"Stop, you closet pervert." I hear Byron say.
Nushi pulls back and watches my reaction. He caresses my cheeks and whispers, "I wish you are my mate." He wipes the blood off his mouth and adds, "Before I go, would you like to have sex with me?"
He points at his crotch, but I am still too dizzy to make sense of what he is saying and the size of his crotch. "See, this is raging already. It's ready for a session in bed."
"Just leave," Byron repeats. "And find some she-wolf outside."
Nushi groans and gives a quick kiss on my mouth. "Then, see you in the future, Lyrica."
I watch him shift into his wolf form, and when he's out of sight, I hear a howl in the distance. I wonder what humans are feeling now that different monsters are going out of the Dunnett's estate?
"Lyrica…" Byron whispers, placing his arms on my back to steady me. "I will miss our discussions. No one, not even the half vampires, can discuss concepts with me. You are such a willing student and very smart."
"H-how about t-the other f-full-blooded v-vampires?" I whisper, trying to refocus, but my voice is still weak from what Nushi has done.
"Full-blooded vampires don't like each other because of our feeding habits." Byron cups my face in his hands and asks, "So, can I taste your blood again? As a parting gift?"
I nod. He lifts me and wraps my arms around his neck. I'm still dizzy, but I can take this.
"This might weaken you since it's been a while and you might no longer be familiar with it. So, use me as your support."
He licks my neck. It's the other side where Nushi bites on. Then, his fangs bury deep into my skin. It feels okay at the start until information appears in my head. It's like he is transferring his knowledge to me! But this… This is mostly what he taught Lyrica!
My mind replays the scene of him laughing over some historical figures, their late nights knowledge sharing, and then gentle sex with him.
It seems like Byron is a selfless lover to Lyrica, making sure he does not hurt her. And for the first time, I feel his care for her. He's especially careful of her emotions. Every time Lyrica feels down the most, it is him she looks for.
Byron stops sucking on my neck. He pulls back and licks from time to time until no blood is dripping from the hole he just made. We look into each other's eyes and I sense the sadness in his.
He kisses my forehead and whispers, "I told you so. You are no longer used to this."
Then I realize what he meant. I am sweating and he is supporting my entire weight. My knees are completely useless, but my arms are tight around his neck. I'm sure I will fall to the ground if he removes his hand from me.
"Ain't… that… magic?" I ask, my voice shaking more than ever.
"No, dear. It is your magic. You might have made me your security and last resort when you predicted that you might lose your memory."
I swallow. "Are you angry?"
"No, just sad. You could have told me," he says. "But the Lyrica I know never asked directly for help, so I understand."
When I can feel my knees again, he withdraws and turns away from me. I gasp, but before I fall to the ground, Gavin wraps his arms around my body. Byron smiles sadly at me before he leaves the room.
Gavin lifts me, and I look up at him. "Ugh, that asshole. He might have taken a lot from you again."
"On the contrary," I say. "Memories and information flood into me while he is drinking my blood."
"That's your magic, stupid. I told you, monsters, especially the full-blooded ones, have no magic. We are all physically strong, but not a drop of intrinsic magic."
He carries me into the bed and lays me on top of it.
"Ah! Except for the dragons. Those are monsters of magic, in a literal sense," he explains.
He leans down to kiss me, but I cover his mouth. I can see the trembling on my limbs, though. "Why are you going to kiss me?"
"It's just fair. Those guys did all those things to you in front of me. I should get some kind of reward for staying. Or maybe… Should I ask sex as a parting gift from you?"
He's about to kiss me again, but I turn my head away. However, being weaker now, he puts my arms above my head, and then he says, "Now, without those guys, I will have your sole attention. And thanks to them, you are also very weak right now. Perfect opportunity for me. Don't worry, I will be very gentle."
He leans down and pries my mouth open. I struggle, but I am too weak. There is something wrong with my magic, too. He pulls back and removes his shirt, displaying his muscular torso that looks a lot like Calais.
He smiles seductively. His right hand is on my wrists and his left hand forcibly opening my mouth.
"Now, let me ravage your mouth, dear."
He sticks out his tongue and enters my mouth. But the instant his tongue touches mine, I sense magic—that is not mine—activating, and it throws him off me.
Sitting up from the bed, I realize that he has hit the wall. I grimace. I hope he didn't make a dent in it.
"F*uck that Nushi! Did he just use the moon goddess power to claim you?! That's why that Byron did not kiss you and just suck your blood!"
Now, I feel thankful that Nushi has done it. But moon goddess power? What does that mean?
"You mentioned that monsters have no magic. Then why can he use a spell?" I ask, frowning. "So werewolves have magic?"
"They don't have a sliver of it. Rather, they channel the magic of the moon goddess into their body to use it," he answers as he wipes his clothes and checks for damage. "But the excess, they just release into the air."
"And? What happens to that excess magic floating in the air?"
"Humans absorb it. That's why only humans and dragons can use magic. Dragon's magic is innate though, but sometimes, they bless humans with magic too. In short, monsters do not have magic, but they act as channels for their own gods and goddesses."
"So, you can also use magic, but only because you are a channel? You just can't store it as humans and dragons do."
"Magic passes through the monsters' bodies, except for me. My goddess rejected me."
"Must be because you are a pervert," I comment.
He shrugs his shoulders as he sits down at the foot of the bed, leaning against it. "Maybe."
Does that mean that Lyrica absorbs more magic than others? Is that why she's powerful? I look at Gavin, wanting to ask more, but he looks too annoyed.
"Lady Lyrica, everything is done," Aiko interrupts, her eyes darting between me and Gavin.
I shift my attention to her and say, "Time for a rest, then."