ã€ŠMidnight Crusadeã€‹


 Chapter 1

    ¡°Penny!¡± Vivian called out, but it sounded distorted, almost like she was underwater. Her heart raced within her chest, feeling like it was going to burst. She tried to stand from where she knelt on the cold concrete, but something was holding her down. It felt like dozens of hands pressing on her, keeping her from moving out of place. Looking forward, she watched the scene in front of her unfold, helpless and terrified all at once.

    There, in the alleyway that surrounded her, was a creature standing tall like a human, with red eyes staring back. Between her and the red-eyed creature was another figure, one she recognized. ¡°Penny, run!¡± Vivian struggled against the invisible hands, but she only managed to scrape her palms against the rough stone. She watched, horrified as the red-eyed creature approached Penny, fingers like claws that dripped with something. Yet the woman only stood there, frozen, as if she was trapped herself.

    Then the creature lunged, pinning Penny to the ground. Her scream rattled around Vivians head, making tears well in her eyes. She had to do something, she had to help, but the force holding her down was too strong, too intense for her to break away from. Hazel eyes watched as the red-eyed creature bit down on Penny¡¯s neck, her scream muffled by the creature''s hand. Vivian felt herself sinking into the ground as she watched, a whimper leaving her as tears streamed down her face.

    Then the creature tore its mouth away, blood pouring from Penny¡¯s neck like a fountain, painting the concrete a deep crimson. It was then the pressure lifted from her body and Vivian no longer had to fight the force. She stood, about to run towards the scene, but then the creature looked at her, face dripping with Penny¡¯s blood. Vivian regretted it almost instantly, the creature''s attention solely on her, burning into her skin. The need to run overtook her, and she turned and fled. Claws dug into her shoulder and stopped her, tearing her skin open and causing crimson to blossom against her shirt. Falling to the ground, her hands barely caught her fall, scraping against the ground and causing more damage. Vivian rolled over onto her back, bracing herself for the sight above her.

    But she woke up.

    Vivian¡¯s eyes snapped open as consciousness hit her like a bus. Her breathing was harsh as she stared up at the ceiling, feeling sweat soaking her skin. The woman had to lay there for a moment, catching her breath and feeling a headache quickly come on. Untangling herself from the sheets, she finally sat up.

    The sun was already up, filtering through the blinds that covered the window and making the bedroom glow. Vivian opened the blinds and let the sunlight spill into the room. It lit up the small space, the smell of cinnamon and vanilla calming her senses as she stood and stretched. She must have left the wax warmer on last night, the woman moving to turn it off.

    Her nightmare slowly faded into the back of her mind as she went about her morning routine. Vivian had been having the same nightmare for the past week, and she''s learned by now how to make the panic she felt melt away so she could go on with her day. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t question the nightmare, because she did. She had no idea why she was watching her coworker being killed, it¡¯s not like she was there. Vivian assumed her mind was coming up with explanations for what happened, and somehow red-eyed, people eating creatures were the answer.

    After a short jog around the neighborhood, Vivian showered and got ready for her shift at the Boardwalk Cafe. It was late morning, the sun hidden behind light, puffy clouds while she walked to work. With it being October and a few days before Halloween, there was a chill in the air, but it hadn¡¯t gotten cold enough for snow to start falling. She could see her breath though, and for her that meant it was cold out.

    Vivian arrived at the cafe five minutes before her shift, walking through the front door and all the way to the back so she could clock in. The cafe smelt wonderful, the bakery having made fresh pastries this morning. Vivian told herself she would be taking something home tonight, if there was anything left. Being the only cafe and bakery in town, they didn¡¯t usually have anything left at the end of the day.

    ¡°Good morning sleepyhead.¡± A voice said to her as she clocked in. Vivian looked behind her and watched as her best friend, Ophelia, approached. ¡°How was your walk in?¡±

    ¡°Cold.¡± Vivian replied, turning to face her friend. ¡°I¡¯m not excited for winter to hit.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re never excited for winter to hit, Vivian.¡± Ophelia commented, moving past Vivian and towards the clean dishware. ¡°How long have you lived here and you still aren¡¯t used to the winter?¡±

    Smoothing down her black hair, Vivian let out a huff. ¡°It¡¯s only been five years-.¡±

    ¡°Five years?¡± Ophelia cut her off, brown eyes going wide.

    ¡°Yes, five years this past May. We moved after we graduated, remember?¡±

    Her friend nodded, picking up a tray of clean mugs. ¡°I suppose it has been five years, hasn''t it? Wow, time flies.¡±

    Vivian just let out a laugh as she pulled an apron on and got ready for her shift.

    ?

    ¡°Anything else for you?¡± Vivian asked, smiling at the customer as they stood on the other side of the counter. She was about midway through her shift, clouds gathering outside and causing the cafe to dim the slightest bit.

    ¡°No, that¡¯ll be it.¡± The woman said, handing Vivian her credit card. Swiping it, she handed it back to the customer.

    ¡°Here¡¯s your chocolate croissant.¡± Ophelia cut in as she leaned over the counter, a small white plate with the croissant on top.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Grabbing the plate, the woman walked away and found a seat among the many tables and chairs set about the cafe.

    Vivian moved to begin making the woman''s drink, but Ophelia was already ahead of her. So she just returned to the counter, tidying up the space until the next customer came up to her.

    The bell above the door rang, letting the staff know a new customer had walked in. Vivian looked up from what she was doing to greet the customer, but stopped short, because holy shit, this man was beautiful. His long black hair was tied into a low ponytail, some strands loose and framing his face, deep brown eyes looking around the cafe before landing on her. He looked like his face was carved by the gods, his jawline defined and cheekbones high, skin smooth and deeply tan.

    But there was something else, something Vivian couldn¡¯t quite place. She felt like she had seen this man before, but she couldn¡¯t place where. It was a small town, so maybe she had just seen him on the sidewalk. Then again, she would remember if she saw him on the sidewalk.

    ¡°Welcome in.¡± Vivian finally said as the man approached the counter, hands in his pockets. ¡°What can I get started for you?¡± She asked, putting on a smile despite the sudden rush of heat that went through her body.

    ¡°Just a small black coffee.¡± He said, voice like velvet. Was he a model? He had to be with that face and body.

    ¡°For here or to go?¡± She tried to not let herself sound flustered, but she knew she was failing. If the man noticed, he didn¡¯t show it.

    ¡°To go.¡± Pulling out his wallet, the man handed her a ten dollar bill. ¡°You can keep the change.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s very kind of you.¡± Given his coffee was only three dollars, that was a pretty big tip. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, putting the ten in the cash register and pulling out seven dollars to put in the tip jar. ¡°Can I have a name for the order?¡±

    ¡°Kit.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a fun name.¡± Vivian commented without thinking. ¡°Spelt K-I-T, right?¡± She inquired, picking up the 8 ounce cup and grabbing a pen.

    ¡°Yeah, that is right.¡± He replied as she scribbled his name on the cup.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be ready for you down at the other end.¡± Pointing to the pick up point, she watched as the man''s eyes followed her gesture. Oh my gods, he was gorgeous.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± He said, and then moved down to where she pointed.

    Hands grabbed her then, one on each shoulder. It made her jump. ¡°Hottie alert." Ophelia whispered in Vivians ear. ¡°Wanna make his drink?¡±

    Vivian turned to look at Ophelia, the woman smiling like she knew a secret. Vivian just rolled her eyes and moved away from the cash register and towards the pot of hot coffee. Pouring it into the cup, she could feel a set of eyes on her, and when she looked up, Kit was watching her. It made her blush, Vivian quickly looking back to the cup. She really had to stop getting flustered by this guy.

    ¡°Kit!¡± She called out like she usually would for a customer''s order, watching as the black haired man moved to grab the drink. ¡°Here you go.¡± She said, handing it to him.

    When his fingers brushed against hers as he took the cup, she was surprised at how cold his touch was. Then again, it was October and he had just walked in from outside. ¡°Thank you.¡± Kit said as he took the cup. There was something in the way he looked at her, the way his eyes shifted between hers. It was like he was expecting something.

    ¡°Have a good day.¡± Vivian smiled at the man, hoping maybe he would ask for her number or something. But he just nodded, took the cup of coffee, and left.

    Ophelia moved to stand beside Vivian as she watched the door close and the man walk from view. ¡°I hope he comes back.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡± Vivian¡¯s words came out in a breath, but then she sucked it right back in. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get back to work.¡±

    The rest of her shift had gone by smoothly, and by the end of it Vivian was sad to see there were no pastries left that she liked. Oatmeal raisin cookies were not something that she enjoyed very much, and neither were cranberry muffins. So she cleaned the tables, washed some dishes, and clocked out. Waiting for her in the seating area was her two best friends, Ophelia and Elias. ¡°You guys didn¡¯t have to wait for my shift to end.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Elias said, waving his hand as if batting away her comment. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like we were waiting that long.

    ¡°It¡¯s been two hours.¡± Vivian put her hands on her hips, trying to make her point.

    ¡°Two wonderful hours.¡± Ophelia says with an exaggerated grin. ¡°It was nothing, plus it¡¯s Friday! That means we need to go out to the bar and get some drinks!¡±

    Elias nodded enthusiastically, gesturing towards Ophelia. ¡°She''s right! We¡¯ve worked hard this week and deserve it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, listen to Elias.¡± Ophelia chimes in, making Vivian laugh.

    ¡°Well I¡¯m clocked out and ready to go if you two are.¡± Vivian says, tightening her ponytail.

    The three friends go to one of the three bars in town, finding a table tucked into the back corner. After the second hour, they all had at least two drinks, both Elias and Vivian worked on their third. The bar was packed tonight, which made sense with it being a Friday night, but Vivian couldn¡¯t help the sense of unease she felt in the pit of her stomach.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a week, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Elias asked, pulling Vivians attention back to the conversation. ¡°And they still don¡¯t have anything?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Ophelia said as she finished off her drink.

    ¡°Do you think it was a kidnapping?¡± Elias swirled his drink around in his cup.

    ¡°In Lake Ashton?¡± Vivian chimed in, giving a confused look to Elias. ¡°Yeah right, I couldn¡¯t see that happening.¡±

    ¡°But Penny just disappeared!¡± The man pushed back, waving hands in the air. ¡°Gone!¡±

    Vivian shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Maybe she ran away without telling anyone.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it was vampires.¡±

    Elias and Vivian both looked to Ophelia. The three are silent for a moment. ¡°Vampires? Like, as in Twilight?¡± Vivian asked.

    ¡°No, I was thinking more like True Blood.¡± Ophelia said with a grin.

    ¡°Bad joke.¡± Elias sucked in a breath as he said this, shaking his head.

    ¡°It was not!¡± Ophelia threw a napkin at Elias, the sheet barely making it to its target.

    Vivian laughed. ¡°I think True Blood vampires would be fun.¡±

    ¡°Of course you would.¡± Elias rolled his eyes as he took another sip from his drink.

    The black haired woman faked offense. ¡°Excuse me? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°You enjoy that kind of stuff, don¡¯t you? Reading steamy vampire books.¡± The man teased.

    ¡°They¡¯re not steamy, they¡¯re just romances.¡± Vivian defended herself, putting a hand to her chest. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t know the difference!¡±

    ¡°Why would he?¡± Ophelia asked, pointing to the blond haired man. ¡°Elias is useless when it comes to books.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I read!¡± Elias defended himself. ¡°I just don¡¯t read romance.¡±

    ¡°I need another drink.¡± Ophelia said, moving to stand from the table. ¡°Either of you want anything?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take another one!¡± Vivian held up her drink, only a few sips left.

    ¡°Me too!¡± Elias held up his drink too, about the same amount in his cup.

    ?

    It had been raining these past few days, but the sun finally decided to show itself on the day of the Halloween fair. All three of the friends had worked the morning and were off by the evening. With the fact that they all lived together, it was easy to get ready and leave for the fair at the same time. They walked in a group, the park in which the fair was being held not too far away from where they lived. It was nice living in a small town, Vivian had never really lived in a place like Lake Ashton, but she enjoyed it very much. Living in such a small town meant she didn¡¯t own a car, which didn¡¯t matter as she could walk anywhere she needed to.

    When they arrived at the fair close to five in the evening, it was in full swing. String lights were hung up and lit the entire area up, food carts and tables were tucked near the front of the park, and vendor stalls and fair games were scattered throughout. The park was too small for any rides, and the pass into town was a bit too tight and had too many curves for most trucks to work their way in.

    With it being the last day of October in Oregon, the sunlight was already starting to fade, but that didn''t affect the festivities. The three friends enjoyed themselves thoroughly, checking out all the different vendors and tasting different food from the food carts. Vivian and Elias tried their hands at some of the fair games, but neither won anything. Vivian got close to winning something at the dart game, but she didn¡¯t pop enough balloons to win anything. Elias almost won a goldfish, but he didn¡¯t get enough rings around the bottle tops.

    It was later in the night while the trio were walking through the fair that Vivian got that uneasy feeling again. She stopped, taking in her surroundings but didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary. When she turned back towards her friends, she slammed into something firm and cold. It took a moment for her to realize it was a person she had just run into.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Vivian said in a rush, backing away from the person.

    When she looked up, somewhat familiar brown eyes looked back at her underneath the hem of a black hoodie. ¡°No worries.¡± He said in that same velvety voice. It was him! The man from the cafe the other day! ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked, slight concern on his face.

    What was his name again? It started with a K, didn¡¯t it? ¡°Kit!¡± Vivian exclaimed as she remembered. He was just as beautiful as the last time she saw him, but his hair was loose this time, flowing down his shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re from the cafe!¡±

    ¡°You remember?¡± Kit asked, raising an eyebrow.

    Vivian blushed, mouth opening for a moment before words actually came to her. ¡°Uh, yeah! It was a unique name.¡±

    ¡°Vivian!¡± Ophelia''s voice rang out from behind her. ¡°Oh! Hello there.¡± She said, a grin appearing on her face as she adjusted her curly auburn hair. ¡°Who might this be?¡±

    ¡°Uh, this is Kit.¡± Vivian said, holding her hands up to him as if showing off a prize. ¡°He came to the cafe the other day.¡±

    ¡°Oh! I remember you. Just a black coffee, right?¡± Ophelia put an elbow on Vivians shoulder, crossing her ankles all nonchalant.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He replied, looking between the two women. ¡°I am sorry, I did not mean to interrupt your night.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s taking you guys so- oh, hello.¡± Elias said as he came to stand on the other side of Vivian, his words cutting off as he looked at Kit. ¡°Who is this?¡± He asked, a flirtatious tone in his voice.

    ¡°Kit.¡± Vivian said, again holding her hands up to the man.

    ¡°Off limits.¡± Ophelia said at the same time. ¡°You didn¡¯t interrupt anything.¡± She said before anyone could question her off limits comment. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to join us if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Vivian snapped her head to Ophelia, eyes wide. What are you doing? She asked with her gaze, shaking her head softly. It¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t want the man to join them, because honestly she wasn¡¯t against the idea of getting to know him better, but he was a complete stranger. All they knew was his name.

    ¡°Thank you for the offer,¡± Kit began, a hesitant smile on his face, ¡°but I cannot accept.¡±

    ¡°Boo.¡± Ophelia said with a fake pout.

    ¡°Ignore her.¡± Vivian said, pushing Ophelia off of her. ¡°I hope you enjoy your night, Kit.¡±

    ¡°You as well.¡± Kit replied before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

    There was still that feeling she knew him from someplace, but she couldn¡¯t place it. It had to be from a magazine or something.

 Chapter 2

    The gloves Vivian wore felt like they were sticking to her hands. It was a few days after the Halloween fair, and winter was slowly rolling in. There had been a dusting of snow when Vivian walked to work this morning, but it melted in the daylight. She stood in the back of the cafe, washing dishes in the large sink that was tucked away. Vivian hummed a song to herself, the end of her shift nearing. She was excited to head home and work on her graphic novel, the project sitting untouched for these last few days. It was a paranormal romance, of course, as that was her favorite genre, and she had been working on it since she finished college.

    "Hey Vivian-." Ophelia started as she walked over to the space where Vivian stood over the sink, but then there was a loud knock on the metal door which led out to the alleyway between this building and the next.

    The sound rattled Vivian, making her stomach drop. Suddenly everything around her started shifting and swaying, the black haired woman grabbing the sink in front of her to steady herself. She tried to blink the dizziness away, but it wasn''t working. She closed her eyes for a long moment, and when she opened them up, it was nighttime. Vivian stood outside in the alleyway, breath fogging the space in front of her face.

    Confusion radiated through her body, looking around and trying to remember how she got to the alley.

    "Vivian!" A voice called out, making her look around. It was then she saw the form running towards her, red curls bouncing with each movement. Penny. The black haired woman instantly began running towards the other, feeling a panic stir in her chest. "Vivian, run!"

    Behind Penny another form took shape, and fear shot through her veins when she saw red eyes looking back at her.

    "Vivian?"

    The woman blinked, and she was back in the kitchen. Whatever she had been holding slipped from her grasp and crashed down to the sink below. It broke with a loud sound, starling both Vivian and Ophelia. "Woah!" Ophelia said as she stepped towards Vivian, a hand pressing into her back as if to steady her. "Are you okay?"

    Vivian could feel the room spinning. "Uh I think. I need... I just need a minute."

    "Come here." Ophelia led her to a chair in the corner of the kitchen, sitting her down with gentle hands.

    "What''s going on back here?" A voice came from the door leading to the front of the shop.

    "Vivian had a dizzy spell or something." Ophelia says, both women watching as the owner of the cafe, Ophelia''s mom, walked into the kitchen.

    "Are you okay?" Ophelia''s mom repeated the younger woman''s question.

    "Yeah." Vivian breathed out, putting a hand to her head. "Like Ophelia said, I just had a bad dizzy spell."

    "Are you eating enough? You look skinny." The older woman said, coming to stand in front of her before kneeling. "Are you sleeping enough?"

    No. "Yes, yes I''m fine Mrs. Garcia." Vivian replied, sitting up in the chair. "I just felt a little dizzy. I missed breakfast this morning so it must be that." The lie came easily to her, trying to not let it out that she''s been missing breakfast for over a week now. She was barely eating, ever since Penny''s disappearance she hasn''t had much of an appetite. "I''ll be okay, I promise."

    "What''s all the commotion back here?" Another voice sounded, pulling Vivians attention to the teenager who just entered the kitchen. "Why is everyone back here?" Finn crossed his arms as he approached the group.

    "Vivian almost passed out." Ophelia said before Vivian could speak.

    "I did not almost pass out." Vivian cuts in, standing from her chair. The room tilted slightly and she sat back down immediately. "I just need a minute."

    "Why are you passing out?" Finn asks, clearly not amused with the adults in the room.

    "You could show some sympathy, you know?" Ophelia said, poking Finn, her brother, in the chest.

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    "It''s fine, I''m fine." Vivian tried to stand up, doing so slowly this time. When the room didn''t tilt, she felt confident. "Let me clean up the mess and we can all get back to work."

    "No." Mrs. Garcia said, shaking her head. "You''re going home for the day. Finn, you clean up the mess."

    "What? Why me?" Finn sounded as annoyed as he looked, gesturing towards Vivian. "She said she''s fine!"

    "Finn." Their mothers voice was firm, making everyone silent. "I''m asking you to do your job."

    "Yeah, fine." He mumbles, storming off towards the sink to clean up the broken dish.

    "You." Mrs. Garcia pointed to Vivian. "Go home, I will see you tomorrow."

    Vivian couldn''t fight with the boss, so she took her loss and got ready to head home. It was only four in the afternoon but the sun was beginning its descent from the sky. During her walk home, she got that uneasy feeling in her chest again and couldn''t help but feel like someone was watching her walk all the way home.

    ?

    Trees zipped by him as he ran through the forest. The sun had already set, but that wasn''t an obstacle for Kit. It was easy to move through the forest at night, especially when the moon was as full and bright as it was. It took him no time to reach his destination, the cobblestone estate standing tall in an opening of the forest, hidden away from the main roads that ran through the mountains of the Oregon coast. He slowed down to a walk as he approached the entrance, the huge wooden doors opening by themselves, allowing Kit to move easily into the estate.

    The place was lit with candle chandeliers and torches on the walls, tapestries hung on the walls and huge paintings greeting Kit as he walked through the hallways. It was a familiar walk for him, and once he reached the wooden doors he was looking for, he knocked and waited for a moment before entering.

    "Good evening Kit." The man inside the room spoke as he entered, papers in hand as he stood behind a huge wooden desk. "What news do you have for me?"

    "I killed three rabids on the way here." Kit said, moving to stand in front of the desk. "There has been more in these past few weeks."

    The man, Niccolo, looked up to Kit from his papers. "I''ve noticed. But we''ve been doing a good job keeping them from the humans."

    "There was that one girl." Kit offered, earning a glare from the man.

    "Yes, so far we''ve had one casualty. Hopefully there''s not more." The man set his papers down on the desk before sitting himself. "You and the others on patrol have been doing an excellent job."

    "But there are more rabids every night. I fear for the safety of Lake Ashton." Kit replied, earning another look from the man. "I know you fear for their safety too, Niccolo."

    "Of course I do." Niccolo said with a firm voice. "I care for all the towns and cities under my care. But Lake Ashton is the only one having a rabid problem."

    "Who do you think could be turning them?"

    Niccolo took a moment to think. "It could be a group of rogues trying to upset the balance."

    "They want to expose us to the humans?" Kit asked, crossing arms over his chest.

    "They want to stir up trouble and get me thrown out." Niccolo copied Kit''s motion, crossing arms over his chest as well. "I''ll have to have you do more patrols through the town."

    "More patrols?" Kit choked out. "I''m already out there all night."

    "You''ll be out there earlier in the evening, right before the sun goes down. You and the rest of the officers."

    Kit wanted to argue, wanted to tell Niccolo that the attacks only happen during night fall, but he bit his tongue. "Yes sir."

    "That is all, thank you." Niccolo waved Kit away as he went back to the papers on his desk.

    Kit left the room, knowing he had been dismissed. He had to think for a moment on his next move, given the information he just heard. Kit began winding through the halls until he found the person he was looking for. "Sebastian." The man said as he caught up to the other. "I have news."

    Sebastian, the officer he does most of his patrols with, stops and turns to look at Kit. "What?" The man asked with a harsh tone

    "We are being put on patrol earlier in the day."

    "What?" This time it was harsher. "We''re already out there all night. Niccolo wants us to go out during the afternoon?" The man turns and continues walking, Kit speeding to catch up.

    "A few hours before sundown, yes. It will be more complicated, we will not be able to travel the way we usually do." Kit replies, making sure to keep his stride the same as Sebastians. "There''s been more rabids out and we need to keep them from killing."

    "I know what my job is." Sebastian bit out, stopping again to look at Kit. "But being out there earlier is a risk."

    "I know it is." Kit said, taking in a breath to calm down the anger that was boiling up. Sebastian was a good partner, Kit knew he could rely on the other man, but he had too much of an attitude sometimes. "But we need to keep the rabids from killing anyone else."

    Sebastian let out a puff of air, putting hands on his hips. "Fine, what time are we going out tonight then?"

    "Be ready by four."

    ?

    Darkness had fallen over Lake Ashton, Kit having been out on patrol for a few hours now. Him and Sebastian were far apart from each other, two separate rabid sightings pulling them away from one another. Kit was near the boardwalk now, close to the local cafe. He knelt on a rooftop, crimson eyes watching the crowd below moving about. There was a surprising amount of people out, but then again they didn''t know about the dangers that lurked in the woods. It was his job to keep it that way.

    Watching the crowd, he recognized one familiar face. It was the woman from the cafe and the fair, the same one he saved a week ago. At her side was the blond man and auburn haired woman that he met at the fair. He wondered for a moment how she was doing, but then a tinge ran down his spine and he was moving, away from the boardwalk and towards the forest where a rabid awaited him.

 Chapter 3

    "No!" Vivian screamed, watching as the red-eyed creature tore into Penny''s neck. Blood spilt on the concrete, rolling towards her and painting the ground below her. She could feel the hot, wetness on her palms, the red crawling up her arms and covering her in the same red. "No!"

    Vivians eyes snapped open, sitting up in her bed as breath came in and out harshly. The dream was a haze in her brain as tears streamed down her face. Had she been crying? That was new. Wiping at her eyes, the woman moved to stand up, but froze. Standing in her doorway, toothbrush in mouth, was Ophelia.

    "You good?" Ophelia asked, holding her toothbrush in one hand.

    "Yeah." Vivian replied, wiping the tears that wouldn''t stop coming. "Just a nightmare."

    "You were screaming, Vivian." The other woman spoke, placing a hand on her hip. "That''s a little more than just a nightmare."

    Vivian waved her friend off as she stood from the bed. "I''m fine, really. You don''t need to worry about me."

    Ophelia blocks the doorway, not letting the black haired woman leave. "I always worry about you. This isn''t the first morning I''ve heard something coming from your bedroom."

    Vivian felt her cheeks grow hot. "They''re just nightmares, Ophelia. Really it''s nothing."

    Ophelia didn''t move. She stayed right where she stood, hand on hip and toothpaste covering her mouth. "Am I going to have to force you to talk to me?"

    A groan escaped Vivian as she turned to go back into her bedroom. "Rinse your mouth out and I''ll tell you about them."

    "Be right back!" Ophelia got out quickly, moving from the doorway and presumably back to her own bedroom.

    It was only a few moments later that both Ophelia and Vivian sat on her bed. There was a heavy silence as Ophelia waited for Vivian to speak. The black haired woman played with the necklace that sat at the base of her neck while she thought of how to begin. "I''ve been having nightmares about Penny''s death."

    "Penny?" Ophelia echoed the name, sitting up a little more. "She went missing though."

    "I know." Vivian slouched as she spoke, holding a pillow in her lap. "But ever since she went missing, I''ve been seeing it."

    "What do you see?"

    Vivian explains her dreams, of how she''s in the alley by the cafe, how there''s a force holding her down and a red-eyed creature tearing into Penny''s neck. She felt strange finally confessing her nightmares, feeling like she sounds crazy for having them in the first place. When she finished, they both sat there in silence for a moment, as if Ophelia was taking in all the information.

    "That sounds horrifying." Ophelia finally said, letting out a breath. "I can see why you were screaming."

    Vivian nods. "It is horrifying." An uneasiness settled in her stomach, having to talk about her nightmares aloud made them feel more real. "I can''t explain them either."

    "Do you remember closing that night?" Ophelia asked, playing with her fingers.

    "Yeah." The night was a little foggy in her mind, but she remembered closing the cafe and walking home that night. She made Penny take the trash out on her way home, and then she finished her closing tasks inside before heading out herself. Vivian doesn''t remember hearing anything or seeing anything strange. "I had to give a report to the police since I was the last person who saw her."

    "That must have been fun." There was a clear tone of sarcasm in her words, which made Vivian laugh lightly. "Thank you for opening up to me."

    "Thank you for making me." Vivian replies with a smile, feeling a little lighter after having the conversation with her friend. "Don''t you have work this morning?"

    Ophelia stood up from the bed. "Yes I do, I need to finish getting ready!"

    Vivian was left alone in her bedroom, the black haired woman playing with the pendant of her necklace before finally getting out of bed. She did her morning routine, going on a jog before coming home and taking a shower. Vivian decided it was a good time to work on her graphic novel, given she didn''t have to be at the cafe until later that afternoon. It was going to be her first closing shift since Penny''s disappearance. Vivian usually does closing shifts, but after Penny went missing, she became fearful of the night and hadn''t been scheduled for a closing shift since.

    Her day went by smoothly, Vivian getting a couple more chapters drawn out before she had to start getting ready for work. When two o''clock rolled around, the black haired woman was clocked into the cafe. Time flew by and before she knew it she was alone in the cafe, doing her closing tasks. When it came time to take the garbage out, Vivian hesitated. Dread ran through her veins as she looked at the metal door leading to the alleyway beyond. Her nightmares played over in her head, and she couldn''t move.

    Taking in a deep breath, Vivian forced herself to move, one step and then another towards the door. She used an elbow to open it, and the cool November air instantly hit her. She was able to get the trash to the dumpster with no problem, and went back inside to finish her job. It was around nine at night when she finally left the cafe, locking it up and exiting through the alleyway door. There was that uneasiness in her stomach as she walked through the alley, beginning her trek home.

    The feeling never left her as she moved through the streets, the clouds above blocking out the moonlight and making it feel just a little darker than usual. That only added to the uneasiness she felt in her stomach. Vivian kept her steps quick so as to make it home sooner rather than later.

    As she passed by another alley, something in her brain screamed danger and she quickend her feet. Only, hands came out from the alleyway and grabbed her, throwing her deep into the alley. Vivian barely had any time to recover before whatever grabbed her was over her, hands pressing her down into the concrete. When she looked up at her attacker, she felt her blood run cold when piercing red eyes looked back down at her. A scream was trapped in her throat as her nightmares flashed across her eyes, the red-eyed creature ripping Penny apart.

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    The creature above her snarled, showing long, sharp fangs protruding from their mouth, dripping with red. Vivian did not want to assume what that was. She tried to scramble away from the red-eyed creature, but it followed her and pinned her to the ground with their hands. What felt like claws dug into her shoulders, making her gasp loudly as pain shot through her.

    Vivian lifted her hands and pressed them against the creature''s chest, stopping their descent. She watched with a horrified expression as the creature snapped its jaw, almost like some type of rabid animal. She could feel what she could only assume was blood drip on her face, warm and wet. She wanted to wipe it off, but it was impossible with her hands already keeping the red-eyed creature from descending on her.

    Then the creature was gone, no longer holding her down. Vivian sat up, feeling the pain lingering in her shoulders. What she saw made her freeze. There was another figure in the alleyway now, holding the red-eyed creature by its neck. Her skin crawled as hazel eyes couldn''t pull away from the image in front of her. The creature thrashed around, clawing at the figure that held them. Vivian flinched, the absolute rage that came from the creature startling. She felt like she was back in a nightmare, the alleyway and the red-eyed creature, but it wasn''t a nightmare. This was real. It was all actually happening, and the sting in her shoulders confirmed that.

    The figure moved quickly, Vivian not catching what just happened. She watches as the body of the creature falls to the ground, followed by their head. Vivian felt her stomach lurch as she looked at the decapitated creature. Then she looked up, right into another pair of red eyes.

    Vivian scrambled to stand and run, having trouble as her body felt heavy. She turned and ran in the opposite direction of the figure, but in seconds he was standing in front of her, blocking her path. Stopping, panic moved through her like a storm, her fingers tingling and chest tight.

    "Please, do not run." The man said, his voice pulling at something in her mind.

    Vivian spun on her heel and turned back the way she came, launching herself into a sprint. She passed the body on the ground, trying not to notice how it seemed to glow faintly. But when she reached the other end of the alleyway, the figure was there again, blocking her path.

    "What do you want?" Vivian yelled, feeling both panicked and frustrated by this force opposing her.

    "I need you to calm down." The man said, his face covered by the shadow created by his hoodie. "I will not hurt you." Why did his voice sound so familiar?

    His words didn''t make her panic any less. "Y-You just killed someone!"

    "I just saved your life."

    Vivian stared at the man, unsure of how to process his words. Saved her life? Was that what the man had done? She had watched him rip the red-eyed creature''s head off like it was nothing, and that terrified Vivian, it made her distrust the man. Yet, he seemed so calm, almost like he understood what was going on better than she did."What was that thing?"

    "It does not matter." The man replied, taking a step towards her.

    She immediately took a step back. "The hell do you mean it doesn''t matter? What was that?"

    "You need to calm down." He repeated himself, his words making the panic in her chest explode.

    The woman turned once again and ran, wanting nothing more than to escape the situation she was in. Only a hand grabbed her arm, stopping her movements almost immediately. When she turned to look at the man, she could see under his hood, looking right into a pair of deep red eyes, almost crimson. They made her skin crawl as she stared up at the man and holy shit, she recognized that face. It was Kit, the ungodly attractive man from the cafe and the fair, but he had brown eyes at the time, why were they red now? It reminded her of her nightmares, of the red-eyed creatures killing Penny. "Let me go!" Vivian yelled, trying to pry her arm from his firm grasp.

    "Calm down." Kit spoke in a tone that made Vivian freeze, compelling her panic to subide as a strange calm took her over. "I am sorry."

    "What?" Vivian asked, unable to think past a fog that crept upon her brain.

    "You will forget about everything tonight." Kit said in the same, strange tone. She felt her skin buzz, breath picking up from the slow it had set on. There was a flash of white light, so blinding that Vivian snapped her eyes closed. Her ears began to ring so loudly she tried covering them with her hands.

    When the light began to fade and the ringing died down, Vivian hesitantly opened her eyes to see what was above her. And what was above her was the red-eyed man looking down at her with complete shock.

    "What did you do?" Vivian asked, taking her hands away from her ears. "What was that?"

    "Sleep." Kit spoke in that tone that made her insides churn. Tiredness hit her like a truck, causing her eyes to droop and breath to deepen.

    "W-Wait..." Vivian tried to speak, but sleep overtook her and she collapsed, the man catching her before her body hit the ground. Almost no time passed between that and Vivian passing out.

    ?

    The woman fell limp into his arms, panic swelling behind his chest. It did not work. Kit knelt there frozen, the black haired woman sleeping peacefully in his grasp. Why did it not work? The man wracked his brain for an answer, but nothing came to him. It just didn''t work. The mind wipe should have worked. It always did. So what happened?

    Kit looked down to the woman in his arms. What did he do now? There was only one place he could think to take her.

    "Viktor!" The man called out as he shoved open a set of glass doors. He stepped into the living room, the woman still in his grasp. The panic still swelled in his chest as his mind raced. "Viktor!"

    "Why are you yelling in my house?" A voice says from his right, the man turning to watch as the person he was looking for walk into the room. Their eyes went wide and movement stopped when they finally looked at Kit. "Why do you have a human?" Their words were slow as they spoke.

    "I need your help." Kit said, walking further into the apartment. "Please, Viktor."

    "Why do you have a human?" Viktor repeated themself, standing perfectly still with a teacup in one hand and a silk bathrobe tied around their body.

    "She was attacked by a rabid, but that is not the point." Kit moved to set the woman down on one of the couches. He made sure to be gentle as he took his arms away from her, cradling her head until it touched the pillow. "She resisted a mindwipe."

    Kit watched as Viktor moved from where they stood, rounding the couch and coming to stand beside him. "Resisted a mindwipe?" They sounded just as shocked as Kit felt. "That''s quite strange."

    The man turned towards the other. "What should I do with her?"

    "Bring her to Niccolo." Viktor said, nonchalantly taking a sip of their tea. "He''s the one in charge of such matters."

    Kit felt himself tense up at that answer, crossing arms over his body. "Can you try to do a mindwipe?"

    Viktor sat down on one of the other couches, setting their tea town on the coffee table in the middle of all the couches. "I am not getting involved."

    "What? Why not?" Kit moved around the couches to stand in front of Viktor. The panic he felt earlier was coming back to him. "I cannot bring her to Niccolo."

    Viktor sat up in their seat. "What do you mean you cannot bring her to Niccolo?"

    "Why are you not getting involved?" Kit countered.

    The other huffed out a breath before speaking. "The last time I got involved in Niccolo''s business, I got my ear chewed out. I won''t get involved in anything until he tells me to." They sat back in their seat, crossing their arms over their chest. "You will just have to go to the estate."

    Kit clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling the panic deepen. "What will he do with her?"

    "I''m sure nothing terrible."

 Chapter 4

    Vivian felt sore all over. Her head throbbed as she came too, feeling dizzy. There were a couple things she noticed as she gained consciousness slowly. First thing was that she wasn''t in her bed. Vivian could feel that she was sitting up, legs down and feet touching the ground. Second, there was no blanket on her and the air was rather cold, which is the opposite of her bedroom. When she began opening her eyes, images formed of surroundings that weren''t familiar to her. It made her heart race as she slammed awake, taking in a deep breath and eyes focusing.

    She was in some type of office, a large wooden desk sat in front of her with a leather chair behind it. There was a huge window looking out to moonlit gardens below, deep red curtains tied up on the sides. Vivian sat on a couch of leather, the fabric cool against her jeans. When she turned her head she noticed a figure standing in the corner, and immediately sprung up from the couch.

    "Stop." A voice said, deep and rich. Vivian froze mid lunge, feeling a panic swell in her body as it didn''t listen to her. "Sit back down." The voice spoke again, and Vivian again followed like they were commands. She sank back down into the couch, heart racing and hands shaking.

    Vivian looked over to the figure again, this time actually taking them in. It was an unfamiliar man wearing a deep red suit, brown hair slicked back, and red eyes watching her. She felt her insides turn as she looked at him. "What''s going on?"

    "That''s what I would like to know." He said, moving from where he leaned against a bookcase. "You''re resisting a mindwipe I hear."

    The woman sat there, dumbfounded and panicked all at once. "A what?" Vivian went to stand up again

    "Sit down and stop moving." The man said as he stood in front of her, and the tone made her insides shiver. Vivian obeyed, feeling tears well in her eyes as she lost control of her body. "I want to know why you''re resisting a mindwipe."

    Vivian stared at the man standing in front of her, unsure of what was going on and what she should do. Who was this man? Where was she? Could she be in another nightmare? That had to be it. This had to be a nightmare, and all she needed to do was wake up. She closed her eyes and willed herself to wake up, but when she opened her eyes again, the red-eyed man was still looking down at her. "This is real." She said, less a question and more a statement.

    "Yes, it is." The man replied, crossing arms over his chest. "But you''re not going to remember any of this, so it''s not like it matters."

    "Are you going to try or not, Niccolo?" A familiar voice spoke, pulling Vivian''s attention to the other side of the room. There, leaned against a bookshelf, was Kit, just as beautiful as before. Vivian felt her skin crawl as she remembered the way ripped off that creature''s head. She felt sick to her stomach.

    "I will, just calm down." Niccolo said, waving the other man off. "I want to get to know her a little before wiping her."

    "What are you talking about?" Vivian managed to get out, looking between the two. "Where am I?"

    Niccolo uncrossed his arms and leaned against the desk. "You are in my home. And you have stumbled into a world that is not your own."

    "I-I don''t understand." Vivian shakes her head, looking at the brown haired man.

    "That''s fine, you''re not meant to understand." Niccolo replied, pushing off the desk and moving towards her. "But I would like to understand why you''re resisting a mindwipe. It''s not like Kit is weak or unable to properly perform it. So it has to be you."

    Vivian just shook her head, unable to understand what was going on and how she was involved in any of it. The two red-eyed men didn''t seem hostile, but they were able to control her with just their words. That was something she could not explain, or even begin to understand. Even though Niccolo had confirmed this was real, she still felt like she was in a dream. A nightmare.

    "Are you human?" Niccolo asked, moving a chair to sit in front of her.

    "What kind of question is that?" Vivian replied, feeling like she was going crazy if this wasn''t a dream.

    "Answer the question." The brown haired man used that tone that made her feel helpless.

    "Yes, I am." She responded, the words coming out of her mouth before she could even think about it.

    "Are you aware of what we are?"

    "No." Vivian answered, looking between the two red-eyed men. "Are you demons?"

    "Something like that." Kit said from the other side of the room, pulling Vivians eyes to him. Niccolo also looked over to Kit, giving him a harsh look. "No, we are not demons."

    "I''m the one asking the questions." Niccolo said, pulling attention back to him. "How were you able to resist the mindwipe?"

    "I don''t even know what a mindwipe is." Vivian replied, shaking her head.

    "Answer the question." He said, using that tone.

    "I don''t know!" She yelled, feeling frustrated.

    The man across from her just looked at her for a moment, as if he was thinking. "Do you have any questions, Kit?" Niccolo finally said.

    Kit shook his head, black hair slipping down his shoulder. "No, I do not."

    Niccolo stood up from his chair, Vivians eyes following the motion. "Then we shall proceed." Moving the chair back to where he grabbed it from, the brown haired man then stood in front of Vivian. "You will not remember tonight. You went home after work and carried on about your day as you usually would." Niccolo spoke, the commanding tone of his voice making Vivian feel hazy.

    At that moment, the room began to glow with a faint white light that intensified as the seconds passed. Vivian felt her skin buzzing, closing her eyes as that same white light from earlier took over the space and blinded her. There was a loud sound, almost like an explosion that rattled against Vivians ears, causing them to begin ringing. It was like the alleyway all over again, only so much more intense.

    When the light began to fade, Vivian opened her eyes to a surprising sight. The room looked like a tornado had passed through, books and other various items scattered around the place. Confusion was the first thing she felt, eyes focusing on the two men who were once standing, now collapsed on the floor like some force had knocked them down. The next thing she felt was panic, working its way into her chest and stomach as the two men stared at her with bewildered expressions.

    "By the stars..." Niccolo whispered as he pushed himself up. "I''ve never seen someone resist a mindwipe like that."

    Kit stayed on the floor for a moment, looking right at Vivian. She looked between the two before looking down at herself, noticing the way her skin glowed with a faint white light, tiny wisps curling up from her skin. It was like a white fire engulfed her body, but there was no pain or heat. Vivian just felt dizzy, the ringing in her ears subsiding and the force holding her down dissipating. Once she noticed that, she stood from the chair she was trapped in, and instantly regretted it. The whole room tilted one way while her body went the other, reaching out for the chair and falling right back into it.

    "You probably shouldn''t move for a little." Niccolo spoke, beginning to pick up some of the papers that flew off his desk. "Your body is definitely going to be feeling weak after that."

    Kit, who now stood, couldn''t take his eyes off Vivian. "Was that...?"

    "Aether, yes." Niccolo answered as Kit''s question faded.

    "Why would she...?" Kit began, but his question faded again.

    Niccolo seemed like he knew what the other was about to say. "I don''t know Kit, but we''re going to figure that out. Bring her to Viktor."

    "Viktor?" Kit finally looked away from Vivian and to the other man in the room. "You want to involve Viktor in this?"

    Nodding, the brown haired man rounded the desk and set a stack of papers atop it. "They might have more knowledge in this than I do. Have them run tests, find out what she is."

    "What I am? I thought we established that I''m a human." Unlike you two. Vivian held back the last part, still unsure if she was dreaming or maybe even hallucinating. "Plus, why would I go anywhere with you two?"

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    "You don''t have a choice dear." Niccolo said, meeting her eyes. His expression was serious, making dread fill Vivian like a reservoir. "You''re lucky I''m not keeping you here to find out what you are. But we don''t need more missing people in Lake Ashton."

    Vivian felt a pang of fear run through her at the thought of being trapped here, in this unknown place. "So you''re letting me go home?"

    "For now. Kit will be keeping an eye on you." The brown haired man sat down in his chair, not bothering to look at either of them as he spoke.

    "Are you going to make me babysit her?" Kit argued, seeming like he was definitely not happy with the turn of events. "What about my patrols?"

    "You''ll still go on your patrols and watch after her." Niccolo continued to sort the items on his desk. "She''s clearly not human, and I want to find out what she is and why she''s resisting mindwipes. If that means having you watch over her and getting Viktor involved, then so be it."

    It looked like Kit wanted to say something else, but he held back. There was a moment of silence, and Niccolo stopped to meet Kit''s gaze. Vivian quietly watched the interaction. "Fine." Kit finally said, moving towards Vivian. "Come on, we need to get you home." Vivian watched as the man extended a hang towards her.

    She just shook her head, black hair swishing across her back. "I''m not going anywhere with you."

    Kit didn''t even flinch, just stood there with his hand extended. "Would you rather stay here."

    "I don''t like either of those options." Vivian responded, unmoving from the couch she sat upon. "Is there a third option where I wake up?"

    While Kit stood silently at her question, Niccolo let out a sigh. "This isn''t a dream my dear. You''re not going to wake up."

    "You''re lying." She accused, her mind unable to process that any of this could possibly be real. Not the man standing in front of her offering his hand, or the man behind the desk, and especially the creature that attacked her and was killed by Kit. None of this could be real.

    "I can assure you I''m not." Niccolo responded, looking up to meet her eyes. "You should go with Kit, unless you want to stay here."

    "No." Vivian said quickly, ignoring the hand being offered to her and standing up on her own. "I want to go home."

    Niccolo gestured towards the door. "Then go."

    The woman turned and walked towards the door, still hoping Niccolo was lying and she would wake up from this horrible nightmare.

    ?

    To say this was the most awkward she had ever felt wouldn''t be a stretch. Vivian sat uncomfortably inside Kit''s car as he drove down the highway. They were somewhere in the mountain pass, the road dark and full of curves that threw her body side to side. It had been silent since they entered the car. Vivian didn''t know what to say or how to feel. She couldn''t help but think about how she watched this man murder someone, and now she was in the same car as him. It made her shiver.

    Her mind did eventually shift to other things, like what was going to happen to her. Sure, this man is taking her home, but Niccolo mentioned something about bringing her to Viktor. She would have to interact with this man again and some other random person. Vivian thought about how she''s been having dreams about red-eyed creatures and now she''s in a car with one. Those could be contacts, but why would both Kit and Niccolo be wearing them? She remembered when she first met Kit, he had brown eyes, but now they were red. Which were the contacts? Vivian glanced over to Kit, taking in his silhouette. It seemed strange to her how calm he was.

    "Do you have any questions?" Kit broke the silence, making Vivian jump in her seat.

    The woman scoffed, looking away from him and to the trees zipping by outside. "Of course I do." She responded, crossing arms over her chest. "I just... I don''t know where to start."

    "That is understandable." The black haired man said in an even voice. "If you figure it out, I will answer what I can."

    Vivian turned to look at him again, watching as he kept his eyes on the road. It was too dark to really make out his face, but she still tried to make out his features. There were too many questions bouncing around in her head, making it hard to pick out any particular one. "What... what was that thing you killed?"

    Kit didn''t respond immediately, his fingers gripping the steering wheel. "It was a rabid." He said, keeping his response short.

    The woman just looked at him for a moment. "What the hell is a rabid? Like a rabid animal?"

    "Kind of." He spared her a quick glance, his silhouette shifting. "It was a rabid vampire."

    Vivian stared at Kit, his words swirling around in her head. She took in a breath, as if to speak, before releasing it. "You''re joking."

    Kit is silent. He kept his eyes on the road as Vivian started to feel the panic coil around her insides. "The creature that attacked you was a rabid vampire." He finally said, filling the silence.

    "So what, vampires are real? What''s next, werewolves? Mermaids?" Vivian questioned, sitting back in her seat.

    Again, Kit is silent, but this time he looks over at her, holding her gaze. "Would you believe me if I said yes?"

    Vivian just looked at Kit, even after his eyes moved back to the road, her eyes stayed on the man. His words rattled around her mind, not processing as everything began to tilt. What felt like a headache came on strong and sudden. It made her close her eyes and rub her temples. "Are you guys on drugs? Is that what''s happening?"

    "No." Kit replied quickly. "No one is on drugs, I am telling you the truth."

    "You expect me to believe those things are real?" Vivian fought, feeling like she was going insane. "Are you out of your mind?"

    "I do not expect you to believe me." Kit said, giving her a quick glance. "It is not something easily believed. But I promise I am not lying to you."

    Vivian didn''t reply, she just kept staring at him. "So... what are you?"

    She watched as the man tensed. "Are you sure you want to know?" He asked, something shifting in his tone.

    "You''re not human? Those aren''t contacts you''re wearing?" She asked, still refusing to believe anything this man said.

    "No, I am not human, and no, these are not contacts. I was wearing contacts before."

    Before. Did he mean at the cafe and the fair? She definitely remembers him having brown eyes those two times they met. "What are you?"

    Kit looked over to her again, holding her gaze. "I am a vampire."

    Vivian''s brain didn''t process his words. It was like they went in one ear and then out the other. "What?" She asked, blinking a few times as she watched the man look back to the road.

    "A vampire."

    "No you''re not." Vivian accused, feeling angry. It was almost like this man was messing with her. "That''s not- that''s not possible." She watched the man as he drove, his grip on the steering wheel tighter than before. "You''re lying to me."

    "I am not."

    "Prove it." She dared.

    "No." Kit almost seemed offended by her dare. "I am not going to prove that I am a vampire to you."

    "Because you''re not."

    "Because I do not want to scare you."

    Vivian laughed at that. "You think you''ll scare me?"

    "I know I will."

    What felt like a weight dropped in Vivian''s stomach, making her feel sick. Kit seemed so serious about this, and it made her stop and think for a moment. What if he wasn''t lying? What if she wasn''t dreaming? It all seemed so impossible, but so does someone controlling you with their words. She continued to watch him, the car filling with silence. "I want you to prove it."

    Kit let out a sigh, clearly annoyed. But at the next pull off, the man turned the car into the dirt and stopped. The only lights around for miles were the headlights of the car. Vivian looked out the window at the sprawling forest outside, the moon hidden behind thick clouds that threatened to drop snow on them. She almost instantly regretted asking, feeling more trapped than before. Vivian turned and stared straight out the windshield, not looking over to the man besides her. "Are you sure about this?" He asked.

    Vivian looked over at him, unable to make his expression out in the dark. She watched with stilled breath as he reached up for the lights inside the car and flicked them on. It blinded her for a moment, making her blink away the blurriness as the man came into focus. She looked at him, still taken aback for a moment by his beauty. The illusion quickly faded as she looked into deep crimson colored eyes. This person was claiming to be a vampire, she shouldn''t be swooning over him. He''s literally crazy.

    "I am." Vivian finally responded, realizing that his words were a question for her.

    Kit took in another breath, closing his eyes. When he opened them back up, the white was completely gone, filled in with a deep black. It startled Vivian, making her lean away in her seat. But then he opened his mouth, and Vivian watched as teeth grew to long, sharp fangs. Just like the creature that attacked her. Just like the creature she saw in her dreams.

    Not even a second later, Vivian threw the door open and ran.

    The cold air bit into her skin as she rushed towards the forest, unsure of where to go or what to do in this situation. She had no idea where she was or how far Lake Ashton was, she wasn''t even sure what time it was. All she knew was that she had to escape.

    The forest swallowed her as she heard Kit''s door open, but he was too late. Or, at least she thought he was, until a hand gripped her wrist and stopped her movements. "I knew you would run off." Kit''s voice says behind her.

    "Let go of me!" Vivian yelled, using her free hand to pry off his. It didn''t work, as his grasp was firm. "I believe you, okay? Just let me go!"

    "You want me to leave you in the middle of the forest, hours away from any civilization? In November?" He asked, almost as if she was the crazy one.

    Vivian still tried to pull her wrist from the man. "What do you care?" She said, looking up to the man holding her in place. "You''re a fucking vampire apparently!"

    "That does not mean I am heartless." Kit said, using his free hand to grab her other wrist. "Just stop fighting me for a moment and think."

    "About what? The fact you''re a vampire?" Vivian struggled against his grasp.

    "About the fact that I have yet to harm you."

    "Doesn''t mean you won''t!" She fought, unable to pull her wrists free. It wasn''t like he was hurting her, but it was frustrating being so easily captured.

    Kit looked at her for a moment, his eyes shifting between the two of hers. "Tell me your name."

    Vivian stopped completely at the question, confusion taking over the panic. "My name?"

