New day

Chief Magnus sat at his desk, the morning sun casting long shadows across the room. The air was thick with tension as he ripped open the package that had arrived. Inside were the results of the handwriting comparison. He looked up at Ignatius and Elysia, who stood before him.

"This will be your end, Ignatius," Magnus warned, his voice cold and foreboding.

Elysia flinched at his words.

"Do not fall for this criminal, Elysia.

He will not treat you well. I do not care that you cannot have children or that you will outlive me, " Magnus added, his eyes full of jealousy as he watched Elysia move closer to Ignatius.

Elysia's expression was pained as she leaned against Ignatius. His words hit emotional strings inside her heart. He knew she yearned for someone to love her, a partner to share her life with.

She had held his arm as she brought him in. Her hand slipped down to his, their fingers interlacing. She had Luna's permission. Her attempts to court Ignatius would now begin.

Magnus frowned as she reluctantly let Ignatius's hand go. "He has an alibi, sir," she said.

"Yes, his lover would say anything to get him out," Magnus retorted.

Ignatius grinned confidently. "Ask me anything about the goblin attack at the market," he challenged.

Magnus blew a puff of flame as he thought. "What happened when Elysia ran out of blood?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

Ignatius glanced at Elysia. "Stop me if you need to," he said. "She rescued a wizard by slapping the head of a goblin."

"She bit into the wizard's arm."

Magnus looked up at Elysia, incredulous. "You fed on a person?"

Elysia looked down at her feet, her voice barely a whisper. "It was an emergency, and he offered."

Magnus scoffed. "His blood must have tasted awful, unlike my refined salamander blood."

Elysia coughed into her hand, "bullshit." "Right, sir."

Magnus's eyebrows rose. 

Ignatius continued, "Then he took her red—"

"Stop," Elysia placed her hand over his mouth. "No need to continue. He speaks the truth,"

She whispered in his ear. "You saw everything?" she asked, her cheeks flushing.

"Yes," he whispered back.

Elysia blushed, realising she hadn't considered the presence of bystanders.

Despite Magnus's grumblings and jealousy, the evidence and testimony were clear. When he looked at the results, his shoulders slumped. "Mr Thorn, you're free to go."

Ignatius was released from custody. "Now, we are free to investigate the true culprit behind the mayor's murder." He whispered to Elysia. He had a bad feeling about it. The missing cane with the purple crystal skull could be dangerous.

Elysia led Ignatius through the corridors of the police headquarters. Her steps were slow and deliberate. She stared at her feet, her voice a whisper. "I am sorry."

Ignatius glanced around, ensuring they were alone. Taking her hand, he guided her closer, positioning them behind the door should any officers pass by. "Thank you, Elysia. You are searching for the wizard, right?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know?"

"You will meet him. I am sure of that. He would not let a special person like you slip through his fingers." Ignatius replied, his tone reassuring.

She blushed, looking away shyly. "You think that I am special?"

He squeezed her hand gently. "Any man with intelligence can see that you are special."

"Luna thinks that you are special, too."

She met his gaze, her eyes searching his. "Luna said that you have a terrible past."

"She said she changed her life, leaving her job to follow you."

He grinned a hint of sadness in his eyes. "We have a tragic past."

"I believe in second chances," Ignatius said, kissing her hand.

"Do not tell Luna. Let her think I am still disenchanted with her."

She hugged Ignatius, whispering in his ear. "You are a cruel man."

He kissed her ear. "I have my reasons, my pretty vampire friend."

"Elysia, in my office now!" Magnus's voice echoed through the hallway.

Elysia reluctantly let Ignatius go. "I need to go. See you later," she said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ignatius kissed her cheek. "Go, do not get in trouble. See you tonight for dinner."

Elysia hurried down the hall. Ignatius watched her go, his mind racing about their next step.

He walked home a free man, his mind racing. Who could have framed him? What made the missing cane so valuable? How could he convince Luna that they needed Elysia on their side? She had the authority to go places they could not, and her help would be invaluable.

As he approached the house, he saw Luna and Ayla folding napkins. He crept up behind them and hugged them both, causing them to yelp in surprise. They turned, their faces lighting up as they kissed and hugged him. The commotion drew everyone's attention in the house.

Zarkon stood by the kitchen door with a grin. Christie flew into Ignatius's arms, tears streaming down her face. The maids lined up, each taking a turn to show their love and relief.

Ignatius motioned for Zarkon to come closer and hugged him. "Have you missed me, old friend?"

Zarkon cleared his throat. "Master, I have been near you every night."

Ignatius laughed. "I know. Your presence kept the officers away at night. The ward you placed around my cell was scary. You could have talked to me, you know."

Zarkon's jaw dropped. "You knew I was there all this time and kept silent?"

Everyone laughed, the tension easing.

"Listen, I have invited Elysia to dinner," Ignatius announced.

Luna's eyes sparkled. "Is she coming tonight?"

Ignatius nodded. Seeing the elation on Luna's face made it worth it. "I need to speak to you, Luna. How about a coffee downstairs?"

"Sounds good, but first," Luna said, kneeling before him, her fingers working at his pants as she licked her lips.

Luna, Ayla, Christie and the maids kneeled before him, their thirst overwhelming them.

