• 𝓜𝓪𝓮 •

I shouldn't have done it, but after I felt sufficient time had passed since Noah left, I went to my door, unlocked it, and went out into the hallway. I knew they told me to stay in there to keep me safe - especially now that Zero had good reason to hurt me. But I couldn't stand staying locked up in there anymore.

I walked through the empty halls, watching and waiting for someone to come around a corner or exit a room. But the castle was eerily silent and seemingly empty besides me. For the first few minutes, every time my foot met the floor, the sound made me stiffen. If I heard it, someone else definitely had, I thought. But no one came.

Continuing forward, I headed towards an area that I knew.

Kite's office.

I stopped just outside, pressing myself against the wall next to the door. I could hear mumbling through the small cracks around the frame, and I strained to hear.

It sounded like Kite, Noah, and Luca were in there.

It bothered me that Noah and Luca were so close to Kite. That was part of the reason I needed to speak with Noah. I needed to understand why he was close to Kite, besides the fact that he saved him, and why he helped bring me back. I couldn't allow anything to continue if I didn't have those answers.

"-not my issue," I heard Kite say when I pressed my ear to the door. "My issue is to make sure he doesn't kill her."

"You're doing a shit job of it," Luca drawled. "You're also doing a shit job in trying to make sure she doesn't absolutely hate you. Newsflash, I think she'd like to use you as target practice, rather than leaning on you for help."

There was silence, and I wished I could be a fly on their wall, watching and listening more clearly to what was being said. But Luca had a point, if they were talking about me. Kite was not one I would readily go to for help, even if Noah and Luca weren't available. I would have prefered relying on myself and my instincts than to go to him.

And where vampires were concerned, my instincts were not all that great.

"What do you want me to do," Kite asked. "If I start acting nice to her, she's going to think I'm a lunatic. I'm not unkind to humans because I want to be."

My eyebrows drew together.

"My father is the ruler of South District," he continued. "I am the face. I carry out what he needs done. If I suddenly start showing kindness, even to her, it will be seen as a weakness to not only the humans here, but my father as well. I would rather her hate me, than deal with my father's retribution for being kind to the sheep."

So he was being an asshole because he had to be? That didn't make sense, especially when no one would see or hear him behind closed doors.

Well, besides this instance.

Maybe they shouldn't talk so loud. Anyone could walk by, put their ear to the door, and just listen to them.

"I don't think she expects you to be kind," Noah said. "I think she expects some human decency."

"I'm not human," Kite said. "I never have been."

I rolled my eyes.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it." Noah sounded frustrated. "But you need to protect her just as much as we do."

I heard the beginnings of Kite's response before I was ripped away from the door. I choked back a scream, whipping myself around to face the person. One of Zero's friends - the blacked haired one that had just simply watched me through the whole ordeal - stood there, allowing his hand to drop to his side.

I rubbed at my wrist, though he hadn't really hurt me.

His eyes raised to the door, and he tilted his head as if he were listening.

I couldn't have one of Zero's friends listening. I wasn't sure what they were saying anymore, but the topic seemed like it was about to shift to Zero.

"Who are you," I asked. "Why are you even here?"

His red-purple eyes lowered and met with mine. "Seraph, and I could ask you the same."

His voice was quiet, but deep. And whereas normally that would be calming, from him, and knowing he was close with Zero, only caused chills to race up my spine.

"Am I not allowed to walk around," I asked.

He sighed. "I wouldn't advise it. There's a reason they have you all locked up in that room like some pretty little pet they don't want touched."

Yeah, and the reason was his friend. Speaking of.

"Where's Zero," I asked.

He looked over his shoulder. "Are you looking for him?"

What kind of shitty ass answer was that?

I moved my body so that I was able to see behind him, thinking that Zero would be walking down the hall towards us. If he had been, I would have slipped in with Noah, Luca, and Kite and would have had to make up some excuse as to why I was suddenly there when I was supposed to be staying in my room.

Thankfully, no one was there.

Seraph turned his attention back to me.

"No," I said. "Kind of trying to avoid him."

He nodded. "Good idea. Now..."

He walked around me and kicked the door open to Kite's office, showcasing both of us to their eyes.

I turned around slowly and gritted through my teeth, "What the fuck, Seraph?"

He didn't smile, though I could somehow tell he was amused.

Kite looked at me from his desk, one eyebrow raised. The other two were in their normal spots on the leather chairs closer to the door, and both of them looked at me too. Luca looked amused as all hell, of course. Noah just looked shocked.

"Got a little eavesdropper here," Seraph murmured, tilting his head towards me. "Seemed interesting, whatever it was you were talking about."

"Get out," Kite said, eyes moving to Seraph.

Seraph looked at me from the corner of his eye for a moment before turning and heading back in the direction that I assumed he came from. When I turned my head, I saw Zero standing at the end of the hall, an eyepatch over the eye that I took from him. His working eye watched me, even as his friend neared.

Had Seraph done that to protect me from Zero?

I stepped inside the office and slammed the doors closed, pretending like seeing Zero standing there hadn't freaked me out. There was no expression on his face whatsoever as he looked at me, almost like I was just a stranger to him. But there was something in his stance that told me otherwise. There was a low thrum of anger and murderous intent in the way he stood there, like he was just itching to kill me. To end my torture of him once and for all.

"Mae," Kite's voice made me turn to face them.

I tilted my head. "Yes?"

"I know I said don't walk around at night alone," he said. "But day time isn't really that safe for you either anymore."

"What am I supposed to do," I asked. "Twiddle my thumbs and wait for one of my three captors to come and save me from my boredom?"

He blinked slowly, and I could just see the gears in his head turning. I didn't know if I wanted to know what he was thinking or not, especially after what I heard from him.

"Sit," he nodded towards the chairs.

As if I was going to walk out and go back to my room. Not with Zero out there. So I walked over and sat down next to Noah, pretending like I hadn't just been listening in on their private conversation.

By the looks on their faces, that wasn't going too well.