Xander's POV:
I had been restless all night.
I stayed with Khloe and my parents until she fell asleep, and intended on checking in with Doe before heading back down to Nico.
But my parents insisted that I waited till morning after a shower to return to him and then for this process to repeat day by day until Khloe's transformation was complete.
Wake up, go check up on Nico, return up here whenever Khloe needed blood, then sleep in my room.
They didn't want a single sign of her on me.
Which I understood, but I couldn't help but worry.
About both of them.
About the small chance that Khloe wouldn't make it, and about Nico's entire situation.
I just hoped he was at least doing enough to sustain himself.
The fact that he hadn't consumed blood during the entire time I was with him was already worrying.
I let out a long sigh, setting my nose in her hair as I pulled her closer to me.
I couldn't help but put us in their shoes, and ultimately being unable to figure out how we would have handled that.
It made me sick just to think about it.
It already made me sick how this entire process was going.
I opened my eyes to my dark room, figuring that sleep wasn't going to take me at any immediate time, and focused in on my hearing.
Marcus had long since fallen asleep on one of the couches I had in here, and his breaths concluded it.
He hadn't said much all day and went to bed relatively early.
Doe's on the other hand showed the opposite.
I thought back to when I returned a few hours ago.
To that look of relief on her face when I stepped through the door.
I guess her mind went wild given what she thought had happened to Khloe, and the fact that I didn't return for a few hours did a great job in spiking her panic.
I felt awful about knowing what I did and not being able to tell her.
She was still grieving on top of this new agitation.
Plus the fact that I wasn't with her as much as I wanted to be while I made sure both Nico and Khloe were okay.
Even when I was here, I feel like she didn't talk about it as much as she wanted to.
I'd only guess that it was because of Marcus' presence.
It took a lot just to get her to agree to sleep in the same bed as me tonight.
I presume she wanted to make sure our relationship stayed a secret even more so than before.
Even though I knew at this point that it probably didn't matter.
But until this was over... until Khloe's transformation was completed successfully, I wasn't going to say a word.
There was nothing worse than false hope after a tragedy, just to be hurt again.
That was the only reason I agreed not to say a word to Nico.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have hesitated for a second to get the news to him.
I moved the hand that was around her under the blanket, touching her directly.
"You know I've got you, right?" I whispered, making sure that even if Marcus was awake, he wouldn't have heard it.
Her body curled in just slightly, the hand against my back pressing against my shirt.
Then she just silently nodded, burying her head deeper into my neck and chest.
It was a simple response, but I still knew that I could at least give her that.
I wanted her to have some reassurance until this all is done.
She wasn't usually the kind of person that constantly needed it, but I just wanted to be sure.
I wanted to be sure that I had everyone that I loved covered until all of this was said and done.
Nico's POV:
Every part of me felt empty.
Cold.
Numb.
Emotionless save for the constant ache in my chest that refused to go away.
The constant agony that was haunting me.
I couldn't even remember how long ago Xander left.
I couldn't remember how long ago the guards dropped off food.
Although the smell of spoiled blood that reeked through this cell told me that it had been at least a couple hours ago.
But the fact that my breaths were running heavy though my mouth saved me from sensing it all the time.
I don't know why they kept trying. I hadn't touched a single thing that they brought me.
The very thought of consuming something made me sick.
I couldn't remember how long it had been since my body completely collapsed, leaving me laying on my side upon this cold stone floor.
I didn't have it in me to care.
Every part of me was exhausted but I refused to close my eyes.
Every time I did, I would see her.
I would see her face smiling, shining more brilliantly than anything I'd seen before.
I'd hear her laugh.
The laugh that could make a whole room brighten.
I'd feel her touch warm my heart, and make each passing day worth meeting.
Someone that gave me something to look forward to.
And then I'd open my eyes, heart snapping again as I brought my arms to my chest and remembered that there was no one between them.
No one...
The wing that lay over me tightened against me while the other just layed flat against the floor.
And even that small bit of movement caused my muscles to scream and ache.
I didn't know what my future heald at this point.
I didn't know where to start anymore.
My future was never really something that I worried about, despite living the life of an heir.
I knew that I could never plan it perfectly, and because of that, I never tried.
But that changed with Khloe. It changed so quickly that I was certain that I would live in a future where I was happy
Every plan that I finally came up with...
Every plan had her in it.
And now it was gone all over again.
What the hell was I supposed to do now?
I couldn't think of anything, anything, that would even come close to what I had.
I didn't want any different answers. I knew what I wanted and the fact of the matter was that I could never have it.
I had lost it. I let it slip right through my fingers like an idiot.
Now I was just left with nothing.
My body grumbled, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut and deal with the ache.
I felt so weak, yet never found it in me to try to change that.
The will to try had dried up and withered.
I kept my eyes closed, but my mind kept repeating these thoughts, preventing me from sleeping.
It felt like my fate was no longer within my own hands, and oddly enough, that thought was the only comfort I'd found through all of this.
I'll let it take me wherever it wants.
And if it wants me here in this cell, wasting away...
So be it.