I watched Kalisten speak to himself, not sure if his words were meant to be overheard.

“Kal.”

“Yes.”

“Take off your clothes. You got a cut here.”

Then I let go of his hand and lightly touched the gash on his back. It wasn’t a deep cut, but it was a long laceration, and parts were clearly torn apart.

“You are hurt too.”

“Huh?”

At that moment, he approached my neck.

“Did you hurt your neck?”

“Yes. I… I want to drink this.”

My throat was damp, and his gaze felt wetter.

“Will you get better if you drink it?”

“Yes.”

As he answered in a low voice, I automatically replied. It was as if I had also taken the sedative in his system.

“Yes, of course.”

Then he grabbed me by the shoulder and made me sit on his thigh.

“….”

I felt his hot hands on my shoulders through my clothes. But what was hotter was his sharp nose nuzzling against my neck.

A soft caress swept down my neck. It was tickling, but the sound of cutting through the cut was a strange sound.

“Kal…”

Everywhere he touched tickled and felt strange. The odd contact was vivid, but what felt even more unfamiliar than that was the wet noise of sucking too close to my ear.

His clothes felt taut, and I unconsciously grabbed his shoulders. Blood stuck to my hands from gripping his clothes.

My head was dizzy from the strong smell of blood. It seemed that he was not only trying to drink the blood that had already spilled but also new blood flowing. As his fangs touched and fell, the hot flesh was slippery, and his body temperature was infectious, with his heated tongue licking me along my neckline and then rubbing his lips on my skin.

“Ouch…”

Instantly, he replied:

“Sorry.”

He looked as if he had returned to his senses and soon went blank again. Then he took my hand.

“Kal?”

“Now, I… you… .”

He hugged me so tightly that my back hurt. His thighs touching his hips were too hard.

“You look like someone else.”

“Uh … who?”

Trying to calm Kalisten, I attempted to continue the conversation. Then he looked into my eyes and searched my gaze, as if hesitating a little, and responded,

“Someone I’ve seen before.”

“Who is that?”

“Some … Woman.”

“What?”

Perplexed and panicked, he readily let me go when I tried to escape.

“A woman. The most beautiful woman in the world.”

I forgot to shake off his words and stared at him.

Blood was dripping from the ends of his black hair. His face was full of blood stains, and his eyes were glowing red.

There was nothing to be afraid of.

“Where did you see her?”

Oddly enough, I wasn’t afraid of him. Instead, it seemed like he was scared of me.

“I saw her in Z-898’s room.”

“…… .”

He grabbed my hands again with a vacant look. Fortunately, I was led and laid on the floor. The place where I lay was on a bundle of cloth. The material that touched my back was damp.

Like it was full of blood. It was already too late when I realized it was soggy; blood was dripping and smeared across my back.

“I am a man, Kalisten.”

“I know, but you still look like a woman.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know either. You’re the one who…”

His tears dripped down and brushed against my cheeks.

“….makes me want to live.”

Feeling a bit sorry for him, I looked straight back at him. He met my gaze as if he didn’t know he was crying.

“Kalisten.”

“Yes.”

“I hate that you are hurt. I want to treat you. Will you let me tend your wound?”

Then he slowly released his grip, holding my hand. There was a throbbing and stinging sensation as if I had been burned, but the pain soon subsided.

“Kal, let’s sit over there, not here. There is a lot of glass here.”

I grabbed his hand and made him stand up. Then he quietly got up and calmly followed me. When I was about to sit him in a clean spot—

“… !”

He was holding the necklace that was supposed to be hanging from my neck, which was easily undone and loosened by a magnetic joint.

“You… .”

He was staring straight at me with startled eyes.