It was later in the morning that Kit sat on his couch, book in hand as he reclined and read. The sun was shining outside today, filling his living room with a warm golden glow. It had only been a few hours since he last saw Vivian, but he was already missing her. It was insane how quickly that feeling took him over once he accepted it, once he accepted he loved Vivian.

His mind went to the kiss they shared in the library, and his heart raced. He wasn't sure what overcame him in the moment, causing him to drop her hands and grab her face. Kit hesitated, his mind righting itself for a moment so he could think straight, but still he didn't pull away. He asked her permission, and when he gave it to her... he couldn't hold back.

The vampire let out a loud breath, dropping his book to his chest as his mind became distracted. He had to see her again, and he knew he would eventually, but it didn't feel soon enough.

Placing the book on the coffee table, Kit stood from the couch and moved towards the kitchen. There was a growing thirst in his throat, the vampire thinking about the last time he drank. It had been a while, hadn't it? He went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle filled with blood. Cracking it open, he took a few sips, allowing the thirst to subside. As soon as it did, he stopped drinking. Kit never liked to drink more than what he needed.

A sudden knock sounded from his front door, the vampire freezing. He wasn't expecting anyone. Slowly, he moved towards the door, hearing a key unlocking it. Kit felt panic as he ran to the door, trying to stop it from opening.

Only Viktor appeared behind the door. "Viktor!" Kit yelled out, allowing the door to open. "What are you doing?"

"Vivian is missing." The witch said immediately, lilac eyes wide with alarm.

Kit could feel his body go cold. "She what?"

"Ophelia returned home this morning," Viktor began, pushing past Kit and into the small apartment, "she said Vivian wasn't in the house but her phone was left on the kitchen counter. It's like she just disappeared. Do you think someone took her?"

The vampire's mind went in one direction. Ezra. There was no one else that would take her. It had to have been Ezra. Panic surged through his system, stumbling back from the shock of it. He had just seen her, he just left her. Had his sire been waiting? Had his sire been planning this? Kit couldn't form a reply, stuck in his own mind.

"Kit." Viktor said, but the vampire didn't hear them. "Kit!" The witch yelled, grabbing his shoulders.

"Ezra." Kit gasped out, eyes focusing on the witch in front of him. "It was Ezra."

"We don't know that for sure." Viktor said, holding their hands up. "Let's not go to the worst case scenario. We'll do a tracking spell first, come on."

Kit followed Viktor up to their penthouse, Ophelia already there waiting. She held Vivian's phone in her hands. They set up the large table in the kitchen with a map of Lake Ashton and the surrounding area. Viktor used Vivian's phone this time to track her, the aether flowing from the witches fingers as they performed the spell. The pinprick formed outside the bounds of the map. They ended up grabbing a different map, this one of western Oregon. When Viktor performed the spell, this time the pinprick was somewhere in the cascades, a place that Kit vaguely recognized.

When it hit him, he took a stumbling step back. Viktor watched him, their faces seeming to show the same realization. "You were right." The witch said, dread in their voice. "Ezra has her."

Kit's world tilted and he felt nauseous. Ezra had her, Ezra had her. Kit wanted to scream, wanted to rip his hair out. No, no this can't be real. He stumbled back towards the table, hands pressed to the wood. The pinprick was in the exact location that Ezra's manor lay, deep within the forest of the cascades. His nail scratched against the wood as his hands fisted. "We have to get her back." Kit breathed out, looking up to Viktor. "We have to."

Viktor looked back at him, the dread in their voice also on their face. "We have to talk to Niccolo."

"What? We don't have time! He's going to kill her-."

"He hasn't yet." Viktor cut the vampire off. "Getting her back is going to be risky. We need Niccolo's help. You know you cannot defeat Ezra and I am not going to."

Kit wanted to argue but he knew the witch was right. Without Niccolo's help they would never get her back. Ezra was too strong, too powerful. Only Niccolo would be able to defeat Ezra if it came down to a fight.

"Fine." Kit bit out, looking away from the witch. "We'll go to Niccolo."

✩

"No." Niccolo said, making Kit's heart sink. "I am not getting involved with Ezra."

Kit stood there, completely disheveled. How could Niccolo say no? They went to the estate, found the elder vampire and spoke to him about what was going on, and his response was no? "B-But she will be killed!" Kit fought.

"I don't see why that is my concern." The brown haired vampire said, hair slicked back like usual. "He cannot access her aether if the spell was performed correctly, so it is of no matter to me."

Kit was dumbfounded. How? How did he convince Niccolo that he needed to do this, that he needed to help rescue Vivian from Ezra? The vampire wracked his brain for any reason, anything that could sway Niccolo. "It would be your chance to finally get rid of Ezra."

Niccolo eyed Kit, as if considering. "Why would I do that?"

"You know how Ezra is. He is vile, he breaks the law. He kidnapped a human and is sure to drink from her without her consent." Kit's stomach churned as he said the words. "You could make an example out of him."

