Xander's POV:

The second the car was parked Nico and I were out of it, incidentally leaving the girls and Marcus to catch up.

Neither of us used out advanced speed for their sake, so had to be quick in a different way.

We didn't have time to grab our things, but I knew they'd be brought to our rooms regardless.

Those last seven minutes were agonizing and I wasn't sure how much time I had left to keep it together.

It had gotten bad enough that even Nico was showing evident signs of struggle with the hand he kept over his mouth and the tension in his face as we booked it into the castle we called home.

We couldn't even take the time to look around the outside of it before we were booking it up the steps to get in the main entranceway.

As soon as we did, we noticed the number of people within it, chatting away.

My parents had kept this first floor a public gathering area for as long as I could remember, and had accommodations like food and drink always present for whoever wanted or needed it.

Which is why when I spotted the first tray that held glasses of blood, I didn't hesitate a second longer.

My feet were pushing against the ground towards them, much faster than usual advanced speed.

So much so that I nearly tripped as I slowed down.

My little fumble didn't matter as much to me as getting blood in my system, so I focused on that first.

I've always been clumsy with my 'royal advances' anyway.

I scooped up four of the crystal wine glasses, one in each hand between my first and middle, then my fourth and pinky.

Miraculously I managed to get back to Nico without a hitch, holding two glasses out for him to take.

We both practically inhaled them from there, the A positive, though not my favorite, being just what I needed.

The sweet taste immediately brought a relief that was... almost unmatched.

I felt myself turn towards Doe at the thought, the ache and tingle in my throat dying down as I finished the second one.

I pulled the glass away with a relieved breath, Nico following right after.

"Okay," He began, setting the empty glasses on an empty passing tray, " Now that that's over..."

I set mine on the same tray as he worked in composing himself.

I for one put my eyes back on Doe.

'I told you I'd be fine' I mouthed, getting one of her signature eye-rolls as a response.

It made me smile nonetheless.

"Yeah," I responded simply, taking the opportunity as I turned back around to see just how much had changed here.

The old tiles that once made up the floor was now made of white marble burnished with gold here and there, no doubt coming from my mother.

The support pillars were wrapped in velvet scarlet cloth, and flowing fabric here and there on the walls with my family's crest.

I took in a deep breath, catching all the familiar scents of home.

God, I missed this place.

I just hope Doe has been enjoying it so far dipite that little emergency.

"Wow. Mom and Dad really fixed this place up." I commented.

He took a moment himself to look around, surely noticing all the things that I did, "Huh. I guess they did."

Even the energy of this place was drastically different.

Everyone around was civil to one another, exchanging simple formalities as they passed.

No meaningless glares or immediate power struggles to be seen between the vampires here, and the humans too got comfortable in this space.

I kept my hearing on the three behind us, listeningas  one of the workers offeref them one of the varieties of hors d'oeuvre that were always on hand.

I wonder if the same family still works as the chef on our floor...

If they do, I'll have to introduce Doe immediately.

I've never had better food than what that family made for us our entire lives.

After more investigation, and taking all of this in, I noticed something.

"No one seems to recognize us," I said, regaining Nico's attention.

"Well yeah, we did kind of leave for one-hundred years give or take. I didn't expect them to."

"I guess."

An idea popped into my head from the excitement of it all.

Now that the stress of our bloodthirsty was taken care of, I could focus on what other advances we had here.

Like the ability to use our pheromones to gain the attention of everyone around us.

I leaned in close to Nico, wiggling my brows.

"What do you say we," I paused for dramatic effect, "announce our arrival?"

My brilliant idea got met with his palm on my face, pushing me back to where I was prior.

"I'm pretty sure by 'we' you mean me since I'm more powerful than you and if you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting, then no."

Well, yeah that's exactly what I meant.

It wouldn't be much, they'd feel nothing more than a slight change in the atmosphere that immediately told them that a royal was nearby.

