Khloe's POV:

I sat criss-crossed on the foot of the bed, staring absent-mindedly at the closet door.

Nico had a date tonight that he was currently getting ready for.

What I found strange that their date was set for 10:00 pm.

Well, at least it was strange to me. Maybe it was a vampire thing?

My posture straightened as the closet door opened and Nico walked out.

He wore a white dress shirt with black dress pants and a tie that still hung untied around his neck.

His hair was just barely brushed and not fixed at all, letting the natural subtle waves it got whenever he let it airdry show themselves

Which I thought was madly attractive, but he usually only kept it like that when he was staying in most of the day.

I watched as he fixed his collar in the mirror he had on the inside of the closet door, still not touching his tie.

"You're really gonna go on a date looking like that?" I joked, trying to hide the nerves I got every time Nico had a date.

No matter what I tried, I was always on edge until he got back from one.

He grinned at himself in the mirror before turning to face me.

"You seem to think that I actually care how these dates go," he responded.

I shrugged, hopping down off of the bed and onto my feet before walking towards him.

"I just know that you have a reputation that you have to keep up in public."

"Oh yeah?" He questioned as I stepped in front of him, "And what's that?"

I took the two ends of his tie, reciting the steps I learned when I was six in my head, and began tying it for him, much to his surprise.

"The prim and proper Prince of the city," I said, petting down my finished product of his tie.

He grabbed my hand with his, holding it there against his chest as he leaned down a bit.

"Are you saying I look bad?" He asked, his eyes glinting with mischief.

I laughed a bit.

Nico looking bad was quite literally impossible.

"I'm saying you look different is all. The untouched you mixed with the formal."

"Untouched?" he questioned.

"Yeah. Your natural hair," I said, raising my free hand to run through the soft strands, "I like it like this."

He leaned into my hand, tightening his grip on my other.

"Really? I thought it just looked messy."

"It does," I said with a grin, "But I think that's why I like it so much. Its what I wake up to every morning, so why wouldn't I like it?"

His eyes widened for a moment after I spoke, and I swear I saw a hint of color brighten his face.

His grip on my hand released as he breathed out a half sigh half laugh, shaking his head.

"Have I ever told you that you make it nearly impossible for me to will my way through these dates?" He asked.

I smirked in an almost victorious kind of way.

"Have I ever told you that that was the point?" I whispered, tracing the shell of his ear.

He chuckled lowly, hooking his hand around my waist and pulling me close against him.

"And if I wasn't worried about what my father would do to me if I skipped these, I might just submit and stay."

I let out my own sigh stepping back in defeat, knowing that I had to let him leave.

No matter how much I didn't want to.

We both knew that Nico going on these dates meant that his father wouldn't bug him about anything concerning finding him a wife.

"Alright, I guess I'll let you go," I said.

Nico closed the space I had created between us, his hands cupping the back of my neck while his thumbs rubbed against my jaw.

Before I even had time to react he tilted my head up and kissed me deeply.

My hands almost instinctually went to the back of his head to run through his hair as a small mewl fell from my mouth.

And just like that, it was over and he was slowly pulling back, those deep emerald eyes gazing intently into mine.

"I'll try to make this as quick as possible, but no matter what, I'll be coming back late. You had a long day too and I can tell that you're already tired, so you don't have to stay up until I get back."

I tightened my hold on him.

"You and I both know I'm staying up regardless of how late you are," I responded.

No matter how tired I was, I don't even think I could fall asleep knowing that he was out with some girl.

He smirked.

"I know, but I thought I would give it a shot."

He leaned down again, kissing my forehead softly.

" I should probably get going," He spoke quietly.

I took that as a sign that I should probably let go of him and did so accordingly.

"Right," I cleared my throat watching as he walked towards the door, "Have fun."

"I won't, but thanks for the offer," He replied almost immediately, swinging the door open in a care-free way.

Still, my chest tightened as he walked through the door, my eyes trailing to the floor as my worry washed over me.

No matter how much I trusted him or how much he assured me, my mind continued to think the worst.

My anxiety showed itself most during days like this.

In fact, it only really showed itself during days like this.

"Hey," he spoke, shocking me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see him partially out the door, his hand on the knob.

"I..., "He stopped, shaking his head and apparently changing his mind about saying what he was planning on saying, "I'll tell you when I get back."

"O-okay," I stuttered, confused and admittedly surprised.

What could he want to tell me?

Before I could even say anything else, he was gone, leaving me there alone.

I let out another defeated sigh, my shoulders slumping and my previous thoughts returning.

I needed to distract myself somehow if I wanted to get through this.

But before that, I needed to ensure that I was going to be able to keep myself awake.

I glanced at the clock.

Lily usually didn't leave the kitchen until around 11:00. Maybe I should stop by for something to keep my mind off things.

And also help me stay awake.