    "You have yet to tell me your name." He said, his voice calm and even.

    She just stared at him, the clouds clearing for just a breath, allowing her to see him fully in the moonlight. His eyes were back to normal, besides the red irises. "Why do you want to know my name?"

    "You know mine, do you not?" Kit asked, and she realized she did. She knew his and the other man''s name, but neither of them ever asked for hers. "Is it not fair that I know yours too?"

    Vivian was frozen, her wrists still being held by Kit. "Vivian." She finally said, unable to think of a reason why she shouldn''t give the man her name.

    "Vivian?" Kit repeated, and there was something about the way he spoke her name that made her stomach flutter. "That is a lovely name."

    "You''re really not going to try to kill me?" She asked, her voice almost as small as she felt in that moment.

    Kit shook his head. "No, Vivian. My plan is to keep you alive."

    Vivian looked to her hands trapped by his, skin cold against hers. "How can I trust you?"

    Again, the man shook his head. "I do not know, that is up to you." With that, he released her hands. Her immediate thought was to run, but he might just catch her again. "Are you ready to go home now?"

    Vivian looked the way that she had come from, the car''s lights in the distance. Letting out a breath, she moved towards the vehicle. "Yeah, I''m ready."

 Chapter 5

    After they had gotten back in the car, silence took over. The air was tense. Vivian didn''t know what to say or think. She couldn''t explain what happened back there, but her mind cried for her to not believe the man. There was no way any of this was real. If it was, that would mean she is sitting in the car with a vampire. A fucking vampire. And there was no way that was real.

    Although, if this was a dream, it wouldn''t be playing out the way it was. For more than these past two weeks, she''s been having the same dream. Night after night she dreamt of Penny and her death. Why would it change so suddenly, and why to this? She looked away from the window she had been staring out and over to the man driving the car. The vampire.

    "So you''re really a vampire?" Vivian asked suddenly, unable to think of a better way to breach the subject.

    Kit didn''t respond immediately. He took a moment, as if to think. "Yes I am."

    "So you drink blood?" The question spilled out of her. That was the only thing she could think about. Drinking blood was a known thing that vampires did, from all the shows, books, and movies she''s consumed in her life. It was common knowledge.

    Again, the man, the vampire, did not respond immediately. "Yes." The answer finally came out, sounding like he was having a hard time admitting to it. "But it is not how you are imagining it."

    "And how am I imagining it?" There was a bite to her tone.

    Kit swallowed. "Vampires stalking humans like prey."

    It was Vivian''s turn to be silent for a moment. She still wasn''t sure if she believed the man or not. She didn''t know if she could trust him. "So what is it actually like then?"

    "Blood is donated." Kit replied, looking over at her. "It is not taken without consent."

    Vivian matched his gaze, looking into crimson eyes. She came up with her next question, remembering what he said earlier. "What is a rabid vampire?"

    Kit takes a moment to answer, looking back to the road. "It is a vampire that has lost all its humanity and only knows the desire for blood. It happens when a newborn vampire does not drink blood within a certain time frame of being turned."

    A shiver went down her back. She thinks about her dreams, about how she keeps seeing Penny''s death. "Did someone in town get killed by a rabid vampire?"

    "Yes." He responded, letting out a breath. "That was the first time I saved you."

    "What?" Vivian shoved her body back. "Isn''t tonight the first time?"

    "No, the first time was over two weeks ago."

    Her mind tried to process the words he was saying. "Over two weeks ago?" She found herself repeating his words.

    "You would not remember. I... took your memories of that night." He admitted, voice tight.

    "You, what?" She snapped, feeling confusion and anger mix. "You took my memories? What does that even mean?"

    Kit shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I have the ability to erase memories, rewrite them. All vampires do."

    "Why did you take my memories?"

    Kit looked at her quickly. "Would you rather remember seeing what happened that night?"

    "I don''t know, but I do think it''s my right to choose whether to remember something or not."

    The man- vampire, let out a breath. "You are probably right, but I did what I had to in order to keep you from becoming aware of vampires."

    "So why do you not care now?"

    "It is not that we do not care, but rather the fact you resisted us taking away your memories, and exploding with aether while doing so." Kit said like he was defending himself.

    "Exploding with what?" Vivian tilted her head, catching his words.

    "Aether." Kit lifted a hand and made a gesture. "Think of it like magic."

    "You can perform magic?"

    "No- I mean yes, in a sense." Again, Kit made a gesture with his hand before bringing it back to the steering wheel. "But aether is more than just magic."

    "So what is it?"

    Kit took a moment to think. "Life force. Energy." He finally answered. "And I have the ability to interact with it."

    It was Vivian''s turn to be silent and think. She was trying to take in everything the man- vampire was saying. Vivian still wasn''t sure if she believed that he was a vampire. Taking one of her hands, she pinches herself. Vivian jumped at the flare of pain that ran up and down her arm. She then looked at her hands, and counted five fingers on each. Nothing was pointing towards this being a dream, besides the insanity of it all.

    Vivian looked up to Kit, and thought about what it meant if he was a vampire. That it might mean other supernatural creatures actually exist too. That is what he said. What if he wasn''t lying to her? Then how the hell did she end up in this mess?

    "What happened that night?" Vivian broke the silence that fell over the car.

    "The night the girl died?"

    Vivian nodded, but realized that he wouldn''t be able to see. "Yes."

    Kit''s fingers moved over the steering wheel. "By the time I got there, the rabid had already killed her. It was coming for you, so I stepped in and fought the rabid off. I... I killed it, and then turned to you. You were frozen on the ground. I took your memories before you could even move and sent you home."

    At the same time that he spoke, the memory flashed right before her eyes. Just like in her dream, she went outside to check on Penny after hearing a scream. She found her in the alleyway with a red-eyed creature over her, blood dripping from its face and blood spilt all over the concrete. Vivian froze, dropping to the ground in her shock. The thing lunged at her, and before it could reach her, something intervened. It all happened so quickly, Vivian didn''t have a chance to react. She just sat there, unable to move. Staring at Penny as she bled out. And then another red-eyed figure stood before her, and demanded she forget.

    "It was you." Vivian murmured, feeling the shock of her situation. Of who she was in the car with. It made her shiver. Kit nodded, Vivian saw from the corner of her eye. She looked over to him, the shock making it hard to think. "I knew I saw you somewhere before meeting you at the cafe."

    "You were never meant to see that, Vivian." Kit rushed out.

    "So you took it away?" Vivian asked, feeling faint and dizzy. "You made me forget."

    "I had to." His voice was hushed.

    Vivian pressed her face into her hands. This was all too much. If this was real, if she really had been there the night Penny died, then her dreams would make sense. Whatever was trying to repress her memories failed to do so when she slept, memories slipping into her dreams. "It didn''t work."

    "What?" It was Kit''s turn to be confused. "What did not work?"

    "The first mindwipe." Vivian said, catching the vampire''s eyes. "It didn''t work. I started having dreams about that night. For these past couple of weeks I''ve been having the same dream."

    Kit looked at her dumbfounded before turning back to the road. "You have been having dreams about that night? How?"

    "That''s what I''d like to know."

    Silence fell over the car, Kit tapping fingers on the steering wheel as Vivian watched him. "We will get this all figured out Vivian, I promise."

    Vivian didn''t respond, letting the silence take over once again. Looking out her window, she realized she knew where she was. "We''re almost back." Vivian said, less of a question and more of a statement. She sat up in her seat, watching as Kit took the turn onto the main road. It winded through the forest, the trees thinning out as they got closer to town. The road curved, and to one side Lake Ashton was visible. Vivian had no idea what time it was, but by the amount of buildings that were completely dark, she assumed it was late.

    Streetlights lined the road, illuminating the inside of the car with each passing of one. Vivian snuck glances over to the man, but neither said anything. She was slightly surprised when the man started heading to her neighborhood and even more surprised when he pulled in front of the house. "How do you know where I live?"

    "The night the girl was attacked and I took your memory, I made sure you arrived home safely." Kit responded, putting the car into park. "This is your home, correct?"

    "Yeah, it is." Vivian unbuckled herself from the seat and reached for the door. The cold air from outside swept into the car as she opened the it, making the black haired woman shiver. Before she stepped out, she remembered something. "Do you have my phone?" She asked, turning to Kit. "I haven''t seen it since..."

    Kit reached into his pocket and handed her the phone. "You dropped it back in the alley. I figured you would want it back."

    Vivian took the phone from his hands and unlocked it, seeing there were no missed calls or text messages. That kind of surprised her, she thought that Ophelia and Elias would have tried to reach her when she didn''t make it home on time. Maybe they went to sleep and didn''t even notice she was missing. Vivian was surprised by the hurt she felt in her stomach. She was basically kidnapped and her friends didn''t notice.

    Pushing the thought from her mind, Vivian exited the car and went to close the door before pausing. "Will I see you again?" She asked, looking back at the vampire as he sat in the car. She wasn''t sure why she was asking, but she had to know.

    "I will be around." Kit responded, meeting her gaze. "If you need saving again, I will be sure to be there."

    Vivian nodded, standing up straight and closing the door. She took a step back from the car and watched as Kit drove off. The woman stood there for a moment, looking at the spot the vampire''s car just was. Vampire. Letting out a huff of breath, Vivian decided after this whole event, she really needed some sleep.

    ?

    A week had passed since she last saw Kit. A whole week, and she hadn''t seen the man once. Vivian tried to go about her life like nothing had happened. Neither of her friends had noticed she went missing that night, so neither of them asked any questions. She simply went to work the next day, and the day after that, until a week had passed. Vivian was beginning to think everything she witnessed was just a dream. There was no way vampires existed, and there''s no way she met one. It was all a strange, super realistic dream.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Only, ever since that night, her nightmares had stopped. She no longer dreamed of Penny being killed by that red-eyed creature. Her nights were full of nothing. She simply went to sleep and woke up the next morning. Vivian wasn''t having any dreams. Which wasn''t exactly weird for her. Before Penny''s death, the woman didn''t really have dreams at all. It was one reason why the repeating dreams were so stressful, nothing like that had ever happened before.

    If she were to believe that night a couple of weeks ago wasn''t a dream, then it would explain the repeating nightmare of watching Penny''s murder. Kit had said she was there when it happened, he had explained the dream perfectly to her, but she was still resistant to believe him. If he was even real. Yet that made her feel like she was going crazy if she were to believe it all happened.

    It was late in the afternoon on a Saturday, Vivian walking home after a midday shift. She hadn''t taken a closing shift since last week, and honestly she was grateful she hadn''t been scheduled for one. There was something about the night that made her feel much more tense. When she went out for drinks yesterday with her friends, she couldn''t help but feel paranoid as they walked home late in the night. Luckily, nothing happened, which once again, led her to believe that what happened last week wasn''t real. It had to have been a dream.

    But as she turned the corner onto the street where she lived, she noticed a car parked in front of her house and someone leaning against it. Her pace slowed down, feeling panic rise in her chest. She wasn''t expecting anyone at her house, but it seemed like they were expecting her. It wasn''t until she walked closer that she recognized the car.

    It was Kit''s car.

    Vivian quickened her pace before stopping in front of him, the man pushing off the car.

    "Where the hell have you been?" Vivian asked before the man could say anything. "You disappeared for a week, Kit! I-I thought I was going crazy!"

    Kit seemed surprised by her sudden outburst. "I apologize." He begins, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "I thought you would have wanted some space to process everything."

    "Process everything?" Her voice pitched up as she spoke, hands going to her hips. "How the hell am I supposed to process anything when the one person who is trying to convince me vampires are real just disappears?"

    "I did not disappear." Kit replied, his tone staying calm as he scanned the area. "I have been around, like I said. But I thought you would not want me to hover."

    Vivian shook her head. She wasn''t even sure how to feel about this. The thought that it was a dream was beginning to solidify in her head, but then Kit shows back up. Now she can''t tell what is real and what isn''t. "How are you here right now?"

    Kit looked behind him, pointing to the car. "I drove here."

    "Obviously, but I mean here, outside, in the sun." Vivian waved her hands, exaggerating her point. "Don''t vampires burn up in the sun?"

    "Not exactly." Kit looked up to the sky, heavy clouds lingering above. "It cannot kill us, but it can hurt if we are exposed to it for too long." The man then grabbed his hoodie. "Wearing clothes like this helps block out the sun."

    Vivian just stood there for a moment, staring at the man. The vampire. There was a vampire just standing outside of her house, and she was having a conversation with it. "Why are you here?" She finally asked, crossing arms over her chest.

    Kit moved from where he stood and opened the car door. "It''s time for you to meet someone."

    "Is it another vampire?" Vivian asked, sarcasm laced in her tone, despite the question being a real one.

    "No, you are going to meet a witch." Kit corrected, leaning against the open door. "They live in town so it will not be too far."

    "A witch?" Vivian asked, surprised and confused all at once. "H-how... Why?" It was all Vivian could muster out.

    "To figure out why you are resisting mindwipes and exploding with aether." Kit responds, gesturing to the passenger seat. "Niccolo''s orders."

    "And I have to do whatever Niccolo says?"

    "Yes." Kit''s voice grew serious, startling Vivian. "He is the person in charge of all things vampire related around here. Whatever he says is law."

    Vivian wanted to say no, to turn her back and go inside so she could shower and forget that any of this happened. But the thought of meeting a witch, a real witch, made her hesitate. Letting out a breath, she moved towards the car. "Fine." She mumbled, getting into the car, Kit closing the door behind her.

    Kit wasn''t lying when he said it wasn''t going to be far. The drive was short, Kit parking the car in front of one of the few luxury apartment buildings in town. The whole area was luxurious really, the more expensive shops and restaurants residing here. Vivian followed Kit inside the building, going to the elevator and all the way up to the top floor. When the doors opened, they were greeted to a very small space, the walls painted a deep purple and a set of heavy, black doors greeting them on the other side of the room.

    The man moved toward the doors, so Vivian followed. She felt completely out of place here, never actually visiting this side of town. Mostly because she didn''t have the money to spend in the shops or restaurants in the area.

    Kit knocked on the door, and within seconds they both swung open, revealing the apartment inside. Although it was less of an apartment and more like a penthouse. Vivian was taken aback as they walked inside, the interior absolutely beautiful. The walls were painted the same deep purple, tapestries hung up on the walls and tables lining the hallway with various objects like vases and items that looked like they belonged in a museum. It was the most beautiful place Vivian had been inside of.

    "Viktor!" Kit called out, starling Vivian. "Are you home?"

    "Living room!" A voice called back from somewhere in the penthouse, Vivian and Kit following the sound.

    It led them to a large open space, the same deep purple covering the walls, couches assorted in a circle with a fireplace on the opposite side of the room that looked more like a hearth than a fireplace. Standing in the middle of the couches was the most beautiful person Vivian had ever laid her eyes on.

    Long silver hair flowed down to their back, lilac eyes meeting hers as the person rounded the couches. They were the epitome of androgynus, looking both beautifully feminine yet handsomely masculine at the same time. "Well hello there. You must be Vivian."

    Vivian nodded, taking the hand the other had extended. "You''re beautiful." Was all she could say as she looked at them.

    They laughed, covering her one hand in theirs. "Thank you darling, you are very beautiful yourself."

    Vivian covered her mouth, her mind finally catching up with it. "I am so sorry." She said, shaking her head. "I didn''t mean to just blurt that out."

    "Nonsense." They said, waving her words away. "I do rather enjoy compliments."

    "They are not very good for your ego." Kit said, and it startled Vivian, as if she forgot he was even there. He stepped in the space between Vivian and the new person. "Vivian, this is Viktor. The witch."

    The witch. The woman locked eyes with Viktor, a smile growing on their face. This was the witch? "Hello, Viktor."

    "It''s lovely to officially meet you, Vivian." The witch said, releasing her hand and taking a little bow. "I''m sure Kit has told you all about me."

    Vivian shook her head. "No, not really."

    "Oh, how exciting. That means I get to." Viktor then moved past them, toward what looked like a kitchen."Would you like some tea?"

    The woman watched as the witch walked over to a stove and put on a kettle. "Tea?" Vivian asked, looking at Kit. The man just shrugged, gesturing towards the kitchen. She looked at the witch, feeling hesitant. She still wasn''t sure if she trusted Kit, and now there was this new person claiming to be a witch offering to make tea. It all felt so weird, it felt unreal. For a moment, she questioned again if she was dreaming, but she was sure she wasn''t. Maybe she just got involved with a bunch of crazy people, all living the same fantasy.

    Yet, when she looked back to Kit, she couldn''t help but think about what happened in the car. The way his eyes changed and fangs emerged from his mouth. Just thinking about it made her stomach turn. She still couldn''t explain that.

    "Yes, tea darling." Viktor said, moving to a black cupboard, opening it and revealing jars of different tea mixes. "What kind do you like?"

    Vivian just blinked, her mind short circuiting. "Uh, chamomile I guess." She said as she finally thought of a tea.

    "I have the perfect blend." The witch then turned and looked at her. "Come sit down, there is much to tell."

    Vivian felt like she had no choice but to move forward. She couldn''t run, Kit would just catch her again. And it wasn''t like she felt unsafe in this place. Vivian felt more out of place. Yet she still walked over to the table and sat down. It was dark wood, matching the whole gothic theme of the place, carved like some antique that was in perfect condition. "You''re a witch?" Vivian asked, not knowing what else to say in the situation.

    "Yes I am." Viktor replied, moving to a tall display cabinet and pulling out a tea set. "I''m sure this is all very shocking for you."

    Vivian nodded. "I still don''t really believe in any of this."

    "Yet, you''re still here?" Viktor set up the table with a beautiful tea set, the design a dark black covered in blue flowers that swirled and wrapped around the teapot and teacups. "That''s interesting."

    The woman watched as they set everything up before looking at Kit who leaned against the entrance of the kitchen. She gestured her head for him to sit at the table, but the vampire just shook his head. "I don''t really feel like I have a choice." Vivian finally said as the witch moved to the kettle with boiling water inside.

    "Well that is unfortunate." Viktor brings the kettle over to the table and pours the water into the teapot. "I''m sorry you feel that way. I''m sure you''d much rather be at home."

    Vivian stopped and thought for a moment. For argument''s sake, what if this was all real? What if Kit really was a vampire and Viktor a witch? Would she want to be here, in this witch''s home and learn about all that has been hidden? That vampires, witches, and who knows what else was actually real? She would want to be involved in all that, it''s a real life fantasy. How could someone not want to be involved in all that? "I don''t know." Vivian finally said, sitting back in her chair. "If I actually believed any of this was real, then I might want to be here."

    "What if I could convince you?" Viktor asked as they sat down at the table.

    Again, Vivian stopped and thought for a moment. It almost scared her. To accept all of this was real. To accept that she saw Penny being killed by a vampire, and now she had one following her around. It felt impossible. She couldn''t accept all that. Yet here was a so-called witch sitting in front of her saying they could convince her. "What would you do?"

    Viktor grinned, and then snapped their fingers. It felt like there was a tiny earthquake for a moment, the building shaking, but then it was over. "Kit, take Vivian to the balcony please."

    Vivian looked at Kit, and the man just rolled his eyes. "Come on." He said, gesturing towards the living room.

    The woman got up from the chair while Viktor began pouring the tea. She followed Kit through the living room and to huge glass doors obstructed by sheer purple shades. Kit threw them open, revealing the scene in front of her.

    Vivian pushed past Kit and raced outside, breath stuck in her lungs. In front of her wasn''t Lake Ashton anymore, but Paris. The Eiffel tower glistened in the distance, the city stretching out in front of her. She looked to her left and to her right, and on both sides Paris just continued to sprawl out. When she leaned over the railing to look directly down, she felt hands on her sides.

    "Careful." Kit said as he pulled her back over the railing and away from it. "You could fall."

    "Is that really the Eiffel tower?" Vivian asked, not even bothering to comment on the way he grabbed her. She just stood there in shock, hazel eyes matched with crimson. "Are we really in Paris?"

    Kit nodded his head, his eyes not leaving hers. "This is all real, Vivian. I have not been lying to you."

    Vivian just stood there, breaking their eye contact to look back at the monument. Her mind was reeling. Viktor just transported them to Paris, the Eiffel tower was in front of her in all its glory. There was no way she could deny this wasn''t real anymore. When she looked back at Kit, the realization made her dizzy. That meant he was really a vampire. A living, breathing vampire. Standing right in front of her.

    The woman took a step back. "You''re really a vampire."

    Kit didn''t move from where he stood, his eyes not leaving her. "That is what I have been telling you this entire time."

    "I thought you were just crazy." Vivian confessed, pressing a hand to her mouth in shock. "But you''re actually a vampire."

    "Yes." Kit replied, his voice calm, which was the exact opposite of how Vivian felt. "But my goal is still to keep you alive."

    Vivian nodded, pressing her hand to her chest, feeling her necklace dig into her skin. "This is all real." She muttered, and Kit didn''t respond this time. "You''re actually a vampire and they''re actually a witch." Vivian was talking to herself, walking past Kit and back into the penthouse. Viktor was standing at the doorway. "You''re actually a witch."

    Viktor bowed again, a grin on their face. "I''m glad I was able to convince you. Tea is ready."

    They all moved back inside of the penthouse and sat around the table in the kitchen, including Kit this time. Vivian looked down to her teacup, the water tinted a golden yellow, the smell of chamomile hitting her senses. "So why am I here?" Vivian finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

    "Well," Viktor began, setting down their teacup on its small dish, "Niccolo suspects you are not human, so we''re going to run a few little tests just to make sure."

    "What kind of tests?" Vivian replies with another question. She watches as the witch stands from the table and exits the kitchen, and sees as they return to the kitchen with a small wooden box in hand. "What''s in there?"

    "You ask a lot of questions." Viktor said as they sat back down at the table. "That''s not a bad thing." They add as if Vivian took offense to what they said. "In here are many different kinds of crystals, rocks and minerals that we are going to have you hold and see if you have a reaction to anything."

    "Why would I have a reaction?"

    "Depending on what you are, one of these is going to get some kind of reaction out of you." Viktor answers her question, opening up the box and starting to set the rocks onto the table. "For example, if Kit holds silver, it''ll burn him."

    Vivian looks over to the vampire. "Really?"

    The vampire nods but doesn''t say anything.

    Looking back at the witch, Vivian watches as they push the box aside, the rocks and minerals lined up in front of her. "Go ahead and pick these up, starting with this one." They said, pointing to the rock on the far left.

    Vivian picked up each and every rock, holding them in her palm before setting it down and picking up the next one. None of them gave her any type of reaction. They were just rocks and crystals. At the end, all of them sat with arms crossed over their chests, looking at the stones on the tables. Viktor was the first one to say something.

    "Well," they began, "that is very disappointing."

    Vivian felt like the words were directed at her. "I''m sorry."

    The witch waved her words away. "There''s no need for you to apologize, dear. We''ll just have to run some other tests. But that will be another day."

    "So we are done for today?" Kit asked, uncrossing his arms and pushing away from the table.

    "Yes." Viktor replied, picking up the various rocks and putting them back in the wooden box. "I will let you know when to bring her back to run more tests."

 Chapter 6

    The air was cold as it surrounded Kit. Crimson eyes watched as figures moved up and down the streets, unaware of the vampire above them. It wasn''t late into the night, but it was getting there. The sun had already set, but with it being November, the sun set rather early. That meant Kit was able to go out on patrol earlier. It also meant rabids would be out earlier too. So the vampire stationed himself by the boardwalk, watching people go about their evening. He couldn''t sense any rabids nearby, so Kit thought of moving to a different area. Only, the man couldn''t pull himself away from his spot.

    Below him, in one of the shops, Vivian was working. They had a disagreement on it, Kit much preferring the woman to not work the closing shift, causing her to walk home late at night. But Vivian fought back, claiming that she needed to go to work and there was no one who could cover her shift. Kit wanted to stay close to the cafe, but he knew he had to make his rounds. So Kit gave one last glance at the cafe, and left.

    He moved through the town easily, hidden by shadows and darkness. Still, he couldn''t sense anything, no rabids looming on the edges of town. It was a good thing, yet Kit couldn''t help but feel something was wrong.

    "Kit." A voice said through his ear piece, a small radio hooked onto his belt. "Where are you?"

    The vampire stopped his movements, looking at the road signs down below. "Oak Street and 7th." He replied, looking around the area.

    "Come to Willow Road and Fallen Leaf Way, there are three rabids approaching from the west." The voice continued. It was Sebastian, the other officer he was regularly put on patrol with. "I need assistance."

    "On my way." Kit immediately left his spot and began towards his new destination. It only took a few moments, and he instantly spotted Sebastian standing at the intersection. He moved to meet the other vampire, and as soon as Sebastian spotted Kit, he began moving west. Kit easily followed.

    Together, they found the three rabids racing towards town. Kit went after one while Sebastian took down another, the third passing. It happened in a matter of seconds, Kit colliding with the rabid, grabbing ahold of its head and ripping it off. There was barely any struggle, and instantly Kit was after the third rabid while Sebastian worked on the second.

    The vampire tackled the other one to the ground just steps from the tree-line, the streetlights almost reaching the two as they struggled against each other. Claws dug into Kit''s chest as he tried to dodge a swipe, but he couldn''t quite escape it. It stung, but didn''t slow the vampire down as he got in a swipe of his own, claws ripping apart the rabid''s neck. Blood splattered across his face as the rabid staggered backwards, giving Kit a chance to lunge forward, gripping the rabid''s neck and separating the head from the body.

    The rabid''s body crumpled down to the ground, dissipating to ash and leaving only traces behind of what once was.

    "That wasn''t so hard, was it?" Sebastian''s voice calls out across the forest, the other vampire slowly approaching Kit as he rolls his shoulders. "Hopefully the rest are that easy."

    "Try not to jinx it." Kit replies, wiping the blood from his face with the sleeve of his shirt.

    "Yeah, yeah." Sebastian waved away Kit''s worried words. "You''re free to go."

    Kit released a breath. "Call me if you need me again."

    "Will do."

    Kit takes off into the night, moving across the town back to where he was before. He moved silently across the rooftops. It took no time to get back to the boardwalk, but like lightning, a tinge went up his spine. He stopped above the cafe, looking down at the alleyway. Banging on the door to the cafe was a rabid. Kit moved without thinking, tackling the rabid to the ground. It was stronger than the last two though, and the rabid managed to toss Kit off of it.

    Kit caught himself, and looked up into the deep red eyes of the rabid, long and sharp fang escaping from their mouth. A shiver went down his spine, but he managed to keep himself upright. The rabid came towards him, and Kit braced himself. When the creature reached for him, the vampire moved out of the path of the strike. Kit swatted out his own claws and caught the rabid in the stomach, tearing fabric and flesh. The creature doubled over, Kit reaching down to grab the creature by its neck. Only, the creature swept out of the way, the vampire stumbling forward and catching himself just before the rabid swiped out with its claws.

    Pain radiated from Kit''s ribs, rivets running up and down his body. The vampire held back a scream, moved out of the way of a second swipe and pressed his hand to the cut, feeling blood spilling from it. Panic surged through him for only a moment, Kit breathing in to calm himself. He couldn''t let panic stop him now.

    Kit moved forward, claws ready and calculated. When the rabid lunged at him, he dogged in a way that lined him up perfectly to grab the creature''s neck. Fingers dug into skin, and Kit pulled. The rabid fought for a moment, but the more that Kit pulled the less the creature fought. And then its head came off with a sickening sound.

    Kit stood there for a moment, watching the head and body dissipate to nothing but ash and dirt. When the head crumbled in his fingers, he felt his stomach twist. Shaking out his hand, the vampire looks up to the door leading into the cafe.

    His body moved towards the door, thinking only of the woman within. Kit made it up the steps and to the door, grabbing for the handle and turning. The door surprisingly gave way, opening up to the kitchen. Kit stumbled in, thinking it odd the rabid didn''t figure out the door handle. He righted himself, looking around the small kitchen. He could hear her breath, her heartbeat. He followed it, moving slowly through the kitchen until he spotted her.

    Stolen story; please report.

    She was underneath a desk tucked far in the back, hands pressed to her head. In one hand was her phone, and in the other, a knife. Kit hesitated for a moment, crimson eyes stuck on the large blade in her hands. He moved slowly towards her. "Vivian." He said her name softly, but the woman didn''t even flinch at his voice.

    Kit knelt then, eyes on the knife. "Vivian. Hey, Vivian." He tried her name again, but she didn''t respond. "Vivian." He tried to louden his voice, but it still didn''t work. She just sat there, knees pulled to her chest, full hands pressed to her ears. He could see her rocking back and forth the slighted bit.

    The vampire puffed out a breath, flexing his fingers into a fist. He then relaxed his hand and reached towards the women. "Vivian." He said, tapping her on the knee.

    Crimson eyes watched as the blade came swinging for him. He put his hand out to protect his face, the blade biting into his palm. It stung, but Kit grabbed the knife, trying to pry it from Vivians fingers. "Vivian, you are safe! Stop!"

    Vivians eyes snap open at his words, crimson and hazel meeting. There''s a silence that spreads between them, the two of them breathing in the same air. Then her hands release the phone and knife, both clattering to the ground. Vivian reached out, hands seeking Kit. She collapsed into him, causing the man to fall back onto his ass. His uninjured arm went around her back, almost an instinct. Her breath stutters against his collar, fingers gripping the fabric of his back.

    "Kit." Vivian finally says, breathless and sad. It pulls at something deep inside Kit, the man feeling his skin prick.

    "You are safe." Kit whispers, pulling the woman closer. "I promise."

    It''s almost like awareness hits her, the woman pushing away from the vampire, her hands firm on his chest. "Where were you?"

    "Rabids were getting close to town, I had to stop them. One must have slipped in while I was fighting west of town." Kit admits, looking around the kitchen as the woman basically sits in his lap. He feels his skin heat.

    Vivian seemed oblivious, looking down at his wounded hand. She sucked in a breath. "What happened?" She asked, reaching for his hand. "Is it from the rabid?"

    Kit just looked at her for a moment, completely confused. "It was from you, Vivian." He says, pointing to the blood stained knife on the ground. "You were just protecting yourself, and I was expecting you to react that way."

    Hazel moved from his palm to his blood-soaked side. "That''s not from me, is it?" She asked, moving as if to touch it, but then stopped herself. "That has to be from the rabid."

    "You would be right about that." Kit replies, looking down to the wound himself. It had already stopped bleeding and begun to stitch itself back together.

    The woman reached for it again but stopped short, her fingers twitching. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked, looking up to meet his eyes. Worry and concern was clear on her face.

    Kit nodded as her eyes moved to his chest, another place where the rabids claws dug into his skin. "I will be fine." The vampire said, feeling himself soften. Vivian seemed to have that effect on him, and the thought made him stiffen. "Are you okay?"

    Vivian looked down at the knife on the ground, and then her phone. "Yeah, I think so. It never got in. It was just pounding on the door and it scared me. I, uh, I hid under here in case it broke the door."

    Kit''s eyes move to the phone lying beside her. His chest clenched slightly with a realization. "My number, you do not have it."

    Vivian followed his eyes, looking to the phone. "No, I don''t. I-I tried to call you but I couldn''t." Looking back to Kit, there was sadness on her face. "I didn''t know what else to do."

    The vampire felt himself frowning at the woman, knowing the kind of panic Vivian must have been going through. He reached out to her, fingers dusting across her shoulder. "That must have been frightening." His voice was soft as he spoke. Kit watched as a red began coloring Vivian''s face.

    When she looked down, she must have noticed their closeness, because she quickly backed away from him. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to tackle you." She began messing a strand of her hair, not looking the vampire in the eyes.

    Kit couldn''t help but smile. "That is one way to put it." He said, Vivian looking back at him. "But it is fine, there is no need for an apology. Can you stand?"

    Vivian nods. "I should be able to." She said as Kit stood. He offered his hand to her, and watched as she slowly took it. Pulling her onto her feet, he could see she was still a little wobbly. He let his hands stay near her, in case she lost balance. "I''m fine, just spooked."

    "That is good." Kit replied, relieved. Only, she gave him a look, and Kit felt his hands go up in defense. "I meant that as in I am glad you are fine." He lowers his hands and Vivian keeps her eyes on him. "I am not sure what I would have done if you were not okay."

    The red on Vivian''s face deepens, the woman looking away for a moment. "Well, I''m glad that you got here in time. I don''t know what I would have done if you didn''t."

    Kit offers her a soft smile. "It is best if we do not think about that. We should get you home."

    The woman''s hazel eyes go wide. "Are you sure that''s okay?"

    "Taking you home?" Kit responds, already making his way to the door. "Why would it not be?"

    Vivian follows the vampire, picking her phone and the knife off the ground. "Shouldn''t you return to your patrol?"

    "Sebastian can handle it for a little while. You do not live too far from here." The vampire shrugs his shoulders, watching as the woman puts the knife in the sink and rinses the blood off of it. "Is it okay that I walk you home?"

    "Of course!" Vivian turns to him quickly, the red still apparent on her face. "I just don''t want to get you in trouble with Niccolo or anyone."

    Kit let out a laugh as Vivian walked toward him. "I think Niccolo would prefer it if I was attached to your hip."

    "You think so?"

    "Definitely." He replied, leading the two of them outside. "So there is no need for you to worry Vivian, I promise."

    Vivian looked at him for a moment as they stood in the alleyway, something dancing behind her eyes that he couldn''t quite name. "Thank you Kit."

    The vampire raised an eyebrow, confusion clear on his face. "Uh, for what?"

    "Are you serious?" Vivian faked offense, putting a hand to her heart. But when he didn''t respond, she continued. "For saving me, multiple times. I... I don''t know how to show my gratitude-."

    "You do not need to thank me." He stated, matter of fact, but the face the woman gave him told him he said the wrong thing. "What?"

    "Are you not going to accept my gratitude?"

    Kit stopped in his tracks, looking back to Vivian who was following shortly behind. She ended up stopping too, just feet from him. "I-I am sorry, I did not think about it that way."

    "So?" Vivian looked at him, expectantly. "What do we say when someone says thank you?"

    Kit couldn''t help the smile that pulled at his lips. She had a knack for doing that, making him smile. "You are welcome, Vivian."

    Vivian made a sound, as if she was proud of herself, and continued walking, right past Kit. He followed, and the night stayed silent as they worked their way to Vivian''s home.

 Chapter 7

    The moon sat high in the sky, sheltered by clouds. Vivian sat in her home, body curled up with a book in her lap. It was Friday night, and that would usually mean her and her friends would go out to the bar and get some drinks after a long work week, but Vivian wasn''t feeling up for it. She decided to stay back while Ophelia and Elias went out. It took some convincing, but she managed to send her friends out and stay behind.

    Only, she hadn''t been reading much of her book and instead took to watching the clouds move slowly over the moon, a crescent in the sky. Her mind kept going back to one thing, one person. Kit. How quickly the man came into her life and changed everything she once thought she knew. He had brought so much to the light that Vivian would have never known about on her own. And were there others? Other creatures besides just vampires? Vivian wasn''t sure if she wanted to know the answer to that.

    She shook the thoughts from her head and tried to refocus on her book, but the more she read, the more the words melted together and nothing made sense. She found herself reading the same paragraph over and over, and finally gave up on reading entirely. With no distraction her mind swiftly flowed back to Kit.

    He was an interesting person to say the least, reliable as far as she could tell, and very kind. Not to mention he was also very attractive. And he was a vampire, a vampire. Kit was a vampire, and that one thought rattled her every time she thought about it. A vampire. Living in Lake Ashton. And there were more of them? She wondered how long he had been a vampire, if he was born a vampire or if he was turned like in all those movies and books. How accurate even were the movies and books? Could she find out?

    Grabbing a blanket, Vivian wrapped herself up and headed for the back door. Sliding it open, she stood on their back patio and looked up into the sky. "Kit?" She called out into the darkness, feeling a little ridiculous. How could he possibly hear her? Kit was probably on the other side of town fighting rabids. He would be way too busy to come pay her a visit. "Kit?" She called a little louder, but only the silence of the night greeted her.

    Feeling defeated, Vivian pulled the blanket tighter around her and began making her way inside.

    "Everything okay?"

    Vivian whipped around, almost slipping as she came face to face with Kit. "You came." She whispered, not fully aware that her mouth was moving. He looked just as beautiful as he always did, black hair piled into a bun atop his head. Gods, Vivian could not be attracted to a vampire.

    "Of course I did." He stated, matter of fact. Kit even looked a little confused. "You called for me."

    Vivian was stunned silent. Never in her life had she ever experienced something like this. It wasn''t like Vivian really relied on anyone, she had learned from a young age that the only person she could rely on was herself. She had never called out for anyone''s help, and she never expected anyone to respond. Yet here Kit was, standing in front of her, hands in pockets as his crimson eyes watched her. All because she called his name.

    "Is everything okay?" He asked again, standing still.

    Vivian nodded, still unsure of what to say. Why did she bring him here? Why did she ask for this? "I''m sorry, I wasn''t actually expecting you to show up."

    "Why would I not?" His head tilted to the side with the question. Gods, could he not look so cute?

    The woman couldn''t come up with an answer. So she shook her head, mouth parted slightly. "I thought you would be too busy."

    "If you need me Vivian, I am here." Kit said, his tone so soft. "I cannot promise I will always be, but I will try."

    Vivian nodded, feeling breathless. She could feel the way red crawled up her neck and over her face, hoping that the darkness of the night would hide her embarrassment. A hand moved to her necklace, playing with it. "I... I just wanted to talk. If you''re too busy-."

    "Would you want to go inside? I know it is cold out here." Kit cut her off, his voice still soft. "Or do you prefer being outside?"

    "No, no we should go inside." Vivian said quickly, turning toward the sliding door and leading Kit to it. "Come on."

    Back inside the house, it was much warmer, Vivian discarding the blanket and sitting down on the couch. Kit looked lost as he stood in her living room, eyes wandering between all the different seats. Vivian patted the couch next to her. "Take a seat."

    Kit was hesitant, but eventually took the seat next to her, making himself as small as possible. Which seemed to be a huge feat for him, considering how tall he was. "What did you want to talk about?"

    "Are there other creatures besides vampires?" The question came out of her before she could think, leaning closer to Kit in her curiosity.

    "Yes." Kit replied, but that was it.

    "Like...?"

    "Anything you can think of."

    Vivian blinked a few times at that, eyebrows knitting together. "Anything?"

    Kit only responded with a soft hum and a nod of his head.

    "So mermaids and fairies?"

    "Real."

    "Seriously?" A sense of thrill shot through her system at his answer, feeling like a child. "What- what are they like?"

    "Pretty similar to the fairytales." Kit said, leaning back on the couch and actually letting his back touch it. "There is no Atlantis or underwater kingdom, but mermaids do live in groups. There are much more like fish than humans, nothing like how most media depict mermaids."

    "And what about fairies?" Vivian asked, feeling giddy.

    "They are tiny tricksters. They have a much easier time hiding from humans, and therefore like to mess with humans."

    "How so?"

    "Have you ever lost a sock to the laundry, or your keys were not where you left them?" Kit asked, and it was like he could see the connection being made by her expression. "Fairies."

    "Fairies." Vivian repeated, breathless. "What else?"

    "Werewolves are real."

    "Like Twilight werewolves?"

    Kit looked at her, a little lost. "Twilight werewolves?"

    "Have you never seen Twilight before? It''s literally about vampires!"

    Kit shook his head. "Is it a movie? I have not really kept up with movies in my lifetime. Back when they were first being released I was interested, but I have not seen anything recently."

    The words worked in her brain for a moment before it clicked. "Wait, back when they were first released? Like as in the 1800''s?"

    Kit looked to her, as if assessing how he should respond. "Yes."

    Vivian just blinked a few times before leaning closer. "How old are you?"

    "What?" Kit visibly flinched, moving away from Vivian.

    "Is that rude to ask a vampire?" She said, also moving away from Kit, giving him more space. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to be rude!"

    "No, that is not it." Kit waved her words away, messing with his hands as he looked around the room. "It... it just is not something I talk about a lot."

    "Why not?" Vivian tilts her head, chest tightening as she felt like they were going into uncharted territory.

    "It is strange to know how long I have been alive. It feels... wrong to have lived for this long." Kit replies, looking down to his lap.

    "Were you born a vampire?"

    Kit shook his head, but did not look up. "No, I was born a human like yourself."

    "So you were turned?"

    That was when Kit looked up at her, meeting her gaze. "Yes, I was."

    "How does that work?" Vivian settled into the couch, curling her legs up onto it and facing Kit. When he gave her a look, she said, "Turning into a vampire. How does that work?"

    "It is complicated and long." He said, looking away from her. "Something I would never recommend."

    "Why not?"

    "One has to die to become a vampire."

    "Oh." Vivian breathed out, feeling like she shouldn''t have asked in the first place. "I''m sorry you had to go through that."

    "There is no need to apologize." Kit responded, finally looking back over to Vivian. "It happened a long time ago."

    "How long ago?" Vivian pressed her luck.

    Kit gave her a look, as if annoyed she was asking the question. She was about to apologize, take the words back, but then the vampire spoke. "I was turned during the 1600''s, a little after I turned twenty nine."

    Vivian just sat there and stared at him. His words played over and over in her head, but she couldn''t make sense of them. "C-can you say that again? I think I misheard you."

    "Which part? The one where I was turned in the 1600''s or the fact I was twenty nine?" Kit asks, looking like he was ashamed of himself.

    "Holy shit." Vivian breathed out, looking at the man in front of her that didn''t look a day over thirty. "You- you''re fucking old!"

    "Thanks." Kit said, sarcasm lacing the word. He turned away from her, crossing his arms.

    "I-I''m sorry!" Vivian quickly apologized, putting one hand on his knee. "I didn''t mean to say that! I''m just... surprised."

    Kit looked at her with wide crimson eyes, almost like he was the one that was surprised. Vivian didn''t even process the fact she put her hand on his knee. "It was a reaction I was expecting."

    The woman just continued to look at him, trying to do the math in her head. "So you''re like... what, four hundred or something?" She asked, sitting back, her hand slipping from his knee.

    The vampire just nodded, sitting stiff as a board. "Something like that. The years have blended together so I cannot be sure."

    Vivian sat there, just staring at the man with her mouth slightly ajar. His words processed in her mind, slowly at first then it hit her all at once. "How the hell have you been alive for that long?"

    Shrugged his shoulders, Kit waved a hand over himself. "Vampire."

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "So you''re immortal?"

    Kit tilts his head to one side and then the other, as if thinking. "Kind of? I think of it more as a category of undead."

    "But you can be killed, right?" Vivians voice softened at the last word.

    Meeting her gaze, the vampire''s eyes shifted between her two. "Yes."

    Vivian made a humming noise, her mind chewing on all this new information. It made sense, it was all a part of the vampire lore she already knew from the media, but she didn''t know what was accurate or not. There were still so many questions she wanted to ask, but none of them fully formed in her mind. They overcrowded one another, making her head buzz. Dropping her head into her hands, she let out a frustrated breath.

    "Are you okay?" Kit''s voice asked, soft and concerned.

    Vivian looked up to him between her fingers. "You''re seriously a four hundred year old vampire." She spoke, the words not a question. "Like... you''ve been around for four hundred years."

    The man nodded, but didn''t say anything. It was like he was giving her room to process, which she appreciated. Her hand went to her necklace, playing with the pendant. Vivian noticed the way crimson eyes followed the movement, his eyes narrowing.

    "What?" Vivian asked, seeing confusion clear on the man''s face.

    "Your necklace... it looks familiar." Kit says, the tone of his words hesitant. "May I have a closer look at it?"

    "My necklace?" Vivian puts a hand over it, feeling protective for a moment. But it passes as she looks at Kit, a patient and soft expression on his face. When did his presence become so comforting? "I... yeah I guess." Dipping her head down, she lets her hair fall around her shoulders, giving her access to the clasp. "I never really take it off." As she undoes the clasp, there''s this hollow feeling that erupts in her stomach, making her feel sick for a moment. Vivian pauses, unsure of what caused it. Pulling the necklace off of her, she clasps it back together and holds it out for Kit. "Here."

    Only the man doesn''t take it, and when Vivian finally looked at his face, she froze. Eyes filled with black and crimson look back at her, wide and terrifying. Fangs grew out from his mouth, pushing the skin aside to make room for the large canines. The woman flinched back, clutching the necklace in her hand. There were only a couple of times she had seen Kit like this, and it always unnerved her.

    "Kit?" Vivian breathed out, keeping very still. She felt like prey beneath his gaze, small and helpless.

    The vampire moved his mouth to speak, but only a harsh breath escaped from him. Tears wet the vampire''s eyes, but didn''t fall. She had never seen him like this before, he looked like he was in so much pain. Vivian wanted to help him, to ease his pain, and so she reached out for him.

    "Do not." Kit rasped out, it almost sounded like he was suffocating. Vivian instantly froze at his words, the harshness of them making her chest tighten.

    "What''s going on?" She asked, her hand hovering between them.

    "You... aether." The man rasped out again, as if speaking were hard for him.

    Vivian only shook her head, not understanding the meaning of the words coming from his mouth.

    Before she could question him, the window behind them shattered with a loud sound. Glass rained down over them, forcing Vivian to cover herself, feeling tiny shards of glass cut into her arms. Hands grabbed her, throwing her from the couch. Her body smashed into the coffee table in front of the couch, knocking the thing over from force at the same time as the breath was knocked from her lungs.

    Everything spun and her vision went blurry for a moment, Vivian having no time to process anything before a figure was over her. Hands held her body to the ground, and right as her eyes focused, Vivian looked up into the red eyes of a vampire.

    Panic surged through her system as her hands flew up and pressed against the descending vampire, stopping them from chomping down on her neck. When she could finally draw in a breath, she screamed. "Kit!" The woman yelled, feeling her arms shake under the force of the vampire. "Kit, help!"

    The creature above her grabbed her arms that were locked in place and forced them to the ground. Fear shot through her hot like adrenaline. Before she had time to suck in another breath, the vampire descended and bit into her shoulder. Vivian gasped as pain spun out from the spot, her body screaming at her with the feeling. But then warmth flowed through her system, dulling her senses and making the pain go away. It was almost relaxing.

    But then the vampire above her was pulled off of her, the weight from her body gone. She laid there, completely still and mind hazed. Everything began buzzing, as if she were going numb. Tears streamed down from her eyes and fell to the floor, focus going in and out as eyes stared at the ceiling above.

    A figure appeared before her, standing tall and looking down at her with piercing crimson eyes. Panic radiated through her, shaking her to the core as she looked up and met the crimson hues. Kit. The realization hit her, and the panic subsided. "Kit." She breathed , trying to reach a hand up towards him, but pain shot from her shoulder and down her arm, causing it to tremble.

    The vampire stood completely still, eyes locked on hers as they both breathed. There was something in the way he looked at her, something animalistic that made her stomach turn. When he knelt down beside her, Vivian felt herself try to scoot away, but it was useless. She couldn''t move her body.

    "Shit." Kit said as his hands went above her, hovering as if she were fragile and he didn''t want to break her. "We- we need to get you to Viktor." The man stumbled over his words, looking around the room for something. She watched him get up and move somewhere in her apartment, before returning with a tea towel. "I-I need to stop the bleeding."

    "I got... bit." Vivian said, almost confused. That was what happened right? Her memory was going foggy and she couldn''t really remember what happened. She was talking to Kit and then her body was on the ground. "W-What... what happened?"

    "A rabid broke in. It- it attacked you." Kit spoke in short, panicked sentences as he pressed the tea towel to her shoulder. Was she bleeding? "We need to get you to Viktor." He said again, taking one of her hands and pressing it to the tea towel. "Can you hold this?"

    Vivian nodded, pressing the towel to her shoulder. "W-Was I bit?"

    A moment passed, Kit moving his arms to pick her up from the ground. "Yes." He finally said as he lifted her. "I need you to stay awake."

    Her consciousness felt weak and like it was slipping away from her fingers, like she couldn''t hold onto it much longer. But still, she nodded, feeling weightless in Kit''s arm. "I will."

    ?

    "My necklace?" Vivian asks, the pendant held in her hand. Kit couldn''t help but look at it, feeling a sort of familiarity with it. "I... yeah I guess." Tilting her head down, all her hair fell from her shoulders and around her face, Kit watching as she unclasped the necklace. "I never really take it off."

    A sudden burst of energy hit him like a truck, filling his senses and shaking him to the core. It was like a gong was struck, the sound exploding against his ears, ringing taking its place. It forced him to turn, black bleeding into his eyes, fangs descending and claws extending. A sudden thirst blossomed in his chest and crawled up his throat, a desperate need clinging to him. Kill her. A voice whispered in his head, claws digging into his thighs to stop himself from moving. Drink her.

    "Here." Vivian said, holding the necklace out to him. She hadn''t even looked up at him, her face still towards the ground. But then she looked up, going stiff as their eyes made contact.

    Kill her.

    Vivian flinched back, making something tighten in his chest, despite everything raging inside of him. A monster clawing at its cage, rattling the bars and screaming for freedom. He wanted to tell her it was okay, that she was safe, but he couldn''t even open his mouth, holding his breath in fear of tasting Vivian in the air.

    "Kit?" The woman breathed out, keeping very still. She looked terrified, like she was ready to run at any moment but was scared to move. Kit felt disgusting, causing the woman to look that way. He was a monster, and remembering that broke him, caused him to shatter into a thousand pieces. Kit felt hollow, tears springing into his eyes as he continued to watch Vivian look terrified. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, nothing could come out. He felt trapped under the aether that rolled off of Vivian.

    The slightest movement caught his eyes, crimson snapping to watch as her arm raised, as if she was planning on touching him. He took in a sharp breath. "Do not." His voice was rough, forced out through his fangs.

    "What''s going on?" Vivian asked, her hand hovered between the two of them.

    "You... aether." He tried to speak, but with each breath he could taste her on his tongue, her scent moving down his throat and filling his insides.

    Kill her. Drink her.

    The woman shook her head, clearly not understanding. It wasn''t like he could even explain it to her, not with the way his words were trapped and every breath drawn in was like a knife to the chest. A sharp need radiated through him, crimson eyes shifting to her neck. To where blood flowed just beneath the surface.

    Kill her. Drink her. Drain her.

    Before he could understand the feeling, a shiver ran down his spine and the pit of his stomach hollowed. The window behind them shattered, Kit staying perfectly still as glass rained down on them. He watched as a body crashed inside, hands grabbing Vivian and forcing her off the couch. They rolled to the ground, the scent and feeling of a rabid grabbing his senses. It almost overrode his need for blood, but it wasn''t enough. Kit couldn''t move, couldn''t think past the thirst for blood, blood, blood.

    "Kit!" Vivian''s voice screamed out for him, making the man''s chest tear open with emotion. But still, he couldn''t move. Blood seeped out from where his claws dug into his thighs, cold and slick against his palm. "Kit, help!"

    It was like the space went quiet for a moment, everything stilling before the scent of Vivian''s blood filled the room. It hit him even harder than the aether, a deep, guttural growl escaping from him as claws dug deeper into his thighs. It smelt like heaven, sweet and savory on his tongue. Overwhelming wasn''t a word Kit would use to describe the scent of Vivian''s blood, it was suffocating.

