Once Serein's levo had fully returned to her, Kai reluctantly pulled away from her lips. Her breathing was no longer ragged, yet her face remained pale, a map of shallow cuts still bleeding faintly across her skin.
Realizing the presence of outsiders, Kai immediately tightened his hold around her, shielding her fragile body from the gaze of Eclipse's Hunters. His amber eyes glowed sharp with a defensive gleam.
Somewhere deep within him, perhaps shaped by all that had happened, a new instinct had taken root. To protect Serein.
Zane paid Kai no mind. His eyes fixed on the woman in the boy's arms, blood soaking her clothes, wounds scattered over her skin. His hand clenched once inside his coat pocket, then loosened again.
If only she had come to him sooner, she would not have ended in this miserable state. Or if only he had pursued her harder, refused to let her slip away…
