Kit's back was uncomfortably stiff. He had to dress formally for this ball, and that meant wearing some suit from the 1700's, ruffles included. He was tucked into some back corner of the room, watching the ball in front of him. It was a very lively event, everyone wearing the same style clothing as him, the women in brilliant ball gowns that looked like they were from some historical documentary. A small band sat upon a circular stage in the far end of the ballroom, guests dancing around it, music filling the air. It was a marvelous sight, something Kit had never experienced before. He only knew how to waltz, as he was taught by Ezra, but that was about the only dance he knew.

Tables lined the back walls with trays of glasses filled with blood, off setting the wonderful sight. This was a vampire ball after all, of course there would be blood.

Kit's crimson eyes scanned the ground, keeping an eye out for one vampire in particular. Vincenzo hadn't shown his face yet and it was already two hours into the ball. Kit wondered for a moment how Vivian was doing, locked in the room. He wished he hadn't had to attend this ball, but Niccolo claimed that he needed him. Kit wasn't going to be much of a match against Vincenzo, given the uncle was a pureblood vampire and Kit just a human turned vampire. The vampire just didn't understand why Niccolo had wanted him there.

"Enjoying yourself?" A voice said to his right, eyes landing on Niccolo. "You look like you are."

"I am doing my job." Kit replied to the elder vampire. "My enjoyment is not a part of that."

"Touche." Niccolo commented, raising his glass of blood before taking a sip. "Have you seen anything?"

"Nothing to report."

"Hmm." That was all Niccolo said before stepping back towards the crowd, absorbing him. Kit simply went back to watching the ball, keeping his eye out for the uncle.

More time had passed and nothing. Kit was beginning to wonder if this uncle was actually going to show up. Did he somehow figure out their plan? Did Vincenzo know that they knew about the rabids? Kit began to feel his chest tighten as his brain thought of the worse case scenarios.

Then through one of the doors, Kit spots Vincenzo walk into the ballroom. The vampire instantly recognized the pureblood from the portrait Niccolo had shown him. He still had the same beard and mustache as in the portrait. Kit felt his senses go off them, and he had to resist moving from where he stood. This was the man causing all the harm to Lake Ashton, the one that is responsible for Vivian's suffering. Kit immediately wanted to stride towards the vampire and punch him right in his face, but he couldn't. They had a plan, and Kit just had to let it play out.

Instead, Kit moved from the wall to find Niccolo. He pressed past dancing bodies and towards where he had seen the elder vampire march off to. After looking around for a moment, he finally spotted Niccolo chatting amongst a bunch of vampires. They stood in a half circle, all with glasses of blood in their hands.

Kit moved to step up behind Niccolo, tapping the vampire on the shoulder. When Niccolo acknowledged him, he gestured towards the wall where they could speak.

"If you'll excuse me." Niccolo said to the group, bowing politely and then stepped towards Kit. "What is it?"

"I saw Vincenzo arrive." Kit said, looking around the room.

Niccolo froze up for a moment, before taking in a deep breath and seeming to shake whatever emotion he felt from his body. "It's showtime. Meet me in the office."

Kit immediately left to go to the office, glad to be away from the stifling crowd that was in the ballroom. He thought about going to check on Vivian for a moment, as it would take a minute for Niccolo to get Vincenzo to the office, but then he thought better of it. He would see her tonight once this was all done.

He stood in the office for a while, staring out the window to the moonlight gardens below. He thought about when he walked with Vivian down there, and his heart raced just a little bit faster. Once this was taken care of, Lake Ashton would be safe. There would be no more rabid attacks. But it would still be unsafe for Vivian, because of Ezra. Kit's fists tightened at his sides, a surge of anger coursing through him.

If only Ezra hadn't shown up, if only Ezra hadn't been here, Vivian wouldn't have had to leave her world behind to stay hidden in some estate in the woods. Kit's thoughts went back to that night, to the way that Ezra looked at Vivian, like Ezra was about to destroy something he cared about once again. Because Ezra always did that, he always destroyed anything Kit cared for, and Kit knew he shouldn't be letting himself get too close to Vivian. Yet, there was this force pushing him towards her, making him care for her, her safety, her happiness, her wellbeing. It was against his better judgment, to let someone in, yet somehow she had worked her way under his skin.

When the doors to the office suddenly opened, Kit was startled from his thoughts, whipping around to face the two figures walking inside. Niccolo walked with his hand around Vincenzo. Play it casual, that's how they were going to do this.

"Ah, there you are Kit!" Niccolo exclaimed, gesturing towards Kit with his free hand. "I've been looking for you."

