-Lucien-

I spun my pen between my fingers, laying my head back against the backboard of my bed.

I was thinking through the details of how I felt throughout the day, making sure that I'd written down everything accurately.

Living like this, and with the assistance of Erik for accuracy and realism purposes, I'd fabricated this type of percentage system pertaining to instinctive presence and ability. Where the typical, normal vampires sit at fifty percent, and Lords and Ladies sit at one-hundred. With royal children funneling down the middle.

Then of course, variations for nights like the bloodmoon or life-threatening situations.

I think I remember even explaining it to that second Vanderwood son once after Layla mentioned it in front of him.

From there I used it to gauge to what percentage I felt like I fell in. Since with each new day, or fall from am instinctive focus dropped me somewhere random, I got into the habit of tracking it in these journal-type things.

I diagnose myself with a percentage and jot down the symptoms that came with it, from the internal pestering and aches, to the chills, my energy level, my ability to sleep, all of it.

Then I'd hand them over to Erik. He said he'd been trying to look for some kind of pattern or inconsistency. Something to help him make sense of it when I'd given up hope for sense a long, long time ago.

I faced back down to what I'd written.

Today was... fine. Better than yesterday for sure, but I still classified it at around a 54.

Deeming it good enough, I shut the book and set both it and the pen on my nightstand.

It was late, but I didn't see sleep being attainable for a few more hours. That, and Kira hadn't yet come back from... wherever she'd been hanging out all day.

Which was good given that it meant that I got a full day of relative peace and privacy.

Maybe she got in Evie's way somehow, and was now going through hell for it.

I sagged into my spot with a long breath, stretching out my arms and redying my attempt to warm up using just these blankets alone.

The ringing of the phone ruined my planning and worked to further dampened my mood.

I just stared at it through the narrow slits of my eyelids, finally deciding to pick it up after the third ring.

The thought that it may have been Kira's alleged boyfriend worked up enough curiosity to make me just not let it ring until it went to voicemail.

"Go ahead," I spoke into it.

"Prince Lucien," Derryk's voice greeted from the other side of the line, "I uh... I have Kira here in the dining room with me and she's," he paused for a long few seconds, "Very intoxicated."

My brows furrowed at his words, feeling a roll of my eyes approaching.

Though, I suppose I did tell her to direct her wide range of emotions somewhere else.

"Right now she's out cold, and I can't get her to wake up. I've tried all I'm permitted to do, but nothing worked. I mean this as respectfully as possible, it's late and I'd like to go home... and I don't want to just leave her here like this."

Glancing at the clock, it was well after his typical work hours.

He had a wife and young daughter to get home to. Most of us here had the decency to respect his 'unofficial' hours.

"Right," I breathed out, shifting myself up further in preparation to go deal with this.

"I know I can't actually touch her without your permission, sir, but if you'd like, I can try to walk her back to your room or-"

"No, don't overwork yourself," I broke in, "I'll come and get her."

He's done more than enough dealing with her, and at the end of the day, she was my responsibility. Legally that is.

"Of course. I... apologize for the inconvenience."

"Don't sweat it," I swung my legs over the side of my bed, raising to my feet, "I'll be there in five."

I clicked the phone back down after that, tearing myself from my bedroom and towards the door.

I  didn't take her as the type to turn to this sort of thing, though I suppose there are worse things to do to deal with what she was going through.

I could critique her choices, but I wasn't a hypocrite.

The halls were as empty as they should be this late at night. All the slaves were tucked away, Layla was most likely already asleep, and Adi and Evie already tending to their own business in their rooms after their dinner with father.

It only took me three minutes to get to the dining hall, pushing the doors open to spot Derryk first on the other side of the bar than he was usually.

He was sitting on a stool two seats away from where I'd seen her at lunch today, quickly jumping to his feet the moment I stepped in.

He stayed quiet until I got close enough to get a better view of the situation at hand.

Kira was completely doubled over face first on the counter, one arm bent underneath her, and the other stretched out and hanging off of the far edge.

