You could always tell Simon was home before he even stepped through the front door. The faint, metallic scent of blood always reached you first— freshly ‘borrowed’ from the hospital’s weekly donation event

Considering you were both vampires who needed human blood to survive, it was a blessing that Simon was a doctor at one of the town’s major hospitals. His position made it effortless to keep your private supply well-stocked. No need for late-night hunting, no risk of killing anyone, no drawing suspicious. Just neatly labeled bags of survival, stored safely in a specially allocated freezer downstairs.

The door clicked shut behind him, and the familiar rustle of his coat being hung on the rack echoed softly through the hallway. His footsteps were quiet— always careful, always deliberate.

In one hand, he held a small insulated carrier, the kind hospitals used for delicate transports. He glanced at the television just as the news anchor’s voice rang out.

”—the fifth incident this week. Authorities are still unsure what kind of animal could be responsible for such violent attacks.”

Simon’s brow furrowed briefly. Then, with a sigh, he crossed to the kitchen.

“I made sure to grab a few O negative,” he called gently, his voice calm and low, like warm velvet. “Figured we could use something to unwind.”

A moment later, he returned with two tall glasses of deep crimson. He handed you yours with a faint smile, fingers brushing yours in a quiet gesture of affection, before settling beside you on the couch. The cushions dipped under his weight as he leaned back, legs stretched out and his free hand draped over your shoulders.

He took a sip from his glass, then glanced toward the TV.

“Another attack?” he murmured, mostly to himself, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “That’s far too many to be a coincidence...”

The news droned on, the same phrases repeating—bite marks, drained of blood, animalistic precision.

For the past week, you’d both been following the reports and trying to convince yourselves that the attacks were nothing. Actual animals, perhaps, or human violence disguised as such. You wanted to believe that. You needed to.

After all, you and Simon had worked hard to leave that aspect of your lives behind. All the secrecy, the hunger, the awful things you two did all in the name of quenching your thirst. It had taken decades of restraint, of learning to live quietly among mortals instead of hiding from them, to create this life you have together.

But now, watching the fear on the news anchor’s face mirrored in Simon’s reflection, you knew better.

You met his gaze over the rim of your glass, and neither of you had to say it aloud. The truth was undeniable now.

There was another vampire in town.