Vampire Nightlife

The City of Nyx was a metropolis compared to Lux, instead of residential homes and complex apartments that filled the streets–it was mostly filled with condominiums and tower buildings, and they stopped right in front of one.

Lukas followed Junia and Chaerin who stepped into the condo and then boarded an elevator.

This place reminded him a lot more about his human city than Lux ever had, and it wasn\'t exactly in the best way. It was a little suffocating and cramped being forced into a metal box and then walking through doors that uniformly matched one another.

But the comparison ended when they finally reached the Atticus home.

Junia entered the passcode to the room and then stepped inside.

"Grandmother, I\'m home!" Junia said.

Lukas watched Chaerin suck in a breath, before following right after her cousin. And it was at this point that Lukas started to understand why Chaerin didn\'t want to be here.

"Aren\'t you early, dear?"

"I… I have some guests."

"Who… who are these people that you\'re with?"

The oldest person that Lukas ever saw was Emery\'s grandfather, and he actually looked the part. But then he saw someone seated at the living room\'s couch and they were someone who looked youthful.

Her hair was a bright red and with only a few streaks of gray that only seemed like a touch of design rather than actual signs of aging.

The Vampire\'s gaze flickered on Lukas before it settled on Chaerin.

"Oh my–you look so much like my son if he were a girl." The Vampire approached Chaerin and cupped her face. "My, my, you\'re actually quite a beauty and remind me of myself when I was younger."

"Father and mother will be back soon. I\'ve contacted them." Junia called out, and stood silently at the interaction between grandmother and grandchild.

"Have you ever thought of modeling?" Chaerin\'s grandmother asked before glancing at Lukas. "And you\'re also quite handsome too. Junia, dear–where did you meet these fine young folks? Are they working at the same place as you are?"

Junia hesitated, she didn\'t exactly want to lie and yet Chaerin\'s sharp gaze had her nodding slightly.

"They\'re… not actually from here, grandmother. They\'re from Lux–a branch at Lux, so they won\'t be staying long."

"Lux?" the older woman\'s eyes widened and she grabbed Lukas\' hand tightly. "You must let me send some things with you, it would be a great deal of a favor. I actually have my son working there and he hasn\'t visited me in decades–it\'s actually quite a long story and it\'s all my fault."

Lukas didn\'t think that it was possible for a Vampire to have amnesia or a condition similar to it, especially when she could recognize Junia as her own granddaughter.

It spoke to him of a certain trauma, or something that was hidden from her.

However, Lukas looked at Chaerin and gauged her expression.

If she was anywhere uncomfortable and unhappy, he\'d leave with her right away.

"... It would be a pleasure to help you, grandmother." Chaerin said.

"Oh, just Lottie is fine." the elder Vampire said, turning to her granddaughter. "My real name is Charlotte, but I mostly go with Lottie–doesn\'t show my age. But ah, where are my manners? I\'ll prepare some blood tea and snacks."

The older woman rushed into the kitchen and left the three youngsters by themselves.

"... I\'m sorry," Junia quickly said and looked smaller in front of Chaerin. "I didn\'t think that–"

"I came here knowing that she could act like this." Chaerin stared everywhere but her cousin. "You don\'t have to apologize for something I\'ve already expected. I only came here because you were right–it\'s also good to see family from time to time."

"Are you really sure about that?" Lukas clutched her hand.

Chaerin wore a weary smile on her face but nodded.

"Yes, thank you… I\'m sorry that I wasn\'t able to explain things before we got here. I didn\'t know how or where to start."

"It\'s fine." Lukas reassured her.

He knew that none of this was ever mentioned at the back of \'Vampire Nightlife\' when he first got it, nor did he expect it when they started dating–but what really mattered to him was being there for her.

"I\'m actually relieved that the others aren\'t here." Chaerin weakly smiled. She was comfortable having Lukas know this side of her but couldn\'t extend the same for the others.

Their conversation was cut short when Charlotte returned with a tray filled with tea and snacks, and soon they joined her in the living room.

It was strange for Lukas to stare at the older woman and know that she was probably decades older than him, but compared to that, it was impossible to figure how Chaerin was feeling at the moment.

"Young man, I know that I look young, but I\'m quite uninterested in younger men." Charlotte laughed much to the embarrassment of Lukas.

But then the atmosphere turned a little somber as the older Vampire touched her face.

"Hah. I\'m quite sure that this seems like a wonderful ability doesn\'t it? I can look however I want, and it\'s how I was able to raise my sons when their father left–there\'s much utility for it."

"Grandmother!" Junia said, red-faced.

"Ah, ah, there\'s no shame in saying it." Charlotte rolled her eyes. "It\'s how you got your diapers, Junia. A shame that you never got much of a talent for it. But my son? Charlie had it as well and he was as gifted as me. Maybe even more gifted, but he didn\'t want to stay here."

Chaerin\'s fingers trembled slightly as she held her cup.

"Left Nyx with a woman I never approved of, and with ambitions strange as she were. I told him to knock it off and marry someone more reasonable, but he refused to listen. Said that he\'d prove it to me someday, but never really visited."

"Is that so?" Lukas didn\'t know what to say.

"But I miss him… I wish he\'d at least come see me."