~~~

Hours had passed and Khloe's condition had been steadily improving.

Thankfully.

My worry for her had almost completely diminished, and I think her own worry for herself was already gone.

Surprisingly, she hadn't asked any of the questions that I knew she had about this night.

Even though it was late and I could tell that she was tired, I knew she had them as she always did.

Although, I guess she was pretty occupied at this moment.

I turned my head towards her, watching as she curiously observed one of my wings.

She had taken a huge interest in them ever since she woke up.

So, I laid down on my stomach once she was well enough to sit up onto her knees without her body retaliating, and stretched one of them out to her to let her do whatever she wanted with it.

Watching her was kind of interesting, it almost looked like she was entranced by it studying every part of it so closely.

She was so cautious in everything that she did with it, touching it lightly like she would hurt me if she didn't.

Even the way she would slightly push on a certain spot to tell me to fold it a bit was gentle.

"You're sure I'm not hurting or annoying you right?" she questioned yet again, drawing her hand back ever so slightly.

I gave a small nod, "I'm sure."

It would take a lot more than whatever a human could do to hurt a vampires wings.

They only showed up when we were in danger for a reason.

And she wasn't even close to being annoying.

Khloe's eyes followed down my wing, her eyes stopping where it met with my back.

Or she was just staring at my back again.

I did ditch my shirt before I let her mess with my wings, and I didn't miss the occasional glances she would send to me

Wearing a torn up shirt wasn't really my thing, and wearing a shirt while my wings were out was useless.

"It must be nice," Khloe spoke softly, "Getting these every once in a while."

She sounded as if she was reminiscing about something.

"Yea, it is," I began, trying to mirror the calmness of her voice, "Getting them during a blood moon kind of gives me a mixed emotion about them, but they're convenient to have."

She hummed a bit in response.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to have wings. To just be able to fly out into the night and not have to worry about anything other than where I was headed. I've always imagined the feeling of pure freedom and peace vampires must have as they sail through the sky."

I could tell that she had thought this over for a long time.

Sometimes it just totally skips my mind that humans have never experienced the feeling of flight before.

Even as a vampire, I savored that feeling. Our wings never showed up when we were in a good situation, so just being able to go out for a calm fly was rare even for us. Well, for me. Some of us didn't even care that they had wings.

So if I longed for that kind of experience that I can't even begin to think about how she felt.

"I could take you some time," I said.

Khloe's eyes went wide before she turned her head towards me, questioning my words.

"Really?" she asked.

I nodded.

It would have to be a time that wasn't during that blood moon, but it was surely possible.

"Sure," I responded, looking back at my wings, "You could probably fit between them without getting in the way of anything important, so I don't see why not."

Her entire face lit up as I spoke those words.

"That sounds amazing!" she said, sounding as if she couldn't believe what I had said.

Even if she was just my pet, everything should feel the experience of flying at least once, especially if they'd dreamed about it as much as she apparently had.

Plus, I could use that as returning the favor for what she did for me tonight.

I was about to say something, but paused once I noticed her smile.

I don't think I've ever seen her smile for more than a couple seconds, and that was only once so this was a bit new to me.

Admittedly, I came to enjoy the sight of it.

It fit her perfectly.

"One day, Khloe. Once I figure out the right way to do it, I'll take you. I'm not sure how long until it'll happen, but it will happen." I assured her, trying to keep that smile for a little longer, "As for now though, its nearly past midnight and your body needs some actual rest."

I folded my wing back against my back as I pushed myself up.

Now that I was sure that her body wouldn't fail on her while she slept, sleep was the main thing that she needed.

She just looked at me for a moment before leaning back.

"Yea, you're right, " she sighed a bit, "Does that mean you're tired too?"

I shook my head as I sat up on my knees.

"No, our brains are practically wired during this night so I won't be sleeping."

She shifted her head down a bit, her smile disappearing as I stood from the bed, "Oh."

I watched her face as I walked towards my bookshelf.

Killing two birds with one stone was going to be easy with this situation.

"I can still lay with you if you want,"I spoke, retrieving the old book that sat on the far corner

I watched as her eyes went wide.

"O-oh no its fine I don't want to bother you," she spoke quickly.

Again I shook my head as I made my way back towards the bed.

"You won't be," I assured her, "I can hold you with one arm and read with the other, though ill have to lay on my side since I can't really lay on my back at the current moment," I said casually.

She seems to think this over as I got back onto the bed.

"Okay... only if you're sure," she said rather timidly.

"I'm sure, "I stated as I situated myself under the blankets, "Now come here."

She did, unusually slowly, her face changing a couple tints.

It was silent for a moment as she got herself comfortable

"Nico, about the flying thing," She began nervously, " Are you sure that you're going to want me for that long? Until you figure out how to do it?"

My brows furrowed before I relaxed with a sigh.

Of course, she'd worry about something like that.

"Don't worry about that. I plan on having you for a very long time."