Marcus' POV:

"Wait, so if the Princes weren't even living here then what did you do on this floor?" I asked, leaning forward from the headboard of my bed.

Carlo turned to look at me from his face-up position at the foot of my bed, seeming amused at my question that honestly came out of nowhere.

What we were talking about before was a completely different subject.

"Honestly, not a whole lot," He began, pushing himself up on his elbows, the longer parts of his hair falling to nearly cover one of his eyes, "A whole lot of cleaning and tending to the garden was most of it. The Lord would give us one of those master keys to tidy up the Princes rooms whenever he sent them an invitation to return home in case they actually decided to return."

"That's it?"

He nodded.

"Pretty much. Working the Prince's floor was basically a job Lord Vanderwood would give slaves that excelled in their work as a rewarding break, and Lily's only job was to feed the slaves that worked up here. I guess Lord Vanderwood would request our, well, mostly my assistance from time to time, but other than that," He shrugged, "Not that exciting."

I crossed my arms, placing them atop my bent knees.

"Yeah, it doesn't really sound like it," I responded.

Carlo shrugged once more before shifting back to his prior position, resting his head on his arms behind him.

"Which is why I wasn't really that bummed to give up my position as the head slave. I was good at what I did while the Princes were absent, but I'm sure having a slave that they actually know and trust as the head of their floor is better than whatever I could have done. The only thing I do really miss about being head slave is this room."

My eyes gazed over the room as he spoke.

I'll admit, it was an impressive room for a slave, even for a head slave.

Even the normal slave's rooms were an upgrade from what I was used to.

Meaning this room had many more things than I was used to.

Space being one of the main things.

Even though the room already held a King-sized bed, which was insanely comfortable, a wardrobe, and even a coffee table between two couches, the room was still, well, roomy.

It even had a whole different attaching room for a bathroom.

And heater.

God, I loved that heater.

I could definitely see how this would be the one thing Carlo would miss.

I glanced at my pocket watch that sat beside me.

"Well, if its any consultation, it looks like you're going to have to spend the night in this room."

"Oh yeah?" Carlo questioned.

I nodded.

"Yup. All the slaves are supposed to be locked away in their rooms by now because of the blood moon, and as head slave of this floor, I'm not allowing you to leave this room and risk being pounced on by a blood-crazed vampire," I said, smirking jokingly towards the end of my sentence.

Even though I knew none of the vampires on this floor were having that problem.

Carlo mirrored my expression, snickering a bit before completely accepting what I had said.

"Damn why didn't I exercise my authority like that when I was head slave?" He asked sarcastically, placing the arm he wasn't laying on over his eyes.

I hid my smile behind my arms before I remembered what the future may have in store for us.

"Who knows? You might get your job back sooner than you think." I stated, my voice growing a bit tight towards the end.

His head shot towards me almost immediately, shifting his position so that he was sitting up completely.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

My smile died down to a sadder one.

Carlo was still on some sort of mission to get something from Khloe in order to keep me from being sent back to Lord Bronwyn, and I still owed it to both Nico and Khloe to do everything I could to prevent him from getting anywhere near her.

I hadn't yet told Carlo where I stood in this situation since it really did put me in a very complicated position.

But after a lot of restless nights and countless scenarios, I finally decided that I needed to stay loyal to the vampire that saved my life in the first place.

As much as I tried to figure out a way where no one ended up getting hurt, I couldn't think of a single scenario in which everything worked out.

There were too many loose ends, too many facts I didn't have, and above all else, I was a slave amongst Princes and Lords.

I didn't really have much control over what happens to begin with.

But what I could do was stick with Khloe while Nico wasn't there. Protect her even if it cost me, and protect Carlo by making sure no one knew what he was forced on planning.

The only hope I had left to hold on to was that Nico would try to intervene with me getting sent back.

And if he doesn't... Maybe if I'm lucky, I can find a way to end my own life before being handed back to Bronwyn.

My life would be over the second I leave this city anyway.

Both my chest and throat tightened at the thought.