"Well you found me." Kit responded, trying to keep his voice natural. "What can I do for you?" He asked, playing along with the plan.

"I wanted my uncle, Vincenzo, to meet you!" The elder vampire went on, releasing his uncle's shoulder as they walked into the room. "Vincenzo, this is Kit, one of my best officers."

"Ah, you're a part of his human protection program?" Vincenzo spoke, turning his attention to Kit. Niccolo walked away from his uncle then, moving back towards the door to lock it. Vincenzo didn't notice. "That is quite fascinating. Tell me, what's it like protecting humans?"

Kit felt a little unsure of what to say, not knowing how long he was going to need to distract the uncle. "Oh, it is nothing really. Pretty boring honestly."

"Hmm, then why do it?" Vincenzo questioned, tilting his head.

"It is rewarding."

"Really?" Vincenzo didn't seem like the believed Kit. "I don't understand why."

"Vincenzo." Niccolo's voice cut through the air, the pureblood vampire turning to look at their nephew. Niccolo stood between Vincenzo and the door, blocking the vampire's way to escape. "There's something we must discuss."

"Is there?" Vincenzo asked, casual. "What ever would this be about?"

"I know you're the one turning humans into rabids." Niccolo accused, standing his ground. "We performed a spell that revealed you as the creator of a rabid, we know Vincenzo."

Vincenzo was quiet for a moment, Kit unsure of his expression as he stared at the back of the uncle's head. But it must have told Niccolo something, because the vampire lunged at Vincenzo. Niccolo was too slow though and Vincenzo moved out of the way. "A spell, really?" Vincenzo questioned, turning to look at Niccolo as he righted himself. "I didn't know there was one that could do that."

"So you admit to it?" Kit asked, feeling small under Vincenzo's gaze. "You are the one creating rabids?"

"Yes, it is me." Vincenzo said, holding his arms up. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to realize."

"Why?" Niccolo spoke, something akin to desperation in his voice.

"Why? Why? Because I want to ruin you Niccolo, I want to watch the end of your ridiculous reign as Head of Vampires. That is a title that belongs to me, me!" Vincenzo rants off, waving his arms around to exaggerate his point. "You should have died with your parents all those years ago."

Niccolo again launched at Vincenzo, but his uncle just stepped out of the way of the attack. That was when Kit moved, posing his claws for contact with Vincenzo's chest. The vampire moved once again though, just out of reach. Niccolo and Kit threw attack after attack at the vampire, but nothing was landing.

Then Vincenzo decided to fight back, swiping out at both Niccolo and Kit. They both had to dodge the attack, Vincenzo's claws just barely making contact with Kit's face. Kit stumbled backwards, catching himself just as Vincenzo swiped at him again. Kit dodged the hit, moving to the side to avoid it. Niccolo was behind him then, ready to rip into Vincenzo's back, but then he turned and grabbed Niccolo's wrists, stopping the attack. Kit took that moment to surge forward, claws digging into Vincenzo's sides and ripping upwards. Blood spilt from the wound, the man howling in pain.

Kit jumped back as Vincenzo swiped at him, but his claws still managed to bite into Kit's chest. Pain radiated from the area, but Kit didn't stop fighting. Niccolo moved forward then, striking the uncles back with his claws. They moved around like this for a while, Kit and Niccolo attacking and Vincenzo dodging, getting cut and ripped into in the process. Weariness grew in Kit's body as they fought, but he knew he had to keep going. They had to finish this.

At one point Vincenzo lunged at Kit, catching the vampire by his shoulders and spinning him around. Vincenzo came up behind him then and grabbed his head, hands poised to rip it off. Kit scrambled, hands going to Vincenzo's arms and clawing into the flesh, but he could feel the pureblood's fingers tightening on his head. He thought about Vivian for a moment, and wondered if she would be upset with his death. But then the hands were off of Kit, Niccolo sneaking up on Vincenzo and cutting him across the back. Kit quickly moved away from the pureblood and took a step back, because holy shit he almost got his head ripped off.

Niccolo and Kit threw attacks left and right, dodging when one came for them, being struck once every now and then. They were all bloody and wounded, but still they fought. Vincenzo had to die, or they would.

Vincenzo swiped out at Niccolo then, stumbling forward the slightest bit, giving Niccolo an opening. He threw his arm out, claws making contact with the skin of Vincenzo's neck. The pureblood stumbled back, hands going to stop the intense flow of blood that came from the wound. He dropped down to one knee, coughing out blood and staining his lips.

Niccolo moved forward and grabbed Vincenzo's head, the uncle responding by reaching up and grabbing Niccolo's wrists. "No, you can't." Vincenzo fought, trying to prey Niccolo's hands away.

