Chapter 37 — Khloe’s POV
“It’s snowing,” I said quietly, eyes widening as I stared out the window.
I watched the small white flakes fall gently as the sun set behind the mountains, mindlessly setting down my sketchbook and sitting up on my knees.
It had been so long since I’d seen this sight; I had forgotten how much I loved it.
It was just so calming, watching each snowflake drift slowly to the earth.
“Really? Already?” I heard Nico say behind me.
He was beside me within seconds, setting his hands on the window sill near me as he leaned forward.
I put my hands near the window, feeling the cold air as Nico’s eyes scanned the outside.
“Winter came early this year,” he muttered, sounding slightly disappointed.
His disappointment caught me off guard, and my braided hair brushed my back as I turned to look at him.
What about winter could upset him?
Winter was by far my favorite season.
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked.
He just shrugged.
“Not really. It just means the blood collection is going to be cold, which also means the humans will be even less willing to cooperate,” he explained.
I was silent for a moment before responding with a simple, “Huh.”
I had forgotten that the blood collection was tomorrow—that I’d have to return to my city and face many of the people I had once known.
And now, with the added variable of the cold.
I didn’t mind that it was cold as much as the possibility of being recognized.
Even so, I had decided I would rather risk that than spend the day here alone.
I have changed a lot since I was twelve, so maybe they wouldn’t recognize me so easily.
My thoughts were cut short when I felt Nico’s fingers slide behind my neck, his thumb lightly skimming over the healing skin there.
Goosebumps rose on my arms at his gentle touch.
He was just staring at the spot where he had bitten me two nights ago, thinking about something I couldn’t decipher.
He almost looked… guilty.
“H-how does it look?” I asked nervously, my eyes dropping in embarrassment.
He let out a soft sigh and pulled his hand back.
“Fine,” he began. “If the medicine works as it’s supposed to, it shouldn’t leave a scar.”
I gave a silent nod, unsure how else to respond.
For some reason, he really didn’t want this bite to leave any mark.
It was strange, but I didn’t question it.
A knock at the door made both of us turn.
Nico hadn’t mentioned anyone stopping by.
I looked at him, noticing his tense stance mixed with a hint of confusion.
Another knock came, more frantic this time, indicating it wasn’t one of the castle slaves.
“Oh.” He sighed, his body relaxing slightly as he headed toward the door, still looking mildly annoyed.
He patted the couch as he passed, silently telling me to sit.
I quickly obeyed, still uneasy about someone coming.
But if Nico was fine with it… maybe it wasn’t so bad.
I sat cross-legged on the far left side of the couch, facing the door, watching as Nico reluctantly opened it.
“You have to go to the ball!” Xander blurted, letting himself into the room, Doe following closely behind.
Her eyes briefly met mine before dropping to the floor, clearly uncomfortable being here again.
Understandable. But I was more concerned about the two large bruises on her upper arms.
That must have been where Xander grabbed her during the blood moon.
I absentmindedly rubbed my wrists, thankful Nico hadn’t left marks on me.
“No, I insist. Come on in,” Nico said with a mix of annoyance and sarcasm, shutting the door behind them.
Xander, however, looked like he was about to explode.
“Cut the shit, Nicolas! This is important!” he hissed.
His tone made me feel slightly unsafe—not to mention that he used Nico’s full name.
Nico remained calm, crossing his arms and raising a brow.
“Well, Alexander, I take it your little date with Layla didn’t go too well?” he asked, showing little interest.
Apparently, that question struck a nerve; Xander let out a loud growl that made both Doe and me shrink back.
Nico’s eyes met mine briefly before returning to Xander.
He sighed, then began walking toward me.
“Come tell me about it then,” he said, probably forcing the words.
Xander eagerly took the invitation, launching into a tangent as he followed Nico to the couches.
“It started out fine! We were having a grand time looking at pets until I asked her if she would accompany me to the ball!”
He practically threw himself onto the couch facing me as Nico calmly sat beside me, easing my stress.
Doe just stood silently next to Xander.
“Okay… then what did she say?” Nico asked.
“She said she wouldn’t go with me unless I convinced you to go and give her a dance!”
Even with Nico beside me, Xander’s outrage was terrifying.
Nico, on the other hand, remained disinterested.
“So you came here just to convince me to go to the ball?”
“I’ll get on my knees and beg if I have to,” Xander replied without hesitation.
Nico seemed to consider this, a small smirk forming briefly.
Still, he didn’t answer. So Xander tried another tactic.
“Come on, dude! It’ll be fun! Food, girls, music, blood slaves—you just leave your pet in your room so she won’t get in the way! It’s stress-free! Come on, Nico, live a little!”
That last part threw me off.
The pets were just left in the room all night?
Nico leaned back, eyes thoughtful.
“Fine. Tell Layla I’ll go if she allows the pets and slaves to attend like she did a couple years back.”
Xander’s eyes lit up, mine widened.
“Hell yea—wait, why do you want the pets and slaves to be able to come?”
I’d been wondering the same thing.
Nico simply shrugged.
“It’ll give them something to do and might make it less boring,” he said.
Xander didn’t push further, likely fearing Nico would change his mind.
“Okay. That was easier than I thought. I’ll let her know.” Xander stood, his signature smirk returning.
He took a step toward the door before Nico spoke again.
“You know she’s using you, right?”
Xander paused, looking almost offended.
“How so?”
“She’s using you to get to me,” Nico said.
“And?”
Nico rolled his eyes.
“And she only wants me for the title and the power she’d gain if she convinced me to marry her.”
I raised a brow while Xander turned fully toward us, anger returning.
“So because of your stance in the family, you think you have a better chance with her?”
Nico sighed, rubbing his forehead.
“No, all I’m saying is she’s a gold digger who knows about our father. Go for her if you want—I have no interest—but keep in mind what she wants.”
Wait…
“Well then, if you’re not interested, your worries about her using me don’t even matter, right?” Xander’s mood lightened at Nico’s words. “Even if she wants you for power and you don’t, she’d probably just get with me anyway, so…” He shrugged.
“Wait—you’re brothers?!” I blurted, too shocked to hold back.
Three sets of eyes fell on me as silence filled the room. I didn’t care—I was just trying to piece everything together.
Instead of scolding me, Xander laughed.
“You didn’t tell her?” he asked Nico.
“It’s not something I’m proud of,” Nico mumbled.
My mind raced, recalling every interaction and trying to process this new information.
Nico and Xander are brothers.
That… actually explained a lot.
But still… it was so weird to process.
Looking at Doe, I could tell she already knew.
Was I the only one missing something?
“I thought she would have figured it out. I mean, we don’t look that different,” Xander said.
Nico’s eyes furrowed.
“Your hair is blonde and mine is pitch black. How does that look similar?”
Xander shrugged.
“Don’t hate just because I got mom’s hair. But ignoring that, we’re pretty similar.”
“How the hell?” Nico asked quietly.
I honestly didn’t see much similarity.
“We both have green eyes,” Xander pointed out.
“Mine are prettier,” Nico added.
Well… he had a point.
Xander scoffed. “Okay, whatever. I didn’t come here to talk about our relationship. I’ll tell Layla to allow the pets and slaves to attend, and you’ll come to the ball. Deal?”
“Deal.”
