My Baby Daddy Isn’t Human

Hera stepped forward, placing the tray gently on the small table near the bed.

"I thought you might want something warm," she said softly, eyes briefly flicking over Raelynn's face, reading the fatigue and the storm of thoughts still swirling there.

Raelynn didn't answer right away. She just looked at Hera—really looked—and realized how strange it was that nothing about this morning felt strange to the woman.

That was what unsettled Raelynn the most.

She tried to act normal too, thanking her softly, offering a tiny smile, pretending like everything was the same. But Hera's presence was a quiet weight in the room. Not unwelcome—just… heavier than usual.

Raelynn sipped her tea, but her lips barely touched the cup. Her fingers trembled slightly, and she kept her eyes lowered, watching the reflection of the light ripple across the surface of the drink.

Hera was placing small cloths in the wardrobe with her usual graceful ease. Everything about her movements was calm and practiced, like always. But Raelynn's chest tightened as she watched her. She had to ask. She couldn't keep it in.

"Hera…" Raelynn's voice broke the silence, quiet but clear.

Hera turned her head, her long chestnut hair falling neatly over her shoulder. "Yes?"

Raelynn hesitated, her lips parting, but no words came out at first. She swallowed and tried again, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Are you like Elion?"

Hera froze.

Her hand paused mid-motion, a folded cloth hanging from her fingertips. Her back stiffened, not dramatically, but just enough that Raelynn noticed. The silence stretched a little too long.

Then Hera turned, slowly, her expression calm but unreadable. "I'm sorry?" she said, as if giving Raelynn a chance to retract the question.

Raelynn met her gaze. Her eyes were wide, uncertain. She clenched the fabric of her robe a little tighter.

"You know…" she said softly. "Not a human?"

The words felt strange leaving her mouth. Like they didn't belong in her voice, in this moment. But there they were, hanging in the air between them.

Hera blinked, her lips parting just slightly before she pressed them together again. Then she sighed, almost too softly to hear, and gave a faint, resigned smile.

"I see," she murmured. "So… Mr. Vaelorian has decided to tell you everything."

Raelynn's stomach twisted at her tone. There was no hostility in it. No surprise, even. Just a calm acceptance, as if she'd known this moment would come.

She gave a small, nervous nod. "He… he told me before."

Hera didn't respond immediately.

She just looked at Raelynn.

Not with pity, or worry, or even curiosity—but with that same quiet, steady calm she always carried. It was disarming. Gentle, even. And for a second, Raelynn wished she would say something—anything—just to shatter the silence pressing between them like a pane of glass.

Instead, Hera's eyes softened further. "May I sit?" Hera asked gently, motioning toward the edge of the bed.

Raelynn hesitated, then nodded.

Hera crossed the room slowly, her steps soundless over the thick rug. She moved like a whisper. As she sat on the other side of the bed, her movements were careful, respectful. She kept a small distance between them, folding her hands neatly in her lap.

They sat like that for a moment, neither speaking, just breathing in the same quiet space.

Hera looked at her, her eyes soft and warm. "How much did he tell you?"

Raelynn drew in a shaky breath. "Not everything. Just… just that he's not human. That he's a vampire."

She laughed lightly—nervously—and glanced at her own lap. "I still can't believe I just said that out loud."

Hera nodded. "It's a lot to take in."

"I mean…" Raelynn turned to her, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "He looks so normal. You look normal. Everyone does. But it's like… I was blind the whole time."

"You weren't blind," Hera said softly. "You just trusted what you saw. That's human. That's normal."

There was something comforting about Hera's voice—steady, even tender. It reminded Raelynn of late nights back at the inn, whispering with coworkers after closing time. Safe. Familiar.

"But you're not human, right?" Raelynn asked, this time more directly.

Hera nodded once. "No, I'm not."

Raelynn's breath hitched slightly, but she didn't flinch. She looked into Hera's eyes. "Then what are you?"

Hera gave her a faint smile. "Still me."

Raelynn blinked. "That's not an answer."

