XLIV

With warm blood for gloves, Marshall stood, Kimi’s organ in his hand. He moved away from Kimi’s body, eyeing the organ with fascinated eyes.

“Shit,” Maria hissed, placing her nose into the crook of her elbow.

Mr. Marshall looked at her with dull eyes. “Is the claret affecting you?”

“Of course it is,” she replied harshly and Marshall shook his head with a small, amused smirk. Her eyes dropped to Kimi and her eyebrows twitched at the sight of his blood that was pooling beside him. “Since we have the heart,” she started, looking at Marshall as he walked back to his desk. “Why did you send that girl to kill that Mikher. Hadn’t I told you that she was adopted?”

“Ah, yes. That.” He placed the organ on his table and picked up the rag that was on it. “Well, I just wanted to test her loyalty. Her parents and siblings’ lives are in my hands,” he said as he cleaned his hands, his eyes on the ceiling.

Maria gritted her teeth. “But you’re not the leader and stop making decisions by yourself. And stop taking what we don’t need.”

“You mean the other organs? Those aren’t for me to eat alone. Those are for the leader and his family. Especially his cute little son.” He picked up the knife again and tossed the rag on the table.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she watched him walk back to Kimi’s body.

“I forgot the food,” he said, standing over the body.

Maria turned to fully look at him. Thunder sounded and she looked at the shut windows. “You better be quick. This rain is jumbling my sense of smell.”

“Duly... noted.” Marshall moved to stand where the blood wasn’t pooling on the floor. He crouched and began to draw invisible measurements in the air over Kimi’s body. “Should I make the cut a square or a—”

“HEY!”

Marshall looked up and Maria looked back. Maria flinched—her eyes growing wide—while Marshall only raised a brow as they saw a mad looking Silver by the door.

Silver’s eyes dropped to Kimi’s body and he gritted his teeth, his face red. “I have one question,” he said through his teeth, raising the pistol in his hand. “Who dared to kill my little cousin?”

Marshall tilted his head. “That will be m—”

Silver pulled the trigger and shot thrice through Marshall’s head. He dropped backwards, the knife in his hand slipping out of his hand. Silver growled angrily—even in death, Marshall still had the gut to sport a carefree smirk.

“Bastard,” he said under his breath, moving into the class. “Guys he’s here,” he called out and Orpheus, Haruna and Zee sped into the class.

“Oh my gosh,” Haruna gasped, rushing to him. She crouched by him, having no care for the blood seeping into her cloth. But she did when its smell started infesting her senses. She threw her elbow to her nose and groaned. “Claret.”

Orpheus looked at Maria. “What are you doing here?” he asked, raising a brow.

“Delivering a package,” she said and sped go the heart. She picked it up and made for the door. But Zee came in front of Silver and slapped her backwards with brute strength. Then Silver shot her in the thigh and silver flames appeared on the wound.

“You betrayer,” Zee hissed, moving closer to Maria.

Maria wiped blood from her chin, not caring that her leg was slowly getting consumed by fire. “I’m not any kind of betrayer. I’m just someone who knows what is what.” She cocked her head. “By the way, is your corpse lord awake? Was my present tasty?”

Silver flinched and began to angrily vibrate on the spot. “You had told Duan to come to the mansion.”

“Ordered him actually,” she said, placing the organ in the inner pocket of her jacket. “I have a contracted business with his”—she pointed at Marshall—“boss. Let’s just say I love a tasty business when I see one.”

“Why would you do that?!” Haruna cried out, tears running down her face. “You have everything!”

“I don’t!” Maria jumped around to glare at Haruna. “You call living in bondage for an eternity everything?! You call living under the rule of some dead man a good thing?!”

“Lord Caedis is not a dead man,” Zee hissed lightly.

Maria scoffed and faced her. “Says a stupid, idiotic, moronic, disillusioned thing like you.”

Zee’s eyes sparked with a new flame of anger, her eyes glowing like dancing embers. “Don’t mess with me you brat,” she whispered coldly, curling her fingers into angry fists.

“Brat?” Maria scoffed, cocked her head, her hands placed lightly on her hips. “At least I’m better than a common Level O like you that was borne from the useless blood of a useless corpse.”

Zee’s eyes brightened, the skies outside rumbling as she flung her hand forward, rainwater bursting in through the windows, shattering them into flickering glasses. “Lord Caedis is not a corpse! Stop calling him that!”

Everyone watched as the rainwater shot towards Maria like bullets. Maria stayed put but sped out of the way when the rainwater morphed into spiked shapes midair. Zee growled and twisted her hands around, the rainwater taking a turn towards Maria. Maria leapt out of the way. She moved closer to broken windows. Silver shot her in her thighs and she only groaned. But the flames got quenched by the rainwater that flew in through the windows.

“Fuck all of you,” she said, raising both of her middle fingers at them as she jumped back through the windows. They shattered under her weight and she dropped down.

“NO!” Silver said, running to the window to watch her speed into the forest of trees that was beside the school. “Damn it,” Silver said, turning around. The moment his eyes landed on Kimi’s body, his eyes welled up. The knife and pistol that was in his hands slipped and clattered against the floor. He passed his fingers through his hair and fell to his knees. “I can’t believe Kimi is dead.”