    Kill her, drink her.

    He had to get up, he knew he had to. The rabid bit into her, that''s the only way the smell of her blood would have gotten so strong. Kit had to do something, but everything in him screamed to attack her, to kill her, to drink her.

    No, Kit thought, pulling his claws from his thighs, I have to help her.

    You want to kill her, the voice in the back of his mind said, soft and hard all at once, just kill her, drink her blood.

    Kit stood abruptly, the world spinning as he did so. He didn''t falter though as he walked through the haze in his mind, and towards the rabid that currently held Vivian down. The closer he got, the stronger the smell of blood was, and the more the monster within him raged against its containment.

    Kill her! Drink her!

    Reaching down with one hand, he grabbed the rabids neck and pulled it off of Vivian, throwing the damned thing across the room. It slammed into a wall, falling to the ground. Kit didn''t even spare a glance down at Vivian as he chased after the rabid and pinned it to the floor. With one swift movement, he plunged his hand into the rabids chest and ripped its heart out. The thing glowed a bright red before disintegrating into ashes. Kit stood above the pile and breathed, tasting Vivians blood as he did so.

    He turned back towards her, his movements stiff and choppy. When he was finally at her side, he just stood there and looked down at her. Blood seeped from the wound on her shoulder, a pool of crimson forming on the ground. The monster screamed and clawed at him from the inside, begging and pleading with Kit to have a drink, to finish off the job.

    But then Vivian''s eyes met his, and he saw the way she shivered before recognition must have hit her. "Kit." She breathed out, his name barely audible over the screams in his head. She tried to reach up for him, but the wound on her shoulder stopped the movement, pain clear on her face.

    Still, Kit couldn''t get himself to move. They looked at each other, both of them with ragged breaths. He tried his hardest not to look at the wound, tried to ignore the way the blood beckoned him. It would be so easy. To kill her. To drink from her. He wondered just how sweet it was, her blood.

    Do it! Kill her!

    Kit dropped to his knees, landing harshly on them. He noticed the way Vivian tried to scoot away from him but failed. It made something snap within his mind, something clicking into place and the voice within him dulled just enough for him to regain his composure.

    "Shit." He hissed out as his hands went to the wound, but stopped as he felt heat crawl up his throat. "We- we need to get you to Viktor." Kit managed out, stumbling over his words. He had to stop the bleeding, and when crimson hues looked around the space, he saw a tea towel hanging from the oven. He went to grab it, and returned to her side. With every ounce of control he had, the man folded the tea towel and pressed it to the wound. "I- I need to stop the bleeding."

    "I got... bit." Vivian muttered, sounding confused. The venom must be getting to her, already causing memory loss and mind fog. "W-What happened?"

    "A rabid broke in. It- it attacked you." Kit rushed out, watching as her blood painted the tea towel red. He had to get her out of here, he had to get her somewhere safe. "We need to get you to Viktor." Taking her hand, he moved it to the tea towel, pressing her fingers and palm down on the fabric. "Can you hold this?"

    The woman below him nodded, using her strength to do as he said. "W-Was I bit?"

    Kit hesitated, guilt wracking through his system at the question. "Yes." He finally said, lifting the girl from the ground. He could see the way her eyelids fluttered. "I need you to stay awake."

    She didn''t respond immediately, Kit moving to the broken window and out of it. "I will." Her voice was weak, but there was a tone of confidence to it, like she had to stay awake for herself and not because he asked.

    Kit fled into the night, heading for Viktors penthouse.

    It took him no time to get there, electing to use the balcony doors. He didn''t want to go through the lobby with a bleeding human in his arms, so this was the better choice. The doors were unlocked and Kit kicked them open.

    "Viktor!" He yelled, desperation clinging to the word. Crimson eyes looked around the penthouse but he couldn''t see the witch anywhere. "Viktor!"

    "You don''t need to be so loud!" Viktors voice called out as they emerged from a room. "I can hear you just fine-." They stopped speaking as soon as their eyes landed on Vivian. "What happened? Why is she bleeding? And why is she leaking aether?"

    "A rabid." Kit managed out as he walked further into the penthouse, going through a set of doors and setting Vivian down onto the bed. "It broke into her apartment." He laid her down carefully, his fingers running through long locks of black hair as he took his hands away. "It bit her on the shoulder."

    "That doesn''t explain the aether." Viktor spoke, matter of fact.

    "I do not know, Viktor." Kit rushed out, looking to the witch. He knew what he looked like to them, eyes black and fangs out. The monster still raged within him, still begged for her blood, but he was able to push it down. "Just help her, please!"

    "Yes, yes." Viktor moved to the side of the bed, grabbing the tea towel and lifting it from Vivians shoulder. He watched as the woman winced, sucking in a breath before whimpering. "My, that does look bad."

    "Can you heal her?" Kit asked, fists clenching and unclenching.

    "Of course. But you need to go." Viktor pointed at the vampire, and then to the door. "Your bloodlust is apparent."

    Kit wanted to argue, but he knew that Viktor was right. He needed to control his bloodlust, and staying around Vivian who still smelled like blood wasn''t helping. "Okay." He said, nodding his head and moving towards the door. "Just let me know when she''s healed, alright?"

    "Of course. Now go."

 Chapter 8

    When Vivian woke up, the first thing she noticed was that she was not in her own bedroom. The sheets were way too soft and silky, the room around her a dark blue as opposed to the lavender of her bedroom walls. As she sat up, soreness wracked through her body, a groan escaping her as she threw the sheets off of her. Looking down, she noticed that she was in the same clothes she wore last night at work. Blood was crusted to the shoulder and chest, making her heart race. Was she injured?

    Reaching up to her shoulder, her fingers felt around for some kind of wound, but there was nothing. Only dried blood met her fingers. Standing from the bed, she moved towards the large wooden door and slowly opened it.

    She was in Viktors penthouse, immediately recognizing the living room and kitchen that she had been in before. Standing in the kitchen, a deep purple bathrobe wrapped around their body, was Viktor. They must have heard her open the door, because they turned and met her eyes. "Ah! Good morning little lady." Viktor said, turning with a steaming teapot in one hand. "Perfect timing, would you like any tea?"

    Vivian just kind of stood there for a moment, looking at the witch as her mind tried to work out why she was in their penthouse. The last thing she remembered, her and Kit were sitting in her living room talking, and then everything got blurry and messed up. "W-Why am I here?" She asks, walking towards the witch.

    Viktor made a soft humming sound, moving towards the table where the teacups were set up. "You don''t remember anything, do you?"

    The woman shook her head, entering the kitchen and taking a seat at the table. Vivian watched as Viktor poured a cup of tea for her, the liquid smelling sweet and herbal. "I was with Kit at my house and then... nothing."

    "That usually happens with vampire attacks."

    "Vampire attacks?" Vivian echoed his words, shock laced within them. "I-I was attacked by a vampire?"

    "A rabid, yes." The witch pours themself a cup of tea then sits down across from her. "You''re lucky Kit was there."

    Vivian''s hand goes to her shoulder, feeling the dried blood. "I was bit."

    Viktor watched Vivian carefully, lilac eyes calculating. "Do you know what aether is, Vivian?"

    "Aether?" She echoed again, the word repeating in her head. "It''s like energy or something, isn''t it?"

    Again, the witch just watched her, taking a sip from their tea. "You are correct, aether is like energy. Rather, it''s lifeforce."

    Vivian nodded, but was still left confused. "What does that have to do with me being bit?"

    "Your necklace." Vivian''s hand went to her neck as they said it, the space empty. Panic stirred within her at the realization that it was gone. "When you took it off, you exploded with aether."

    "Wait, what are you talking about?" She asked, sitting up in her chair.

    "Vivian," Viktors voice took on a serious tone, making the woman uncomfortable, "you''re not human, are you?"

    The woman was too stunned to speak. The witch''s words rattled in her head as she tried to make sense of them. Her, not human? "What do you mean, of course I am?" Vivian said, but even she could hear the hesitation in her words.

    "Everyone is connected through aether," Viktor began, "it''s an energy that flows through all of us, but only some of us can interact with it. Those that can interact with aether are able to bend it to their will. Take Kit for example. He was able to manipulate the aether within you and take away your memories when you first met. But not everyone can interact with aether, humans for example cannot interact with it at all. Aether simply sits in your body like energy, waiting to be manipulated."

    Vivian just sat there and processed their words, trying to make sense of it all. "But I can''t interact with it, I-I don''t know how to."

    "You are correct. You may not be able to interact with it, but when you took off that necklace, your body exploded with it. That''s what caused Kit to shift and attracted the rabid that attacked you. Humans don''t have an excessive amount of aether within them... but you do. Even now, I can feel the aether leaking from you."

    The woman looked down at herself, as if she could see the aether leaving from her. "So what does that mean?"

    Setting down the teacup on the table, Viktor let out a breath. "We are not sure. That is something we need to figure out." Standing from the table, Viktor began going through their cabinets, looking for something. "But for now, we need to control the aether coming from you. It''s not safe to be out and about like that."

    "Because it''ll attract more rabids?" She asked.

    "More than just rabids." Viktor said in a tone that made Vivians stomach turn. "Ah, here it is!" Viktor pulled a black box out from one of the cabinets and walked back to the table. Setting the box down, they opened the top and searched through the various pendants that Vivian saw sitting in the box. "I know I have one in here."

    "What are you looking for?" Vivian watched the witch scour the box for something, still processing the fact that she was leaking aether, whatever the hell that meant.

    "Found it!" Viktor called out as they pulled a pendant from the box. Vivian couldn''t help the gasp that came from her when she saw the same pendant as her necklace being held in Viktors hand.

    "That''s... that''s the same pendant." Vivian breathed out, following Viktors movements as they set the pendant down on the table and went to place the black box back in the cabinets. "How do you have the same pendant?"

    Viktor let out a small laugh as they sat back down at the table. "Because it''s a very useful pendant. It can be used for sealing away many things, such as aether."

    "You''re going to seal away the aether?"

    "That is what your old necklace was doing." Viktor replied, pushing their tea aside and setting the necklace in front of them, along with a small dagger. "How did you acquire such a necklace?"

    Vivian was silent again, unsure of how to respond, simply because she doesn''t remember. For as long as she can remember, she''s had that necklace, and she never took it off. It''s why she felt so weird doing it for Kit. "I... I don''t know. I''ve just had it forever."

    The witch made a soft humming sound, holding a hand out. "I''ll need a drop of your blood to do this."

    "My blood?" Vivian felt herself tense, eyes going to the dagger on the table. "Why would you need my blood?"

    "It''s only a drop, Vivian." Viktor said, almost annoyed. "I need to attach the necklace to you, otherwise it won''t work."

    The woman just looked at the witch, unmoving. She doesn''t remember having to do anything like this to get the necklace, then again, she doesn''t remember getting the necklace in the first place. "How much are you going to cut?"

    "Just your fingertip darling, like I said, I just need a drop." Viktor replies, still holding out a hand.

    Letting out a sign, the woman reaches a hand across the table and places it in Viktors palm. "Fine, do your worst."

    The witch simply rolled their eyes before grabbing the dagger. "This shouldn''t hurt much."

    "I''m sure it won''t-." Vivian began, but was cut off by a sharp intake of breath as Viktor sliced her index finger open. "Ow!"

    "You''ll be fine." Viktor brushed her off, moving her hand so the blood spilling from her finger fell onto the pendant. When the drops fell, the pendant began to glow a brilliant white before fading. "Thank you for that." The witch said, releasing her hand. They then held both hands over the pendant and began to mutter words in a language she couldn''t understand. The thing began to glow again, a brilliant white emanating from the small pendant. After a moment the light faded, and the pendant sat on the table, looking like a regular pendant.

    "Is that it?" Vivian asked, a little surprised. She thought there would be more theatrics.

    "Is that it?" Viktor repeated her words, a tone of offense to them. "That was a very old spell, one not many can do."

    "Really?" The woman asked, tilting her head as she watched the witch pick up the pendant and feed it through a silver chain. "It just seemed really simple I guess."

    Viktor just looked at her, eyes narrowed and lips a thin line. "It takes a lot of practice to be able to cast a spell like this one. It may not look like it, but the amount of aether I have to use to place the spell on this is immense."

    "You just make it look so easy." Her eyes shifted away from their gaze and down to the necklace.

    "Of course I do." Viktor says with a tone of confidence. "I''ve been doing this for a long time."

    Vivian wanted to ask how long, but she remembered how Kit reacted to the question and thought better of it. She didn''t want to cause the witch any offense. Maybe she could ask Kit, he had to know. "I see..." The woman finally said, watching as the witch picked up the necklace.

    "This is for you." Viktor handed the necklace over to Vivian, who took it delicately from the witch''s hand. "Do not, and I mean do not take it off this time." Their words were sharp, lilac eyes matching.

    The woman nodded, looking down at the necklace again before clasping it around her neck. Vivian swore she could feel it humming against her skin, the sensation moving through her. It made her shiver. "I won''t."

    Viktor looked at Vivian for a moment, as if assessing. "Where did you manage to get your hands on a necklace like that?" They finally asked, closing the little box the pendant came from and stood to put it away.

    "I," Vivian began, but her mind went blank, "I don''t know." The woman touched the pendant for a moment, thinking. "I''ve had it for as long as I can remember, but I mean I don''t remember a whole lot from my childhood so that''s not really surprising."

    "Really?" Viktor asked with surprise. They sat back down at the table, picking up the teacup they had set aside. "Tell me more about that."

    "My childhood?" Vivians chest spasmed with panic. "I-I don''t really like talking about it."

    "Why?"

    Vivian felt heat crawling up her neck. She hated talking about her childhood, first off because she couldn''t remember a lot of it, and second, no one wanted to hear about how fucked up her life was. "It makes me uncomfortable."

    The witch hummed, leaning back in their chair. "I see. I won''t push." Taking a long sip from their cup, they watched Vivian. She shifted in her chair. "Kit will want to know you''re up and about." Viktor said as they set their teacup down.

    "Was he hurt at all last night?" Vivian asked quickly, a little too quickly at the mention of Kit.

    Viktor eyed her for a moment. "No, you were the only one injured last night."

    Vivian let out a breath. "Oh good." She said, relieved. "Where is he?"

    "In his apartment." Viktor said, standing from the table and moving towards the entry hall. "I''ll give you a key."

    "To his apartment?" The woman asked, standing from her chair. "Why would you give me a key to his apartment?"

    Viktor disappeared around the corner for a moment before returning, a single key in their hand. "He wanted to see you as soon as you were healed and awake. He''ll probably be in his room sleeping, so just go on in and wake him up. I''m sure he won''t mind."

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    The woman looks up to Viktor as they stand in front of her, handing the key to her. "I can''t do that."

    "Of course you can!" The witch grabbed her hand and placed the key in her palm. "He asked to see you once you were healed, and that''s exactly what you''re going to do. But before that," they said, placing a hand over Vivians shoulder, "you need to change into something else. You reek of blood."

    Vivian looked at the key warily, but the witch seemed so confident that she went along with their plan. After showering and changing into a set of clothes provided by Viktor, she found herself a few stories down, standing in front of an unfamiliar apartment door.

    Looking to the key in her hand, she let out a breath and slid it into the lock. It went in perfectly, and when she turned the lock, it gave way. Vivian felt like she shouldn''t be doing this, that she should just wait for Kit to wake up and come up to Viktor''s apartment. But the witch was so insistent. So she pushed the door open, darkness welcoming her.

    "Hello?" She called out into the apartment. There was no reply, only the sound of silence from within greeting her. Pushing the door open a little more, the woman peered inside. A living room was laid out in front of her, a couch pressed against the wall and facing a tv which sat upon a stand. Books were scattered across a coffee table, and a blanket was haphazardly thrown across the couch. "Kit? Are you in here?" Vivian called out again, stepping into the apartment.

    A kitchen formed on her right as she moved within the apartment, the smell of bleach invading her senses. She walked closer to the living room, a bar with stools separated the living room from the kitchen, the room looking like it was just cleaned. That would explain the smell.

    Standing over the coffee table, Vivian looked down at the books and noticed just how old they were, and the amazing condition they were in. She picked a couple of them up, reading the titles in the dim light. The Raven, Fahrenheit 451, and a couple Shakespeare books were interesting, but what caught her eye was the mint condition copy of The Odyssey. Vivian was gentle with the book as she held it, opening the cover and seeing the copyrighted year of 1795.

    "Holy shit." Vivian whispered as she thumbed through the book, feeling like she was holding history in her hands.

    "Vivian?"

    The woman''s eyes snapped up from the book, meeting a pair of dazed crimson hues. Kit stood across the room, in front of a door that she hadn''t noticed. The man wore only sweatpants, and the sight of the man''s bare chest had red crawling all the way up Vivian''s face. She was thankful for the darkness at that moment. "Kit."

    The vampire crossed the room in a few strides, coming to stand right in front of the woman, hands gently grabbing both of her arms. "You are alive." He whispered, crimson hues roaming over her face, down her neck and across her shoulders. It almost looked like he was in complete disbelief, his hands coming up to cup her face, but stopping just before skin made contact. That made her chest tighten."You..." He began, but words drifted off.

    With the vampire being so close, Vivian couldn''t help the way her skin heated even more. His hands were so close to her face, if she tilted her head one way, she would feel his fingers on her cheeks, but she stayed perfectly still. "I''m alive." Vivian whispered, feeling like anything louder would ruin whatever was between them.

    It happened so quickly she barely had time to process it, but she was suddenly wrapped in Kit''s arms, one of his hands tangling in her hair while the other wound around her back. His skin was cold to the touch, and she couldn''t help the quick intake of breath from the shock of it. Vivian''s arms hovered at her side, shock holding her in place. Before she even had time to respond, the vampire released his hold, pushing her back until she was at arms length.

    "I-I apologize." Kit said swiftly, taking his hands off of her. "I should not have done that."

    Vivian stood, speechless. She shook her head. "It''s fine. You don''t have to apologize. I kind of did the same thing to you." The woman finally said, remembering how she lunged at him back at the cafe that one night. "I guess we''re even now."

    That caused a shy smile to pull at the vampire''s lips. "I suppose we are." He said, looking down at her with an expression that she could only read as fondness. It was quickly replaced by confusion. "Why are you in my apartment?"

    "Oh!" Vivian said, pulling the key from her pocket and showing it to Kit. "Viktor wanted me to come see you as soon as possible. You asked to see me once I was healed, and here I am."

    "Here you are." The vampire repeated, the fondness from his expression leaking into his tone. He then cleared his throat, scrubbing that fond expression from his face. "We should go back up to Viktors. I am sure they will want to talk about what happened."

    "Should you get dressed first?" She asked, trying to keep the teasing tone from her words.

    Kit looked down, and immediately seemed embarrassed. "Yes. Let me get changed."

    Back at Viktor''s penthouse, the three of them sat on the couches in the living room. Viktor was sipping on a cup of tea, which at this point Vivian assumed they were always doing, while Kit sat back on another couch, arms crossed over his chest. They all sat quietly, Vivian on her own couch, hands tucked in her lap. "So..." Vivian broke the silence.

    Setting down their teacup on the coffee table in the middle of them, Viktor released a breath. "So you really don''t remember when you received your necklace?"

    Vivian shook her head. "No, I-."

    "Don''t ever take this off, Vivian." Her mother said in a stern voice, standing tall above her. From behind her, someone placed a necklace around her, clasping it against her neck. "Do you understand me?"

    "Yes." Vivian replied, her voice tiny and afraid.

    "This necklace will protect you. Never remove it."

    The woman blinked, taken aback by the sudden memory that flooded her mind. "It was my mother." Vivian said, replaying the scene in her head. Never remove it. "There was someone else there, but I don''t know who."

    "Your mother?" Viktor asked, leaning forward. "Now that is an interesting development."

    Pressing a hand to her new necklace, she felt the pit of her stomach drop. Had her mother known? That she was something else, something not human? Was her mother aware of the world outside of their own? "She told me to never remove it."

    "So she knew." Kit was the one that spoke up this time, leaning forward and putting elbows on his knees. "Your mother knew about the protection of the necklace."

    Vivian shook her head. "There was no way." She said, her stomach twisting. "How could she have known?"

    "Interesting indeed." Viktor said against the rim of their teacup. Placing it back down on the small saucer, the witch kept their gaze on Vivian. "There must have been a reason why your mother knew about the protection of the necklace."

    "But why can''t I remember anything else?"

    "Your memory could have been wiped." Kit says from his couch, pulling both of their eyes to him. "It is possible."

    "It is." Viktor echoed, placing a hand to their chin, thinking intensely. "Vivian, you said you don''t remember most of your childhood, correct?"

    "Yes." She replied, unsure of where this was going.

    "It is possible your mother knew but kept it hidden from you." Viktor''s words caused the woman''s stomach to twist even further.

    "Why would she do that?"

    "To protect you." Viktor spoke matter-of-fact, picking their teacup back up. "Parents will do anything to protect their children."

    Vivian shook her head. "There''s no way."

    Kit and Viktor exchanged a look, one that Vivian wasn''t able to decipher. "Where is she now?"

    "Who?" Vivian asked, confused.

    "Your mother."

    "Oh." The woman looked away from both the witch and the vampire, eyes glued to her palms in her lap. "She died when I was sixteen."

    The other two in the room were silent for a moment, which is exactly what she expected. It was the usual response when she first told someone about her mother. "I''m sorry to hear that. What about your father?" Viktor''s voice took on a soft tone, but it did nothing to ease the dread that was building in Vivians stomach.

    "He left when I was ten." She said, still looking down to her lap. "I haven''t seen him since. I don''t know if he''s alive or not."

    The room fell silent for a moment, and when Vivian dared to look up, the vampire and witch were looking at once another, having a conversation with only their eyes. When they looked back at her, she could see the pity in their expressions. "That''s terrible Vivian, I am so sorry you had to go through all that." Viktor offered her, but it sounded the same as every person who gave her pity when they learned about her past. Pity she didn''t want.

    "It''s fine." She said, taking a deep breath. "It''s been a long time since then."

    "Well," Viktor began, his tone clearly trying to lift the mood, "there is only one explanation for someone to have a necklace such as this one."

    "Viktor." Kit''s voice sounded like a warning.

    "I''m not saying she is one, I''m saying it''s a possibility." Viktor defended.

    "What''s a possibility?" Vivian asked.

    Again, Kit and Viktor shared a look. "The possibility you are an aether reservoir."

    Vivian looked at the two of them, blinking. "A what?"

    "It''s a human born with a well of aether inside of them, constantly creating more than the body can withhold." Viktor spoke, pulling Vivians eyes to them. "Others can access the aether, but the human cannot."

    Vivian sat there, mulling over the witch''s words. "An... an aether reservoir?" She asked, Viktor nodding. "And that would explain the necklace?"

    Again the witch nodded. "Correct." Vivian looked at Kit, but the vampire sat on their couch, quiet with arms still crossed over his chest. Something seemed off about him, but Vivian couldn''t place it. "There''s a spell we can do to see if we''re correct, but that would require some preparations on my part."

    "So what you''re telling me is I''m not human?" The woman looked between the two. Her mind didn''t process her words, or theirs for that matter. It was like they kept hitting a wall, over and over, nothing getting through.

    "Not quite." Viktor said, setting their teacup down again before standing. "An aether reservoir is a very rare occurrence. They only come around every five hundred years or so." Vivian caught the witches'' lilac eyes snap to Kit for a moment, the vampire shifting uncomfortably. "And for good reason."

    "What''s that?" Vivian couldn''t help but ask.

    "With the amount of aether they have stored within them, they are highly sought after by many creatures. Most willing to kill or wage wars to get their hands on an aether reservoir." Viktor walked to the balcony and stared out the glass. "They do not usually like very long lives."

    Vivian sat on the couch, terrified. If Viktor was saying what she thinks he''s saying, then... "My life is in danger."

    "Only if you''re found out." The witch rushes out as they turn to look at her. "With that necklace, you should be safe."

    The woman nodded, pressing a hand to her necklace. "So what now?"

    "Now you go home." Viktor spoke, rounding the couches to stand in front of Kit and Vivian. "As I''ve said, I have preparations to make. I''ll be sure to send Kit for you when I''m ready."

    And like that they were out of the penthouse and on the way back to her home. Kit and Vivian sat in the vampire''s car, a red light halting their progress across town. They both sat in silence as Vivian processed the events since she first woke up in Viktors penthouse. Her fingers idly played with her necklace, hazel eyes looking out the window as the car began to move again.

    She was an aether reservoir, or at least they thought she was, and she still didn''t understand what that meant for her. Was she in danger? They made it sound like she was, but then why would they just send her home? Wouldn''t they want to keep her somewhere safe? Vivian looked over to Kit, eying him warily. "Will I be safe at home?" She asks, her voice low and shy.

    "Yes." Kit replies, almost instantly. "As long as you keep the necklace on, no one will be able to detect the aether coming from you. Plus," the vampire begins, looking over to Vivian, "I will be keeping an eye on you." Vivian and Kit look at each other for a moment, something tense forming between them, but then the vampire looks away, back to the road. "I will have to report this to Niccolo."

    Vivian felt a pang of panic go through her. "Niccolo? B-But why?"

    Kit spared her a quick glance. "Are you afraid of him?" He asks, surprising Vivian with his question.

    "What?" She breathed out, sitting up a little. "No, I''m not scared of him. He''s just... intimidating."

    The vampire hums in agreement. "That, he is." Kit said in a quiet voice, turning the car down the road her home was situated on. "But he is not cruel. I have never known Niccolo to be cruel."

    "What do you think he''ll do with me?" Her voice remained low and quiet, almost as if she were afraid to ask.

    Kit remained silent for a moment, clearly thinking. "He will probably want to keep your existence a secret." He says finally, pulling the car to the curb in front of her home. "Besides that, I am unsure."

    "He wouldn''t... he wouldn''t kill me, would he?"

    Kits'' eyes snapped to her. "What? No, no he would not go that far." He said quickly, about to say something else but stopping. "Is that your roommate?"

    Vivian turned her head to look out the car window, watching as Ophelia barrels from the front door and towards the car. "Oh, shit." She said, unbuckling and opening the car door.

    "Where have you been?" Ophelia almost screamed, worry and panic clear on her face as she reached Vivian, grabbing the woman''s arms. "What the hell happened? Why is the window broken? And whose blood is on the floor?"

    Vivian stood there, completely frozen. She hadn''t really thought about what she would tell Ophelia or Elias when she got home. Honestly, the woman kind of forgot about the scene that would be left behind for her two friends to discover. "Uh..."

    "Sorry," Kit''s voice sounded from the other side of the car, grabbing both of the woman''s attention, "Vivian spent last night with me."

    What?  Vivian stared at Kit, eyes wide.

    Ophelia''s eyes narrowed as she looked at the vampire, something knowing on her face. "You''re from the cafe and fair."

    "That''s right!" Vivian spoke up before the vampire could damn her any farther. "I ran into him again and we exchanged numbers."

    "And then you spent the night at his house?" Ophelia was clearly bothered, if not about the window and the blood, then definitely about Kit. "Vivian, you know I would never judge you if this guy was just a one night stand. You don''t have to lie to me-."

    "No! No, no, no it''s nothing like that!" Vivian quickly insisted, feeling her cheeks heat from Ophelia''s comment.

    "No!" Kit said at the same time as Vivian. "But I think the broken window and blood is more important."

    "Right!" Vivian said, whirling around to face Ophelia. "You said the window was broken? And there was blood?"

    Ophelia just looked at the two of them, her eyes hovering on Kit longer than normal. "Yes, the window in the living room was broken like someone outside was thrown into it." Ophelia said, looking at Vivian. "And you were gone when Elias and I got home, and when we saw the blood, we assumed the worst. We called the police after we couldn''t get a hold of you-."

    "You called the police?" Vivian asked, her voice ringing higher than she expected.

    "No shit, Vivian! We came home to a broken window, blood on the floor, and you missing! We tried to call you, but you left your damn phone at home!" Ophelia was yelling, clearly angry at Vivian. "What were we supposed to do? There''s missing people Vivian, missing people, and we thought you were about to be the next poster!"

    "I''m so sorry, Ophelia." Vivian says, unsure of what else to say at this moment. "I didn''t mean to cause you and Elias so much worry."

    Ophelia rubbed her face with her hands, letting out a frustrated breath. "I''m glad you''re okay, but that doesn''t explain the window and the blood."

    "I don''t know. When I left last night, the window was intact." Vivian lied, hating how it tasted on her tongue. She didn''t enjoy lying, but the woman did it when she had to.

    Ophelia''s eyes moved back to Kit. "And you left with him." She said, incredulous. "When did you even get his number again?"

    "I ran into her the other night while she was walking home." Kit began before Vivian could even begin to formulate her lie. "I offered to walk her home and we exchanged numbers."

    "Exactly!" Vivian said, a little too quickly. "I went to his place last night and forgot my phone. I ended up falling asleep on his couch."

    Ophelia just stares at the two of them, as if processing their lies. But then she released a breath, her shoulders relaxing. "Well I''m glad you''re not dead. Elias has been completely out of his mind with worry. We both were."

    "I know. I''m so sorry. It won''t happen again." Vivian said, and she really hoped it was the truth and not another lie.

 Chapter 9

    The water was as warm as she shoved her hands into the sink, grabbing a large baking pan and scrubbing it down. It had been a few days since she last saw Kit, and Vivian was beginning to accept that there would be periods of time that she wouldn''t see the vampire. Which was a little sad, as she enjoyed seeing him. Vivian didn''t completely understand why she felt that way, nor was she going to look too deeply into those emotions. She just accepted that she enjoyed his presence, and when it was gone, she missed him.

    Vivian missed him.

    The woman felt ridiculous. A blush creeped up to her cheeks, making her skin feel hot. Why had she missed him so much? It had been over a month since she first met the vampire, and she had only seen him a handful of times. Yet, each time something grew between them, something tender and soft. It showed in the way that he looked at her, the fondness clear in those crimson eyes. But again, Vivian wasn''t going to think about it. She couldn''t.

    Pulling the pan from the sink, she wiped it down and set it on the drying rack. That was the last task she had to do, except for taking the trash out. The thought made her skin crawl, mind going to the last time she closed, to the rabid that pounded on the door knowing she was inside. But Kit had stopped it, killed the thing before it found its way inside. Even though he was hurt, he still came to her rescue. Just like always.

    Grabbing the trash bag, Vivian flicked off all the lights, and headed to the back door. It creaked open with her weight, the cold air from outside seeping in instantly. But then the door was weightless, pulling open on its own accord. Only it wasn''t on its own accord, but rather Kit''s, as he stood there with the door open and his fingers on the edge of it.

    "Kit." Vivian breathed out, looking up into crimson hues.

    "Hey." He said simply, offering her a tentative smile. "You all done for the day?"

    Vivian nodded, looking down to the trash bag. "Just gotta throw this out." She said, gesturing to the trash bag in her hands.

    Kit leaned forward and grabbed the bag from her. Vivian was about to protest, but simply watched as the vampire moved to the dumpster and tossed the bag in like it weighed nothing, which it most certainly did not.

    "Why did you do that?" Vivian asks, watching the man stuff his hands into his pockets.

    The vampire just shrugged his shoulders. "I figured I could help you out a little."

    Vivian found herself smiling at the other. "Thank you."

    "You are welcome."

    They stood silently in the alleyway for a moment, Vivian shifting where she stood and looked down at her feet. "Is that the only reason you came by?"

    "Of course, not." Kit said in a serious tone, causing Vivian to look back up at him. "I am here to walk you home. Since you insist on working late into the night."

    Kit had offered to drive her home before, but Vivian refused. Even though it was technically dangerous, Vivian always enjoyed her walk home. It wasn''t like it was that far of a walk anyway. "Oh, a chaperone." Vivian joked, stepping towards Kit. "How gentlemanly of you."

    The vampire tried to hide a smile, bending at the waist in a mock bow. "You should expect nothing less." He said, standing and offering his arm.

    Vivian thought about it for only a moment, and then wrapped one hand around his arm, feeling the muscle underneath tense. There was a soft smile on his face, and it made her insides flutter. "I guess I shouldn''t." She replied, a fondness to her words she didn''t mean to place there.

    They had walked in silence for the first few minutes, a comfortable one that Vivian didn''t mind. But then the vampire took in a breath, as if ready to speak. "Viktor has made the preparations." He said, voice a little tight.

    Preparations? It took Vivian a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Oh, are we going tonight?" She asked, a little wary as she was already tired from her closing shift at the cafe.

    "No, no not tonight. It will be in these next few days. Viktor needs to find another witch they can trust to do the spell with." The vampire explained, the two of them crossing the street. "It has taken a while but they think they found someone."

    "Oh, really?" Vivian asked, feeling nervous. "And this witch is someone we can trust?"

    "That is what Viktor said." Kit replied, but Vivian could feel the hesitation in his words. "I do not like that we have to bring another into this secret."

    The woman nodded, agreeing with him. If she was an aether reservoir, that meant her life would be in danger, and the more people that knew, the more dangerous it became. "But if Viktor trusts them, doesn''t that mean we should too?"

    Kit remained silent, his muscle under her hand twitching again. "I suppose."

    "But you don''t agree." Vivian caught onto his words.

    The vampire looked down at her, some unknown pain in his crimson eyes. "I find trusting others... difficult." Kit admitted, looking away from her.

    Vivian was silent at first, processing his words. They hurt her in a way, not that she was hurt by them, but she empathized with that pain, with that difficulty trusting others. The woman had known what that was like, the only people she really trusted were Ophelia and Elias. After her mothers death, she didn''t really have anyone to rely on, let alone trust. When she met Ophelia, it was like a blessing. The other woman had warmed her, working her way into Vivians heart and breaking down her defenses. She had been Vivian''s longest lasting friend, and well, her only friend until they both moved back to Ophelia''s hometown and she met Elias. Now they were the most precious people to her.

    "I understand." Vivian finally decided on, keeping her voice light. "I do hope you can come to trust me though."

    Kit stopped midstep, looking over to her as she halted as well. His eyes just took her in for a moment, the two of them frozen on the sidewalk. The vampire seemed to search for something in her eyes, Vivian feeling her cheeks heat and chest tighten. "I hope so too." He spoke the words so quietly, the woman almost missed them. But she heard them, making her heart flutter. And then he was walking again, pulling Vivian along with him.

    I hope so too. What did he mean by that? Did he want to trust her? Did that mean he currently didn''t? Of course he wouldn''t, it wasn''t like she had proven herself in any way to him. It only made sense that he wouldn''t trust her. But the thought that he could, that he wanted to, made her heart flutter again.

    "There''s a festival or something coming up in a few days." Kit suddenly said, appearing to change the subject. "Are you planning on going?"

    Vivian had to think for a moment. "Oh, the Night Market?" She said, looking up to him. "Yeah, my friend and I are going to it! Will you be going?"

    The man''s expression softened a little. "Kind of. I will be on patrol that night, a lot of us will be."

    "Really?" She said, looking to the ground in front of her. "Why so many?"

    "The size of the gathering will attract more rabids, and they will be more aggressive too. It is better if there are more of us out here to protect those at the market." Kit said, very seriously. He also looked to the ground, before looking up. "I do hope you enjoy it."

    Vivian smiled at his comment. "I''m sure I''ll have a great time."

    ?

    "Are you ready?" Ophelia''s voice called across the house as Vivian zipped up her dress. It was early December, so it was cold outside. She wore leggings underneath and a nice fuzzy coat on top, adding a beanie to ensure all her warmth would stay on her and not escape.

    "Yeah! One second!" Vivian called out, double checking herself in the mirror. She had done her makeup and hair, black curls spilling out over her deep red dress. Grabbing her purse from her bed, the woman slipped shoes on and ran down the stairs to meet Elias and Ophelia in the entryway.

    It was the first Saturday of December, which meant it was the Night Market. All the shops closed early today in order to prepare for the market, vendors coming in from out of town and bearing the ice and snow. It was a tradition that was much older than Vivian, and she enjoyed it these past five years that she''s been here. Besides the Halloween fair, this was her other favorite event in town.

    The large parking lot by the park was cleared out of snow and the Night Market was set up, tents and stalls with various trinkets being sold, food being sold from trailers of those that drove into town or had a food cart somewhere within the town. The whole area had white string lights above, giving a mystical glow to the place, lights wrapped around trees and fed through branches. It was a beautiful sight, and Vivian loved it every time.

    They made it to the park around five in the evening, immediately going to the food carts and grabbing some dinner. The group then strolled around the market, each of them finding something specific to them and buying it. Vivian found a floral pin that she could add to her collection of pins, Elias found a small glass blown frog that would fit along with his collection of frog things, and Ophelia bought the most interesting thing out of all of them. She had somehow found a vendor selling crystals and wands and daggers, which for a moment Vivian wondered if any of them could actually channel aether, and bought a beautiful crystal dagger that looked sharp enough to cut.

    Inside a large tent, there was live music and a small bar, selling beers and ciders. The three of them got something to drink, found a space to sit down, and relaxed their weary bones. They had been there for a couple hours now, wandering the market and marveling at everything it had to offer. It was time for them to sit back and relax for a while, enjoy the live music and look over their newly bought goodies.

    Except, Vivian was beginning to notice a headache blossoming behind her eyes as she finished off her cider. Checking her bag, she found she didn''t bring any pain killers with her. "Hey, did either of you two bring some tylenol or something?"

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Both Elias and Ophelia sit up and immediately riffle through their bags, but both come back with a ''no''.

    "What''s wrong?" Elias asks, concern clear in his voice.

    "I''m just starting to get a headache." She says, pressing a finger to her temple as she felt a faint throb begin there. "I might head home."

    "I''ll walk back with you." Elias offers, fixing the items in his bag. "Do you want to stay or go?" He asked, looking over to Ophelia.

    The woman sat there for a moment, contemplating. "Hmm, I think I''ll stay here, have another drink or two."

    "Should I come back for you?" Elias asked, no tone of joke in his voice.

    Again, the woman stayed silent as she thought. "If you don''t mind."

    "Of course not." He said, standing from the table and grabbing his stuff. "I''ll walk Vivian home then come back for you."

    Ophelia nodded, taking a sip of her beer. "Sounds good. I''ll see you then."

    Vivian stood from the table as well. "You sure you''ll be okay here by yourself?"

    "Yeah, yeah, don''t worry about me." The woman said before finishing her drink off and standing. "You two be safe."

    "We will." Vivian said, adjusting the strap on her arm and following Elias from the large tent.

    Elias and Vivian walked side by side through the town, avoiding the icy spots on the sidewalk as they went. It wasn''t a far walk from the fair to their house, but Vivian couldn''t help the anxiety she felt in her chest. It radiated through her, made her more sensitive to every little sound and movement she saw from the corner of her eyes. She remembered what Kit said, that there would be more vampires on watch tonight, looking out for rabids, but still the feeling didn''t leave her.

    "Did you hear me?" Elias'' voice suddenly sounded against her ear. She looked over to the man walking besides her, head tilted down as if he was waiting for her.

    "No, I''m sorry." She replied. "What did you say?"

    "I asked how your head was." His voice matched the worry on his face. "Are you okay? You always get the worst headaches."

    "Trust me, I know." Vivian pressed her hands to her head, feeling her skull throbbing beneath. "It hasn''t gotten any better."

    "That''s no good." Elias began, but immediately stopped as soon as a scream rippled through the air. They both froze, eyes going wide as they looked at each other. Something crossed Elias'' face as another scream sounded, the word ''help'' barely heard through the high pitched tone.

    "Elias, don''t-." Vivian began to hiss out, knowing her friend to be the heroic type, but before she could finish, the man had taken off towards the sound of the scream. "Elias!" She yelled, chasing after him.

    An alleyway swallowed them both as Vivian followed Elias, the night quiet around her as blood rushed through her veins. What if it was a rabid attack? And they were running right for it. "Elias! You have to stop!" Her voice carried through the silence, but it was almost like Elias didn''t hear her, taking a sharp left. Vivian almost missed the turn, stopping on her heels and whipping around to follow. But he was gone. "Elias!"

    Fear overtook her as silence met her. She stood, alone, in the middle of an alleyway, deep behind the buildings. But then she heard footsteps, sounding like they were running towards her. She looked up, watching as Elias ran back towards her. "You idiot!" She yelled, moving towards him.

    "Run!" His voice was pitched high, panic laced in the one word as he grew closer to her. "Vivian, run!"

    She saw it before she could move, the pair of red eyes that trailed behind Elias. No. Vivian launched herself in his direction, unsure of what her plan was, unsure of what she was going to do. How did they escape this situation?

    A hand grabbed her arm as she neared Elias, and the force of him running pulled her back. "What are you doing? Run!" He yelled at her, throwing her in front of him. Vivian could barely catch herself as she continued to run, Elias by her side. Panic and fear mixed in her stomach, making her nauseous.

    But then a hand grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her back, causing her to fly through the air for a moment before slamming back down to the ground. She hit it so hard that the air was knocked out of her, the woman gasping for air as she laid on her back, vision swimming. She could hear a fight happening somewhere near her, but she couldn''t focus on the sound. Everything was fuzzy and the nausea from earlier only worsened.

    "No!" Elias'' voice cut through the air, Vivian breathing in a mouthful of air at the same time. The woman slammed back into herself, suddenly aware of the pain that radiated from the back of her skull. Still, she managed to roll over and push herself up, looking towards where she thought Elias was.

    The man laid on the ground, hands pressed firmly into the rabid as it tried to descend on him. Adrenaline shot through Vivian and she felt herself moving before even thinking about it, launching herself towards the pair. She knocked into the vampire, forcing them both to tumble to the ground. Vivian only had a moment to right herself before a claw came swiping at her. She moved just in time for the edge of the nail to only cut her cheek, pain a tiny spark on the spot.

    Vivian scrambled to her feet and ran towards Elias. Reaching down to the ground, she snatched his hand and pulled him up. Without a word, they began running again. Only, they didn''t make it far before the rabid was upon them. Claws ripped into the back of her coat, just barely touching her skin. The force of it found her back on the ground, trying to escape from the claws that dug into her coat. Pulling her arms from the coat, she untangled herself and fell onto her knees. Vivian pushed herself up and ran before turning around. Where had Elias gone? Her eyes scanned the alleyway, and she found him on the other side of the rabid. The thing stood between them, looking back and forth almost as if deciding who to attack. It pulled Vivian''s coat from its claws, and set its eyes on her.

    Oh no.

    The thing lunged after her, Vivian turning on her heels and running. Kit. Where was he? Or any other vampire for that matter? The thought ran through her head as she desperately tried to escape. Vivian could feel it was close, that its claws would dig into her at any moment. Only it didn''t, and when Vivian spared a glance behind her, she saw why.

    Elias knocked into the rabid, setting the thing off its course, but then it went after Elias, the man unable to escape. The rabid clung to him, forcing her friend to the ground and opening its jaws wide, exposing long, deadly  fangs. "No!" Vivian screamed as she turned and began running towards the pair.

    The rabid dug its fangs deep into Elias'' neck, and Vivian''s world shattered. The man screamed, Vivians stumbling for a moment at the sound. She had never heard Elias scream like that before, so filled with pain and fear. The woman reached the rabid biting into her friend and threw her body at the pair. Only the creature was ready for it this time and swiped its claws out. Vivian barely managed to dodge, the rabids claws ripping into the fabric on her sleeves as she threw her arms up.

    "Let him go!" She screamed, falling to her knees as the rabid drank from Elias. She had to do something, anything. She looked around and saw a long pipe on the ground, rushing for it. Fingers wrapped around the cold metal, and she ran back to the rabid. Using all her strength, she swung the pipe at the rabid.

    It landed on the creature''s back, a crack sounding from where the pipe made contact. Vivian froze as the rabid released Elias and stood, turning towards her. Blood covered the rabids face, Elias'' blood, and it made her stomach turn. "I-I won''t let you kill him." She stammered out, fear etched into every inch of her skin.

    The thing tilted its head to one side, as if it didn''t understand her, and then lunged. Vivian stood her ground, about to bat the rabid away like some baseball, but it was gone. In front of her was an empty alleyway. Dropping the pipe, Vivian ran to her friend''s side, dropping next to him.

    "Elias!" Vivians voice cracked on his name, the woman''s hazel eyes looking over the man''s body for a moment before lunging into action. She pressed both her hands to the wound on his neck, hot blood instantly covering her hands. He was losing too much of it, and who knows how much the rabid took. "Elias? Can you hear me?"

    The man below her blinked rapidly, coughing on his blood as it filled his throat, coating his lips and running down his face. "V-Vivian." The man managed, a bloody hand reaching up for her. She felt slick fingers brush hair from her face. "R-Run."

    "No! I''m not leaving you!" Vivian replied, looking around her. There was nothing she could use to stop the bleeding. "I-I can''t leave you!" Her eyes scanned the man''s body and took note of the claw marks across his chest, cutting through his coat and all the way down to his skin. When did the rabid get him? It must have been while she was down, unable to process what was going on around her. "Fuck, Elias, you- you''re so-." But she couldn''t finish the sentence.

    "G-Go, Vivian... go." Elias muttered out, his words surrounded by blood. He pressed against her chest, almost as if to push her away. "It... It''ll come b-back."

    Vivian shook her head, taking the hand that was pushing her away. "Absolutely not! I''m staying right here with you! I-I need to call an ambulance or-or-." Or what? Her mind couldn''t function. What was she supposed to do? Her friend laid, bleeding out on the ground in some back alley. He was attacked by a rabid, a fucking rabid vampire, how was she supposed to explain that to the police?

    There was a sound behind her and she whipped around, expecting the rabid to have returned. Only it wasn''t a rabid. "Kit." Vivian breathed out, relief flooding her system.

    The concern was clear on his face as he looked down to her. "Vivian, are you hurt?"

    The woman thought about the cut on her face and on her arm, but it was nothing compared to Elias, whose blood still spilled through her fingers. "No, no, but please help him!"

    Kit moved swiftly, kneeling down besides Vivian. Elias immediately tried to shift away from Kit, but it seemed to pain him and he gave up entirely. The look of fear was clear on his face though. "He lives." Kit spoke, almost a little stunned

    "Can you heal him?" Vivian asks, wanting to reach for Kit but unable to pull her hands away from Elias'' neck. "Please, tell me you can heal him." There was desperation in her words, and she didn''t care. She needed Elias to survive this, she needed him too.

    Kit hesitated, looking down to her friend and then back to her. "I can try, but he won''t come back as he was."

    What? The woman looked at Kit with confusion clear on her face. Another figure appeared then on the other side of Elias, and Vivian''s eyes snapped over to them. The red in their eyes told her what they were, another vampire. "Who are you?"

    "This is Sebastian." Kit spoke for the other, Vivian looking back to him. "He''s going to take Elias to Niccolo to help him."

    "What?" Vivian''s voice came out sharp. "You''re not taking him anywhere, just heal him!"

    "Vivian, I cannot." Kit''s words were like a slap in the face, her eyes moving to her friend below her. His blood was thick and hot as it pulsed through her fingers still, Elias'' eyes growing weary and tired. "It is too late to simply heal him Vivian. If there is any hope for him, it will be as a vampire."

    The words rolled around in her head as she looked back up to Kit. As a vampire. "Y-You don''t mean..."

    Kit looked like he was hesitating, as if the words just wouldn''t come up his throat. "I do." He finally said, lifting a hand to rest on her shoulder. "Niccolo is the only one who can turn him. I cannot."

    Vivians eyes tore away from Kit and back down to her friend. His blood began to slow as it moved between her fingers, and she knew what that meant. "You have to turn him."

    Again, the man hesitated. "Yes."

    Vivian slowly lifted her hands from her friends neck, the blood flowing to the ground once again. But the other vampire, Sebastian, knelt down and picked Elias'' body from the ground. "I will let you know when he wakes."

    "Thank you." Kit said, and then the vampire with her friend in his arms was gone.

    Vivian knelt there, holding her hands out and looking at all the blood that covered her hands and arms. How did she get so much on her?

    "Vivian." Kit''s voice was gentle as he said her name, his hand still on her shoulder. Fingers gently caressed the skin they laid atop. "We should go."

    Yet Vivian couldn''t move. She couldn''t tear herself away from the spot. Hazel eyes were stuck on the blood that painted her hand and arms, the way it dried to a darker red. Vivian felt numb, the feeling cascading through her entire body, a buzzing taking over. Was he going to die? Was Elias going to die?

    "Vivian." Kit said again, shaking Vivian slightly. That caused her to look away from her hands and to the vampire kneeling besides her. "He is in good hands, I promise you."

    "Kit." Vivian spoke, and deep within her, a well opened up, and emotions came flooding into her system. Guilt was the first thing she felt, the guilt from making Elias walk her home from the market and getting them in this situation, and then a heavy sadness that sat in her gut like concrete. This was her  fault, and if he died it would be his blood on her hands. "He can''t die. He can''t."

    Kits hands were slow as he reached for her, hand gentle as it rested against her shoulder. "He will not, Vivian." He said, but there was something in his voice that screamed doubt. "But we need to get out of here. Please. The blood will attract more rabids."

    Vivian nodded her head, the numbness taking back over as the emotions she felt were just too overwhelming. She had to push them down, she would process this all later, but Kit was right. For now, they needed to get out of here.

    "We''re going to my place." Kit said as he helped Vivian stand on her feet. "I can''t bring you home looking like this."

    Vivian wanted to ask, but she already knew. Blood coated her, and the last thing she needed was for Ophelia to find her like this. Oh god, Ophelia. What the hell was she going to tell her? Again, she pushed the thought back, far back, and would think about all this later. For now, she let herself be swept away by Kit, let his presence overtake her and she was led away from the scene.

 Chapter 10

    Guilt was something that sat heavy in the bottom of Kit''s stomach. When they arrived at Kit''s apartment, he was swift to bring her upstairs before anyone noticed the smell of blood wafting off of her. The woman needed a shower, and badly. Being covered in blood wasn''t the smartest thing to do while being in an apartment complex full of supernatural creatures. So as soon as he got to his apartment, he led Vivian back towards his bedroom and through it to his bathroom. The woman surprisingly gave no protest as he dragged her towards his bedroom, but she also didn''t seem completely there. Which made sense. She did just watch another one of her friends get attacked by a rabid.

    He had gotten her clean towels, turned the shower on for her and was about to leave the bathroom when something tugged at his shirt. When he looked back, he saw it was Vivian that grabbed him, the fabric turning red in her fingers. "D-Don''t... don''t go... please..."

    Confusion was the first thing that rattled through him at the woman''s words. "I am just going to be in the living room, Vivian."

    She then looked up to him, pleading with her eyes. "Please. I-I don''t..."

    That was all it took for Kit to understand. "I can sit by the door." He offered, and something flashed across Vivian''s face. "With my back turned, of course."

    "That would work." Vivian replied, her voice small and shy.

    And so Kit found himself sitting on the bathroom floor by the door, staring at it while Vivian showered behind him. He could hear the water running off her body and hitting the tub, no doubt pink in color as it washed away the blood on her. Kit could tell she was using his body wash, as the scent of pine and mint filled the room and washed the scent of blood away.

