Pale blue eyes stared at the door to the room he found himself in when he awoke, his breathing frantic while sweat covered his shivering body, awaiting the owner behind the footsteps he'd heard walk by the door only ten minutes ago. He didn't know what woke him up, but it didn't take much to realise he was no longer surrounded by bars but in a large bedroom upon a bed too soft for words, but all that was for naught when he heard those footsteps.

Fear.

He didn't know where he was, what day it was or who brought him to this place and what would await him when he left this room... if he was allowed out of this room. He wanted to go take a look but his body wouldn't let him, hands disappearing within the tunnel of fabric they had creating from the constant twisting of his wrists and fists. His eyes never left the door, just in case someone walked through while he looked away.

Scared.

He was terrified. He remembered being bought, remembered the bites and push to sing and then the million thirsty eyes watching him. He remembered being drugged again, but the dosage didn't seem as strong as before, his mind strangely clear at the moment yet at the same time, nothing made sense. He knew nothing of this room, nothing of why he was here... why couldn't he remember?

Hatred.

He never thought he could learn to hate, but with each passing day his hatred for the vampires grew. How could they treat humans like this? Breeding them on farms, torturing them to act a certain way then selling them off like cattle to be bled dry; how could they do this? He remembered the teeth and the way the drug made him feel about the feeding, about the wandering hands but for once was very thankful that his virginity seemed to stop those hands from wandering too far.

Alone.

His memory still wasn't back. Even his memory of his time on the farm was hazy thanks to the drugs. He needed to know who he was, where he came from and about his family. Just something to ground him! The only thing that kept coming back to him was the constant, watchful look from hazel eyes. But who did these eyes belong to and could he trust them? Were those eyes waiting for him on the other side of the door? ... Would those eyes also belong to the bites that still leave an ache in his neck?

Having heard nothing for a while now, slowly Kurt slipped his feet over the side of the bed and carefully placed them on the carpeted floor. He would have to be quiet with the skilled hearing a vampire had. On tiptoes, Kurt snuck to the door, crouching down to peer through the key hole, holding his breath as he did. Nothing. Just a grey painted hallway and with his restricted view that's all he could see.

Pulling his body straight again, Kurt took a moment to centre himself, still feeling dizzy and disorientated, his lack of clarity and a throbbing headache making it difficult to focus. Tightening the belt on his dressing gown he slowly wrapped his hand around the door knob; he didn't dare go through the wardrobe and pick out an outfit, knowing the ruffle of the clothing would alert whoever was out there. Turning the handle, Kurt held his breath again as he prised the door open, begging the wood not to creak, sighing quietly when the door swung effortlessly on its hinges.

Stepping out into the hallway, Kurt allowed himself a moment to look around and see if anything looked familiar to him. The hallway was simple; grey walls, white carpet, three white wood doors and a collection of photographs hanging in black frames along the walls. Kurt didn't recognise this place. Slipping over to the closest photograph, Kurt darted his head to the side to see if anyone was coming before focusing on the group of boys, sat on a beach by a sand castle, pulling faces at the camera.

Kurt gripped his head as he remembered the brunette sitting down next him at a piano and talking to him, while the blond had flashed his fangs at him. Another had him reaching for his neck before he met those same eyes again. Hazel eyes dressed in olive skin and topped with black curly hair, sat dressed in a pair of swimming trunks smiling at the antics of the others in the photograph. He remembered that face, watching him... with fangs digging into his lower lip. But what hit him the most was he remembered those eyes from last night; hungry hazel eyes still watching him as he closed that same door he'd just walked through.

On slightly shakier feet now, Kurt crept to the end of the hallway where he could see a light coming from down the spiral staircase. Leaning over the edge, Kurt could just hear the clatter of cutlery and the shuffling of feet from a room just out of view from his vantage point, but also the slight hum of a song. He recognised the song but couldn't place it, but the voice that sung it was pulling Kurt closer, wanting to know more; know the person behind that glorious voice.

