Eyre rested in Kai’s firm embrace exhausted and yet with willpower stronger than ever before. She grabbed onto the backside of his shirt, muscles shaking from the tension as the adrenaline wore off. She was caught by surprise when an arm of support wrapped around her waist, followed by a soft sigh right next to her ear.

“I’m alright,” she whispered.

Eyre’s words hit Kai like a fuzzy blanket. He felt his heart going at a steady beat trying to overpower the rapid flutter in her core. It felt like she was trying to comfort him despite her condition. He leaned back carefully while supporting the back of her neck, where he confirmed his suspicion. 

“No, you are not,” he corrected her. With a stoic expression he waited for a reaction on her part, but all he got was a pair of tired deep blue eyes.

“I didn’t know you were such a worrywart.” She teased. Her smile was like a faint glow of warmth. He could not believe that she still had the energy to joke around. Regardless, this was not the time and place for that. He snickered and averted his gaze. 

It was a strange situation, even for him, but it was not uncomfortable in the way he had feared. True, his instincts and senses kept driving him up the wall, in a way that he had never experienced before, but that was completely different from his principles in life. She was his host and nothing aside from natural death could ever change that fact. 

When Kai turned his head to look at Eyre again, she had closed her eyes and little by little her body started to weigh him down. He sighed and kneeled to get a better hold of her. She struggled to open her eyes once more and reached out for him to ensure his presence. 

“You need to rest,” He scolded her in a soft tone. 

“Not yet,” She refused and reached a hand out to follow the dried-up blood trail that went along his chin to the back of his head. 

Kai watched her without interrupting and sure enough, he got what he expected. Her eyes, tired and with dark shades underneath, widened in surprise when the wound suddenly healed up on its own. The shock sent a spike of adrenaline through her while she searched for the second wound. He caught her frantic hand running along his waistline.

“There’s nothing left,” He claimed, slightly annoyed by her meddlesome nature. 

“How is that possible?” She fretted, not willing to let it slide. 

Kai sighed and lifted her from the ground. He did not want to have this conversation with her right next to a corpse.

“No, wait!” She exclaimed and struggled for a moment, terrified of what the physical strain would do to him. 

“I’m fine!” He snapped at her, hoping that she would leave it be for just 5 seconds. 

Entering the bedroom, Eyre kept begging him to put her down, but he went straight for the bed and aligned her with ease on top of the bedsheets. When he pulled away to stand back up, something stopped him on his knees.

“Wha-!?” He exclaimed in surprise, only to realise how Eyre had latched onto him with her arms around his waist once again. It took him a moment to calm down before he could be content with her holding onto him like this. 

Eyre buried her face in the folds of Kai’s shirt and it sent shivers up his spine. Without a word, she secretly searched his waistline for the wound. However, nothing but torn bloody fabric remained. She pulled her hand back in defeat.

The awkward silence of rejection left them both speechless. 

“I was wondering,” He hesitated. 

Eyre looked up with eyes full of hope and surprised Kai with her eagerness. He had to swallow a lump of discomfort before he could continue.

“N-nothing, never mind,” He dismissed and turned to get back on his feet. 

Eyre let out yet another sigh before she noticed the rips and tears on his shirt. She then crawled across the blankets with the thought of getting out of bed but then lost her balance by tripping over the hem of her skirt caught under her knee.

Kai heard her approaching and cast a glance over the shoulder where he witnessed the accident. He reached out and swiftly caught her in action before she ended up sliding off the edge. 

“Why can’t you just remain still and rest when you need it!?” He exclaimed in shock. 

“I’m not the only one who needs it!” She retorted. 

“Wrong! You are the only one who needs it right now,” If his eyes could kill, she would have been dead right this moment. “Your condition won’t get better if you keep this up,” 

This time Eyre caught his warning. She was frozen in place just staring at him in disbelief. Questions popped up at a rapid speed which only confused her even further. She pulled herself back up and grabbed his sleeve. “Then promise me something.” She pleaded. 

Kai spent a thoughtful moment wondering. There was always a hitch attached to please and favours. “What is it?” He asked carefully.

“Don’t… leave my side,” She said, hands trembling.

Eyre’s words left him dumbfounded, but he still reached for her hand, observing her. 

“Will that help you relax?” He asked. 

Eyre nodded in agreement and looked up. Kai took a deep breath and shut his eyes in regret. He was against it for personal reasons but still needed her to follow his selfish request. 

“Fine,” He replied and got up on his knees. 

Kai guided her arms up around his neck, so he could lift her back into a comfortable position on the bed. Eyre felt the embarrassment rise like heat to her cheeks and did not like how she had to depend on his strength to move around. When she felt the pillow underneath her head she interlaced her hands at the back of his neck,  preventing him from pulling back again. 

Kai nearly panicked but froze the moment he noticed how close he was to her face. Eyre had a stern gaze and yet blushed out of sheer embarrassment. He raised a questionable brow and did not like how she had him locked down like this. 

“L-Let go,” He demanded and tried to wiggle out of her grasp, but she simply pulled him in closer until he froze up completely. This was too close for comfort.

Kai was on the verge of diving off the cliff of desire. He remained in place, getting lost in her eyes with nothing to guide him, but the rhythm of his heavy heartbeat,  sinking him deeper into despair. It then dawned on him that Eyre was affected by the very sin that dominated her deepest desires too. 

The presence of a demon would affect anyone in passing and Kai was doing everything he could to avoid it. Eyre noticed how he started to pant with a trembling gaze. His reaction was unexpected and while she did not know what to do, she did nothing to prevent it from escalating. She whispered his name and felt her heart jump the moment his gaze softened up. He leaned in with careful movements and placed himself gently over her, resting his forehead against hers.