Màu nền Màu tối Mặc định Xám nhạt Xanh nhạt Xanh đậm Vàng nhạt Màu sepia Vàng đậm Vàng ố

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Doe's POV:

"Holy crap," I breathed, my brain tumbling over the story Khloe had just told.

It took us a good while to get through both of our respective backgrounds before the brothers became involved in our lives.

In that time and our aimless wandering, we stumbled upon the inside portion of the garden that looked to function like an obscenely large greenhouse.

And so, we settled down on the grass here, sitting across from each other.

It looks like she thought mine was equally as awful as I believed hers was.

She had a life. A childhood, a whole family, and then just had it all ripped away and burned into nothing before getting thrown into the world I grew up in.

Though with a pet master that treated her like shit.

Looking back on it, mine fed me some bullshit ideals, and conditioned me into exactly what she wanted but I truly think I'd rather take that then getting beaten, starved, or drugged at any minor inconvenience.

I learned that she's experienced a whip much more than I have.

On top of all that I couldn't begin to imagine how it felt to lose her family the way that she did.

I had nothing close to compare it to, so instead took what I saw between Xander and his parents and compare it that way.

Even then, it made my chest ache.

And certainly shed some light as to why she was so flighty that first day I saw her.

She reacted to the details of my upbringing very similarly to how Xander did.

"And to think that Nico left that day with the intention of getting another pet for Xander." I added.

She looked up at the now darkened shy through the glass keeping this room relatively warm.

She sat crisscrossed with her hands set behind her for support and to keep her back straight and comfortable through the bandages wrapped around her.

"Nico told me about that too, but said that he changed his mind last minute," She explained.

Nico went to what had to have been the shittiest shop in the city after being fed up with Xander's actions, just to end up taking her home for himself.

Her head lowered, brows furrowed in thought.

"What do you think would have happened if he didn't?" She asked, "If he had given me to Xander that day."

"I actually asked him that same question the morning that it happened. He said that he would have refused since he was busy keeping me alive as it was, and never got used to the idea of having a pet let alone two. You probably would have ended up with Nico either way." I replied.

Her eyes looked over the ground as she thought that through.

"I honestly have no idea how you didn't have a heart attack or something those first couple days with him. Nico's saved my ass on multiple occasions, but I swear, one stern look from him and I see my life flash in front of my eyes." I told, hearing my knees crack as I laid my legs flat against the grass, "He gets stuff done, but man is he terrifying."

A lot less so, lately, but the man has a gaze that could still send you running.

She managed to stifle the last half of her soft laugh.

"Y'know, Marcus said something similar to me once. And I'll admit, I had the same thought at first. Though at the time, I couldn't imagine how you lived with Xander."

Yeah after that 'first impression' bullshit he pulled I could see why.

"That reminds me. How'd Marcus get wrapped up in all of this anyway?" I inquired.

We ran into him during our walk, but he said he had 'responsibilities' or whatever for a few more hours.

"I met him at the ball, actually, and had all- or uh, most of my dances with him, so we got to know each other a bit. Then he was the one that brought me back to my room after the clinic. I guess Nico needed a last-minute driver and figured that having it be someone I already had a connection with would be best."

I nodded at her explanation.

"Were you there that night? I remember looking for you, but I never found you."

"Nah," Was my casual response, "My shoulder was still throbbing from when it got dislocated, so I decided to just stay home and rest."

And I was having a panic-inducing crisis, but we can get into that later.

"I heard that you looked nice though."

"You did?" she asked, puzzled by what I had said.

"Yeah, Xander told me about your dress and such."

"Oh..." Another wave of color crawled across her cheeks.

She had the type of skin tone where it was very easy to notice, even in the dim lighting.

Kind of like Xander, but the freckles somehow aided in making it more noticeable.

Kinda how each passing minute was making my rumbling stomach more noticeable.

I was seconds away from suggesting that we take this conversation over to the kitchen, but I blinked and Nico was just there.

Causing me to jolt and nearly jump out of my skin.