    When Vivian was done, Kit stood outside of the door and let Vivian dry herself off. "Let me grab you some clothes." He said, and quickly rifled around his room until he found a clean t-shirt and sweatpants she could wear. Handing it to her through the crack of the door, Kit went to sit on the bed and waited for the woman to exit his bathroom.

    When she did, she was dressed in the clothes he gave her, wet hair against her back causing the shirt to dampen. Her face was clear of the blood that was smudged there, as was her arms were also clean. Even though she looked tired and worn, he couldn''t help but notice how beautiful she was. The thought made something stir deep in his stomach.

    "Where do I put the towels?" Vivian asked, her voice shy.

    "I will take them." He said, moving off the bed and grabbing the towels from her hands. Kit wanted to comment on how clean she looked now, but figured he shouldn''t say anything that might trigger the memory. So he just moved past her and hung the towel up over the shower rod.

    "Kit?" Vivians voice asked, the man turning towards her. She stood in the doorway of the bathroom, steam collecting above her head. "I..." She began, but tears formed in her eyes, which made Kit move to her immediately.

    "Vivian." He whispered out as he stood in front of, beginning to reach out but then stopping. He thought it would be better if he didn''t touch her. Kit wasn''t sure how she would respond to it right now. "What is it? Tell me."

    The woman brought both hands up to her face as she let out a sob. "I-I can''t stop seeing it." Vivian cried into her hands, the vampire''s heart lurching from his chest.

    Kit wanted to comfort her, wanted to reach out and take her in his arms. But he remembered the last time he hugged her and how absolutely still she was. He didn''t want to cause her any more discomfort. Yet he still had to do something. So he reached a hand out and set it on her arm, fingers soft.

    What happened next was completely unexpected, but the woman moved her hands from her face and latched onto Kit''s shirt, burying her face in his chest. He stood frozen for a moment, the woman letting out a heart wrenching sob. Without thinking about it, the vampire wrapped his arms around her.

    "I am so sorry, Vivian." The man whispered into her hair, unsure of what else to say. What did one say in a moment like this? His heart hurt for her, for the pain that she was going through. She had seen something terrifying, and for it to happen to one of her closest friends, it had to be absolutely horrible. There was nothing he could say that would make this any better.

    They stood there like that for a while, Vivian crying into Kit''s chest and the vampire gently soothing her. It was only once Vivian had calmed down a little that he led her over to the bed and sat them down. "You should sleep." He said in a quiet voice, helping the girl down to the pillows.

    "I-I can''t." Vivian said, but didn''t fight against him as he tucked her in. "I-I''ll just keep seeing it."

    "You will not." Kit replied, his voice still soft. He brushed some hair off of Vivians face that was caught by her tears, tucking them behind her ear. The look of panic was clear on the woman''s face, and it made his stomach drop. "I promise you."

    "How can you be so sure?" She asked, staring up at him with wet eyes.

    "I will put you to sleep, and it will be a dreamless sleep."

    "You can do that?"

    "Yes." Kit nodded, his knuckles brushing against her cheek. He could hear breath hitched the slightest bit.

    Vivian just looked at him for a moment before nodding and letting her eyes close. Kit moved his hand to place it atop her forehead and took in a breath.

    "Stay with me." Vivian said, eyes still closed. Kits breath halted, looking down to the woman on the bed. "Please."

    "Of course." Kit replied, his thumb running over the skin it sat upon. "Now, sleep." He let the aether flow into his words, manipulating the aether within Vivian and causing her breath to deepen.

    Even though she was asleep, the man didn''t remove his hand. Rather, he let it sit there for a moment, absorbing the warmth that radiated from the woman. Stay with me. Her words echoed in his head as he looked down at her. He couldn''t pull himself away, no matter how much he told his body to move. He just couldn''t.

    Kit felt his heart lurch. What was going on with him? He knew he should move away, that he should just let the poor woman rest after everything that''s happened, but he just couldn''t. There was something sitting heavy in his stomach, something pulling tight at his heart, but he couldn''t name it. He wouldn''t.

    Slowly, as if not to disrupt her, the man took his hand away and stood from the bed.

    Stay with me.

    The man''s chest stung. This was all his fault. Kit had left for a few moments to take care of a rabid in a different part of town, and that''s when they were attacked. When Kit wasn''t there to protect her. There was some relief in the fact that she was safe, that she wasn''t harmed during the attack, but it was quickly washed over by guilt. Heavy guilt that drowned out any other emotion. This was all his fault. He arrived too late to save her friend, too late to keep Vivian from seeing her friend attacked by a rabid.

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    The man dropped to the ground by the door, making sure he made no sound on the way down. Should he offer to take away those memories? Would it even work on her? He remembered when she said that she was having nightmares about the night Penny was killed, an obvious crack in the spell that Kit used. Would she just be plagued by the same nightmares? Would she just see her friend getting mauled over and over? The guilt deepened.

    Dropping his head, Kit let out a breath. He wondered if Sebastian had made it back to Niccolo''s on time. He really hoped he had.

    About an hour later, when Kit was sure that Vivian was asleep, he crept out of the room and headed upstairs to speak with Viktor. The vampire found the witch outside on their balcony, watching the town below.

    "What''s on your mind?" Viktor asked, already knowing there had to be a reason that Kit would come unannounced.

    "Vivian and her friend were attacked by a rabid." He said simply, looking away from the witch and towards the view outside. "Vivian survived, but her friend..."

    "They didn''t make it?"

    Kit shook his head. "I had Sebastian bring him to Niccolo to see if anything can be done."

    The witch let out a breath. "Well I am sure that Niccolo will be able to take care of it. How is Vivian fairing? Was she injured?"

    "No." Kit said, looking up to the witch. "But she... she is not doing well, and I do not know how to console her."

    Viktor hummed softly, turning back towards the penthouse, Kit following. "Well I''m glad you were there for her. I would be thoroughly disappointed if Vivian died."

    Kit''s heart clenched, breath stuck in his throat. He couldn''t even think about that possibility. "I was not able to protect her friend." The vampire admitted, the guilt weighing heavy in his stomach. "He was harmed because of me."

    "Don''t go blaming this on yourself, Kit." Viktor said, moving to stand in front of the vampire. "This was not your fault, you did what you could."

    Kit eyed the witch. "But it wasn''t enough."

    "Have you asked Vivian that?" Viktor bit out, almost as if he was offended. "Have you even taken her feelings into consideration?"

    Her feelings? "Why would it matter-?"

    "Are you saying Vivian''s feelings don''t matter?" Viktor accused.

    "No!" Kit was quick to say. "No, of course not. But I just... I cannot help but feel this was my fault Viktor, nothing that Vivian says will change that."

    "Must you always paint yourself as the monster?" Viktors voice was soft, but it cut like a knife into Kit. Because he was. Kit was a monster. "Nevermind that. As long as Vivian is okay, that is what matters. I''m sure Niccolo will take care of the friend."

    Kit watched as Viktor walked back into the living room, leaving Kit standing by the door. He wanted to agree with Viktor, that all that mattered was that Vivian was okay. But she wasn''t. She would have to live the rest of her life with the memory of seeing her friend attacked by a rabid. And that sent guilt rolling through him all over again.

    ?

    Vivian''s consciousness came to her slowly at first, the feeling of the mattress and sheets on top of her telling her she was safe in her bed. Except the sheets felt wrong, they were too smooth, too silky. Opening her eyes, she realized that she wasn''t in her bed at all, let alone her bedroom. Her consciousness slammed into her then, bolting upright in the bed. Where was she? Whose bedroom was she inside of? Looking around the room, there wasn''t much to take in, and it was much too dark to see anything. Something by the door caught her eyes, and Vivian allowed her eyes to focus on the shape resting against the door. It was Kit, she realized, the vampire''s back pressed to the wood, his head falling forward, hair creating curtains around his face. Was he asleep?

    Vivian wracked her brain for what she could possibly be doing in his bedroom, and then it all came back to her. The market, Elias, the rabid attack. Elias'' blood covering her hands, the man gasping for air below her. Her heartbeat raced beneath her skin as panic flushed through her system. Where was Elias? Was he safe?

    "Vivian." Kit''s voice sounded from the ground, groggy and deep. He was at the side of the bed in no time, sitting on the mattress beside her. "Hey, hey, what is it?"

    "Elias." She breathed out, reaching for Kit. The vampire gave her both his hands, and she took them. His grasp was cold but firm. "He- I- Where is he?"

    "He should be at Niccolo''s by now." Kit answered, his thumb moving over her hands. "Niccolo will turn him, remember?"

    Turn him. Elias, a vampire. Oh god, oh no, no, no. What had Vivian done? With the other option being Elias dying, it seemed easy, of course she would rather him be a vampire then be dead. But now he was going to actually be a vampire, just like Kit, the realization hitting her hard. Would he hate her? It was her decision after all.

    "What do I do?" Vivian asked, tears forming in her eyes. "He''s- he''s going to be a vampire Kit! W-What do I do?"

    "He is going to be fine." Kit reassured her, taking one of his hands from hers and brushed hair behind her ear. Her skin was so soft underneath his touch, it made his chest flutter."There is nothing for you to do."

    "This is my fault. T-This is all my fault!" Vivian cried out, tears spilling from her eyes and streaking down her cheeks.

    "No." Kit said harshly, almost surprising Vivian with the seriousness of it. "No, Vivian, this was not your fault. Do not blame yourself. This was my fault."

    Vivian looked up to Kit, his face blurred by her tears. "H-How could it be your fault?"

    "I should have been there. The rabid never should have gotten anywhere near you." Kit said, the guilt clear on his face.

    Despite Vivian, she found herself shaking her head. "No, no this was my fault."

    "Why do you insist on taking the blame?"

    "Because it is my fault!" She yelled, but it was desperate sounding and weak. "He was walking me back home because I had a headache. If it wasn''t for me, he would never have left the market, we wouldn''t have heard that scream!"

    Kit looked at her, the same desperation in his eyes. "Please, Vivian. This was not your fault."

    Vivian wanted to argue, to yell at him and force him to understand that yes, yes it was her fault. This was all her fault. But her voice wouldn''t come out, tears spilling from her eyes and wretched sobs working their way out her mouth. Kit pulled her into his chest, and she fell easily, grabbing onto him.

    She cried into him for she wasn''t sure how long, and when she was done she felt numb. Vivian pushed herself off of the man''s chest, straightening herself up a little bit. Still, she kept her hands on his chest, the fabric wrinkled between her fingers.

    "Do you want any water?" Kit asked softly, and she shook her head in response. She honestly just wanted to go back to sleep, to wake up and this all to have been some horrible nightmare. But she knew that wouldn''t happen.

    "I don''t know what to do, Kit." She finally said, exhausted and sad.

    Again, the vampire reached his hands out, taking her face in them. His palms were cool against her cheek, making her suck in a tiny breath. "Vivian, listen to me. There is nothing for you to do. There is nothing for you to feel guilty for. This was not your fault." It was mine, she could almost hear him say, but he didn''t. He left it at that, looking at her so deeply she could swear he saw her soul.

    Vivian moved her hands from his chest to the ones on her face, whispering against his skin. "Will I ever see him again?"

    Kit hesitated before answering, almost as if thinking. "I will make sure of it."

    Vivian nodded, letting out a deep breath. But then a realization hit her and she sank back down into her depression. "Oh gods, what am I going to tell Ophelia?"

    The vampire was quiet with that question, looking at her with deep concern. "You cannot tell her the truth."

    "Well duh!" Vivian snapped back, but it was dull and weak. "I can''t just tell her a vampire attacked us and Elias is now going to become one!"

    Kit''s thumbs moved across her cheeks, her face still being held by him. "No, you cannot." He released a breath and withdrew his hands, something Vivian very much did not like. His hands were a comfort on her face, soft and cold against the heat of her panic. "We will think of something, I promise."

    "Can I... can I just stay here? For a couple of days? I''m not..." She looked away from Kit, embarrassment quickly overcoming her senses. "I''m not ready to go home yet."

    "Whatever you want, Vivian." Kit answered easily, no hint of tease in his voice. That caused her to look back at him, to see the sincerity in his eyes. "Whatever you need."

    Vivian reached out for Kit, feeling something deep and heavy in her chest as he opened himself for her. She collapsed against his chest, arms weaving behind his back and grabbing the fabric from his shirt. "Thank you, Kit."

    And there was so much for her to thank him for. For saving her, for potentially saving Elias, for taking care of her and being gentle, for always being there for her when she needed him. It made her chest flutter when he wrapped his own arms around her, pulling her close to him. Vivian would be sure to thank him better one day, when this was all over and she could return to a normal life. Whatever that meant for her now.

 Chapter 11

    Vivian sat with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, facing the window and watching the world outside. It snowed overnight and the town''s plows were moving through the streets, removing the inches of snow from the roads. Vivian felt numb. These past few days she''s been staying at Kit''s place, ignoring calls from Ophelia and only sending her a few texts here and there to let her know that yes she was alive and yes she was staying with a friend. Yet, anytime Elias was brought up, Vivian would just skirt around it. We got home and that was the last I saw him, Vivian lied, unsure of what else to say. Even if she had been able to tell Ophelia the truth, she wouldn''t even know where to start.

    Turning away from the window, she looked at her tablet on the coffee table, a scene from her graphic novel sketched out, ready for coloring. She had snuck over to her home while Ophelia was sure to be away at work and gathered some things for herself. She felt bad just wearing Kit''s clothes, even though they were very comfortable.

    She still hadn''t really processed the events from that night. She hadn''t even been able to think about it. Every time her mind tried to go back to that night, she would freeze up and panic would set over her skin like a heavy, suffocating blanket. So she simply just hadn''t thought about it. Even still, it gnawed at her, the memory raging in the back of her mind, desperate to be seen. But she couldn''t do it. She wouldn''t. But she also knew she couldn''t stay hidden at Kit''s forever.

    Looking up from her tablet, hazel eyes roamed to the kitchen, where Kit currently stood with his back to her. He had been doing something, Vivian not really paying much attention. At least, not until he left the kitchen and rounded the counter, heading towards her with a mug in hand.

    "What''s that?" Vivian asked, eyeing the mug.

    "It is for you." He replied, stopping in front of her and handing her the mug. "Hot chocolate. With marshmallows."

    "Really?" She set her tablet down on the table and reached for the mug. "Why did you make me hot chocolate?"

    The vampire shrugged his shoulders. "You have been very... down these past few days. I wanted to do something for you that might lift your spirits, even if just a little."

    "So hot chocolate?"

    "With marshmallows." He added, as if it was of utmost importance.

    Vivian smiled softly, looking down into the mug. "Where did you get this idea from?"

    "Viktor." Kit admits, shoving hands in his pockets. "They said that humans thoroughly enjoy hot chocolate, especially with marshmallows. So, yesterday I went out and bought some of the mix. I do hope it is to your liking."

    Vivian wanted to cry. That was so sweet of him, and so considerate. It smelt amazing, and looked even better. "What did you use to make this?"

    "Milk." He replied, pointing to the stove back in the kitchen. "I just boiled some milk and added the mix. That is how it is made, right?"

    The woman nodded her head. "You could also have made it with water, but it tastes better with milk." Lifting the mug to her lips, she took a small sip. It tasted just as good as it smelt. She was sure he had to have done something to the hot chocolate, because just simple milk and mix shouldn''t taste this good.

    Kit watched her, a little impatient. "How is it?"

    "It''s delicious, Kit. Thank you." She said, and meant it. After taking another sip, she set the mug down on the coffee table and picked her tablet back up.

    "What is that?" Kit asked, eyeing the tablet.

    "This?" She says, gesturing to the tablet in her hands, and the man nods. "It''s a drawing tablet. I can make art on it."

    "Really? Can I- Uh, is it okay if I see?" He asked, his voice turning a little shy at the end.

    Vivian scooted over and patted the seat next to her. "Come take a seat."

    Hesitantly, the man moved from where he stood and sat on the couch beside her. Vivian angled her tablet so that Kit could see what she was working on. Crimson eyes seemed to light up as the man took in the image on her tablet. "You drew that?"

    "Yup." Vivian said, proudly. Of all the things in her life, the one that she was consistent with was her drawing. Ever since she was a child, she loved to draw and create art. It was only once she met Ophelia in college did she decide to make a graphic novel, switching her major to creative arts and her minor to writing. Although in the last five years, she hasn''t finished her graphic novel, she was very close to being done with it.

    Kit reached for the tablet but then stopped. "Uh, may I?" He asked, looking at the tablet. Vivian nodded and handed it to him, the vampire taking it gently and raising it to get a better look. He was silent for a moment, looking over the small details. "Amazing."

    Vivian felt her cheeks flush. "Thank you." She replied, darting her eyes away as Kit looked at her. "I''ve been doing it for a long time."

    "How did you make this?" He turned the tablet towards her, holding it to show her her own art. It was one of her favorite scenes from the book, where the two main characters are inside a haunted house and one of them falls through the rotting wood. The other main character just barely catches them, the image depicting that moment right as their hand clasped around the other.

    Vivian shrugs her shoulders. "Like I said, I''ve been doing it for a while. I''ve had a lot of practice."

    "Fascinating." The vampire said softly, turning the tablet back to him and continuing to marvel at the drawing. "You will have to show me more of your art eventually." Handing the tablet back to her, their fingers brushed against each other for the faintest of moments.

    "It''s a date." Vivian replied without thinking, the words instantly bringing a blush to her cheeks. "I-I mean, that''s a good idea. I can definitely do that."

    A gentle smile grew on the man''s face, that fondness returning to his expression. It made her chest flutter. "I like the sound of that." He said, the smile still on his face. "Oh!" He said, as if remembering something. "I almost forgot. Viktor is ready for us."

    "For what?" Vivian asked, setting her tablet back down on the coffee table.

    "The spell to see if you really are an... an aether reservoir."

    Vivians heart sank. "Oh, yeah that." She said, disappointment filling her. Vivian didn''t want to find out whether she was one or not, she would rather stay in the dark, keep her necklace on and not think about it. But at the same time, she had to know, had to find out if she really was a part of this insane world that''s been holding her captive these past couple of months. "When should we go up?"

    "Finish your hot chocolate. We will go then."

    Vivian took her time in finishing her drink, and then changed into something that wasn''t a shirt and sweatpants. Before she knew it, they were on their way upstairs to Viktor''s penthouse. Like usual, the doors opened for them and they walked inside, finding Viktor in their kitchen. The witch was hovering over the stove, vials and bowls scattered around as if they were making some kind of potion. Which they probably were.

    "Oh, you''re here! Perfect!" Viktor said once they walked into the kitchen, not even turning to look at them. "I was wondering when you two would show up."

    "Is the other witch here yet?" Kit asked, looking around the penthouse.

    "No, but she''ll be here soon." The witch replied, sprinkling something into the mixture before turning around. "But I will begin to get things set up, Kit come. I''ll need your strength."

    Rolling his eyes, the vampire followed the witch from the kitchen into the living room. Apparently the strength needed from Kit was to move the couches and rug around, creating a large free space in the middle of the living room. Using chalk, the witch drew a large pentagram on the wooden floor, the star and circle looking perfect. Next, they took some salt laced with what looked like lavender and rosemary and lined the outer circle of the pentagram. Vivian watched this all with fascination, standing in the kitchen behind the counter. Viktor then opened up a small box and set a different crystal on each point of the star, adjusting them so they sat perfectly.

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    "Oh! The candles!" Viktor called out as they looked at their creation. "I almost forgot the candles!"

    Vivian watched as the witch ran off to one of the rooms before returning with a handful of candles. They set them alongside the crystals at each point, little white pillar candles that stood a few inches off the ground. It all looked so simple, but Vivian knew it was the exact opposite. Viktor needed a second witch to perform this spell, which must mean this is an intense spell. Vivian just hoped whoever they chose to use as the second witch was trustworthy.

    "There!" Viktor exclaimed as they stood over the pentagram, eyeing it with lilac hues. "I think that does it. You''ll be standing in the middle of the star."

    "Now?" Vivian asked, nerves sneaking worry into her word.

    "No, not yet. But once we begin, you''ll be in the center." The witch points towards the center of the pentagram. "You shouldn''t feel anything during the spell, well, besides maybe a little bit of tingling."

    Vivian nodded, but their words did nothing for her nerves.

    Now, it was time to wait. Vivian wanted to ask about the other witch, but she was afraid to. She had grown comfortable with Kit and Viktor, she knew them by now and trusted them both, but having someone else enter this secret felt odd. With how dangerous Viktor made being an aether reservoir sound like, she was surprised they would bring an outsider in.

    "Do you have any questions?" Viktor asked Vivian from where they were in the kitchen, back to making whatever they were before they walked in.

    Vivian moved from the table she sat at with Kit to the witch. She watched them for a minute, them mixing a pot of shimmering purple liquid. "What is that for?"

    "It''s for you." Viktor replied, looking over their shoulder at her.

    "Me?"

    "Yes." The witch took the large wooden spoon from the mixture and tapped it on the edge of the pot. "This will help with the spell." Vivian eyed the mixture warily. It didn''t look bad per se, but it didn''t look very appetizing either. "It won''t taste like anything."

    "Oh, really?" Vivian looked back to the witch, eyebrows raised. It was like they read her mind. "Well that''s good I suppose."

    Taking a ladle, the witch poured a good amount of the shimmering purple liquid into a glass. The contents swirled around, catching the light from the chandelier above them. It looked like it was magical, Vivian never seeing anything like it before. "Drink up, my dear." Viktor said as they handed the glass to Vivian.

    The woman took it, fingers careful around the glass as she raised it to her lips. She gave it a quick whiff, eyes darting to where the vampire sat at the table. Meeting her eyes, Kit gave her a slight nod. Releasing a sigh, Vivian drank the mixture, actually tasting like nothing as it went down. She set the glass back down on the counter and looked at Viktor. "What now?"

    "For now, that''s it." They said, taking the glass and rinsing it out. "We have to wait until my friend arrives."

    As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door.

    "Ah, that should be her!" Viktor cheered, moving from the kitchen to the front door.

    Vivian moved back over to the table and sat down with Kit. Nerves caused her legs to shake, bouncing up and down as she messed with her hands in her lap. Kit reached out for her, placing a hand on hers. "Hey." He said, pulling her attention to him. "It will all be okay."

    Nodding, she tried to take in his words, tried to allow them to offer her some solace, but it was no use.

    "She has arrived!" Viktor called from the front door, both Vivian and Kit standing from the table to greet the new witch. Viktor rounded the corner, a figure shortly behind him. When Vivian recognized the witch, her heart dropped.

    "Ophelia?" Vivian''s voice was shrill as she spoke her friend''s name.

    The other woman''s eyes snapped to Vivian, the same shock that Vivian felt displayed on her face. "Vivian?" Ophelia''s voice was just as shrill as she froze next to Viktor. "W-What are you doing here?"

    "What are you doing here?" Vivian asked back, then looked at Viktor. "What is she doing here?"

    Viktor just blinked, a grin on his face. "She''s here to help. I see you two know each other."

    "Wait, you''re..." Kit began, almost like he was just now recognizing the face in front of him. Granted, he''s only met her a couple of times.

    "You''re that vampire from the cafe! And the fair!" Ophelia moved her attention to Kit as he spoke.

    "You knew he was a vampire?" Vivian asked, pulling Ophelia''s eyes back to her. "Why didn''t you say anything?"

    "Me? What was I supposed to say?" Ophelia bit back. "Oh hey, be careful that''s a vampire, like you would have believed me."

    "I would have!" Vivian yelled, exaggerating herself with her hands.

    "How was I supposed to know? When did you even find out about this stuff?" Ophelia looked between Kit and Vivian.

    "Just after Penny died." Vivian said, the memory playing over in her head. "I was there when she... when she was killed."

    Ophelia is silent for a moment, as if thinking. "What killed her?"

    "A rabid." Kit answered for Vivian, the woman finding using her voice difficult. "I was there to keep it from killing Vivian."

    "And you didn''t take her memories?" Ophelia accused, looking incredulous.

    "I did!" Kit defended himself. "It just... it did not work on her. She remembered everything."

    "Ophelia." Vivian said then, pulling the woman''s heated gaze back to her. "You''re a witch?"

    Her friend was silent for a few seconds, hesitation clear on her face. But then she looked at Kit and Viktor, releasing a breath. "Yes, I am."

    "Holy shit." Vivian muttered, putting a hand to her mouth as it fell open. "Does that mean your mom is...?"

    "Yes." Ophelia answered, looking away as if ashamed. "I wanted to tell you, but I knew I couldn''t. It''s dangerous for humans to be a part of the supernatural world."

    "Seems our Vivian here might not be a human, dear Ophelia." Viktor said then as a silence began to fall on the group.

    "Wait, she''s the one?" Ophelia asked, pointing a finger to Vivian. "No, you can''t have that right. I live with her, I would know."

    "She has a protection." Viktor replied, tapping theira chest. "A handy little necklace."

    Ophelia''s eyes went wide with realization. "Your necklace." The woman breathed out, eyes dropping to the pendant on Vivian''s chest. "You''ve always had that necklace."

    "This is a new one." Vivian said, picking the pendant up. "I took off my old one and I kind of... exploded with aether."

    Again, realization crossed Ophelia''s face. "The window and the blood."

    "I was attacked that night." Vivian continued.

    "That was from you?"

    "Yes."

    Ophelia reached out then, grabbing Vivian by the shoulders. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

    Vivian blinked. "Uh, yeah I''m fine now. I was bit by a rabid but Kit was there to save me." She said, gesturing towards the vampire standing besides her. "He''s kind of saved me a bunch."

    Ophelia''s eyes snapped to Kit, narrowing. "This guy?"

    "I can vouch for him myself." Viktor said then, Ophelia looked back to them. "I''ve known him for as long as I''ve known your family."

    "They know your family?" Vivian asked, catching the words.

    "They taught me everything I know about aether." Ophelia released Vivian then, stepping back. "You do know what that is, right?"

    Vivian nodded. "Yes, I''ve been educated."

    Ophelia is quiet for a moment, thinking again. "Do you know what happened to Elias?"

    Vivian''s mouth shut then, her heart lurching in her chest. Oh, no. She couldn''t tell Ophelia, not like this.

    Kit must have noticed her silence and stepped in. "He was attacked by a rabid and taken to be turned."

    "He what?" Ophelia''s eyes went wide again, this time with fear. "Tell me he''s lying." Her eyes moved back to Vivian. "Please, tell me he''s lying."

    Vivian shook her head. "I was with him."

    Something like despair passed over Ophelia''s face. She struggled to say anything, hands going up to her red curls and digging into them. "Oh my gods." Ophelia breathed out, panic apparent. "Elias was attacked?"

    Vivian and Kit nodded.

    "And you... you saw it all?"

    Again, Vivian nodded. "It... it was horrible Ophelia." Tears sprung up in her eyes, threatening to fall. "I-."

    Ophelia was too quick for Vivian to process what she was doing, but she was suddenly enveloped into arms, pressed tight against Ophelia. "I''m sorry, Vivian." She whispered against Vivian''s head, rocking them back and forth. "I''m so sorry, you should have never seen that." The overwhelming sadness that Vivian has been holding back these past few days slammed into her chest, making a horrible sob sound from her mouth. She clung to her friend and cried into her shoulder, letting the sorrow take her over.

    These past few days, Vivian hasn''t been letting herself feel anything. She''s been distracting herself and keeping her mind from processing what happened that night. Yet now, face to face with Ophelia, she felt she had no choice. She had to face what happened. And it hurt. It felt like someone was ripping her heart out, like knives were stabbing at her chest again and again. Flashes of that night played over in her head, of the rabid above Elias, the way it tore into his neck, and the blood, oh gods the blood. It made her sick.

    It took a while for her to calm down, for her to gain some composure over herself. When she did, the two friends separated, Vivian wiped her face with the sleeve of her shirt. "I''m sorry." She said to the three of them, feeling ridiculous. "I shouldn''t have broken down like that."

    "There''s no need to apologize." Viktor said, reaching a hand out and placing it on her shoulder. "You went through something terrible. You''re going to have these feelings for a while."

    "Oh lovely." Vivian said, sarcasm laced through her words.

    "Come on." Viktor moved towards the living room. "We have a spell to cast!"

    The four of them moved to the living room, gathering around the pentagram. Viktor led Vivian into the center of the star, moving about and lighting the candles at each point of the star. It all looked like a very intricate process, Viktor muttering something under their breath as they lit each candle.

    Viktor then left the living room and went into the kitchen, pouring two more glasses of the purple mixture. They took one for themselves and handed the other one to Ophelia. "Are you ready?" They asked after downing the mixture.

    "As ready as I''ll ever be." Ophelia replied after also drinking the mixture, setting the glass down and moving towards the pentagram.

    Viktor stood on one spot while Ophelia stood exactly opposite of them. At the same time, they knelt to the ground, lying their hands on the salt circle. Both of them began muttering in a language Vivian couldn''t understand, the candle''s wicks flickering intensely. The chalk on the ground began to glow, filling the space with a faint white light. But it grew stronger and stronger, until the light was almost blinding. Vivian put hands over her face, blocking out the light.

    There was this loud boom that sounded, shaking Vivian to the core. Her ears began to ring, and she felt tiny little pin pricks across her body, fingers and toes buzzing. She felt woozy and breathless all at once, swaying side to side where she stood. When the ringing finally began to die down, she uncovered his eyes to look at the room around her. What she saw shocked her.

    What looked like snow fell from the ceiling, dusting the furniture and ground all around them. Everyone in the room stood with a shocked expression on their face, all except for Kit, who looked pained more than anything. "W-What does this mean?" Vivian asked, feeling that the spell had been done.

    Viktor was the first one to clear their throat, trying to play it cool and brush off their shocked expression. "It seems that you, my dear, are an aether reservoir."

 Chapter 12

    Vivian is an aether reservoir. The words tumbled through his head again and again as he ran to Niccolo''s. An aether reservoir. It made him feel sick, a dull panic tackling his senses. It was the next day, but Viktor''s words wouldn''t leave his mind. An aether reservoir. An aether reservoir. This was a nightmare he couldn''t wake up from.

    Slowing his pace, Kit watched as the estate grew from behind snow covered pines, dark brick blending into the gray sky. It wasn''t that Kit hated coming to the estate, but he definitely did not like it. There was something about the manor that Kit just couldn''t get past, something about being surrounded by a plethora of other vampires that set off his senses.

    Entering the estate, Kit went directly for Niccolo''s office. He paused at the large wooden doors before lifting his fist and knocking.

    "Enter." Niccolo''s voice sounded from the other side of the door.

    Opening the door, Kit stepped into the office, finding the elder vampire sitting down behind his desk. Kit approached the desk but stayed quiet, knowing that Niccolo was in the middle of something. He could tell from the way the man hunched over the desk, pen flying in his hand.

    Then Niccolo released a breath and sat back in his chair. "What brings you here?"

    Kit swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. "Vivian is an aether reservoir."

    Eyes the color of rubies stared him down, showing absolutely no reaction to the news. "An aether reservoir?" Niccolo finally said, Kit nodding. "Well, that is troubling. Who all knows?"

    "Besides the two of us, Viktor and a witch named Ophelia." Kit replied, trying to quell the anxiety that made his heart rattle in his chest. He thought about mentioning the fact that Ophelia also happened to be a friend of Vivians, but decided to leave that out for later.

    Niccolo hums softly before pushing away from his desk and standing. "This is not good news." The vampire spoke, rounding his desk. "The question becomes, do we become involved?"

    "What do you mean?" Kit asked.

    "Vivian is going to need protection, more than what we''re already offering her." The vampire spoke, leaning against the desk and crossing his arms. "She may even need to come out here."

    "To the estate?"

    Niccolo nods. "It will be dangerous to continue to let her live her life in Lake Ashton."

    "So what, we kidnap her? Force her to stay here?"

    "No." The elder vampire says simply, raising one hand to their chin. "We would have to convince her that living in New Ashton is dangerous."

    "And how would we do that?" Kit shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

    Niccolo seemed to think for a moment, looking around his office. "Bring her here in a few days, I''ll do the convincing."

    Kit wanted to argue, but he knew he would get nowhere with Niccolo. So instead he nodded his head and stayed quiet.

    "Also, that human you brought in," Niccolo began, pulling crimson eyes to him, "I was able to turn him, but he hasn''t been adjusting well. He refuses to drink."

    "How much longer does he have?" Kit asks, worry clear in his voice.

    The elder vampire eyed him. "A few hours. It''s a good thing you came when you did. Maybe you can convince him to drink."

    "You really think I am the one to do that?" Kit almost laughs at the notion.

    "You were human once." Niccolo said, the words like a punch to Kit''s guts. "You can empathize with what he''s going through."

    Kit was silent for a moment, looking at the elder vampire. "I can try."

    "Perfect! Let''s go now." Niccolo exclaimed, clapping his hands together before pushing off the desk and towards the doors. Kit simply followed.

    Niccolo led Kit deep into the estate, down sets of stairs that led to a basement that looked akin to a dungeon, cells on either side of the walls. Why would they put him down here? "He''s not allowed around the human staff, so we had to keep him in here." Niccolo explains, as if reading Kit''s mind.

    Kit just nods and continues to follow the elder vampire, until they reach the only cell with a body inside of it. The vampire stopped in front of the cell, looking within to the form crumpled on the cot in the corner, legs pulled up to his chest.

    "He hasn''t been violent... yet." Niccolo says in a low voice, grabbing a key for his set of keys and unlocking the cell door. "There''s a pitcher and glass inside, get him to drink or kill him."

    Unease riddled the vampire''s form, definitely not wanting to go for the ladder option. Stepping inside, he saw the way Elias tried to become even smaller on the cot, arms wrapped around his legs. Kit moved towards the pitcher and looked within, seeing the pool of red. It made his stomach turn. No matter how long Kit had been a vampire, he still has never gotten used to drinking blood. He only drank as much as he needed and nothing more.

    Releasing a breath, Kit picked up the pitcher and poured a glass. "I am assuming they already told you what would happen if you do not drink." Kit spoke as he turned to Elias, seeing vermillion eyes watching him. The newborn said nothing, just simply stared at Kit.

    Oh boy, this was going to be difficult.

    Clearing his throat, Kit walked closer to the cot. "I understand not wanting to drink, but you have to."

    "It''s you." Elias finally says, voice raw.

    Kit''s back straightened up a little at that, and then he remembered. Elias was there at the Halloween festival too when he ran into Vivian. "Are you surprised?"

    Elias didn''t say anything back, just continued to stare at him.

    "You need to drink."

    "I won''t." Elias bit back.

    Kit had to think of something that would make this man drink the blood, because he wasn''t going to do it willingly. What could he say? Then it hit him. "You will never see Vivian again if you do not drink."

    Elias'' face snapped up at that, anger clear on his face. "Don''t bring Vivian into this."

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    "She''s the one who asked me to save you."

    "Save me?" Elias unfolded himself, coming to his full height as he stood from the cot. "You call this saving me?"

    Kit took a step back, not expecting the man to be so tall. "No." The vampire responded honestly. "No, I would not call this saving you. But it was not my choice."

    "I didn''t choose this either! Who would choose this?" Elias yelled, hands flying up in the air. "Why did you do this to me?"

    "You were dying in front of her, Elias." Kit said, his voice hard. "You were bleeding out and she begged me to do something, anything. This was the only way."

    Elias just stood there and looked at him, furious. But then he turned away from Kit, back towards the cot and kicked it, letting out a frustrated yell. Kit just stayed silent as he watched the man, the glass of blood still in his hand. The newborn vampire fumed, and Kit could just barely begin to understand the emotions that must have been rattling through him.

    "Elias." Kit tried, and the man turned to look at him, gaze deadly. "If you do not drink this, you will never see Vivian again." He repeated.

    "Why? Why do I have to drink that, why do I want to drink that? Can''t you just kill me?" Elias almost pleaded.

    Because Vivian would hate me. Kit bit back the words, knowing now wasn''t the time to get into his feelings towards Vivian. "You will become like the creature that attacked you and Vivian. If you do not drink this, you will lose yourself to bloodlust. And I promise you, that is the last thing you want."

    Vermillion eyes snapped to the glass in his hands before going back to Kit. "And you refuse to just kill me?"

    "I cannot." Kit said, his words feeling tight. "Vivian would... I promised her you would be fine. I cannot let her lose one of her friends."

    "Why do you care?" Elias snapped at him.

    Why did he care so much? It was the same thing he''s been asking himself this whole time. Why did he care for Vivian so much? Why did her safety matter to him so much? Why did he always want to see her, to make her smile? Kit knew the answer, but he couldn''t admit it to himself, he wouldn''t. That would only put Vivian in danger, and that was the last thing he wanted.

    "Because I do." Kit settles on, holding the glass out. "Would you please just drink? If not for you then for Vivian."

    Elias was quiet to that. His eyes narrowed though, Kit feeling like the newborn vampire was trying to kill him with his gaze. "W-What... what does it taste like?" Elias finally asked, eyeing the glass.

    Lifting the glass to his nose, Kit took in a whiff. It tasted sweet on his tongue, but nothing compared to the taste of Vivians. Oh gods, why did he just think that? "It will taste good." He said, gesturing to the glass. "Now drink."

    Hesitantly, the newborn vampire reached for the glass, fingers slow as they wrapped around the it. Kit let go of the glass and withdrew his hand, watching Elias. "And if I don''t drink, I''ll just become a rabid vampire?" The man asked, Kit guessing that someone already told him how rabids are made. Vampires that refuse to drink or are unable to will become rabid, losing all humility and succumbing to the horrible bloodlust within. They only had forty-eight hours to drink before the change would happen.

    "Yes." Kit responded, hoping that this would be enough to push the man to drink. He really did not want to have to tell Vivian that one of her friends turned rabid and he had to kill him.

    Elias raised the glass to his lips, paused for a moment, and then drank. He downed the whole glass, and when he was done he looked at Kit, surprised. "It does taste good."

    "That is what I said." Kit moved to set the pitcher down on the small table he grabbed it from.

    "When will they release me from here?" Elias asked, following Kit. "I''m not going to be kept here forever, right?"

    When Kit turned to look at Elias, he couldn''t help the expression on his face. "You will be released from the cell and allowed to live in the estate, but..." Kit wasn''t sure how to phrase it. "You will not be allowed to leave the estate for a while. You will not be able to see your family again."

    Elias just stood there and stared at him. "What?"

    "I am sorry." Kit moved to leave the cell, but a hand grasped onto his arm, halting his progress.

    "You don''t mean that." Elias said, desperation on his face.

    Kit pulled his arm from the newborn''s grasp. "I do. Humans cannot know about us."

    "B-But my parents- my siblings-."

    "You will be labeled as missing." Kit felt horrible for giving this information to the newborn, but someone had to. He couldn''t live with that hope in him, it was dangerous. "I am sorry, Elias."

    The other was completely silent as Kit left the cell, Niccolo locking the door behind him and leading him away from the cell and out of the basement. Guilt was a familiar feeling for Kit at this point, but it still sat heavy in his stomach as him and Niccolo climbed up the stairs. Neither of them spoke.

    Kit left the estate after that and headed back to his home. He expected the place to be empty, but the moment he went to unlock the door, he felt a soft presence inside the apartment. Opening the door, Kit walked in and found Vivian sitting at one of the stools at the counter. He was surprised when she decided to spend another night at his place, but agreed because he had to admit he enjoyed having the women around. Only, the man thought Vivian would have left this morning, not stayed at his place.

    "Vivian." Kit said her name as the woman smiled. He felt his heart flutter, and pushed down the feeling rising in his stomach. "Why are you still here?"

    "You went to see Niccolo, didn''t you?" She asked, her voice soft.

    Kit closed the door behind him. "Yes, how did you know that?"

    "Did he mention Elias at all?"

    The vampire paused as he removed his shoes. "Yes, he did."

    "And?" Vivian stood from the stool, walking towards him slowly.

    After setting his keys down, the vampire shed his coat. "He had been turned and is being kept at the estate for his own safety." The man couldn''t tell her about what really happened, about Elias drinking the blood after so much resistance.

    "H-He''s alive?"

    "Yes." Kit nodded, turning to face Vivian as she approached him. "But he is a vampire now. He needs some time."

    Vivian nodded her head back at him. "Okay, okay that''s... that''s good. Right?" She asked, desperation leaking into her voice.

    "Yes." The man said again, unable to think of anything else to say.

    "Thank you, Kit." The words were like knives in his gut. She shouldn''t be thanking him, he just stole away her friend''s life. Elias would have to live as a vampire now, trapped at Niccolo''s estate where he''ll learn what it means to be a vampire. He''ll eventually be allowed to leave, but that will take a lot of time. Vivian might be dead by the time that happens.

    The vampire shook his head. "Please, do not thank me."

    "What do you mean?" Vivian looked up to Kit, seeming confused.

    "You should not be thanking me." Kit said, his voice tense.

    Vivian just stared at him, her eyes slightly narrowed, confusion still covering her face. "You saved Elias, of course I''m going to thank you."

    "No, Vivian-." The man huffed out a breath, bringing a hand to his face. He didn''t know how to explain it to her, how to make her see that what he did wasn''t deserving of a thanks. "This is not something you should be thanking me for. Elias is... he is a vampire now. He is like me."

    Again, Vivian just stared at him, as if his words didn''t make sense. "You''re making that sound like a bad thing." Her voice was small as she spoke, one of her hands lifting from her side. "I don''t think that''s a bad thing."

    "You are not understanding me." Kits voice was strained as he spoke. "I did not do something good."

    He stayed completely still as her hand rose to meet his face, fingers trembling. Warmth blossomed from where the woman''s hand rested on his face. "Elias is alive because of you." Vivian spoke, shaking her head. "How is that not good?" Her thumb caressed across his cheek, causing the man''s chest to tighten. He should pull away, remove her hand, but he just couldn''t.

    "He is a vampire now because of me." She was so close, he should step away.

    "And is being a vampire a bad thing?" Her words twisted his stomach, making him breathless. He was speechless looking down at her, at how tender she looked back up at him. Kit felt the guilt all over again, surging through him and making him sick. He didn''t deserve Vivian''s affection at all. Yet here she was, standing in front of him, looking up at him like he could offer her the stars. Oh gods, what was he going to do? "I don''t think it is." Vivian said in his silence.

    "Vivian." Kit spoke her name like it hurt.

    But then a spark ran up his spine, a familiar pain blossoming behind his eyes that made panic and fear bleed into his system.

    "Hide." The vampire said, taking Vivian by the shoulders and leading her away from the door. "The bathroom, go."

    "What?" Vivian snaps out, allowing herself to be moved by Kit. "Hiding in the bathroom, why?"

    "Please, just go." Kit pleaded with her, pushing her past the counter.

    "Okay, okay!" Vivian brushed the vampire''s hands away, turning to look at him. "You better explain yourself later." She said before turning back around.

    But it was too late.

    The front door rattled for a moment, before it flew off its hinges, flying across the room. Kit watched in absolute horror as he turned around towards the living room. He stood frozen as a figure appeared from the doorway, deep red eyes watching him.

    "Sire." Kit breathed out, feeling his entire body go numb. It took everything in him not to collapse to his knees.

    "Hello, Christopher."

 Chapter 13

    Christopher?

    Vivian stood behind Kit, fear like adrenaline through her system. Someone had just burst into Kit''s apartment, knocked the door clear off. And now they stood in front of Kit, tall and foreboding. Vivian couldn''t see much because Kit stood in the way, but from the tension she saw in Kit''s shoulders, there was no way to twist this into a good thing.

    "W-What are you doing here?" Kit asked, his voice shaking.

    "Can a sire not see those whom he has given life to?" The other man asked, voice deep and silky.

    Kit shook his head. "You should not be able to get in here."

    "Oh you mean the wards?" The man Kit called sire asked. "Yes, I took those down. Took quite some time." The vampire in front of her shivered. "I wanted to see you Christopher, it''s been so long."

    "I-I thought you had let me go." Kit said, taking a small step back.

    "Oh, my dear Christopher." The other man said, taking a step towards Kit. He used that name again, Christopher. Was that what Kit''s real name was? "You will never escape me."

    Kit went completely silent, his body becoming even more tense than before.

    "What are you hiding from me?"

    Vivian felt her heart drop. Hide. Kit''s warning replays in her mind. Is this who he wanted her to hide from? "Nothing, sire."

    "It does not look like nothing." The other man''s form was in front of Kit, his hands grabbing Kit and shoving him aside. Deep red eyes land on Vivian, and she takes in the man standing before her. This man was just as beautiful as Kit, long blonde hair tied back, sharp angles to his face and a smooth complexion. "Definitely doesn''t look like nothing."

    "Sire, please." Kit pleads with the man, but from the red eyes, she assumed this was another vampire. "She is not worth your time."

    "Christopher." The vampire bit out, his arm launching out and grabbing Kit by the throat, shocking Vivian. "You know I hate lying."

    "Don''t hurt him!" Vivian yells, feeling herself move a step forward, but then the vampire''s deep red eyes snapped to her, and she completely froze. There was something about those eyes, something sinister and evil. Vivian felt herself shiver. She can understand why Kit was so terrified of this person.

    He just looked at her, Kit struggling against the man''s hand. Fear and panic mixed in her stomach. "And you are?"

    "No one." Kit gasps out, fingers clawing at the hand on his neck. "Please, sire, she is no one."

    "If she was," the vampire looked at Kit, "you wouldn''t be trying to stop me."

    "Please," Vivian pulled the vampire''s attention back to her, "don''t hurt him."

    The vampire releases Kit, the man crumbling down to the ground coughing as he grabs at his throat. The vampire''s attention was still on her, his eyes narrowing as he stared. "You''re not human, are you?"

    Vivians eyes go wide. Oh, no. He didn''t know, did he? Would he harm her? Looking down to Kit on the ground, she assumed he definitely would. "W-What do you mean?" She struggles to get out, taking a step back as the man takes one forward.

    "I can sense it. There''s something special about you, isn''t there?"

    Panic shot through Vivian as the man continued to encroach upon her space. "N-No!" She says, resisting the urge to grab her necklace.

    "Sire!" Kit was in front of her then, arms spread out. "Please, she is nothing-."

    Vivian watched as the vampire brought one hand up and then quickly down, claws digging into Kit''s chest. Her eyes go wide, reaching out for the man. "Kit!" She screamed, catching the man as he fell to the ground. "What the fuck?" She snaps, looking up to the vampire who stares down at them.

    "You know better than to cross me." The vampire spoke from above them, looking down at them as if they were filth.

    "What is wrong with you?" Vivian spat out at the vampire, moving herself from beneath Kit so she could see the damage. Five long cuts ran across his chest, deep and red. "What the fuck?"

    Kit reached for her. "Vivian, don''t."

    "Oh, so your name is Vivian?" The vampire says, kneeling down to be eye level with them. "How lovely." Vivian stares at the vampire, feeling her face heat with anger. Who was this asshole? She was about to say something, but before she could the vampire quickly stood up. "It seems my time is up. I will be seeing you both again soon."

    And then he was gone, leaving Vivian and Kit alone in the vampire''s apartment. Vivian instantly moved, going to the kitchen to grab a hand towel. She rushed back to the vampire on the ground, and pressed the towel to the man''s chest. "Who the hell was that?" She asked, the adrenaline leaving her making her shaky. Kit tried to sit up, but it seemed the pain stopped him and he fell back to the ground. "Don''t move!"

    "He knows." Kit said, reaching up and grabbing Vivians arm. "He knows."

    Vivian felt her throat close up. "He doesn''t know. He''s suspicious."

    "Vivian, he knows." The vampire was serious, his grip firm.

    The woman just stared down at Kit, unsure of what to say.

    "Kit!" Viktors voice carries into the apartment, the witch appearing in the doorway as Vivian looks up. "Where is he?"

    "Gone." Kit says from below Vivian

    Viktor runs into the room and drops to their knees on the other side of Kit. "He used his claws on you."

    "I will be fine." The vampire tried to sit up again, and with Viktors help, he did.

    "Who was that?" Vivian asks again, both Kit and Viktor looking at each other before looking at her.

    "That was Ezra." Viktor begins, helping Kit stand. "He is the vampire who turned Kit."

    Vivian froze, the words echoing through her mind. He was the one to turn Kit? That asshole? She watched the two of them stand and moved with them. She thought about the implications of that, of what his life must have been like with this man Ezra in it. Her stomach tightened, realizing it must have been horrible. "That''s unsettling." Vivian said, going to support the other side of Kit. She wanted to ask him about the Christopher thing, but decided against it at the moment.

    "You have no idea." Viktor said, leading them out of the apartment. They went all the way up to Viktor''s penthouse, Kit''s breath becoming more labored with each step. The vampire looked really rough, strands of hair fallen over his face, skin looking sickeningly pale.

    "Is he going to be okay?" Vivian asks as they lay Kit down in one of the beds. "He looks really bad."

    "Thanks." Kit coughed up from the bed.

    "His sire used his claws against him." The witch said, hands hovering over the vampire''s chest. "It''s like a form of punishment, the wounds won''t heal as they usually would." Closing lilac eyes, Viktor began to chant something under their breath, their hands beginning to glow a faint white. Vivian watched in fascination as their forearm down to their fingertips glowed white, the witch beginning to move their hands over the claw marks. Their fingers twitched, face scrunching up slightly.

    "Is it working?" Vivian asked, watching the wound on the man''s chest.

    "It''s slow." Viktor replied, voice low and hushed as they continued to chant under their breath. Kit''s face contorted in pain, gritting his teeth together and hands fisting at his sides.

    Vivian moved to stand by the vampires head, reaching out and brushing some of Kit''s black hair off his forehead. "You''ll be okay." She said, more to herself than to the vampire lying below her. Crimson eyes caught hers, and she saw the pain within them, the desperation. It made her chest sting.

    "This will take some time." Viktor said, their voice strained. "You should wait in the living room."

    "No." Vivian spoke, a little too quickly. "No, I want to stay." She said a little slower, but the panic she felt made it hard to speak. Leaving his side was something she really didn''t want to do. "Please, let me stay."

    Viktor looked at her for a moment, lilac eyes shifting between the vampire and her. "As you wish." The witch replied, moving their attention back to Kit. Vivian was thankful that was all they said on the matter, the woman turning her own attention back to Kit.

    They stayed like that for Vivian doesn''t know how long, Viktor''s glowing hands moving over the claw marks, Kit gasping and grunting in pain as the witch worked. At some point the witch pulled their hands away, the glow dissipating and returning their hands to normal. Letting out a breath, the witch looked over at Vivian. "I''ve done all I could." They said, exhaustion clear in their voice.

    "You''ve done more than I could." Vivian comforts the witch, Viktor giving her a soft smile. "What now?"

    "Now," Viktor begins, straightening their back, "I need to bandage him up, and then let him rest." Stretching their back, the witch moves into what Vivian assumed was the bathroom at the other end of the room.

    "Vivian." Kit''s voice sounded below her, pulling the woman''s attention down to the vampire. He looks up at her, somehow even more exhausted looking than Viktor. "Thank you." He says as he breathed out.

    The woman paused. "For what?"

    "Staying by my side."