"It's the most important one," Hera replied. Then, after a beat, she added, "Yes, I'm a vampire. I'm one of them. There are many kinds out there, Raelynn. This world… it's not as simple as human and not."

Raelynn didn't know how to respond to that. Her heart was thumping hard in her chest again, but not out of fear. It was something else. Curiosity, maybe. Or the beginnings of understanding.

"So… you're not going to hurt me?"

The question slipped out before she could stop it, and she hated how small her voice sounded. But Hera didn't look offended. Instead, her gaze softened.

"No," she said firmly. "No one here is going to hurt you. Least of all me."

Raelynn nodded slowly, looking down at her tea again, which had gone cold in her hands. "I believe you."

Hera reached out slowly, carefully, and placed a hand over Raelynn's. It was warm, surprisingly warm, and it steadied her.

"I know this is frightening," Hera said gently.

Raelynn didn't respond right away. Her eyes remained on the tea cup in her hands, long gone cold, her fingers wrapped around it as if it were the only solid thing in a world that had suddenly turned upside down.

"I keep thinking," Raelynn whispered, "that I'll wake up. That this is all some kind of vivid nightmare. But every time I blink, it's still here. Still real."

Hera's hand remained over hers—light but steady. She didn't squeeze. She didn't rush to speak. Just let the silence sit for a moment, like a calm between waves.

"You don't have to accept it all at once," she said at last. Her voice was low, almost musical in its evenness. "No one is expecting that from you. Not Elion. Not me. Certainly not yourself."

Raelynn's throat tightened. Her grip around the cup shifted, a subtle twitch betraying the storm inside her. "I don't know how to feel about him. About… anything."

"That's okay," Hera replied simply.

Raelynn finally looked up, her brows furrowing. "Is it, though?"

"Yes," Hera said, nodding once. "It's more than okay. You've just learned that the world is much bigger—and far stranger—than you ever imagined. You have every right to be confused. Scared. Angry. It's your life, Raelynn. Your reality that changed overnight. And no one—no one—has the right to rush you through understanding it."

The weight of those words settled in Raelynn's chest like a balm. For the first time since waking up, the pressure she'd felt squeezing her lungs loosened just a little.

"You're allowed to take all the time you need," Hera said, her voice quieter now, almost a whisper. "There's no finish line. No one expects you to wake up tomorrow and be ready."

Raelynn looked up sharply.

"It'll get better," Hera said. "You're stronger than you think."

"I'm not," Raelynn said, her voice cracking. "I'm just… a girl who lost her job and got pregnant with a vampire's baby."

Hera chuckled softly. "That sounds like the beginning of a story, not the end."

Raelynn wiped at her eyes quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry."

"Why not?" Hera asked. "You have every reason to be overwhelmed. It doesn't make you weak."

"I don't want to be afraid of him," Raelynn whispered. "I don't want to be afraid of you. Of this place."

Hera squeezed her hand. "Then don't be. You're not alone, Raelynn. Elion wouldn't have brought you here if he didn't want to protect you."

Raelynn nodded slowly. "I think… I think I want to understand more. All of it."

"You will," Hera said. "In time. And I'll be here. Whenever you need me."

Raelynn looked at her then, really looked. The way the light touched her hair. The way her eyes glowed faintly amber in the shadow. The way she still smiled like a friend, not a stranger.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"For what?"

"For not pretending."

Hera tilted her head. "I didn't have to. You already knew. You just needed someone to say it out loud."

Raelynn gave a soft laugh through her tears. "You're good at this. Comforting people."

"I've had centuries of practice," Hera said lightly, then blinked. "Sorry. That probably sounded weird."

Raelynn's eyes widened. "Centuries?"

Hera grinned. "Another conversation for another night."

Raelynn leaned back on the bed, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I think I'm going to need more tea."

"I'll get it," Hera said, rising to her feet. "And maybe something sweet. Sugar helps with shock."

Raelynn watched her leave, the door closing softly behind her. The room was quiet again, but this time… it wasn't so heavy.

She wasn't alone. Not anymore.