"It's not?" She repeated with a raised brow.

"No,"

"Then what's wrong?" She pleaded.

Kai huffed and ran a hand over his face in frustration. "I-I was scouting the area... yeah, a couple of demons were trying to use this place as their hideout…" He explained and noticed how she blinked with a confused stare. 

A white lie wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it still came with a price that he would have to pay for someday. 

"Are they gone now?" She asked.

"For the time being," He nodded.

"Good grief, I didn't realise that demons would inhabit the unused property," she let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, demons are shadow creatures and not meant to blend in or reveal themselves in society," At least this was not a lie and while the two of them were safe and alone in this house it was not uncommon for demons to make use of empty houses for a short-term period. 

“You are right, but I keep forgetting because you are so different compared to the knowledge that the hunters association provides,” she explained.

Kai froze with a sharp gaze thrown her way. “The hunter’s association?”

“Yes. I was introduced to them at one of my uncle’s social gatherings.,”

Kai knew of the hunters association and her uncle's involvement with them. However, there was still one thing that didn’t make any sense; Why would her uncle cooperate with other demons if he was hunting them down? “And yet, despite knowing you haven’t even once wished to escape or run away from me… why?” he asked.

“I trust you,”

“Not a wise decision-”

“-but it’s my choice!”

Kai let out a deep sigh. “Eyre, I’m pretty sure you already know what happens to those who associate with demons, let alone shelter them,”

“That’s because no one understands you! No one knows the nature of demons! That's why they fear and retaliate before things get out of hand,”

He sighed once more. It was frustrating to know that such a naive way of thinking would get her killed one day. 

“If you wanted to, you would have let me have it my way the night I wanted to take my own life,” she added.

Kai swallowed his frustration and wished he could deny it fully. “Demons don't just benefit from killing people,”

“But you still chose not to and you are still not doing anything, are you?” she probed.

He refused to answer and felt a knot growing in his gut.

“You are different and nothing like the descriptions of any demon the hunters association has ever encountered. How I wish it was you my mother had met, maybe then she wouldn’t have suffered such a cruel fate,”

He blanked out. Granted, his reason to stay close to her was as clear as day for any demon. However, the truth still haunted him and pulled him deeper into despair. 

When he raised his head and grabbed her shoulders he noticed her intense gaze. "It would have made no difference if she had met me, she would have suffered all the same,"

Eyre's eyes grew wide. "How could you say that?"

"Because it's the truth,"

"Then what about your promise to me?" she fretted.

He flinched but remained frozen in place.

"Was that all a lie? Am I going to die?!" 

"No! I'll keep my promise, no matter what it takes!" He relaxed his grip on her shoulders and took a deep breath. "But simply releasing you of the bond won't be enough," he frowned.

"Why wouldn’t it be?” she asked.

Because it won’t heal your soul, he thought to himself.

What Eyre failed to realise was that the demonic nature still ran through his veins. The sole purpose of getting close to a human and cultivating their sinful desires was to gain more power.

Unprompted, Kai felt Eyre caressing his cheek as the only confirmation of her current state. The helpless little girl was caught by the same fate that took her mother away. 

Without thinking he pulled her in close by the waist. Her eyes locked in a place filled with expectation as he leaned down and pressed his lips against her cheekbone. 

Through heightened senses, he felt an intense desire form at the core of her soul. It was like reading an open book, so easily provoked. 

A frown curled up between his eyes as he whispered. “Look, this is what the bond is made of. Your sins emerge and become more and more aggressive the longer you stay with me. Though the growth will halt the moment I release you, your soul will remain cultivated for others to consume,” 

This is why I’m reluctant to let you go because no other demon would be able to resist a cultivated soul, he thought and felt his reasoning weaken in the face of desire.

“K-Kai… please,” she huffed and felt her knees grow weak in his arms.

Kai pulled his head back and glanced at her complexion. Eyre was barely holding herself up and had only reached out for his waistline to support herself, but she was vulnerable, and with no defence against his advances.

This was very different from her encounter with Nathaniel, for at least with that man she still had fear and discomfort to keep her alert. 

“Eyre. Look at me,” he asked and sure enough, she followed his words with no hesitation.

“You’re making me dizzy,” she whispered as she leaned in and let her hands find their way up to his cheeks.

Kai couldn't resist her impulsive actions. Going against nature was out of the question, but at the very least he would never be able to consume her soul. Simply out of pure guilt for her late mother. 

Remorse was not an emotion that any demon would ever cling to as it acted as a natural barrier against their powers. 

There was little point in him refusing her intentions and although she may find it repulsive later on, there was no better option for him to teach her a lesson. 

When she pushed herself up on her toes he caught her by the hip to support her balance. The sudden clash of a soft velvety heat pressed against his lips sent a rush of excitement through his body. 

He was swiftly brought into her embrace and found himself exploring her figure as he locked his arms around her. The burning hunger that flamed up within kept pushing him towards the edge. The blinding rush of impulsive desire to embrace her had him panting way faster than he anticipated.

Of course, Eyre was no different. The way she let her tongue dance was more than inviting, it was intoxicating and satisfying. She kept on pulling him in closer while melting away in the heat of the moment.

He bit her lower lip and broke their heated moment apart by leaning his forehead against hers. Still lost in a mindless desire she initiated another attempt but was firmly rejected.

“Isn’t this what you want?” she panted. 

Then it clicked for him, Eyre still had the will to say no, but willingly went along with it. 

Kai's gaze turned cold. He could still feel the burning sensation from her touch, as well as hear her rapid heartbeat. There was no question, she wanted this, but her reason was not as weak and mindless as he had presumed.

“What I want?” he repeated and pulled a deep frown. 

“You’ve kept your distance from the very beginning. All because of your desire, no?” she huffed, trying to keep a serious tone under his influence. “Wouldn’t it be less of a burden if you gave in to it?” she added.

Kai was dumbfounded and almost could not believe his ears. Where in the world would she pull this kind of logic from? The hunters association? That wouldn’t make sense, if anything she should fight it to protect her soul.

He immediately pulled her arms down from his neck and gave her a stern glare.

“You have no idea of what you are getting yourself into,” he snared and kept her wrists locked in a tight grip.