"Marcus." Carlo's worried voice snapped me back to reality.

I didn't even notice he had maneuvered on the bed so that he was now sitting next to me.

"You don't mean..." he finished.

I nodded once, knowing already that he knew exactly what he was talking about.

He knew which side I had chosen in our current predicament.

The room fell into silence, Carlo now apparently thinking over my decision, trying to come up with a new plan of action for himself.

Eventually, he sighed, running a hand down his face before he plopped back onto one of the pillows.

"Fine," He said, crossing his arms behind his head and shutting his eyes, "If I'm the only one trying to keep you here and alive, then so be it."

I could hear a bit of annoyance in his voice, but couldn't blame him.

"You seem to be very certain that going back would automatically lead to my death," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

I knew it would, but he didn't.

I knew he had speculations, but not the complete truth.

And at this point, I don't think he needed to.

He peaked open a single eye to look me up and down, finally meeting my eye with a small glare.

And that's where I realized that what I had said gave the opposite effect.

"You really think I haven't noticed?" He asked.

His words caught me by surprise.

"Noticed what?"

His other eye opened, now both fixed in that glare.

He was upset, yet I could tell that it wasn't entirely directed at me.

He was mad at this situation too.

"The fang marks on your shoulder and on the back of your neck, the still-healing self-defense bruises you have on your arms, the scars on your back, the way you completely fall into a panic whenever the name Bronwyn is even spoken!?" His voice rose as the sentence continued on.

I swallowed hard, rubbing that one bruise that I knew for a fact was still there on my upper arm.

I'm actually surprised that impact didn't shatter the bone.

What shocked me more was how Carlo noticed all of this. I tried to keep the marks hidden at all times.

Even right now, the shirt I wore covered everything.

"H-how did you-"

"Does it matter?" He retorted, "What matters is that given from the hints I've picked up ever since I met you, you and that Lord had a good beginning. He trusted you and knew that you were good at what you did, but something went wrong. Something went wrong and you went from a respected slave to a merciless Lord's plaything."

I flinched as the memories I try so hard to avoid came flooding back.

Noticing this, Carlo calmed himself down with an easing breath.

"What I'm trying to say is that both of us know that going back will lead to your death, and I just don't understand why you're willing to throw yourself away so easily. I mean I don't even know what the Lord wants Khloe for. What if protecting her from whatever it is isn't even worth risking your life for?"

"I don't want to take that risk," I replied almost immediately.

Carlo stared, apparently not expecting nor wanting that to be my response.

I continued, "I've had a horrible feeling about this ever since the first time I caught you making that deal. Lord Vanderwood wouldn't have a slave do his dirty work unless he had something planned that had to be done under the radar.  I wish I knew what he wanted with Khloe, but I can't help but think its something terrible and that uncertainty is exactly what's making me want to obey what Nico said and protect her!"

I had to stop to control my breathing.

I honestly felt like I was about to cry.

Apparently raising my voice in any way had this effect.

Carlo processed my words for a moment.

"You seem close to the heir, yet you haven't told him anything. Wouldnt telling him what's going on make this a lot easier for you?"

I didn't even need to think of an answer.

"Yeah, but I couldn't explain it without putting you in danger and that's not something I'm willing to do either. At this point, I'm at a standstill between losing you or losing her and the knowledge that I'm the only one who can really control who it's going to be makes me sick to my stomach. Sick enough to where the thought of being sent back to Bronwyn in order to protect both of you sounds like a good enough option to take!"

At this point, I was blinking back tears.

I guess when you're bargaining lives including your own, it's to be expected.

The smallest hint of guilt crossed Carlo's face, his eyes showing remorse.

"I'm sorry," He began, "You never should have had to be a part of this. I know you care about Khloe, but I'm not willing to let you go without a fight. It seems like we're all fighting for lives here and I've already decided that I'm fighting for yours."

I tried to ignore the sudden heat on my face.

"You know that means I'm going to have to do everything I can to stop you right?"

He nodded.

"So be it."