And Yuki began to shake.
His eyes bulged as he stared hungrily at the people around them. His breaths shortened, lips curling into a snarl.
He’s not going to make it.He’s going to attack them.Yiran picked the other boy up in his arms. He was surprisingly light, and Yiran held him tight and close. Adrenaline flowed through Yiran’s veins as he ran across the intersection, ignoring the looks of surprise and irritation from the other pedestrians, not caring if he was knocking some of them out of the way. He had to get Yuki out of the crowd. He had to save the normies.
He had to save the Hybrid.
Somehow, they made it to the other side. Yiran continued to run as fast as he could with the weight in his arms.
There was no one at the park. Some of the streetlamps weren’t working, and he found cover in a dim area. He laid Yuki down on a bench, finally catching his breath.
But Yuki rolled over and fell to the ground. His eyes drifted to the side, glazed and unseeing.
Yiran knelt next to him. “Yuki?”
Recognition appeared briefly in Yuki’s gaze. “Yiran? Don’t c-come near me.”
“It’s okay, it’s all right.”
But it wasn’t.
Yuki inhaled sharply, his body going taut. He made a helpless, painful sound, and his tremors returned. His condition was deteriorating quickly. Spasming in agony, he scratched at his face, guttural noises bursting from his throat.
It was horrifying to watch.
Yiran pried Yuki’s hands away from his own face, squeezing his wrists firmly.
Again, that brief recognition, a moment of sanity. “Go,please,” Yuki choked out. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m not leaving you, you idiot.”
But what could Yiran do? He hadn’t realized the Hybrids’ hunger could cause them such suffering. Yuki was clearly in immense pain, and there was no doubt he could turn and overpower Yiran at any moment. Yet he was still trying to rein in his Hybrid side. He was still worried about Yiran’s safety.
A scared, frantic thought crossed Yiran’s mind: If Yuki went any longer without feeding, would he die?
There was a visceral tug in Yiran’s chest. An emotion blossoming like a dandelion in the cracks.
Shit. I’mthe idiot.
Cursing his weak heart, Yiran straddled the other boy, pressing a knee down on the snarling Hybrid’s torso. Yuki had drunk from him once months ago. He’d done it from Yiran’s neck. But there were meridians running through a person’s body and specific points where spiritual energy gathered.
Hoping it would work, Yiran pressed his wrist against Yuki’s lips. “Drink.”
Yuki’s pupils dilated. He was terrified. Tempted. He shook his head, his legs kicking out from under him.
“Damn you, Yuki,” Yiran cursed, using his weight to pin the Hybrid down.
Yuki’s breaths grew more rapid as Yiran kept his wrist on his lips.
“Listen,” Yiran whispered, with a tenderness he never thought he could possess. “Listen. You’re not allowed to die on me, got it?”
Yuki stilled.
“You’re not allowed to die on me,” Yiran repeated.
He felt the other boy’s body relaxing like a sigh. Felt a cold sharpness at his own wrist. And closed his eyes as the cold spread from his arm to his chest.
43