Zee held her wrist and dropped her gaze. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t do my job to help.”

Haruna looked back at Kimi. She looked at his face, her vision blurred by her tears. She removed her eyes from his body and stood. Haruna was about to walk away when she heard a tiny intake of breath. She stopped, blinking as she looked back at Kimi.

“Mum what happened?” Orpheus asked from his position by the door.

Haruna closed her eyes and shook her head. “I thought I heard—” And there it was again, the sound. Haruna gasped and shifted closer to him. “He’s alive!”

“What?!” the others said and Silver rushed to his feet.

Silver ran to Kimi’s body and went on his knees beside Haruna. “How do you—”

“He’s still breathing.” She looked at Silver and then at the others. “It’s sound is too low, even for a cadaver. But listen closely, he’s still breathing.” Haruna went into action and pressed her palms into his stomach. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Under her hands, she could feel his flesh move.

“It’s working,” Orpheus said, taking a small, single step forward as they watched the skin around his chest area knit back into place. “But... your powers only work on people who are alive.”

“But he has no heart and he’s a Hunter,” Zee said, running to stand beside Haruna. “This is unreal,” she gasped, watching the wound totally cover up.

Haruna still kept her hands on his chest, looking at the others. “What if... What if he’s—”

“He can’t be,” Orpheus said sharply.

“But he’s healing. Cadaver powers don’t work on Hunters Orpheus.”

Orpheus shook his head. “But his eyes. I know what I saw years ago. He’s not—”

“I know!” Silver looked from one person to another. “What if he’s a half blood?” He kept his eyes on Orpheus as he asked, “what if we change him?”

“No, no, no, no!” Orpheus shook his head. “I’m not going to—”

“Orpheus we need you to do it!” Haruna said, pressing her hands deeper.

Orpheus shook his head and held his hair. For the second time in his life, Orpheus had a face that held an emotion that wasn’t blank but worried and scared. “I can’t. I don’t want to do it.”

“Then don’t do it for yourself. Do it for Lord Caedis,” Zee said in a calm tone.

Orpheus shook his head again. “I can’t. The claret in this room, his blood... What if history repeats itself? What if I’m not successful and I completely kill him? What if I fully certify myself as a monster? What if—?”

“Stop saying that!” Silver roared.

Haruna shook her head, her hands trembling greatly, her head hung as she shook it. “Orpheus, my baby, nothing will happen. You can do it. I would have eased your pain but I can’t. I’m a Level O! And you’re the only Level A who’s close.”

Orpheus gripped his neck, his other hand still in his hair. “I’m afraid. I don’t want to kill him.”

“My baby boy it’s okay to be afraid. We all have our fears, and we all need to face them.” She looked at him, tears in her eyes. “Please... do it.”

Orpheus gritted his teeth and took a step forward. He took another one, and then the next before he stopped and shook his head. “It’s obvious that I’m not going to be successful. I’m going to kill him.” He gripped his chest. “I’m going to kill him like I had killed his father. Everything is fucking clear—”

“SHUT UP!” Silver hissed.

He jumped to his feet and rushed to Orpheus and held his wrist. He tried to pull him with him but Orpheus didn’t budge. Even when he added more strength Orpheus still remained on the same spot. And then he turned, growling as he slapped Orpheus on each cheek. And then he gripped his collar.

“The only person keeping you away from your success is you. You want to succeed and not kill him?” he said, rattling him using his collar. “Then stop fucking being a wuss and change him. Bite him, save him. Save my cousin. If you don’t do this the only person that won’t forgive you is yourself and I’ll beg for a worse punishment for you from life itself if you don’t save him.” He tugged him one last time. “Save him.”

Orpheus stayed frozen before he held Silver’s wrists and dragged them down. He shook his head and turned to leave.

“I’m losing him!” Haruna shouted and Orpheus froze.

Orpheus turned and looked at Kimi’s body. Silver was crying madly, Haruna was wailing for help. Orpheus was the help, but was he going to give it? In that moment, he saw Michael’s body. He saw it under his legs as Michael took his last breath. He saw the blood on Michael’s face when he called out his son’s name for the last time. He saw Michael’s last tear. He heard Michael say his last “I’m sorry.”

He saw a second chance.

Orpheus clenched his fists and sped to Kimi’s body. He knelt down and picked up his wrist. He brought it to his lips but winced as his vision swayed, his senses getting fogged by the power of the claret and the scent of blood that mixed together blissfully, a meal served for him to consume.

“I can do this,” he breathed, feeling his fangs dig into his lips. “I can save him.” He closed his eyes that were glowing brightly, pressed his lips into the cold skin and parted them.

And then he took his first bite.

Author’s Note: this chapter is very dear to me because of Orpheus. In my original plan, he was supposed to be the love interest but I can’t write an enemies to lovers romance and that will make the story longer and slower. So I brought in Aurum in the third chapter. This chapter kind of exposed his inner demons; I think his story is special. Do you think Kimi will forgive him?