"Kit, a little help." Niccolo said to the other vampire, Kit instantly got up and moved to the pair. When he reached them, he moved his hands to hold Vincenzo down, grabbing the arms that reached for Niccolo and forcing them behind his back.

"No!" Vincenzo called out, but neither Kit nor Niccolo paid him any attention.

Kit watched as Niccolo ripped Vincenzo's head off, blood going everywhere. It was a horrific sight to see, it always was. But then the uncle's body began to glow a faint red, the aether dissipating from it and returning to the earth, leaving nothing but ash and dirt behind.

Niccolo and Kit just stood there for a moment, breathing. "We did it." Niccolo said, almost like he didn't believe it.

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Kit didn't respond, he just continued to look at the pile of ash on the ground, feeling his body buzz. He almost got his head ripped off, and it still rattled him. That went just as well as Kit thought it was going to, even a little better. They actually killed him, they killed Vincenzo. It didn't feel real. But it was. Vincenzo was dead.

"I need to go take a shower." Niccolo said then, Kit looking up to the elder vampire. Niccolo scanned himself, taking note of all the blood that covered him. Kit did the same, and noticed he was covered in blood too. He definitely needed a shower as well. "I suggest you also take one. Feel free to take the rest of the night off." Niccolo was very short as he spoke, not making eye contact with Kit. The black haired vampire couldn't imagine the emotions that must have been going through Niccolo.

The elder vampire turned to leave then, Kit standing alone in the office once the door closed. Kit moved after a moment, deciding to go clean off. He thought about what Vivian's response would be to him arriving at their room covered in blood, probably something along the lines of worried and concerned for him. It made his chest sting a little bit.

When he arrived at their room, Kit opened the door and found Vivian sitting at one of the tables, drawing on her tablet. She had something covering her ears, so she must not have heard him walk in, her legs crossed and one arm propping up her chin. He took a moment to just take her in, the sight of her making his insides buzz. She was beautiful, sitting there so focused, black curls tied into a big bun at the back of her head.

Her eyes drifted towards the door, and Vivian jumped. She stood then, removing whatever was covering her ears. He had seen them before, but he couldn't remember the name of the device. "Kit!" She exclaimed, surprise on her face. Then she seemed to actually take the sight of him, blood and all. "Kit."

"I am fine." He said first, knowing that would be her first concern. Vivian moved away from the table and towards him, Kit's eyes following. "We did it."

She came to stand in front of him then, looking him up and down as if she didn't believe his words. "You're covered in cuts, Kit!" Vivian said, hands reaching out but stopping, as if afraid to touch him. "You- You're really hurt!"

"Vivian." Kit said her name, reaching out and grabbing her shoulders, not thinking about the way blood would stain her shirt. "We did it, we killed Vincenzo."

The woman stood there silent for a moment, as if taking in his words. "H-He's dead?"

"He is dead." Kit repeated her words, smiling down at her. "There should be no more rabids."

"No more rabids?" Vivian's voice lifted as she said the words. She looked hopeful. "T-That's amazing! You did it!"

Kit wanted to wrap his arms around her then, to hug her, but he held back. He was covered in blood, and he didn't want to get that all over Vivian. That reminded him, he needed to take a shower. "I need to clean off." He said, looking down at himself.

"Will... will you be okay?" Vivian asked, her eyes going back to his body that was covered in wounds.

"Yes, they are already healing." He replied, his voice going soft. He always appreciated how much she cared for him, how much she worried about him. Viktor was really the only person that truly worried about Kit, so to have another person also feel such a tender way towards him, it made his heart race.

"Oh, that's good." Her voice was soft as well when she spoke, looking up to meet his eyes. "I'm glad you're safe."

That feeling burst in his chest, the one that made his stomach drop and his chest flutter. It was an unreasonable feeling, one he could never get away from when it came to Vivian. He refused to name it, to give it any more attention than it deserved, but when it came to Vivian, he was weak. It was why he agreed to sleep in the bed with her. His rationale was that he was getting horrible sleep on the couch and sleeping on the bed would mean better sleep, but he knew it had to do with Vivian.

Kit's throat closed up as his mind raced, the vampire only able to make a small sound of agreement before turning to the door that led to the bathroom. He rinsed off, scrubbing away all the blood that soaked through his ridiculous costume and stained his skin. It took a while before the water went from an angry red to a pink, then finally back to clear. He dried himself off with a towel, being careful of his still healing wounds. They were still pretty angry, but the bleeding had stopped and the rips were starting to come back together. His body was covered in cuts, he could see why the woman was so worried.

