The front porch creaked beneath their weight, the old wooden planks groaning in protest as Sebastian and Casper stood side by side, their bags slung over their shoulders.
The sky was still dark, the stars stubbornly clinging to the fabric of night, but the first hint of grey was bleeding through the horizon.
Dawn was coming. And with it, their departure.
Lizzie stood before them, her arms crossed, her foot tapping against the porch floor with rhythmic impatience.
She was small and delicate, with soft features and dark hair that fell in waves past her shoulders.
She looked like she belonged in a painting, frozen in time at the age of twenty-seven. But her eyes told a different story.
Those eyes had seen wars, plagues, and the rise and fall of empires. Those eyes had watched her children leave before.
And those eyes were currently boring into Sebastian's soul.
"You packed enough blood?" she asked, her voice sharp.
"Yes, Lizzie," Sebastian said.
"Extra coats? The north gets cold, even for our kind."
"Yes, Lizzie."
"Your father's silver dagger? The one with the carved hilt?"
Sebastian sighed. "Yes, Lizzie."
Lizzie's gaze shifted to Casper. "And you. Did you pack the salve I gave you? The one for burns?"
Casper blinked. "Lizzie, we're vampires. We don't exactly get—"
"Did. You. Pack. It?"
Casper swallowed. "Yes, ma'am."
Lizzie nodded, seemingly satisfied, but she didn't stop there. She stepped closer, reaching up to straighten Sebastian's collar even though it didn't need straightening. Her fingers lingered, cool against his neck.
"You remember what I told you about wolves?" she asked, her voice softer now. "They're not all to be trusted. The ones in La Ber, they're allies. We've earned their trust when you became Lucas' imprint. Do not waste it." Sebastian nodded in response.
"But this one you met on the other side? The one who gave you the map?"
Her eyes narrowed. "You don't know him. You don't know his pack. And wolves speak in riddles and half-truths. They'll lead you down a path and laugh when you fall."
"Lizzie, Zachary was helpful," Sebastian said gently. "He gave us the map. He told me Lucas was in Tanesab."
"Of course he did." Lizzie's eyes narrowed. "Because wolves always give you just enough rope to hang yourself."
Casper snorted. "That's a little dramatic, don't you think?"
Lizzie whirled on him, her finger jabbing into his chest. "Dramatic? I raised you—"
"Lizzie, we're vampires. You didn't exactly—"
"I RAISED YOU," Lizzie continued, undeterred, "from a scrawny little thing who couldn't even hunt his own meals, and this is how you repay me? By sassing me on the porch before you ride off into certain danger?"
Casper wisely closed his mouth.
Sebastian bit back a smile. He had seen this scene play out a hundred times over the decades, Lizzie fussing, Casper deflecting, and Damian watching from somewhere nearby, his expression caught between amusement and affection.
And there he was now. Damian leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.
His ageless face was soft in the dim light, the lines of worry smoothed away for just this moment. He looked like any other father watching his children prepare to leave the nest.
Except his children were vampires.
And the nest was a centuries-old manor hidden deep in the forest.
"Lizzie," Damian called, his voice warm, "let them breathe."
Lizzie spun around, her hands on her hips.
"Breathe? BREATHE? They're going to Tanesab, Damian! Tanesab! Do you know what's in Tanesab?"
"Strayed wolves, some witches, or even century-old vampires who were escaping immortality," Damian said calmly. "And possibly a very confused Lucas."
"WITCHES," Lizzie repeated, as if she hadn't heard the other possible creatures he mentioned. "They're not like us, Damian. They don't play by the same rules. They can unmake us with a word. A trance. A spell." Her voice cracked slightly. "And you're just standing there, smiling?"
Damian pushed off from the doorframe and walked toward her, his steps unhurried. He placed his hands on her shoulders, gently, and met her eyes.
"I am standing here," he said quietly, "because I trust them. I trust Sebastian to find Lucas. I trust Casper to keep Sebastian from doing anything too foolish."
He glanced at his sons, a glint of humor in his eyes. "And I trust that if things go wrong, they're smart enough to engage in a fight they cannot win."
