As Kell Oswin wandered through the desolate outskirts of a crumbling village, his sharp senses caught the faint sounds of stifled sobs and whispered reassurances. Drawn by an inexplicable pull, he navigated the labyrinthine alleys until he found the source: four teenagers, huddled together under the dilapidated remnants of a collapsed roof, their faces smeared with dirt and etched with the scars of loss.
Moved by a rare surge of empathy, Kell approached them. "Are you alone?" he asked softly. The eldest, Sebastian, barely into his teens, nodded warily. "Our parents are gone," he said, his voice breaking. "We have no one."
Kell, seeing the unmistakable spark of resilience in their eyes despite their dire state, made a decision. "Not anymore," he murmured. "From this day forward, you are mine. I will care for you, protect you, and you will never be alone again."
Twenty years passed, and under Kell's care, the siblings flourished into adulthood. Despite their past traumas, they found strength and purpose in each other's company. But as they reached their thirties, they couldn't help but notice something strange: their guardian never seemed to age. One evening, as the twilight shadows lengthened, Isabella, the boldest of the siblings, voiced the question that had been gnawing at all of them.
"Kell, why do you look the same as the day you found us?"
Kell smiled, a distant look in his eyes. "It's time you knew the truth," he said. "I am not like other men. I am what you would call a vampire. The night I found you, I chose to save you not just from hunger and loneliness, but from a fate you cannot yet understand. And in doing so, I have become more than just your guardian. I have become your eternal protector."
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The Vampire Stories #3: The Vampire's Heirs
VampireKell finds four orphaned siblings and takes them and raises them as his own, teaching them and nurturing them into adults
