Doe's POV:

You'd think with how tired I was that falling asleep would be no issue at all, but I found that to not be the case at all.

I'd curled myself up into one of the corners with my back against the backrest behind me, and my head laying on the one beside me.

It was admittedly comfortable, enough so to where I didn't want to risk shifting and laying down to ruin it.

I was comfy and tired. What else could my body possibly want from me?

Maybe it was just back to that publicity thing, but even that failed to make sense after a while.

All of these people had been near me while I slept at least once so... Maybe just the new area then? Or the faint sounds of the car?

I blinked my eyes open with a disgruntled sigh, peering around me with half-lidded eyes to take in where everyone was.

Khloe was almost directly diagonal from me, sitting on her knees and facing out the window with Nico close beside.

Given the angle, I couldn't read the look on his face since his head was turned directly to her.

Gazing more to my left, I spotted Xander not even two feet away from where I was.

His neck was bent in a way that looked... uncomfortable to rest his head back onto the top of the backrest.

With his height, it just didn't work like it should and left him looking straight up at the roof.

Actually, that's exactly what he was currently doing, slowly blinking as if he was actively fighting off his sleep.

And failing at it, his lids closing for a few seconds and his body shifting ever so slightly towards me before he'd snap them open with a start.

I guess we were both struggling with this for some reason, but why he didn't just decide to lay fully onto the seats was beyond me.

It was the only thing that made comfortable sense all things considered.

With how he was now, whether he can heal it or not, he was gonna wake up with a sore neck and I was gonna have to hear him whine about it.

And that's now how I wanted to spend this long drive.

I didn't think through my clouded mind, only felt my hand leave where it had been resting in my lap to reach towards him.

Taking a soft grip on the upper portion of his sleeve, I gave it a little tug.

His eyes widened and his head rose and turned immediately to face me.

Hm... Maybe that's what I've been missing.

My next heartbeat thumped harder than the rest as a... strange and unprecedented idea came to mind.

I felt the blood pump into my face, eyes slowly peeking over at Nico and Khloe once again to make sure that they were indeed preoccupied.

I was just getting used to showing myself and Xander that I had these kinds of emotions. I didn't need Khloe and Nico knowing too. Yet.

It still just felt very... personal, or something.

I don't know...

Maybe after I can actually get some sleep and gain enough focus to read and absorb that book some of this will make sense.

But for now.

I removed my other hand from my lap and tugged on his sleeve again.

His eyes rounded, glancing between me and my lap, questioning if he was getting my invitation correct.

He better hurry up and take it before I change my mind.

I gave a little nod and a small smile I don't remember agreeing to.

He too turned to look at the other two for a short second, then promptly and quietly began to take my offer

The shade of the skin on his face looked to deepen while he situated his entire body on the cushions, laying on his side and his head finally finding my thighs.

Yeah, that had to be better for his neck.

Though there was tension throughout his body, and his eyes never relaxed from their widened state.

That is until my hand lowered and ran gingerly through his hair, tucking away it from his face.

The tautness in him melted away within seconds, his eyes finally closing with a deep exhale that finalized his relaxation.

Those long dark lashes tipped with blonde twitched for a whole, but that was it.

I felt his purr more than I heard it, the dull vibration radiating close to my leg, easing that unidentified part of me that wouldn't let me sleep.

Strange.

My fingers continue their way through his illegally soft hair for a few minutes, and even when she shifted onto his back.

