Beyond His Evil

TWENTY-ONE.

~~~

We stood there, locked in silence.

His crimson eyes burned into mine, unreadable. As usual, he had no shirt on, and I forced myself to keep my gaze level, ignoring the temptation to let it drift.

Devon slipped his hands into his pockets. Casual. Unbothered. But his shoulders were tense.

“What are you doing outside your room at this hour, Kira?”

“I’ve been trying to reach you,” I said.

His stare didn’t waver. “I know.”

I swallowed hard. “Then why didn’t you come?”

“I’m here now.”

“So you were ignoring me?”

The silence that followed was heavier than the night air.

"It’s cold outside. You should be in your room," he said, looking away.

Seconds stretched between us. Then, quietly, I said, “You kissed her.”

He glanced up.

"You kissed Evelyn."

His tongue flicked over his lips, the only sign of unease.

"But yesterday, you kissed me, put me to sleep, and canceled our training. And now I find out it was all so you could be with her."

Devon ran a hand through his dark hair. "Kira—"

"Why?" I stepped closer. He stepped back.

My heart clenched. His silence cut deeper than any words I didn't know but desperately wanted to hear.

“What happened to your forehead?” he asked suddenly.

"Answer me," I demanded, my voice trembling.

His gaze held mine. "The kiss meant nothing, Kira."

Something in my chest cracked. I swiped at the tear slipping down my cheek, and his eyes softened.

"I don’t want to hurt you."

I let out a sharp laugh. “That has nothing to do with what I asked.”

"You don’t understand," he muttered. "I’m a demon, Kira. Demons aren’t supposed to feel this way." His voice lowered, almost strained. "But when I’m with you, I never want the day to end. When I’m not with you, you’re all I can think about. And it—" he exhaled sharply. "It kills me to see you sad."

His eyes flickered down to my lips before he tore his gaze away.

"That's why I put you to sleep. Canceled our training. Kissed Evelyn. I wasn’t thinking straight—I just—I needed a distraction."

I shook my head, stepping back. "You confuse me even more, Devon. I don’t even know why I bothered coming out here to see if you were okay when it’s obvious you are." My voice rose. "You should be grateful I even let you kiss me!"

Devon just stared.

I inhaled sharply. "Goodnight."

Then I turned and stormed off. But no matter how far I walked, his words wouldn’t leave me.

He has feelings for me.

~~~

The Next Morning

A note was waiting for me by my bedside table when I woke up.

I have something to attend to outside. No training.