“You think that’s what’s happening to him now? An awakening?”
“Don’t you?” Nino breathes a laugh, incredulous. “Looks like it to me.”
After that, I stare into space, wondering what the actual fuck I’ve gotten myself into. The only thing that snaps me out of it is Jae’s shifting behind me on the bed. I’m sitting on the floor with my back against the bedframe. I turn my head, and Jae is haphazardly trying to push himself upright.
I shift myself up to sit on the bed, then grab his arms to help him. His skin is flaky and rough, and he’s shaking. His weary eyes are less milky now—like milk with honey mixed in.
“Take it easy,” I urge.
“Wh-what’s wrong with me?” His voice comes out in a scratchy whisper. “Why—”
“You don’t know?” I ask. Because somehow, I can’t believe that he wouldn’t know. That he would be totally blind to something innate like this about himself. That he would have no inkling of it in his conscious mind.
He’s still shaking as I hold his arms, but he meets my gaze. “I—I thought… I had the flu. This is not the flu.”
“You don’t have the flu,” Nino says from across the room. Jae whips his head to look at him, as if he hadn’t known he was there.
He clenches his fists and lowers his head, shaking it. “What’s wrong with me?” He’s scared. Genuinely terrified as I gently hold his wrists in my hands. I can feel the fear and confusion rolling off him. My frustration is melting. He didn’t lie to me. If he did, he’s in the wrong profession and missed his chance at being an Oscar-winning actor.
I lean into him, pressing my forehead into his temple because when I do things like this, he always seems to calm down. “Breathe, Jae.” He does. His shoulders rise and fall in a deep breath. He does this a few times, and the shaking lessens.
When I lift my head, his eyes are closed. “We’ll tell you what we think is happening, but you need a bath—probably some food too. How do you feel?”
Jae opens his eyes. They’re already a little browner. “Confused.”
“Physically…” Nino smiles from across the room. “How’s your body?”
Jae blinks over at him. “Confused.”
Nino laughs. I shake my head.
“Alright.” I stand up. “Bath first. Can you walk?”
Jae offers a shaky nod. Nino stands from the floor and meets us at the bed. He helps me pull Jae up, and we both guide him toward the bathroom.
He wakes up a little more as I bathe and scrub him. His skin is peeling off and shedding like I’m going to clean and leave him raw—flaking off and disappearing down the drain. But when I’m done, he’s fine. His skin is soft and supple, and his color is normal again, like nothing happened. Like I dreamt all of it.
He’s livelier by the time we’re done scrubbing, so I leave him to rinse and dry himself off. Nino is still wandering around and cleaning up (I’m realizing he must be a neat freak, because he’s gone beyond the bedroom and is now tidying up Jae’s makeshift office in a different room, which he definitely does not need to do), but I head to the main living room area near the kitchen and pull out my phone.
I’m losing my shit and I need a sanity check. I dial Asao since he’s more reliable to answer, then ask to speak to Haruka. It only takes a second for his deep voice to register through the line.
“Hello, Jun. How is he?”
“He’s getting dressed.” I’m pacing the floor and rubbing the back of my neck. “He seems better after the bath and drinking my blood—Shit. There was so much dead skin, but he’s fine now.”
“His improving after your feeding him and the decaying flesh are the final proof,” Haruka says. “He is one of us and he is changing.”
This is fucking unbelievable. “So what do I do? And he’s still not vampiric—not totally. He doesn’t have fangs and he can’t feed for himself. Should I keep feeding him? Or maybe we should find him a different source? What’s best? And why is this happening now?” I’m not trying to pawn him off on someone else. I’m not. But I also have no clue what I’m getting myself into and it genuinely scares me.
“Which question would you like me to answer first?” Haruka asks.
“Why is this happening now?”
“I believe your natures are drawn to each other. It is why you were uniquely capable of discerning his scent and noticing him before Nino or I did. After you pointed it out, though, it was obvious.”
I’m standing still, thinking. “I fed from him last week for the first time. He tasted amazing. Too good.”
“Perhaps your feeding from him is what has triggered this? The unique intimacy of feeding in combination with your compatible natures.”
“So it’s my fault he’s like this?”
“Not completely, but in a sense, yes. Junichi, you need to make a decision.”
“About?”
“Will you see him through this? We do not know much about this circumstance, but what is true of all vampiric vitality is that consistency is key. His feeding source should be the same as he slowly awakens—and high quality since he is obviously ranked. His source should also make his transition as comfortable as possible, without stress, since we don’t know what to expect. Should we attempt to find someone else? Or are you willing to commit to this process of his awakening?”
Hearing something, I turn to see Jae quietly stepping out of the hallway and into the kitchen. He’s barefoot, and his already slender frame is now gaunt from weight loss. He’s dressed in clean sweats and his golden hair is darker than normal because its wet. No glasses. We lock eyes in a cautious moment before he goes to sit in the kitchen.
I nod, pacing again. “I am. Of course.”
“I think this is the best choice. I will come tomorrow to speak with Jae directly about his circumstance. It is my responsibility as his realm leader.”
I shake my head. “You’ve been digging at this for weeks—inviting him to dinner at your house, flying to Hong Kong and studying in that old library. You’re tickled pink right now, aren’t you?”
There’s a slight pause on the line before he answers me.
“A little.”
