The party had been cleared out hours ago, Emma hiding away in one of the bedrooms on a completely different side of the house as night fell over the town. By now, the curfew was in full effect, and not only was the whole town completely silent, but so was the house.

Emma took it as a good sign. And yet, she still walked the safe side, not leaving the room she was hiding away in. The brunette sat on the bed, spinning the black stone her mother had given her in her hands. She wanted it handy in case she was proven wrong about what the silence meant.

She wasn't sure how long the effects of the werewolf venom would continue to have a hold over Kol and Rebekah. She knew it depended on the way a vampire was infected, but doubted anyone had ever experimented with delivery through beer.

She let out a short string of coughs, leaning back against the pillows as she felt the exhaustion from the day starting to catch up with her. However, she wasn't ready to go to sleep just yet. Instead, she grabbed her inhaler from the nightstand, taking in a puff and feeling her breath come easier as she put it back.

Just as she did so, a soft knock sounded at the door, making Emma jump in surprise. With the door closed, acting as a barrier between them, Emma didn't see the wince Kol let out as he heard her heart skip a beat in what he thought was fear. "It's me, darling. I'm-" He started to speak in a gentle tone, ready to be told to go away in case she wasn't ready to face him. However, to his surprise, his words cut off as the door suddenly swung open.

Kol had been expecting to apologize profusely, to hope for the best and not have it happen as his outburst scared her off. Just the thought made him feel like a new wave of cold sweat was about to come over him and make him dizzy.

What he wasn't expecting was for the door to open and only a second later have her arms wrapping around his neck. It took him a moment to get past the surprise of her actions, but once he did, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm so sorry." They both spoke simultaneously, and while Emma wasn't surprised by his apology and was more than ready to reassure him there was no need for it, Kol did find himself confused as he pulled away, his hands remaining on her waist as he sent her an incredulous look.

"What are you apologizing for?" He questioned in disbelief.

"I used magic on you. And I know it can't hurt you badly, but it still feels wrong to do it." Emma explained, the guilty look on her face making Kol unable to hold back his laughter as he pulled her close again, his head coming to rest on top of hers.

"I'm glad you did, darling." He told her gently. "I lost control. I should have realized what was happening sooner and made you leave. I'm sorry." Kol's voice came out as barely a whisper. He was surprised by how easily the apology came out. He couldn't remember the last time he said those words and truly meant them.

"Hey, look at me." This time it was Emma who pulled away, her hands going to his face and forcing him to meet her eyes. "You weren't yourself. And I'm okay." She spoke gently, moving away from him so she could do a small twirl just to prove her point.

However, halfway through, Kol forced her to stop, one hand resting on her shoulder while the other grazed her skin where he could see a small mark remaining from his hands. Emma didn't let him linger for long, taking both his hands in her own and pulling them through her arms so she could wrap them around her.

"I'm okay." She repeated again.

They stood like that for a moment, Emma tracing small patterns into his forearm while he just held her. However, what he didn't notice is how much she was paying attention to his reactions.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly, noticing the way his chest barely moved behind her. He remained tense. Whenever they stood like this, he was either kissing her, or resting his head on her shoulder, but instead, he simply remained upright.

"I'm fine, darling." Kol tried to say dismissively, not wanting to mention what was truly going on. Not after what he'd done today. But Emma wasn't stupid.

"Just hungry." She said it for him. She remembered that Rebekah planned to stock up on blood bags only after the party, not wanting someone to go wandering and find them by accident. Meaning there was no blood in the house. And she'd been his first stop once he got out of the room she'd left him in.

"Don't worry about that." Kol said. He didn't want to push his luck. He could keep his hunger at bay for a little more. But as Emma's hands left his, he couldn't help but frown, unsure of what she was doing.

He watched as she pulled some of her hair to the side, some of it tickling his nose as she did. He could smell the flowery scent of her shampoo overpowering any other for a short moment, but then it was gone and his mind went back to the other consuming his thoughts.

"Take what you need." She finally spoke, making him freeze up at the words. He had told her the same thing before. But it was different. She couldn't hurt him when she siphoned, not enough to kill him. But he could hurt her if he did what she was suggesting.

A century ago, hell, just a couple of weeks ago, he wouldn't have hesitated. He always thought of it as the human's own fault when they offered such things. But not this time. This time he didn't even want to think about doing it. He couldn't risk it.

Sensing his hesitation, Emma spoke again. "I trust you." She said quietly, and she knew that trust wasn't misplaced. She'd never commented on it, but Emma noticed every time he lingered on her neck a moment too long, every time he glanced at it as she stood close to him. And she noticed his control every time too.

With her neck on full display now, Kol had a much harder time not focusing on the sound of her heartbeat, not looking at her neck and was quickly realizing the battle in his head that he was losing. "Are you sure?" A part of him was asking because he wanted to see some doubt, something to remind him this wasn't a good idea.

But that wasn't what he got. Emma just nodded her head, her heartbeat remaining completely calm and steady. She trusted him. And so Kol lost the battle with himself. He leaned down, the arms around her waist pulling her into him as much as possible. Feeling his face change as he got close to her neck, Kol placed gentle kisses as he searched for a spot, giving her a few more chances to change her mind.

But she didn't, and soon enough it was too late. But before he could completely lose his senses, Kol took one of her hands into his own, letting her skin come in contact with his. "Stop me if you need to." He said, the message clear. He was telling her to siphon him if he went too far.

And then Emma felt his fangs pierce the skin on her neck. Her breath hitched as she felt the small sting. But it didn't hurt for long. If anything, the best she could describe it as was somewhat euphoric. And she knew Kol could feel it too as his arms tightened around her, his hand never letting go as he relished in the taste.

Emma's eyes closed. She let out of soft breath, her mind starting to become somewhat fuzzy as she leaned into him. And then she felt him pull away from her neck, stopping himself on his own. He didn't release his hold on her, however. Instead, as his face returned to its normal state, he tenderly kissed the spot on her neck, sucking away the drops of blood which he'd left behind.

They remained like that for a couple of more moments before Kol finally released her waist, but not her hand. He pulled her gently towards the bed, sitting down and letting her sink into his side. He glanced down at her face, brushing some of the hair out of it and making her shift so she could look up at him.

Her brown eyes watched him as one of his hands stopped holding onto her and he brought his wrist to his mouth. His face changed again, but not because of hunger this time. He bit into his own wrist, letting the skin break and blood pour out of the puncture wounds.

"Drink." He didn't say it as a suggestion or a request as he extended the wrist to her. And to his relief, Emma didn't protest as she usually did. Her hands took his arm and brought it to her lips. Unlike him, she didn't take much, only drinking until she could feel the fog in her brain lift and the skin on her neck heal.

Emma leaned back into him, and Kol sunk down into the pillows, pulling her along with him, his arms circling around her as her head came to rest on his chest. One of his hands gently played with her hair while the other drew patterns on her bare arm, just like she frequently did to him. He listened patiently as the actions lulled her to sleep, and her breathing evened out.

But as he listened to it, Kol couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed. He'd seen her drink vampire blood before, and he wasn't sure what he was hoping would happen, but it was still a disheartening realization as he noticed her breathing remain the same as before.

He'd noticed it that first night, when she'd shown up at her house before leaving for Denver. That night too she'd fallen asleep in his arms. Since then he's been aware of her breathing, different than normal, every breath sounding more strained than it should. He didn't pry for answers. But the more time passed, the more he noticed it getting worse, Kol worried about what it meant. He needed to know what it meant...