Kit really hoped this thing was going to be over after the death of Vincenzo. The rabids, his intense patrols, everything would go back to normal now that Vincenzo was dead, now that there wasn't a pureblood vampire creating rabids and releasing them upon Lake Ashton. He thought about what it meant for Vivian, but his stomach turned when he realized that she would still have to stay here because of Ezra. Because she was an aether reservoir. If only there was something they could do so she could return to her life and not be trapped in this estate.

✩

The next few days passed like a breeze, Kit going out on patrol at night after Vivian fell asleep. They ran into no rabids, none were coming out from the woods, running towards the town, threatening the innocent citizens. It was strange, having no rabids to fight every night, but it was a relief at the same time. They had stopped the rabids, Lake Ashton was safe once again.

Niccolo had been acting strange these last few days too, probably from having to kill his own uncle and proving that he was definitely the one creating the rabids. Kit doesn't know how he would handle those feelings, he could barely handle the unreasonable feeling he felt towards Vivian. The vampire wanted to help the other in some way, but he didn't know how to consult Niccolo.

His patrols had been cut down significantly after killing Vincenzo, both Sebastian and Kit able to go on patrols by themselves and therefore only had to work a few days a week. That gave Kit a lot more time to spend with Vivian, which he was unwilling to admit he was excited for. They went to the library to find books and visited the gardens outside so Vivian could draw, and on nights he didn't have patrol, he was able to sleep beside her, sharing the warmth of the bed.

He still couldn't believe he was sharing the bed with her, even though it had been almost a week since she asked. He still couldn't believe that she even asked. When that moment happened, Kit felt his entire form freeze, his mind racing. I want you to, she had said, and that was all it took. His heart couldn't take the way she was looking at him, the red across her cheeks as she asked. He couldn't deny her, he could never deny her.

They were in the gardens one day, sitting in an alcove while Vivian drew in her sketchbook. A comfortable silence filled the air, the black haired woman very focused on her sketch, Kit watching her from the corner of his eye. She had asked him to join her, and he couldn't think of a reason not to. All the vampires from the ball had departed from the estate, making it safe once again, but still, he couldn't help but agree to go with her.

Vivian lets out a breath, stopping mid sketch and turning to look at Kit. The man tensed up a little, moving to look down at her. "Am I really going to be stuck here forever?" She asked, a sadness hidden behind those eyes.

He really didn't want to disappoint her. "I am unsure." He answered, being honest. "As long as Ezra has his eyes set on you, it would be dangerous for you to be anywhere else."

"Why am I safe here but not at my own home?"

"Because of Niccolo's position, Ezra cannot come stomping over here and try to take you. He cannot break in or sneak in and steal you away. You are protected here as a guest."

"But why?"

"Niccolo is Head of Vampires. It's... it's kind of like the president or the leader of vampires. At least here in North America. That means that Ezra has to respect Niccolo and his protection over you as long as you are here. But once you leave the estate, the protection it offers you disappears."

Vivian looked at Kit as if she was processing his words. "Really? I didn't know he was so important."

Kid nodded. "Yes, he is very important, and powerful, which is why we do as he says." He looked away from her and to the surrounding garden. "I have known him for a while, I don't exactly trust him but... he seems like he's well intended."

The woman sighed, looking towards the garden too. "Still, I don't want to stay here forever. There has to be something we can do. I mean, we're able to hide the fact that I'm an aether reservoir, there has to be something else."

The vampire looked back at the woman, hazel hues watching from the corner of Vivians eyes. She moved her head to look at him too, a desperation in her eyes that pulled at Kit's heart. He had to do something for her, he had to figure something out. Maybe he could ask Viktor, the witch just might know of something else that could help Vivian. "I will go see Viktor."

Vivian breathed out. "Really?" She asked, putting her hands between them and leaning towards him. It made his chest twist, her closeness. "You think they could help get me out of here?" She looked at him with so much hope.

"I am willing to try." Kit responded, trying to quell the feeling in his chest, but he couldn't any longer. Because he would do anything for her, for Vivian. He would do anything to stop her pain, to make her happy. Kit cared about her so much it hurt, his stomach flipping as he looked down at her, the unreasonable feeling crashing into him.

He was in love with Vivian, and it happened so suddenly he doesn't know where it came from. The realization made him dizzy, grateful he was sitting down because holy shit he was in love with her. He should have seen this coming, the way they interacted, how comfortable he was with her, how weak he was when it came to her. He just hadn't let himself accept it, because that meant putting Vivian in danger. If he was in love with Vivian, Ezra would kill her. He always killed the things Kit loved, humans were no different.

