Aselia was speechless, it was almost like he was testing her. He hated vampires as much as she did, why was he acting as if he cared for him too?

"Where did you even get that?" She finally spoke.

"I have my sources. Do you want to go over or keep interrogating me instead?" He tilted his head at her and blinked rapidly while she eyed him suspiciously and asked:

"Why do I feel like you are always trying to protect him, Yuri?"

"Him? I am solely protecting you. I don’t want you taking a rash decision in your stubbornness and regret it later." Yurian believed she had feelings for Xiran and bringing him in and putting him through torture was torturing her too. He merely wanted to see how long she could hold the facade she had fabricated.

"I won’t," she turned away and began to head to her room without taking the container from him.

"They haven’t even fed him for two days. Even after your instructions." He called from behind her which had her stopping in her tracks. She turned back towards him, while he lazily stood with his right foot on the wall and his hand stretched outwards containing the cylindrical container. Grabbing the container from his hand and huffing loudly she made her way to the room where they were holding Xiran.

"Get me some blood for him." She roared at him and he pursed his lips to stifle a laugh. While Aselia made her way to him, each step felt heavy like she was walking to her execution. Her heart ached to even think of the state she will find him in.

Reaching the door she asked the hunter who sat on guard to let her enter. He turned the key and pushed open the door, allowing her to enter. Once she was inside, he closed the door behind her.

The room was eerily quiet as if death prevailed there, Aselia stood by the door and her eyes darted in his direction making her almost shriek. She covered her mouth to stop the horrendous sound which was on the edge of escaping her. Her body trembled at the sight and it became laborious for her to even breathe.

Hanging from the chains his perfect body was a mess of bruises and blood. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted to his left side, seemed like he was unconscious. She carefully stepped closer to him to inspect the wounds they had inflicted on him. There were gashes all over, his arms, face and chest.

This saddened her, she had seen countless tortured bodies of vampires, but none had stirred any emotions in her. Seeing him like that urged the desire in her to cry and reach out to him. To touch him and ensure he was alright, which he wasn’t and it was her fault. He had turned her soft, he had turned her mellow.

Approaching him she squatted down in front of him, opening the lid of the green container she took out a chunk of green healing balm and began to apply it on his wounds. The one on his waist was deep and his crimson blood was still dripping on the floor.

Xiran’s blood made her squeamish and lightheaded, she felt dizzy at the sight and her eyes were becoming blurry. His injuries had rendered her body weak and left her heart screaming in agony, her desire for revenge had propelled him into an unending nightmare of misery.

She placed her hand on his gash, his body was not warm today and he groaned a bit, his face convulsed in the pain he bore. She applied a huge chunk of balm on his wound so it would stop bleeding and start healing.

Her touch had woken him up but he kept his eyes closed. The pain was intense from the torture they inflicted on him but it was nothing to what he had already endured countless times before, and he would gladly bear more of it, if it meant she would stay safe.

He could sense her sitting close and applying something sticky yet soothing to his wounds. When she reached his face, he couldn’t help but open his eyes to see her close by. He wasn’t expecting to see the expressions she held, they dangled between anguish and dejection. The boisterous storms of her eyes revealed what she won’t.

She refused to meet his awaiting eyes, and only continued to apply the sticky substance to his face with her index finger, brushing his hair behind his ear to reveal the entirety of his face to her anguished orbs.

This was beyond painful and she began to realize she didn’t have it in her to see him like this. She placed her hand on his cheek, the helplessness both experienced at that moment was beyond words. While Xiran peeked at her through his hooded eyelashes, Aselia bore her eyes into the ground, hiding away the waves of tsunami ready to let loose.

The door opened and Yurian stepped inside making her jerk away her hand from his face. She got up without a single word and briskly walked over to Yurian, handing him the balm and without making eye contact she spoke weakly: "Feed him."

Aselia then left the room in such a hurry that one would assume she was running away from some impending doom. Yurian sighed behind her, he had seen her tears, ready to brim which she had failed to hide from him. He turned to glance at Xiran who was intently watching him.

Yurian stepped closer to Xiran and inspected all his wounds, she had covered most of them. Yurian placed the bottle of blood he had brought to a side and began to coat the ones she had left in her hurry and spoke to Xiran:

"Man, what have you done to her? I have never seen her so turmoiled." There was a slight hint of jabbing in his tone as if he was trying to incite conversation with him. Trying to understand what was so special about him that it was affecting her so much.

"Just accepted her for who she is instead of trying to change her," Xiran replied in a laboured tone, the pain making it hard to breathe and talk.

"Well, you have affected her in some way. She would never even bat an eye on vampires. Let alone have pity on them." Xiran smiled weakly at his words and asked:

"How long have you known her?"

"Five years, we were partnered when I joined the organization. She hated me and made my life difficult just to get me off her back. She didn’t want a partner and wanted to be alone. I had to earn her respect and reserve my spot as her partner and now she has accepted me as her little brother and we cherish each other with our lives." Yurian chuckled at his words and removing the lid of the bottle placed a straw in it, he pressed it to Xiran’s lips which held a sly smile at the revelation Yurian has made.

"Drink, or she will be cross with me," Yurian instructed and Xiran began to drink.

"And you people always use code names for each other?" Xiran couldn’t help but ask, not believing Yurian was talking to him so casually. Thinking back he had never seen the young boy show him any hostility, he was the one who had shielded him from Aselia’s onslaught, what bugged him was the fact that the boy still had no scent.

"Yes, it’s done to keep our identities secret, even from each other. In case, someone is a mole among us." Yurian replied as if he had no care in the world.

"How come you don’t find me an abomination? And can carry out such a casual conversation. You don’t hate me like your people?" Xiran was perplexed at his friendliness, he wanted to know his motive. Was he trying to win him over with kindness?

"Well, I don’t agree with torture techniques so I don’t play a part in that. Besides, I know you treated my partner well and didn’t harm her in any way so I have no reason to be hostile toward you." Yurian shrugged his shoulders at Xiran, putting him at ease. The boy was smart, smart enough to figure out the complexities of the situation they had been pushed in.

"I would never harm her, I wish she had placed more trust in me, and I don’t have all the answers she seeks. There seem to be a misunderstanding." Xiran confided in him, hoping he would be able to put some sense into Aselia.

"I believe you and can convince and change her. Revenge has her consumed, I want her to lead a normal life, this life will bring her nothing, except heartaches and afflictions. The happiness I felt in her when she was with you, is something I have never glimpsed before." This revelation baffled Xiran, so this boy met her when she was in Fritez City. But how?