Not wanting to turn his back on his surroundings, Kurt gripped the railings and carefully lifted his legs over and braced himself, checking down to make sure he could land softly. On the count of three and with the voice humming slightly louder now, Kurt dropped his hands to where his feet had been, leaving him dangling a couple of feet from the rugged floor below and with a quick check again to the voice, Kurt dropped to the floor, ducking down and listening out.

The singing carried on and Kurt allowed himself a chance to look around the large open plan apartment he found himself in. He was crouching down next to a large piano next to the balcony windows, reminding Kurt of the previous night where he remembered offering himself to the hungry vampire. The lounge ahead looked comfy, with a fire already roaring to the side and on the other side Kurt could just see the breakfast bar which split the lounge from what must be the kitchen.

Kurt saw something else that interested him though; next to the fire, in a basket, sat a black fire poker with a brass handle. Checking the breakfast bar, Kurt leant forward to proceed on his hands and toes, heading towards the basket but keeping his eyes on the kitchen which he still couldn't see into. Sneaking behind the couch, Kurt glanced towards the kitchen where he could now make out the back of a man, white shirt rolled up at the sleeves with slick back black hair. He could just make out the red belt around his black slacks and he seemed to be leaning over the sink to wash up.

Reaching over, Kurt wrapped his fingers around the fire poker and slowly dragged it back to his side. Making sure his target still hadn't heard him, Kurt rose to his feet, closing his eyes momentarily as a dizzy spell took over him, then, with his eyes open, raised the poker out in front of him, aimed over the heart of the man who was still humming to himself.

Swallowing away the wave of nausea he felt, Kurt tiptoed towards the breakfast bar whilst trying to stop the shaking in his hand through to the poker and trying to pinpoint a memory of the man before him... but he didn't have any memories of gelled back black hair. As Kurt started to round the breakfast bar, the humming became words, sung strong but only loud enough to whisper in Kurt ears.

"We can dance, until we die. You and I, will be young forever."

Both the vampire's hands reached down through the bubbles in the sink, giving Kurt his chance to thrust the poker into the vampire's back, his aim true. But before his eyes the vampire had disappeared, along with the poker; ripped from his hands.

Wet fingers grip his wrists and before he can act he's flung out of the kitchen into the lounge by the fire and pinned down on the rug, his legs held firm by the figure above him. Black eyes greeted him with long fangs, a few strands of hair falling away and an open red bowtie hanging down behind the collar of the shirt.

Kurt was panicking, his heart thumping against his chest as he fought and wriggled to get away from his captor, scared as the grip on his wrists increased. Memories of willingly letting vampires take his blood raced through his mind, horrifying him, wanting nothing more than to get away from the long fangs before him.

"Kurt!" Yelled a voice.

"KURT!"

Kurt gasped, his body stilling and eyes going wide to the man above him now with no fangs in sight and worried, hazel eyes staring down at him. He knew those eyes.

"Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"Please don't bite me." Kurt whispered, hating how weak it made him seem but scared none the less.

"I won't. I promise... Do you remember me?"

Kurt thought hard, taking in the man above him, his nerves settling slightly from the promise given to him and how the vampire had yet to harm him.

"Blaine... You... You said I could call you, Blaine."

Blaine smiled, the sight surprising and calming to Kurt but at the same time filled him with dread when that smile revealed two drawn back fangs. He remembered those fangs, sinking into his neck and his wrist. This vampire had tasted his blood; was he here now to serve this vampire? Kurt blinked when he realised Blaine was talking to him, trying to focus on his voice.

"... while for the drug to leave your system. Until then your memory's going to be very foggy, but believe me when I tell you, you can trust me. I think you'll need about a week before the drug is completely out of your system since the drug they gave you is a little more potent, but... I'm glad to see some colour in your eyes again."

Kurt tried to take in everything Blaine was telling him, but it was so hard while his head was pounding, "Why was I given a different drug?"

Blaine released his wrist and for some reason Kurt didn't move, perhaps too afraid to, instead watching Blaine's expression become affectionate with a hint of sadness as that hand came to cup his cheek, taking Kurt's breath away, "Because you're a pixie, and you were becoming immune to the affects of the normal drug."

