They regrouped at a safe house on the outskirts of Moscow—an old dacha that had once belonged to a tsarist noble. Wei paced, her clothes torn and bloody, while Marcus tended to minor injuries.
"That was messier than planned," Wei said.
"Konstantin was testing me," Kieran replied. He'd changed clothes but still looked tense. "Seeing if love had made me weak."
"Did it?" Adrian asked quietly.
Kieran looked at him, his expression softening. "It made me stronger. Gave me something worth fighting for beyond mere survival." He crossed to Adrian, pulling him close despite the blood still staining his skin. "I'm sorry you had to see that. See what I become when I lose control."
"You weren't out of control. You were protecting me." Adrian wrapped his arms around Kieran's waist. "There's a difference."
"You're not afraid?"
"Of you? Never." Adrian pulled back to look up at him. "I'm afraid of losing you. Of this world that keeps trying to tear us apart. But not of you. Not of what you are."
Kieran kissed him, deep and desperate and full of relief.
"Okay, adorable, but we have a problem," Wei interrupted. "Konstantin's death is going to send ripples through the supernatural community. Every vampire in Europe now knows you're hunting Viktor's network. Morgana will be expecting you."
"Good," Kieran said. "I'm tired of sneaking around. Let her expect me. Let her prepare. It won't matter."
"You're confident."
"I'm determined. There's a difference."
Marcus pulled up information on his tablet. "Lady Morgana operates out of London. She controls most of the UK's vampire population and has extensive connections in European politics. Unlike Konstantin, she's not going to face you directly. She'll use manipulation, seduction, psychological warfare."
"Then we hit her before she can deploy those tactics," Kieran said. "Fast, brutal, decisive."
"When?" Adrian asked.
"Two days. We need to recover, regroup, and prepare. Then we end this." Kieran's eyes met Adrian's. "And then we transform you. No more delays, no more threats. You enter immortality in safety."
That night, Adrian lay awake while Kieran meditated beside him. He could feel the weight of what was coming—not just Morgana, but the transformation. The death of his humanity. The rebirth as something other.
"Can't sleep?" Kieran asked without opening his eyes.
"Too much thinking."
"About?"
"Everything. Morgana. The transformation. What comes after." Adrian turned on his side to face him. "What if I'm a terrible vampire? What if I can't control the bloodlust and I hurt someone?"
"Then I'll help you learn control. The same way the monks helped me." Kieran opened his eyes, the red glow soft in the darkness. "The first weeks are hardest. You'll want to feed constantly. Every human you see will look like prey. But I'll be there, keeping you in check, teaching you to differentiate between hunger and bloodlust."
"How long until I have control?"
"Months, maybe a year. It depends on your willpower and how quickly you adapt." Kieran reached out, stroking Adrian's hair. "But you're strong. Stubborn. You'll learn faster than most."
"I killed a vampire tonight. With a wooden chair leg."
"You did. You were magnificent."
"It didn't feel magnificent. It felt necessary. Like survival." Adrian was quiet for a moment. "Is that what it's like for you? Every fight, every kill—just survival?"
"Sometimes. Other times it's justice, or protection, or revenge." Kieran's expression darkened. "And sometimes, in my worst moments, it's pleasure. The monster in me enjoys the hunt, the kill, the power. That's the part I have to control most carefully."
"Do you think I'll have that? That monster part?"
"Every vampire does. It's part of the transformation—the predator instinct. But it doesn't define you. You choose, every day, whether to feed the monster or starve it." Kieran pulled Adrian closer. "And I'll help you make that choice. Every day, for eternity."
Adrian kissed him, soft and grateful. "I'm scared."
"I know. But scared means you're human. Means you still value life, still understand consequences. Hold onto that fear when you transform. Let it remind you who you were, who you want to be."
They made love again that night—slow, tender, Adrian trying to memorize what it felt like to be human in Kieran's arms. Tomorrow they would travel to London. Tomorrow they would hunt Morgana. And soon after, Adrian would die and be reborn.
But tonight, they had each other. And for now, that was enough.