Vivian sat on one of the couches in the living room, the curtains of the shades pulled back to allow the sunlight to spill into the room. A sketchbook laid in her lap, a pencil in one hand as she sketched a vase that sat atop a table across from her. It had been a few days now that she'd been at the estate, and she felt completely trapped. She was basically stuck in the bedroom, only really leaving if Kit was with her. It made her feel like this place was dangerous. Maybe she wasn't safe here after all.

They hadn't spoken about the kiss nor the moment they had when they first arrived. A couple days had passed and both of them pretended everything was normal. That there wasn't something blossoming between them.

"Can we go outside?" Vivian asked suddenly, dropping her sketchbook and looking up to the vampire that sat across from her.

Kit sat with a book in his hands, leg crossed over his knee. When Vivian spoke he looked up from his book, meeting the woman's eyes. "Outside?"

Vivian nodded. "It's just getting kind of... stuffy in here."

The vampire hesitated, but then nodded. "There are some gardens we can walk around." He said, closing his book and standing. "Some fresh air might be nice."

"Really?" Vivian closed her scrapbook and stood as well.

The vampire just nodded before heading to the door. "Put some shoes on."

The two of them leave the bedroom and head downstairs. They pass a number of different people on the way, Vivian noticing red eyes on her. Not only that, but the way they looked at her, like she was some kind of meal- it made her insides shutter and she walked closer to Kit.

"Am I really safe here?" She asked as they walked through glass doors that lead outside. It was the evening, the sun just about to set. The sky was shades of blue and purple as night quickly took over. "There's so many..."

"Vampires?" Kit finished her sentence, looking down at her. "Yes, you will be safe here." He said, raising his eyes to the garden they were approaching. "I have made sure of that."

We are lovers. Kits words play in her mind. "Because we're lovers?"

The vampire cleared his throat. "Yes."

They continued to walk in silence, their arms brushing every few steps. The crisp cool air felt good on Vivians face, the woman tilting her head back and looking up to the sky. Clouds hovered above her, painted a deep orange from the setting sun. Bringing her head back down, she looked at the gardens in front of her, and gasped.

Stretching out in front of her were rows of green shrubs, blooming flowers and creeping vines crawling up pine trees. It looked like spring, not winter. Taking a few steps forward, she took in the sight. It was beautiful. "How... how is it so green? It's December?"

"Niccolo had these gardens enchanted." Kit said, walking past Vivian and to a bush with tiny red flowers. His fingers ran across the petals, gentle and slow. "It is always spring here."

Vivian just stood where she was and looked around, completely stunned. "That's amazing." She said, a little breathless. Slowly, she moved to stand besides Kit, looking down at the tiny red flowers. "Thank you for bringing me here."

Kit turned to look at her, seeming to notice their closeness and took a step back. "It is nothing." The vampire said in a cool voice, guarding whatever feelings that must have been going through him. "You said you wanted to go outside."

"You could have just taken me out the front door and I would have been happy." She said, staying where she stood, despite wanting to close the distance.

"That would not have been good enough." Kit expressed, looking down to the red flowers again. There was something hiding in his words, but Vivian couldn't figure it out.

"Kit." Vivian spoke his name softly, and she could see the way the vampire clenched his jaw. She wanted to mention the kiss, wanted to quell whatever this was in between them that was forming, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She remembered his voice, the way he pleaded with her, and she thought better of it. "I appreciate it."

The vampire lifted his eyes to her then, meeting her gaze. His eyes were heated with the words that failed to be shared between them. "Of course."

He had taken her back inside after that.

The following morning, Kit was sleeping in the bed while Vivian sat by the fireplace, wood crackling in the hearth. She had a blanket thrown over her lap, watching the fire dance over the wood. Her body ached with a need to do something, anything. The stroll in the gardens earlier was nice, but it wasn't enough. She still felt trapped.

So the woman grabbed her coat, slipped it on along with her shoes, and left the room silently. Vivian figured she should be fine, Kit did emphasize on the fact she was safe, so when she began to retrace her steps to the back door, she didn't feel any fear. There was no one in the halls as she walked, and she assumed it was because of the fact that most vampires slept during the day.