All signs in her showed that she was indeed out cold.

"I know I didn't ask before serving her, since you've never said anything in the past. I thought it would be fine, but she just kept asking for more." His voice was littered with a worry uncharacteristic of him.

"It's fine, and I still don't care to have a say in what she consumes. Hopefully, she'll live and learn, but feel free to cut her off whenever you see fit next time."

He didn't respond with words, just nodded and took a step back.

I went ahead with my quickly formulated plan to make this work, grabbing a firm hold of her upper arm, and spinning the stool by kicking the little foot ledge on the bottom until she was facing me.

Already I could hear her internal workings show signs of her attempting drunken consciousness.

She reeked of alcohol from every angle. I couldn't imagine during the last few that it all ended up in her mouth.

The place and the dishes had already been cleaned spotless so there was no other proof aside from her body.

She wasn't too keen on me picking her up to move her, I'd figured, but I think she'd prefer it to being dragged.

I just needed to get her out of the kitchen. If she fights me too hard after that, I'll just leave her on the floor in the halls.

I didn't have the patience in me right now to get punished for cleaning up a mess she stirred together.

I bent down once she was in the right spot, sliding an arm against her lower back until I could pull and hoist her body over my shoulder.

That's what got the first long groan out of her with some minimal movement.

"Have a good night." That was all I said to Derryks wide eyes before turning to make my leave.

With each step it felt like she was coming further back to her senses, the first broken word from her coming nearly as soon as I was back in the main corridor.

"Wh... huh?"

I could feel her shifting, pushing against my back with her hands and lifting her head as soon as her hands kept slipping.

I continued on unbothered, aiming to just get back to my room and shut her in hers.

A few more long droned sounds and borderline whines came until she finally managed to push herself up and I guess gain a single semblance of her bearings.

Or at least who was carrying her, because she then somehow mustered a drunken energy I don't think any normal person could obtain.

"Oh Goood! No Nnno get o-off me!" The volume she spoke at made me flinch and wince, leaving me blowing out a harsh breath and walking a little faster.

"You're the one on me, and I can already tell I'm going to stink like you already," I replied.

More grumbling and weird shifting left me altering my hold, then prompting more of her slurred, broken speech.

"Get," She paused to take in a few deep breaths, prepping her lungs to start screaming again if I really had to guess, "Get away from me you- you uglee, trapping, piece of shit mosquito! I hate you!"

"Uh huh," I flatly drawled, trying to just force my ears to tune out her angered tone.

" I hate this place, with all of your prissy royals, and your sec... seckurity measurs," Her tone died from a yell down to a whine, "And your weird heated towel racks, a-and that weighted blank't, and all-a this free food."

Okay, weird direction to go, but whatever.

It followed with her pathetically beating her fists against my back, and feet trying to kick my front.

Lucky for her it wasn't enough to make me drop her entirely but did raise the question of just how drunk she'd become so I could estimate what was going to be in store for her tomorrow.

If I was going to need someone to clean up vomit, I'd rather know about it now.

I don't see just asking her to bring my any sort of benefit, and it was too late now to turn around and bother Derryk any further for more details.

I focused on the skin of her ankle she was kicking back and forth, and before thinking about it any further, I took a hold of one.

She stiffened all over once I had it, then tried in vain to fight me as I pulled it to my face and angled my head.

I didn't bite, just quickly swiped a fang across an inch of her skin deep enough to draw blood.

I was still wary of what her blood could do to me and didn't want to risk my own control by biting.

"Ow! Asshole!" She yelped right before I ran my tongue over what I'd done, cleaning the blood and erasing the wound.

It wasn't much blood, maybe five drops maximum, but the effects still flared to life the second the taste hit my tongue and fell down my throat.

The speed and intensity had me straightening and sucking in a breath at the feeling of my natural vampiric warmth heating my body, and my exhaustion vanishing completely.

The subtle aches I'd gotten used to, and the constant feeling in my chest... gone.

