Beyond His Evil

THIRTY-ONE.

~~~

I worked on my breathing as he approached.

Beside me, Calvin balled his hands into fists, his whole body tense. He didn’t need to say it—his hatred for Devon was clear.

Devon was dressed head to toe in black, the fabric hugging his form in all the right places, his face hidden beneath a hood. It made me wonder how Calvin even recognized him. I wouldn’t have—not without Calvin pointing him out.

He looked different. Bigger. Stronger. But also... worse.

My heart clenched.

The dark circles under his eyes had deepened. His skin was pale, his hair tumbling out the hood to his face, his entire appearance unkempt. He looked like hell. My hands itched to reach out, to touch him—to check if he was okay.

Even with everything I suspected him of… Everything he had done... I still cared.

God, I was gone.

“I can’t believe you’re still here,” Calvin said, venom lacing every word.

Devon’s lips twitched into a smirk. “Surprising, isn’t it? Especially after you did your best to get me kicked out.”

Calvin stepped forward, slow and menacing, but Devon didn’t flinch. If anything, he looked bored.

“You’re not one of us, Demon,” Calvin spat. “I don’t care if you’re half hunter. Vampire blood runs in your veins—that makes you the enemy.”

Devon’s smirk widened. “Is that why you killed her?”

That stopped Calvin cold. His face went pale. Devon noticed—and relished it.

“Because she was half vampire? Is that why you killed Octavia?”

Octavia?

Killed?

“You and I both know that’s not it,” Calvin growled, teeth clenched. “So keep her name out of your mouth. Or else—”

“I didn’t come here to fight,” Devon said, brushing it off. “The seer asked me to inform you about the meeting. But if a fight did happen…” He shrugged, voice low and dangerous. “You already know I’d win.”

Calvin didn’t argue. His fists were clenched so tight they’d gone white. But he stayed silent. He knew Devon was right.

Devon turned to me. His gaze locked with mine, sweeping over my face before coming back to my eyes.

Did he recognize me?

I held my breath. Stay calm, Kira.

He turned back to Calvin. “Welcome back, hunter.” His smile was cold. “Enjoy your stay.”

Then he walked past us, his arm brushing mine as he moved. I shivered.

I turned around instinctively—but he was already gone.

Teleported.

I stared at the empty space he’d just filled, heart pounding, until Calvin cleared his throat beside me.

I faced him. His expression was unreadable as his eyes searched mine.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, rubbing my arm. I suddenly felt cold.

“Can we keep going?” I asked again, a little quieter.

He blinked, as if shaken out of a trance, and started walking. I followed.

“Who exactly are you trying to find?” he asked after a while.

“Her name’s Rya,” I said simply.

He looked like he wanted to ask more but stopped himself. One thing I’d noticed about Calvin—he didn’t like to pry. That worked in my favor.

“I know her,” he said. “But believe me, you won’t find her.”

I stopped. “What?”

“No one can. Even if she’s in Safe Land, she’s... untraceable.”

That didn’t make sense.

“She’s different,” he explained. “No one knows what she is. The seer won’t say, but she always warns us to keep an eye on Rya. Says she’s dangerous. Still lets her into Safe Land, though. It’s confusing.”

“But no matter how hard we try, we can’t track her. It’s like... she finds you. Not the other way around.”

I fell quiet, turning over his words in my head.

“Do you want to head back?” he asked gently.

I sighed. My shoulders slumped. “Yeah.”

We walked in silence until I broke it.

“You rescue hunters and humans from the outside, right?”

He nodded.

“Then why haven’t you been here in over a year?”

He chuckled. “My team rescues. Another team brings them back. Too dangerous if we’re all in the same place at once.”

“Oh.” I paused. “It must be hell out there.”

He shrugged. “We cope.”

We fell into silence again, until he said, “I don’t even know your name.”

“Kira,” I said without looking at him.

“That’s a lovely name.”

Kira… The name suits you.

Why was everything reminding me of him?

I noticed Calvin watching me again, the same way he had earlier.

“Why do you keep staring at me like that?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Trying to figure something out.”

“Figure what out?”

His eyes held mine. “The illusion almost faltered when you saw the demon. At first, I thought it was fear. But the way you looked at him...”

He trailed off.

“How did I look at him?” I asked, throat tight.

“Like you care about him. Deeply.”

I swallowed hard, staring down at my fingers. “It’s complicated.”

He scoffed. “Don’t let him fool you, Kira. They always do.”

They always do.

I met his gaze. “Who’s Octavia?”

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