Once she reached the glass doors that led outdoors, she pushed them open and stepped out. The cool December air hit her face, Vivian sucking in a quick breath. It was much colder this morning than it was yesterday evening, which would make sense as the sun hadn't risen very far. She walked towards the gardens, feeling the slight change in temperature as she reached them. It melted the snow that clung to her eyelashes.

Vivian found a stone bench to sit on that was underneath a small willow tree near the edge of the garden. Beyond, the woods enclosed the property. She could hear the birds sing through the trees, the wind moving through the pine boughs. It was peaceful, relaxing. Vivian closed her eyes and allowed her surroundings to drown out her senses. She stayed like that for a while, simply sitting and enjoying the feel of spring.

A high pitched whistle shook her from her relaxation, Vivians eyes opening and scanning the area around her. There was no one around her though. The gardens were empty. But she heard the whistle again, coming somewhere within the trees she noticed as she stood. Fueled by curiosity, she stepped away from the safety of the gardens and towards the woods, trees tall and foreboding.

It only took moments for the trees to swallow her, the sunlight becoming dimmed through the thick boughs. A sudden sense of panic overtook her as she looked behind her, realizing she was much farther from the estate than she probably should be. So she turned on her heel and headed back towards the garden.

That was until something obstructed her eyes, something else shoved in her mouth and tied behind her head. Vivian screamed, the sound muffled by the fabric in her mouth. Hands grabbed her, lifted her from the ground and threw her over someone's shoulder. Shit, shit! Vivian struggled, but whoever held her had a strong grip. She couldn't see anything, but she knew they were taking her further away from the estate.

Vivian kicked and screamed as much as she could, but whoever was holding her didn't let go. They walked for a while, the woman causing a ruckus the whole time. At some point they did stop, and Vivian was placed on the ground. Snow seeped into the fabric of her pants.

"That should be far enough." An unfamiliar voice said as fingers brushed the back of her head, untying the fabric around her eyes and mouth.

As soon as the fabric left her mouth, Vivian took in a breath. "What the fuck?" She bit out, looking at the three random figures who stood before her. "Who the hell are you people?"

"We've saving you. Be thankful." One of them spoke, arms crossed and staring down at her with a bored expression.

"Saving me?" Vivian gasped out. "You just kidnapped me!" Standing from the ground, she watched as the three figures took a step back.

"She could still be thralled." The largest one said, blond hair braided down her back. "We need to break it before we get anywhere with her."

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Vivians hazel eyes snapped to the blond. "What are you talking about?"

"The Alvera Estate." A different one said, curly red hair atop their head. "They keep human thralls there, doing whatever they please."

"You should be thankful we pulled you out." The blond one said, hand on her hip.

"Thankful?" Vivians voice was growing hysterical. "You're joking, right?"

"Of course not." The redhead said, looking confused.

Vivian just stared at the three strangers. "Take me back."

"No." The blond spoke, her eyes hardening. "We're bringing you back with us to camp until we can break the thrall."

Vivian shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere with you." Taking a step back, the woman looked behind her. "Now point me in the right direction to go back and I'll be on my way."

"Are you serious?" The redhead asked, their expression incredulous.

The blond laughed. "You're not going back."

"She's not thralled." The final figure said, black hair loose and flowing from behind a hood. She watched Vivian with a careful gaze.

"What?" The blond and the redhead spoke at the same time.

"Just look at her." The black haired woman said, gesturing towards Vivian. "She's too aware."

"You're right." The blond woman commented, looking Vivian up and down. "You're not thralled, are you?"

Vivian shook her head. "No!" She yelled, hands going to her head. "What the hell does that even mean? Who are you people?"

"We can't let her go back." The redhead whispered to the blond.

"She'll have to come with us." All three pairs of eyes moved to the blond as she spoke. "Alden is right, we can't let her go back."

Vivian took a step back, away from the three strangers. "I am not going anywhere with you."