I didn't want to focus on it, or relish in its effects in a way that would make me get addicted.

I'd found what I'd been looking for. The fact that I could detect even a trace of alcohol in her blood meant that she'd had far too much.

"The hell was that for?" She bit, tearing her ankle away as soon as I let her.

"Shut up. You can get mad at me tomorrow if your brain isn't fried."

"My brain is fine!" She insisted, "You're the one who de-deservs to be fried."

Her drunk logic was... something.

"You don't get an opinion until you're sober," I told her, and her response was impressively immediate.

"You don't deserve opinions neither with you...r GROSS ass drink of choose!"

My drink of what?

It hit me a moment later, the thought of her trying what Derryk typically served me pulling at the corners of my mouth.

"Yeah? You think I drink it for the taste?" I entertained.

I blame her blood for giving me the energy to even consider letting this conversation go on.

"I think you drink it because you're insane!" She yelled.

Close enough, but fucking hell was she loud.

I didn't respond back to that, and in response, she just continued muttering more things had 'hated' about this place and me. As well as criticizing my alcohol preferences and giving reasons why her's was 'ten thousand times better'.

Her voice would vary from that obnoxious yell, to having her voice get muffled since she was just talking into my shirt.

Either way, she never stopped. I didn't have to add anything to the nonsensical conversation for her to carry it all by herself.

Her voice had mellowed out by the time we reached the door.

I was ready to just drop her on the couch and not stop until I was back in my bed, but decided to be nice for once.

I could understand the process of even exchange. I took her blood, and It gave me energy. I can use that to get her to her bed.

If she were a normal pet, such things probably wouldn't be considered, but rogues were a different case.

A bed would be easier to clean that stench and probably vomit off of anyway.

She began to wriggle and staggardly push herself up again as soon as I walked into the bathroom.

"Clench your teeth," I directed while approaching her bed.

I didn't need her biting her tongue or something with what I planned next.

She followed, or I think she did with the little squeak she made, and I didn't wait for a further tell.

I went ahead and leaned forward, letting gravity do some of the work in plopping her down awkwardly onto her bed.

When I straightened again she was staring with rounded eyes up at the ceiling , fingers rubbing into the soft furr-like texture the top comforter had.

Absolutely gone, that girl, but at least now she was quiet.

The last time I had her blood before bed, I remembered falling asleep rather easily, and I was ready to test that theory again.

With her settled, I turned and walked back the way that I came.

"I don't know who would willingly deal with you while you're drunk."

"Ooooh yeah? Gabe used to love it." She said with a proud pep, like proving me wrong was her greatest life accomplishment.

It caused me to stop right in the doorway.

Gabe?

It took me a second to remember who that name belonged to. I'd only heard it very quietly spoken when she was leaving voicemails.

"Your boyfriend?" I clarified just to make sure.

The way she said it just... rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn't immediately figure out why.

"Oh yeah," she replied with a dramatic wave of her hand, "He'd be aaaall over me."

I blinked through processing the words, mixing it with what I'd already figured from this... relationship.

None of it was sitting right with me, and this girl was so strange with certain things. Her roguery, her dad's weird behavior with her blood, her boyfriend that seemingly wants nothing to do with her.

I didn't like it, but it made me curious.

Again, I was blaming it on her blood for even letting my thoughts drift this far and for feeling like this was something that I could handle dealing with.

It was shitty, but when was I going to get the chance to get this information out of her other than now? When she was openly blabbering about anything she could think of?

"He'd fuck you drunk?" Again, clarification.

"Yeeeah, duh," Her response was so casual.

"Both of you drunk?"

"No," She scolded like I was the idiot for asking, "He has immportnt things to do, he doesn't drink."

My brows pinched together, trying to recall if humans were just different with their stances of decency. Not that vampires were much better.

I waited a moment in thought, debating whether or not this was something wanted to waste time on

"Got any more stoooopid questions, freak?"

My mind got made up there, taking a step back into the room.

"Actually, yes."