Kurt was trembling under the thumb rubbing back and forth across his cheek, the touch warm and gentle but the underlying worry that something would happen too much for him to cope with.

"I want to go home." Kurt whispered, swallowing back the crack in his voice.

He almost felt bad for requesting it when he saw Blaine recoil slightly, looking away to blink back the raw emotions slipping through, "Kurt... we don't know where your family is. We're trying to find them but aren't having much luck. Do you remember where they were travelling to?"

Kurt didn't even know who his family was, just flashes of baseball caps, greasy hands, a nurse's uniform and a tall, very tall boy. He shook his head turning his eyes towards the fire, closing them when the hand returned to stroke his cheek.

"It's okay, your memory will return and hopefully then we'll be able to find where they are."

"Why are you helping me? What do you want from me in return?" Kurt turned hardened eyes back at the vampire.

Blaine sighed, "Because this shouldn't have happened to you. This is my city and I wanted to put right a wrong that had been done to you. And I just want you to get better."

"Your city?"

Blaine's smile was back and apart from the fangs, Kurt found himself starting to enjoy that wide, warm smile. "I'm Governor here, yes. Which means no one will hurt you while you're under my protection."

"And you don't want my blood?"

Blaine licked his lips, "Do you want me to honest with you, Kurt?"

A hesitant nod was Kurt's answer. Releasing Kurt's other wrist, Blaine pushed himself off, moving to sit against the couch behind him, watching and waiting as Kurt pushed himself up and away from Blaine to lean back on the other couch, making sure his dressing gown covered as much of his body as he could... Blaine was just a little bit thankful for that, finding it hard to stop his eyes from wandering across the porcelain beauty he just had under him.

Taking a deep breath, Blaine spoke, "I do want your blood, Kurt. Being a pixie, your blood is very rich, full of nutrition and has an almost addictive quality to it. With your blood a vampire wouldn't have to feed for three days, unlike with a human where we need another drink within the next day. But I'm not going to drink your blood, Kurt. You've been through a lot of horrors, been forced to do things I'm sure you wouldn't normally do and I don't want to force you to continue to do any of that. All I want is for you to get better, and I don't want you to feel obliged to give me anything... no matter how much I may want it."

Kurt rubbed his neck, feeling his heart race with Blaine's words. He didn't know what to make of it; Blaine wanted his blood and he was now here in his house, but Blaine wasn't going to take his blood. Could a vampire do that? Be so close to a source of temptation and just ignore it?

"I want you to stay here until you're better. This is probably the safest place for you." Blaine continued.

"What about the human sector?" Kurt suggested, wondering if he should be so close to a vampire who'd just admitted his want for his blood.

Blaine shook his head, "Not while your memory is so foggy. Even when it does return you'll need to remain here. I'm afraid an unmarked human is likely to be picked up by the blood banks on sight."

"Unmarked?" Kurt questioned.

"This is a vampire city, so all humans need to wear a marker to show their status. There are freed humans, who have an 'F' tattooed onto their necks; they are free to walk the streets without a vampire and can choose whether or not to give their blood. Then there are pets; humans who wear a collar and must be accompanied by a vampire or a freed human. When you entered the city, you did it as a visiting human, so you had paperwork to show that... So, I think its best you stay here until you're ready."

Kurt rubbed his neck as he gazed towards the fire again, flashes of a dingy diner and walking through a street with a large group of people who looked vaguely familiar going through his mind. He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder, eyes going wide at how close Blaine was to him, still sharing that sweet smile with him. Kurt still didn't trust Blaine, but he was finding it hard not to let the vampire in when he kept smiling like that.

"I have to get to work. I'll call someone to come and look after you."

Kurt spoke before he knew what he said, "Take me with you."

Blaine looked surprised, looking towards the clock on the mantelpiece then towards a dresser by the front door before turning back to Kurt, "You sure? I don't want you to push yourself."

