Doe's POV:

Okay... I'll admit. The drive was a whole lot colder than I thought it would be.

That fact started my list of things NOT to mention when Xander inevitably asks for all of the details when I get back.

Which I would allow since I wanted to know everything about the conversation we would be having with Nico.

I wondered if he happened to be doing that now.

The thought quickly got overridden.

This was Xander we were talking about. I'd confidently bet that he'll procrastinate and do it tomorrow.

Well, as long as it gets done.

It was just a big step on his long journey of fixing the mess he'd made.

I cringed a bit with my next inhale, the cold feeling like it was stinging my sinuses and down into my lungs.

Every girl around shivered with me, their quiet whispers dying down as we came to a stop and the engines died down into nothing.

There was nothing around to give off any sort of light. The lights from the main city were too far from view, and the clouds were hiding any light the moon wanted to give us.

A couple of surrounding girls gasped as the multiple sounds of car doors opening and slamming shut began almost in unison.

"Alright, boys! Unload em' and gather em' up!" a deep voice shouted from my right, followed by the immediate crunching of snow and gravel.

That and the very unnerving sight of nothing but their eyes glowing through the dark, surrounding where we were all already trapped.

The metal groaned as they pulled open the door to our cart, the sound of rustling chains and clips following as they one by one lead us out.

Either everyone here is new, or they were just doing things differently because this was taking a lot longer than it usually did.

Or maybe it just felt that way.

I've learned that time tends to slow down whenever I'm cold, and I just wanted to get into that building that I couldn't see but knew was there.

Eventually, I was lead out and lined up in what felt like the back row of pets.

Just to be nearly blinded by the lights surrounding where we stood as they were abruptly switched on, showing the position we were all in.

All of us were completely circled by vampires holding a... wide variety of 'disciplinary items'.

This felt like overkill.

At least out of everything I've gone through with Layla, a thought process like this was something I could appreciate every once in a while.

The realization that nothing else really scared me because I've already gone through worse.

Or maybe it was mixed with the knowledge that after seeing Xanders 'sadistic' act for years, I found some of the hard glares and stern postures of half of these vampires hard to believe fully.

There was also just the change that I was completely wrong on all accounts. Who knows?

I kept my eyes narrow as I scanned the area, confirming that I was indeed in the last row of many.

I risked turning my head behind me, fully aware that the vampire behind me might not find that acceptable.

Ah. Never mind. It was just Erik.

Who once he noticed my gaze, gave me a very similar look he held when Xander approached him earlier today.

Some unnerve settling in his light blue eyes before he looked away, taking a half step back.

The sight of him for some reason tugged the memory of the last words Xander said to him into my thoughts.

'Yes,' The word alone was cold and final, leaving no chance for a debate. A weird combination to hear coming from him with the knowledge that it was genuine and not part of one of his weird acts, 'You will.'

...

Why did I just get goosebumps?

Probably the cold...

I turned around.

"Alright pets," A Vampire stepped up onto a small platform in front of our 'human group', "All of you should know by now how this works, but as I've learned over the years, you humans are too incompetent to remember and it pisses me off having to repeat myself so listen up!"

This dude's compensating for something.

"The checkups start tomorrow morning after breakfast. Until then you'll be kept in cages with one other pet. It's up to you to decide who you're sharing with because none of us could care enough to do it for you."

What? Cages?

Well, this was already different from last time.

I guess after the fight last time, they had to make some alterations.

So I probably could have brought my jacket and gotten away with it...

I'll make that the second thing on my list of things not to tell Xander.

Mutters broke out all around me, silencing as he started talking again.

"If you're not asleep by 11 you better be quiet because if you manage to wake one of us up, let me assure you, you won't like the consequences."

They gave us this same speech last time and yet some of us acted out anyways.

I'm sure they love it when we do, so I have no idea why they play the decency card in trying to tell us beforehand.

I crossed my arms in an effort to warm up, or at least stop some of this shivering.

"Let me just make myself clear right here and right now. This is not a vacation for you. This isn't a break from your life as property. If you screw around or step out of line, I'm sure you're masters won't mind us correcting your disrespectful behavior in any manner we see necessary. Am I clear?"

I nervous breath blew out behind me.

Some of the girls nodded.

"Excellent," he looked a little too happy about all of this, "Now pair up!"

His words make me perk up.

Oh. We're doing this now?!

I scanned over the crowd, watching half of these girls just grabbing the person next to them.

Which I guess could be the easy way out, but If I was going to be stuck with this person for the next two days, I felt like there was some more consideration to be had.

Although it's not like I had much of a choice.

Wait...

Khloe!

Yes, she'd be perfect!

We may not know each other very well, and the times we have interacted have been... questionable, but we had enough in common when I'd take her over anything.

Maybe this could be a good chance to meet each other... properly.

Well, as proper as this could be.

I took a step forward, standing up onto my toes to try to find her over everybody else.

She was on the shorter side, but her hair was unlike most.

And that's exactly how I spotted her near the front, that curly red hair flipping as she looked around while all of the people beside her paired off.

I quite literally ran the moment I saw her, weaving through everyone on my way up the rows, grabbing her wrist like I was racing against someone to get her first.

She jumped in surprise, which quickly, and thankfully melted into relief once she saw who I was.

"Are y-y-you um... available?" My shivering broke through my admittedly awkward words.

I quickly noted the dark hoodie she was wearing, which with the way it fit, looked to be Nico's.

Huh. Good for her.

That thought soon became good for me when her warmer-than-mine hand covered where I was still holding on to her, answering my question with an eager nod.

"Holy crap you're warm," The words just kinda... came out of me.

I'll admit, I wasn't used to being around someone who was warmer than me, and especially now it was comforting in a different sense.

Nor did I know how to talk to her quite yet.

I did still feel guilty for what happened between us and Xander soon after Nico got her.

And although my presence eased some of it, I could still see her thick agitation with this whole ordeal we were stuck in

I didn't know which pet shop she came from or what her upbringing as a pet was. all I knew was that when I first saw her, it was evident that she didn't come from any place that treated her well.

So I figured to try to make up for the past, the least I could do was help her through all of this.

Or I guess she was going to be helping me through this because not long after the words left my mouth, her arms wrapped themselves around my middle.

I think I caught my surprise before it showed itself outwardly, the heat I could feel from her easing my mind before it could panic about the fact that she wasn't Xander.

She wasn't Xander, but she wasn't Layla either.

She wasn't a threat.

I held her to me, tight. Trying to soak up as much as I could while she was offering it.

I think this was the first time I've ever gotten a hug.

Or... maybe it wasn't. Was the thing I've done with Xander classified as a hug?

The positioning just felt different, and the initial feeling, so maybe not.

Although this did feel good, it felt... a different kind of good with Xander.

I need to stop thinking about him before he gives me a headache without even being here for me to blame him for it.

I sunk my nose into the thick fabric of the hood that bunched at her shoulder to try to aid in warming it.

Yeah, this... definitely smelled like Nico's room.

Which was evocative in of itself but gave me a hit of disappointment that it wasn't the other brother instead.

What... No, this was getting out of hand.

I needed to stop thinking about him and just focus on getting through this as fast as possible.

Think about the things I want to do with my life now that I can.

"Thank you," I breathed into the cloth.

With all that that I need to think about, and with Khloe to talk to, this should all go by quick.

Yeah... this shouldn't be so bad.