Chapter 22

The next few days pass rather comfortably, all things considered. Aku continues to treat me normally, despite the obvious blood bond between us now. He’s still a bit snarky and annoying sometimes, but honestly, it would feel weird if he wasn’t. I’ve grown too used to him and his occasional smartass remarks.

I still have a ton of questions, but I only get a few answers out every other day or so. Aku still seems a bit reluctant to share his magic completely, but he’s not opposed to me learning how to defend myself. (He’s just opposed to the fact Yukari is the one who wants to teach me.)

Still, I want to know more—and immediately the vision of that boy with the black hair and small black wings comes to mind. Was it a younger version of Aku? If so, how did he know where to find me, or how to wake me up from that poison-induced slumber? More importantly, if it was Aku, why did he show up as a child rather than his normal incubus form?

But even I know that some questions shouldn’t be spoken out loud, especially ones that still so personal. There’s still something he’s not telling me, and for now, I can deal with it. I never want to pressure him, just as he never wants to pressure me.

Every now and then I feel a burn beneath my skin, like my blood itself is boiling up. It doesn’t really hurt, but it’s not a good feeling to have either. Hopefully once Aku and Yukari start teaching me how to cast spells and control this shared magic, it’ll be a bit easier to handle.

Right now, Aku’s with me on the train back home, having met up with me in Tokyo. He wanted to check out the library I work at, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him no.

So now the two of us are riding back to our station, standing by the window, each of us lost in our own books. Once in a while he’ll reach an arm out to guide me away from a nearby passenger getting off or coming onto the train. It’s quiet but comfortable, and he seems more at ease on the train with a book to distract him.

He notices me after a while, peeking over the edge of my book to count the black freckles stretched across his nose. He blinks, his face scrunching up in a frown.

“What is it?”

“Oh, nothing… Is your book any good?”

“You interrupted me for that?”

“Just curious, that’s all! Oh, wait, it’s poetry. Blech.”

Luckily the doors open to our stop, so he doesn’t have a fit right there in the train car. I bite back a laugh as he mumbles to himself about my apparent lack of taste in reading material.

“Such a crime to read something aside from romance, is it?”

“Excuse me?! Now you’re playing with fire, mister!”

He merely shrugs and blocks my view of his face with his book, expertly stepping around the oncoming crowd of people. It’s a struggle to keep up with him, and eventually I cave in and grasp the back of his jacket to let him guide me through the mass of people.

When we’re in the clear, he lowers the book with a soft smirk. “Maybe I should make you read one of these books, just to see how you like it.”

“Eh?! Okay, fine then, you wanna play dirty? I’m gonna find the steamiest, most raunchy book on my shelf I can find—and that’s what I’m gonna make you read! Then we’ll be even!”

It’s worth it to see his whole face turn red. He mumbles something and awkwardly yanks his hood over his head, practically shoving his face back into his book. I can’t stop laughing as I pick up the pace to keep up with him, my arm brushing against his own.

It’s a little scary, how I dread the days of eventually separating from the demon at my side. It’s inevitable, and even the most powerful of blood bonds have to fade away sometime down the line. But that’s something to worry about for another day.

Right now I can lose myself in teasing the incubus at my side, as the two of us make our way out of the station and into the city streets beyond.

“…What’s for dinner?”

“Eh, you decide. Just don’t go overboard and eat through my wallet again. I still need to save up for bills this week.”

He hums softly, his crimson eyes peeking over the edges of his book. “Yagi-san’s place?”

I smile and give him a nudge with my shoulder. “Yagi-san’s place it is.”

🔥

A crowd of passengers begins to board the train, mixed with all different kinds of people. A group of students chatting about their upcoming exam. A new mother holding her baby at her breast. A cute-looking couple walking side by side with matching watches on their wrists. A tired salaryman heading home from a long day at the office.

Too many sights to see, too many scents to smell. It makes it hard for the girl to focus.

She sighs, twirling the end of one pigtail around her finger, her phone sandwiched between her shoulder and her cheek. Her black hair is long with blue highlights—even tied back it goes down past her shoulders. She can barely keep herself awake; in fact, the only thing keeping her upright now is the voice on the other end of the phone.

“I can meet you up in Tokyo, if that’s better for you?”

“Takuma… I just don’t wanna deal with it right now!”

An exasperated sigh—no doubt he’s used to her whining by now. “C’mon, please? Just one more job, then I’ll treat you to all the sweets you could ask for.”

Tempting, but… She’ll have to think about it.

She takes in another deep breath, the smells of the station nearly knocking her down.

But then one hits, sharp and metallic against her nose. The girl pauses, seemingly unaware of the crowd pushing its way around her.

“…Aoi? You still there?”

His voice is muffled in her ears as she swings her head back and forth, trying to pinpoint that sharp smell. Before she knows it she’s moving through the crowd, scouring the faces for that one specific scent.

Where is it, where is it?

It’s been so long since she’s smelled blood like this. not the sweet alluring scent of humans, but rather a stark and powerful scent, much like a blade ready to cut through bone. It knocks the wind out of you, practically steals the breath from your lungs.

To the right kind of creature, it can become dangerously addicting.

She opens her mouth, tasting the air around her.

There!

She turns just in time to see a young couple vanishing into the crowd. The girl is rather short, her glasses pushed up her nose and her hair tied back to expose her neck. Quite a bold thing to do, considering the obvious demon walking besides her.

He seems to be taking precautions, at least. His hood is pulled up to block out the sun, and all demon features seem to be hidden away. He seems to be an expert at making the girl lower her guard around him, chatting aimlessly about books and food like a typical lovesick couple.

The sight alone makes the girl’s mouth water. Takuma’s made it clear that humans are off-limits, but sometimes… Her curiosity just gets the best of her.

And a demon walking around in broad daylight? He must be pretty serious about hunting this specific prey.

She smirks, running her tongue along her lips.

The voice on the other end of the phone crackles in her ear. “Aoi! Where’d you go?”

“Ah, sorry! Just saw something quite interesting.”

“Oh, like what?” There’s no mistaking the intrigue in his voice.

The girls spins on her heel, the blue highlights in her black hair almost glowing in the station’s dim lights. Teasingly, she touches one of the small fangs hidden behind her lips, her nail painted the same blue shade as the highlights in her hair.

“Looks like another demon is hunting some prey. We may have to do a little rescue mission soon.”