    A warmth floods Vivian as she looks down at the vampire, him looking up at her with an expression she couldn''t even describe. It made her heart and stomach flutter. She had the sudden, overwhelming urge to kiss him, and Vivian could feel herself leaning forward without thinking. There was this tiny sound that came from Kit, but it was blocked out by the press of her lips to his.

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    It was soft and gentle, a brushing of lips more than a kiss. Then Vivian pulled herself back, quick enough to give her whiplash. "I-I..." Vivian began, looking down at a Kit whose expression was of complete shock and awe. What the hell did she just do? Heat flashed across her skin, the woman knowing she was flushed across her cheeks.

    "Here we go!" Viktor calls as they exit the bathroom and reenter the bedroom. They don''t seem to notice either Kit nor Vivians expressions, and if they did, they don''t say anything. They just go back to the spot they were standing before besides Kit. "Can you sit up?"

    Kit just blinks for a moment, as if gathering himself. "Uh, yeah. I think." He mutters, pressing hands to the mattress and pushing himself up. It doesn''t look like he had an easy time doing it, but with the help of Viktor, the vampire sits up.

    Meanwhile, Vivian stands completely still, thinking about what she just did, because what did she just do? Why had she kissed him? Oh gods, did she just ruin everything? It was an impulse, a fleeting thought that crossed her mind as she looked at Kit, as he looked at her with such a soft expression. It felt natural to just lean down and kiss the vampire, until she did it and realized what she had just done. And the look of shock and awe on his face. It was a good thing he didn''t look upset, she supposed.

    Hazel eyes move to watch as Viktor picks up a pair of scissors and cuts the vampire''s shirt away. Vivian felt herself flush even more as the witch peeled the shirt off, revealing the man''s back. The woman almost looked away, until something caught her eye. Scars. Dozens of tiny ones scattered across his skin with a few larger ones. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at them, her mind reeling with the thoughts of how did he get so many?

    Viktor manages to bandage Kit up, his chest wrapped tightly. The vampire laid back down on the bed, chest rising and falling evenly. He even looked a little better than before, but his expression was guarded as the room stilted with silence once Viktor was done.

    "She has to go to Niccolo''s." Kit''s voice cut through the silence, his words a shock to Vivian.

    "What?" The woman said, her back straightening.

    "Is that what Niccolo decided?" Viktor asked, crossing their arms. "You know if you show up unannounced-."

    "Niccolo suggested the idea to me when I told him Vivian is an aether reservoir." Kit cut the witch off, looking away from them. "I was supposed to bring her to him to have a conversation about it."

    "Wait, wait, go to Niccolo''s? You mean that creepy mansion in the middle of the woods?" Vivian said, pulling both Viktor and Kit''s eyes to her. When she meets Kit''s eyes, the vampire looks away. "W-Why?"

    "Ezra knows what you are." Kit said, looking back to Viktor.

    "He doesn''t know, he just has a suspicion." Vivian offered, because that''s what she believed. The vampire couldn''t have known, she was wearing the necklace after all. "Which I still don''t know how he could have with the necklace."

    "The necklace might not be strong enough to deter Ezra." Viktor muttered, placing a hand to their chin. "He is a very powerful vampire, he might still have been able to sense the excess aether within you."

    "You''re kidding me." Vivian said, feeling her body deflating. "So he knows?"

    "He knows." Kit said, lilac and hazel eyes moving to the vampire. "Which is why we can''t stay here. We can''t stay in Lake Ashton."

    "So what, we run off to Niccolo''s?" Vivian argues.

    "Yes. That is exactly what we do." Kit looks at Vivian finally, and there''s an intensity there she wasn''t expecting. "It is the only way to keep you safe."

    Vivian is silent, unsure of what to say. Of course she didn''t want to go, the last place she wanted to go was to that mansion again. But she knew her home wouldn''t be safe, plus with Ophelia there, she would be put at risk. And the apartments clearly aren''t safe anymore, as Ezra was able to easily walk in and break into Kit''s apartment. So her only real choice was to go to Niccolo''s estate. "Would... would I be going alone?" She asked, keeping her eyes on Kit.

    Something softened in the vampires''s expression. "No. I would be staying there with you."

    Vivian nodded, looking at Viktor. "So when do we go?"

    "Now, preferably."

    ?

    Vivian called Ophelia and explained everything that had happened. When she went home to gather some of her stuff for her stay at Niccolo''s, Ophelia helped her pack. They also came up with a lie to tell Ophelia''s mom, as she wouldn''t be working at the cafe anytime soon. The lie ended up being that Vivian''s grandmother in Texas reached out to her and asked her to come down and visit, to which Vivian agreed to. Luckily, Ophelia''s mom was more than happy to comply, giving Vivian as much time off as she needed.

    That same day, they were off to Niccolo''s. Kit had seemed to be feeling better, the man moving about easier than he was earlier. It was a long drive, and Vivian was surprised to see the same route in daylight. They stayed on the highway for a while before finally turning off on a dirt road that led deep into the woods.

    "We need to discuss why we are there." Kit said in the silence, the car remaining quiet since the two of them climbed inside.

    "Okay." Vivian replied, looking over to the vampire. "It''s because I''m an aether reservoir, right?"

    Kit bit his lip. "Yes, but no one there can know that. It has to be kept a secret." Crimson eyes looked over at her for a moment, but quickly returned to the dirt road. "So we had to come up with a reason why you are going to be there with me."

    "And what reason is that?" Vivian asked.

    The vampire was quiet, keeping his eyes on the road. "That we are lovers."

    "What?" Vivian snapped out, turning her body to him. "Lovers? W-Why?" She felt her face flush, thinking of her impulsive kiss.

    "It is the only way to keep you safe inside the estate. Other vampires will leave you alone if they believe we are lovers, and I will not be expected to drink from you. It was what both Niccolo and Viktor suggested. It... it was the best idea."

    The woman just sat there, mouth open. Lovers. Oh gods, she had to pretend to be lovers with Kit? It wasn''t like that was a horrible thing, but it conflicted with the feelings she felt which... well she wasn''t so sure on yet. "How is that the best idea?"

    Kit looked over to Vivian, his eyes hard. "It is the only way to keep you safe in there Vivian, please." And there it was again, that desperation leaking into his expression. It made her stomach twist and lurch. "I know it is not ideal, but it is the only way."

    Vivian looked at Kit, wanting to argue, wanting to resist, but the look he was giving her, the desperation in his expression, it took her fight away. "Fine." She said softly, sitting back in her seat. "We can pretend to be lovers."

    "I am sorry, Vivian." The vampire said, looking back to the road.

    "Don''t apologize. If it''s really the only way..." She let her sentence drift off.

    "It is." He affirmed, but his voice sounded tired.

    Silence fell over the car for a little while, at the same time, Vivian kept repeating the events in her head, watching Ezra strike down Kit, the way he spoke down to him. She remembered how Ezra had called Kit ''Christopher'', and the scars she saw while they bandaged him up. Vivian also remembered the way she had bent down and kissed the vampire, her cheeks flushing for a moment. No, no she couldn''t think about that, let alone talk about it.

    So Vivian settled on something else. She cleared her throat before she spoke. "So... why did he call you Christopher?" She spoke into the silence, guessing that was the easiest thing to start off with.

    Only the vampire tensed up at her words, and she almost regretted them. "That is my given name." Kit responded, voice tight. She could see his fingers tighten on the wheel. "I do not go by it anymore."

    "I see." Vivian said, and that was it. She didn''t want to press more on that at all, by the way he spoke it seemed like a sensitive topic. The woman rattled her brain, thinking of how to bring up the scars, because she really wanted to know about them. There were so many of them. But how do you ask about something like that? "Back at Viktors," she began, "when we were bandaging you up after Ezra had hurt you and I saw... there were a lot of scars Kit."

    "You really like to hit sore spots, huh?" Kit spoke in a tight voice.

    "I''m sorry! I''m just really nosy I guess... I don''t know, I''m concerned about why you had so many." Vivian defended herself, feeling embarrassed for asking. "You don''t have to answer."

    Silence fell over the car once again, and Vivian felt like she had blown it. But then Kit took in a slow breath. "Since Ezra is my sire, the one that turned me, whenever he injures me with his claws, they leave scars. Most of my other wounds heal just fine without leaving any trace behind, but when Ezra wounds me, it... it does not heal properly."

    Vivian was silent at his response, her gut twisting in a horrible way. "H-He gave you all these scars?" She asked, her voice small.

    "Yes." Kit answered, keeping his eyes on the road. "They''re supposed to be reminders."

    She could almost hear Ezra saying it himself. "That''s terrible Kit, I-I''m so sorry." It was all she could think of to say, anything else feeling like it fell short.

    "You do not have to apologize Vivian. It was in the past, you had nothing to do with it."

    "I know, but still, I can''t even imagine it."

    "Try not to." The vampire said, looking over to her. "It is not a fun thought."

    Vivian didn''t know what to say to that, so instead she reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder. She could feel the man tense beneath her, but she didn''t remove her hand. "If there''s anything you ever want to talk about, I''m here to listen."

    Kit''s eyes went a little wide as he looked at her, before quickly looking back to the road. "Thank you." He said, his voice tight with an emotion she could not quite pinpoint. "I cannot promise I will ever take you up on that offer, but that is kind of you."

    Vivian smiled, feeling like that was still a small win.

    It was a long time before the trees started to thin out, and a mansion slowly revealed itself. It was a huge, gray brick building with ivy crawling up the sides, sharp angles and towers reminding her of Victorian homes. It looked beautiful, something out of a story book, especially with the roof covered in a thick blanket of snow.

    Parking the car outside of the estates front doors, Kit and Vivian gathered their suitcases and headed for the front door. Knocking on it, the huge wooden slabs opened inward, revealing a foyer lit by chandeliers with candles in them, deep red tapestries covering the gray brick walls.

    "Welcome to the Alvera Estate." A man said from behind the door, ushering them in from the cold outside. "Our Master has been expecting you." The man said, and when Vivian looked closer she saw red eyes staring back at her. Vampire. Vivian felt herself clam up, stepping closer to Kit. "I shall lead you to your room."

    Your room. As in one room. That''s right, they were lovers, so of course they would share a room. But even still, Vivian couldn''t help the faint blush that came to her cheeks. They followed the vampire into the estate, tugging their luggage behind them. The vampire led them up a massive set of stairs, and down halls with portraits hung up. When they finally stopped, it was in front of a large set of doors, dark wood with a silver door handle.

    "This is where you will be staying." The vampire opened the door, revealing the room within. It was large, very large, with a little table set up and couches by a fireplace. On the other side of the room were glass doors with curtains that led to a massive bed, tall wooden posts creating a canopy. "We hope it is to your liking."

    "Yes, thank you." Kit said as he pulled his suitcase inside and set it against the wall. "Where is Niccolo?" The vampire asked the other, placing hands on his hips.

    "The Master is currently out, but should be returning in time for dinner." The other vampire said, bowing. "I shall leave you." And then they headed towards the door, closing it behind them as they left.

    That left Vivian and Kit in the bedroom, alone.

    Vivian walked around the room, fingers running along all the different pieces of furniture.

    "I will sleep on the couch." Kit said, not moving from where he stood next to the door.

    The woman turned to look at the vampire. As their eyes met, the kiss flashed across her mind. "Are you sure?" She asked, her voice a whisper.

    Kit nodded. "The bed is all yours. I will sleep during the day so you may have your privacy at night."

    Vivian continued to look at the vampire, her words trapped in her throat. She wanted to say that it was okay, that the vampire could share the bed with her, that it was large enough for both of them, but she just couldn''t get the words out. It was too embarrassing. "Y-You don''t have to." She struggled to say.

    "It is fine, Vivian." The vampire shifted on his feet. "It is the least that you deserve."

    But that wasn''t what she wanted. "No." Vivian said, the man''s eyes widening. "I-I... I would rather sleep at the same time." She managed to say, hands fists at her sides. "I-I want to be able to spend time with you, Kit."

    The vampire just looked at her, something akin to longing across his expression. He opened his mouth, but then shut it, looking away from her. "If that is what you wish."

    Vivian took a step towards him. "What about you?" Kit looked up at her when she spoke. "What do you wish?"

    He didn''t say anything as she slowly crossed the room to where he stood. "It does not matter what I wish." The vampire finally said, shaking his head. "What matters is you."

    "You matter too, Kit." She said as she approached him, lifting a hand to his face.

    Kit grabbed her wrist, stopping her movement. "Do not." Kit said, but it was weak and quiet. "Please, Vivian."

    The woman froze. His plea tore her heart open, but she didn''t listen and placed her hand on his cheek, his hand still holding her wrist. "Why not?" She whispered. The vampire released a shuddering breath, his eyes fluttering closed at her touch.

    "Vivian, please." Kit breathed out, eyes opening and meeting Vivians. There was so much pain in them, it twisted her stomach. "I cannot do this."

    "But why?" She pushed him, her thumbs brushing along his cheek.

    Again, the man''s mouth opened but nothing came out. He shut it, tearing his eyes away from Vivian. "I do not deserve this." He finally said, and it made Vivians chest hurt.

    "Kit," Vivian whined, making the vampire look back at her, "of course you do."

    The man shook his head against her hand. "No, Vivian, no, you do not understand." Then he took a step back, his face leaving her grasp. "I cannot do this."

    And before she could say anything, before she could do anything, the man slipped out of the room, the door shutting behind him. Vivian was left feeling like she had just been rejected, the sting in her chest. But it wasn''t that. No, there was something more going on here, there was a reason why Kit resisted so much. I do not deserve this, he had said, and it rang in Vivian''s mind. Why would he think such a thing?

 Chapter 14

    Vivian sat on one of the couches in the living room, the curtains of the shades pulled back to allow the sunlight to spill into the room. A sketchbook laid in her lap, a pencil in one hand as she sketched a vase that sat atop a table across from her. It had been a few days now that she''d been at the estate, and she felt completely trapped. She was basically stuck in the bedroom, only really leaving if Kit was with her. It made her feel like this place was dangerous. Maybe she wasn''t safe here after all.

    They hadn''t spoken about the kiss nor the moment they had when they first arrived. A couple days had passed and both of them pretended everything was normal. That there wasn''t something blossoming between them.

    "Can we go outside?" Vivian asked suddenly, dropping her sketchbook and looking up to the vampire that sat across from her.

    Kit sat with a book in his hands, leg crossed over his knee. When Vivian spoke he looked up from his book, meeting the woman''s eyes. "Outside?"

    Vivian nodded. "It''s just getting kind of... stuffy in here."

    The vampire hesitated, but then nodded. "There are some gardens we can walk around." He said, closing his book and standing. "Some fresh air might be nice."

    "Really?" Vivian closed her scrapbook and stood as well.

    The vampire just nodded before heading to the door. "Put some shoes on."

    The two of them leave the bedroom and head downstairs. They pass a number of different people on the way, Vivian noticing red eyes on her. Not only that, but the way they looked at her, like she was some kind of meal- it made her insides shutter and she walked closer to Kit.

    "Am I really safe here?" She asked as they walked through glass doors that lead outside. It was the evening, the sun just about to set. The sky was shades of blue and purple as night quickly took over. "There''s so many..."

    "Vampires?" Kit finished her sentence, looking down at her. "Yes, you will be safe here." He said, raising his eyes to the garden they were approaching. "I have made sure of that."

    We are lovers. Kits words play in her mind. "Because we''re lovers?"

    The vampire cleared his throat. "Yes."

    They continued to walk in silence, their arms brushing every few steps. The crisp cool air felt good on Vivians face, the woman tilting her head back and looking up to the sky. Clouds hovered above her, painted a deep orange from the setting sun. Bringing her head back down, she looked at the gardens in front of her, and gasped.

    Stretching out in front of her were rows of green shrubs, blooming flowers and creeping vines crawling up pine trees. It looked like spring, not winter. Taking a few steps forward, she took in the sight. It was beautiful. "How... how is it so green? It''s December?"

    "Niccolo had these gardens enchanted." Kit said, walking past Vivian and to a bush with tiny red flowers. His fingers ran across the petals, gentle and slow. "It is always spring here."

    Vivian just stood where she was and looked around, completely stunned. "That''s amazing." She said, a little breathless. Slowly, she moved to stand besides Kit, looking down at the tiny red flowers. "Thank you for bringing me here."

    Kit turned to look at her, seeming to notice their closeness and took a step back. "It is nothing." The vampire said in a cool voice, guarding whatever feelings that must have been going through him. "You said you wanted to go outside."

    "You could have just taken me out the front door and I would have been happy." She said, staying where she stood, despite wanting to close the distance.

    "That would not have been good enough." Kit expressed, looking down to the red flowers again. There was something hiding in his words, but Vivian couldn''t figure it out.

    "Kit." Vivian spoke his name softly, and she could see the way the vampire clenched his jaw. She wanted to mention the kiss, wanted to quell whatever this was in between them that was forming, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She remembered his voice, the way he pleaded with her, and she thought better of it. "I appreciate it."

    The vampire lifted his eyes to her then, meeting her gaze. His eyes were heated with the words that failed to be shared between them. "Of course."

    He had taken her back inside after that.

    The following morning, Kit was sleeping in the bed while Vivian sat by the fireplace, wood crackling in the hearth. She had a blanket thrown over her lap, watching the fire dance over the wood. Her body ached with a need to do something, anything. The stroll in the gardens earlier was nice, but it wasn''t enough. She still felt trapped.

    So the woman grabbed her coat, slipped it on along with her shoes, and left the room silently. Vivian figured she should be fine, Kit did emphasize on the fact she was safe, so when she began to retrace her steps to the back door, she didn''t feel any fear. There was no one in the halls as she walked, and she assumed it was because of the fact that most vampires slept during the day.

    Once she reached the glass doors that led outdoors, she pushed them open and stepped out. The cool December air hit her face, Vivian sucking in a quick breath. It was much colder this morning than it was yesterday evening, which would make sense as the sun hadn''t risen very far. She walked towards the gardens, feeling the slight change in temperature as she reached them. It melted the snow that clung to her eyelashes.

    Vivian found a stone bench to sit on that was underneath a small willow tree near the edge of the garden. Beyond, the woods enclosed the property. She could hear the birds sing through the trees, the wind moving through the pine boughs. It was peaceful, relaxing. Vivian closed her eyes and allowed her surroundings to drown out her senses. She stayed like that for a while, simply sitting and enjoying the feel of spring.

    A high pitched whistle shook her from her relaxation, Vivians eyes opening and scanning the area around her. There was no one around her though. The gardens were empty. But she heard the whistle again, coming somewhere within the trees she noticed as she stood. Fueled by curiosity, she stepped away from the safety of the gardens and towards the woods, trees tall and foreboding.

    It only took moments for the trees to swallow her, the sunlight becoming dimmed through the thick boughs. A sudden sense of panic overtook her as she looked behind her, realizing she was much farther from the estate than she probably should be. So she turned on her heel and headed back towards the garden.

    That was until something obstructed her eyes, something else shoved in her mouth and tied behind her head. Vivian screamed, the sound muffled by the fabric in her mouth. Hands grabbed her, lifted her from the ground and threw her over someone''s shoulder. Shit, shit! Vivian struggled, but whoever held her had a strong grip. She couldn''t see anything, but she knew they were taking her further away from the estate.

    Vivian kicked and screamed as much as she could, but whoever was holding her didn''t let go. They walked for a while, the woman causing a ruckus the whole time. At some point they did stop, and Vivian was placed on the ground. Snow seeped into the fabric of her pants.

    "That should be far enough." An unfamiliar voice said as fingers brushed the back of her head, untying the fabric around her eyes and mouth.

    As soon as the fabric left her mouth, Vivian took in a breath. "What the fuck?" She bit out, looking at the three random figures who stood before her. "Who the hell are you people?"

    "We''ve saving you. Be thankful." One of them spoke, arms crossed and staring down at her with a bored expression.

    "Saving me?" Vivian gasped out. "You just kidnapped me!" Standing from the ground, she watched as the three figures took a step back.

    "She could still be thralled." The largest one said, blond hair braided down her back. "We need to break it before we get anywhere with her."

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Vivians hazel eyes snapped to the blond. "What are you talking about?"

    "The Alvera Estate." A different one said, curly red hair atop their head. "They keep human thralls there, doing whatever they please."

    "You should be thankful we pulled you out." The blond one said, hand on her hip.

    "Thankful?" Vivians voice was growing hysterical. "You''re joking, right?"

    "Of course not." The redhead said, looking confused.

    Vivian just stared at the three strangers. "Take me back."

    "No." The blond spoke, her eyes hardening. "We''re bringing you back with us to camp until we can break the thrall."

    Vivian shook her head. "I''m not going anywhere with you." Taking a step back, the woman looked behind her. "Now point me in the right direction to go back and I''ll be on my way."

    "Are you serious?" The redhead asked, their expression incredulous.

    The blond laughed. "You''re not going back."

    "She''s not thralled." The final figure said, black hair loose and flowing from behind a hood. She watched Vivian with a careful gaze.

    "What?" The blond and the redhead spoke at the same time.

    "Just look at her." The black haired woman said, gesturing towards Vivian. "She''s too aware."

    "You''re right." The blond woman commented, looking Vivian up and down. "You''re not thralled, are you?"

    Vivian shook her head. "No!" She yelled, hands going to her head. "What the hell does that even mean? Who are you people?"

    "We can''t let her go back." The redhead whispered to the blond.

    "She''ll have to come with us." All three pairs of eyes moved to the blond as she spoke. "Alden is right, we can''t let her go back."

    Vivian took a step back, away from the three strangers. "I am not going anywhere with you."

    "Not willingly." The blond said, and then pointed to Vivian. "Get her."

    As if on cue, Vivian turned and ran at the same time Alden and the black haired woman moved after her. She didn''t even make it that far before she was tackled to the ground, face pressing into the fresh white snow as a knee dug into her back. Rope was looped around her wrists, binding them behind her back. She was then pulled back to her feet and forcibly marched to where the blond woman stood.

    "Are you going to walk, or are we going to have to carry you?" She asked.

    "I''m not going anywhere with-." Vivian began.

    "Carry it is then." The blond said and moved towards Vivian, grabbing her and lifting her onto her shoulder. "Don''t struggle so much this time."

    "Let me go!" Vivian screamed, and did the exact opposite as what the blond woman suggested.

    "Should we gag her again?" Alden asked, looking at Vivian with vague concern. "She might attract attention we don''t want, screaming like that."

    "Good idea."

    "No, wait!" Vivian pleaded, but before she could say anything else, the fabric was back in her mouth and pressed harshly against her tongue. When she screamed again, it was muffled by the fabric. Oh god, what did she get herself into?

    It was a long walk back to the camp, Vivian struggling the entire way. Her throat hurt by the time they entered an area with different tents set up, torches lined a path they walked down, campfires scattered throughout. When she was set back down, it was roughly, her ass hitting the ground hard. Vivian was quick to take in her surroundings, various people milling about what she assumed was some kind of camp.

    "What did you bring for us this time, Lilian?" A new figure approached the group, a blue beanie sitting atop his head.

    "I''m not sure." The blond woman, who Vivian assumed was Lilian, replied. "We thought she might have been a thrall who wandered outside the Alvera Estate so we grabbed her. But..."

    "She''s not thralled." The black hair woman said.

    The man gave Lilian a confused look. "She''s not?"

    Lilian shook her head. "No. But she insists on going back."

    "To the Alvera Estate?" The man asked, close to sounding shocked. "Why would she want to go back?"

    "Maybe she''s one of those vampire lovers." Alden said, looking down at Vivian with an expression of disgust. "They do have some of those at the estate."

    "Along with human servants." Lilian added, looking down to Vivian as well. "She doesn''t seem like a servant though."

    "Have you asked her?" The man said, and all three of her captors went silent. "Seriously?"

    "What?" Lilian raised her hands as she spoke. "It''s not like she gave us a chance to. She was screaming the whole time."

    The man rolled his eyes, moving towards Vivian and dropping to kneel in front of her. Reaching out, he loosened the fabric around her mouth until it fell. "There we go, now we can-."

    "Who the fuck are you people?" Vivian immediately yelled, her voice harsh and rough from all the screaming. "Why was I kidnapped?"

    "Think of it more as being forcibly moved." Alden said, a tone of sarcasm in his words.

    "Fuck you." Vivian spat.

    "Now, now." The unnamed man said, raising his hands. "Let''s all just calm down."

    "Calm down? Calm down? You expect me to be calm during all of this?"

    "I am asking you to be calm." The man said, looking at Vivian. "We just want you to answer a few questions."

    "Like what?"

    "Why were you at the estate?" Lilian asked as the man opened his mouth to speak. He just gave her this look like he was annoyed with her.

    Vivian''s mind searched for something to say, anything but the truth. "That''s none of your business." She decided on.

    "If you don''t tell us," the man began, "we can''t help you."

    Vivian just stared up at the man, biting her tongue.

    The man searched her face, and something like realization was drawn across his expression. "You''re in love with one of them, aren''t you?"

    "No!" Vivian said as her face flushed, Kit immediately came to her mind. She wasn''t in love with him, she wasn''t. She cared for him of course, but that didn''t mean she loved him. And it''s not like she would admit it to these people, even if she was. Which she wasn''t.

    Something dark crossed the man''s expression. "That''s it." He said, standing. "She''s in love with a vampire."

    "Disgusting." Alden spat out, looking at her with the same expression as before. All four of them looked at her with that expression, with pure disgust.

    "No wonder she wants to return so bad." Lilian said, crossing her arms. "We can''t let her go back."

    "No." The man said, turning his back. "Tie her up outside. Leave her."

    "Leave her outside?" The black haired woman said, watching the unnamed man walk away. "But it''s freezing-."

    "Did you not hear what I said?" The man snapped back, cutting her off.

    "Yes, Richard." The woman said, turning to Alden and Lilan. "Where should we put her?"

    "The edge of camp." Lilian said, eyeing Vivian. "Let''s see if this vampire she loves loves her back."

    ?

    Kit woke up suddenly, something feeling wrong in his chest as he sat up from the bed and looked around. It was evening, the sun beginning to descend into the horizon. Vivian. He thought, moving off of the bed. Where was Vivian?

    When he left the bedroom and entered the small living space, he expected to see her, but all he saw was her sketchbook sitting on the small table and a blanket thrown on the back of a chair. Where was she? It wasn''t like she couldn''t wander around, Kit never said she couldn''t, but he didn''t think she would. With all the vampires in the estate, he thought she would be deterred from wandering off on her own.

    Exiting the room, Kit scoured the whole estate for her. Yet nowhere did he feel her presence. It was like she just disappeared.

    "Niccolo!" Kit exclaimed as he entered the man''s office. Within it stood the vampire he was looking for, along with Viktor.

    "Kit." The elder vampire said his name in a short tone. "You could have knocked-."

    "Vivian is missing." The vampire cut the other off, panic laced into his words. Viktor and Niccolo just looked at him, as if he had spoken in a foreign language. "I-I cannot find her. She is missing."

    "That is concerning." Viktor said slowly, moving to look at Niccolo. "She has to be somewhere."

    "I have looked everywhere. No one has seen her." Kit walked into the office, coming to stand besides Viktor. "Can you track her?" He asked the witch.

    "If I have one of her personal belongings." Viktor began.

    "I will be right back!" Kit said, turning on his heel and leaving the office. When he returned, he had Vivian''s sketchbook in his hands. "This is hers, will it work?"

    Viktor took the sketchbook from Kit''s hand gently, turning it over in their hands. "Yes, yes this will work perfectly." They said, walking over to the desk and setting the sketchbook down. "Do you have a map of the area, Niccolo?"

    "Of course." The elder vampire said, moving to a set of drawers. He grabbed a map from the drawer and walked back to the desk with it. "Here." He said, handing the map to Viktor.

    "Thank you." Viktor said as they laid the map down on the desk. It was a simple map of the estate and the surrounding forest, nothing fancy.

    Placing one hand on the map and one on the sketchbook, Viktor closed their eyes and took a deep breath. White light glowed around the witch''s hands, flowing out and covering the map and sketchbook. Kit watched impatiently as Vitkor did the spell, fingers flexing at his sides. White lines appeared on the map, bending and twisting all sorts of ways before they all merged together, shrinking and creating a pinpoint of white on the map. "There." Viktor said, opening their eyes.

    Kit placed both hands on the desk, leaning forward to see where the pinpoint was on the map. "She''s in the forest." The vampire whispered as he looked down at the map. He etched it into his brain, forcing himself to remember the path he was about to take from here to the pinpoint. To Vivian.

    The vampire then pushed off the desk and ran out the door, despite the way that Viktor and Niccolo called after him. He was outside before they could stop him. Seeing the map in his head, Kit followed the path that he created.

    Night had fallen over the forest, pitch black greeting him as he moved silently through the trees. He ran for a while before he noticed something faintly glowing in the distance. As he got closer, he realized what it was he was seeing. An encampment, with tents and torches to light up the area. It was a small one, only about five or six tents that Kit could see, and he knew from the set up and the time of year they weren''t just regular campers. They were hunters.

    Heat flared from his stomach at the thought. Why were there hunters so close to Niccolo''s? He had to have run only a few miles out, no more than ten. Were they planning something? It had been a while since Kit had a run in with hunters, and they were never pleasant.

    Keeping his distance from the camp, the vampire encircled it, peering through the trees to see if he could see anything. This was where the map pointed to Vivian being, so where was she? Was she inside one of the tents?

    His entire body froze when he spotted her. Vivian. Her form sitting on the ground and hunched over, arms tied behind her back and secured to a small tree. She was trembling, breath forming small clouds in front of her mouth as she breathed out. Without even thinking, he moved towards her.

 Chapter 15

    Time moved slowly for Vivian. The strangers had decided to tie her up to a tree just outside their camp and left her there. It had been hours she assumed, mostly by the way the forest darkened around them and grew colder. She couldn''t really tell what time it was, but she knew it was growing late. Cold had seeped into her bones, her body constantly shivered as she resisted chattering her teeth. Everything became hazy as time went on, and Vivian wasn''t sure if she was awake or asleep anymore.

    "...vian." The woman heard a whisper, but couldn''t make out the word. She lifted her head and gazed in front of her. Everything was blurry and she couldn''t quite make out the figure kneeling in front of her. That was a person, wasn''t it? "Vivian?"

    The woman''s eyes focused as he spoke her name, looking back at crimson hues. "Kit?" She hadn''t even noticed he took her face in his hands until fingers brushed against her cheek. Was he real? Was she dreaming?

    "I am real." Kit said, and Vivian realized she must have spoken her thoughts. "We need to get you out of here." His voice had a tinge of panic laced within it.

    Vivian watched with half lidded eyes as the man moved behind her and ripped the rope clean off her wrists, unbinding her. Her arms were stiff as she brought them to her front, looking down at her hands and noticing the way the tips looked much whiter than they should.

    "Can you stand?" Kit asked, moving to kneel back in front of her. He reached out with his hands, taking hers.

    "I can try." Vivian said, trying to push herself up onto weak legs, but they refused to support her weight. She just went tumbling down back to the snowy ground. "No, no I can''t."

    "Okay." Without another word, Kit lifted her from the ground, the movement so fast that Vivian''s world spun for a moment. But then she was in Kit''s arms, pressed to his chest and feet dangling. There was sound that came from somewhere in the camp, footsteps crunching against snow. "We need to go." The vampire said, beginning to move away from the camp.

    "Vampire!" A voice shrieked out before the trees could conceal them. Chaos erupted from the camp as everyone within sprung into action.

    "Shit." Kit muttered as he picked up his pace and began to run.

    "Don''t let ''em get away!" Another voice yelled, and Vivian knew this wasn''t going to be an easy escape.

    Kit ran for what felt like only a few moments before his entire form jerked, and Vivian fell from his grasp as they both tumbled to the ground. Vivian was quick to push herself up and look at Kit. Her eyes widened when she saw the arrow sticking from his back. "Kit!" Vivian yelled, moving towards him.

    "Go." Kit said, pushing himself from the ground. "They will come after me, not you."

    "No!" Vivian yelled, looking up to see the people from camp coming towards them. "I can''t leave you! I can''t even run Kit!"

    There was a look of desperation on the vampire''s face at her words, panic and fear mixed into his expression. "Fuck." He said and pushed up from the ground, grabbed the arrow from his back and ripped it out. He barely flinched. Then he was moving towards her, picking her back up and began to run again. "Fucking hunters."

    Hunters? Is that what these people were? Vivian looked over Kit''s shoulder at the group of people following them, at the group of hunters. One of them loaded their crossbow and aimed it right at Kit''s back. "No!" She yelled again, throwing her body to one side and causing Kit to stumble. Only, he stumbled out of the way of the arrow that came flying towards his head, wheezing past it instead. He didn''t say anything, just kept running. She could hear the hunters behind them, Kit slowly losing them as he was faster than them.

    Until he stumbled again, falling to his knees but managing to keep Vivian in his grasp. She looked to see if he was struck by another arrow, but there were none. "Kit, what is it?" She asked, seeing the strain on his face.

    "The arrow... it was poisoned." He bites out, moving to set Vivian down on the ground. "I cannot keep running like this. I have to try and fight them."

    "What?" Vivian snapped out. "Poison?" The panic was clear in one word.

    "It will not kill me, but it will slow me down." He said, looking over his shoulders at the approaching group of hunters. "Stay here."

    "You can''t fight them!" She reached out and grabbed him, her fingers trembling. "Y-You just said you were poisoned!"

    "And I cannot outrun them, but I can fight them. Stay here." He took her hands from him and stood, turning to face the hunters.

    "Kit, no!" Vivian begged, but the vampire was already heading off towards the group. "Wait!" She called after him, but it was too late.

    Vivian watched as Kit raced towards the group, at least five of them heading this direction. But they seemed to notice Kit running back towards them, as they all stopped and braced themselves. It all happened so quickly, Vivian could barely keep track of Kit''s body as he moved through the hunters. Despite the poison, he was still quicker than them. She watched him take one hunter down, and then another, their forms disappearing into the snow. A hunter wielding an ax swung it at Kit, but the vampire moved out of the way just in time for the blade to knick his cheek.

    They all seemed to dance around one another, the hunters throwing attacks at Kit and the vampire dodging. He managed to get another hunter down, only two remaining. Kit stood opposite from them, as if squaring each other up. Then one of the hunters threw themselves at Kit, the man moving to dodge.

    Only, the other hunter moved too, and while Kit dodged one attack, the other hit. "No!" Vivian screamed as she watched knives cut into Kit''s side. "Kit!" Pushing off with her hands, she tried to go towards him, but her body was still weak and she collapsed back down to the snow.

    The vampire stumbled back from the attack, and the hunters gave him no time to recover. The ax wielding one swung it at Kit, and Vivian watched in horror as he cut deep across his chest. No, no! Kit was knocked to the ground from that blow, the hunters moving in on him. Oh gods, no! Trying again, the woman shoved herself up and managed to stand, stumbling her way towards Kit and the hunters.

    "Don''t touch him!" Vivian screamed, causing both of the hunters to stop and look up at her. As she neared them, the hunter with the knives moved towards her, blades ready to attack.

    Kit seemed to take that moment to grab the hunter with the knives, pulling them to the snow and snapping their neck. The last hunter swung his ax at Kit, and Vivian watched as the blade sunk into his back.

    The scream was trapped in Vivians throat as she stumbled to the ground, watching the hunter rip the ax out, blood flying with the motion. No, no, no! Seeming satisfied with the injured vampire on the ground, the hunter turned their attention to Vivian. She tried to scramble away from the approaching hunter, but he was upon her before she could move an inch.

    "Seemed your little vampire boyfriend did love you." The hunter said as they stood over Vivian, ax dripping with Kit''s blood. "Too bad he couldn''t save you."

    "Fuck you." Vivian hissed out, watching the man raise the ax.

    Closing her eyes, she tried to prepare herself for the hit, but it never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw the hunter stop mid motion, eyes wide. Moving her eyes down just a little, she saw the red hand sticking out from the hunter''s chest. The hand retracted, the hunter falling to the snow in a heap, Kit standing behind them panting heavily.

    Vivian just stared up at him for a moment while he looked down at her, both of them silent. But then the man dropped to his knees, and Vivian moved to try and catch him. "Kit." She breathed out, hands trembling as they grabbed him.

    The vampire looked horrendous, his face was pale and eyelids drooping, breathing in and out heavily. "We... we need to get... you back." Kit managed to get out, struggling over his words.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Vivian shook her head. "Do you realize how hurt you are?" She asked, eyes roaming over the horrible looking wounds. Blood poured from them, painting the white snow around them a deep red. She had never seen the vampire this injured. It rattled her, the woman trying to think of anything she could do to help. "Kit, you-you need..."

    "Do not... say it." He shook his head.

    "You need blood, don''t you?" Vivian said anyway, Kit''s gaze sharp as he met her eyes.

    Again, the man shook his head. "No, Vivian... no I do not."

    Vivian huffed out a breath. "Kit, you''re dying! Look at all this blood you''ve lost, you need blood."

    "I will not drink yours." The vampire said firmly, seeming to take all his energy to do so, as the man fell forward onto his hands. "I cannot... I will not do it."

    Vivian felt frustration heavy in her chest. Kit was going to die because he refused to drink from her. And there was no way to convince him, unless... The woman moved from where she knelt next to Kit and to where the hunter with the knives lay.

    "Where... where are you going?" Kit asked, unable to see what Vivian was doing.

    "Give me a second." Vivian replied, hands searching the snow. When she felt a blade, she instantly grabbed it, pulling it from where it was hidden. She stared down at the knife as she lifted it, steeling her resolution. She had to do this, she had to, it was the only way to make Kit drink from her.

    Lifting her sleeve, she raised the knife to her forearm and pressed the blade firmly against her skin before dragging it down, splitting the skin. She sucked in a quick breath at the flare of pain that traveled up and down her arm. Red instantly formed at the cut, blood seeping out and dripping down her arm.

    "Vivian." Kit''s voice called out to her, the tone unnerving her. "What did you do?"

    Moving back in front of Kit, she knelt down and offered her arm. "Drink."

    Kit didn''t move, didn''t lift his head up. "No."

    "Dammit Kit!" She yelled, her frustration growing. Using both her hands, she forced the man to sit up. When he did, their eyes met, and Vivian took in a sharp breath. He had transformed in front of her, black eyes looking at her, fangs long and sharp.

    "Vivian." His voice was strained, black eyes moving to the spot she cut herself. Vivian could see the fight going on within him on his face. "Why?"

    "Because you need it." She replied, watching as the man lifted hands to grab her arm gently. "And I trust you."

    Black eyes snapped to her then, a longing behind the pain. "Vivian-."

    "Just do it." Vivian shook her arm for emphasis. "Please."

    Kit''s eyes moved back to the cut, slowly lifting her arm to his mouth. It looked like it pained him, like he was fighting himself. When he brought her arm to his lips, the vampire hesitated.

    "Drink." Vivian pleaded, and that was all it took.

    The vampire opened his mouth and bit into Vivian''s arm, the woman gasping from the pain that flared from the spot. It traveled up and down her arm, making her shiver. His grip tightened, pulling her closer to him. But then warmth spread from the spot, moving over her entire body. A haze crept over her mind, breath shallowing. Again, the man''s grip tightened, but she barely noticed.

    Vivian just watched Kit as he drank from her, throat moving with each swallow of her blood. Her entire form felt heavy, shoulders sagging and head dropping. She could feel her consciousness slipping, black growing around the edges of her eyes. Her vision began swaying, a foreign sense of calm keeping any panic from rising. But she knew he was taking too much.

    "Kit." Vivian breathed out, raising a hand to grab the vampire''s shoulder. "I-I think... you''re taking... too much." She struggled to speak over the fog that scrambled her mind. "Kit."

    The vampire didn''t seem to hear her, continuing to drink. His grip continued to tighten, beginning to hurt her. Still, Vivian couldn''t seem to pull away, she couldn''t fight. There was only a warmth that spread through her, a calm that swept her thoughts away. The black that edged in her vision closed in, the woman about to pass out. She tried again to get his attention, but she just couldn''t. Vivian fell back, back, back into the darkness.

    ?

    The only thing Kit could focus on was the taste of blood as it traveled down his throat. He didn''t even notice Vivian passing out, his mind was buzzing with only one thought. Drink, drink, drink. It had been so long since Kit last fed on someone, and his control was barely there. He managed to not grip her arm so much to the point he would break it, but he was unable to pull himself away. He wasn''t thinking clearly. He couldn''t think past the blood, the warm liquid flowing into his mouth, overwhelming his senses as he drank one mouthful after another. It was all-consuming.

    You have to stop, Kit begged himself, fingers trembling as they gripped her arm. But the demon in him was unleaded, it controlled his body and wanted more, more. The vampire closed his eyes as he drank, no other feeling but a deep want filling his chest.

    Hands grabbed his shoulders, but Kit barely registered it as he continued to devour Vivian''s blood. He could hear a voice calling out to him, a familiar one that tugged at something in his mind, but still he couldn''t tear himself away. Kit was going to kill her, and he couldn''t stop it.

    The hands moved from his shoulders to his face, grabbing his jaw and forcing it open. No, Kit thought, losing the contact with Vivian''s arm. I need more.

    "... ahold of yourself!" The same voice snapped at him, and Kit opened his eyes, looking into a familiar pair of lilac hues. "What are you doing?"

    "Viktor?" Kit''s voice came out ragged, slowly regaining control of himself as Vivians blood no longer flowed down his throat. He was disorientated, unable to make out anything past Viktor. Where was he? What was going on?

    "Why were you drinking from her?" Viktor asked, a clear worry in their voice.

    Kit just looked at the witch for a moment, trying to understand what they were talking about, and then it hit him. Vivian, with blood dripping down her forearm, telling him to drink. "What?" Kit breathed out, raising a hand to his mouth and wiping whatever was covering it. When he looked at his hand, it was covered in blood. Vivian''s blood. "No, no, no, no." The vampire began to panic, vision focusing past Viktor.

    That''s when he saw her, Vivian lying limp in Niccolo''s arms, blood running down her forearm. Kit''s blood ran cold at the sight, a sense of complete dread filling him.

    "I-I did not- She is not dead, is she?" The vampire asked, unable to hear the sound of her heartbeat over the rushing of his own. "Is she?"

    "No." Niccolo said, looking down at Kit with disappointment. "But we need to get her back to the estate. She''s lost a lot of blood."

    The dread in him seemed to intensify as Niccolo spoke. Oh gods, what had he done?

    ?

    When Vivian woke up, it was slow, her consciousness evading and escaping her as she fought to grab it. Her entire form felt sore, eyelids fluttering open and vision unfocused. As she came more into her body, Vivian''s vision began to focus more and she realized she was laying in her bed in Niccolo''s estate. She couldn''t remember how she got here, she doesn''t remember falling asleep last night.

    Pushing up with her arms, she breathed in a quick breath as a sharp pain radiated from her arm. Looking down to the spot, she saw an IV was inserted into her, eyes following the line filled with red liquid to a bag of blood hanging above her. Blood?

    "Awake?" A voice said to her left, Vivian whipping her head around to see who just spoke. Niccolo sat in a chair in the corner of the room. "I was afraid you''d never wake up." Niccolo said, not sounding very sincere.

    "W-What happened?" Vivian asked, because she couldn''t remember anything. The last thing she did remember was walking in the gardens by herself, and then... she was taken. It came flooding back to her, being taken to the camp, sitting outside in the cold for hours, and then Kit arriving to rescue her, but after that it all goes foggy. "Where''s Kit?"

    Niccolo kind of just looked at her for a moment, as if assessing her. "Of course you wouldn''t remember." He said, standing from his chair and moving towards Vivian. "Vampire venom does have that effect."

    "Vampire venom? What are you talking about?"

    "I''m talking about the fact you forced Kit to drink from you." Niccolo snapped out, heat behind his words.

    Vivian shook her head, unable to make sense from his words. "N-No, I didn''t, I would remember doing that."

    "No you wouldn''t." Niccolo moved towards the bed. "The venom would erase any memories from around the time you were bitten."

    The woman just looked at the elder vampire for a moment. "Kit... bit me?" She asked, her voice hesitant.

    "Yes, after you cut yourself and forced yourself upon him."

    "I-I would never!"

    "But you did."

    Vivian couldn''t think of what to say. Has that really happened? She searched her memory, trying to form the image in her head, but she couldn''t. Vivian remembers them running from the camp, and then the hunters attacking them.

    Her head shot up to meet Niccolo''s hard gaze. "He was dying."

    "No, he wasn''t." Niccolo stood next to the bed now, arms crossed over his chest. "Kit wouldn''t have died from his injuries."

    "W-What?"

    "Vampires can only be killed by removing their head or their heart. Kit was gravely injured, yes, but he would have survived."

    Again, Vivian couldn''t think of what to say. Had she forced him to drink her blood? How would she even accomplish something like that? She shook her head, but then looked at the bag of blood that was currently being fed into her arm. "What do you mean I forced him?"

    Niccolo''s jew clenched. "Kit does not drink from humans. He has always been against the notice. But you... you harmed yourself in front of him in order for him to drink your blood. You forced him."

    "No, I wouldn''t do that!"

    "But you did, Vivian!" Niccolo yelled.

    Both of them just looked at each other, the elder vampire''s anger clear on his face. Vivian could feel her cheeks had flushed, heat spreading down her neck as she was yelled at.

    In their silence, the door opened, revealing Viktor. "You really shouldn''t be yelling at her." They said, walking towards the bed. "It''s not like she knew about Kit''s aversion to drinking from humans. Did you?" Viktor aimed the question at Vivian.

    She shook her head. "No! No I didn''t know, if I had I wouldn''t have... I wouldn''t have forced him." Vivians tone made it sound like she was disappointed in herself. "Is... is he okay?"

    Niccolo and Viktor look at one another. "No one has seen him since we returned with you." Viktor said, turning to look at Vivian. "He is clearly ashamed of himself."

    "I have to apologize." Vivian said then, throwing the covers off of her.

    "Vivian." Viktor said, stopping the women from leaving the bed. "You need to rest. You lost a lot of blood."

    "But-."

    "And like they said," Niccolo cuts her off, "no one knows where he is."

    Vivian looks over to the elder vampire. "No one?"

    Niccolo shakes his head. "He''s gone into hiding. Too ashamed to show his face."

    Oh no, this was all her fault. She had to fix this, but first she would have to figure out where the vampire is hiding.

 Chapter 16

    The next day, Vivian scoured the entire estate for Kit, or at least the parts of the estate she was able to gain access to. Locked doors were just one deterrent for Vivian, the other being vampires. Every time she came across one roaming the halls, she turned around and went the opposite way. She knows she should be safe, that''s what Kit told her, but she was still hesitant to meet any new vampires.

    During her search of the estate, Vivian did find some interesting things. For one, she found a wall with dozens of portraits, one of which was Niccolo''s. There was another portrait, one of a family with Niccolo mixed in. She stood in front of that one for a while, gazing upon the faces of what Vivian assumed was his parents and siblings. He looked to be the oldest child in the portrait, three young girls with the same burnett hair sitting on the ground with their dresses billowing out around them. It reminded her of those historical paintings from royalty.

    Another interesting thing she found was a library, double doors opening to a ginormous space, bookshelves to the ceiling filled with all kinds of books. It was absolutely amazing in there, and Vivian definitely got a little distracted on her search for Kit once she found the library. She felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, absolutely stunned by the magnitude of it all. Vivian walked along the rows of books, reading the spines, finding a lot of the books were in different languages. She wondered how long it must have taken to gather such a collection, and then began to wonder how old Niccolo was. If Kit was around four hundred, then Niccolo had to be much older than that.

    Leaving the library after spending a good amount of time there, she was back on with her search, going down winding hallways and spiral staircases. Vivian found herself deep in the estate suddenly, no windows to let any light in, the walls a gray stone that matched the exterior. Lit torches were hung on the wall every few feet, the only light in the hallway. She guessed she was in some sort of basement, finding a room full of barrels and what she assumed was a wine cellar. When she reached the end of the hall she was walking down, she found a single door. Vivian guessed it would be locked, as many of the doors she tried were, but when she grabbed the handle, the door surprisingly gave way.

    Stepping beyond the door, she was met with another spiral staircase that led downward, lit torches on the walls being the only light source. Vivian hesitated for a second before she began to climb down the stairs. It was a long descent, and by the time she reached the bottom, the torches grew fewer and the area she stepped into was rather dark. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.

    What she saw before her made her freeze. She stood in a large room, the walls the same gray brick and torches lining the walls, but what stopped her were the set of huge cages lined up on either wall. Most sat with their doors hung open, the room completely silent except for the sound of her breath and footsteps as she walked down the aisle the cages created.

    When she reached the last one, the only one with the door closed, she stopped and peered inside. Sitting on a cot tucked into the corner of the cell was a figure, legs pulled up to their chest and head resting on their knees. A mop of messy blond curls sat atop their head, and for a moment Vivian swore she could recognize that head of hair.

    Then the figure looked up, red eyes locking with hers. It scared her for only a moment, because she recognized that face. Rushing forward, she grabbed the bars of the cell. "Elias!"

    The man sat on the cot, watching her, assessing. "Vivian?" He finally said, relaxing his body and dropping his legs. "W-What are you doing here?"

    "Me?" Vivian asked, the one word ringing high pitched. "Why are you in a cell in the basement?"

    Elias looked away when she spoke. "I''ve been told it''s too dangerous to be around the human staff."

    The human staff. Because Elias was no longer a human. He was a vampire. "Oh, Elias." She breathed out, feeling the pain in her chest. "This is all my fault."

    "What?" Elias dropped his legs to the floor. "Your fault? Why would any of this be your fault?"

    Vivian just looked at Elias for a moment, dumbfounded. "B-Because Elias, I was the one who asked them to turn you. I did this to you."

    Her friend shook his head as he stood from the cot. "You were trying to save my life Vivian. I don''t blame you for that. They... they told me what happened. How we were attacked by a rabid vampire."

    "You don''t remember, do you?" Vivian asked, knowing the effects of vampire venom.

    The man shook his head. "No... I remember walking you home and hearing someone scream, but it all gets messed up after that. The next thing I knew, I woke up here with an insane... thirst." Elias'' eyes divert from hers at the last word.

    "Have you..." Vivian begins, but is unsure how to even ask the question. "You know... drank?"

    "I had to." Elias breathed out, looking back to Vivian. "If I didn''t, I would have turned into whatever attacked us that night."

    "A rabid." Vivian said, eyes widening. Elias had a chance of turning into one of those? But how? "B-But you''re not going to become one of those, right?"

    "No." He replied, shaking his head again. "If I didn''t drink any... if I didn''t drink, then I would have become one of those." Again, the man looked away from her, as if he was ashamed. No matter what he said, Vivian would forever view this as her fault, her doing.

    "Well that''s good." Vivian said, looking around the room at all the open cells. "Why are they keeping you down here still?"

    "Besides me being a danger, they think I''ll run back to my family."

    "Would you?"

    Elias just looked at her when Vivian asked, his shoulders sagging. "I don''t know, maybe."

    Silence fell over the two friends. Vivian was glad to see Elias up and alive, compared to how she saw him last. But seeing him struggle with this, his new life, it pained her. "I wish there was something I could do."