The last thing I can recall was resting my arm over his chest, and returning my head where it was before to try again at catching some much needed sleep.

~~~

Xander's POV:

"Alright Nico," I began, catching the attention of everyone here, "We're nearly there and you still haven't filled me in on why we had to make such a quick escape."

My words caused Doe to lower the book, her brows raising in interest.

Nico shared a similar look, meanwhile, Khloe almost looked tense.

We'd all somewhat migrated towards the middle of this cabin as the drive went on, and after one of the best naps I've had in my entire life.

I had to shift my focus before I thought about it too much and started purring again.

Nico slowly sat forward from where he was right across from me, Khloe to his right, and Doe directly to mine.

His elbows met his knees before he spoke, "It had a lot to do with your old friend."

I felt myself straighten, brows furrowing.

"Layla?"

A nod and now Doe's book was off to the side and she was paying very close attention.

"Yeah. She got her dad to arrange a way for her to stay in my room for a bit while something in her's got fixed."

She went back to try to get Nico?

After what had happened between us she still didn't quit?

She must be a different level of stupid or incredibly desperate to attempt that knowing the risks that would come from me even if she were to somehow succeed in her endeavor.

Somehow I felt like the last option was more probable.

"Knowing how Bronwyn feels about me, I knew he wouldn't take no for an answer. So I agreed to just stick it out for the few days, but then she got," he paused, letting out a harsh, angry breath, "Complicated."

Khloe shifted, visibly uncomfortable.

There was some hesitance as he looked to her, and then a glance he took between me and Doe.

"Well, I'm sure you're well aware of how she can get towards them," he nodded towards Doe, keeping pointed and knowing eye contact with me.

I felt my heart sink, understanding what he meant embarrassingly fast, followed by that guilt that was always close by at the memory.

I could spot Doe in my periphery looking right at Khloe as he continued.

"There was a mishap, and she ended up being alone in the room with Khloe and decided that then was her time to strike. She wanted a taste of Khloe's blood, and when she fought back, Layla," he paused, a strange look taking over his face for half a second.

I'd never seen it on him, but I knew guilt personally enough to recognize it.

That alone told me that he did care for Khloe. More so than I've seen with, well, anyone outside of our family.

"Layla got ahold of that old whip they gave us as a housewarming present."

Doe's quiet but horrified gasp caused a twist in my gut.

I felt myself inch my hand closer to her to give her whatever comfort I could.

That explained why Khloe was sitting the way that she was.

I don't think I'd seen her use the backrest this entire time.

"When I finally got back to the room and walked in on what she was doing I just... snapped,"

'Snapped'. That's the word he tended to use whenever the more feral part of him managed to come through.

Which was a rare occurrence for him. Save for the bloodmoons outside our territory, he's always been in great sync with himself.

He really cared for Khloe then. Given that I didn't start having major issues with mine until it came down to Doe.

Huh...

"And then...?" I pushed, knowing that both Doe and I wanted to know every detail.

Nico handled things differently than I did, so after going through me, I wanted to know what he did to add to it.

"I whipped her back," He spoke, Doe's eyes nearly leaping out of their sockets, "And then I grabbed her by the throat, told her she was lucky that her status didn't make her worth killing, and told her to stay away from all of us."

Funny, I remember threatening her with something similar, and Nico just so happened to give her a taste.

"Wait wait wait, you're telling me that the reason we had to leave so quickly was because you whipped, strangled, and threatened Layla?" I wanted to hear him confirm it with my own ears while trying to keep too big of a smile off of my face.

"Mhm," he returned to his prior leaned back position, a knowing smile on his face.

After the conversation we had, he knew I'd find this story somewhat satisfying.

A perfect ending of sorts.

"Dude... Like I completely support you and understand why you did it but," I paused in thought, "Bronwyn would have actually killed you if we hadn't bailed."

I knew he didn't care much for Layla if at all, but that wasn't the point.

He didn't like our family and any fight started by my family to his in his territory is something he would not take lightly.

Wars have been started in the past over such trivial matters, and we would have been at a great disadvantage.

That is if she tells him about it.

I had good reason to believe how things ended between me and her will never reach his ears, but that... there was a possibility.

My brother simply shrugged, "That's not really what I was worried about, plus it's not my fault his daughter has no sense of decency." he ended with an edge.

Classic Nico. Act now for the right cause, worry about the consequences later.

He already knew by now that by now we were off the hook.

Bronwyn would never send someone to chase us into our territory. With the shambles his family line was already in, he knew when to pick his battles.

My eyes got drawn to Khloe as she fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, the lashes probably bugging her.

Though, with Nico there to help heal them, maybe they weren't so bad.

"Yeah..." I agreed wholeheartedly, seeing her quickly avert her gaze from me.

Yeah, I deserve that.

"Well, I'm glad someone finally put her in her place, even though she definitely deserved more than what you gave her."

Someone who she actually gave a shit about at least.

I'm sure that losing me only put a damper in her plan,  meanwhile losing Nico completely shredded it into nothing. It was Nico she was after the entire time after all.

I felt an elbow against my arm at Doe's protest to my words.

I could almost hear the words she was trying to convey through the look in her eyes.

'You put her in her place, dumbass!'

"Yeah, I guess," Nico spoke with a tone and look that was conveying a similar message as her's, "I'm just glad that I never have to think about it again."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"True. Layla was a mistake from the start," I breathed out, letting that sink in harder and harder.

"I tried to tell you," Nico reminded.

He did... He really did.

And I went and got myself stuck anyway.

"Yeah, I know. But that was back when I was-" I stopped at the feeling of the breath being torn from my lungs.

All of a sudden my body just froze, heat running its way through the entirety of me.

The sensation of strength and liveliness I've missed all of these years returned to me all in the blink of an eye.

The features and changes that set me aside as a royal-born welcoming me back into my territory.

I'm home.

We're home!

The quick high from the sudden biological change fell away quickly, leaving Nico and me staring right at each other with a wide smile from what we both just experienced.

