My Stepmom Is A Vampire & Her Entire Bloodline Wants To Breed Me

Chapter 217: Maria’s Decision

The journey back was shorter than it had been a few days ago. There was no snowstorm this time.

Even so, both Seamus and Dylan felt like their bodies were falling apart from the inside. Dark circles weighed heavily beneath their eyes, deeper than usual, as if sleep itself refused to help them recover.

"You said you almost got the torso," Seamus said as they finally arrived in Bellya.

"Something strange happened?"

"Mmm," Dylan muttered, his eyes still closed.

"Let me think. Someone attacked me. I got wounded on the chest. Just a slash."

They stopped at an emergency clinic near the capital to treat Dylan’s injury before they started their journey back.

Even if everything inside the domain had been an illusion, the wounds and pain had been very real.

Now his body was wrapped in layers of bandages. The doctors insisted they stay for observation, but neither of them listened.

"So nothing unusual?" Seamus asked as they drove again.

Dylan nodded slowly. "Mostly normal. But I don’t feel any pain anymore. That doesn’t seem right."

He began peeling back the bandage on his arm. Then when he was done, both of them froze.

Seamus slammed the brakes, earning a wave of angry horns from the cars behind them.

"It’s gone," Dylan said, his voice rising. "The wound is gone."

"It’s fucking gone," Seamus said under his breath.

They stared at each other in disbelief.

After pulling over, they drove to a nearby restaurant and ordered dinner, though neither of them touched the food right away.

Snow began falling heavily again, blanketing the city outside the window. Silence pressed down on them.

"This isn’t possible," Dylan said shakily. "Am I turning into a vampire? No way, right?"

His hands trembled as he pulled out his phone and opened the camera, staring at his eyes, searching for any sign of change.

Relief washed over him as nothing had changed. If anything, he looked healthier than ever. His body felt light and strong.

Every trace of physical exhaustion was gone, though the mental weight still clung to him like a shadow.

Seamus, however, was not relieved. Diane had said he offered her a way to evolve. She didn’t take it, but she did evolve. Now Dylan had developed an abnormal healing ability.

And Mark Latros... Seamus remembered his eyes. It was blue, not red or gold. While the power in the domain had felt just like his.

"He’s human," Seamus said suddenly. "Mark Latros is a human."

Dylan frowned. "What?"

Seamus thought of one of the Caduceus doctors, Dominique, and how fascinated he had been with the idea of wielding vampire power without becoming one.

Now it all fits. They had figured out how to do it and Dylan might have been one of their test subjects.

But why? Why would Mark do this? Wasn’t this only strengthens Seamus’ side? Or was everything they endured just an experiment meant to prove a theory?

Seamus looked at Dylan carefully.

"Dylan, someone needs to open you up."

Dylan jolted, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.

"What the hell?" he snapped. "Are you insane? No. What actually happened to me? What’s wrong with my body?"

Seamus had no answer. But Mark Latros would have.

***

By the time they returned to the orphanage, Maria’s operation was already finished. The doctors had managed to reattach her eyes.

As a vampire, her nerves would regenerate on their own, and there was a high chance her vision would fully recover.

"Bianca," Seamus asked quietly as he stood inside Maria’s room, "who operated on her?"

Maria lay motionless on the bed, thick bandages covering her eyes.

"Doctor Hansen. Don’t worry, Isolde checked everything. His background, his affiliations, all of it. He’s clean."

She frowned slightly. "I still can’t believe Caduceus betrayed us."

"Yeah, can you check on Dylan too? There’s something wrong with his body. I think he’s changing."

He paused, then added, "And if possible, call Ulrich. I need Fleur here."

Bianca nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Silence settled. Seamus looked down at Maria’s sleeping form.

"I’m sorry," he murmured. "I couldn’t protect you."

Maria stirred, a soft groan escaping her lips. Her hands lifted instinctively, reaching for her eyes. He quickly caught them and held them down gently.

"Your eyes are still healing," he said.

"Seamus?" her voice was weak.

"Yeah, it’s me. How do you feel? Still in pain?"

She stayed quiet for a moment, her breathing uneven, her thoughts clearly racing.

"Am I going to be blind?" her voice trembled.

"No," Seamus said firmly. "I managed to save one of your eyes. The other one will grow back. I don’t know if you’ll still have that special vision, though."

She let out a shaky breath. "I’m actually glad,"

Maria said softly. "That vision came from watching my parents get killed by vampires. I couldn’t do anything. It always felt like a curse."

Seamus smiled faintly. At least she was not sinking back into despair.

"But," Maria continued, clenching her hands, "I still need to make them pay for what they did to me. I can’t keep being everyone’s burden. I need to get stronger."

"I understand how you feel. But you need to rest right now. And you were never a burden. Even Latros wanted your eyes. That means you matter."

He held her hand, his thumb brushing lightly against her fingers.

"They wanted to search for the rest of the King of Morum’s body in the north," Maria said suddenly.

"We don’t have much time, Seamus. They’re planning to take over the world."

She tightened her grip on his arm. "Can I drink your blood? I heard it would help me evolve faster."

Seamus stiffened, eyes widening. He never expected this from her. Maria barely touched the blood bags she was given daily, often ignoring them until she grew visibly weak.

"Maria," he said carefully, holding her hands back, "are you sure? This means acknowledging yourself as a vampire."

He knew she still clung to the idea of being human. This was not a small decision.

"I am a vampire," Maria said. Her voice was steady. "I’m not that naive girl who just stays by your side anymore."

She took a deep breath. "If I have to sacrifice something to reach something bigger, then I will. I want to save people. I want to save humanity."

She met his gaze, unwavering. "So please let me drink your blood. From your neck. Right now."

"I need to do this."