"Not willingly." The blond said, and then pointed to Vivian. "Get her."

As if on cue, Vivian turned and ran at the same time Alden and the black haired woman moved after her. She didn't even make it that far before she was tackled to the ground, face pressing into the fresh white snow as a knee dug into her back. Rope was looped around her wrists, binding them behind her back. She was then pulled back to her feet and forcibly marched to where the blond woman stood.

"Are you going to walk, or are we going to have to carry you?" She asked.

"I'm not going anywhere with-." Vivian began.

"Carry it is then." The blond said and moved towards Vivian, grabbing her and lifting her onto her shoulder. "Don't struggle so much this time."

"Let me go!" Vivian screamed, and did the exact opposite as what the blond woman suggested.

"Should we gag her again?" Alden asked, looking at Vivian with vague concern. "She might attract attention we don't want, screaming like that."

"Good idea."

"No, wait!" Vivian pleaded, but before she could say anything else, the fabric was back in her mouth and pressed harshly against her tongue. When she screamed again, it was muffled by the fabric. Oh god, what did she get herself into?

It was a long walk back to the camp, Vivian struggling the entire way. Her throat hurt by the time they entered an area with different tents set up, torches lined a path they walked down, campfires scattered throughout. When she was set back down, it was roughly, her ass hitting the ground hard. Vivian was quick to take in her surroundings, various people milling about what she assumed was some kind of camp.

"What did you bring for us this time, Lilian?" A new figure approached the group, a blue beanie sitting atop his head.

"I'm not sure." The blond woman, who Vivian assumed was Lilian, replied. "We thought she might have been a thrall who wandered outside the Alvera Estate so we grabbed her. But..."

"She's not thralled." The black hair woman said.

The man gave Lilian a confused look. "She's not?"

Lilian shook her head. "No. But she insists on going back."

"To the Alvera Estate?" The man asked, close to sounding shocked. "Why would she want to go back?"

"Maybe she's one of those vampire lovers." Alden said, looking down at Vivian with an expression of disgust. "They do have some of those at the estate."

"Along with human servants." Lilian added, looking down to Vivian as well. "She doesn't seem like a servant though."

"Have you asked her?" The man said, and all three of her captors went silent. "Seriously?"

"What?" Lilian raised her hands as she spoke. "It's not like she gave us a chance to. She was screaming the whole time."

The man rolled his eyes, moving towards Vivian and dropping to kneel in front of her. Reaching out, he loosened the fabric around her mouth until it fell. "There we go, now we can-."

"Who the fuck are you people?" Vivian immediately yelled, her voice harsh and rough from all the screaming. "Why was I kidnapped?"

"Think of it more as being forcibly moved." Alden said, a tone of sarcasm in his words.

"Fuck you." Vivian spat.

"Now, now." The unnamed man said, raising his hands. "Let's all just calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down? You expect me to be calm during all of this?"

"I am asking you to be calm." The man said, looking at Vivian. "We just want you to answer a few questions."

"Like what?"

"Why were you at the estate?" Lilian asked as the man opened his mouth to speak. He just gave her this look like he was annoyed with her.

Vivian's mind searched for something to say, anything but the truth. "That's none of your business." She decided on.

"If you don't tell us," the man began, "we can't help you."

Vivian just stared up at the man, biting her tongue.

The man searched her face, and something like realization was drawn across his expression. "You're in love with one of them, aren't you?"

"No!" Vivian said as her face flushed, Kit immediately came to her mind. She wasn't in love with him, she wasn't. She cared for him of course, but that didn't mean she loved him. And it's not like she would admit it to these people, even if she was. Which she wasn't.

Something dark crossed the man's expression. "That's it." He said, standing. "She's in love with a vampire."

"Disgusting." Alden spat out, looking at her with the same expression as before. All four of them looked at her with that expression, with pure disgust.

"No wonder she wants to return so bad." Lilian said, crossing her arms. "We can't let her go back."

"No." The man said, turning his back. "Tie her up outside. Leave her."

"Leave her outside?" The black haired woman said, watching the unnamed man walk away. "But it's freezing-."

