The forest was quiet as Ren and Ayame moved through the shadows, their footsteps barely audible on the soft earth. They had been traveling for hours, the weight of the night pressing down on them as much as the ever-growing danger from the Crimson Circle.
Ren didn't mind the silence. In fact, he found it calming. But Ayame… she wasn't the quiet type. She was always moving, always alert, never fully at ease.
"Do you ever just stop thinking?" Ayame asked, her voice cutting through the stillness like a blade.
Ren glanced at her, eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you've been so quiet," she said, with just a hint of amusement in her voice. "What's going on in that mysterious head of yours?"
Ren smirked. "I'm just trying not to drain you of all your energy with my irresistible charm."
Ayame snorted. "Keep dreaming, vampire."
"Am I wrong?" Ren's grin widened, his fangs just barely visible in the moonlight. He could tell she was trying to hide her smile, but he'd caught it. He always did.
"You're delusional."
"I think you secretly like it," Ren teased, his voice low and smooth. "The danger, the mystery, the blood…"
She shot him a warning look. "I'm not a fan of being your snack."
He winked. "You're more like a temptation."
Ayame stopped walking, putting a hand on her hip, her posture stiff. "Ren."
"Yeah?"
"You're flirting with me again."
Ren just shrugged. "What can I say? You're hard to resist."
She shook her head, exhaling slowly through her nose as if she couldn't decide whether to laugh or sigh. "You're lucky I'm not trying to kill you."
"Would you? I mean, really, could you?" Ren asked, turning to face her. His tone shifted, becoming serious in an instant.
Ayame's expression softened just a little, but the edge of her stance remained. "I don't want to kill you. But you have to understand, you're not just a vampire. You're something bigger, something that people will do anything to control. I just—"
"You just what?" Ren stepped closer, his gaze intense as he searched her face. "You care?"
Ayame looked away, the words catching in her throat. "I'm trying not to. I can't afford to get attached. It's too dangerous."
"You think I want to get attached?" Ren replied, his voice low, but there was an edge to it now. "I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me."
"No one's feeling sorry for you," Ayame snapped, but her tone lacked its usual bite. "But you're not just some cursed monster I have to kill. You're… complicated."
"I like complicated," Ren murmured, his voice smooth like velvet.
Ayame shot him a look. "I'm serious, Ren."
"And I am too." He leaned in slightly, his eyes sparkling with mischievous intent. "But don't worry, Ayame. I don't bite unless you ask."
Her lips twitched despite herself. She tried to look away, but there was something in his eyes — something dangerously magnetic. She hated how it made her feel, how it tugged at something inside her she couldn't quite name.
Ren stepped back, letting the teasing tension linger for a moment longer. "Let's keep moving. The last thing we need is for you to lose your head. Again."
Ayame rolled her eyes but followed, the quiet between them thick with unspoken words.
But neither of them could ignore the reality of their situation. There was something else in the air — something more dangerous than even the Crimson Circle.
Ren's bloodline. The ancient power inside him that threatened to break free.
And Ayame wasn't sure if she was still trying to stop him from losing control… or if, somewhere deep down, she was afraid she didn't want him to.