Felix nearly dropped his wand when the door slammed open.
"Bloody hell, Sky! You're leaking!"
Sky staggered inside, half his jacket soaked, shoulder still bleeding through the torn fabric.
"Just a scratch," he muttered, kicking the door shut behind him.
"A scratch doesn't drip!" Felix screeched, already rummaging through drawers. "Do you know how expensive starlight blood is on the black market? One drop I can be a billionaire. And you're practically donating it to the floor!"
Sky gave him a look. "Nice to know your priorities."
"My priority is keeping you alive, you glorified chew toy!"
Felix shoved a pile of potion bottles aside and grabbed a bowl of shimmering powder. He muttered an incantation under his breath, dusting the mix over Sky's wound. It hissed faintly, the scent of burnt silver filling the air.
"Ah—dammit, Felix!" Sky winced, grabbing the counter. "What is that?"
"Healing salt, probably."
"Probably?!"
"Listen, the label rubbed off! It's either healing powder or glitter from my last coven meeting."
Sky glared. "You're going to kill me with arts and crafts."
"Relax. I only use the deadly stuff on people who forget my birthday."
Felix's tone softened as the glow from the wound dimmed, the bleeding finally slowing. He frowned, noticing the way the skin refused to knit completely.
"It's not closing properly," he said, voice lower now.
"Yeah," Sky murmured. "I noticed."
"That's not normal. Your healing should've kicked in minutes ago. Whatever hit you wasn't a rogue wolf or a vampire, was it?"
Sky shook his head. "Didn't smell like either. Didn't even bleed when I stabbed it. Just… ash."
Felix went still. "That's not good."
"No kidding."
Felix pressed his lips together, then started drawing faint sigils across Sky's arm with glowing ink.
"This should help your body focus its energy, but—listen, Sky. You need to stay off the Supreme's radar for a while."
"I'm trying," Sky muttered. "It's not like I plan to run into him and offer tea."
"I'm serious. The Supreme—he's not like the others. He's old. Ancient old. His senses don't rely on sight or scent. He can feel things — bloodlines, souls. If he ever catches your scent, even through my charms, it's over."
Sky grunted. "So what, I quit? On day one?"
"No, just… stay small. Blend in. Don't bleed again. Don't argue with anyone in charge. Don't—"
"—be myself?"
Felix sighed. "Exactly."
Sky smirked faintly. "You know, you could just say you're worried about me."
"I am worried about you, you idiot!" Felix snapped, then added, quieter, "You're the last of your kind. If he finds out what you are, he won't stop at hiring you. He'll chain you."
That silenced them both for a moment.
The city hummed outside the window. Sky leaned back on the couch, arm draped across his eyes.
"A vampire hiring a bodyguard," he said finally, voice dry. "What's next? A dragon getting car insurance?"
Felix laughed despite himself. "Maybe he likes the aesthetic. Or maybe immortality gets boring and he needs mortals to scold him for it."
"Old man's probably so bored he counts ceiling cracks for fun."
"Sky, he's the Supreme Vampire."
"Yeah, and I'm the Supreme Tired."
Felix threw a cushion at him. "Don't joke about it."
Sky caught it easily, grinning — but the humor didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I just don't get it," he muttered. "All that power. All that blood. Still hiring mortals to protect him."
"Maybe power doesn't make you safe," Felix said softly.
Sky looked at him then — the witch's tired eyes, the faint glow of runes across his fingertips.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Tell that to the monsters."
---
Later, as Felix cleaned the last traces of blood from the floor, Sky sat by the window, watching the moon climb higher — pale silver tinged faintly with red.
He could feel it again. That pull.
A heartbeat not his own, echoing faintly in his chest.
He pressed his palm to his ribs, whispering to the night,
"You're not real."
But the moonlight pulsed once, like it disagreed.
---
Morning sunlight spilled through Hirunkit Tower's glass façade, bright enough to make most vampires hiss.
Except William, who looked as polished and unbothered as ever — clipboard in hand, immaculate in his dark suit.
Trailing behind him, with sunglasses, an iced latte, and too much attitude for 9 a.m., was Est.
"You're walking too fast, Will."
"You're walking too loud."
"That's called existing. You should try it sometime."
