I carried Luca into the living room as he remained asleep in my arms.
His head dangled over my arm, and his hair draped off his forehead as his mouth parted.
I just sat on the couch, helping him onto my lap when he remained quiet and broken.
I gazed down at him then, lightly brushing my fingers along the bandages I placed over his eye.
Despite his previous injury, they weren’t stained with red.
But I had changed them about two minutes ago.
His side, too, was bandaged despite me giving him the angelic healing pills.
I just gazed down, lightly running my fingers along the two bite scars on his neck.
He suddenly winced and shifted.
“Shhhh…” I cooed then, stroking my fingers through his hair. “You’re alright.”
He settled back into my arms, face buried in my neck.
I just continued soothing his hair back, knowing he’d wake up soon.
And right on queue, he shifted again, mumbling in annoyance, but he then parted his lashes gazing up at me.
“Good morning,” I said kindly.
His expression remained slightly numb, and I watched as he lightly touched the bandages on his eye.
I watched the darkness in his exposed eye grow.
But he went down to his side and ran his fingers along the mark I gave him.
His lips parted when he found no wound.
And he just finally lightly touched his neck as if it still hurt, stroking his hand along his skin.
When his fingers brushed over the scar, he gazed up at me uneasily.
I just smiled. “In order to heal your eye, I had to bite you.”
His brows drew together.
“With angels,” I explained to him, “they kiss the person they want to heal, and it will heal the injury. With demons—sadly—we must cause pain to heal. It’s because we drink blood. We have healing properties in our venom, and it can heal you despite the pain it gives.”
He touched the bandages again. “The pain is gone.”
I smiled and nodded. “Yes.”
“Can I… see out of it?”
I nodded again. “Yes.”
He stared at me for too long, but he started getting up from my lap.
“Hold on,” I said, pulling him back onto me as he gave me a bored look. “You’re not well enough to stand. I’ll carry you.”
He blinked at my words.
But I just scooped him up and carried him to the bathroom.
He tightly held onto my neck as if he feared falling, but I just smiled when we entered the room.
I flicked on the lights and gently set him down onto the toilet.
He gazed up when I stepped over to the cupboard and pulled out a mirror.
I then made my way over to him and handed him the mirror.
He gazed into it, brows drawing together when he found the bandages still covering his sight.
Knowing what he wanted, I stepped behind him and undid the bandages, unwrapping it slowly.
“I’m warning you,” I explained to him. “It’s not going to be the same.”
“I want to see,” he urged.
I just listened and continued unwrapping.
Until I took off the last bit and set the bandages aside.
He gazed into the mirror then, his eye still shut.
But he opened it then.
He gasped, shrinking back as if he was looking at a monster.
I gazed down.
His pupil was gone, his iris purple instead of amber, and there was a large X-like rune covering his entire iris. Though despite the normal mark, it was glowing a slight red like demonic eyes.
“What…?” he whispered.
“It’s a demon’s mark,” I explained to him. “Remember how I explained an angel’s kiss? This is a demon’s kiss. If an angel kissed you, the mark would be in the shape of a circle, line, or rhombus. I’m a demon, so it’s an X.”
Luca’s lips thinned then, and he lowered his lashes when he handed me the mirror.
“No one’s going to think I’m normal,” he whispered.
I took the mirror from him, remaining silent as I placed it back in the drawer and slid it closed.
“With you…” he said then, “your eyes look all normal, but they glow red when you’re angry. They turn a different color on command. This…? This remains here… forever.”
I just watched him gently. “Would you rather not see out of it?”
He shook his head. “No… this is better. Somehow.”
We both quieted for a couple minutes.
I just stepped over to him and knelt down to his level.
He gazed down at me sadly when I lightly caught his hands.
“Luca,” I said then, “this will never happen again. I promise you.”
His eyes darkened.
“I went out to get you some food,” I explained, guilt clogging my airways. “And… I guess he took advantage of the moment. But…” I gazed up, “you are now marked three ways.”
He parted his lips.
“Your side,” I explained, touching the crescent scar, “your eye, and your blood.”
He stared at me for a long moment. “My… blood?”
I just smiled. “When I gave you the devil’s kiss, my venom entered your blood stream. My venom runs through your veins. So now that you’re marked three ways, if one mark is damaged, the other will make up for it.” I ran my finger under his eye. “I will know—always—if you’re in danger.”
“How did you come so fast…?” Luca asked me gently.
I felt my eyes flicker a slight red. “I felt something off and then I felt our connection break. I was unsure of the situation, but I came straight away.”
“You just knew?” he said then.
I nodded.
He sighed then and looked away, seeming way too depressed for my liking.
“What’s wrong…?” I said quietly. “Is the fact that he’s still alive bothering you?”
Luca shook his head. “No, it’s just…” he lightly touched his eye, “I don’t know how to explain this.”
I stared at him for a little bit before I smiled. “Would it help if we bought a cover-up?”
He gazed down at me. “A cover-up…?”
I nodded. “Yes. There are some bandages I can buy to cover it, and maybe we can get some stylish stuff, too.”
“But then people will assume I’m injured,” he argued.
I just tipped my head to the side. “Would you rather that, or for people to see what really lays under the bandages?”
He was quiet before his lashes lowered in annoyance. “Buy it.”
I smirked.
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