Kurt nodded, "I've been trapped in one room or another for so long... I think the fresh air and whatever freedom I'm allowed will do me some good."

Blaine nodded, licking his lips before he replied, "You'll have to wear a collar."

Kurt's back straightened, his hand rubbing around his neck again. Suddenly remaining in this apartment didn't sound so bad, but he also wasn't keen on being left alone with someone else, especially another vampire. Whatever he was feeling for Blaine, he did feel safer with him than anyone else right now. With a slight pause, Kurt nodded his head, watching as Blaine copied his nod before standing and holding out his hand to him.

Reaching out, Kurt settled his hand in Blaine, letting the stronger vampire lift him to his feet, tumbling only slightly thanks to Blaine's quick reaction in wrapping Kurt in his arms. His cheeks were burning from the embarrassment and with how close Blaine was, but his heart also raced as he spotted two fangs behind those plump lips. Straightening up, Kurt pulled the dressing gown tighter around his body and stepped back from Blaine muttering his thanks.

"Go and find something to wear, then we'll go head out and get something to eat. It is official I have nothing in my kitchen." Chuckled Blaine, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Okay." Kurt managed a small smile.

Blaine leant on the breakfast bar, turning the black leather box he'd retrieved from the dresser once Kurt had returned upstairs to get changed. The box contained the collar his father gave him when he graduated all those years ago and had expected him to place it on his first pet at the auction he took him to the next week, but here it sat, still in its box, unused. Kurt was going to be the first human to wear this, and he wasn't even Blaine's pet. Yes, he'd bought Kurt from Adam and had the paperwork to say Kurt now belonged to him, but with his promise to Kurt, he couldn't think like that.

He had wished Kurt was truly his this morning, having him laid out underneath him, that silk dressing gown slipping off a shoulder and splaying out from his waist to show off those long, lean legs. Blaine had done everything he could to hold back his urges, thankful for the mug of blood he'd had just before Kurt came down. Not that he heard him come down. Kurt was very light on his feet, even when he ascending the stairs again, Blaine had noticed how quiet he was.

He was a little worried by Kurt's lack of memory of both his life and of his encounters with Blaine. He was sure Kurt would feel safe with him after their previous encounters, instead he was greeted with his fire poker in his back and pale blue eyes filled with fear. Though the colour of Kurt's eyes gave him hope that the drug's effects would start to diminish now, allowing Kurt to remember his past and remember that Blaine is not his enemy.

Shoed feet descend the staircase and Blaine's jaw went slack when he glanced up to watch what he could only describe as a vision of beauty walk towards him. Kurt had obviously taken a shower from his flushed cheeks now standing proud against his strong jaw line with his hair styled up high off his face; his eyes were still covered by the film but they looked brighter and more aware then they even did only half an hour ago.

Blaine had filled the wardrobe with varying sizes of clothing in different styles and a line of shoes in Kurt's size the other day and he couldn't believe Kurt had transformed those simple pieces into what he wore now. Skinny white jeans which Blaine made sure to linger on for as long as he could, teamed with a yellow belt which matched the yellow shirt that fitted him perfectly on his chest and waist; open at the collar and sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He'd finished off the look with black and white brogues and again Blaine wished he could call Kurt his.

"You look good." Blaine spoke up as Kurt approached the bar.

"Thank you. I wasn't sure what I could wear so I hope this is okay." Kurt replied, trying his best not to spin around on the spot.

"It's perfect. Those clothes are for you so feel free to wear what you want." Blaine offered, fingering the box again nervously.

"You're too kind."

Kurt's smile as he spoke was a sight Blaine wanted to photograph from every angle, even though he could tell the smile was strained, it was still a sight he'd hold dear; he'd put that smile on Kurt. Coughing to clear his throat, Blaine opened the box taking a deep breath whilst staring down at the black leather collar with the small shield hanging from the clasp, debating how to approach this with Kurt.

"Is that the collar?" Kurt was leaning over the bar to take a look, his eyes flickering up to Blaine as he spoke.

"Yeah." Was his only response. How did he get into the position where he was about to put on the one thing he told his father he'd never use?