    "You did what you could." Elias replied, shrugging his shoulders.

    "You''re being way too nice about this."

    The man laughed, a short one but still a laugh nonetheless. "Would you rather I be angry with you?"

    "No, of course not."

    "I''m not going to be angry with you for doing what you thought was right. I know you wouldn''t have made this decision if you didn''t think it was the right one." Elias said, reaching up and enclosing his hands around Vivian''s ones on the bars. "If it wasn''t for you, I would be dead."

    Vivian didn''t even notice the tears welling up in her eyes until she let out a harsh laugh, tears spilling. "I really didn''t want you to be dead."

    "Me neither." He said, a gentle smile on his face. But then it was washed away with realization. "Oh shit, what about Ophelia? Does she think I''m just missing?"

    "Oh, Ophelia?" Vivian pulled her hands from underneath Elias'', wiping at her tears. "She knows about you. She actually knows about all of this, since she''s a witch."

    Elias stared at her for a breath. "A witch?"

    "Yup."

    "Like, with magic and spells and potions?"

    "Yeah."

    Elias again just stared at her. "And she didn''t tell us?"

    "It wasn''t like she could." Vivian defended her friend. "Humans aren''t really supposed to know about all this stuff. Vampires and witches and magic."

    The man tilted his head. "So why are you here?"

    "Oh." Vivian''s hand went to her necklace. She could tell Elias, right? Leaning close to the bars, Vivian motioned Elias to do the same. "I''m not a human either."

    "You''re not?" His voice rang out in the large space.

    Vivian shook her head. "It''s complicated, but I''m something called an aether reservoir. I have a lot of... magic inside of me." She wasn''t sure she could explain it the way that Viktor and Kit did, but this was close enough. "It''s super dangerous apparently so I''m not supposed to tell anyone here."

    "Ah, a secret then." Elias quipped, a smirk on his face as he pulled away. "My lips are sealed."

    Vivian just looks at her friend for a moment, a feeling of fondness taking over and causing her to smile. "I''m really happy you''re still here, Elias."

    Elias returned her smile "Me too, Vivian."

    They talked for a little while longer, but Vivian reminded herself she was on a mission, she had to find Kit. So she promised she would speak to Niccolo about getting Elias out of the cell, and left.

    Going back the way she came, she climbed up the spiral staircase, and pushed open the door that she came in from. Retracing her steps, Vivian worked her way out of the basement, finding a staircase that led back up to the ground floor. About halfway up the stairs though, a figure appeared at the top.

    Vivian froze as she looked up into the red eyes of a random vampire. He stopped too, looking down at her with a questioning gaze before it hardened into something like glee. "It''s you." He said, continuing down the stairs. It took everything in Vivian not to turn and run back down the way she came. "You''re Kit''s lover, aren''t you?"

    Vivian was silent for a moment, just looking up at the vampire. The lie was supposed to keep her safe, and right now it was the only protection she had. "Yes." She finally said, her voice a little wobbly.

    "Never thought I''d see the day." He said, closing in on Vivian. He stood only a few steps above her, making Vivian crane her neck up to look at him. "Kit isn''t really one to take on a human lover, so when I heard that he did, well, you could say I was shocked."

    "I bet." Vivian replied, not wanting to have a full blown conversation with this vampire. Something just felt... off about it.

    "I mean, I don''t know him very well, but I do know his aversion towards humans." The vampire leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "So it''s surprising he would suddenly claim he has a human lover."

    "It happened fast." Vivian lied, feeling the need to take a step back, but still resisting. She felt like showing any sign of weakness would do her very dirty at this moment.

    "It seems that way." The vampire lifted a hand to his chin, stroking it with his fingers. "Tell me, how did you manage to win Kit over?"

    Vivian shrugged her shoulders. "I didn''t do anything special."

    "Hmm." The vampire was very still for a moment, and then within a blink of an eye, he surrounded Vivian, pinning her against the wall with hands on either side of her. "You know, I have to say you''re very bad at lying."

    "What?" Vivians back hit the wall hard, hands coming up to protect the necklace she wore. "What are you talking about?"

    "I know you''re not Kit''s lover."

    Dread filled Vivian. "I-I am!"

    "Oh really?" The vampire leaned forward then, sticking his face in Vivians neck and inhaling deeply. "Why don''t I smell him on you then?"

    Vivian tried to squirm away from the vampire, but it was useless, he overpowered her. "S-Stop!"

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "I bet he hasn''t even drank from you." The vampire said against her skin, sending a chill down her spine. "And you smell so good too."

    Using her hands, she tried to shove the vampire off of her, but he was a solid wall. Panic arose in her chest and flared out from there, filling her every sense. Her skin buzzed, heart racing underneath her chest as this vampire overcrowded her.

    "One bite couldn''t hurt."

    "No!" Vivian shoved again, but it was useless.

    "Enzo." A new voice spoke from above them, causing the vampire holding her in place to go rigid. "What are you doing?"

    Pulling his face from Vivians neck, the vampire looked up the staircase to whoever just interrupted him. "Just having a little fun."

    Vivian spared a look up the stairs and saw it was yet another vampire, oh what a lucky day she was having.

    The vampire at the top of the stairs looked at her, assessing. "That''s Kit''s lover, isn''t it?"

    Pushing off with his hands, the vampire, Enzo she assumed, took a step back. "Oh, is it? I thought she was just human staff."

    "They''re off limits too, Enzo." The vampire said, beginning to walk down the steps. "You should go before someone else sees you harassing her."

    "We were just having a nice conversation, weren''t we?" Enzo looked at her for a response. Vivian only shook her head. "Awh, don''t be like that."

    "Enzo." The vampire''s voice was firm. "Go."

    "Yeah, yeah." Enzo waved his hand at the other vampire dismissively before turning and walking down the stairs. "I''ll be seeing you around!" He called out.

    Vivian stood against the wall, breathless. Her fingers trembled at her sides, stomach churning with the panic that still coursed through her system.

    "Vivian." The vampire said, pulling her attention. "Are you okay?"

    She nodded, pushing off of the wall. "Yes, thank you."

    "No one here really likes him." The vampire said, gesturing his head in the direction Enzo just went. "But he''s Niccolo''s distant cousin or something so we''re stuck with him here."

    "Oh, I see." Vivian replied, unsure of what else to say.

    "Are you lost?" He asked, tone friendly. Still, he was a vampire, so she couldn''t trust him off the bat. Yet there was something familiar about this one. Had she seen him before?

    "No." Vivian said at the same time she realized that yes, she was actually lost. From here, she wasn''t sure how to get back to her room. "I was looking for Kit."

    "Even you don''t know where he is?" The vampire asked with surprise. "Well, isn''t that something?"

    Vivian didn''t know how to respond to that, so she didn''t. She just looked down at her shoes as if they were much more interesting than the vampire standing besides her.

    "Oh, how rude of me." The vampire spoke, grabbing Vivian''s attention. "I haven''t introduced myself. I''m Sebastian. I go out on patrols with Kit a lot. I wouldn''t call us close per se, but closer than most are to Kit. I have to say, I''m surprised too that he took on a lover. But knowing it''s you... well a little less surprising."

    "What? Why?" Vivian couldn''t help but be intrigued.

    "You are the one he''s saved multiple times, right?" Sebastian asked, the woman thinking about it for a moment before nodding. That''s right, this vampire was there the night Elias was attacked. He was the one that took Elias away. "It''s not unusual for vampires to form bonds with those humans they have saved."

    "Oh." Vivian said, and that was it, because once again, she didn''t know how to respond.

    Silence sat for a moment before Sebastian broke it. "You look hungry. How about we stop by the kitchen for some food?"

    "The kitchen?"

    "Yeah! Come on." Sebastian turned and began walking up the stairs, Vivian thinking about it for only a moment before following. He seemed like he was good natured, he did stop that asshole Enzo from biting her, so he already won a few brownie points with her.

    Sebastian didn''t say anything to her as he led her to the kitchen, and Vivian didn''t either. She walked slightly behind him, and everytime they passed someone, Sebastian would always say a quick hello before they continued walking. It made her feel a little more at ease. Something she noticed while heading to the kitchen was that mixed in with all the vampires she saw, there were some humans too. Vivian was a little surprised at this, as she thought this place was only filled with vampires. They were always dressed in some kind of uniform, and acted in a very sheepish manner compared to the vampires.

    Turning a corner, Vivian could smell the kitchen they were coming upon. When Sebastian opened one door of a set, they walked into the biggest kitchen Vivan had ever seen. There was a huge circular indoor cooking fireplace along the back wall, a wide flame coming from it and breathing life into the large room. It was something out of one of those fantasy drawings, huge cast iron pots and pans snuggled close to the fire, cooking who knows what. The top of the fireplace came down like a giant hand over the flames, small windows giving access to the flames. There were a few figures in the kitchen moving about, working on whatever dish they were cooking or baking.

    Vivian froze at being in a room with so many vampires, but as she stood there, she noticed no red eyes among them. They were all humans.

    "Oh, hello Sebastian!" A woman called out, setting down a tray of bread rolls. She was cute, short blond hair brushing her shoulders and blue eyes wide. "I see you have someone new!"

    "I do." The vampire said, gesturing towards Vivian. "This is Vivian, she is Kit''s lover."

    The woman took in a gasp as she neared them, still wearing the oven mitts on her hands. They were also cute, with little sunflowers scattered about a blue background. "Kit''s lover? Well, welcome to Alvera estate Miss Vivian."

    Vivian didn''t know that being Kit''s lover would garner so much wonder. "Thank you, Miss-?"

    "Oh, no Miss, just Lucy." She said, waving away Vivians words. "It''s so lovely to meet you!"

    Vivian nodded, trying to return the smile that was on Lucy''s face. "You too. Do you work here at the estate?"

    "Yes, Miss."

    "Fascinating. But you''re a human?"

    "Yes! There''s many humans that work at the estate, Miss."

    Being called Miss made her feel like she was living in some 1800''s estate, and she supposed it could be by the outfit that the woman wore, similar to those that they passed earlier on their way here. "I see." She said, looking around at the kitchen. There were others dressed the same way that Lucy was dressed.

    "So I see Sebastian has returned." Someone said behind Lucy, causing her to turn away from them. It was an older woman, another human she guessed if those were deep brown eyes she was looking into. "With someone new, too."

    "Wow, you guys can tell that quickly?" Vivian said, feeling like she was so exposed. Of course gossip would have traveled around the estate about Kit and his lover.

    "Not many new people come here." The older woman said, emphasizing on people. Her eyes flashed to Sebastian for a moment before going back to Vivian. "So it''s exciting when there is someone new."

    "Ah, I see." Vivian responded, nodding her head. "That would make sense."

    "I brought Vivian here in hopes of getting her some food." Sebastian said before anyone else could speak.

    "Oh, are you hungry?" The older woman looked concerned suddenly, taking a step closer to Vivian. "We can make you something real quick if you are."

    Vivian wanted to say no, but the sudden hunger she felt in her stomach made her stop. It wasn''t like she hadn''t been eating food these past couple of days, so it wouldn''t be any different. "If that''s okay."

    "Of course! Come on." The older woman grabbed Vivian by the arm and pulled her deeper into the kitchen. "I''m Jas by the way, I didn''t catch your name?"

    "Vivian." She said, having no choice but to follow the woman. When she looked behind her, she saw that Lucy and Sebastian had gotten into their own conversation. "Thank you for cooking for me."

    "Oh it''s no problem sweetie." Jas set Vivian down on a seat that was situated near the countertops. "I''ll whip you up something real quick, don''t you worry."

    Vivian wasn''t sure what it was that Jas made her, but she did know that it was absolutely delicious. Whoever had been cooking Vivians food wasn''t Jas, and honestly, she wished it was. After she had eaten her food, Vivian told them about why she was lurking around the estate, looking for Kit. Lucy had mentioned that there might be someplace he could be hiding that no one would look for him. A storage building out on the northeastern edge of the property. No one goes there anymore apparently after the ceiling collapsed a few years ago and Niccolo hasn''t bothered fixing it.

    Determined to find Kit once again, Vivian left the group in search of the storage building. Sebastian had offered to walk her there, but she refused. She wanted to do this alone.

    Finding the building took no time, as she could see it when she stepped out the back doors. She hadn''t noticed it before, the roof peeking out behind a row of trees that obstructed the building from direct view. It took her a little bit of a walk to get there, trudging through thick snow. When she finally did get to the building, she was surprised to see what kind of shape it was in. Vines grew up the walls in batches, windows were busted and the door was hanging on just barely by its hinges. She could see where the roof had collapsed, a part of the second floor also collapsed along with it.

    When she stepped inside the building, the door almost falling off as she moved it, she was greeted with the same amount of ruin. The wallpaper peeled off the walls and fell to the floor in clumps, the wooden floor scattered with green and plants grew through the cracks and sprouted just above the floor boards. It looked like the forest was slowly taking back the house.

    "Kit?" She called out, walking around the house. She found a staircase that led to the next floor and slowly climbed it, being careful of where she put her feet. The second floor was even worse than the first, vines crawling up the walls and glass from the windows scattered around the hallways, crunching under her feet. "Kit?"

    Only silence met her call. Vivian couldn''t help but feel disappointed. This was the last place she could think to look for him, the last place she was able to freely enter and search. Had the vampire left the property entirely? Did he return to his apartment in Lake Ashton? Had he left her alone here? Panic coursed through Vivian as the thoughts rattled her. Kit wouldn''t have left her behind. He knew how she felt about being stuck in an estate with a bunch of vampires, why would he leave her here alone?

    "Kit, if you''re in here, I would really love a response." Vivian called out again, moving carefully through the hallway as she spotted holes in the floor. A fall from this height would hurt, but it wouldn''t kill her. "You can''t keep hiding forever!"

    A sound from behind her made her turn on her heel. There, standing behind her, was Kit. He stood with hands in his pockets, face downturned as if he couldn''t look at her. "You should not have come looking for me, Vivian."

    Vivian ignored the vampire''s words, quickly moving towards him. But he held a hand up, stopping her from coming any closer. She could see the tense set of his shoulders, the way his hair was unkempt like he had been hiding in here for the past couple days. "What are you doing out here?" She asked, voice soft.

    The vampire shook his head. "I... I cannot face you after what I did."

    Vivian''s brain worked on his words, trying to decipher the meaning. It hit her. "You mean almost killing me." The vampire flinched at that. "Kit, that wasn''t your fault."

    He moved his head to look up at her. There was this intensity in her eyes, Vivian almost took a step back. "I lost control Vivian. I-I could have killed you."

    "But you didn''t."

    "Only because Viktor pried you away from me." The shame was clear in his words, the guilt etched across his expression. "If it was not for them, I... you would be dead because of me."

    Vivian shook her head. "No, no Kit. I was the one who forced you." Taking a step forward she raised her hands.

    Kit took a step back, making Vivian freeze. "You did not force me to do anything. I should have been able to resist, but I did not."

    "Kit!" Vivian wanted to grab him and shake this nonsense out of him. She fisted her hands and brought them back to her side. "If I didn''t cut myself in front of you, it wouldn''t have even happened. I... I thought you were going to die. I thought I had to do something, but I didn''t. I should have listened to you."

    The pain was clear in his expression. "You did what you thought you had to do, Vivian. I do not blame you."

    "Don''t blame yourself either!" This time when Vivian stepped forward, she made sure Kit didn''t escape her grasp, and she grabbed a fistful of his shirt. "Can''t you see this is my fault? I forced you to drink from me, I-I should have known better!"

    "But you did not." Kit''s voice was soft and weary compared to the harshness of Vivians tone. He lifted his hands to Vivians, covering her fists. "How could you have known? We never talked about any of it."

    "Still." Vivian felt like she was losing this fight, that she wasn''t going to be able to convince him. "I don''t blame you, Kit."

    "You should." He said, and pulled her hands from his shirt. "I''m only a monster after all."

    "Shut up, Kit!" Vivian yelled, letting her anger get the better of her. "You''re not a monster! You never have been! Why do you insist on seeing yourself in such a dark light when everyone around you sees you the opposite way? You''re a good person Kit, all I''ve ever seen you do is good things! You''re not a monster! Even if you almost killed me, it was my fault for forcing myself onto you! I should have known better, and now you''re hurting yourself because of me!"

    "Vivian..." Kit''s voice was soft around her name, hands still holding her fists. "I am not a good person. I am a vampire."

    "Then you''re a good vampire, okay? Just because you''re a vampire doesn''t cancel out the fact that you are good."

    Kit just looked at her, eyes searching hers. "How can I make you understand? I am not good." Dropping her hands, the man took a step back. "You should return to the estate. It''s late."

    "No." She said, firmly. "I''m not leaving unless it''s with you in tow."

    "Vivian, please."

    "No!" She yelled this time. "You have yet to show me any evidence of you being anything but good! If you weren''t, you wouldn''t care about the fact you almost killed me. You wouldn''t go into hiding because you were ashamed of what you''ve done! If you weren''t good you wouldn''t care Kit, but I know you do."

    "I have killed people before, Vivian."

    The woman stood frozen, processing his words. "Why?"

    "What?"

    "Why did you kill them?" Vivian asked, crossing arms over her chest. "There had to be a reason."

    "The reason does not matter-."

    "Yes it does!" Vivian cut him off, uncrossing her arms to wave them. "Did you kill them just for fun? Were you defending yourself? Why did you kill them, Kit?"

    The vampire seemed to hold his breath, looking down at her with wide eyes. But then he released his breath and looked away. "Ezra would... he would put me in a fighting pit and force me to fight to the death with others. Mostly humans. I... As you can see, I always won."

    Vivian could almost see it in her head. "Oh, Kit." She breathed out, hands coming to cover her mouth. "That must have been horrible."

    The vampire didn''t say anything at first, just continued to look down at the floor besides Vivian. But then he lifted his gaze and looked back at her, guilt heavy within his eyes. "I killed them, Vivian. All of them. Their blood is on my hands for the rest of my life."

    "And are you happy about that?"

    "What? No, of course not-."

    "Do you regret it?"

    Kit stood still for a moment, as if understanding the point that Vivian was trying to make. "Of course I do."

    Vivian held her hands out in an exaggerated fashion. "Someone who is a monster wouldn''t feel guilty for the blood on their hands. They would revel in it, they would want to keep doing it. But you didn''t, did you?"

    The vampire shook his head. "No."

    The woman left out a breath. "Do you see where I''m going with this?"

    "Yes, but still-."

    "No, no I won''t hear of it." Vivian waved the vampire''s words away. "You are not a monster, got that? Not a monster!"

    Kit looked at her silently. She could tell he wanted to continue fighting her on this, but she was firm in her stance that Kit was definitely not a monster. "Fine." He said, shoulders sagging.

    "Fine, what?"

    "Fine, I will return to the estate with you."

    Vivian beamed. "Really?"

    Kit just looked sad as he nodded. "Yes, we should head back before it gets too late."

    The woman nearly jumped with joy when the vampire turned around and started to go the way she came from, but she resisted. For now, she was just happy that she was able to convince him to return to the estate with her. Vivian knew that the vampire still thought himself a monster, but she would change that eventually. No matter how long it took, she would convince him he was nothing close to a monster.

 Chapter 17

    Kit pushed the door to the drawing room open, revealing the large space inside. Various seats were scattered around the room, couches with side tables and chairs with large tables. A fireplace sat at one end, lit and filling the room with a warm orange glow. Sitting inside the room already was Niccolo and Viktor, the two talking in hushed tones as Kit entered.

    "Ah, finally. You''re here." Niccolo said, watching as the vampire entered the room and took a seat on one of the opposing chairs. "I was wondering when you would show your face again."

    It was the following day, Kit returning to the estate. Sebastian had found him and congratulated him on his lover, saying he met her while she was being harassed by Enzo of all vampires. Kit thanked Sebsatian for saving Vivian from that, as Kit was too absorbed in his guilt to even think about Vivian running into distasteful vampires like him.

    "Well I am back." He said, crossing his ankle over his leg. "We should discuss the rabid problem."

    "Ah, yes, that." Viktor spoke, pulling both pairs of eyes to them. "There''s been two more missing people reported from Lake Ashton. One of which is staying here as a newly turned vampire, am I correct?"

    Niccolo nods. "Yes, he is still adjusting."

    "There seems to be more rabids every night." Kit pulled the attention to him. "We need to figure out who is turning humans and why."

    "The humans that are being turned don''t seem to be coming from here or any town around us." Viktor chimed in, taking a sip from his teacup. "I wonder if they''re coming from some big city like Salem."

    "Possibly." Niccolo agreed, nodding his head. "But who would be turning them? And unleashing them into Lake Ashton of all places."

    "Maybe the culprit is Ezra." Kit said, looking between the witch and Niccolo. "I mean, we know he is in town."

    "True, but what would his motivation be?" Niccolo responded.

    Kit shrugged his shoulders. "I do not know. He is a psychopath, so there is that."

    "There has to be a way to discover who is turning the rabids." Niccolo mused, sitting back in his chair.

    "There is."

    Both Niccolo and Kit look at Viktor. "There is?" Kit asked.

    "Oh yes, it''s a very old spell though, and I would need two sets of extra hands." Viktor went on, setting their teacup down. "But there is a spell to be able to see who turned a vampire."

    "Why didn''t you mention this sooner?" Niccolo seemed to scold.

    "You didn''t ask."

    Again, both the vampires just looked at the witch. "So you''ve had this spell the whole time and didn''t mention it to us?"

    "Niccolo, I am a very busy witch and you know I only get involved in things once I''ve been asked." Viktor defended themself, placing a hand to their chest. "You told me yourself-."

    "That''s not what I meant when I said ''don''t get involved'' and you know it." Niccolo argues, but the witch just shrugged their shoulders.

    "So this spell, how do you perform it?" Kit asked before Niccolo could scold the witch some more.

    "Well for starters, I need a live rabid." They began, holding one finger up. "I''ll need a large space to perform the spell, and my usual salt blend. Oh, and the two sets of extra hands I''ve mentioned."

    "Who would you bring in to do the spell?" Niccolo asked.

    Viktor seemed to think about that for a moment. "Well Ophelia is a very powerful witch, her whole family is for that matter. Maybe I''ll ask her and her mother, Camila."

    "And they can be trusted?" Kit questioned.

    The witch nodded their head enthusiastically. "Oh yes. I''ve known that family for many generations. They like to keep a low profile in Lake Ashton, but I''m sure they''ll want to help out with solving this rabid problem."

    "Good, good." Niccolo mused, lifting a hand to his chin. "Now all we need is to catch a rabid. And keep it alive."

    "Sebastian and I can do that." Kit chimed in, both the vampire and witch looking at him. "Would we bring it back to the estate?"

    "Yes, I can perform the spell here. This drawing room might actually work really well. We would just need to rearrange the furniture." Viktor looked around the room, assessing the place.

    "Perfect." Niccolo said as he stood from his seat. "How long will preparations take?"

    "Not long at all. It''s still pretty early in the evening, so I''ll go pay them a visit and see if they want to help."

    "Convince them." Niccolo responded, moving towards the door. "Kit, go and catch me a rabid."

    The vampire rolled his eyes but also stood from his chair. "Yes, sir."

    It was only a couple hours later that Sebastian and Kit were out on patrol, hunting down rabids. When Kit told Sebastian of the plan, the other vampire seemed excited. It almost felt like they were coming closer to solving the mystery of who was plaguing Lake Ashton with rabid vampires. They had brought a potion that Viktor made that would knock the rabid out so they could easily transport it back to the estate. Luckily the rabid would only have to smell the fumes coming from the potion and would pass out, so it would be pretty easy. Kit and Sebastian were very careful to keep the potion away from their own noses, not wanting to feel the effects of it.

    They were out for only about an hour before both of them sensed a rabid coming in from west of town. Instantly they were on the move towards it, disappearing into the forest surrounding Lake Ashton.

    "Remember, do not kill it." Kit called out to Sebastian as the vampire ran a little behind him.

    "Yeah, yeah." He replied, a little less enthusiastic. But Kit knew he could trust Sebastian to do his job right, he had only been working with the vampire for the past fifty years.

    When they spotted the rabid, Kit moved to tackle the thing from the front while Sebastian moved to take its back. Kit launched himself at the creature, claws out to maim. Only, the thing dodged him, the vampire nearly stumbling. He caught himself though and was chasing after it, along with Sebastian.

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    "Almost got him!" Sebastian teased as he ran past Kit.

    Kit moved to catch up with the rabid, taking only a moment before it was within arms reach. His claws swiped out and dug into the things back. It roared out in pain for only a moment before turning and swinging back at Kit. He had to move quick to dodge the attack, the rabids hand flying past his face. Kit took the moment to dig his claws into the creature''s side. Blood covered his fingers as the rabid threw itself back, out of Kit''s reach. Sebastian came up behind it though and tackled it to the ground. They struggled for a moment while Kit made his way to the pair, but the rabid threw Sebastian off of it and got back up. Kit took off towards it, claws seeking flesh. The rabid moved back, but Kit''s claws still sunk into the creature''s chest. It howled in pain as it stumbled back. Sebastian took that chance from where he was on the ground to trip the creature, and it fell to its back.

    Kit jumped on top of the thing, grabbing its arms and trying to pin it to the ground. "Sebastian, the vial!" He yelled out as the rabid snapped its jaw at him, struggling against his hold.

    "Right!" The other vampire yelled, running over to Kit and the rabid before dropping to his knees. Sebastian pulled the vial out from a small bag at his side and opened the vial. He poured it directly onto the rabids face, the creature blinking through the dark blue liquid. Its movements began to slow, eyelids sagging as the potion did its job. After only a few moments, the creature lay still underneath Kit.

    The black haired vampire pushed up from the ground and stood next to Sebastian, who was staring down at the rabid. "Well that could have gone a little smoother." Kit said, brushing the dirt off his palms.

    "Could have gone a lot worse, too." Sebastian reminds him before going to pick up the knocked out rabid. "Come on, we''ve got a spell to do."

    They made their way back to the estate with the rabid in hand, bringing it immediately up to the drawing room where Viktor was getting everything set up. The witch used enchanted binds to tie the rabids hands and legs, just in case the creature woke up. It was then set inside a large chalk pentagram, writings of an old language along the outer circle. There was a symbol in each triangle of the star, representing the five elements. After the rabid was set in the middle of the star, Viktor took to lining the circle with their blend of salt, rosemary and lavender, each possessing a property that would aid in the spell. It reminded Kit of the aether reservoir spell, the circle and the salt, but this one seemed much more complex.

    It was later into the night when Ophelia and her mother showed up to the estate, Viktor having gone to visit them while Kit and Sebastian were grabbing the rabid. The two women were ushered to the drawing room where everyone waited for them.

    "Thank you so much for helping out, once again." Viktor said to the two witches, taking who he assumed to be Ophelia''s mothers hand. Her name was Camila, right?

    "It''s no problem Viktor, these rabids have taken too many people from our town, I want to help." Camila replied, coving Viktors hand with her own. "Just tell me what to do and I''ll do it."

    Viktor had a sincere smile on their face. "You''re always so reliable Camila." The witch praised.

    Viktor had taken the two witches over to a table where they explained the spell and their parts in it. Kit and the others stood to the side, meer spectators. Sebastian stood to Kit''s right while Niccolo was standing in front of them, arms crossed. "This better work." He mumbled to himself, but both Kit and Sebastian heard.

    When the witches were ready, they all took their respective place around the circle. Raising their hands, the three witches began to chant in a low tone, their voices mixing into an eerie song. Aether flowed from the witches and into the circle, white light like silky smoke escaping from each witch and traveling towards the rabid in the center. The aether surrounded the rabid, pulsing and twisting as it seemed to seep into the creature. Then the aether began to turn black as it was pulled from the rabid, flowing out and traveling towards Viktor. The witch held their hands towards the black aether, welcoming it. It flowed up their palm, moving up their arm until encasing Viktor entirely. Then in one breath the witch absorbed all the black aether.

    Viktors eyes snapped open, completely white and unseeing. Kit felt uneasy at the sight, but didn''t move. He knew this was all a part of the spell, but that thought didn''t really help. He watched as Viktor leaned forward, the black aether seeping out of them and back towards the rabid, until it coiled around the creature and sank back into its body. The white aether slowly returned to the witches, each one taking a breath before opening their eyes. Everyone looked to Viktor as they sat back up straight, lilac eyes looking outward. Was that it? Was that the spell?

    "So?" Niccolo asked, stepping forward. "What did you see?"

    Viktor looked like they were hesitating, face scrunching up with dissatisfaction. "You''re not going to like it."

    "Tell me." Niccolo pushed.

    Releasing a breath, the witch stood from the circle, along with the other two. "I saw your uncle, Vincenzo."

    Niccolo stood frozen at that response, staring at Viktor. "Are you sure?" The elder vampire asked, voice tense.

    Viktor nodded. "I would recognize his face anywhere."

    Niccolo turned and raised his hands to his head. "Why would Vincenzo be doing this?" He asked aloud, ruffling his slicked back brown hair. "Why would he be turning rabids and setting them lose in Lake Ashton?"

    "Well he was pretty upset about you stepping into power after your parents died." Viktor answered, seeming like he knew something the others didn''t.

    "He was." Niccolo agreed, beginning to pace the room. "But enough to do something like this?"

    "Maybe." Viktor went to sit down in one of the chairs pushed against the wall. "It has been a long time since then, but he still might hold a grudge."

    "Wait." Ophelia interrupted the two. "You think your uncle is doing this? Why?"

    "After Niccolo''s parents died," Viktor began, "he became the Head of Vampires in North America. It was the title his father held before him, and as the eldest surviving male son, the position went to him. He was very young though and Vincenzo thought it was improper for someone of his age to be put into power."

    "How young were you?" Sebastian asked, also intrigued by his boss''s backstory. It wasn''t like Kit really got to hear it often either.

    "I was only five hundred." Niccolo said as if it was nothing, but Kit was still shocked to remember just how old Niccolo was. For pure blood vampires like Niccolo, who had been alive for dozens of centuries, five hundred was nothing. But for vampires like Kit and Sebastian who were born human, that same amount of time was incredibly long. "It happened over two hundred years ago, I''m sure he wouldn''t hold that grudge anymore."

    "I know what I saw, Niccolo." Viktor spoke from their seat. "Vincenzo is the one turning the rabids."

    Again, Niccolo was silent. Whatever was going on in his mind, none of them had any clue. They just watched as the vampire seemed to process everything, as he seemed to come to an acceptance. "If Vincenzo is the one turning rabids," Niccolo began, "then we have to stop him."

    "How would we do that?" Kit probed.

    All of them were quiet as they thought about it. How would they be able to catch a thousand year old vampire? And a pureblood one at that, which was always much stronger than any human turned vampire.

    "We could throw a ball!" Viktor said enthusiastically, standing suddenly. "Vincenzo could never resist a ball."

    "That would get him here to the estate." Niccolo mused, as if thinking about it. "And then I would be able to bring him to my office where I would bring an end to him."

    Kit immediately felt uneasy about the idea. A ball? A vampire ball? That would mean dozens upon dozens of vampires coming to the estate, staying a day or two and crowding the large home. It would mean Vivian would be unsafe, with so many vampires around. He already felt like her safety was something of concern with the current amount of vampires in the estate, but with a ball, it would just worsen.

    But he didn''t say anything, instead choosing to keep his mouth shut.

    "Vivian would not be allowed to leave her room while the ball is happening." Niccolo asserted, looking back at Kit. "You will make sure she understands that she''s staying in the room."

    "Yes, I will watch after her-."

    "No, you will be attending the ball with the rest of us, except you Viktor. You''re not coming." Niccolo cut Kit off before looking over to the witch. "He might suspect something is amiss if you''re there."

    "Couldn''t have said it better myself." Viktor agreed, walking to stand besides the two witches who stood silently this entire time. "Well if you''ll excuse me, I ought to get these ladies home safely."

    "I''m glad I could be of assistance." Camila said, as she was ushered out of the room along with Ophelia. The three witches were gone which only left the vampires in the large space.

    "Well then." Niccolo put his hands on his hips, a sudden determination. "I suppose I have a ball to plan."

 Chapter 18

    "Why can''t I go again?" Vivian asked as she and Kit walked through the estate. It was buzzing with life as the whole place was preparing for the ball to happen in a couple days. She had been informed the other day that she was absolutely not to attend and to stay in her room the entire time. It made sense, given it was going to be a vampire ball full of vampires, but Vivian couldn''t deny that she still wanted to see it.

    "There will be too many vampires there, ones that don''t know about our... status." Kit said, referring to their lover''s secret. "It will be more difficult to keep you safe from any other vampire that might want to thrall you or drink from you."

    Vivian felt unease at that, but the word thrall threw her off a little bit. She had heard that word before, hadn''t she? "What does that mean? To thrall someone?"

    "Oh, I have not told you about it, have I?" Kit spoke, looking down at Vivian as they walked. "Well I suppose it is kind of like mind control in a way. When a vampire thralls someone, that person loses their free will and must do whatever the vampire tells them to do."

    "That sounds terrifying." A shiver runs down Vivian''s spine at the thought. "Wait, did Niccolo thrall me when we first met?" She remembers the way he forced her to speak, forced her to sit down and stay put as they tried to figure out why she was resisting a mind wipe. That felt like so long ago now.

    "Yes, that is exactly what he was doing." Kit replied, turning a corner and Vivian following. She recognized the path they were taking, and she supposed it was that time of the day.

    "So vampires can control minds? Can you guys read minds too?"

    "No, nothing like that. I have heard some witches can do that though."

    "Wow." Vivian said with wonder. She was always learning something new about this hidden world.

    The two of them walked through the large arch way that led into the kitchen, the staff milling about and doing their work. Vivian looked around for Lucy and Jas, but instead spotted a different familiar figure. "Elias?"

    The man looked up from the chicken he was plucking, red eyes landing on her. "Hey, Vivian." Elias said easily.

    Vivian left Kit''s side and went to stand besides where Elias sat. "You''re free!"

    "They let me join the staff yesterday." He said, showing off his uniform. "I''ll be working in the estate now I guess."

    "That''s amazing!" Vivian said excitedly, mostly about the man being let free from the cell. "I''m so glad you''re adjusting well."

    Elias smiled at her, a sincere one. "I''m trying my best." He said, and then his expression changed to something a little less friendly as he looked behind Vivian. "You''re here too."

    "Yes." Kit replied, Vivian turning to see the man was slowly approaching. "I brought her here because she should eat. It''s about lunch."

    "Oh, you''re hungry?" Elias'' eye moved back to Vivian. "Let me find Jas, she''s a great cook. Everything she makes smells amazing."

    "Jas? I met her the other day! She''s the little old lady, right?" Vivian said, motion to her head. "Long black hair?"

    "That''s the one! I''ll be right back." Elias said, setting the chicken he was plucking down carefully and running towards the back of the kitchen. When he returned, it was with Jas in tow. "Found her!"

    "I hear you''re hungry." Jas said as she approached, putting hands on her hips. "What can I make for you?"

    "Whatever you want." Vivian replied, excited to be able to eat Jas''s food again.

    "Sounds good to me."

    Jas had ended up making a delicious shepherd''s pie, something that Vivian had never had before and wanted to try. It was absolutely delicious, and when she praised Jas for her cooking, the old lady would just wave her compliments away. "I do it for the love of cooking." She would say.

    When Vivian had finished eating, she said her goodbyes to Jas and Elias, and they were back to walking around the estate. They decided to visit the library and find some good books to read. It took a while to find something, many of the books in foreign languages, most of which she couldn''t recognize. Kit seemed to have a much easier time, as he already held a book under his arm as she approached Vivian.

    "Find anything yet?" He asked, standing beside her as she looked to a bookshelf.

    "Nothing in English." She replied, looking up to the man. Damn, it had been a while since his beauty had taken her aback. He stood a head taller than her, looking down with crimson hues and a gentle expression. Vivian was not swooning, she was not.

    "You are looking in the wrong section." Kit explained, pointing to the other side of the room. "Over there is where all the English books are."

    "Oh!" Vivian exclaimed, following his finger and seeing him point to the side of the library she hadn''t gotten to yet. "That would make sense, wouldn''t it?" She asked with a smile, looking up to Kit.

    He looked down at her with such an intensity, she swore he was going to lean down and kiss her or something. But then he looked away. "Come on, I will help you find something."

    Vivian followed after the vampire, walking across the library to another set of bookshelves that went to the ceiling. As she got closer, she could see the names written on the spine and she was glad that they were all in English. "I never learned any other language, you know?" Vivian commented, letting her fingers run down a few of the book spines. "I even lived with a Spanish-speaking family once but they refused to speak to me in Spanish."

    "Oh, yeah?" Kit probed, standing next to her again.

    "Yeah, it was an interesting few months, but I moved in with a different family after that." Vivian continued. She didn''t realize what she was speaking about until she looked over and saw the concerned look on Kit''s face. "What?"

    "What do you mean you moved in with another family?"

    "The foster system." Vivian said plainly. "Do you not know about the foster system?"

    Kit shook his head. "What is that?"

    Oh boy, how did one explain the foster care system to a vampire? "Well whenever children lose their parents or guardians, they become a child of the state essentially and get moved around to different families that offer to take care of them. Some of the families are good but... but not most."

    "And you were a child when you lost your parents?" He asked, voice soft.

    "Yeah, I was only sixteen when my mom died and my dad was who knows where. The state took me and my siblings in and put us in the foster care system. I... I haven''t seen my sibling since."

    Kit looked down at Vivian with such sincerity it almost hurt her. "Vivian, I am so sorry. I... I know what it is like to be separated from your family." He said, looking away from her for a moment. "When I was ten, Ezra took me away from my family. I still think about them sometimes but their faces... it is hard to imagine them."

    "Oh, Kit." Vivian said, putting a hand on the vampire arm next to her. That caused Kit to look right back at her. "I''m so sorry you had to go through that. It sounds like Ezra was a terrible person."

    "He is." Kit had a stern expression on his face as he said the two words.

    Silence fell over the two of them and Vivian wasn''t sure how to break it. Her eyes went to the books in front of her and she scanned the titles. "Any suggestions?" She tried, hoping Kit would take the bait.

    "What do you enjoy reading?" The vampire asked, seeming to also be happy for a distraction.

    "All kinds of stuff. I love poetry and romances, I''m down for a historial read from time to time too. I read this one book about the history of film and it was fascinating!" Vivian rambled, holding her hands up in front of her and interlocking her fingers. "So really anything, I suppose."

    Kit looked down at Vivian with a smile, and she could feel her cheeks heating with red. Why did this vampire have to be so damn attractive? It was distracting. "I think I know one you''ll enjoy." He said before moving from his spot and scanning the shelves. It took him a few minutes, but he seemed to find the book he was looking for, returning to Vivian and handing the worn item to her. "Here."

    Vivian took the book gingerly, looking at the cover. There was no artwork on it, just worn leather with the words Jane Eyre written on the side. "I''ve heard of Jane Eyre but I''ve never read it before. Is it good?"

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Kit shrugged his shoulders. "I think it was a good book."

    "Then I''ll read it." She tucked the book under her arm and began walking towards the door of the library, Kit following.

    "I have one more stop to make before we return to our room." Kit said, grabbing Vivian by the elbow and leading her the opposite direction of their room. Vivian only laughed as she followed the vampire.

    "Since you cannot attend the ball," Kit said as they neared a set of huge double doors, "I figured I could at least show you the ballroom."

    "The ballroom?" Vivian repeated the words, a question behind them. She found the ballroom previously when she went on her search for Kit, and it was relatively empty save for a grand piano. "But I''ve seen it before."

    "Just wait." He said, standing in front of the door and turning the handle.

    When the door opened, she was greeted with a completely different ballroom. Bouquets of flowers had been placed inside the large vases that sat empty last time. A water fountain stood in the middle of the huge room, a set of angels with open wings atop it. Floral decorations had been placed everywhere, and Vivian could swear the chandelier had been polished because it did not sparkle like that the last time she came through here.

    "It''s beautiful." Vivian said, looking back to Kit. The vampire still stood by the doors, hands in his pockets and a lopsided smile on his face. "I wish I could go to the ball."

    The smile on Kit''s face dropped. "No you do not."

    "I know, all the vampires and stuff, but still." A real ball, being held by someone who was alive when balls were actually a common thing, it sounded like something Vivian would definitely want to attend. She understood the dangers and wouldn''t even attempt to sneak out that night, but she can''t help but wish it weren''t so. "It would just be so cool."

    "You do know the ball is not just for fun, right?" Kit asked, stepping closer to Vivian.

    "Yes, yes I know it''s about capturing Niccolo''s uncle." Vivian said as she spun in a circle, imagining she was dancing among others with huge poofy gowns. "But a girl can still daydream, okay?"

    Kit stood just a little bit aways from her, watching as she spun around. Vivian stopped then, eyes narrowing on the vampire. "What?" He asked, noticing the way she looked at him.

    "Dance with me." Vivian said, holding her hand out.

    Kit just looked at her for a moment, not saying anything. "Vivian." He began, but the woman was quick to interject.

    "What? It''s just for fun, no one will see! Come on!" It wasn''t entirely accurate, as there were some workers milling about, setting up decorations and sparing a glance their way every now and then. "You''re my lover, aren''t you?" Her voice dropped to a whisper.

    Vivian could swear she saw a longing on his face, but it was quickly wiped away with the roll of his eyes. "Yes, we are." He said, taking her hand and stepping in front of her. Kit''s hand was cold as it held hers, his other going to the small of her back. "Do you even know how to dance?"

    "No, but I bet you do." Vivian said in a playful voice, placing her hand on Kit''s shoulder. "Now lead on!"

    Kit laughed, a genuine laugh, and then began to lead Vivian in what she assumed was the waltz. It was easy to follow Kit''s lead, to not step on his toes as they moved around the ballroom. He spun her, and Vivian couldn''t help but laugh, filled with an intense glee. She could see he was smiling, and that made her feel even happier. It was rare to get a full smile out of Kit like that.

    When they stopped, Vivian was breathless and a little frazzled. She had never danced like that before, and it was exhilarating. The two of them stood chest to chest and Vivian tried to gather air, but being so close to Kit, it made her insides buzz and her skin tingle. She could feel his cool breath on her face, the two simply staring at one another. Vivian felt that overwhelming urge to kiss him again, right where that smile spread across his lips, but she resisted. They still haven''t even talked about the last time she impulsively kissed him, and she didn''t need to add another one to the list.

    Then Kit took a step back and released her, dipping in a bow. "Thank you for the dance."

    Vivian laughed and tried to curtsy despite not wearing a dress. "It was a pleasure."

    The two left the ballroom after that, their books in hand. They walked back to their room, both of them settling down for the night. Vivian changed into something comfortable in the bedroom while Kit did the same in the living space. When both were dressed, Kit lit the fireplace and both of them sat on their respective seats, cracking open their respective books and began to read.

    They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, the only sound being that of turning pages and the crackling of the wood in the fireplace. It was nice, comfortable even as Vivian sank into her chair. She kept stealing glances over at Kit though, watching as the man read through his own book, fingers hovering above a page before finally turning it.

    Vivian isn''t sure how long they sat like that, just enjoying each other''s company while reading a book. But at some point Vivian began to grow tired, and she even caught Kit yawing once or twice. Closing her book, she set it down on the little table between their two chairs, letting out a heavy breath. "Well," she began, "I think I''m done reading for the night, what about you?"

    "I am pretty tired." Kit said, closing his own book and resting it on his lap. "Shall we go to sleep?"

    "Yeah." Vivian agreed, and stood up from the chair. She made her way over to the doors that led to the bedroom and stopped. When she turned around, she saw Kit stretch out his body as he stood, shirt hiking up the slightest bit. He moved towards the couch, the place he had been sleeping for the past few nights. "Kit." She said without thinking.

    "Hm?" He replied, looking back towards her.

    Vivian stood frozen, red heating her cheeks. It was now or never. She had wanted to share the bed with the vampire since they first got here, the mattress big enough for the both of them without either of them needing to touch. She knew the couch was uncomfortable, and could see the way that Kit rubbed at his shoulders and neck during the day like it hurt. "Y-You know, the bed is pretty big." She decided to say.

    "Yes, it is." Kit looked at her, unsuspicious of her motives. "Have you been enjoying it?"

    "Yes, but that''s not my point." She rushed out, beginning to mess with her hands. "I-I mean it''s big enough to fit two people comfortably, without having to touch each other."

    Kit just looked at her, either unaware of what she was suggesting or unwilling to understand. "Yes, it is." He said again, voice growing a little tight. "Why do you mention that?"

    "Uh, well." Vivian began to lose her nerve. Why couldn''t this vampire understand the hints she was dropping? "I was wondering if... if you wanted to... share the bed."

    Kit again was silent, his eyes going a little wide at her words. "Vivian."

    "I mean it''s big enough for both of us! Come on, I wouldn''t touch you or do anything scandalous, we can even put up a pillow barrier between us." Vivian rushed out, feeling embarrassed but determined at the same time. "I''m tired of seeing you sleep on the couch."

    "Vivian, it is fine, I do not need to-."

    "Kit." Vivian spoke his name once, and the man went silent. He stared at her, waiting for her next words. "Please, it''s fine. I... I want you to."

    The vampire looked like he was in pain for a moment, a longing on his face that he quickly scrubbed away. "Is that really what you want, Vivian?"

    The woman nodded her head. "Yes. It is what I want."

    Slowly, Kit moved from his spot and walked towards her, his eyes on her the entire time. Vivian felt her skin buzzing as the man drew closer, stopping right in front of her. "Are you sure?"

    Vivian had to lift her head to look up and meet Kit''s gaze, the man standing over her. But still, she was determined. "Yes, absolutely sure."

    The vampire lifted one hand and brushed a stray hair of Vivians behind her ear, making the woman''s breath hitch. "If that is what you wish for."

    "It is." She breathed out, unable to lift her voice above a whisper.

    Kit nodded then, removing his hand. "Then we should go to sleep."

    Vivian nodded back, and quickly turned towards the bed. She got comfortable on her side of the mattress and watched as Kit walked to the other side and slowly got under the covers. They both settled into the bed, Vivian turning off the lamp that was lighting the bedroom, darkness quickly taking over. It wasn''t a complete darkness though as the moon spilled through the cracks of the curtains, giving the room an almost blue glow.

    Vivian and Kit laid there silently for a while, before Vivian turned on her side facing the vampire. "Hey, Kit." She whispered.

    The vampire moved his head to look at her, lying on his back. "What?"

    "I''m really glad I met you."

    Kit didn''t say anything in response, just looked at her with a distraught expression. Had she said the wrong thing? She was about to apologize, but then the man rolled onto his side and faced her. "Do you really mean that, Vivian?"

    "Of course I do." Vivian responded, eyebrows knitting. "I wouldn''t just say something like that if I didn''t mean it."

    Again the man was silent as he took her in, crimson hues moving across her face. He seemed at a loss for words, mouth opening but then shutting after he would take in a breath. "Your life has been nothing but chaotic since you met me." He finally said, a look of concern on his face. "I do not understand."

    "I mean that''s true I guess, but it''s not like it was your fault. You''re like... a silver lining to all this craziness." Vivian admitted, feel a little embarrassed at her choice of words. "If it wasn''t for you I would be dead, multiple times over."

    Kit looked like he wanted to argue, but didn''t seem to find the right words. He just let out a breath, lifting a hand and moving it to brush Vivian''s black curls behind her ear. "You are too kind to me, Vivian."

    The woman shook her head. "You''re not kind enough to yourself."

    Her words seemed to have some sort of effect on him, as the vampire''s hand paused as he pulled it back, hovering over her face. "I do not deserve kindness."

    "Again with this?" Vivian rolled her eyes, raising her own hand to grab Kit''s that hovered over her face. "What do I have to do to make you believe that you do deserve good things, that you are a good person."

    The vampire looked at her, a deep sadness in his eyes. "I do not know. It is hard to change one''s view of oneself after being a certain way for so long. I cannot unsee myself as a monster just because you insist upon it."

    "So there''s nothing that I can say to change your mind?" Vivian asked, feeling disappointed. She lowered their hands to the bed, intertwining their fingers.

    "No, Vivian. There is nothing." The vampire confirmed, the sadness still in his eyes.

    The woman just laid there, staring at the vampire in the darkness. There had to be something, something she could say, that she could do that would convince him that he wasn''t a monster, but she couldn''t think of anything besides grabbing him and shaking the stupid notion out of him.

    "Kit." She said into the quiet, pulling the vampire''s eyes back to her after he had closed them. "You''re not a monster. Really. If you were, I would never have invited you to sleep besides me. I... I trust you Kit. I care about you. Please believe me when I say I don''t think you''re a monster."

    Something flickered across the vampire''s face, but it was too quick for her to take note of what it was. The sadness returned to his eyes, putting a light frown on his face. "Your words are too kind, Vivian."

    "They''re the truth." Vivian said, her voice a little stronger than before. "I don''t care if you don''t believe it, but it''s the truth, Kit." Which was a lie, because she did care if the vampire believed it, but that was neither here nor there.

    Their intertwined hands laid between them, Kit''s eyes moving from her to their locked hands. Vivian felt a little silly for a moment when she grabbed his hand, but then his thumb worked over her palm, making her insides tingle. "You have a wonderful way of seeing things." He whispered.

    The woman wanted to whine. It was going to take a lot more than kind words to make the man believe he wasn''t a monster. He probably spent his whole existence believing that, so of course he wasn''t going to change his mind just because she said so. He was hard wired to believe he was a monster, and nothing would change that. Not even her.

 Chapter 19

    Kit''s back was uncomfortably stiff. He had to dress formally for this ball, and that meant wearing some suit from the 1700''s, ruffles included. He was tucked into some back corner of the room, watching the ball in front of him. It was a very lively event, everyone wearing the same style clothing as him, the women in brilliant ball gowns that looked like they were from some historical documentary. A small band sat upon a circular stage in the far end of the ballroom, guests dancing around it, music filling the air. It was a marvelous sight, something Kit had never experienced before. He only knew how to waltz, as he was taught by Ezra, but that was about the only dance he knew.

    Tables lined the back walls with trays of glasses filled with blood, off setting the wonderful sight. This was a vampire ball after all, of course there would be blood.

    Kit''s crimson eyes scanned the ground, keeping an eye out for one vampire in particular. Vincenzo hadn''t shown his face yet and it was already two hours into the ball. Kit wondered for a moment how Vivian was doing, locked in the room. He wished he hadn''t had to attend this ball, but Niccolo claimed that he needed him. Kit wasn''t going to be much of a match against Vincenzo, given the uncle was a pureblood vampire and Kit just a human turned vampire. The vampire just didn''t understand why Niccolo had wanted him there.

    "Enjoying yourself?" A voice said to his right, eyes landing on Niccolo. "You look like you are."

    "I am doing my job." Kit replied to the elder vampire. "My enjoyment is not a part of that."

    "Touche." Niccolo commented, raising his glass of blood before taking a sip. "Have you seen anything?"

    "Nothing to report."

    "Hmm." That was all Niccolo said before stepping back towards the crowd, absorbing him. Kit simply went back to watching the ball, keeping his eye out for the uncle.

