The room temperature plummeted as Tobi's fury leaked into the air around him. Twenty-five. Six pregnancies. His hands clenched into fists as he struggled to maintain control.
Layla's gaze dropped to her hands twisted in her lap. "In the compound, they didn't wait. As soon as a girl had her first blood, she was... given to one of the men." Her voice grew distant, hollow. "I was thirteen. Just..." She trailed off, unable to continue.
Arctic cold radiated from his body, frost crystallizing on the windows. The lamp exploded in a shower of sparks. Thirteen years old. They'd forced a child to bear children. His vision went red as his vampiric nature surged forward, demanding violence, demanding blood."
"They said it was our duty." Layla's voice shook. "To preserve the caracal shifter bloodline. The elders chose which males would... would..."
She couldn't finish. She didn't need to. Tobi's enhanced hearing caught the spike in her heart rate, the way her breathing turned shallow and rapid as the memories overwhelmed her.
Tobi gained control over his emotions, pushing them away, and came to crouch before her, his voice gentle but firm. "Layla, look at me." He waited until her tear-filled eyes met his. "You saw the equipment we installed - cameras, motion sensors, perimeter alerts. The whole system creates layers of protection."
"But-"
"And that's just the technology." He gestured toward the window where the moon cast silver light across the snow. "From the moment the sun sets until it rises again, there's always a vampire on patrol. Always. We don't sleep at night - it's what we're made for."
Layla's fingers twisted in her shirt. "Patrol?"
"Yes." Tobi's blue eyes held steady on hers. "Sometimes it's me, sometimes Tyr or Dimitri takes shifts too. Never forget, Layla, that we are vampires. We're not simply guards - we are predators, hunters. It's what we were created for. Our senses are enhanced far beyond human capabilities. We can hearheartbeats through walls, smell strangers from a quarter mile away, see clearly in almost total darkness."
"The compound had guards too," Layla whispered.
"Guards who were your captors." Tobi's voice hardened. "We're not your jailers, Layla. We're here to be protectors. There's a difference." He gestured at the security panel glowing softly on the wall. "This technology isn't meant to confine you - it's here to protect you and Yousuf. You and Yousuf are free to come and go as you please. But anyone trying to hurt you or yours?" His fangs glinted in the moonlight. "They won't make it past the tree line."
Tobi's expression sobered. "There's something else you need to know. Yousuf had a nightmare tonight."
Layla's face drained of color. "I didn't hear him."
"He was trying to keep quiet." Tobi's voice gentled. "I heard him while patrolling. He was muffling his cries in his pillow."
"Oh, my sweet boy." Layla pressed her hand to her mouth, fresh tears welling. "He... he does that. Tries to hide them from me." Her shoulders shook. "I'm his mother. I should be the one comforting him, but he's trying to protect me instead."
"Has he talked to you about the nightmares?"
"No." The word came out as barely a whisper. "He pretends everything is fine. When I ask, he just smiles and says he slept well." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I know it's not right. A child shouldn't feel they have to protect their parent. But I don't... I don't know how to help him."
"He told me what the nightmare was about." Tobi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "He dreamed they were taking him again. Coming for him in the night, like before."
A small sound of distress escaped Layla's throat.
"I promised him we'd install some nightlights in his room," Tobi continued. "And maybe some motion-activated lights for the hallway. He seemed to like that idea."
"He's afraid of the dark." Layla's voice cracked. "In the compound, they always came in darkness. But I thought... I thought if I slept outside his door..."
"You can't heal him by breaking yourself," Tobi said softly. "Both of you need proper rest to recover from what happened."
Tobi pulled out his phone, showing Layla the earlier text exchange. "I've already contacted Shadow Guard about getting some equipment installed. We'll put gentle LED lights along the hallway between your rooms - they'll activate automatically when someone walks past, but they're dim enough not to disturb anyone's sleep."
He scrolled to the next message. "And we're getting a nanny cam system for Yousuf's room. It'll let you check on him from your own bed, and you'll be able to hear if he's having a nightmare."
"A nanny cam!" Layla's eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth. "I hadn't even thought of that. With everything being so different here, all this technology..." She shook her head, wonder replacing some of the worry in her expression. "In the compound, we had nothing like this."
"The camera will connect to an app on your phone," Tobi explained, keeping his voice gentle. "You can watch him sleep, hear him breathe, all from your own room. And if he needs you, you'll know immediately."
"And I could actually sleep in my bed?" Layla's voice held equal parts hope and uncertainty.
"That's the idea." Tobi smiled encouragingly. "The equipment will be here tomorrow. We can have it all set up before sunset."
Layla's cheeks flushed dark red in the moonlight. "I... I'll pay you back for the nanny cam system. Whatever it costs." Her fingers twisted anxiously in her shirt hem. "I have some money saved from working at the clinic-"
