This man…
Behind that petty smile and handsome face of his lay a vicious devil.
Himiko could tell from just a glance when he told her he would be getting the whole shelf—he was not doing this to help her, he was doing it to punish her for dragging him through the rain…
'Yes, this is probably it,' she mused, her fingers rubbing her chin.
"Hey, I don't have all day, keep packing," Kyle demanded. He was sitting on her chair, legs crossed as he watched her.
Himiko frowned and pushed the second cardboard box out of the way and began filling the others.
By the time she had finished, she was breathing heavily, sprawled out on the floor while watching the ceiling.
The rain was still pouring outside, meaning that he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.
"Will it be cash or card?" she asked breathlessly.
He smiled and shrugged. "I don't have any money with me."
Himiko immediately sprang up to her feet, her mouth open in disbelief. "Huh?"
Kyle said nothing. He was moving his feet back and forth as he stared at Himiko.
She hurried over to him and held the armrests of his chair, locking him in place, then frowned.
"Are you telling me I did all that work for nothing?"
"Mmm? When did I say that?" Kyle smirked, revealing his fangs.
Immediately Himeko saw them, she froze, her eyes locked on his pearly white teeth.
She had almost forgotten that this was the reason she took interest in him the very first time.
His teeth were not just like hers, they seemed even superior. Deep in her heart, she felt a slight tingle, a small warmth when she thought that just maybe... maybe there was someone who could truly understand her.
Himiko was taking an interest in Kyle, and with that growing fondness came an irresistible craving, a longing to have a taste of his blood.
Everything they had been talking about, from the money to the books she had spent time packing, blurred away from her mind.
All she could focus on was his pale neck, the light pulse ticking just underneath his jaw, and his invigorating scent that sent her places she had never been.
'I want to taste him…'
Himiko bit the inside of her cheek, tasting iron, her face blushed pink, her eyes locked on him.
Yet, even when she displayed such a profound 'interest' in him, even when the silence between them seemed to stretch on forever, Kyle did not budge.
Others would have run…
Many would have panicked…
And yet, he sat there, his wine-colored eyes boring into her golden iris.
He was unfazed, curious even.
'Is he thinking the same thing?'
Lost in the moment, Kyle ran a finger along her jaw, feeling his heart accelerate as he felt the warmth of her skin.
To everyone else, she was batshit crazy, an abnormality that had no place in this world.
But to a vampire like him, she was the most normal person he could ever meet.
Himiko did not know how to react to what she was feeling, she couldn't even organize her thoughts without her mind getting jumbled.
But Kyle seemed to be one step ahead of her.
He nicked the tip of his finger, and immediately his blood seeped out of his thumb. Himiko could barely restrain herself.
She licked the blood right off it, nibbling it a bit in a vain attempt to get more. But the wound had already sealed.
Then suddenly, the door to the comic store creaked open, yet they did not move.
Kyle relaxed his back on his chair, his eyes still on her.
"It looks like you have a visitor."
Himiko nodded, her mind still trying to unravel the puzzle that was Kyle.
"It looks like I do."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, sliding it into her fingers.
"If you ever want to see a world bigger than what is in front of you, then you know where to find me..."
And then—
"Alright, alright! I need you to move my books to my trunk!" Kyle boldly declared, his tone completely changing from what it was before.
In their brief moment, they hadn't realized that the rain outside had ceased, settling down to a light drizzle.
Kyle pulled out his credit card from his pocket and waved it in front of her face, snapping her out of her reverie.
He grabbed her hand to free himself, stood up, and began guiding her towards the desk.
Himiko's eyes widened. She slapped her face with her other hand before looking back at him, a nervous smile on her face. "I thought you said you had no money?"
"Hehe, I lied…"
•••
Himiko heaved the last box of comics and placed it into Kyle's trunk, breathing heavily and leaning on his car.
"T-that is the last one…" she said breathlessly, her arms shaky. "Thank you for s-shopping at Yoyimia Comics."
Before she left, Kyle handed her his phone to take her number before waving her goodbye as she walked back to the store.
'I don't understand him…'
Himiko tiredly pushed her door open.
One moment he is nice and warm, the next moment he is like a devil's spawn.
'I can't believe he let me carry all those boxes alone.'
She breathed out a sigh and plopped into her chair, staring up at the ceiling fan, then she placed her hands in her pocket and pulled out the card he had given her.
— Kimimaru Café
He had left abruptly after that customer arrived, the same customer who ended up not buying anything!
Now all she had were questions.
How did he know she wanted to taste his blood? And why was he so willing to give it?
The little taste he had given her was not enough; it was like tasting a bit of cake when you were ravenous—all it did was stir your hunger.
'Is he baiting me?'
"Ahhhhh!" Himiko ruffled her hair in annoyance. "This much thinking will fry my brain—!"
"It seems like you've had an eventful day," came a voice from the shadows.
Himiko lazily glanced at the corner of the room, her eyes narrowing as she saw who it was.
"Who are you?"
The man placed his hand into his shirt, smoke streaming out of his nose as he set his eyes on her.
"I'm a messenger."
He stepped out of the corner, the barrel of a gun glistening in the light, just before he squeezed the trigger.
"?!"
Bang!
Blood spewed atop the desk, splashing against the wall behind Himeko.
The once quiet bookstore had become tainted by chaos and drenched in blood.
..
..
..
A/N
One or two more chapters today, this is a bonus chapter for hitting out Powestones target.
Let's try to rank higher this week! :)
100 Powerstones => 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Powerstones => 2 Bonus Chapters
400 Powerstones => 3 Bonus Chapters