I could do it myself, but Nico was biologically better at it and thus could reach a wider range of people.

I spoke as soon as he took his hand back.

"Come on man. You're being lame." I whined.

We finally get back t the place where were royals, and he doesn't want to take advantage of the abilities we haven't been able to use in so long.

"I'm being smart. Now come on, our parents will probably announce our arrival once we go see them." He said, leading all of us into the crowd.

Despite how many people there were in here, it was easy to traverse as a group.

I stayed to Nico's right, Khloe behind him, Doe behind me, and Marcus in the middle of them.

Holy crap we were about to see mom and dad...

"Wait, do mom and dad even know we're here?" I questioned.

He shook his head, "Nope. I didn't really have time to write them back and tell them that we were coming."

Yeah that added up.

I just know that Mom is the type of person to want to set up some sort of surprise.

I honestly believed that the entire city would have been waiting for our arrival with a huge territory-wide party.

She loved organizing those kinds of things, especially for us.

That and well... When we left, they left Nico with a mission that he didn't fulfill.

"Oh... Do you think they'll be upset?"

Nico quirked up a brow.

"Upset? To see their sons? I doubt it, Xander." he affirmed.

I felt my lips press together.

Being back with our parents also meant coming back to our duties as heirs.

I remember how tense it could get between dad and Nico at times.

Both of our parents loved us dearly, I knew that, but royal responsibility did indeed have to be a part of this family.

At couldn't be avoided and more often than not causes some sort of strain on the family for a time.

It was one more thing that made me happy that I wasn't first in line as an heir.

"Yeah, but they sent you away in the first place to get a wife and you're returning empty-handed," I mentioned.

I could just already imagine the tension from that alone.

"Awe is my little brother worried about me?" he cooed as if talking to an infant.

I punched him in the arm, getting a laugh from him at my reaction.

As well as a small one from the girl behind me.

"Shut up!" I snapped, somewhat embarrassed from his prior words "I just know dad doesn't react well to disappointment."

I didn't grow up under the same amount of pressure I'm sure all true heirs have to deal with, but even so, I was always putting myself in his shoes, just to see if I could handle it.

And the difference between us just from this conversation alone showed me that I most likely wouldn't be able to.

"I've been dealing with his disappointment for a long time, Xan. He'll get over it and so will I."

I had no idea how he did it.

He wasn't always this carefree about it, but I suppose with how long he's had this responsibility on his shoulders, he's learned how.

The conversation died from there as we made our way into the elevator.

Nico and I stood at the back, everyone else standing side-by-side in front of us as Nico scanned his thumbprint that gave us access to the royal floors.

The long elevator ride was also silent, and I hadn't realized I had lifted my hand until I felt the warmth on my fingertips while they traced the side of Doe's arm.

It was actually her silent shutter that snapped me out of it and made me force my hand down.

Luckily she didn't mind.

The elevator doors opened to the top floor, the one my Parents basically lived on, and accomplished most of their duties.

"Do you think they're in the throne room or the study?" I asked as we stepped out.

He took a moment to think.

"Study," he concluded, "Definitely the study."

I agreed. It tended to be the place they spent the most time to get things in order.

It wasn't that much of a walk from here, and the halls were as empty as they usually were.

It was rare that they needed anything delivered, and the guards that hung around them were more for show than anything else.

You don't truly need guards when you're the most powerful being in the territory.

I spotted one of them standing outside of the door of our location.

The confused and frustrated glare he sent our way over how we managed to get access up here proved instantly that he didn't recognize who we were either.

Oh, this could be fun.

We'd only been back in the castle we'd grown up in for ten minutes and already I could feel myself craving the same mischief Nico and I would get into before we left.

It was refreshing.

One look at Nico, and he was thinking the same thing.

The both of us wordlessly approached and stopped, just patiently waiting for him to either let us in or make the first move to a conversation I just knew was going to be entertaining.