"Is that your crest?" Kurt asked, long fingers reaching out to grasp the shield so he could get a better look at it.

"Yes, it's my father's. The Anderson shield." Blaine explained as briefly as he could, "The castle is my father's home, the horizontal strip with the tabs shows that my father was the first son, and the full moon in the central tab distinguishes him as a vampire."

"Shouldn't you have your own shield?" Kurt asked, letting go of the crest.

Blaine chuckled, "There are too many of us to have our own shield, so we just share his."

Kurt's eyes widened but he didn't ask any more, instead preferring to watch Blaine take out the collar and force himself to hold still while Blaine approached him, tilting his head up slightly as he wrapped the collar around his neck making sure he didn't fasten it too tightly. Blaine's fingers moved down to straighten out the crest sitting on Kurt's jugular, noting the slight hitch in Kurt's breathing when his fingers touched Kurt's warm, soft skin.

"Is that okay?" Blaine asked, stepping back to sort out his own bow tie.

"Yeah." Kurt replied, fingering the collar with a slight frown.

"I'm sorry about this but, it's for your own safety."

"I understand." Kurt smiled as Blaine's hands moved away from his bowtie, "Here."

Blaine watched as Kurt stepped over to straighten out his bowtie, giving him a chance to again admire Kurt. Trying not to alert him, Blaine sucked on his fangs to draw them back, the combination of having Kurt so close and the collar around his neck doing strange things to him. As soon as Kurt was finished Blaine thanked him and moved to the front door to collect his jacket, Kurt following just behind him.

"You ready?"

Blaine could tell Kurt was scared, but smiled when Kurt pushed his shoulders back and nodded, following Blaine out of the apartment.

Kurt was astonished by the city, his eyes wide to every little scenario they walked by. Everyone was greeting Blaine with wide smiles, handshakes and hugs with kisses to the cheek from the women and all of them were casting glances back to Kurt before either giving Blaine encouraging words or arching an eyebrow towards him. Kurt didn't understand it, but Blaine seemed to be handling everything fine, each person leaving with bright smiles and wishing him a good day.

He had eyed up seemingly perfectly normal people, dressed in their morning best on their way to work and then he'd see a 'F' tattooed into their necks, a flash of a fang or a leash in their hand which attached to the collar around the necks of their so-called pets. Some of the pets were dressed as well as the vampires, while others were left in rags or barely dressed at all. Some would even eye up Kurt when they noticed he wasn't leashed, but he had also seen other pets that weren't on leashes but would keep close to the vampires or rush into a shop to complete an errand.

He was thankful for Blaine's constant glances back to him or the occasional touch to his lower back to lead him through the crowds. The large amount of vampires was putting Kurt on tender hooks, memories of his night with Adam becoming clearer to him; all those eyes on him while they dug their fangs into the other humans' necks.

They had walked past shops where vampires would peruse the items for sale while their pets were ushered to a corner of the room to sit with other pets, waiting for their masters to finish, past restaurants where pets would sit on the floor next to their masters or again in a different section of the restaurant. Blaine led him past all of these, heading to a much smaller cafe where vampires and humans mingled together quite happily, sipping their coffees or mugs of blood while chatting amiably with one another.

Kurt thanked Blaine for ordering him a coffee and a muffin, his stomach grumbling with a need to eat something substantial and the coffee helping to fend away the headache he'd had all morning, but he didn't miss the fact that Blaine ordered a mug of warm blood in his own blood type. Was his blood really that tasty to the vampire? But all thoughts left him when he bit into the muffin, wondering if the cafe had a human chef because this tasted too good compared to the one he'd had in a previous city.

Kurt frowned, picking up his speed when he realised he'd distanced himself from Blaine, wondering what city his mind was remembering, but nothing more came to him. Blaine's hand was on his lower back again when he caught up and he found it strangely reassuring, tucking into Blaine's side to remain close to him. He had to admit, he was finding being with Blaine very comforting.

