Virexa studied Jax for a long moment after that, the silence stretching not awkwardly, but
deliberately
. The floating lights drifted, a page somewhere fluttered despite there being no wind, and the city outside felt very far away.
Then she sighed, a frustrated sigh as she looked at him after hearing his question. It was the sound of someone deciding to stop dodging something theyâd been avoiding for years.
"Well," she said, pushing herself up properly and swinging her legs off the couch, "since you already broke in, threatened my furniture with your blood, and named my sister without flinching, I suppose secrets are off the table."
She took another drink, this time a longer shot of the drink, her body trembling slightly as she finished, and then capped the bottle and set it aside.
"Nulissa is my younger sister."
Jax didnât react immediately. While he was a bit surprised at how different the two seemed, he simply nodded once, inviting her to continue with her explanation.
Virexa snorted softly, "Youâre annoyingly good at that. Most people either gape or immediately start re-evaluating how close theyâre standing to me when they learn the Clan Leader is my younger sister,"
"I had a feeling you werenât just âsome recluse,â" Jax said. "The city doesnât give this much space to anyone without reason. Itâs basically a Ghost town around this house after all,"
Jax said, remembering how everyone avoided this part of town like it was infected by a deadly plague.
She glanced around the room. "This?" A faint smile tugged at her lips. "This is Nightengaleâs compromise."
She moved toward one of the narrow windows, resting her forehead briefly against the opaque glass.
"Nulissa and I... we agreed on a-lot of different things when it came to how to lead the Clan, but we also disagreed on a-lot more, especially methods,"
Jax listened, unhurried, "And you were both right," Jax said.
Virexa turned, surprised, then smiled faintly. "Exactly. Which is why we kept colliding."
She gestured vaguely at the house. "Eventually, we decided it was better if I stayed out of the spotlight. Less tension. Less... temptation especially,"
Jaxâs gaze sharpened slightly as he heard that last word, "Temptation."
"There it is," she muttered. "Straight to the core."
He leaned forward just a fraction. "Tell me."
Virexa hesitated. Not because she didnât want to speak, but because once spoken, the truth could no longer be controlled.
"You," she said finally, looking towards Jax again, "are a problem."
Jax smiled as he heard that, "I get that a lot."
"No," she corrected, looking him directly in the eyes this time,
"You are literally THE problem."
She walked back to the couch, sitting on its armrest now instead of lounging, "Your blood," she said, "is not just powerful. Itâs... optimal."
Jaxâs smile faded into something more thoughtful as he listened to her.
"Werenât you Summoned by the Demon Goddesses, and blessed directly by all Three of Them? Not through using intermediaries and not diluted through relics or rites, they directly gave you their blessing,"
She tapped her own chest, "To a vampire, that matters especially,"
"How much?" Jax asked quietly.
Virexa exhaled, "That Blessing did a-lot more than just give you more strength, or make you more viable as a Leader to the Demons, it perfected your. For us Vampires, your blood would be the highest-grade nourishment imaginable. It would be like a drug, extremely addictive and it would transform us to great degrees. It would strengthen a vampireâs core, sharpen their mind, stabilize hunger cycles for decades, possibly centuries."
"How do you know all this?" Jax asked.
"Because we can sense it, just your presence, our senses go haywire, telling us the benefits of sucking on your blood," Virexa continued, looking away for a moment, "And thatâs just the feeding aspect of your blood."
Jax didnât interrupt this time, letting her continue.
"As a mate?" she went on, voice lowering. "Youâd be... unparalleled. Your vitality, your dominance, your compatibility with various energies, it would produce progeny of terrifying potential."
Silence settled heavy between them.
Jax leaned back in the chair, fingers steepled loosely, "So Nulissa is nervous becauseâ"
"Because influential Vampires are already circling," Virexa finished. "Elder houses, Bloodline Purists. All of them are seeing the same thing."
She scoffed. "A Demon King with god-touched blood who isnât bound by vampiric law, yet values order and restraint."
She shook her head. "They want her to court you. Officially. Politically. Publicly."
"And she doesnât want to," Jax said.
"She canât afford to
rush
," Virexa corrected. "But she also canât afford to refuse. All of those men have daughters whoâd be more than happy to court you as well, and needless to say, a-lot of Nulissaâs influence would be nullified if another Vampire woman found themselves as your partner, people would push for her to abdicate and give her leadership position to them,"
Jax closed his eyes briefly.
"So thatâs the weight sheâs carrying," he murmured. "Not fear of me, but fear of what others will try to do
through
her."
Virexa watched him carefully now. "Most rulers would exploit that."
"Iâm not most rulers."
"No," she agreed softly. "Thatâs why sheâs struggling."
She leaned back, crossing her arms. "Nulissa doesnât want you as a prize. Or a resource. Or a symbol."
"She wants you as a choice."
Jax opened his eyes and met hers.
"And sheâs afraid the city wonât give her that luxury."
Virexa smiled, tired but genuine. "You really are dangerous."
Jax stood slowly, the chair scraping softly against the floor.
"Thank you," he said. "For telling me."
She blinked. "Thatâs it? No threats? No declarations?"
He chuckled. "Those come later. If needed."
He paused at the door, half-turning back.
"For what itâs worth," he added, "you donât need to hide like this forever."
Virexa snorted. "Careful, Demon King. That almost sounded like recruitment."
He grinned. "See? Late and underprepared."
Her laughter followed him as he phased back through the door, leaving the house and heading back to meet up with Hydra and decide what to do next.