"Thank you, Kit." Vivian said, completely unaware of the chaos that was brewing inside of the vampire. She just smiled up at him and returned to her sketch, pencil scraping against the paper. But Kit sat there, looking at her, the realization causing dread to fill his system. Ezra could never find out.

Later that same day Kit went to visit Viktor, leaving after Vivian went to sleep. It was late in the night by the time he reached Viktors penthouse. He thought about visiting his apartment, but thought better of it, taking the elevator up to the top floor. When he approached the doors, they opened as usual. Kit walked in and found Viktor in the kitchen over the stove, making a batch of some kind of potion.

"You're here late." Viktor said to Kit as he approached the witch from behind, the witch not even needing to turn around to see him. "What can I do for you?"

"It is about Vivian." Kit prefaced, the witch turning around to look at him as he spoke. "She's trapped at the estate because of Ezra. He wants her because she's an aether reservoir. Are there any spells that could... that would stop Ezra? Make him think otherwise?"

Viktor looks at the vampire for a moment before turning back to their potion, stirring the silvery liquid. They stay silent, Kit thinking for a moment that he misspoke or that Viktor didn't understand him. But then the witch spoke. "I will have to think about that one. There might be something."

"Really?" Kit asked, hope flaring in his chest.

"There might be, but I'm unsure. I will have to do some research." They said, taking the pot of silvery liquid and pouring it into several small jars. "Let me finish this and I will look into it."

"Do you mind if I stay?"

"Of course not! Go take a seat in the living room."

Kit went to sit down on a couch and wait for Viktor. Luckily, it wasn't too long before the witch had finished preparing small vials of potion. They went to grab a handful of journals from their bedroom and set them all down on the coffee table.

"These are all my spell books. There has to be something in here that we could use to help Vivian." Viktor said as they sat down on the couch opposite of Kit. "Grab a book, you look too."

Reaching forward, Kit grabbed the top journal, an old leather bound thing that clearly showed its years in wear and tear. Opening it, Kit looked down at Viktor's script like writing, perfect cursive that Kit just barely managed to read. It took him much longer to get through a journal compared to Viktor, who was reading their own writing. Kit went through two or three journals before his eyes had grown weary.

"You sure know a lot of spells." Kit said into the silence, closing the journal he had just finished and grabbing a new one.

"When you've been alive for as long as I have been, you come across a lot of important information. I always make sure to write down things I might need to remember later." Viktor replied, flipping through the journal they were going through. "I'm sure there has to be something to help Vivian."

They continued their search, the night growing into morning as Viktor grabbed another set of journals. Kit had read so much information that his brain began to hurt and he had to sit back and rest his eyes, while Viktor continued on. It was relaxing for a while, Kit resting on one couch while Viktor sat in the other, scourging their journals for any kind of spell that would help Vivian. They had to find something.

Kit was nearing falling asleep when Viktor suddenly shot up from their couch, startling Kit awake. "What?" He asked in a rush, looking up to Viktor.

"I found something."

The vampire instantly stood, stumbling a little on the way up. "W-What did you find?" Viktor held the spell book out for Kit, and the vampire took it in his hands. Reading the page, Kit felt his stomach lurch. "Permanently seal her aether away?" He asked, looking back up to the witch. "Can we do that?"

"It's written in there, which means it's a functioning spell." Viktor replies, putting hands on their hips. "But it seems like a big spell, like the one we used on the rabid."

"You would need help." Kit assumed.

The witch nodded. "Ophelia already knows about Vivian being an aether reservoir, but Camila will have to be informed."

Kit was silent, his eyes going back to the page, reading how to cast the spell. "Will she feel pain?" He asks, looking back up to Viktor.

"I don't know." They admit, a dreadful look in their eyes. "Sealing her aether away might hurt."

The vampire immediately felt hesitation at the thought. He didn't want Viktor to perform a spell that would cause Vivian pain. He couldn't imagine inflicting pain upon Vivian. But if her aether was sealed, if no one could get access to it or manipulate it, she would be a normal human again. She would be able to return to her normal life. "I have to talk with her about it." Kit said, handing the journal back to the witch.

Viktor read over the spell again, shaking their head. "Yes, yes this could work."

Kit looked out the window, seeing it was late into the morning. Vivian might be wondering where he was. "I should get back."

"Ah yes, go on ahead. It will take me a couple days to prepare everything. I will let you know when I am ready." Viktor said, setting the book down on the coffee table.

"Thank you Viktor." Kit replied earnestly, turning to head for the front door. "I'll keep an ear out for your call!" He called out as he left the penthouse and headed back to the estate. Back to Vivian.