***

I now lay beside him toying with his hair while he recovered.

“What is he wearing that smug grin for?” He wasn’t talking, his lips hadn’t moved and his words were too fluent to have come from him after that exhausting episode of ours. I had to be hallucinating. There was no way in hell I bonded with a complete stranger, right?

“…what are you staring at, handsome?” His voice, half breathless as I suspected, returned to him as well as his control over his own body.

He sat up while I still toyed with his braided hair, and gave me a curious look. His eyes weren’t sad or dull anymore, they sparkled brightly with legit joy.

“Baal.” I called for him with my thoughts but he didn’t react. I breathed out relieved, I must have imagined it. “… Nothing really, just a sexy young man with beautiful, seducing hips.”

“Oh well, in that case, stare on.” He turned to lay on his side before he gave me a mischievous grin and caressed my face. “Hmmm, you want to do more naughty things to me?”

“I plan to, when I come back to this village that is.” I moved my face forwards to give Baal a kiss. “You can be sure I’ll be looking forward to it.”

I had to admit, I’d kill for another night with Baal…

Except I found it unnerving how fast I had gotten attached to him. I liked to be in control when I did these things, and tonight I had clearly let Baal take the lead. Tonight, I had felt something different, and it terrified me to know I wanted to come back. It terrified me almost as much as getting myself to trust Diana and Emil did.

“Weirdo, it’s not like we don’t have the rest of the night.” Baal purred and moved his foot so it would brush against mine.

“Yeah right, I’m pretty sure I drank enough to make you anemic. You’ll faint halfway through,” I took my hand to his face and gently stroke his red cheeks. “I wouldn’t want that…”

“Cute! You’re worried! That’s so adorable,” He bit and pulled on his silver lip ring while he trapped a few flecks of hair that had slipped off his braid behind his ears. “If we really won’t be doing anything else then we need to shower and get some sleep. You wouldn’t mind if I stay over, love?”

“I don’t mind,” I replied with a stupid grin on my face. “Want me to wash your back?”

“I’d be very thankful, handsome.”

I had no idea why I acted like an idiot around this person nor did I know why I couldn’t help try to be close to him. This whole scenario had pushed me out of my comfort zone.

By good fortune, the possibility that a Bond had formed between us had been me being paranoid. I just happened to imagine his voice perfectly, probably still high on his blood or something. That stuff happened very often anyways.

I stood up from bed and walked towards a door to the bed’s left side. The room Baal had taken for me was rather small, but cozy. The scattered clothes made it look full, more homey than I’d ever thought of from an Inn room.

“… Luke…why do you have black scratch marks all over your back?”

I turned to look at him with a soft smile on my face. This usually didn’t happen, scratch marks healed up before any of my dates could see them. Perhaps Baal’s peculiar blood staggered the healing process for my superficial wounds…? Anyhow, the pink haired man’s expression showed great concern.

“Don’t worry, I have a condition that makes my skin bruise black… it’s weird, but not bad.” This explanation was a blatant lie. My identity and the color of my blood had to remain a secret no matter what, at least until I reached my destination.

“Okay… that’s rather sexy.” Baal tried to stand up from bed wearing a shy smile. His knees failed him and he fell sat on bed. As I thought, he was weak thanks to me.

I walked over to him and helped him get up. Placing my arm around his waist, I let him hold on to my arm as we made our way to the bathroom.

“You think it’s sexy?”

“I’ve seen weirder things, your skin turning black instead of red isn’t exactly on my top ten,” Baal pressed his face against my arm. “Come on, the water here is great.”

If he knew I had black blood… what would he think of me? Did it matter?

A nostalgic emotion flowered in my chest and I found myself holding his waist tight. What exactly did this man remind me of?

He looked at me with a genuine happy expression and he used his leftover strength to get on his tiptoes and kiss my cheek.

That night, something inside me changed and it would completely alter who I had become.