"Did you not hear what I said?" The man snapped back, cutting her off.

"Yes, Richard." The woman said, turning to Alden and Lilan. "Where should we put her?"

"The edge of camp." Lilian said, eyeing Vivian. "Let's see if this vampire she loves loves her back."

✩

Kit woke up suddenly, something feeling wrong in his chest as he sat up from the bed and looked around. It was evening, the sun beginning to descend into the horizon. Vivian. He thought, moving off of the bed. Where was Vivian?

When he left the bedroom and entered the small living space, he expected to see her, but all he saw was her sketchbook sitting on the small table and a blanket thrown on the back of a chair. Where was she? It wasn't like she couldn't wander around, Kit never said she couldn't, but he didn't think she would. With all the vampires in the estate, he thought she would be deterred from wandering off on her own.

Exiting the room, Kit scoured the whole estate for her. Yet nowhere did he feel her presence. It was like she just disappeared.

"Niccolo!" Kit exclaimed as he entered the man's office. Within it stood the vampire he was looking for, along with Viktor.

"Kit." The elder vampire said his name in a short tone. "You could have knocked-."

"Vivian is missing." The vampire cut the other off, panic laced into his words. Viktor and Niccolo just looked at him, as if he had spoken in a foreign language. "I-I cannot find her. She is missing."

"That is concerning." Viktor said slowly, moving to look at Niccolo. "She has to be somewhere."

"I have looked everywhere. No one has seen her." Kit walked into the office, coming to stand besides Viktor. "Can you track her?" He asked the witch.

"If I have one of her personal belongings." Viktor began.

"I will be right back!" Kit said, turning on his heel and leaving the office. When he returned, he had Vivian's sketchbook in his hands. "This is hers, will it work?"

Viktor took the sketchbook from Kit's hand gently, turning it over in their hands. "Yes, yes this will work perfectly." They said, walking over to the desk and setting the sketchbook down. "Do you have a map of the area, Niccolo?"

"Of course." The elder vampire said, moving to a set of drawers. He grabbed a map from the drawer and walked back to the desk with it. "Here." He said, handing the map to Viktor.

"Thank you." Viktor said as they laid the map down on the desk. It was a simple map of the estate and the surrounding forest, nothing fancy.

Placing one hand on the map and one on the sketchbook, Viktor closed their eyes and took a deep breath. White light glowed around the witch's hands, flowing out and covering the map and sketchbook. Kit watched impatiently as Vitkor did the spell, fingers flexing at his sides. White lines appeared on the map, bending and twisting all sorts of ways before they all merged together, shrinking and creating a pinpoint of white on the map. "There." Viktor said, opening their eyes.

Kit placed both hands on the desk, leaning forward to see where the pinpoint was on the map. "She's in the forest." The vampire whispered as he looked down at the map. He etched it into his brain, forcing himself to remember the path he was about to take from here to the pinpoint. To Vivian.

The vampire then pushed off the desk and ran out the door, despite the way that Viktor and Niccolo called after him. He was outside before they could stop him. Seeing the map in his head, Kit followed the path that he created.

Night had fallen over the forest, pitch black greeting him as he moved silently through the trees. He ran for a while before he noticed something faintly glowing in the distance. As he got closer, he realized what it was he was seeing. An encampment, with tents and torches to light up the area. It was a small one, only about five or six tents that Kit could see, and he knew from the set up and the time of year they weren't just regular campers. They were hunters.

Heat flared from his stomach at the thought. Why were there hunters so close to Niccolo's? He had to have run only a few miles out, no more than ten. Were they planning something? It had been a while since Kit had a run in with hunters, and they were never pleasant.

Keeping his distance from the camp, the vampire encircled it, peering through the trees to see if he could see anything. This was where the map pointed to Vivian being, so where was she? Was she inside one of the tents?

His entire body froze when he spotted her. Vivian. Her form sitting on the ground and hunched over, arms tied behind her back and secured to a small tree. She was trembling, breath forming small clouds in front of her mouth as she breathed out. Without even thinking, he moved towards her.