Sebastian felt something warm bloom in his chest.
It wasn't blood. It was something older, something that had nothing to do with being a vampire.
It was love. And underneath it, the dull ache of the bond, the invisible thread that still connected him to Lucas, even after all these years.
Lizzie's shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of her. She turned back to her sons, her expression softening into something fragile and fierce.
"Listen to me," she said, her voice low and serious.
"Both of you. I know you're old enough to take care of yourselves. I know you've survived things that would break menial men, but I don't care."
She reached out, taking one of Sebastian's hands and one of Casper's, squeezing them tightly. "You are my children. You will always be my children. And I will worry about you until the stars burn out."
Sebastian squeezed her hand back. "We know, Lizzie."
Casper nodded, his usual humor dimmed. "We'll be careful. I promise."
Lizzie released them, stepping back to stand beside Damian. She wrapped her arm around his waist, leaning into him, and Damian's arm came up to rest across her shoulders.
"Write to us," she said, her voice thick. "Or send word through the wolves. Or—I don't know—find a way to send a raven. Just let us know you're alive."
Sebastian and Casper nodded.
Lizzie opened her mouth, clearly about to launch into another list of instructions, but Damian gently squeezed her shoulder.
"Let them go," he murmured. "They'll be back before you know it."
Lizzie sniffled, a sound that would have been impossible for a vampire, and yet she managed it anyway.
"They'd better."
Sebastian stepped forward, pulling his mother into a brief embrace.
She clung to him, her fingers digging into his coat, and for just a moment, she was just a mother saying goodbye to her son.
Then she pulled back, composed once more. "You."
Casper stepped forward, and Lizzie wrapped him in an equally fierce hug. When she released him, she reached into her pocket and pressed something into his hand.
"What's this?" Casper asked, looking down at the small vial in his palm.
"Witchbane," Lizzie said. "It won't kill a witch, but it will slow them down. Give you time to get away."
Casper stared at the vial, then looked up at his mother with something like wonder. "When did you—"
"I've been saving it for decades," Lizzie said, her voice matter-of-fact. "For moments like this."
Sebastian looked at his father, who shrugged with a small smile.
"She's always prepared," Damian said. "That's why I married her."
Lizzie swatted his arm. "You married me because I was the only one who didn't run away screaming when you told me what you were."
Damian laughed, a rare, full sound that echoed across the porch. "That too."
Sebastian and Casper exchanged a glance, the tension of the night finally lifting. For this one moment, they were just a family.
Just the four of them, standing together on a porch as the stars began to fade.
Sebastian adjusted the strap of his bag, looking toward the path that led into the forest. "We should go. We have a long run ahead of us to La Ber."
Casper nodded, pocketing the vial. "Right. The car's there. Let's get this over with."
Lizzie stepped forward one last time, her hand reaching out to touch Sebastian's cheek. "Be kind to yourself, Sebastian. That's the only advice I have."
Her eyes searched his face. "Whatever you find in Tanesab, whatever Lucas says or does, remember that you are worthy of love. Even if you don't think you are."
Sebastian's throat tightened. He nodded, not trusting his voice.
Damian placed a hand on Lizzie's shoulder. "Safe travels, both of you. And remember, if you encounter the witch, don't make any deals. They always come with a price."
Sebastian turned away, stepping off the porch and onto the gravel path. Casper followed, his footsteps crunching beside him.
Behind them, Lizzie's voice drifted through the pre-dawn air. "I love you! Both of you! And if you die, I'll find a way to kill you again!"
Sebastian laughed, the sound surprising even him. Beside him, Casper shook his head with a grin.
"I don't think she was joking on that part," Casper muttered.
"I know." Sebastian looked ahead at the treeline, where the shadows were beginning to retreat from the approaching light.
"Come on. We need to reach La Ber Beach before the sun gets too high."
They broke into a run, their vampire speed carrying them through the forest like shadows given form.
The wind whipped past them, cold and sharp, and the bond in Sebastian's chest pulsed faintly, a reminder that Lucas was out there, waiting.