Blaine led him into a tall building, where the receptionist's smile towards Blaine dropped when she saw Kurt, following them as they headed for the elevator. Blaine took no notice but Kurt kept looking back to see if she was still watching them, and sure enough, she was. It wasn't until they were in the elevator and heading up that Kurt spoke up.

"Why do people keep giving you quizzical looks when they see me?"

The sigh from Blaine let Kurt know this was a touchy subject, "Because I told everyone I wouldn't take on a pet."

"So, they're wondering why I'm following you everywhere with a collar around my neck."

"They'd question you more if you weren't wearing a collar though, so this is the better of two evils. Don't worry about it though."

"What about if I got one of those tattoos?" Kurt asked, leaning against the wall to watch Blaine.

"You need a signed letter from your master declaring your freedom."

"Can't you do that?"

"You then have to pay for your release and the tattoo through the attendance of twenty blood parties, and not even a letter from me can get you out of that."

Kurt swallowed hard, nodding his understanding; suddenly wearing the collar didn't seem so bad. Blaine stepped over to Kurt rubbing his arm and Kurt was proud of himself for not flinching this time, instead losing himself in those eyes, remembering the first moment he saw them, watching him, admiring him from across a bedroom while he sat next to a mohawk styled man. Yes, there had been hunger in those eyes, but he remembered seeing much more beyond the hunger.

"Hey," Blaine whispered, "Don't worry about all of this, just concentrate on getting your memory back."

"What were you thinking when you first saw me?" Kurt continued when Blaine raised an eye brow at him, "I remember you staring at me in a bedroom of some sorts, I was dressed in some sort of school uniform."

Blaine's smile was back and Kurt found himself copying it, "I had already tasted your blood at that point... and thought how much you resembled your blood; strong, beautiful and mysterious."

Kurt swallowed against Blaine's admittance and wondered if Blaine could hear his heart racing, licking his lips as he watched Blaine lean towards him. There were no fangs, this wasn't a hunger for his blood that was luring Blaine closer, this was something else. The bell of the elevator sounded at their floor, pulling Blaine out of his trance and away from Kurt who exhaled the breath he was holding, slightly disappointed the moment was ruined.

He followed Blaine through the cubicles, again getting suspicious looks from those around. It was when they turned a corner that Blaine spun on the spot, stopping Kurt to speak to him.

"Just follow this corridor to the end, my office is against the back wall, wait for me there. Freya's my secretary, she'll let you in, I just need to make a quick visit to someone. Okay?" Blaine was there rubbing Kurt's arm again.

"Okay." Kurt replied, watching as Blaine smiled warmly then turned to hurry down the corridor.

Peering down, Kurt took a deep calming breath to steady himself and told himself to just put one foot in front of the other. A couple of people passed him, looking to his collar with a slight frown but no one bothered him. The offices looked normal to him; family photos on the desks, papers piled high while men and women chatted either calmly or frantically to the person on the other end of the line. The only thing that stood out was the warm coopery scent coming from the steamy mugs on each of the desks.

Coming up to what must've been Freya's desk, Kurt's eyebrows went high as he took in the mounting piles on her desk along with the colourful array of post-it notes over the phone, computer and on the piles themselves. There was even a couple stuck to her hands, skirt and chest as she yelled at the person on the phone.

Kurt stepped up to her desk to try and get her attention, not wanting to disturb her conversation. Freya looked to Kurt, holding up a finger to tell him to wait a minute until her eyes fell on his collar, her flow in the conversation lost for only a second before she was ranting at the person again.

"Did I say that? No, you were suppose to have those documents to me this morning, not this afternoon, not tomorrow, this morning. Do you know who I work for?... Well you can't if you think this is acceptable."

Kurt watched as she grabbed a clean pile of post-it pads, scribbling something on one and then patting it down on Kurt's chest and pointing to the office behind him. Turning to the office, Kurt took the post-it note from his chest and pushed the door open admiring the large office, but noting the lack of furniture or design in here compared to the luxury of Blaine's apartment.