Yeah. That would be good.

I waited a couple of minutes before actually heading out.

I debating inviting someone, but Doe was most likely with Xander and Marcus was always busy at night.

So, I guess it was just me and Lily.

The walk to the kitchen was strangely... eerie.

There wasn't a single person in sight and it gave me a really off-putting feeling.

The entire floor even seemed too quiet. Every single sound I'd make sounded too loud in a way.

Maybe my already existing nerves were getting the best of me.

Except when I opened the door to the kitchen and no one was there, I knew this weird feeling wasn't just in my head.

Even at this time at night, there were at least a couple of slaves snacking on something in here.

"Oh hey," An unfamiliar voice rang out, "You're Khloe, right?"

I turned towards the bar, surprised to see a boy that I had never seen before there instead of Lily.

"Uh yeah," I began, warily taking a couple steps towards him, "Who are you?"

He looked like a nice boy, maybe a year or two older than me at best.

He was well taken care of too, his dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail to show off his admittedly beautiful brown eyes.

Yet I couldn't help but feel skeptical.

He shook his head, leaning forward against the bar, "My name doesn't matter. Odds are you'll never see me again after tonight since I'm just filling in for Lily for the rest of the night."

"Where is she?" I asked, closing the distance between me and the bar.

"The Lord excused her for a family matter. I think she said something about her sister being sick? I don't know, its really none of my business. But what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile, "You obviously came here for a reason. Can I whip you up anything? I'm not as good as Lily by any means, but I guess Lord Vanderwood must think I'm a close second if he put me in charge," he said, laughing nervously as he rubbed that back of his neck.

For some reason, his nervousness made me relax and take a seat at the bar in front of him.

He actually seemed really nice.

"Well, if its not too much trouble," I began, "I was hoping to get some of that amazing hot chocolate she makes."

His eyes lit up, "Oh I love that stuff! Yeah, I think I know where her recipe is and Ill whip that right up for you."

I thanked him as he headed back into the kitchen, that wave of uneasiness quickly returning with his absence.

What was going on?

Whatever. I'll just grab the drink and head back to Nico's room for the rest of the night.

Nico... I wonder what he's doing right now... How his date is going.

I folded my arms on the bar, resting my head on them while I waited.

The boy came back after a few minutes, a dark blue mug sitting on the tray he carried.

"Here you go," He beamed, setting the steaming mug in front of me.

A smile managed to reach my face as I cupped my hands around the mug, bringing it closer to me.

I leaned down to inhale the scent, pausing immediately when the scent of it literally stung my nose.

I stared down at it wide-eyed.

That was... different.

Still unsure if I imagined that or not, I tried it again and sure enough I got the same outcome.

"Is something wrong?" the boy asked me.

I looked up at him, seeing the genuine concern on his face.

"I know it might not be the exact same as Lily's, but I swear that I followed the recipe exactly." He said.

Oh gosh, now I feel like I had to try it. I really didn't want to hurt his feelings...

I looked down at the cup, preparing myself.

Maybe the taste won't match the smell.

With that in mind, I lifted the cup to my lips and took a drink.

It took everything in my power not to spit it back out.

The flavor was overtaken by something immensely bitter.

It was obvious that the hot chocolate was there, but it was like he had added too much of another component.

Something about it stuck to my tongue and the roof of my mouth.

"So, how is it?" He asked with a hopeful smile.

I held the cup in front of my mouth, hopeful that he couldn't see my expression.

I couldn't tell him that it tasted bad... Not when he tried so hard on it.

Maybe if I just don't breathe through my nose, I can just chug the whole thing and be done with it.

Then I'll go back to Nico's.

"It's really good!" I spoke, raising the cup to my mouth again, ready to put my plan into action.

I only got about four gulps in before a pounding pain in my head forced me to stop and nearly drop the cup altogether.

"You Ok Khloe?" The boys voiced asked.

I looked up to face him but only met with a bunch of moving colors.

I squeezed my eyes shut to see if it would go away but it didn't.

The pounding in my head got stronger, getting to the point where I began to feel dizzy.

I set the cup on the table, placing my hands on it as well to stop myself from just completely toppling over.

The boy stared down at me, patiently as if he was waiting for something, seemingly not noticing my current situation at all.

My heart began thundering in my chest as my panic spiked.

What was happening to me?

My vision went in and out of focus as I stared at the boy.

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"The initial effects should wear off soon, Khloe," The boy began, "After that, you're going to answer a couple questions for me."

What?

I tried to move but only got a stinging pain in my head instead.

"Please don't try to fight it. You'll lose your cognition soon no matter what you try and then you'll be able to shamelessly tell me the things I need to know."

He took a step closer to me, moving the mug away from us.

"I guess I can ask you the first thing I need to know now."

He leaned in close to me, regardless of my futile attempts to move away.

"Tell me about your master."