Anya threw her hands over her mouth, horrified at the sight before her. Kai was sucking the blood of a human girl, her body was limp and she was barely conscious.
When Kai noticed her, his expression quickly changed into fury, his eyes were glowing bright red and his fangs were out. He let the girl's unconscious body drop to the ground, and rushed at Anya with vampire speed, blocking her path as she tried to escape.
"Where do you think you're going?" His voice was in a hushed tone, with blood still dripping from his mouth and staining his half-buttoned white shirt.
Anya's heart raced. She could feel the fear coursing through her, but she forced herself to stay calm. "Please Kai…. don't hurt me," she whispered, backing up against the wall.
Kai couldn't form words. He tried to speak, but his fangs remained exposed, they were protruding too much. The image of her terrified face filled him with embarrassment. Suddenly, a single tear slid down his cheek.
Anya's breath hitched. Kai crying? She knew then that whatever this was, it was serious. Pushing her fear aside, she reached out, placing her hands on his bare chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat beneath her fingers. Slowly, she traced her hand up to his neck, then to his cheek, her thumb wiping the blood smeared there.
Kai's eyes followed her movements, confused, but something in him softened at her touch. He didn't pull away. Deep down, he felt oddly comforted that he didn't want to admit.
Anya wiped more blood from his cheek with her finger and—without hesitation— surprised Kai by licking it. "I'm not afraid of you," she said softly. "I won't judge you for what you did."
Kai's expression softened, it was a mix of relief and disbelief. "My brothers don't know about this… I've broken our vow," he finally managed to speak. "We vowed to live on blood bags, but I couldn't. Not anymore."
"How many times?" Anya asked, her hand still resting on his cheek. "How many times have you broken the vow?"
"Fifty," Kai confessed, his gaze falling in shame. "Promise me you won't tell them."
Anya's eyes widened. Fifty? But she nodded. "I promise."
Kai pulled her into a hug, and Anya embraced him back. When they separated, Kai's eyes met hers again. "Give me your hand," he said suddenly, his voice was getting softer.
Anya chuckled nervously. "Why?"
"Trust me," Kai insisted.
With a smirk, she extended her hand. Kai took her index finger and, with one of his fangs, pierced it gently. She moaned softly from the pain. Blood pooled on her fingertip.
"Now, lick it," Kai instructed.
Anya stared at him with amusement and confusion filling her expression. "What?"
"Just do it."
With a raised eyebrow, Anya licked the blood off her finger. "Now what?"
"Hold it in. Don't swallow."
Anya was bewildered but nodded. "Okay, I'm holding it. Now wha—"
Before she could finish, Kai leaned in and kissed her. Anya was shocked at first but didn't pull away. Her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck as she returned the kiss.
Then, without warning, Kai pulled away abruptly, coughing violently.
"Kai?!" Anya's voice was high-pitched with panic. "What's happening?!"
Kai doubled over, coughing harder and harder until he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Kai!" Anya screamed, rushing to his side. "Kai! Oh my God, what the hell just happened?!"
She knelt beside him, her hands trembling as she ran them through her hair, trying to make sense of what had just occurred.
It was difficult but Anya somehow managed to take Kai to his bedroom. She laid with him, caressing his hair and reading the grimoire Kai had talked about earlier.
She noticed a page was missing, torn out even, but she thought it was just because the book was really old. She read it till dawn. She didn't sleep, she couldn't sleep.
The next morning, when Kai woke up. Anya had prepared breakfast and brought it to Kai in bed, gently caressing his hair as he ate. "Do you like what you see?" she asked softly, her eyes fixed on him.
Kai smiled slightly, "It's alright."
Anya's expression turned serious, and she hesitated for a moment before saying, "I have a feeling my blood made you unconscious."
Kai went silent, he wore a concerned look on his face. "How'd you know?" He asked.
"After what happened last night, I read about it in the grimoire of the night's children. My blood, even the smallest amount, is capable of killing any supernatural."
After a long pause, he finally replied, "Did they say anything about how to counteract it? Is it gonna kill me?"
Her hand stopped moving through his hair. "No it's not. But you'll be weakened, and you're susceptible to death." she said, pulling back.
She got up from the bed and took out a mirror from the drawer. She showed him his neck only for him to find a hideous mark on his neck. "Luckily for you, I'm on the vampire side. So, I can heal you." She added.
"How?" He asked, he was genuinely concerned.
"I'm still reading about it. I should find an answer before the day runs out."
Just then, the door swung open, and Damien and Zephyr walked in, their eyes widening in shock at the sight of Anya and Kai in bed together.
Zephyr's jaw clenched. He was heartbroken. He tried so hard to hide it, but Anya could feel the tension in the room. She decided to act oblivious. "So, how was your night out?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
"It was… awesome," Damien replied, but Zephyr's voice was distant and cold as he added, "Yeah."
Anya patted Zephyr on the back, giving him a smile. "I'm glad you had a good time." She quickly exited the room.
The second the door closed, Zephyr spun on Kai, fury was evident in his eyes. He grabbed Kai by the neck, his hand pressing into the bare skin. "Did you fuck her?" Zephyr growled through clenched teeth, barely containing his anger.
"Zephyr, chill out!" Damien barked, stepping forward.
Kai, calm despite the grip on his neck, stared Zephyr in the eyes. "I didn't fuck her."
Zephyr wasn't convinced. His grip tightened. "We were out all night, Damien and I. You had the whole place to yourselves, and you want me to believe you didn't fuck her?"
"I said, calm down!" Damien yelled again, but Zephyr ignored him, his rage overtaking him.
"Tell me the truth!" Zephyr shouted as he tightened his hold.
With the little strength he had, Kai broke Zephyr's grip, flipping him onto the bed and pinning him down, his face was inches from Zephyr's. His voice was ice-cold, "I. Didn't. Fuck. Her."
Zephyr, barely able to breathe with Kai's hand on his throat, rasped out, "Prove it."
Kai shifted slightly, pulling his collar down to reveal a small section of his neck where the skin was rotting and decayed. The sight made Zephyr flinch in disgust. "What the hell is that?" Zephyr asked.
"The blood of a Nyx," Kai explained. "Even a tiny amount can have a terrible effect on us."
Zephyr's eyes softened in realization. "Are you… are you going to die from this?"
Kai shook his head. "It was a small droplet. I won't die. I'll just be weak for a few days until Anya finds out how she could cure me."
Damien, who had been leaning against a pillar, finally spoke up with his arms crossed. "How the hell did you get Anya's blood on you?"
Before Kai could answer, the door opened, and Anya walked back in, her voice was light and casual. "I cut myself last night, and Kai was there to help me clean up. He must've somehow managed to get into his system."
Kai stared at her, knowing she was lying.
Damien narrowed his eyes, sensing the convenience of her story but deciding to keep quiet. Instead, he just shrugged and looked away.