Diane, I genuinely like you," he continued.

"Leah and Isolde mainly want sex and blood. Madeline and I are casual. Lulu and I are not that close yet, right Lulu?"

Lulu nodded softly from the side, still avoiding eye contact.

"So you do not have to worry about being replaced," he said.

Diane gripped her pants and lowered her head. "I am sorry. I just feel like I do not help you as much as the others. It makes me feel left out."

Seamus laughed under his breath. "Why would that matter? My love is not measured by how useful someone is. I am not your mother."

Diane's lips curved into a shy smile. She muttered something under her breath, but the traffic outside drowned her out.

"Huh? What did you say?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just drive. Do not get us into an accident."

He chuckled and focused on the road again. At least the tension had finally eased. Diane would need reassurance every now and then, just like Viviane had.

As long as it did not turn destructive, he could handle it.

Meanwhile, Lulu had been listening the entire time with wide eyes. Her expression brightened as she mentally stored every single thing she heard, especially the parts about intimacy.

She gave a tiny nod to herself, as if filing the information away for future use.

Once they reached the campus, the three of them headed in to complete their documents and take their photos.

Lulu held her student card up to the light with so much pride that even the staff smiled at her.

"You are really that happy to go to college?" Seamus teased while leaning closer.

"You know it will not be like those fun dramas you watch, right?"

She shook her head firmly. "It is fine. I was really poor before. My hometown was near a conflict zone, so I never got proper schooling."

That made both Seamus and Diane look at her more closely. They found a bench near the wide field and sat down while Lulu continued admiring the card.

"How old are you anyway?" Diane asked, curious. "Most vampires are not born in the modern age."

"I think I am around fifty. I forgot my exact birthday." Lulu smiled softly at the card. "The war started when I was five. It still goes on today."

The North, also called Frostbarrow, was a continent that froze everything it touched. Harsh climate, scarce resources, and decades of war. Seamus nodded in understanding as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You are strong, Lulu."

She waved her hands in panic. "No, not at all. I was lucky and unlucky at the same time when House Hesse rescued me. They turned out to be villains, but at least I survived. My parents were not so lucky."

Seamus patted her shoulder again in quiet sympathy. That tiny gesture made her blush until her ears turned pink.

"Thank you for telling Isolde I could enroll here," she said. "I might trouble you though."

"You will not trouble me." Seamus smiled. "I know what you did against Sarah and how you protected Fleur. Even she respects you, and that says a lot."

Lulu's whole face brightened like a lantern. She looked so happy that Seamus could not resist ruffling her silky pink hair.

Diane immediately leaned in and disheveled her even more while saying, "Yes, Lulu. Be more confident." Her glare toward Seamus did not escape him.

They continued chatting, although Diane drifted into her own thoughts after a while. She stared at the fountain statue ahead while mumbling to herself.

"Hesse in the North…" she whispered as she rubbed her chin.

"What is it?" Seamus asked. "Do you know something about them?"

He leaned forward a little. House Hesse was connected to Corvane, and even after reading the files Isolde provided, there were many unanswered questions.

Perhaps the truth lay somewhere in the cold northern continent.

And perhaps his father, who had already gone there, was closer to the answers than anyone else.

***

Andrew sighed as he stepped out of the car, finally reaching the orphanage. Everything around him was white, dark green, and brown as endless pine trees towering behind the building.

The orphanage itself looked well-kept. Children were running around the garden, laughing and playing, their voices carrying in the cold air.

They all suddenly stopped when they noticed him, staring with wide, curious eyes. Then they rushed toward him in a chaotic swarm.

"Uncle, where are you coming from?"

"Are you here to adopt us?!"

"But where's your wife? And why is there a cocoon in your car?"

"What?! Cocoon?! Move, let me see!"

Faces pressed against the car window as the kids fought for a spot, shouting over each other.

Andrew could only chuckle and reached for his cigarette, only for a hand to snatch it away and stomp it out with pure disgust.

"Smoking is prohibited on orphanage grounds."

Matthew. He looked furious for no reason at all, knocking impatiently on the car window.

"Get up. Madam wants to see you. Now."

The children whispered in fear, calling him a grumpy man as they scattered in every direction. Matthew glared harder until the last one fled.

Inside the car, Dylan jolted awake at the noise, blinking like he'd been thrown into a new dimension. He opened the door slowly, staring around with a scowl.

"Damn. This place feels depressing."

"I know," Matthew snapped. "And because of all of you, I'm stuck here."

Andrew raised a brow. "So that's why you're angry? Seriously, who are you again, and why are we your problem?"

"I'm Matthew. I was supposed to be promoted to Head Butler of Velstrath, but no! My promotion is postponed, because I have to babysit you idiots out here in the cold!"

"Oh wow. Classic victim-blaming." Dylan rolled his eyes. "Your misery's not our fault. Try blaming your master."

Andrew muttered, "As expected of a jock."

"Fuck you!" Matthew yelled, stomping back toward the door like an offended penguin.

Dylan watched him go and shook his head. "Man, what's wrong with him? Did the cold eat half his brain?"

Then he turned to Andrew. "Anyway, what about that girl? She didn't die in there, right?"

"She's a vampire. She won't die that easily…"

Andrew rubbed the back of his neck. Even so, worry was written all over his face. Two days on the road and she hadn't drunk a drop of blood. Just stayed curled in that cocoon.

"Well, she's your problem," Dylan declared, already shivering.

"I'm going inside to warm up. This place is freezing." He hurried off into the orphanage.

Andrew exhaled and knocked on the car window. "We've arrived, Maria."

"…I know. I can take care of myself."

The sound of a zipper came first, then Maria slowly emerged. She looked awful—thin, pale, barely standing—as she dragged herself out of the car and toward the entrance.

Andrew followed her, unsure how to comfort a teenager. He had barely been there for Seamus growing up, and it sat heavy on him now.

Everything will work out somehow… he told himself, feeling the warmth of the orphanage wash over him.

But the sight inside immediately killed that comfort.

A vampire stood there, arms crossed, speaking with someone. Her voice made Andrew tense up.

"Well, Damien. Long time no see. So you really are dying, huh? Fun."

She smirked at him with a look Andrew knew all too well and absolutely did not miss.