Again, the elder vampire just looked at him, considering. "There's a reason why you care about this so much, Kit. Spit it out." Niccolo said, reading the younger vampire.

Kit froze, knowing exactly what Niccolo meant. He looked between the elder vampire and the witches that stood behind him. Dread filled him. If he wanted Niccolo's help, if he was to convince the elder vampire, he would have to be honest. "I love her, Niccolo." Kit admitted, his eyes moving back to the elder vampire. "I cannot let her die. If you do not help me I will go in there alone."

"Don't do that-." Niccolo began.

"Then help me." Kit begged, putting his hands on the desk that Niccolo sat behind. "Please, Niccolo. I need your help."

Niccolo was silent, looking up at Kit. He couldn't read the elder vampire's expression, panic swelling in his stomach as he thought Niccolo would say no again. That he would deny his help. "Fine, but we do this my way." Niccolo finally said, standing from the desk. "It will take a couple of days, I need to make arrangements-."

"Days?" Kit snapped out, cutting the elder vampire off. "She could be dead by then!"

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"You know Ezra." Niccolo said, walking around his desk. "He will torment her first before killing her. We have time. But he will be expecting you to come rescue her."

Kit's stomach dropped. Of course Ezra would be expecting him. "What do we do?"

Niccolo stood in front of Kit then, tapping a finger against his lips. "We have to force our way in when they'll be at their weakest." Niccolo said, crossing his arms. "Sunrise would be a good time."

Kit nodded, knowing that most of the vampires at Ezra's manor would be asleep by sunrise, leaving not many out guarding the house. "We need a lot of vampires to come with us." Kit added, also knowing how many vampires will be at Ezra's manor, ready to defend it.

"I can ask around. I know there will be others that would jump at the chance to take Ezra down once and for all." The elder vampire spoke, walking away from Kit. "Be ready in three days. That is when we will attack."

Kit should feel grateful that Niccolo was helping, but he couldn't help the doubt in his gut. They would be leaving her there for three days. Three days of torment from Ezra. The vampires heart sank at the thought, the worst images running through his head of what his sire would do to Vivian, what kind of torture he would inflict.

✩

Vivian could feel herself slowly losing it. She had been trapped in her room for the past two days, her only form of communication being her maid when she brought food. But besides that, she was alone. Trapped. Every few hours she would look out the window and consider the jump, but then she brushed the idea off, knowing she would just injure herself and be caught once again.

She found books in her room and they gave her a little hope of something to do, but once she opened the covers she found a foreign language she couldn't read. Vivian almost threw the books but thought better of it, instead setting them back where she found them.

It was towards the evening when Alice brought her dinner. Vivian was excited for some kind of interaction, but there was a look on Alice's face that made Vivian instantly lose the excitement. "Good evening, Miss Vivian." Alice said with a curtsy. "Ezra would like to see you in the library after you eat."

Vivian's stomach dropped. "Oh." She said, looking at the food on the table. She suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. "And I'm guessing I have to, otherwise you'll be punished, right?"

"Yes, Miss." The maid said, her voice tight.

Vivian let out a breath. "Well, we might as well go I guess."

Alice blinked, confused. "Are you not going to eat, Miss?"

"I'm not hungry anymore." Vivian confessed, going to her wardrobe, which now held all the dresses from the trunk. "He wants me to dress up again, doesn't he?"

"Yes, Miss."

The two of them got her ready for her meeting with Ezra, Vivian dressing in a light blue dress this time, the bodice tight. Once her hair was done, she followed Alice out of her room and down the hallway. They walked for a minute, turning corners and going down a staircase, before they finally reached what Vivian assumed to be the library, large wooden doors standing in front of her.

Alice opened the door, revealing the room inside. It was a much smaller library compared to the one at Niccolo's estate, but still much bigger than any she had seen before. Ezra sat on a chair by the window, the seat to his left empty.

"Ah, Vivian." Ezra said as he stood from the chair. "I'm glad you could make it."

Vivian just did her best curtsy, keeping her mouth shut.

"Come, sit with me."

The woman left her maids' side and walked across the library, towards the vampire. When he sat back down in his chair, Vivian took the one to his left. "Tell me, how has your stay at my home been?" He asked, opening up the book he set on the table between them.

Vivian wanted to tell the truth, that it's been absolute shit and she hates it here, but she thinks a lie would work better. "It's been lovely, thank you."

"You should know I hate lying, Vivian." Ezra said, not even bothering to look at her.

The woman felt her face heat. "It's been lonely." She told the truth this time.

"Has Alice not been keeping you company?"

"No, no she has been!" Vivian was quick to say, not wanting to get the maid in trouble. "It is just... I am not used to being locked in my room and it's... it's suffocating in there."

"Hmm." Ezra hummed, as if considering her words. "That would make sense. But I cannot allow you to roam the manor."