"The Lord and Lady have been asked to be left alone. Go away." He bit.

I couldn't contain my giddy nostalgic giggle as Nico stepped closer.

I think my younger brother role to sit back and enjoy as Nico handled these types of things was falling back into place.

"I'm afraid you don't have the authority to give that command," The calm, poised way in which he spoke showed that of a refined prince.

Although it turned out the guard didn't agree with my thought process, given that by the next second his fist was balled around the front of Nico's shirt.

I heard two female gasps from behind me before the guard spoke again.

"I think I do," he snarled.

He's intimidating, I'll give him that.

Or we would be to quite literally anyone else.

The calm, confident look on Nico's face matched the mischief that I was feeling, his eyes flicking to mine and showing that he was thinking exactly what I was.

I blinked and their position had switched drastically, Nico stepping forward with a hard grip on the man's wrist.

His pupils thinned and all hell went loose with a loud boom that seemed to come right beside my ears.

Wait, shit, he was going about this differently than I expected!

The feeling of immediate panic and looming fear surrounded and thickened the air, the sensation of it starting to swallow me and dull my vision kicking something into gear.

My body moved on its own, grabbing Doe's upper arm and positioning her behind me before I felt my own eyes mirror his in an attempt to fight back.

Or in this sense, negate.

I squared my shoulders the best I could from the oncoming onslaught, feeling the strange sensation of my skin crawling as I pulled out the memory of performing this myself.

These pheromones were versatile, it just all depended on how they were used.

I used to like to think that I was somewhat good at using them like my mother did.

And all of being invisible to the naked eye.

The prickling stinging and the void of fear Nico had created with his diminished as soon as I released mine, only being able to surround me and Doe.

I felt her grab the back of my shirt, letting out a confused and panicked breath at what she'd momentarily had to endure.

Okay... I got this.

This was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be.

I spoke too soon, my stomach dropping as I noticed the resistance of his power versus mine.

No no no no wait!

The hard fact that Nico was just overall more powerful than me by nature caused my defensive pheromone to get overpowered rather quickly.

And for everything that I'd held off to attack all at once in one awful burst.

Attacking both of us.

A terror I couldn't even begin to explain shredded into me, dulling my vision and tightening every muscle I had.

The force of the initial impact nearly caused my legs to give out, but not wanting to hurt Doe, I somehow managed to stumble to the side into the wall there.

And just like that, it stopped and everything began to clear.

Okay... that didn't go as planned.

The sound of heavy breaths was the first thing I noticed as the symptoms faded away.

It seemed that everyone here got an... unintentional taste of royal power.

"Jesus Nico," I attempted to scold, but it came out as a haggard breath.

He took a look around as I did, noticing the differing levels of stupefied fear.

My heart sank as I spotted Doe on her knees, fists clutched at her chest, and panicked tears dripping from her eyes.

She took the same hard hit that I did.

Dammit... maybe I shouldn't have attempted that.

I should have known that the chances of it being successful for a decent amount of time were slim.

"Ah sorry," he began, "It's been a while I never really learned how to aim it, are you guys ok?" his eyes lingered on Khloe as mine stayed on Doe.

I managed to push myself off of this wall to go to her side, only for Marcus to beat me to it.

I just watched as he took her hand and rose her back onto her feet, sending Nico a nod.

...Okay...

I chose to ignore that somewhat annoyed tinge in my chest, closing the space between us anyways while Marcus stepped back to where he was before.

She knew what the look in my eye meant, giving me back a soft smile and a nod as she hastily wiped her eyes.

She said that she was okay but it was obvious that it had shaken her up.

I'll have to explain myself later.

Her hand reached around to grab the back of my shirt again, the view of it hidden from the rest of them.

She relaxed a small amount as I drew mine down her back

I felt a little better knowing that I could still bring her a bit of comfort after that.

And it made that weight in my chest go away.

