Jakob flung the door of his loft open with more force than he’d intended and winced as it banged off the brick accent wall behind it. He’d chastised his children about doing such things before, and now he was guilty of the same. His petulance was more justified, however, not that they would dare to challenge him on such things.

The loft, part of a converted warehouse, was far more upscale than its roots suggested. Its distressed brick facade meshed well with the modern aesthetic Jakob had picked when he moved in. Even better, the windows were polarized, eschewing the need for ugly blackout curtains. The Sun wasn’t much of a problem for him anymore, which was a testament to his personal strength, but his children weren’t there yet, so that detail alone made this place a grand find. He’d looked forward to his new home and the lack of competition the town promised, it being free of both wolves and other vampires. He was gearing up to turn this little college town into his personal kingdom. Then he found a fly in his ointment.

“Something wrong, Boss?” It was Bo, Jakob’s firstborn, who greeted him. Bo looked more like a child of the first or second house instead of a child of the sixth. Tall, broad, and handsome with just a hint of threat, Bo was everything Jakob wanted him to be.

“My new pet has poor taste in cafes,” Jakob grumbled. “Why are you awake?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Restless, I guess? Riggs and Farrah are up too.”

“Collect them and meet me in the basement. I’m hungry and wish to wash the flavor of overt disrespect from my mouth.”

Bo’s bright eyes gleamed with excitement as he left to gather his siblings. The Young were always hungry, and Jakob took rather dangerous steps to avoid doing anything that might stifle that.

The basement of the building had been converted to a communal storage area, sectioned off with chain link fencing. Farrah, who was a curious sort, had discovered a large drainage grate that led to a sizable section of sewers perfect for creating a feeding area and holding pen. Jakob wanted his children to get as strong as possible, as fast as possible, and that required a constant food source.

They only had a single head in the pen at the moment, a runaway Jakob had lured in with the offer of food and shelter, neither of which had been a lie. Well-fed humans were robust humans, and robust humans had plenty of blood to harvest. This one had grown wan, however, so it was a lucky coincidence Jakob needed something to break to make himself feel better.

Inside the pen, the human huddled naked in a corner. Perhaps they sensed what was coming as they shook harder than usual.

“Worry not, human,” Jakob cooed as he undid the buttons on his shirt. “After today, there will be no more pain.”