Ignatius held Morgan's head. Smoking his pipe as he spoke to Zarkon. "I want to make Elysia part of our family. She is a vampire. What do you think? We can trust her, right?"

Zarkon bowed his head. "Her father had been a loyal descendant. She would be welcome to my wine."

Ignatius blew a smoke circle, looking into Morgan's blue eyes. His body shuddered. "She can drink directly from the source." He let Morgan's head go and then held Mandy's head.

Zarkon's smile looked sinister. "Master, you're going to take Elysia and Luna as your main women?"

Luna stared, her eyes filled with tears. Ignatius hugged the fairy possessively. "Zarkon, Christie will always be my main squeeze. Luna and Elysia will be my second and third, and all the other ladies share an equal part in my heart."

"Your sister holds the biggest part in your heart, Master," Christie said, kneeling.

"Of course, if she were here, she would be my queen," Ignatius said, his eyes filled with tears as he held Christie's head.

"Mmmmmppph." Plop. "Do not be sad, Master. I will be by your side forever."

Luna and the maids share confused looks.

***************

Ignatius and Luna headed to the library. The orb had given them another quest: to find information about elven artefacts from the myth wars.

Luna remembered their talk this morning, her thoughts going to his welcome-home greetings. She blushed thinking of it. She licked her lips, saying she would look for another opportunity today.

Luna had cried tears of joy as they had coffee. She was nervous, not knowing what he wanted to discuss. He lit his pipe again. "From this day onwards, we begin a new chapter."

"Let us not dwell on the past."

"What I have done, and you have done, is now wiped clean."

"Thank you. You do not know how much this means to me," Luna said, sobbing.

Ignatius had dried her tears with his finger, Kissed her, and hugged her to himself.

They walked hand in hand into the Library. Clair volunteers at the local library where Ignatius often researches. She brings him coffee and engages in deep conversations about literature. Gaining his trust. Luna stared from afar. He could not understand why she did not join them.

Clair boldly states, "I am pure, you know." She lied as she took his hand to reassure him. "Other women in the capital act like whores." He notices Luna holding her chest. 

He looked at Luna. She looked away. At that moment, Ignatius realised Luna was hiding a secret from him. He did not want to know. He had secrets as well. He could look past a boyfriend or two; she was a beauty; men desired her.

So, what if she had a lover or two in the fifteen years he had women as well? Yet, they had stayed with him to this day. He believed in loyalty and keeping a relationship pure between the partners involved. He could have had many women if he had flaunted his wealth. He had no interest in hollow, meaningless sex.

Ignatius asks. "Clair, I need a bit of time, please. Excuse me, but I need to talk to Luna in private."

*******

"I understand. See you again next time," Clair said, waving goodbye as he took his pipe from his jacket pocket and lit it. She walked to the main desk; her wide grin did not hide the sinister look in her eyes.

His fortune is as good as mine, she thought. Everyone has heard about the women who live in the capital whores everyone. I know the lifestyle well. Having lived in the capital myself for five years. She whispered to no one in particular.

Marcus had saved her from her husband, the Duke. His plan had worked well. She could not go on anymore; her mind had numbed. She believed that she was a doll to be used. Marcus had loved her since high school. She used him for her benefit. 

Nobles groom young women to service their guests. You are also one Luna, or shall I say detective, easy? she said softly. Then she laughed as she exited the library. Marcus leaned against a wall. He ran to Clair's side. "Did it work?"

Clair walked faster, the man struggling to keep up. "Of course, it worked. Walk faster. I want you."

Marcus pumped his fist in the air. "Yes." it was on rare occasions that Clair asked him for sex. Her moods tended to be dark and depressing.

Clair took his hand. "Hurry, I want to suck you."

Marcus could not believe his luck today.

*******

Luna sat herself opposite him, wanting to say something to defend herself. The words failed her as she stared at Ignatius, puffing his pipe deep in thought. He places his pipe in his jacket pocket, blowing a ring of smoke that lazily landed on the table. "Luna, since you grew breasts, I wanted to suck on them."

"My dream was to make love to you and marry you," Ignatius said, then sighed.

He looked at her to gauge her reaction to his words. She sat silently, staring at him, as tears ran down her cheeks.

"I hesitated out of fear back then. You were very popular at the academy. You could have any man you desired. Our friendship was too precious to me." He gave her a meaningful look. "I loved you and still do."

"I will not judge you no matter what you did in the capital."

Luna felt a chill run up her back and arms. She inhaled, her lips trembling, and stared at the table. Her head hung forward, tears pooling on the table. "I have but one request," Ignatius said, his tone serious.

Luna looked up at him. Her eyes were red. He could see fear in her eyes. She hid something terrible from him. Maybe she had murdered someone by accident, he thought. If a noble could not keep her by his side, he would not make the same mistake. She has a special place in my heart, and he could never let her go. This will be tough, but it is necessary to move forward. He thought, mustering his resolve.

"I do not want to know," Ignatius said.

Luna nodded. He took her hand in his. "Luna, I love you."

He could see relief flooding through her. She breathed again, and he could relax how he had missed her. 

Luna laughed "foo, foo, foo. Elysia and I are a package deal."

Ignatius grinned. "I would have it no other way."