    More time had passed and nothing. Kit was beginning to wonder if this uncle was actually going to show up. Did he somehow figure out their plan? Did Vincenzo know that they knew about the rabids? Kit began to feel his chest tighten as his brain thought of the worse case scenarios.

    Then through one of the doors, Kit spots Vincenzo walk into the ballroom. The vampire instantly recognized the pureblood from the portrait Niccolo had shown him. He still had the same beard and mustache as in the portrait. Kit felt his senses go off them, and he had to resist moving from where he stood. This was the man causing all the harm to Lake Ashton, the one that is responsible for Vivian''s suffering. Kit immediately wanted to stride towards the vampire and punch him right in his face, but he couldn''t. They had a plan, and Kit just had to let it play out.

    Instead, Kit moved from the wall to find Niccolo. He pressed past dancing bodies and towards where he had seen the elder vampire march off to. After looking around for a moment, he finally spotted Niccolo chatting amongst a bunch of vampires. They stood in a half circle, all with glasses of blood in their hands.

    Kit moved to step up behind Niccolo, tapping the vampire on the shoulder. When Niccolo acknowledged him, he gestured towards the wall where they could speak.

    "If you''ll excuse me." Niccolo said to the group, bowing politely and then stepped towards Kit. "What is it?"

    "I saw Vincenzo arrive." Kit said, looking around the room.

    Niccolo froze up for a moment, before taking in a deep breath and seeming to shake whatever emotion he felt from his body. "It''s showtime. Meet me in the office."

    Kit immediately left to go to the office, glad to be away from the stifling crowd that was in the ballroom. He thought about going to check on Vivian for a moment, as it would take a minute for Niccolo to get Vincenzo to the office, but then he thought better of it. He would see her tonight once this was all done.

    He stood in the office for a while, staring out the window to the moonlight gardens below. He thought about when he walked with Vivian down there, and his heart raced just a little bit faster. Once this was taken care of, Lake Ashton would be safe. There would be no more rabid attacks. But it would still be unsafe for Vivian, because of Ezra. Kit''s fists tightened at his sides, a surge of anger coursing through him.

    If only Ezra hadn''t shown up, if only Ezra hadn''t been here, Vivian wouldn''t have had to leave her world behind to stay hidden in some estate in the woods. Kit''s thoughts went back to that night, to the way that Ezra looked at Vivian, like Ezra was about to destroy something he cared about once again. Because Ezra always did that, he always destroyed anything Kit cared for, and Kit knew he shouldn''t be letting himself get too close to Vivian. Yet, there was this force pushing him towards her, making him care for her, her safety, her happiness, her wellbeing. It was against his better judgment, to let someone in, yet somehow she had worked her way under his skin.

    When the doors to the office suddenly opened, Kit was startled from his thoughts, whipping around to face the two figures walking inside. Niccolo walked with his hand around Vincenzo. Play it casual, that''s how they were going to do this.

    "Ah, there you are Kit!" Niccolo exclaimed, gesturing towards Kit with his free hand. "I''ve been looking for you."

    "Well you found me." Kit responded, trying to keep his voice natural. "What can I do for you?" He asked, playing along with the plan.

    "I wanted my uncle, Vincenzo, to meet you!" The elder vampire went on, releasing his uncle''s shoulder as they walked into the room. "Vincenzo, this is Kit, one of my best officers."

    "Ah, you''re a part of his human protection program?" Vincenzo spoke, turning his attention to Kit. Niccolo walked away from his uncle then, moving back towards the door to lock it. Vincenzo didn''t notice. "That is quite fascinating. Tell me, what''s it like protecting humans?"

    Kit felt a little unsure of what to say, not knowing how long he was going to need to distract the uncle. "Oh, it is nothing really. Pretty boring honestly."

    "Hmm, then why do it?" Vincenzo questioned, tilting his head.

    "It is rewarding."

    "Really?" Vincenzo didn''t seem like the believed Kit. "I don''t understand why."

    "Vincenzo." Niccolo''s voice cut through the air, the pureblood vampire turning to look at their nephew. Niccolo stood between Vincenzo and the door, blocking the vampire''s way to escape. "There''s something we must discuss."

    "Is there?" Vincenzo asked, casual. "What ever would this be about?"

    "I know you''re the one turning humans into rabids." Niccolo accused, standing his ground. "We performed a spell that revealed you as the creator of a rabid, we know Vincenzo."

    Vincenzo was quiet for a moment, Kit unsure of his expression as he stared at the back of the uncle''s head. But it must have told Niccolo something, because the vampire lunged at Vincenzo. Niccolo was too slow though and Vincenzo moved out of the way. "A spell, really?" Vincenzo questioned, turning to look at Niccolo as he righted himself. "I didn''t know there was one that could do that."

    "So you admit to it?" Kit asked, feeling small under Vincenzo''s gaze. "You are the one creating rabids?"

    "Yes, it is me." Vincenzo said, holding his arms up. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to realize."

    "Why?" Niccolo spoke, something akin to desperation in his voice.

    "Why? Why? Because I want to ruin you Niccolo, I want to watch the end of your ridiculous reign as Head of Vampires. That is a title that belongs to me, me!" Vincenzo rants off, waving his arms around to exaggerate his point. "You should have died with your parents all those years ago."

    Niccolo again launched at Vincenzo, but his uncle just stepped out of the way of the attack. That was when Kit moved, posing his claws for contact with Vincenzo''s chest. The vampire moved once again though, just out of reach. Niccolo and Kit threw attack after attack at the vampire, but nothing was landing.

    Then Vincenzo decided to fight back, swiping out at both Niccolo and Kit. They both had to dodge the attack, Vincenzo''s claws just barely making contact with Kit''s face. Kit stumbled backwards, catching himself just as Vincenzo swiped at him again. Kit dodged the hit, moving to the side to avoid it. Niccolo was behind him then, ready to rip into Vincenzo''s back, but then he turned and grabbed Niccolo''s wrists, stopping the attack. Kit took that moment to surge forward, claws digging into Vincenzo''s sides and ripping upwards. Blood spilt from the wound, the man howling in pain.

    Kit jumped back as Vincenzo swiped at him, but his claws still managed to bite into Kit''s chest. Pain radiated from the area, but Kit didn''t stop fighting. Niccolo moved forward then, striking the uncles back with his claws. They moved around like this for a while, Kit and Niccolo attacking and Vincenzo dodging, getting cut and ripped into in the process. Weariness grew in Kit''s body as they fought, but he knew he had to keep going. They had to finish this.

    At one point Vincenzo lunged at Kit, catching the vampire by his shoulders and spinning him around. Vincenzo came up behind him then and grabbed his head, hands poised to rip it off. Kit scrambled, hands going to Vincenzo''s arms and clawing into the flesh, but he could feel the pureblood''s fingers tightening on his head. He thought about Vivian for a moment, and wondered if she would be upset with his death. But then the hands were off of Kit, Niccolo sneaking up on Vincenzo and cutting him across the back. Kit quickly moved away from the pureblood and took a step back, because holy shit he almost got his head ripped off.

    Niccolo and Kit threw attacks left and right, dodging when one came for them, being struck once every now and then. They were all bloody and wounded, but still they fought. Vincenzo had to die, or they would.

    Vincenzo swiped out at Niccolo then, stumbling forward the slightest bit, giving Niccolo an opening. He threw his arm out, claws making contact with the skin of Vincenzo''s neck. The pureblood stumbled back, hands going to stop the intense flow of blood that came from the wound. He dropped down to one knee, coughing out blood and staining his lips.

    Niccolo moved forward and grabbed Vincenzo''s head, the uncle responding by reaching up and grabbing Niccolo''s wrists. "No, you can''t." Vincenzo fought, trying to prey Niccolo''s hands away.

    "Kit, a little help." Niccolo said to the other vampire, Kit instantly got up and moved to the pair. When he reached them, he moved his hands to hold Vincenzo down, grabbing the arms that reached for Niccolo and forcing them behind his back.

    "No!" Vincenzo called out, but neither Kit nor Niccolo paid him any attention.

    Kit watched as Niccolo ripped Vincenzo''s head off, blood going everywhere. It was a horrific sight to see, it always was. But then the uncle''s body began to glow a faint red, the aether dissipating from it and returning to the earth, leaving nothing but ash and dirt behind.

    Niccolo and Kit just stood there for a moment, breathing. "We did it." Niccolo said, almost like he didn''t believe it.

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    Kit didn''t respond, he just continued to look at the pile of ash on the ground, feeling his body buzz. He almost got his head ripped off, and it still rattled him. That went just as well as Kit thought it was going to, even a little better. They actually killed him, they killed Vincenzo. It didn''t feel real. But it was. Vincenzo was dead.

    "I need to go take a shower." Niccolo said then, Kit looking up to the elder vampire. Niccolo scanned himself, taking note of all the blood that covered him. Kit did the same, and noticed he was covered in blood too. He definitely needed a shower as well. "I suggest you also take one. Feel free to take the rest of the night off." Niccolo was very short as he spoke, not making eye contact with Kit. The black haired vampire couldn''t imagine the emotions that must have been going through Niccolo.

    The elder vampire turned to leave then, Kit standing alone in the office once the door closed. Kit moved after a moment, deciding to go clean off. He thought about what Vivian''s response would be to him arriving at their room covered in blood, probably something along the lines of worried and concerned for him. It made his chest sting a little bit.

    When he arrived at their room, Kit opened the door and found Vivian sitting at one of the tables, drawing on her tablet. She had something covering her ears, so she must not have heard him walk in, her legs crossed and one arm propping up her chin. He took a moment to just take her in, the sight of her making his insides buzz. She was beautiful, sitting there so focused, black curls tied into a big bun at the back of her head.

    Her eyes drifted towards the door, and Vivian jumped. She stood then, removing whatever was covering her ears. He had seen them before, but he couldn''t remember the name of the device. "Kit!" She exclaimed, surprise on her face. Then she seemed to actually take the sight of him, blood and all. "Kit."

    "I am fine." He said first, knowing that would be her first concern. Vivian moved away from the table and towards him, Kit''s eyes following. "We did it."

    She came to stand in front of him then, looking him up and down as if she didn''t believe his words. "You''re covered in cuts, Kit!" Vivian said, hands reaching out but stopping, as if afraid to touch him. "You- You''re really hurt!"

    "Vivian." Kit said her name, reaching out and grabbing her shoulders, not thinking about the way blood would stain her shirt. "We did it, we killed Vincenzo."

    The woman stood there silent for a moment, as if taking in his words. "H-He''s dead?"

    "He is dead." Kit repeated her words, smiling down at her. "There should be no more rabids."

    "No more rabids?" Vivian''s voice lifted as she said the words. She looked hopeful. "T-That''s amazing! You did it!"

    Kit wanted to wrap his arms around her then, to hug her, but he held back. He was covered in blood, and he didn''t want to get that all over Vivian. That reminded him, he needed to take a shower. "I need to clean off." He said, looking down at himself.

    "Will... will you be okay?" Vivian asked, her eyes going back to his body that was covered in wounds.

    "Yes, they are already healing." He replied, his voice going soft. He always appreciated how much she cared for him, how much she worried about him. Viktor was really the only person that truly worried about Kit, so to have another person also feel such a tender way towards him, it made his heart race.

    "Oh, that''s good." Her voice was soft as well when she spoke, looking up to meet his eyes. "I''m glad you''re safe."

    That feeling burst in his chest, the one that made his stomach drop and his chest flutter. It was an unreasonable feeling, one he could never get away from when it came to Vivian. He refused to name it, to give it any more attention than it deserved, but when it came to Vivian, he was weak. It was why he agreed to sleep in the bed with her. His rationale was that he was getting horrible sleep on the couch and sleeping on the bed would mean better sleep, but he knew it had to do with Vivian.

    Kit''s throat closed up as his mind raced, the vampire only able to make a small sound of agreement before turning to the door that led to the bathroom. He rinsed off, scrubbing away all the blood that soaked through his ridiculous costume and stained his skin. It took a while before the water went from an angry red to a pink, then finally back to clear. He dried himself off with a towel, being careful of his still healing wounds. They were still pretty angry, but the bleeding had stopped and the rips were starting to come back together. His body was covered in cuts, he could see why the woman was so worried.

    Kit really hoped this thing was going to be over after the death of Vincenzo. The rabids, his intense patrols, everything would go back to normal now that Vincenzo was dead, now that there wasn''t a pureblood vampire creating rabids and releasing them upon Lake Ashton. He thought about what it meant for Vivian, but his stomach turned when he realized that she would still have to stay here because of Ezra. Because she was an aether reservoir. If only there was something they could do so she could return to her life and not be trapped in this estate.

    ?

    The next few days passed like a breeze, Kit going out on patrol at night after Vivian fell asleep. They ran into no rabids, none were coming out from the woods, running towards the town, threatening the innocent citizens. It was strange, having no rabids to fight every night, but it was a relief at the same time. They had stopped the rabids, Lake Ashton was safe once again.

    Niccolo had been acting strange these last few days too, probably from having to kill his own uncle and proving that he was definitely the one creating the rabids. Kit doesn''t know how he would handle those feelings, he could barely handle the unreasonable feeling he felt towards Vivian. The vampire wanted to help the other in some way, but he didn''t know how to consult Niccolo.

    His patrols had been cut down significantly after killing Vincenzo, both Sebastian and Kit able to go on patrols by themselves and therefore only had to work a few days a week. That gave Kit a lot more time to spend with Vivian, which he was unwilling to admit he was excited for. They went to the library to find books and visited the gardens outside so Vivian could draw, and on nights he didn''t have patrol, he was able to sleep beside her, sharing the warmth of the bed.

    He still couldn''t believe he was sharing the bed with her, even though it had been almost a week since she asked. He still couldn''t believe that she even asked. When that moment happened, Kit felt his entire form freeze, his mind racing. I want you to, she had said, and that was all it took. His heart couldn''t take the way she was looking at him, the red across her cheeks as she asked. He couldn''t deny her, he could never deny her.

    They were in the gardens one day, sitting in an alcove while Vivian drew in her sketchbook. A comfortable silence filled the air, the black haired woman very focused on her sketch, Kit watching her from the corner of his eye. She had asked him to join her, and he couldn''t think of a reason not to. All the vampires from the ball had departed from the estate, making it safe once again, but still, he couldn''t help but agree to go with her.

    Vivian lets out a breath, stopping mid sketch and turning to look at Kit. The man tensed up a little, moving to look down at her. "Am I really going to be stuck here forever?" She asked, a sadness hidden behind those eyes.

    He really didn''t want to disappoint her. "I am unsure." He answered, being honest. "As long as Ezra has his eyes set on you, it would be dangerous for you to be anywhere else."

    "Why am I safe here but not at my own home?"

    "Because of Niccolo''s position, Ezra cannot come stomping over here and try to take you. He cannot break in or sneak in and steal you away. You are protected here as a guest."

    "But why?"

    "Niccolo is Head of Vampires. It''s... it''s kind of like the president or the leader of vampires. At least here in North America. That means that Ezra has to respect Niccolo and his protection over you as long as you are here. But once you leave the estate, the protection it offers you disappears."

    Vivian looked at Kit as if she was processing his words. "Really? I didn''t know he was so important."

    Kid nodded. "Yes, he is very important, and powerful, which is why we do as he says." He looked away from her and to the surrounding garden. "I have known him for a while, I don''t exactly trust him but... he seems like he''s well intended."

    The woman sighed, looking towards the garden too. "Still, I don''t want to stay here forever. There has to be something we can do. I mean, we''re able to hide the fact that I''m an aether reservoir, there has to be something else."

    The vampire looked back at the woman, hazel hues watching from the corner of Vivians eyes. She moved her head to look at him too, a desperation in her eyes that pulled at Kit''s heart. He had to do something for her, he had to figure something out. Maybe he could ask Viktor, the witch just might know of something else that could help Vivian. "I will go see Viktor."

    Vivian breathed out. "Really?" She asked, putting her hands between them and leaning towards him. It made his chest twist, her closeness. "You think they could help get me out of here?" She looked at him with so much hope.

    "I am willing to try." Kit responded, trying to quell the feeling in his chest, but he couldn''t any longer. Because he would do anything for her, for Vivian. He would do anything to stop her pain, to make her happy. Kit cared about her so much it hurt, his stomach flipping as he looked down at her, the unreasonable feeling crashing into him.

    He was in love with Vivian, and it happened so suddenly he doesn''t know where it came from. The realization made him dizzy, grateful he was sitting down because holy shit he was in love with her. He should have seen this coming, the way they interacted, how comfortable he was with her, how weak he was when it came to her. He just hadn''t let himself accept it, because that meant putting Vivian in danger. If he was in love with Vivian, Ezra would kill her. He always killed the things Kit loved, humans were no different.

    "Thank you, Kit." Vivian said, completely unaware of the chaos that was brewing inside of the vampire. She just smiled up at him and returned to her sketch, pencil scraping against the paper. But Kit sat there, looking at her, the realization causing dread to fill his system. Ezra could never find out.

    Later that same day Kit went to visit Viktor, leaving after Vivian went to sleep. It was late in the night by the time he reached Viktors penthouse. He thought about visiting his apartment, but thought better of it, taking the elevator up to the top floor. When he approached the doors, they opened as usual. Kit walked in and found Viktor in the kitchen over the stove, making a batch of some kind of potion.

    "You''re here late." Viktor said to Kit as he approached the witch from behind, the witch not even needing to turn around to see him. "What can I do for you?"

    "It is about Vivian." Kit prefaced, the witch turning around to look at him as he spoke. "She''s trapped at the estate because of Ezra. He wants her because she''s an aether reservoir. Are there any spells that could... that would stop Ezra? Make him think otherwise?"

    Viktor looks at the vampire for a moment before turning back to their potion, stirring the silvery liquid. They stay silent, Kit thinking for a moment that he misspoke or that Viktor didn''t understand him. But then the witch spoke. "I will have to think about that one. There might be something."

    "Really?" Kit asked, hope flaring in his chest.

    "There might be, but I''m unsure. I will have to do some research." They said, taking the pot of silvery liquid and pouring it into several small jars. "Let me finish this and I will look into it."

    "Do you mind if I stay?"

    "Of course not! Go take a seat in the living room."

    Kit went to sit down on a couch and wait for Viktor. Luckily, it wasn''t too long before the witch had finished preparing small vials of potion. They went to grab a handful of journals from their bedroom and set them all down on the coffee table.

    "These are all my spell books. There has to be something in here that we could use to help Vivian." Viktor said as they sat down on the couch opposite of Kit. "Grab a book, you look too."

    Reaching forward, Kit grabbed the top journal, an old leather bound thing that clearly showed its years in wear and tear. Opening it, Kit looked down at Viktor''s script like writing, perfect cursive that Kit just barely managed to read. It took him much longer to get through a journal compared to Viktor, who was reading their own writing. Kit went through two or three journals before his eyes had grown weary.

    "You sure know a lot of spells." Kit said into the silence, closing the journal he had just finished and grabbing a new one.

    "When you''ve been alive for as long as I have been, you come across a lot of important information. I always make sure to write down things I might need to remember later." Viktor replied, flipping through the journal they were going through. "I''m sure there has to be something to help Vivian."

    They continued their search, the night growing into morning as Viktor grabbed another set of journals. Kit had read so much information that his brain began to hurt and he had to sit back and rest his eyes, while Viktor continued on. It was relaxing for a while, Kit resting on one couch while Viktor sat in the other, scourging their journals for any kind of spell that would help Vivian. They had to find something.

    Kit was nearing falling asleep when Viktor suddenly shot up from their couch, startling Kit awake. "What?" He asked in a rush, looking up to Viktor.

    "I found something."

    The vampire instantly stood, stumbling a little on the way up. "W-What did you find?" Viktor held the spell book out for Kit, and the vampire took it in his hands. Reading the page, Kit felt his stomach lurch. "Permanently seal her aether away?" He asked, looking back up to the witch. "Can we do that?"

    "It''s written in there, which means it''s a functioning spell." Viktor replies, putting hands on their hips. "But it seems like a big spell, like the one we used on the rabid."

    "You would need help." Kit assumed.

    The witch nodded. "Ophelia already knows about Vivian being an aether reservoir, but Camila will have to be informed."

    Kit was silent, his eyes going back to the page, reading how to cast the spell. "Will she feel pain?" He asks, looking back up to Viktor.

    "I don''t know." They admit, a dreadful look in their eyes. "Sealing her aether away might hurt."

    The vampire immediately felt hesitation at the thought. He didn''t want Viktor to perform a spell that would cause Vivian pain. He couldn''t imagine inflicting pain upon Vivian. But if her aether was sealed, if no one could get access to it or manipulate it, she would be a normal human again. She would be able to return to her normal life. "I have to talk with her about it." Kit said, handing the journal back to the witch.

    Viktor read over the spell again, shaking their head. "Yes, yes this could work."

    Kit looked out the window, seeing it was late into the morning. Vivian might be wondering where he was. "I should get back."

    "Ah yes, go on ahead. It will take me a couple days to prepare everything. I will let you know when I am ready." Viktor said, setting the book down on the coffee table.

    "Thank you Viktor." Kit replied earnestly, turning to head for the front door. "I''ll keep an ear out for your call!" He called out as he left the penthouse and headed back to the estate. Back to Vivian.

 Chapter 20

    Before Kit could go and see Vivian, he had to talk to Niccolo about sealing Vivians aether away. He knew that if he brought the idea up to anyone before going to Niccolo, he wouldn''t hear the end of it. So when he got back to the estate that morning, he headed straight for the office.

    He found Niccolo behind his desk, writing something down with a quill. "What is it?" Niccolo asked, his voice short.

    "Viktor knows of a spell that would seal Vivian''s aether away. Permanently." Kit told the elder vampire, not wanting to make this conversation any longer than he needed. Crimson eyes watched as the elder vampire froze mid writing. "If her aether was sealed away, Ezra would lose interest in her."

    Niccolo slowly looked up from his desk to meet Kit''s eyes. "Why would we do something like that?"

    "So Vivian can return to her life in Lake Ashton. No one would be able to take advantage of the fact she''s an aether reservoir, no one would be able to sense it. She would basically be a human. Only, she would be resistant to aether manipulation with having it sealed." Kit explained, hoping that Niccolo would just agree and it would end here.

    "Permanently seal her aether away? Why would we do that, Kit?" Niccolo asked, standing from his desk. "We could potentially need her as an aether reservoir-."

    "So you''re keeping her here to use her eventually?" Kit interrupted the elder vampire, feeling anger boil inside of him.

    Niccolo let out a breath. "What I''m saying is she could be helpful to us as an aether reservoir, I think permanently sealing it away would be a bad idea."

    Kit stared at the other vampire, unsure of what to say. Niccolo really planned on using her at some point. Was he not willing to let her go home? "Niccolo, she does not want to be here. We cannot force her to live here for the rest of her life."

    "It''s a short life anyway."

    "Niccolo!" Kit yelled out, startling both himself and the elder vampire. But he felt passionate about this, he had a reason to. Before he was a vampire, the whole reason why Ezra took him at such a young age, was because Kit was an aether reservoir too. The thought of anyone using her made his stomach lurch."You cannot use her."

    Niccolo looked at him for a few breaths, as if taking him in, assessing. "You feel very intensely about this." The elder vampire points out, putting hands to his desk. "Why?"

    "You know why." Kit replied, fists clenching at his sides. "We have to do this for her, to give her a normal life back."

    Again, the elder vampire was silent, just looking at him. Then he pushed up from his hands and sat back down in his seat, letting out an exaggerated breath. "Fine, do whatever you want, Kit."

    The vampire felt relief flood his system. "Really?" Kit asked, wanting to be sure he understood the man. "You will let us do the spell."

    "Yes, yes, you can do the spell."

    Kit gave a nod. "Thank you, Niccolo."

    "Get out."

    Kit was quick to leave the office and begin his search for Vivian, excited to tell her the good news.

    ?

    Vivian sat at one of the chair and table combos scattered throughout the library. When she had woken up this morning, Kit had been missing. Her first thought was that he had patrol that night and left ar some point, but she remembers him mentioning he didn''t have patrol last night. Her second thought was that he was possibly in the kitchen, but when she went to check, the vampire wasn''t there either. So she came to the library to see if he had woken up early and decided to look at books without her, but he was nowhere in sight.

    The woman sat there now, trying to think of where else to look for Kit. She could try the gardens, maybe the vampire wanted a nice stroll past some forever blooming roses. That was where she would look next.

    As she stood from the table, the door to the library opened. Vivian looked up and watched Kit walk into the large space. "Kit!" She said, excited. The woman stood and moved towards Kit, meeting him in front of the door. "Where were you?"

    "I went to see Viktor." Kit said, smiling down at her. "We found something."

    "Did you?" Vivian asked, clasping her hands together.

    "There is a spell that can seal your aether away so that no one could access it. That way, Ezra would lose interest in you and you can return to a normal human life." Kit explained, seeming like he was a little breathless. Did he run here?

    "I could go home?" Vivian asked, hope leaking into her voice.

    "Yes Vivian, you could go home."

    The woman''s chest exploded with joy, she began to jump up and down before she reached out and to Kit and grabbed his hands, intertwining their fingers. "I could go home!" She yelled, absolutely ecstatic. She could go home, if they seal her aether away, she could return to her job at the cafe and return to her life as she knew it.

    "There is one thing about the spell though." Kit said, his voice serious, toning Vivian''s excitement down. "In the process of sealing your aether, you may experience a lot of pain."

    "Oh." Vivian said, standing still as she looked up at the vampire. He looked like this information pained him. "Do you know how bad?"

    "No." He shook his head as he spoke.

    Vivian thought about it for a moment. Was an unknown amount of pain worth it? Was leaving this stone estate behind and returning home worth it? Her life back in Lake Ashton? Vivian looked down to their interlocked hands, the way that Kit''s trembled the slightest bit. "What do you think I should do?" She asked, her voice soft as she looked back up at him.

    Kit searched her face as if he could find the answer there. "You should do it if you think it is worth the pain. You would not be stuck here anymore, you could go home, Vivian."

    "Would I still get to see you?" Her voice grew even softer as she asked, looking back down to their hands as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

    Kit drew their interlocked hands to his chest, pulling Vivian the slightest bit closer. "Nothing would stop me from seeing you, Vivian."

    Vivian felt breathless for a moment, looking up at Kit who watched her with a serious expression. She could feel herself swooning, heart racing beneath her chest, breath hitching as crimson eyes traveled down to her lips. "Kit." She breathed out, feeling herself leaning closer to the vampire.

    Kit dropped her hands then, reaching out and taking her face in his grasp. He leaned down, seeming to line their lips up. But he hesitated, he didn''t close the small distance between them. Vivian''s entire form buzzed with anticipation, waiting for the vampire to kiss her. "Are you sure about this?" The vampire whispered against her lips, his breath cold against her face.

    "Yes." Vivian rasped out, voice stuck in her throat.

    That was all it took, and Kit closed the distance. His lips were gentle at first, a caress against hers. But then he deepened the kiss, pressing more firmly into her as his fingers wound through her black hair. The feeling of his lips were cool on hers, working against her mouth. Vivian''s heart soared in her chest, her stomach doing flips as Kit kissed her with so much want and need. Vivian felt breathless as she kissed him back, trying to match his rhythm.

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    Then he was pulled away, stopping just above her mouth as they both breathed rapidly. Vivian felt woozy, like if he wasn''t holding her face, her knees would give out and she would fall to the ground. She wanted more, she wanted to keep kissing him, but his mouth was just out of reach.

    "Again," Vivian breathed, her hands reaching out to grab the front of his shirt, "please."

    A breath passed between her plea and Kit pressing his lips to hers. Her chest felt like it might explode, Kit''s lips soft and rough all at once. His thumb moved against her cheek, causing her stomach to fill with butterflies. This was the first time she had kissed anyone in a while, and it was amazing.

    But he pulled away again, breathless. Vivian had to catch her breath too, eyes opening to look into the crimson ones above her. He still held her face, thumb swiping across her cheek. They just looked at each other, neither one knowing how to proceed past this.

    "Vivian..." The vampire whispered, moving his hand to run fingers through her silky black locks. It seemed like there was more he wanted to say, but something was holding him back.

    "What is it?" She asked, hands still fisted in his shirt.

    "Nothing." Kit said, pulling his hands away from her and taking a step back. Vivian felt the empty space around her, and it was painful. She didn''t want the vampire to step away.

    "Kit." Vivian said his name, but the vampire looked away from her. "Tell me, what is it?"

    Crimson eyes looked back at the woman, pain in them. "I cannot help but feel I am putting you in danger."

    "By kissing me?" She asked, trying to understand.

    "By wanting to." He said, and there was so much more he could have said but he didn''t. Kit just left it at that, looking down at her with eyebrows pulled together.

    "I don''t understand." Vivian shook her head, searching the vampire''s face.

    "Ezra he... he destroys everything that I care about. If... if he finds out I care about you, he''ll..." It seemed like Kit couldn''t finish the sentence.

    "Then he won''t find out."

    "It is not that easy. He just... he seems to know things." Kit said, looking away from Vivian again.

    "I won''t let him."

    Kit looked back to her. "What?"

    "I won''t let him kill me. I won''t."

    "Vivian... that is hardly something you can control."

    "You don''t think I could defend myself?"

    The vampire hesitated. "I don''t think I could defend myself against him." He spoke the truth, knowing his sire was much stronger than him. He was a pureblood, like Niccolo and Vincenzo had been. "If he wants to kill you, he will."

    Vivian just looked at the vampire, unsure of what to say. "We''ll figure something out." She decided on, reaching across the space Kit created and grabbed his hands. "I promise, he won''t kill me, okay?"

    Kit looked at her like she was torturing him. "You cannot promise me that."

    "Well I''m going to anyway." She said, determined. "And there''s nothing you can do to stop me."

    The vampire just released a breath, almost akin to a laugh. "You are impossible sometimes." Kit said, but there was a fondness to it. "Come on, we should get you some food. Have you eaten yet this morning?"

    Vivian thinks about it and no she hasn''t. She visited the kitchen earlier in search of him, but she never ate anything. "No, I haven''t. Let''s go to the kitchen." The woman said, stepping past Kit and pushing open the door. "Come on!"

    ?

    It was the following evening, Kit and Vivian meeting at Viktor''s penthouse. Vivian was nervous the whole drive, her legs shaking the entire time, Kit reaching out one to place a hand on her leg, offering comfort. It helped a little, but she was still a bundle of nerves. Tonight, she was going to permanently seal away her aether.

    Viktor greeted them at the doorway, leading them into the living room. The space was already all set up for the spell, a chalk pentagram on the ground like usual with symbols etched out she couldn''t quite understand. Opehlia was there along with her mother, which really surprised her.

    "Mrs. Garcia?" She asked as she walked into the living room, spotting the older woman sitting down.

    "Vivian!" Mrs. Garcia said as she stood from her spot, crossing the room, making sure to be careful of the work on the ground. "I''ve been told about everything. I am so sorry you''ve been going through this all alone! I wish you could have told us."

    "You''re a witch too, Mrs. Garcia?" Vivian asked, watching as the woman stood in front of her.

    "Oh yes, the whole family is! And we''ve known Viktor for years, they''ve been mentoring young witches in my family for as long as I can remember." The elder woman replied, reaching out and taking Vivians hands. "I''ve never had the pleasure of knowing an aether reservoir though! I was so shocked when Viktor told me it was you! I would never have guessed."

    "I''ve never had the pleasure of knowing witches, so the feeling is mutual." Vivian said, her hands warm in Mrs. Garcia''s grasp. "Are you two going to help out with the spell tonight?"

    "Yes ma''am." Ophelia said as she came around her mother, standing with arms crossed. "We''re pretty important witches around here."

    "Oh really?" Vivian asked with a playful tone. She was so glad to be seeing her best friend again, it felt strange to live apart from her.

    "Yes, really." Ophelia echoed, looking around the room.

    "Our family had been living in Lake Ashton for many generations." Mrs. Garcia added in, releasing Vivians hands. "Viktor was right to come and seek out our family to help with this spell."

    Vivian looked at the two witches for a moment, still a little stunned that they were witches at all. "I''m glad you guys are here then."

    "We should prepare for the spell." Viktor said, walking up to the three of them with a tray of drinks. All the drinks were a shimmery purple liquid, the witch handing a glass to everyone. "It''s going to be a big one."

    Bringing the glass to her lips, Vivian hesitated for only a moment before downing the whole glass. It tasted bitter this time, Vivian putting a hand to her mouth as she gagged a little. "Oh wow, that one was gross." She said, somehow being the only one that had a reaction to the drink.

    Vivian then moved to stand in the middle of the pentagram, Viktor lining the outer circle with their salt mix. They then set down candles on each point of the star and lit them one by one, muttering something under their breath with every light. She then watched as the witches took their places around the pentagram, each an even distance away from one another. Vivian looked to Kit, who stood on the other side of the room against the wall, arms crossed. He gave her a little nod, and she gave one back.

    "It is time." Viktor said, their voice steady and calm.

    Each witch lifted their hands to the ceiling, beginning to chant in that foreign language. As they moved their hands towards the circle, Vivian felt a tug deep within her. White silky smoke flowed from each of the witch''s hands, streaming down to the circle and moving along the edge. The white smoke crept closer and closer to Vivian, the woman feeling her heart race within her chest. It encircled her, moving around and around.

    Vivian felt it then, a pull against her insides, like her chest was being yanked from her body. She took in a harsh breath, pressing a hand to her chest. A heat crept up her arms and legs, engulfing her whole body after a moment, and then becoming hotter and hotter until it felt like her skin was burning.

    The woman fell to the ground, just barely catching herself with her hands. She sucked in a harsh breath, feeling her whole world tilt. She wanted to cry out, to tell them to stop, but she couldn''t. She wouldn''t. Vivian wanted this, and that meant bearing through the pain.

    Vivian looked up and caught the concerned expression on Kit''s face, his eyes wide. She gave him a small nod, biting through the scalding heat. Then her body grew colder and colder until it felt like she was in a freezing lake, the cold pressing into her and making it hard to breath, hard to think. She tried to focus on anything but the pain, but it was impossible. A flash of stabbing wounds struck her chest, and she finally let out a cry. Dropping her head back down, she tore her gaze from Kit''s.

    Breathing was hard against the pain and cold. Her vision swam as she looked to the ground, trying to keep the food inside her stomach and not spread across the chalk pentagram. Wave after wave of pain crashed into her, making tears stream down her face, crying out with each wave.

    Then the cold slowly began to release her, her body warming back to its normal temperature, the stabbing pain subsiding. Vivian felt overwhelmingly tired then, her arms giving out and falling to the floor. She could hear Kit call out her name, but she was unable to respond. Everything was spinned and she was so dizzy.

    Cold hand grabbed her body then, forcing her to sit up. "Vivian!" Kit''s voice called to her, pulling her from the daze she felt herself slipping into.

    "D-Did... did it work?" Vivian asked, opening her eyes and looking up into the crimson one of Kit''s.

    "I do not know." Kit replied, a little breathlessly. "Are you okay? Are you in any pain?"

    Vivian shook her head. "No... no, I''m just sore." She answered, and that was the truth. Her entire body ached like she had just ran a marathon. "That... that really fucking hurt."

    Kit brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I know, it looked horrible."

    "How do we know if it worked?" Vivian heard Ophelia say, the woman looking over to see her friend kneeling beside her.

    "The necklace." Viktor said from above them, pointing to the pendant on Vivian''s chest. "Take it off. If the spell worked, there would be no reaction."

    "My necklace?" Vivian asked, raising a hand to the pendant. "But... you said to never take it off."

    "It is the only way we''ll know."

    Vivian looked to Viktor, the witch displaying a serious expression. She trusted them, trusted their word, so Vivian reached up to her necklace, took in a deep breath, and unclasped it.

    Nothing happened.

    Vivian looked up to Kit. "No aether?"

    The vampire shook his head. "No aether."

    "It worked!" Ophelia exclaimed next to her, throwing hand up before wrapping them around Vivian. "Oh my gods, I''m so glad that worked!"

    Vivian looked up to the witch, her eyes wide. "It worked."

    The witch nodded their head. "Your aether has been sealed away. It worked."

 Chapter 21

    Life had returned to normal after the spell was performed. Vivian was allowed to move back into her house in Lake Ashton as the rabid problem was solved, and now, so was the aether reservoir problem. She could return to her life as a human, and so she did. It had been three weeks that Vivian stayed at the estate, and she was more than happy to get out of there. She was glad that Niccolo agreed to send her home, the elder vampire seeming like he was going to say no at first, but finally agreed. The next day, she was packing her bags and heading home.

    She returned to her job at the cafe, feeling much safer working closing shifts now that she knew no rabid was going to come out from some alleyway and attack her. Everything was back to the way it was before. Well, almost everything.

    Elias was still stuck at the estate, as he was not allowed to leave. Since his family cannot find out about his new status as a vampire, he had to stay hidden at the estate for a while. That meant Elias'' section of the house was always quiet, Friday nights a lot less fun without the blond man to bounce jokes off of. Vivian wondered if she and Ophelia would be able to visit Elias at the estate. She hoped they could eventually.

    There was one other thing that upset her, and that was the fact she no longer shared a room with Kit. Over the three weeks she had been staying at the estate, she had grown used to being so close to the vampire, to seeing him every day and spending so much time with him. After moving back into her house, she saw him less and less.

    He did show up to the cafe every now and then, ordering a black coffee and sitting there not drinking it. Instead, he would sneak glances at Vivian from his seat, Vivian doing the same from behind the counter. He still also walked her home after closing shifts, the two talking about her day on the way back to her place.

    Vivian had really been wanting to invite Kit inside, to have him spend some time with her, but she was always too nervous to ask. They would simply arrive at her place, they would say their goodnights, and Kit left. Vivian wanted more though. Ever since that kiss in the library, Vivian wanted more.

    She had decided that tonight, she was going to ask him to hang out. Vivian was working a closing shift and knew that Kit would be there to walk her home. She would ask him on their walk, before they got to her house and she lost her nerve. What she planned on doing with him once he agreed she wasn''t sure, but the first step was getting him to agree.

    Working on her closing tasks, Vivian cleaned the kitchen, took out the trash, and counted the drawers. Everything was ready for opening tomorrow, so Vivian went out the alley door, locking it behind her. When she turned, Kit was already standing there, back against the wall. He looked beautiful in the glow of the streetlamps, and Vivian wanted to kiss him right then and there.

    "Long day?" Kit asked, arms crossed over his chest.

    "Very long." She replied, stepping down the stairs and meeting Kit. "But I''m glad I don''t have that shift for a few days."

    "You do not?"

    "Nope. I''m working a mid tomorrow, then a few opening shifts after that. I think my next closing is next week."

    "So I won''t be able to walk you home."

    Vivian looked up at Kit, a little taken back by his words. "Y-You could walk me home after any of my shifts, it doesn''t have to be a closing one."

    "Really?" Kit looked hopeful.

    The woman couldn''t help but smile up at him. "Of course, Kit. You can walk me home any time."

    "That is good to know." Kit said, returning the smile. They stood there in the alley for a moment, just smiling at each other. "Should we head to your home?" He held his arm out for her to grab.

    Vivian was more than happy to take his arm, fingers wrapping around the vampire''s bicep. "Yes, let''s go."

    They began the walk back to Vivian''s place, the woman talking about her day and all the customers that came through. Kit listened enthusiastically, chiming in and adding his own little comments. Vivian was trying to find an opportunity to ask him to come over, but she just couldn''t find one. They were getting close to her house and she had still yet to ask.

    But then there was a lull in their conversation, and Vivian took her chance. "Hey Kit." Vivian said, making the vampire look over at her. "You know, you don''t have to leave once we get to my place. You can hang out or something you know. Maybe we could watch a movie."

    "You could show me that vampire movie you were talking about."

    "Oh my god, Twilight?" Vivian recalled, raising a hand to her mouth, laughing. "Yes, yes we can definitely watch Twilight. So you''re interested in coming over?"

    "I would love to spend more time with you, Vivian."

    Vivian just looked at Kit for a moment. Taking him in. "Good, because I like spending time with you."

    The two of them made it back to her house a few minutes after that, Vivian checking the place for Ophelia. The witch seemed to be out tonight, probably over at her moms. She did spend quite a lot of time with her family.

    Vivian got the TV set up to watch Twilight, excited to show Kit what description of vampires she had been working with. It had been a while since she last saw the movie ,and she wondered if it was just as ridiculous as she remembered it being. It was still fun to watch nonetheless.

    Her and Kit sat down on the couch together, a bit of space in between them. As the movie started, Vivian couldn''t help but think about anything besides moving closer to Kit. He was already so close to her, but she wanted him to be closer, she wanted to feel him.

    Taking in a breath, Vivian scooted herself closer to Kit, until she could feel the brush of his thigh against hers. Their arms were touching as well, and Vivian could feel her skin buzzing from the touch. She tucked her legs under her then, her knees resting against the side of the vampire''s legs. Kit didn''t move away at all, but she could feel him stiffen the slightest bit. Should she not have moved closer to him? Was that the wrong choice? Vivian considered scooting away, but then the man reached his hand out and placed it on her knee, thumb moving forward and back the slightest bit.

    They sat like they through the rest of the movie, Kit asking questions and Vivian laughing her way through the answers. It was wonderful, and Vivian was so glad she had asked Kit to come over. She would definitely have to do it again. When the movie ended, they talked about it and how Kit felt about his vampire representation, which wasn''t very good.

    She then bid him goodnight, and Kit left, despite Vivian really wishing he could stay just a little while longer.

    ?

    Besides the fact that every now then she would spend her time with a vampire, her life basically returned to the way it was before. She started to go on her jogs again in the morning, she went to her job during the day, and at night time, Kit would occasionally come over and they would watch movies together, Vivian wanting to expose the man to modern media. It felt like a breath of fresh air.

    December turned to January, and Vivian''s life proceeded on without any interruptions. Vivian and Ophelia had begun inviting Kit to their Friday nights out, and the vampire was slowly getting more comfortable being around Vivian and Ophelia, who constantly teased each other. Everything was perfect.

    One night, Vivian was home alone, Kit having left a little while ago and Vivian straightening up the house a little before going to bed. She was in the kitchen washing some dishes when she heard a loud sound outside, startling her. Vivian froze where she stood, processing what that could have been. Setting the dish down she was watching, the woman moved towards the back door and looked outside, but didn''t see anything.

    Slowly, the woman opened the door and peered outside. She held the door open a little, scanning the backyard. But there was nothing, a slight breeze brushing past her and messing with her loose black curls. Must have been the wind, Vivian thought to herself, closing the door. When she turned, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

    There, sitting in her living room, was Erza. Vivian felt her blood run cold at the sight of him, the pureblood vampire sitting crossed legged and looking at his nails, as if that were more interesting than her. Words escaped her, and she just stood there by the back door, completely frozen. What did she do?

    "Hello, Vivian." The vampire said, dropping his hand and looking at her. "It''s lovely to see you."

    Vivian couldn''t respond, fear holding her in place. Was this a nightmare? Kit had just left, less than an hour ago. Was Ezra waiting?

    "You seemed surprised to see me." Ezra commented on Vivians silence, uncrossing his legs. "I suppose that makes sense." Standing from the couch, the vampire slowly made his way over to her. "There''s something different about you, Vivian."

    The spell, Vivian thinks, knowing that had to be what he was referring to. The last time he saw her, he was able to sense the aether coming from her, but now, he shouldn''t be able to sense anything. No one should. "W-What are you talking about?" Vivian finally found her voice, but it shook with nerves.

    "You did something, didn''t you?" He asked, leaning down so he was eye level with Vivian, as if she were some child. Maybe to him, she was. "Something you shouldn''t have."

    "N-No!" Vivian took a step back, feeling the vampire was way too close. Having him in her home was already way too close. "I-I don''t know w-what you''re talking about."

    "The aether. It''s gone." Ezra said plainly, his expression one of boredom. "Why is it gone?" The woman just shook her head, taking another step back. Could she run? Would he just catch her? The vampire seemed to see what she was thinking, because he also shook his head. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you."

    "What do you want?" She asked, her voice wavering.

    Ezra smiled at her question, a wicked smile that made her shiver. "Christopher cares for you, doesn''t he?"

    Vivian didn''t know how to respond to that. If he finds out I care about you... Kit had warned her, and the memory made her skin buzz. He couldn''t find out. "No." Vivian breathed, shaking her head. "No, of course not."

    "Then why has he been spending so much time with you?" Ezra''s head tilted to the side with the question, his slick blond hair falling with the motion. "Don''t think I haven''t been watching."

    "I-I don''t know" Vivian said, unsure of what else to say. What lie could she come up with that wouldn''t cause him to kill her? Her life felt like it was hanging in the balance, this vampire the one holding the scale.

    "Hmm." Ezra moved away from Vivian then and towards the kitchen. He seemed to look over everything, like he was at some sort of museum. "What should I do with you, Vivian?" He asked, hand reaching out to touch the vase of flowers that sat on top of a small table in the kitchen.

    The woman didn''t know how to respond to that, besides maybe begging for her life. "Let me live?" She asked, standing still and watching the pureblood vampire roam around her house. She was just glad Ophelia wasn''t here right now, the witch over at her family''s house once again for the night.

    "Let you live?" Ezra repeated her words, stopping and looking back at her. "Now, why would I do that?"

    Vivian could feel her hands shaking at her side, her knees threatening to give out. She was going to die, this vampire was going to kill her and Ophelia would just find her body the next morning, if there was any body left to find. "Why would you kill me?" She dared to ask, looking into his pair of deep red eyes.

    "Christopher is a monster." Ezra said plainly, beginning to walk again but keeping his eyes on her. "He will eventually kill you, but if I do it, it will save him the pain."

    I am a monster, Kit had said to her and it hit her then. It was Ezra, it was all Ezra''s fault that Kit believed himself to be a monster. This man had fed Kit lies and forced him to kill. It was all Ezra''s fault. The thought sent rage coursing through her, almost as strong as her fear. "So you''re doing this for him?"

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    "Of course." Ezra rounded the table in the kitchen and walked back towards her. "I care deeply about Christopher. He is the longest living human turned vampire I have sired." The pureblood explains, stopping in front of her. It felt so weird to hear him refer to Kit as Christopher, Vivian almost forgetting who they were talking about for a moment.

    "Then if he did care for me, wouldn''t killing me just put him in more pain?" Vivian tried her luck.

    Ezra just looked at her for a moment. "I suppose. But it will be worse when he eventually kills you. Although," the vampire raised a hand to his chin, stroking it with a finger, "there is another way."

    "One where I don''t die?"

    The pureblood vampire actually smiled at that. "Well you''ll die eventually. All humans do. But, I could offer you safety from Christopher. That is, if you come with me."

    Vivian stood there, looking at the pureblood vampire. "Come with you?"

    "Yes." Ezra said easily, hands dropping to his hips. "I will keep you safe from Christopher until the day you die."

    The black haired woman blinked a few times, processing his words. "N-No, I can''t go with you."

    "Would you rather I kill you now then?" Ezra raised a hand, claws extended.

    "No!" Vivian yelled out, taking a few steps back.

    "What if I killed that roommate of yours? The witch?"

    Ophelia. Vivian''s heart sank. "No, no, please don''t kill her!"

    Again, the pureblood vampire smiled, lowering his hand. "Then you''ll come with me."

    Vivian was silent, feeling like her world was falling apart. Again. Everything had returned to normal, she was meant to be safe. Yet here was Ezra, threatening not only her life but the life of someone she loves. She couldn''t let this vampire hurt Ophelia, or anyone else she knew. But that meant she only had one choice.

    "Fine." Vivian said in a breath. "I will go with you."

    "Wonderful!" Ezra clapped his hands and put one on her back, ushering her towards the front door.

    "W-Wait! Can''t I grab some things?" She asked, looking over her shoulder to the phone sitting on the kitchen counter, the dishes forgotten about.

    "No. We leave now."

    Vivian was rushed outside and into a huge black SUV waiting outside. While she was being placed in the back, she noticed someone was sitting in the driver''s seat. Ezra climbed into the passenger seat, and they were off. Vivian watched as Lake Ashton disappeared from view, the SUV winding down the road that led to the highway.

    The car was completely silent the whole way there, Vivian too nervous to say anything and Ezra seeming to be comfortable with the silence. It had to have been a couple hours later when they turned off the highway and began going down local roads, the forest slowly overtaking the area until they were surrounded by it. Peaking out front, she saw they were following a single lane concrete road that led deep into the forest.

    It was quite a long drive down the road before the forest gave way to an opening, a black brick manor built right in the middle. It reminded her of Niccolo''s estate, but this place was a bit smaller, and felt a lot less grand. It was definitely still a mansion though, ivy growing up the walls and added a small amount of color to the black.

    The SUV pulled in front of the mansion, a ground of what looked like servants in their uniforms came rushing to the car, opening their doors. One offered a hand to Vivian as they opened the back door, but when her eyes landed on red ones, the woman refused and climbed out of the car on her own.

    "Come." Ezra said simply, leading her up the stairs and into the mansion. It was much darker and creepier than Niccolo''s estate, the walls a deep red and furniture dark wood. Black marble pillars held up the ceiling in the foyer, candle light above reflecting off the smooth surface. Vivian wanted to reach out and touch the marble, but Ezra was moving too quickly and she knew she had to keep up.

    They went up a staircase, down a few halls and around a handful of corners before they arrived in front of a door. Ezra turned to Vivian then. "This will be your room."

    "My room?" Vivian repeated, surprised. She half expected the vampire was going to throw her into a cell or something, not give her a bedroom.

    "You are not to leave the room unless accompanied. I do not need you running around my manor causing chaos." He said firmly, and Vivian just nodded her head. A bedroom that was a cell, perfect. "I will send a maid to you in the morning."

    "O-Okay." Vivian replied when the vampire went silent, assuming he was waiting for her response.

    "Do you understand?" Ezra asked, his voice serious. "You are not to leave this room."

    Vivian nodded her head again. "Yes, I understand." She confirmed verbally, assuming that''s what he wanted from her.

    "Then, goodnight." The pureblood vampire said before turning on his heel and walking away, leaving Vivian alone in the hallway. Well, almost alone, as there were what she assumed to be guards stationed in the hallway.

    Feeling uncomfortable by the way the guards looked at her, Vivian quickly opened the door and stepped inside. She was greeted by a grand bedroom, the walls the same red as outside and furniture dark. There was a wardrobe, a set of tables and chairs by a fireplace, and a large canopy bed pressed against the far wall. It was much smaller than her room that was given to her at Niccolo''s but just as nice. Only, it didn''t feel nice. It felt like a cage.

    Closing the door behind her, she looked for a lock but found none. Great.

    Vivian walked around the whole room, looking at everything. Nothing felt safe. Not the chairs or the bed. There was a window by the bed, and when she went to it, she saw that it could be opened. Unlocking it, the woman pushed the window open, having to use a little force. She assumed this window must not have been opened in a while. It finally gave way to her, opening outwards and letting the cold January air inside. Vivian stuck her head out the window and looked down, seeing that it was a far fall down to the ground. If she jumped, would she make it?

