Chapter 37

She listened to her surroundings, hearing the faint snores of sleeping passengers. She had hypnotized the driver and passengers when they boarded, ensuring that even if they were awake, they would ignore the two of them and have no memory of them after disembarking.

The radio host was reporting the news, and she listened intently for a moment but heard no mention of the two of them. Since it was a secret experiment, the government wouldn't dare to openly hunt them down, right?

After escaping, both he and she were extremely exhausted and temporarily hid in the mountains. She sent Qilu to fly north, occasionally revealing itself to mislead those searching for them into thinking they had fled north, while she and he walked south, only switching to a bus late at night.

On the bus, she used the soul-separation technique, allowing her soul to leave her body and stay in the north with Qilu. With the help of illusions, she made the pursuers see their phantom images, making them believe they were continuously heading north, successfully avoiding the pursuit.

The soul-separation technique was quite dangerous and should ideally be performed in a secluded, unmanned place with someone guarding her to prevent any mishaps. She took a risk using it on a moving vehicle and fortunately, nothing went wrong, but she was utterly exhausted and probably couldn't use any more magic for a while.

As for the man who stayed awake all night to guard her while she performed the technique...

She looked at Emil beside her. His head rested on her shoulder, sleeping soundly, with his hands tightly wrapped around her waist as if he hadn't forgotten to protect her even in his dreams. The snacks they bought before boarding were on his lap, with some food left, but all the chocolate bars were gone, evidently devoured by him.

Watching him sleep, she smiled slightly, but her brows furrowed with worry.

He hadn't helped her from start to finish, not because he didn't want to but because he couldn't. He hadn't said anything, but she could sense the abnormality in his body. He had lost his former strength, becoming slow and sluggish, like an ordinary human. Was this the price he paid for giving up his vampire powers?

However, he had still been a great help to her. If it weren't for the faint warmth of his embrace, she might have lost her way back after her soul had been separated for too long.

But his body temperature was too low, so low that it made her feel a bit cold...

She looked at his ghostly pale face, feeling a vague unease. She reached out to touch his cheek. His skin was cold and slightly stiff, devoid of any life.

"Emil?" she called softly several times, but he didn't respond.

Could it be that after all the hardships they had endured to be together, he...

"Emil!" She shook his shoulders in panic.

"Mm?" Emil drowsily opened his eyes and yawned. "Did you finish your spell?"

Relieved to see him alive and blinking at her, Sarah nodded. "You slept very soundly."

His face flushed slightly, remembering how he had sworn not to sleep. "I only meant to close my eyes for a few minutes, but I fell asleep." He looked out the window; the bus had entered the city. "Haven't we reached our destination yet?"

"Almost."

"What do we do after we get off the bus?" She had only said they were heading south but hadn't mentioned what to do next.

"After getting off, we walk south for about an hour to reach the seaside. There's a coastal villa there, which should be unoccupied in the winter. They have yachts, and we can borrow one. Once we're at sea, we can go in any direction, and no one will be able to catch us."

"Is the owner a friend of yours?"

Her eyes dimmed. "A friend of my cousin, whom I met last year."

"Then that makes them your friend too." He knew she was thinking of her family, and any comfort would be futile at this moment, so he quickly changed the topic. "Can we get some food before we set off? I'm starving. Lots of sweets, preferably chocolate."

"No picky eating." Thinking of his childlike preference for sweets, she smiled and held his hand, finding it still cold. "Are you sure you'll be fine just eating regular food? If necessary, you can have my blood—"

"No." His refusal was swift and firm. "I told you, I want to live as a human, with you. Humans don't live on blood, do they?"

"When did you say that? I don't remember."

"It doesn't matter if you don't remember. I do." He had so much he wanted to say, to tell her that their entangled feelings didn't start just a month ago. But what would happen after he said it? She appeared indifferent but was deeply emotional, which was why she struggled painfully between him and her people. Orson had said that her soul would be restless for hundreds of years. She had suffered no less than he had.

But how much longer could he live? After all this time, the human part of him had long decayed. Relying solely on it to sustain his life, how much longer could he stay with her?

"Don't worry. I promise that every morning when you open your eyes, you'll see me alive and well." In the end, he said nothing, turning all his worries into a tight hug. "So, I just want to ask you one thing, do you regret it?"

Regret? Thinking of Ivy crying and begging her still made her heart ache. But when he was caught by the silver net, and she thought she was going to lose him, the despair almost drove her to do something reckless. Her heart had long made a decision; she just didn't want to face it.

She hugged his cold body, pressing her aching heart against his chest, and resolutely shook her head. "I don't regret it."

When they arrived at the station, they got off the bus and entered a nearby convenience store. Before entering, Sarah pulled Emil's coat hood up to cover his conspicuous appearance.

He couldn't help but ask, "So, where do we go after we set sail?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere is fine, as long as I'm with you." His eyes and face were filled with unconcealable joy as he followed her into the convenience store. It was still dark outside, and besides the male clerk, there was only an old lady with a little girl inside the store.

"I've been to many countries, and language won't be a problem, but we still need a direction. Otherwise, drifting aimlessly and running out of fuel would be bad. Or ending up on a deserted island would be troublesome too."

"A deserted island sounds good too—quiet and peaceful, perfect for hiding." Seeing his excitement, as if they were going on a trip instead of fleeing, Sarah felt her mood lighten as well. "Let's pretend we're going to a place with nothing, and stock up on essentials now."
Emile's Kiss
Detail
Share
Font Size
40
Bgcolor