Two years into their marriage, Aiden broached a subject that had been growing in his mind.
"What about children?"
Kieran looked up from his book, surprised. "Children?"
"Family. Legacy. Something beyond just the two of us." Aiden sat beside him on their sofa. "I know vampires can't reproduce naturally. But there are other ways, right? Adoption, creating vampire children—"
"Creating vampire children is illegal in most of the supernatural world. Vampire children are dangerous—they have vampire strength and hunger but child impulse control. It's a disaster waiting to happen."
"I didn't mean turning children. I meant..." Aiden struggled to articulate. "I see Marcus with his protégés, teaching young vampires who've been turned by accident or necessity. I see the difference he makes in their lives. And I want that. I want to give someone the guidance, love, and support we had to find for ourselves."
Kieran set his book aside. "You want to be a maker. To turn someone and become their sire."
"Not just turn someone randomly. But if we found someone—someone dying, someone with no hope, someone who wanted this life—could we give them what we have? A family?"
Kieran was quiet for a long time. "I've created three vampires in my sixteen hundred years. The woman who eventually walked into sunlight. The scholar in Tokyo who I barely maintain contact with. And you. Creating vampires is a huge responsibility. You're bound to them, responsible for teaching them, controlling them if they become dangerous."
"I know. But Kieran, we have eternity together. Just us. And that's beautiful, but... I want to build something bigger. A family. A legacy. Something that shows that vampire existence can be about creation, not just survival."
"You've really thought about this."
"For months. I didn't want to bring it up unless I was sure."
Kieran pulled him close. "If we do this, we do it right. No impulsive turnings. We find someone truly worthy, someone who understands what they're choosing. Someone who needs what we can give as much as we need to give it."
"Deal."
"And we raise them together. I'm not doing this alone. They'll be our responsibility, both of us."
"I wouldn't want it any other way."
They sealed it with a kiss, and a new chapter of their immortal life began.