We then shared a laugh through the excitement of it all.

"I forgot what that felt like," Nico spoke as he flexed his fingers.

I copied his actions, adjusting to the new feeling I knew I would get used to soon enough.

As well as wait for it to all settle back into us, which shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes.

"Me too," I exhaled as I stretched out my neck, "It's like I almost forgot we had royal blood here."

It had just been so long that this whole process completely skipped my mind.

I turned to Doe to see her carefully looking me over.

I knew that change caused my skin to gain a shade or two, but nothing too drastic.

I'm pretty sure that I'm warmer now too... I think.

Not anywhere near her body temperature, but still, an improvement.

"If you don't mind me asking, What just happened?" Khloe's shy voice spoke out, causing us all to turn to face her.

I looked towards Nico, watching him struggle to form a coherent answer.

It was an admittedly complicated thing to feel let alone explain, but my knowledge of the mishap with the Bronwyn family helped me understand it more clearly.

Lucien explained it to me once using a percentage metaphor he came up with from his own experiences, and from there it's made sense.

"Um... it's like," Nico hesitated, looking to me for any input." I don't know how to explain it without going into too much detail and making it sound too confusing."

Ooh. Is this my time to shine?

I think it might be.

"Just think of it like a chemical in our body," I began, ready to blow these peoples minds, "And that chemical is made up of what gives us power as vampires, as well as what gives us a more feral side and keeps us more connected to our own instincts. Normal vampires are born with like 50 percent of this chemical but it goes up to like around 85 percent during the blood moon but it's like an involuntary and uncontrollable 85 percent y'know? But regardless of that, since Nico was the firstborn to a Lord, he was born with like 75 percent and as the second son, I was born with like... I don't know like 68 percent ?"

I had to be somewhere around there... Maybe it was only 70.

"Sure?" Nico agreed.

Whatever.

"Anywho," I began again, trying to recover the final details of how Lucien explained it to me," Our parents or any other Lord and Lady have 100 percent of this chemical, running through their blood, giving them physical advantages that no other vampires have. And so when Nico and whoever he marries becomes a Lord and a Lady, through a process that I really don't understand, somehow they end up with 100 percent and our parents will be reduced back to 75 percent-ish. Anyways, now that you have the background information or whatever, what just happened was that Nico and I got our 25 and 18 percent back. This chemical is only based on our territory that our ancestors set many many years ago and we only get our extra when we're in our own territory. Since we left, we got reduced down to 50 percent just like everyone else, and let me tell you that does not feel good. But yeah...that's pretty much it." I concluded with a proud smile.

One that got doubled while Doe nodded in complete confident understanding

Then got a bit diminished by the confusion written all over Nico.

I'll admit my explanation wasn't perfect, but it was close enough, right?

"What? Was my explanation not good?"

"No. It actually kind of did make sense and that's what I'm confused about." Nico admitted, causing a grin to spread over my face.

"It's OK Nico, you can just say that I was able to come up with a better explanation than you." I teased, taking this opportunity that was so rare to one-up him.

"I'll give you that one, but don't push it," He spoke with that familiar, brotherly warning I hadn't heard in decades.

"I'll take what I can get," I surrendered, relaxing back in my seat.

The second my back hit the leather, that ever-building pressure in my fangs began to show.

Oh shit...

The sudden thirsting tingle in my throat caused me to clear it with a fist in front of my lips in a poor attempt to hide it.

Our bloodthirst here... I didn't think it would become an issue right away.

"So you feel it too huh?" Nico's words brought my attention back to him.

"Mhm," I lowered my fist with a nod, "It's been so long I forgot this was part of it."

"The more in-tune with our instincts we are, the more blood we need in order to keep ourselves from losing it," Nico clarified, and girls beside caught on fairly quick.

A check-in that was much more loud and clear now that my abilities had been enhanced showed a spike in Doe's heartbeat.

But it wasn't out of fear, no... It was similar to that of the last time I bit her, and then we-

Her audible exhale cut off my thoughts, turning to see her tuck away her hair.

The way she looked at me wasn't expectant or anything, she was simply just offering if I needed it.

My own heart was practically jumping for joy, some part of me urging to take the opportunity.

Abso-fucking-lutely not here.

After what happened last time... and now that part of me that couldn't for the life of me hide how I felt about her was more present than ever in this territory.

"Yeah, but the craving just hit me harder and faster than I was expecting," I began, trying to talk through the thought that was causing a blush to creep up my face, "You feel it more than I do. I can't believe you look so calm right now."

He gave another nonchalant shrug, "Oh, believe me, I'm feeling it. I'm just better at hiding it than you."

Right... He's had better practice.

But I knew him well enough to see the other external signs he was currently fighting off.

I dared to look back towards Doe, the sight of her bare neck being the first thing I was met with.

I moved to untuck the hair she had pulled away, trying to get the message across that this wasn't going to be something that she needed to deal with.

And I needed to ignore the urge before the craving decided that it only wanted her blood again.

I wasn't sure how long it was going to be until we could get some privacy, but I knew it wouldn't be anytime soon.

"I guess. Are there any blood bags in the drinks compartment?" I questioned.

We'd gotten a decent look at what was in there, but I didn't go digging around it like I did with the food.

Nico shook his head, causing a negative reaction out of everyone here, "I already checked earlier."

"Oh..." I deflated, the growing ache and need for blood mercilessly growing in me.

Shit...

I bit the inside of my lip as Doe looked at me.

There was concern in her eyes as she mouthed her next question.

'You sure you're gonna be okay?'

I hesitated, and I'm sure that alone gave her the answer she was asking for.

'I'll manage,' I replied, hoping that it'll end up being true.

A quick glance out the window at familiar terrane gave me a slight boost.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing we're close then," I piped up, trying to act natural.

"Yup," Nico followed my lead exactly, "What would you say? Like 10 minutes? Maybe less?"

"Hopefully less," I spoke under my breath.

An uncomfortable silence took over the cabin until Nico shot to his feet.

"I'll tell Marcus to drive faster."