The hours went by slowly. Baal’s body continued growing weak in my arms. He had drifted off to sleep not long after I took his pain away. The fact that he slept peacefully was enough to bring the storm of feelings in my chest to calm down if only slightly. I had grown used to the burning in my veins while keeping it away from my lover.

How much longer until they finished the antidote?

“Oh Goddess, no.”

A familiar, irksome voice spoke from the door. I got off the bed, careful as to not wake Baal up, and glared at the voice’s owner.

Aleksandr, the spotty faced knight clad in emerald armor, stood by the doorway holding his hand to his mouth. I walked towards him and pushed him out to the corridor. My blood was boiling, not just from the poison running through Baal’s veins, but also from the anger this man stirred in me. I punched him in the face and pinned him up against the corridor’s wall.

“Give me one reason as to why I shouldn’t murder you right here, right now. Baal’s like this because you refused to listen to him. YOU did this to him.” I let my words fall off my lips like acid, I knew my eyes were glowing as response to me being angry.

I disliked this brat a lot. Now that Baal was in his deathbed, nothing held me back from ripping spotty-face to shreds.

“If he dies, the peace of death won’t come to you easily. I will break your body limb by limb, I will cut you up and tear your skin off your muscles. And when you think you’ll finally be able to die, I will rip your heart right out of your chest and let you see me eat it.”

Freckles remained still, surprised by my sudden outburst. I released him, brushing the dirt off me while Freckles shook his head as if trying to get himself off a trance. He froze a lot, maybe that’s all he was good for.

“I thought you were using him, that you brainwashed him.” Freckles spoke up and I glared at him wanting all so badly to shut him up forever. “You guys are more than friends… and you’re really going to torture me to death for hurting him.”

“Good job, kid, you’re halfway through becoming an actual dumb shit.”

“How is he?”

“Why don’t you take a look at what you did for yourself?”

“Guys, you’re being loud…” Baal’s voice forced us to turn our heads in its direction.

Baal leaned against the door way, he was looking at us with an annoyed expression. Taking away his pain might’ve made him believe he could walk and there he was. He looked strained though, I was sure he’d keel over any moment.

“Baal, you shouldn’t move…”

I rushed over to him and held him by his waist. If I picked him off his feet he’d growl at me, he was thinking about it while I moved.

Holding onto my arm, he looked at Freckles with a serious face.

“What are you doing here?” His voice was grave, heavy.

“…you took off with a stranger right after I find you and you expect me to not follow after you? I’ve been out there looking for you for six years. When I finally do find you, I mess up and hurt you.” Freckles’ voice wavered as he spoke, he was very distraught and troubled about seeing his friend like he was. “I sent my men back, I told them I’d go after you on my own.”

“Your blades were covered in Veritas, what did you want me to think?”

“I didn’t realize it, if… if Naomi is trying to kill you she must’ve hexed me so I’d never notice. I should have been a better friend and I should have stayed by your side. I’m sorry.”

“You believe me?”

“When I left I didn’t wish to believe she’d want you dead, she’s your sister! But this act of treachery, the fact she used me to try to kill you... Baal I was so blind, so terribly blind.” Freckles was tearing up, he got close to Baal, got on one knee and lowered his head. “I deserve to be punished, your Highness. I’ve committed a grave crime against you. Please do with my life as you please.”

“Stop it, Sasha. What’s done is done. I am no prince here and you are my friend. Stand up, this is Luke. Luke this is Aleksandr Keenu… try not to kill each other?”

“For as long as you live.”

“I really don’t want to go through that whole you-eating-my-heart-in front-of-me event.”

“Haha! You’ll both get along just—”

Baal stopped mid-sentence, his eyes rolled back into his head and I caught him in my arms as he convulsed.

“No!” I rose him up in my arms and took him back to bed, Freckles followed after me as terrified as I was.

“The poison must’ve already eaten away at his nervous system.” Freckles’ eyes were full of misery. “…Fuck, even with an antidote we can’t possibly repair the damage fast enough before he passes away.”