"Y'know maybe you were right when you decided not to do that to everyone in the main room," I expounded.

Even though that wasn't at all what I had in mind.

I was going for a more... gentle approach.

I tapped her back before taking the few steps forward it took to stand by Nico.

"Yeah, obviously I was right, Xander." He replied, dropping his hold on the guard which sent him falling to his knees.

This poor dude took the brunt of it, and thus still hadn't fully recovered.

"P-Prince Nicolas. Prince Alexander. M-My greatest apologies, I failed to recognize you. Please forgive me," he sputtered with a bow of his head.

"Nah you're fine. I probably went a little overboard there," Nico casually remarked.

Well, at least he knew.

I nearly jumped at how quickly the door suddenly opened, a loud, but familiar voice ringing through.

"What's all that nois-" My mother's words got cut short, eyes growing wide at the sight of us standing there.

All with a relief and excitement that sent my own running its course through me.

Nico and I copied her expression before greeting her in unison.

"Hey mom."

Doe's POV:

Holy crap she had to be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

I can see now where Xander gets it from, as well as where Nico got his eyes.

Light golden locks sat in curls that even then fell all the way down her back

I couldn't imagine how long it must be when straightened.

Flawless skin along her tall frame that was just below Xander's, all with a pearl-colored gown fit for that of a Lady.

The unfiltered giddy elation she showed as she threw her arms around them bloomed yet another feeling in me that I wasn't entirely familiar with.

It was the first time these unfamiliar feelings didn't stem directly from Xander.

I recognized it a small amount from the feelings I'd get whenever he talked about his past life here and his family.

She hurriedly sent away the still recovering guard amongst her hug.

If I'm being honest, I was too.

I have no idea what happened there, just that one moment I was fine, and the next it felt like I was getting dragged into the nightmares I'd have.

Xander managed to somehow pull me out of it there for a second, only for it to return harder than before.

To both of us, it looked like.

All I remember thinking was that I was going to turn around and Layla was going to be right there...

I shuttered at the thought, shoving it away in favor of what was happening right in front of me.

We hadn't been here long but I could already see how much being here affected him.

He looked like he belonged here. Happily amongst the family, he talked so fondly of.

They engaged in a tangle of small talk and assurances of how much they missed each other until another, deeper voice came from the same room.

"Caroline, what's the fuss abou-" He too stopped mid-sentence as he laid eyes on his sons.

He quickly became the tallest in the room, his stubble, shorter hair, and larger build being the most distinguished features that set him apart from just being an older version of Nico.

That, and the familiar eyes.

Only just familiar, though. Even from here, I could tell that they weren't exactly Xander's

Lady and Lord Vanderwood... Wow.

So these were the ones whose last name became mercy for me.

Well, I guess it was Xander and Nico's as well, but that was different.

No matter how many times I reminded myself of Xander's lineage, being here and finally seeing them all together with my own eyes really put it all into perspective.

How highly viewed they all were.

...Holy shit I've kissed these people's son.

"Well, I never would have guessed that this would be the time that you two actually showed up." It showed that he was happy to see them, though it didn't match the immense excitement their mom showed.

It would have been hard to beat anyways.

He tugged Xander into an embrace first, the same smile on his face as when he hugged his mom.

That strange sensation started up again, mixing with an intricate longing...

The hug he then gave Nico was almost hard to watch.

Jeez. Xander wasn't kidding when he told me about the tension these two have.

It didn't take long for the conversations to start back up again, the boys retelling the story of how they got here so quickly.

Xander occasionally getting over-excited and talking over Nico in the process.

I think they intentionally left out some... debatably important details including pissing off a certain Lord, but they probably knew what they were doing.

I turned my attention to the boy on my left, seeing his eyes narrow as if he was trying to gauge Lord and Lady Vanderwoods personalities.

From what I've heard from Xander, The Bronwyn's and Vanderwood's differed greatly in how they handled everything.

