My Horny Stepmom Turns Me into Her Vampire Slave-Chapter 4: The Tear of Azkarith

"So... now you’re one of us? That’s insane..." Mia mutters.

She and Chris are walking to school like every day — Ordrienne High in New York.

"Yeah... if you think it’s crazy, imagine how I feel. Damn it, until yesterday I didn’t even know vampires were real, and now I’m one of you. Anyway... are you still mad about what happened last night...?"

"And why should I be? What you and Isabelle do isn’t my business. Still, I’m honestly surprised — I thought you were a decent guy, but you’re just as much of a pervert as she is." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"You took it pretty well, considering you caught your mom doing some really obscene stuff with your stepbrother..."

"Isabelle isn’t my mother — at least not biologically. She was one of my father’s wives. Both he and my real mom died that night five years ago — along with my brothers and sisters. But Isabelle got me to safety, and since then she’s taken care of me like her own daughter. She may be a world-class pervert, but I owe her everything."

Mia’s eyes fill with tears as she speaks.

Then she frowns, and her voice suddenly turns harsher.

"That whole sex slave thing is seriously messed up. And you even asked me what to get your girlfriend for your one-month anniversary. You and Isabelle really deserve each other — a pair of shameless, sex-crazed freaks."

"W-Well, it’s not like I had a choice... after seeing her wipe out at least fifty of those monsters in seconds, contradicting her never even crossed my mind! I definitely don’t envy your father for being married to someone like her..."

"And yet, you didn’t seem that upset when I caught you with your tongue between her thighs... anyway, that strict, commanding personality is exactly what impressed my father. She had the presence of a general — and that’s no coincidence. Before she became his wife, she actually was one."

"Isabelle... was a general? Now that you mention it, I’m not really surprised..."

"Yeah. Isabelle was one of the four generals of the Scarlet Army — the force protecting the vampire kingdom of Mildelar. And that’s not all — she’s the strongest vampire alive, more powerful than anyone else. That’s what earned her the nickname Platinum Death. That’s why those Dulcar cowards hired mercenary squads instead of coming after me themselves. As long as Isabelle is by my side, I’m not afraid of anything!"

A soft look of pride and gratitude lights up Mia’s face as she talks about Isabelle.

Chris can’t help staring at her.

Who would’ve thought Isabelle was that incredible... and it’s even crazier to think the strongest vampire alive works as a cleaner.

I wonder if one day Mia will talk about me with that same pride... if one day she’ll tell me, "I feel so safe with someone like you by my side."

I’d really love to hear her say that...

Chris’s gaze drifts down to her breasts.

It’s not the generous cleavage that draws his attention, but what rests there: a gold pendant set with a stone that looks like rose quartz, vaguely shaped like a teardrop.

Chris had always thought it was just a simple piece of jewelry, but now it’s clear it isn’t — otherwise the mercenaries hired by the Dulcar wouldn’t be after it.

"Are you going to stare at my boobs all day, you damn pervert? Aren’t Isabelle’s enough for you?!"

"S-Stop calling me that — I’m not a pervert! I was just wondering... what’s so special about that pendant?"

"Oh, so Isabelle told you about it... It’s an artifact my family has kept for generations, passed from king to king. Its name is the Tear of Azkarith. The world I come from — Elyndra — was created by four ancient beings of immense power. One of them was Azkarith, a dragon whose flames could destroy anything. The legend says that before the first vampire king killed him, Azkarith shed a single tear. The moment it touched the ground, it crystallized. Whoever holds this pendant can unleash those same unstoppable flames. That’s why the Dulcar want it at any cost."

"I didn’t catch most of that — all those names are making my head spin. But it must be something pretty dangerous..."

"Much more than you can imagine."

They’re almost at the school gates when...

"MIAAAAAA!"

A girl with long red curls and a pink streak over one eye runs toward them and jumps straight into Mia’s arms, wrapping herself tightly around her.

Chris knows her well — she’s Zaira Narkhalis, Mia’s classmate.

She and Chris are both in their fifth year, but in different classes.

Every morning she waits for them near the school gates, and she throws herself at Mia with the same excitement every time, as if they haven’t seen each other in centuries.

Right after that, she turns to Chris and shoots him a murderous, jealous glare.

Everyone at school knows Zaira is madly in love with Mia — and Mia doesn’t feel the same. But that never stopped her from shamelessly hitting on her every day.

"Good morning to you too..." Chris grumbles.

"What do you want, idiot? And more importantly, take a thousand steps back — you’re way too close to my sweet Mia!"

"Ugh, this again? You’re really annoying... Just so you know, she and I live in the same house — it’s hard to stay away from her even if I tried!"

"Yeah, and I’ll never forgive you for daring to let Isabelle adopt you! Now get lost — my beloved Mia and I need to talk about girl stuff!"

Every morning, the same thing. I must have way too much patience...

"It’s not necessary — he can stay," Mia says.

"A-Are you really sure...? We need to get ready for, uh... volleyball practice — you know..."

"No need to speak in code — Isabelle turned him. Chris is a vampire now, and she told me to start training him with us too."

Chris has never been this confused in his life.

Wait a second... if Mia’s talking like this to Zaira, that means...

"Z-Zaira... don’t tell me you’re a vampire too?!"

"I didn’t give you permission to speak to me," she hisses.

Mia steps in again.

"Zaira isn’t a vampire — she’s a succubus. But this isn’t the place to talk about it. Wait for me outside after class."

"O-Okay..."