"Yes, I know." Vivian nodded, already aware of the fact the vampire wasn't going to be kind enough to allow her to escape from her confined space.

They sat in silence for a moment, Ezra going back to reading his book. He cleared his throat after a while though, closing his book and looking at her. "Tell me Vivian, how did you and Christopher meet?"

"Oh." Vivian breathed out, not prepared for that. "He, uh... he saved me from a rabid attack... multiple times."

"Did he now?" Ezra asked, seeming intrigued. "Do you trust Christopher?"

Vivian looked over to the vampire, meeting his eyes. She only had to think about the answer for a moment. "Yes, I do."

"Interesting." The vampire spoke, taking another moment to think. "Do you love him?"

The woman's breath caught in her throat as the vampire asked his question, feeling her entire body buzz as if adrenaline was surging through her. She felt her palms sweat. "W-What?" Vivian asked, unsure if she could answer the question.

"Do you love him? Christopher, do you love him?"

Vivian just looked at the vampire. No, she didn't love Kit. She just cared about him intensely and enjoyed spending time with him and kissing him and oh shit. The realization hit her and took her breath away. Vivian was in love with Kit. She more than just cared about him, she worried for him, she longed for him, his touch, his laugh. Vivian had never felt this way about someone before, the feeling welling up inside of her and bursting, causing her chest to hurt. "No." Vivian breathed out, trying to control the chaos inside of her.

"Vivian." Ezra said, his voice short. It made her insides twist. "What did I just say about lying?" Shit, shit, she screamed in her head, hands clenching in her lap. Her entire body trembled as she watched Ezra stand from his chair. Her blood ran cold as he stepped in front of her, large and looming. He then knelt on one one, so his face was level with hers. "Now tell me the truth, or I will rip your throat out."

Vivian swallowed, her throat closing. "Yes." The woman barely managed out, tears forming in her eyes as fear ricocheted through her. "Yes, I love him."

Ezra looked at her, red eyes moving across her face, watching the tears spill down. "There you go." He said, lifting a hand and causing Vivian to flinch. "Doesn't that feel so much better than lying?" Ezra wiped away a tear that had fallen down her face, looking at the tears with some kind of wonder. He stood straight up then, still looking at the tears. "Now, why do you love him?"

Vivian didn't know how to answer that, opening her mouth and then shutting it as no words came out. Why did she love Kit? It was more than just his looks, which were a portion of it, but there was more. It was his laugh, his smile, the way he touched her, so gentle and caring. He's saved her life so many times, he's been nothing but kind to her, and she trusted him with her life. She thought about their kiss, the way he asked before bringing their lips together. Kit was always so reliable. Reliable. That's what it was. "He's reliable."

"That's it?" Ezra asked, like he expected more.

"No! He's kind and he's gentle and he's helped me through so much. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Kit."

"Kit?"

Vivian realized then that Ezra might not know that Kit goes by Kit now. "Yes, that's his new name."

"Really?" The vampire's voice showed his surprise. "He doesn't go by Christopher anymore?"

"No." Vivian answered, watching as the vampire stood up, dusting his knees off. "I've never heard him refer to himself as Christopher."

"Interesting." Ezra moved back towards his chair, sitting down. "This is all very interesting Vivian. I think I might keep you alive. I want to hear more about Christophers new life."

The woman felt her stomach drop. Keep you alive. Was he planning on killing her? Vivian didn't know how to respond to that, keeping her mouth shut yet again. She didn't know how to read this man, how to respond to what he said. The more interactions she had with Ezra, Vivian began to understand why Kit was so terrified of him. Her skin began to crawl as red eyes looked her up and down. But then he released a breath, sat back in his chair, and opened his book. His attention completely left her, and Vivian released a breath she was holding. Why would the vampire ask about such things? It felt like she was exposing her soul to him, it was horrible.

"Alice," Ezra said suddenly, the maid coming to life on the other side of the library, "take her back to her room."

Vivian stood a little too quickly from her chair, almost tripping on her dress. She turned to Ezra, figuring she should curtsy. "Thank you. Goodnight Ezra."

"Don't get the wrong idea," Ezra said suddenly, looking up from his book and at her, "I do still plan on killing you. It's only a matter of when."

A chill ran up her spine and Vivian froze mid curtsy, head bowed down. Her hands began to tremble as she finished the motion. She turned immediately to Alice then, moving across the room as fast as this damn dress would allow her. The maid began to open the door, and they were out in the hallway, Vivian finally feeling like she could breathe. She sucked in a deep breath, feeling her world spinning. I do still plan on killing you. Holy shit, holy shit.

Vivian was spiraling the whole walk back to her room, thankful that Alice was quiet and didn't try to break the silence. When they reached her room, Vivian quickly went inside and bid Alice goodnight. She closed the door on the maid then turned against it, sinking down. What was she going to do? Ezra planned on killing her. The thought sent fear coursing through her like fire. She looked to the window, the night dark outside. She had to escape, she had to.