“What you did can’t be excused,” began Edwin, but Sebastian could see that the man wanted to very much begin the research process. “But, for the common good.”

Daniel stormed off at hearing this, and the children followed him. Sebastian grinned like the cat that got the cream. A healing cream, in his case. He patted the chair next to him, and Edwin reluctantly sat down.

“I will need Harry, that is Hadrian’s, to help with this. He has functioning mana pathways,” Sebastian had figured that one of the best-known vampires out there had an ace up his sleeve, but never knew how big of an ace it was.

“And where is he? Sleeping?” Sebastian saw only three doors leading towards rooms. Did one of them sleep on the couch? “Which one is his room?”

“I…well, we share a room. He makes sure I sleep for eight hours a night, or day, I guess. I make sure he doesn’t get in trouble for the duration of that time. Just last week, he attempted to…”

“Steal the key of Wandermere. The mayor would have had kittens, I know,” Sebastian chuckled at the antics of the kleptomaniac and Edwin blinked at him.

“How do you know about that?” It had been a slightly warmer night than usual, so Edwin had gotten up to find Hadrian’s side of the bed empty. Thereafter, it was a frantic call to all the spirits in the area until one of them found Hadrian setting out to get inside the mayor’s office.

When asked why he had done it, he had said he had been bored. That had been a shouting match in the making, but then he had hit Edwin with one of his lopsided smiles, and the healer had ended up laughing until the morning.

He had still been human, back then. That realization hit him. So much happened after him becoming a vampire that he hadn’t really processed it. So, he decided to ask someone who had more time.

“When you became a vampire, you, as an elf… I mean…”

“Why didn’t I off myself?” Supplied Sebastian helpfully. That was a question he had asked himself in the darker times of his life, or death. He wasn’t really certain.

“I wouldn’t have put it like that, but, something along those lines,” Edwin looked down at his hands. He didn’t know why he had let Polites turn him into this. He could have defeated him without it. At worst, he would have become a ghoul for a month and then gotten clean.

A painful process, to be sure. But not a permanent state of being. Not like this limbo he was currently in. This constant stare of wondering when people with torches and pitchforks will endeavor to drag him to the headsman’s axe or, if they were feeling malicious enough, to a pyre.

“For the same reason why, you haven’t done the same,” Sebastian was looking straight into Edwin’s eyes. This uncertainty unnerved him. If he was going back to this healer, then he needed to know that the healer will have a reason to live pass the revolution he wanted to bring about.

Because, Sebastian wanted to see the healer face the new order. He wanted to see him smile at it or be disappointed. But he wanted the one who defeated him to change things. It was only right.

“Life is a beautiful thing, even when you need to drink blood to keep it. I suppose that you have even more reasons than I to keep going,” Sebastian nodded towards the door through which the children and Daniel had disappeared. “And just because I am an evil bastard, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have something to live for. Even if it is for some momentary trills.”

Edwin picked up a blood bag and examined it. Now, it was in the shape of a bag, but it was made from glass. A sterile material that even vampires could drink from. Unlike silver. Edwin had to put away his watch because the silver coating of it gave him burns.

“I have never drunk human blood before,” the healer waved the bag this way and that and watched, mesmerized, as the liquid swooshed inside.

“And you won’t today either. This is my blood. I cannibalize myself, most days. I found early on that my blood is tastier than your average human or an elf,” said Sebastian with a grin.

Edwin gulped. He had had some of his blood before, out of curiosity, and Harry had barely managed to stop him from drinking himself dry. He pressed his fangs to the throat of the bag and began to drink.

Their blood, Edwin’s and Sebastian’s, tasted different, and had their own good qualities. While Edwin’s tasted like chicken, spiced and grilled and with just enough salt to make one’s mouth water, Sebastian’s was like a nice beef steak.

When Edwin was done with the bag, he reached out for another one, but Sebastian slapped his hand away.

“I brought bribes for everyone, Eddy. Not just you. Although, I have to admit, I benefit the most from buttering you up,” Edwin bit his bottom lip. That didn’t help.

It just made him hungrier. That was the reason he preferred pig blood sludge to anything else. It was too bland for him to go in a food frenzy, and he could eat enough of it until he was full.

Sebastian unbuttoned his top three bottoms of his shirt as Edwin watched him confused.

“If you share your blood with me, I’ll give you more. Then we can have some unappetizing pig blood with beer. But it has to be from the neck, or I am not game,” Edwin couldn’t see the harm in it, and he wanted more blood, so he undid the bottoms of his shirt too and took off his sweater.

“Eddy, no!” Called out Hadrian just as Sebastian was bringing Edwin in for a bite.

“Why not?” Asked Edwin, his mouth brushing Sebastian’s neck.

“Someone’s going to be in so much trouble,” and the trap that was for Hadrian sprang around his ankle. Now, the vampire would have to chew his foot off. Serves him right for foiling Sebastian’s plans. Well, a little revenge was better than none. For the sake of his former peerless track record.