    The thought of escaping crossed her mind, but she decided against it. She could see vampires wandering outside, torches in their hands. One of them would be sure to catch her if she ran, and the jump might cause her some injury. She would think of an escape plan later, for now, she just needed to survive the night.

    Vivian refused to sleep. Instead, she sat below the window and stared at the door, waiting for someone or something to come bursting through it. She watched it all night and into the next morning, sunlight slowly filling the room around her. The woman didn''t trust that no one would enter the room as she slept, the vampires looming outside her room a threat. She grew more and more tired as she sat there though, feeling her eyes dropping once the sun had finally decided to rise.

    A knock on the door roused her, the woman unaware that she had fallen asleep. "Miss Vivian?" A voice called from the other side of the door. Vivian stood from where she sat on the floor, her body aching and sore. Who the hell was outside of her door? "I am coming in." Vivian stood frozen as the door opened, revealing a petite woman with long blond hair. She wore what she assumed was a maid''s uniform, apron and little white hat to match. "Good morning Miss Vivian." She said with a curtsey. "I am Alice. I will be your handmaiden from here on out."

    "My what?" Vivian asked, confused by the whole thing.

    "Your handmaiden, Miss." She repeated, walking into the room. There was a man behind her hauling a trunk, carrying it into the room and placing it in front of the bed. "I am here to assist you with whatever you need."

    Vivian''s eyes were on the trunk, horrible thoughts crossing her mind. "W-What''s in there?" She asked, pointing to the trunk.

    "Your new wardrobe, Miss." Alice answered, curtsying at the man as he left and moving towards the trunk. "The Master has gathered quite a collection for you."

    Opening the trunk, swaths of fabric were revealed, silks and the finest linens spilling out. Vivian moved towards the trunk and grabbed one of the garments, pulling it from the trunk. It looked like a dress straight out of the 1400''s, reminding her of historical paintings from the medieval era. "And he wants me to wear these?"

    "Yes, Miss." Alice smiled, almost like she was excited.

    "How do you even put this on?" Vivian said, looking the dress over. It was much fancier than anything she had seen before. It looked like it belonged in a museum or something.

    "With help." The handmaiden said, and Vivian looked over to her. Red eyes stared back at her. Vivian felt a shiver run down her spine. She was once again, surrounded by vampires. At least this time she wasn''t hiding the fact she was an aether reservoir. "Would you like to put that one on, Miss?"

    "No." Vivian said, carefully placing the garment back in the trunk. "I don''t want anything from your master." She said the last word with venom.

    A look of fear crossed Alice''s face. "B-But the Master has requested you change and meet him for breakfast."

    "I''m not going to breakfast with that vampire."

    "Miss, please." Alice begged, and Vivian wondered for a moment why the maid was pushing so hard. "If you do not we... we will be punished."

    "Punished?"

    "Yes, Miss. Whipped."

    Vivian stood silent for a moment, looking at the small vampire in front of her. If she refused to go to breakfast with Ezra, he was going to whip this poor vampire? Vivian wanted to say she didn''t care, that it wasn''t any of her concern, but she knew that was a lie. The black haired women would never let anyone get hurt on her accord, even some vampire.

    So Vivian let out a breath and looked back down to the trunk. This time, she pulled out a deep green dress, the silk smooth against her fingers. "Fine."

    Alice''s face lit up. "Oh, thank you Miss!"

    The two of them got her ready, hair piled up on her head in braids, the dress tight against her chest. It was a little uncomfortable, this being the first time Vivian had ever worn a corset. She felt taller somehow, the corset and dress making it hard for her to slouch her shoulders. Once she was dressed and Alice determined she was ready, the two of them left her room and went to meet Ezra.

    The vampire was waiting for her inside a large dining room, the table set up with plates of fruits, vegetables, bread and different style eggs. It looked like a whole buffet, and Vivian''s stomach quickly turned hungry.

    "Ah, there you are!" Ezra said as they walked in, the vampire standing. "I was wondering when you would arrive." Vivian stood at one end of the table as Ezra approached, Alice standing behind her. When he finally stood in front of her, the man forcibly took her arms and made her spin. "Wonderful. You look absolutely wonderful."

    Vivian nodded, not trusting her voice.

    "Come, take a seat." Ezra motioned to the table. "Let''s break our fast together."

    The black haired woman was led to a chair and took a seat, the table already set up for her. Looking over the food, everything looked delicious and she was slowly growing ravenous after her all nighter. But she stayed still, watching as Ezra returned to his seat, Alice standing behind Vivian''s chair.

    "Please." Ezra said, gesturing towards the food. "Dig in."

    Vivian didn''t move though. She simply looked at the food, hesitating. What if something was poisoned?

    "Nothing is poisoned." Ezra said, as if reading her mind. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already." The vampire took a sip from his goblet, lips stained red as he pulled it away. Blood, Vivian realized, feeling her stomach drop. "So eat."

    Her hands were shaking as she picked up a fork and knife and grabbed some food from the table, placing it on her plate. As she ate, she was surprised by how good the food was, the meat savory and the fruit sweet. Still, she ate slowly, very aware of Ezra''s eyes on her. It felt overwhelming, his gaze. It made her skin prick, unease churning in her stomach as she swallowed down a bite of egg.

    She noticed that Ezra wasn''t eating, which wasn''t exactly strange. Vivian knew that vampires didn''t eat, as she never shared a meal with Kit and or seen him eat something throughout the day. It made sense, they drank blood so what need would they have for food? What was strange was how closely he was watching her. His eyes never leaving her, his face giving away nothing that was going on through his mind.

    "How was your first night here?" Ezra asked suddenly, right as Vivian took in a bite of thick ham.

    Vivian covered her mouth as she chewed, feeling rushed. "It was fine." She finally said, taking a sip of her water to wash the meat down all the way. "Thank you for the room."

    "Where else would I have put you?" His voice leaned more towards accusing rather than friendly.

    Some cell underneath this place, Vivian thought, assuming his mansion was much like Niccolo''s estate and had a dungeon somewhere in the basement. "I''m not sure. I just wanted to thank you."

    "Hmm." Ezra replied, as if thinking. "You don''t look very well rested."

    Vivian froze as she lifted a grape to her lips. Well shit. "New beds make it hard to sleep." She lied, feeling his gaze become heated.

    The vampire across from her was quiet, eyes narrowing. "Do they?"

    "Yes." She nodded, picking up her glass of water again. Nerves made her hand shake the slightest bit, the glass trembling.

    "Hmm." Ezra hummed simply, leaning back in his chair. He let out a breath. "I do not see it."

    Vivians eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "See what?"

    "Why he cares for you." The vampire sounded annoyed, fingers tapping against the armrest of his chair. "You are very uninteresting."

    The woman should have been hurt by the vampire''s comment, but she wasn''t. Coming from this vampire, it was almost a compliment. Maybe it meant he would leave her alone, if he found her so uninteresting. Maybe he would return her. "Oh." Vivian finally managed out, setting the glass back down on the table. "I''m sorry."

    "Don''t apologize." He said, waving her words away. "I suppose some humans cannot help it. Your existence is rather boring, isn''t it?"

    Again, the woman felt she should have been offended, but she didn''t. It was kind of sad that he thought this way. Did he have such little regard for human life? "I don''t think so." She replied, setting her fork and knife down. "I think life is very exciting and rewarding, especially since it''s so much shorter compared to vampires and witches. We have so much less time but we make the most of it. I think that''s beautiful, that life is so precious and short. It means we only have a small amount of time to enjoy our existence here."

    Ezra just looked at her, almost assessing. "I see." The vampire finally said, leaning forward in his chair, pushing to stand up. "You''re one of those humans."

    Vivian felt the blood drain from her face. Oh, shit, she had definitely said the wrong thing. "W-What do you mean?"

    The vampire pushed away from his chair and began to walk towards Vivian, the woman''s heart racing in her chest. "You believe your life is actually worth something. That your existence has any meaning." His voice was cold as he spoke, hand running the length of the table as he walked down it and towards her. "It is the absolute worst. You think your lifes have more worth than vampires."

    The woman shrunk in her seat as Ezra approached her. "I-I didn''t mean to imply that-."

    "Silence." Ezra cut her off, and Vivian instantly shut her mouth, fear and panic making her nauseous. "I don''t want to hear your excuses." The vampire slammed his hands down on the armrests that were on either side of Vivian. He trapped her, Vivian sinking back in her chair. "Your life is worth absolutely nothing. The only point of your existence is to feed vampires and keep us alive. You are nothing more than food."

    Vivian shook in her seat under the intensity of the vampire. Holy shit, this was terrifying. Her blood rushed through her veins as her heart raced like a rabbit''s. She didn''t know what to do, wasn''t sure if her life was about to end right then and there. So Vivian did the only thing she could think of. "Yes." She agreed, her voice barely a breath. "Y-You''re right."

    "Of course I am." Ezra bit out, but pushed off the arm rests, stepping away from her. "Alice."

    "Y-Yes, Master."

    "Take Vivian back to her room. She is not to leave it." Ezra spared her one last glance, and then he walked out of the dining room, leaving Vivian in complete silence.

    The woman let out a shaky breath she wasn''t aware she was holding. Vivian stood from the table, legs wobbly. Alice moved to catch her, but Vivian steadied herself. They didn''t say anything as they left the dining room and walked back to the bedroom. Vivian was then locked in her room, her cage, and left for the rest of the day.

 Chapter 22

    It was later in the morning that Kit sat on his couch, book in hand as he reclined and read. The sun was shining outside today, filling his living room with a warm golden glow. It had only been a few hours since he last saw Vivian, but he was already missing her. It was insane how quickly that feeling took him over once he accepted it, once he accepted he loved Vivian.

    His mind went to the kiss they shared in the library, and his heart raced. He wasn''t sure what overcame him in the moment, causing him to drop her hands and grab her face. Kit hesitated, his mind righting itself for a moment so he could think straight, but still he didn''t pull away. He asked her permission, and when he gave it to her... he couldn''t hold back.

    The vampire let out a loud breath, dropping his book to his chest as his mind became distracted. He had to see her again, and he knew he would eventually, but it didn''t feel soon enough.

    Placing the book on the coffee table, Kit stood from the couch and moved towards the kitchen. There was a growing thirst in his throat, the vampire thinking about the last time he drank. It had been a while, hadn''t it? He went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle filled with blood. Cracking it open, he took a few sips, allowing the thirst to subside. As soon as it did, he stopped drinking. Kit never liked to drink more than what he needed.

    A sudden knock sounded from his front door, the vampire freezing. He wasn''t expecting anyone. Slowly, he moved towards the door, hearing a key unlocking it. Kit felt panic as he ran to the door, trying to stop it from opening.

    Only Viktor appeared behind the door. "Viktor!" Kit yelled out, allowing the door to open. "What are you doing?"

    "Vivian is missing." The witch said immediately, lilac eyes wide with alarm.

    Kit could feel his body go cold. "She what?"

    "Ophelia returned home this morning," Viktor began, pushing past Kit and into the small apartment, "she said Vivian wasn''t in the house but her phone was left on the kitchen counter. It''s like she just disappeared. Do you think someone took her?"

    The vampire''s mind went in one direction. Ezra. There was no one else that would take her. It had to have been Ezra. Panic surged through his system, stumbling back from the shock of it. He had just seen her, he just left her. Had his sire been waiting? Had his sire been planning this? Kit couldn''t form a reply, stuck in his own mind.

    "Kit." Viktor said, but the vampire didn''t hear them. "Kit!" The witch yelled, grabbing his shoulders.

    "Ezra." Kit gasped out, eyes focusing on the witch in front of him. "It was Ezra."

    "We don''t know that for sure." Viktor said, holding their hands up. "Let''s not go to the worst case scenario. We''ll do a tracking spell first, come on."

    Kit followed Viktor up to their penthouse, Ophelia already there waiting. She held Vivian''s phone in her hands. They set up the large table in the kitchen with a map of Lake Ashton and the surrounding area. Viktor used Vivian''s phone this time to track her, the aether flowing from the witches fingers as they performed the spell. The pinprick formed outside the bounds of the map. They ended up grabbing a different map, this one of western Oregon. When Viktor performed the spell, this time the pinprick was somewhere in the cascades, a place that Kit vaguely recognized.

    When it hit him, he took a stumbling step back. Viktor watched him, their faces seeming to show the same realization. "You were right." The witch said, dread in their voice. "Ezra has her."

    Kit''s world tilted and he felt nauseous. Ezra had her, Ezra had her. Kit wanted to scream, wanted to rip his hair out. No, no this can''t be real. He stumbled back towards the table, hands pressed to the wood. The pinprick was in the exact location that Ezra''s manor lay, deep within the forest of the cascades. His nail scratched against the wood as his hands fisted. "We have to get her back." Kit breathed out, looking up to Viktor. "We have to."

    Viktor looked back at him, the dread in their voice also on their face. "We have to talk to Niccolo."

    "What? We don''t have time! He''s going to kill her-."

    "He hasn''t yet." Viktor cut the vampire off. "Getting her back is going to be risky. We need Niccolo''s help. You know you cannot defeat Ezra and I am not going to."

    Kit wanted to argue but he knew the witch was right. Without Niccolo''s help they would never get her back. Ezra was too strong, too powerful. Only Niccolo would be able to defeat Ezra if it came down to a fight.

    "Fine." Kit bit out, looking away from the witch. "We''ll go to Niccolo."

    ?

    "No." Niccolo said, making Kit''s heart sink. "I am not getting involved with Ezra."

    Kit stood there, completely disheveled. How could Niccolo say no? They went to the estate, found the elder vampire and spoke to him about what was going on, and his response was no? "B-But she will be killed!" Kit fought.

    "I don''t see why that is my concern." The brown haired vampire said, hair slicked back like usual. "He cannot access her aether if the spell was performed correctly, so it is of no matter to me."

    Kit was dumbfounded. How? How did he convince Niccolo that he needed to do this, that he needed to help rescue Vivian from Ezra? The vampire wracked his brain for any reason, anything that could sway Niccolo. "It would be your chance to finally get rid of Ezra."

    Niccolo eyed Kit, as if considering. "Why would I do that?"

    "You know how Ezra is. He is vile, he breaks the law. He kidnapped a human and is sure to drink from her without her consent." Kit''s stomach churned as he said the words. "You could make an example out of him."

    Again, the elder vampire just looked at him, considering. "There''s a reason why you care about this so much, Kit. Spit it out." Niccolo said, reading the younger vampire.

    Kit froze, knowing exactly what Niccolo meant. He looked between the elder vampire and the witches that stood behind him. Dread filled him. If he wanted Niccolo''s help, if he was to convince the elder vampire, he would have to be honest. "I love her, Niccolo." Kit admitted, his eyes moving back to the elder vampire. "I cannot let her die. If you do not help me I will go in there alone."

    "Don''t do that-." Niccolo began.

    "Then help me." Kit begged, putting his hands on the desk that Niccolo sat behind. "Please, Niccolo. I need your help."

    Niccolo was silent, looking up at Kit. He couldn''t read the elder vampire''s expression, panic swelling in his stomach as he thought Niccolo would say no again. That he would deny his help. "Fine, but we do this my way." Niccolo finally said, standing from the desk. "It will take a couple of days, I need to make arrangements-."

    "Days?" Kit snapped out, cutting the elder vampire off. "She could be dead by then!"

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    "You know Ezra." Niccolo said, walking around his desk. "He will torment her first before killing her. We have time. But he will be expecting you to come rescue her."

    Kit''s stomach dropped. Of course Ezra would be expecting him. "What do we do?"

    Niccolo stood in front of Kit then, tapping a finger against his lips. "We have to force our way in when they''ll be at their weakest." Niccolo said, crossing his arms. "Sunrise would be a good time."

    Kit nodded, knowing that most of the vampires at Ezra''s manor would be asleep by sunrise, leaving not many out guarding the house. "We need a lot of vampires to come with us." Kit added, also knowing how many vampires will be at Ezra''s manor, ready to defend it.

    "I can ask around. I know there will be others that would jump at the chance to take Ezra down once and for all." The elder vampire spoke, walking away from Kit. "Be ready in three days. That is when we will attack."

    Kit should feel grateful that Niccolo was helping, but he couldn''t help the doubt in his gut. They would be leaving her there for three days. Three days of torment from Ezra. The vampires heart sank at the thought, the worst images running through his head of what his sire would do to Vivian, what kind of torture he would inflict.

    ?

    Vivian could feel herself slowly losing it. She had been trapped in her room for the past two days, her only form of communication being her maid when she brought food. But besides that, she was alone. Trapped. Every few hours she would look out the window and consider the jump, but then she brushed the idea off, knowing she would just injure herself and be caught once again.

    She found books in her room and they gave her a little hope of something to do, but once she opened the covers she found a foreign language she couldn''t read. Vivian almost threw the books but thought better of it, instead setting them back where she found them.

    It was towards the evening when Alice brought her dinner. Vivian was excited for some kind of interaction, but there was a look on Alice''s face that made Vivian instantly lose the excitement. "Good evening, Miss Vivian." Alice said with a curtsy. "Ezra would like to see you in the library after you eat."

    Vivian''s stomach dropped. "Oh." She said, looking at the food on the table. She suddenly didn''t feel hungry anymore. "And I''m guessing I have to, otherwise you''ll be punished, right?"

    "Yes, Miss." The maid said, her voice tight.

    Vivian let out a breath. "Well, we might as well go I guess."

    Alice blinked, confused. "Are you not going to eat, Miss?"

    "I''m not hungry anymore." Vivian confessed, going to her wardrobe, which now held all the dresses from the trunk. "He wants me to dress up again, doesn''t he?"

    "Yes, Miss."

    The two of them got her ready for her meeting with Ezra, Vivian dressing in a light blue dress this time, the bodice tight. Once her hair was done, she followed Alice out of her room and down the hallway. They walked for a minute, turning corners and going down a staircase, before they finally reached what Vivian assumed to be the library, large wooden doors standing in front of her.

    Alice opened the door, revealing the room inside. It was a much smaller library compared to the one at Niccolo''s estate, but still much bigger than any she had seen before. Ezra sat on a chair by the window, the seat to his left empty.

    "Ah, Vivian." Ezra said as he stood from the chair. "I''m glad you could make it."

    Vivian just did her best curtsy, keeping her mouth shut.

    "Come, sit with me."

    The woman left her maids'' side and walked across the library, towards the vampire. When he sat back down in his chair, Vivian took the one to his left. "Tell me, how has your stay at my home been?" He asked, opening up the book he set on the table between them.

    Vivian wanted to tell the truth, that it''s been absolute shit and she hates it here, but she thinks a lie would work better. "It''s been lovely, thank you."

    "You should know I hate lying, Vivian." Ezra said, not even bothering to look at her.

    The woman felt her face heat. "It''s been lonely." She told the truth this time.

    "Has Alice not been keeping you company?"

    "No, no she has been!" Vivian was quick to say, not wanting to get the maid in trouble. "It is just... I am not used to being locked in my room and it''s... it''s suffocating in there."

    "Hmm." Ezra hummed, as if considering her words. "That would make sense. But I cannot allow you to roam the manor."

    "Yes, I know." Vivian nodded, already aware of the fact the vampire wasn''t going to be kind enough to allow her to escape from her confined space.

    They sat in silence for a moment, Ezra going back to reading his book. He cleared his throat after a while though, closing his book and looking at her. "Tell me Vivian, how did you and Christopher meet?"

    "Oh." Vivian breathed out, not prepared for that. "He, uh... he saved me from a rabid attack... multiple times."

    "Did he now?" Ezra asked, seeming intrigued. "Do you trust Christopher?"

    Vivian looked over to the vampire, meeting his eyes. She only had to think about the answer for a moment. "Yes, I do."

    "Interesting." The vampire spoke, taking another moment to think. "Do you love him?"

    The woman''s breath caught in her throat as the vampire asked his question, feeling her entire body buzz as if adrenaline was surging through her. She felt her palms sweat. "W-What?" Vivian asked, unsure if she could answer the question.

    "Do you love him? Christopher, do you love him?"

    Vivian just looked at the vampire. No, she didn''t love Kit. She just cared about him intensely and enjoyed spending time with him and kissing him and oh shit. The realization hit her and took her breath away. Vivian was in love with Kit. She more than just cared about him, she worried for him, she longed for him, his touch, his laugh. Vivian had never felt this way about someone before, the feeling welling up inside of her and bursting, causing her chest to hurt. "No." Vivian breathed out, trying to control the chaos inside of her.

    "Vivian." Ezra said, his voice short. It made her insides twist. "What did I just say about lying?" Shit, shit, she screamed in her head, hands clenching in her lap. Her entire body trembled as she watched Ezra stand from his chair. Her blood ran cold as he stepped in front of her, large and looming. He then knelt on one one, so his face was level with hers. "Now tell me the truth, or I will rip your throat out."

    Vivian swallowed, her throat closing. "Yes." The woman barely managed out, tears forming in her eyes as fear ricocheted through her. "Yes, I love him."

    Ezra looked at her, red eyes moving across her face, watching the tears spill down. "There you go." He said, lifting a hand and causing Vivian to flinch. "Doesn''t that feel so much better than lying?" Ezra wiped away a tear that had fallen down her face, looking at the tears with some kind of wonder. He stood straight up then, still looking at the tears. "Now, why do you love him?"

    Vivian didn''t know how to answer that, opening her mouth and then shutting it as no words came out. Why did she love Kit? It was more than just his looks, which were a portion of it, but there was more. It was his laugh, his smile, the way he touched her, so gentle and caring. He''s saved her life so many times, he''s been nothing but kind to her, and she trusted him with her life. She thought about their kiss, the way he asked before bringing their lips together. Kit was always so reliable. Reliable. That''s what it was. "He''s reliable."

    "That''s it?" Ezra asked, like he expected more.

    "No! He''s kind and he''s gentle and he''s helped me through so much. I wouldn''t be alive if it wasn''t for Kit."

    "Kit?"

    Vivian realized then that Ezra might not know that Kit goes by Kit now. "Yes, that''s his new name."

    "Really?" The vampire''s voice showed his surprise. "He doesn''t go by Christopher anymore?"

    "No." Vivian answered, watching as the vampire stood up, dusting his knees off. "I''ve never heard him refer to himself as Christopher."

    "Interesting." Ezra moved back towards his chair, sitting down. "This is all very interesting Vivian. I think I might keep you alive. I want to hear more about Christophers new life."

    The woman felt her stomach drop. Keep you alive. Was he planning on killing her? Vivian didn''t know how to respond to that, keeping her mouth shut yet again. She didn''t know how to read this man, how to respond to what he said. The more interactions she had with Ezra, Vivian began to understand why Kit was so terrified of him. Her skin began to crawl as red eyes looked her up and down. But then he released a breath, sat back in his chair, and opened his book. His attention completely left her, and Vivian released a breath she was holding. Why would the vampire ask about such things? It felt like she was exposing her soul to him, it was horrible.

    "Alice," Ezra said suddenly, the maid coming to life on the other side of the library, "take her back to her room."

    Vivian stood a little too quickly from her chair, almost tripping on her dress. She turned to Ezra, figuring she should curtsy. "Thank you. Goodnight Ezra."

    "Don''t get the wrong idea," Ezra said suddenly, looking up from his book and at her, "I do still plan on killing you. It''s only a matter of when."

    A chill ran up her spine and Vivian froze mid curtsy, head bowed down. Her hands began to tremble as she finished the motion. She turned immediately to Alice then, moving across the room as fast as this damn dress would allow her. The maid began to open the door, and they were out in the hallway, Vivian finally feeling like she could breathe. She sucked in a deep breath, feeling her world spinning. I do still plan on killing you. Holy shit, holy shit.

    Vivian was spiraling the whole walk back to her room, thankful that Alice was quiet and didn''t try to break the silence. When they reached her room, Vivian quickly went inside and bid Alice goodnight. She closed the door on the maid then turned against it, sinking down. What was she going to do? Ezra planned on killing her. The thought sent fear coursing through her like fire. She looked to the window, the night dark outside. She had to escape, she had to.

 Chapter 23

    Vivian stood looking at the window in her bedroom. She could do it, couldn''t she? The woman moved to open the window, sticking herself out to look down. It was a far fall, and it made her stomach clench with panic just thinking about jumping out the window. But how else could she escape this hell?

    It was the following day and Vivian had taken to pacing around her room. She was antsy, she needed to do something, anything. Ezra''s words hadn''t left her mind and she didn''t sleep last night. All she could think about was the different ways Ezra was going to kill her if she couldn''t escape from this mansion. And Kit, oh gods her heart hurt when she thought about how this would affect Kit. He would be wrecked, having another thing he cared about destroyed by Ezra. She had to escape, she had to.

    Last night, while she couldn''t sleep, she had watched the guards outside, watched the way they moved and when they switched positions. There''s about a two hour gap where there''s no guards in her area during the early morning hours and Vivian knew that would have to be when she made the run. She would find the concrete road that led them here, run down it, and hopefully flag someone before anyone noticed she went missing.

    It was only a matter of how she got out the window. She could rip the sheets and tie them together, creating a rope, but she doesn''t know if that would actually work or something she''s just seen in movies. There was no visible way to climb down, and the only way out seemed to be jumping. Which Vivian really did not want to have to do. But she would have to, that''s how she would escape. Maybe with a broken arm or a broken leg, but she would escape.

    When Alice knocked on her door, it was about dinner time, the maid walking into the room. She held no tray of food.

    "What is it?" Vivian asked, knowing there had to be a reason she was just standing there. "The Master has asked to see you again in the library."

    Vivian felt her heart drop, knowing she would have to face the horrifying vampire before making her escape. He couldn''t find out about it. Vivian released a breath, knowing she had no choice. "Let me pick out a dress." Vivian said, turning to go towards the wardrobe. This time she picked out a dark red dress, the bodice just as tight as the others. They did her hair, and she was ready to see Ezra.

    Alice led her down the same path they used yesterday, traveling to the library. Vivian was a bundle of nerves when they arrived, the maid opened the door and ushering Vivian inside. Ezra was in the same spot he was in last time, the chair to his left empty. Vivian took in a breath, and began walking towards the vampire. He didn''t say a word as she sat down next to him, the man absorbed in a book. They sat there like that for a while before Ezra finally closed his book.

    "So Vivian, tell me," Ezra began, looking over at her, "what was your childhood like?"

    The woman blinked. "My childhood?"

    "Yes."

    "But why?"

    "I want to know what kind of life you have lived up until now, I''m very intrigued."

    Vivian didn''t know what to say. Where did she even start? "It wasn''t good." Vivian began, looking away from Ezra. "My dad left when I was ten and my mom died when I was sixteen. I was put into foster care after that, separated from my siblings and forced from family to family. Not all of the experiences were good ones, I was... it was really hard with some families." The women went on, letting the truth spill out, knowing that there would be no other choice with Ezra. "I didn''t have much of a childhood, not really."

    "I see. Were you born in Lake Ashton?"

    "No, Texas actually."

    "Texas? Really?"

    Vivian shrugged her shoulders. "My mom moved us around a lot after my dad died."

    "Where else have you lived?"

    "Uh, Ohio, Wyoming, Colorado, and then Oregon. My mom died while I was here, so the state took me in." Vivian explained, feeling strange talking about this, especially with Ezra. It felt wrong. "Why are you asking questions like that?" Vivian asked herself, getting a raised eyebrow from the vampire.

    "I''m intrigued by you. Not many humans catch my attention but you have, so I''m interested in your small human life." Ezra said, sitting forward in his chair. "Although I still don''t see why my Christopher loves you."

    Vivian felt her cheeks flush. "I-I''m sure he doesn''t-."

    "He does." Ezra cuts her off, eyes narrowing. "I don''t know why but he does."

    The woman sat quietly, unsure of what to say. He did that a lot to her, making her speechless in the worst kind of way. The vampire sat back in his chair, opening up his book. They sat in silence for a while, the only sound being the tapping of Ezra''s foot against the ground. It made Vivian tense, forced to sit here besides Ezra, the real monster.

    Ezra again closed his book and turned his attention to Vivian. "Your mother, tell me how she died."

    Vivian felt her throat closing. "She... she got into a drunk driving accident."

    "Really?"

    "Yes." Vivian nodded her head, the memory of the cops showing up at the small apartment her and her siblings were living in with their mother. Of taking them away from their home.

    "She had a shorter life than most humans, didn''t she?" Ezra asked, placing his book down on the table between them.

    "Yes, she did."

    "That must have been painful for you."

    "It was." Vivian hated the way this conversation was going.

    "And your father left you said? Why?"

    The woman shook her head. "I-I don''t know. My parents... they fought a lot."

    "Sounds like you had a very rough upbringing." Ezra said, sitting back in his chair. "My Christopher also had a rough upbringing. He had to leave his family when he was ten, just like you, and came to live with me. Christopher was an aether reservoir, you see."

    Vivian felt her stomach drop. Kit was... he was an aether reservoir too?

    "I had to take him in, the poor thing. His family didn''t like it very much, so I killed them. You could say he lost his family at a young age too." Ezra spoke with no remorse. It made Vivian sick. "He didn''t like living with me very much, I could never understand why. But then he was turned..." Ezra goes quiet for a moment, "which was never meant to happen, for when he died, the excess aether left him, and he was just another human turned vampire. Nothing special. I was upset with him, so I locked him in the dungeon for... oh quite a while. He left shortly after that, and I let him go. I don''t know what he''s been up to since then, and I am thrilled to have someone in my presence that does."

    Vivian shook her head. "I-I don''t know a whole lot about Kit." She said, reeling from this new information about Kit. "He doesn''t really talk about his past."

    "He doesn''t?"

    "No."

    Ezra looked genuinely confused. "Why ever not?"

    The woman shrugged her shoulders. "I don''t know."

    "You seem to not know a lot, Vivian." There was a threat in his tone, and Vivian felt it.

    "I-I''m sorry." She said, unsure of what else to say. She racked her brain for things she did know about Kit, anything that could satisfy the vampire sitting next to her. "I-I do know he enjoys reading, and he works for Niccolo as an officer."

    "He works for Niccolo?"

    "Yes."

    Ezra''s eyes narrowed. "What else?"

    Oh gods. "H-He doesn''t like to drink blood from people, he helped kill Niccolo''s uncle."

    "Stop." Ezra cut her off, hand going up. "He helped kill Niccolo''s uncle? You mean Vincenzo?"

    "Yes." Vivian replied, wondering if she messed up again.

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    "Why would they kill Vincenzo?"

    "He was turning humans into rabids and setting them lose in Lake Ashton, hoping to throw Niccolo out of power."

    "Fascinating." Ezra said, his eyes widening. "I was wondering why there were so many rabids when I visited Kit." The vampire wondered aloud, looking away from Vivian. "That changes a lot." Ezra stood up from his chair, Vivians eyes following. "You may go back to your room." Without another word, the vampire leaves the library, Vivian sitting in silence.

    Alice slowly walks over to her. "Shall we return to your room for dinner, Miss?"

    "Yeah." Vivian says, a little dizzy. She stood from her chair and followed Alice out of the library and back through the halls to her room. When she went inside, she found food had been set out on one of the tables within the room.

    Vivian enjoyed what she decided was going to be her last dinner here. She couldn''t stay anymore, she couldn''t. She would escape in the early morning, by jumping out the window. She had to, it was her last option. Vivian couldn''t stand the dresses and the interrogations with Ezra, wondering when he was going to finally kill her. And she promised Kit she wouldn''t get killed by Ezra. She had to escape.

    Staying up that night, Vivian steeled her resolution. She could do this, she could. People have jumped from second story windows and survived and she would do the same. After Alice had left her for the night, Vivian changed back into the clothes she arrived in. She sat in a chair facing the window, watching the sky outside. As soon as the sun began to color the darkness, Vivian would make her run.

    Vivian felt herself falling asleep at moments but would snap right awake. She would not let herself miss her opportunity. It felt like forever until finally dark blue began to brighten the sky, Vivian feeling the panic swell in her stomach. She just kept telling herself she had to do this, she had to escape.

    The sun finally began to greet the sky and Vivian was up. She went to the window, opened it up, and scanned the outside. There were no guards in sight, the outside quiet. Vivian stepped back from the window, prayed to whatever gods were above, grabbed the window, and threw her body outside.

    She felt herself falling, and could see the ground coming up on her quickly. Vivian braced herself for the hit, landing on her feet but falling forward, rolling into the snow. She laid there for a moment, her world spinning. But then she remembered she had to escape, she had to run. Vivian got up off her back and rolled onto her hand and knees, pushing up. She instantly fled, running towards the forest for cover. When the trees swallowed her, Vivian couldn''t help but feel a tiny tinge of surprise. She did it, she actually did it. But now was the real escape.

    Vivian took off in the direction she assumed the concrete road would be, and began running. She didn''t find the road for a while, Vivian almost losing hope that she was going the right way, but then she saw it through the trees, and her heart swelled. You''re almost there, almost there.

    Staying in the woods, Vivian ran alongside the road, snow crunching under her feet. Hopefully she would be far enough away by the time they spotted her footsteps in the snow. The woman ran for she didn''t know how long, her legs beginning to burn. She slowed her pace down a little, but continued at a brisk walk, refusing to stop. She had to get away, to get as far as she could from the mansion before they discovered her missing. It would be a few hours before Alice came to deliver her breakfast, and that would be when they discovered the open window and the footprints running to the woods.

    Branches stuck out and cut at the skin of her face, making her suck in a breath. Still, she didn''t stop. She had to find the main road, someone had to drive past. This all had to work. Her life depended on it.

    The sun had begun melting the snow and made it slippery, Vivian almost falling a few times as she slipped in the slush. It made it harder for her to run, so she had to slow her pace as she moved alongside the concrete road.

    The forest was completely silent around her, no sound of birds or squirrels running around. It was like the forest was dead. Vivian felt eerie being out here, knowing there would be vampires coming for her eventually. But she would be gone by then, someone would have offered her a ride and she would be gone.

    After what felt like forever of trudging through the snow, Vivian finally came upon the main road. She wanted to drop on her hands and knees and kiss the damn thing. She made it! Now all she had to do was wait for a car to come by. But she didn''t want to stay close to the concrete road leading to the mansion, so she began walking back towards the town they passed on the way over here.

    Vivian began to get very, very cold as she walked, having no coat or sleeves really. Whatever adrenaline that was pumping through her earlier had disappointed the farther she got from Ezra''s, allowing the cold to seep into her bones. She walked for a long time, teeth chattering and form shivering. But still, she walked, she couldn''t give up, not yet.

    A sound came from the forest to the left of her, and Vivian froze, looking into the trees. She could swear she saw something moving. It made her jump out of her skin, Vivian instantly beginning to run.

    "Vivian!" A familiar voice called out behind her, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Turning around, she watched as Kit ran towards her.

    The woman wanted to collapse on the ground, but instead began running towards the vampire. The two collided, and Kit''s arms took Vivian into a fierce embrace. Vivian felt warm and safe, the whole overwhelming experience hitting her and causing her to break down into tears. Kit soothed her, rubbing her back and saying "You are safe, you are free." She was alive. Vivian was alive. She sobbed against the vampire.

    Kit released her then and bent down to pick her up, lifting by her back and knees. She was swooped into the air, the vampire carrying her. She didn''t say anything, still too caught up in her feelings about being stuck in that hellish mansion. "I have you." Kit said, his voice low and calm.

    They walked for a moment, Vivian beginning to calm down as they approached a car. Inside she could see... was that Viktor? As they got closer, the figure inside stepped out and the witch was there.

    "Is she injured?" Viktor asked, moving toward them.

    "No."

    "Quick, bring her to the car." The witch rushed out, leading them back to the car Viktor walked out of. Viktor opened the back door while Kit gently placed Vivian within the car. "Are you coming with us?"

    "No." Kit spoke again. He stood next to the car, facing Viktor. "I have to go finish this."

    Viktor and Kit were both silent, the two looking at each other. "Are you sure?"

    Kit nodded his head. "Yes, stay with her. Please."

    "Of course."

    "Kit, wait!" Vivian called out as the man began to move away. He stopped. "Where are you going?"

    The vampire turned back towards the car. "To kill Ezra."

    "You can''t!" She said, motioning to get out of the car. But Kit was quicker and blocked her path. He was so close then, she could reach her hands out and grab him, so she did. Kit''s eyes widened but he didn''t move away. "Please, stay Kit."

    It looked like the choice was killing him, his voice strained as he spoke. "I have to do this Vivian, please." The vampire almost sounded like he was asking her permission. That he couldn''t do this unless she let him go. "I need to do this."

    Vivians heart beat rapidly in her chest. She knew she had to let him go, that this was something Kit had to do. Using her hands, she pulled the vampire closer to her and pressed their lips together. It was a desperate kiss, a hungry one that Kit fed into, his mouth working in sync with hers. Heat spread across her body, hands shaking where they held onto Kit. Then she was pulling away, her breath against his face. "Come back to me, please."

    Kit reached out for her then, taking her face in his hands. He looked deep in her eyes, like there was something hidden there. "Yes, anything for you." He whispered before pressing one final kiss to her lips, and then disappearing back into the forest around them.

    ?

    Kit ran towards the mansion with the feeling of Vivians lips on his. It warmed his body. Which he needed for whatever was ahead of him. The plan had gone smoothly, Niccolo, Kit, and a group of other vampires attacking the manor at sunrise when the others would be unguarded. As soon as they entered the mansion, Kit went to look for Vivian, but he couldn''t find her anywhere. That was when he began tracking footsteps he saw outside in the snow, the size looking like they could have belonged to Vivian.

    When he found her, walking along the side of the street in nothing but a t-shirt and sweatpants, his stomach dropped. He had found her. She managed to escape on her own. It was completely baffling to him but it didn''t matter because he found her, he found Vivian.

    And now it was time to take care of Ezra. His sire.

    He got back to the mansion in no time, the fighting finishing up. Kit joined in on killing the last few guards before he began looking for Niccolo. It took a while for him to find Niccolo, Kit searching what felt like the whole manor. It was the last door he opened that he spotted Niccolo, bloody and wounded but alive, surrounded by other wounded vampires. Then Kit''s eyes traveled down to the figure kneeling besides Niccolo and his blood ran hot.

    Ezra.

    "Oh you finally made it back." Niccolo said, stumbling over to Kit. "Thanks for your help." There was a sarcastic tone to his voice, but Kit couldn''t focus on that.

    All he could look at was Ezra kneeling on the ground next to Niccolo, absolutely torn to pieces and bound by silver chains. Kit couldn''t breathe for a moment, didn''t believe his eyes. His sire, kneeling on the ground, wounded and bloody. Kit couldn''t move.

    "He put up a good fight." Niccolo said, pointing to Ezra. "Nearly killed me."

    Still, Kit didn''t look away from Ezra, and before he could think about it, he was moving towards his sire. No one tried to stop him as he stood in front of the vampire, breath stuck in his throat.

    Ezra looked up at him, something like rage in those hateful eyes. "Christopher." The vampire said, but it was strained and sounded wrong, like his vocal cords had been cut. "Or should I call you... Kit?"

    Kit''s body moved on its own accord, reaching out and breaking through Ezra''s chest to grab his worthless heart. His sire looked at him, wide eyed for just a moment. Then Kit ripped his arm out, taking Ezra''s heart with it. His sire let out a choked noise before going limp. Kit watched as his body glowed a bright red before disintegrating into nothing but ash and dirt.

    Ezra, nothing but ash and dirt.

    Kit took a stumbling step backwards, staring at the pile of ash. It was over, Kit thought, staring down at his hands. He had done it. Ezra was dead. After years and years of torture and pain, Ezra was dead. It didn''t feel real. It felt like he was in a dream, one he didn''t want to wake up from.

    The vampire looked up to Niccolo, who just stood there, staring. "You killed him." Niccolo said, looking down to the pile of what used to be Ezra. "How does it feel?"

    Kit just stood there, eyes moving between his hands and the pile of ash on the ground. He did it. Ezra was dead. His mind couldn''t process it, after living with the pureblood tormenting him for hundreds of years, he was gone. Just... gone. Kit was free.

    He took in a breath, feeling his face begin to buzz with the realization. He was free, something Kit never thought would happen to him. He assumed Ezra would be there for the rest of his existence, however long Ezra allowed that to be. He never thought he would outlive Ezra, let alone be the one to end his life.

    "I-I do not know." Kit answered, looking back at the elder vampire. And it was true, because the vampire didn''t know what to feel at that moment, besides numb and shocked.

    "Is the girl safe?" Niccolo asked, moving towards the door Kit came through.

    Kit watched the vampire move. "Yes, she is with Viktor."

    "Go to her."

    "What?" Kit breathed out.

    "It''s over Kit. You killed the bad guy, saved the girl. Now go be with her." Niccolo turned and left then, the rest of the vampires slowly following. But Kit couldn''t move, he looked back to the spot on the ground where Ezra''s ashes lay. It really was over, wasn''t it?

 Chapter 24

    Vivian''s fingers tapped against the teacup in her grasp, watching the front door. Viktor had brought her back to their penthouse after departing from Kit. After their kiss. Yes, anything for you, Kit had said, and the words filled her chest with hope. He would survive this. He would return to her. He had to.

    The woman sat on one of the couches in the bedroom, her eyes glued to the entrance. Kit was going to walk through those doors eventually, she knew he would. And when he did, she would run up to him and grab him and kiss him. But first he had to get here. First, he had to survive going after Ezra.

    "Vivian." The witches voice cut into her thoughts, the woman looking up to Viktor. They stood next to the couch, teapot in hand. "Would you like more?" They asked, gesturing towards the tea.

    Looking down into her teacup, she saw that it was empty. "Oh, yes. Thank you." She replied, holding her teacup out to Viktor. "How much longer do you think?"

    "I am unsure." Viktor answered, walking away once they finished pouring tea into Vivians cup. "It could be a while, they are fighting against Ezra."

    Vivian nodded her head, bringing the teacup up to her lips, taking a sip of the fruity tea. Her hazel eyes returned to the entrance, continuing to watch. She wasn''t sure how much time had passed, Vivian sipping on her tea, watching, waiting.

    When the doors finally opened, Vivian sprung up from the couch, almost spilling her tea. She set the teacup down, looking back up just in time to see Kit walk through the doors. "Kit!" Vivian yelled, moving quickly towards the vampire.

    His arms opened up and she crashed into him. They embraced, Vivian soaking in the feel of the vampire against her. "It is over, Vivian." Kit said, pushing Vivian back just enough to look down at her. "He is dead. Ezra is dead."

    Vivians eyes went wide as she processed the words. "He... he''s dead?" She asked, her hands fisting at Kit''s sides.

    "Yes." Kit breathed out, raising his hands to her face. "He is gone, Vivian. You are safe."

    The woman''s eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his hands on her. "You did it, Kit."

    Kit rushed forward then, pressing his lips to her. Vivian lost herself in the kiss, absolutely loving the feeling of his hands on her, his lips moving against hers. It made her world spin, grabbing onto Kit as her stomach felt like it was doing flips. But then he separated from her, Vivian feeling a little breathless.

    Behind them, Viktor cleared their throat. The two quickly moved apart, Vivian spinning to face the witch. "So I hear Ezra is dead." They spoke.

    "Yes." Kit said, seeming to be a little breathless too. "It all went according to plan. Ezra is no more."

    "Oh good." Viktor lifted a hand to their chest. "It''s about time someone took him out."

    "Should we celebrate?" Vivian asked, looking between the vampire and the witch.

    A wide grin grew on Viktors face. "What a wonderful idea! I have some wine I have yet to open!" The witch exclaims, clapping their hands together and moving away from the door, leaving Vivian and Kit alone again.

    "Vivian." The vampire''s voice said next to her, pulling her attention towards him. "There is something I want to tell you."

    The woman turned so she was facing him. "What is it?"

    Reaching forward, the man cupped her face again, pulling her in for a kiss. She moved easily to him, closing her eyes as her lips pressed against his. Vivian could melt against Kit, kissing him being everything she imagined it would be. He was so gentle, so tender as he kissed her. He pulled away, keeping their faces close to one another. "I love you, Vivian."

    Vivian felt her heart stammer in her chest, throat tightening. The way he looked down at her was just as tender as how he kissed her. She released a breath, processing his words. "Kit," she said in a whisper, "I love you."

    She could see the vampire smile before he brought their lips back together, kissing her like it was just as needed as breath. Vivian lost herself in the kiss, feeling like she could stay here forever, pressed against Kit, kissing him. She loved him, and he loved her, and that was all Vivian needed right now.

    ?

    "Are you sure you''ll be okay?" Ophelia asked, bag slung from her shoulder.

    Vivian rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes I will be fine."

    The two women stood by the front door, Ophelia ready to head to her family''s house. It was a Wednesday, which meant that the witch was going to help train her younger brother, Which left Vivian alone. She didn''t mind, tonight she had a plan.

    Ophelia let out a sigh. "Alright, I''ll be back on Friday."

    "We''ll go and get drinks! I''m sure they''ll be well deserved."

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    Vivian watched as Ophelia left, closing the door behind her. It was still early evening, which meant Kit would be waking up soon. It had been a few days since she last saw him, and she was beginning to miss him. She figured she would ask the vampire if he wanted to come over, and if he wanted to spend the night. Vivian already felt embarrassed as she thought about it, but this was Kit. He never judged her.

    Pulling out her phone, Vivian called Kit. The line rang for a few moments, and with each ring Vivian felt more and more like he wasn''t going to answer. Maybe she should just send him a message?

    Then the line clicked. "H-Hello? Vivian?"

    "Hey." The woman replied into the phone, moving to sit down on the couch.

    "Is everything okay?"

    "Yeah! Yeah, everything is fine. I was just calling to ask you something."

    The line was silent for a moment. "What is it?"

    Vivian paused for a second, working herself up. "W-Would you like to come over tonight? Maybe stay... stay the night?"

    Again, the line was silent. Vivian wondered what Kit''s reaction was on the other side of the phone. "Is that what you want?"

    "Yes, of course." She replied, drumming her fingers against her leg. "I... I miss you."

    "I miss you, Vivian."

    The woman felt her chest swell, heart racing within. Her fingers had stopped drumming and instead grabbed her thigh. "So would you like to come over?"

    "Yes, I would love to."

    A smile grew across her face, stomach fluttering. "Good, I''ll see you soon?"

    "Yes, yes I will see you soon."

    Hanging up the phone, she couldn''t help the excitement that overcame her. Kit was going to come over! He was going to spend the night! Oh my gods he was going to spend the night. Her face flushed when thinking about sleeping next to him again.

    Vivian cleaned up the house the best she could, which granted wasn''t much as the house was already pretty clean. She wondered if she should wash her sheets, but that would take too long and he would be over before she could remake the bed. Vivian decided to shower and change, getting into something more comfortable. She then grabbed a book and tried to focus on reading while she waited.

    It wasn''t too long before there was a knock on her door. Vivian bolted up from the couch, setting the book down and rushed towards the front door. Grabbing the handle, she opened the door, and found Kit standing on the other side. He had a little bag thrown over his shoulder, and a wide smile on his face. "Vivian."

    "Kit." Vivian said fondness over the word. She opened the door more so Kit could walk in. "I''m really glad you could make it."

    "I am glad you invited me." He replied, walking into her house. "I was surprised."

    "Oh, were you?" She closed the door behind him.

    "Yes, I was. But I am also grateful."

    "Grateful?"

    "Yes." Kit said, moving closer to her, brushing his fingers along her cheek and tucking her hair behind her ear. Vivians chest fluttered at the touch. "I get to spend more time with you."

    Vivian released a breath she didn''t realize she was holding. Their confession came to mind at that moment, the two of them holding each other, kissing and professing their love. It made her feel all giddy inside. She wanted to kiss Kit then, so she did, reaching up to grab the vampire''s face and pulling him down. He moved easily, and when she pressed a kiss against his lips, the vampire returned it.

    Releasing him, Vivian took a step back, clearing her throat. "So I''ve got the perfect movie to show you tonight." The woman said, turning and leading Kit into the house. "Oh, let''s put your stuff in the bedroom."

    "Your bedroom?" Kit asked, a little flustered.

    "Yes, Kit." Vivian replied with a laugh. "We kind of... confessed our love to each other. I figured sleeping in the same bed was nothing."

    The vampire just looked at her for a moment. "I suppose we did share the bed at Niccolo''s."

    "Exactly!" Vivian waved her hands to exaggerate her point. "So it''ll be nothing."

    Kit smiled at Vivian before he dropped his bag to the ground, tucking it in the corner so it wasn''t in the way. "Sharing a bed with you is not nothing." The vampire spoke, his voice low.

    Vivian felt herself blush at that, looking away from the vampire. "Why would you say that?"

    "Because it is the truth." Kit moved towards Vivian, his fingers brushing against her arm. "You are... special, Vivian. And being able to be near you like this is... it is special."

    Vivian felt her heart fluttering away as he vampire spoke, the same feeling in her stomach. "Is it?" She asked, enjoying the way the vampire looked at her, so open and honest, so in love. "If you don''t stop looking at me like that, I''m going to kiss you again." The woman threatened.

    Kit reached a hand out then, fingers brushing against her cheek. "Then I will not stop."

    The woman didn''t think her heart could handle this, feeling like it was about to explode from her chest. She looked up into crimson eyes as the man stood over her, she could almost feel him against her. "Kit..." She breathed out as his hand cupped her cheek.

    "Yes, my love?" The vampire said, no hesitation.

    Vivian could feel herself melting against the vampire. "Kiss me, please."

    Kit brought their faces together. "Anything for you." He whispered against her lips before brushing his softly against hers. It sent sparks through Vivian, her eyes closing and body pressing into Kit''s. He kissed her with so much want, so much need, it sent shivers down her spine. She kissed him back, trying to match his rhythm. Vivian allowed herself to be kissed senseless, Kit''s hands going to her back and pulling her closer, like he needed to feel her just as badly.

    He pulled away after a moment, both of them breathless. Their foreheads rested against one another''s, breathing in the same air. "We should go out to the living room." Vivian said into the space between them, Kit lifting his head. "We can''t spend all night kissing."

    "We could." Kit said, a smile on his face. "If that was what you wanted."

    Vivian felt herself blushing. Is that what she wanted? "No, no." The woman said, shaking her head. "There''s a movie I wanted to show you."

    "Oh really?" The vampire asked, still not stepping away from Vivian.

    "Yes, it''s based on a Shakespeare play."

    "Oh really?" Kit asked again, much more interested this time.

    "Kind of. It''s a funny movie. I think you''ll like it." Vivian stepped away from Kit, the man releasing her. But she grabbed his arm, and led him to the living room. Sitting him down, the woman got the movie set up. When it was ready, Vivian grabbed the controller and sat down next to Kit, their legs pressed together. "Are you ready?"

    "As I will ever be." The vampire said with a smile on his face. Vivian couldn''t help but smile back at him. She loved this, she loved him, how easy it was to be around him. It made her thankful for him saving her, for coming into her life. Despite everything that happened, Vivian was grateful. She knew Kit now, she knew Ophelia was a witch and Elias was now a vampire, everything had changed. Yet, still, she was grateful. It meant she got to sit down with this vampire, make him watch the most ridiculous movies, and spend time with him. In the end, Vivian found love, and that made it all worth it.