He looked down at the note frowning at the broad scribble on it, "11am and 3pm feeding. Talk later." Kurt read out, looking back to Freya through the glass who was still on the phone.

Pocketing the note, Kurt circled the large desk to look out onto the city, amazed by how striking it looked from up here with its high rise buildings, colourful high street with the large park in the centre of it. It looked completely different to Lima... Kurt pulled away from the view trying to concentrate on that name, Lima, trying to pick out details of this place. Looking back to the view, Kurt concentrated on various parts of the city, seeing if any of them would jog his memory. It wasn't until his eyes hit the small graveyard that Kurt's head seized, a violent headache causing him to close his eyes and hold his head in his hands.

"Kurt!" Hands were on his arms pulling him into a chair and then the hands were on his knees, stroking gently, "Kurt, what's wrong?"

He rubbed his eyes to meet hazel ones, watching him with worry. He was finding it hard to focus with the searing pain rushing through his head and eyes, "I remembered where I was from and then... I can remember why I... why we left Lima. The village was attacked by werewolves."

"So that's why your group was travelling."

Kurt slowly turned his head to the voice at the door, recognising Wes straight away, raising a hand to point at him, "You were the one who let us into this city."

Wes smiled, bowing, "Wesley Montgomery. Glad to see the drug hasn't affected your memory too much, though get use to those headaches; they're gonna hit you hard for the next few days while you get all your memories back."

"Wes has been helping me to get you out of the farm and to find your family. Without him I don't think I would've got you out safely." Blaine explained, still kneeling before Kurt, rubbing his knees.

Kurt smiled to Wes, watching him approach the desk, very much aware that Wes had also been the first one to take a bite from him, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet." Wes prompted, taking out a file.

Blaine stood to stand with Wes, "What do you mean?"

Wes pointed the file towards Kurt, "Thought I'd never see that collar out of the box."

"Yeah well, what's wrong?" Blaine sighed.

"The money you transferred paid off half of Kurt's bill, but the courts say Kurt will have to pay the rest off himself in order to get free passage from the city." Wes explained.

"Did you explain Kurt's circumstances? I thought the files wouldn't be ready until next week?"

"Yeah, so did I, but when the banks got word of you spending such a large sum of money on a 'pet', they allowed me to fast track Kurt's case and present it to them last night. They understand Kurt's case and believe that he was unlawfully imprisoned against his will but now he must pay back the money taken from the tax payers. They accepted your payment of 190,000 sects and took off 100,000 sects in payment for Kurt's suffering, but that still leaves 160,000 sects to pay back."

"Didn't you explain that I could pay that back in instalments?" Blaine argued, leaning against his desk and crossing his arms, the frown on his face with the tip of his fangs peering over his lower lip evidence that he wasn't happy with this.

"No, they want it to come from Kurt. They argued that if a human were to be injured and nursed back to health in one of our hospitals, they would have to pay their bill. The same goes for Kurt, in a sense they had to spend money to help Kurt out of his situation and now he needs to pay up." Wes sighed, throwing the file on the desk.

"Appeal." Blaine growled.

"Already filed it."

"I'm coming with you next time." Blaine demanded.

"Done, I could do with you there. I would've called you in last night but knew you'd be busy." Wes nodded towards Kurt.

"How would I pay this bill?" Kurt piped up, having opened the file to look through the notes given to Wes from the court.

Wes studied Kurt for a moment before speaking, "Blood parties mainly, attending events and working at the hospitals or border control."

Kurt remembered the rosy cheeked nurse who had taken his blood, "You mean I would need to offer my blood when vampires had to deal with incoming humans?"

"Pretty much. Attending events would be a good call because you'd get paid quite a bit for it but there's a chance you wouldn't get bitten at all." Wes explained.

"Kurt, you don't have to do that. We'll appeal." Blaine shot.

"How sure are you of winning?" Kurt asked, meeting Blaine's gaze.

Blaine stared at Kurt for a moment before sighing, "Not very... That's a lot of money... Could Kurt pay the money back through his musical skills?" Blaine asked Wes.