William exhaled through his nose. "The Supreme asked me to ensure you remained alive during your little... field trip. Please, for once, make my job easy."
"Relax, icy heart," Est said, sipping his drink. "I'm just here for entertainment. Humans are boring, but new recruits? Chef's kiss."
William gave him a flat look. "They are not performers."
"Oh, lighten up, Count Dracula."
Their bickering drew glances from the security division as they entered the training hall — most humans avoided William's gaze entirely. Est, of course, waved cheerfully at everyone.
---
Training Hall — Evaluation Day 2
Joss was already briefing both teams when the two arrived.
"We'll run endurance and reaction drills today," Joss announced. "Keep it clean, keep it fast. Any questions?"
No one dared.
Est's gaze drifted lazily across the recruits — until it landed on him.
Sky Nateetorn.
Tall, broad-shouldered, dark hair messy in a way that looked deliberate. Calm. Stoic.
And those eyes — sharp but strangely gentle, like someone who'd seen too much and learned to hide it well.
Oh hello, tall, handsome and emotionally unavailable, Est thought, smiling faintly into his straw.
"That one," he whispered, nudging William. "Recruit number three."
"Sky Nateetorn," William said without looking. "Former soldier. Why?"
"Because he's beautiful."
"He's dangerous."
"Exactly my type."
William didn't dignify that with a response.
---
The Test
The recruits paired off for combat drills. William stood beside Joss, overseeing the forms; Est wandered too close, ignoring the warning glance from William.
"You should be behind the barrier," William murmured.
"Oh please, I've survived board meetings with vampire elders. I'll be fine."
Est leaned against the railing, watching Sky spar with Gawin.
His movements were clean, efficient, controlled — soldier's precision, wolf's instinct hidden beneath the human mask.
Even William found his attention drifting.
"He's holding back," William murmured to himself.
"Maybe he's shy," Est said.
"He's distraction," William repeated.
Before Est could reply, the lights flickered.
The hum of the room dipped low — and a cold, unfamiliar wind rippled through the hall.
"That's… not normal," Joss muttered.
From the far end of the training floor, one of the weapon lockers exploded open — a sudden flare of energy, sharp and dark. A metal shard shot across the room, whistling through the air—
Straight toward Est.
---
Everything happened too fast.
William barely turned his head before a blur of motion crossed the space —
Sky moved, instinct and reflex in one breath.
He caught Est around the waist, spinning them both just in time. The metal shard buried itself in the pillar where Est had been standing.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then Est looked up — still in Sky's arms, inches away, heart hammering.
"Wow," Est breathed. "You smell… nice."
"You almost lost your head," Sky replied, dry.
"And yet somehow I'm fine with it."
Sky let him go quickly, stepping back with military precision. "You shouldn't be this close to a live drill, sir."
Est blinked. "Did you just sir me?"
"Yes."
Okay, I love him," Est said immediately, turning toward William.
William pinched the bridge of his nose. "Est."
"No, listen," Est said, still pointing at Sky. "He saved my life. He's calm, polite, heroic, and smells like honey and tragedy. We're keeping him."
Joss coughed to hide a laugh.
William's expression didn't change, though his tone was clipped.
"We do not 'keep' employees."
"Then promote him. I'm serious. Tell the boss. He'll like him."
William arched a brow. "You mean you like him."
"Same difference."
Sky stood off to the side, trying to pretend none of this was happening.
"I was just doing my job," he said stiffly.
"You were doing my life-saving fantasy," Est corrected. "That's different."
Joss cleared his throat. "The malfunction's contained. No more heroics needed."
But William's gaze lingered on Sky a second longer than before. "Noted," he said quietly. "We'll report this to the Supreme."
---
As the teams dispersed, Est leaned closer to William.
"Tell me I'm wrong," he said, grin lazy but eyes sharp. "He's got the look, doesn't he? The one Boss always notices."
"I'm not entertaining your matchmaking," William muttered.
"It's not matchmaking. It's… fate observation."
He sipped the last of his latte and smirked.
"Besides, for the first time in years, I think someone might actually make the boss blink."
William didn't respond. But as he turned away, he couldn't shake the faint chill crawling up his spine.
Sky Nateetorn — calm, human, ordinary on paper — had moved like something far older.
And when the Supreme Vampire did meet him…
even the stars might hold their breath.