Chapter 19

I open my eyes. The soft glow of the string lights are warm against my face. Am I in Aku’s room? I turn my head—and come face to face with the incubus himself, his back pressed against the closet door.

“Y-you’re awake!”

I press my hand to my head. Was I asleep that whole time? Did Aku just wake me up, or was that all a dream? And that child with the crimson eyes…

Something snarls and scratches against the wooden doorframe. My stomach drops—the same noises I heard in my dreams.

“A-Aku, those are—”

“Imps, I know. They were drawn to the poison in your blood.”

The poison! I reach up to touch my cheek. I can feel the cut, but it no longer flares up with agony. I let out a brief sigh before stumbling up to my feet. Aku tries to reach out to steady me, but he quickly plants his back against the door to keep the so-called imps out. I lean my weight against the door beside him to help keep it closed. It’s only then do I realize Aku’s not wearing his usual black gloves.

“The witch is holding more off at the front door,” he hisses through his teeth, “but there are too many of them. We can’t stay in here forever!”

Of course we can’t, but what else can we do? The last thing I want is for Aku to risk himself to protect me; once again, I find myself wishing I was more like Yukari.

Wait a minute!

“Aku, can’t you use your magic?! You’ve used it before! Can’t you just burn these things with your flames?”

He doesn’t answer right away. I pull away from the door to meet his eyes, only to find them shut tight. A few strands of his black hair fall down to frame his face.

“…Aku?”

“I…I don’t have enough in me.”

I pause. Enough what, magic? He’s a demon! I didn’t know they could even run out of that stuff!

“But you never use it around me! How could you be out of it? You’ve only used it maybe twice tops, since you got here? That sounds so stupid!”

But I know he’s not lying—not even he would lie about something like this. Not now, not ever. And when he opens his eyes, I can see the obvious pain shimmering in the glow of the string lights.

…Oh.

Slowly, I begin to piece it together. Demons run out of strength if they’re depleted of a source of nourishment for too long. In other words, no food means no energy, just like it is for us humans. He’s been restricting himself from feeding off of me, refusing to act like any other demon out there.

But to ensure my safety, he’s practically been starving himself.

I swallow hard. “Aku… Y-you have to bite me, don’t you?”

The twitch of his jaw tells me all I need to know.

I remember Yukari mentioning it to me a while ago, back when she first met Aku in person. She’d pulled me to the side, looked me dead in the eye, and asked if Aku had fed from me. Incubi feed on physical intimacy and feelings of lust, often leading to the deaths of their human prey. But without any contact with Aku, I’m left an unmarked human. Prey that hasn’t been claimed by a hunter yet.

I take a deep breath. Aku’s held out for as long as possible; he’s given me so much time, never forced me into anything. But if his demonic mark on my body will help drive these imps away and keep us safe, I’m willing to give it a try.

“Aku… Aku, look at me.”

He refuses, so I pull my sleeves down to cover my hands and grab his face on either side. He seems taken aback by the force, as I practically sandwich him between my body and the door behind him. The imps on the other side continue to scratch at the wood. When I’m this close to him, I can see his fangs poking into his bottom lip.

(I wonder how they would feel against my skin?)

“You need my blood, right? It’s okay, Yukari mentioned it to me a while ago. I won’t be mad, I promise. So do what you need to do.”

He purses his lips together, hiding his fangs from my sight. No, Aku, that won’t work. I’m sorry.

“I don’t… You can’t, Ichika.”

“It’s okay, Aku. You’ve never forced me to do anything, but now I’m asking.”

To drive my point home, I yank up the sleeve of my shirt to reveal my wrist. The sight of my skin makes him swallow hard. I wonder if he can see the individual veins and the flow of blood beneath?

But he’s adamant, shaking his head and pushing my hand away. The imps continue to growl on the other side of the door.

“I can’t, okay?! I just can’t. I…I don’t want to trap you to me…”

So that’s what he’s so worried about. I smile and reach out to touch his hand, keeping the fabric of my sleeve between us.

“You could never trap me. You underestimate how much I’ve grown used to your company. How much I enjoy having you around me. Besides, we’re already stuck together—what’s a bit of blood gonna do to us?”

