Chapter 36 — Khloe’s POV
There was a noticeable lack of pets at the dinner table.
I tried not to think about it too much until I finished my food.
Nico had told me I needed to eat to help me recover faster, so I hurried through my meal before the reality of what happened to the others could hit me.
So many of them were gone—just overnight. Like a massacre.
And no one but me seemed to be bothered by it.
Sometimes I forget that this was a common occurrence for every vampire here.
As far as I knew, all the pets who had been here yesterday morning would be replaced by new ones by tomorrow.
“So I guess eight was too many for Doe to survive then?” Nico asked the vampire to his right.
I turned my head slightly at the mention of her name.
She wasn’t with Xander, which pretty much meant only one thing.
I felt my shoulders slump as the confirmation sank in: she was gone.
Even though we hadn’t really known each other, I felt upset that she was gone.
“Hm?” Xander leaned away from his food, raising a brow. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his mouth half full.
Nico just looked at him for a moment, trying to determine if he was serious.
“Your pet, Xander. She’s not here, so I’m assuming she’s dead,” he said casually.
Xander blinked before swallowing the food in his mouth.
“Oh… no, she’s fine,” he replied normally and took another bite.
Both Nico and I were surprised to hear him say that.
“Define ‘fine,’” Nico prompted.
Xander’s eyes shifted to the side. “She’s, uh… alive?” he said.
Okay, he was definitely acting weird.
“Why did that sound more like a question than an answer?”
“I don’t know! Why am I being questioned all of a sudden?!” he snapped, making me flinch back against Nico.
Nico didn’t even react to Xander’s unusual outburst, but his thumb lightly rubbed my leg, soothing me as I flinched.
“Well, someone’s hostile,” he said calmly, taking a sip from his glass.
Xander sighed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. Both hands ran through his hair before he finally rested his head on them.
“I’m stressed as shit, dude,” he muttered quietly.
I had to think about his words for a second.
Wasn’t he the one who always said that living without a care in the world was easier than stressing?
Nico’s brows rose, a very amused smirk forming.
“Wow, really? You stressed? That’s unheard of,” he said with a mix of amusement and sarcasm I had never seen from him before. “What on earth could be stressing out the champion of not giving a shit?”
It was obvious he liked seeing Xander like this.
And to be honest… so did I.
Xander took a deep breath, his confident expression nowhere in sight.
“Layla told me she was going to look for a new pet tomorrow, so I panicked and told her I’d go with her because I needed a new one too,” he explained quickly, worry now etched on his face.
All three of us sat in silence for a moment.
The first thing I remembered when I heard the name “Layla” was that she had sucked her pet dry simply because she was bored.
I quickly pushed that thought aside when Nico started laughing.
It was a quiet laugh, not drawing much attention, but vampires were beginning to leave the dining hall, so he didn’t have to hold back.
I had never heard him actually laugh before, so this was new to me.
It was smooth and perfectly suited him.
And the smile he wore while laughing… I wasn’t used to seeing that either. Wow.
“So you’re hiding Doe from Layla since you couldn’t think of any other excuse to go with her?” he asked through laughter.
“I’m not hiding her!” Xander quickly defended. “I’m just… giving myself more time to think about how I’m going to do this. I literally lied to Layla, Nico.”
Nico just shrugged.
“You could just get another pet. Give Doe someone to play with.”
“I don’t want another pet, and I’m not getting rid of Doe.”
Nico sighed, leaning back in his chair.
“Did you specifically tell her that Doe was dead?” he asked.
“No.”
“Then I don’t see what the problem is.”
Xander let out a small growl.
“The problem is I told her I needed a new pet, and I don’t!”
Nico rolled his eyes.
“I think you’re reading too much into this,” he said. “Just tell her that none of the pets there interest you, and you’ll just help her choose one for herself.”
Xander thought about it.
“What if she realizes I lied?”
Wow. He really cared what this girl thought of him.
Nico scoffed. “Believe me, Xander, I’m pretty sure you can lie your way out of this one. Plus, Layla may be a Bronwyn, but she’s not a genius.”
My brows furrowed. She must be the Lord’s daughter. I didn’t even know he had a daughter.
“I heard my name!” An unfamiliar voice sang out.
All three of us turned to see a blonde vampire striding toward us, smiling.
Xander immediately sat up straighter.
I leaned back against Nico nervously but couldn’t help studying her features.
Frankly, she was beautiful.
Her straight hair was pulled into a half-ponytail, showing off every perfect feature.
Her eyes were golden, like her father’s—which was a little unsettling.
Even so, it didn’t detract from her looks.
I let out a soft sigh.
No wonder humans envied vampires’ beauty.
In fact, this was the first time in a long while that I actually envied one.
Nico lifted his hand in greeting. Meanwhile, Xander seemed frozen, struggling to form words.
Seeing him like this made him so much less intimidating. I guessed a pretty girl was his only weakness.
“Hey, Layla!” he exclaimed with newfound excitement.
She smiled at him, leaning her arms on Nico’s chair.
“So, what were you guys talking about?” she asked.
Xander didn’t miss a beat.
“I was just telling Nico about our plans for tomorrow,” he said, beaming.
She hummed, glancing at Nico with a grin. “Oh really? You can come too if you want, Nico,” she offered, running a single finger through his hair.
I looked down at my lap, noticing the hurt flash across Xander’s face, fleeting but unmistakable.
She really wanted him to go.
“Nah, I’m good,” Nico replied, sounding disinterested.
I was surprised when he ran his fingers down my hair. “I’ve already got a pet.”
I turned just in time to see the glare she had fixed on me before her smile returned with a subtle, “Oh.”
Nico seemed done with the conversation, so he said nothing more.
But Xander cleared his throat and brought it back immediately.
“So, why are you down here at this hour?” he asked. “Don’t you usually eat with your dad?”
She nodded, removing her arms from Nico’s chair.
“Yeah, but he put me in charge of the ball this year, so I was just finishing up putting up the fliers,” she explained, holding up a small stack.
“It’s time for the ball again already?” Nico asked, sounding unenthused.
“Mhm. In about two weeks,” she said. “You should come this time—it’ll be more fun since I’m hosting it. Plus, you still owe me a dance.”
Nico leaned forward slightly, my back touching his torso.
“Yeah… we’ll see,” he said.
The conversation died once more, and Xander couldn’t revive it.
“Well, I have to finish putting these up,” she said, stepping forward. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see ya,” Xander responded.
We watched her walk away.
Xander’s head whipped back to Nico as soon as she was out of sight.
“I hate you,” he spat.
Nico wrapped his arms around my stomach, resting his head atop mine. And, as unusual as it sounds, I kind of liked it.
“Oh yeah? The feeling’s mutual, but what’s the reason this time?” Nico asked.
“Why does she like you more than she likes me?!”
Nico shrugged. “Dunno. I’ve literally never given her a reason to like me. Her dad pretty much hates me, so I don’t know what her deal is.”
Xander growled and abruptly stood.
“Whatever. I’m gonna ask her to the ball tomorrow anyways.”
I thought I heard a tinge of jealousy in his voice.
Nico smirked.
“Have fun with that.”
