"Be careful," Melchior repeated, his voice firmer now. "We don't know what they're planning. They've always wanted to disband Crimson Thorn. Our fleet has never been to their liking."
Corvin nodded.
"Alright, sir. I hope you're well in human territory."
He paused, then his lips curled slightly as his fingers resumed typing.
"I heard...you found a beautiful lover there?"
Melchior's expression shifted instantly. His eyes flicked away from the screen, scanning the quiet room around him with a faint frown—as if expecting someone to be listening from the shadows.
"So the gossip has already reached vampire territory," he said flatly.
His jaw tightened.
"Sooner than I expected."
Melchior cleared his throat and shifted slightly, angling his face away from the screen so the shadows concealed part of his expression.
"He isn't a lover," he said quietly. "He is… someone I took in. Rosencraft hunts him."
A brief pause.
"I… am responsible for him."