It’s been that way for a while now, and I think we both know it. Just like Yukari said, for better or worse we’re stuck together by that stupid red string of fate. Aku and I are tethered to each other, no matter what. If sharing my blood with him can help him even just the tiniest bit, I won’t ever regret it.

Aku’s eyes flash between my face and my wrist. The imps are clawing through the door now, tiny black needles poking through the wood. We don’t have much time left.

“Aku—ah!”

There’s a huff, the breaking of skin—and a soft pained moan.

My eyes widen when I see Aku’s fangs sunken deep into the skin of his own wrist, a thin trail of red dripping down slowly. He pulls them away with a groan, his crimson eyes glowing brightly, his fangs stained red with blood.

“A-Aku?!”

I reach for the hem of my shirt to stop the bleeding, but he quickly evades me—still careful not to touch me directly.

“I can’t take it from you, Ichika. Not like this. But I can offer this promise to you… I don’t want to own you, I never have. But this is my offer.” He motions to his wrist, a bracelet of red forming around his skin. “Sealed in blood, I give you my life. My protection. My magic. I am yours forever, body and blood. Contracts be damned, I want to give you this.”

I swallow hard. Contracts be damned… I’ve gotten used to those pesky things over the last few months of being with this incubus. They never end well, and they always cause more trouble than they’re worth. A pact sealed in blood only makes it stronger, only strengthens our bond so we’ll never be able to separate. I wonder if Yukari would even be able to figure out a way to break it and send him back to his home.

But Aku’s willing to protect me—and I’m willing to protect Aku.

So I nod and raise my hand, biting off a bit of skin from my thumb on my left hand. My teeth are nowhere near strong enough to draw blood from my wrist, but I manage to get a few drops from my thumb. At the same time, Aku raises his wrist to me.

“With this, I will never hurt you, nor will I ever let another being, human or demonic, harm you. My blood is yours, Ichika Aikawa. So take it.”

A chill races down my spine, spreading all throughout my bones. For a moment I can’t hear the imps clawing at the closet door, as the rest of the world fades away in darkness. Right now, it’s just me and Aku.

“I promise, Aku, to protect you just as you protect me. I give you my blood, my energy, to aid you in your battles. To strengthen your magic, to help you whenever I can. My blood is yours, as well. So go ahead, take it.”

A strand of red coils around my left wrist. I stretch out my fingers, just as Aku slides his palm against mine. The red tendril winds around our hands, binding us together. His wrist is still streaked with blood, the heat of his hand nearly melting against my own.

I am yours, body and blood. My life is yours to have, just as yours is mine to hold.

Every nerve in my body comes to life—it feels as though I’m on fire, heat licking at every bit of skin it can find. Aku’s eyes glow unnaturally bright as he stands up, still bleeding from his wrist. But there’s an unusual calm to his movements as he reaches for the door.

Shadowy creatures scamper backwards to escape him as he yanks the door open with a flick of his wrist. Imps crawl down on their bellies, scratching at the floor and moaning pitifully beneath the incubus’ gaze. As many as there are, they all seem to be quite cowardly when confronted with another demon.

Can they tell what Aku and I have just done?

He holds out a clawed hand, as his horns lengthen and his tail lashes to the side. His other hand is still encased in my own, the red string still wrapped around our wrists. I clutch his fingers for dear life; I know if I let go now, I won’t be able to stay awake.

The imps cry out as the room is engulfed in black flames—the only light being from Aku’s lidded crimson eyes. I squeeze him tight, and he responds with a squeeze of his own.

I’m still here, so go ahead.

He chants a few words in a low voice, in a language I can’t understand, and suddenly a red sheen begins to shield our bodies. A barrier of sorts, just as the imps are cast away in a blaze of red and black flames.

My blood sings in my veins, hot and uncomfortable as I claw at his hand. My knees buckle beneath the invisible weight of our bond; faintly, I wonder if this is what he meant by magic being taxing on the human body.

So this is what it feels like to actually touch an incubus’ skin… It feels like my blood’s boiling! It’s a miracle it doesn’t explode out of my body.

The barrier suddenly breaks apart like glass, vanishing into a flurry of soft red petals. Aku seems stunned by this, then glances over to look at me. I can see his lips moving, but I can’t hear any words. Not when I’m so tired.

I barely manage to smile before I collapse, his clawed hand slipping from mine.