That where the Bronwyn's used fear and violence, the Vanderwood's earned respect and the trust of the people they rule.

Not that he would know that, and after what he's been through, it makes sense that he would worry.

Maybe I'll tell him later.

Khloe on the other hand looked to be comparing the brothers to their parents if the quick-shifting of her eyes told me anything.

They were all stunning. Beautiful in every sense of the word, but I still had my favorite out of the four.

It was just neat to finally see the two people who managed to make him.

"And who are these three?" Lady Vanderwood- er... Caroline spoke out, looking over the three of us.

My back straightened on instinct.

"Oh!" Xander bounded to return to my side, his hand finding itself on my head,  "This is my pet, Doe. I've had her for over two years. She used to be pretty difficult, but now I think she's growing on me."

Right... I was the difficult one.

I knew he spoke as a joke that I guess only I could pick up on and it took everything I had not to roll my eyes and instead lower my head in a silent greeting.

"I see," Her smile was genuine, and even with the fangs felt warm and welcoming.

I'll yell at him about it later.

Or so I thought. In reality, I shoved my elbow in his side the moment her back turned to us to face Khloe.

His teasing little chuckle was nearly silent, rubbing his fingers against where they still sat on my head.

"And what about her?" She asked, stepping towards Nico and Khloe.

Khloe looked to be completely on edge, her eyes pointed straight to the floor

Though with the injuries she had on her back

Both her and Marcus... jeez.

It most likely would have been me as well if Erik didn't have that salve he used.

"This is Khloe," he introduced "I haven't had her for that long, but she's honestly one of the best," There was an... interesting pause, "pets I've ever had."

Caroline's head tilted while she looked Khloe over.

"The poor thing looks absolutely terrified," She spoke, kneeling right in front of her.

To say I was stunned by her action was an understatement.

Layla was an illegitimate princess and couldn't stand the thought of being looked at wrong by a human, and here the Lady was kneeling for the comfort of one.

Maybe I shouldn't even compare.

No, I absolutely shouldn't, not when the two families were so different that it's wasn't even worth it.

"Yeah, she didn't have the best life leading up to me buying her, plus I feel like being in a room with an entire royal family would be nervewracking for anyone," Nico disclosed.

True, though perhaps I was just used to it by now.

Maybe now I can finally get some input on her backstory. Now that we're here, we'll probably have a lot of time to get to know each other properly.

"Oh...," I could hear the sympathy behind the one word alone, watching her gently lift a hand to tilt up Khloe's chin.

I couldn't see her face, but if she was looking at Khloe with the same smile she gave me, then Khloe should be fine.

I took a quick peek at the Lord, seeing him leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed as he watched his wife with a hidden smile.

"Well, it looks like you've taken very good care of her," She commented to Nico, straightening to her feet before finally turning her attention to Marcus.

He too looked intensely nervous.

"That's Marcus," Nico spoke up, targeting his next words to the Lord, "He was a very hard working and trusted slave back at Bronwyn's castle. I would like for him to work as the head of the slave team on my floor. I'm sure you can find some use for him as well."

Oh sweet he's gonna be with us!

He found Nico's explanation interesting.

"If he was so hardworking and trusted then why is he here?" He questioned.

Marcus nearly shrunk back at the hardened tone.

"Bronwyn disregarded him for an unjust reason," Nico replied.

"So you stole him."

"Basically." He shamelessly admitted.

Blunt and straight to the point. That's Nico for you.

The space went quiet at the Lord's brows furrowed.

I have no idea what 'stealing from a Lord' could do, but I'm betting he did.

He ended up surrendering with a sigh and a pinching of the bridge of his nose.

"Whatever. He's your responsibility."

Marcus and Nico shared a look of victory, Marcus looking the most relieved I've ever seen him.

"Well we don't want to keep you here too long," The Lady began, "A lot has changed in the castle since you've left. Go ahead and get settled in for a bit before dinner."