Wes nodded, "It doesn't pay as much but he could do that if he wanted."

"I can do that." Kurt called out, recalling the other night again; he could do that, he could sit there and play or sing, he'd do it every night if he had to, to pay back his debt.

Wes looked to Blaine waiting for his nod before speaking, "I'll get you a schedule of events for you to look over. All you need to do is book the events online, I'll get your login details for you, and then you just turn up. Blaine and I have to attend a lot of these events and there are others who will be willing to look out for you during your bookings so you don't need to worry about being taken advantage of."

Kurt nodded, feeling slightly better about being able to do something, "Thank you."

"Alright... I'm going to head back to my office. I'll call in later." Wes spoke to Blaine, waving to Kurt before leaving the office.

The growl from Blaine had Kurt stiffening in his seat, eyes wide as he watched Blaine rub his hands over his face then kick over an empty trash can. There was silence in the room as Blaine tried to calm down and Kurt gave him the space to do so before Blaine spoke up.

"I'm sorry, it seems no matter what I try to do to help you something always gets in the way to put you in harm's way."

Kurt stood from the chair, finding a strength within him to step in front of Blaine and wrap each of his hands around Blaine's, squeezing gently. He smiled warmly as Blaine raised his head to look at him, trying to sooth the vampire's anger, noting the dark rings in Blaine's eyes.

"It's okay, Blaine. I know I haven't shown it so far this morning with trying to stab you in the back then flinching every time you take a step anywhere but... I am truly thankful that you got me out of the farms. I know you didn't but you tried and you told me to wait for you..." Yes, Kurt remembered that now, warming his smile, "And only a day after Adam bought me, you were there, rescuing me from whatever mongrel he would've sold me to... Adam had already allowed three men to examine me before I went to that room to sing to that group... all of them were possible buyers too... But there you were, storming in and sweeping me up into your arms to take me away from that. I may be a bit jumpy around you, what with what's happened to me, but I am starting to believe that I can be safe with you."

"You are safe with me." Blaine countered, bringing Kurt's hands to his lips to kiss his knuckles, Kurt very aware of the fangs scrapping his skin.

"I know... and with you there in the background, I can do these events to help pay my bill."

"That could take some time." Blaine sighed, squeezing Kurt's hand.

Kurt bit his lip, pulling out the post-it note Freya gave him, holding it out for Blaine, "Is this when you normally feed?"

Blaine nodded, taking the note, "Yeah, sorry about her, she's a pet as well... Not mine, but she does work for me... but I don't feed from her!" Kurt couldn't help smiling brightly with a small chuckle at Blaine's rambling, "But umm... yeah, she normally brings me a drink at those times and she must've seen your collar and assumed you were my pet. Sorry about that."

"Well... what if, to help pay the bill... you fed from me... would that count?" Kurt bit his lip as he watched Blaine, well aware of his hands shaking in Blaine's.

Blaine searched Kurt's face before he spoke, "It would, but I told you I wouldn't feed from you, and I really don't want to drug you either."

"But you could bite me without the drug?" Kurt asked.

"But it would hurt. You haven't been exposed to the drug long enough for a bite to not hurt anymore." Blaine explained.

"I don't mind if you want to feed from me... as payment towards my bill... we could agree to that, right?" Kurt could tell Blaine was fighting to agree with him, his fangs slipping passed his lower lip.

"A one off bite isn't a lot of money, Kurt. You'd be better off doing the blood parties."

"But I don't want strangers biting me, that's what scares me, brings back memories I'd rather keep forgotten... but I get a feeling it would be different with you, and I know you want my blood and it would make our living arrangement less stressful, right?" Kurt urged.

Blaine sighed, nodding, trying and failing to suck his fangs away, "It would."

"So... Will you feed from me?" Kurt asked, purposefully arching his neck to entice Blaine to agree with him. He knew Blaine wanted to agree, wanted to taste his blood, but didn't want to break the promise he'd made to Kurt... but Kurt was more than certain that if he was to give his blood away to anyone, he wanted it to be Blaine.