He let out a deep breath, giving away that he'd sped here instead of just appearing out of thin air.

"Hey," He looked to have said to both of us, giving me a nod before focusing his attention on Khloe.

He took a single step closer to her as she spoke.

"It's over already?" She asked him, "I thought it was gonna take a lot longer."

"I did too if I'm being honest, but for a last-minute plan it was executed quite well."

I found myself looking off towards the direction Nico came from as they spoke, glancing around to see if I could find Xander.

Khloe got her half of the Vanderwood brothers back, now where's mine?

My eyes hooded over as more seconds passed and no sign of him appeared.

So, I waited for a pause in the conversation Nico and Khloe were having before I momentarily cut in.

"Did Xander follow you back here?"

Nico blinked at me, turning his head back in the direction I was looking.

"Theoretically. At least that's what he told me he was doing," He looked confused for a moment before settling on something, "He's most likely still not used to his speed here."

Nico's eyes replicated mine from earlier, keeping his gaze where it was and taking a few steps back in the same direction.

Khloe and I shared a confused glance at his weird action.

Our confusion didn't last long though, not when Xander then appeared with a grunt as he ran directly into Nico's now outstretched arm.

I cringed at the mental image of going that fast just to get cut off by an arm in your chest.

Or the strength it took to make stopping a man going that speed with one arm and making it look effortless.

But the look of recognition in Xander's eyes after he blinked back into his senses to see what happened told me that this was not the first time this has happened.

Royals I guess.

A smile overtook it as he looked over to his brother, "Good to know that you're still good at that." He remarked, taking a step back before Nico dropped his arm.

"With the amount of times I've had to do it, it would be embarrassing if I wasn't," Nico replied, "You should work on that before you knock out a fang again by hitting a wall."

Again?

Why haven't I heard that story?

"Just like how you need to work on aiming your pheromone," Xander fired back.

Khloe and I shared a look again, both of our eyes wide in what felt like both shock and a bit of amusement.

Something I still wasn't used to between these two, but was thrilled to see reguardless.

I was somewhat expecting the glare I was so acustomed to seeing on Nico at Xander's reply, but instead got met with a slight smirk that looked almost... proud.

He then shrugged in makeshift surrender, "Yeah, fair enough."

Their attention turned back to Khloe and me, both closing some distance between us.

"Well, It's good to know that at least you two weren't bored," Nico commented as Khloe rose to her feet.

The way he looked at her... for a split second anyway, it looked familiar.

The hand that popped into my vision took my attention away from Khloe filling him in on how we'd spent the afternoon, seeing Xander offer it to help me up.

He did just that as soon as I took it, speaking his next words in a slightly hushed tone.

Nico and Khloe were too invested in what she was saying to have been paying attention anyway.

"I stopped by the kitchen on the way back and had Lily start our dinner. I figured we could eat back in the room."

The sigh I let out was one of relief.

"Thank god, I'm starving."

Especially for her food, cuz, damn she could cook like a goddess.

Xander really wasn't kidding about that.

His quiet chuckle sounded, "I thought you might be."

He turned back towards Nico.

"Were gonna grab dinner and go back to our room, but I'll see you guys at breakfast?"

Nico paused, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"I think Mom's trying to get us to have breakfast as a family tomorrow, and if that's the case then I'm gonna leave Khloe out of it."

"Oh... Yeah, that's probably a good idea for it to just be the four of us." Xander agreed.

I certainly didn't mind one bit.

Not after the cutthroat tension during the last one.

Khloe and I can get breakfast then.

Our eyes met as if we had just shared the same thought.

A raise of my eyebrows and a quick nod from her somehow conveyed to the both of us that we did, and already solidified the plan.

Well, that was... easy.

Maybe Marcus will be there too.

But for now...

I side-stepped in a way where I nearly bumped right into Xander.

I wanted to chow down on some dinner and enjoy the rest of my night with him.

Maybe get some more reading done or he can help me a bit more with my guitar.

So many options... I was gonna have to get used to this freedom quickly.

"Well, in any case," Xander began again, "See ya tomorrow."