I held Baal’s hand as he convulsed in bed, his grip was strong. This was the last stage and I couldn’t take this away from him. It hurt, my body burned and I felt like my head would split in two. I didn’t want to see him die, I couldn’t save him but… with Freckles here, there was a way.

“No, the antidote won’t work… but I know what will. Freckles, come here,” I got my shit together and pushed aside the fact that my whole world had fallen apart in an instant. “You want to make up for killing your best friend? Now’s your chance.”

I unsheathed my sword and Freckles froze on his spot. I took my sword up, swung downwards against his emerald armor and sliced the metal protecting his chest apart. When the metal hit the ground, I took hold of the cream colored shirt its owner wore underneath and used it to pull him towards me.

“I’m going to bite your pretty, spotty neck and then you’re going to slice your wrist and pour your blood over my own. Don’t you fucking dare faint out on me.” I didn’t give him much time to agree or disagree with me, I dug my fangs into his neck and he let out a yelp.

Interestingly enough he tasted bitter, his blood infused with life energy just like Baal’s. That was good, my plan might just work. The red-head sighed out and moaned, his hands falling lifeless to his sides. One moment he had been frozen in fear, the next I had to hold him up to keep him from melting all over the floor.

For more that I might’ve enjoyed draining him, I only had to take little from him. I licked the puncture marks hastily, Freckles could barely keep himself on his feet as he came around. I went over to Baal’s bedside again. He was convulsing a lot less, but that only meant bad news. I slit my wrist using my sword, pitch black liquid coming out of the wound.

“You’re an Ancient?” Freckles questioned as he got close to me, his gaze stuck on my blood. Better work fast before he went crazy.

“Yes, Freckles. Do what I told you now that you know what I’m doing.”

The red head didn’t hesitate, he slid his wrist against my blade and let his blood drip onto my wrist. The moment his blood got in contact with mine they mixed to form a velvet colored substance. I exhaled feeling tingly and took some of the substance into my mouth. It had a sweet taste, like honey.

I pressed my lips against Baal’s and parted them with my tongue before I pushed the blood into his mouth. I held his nose so as to force him to drink. He choked and coughed but my mouth wouldn’t let him spill a single drop of that which would save his life.

I removed my lips from his and waited a few seconds to see how he would react. He stopped moving, for a full minute it was as if he were dead. Worry started consuming me as I saw no other reaction from Baal. The wait was torture, but worth it.

A constant pitter patter flared up inside my lover’s chest. There it was! I could hear it, his heart beat normally again, his life energy was returning to him. He would live.

Freckles and I both breathed out relieved. I sat on bed and held Baal up so I could press my cut wrist against his mouth. He gulped down enthusiastically, a good sign his strength was returning. Thanks to that, lucky Freckles would get to live past today.

“Thank the Goddesses… ummm, could you have saved him without my help?”

“No, I couldn’t have. I was hoping your blood would work. I can’t make it work with just anyone’s…”

Freckles sat beside me while stroking Baal’s leg. I glared at the red head and he raised his hands before simply setting them over his own lap.

“We were lucky.”

“…Will he be alright?” Freckles looked at Baal with mixed emotions.

The knight was worried, but his eyes glimmered with immense love at the same time. I had to admit I felt a little threatened. Following the little I heard from yesterday’s conversation, Freckles must’ve been the one Baal used to love.

“He’ll be fine…” My eyes examined the graze mark on Baal’s torso and watched as it disappeared to leave a pink scar in its place. I let him drink one last gulp before taking my wrist away. I placed his head gently on his pillow, he curled up into a ball and continued sleeping peacefully.

“…I’m sorry for the other day. Baal has been in good hands, thank you for keeping him safe.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve only known him for a couple of weeks and it’s only after our meeting that he’s found trouble.”

“He needed someone like you at his side when these problems started catching up to him. You’ve stayed by his side, even when the situation was as dire as today.” Freckles scratched the back of his head and grinned. “That’s more than I ever did six years ago.”

Well… yeah, he got that right.