Pain ushered Devyn back to the world of consciousness. He opened his eyes to see an arm stretched out beneath him. The human's body cried out as he turned from his left side to lie on his right side. Devyn let out a surprised gasp as he saw an unconscious Denzyl holding him. Flashes of Denzyl stopping the emyr from clawing out his heart and Devyn running to cover Denzyl flared in the human's mind. He could not stop his eyes from swelling as he recalled Denzyl protecting him. And here he was, bloodied and dying right before Devyn's eyes.

A sticky substance caught the human's attention as he moved to sit up. Devyn looked to see blood covering the bed. Both men were bathed in the thick liquid. They had been unconscious for a while as the blood painting their faces and arms had dried. Gashes covered Denzyl's body, but it was not nearly as bad as when he endured Ryiak's torturous interrogation. The blood had mostly stopped flowing in response to the demon's enhanced healing, but the wounds were still daunting.

Taking in the scene, Devyn rummaged through the medical materials scattered across the bed and immediately began tending to Denzyl's wounds. Devyn ended up stripping the demon of most of his clothes to get to the wounds. Ignoring the pain searing through his body with every move, the human began stitching the demon's wounds after stopping the remaining bleeding. Devyn cleaned and disinfected the not-as-critical wounds before wrapping most of the demon's abdomen with gauze.

The mark on Devyn's back began to throb as he finished bandaging Denzyl's wounds. Devyn reached his hand to the back of his shoulder and felt the skin. It was hot and sore. Devyn looked down at the unconscious demon and gently moved the man's crimson hair out of his face. Devyn's fingers ended up sliding through the demon's hair and running along Denzyl's head down to the back of his neck. His hair was soft and silky, just how Devyn expected it to be. The human found himself smiling as he looked down at the man. This time, it was Devyn who was looking at Denzyl with fondness.

Withdrawing his hand from the demon's hair, Devyn placed his hand on the side of Denzyl's face and cupped his cheek. The human sighed mentally when he saw the demon's brows unfurrow. Unaware that his touch had awakened the demon's heart, Devyn assumed Denzyl's face relaxed as the pain had lessened. Devyn slightly moved his thumb across the demon's cheek before withdrawing his hand.

The human turned to clean up the mess on the bed, but his heart began to race when a hand reached out and took the hand that had been soothing the demon. Devyn held his breath as he turned to see those stormy eyes gazing up at him.

"You're awake!" Devyn smiled. He instantly began checking on the demon's condition unaware that Denzyl's eyes were filled with tears. Before he knew it, Denzyl had sat up and pulled Devyn into his arms. It took the human a moment to register what had just happened. One second he was checking on the demon's wounds, and the next he was in his arms. Devyn eventually snapped out of his surprise and slowly wrapped his arms around the man holding him. Devyn found himself snuggling his face into the crook of Denzyl's neck as his heart felt whole.

The demon's body pulsed as he cried. "How could I forget you?" Denzyl's voice was quiet and broken as he held the human tightly.

Devyn's heart ached as he heard the demon's broken cry. Devyn lifted his hand and began stroking the back of Denzyl's head. "It's okay. I'm here," the human soothed.

"I'm so s-"

"Please don't apologize," Devyn cut off the demon. He did not want Denzyl to blame himself. "It was what it was."

Denzyl continued to hold Devyn for a few more minutes before he realized Devyn was still hurt quite badly. The demon was then quick to bring the human to arm's length. Devyn could not help but smile as the demon began checking his wounds. Denzyl's brows furrowed as he saw the blood stains on the bandages and deep bruises. The wounds were healing, but they would need to be in better condition for Denzyl's plan. "Devyn...I need to strengthen the mark. I will try to make it as painless as possible, but-"

"Do it."

Denzyl's eyes snapped up to look at the human. His face was calm, and his voice was steady.

"I trust you."

Denzyl's heart swelled as he heard Devyn's words. The human complied with Denzyl's movements and turned his back to the demon. Devyn closed his eyes as he felt Denzyl press his lips to his back. A mixture of pain and pleasure flooded Devyn's body. He could not help but release a moan as the arousing burn made him light-headed. This marking was a balance of the pain from the first and the pleasure of the second.

The human's face became flushed as Denzyl deepened the kiss. Devyn clutched the sheets as his heart began to race. Devyn was used to the pain, but he had never experienced a feeling like the second marking before; he was unused to the pleasure. The human let out a gasp as his breathing deepened. Denzyl felt Devyn's body begin to tremble slightly and wrapped his arm around the human's chest to keep him steady. The feel of Denzyl's hand on his body caused Devyn's breathing to quicken.

The sounds of Devyn's flustered breaths filled the room as the demon carefully tightened his hold around the stimulated human. Devyn found himself reaching up and clutching the demon's hand that was wrapped around him. The human's grip tightened as Denzyl ran his other hand over Devyn's stomach before resting it on his hip to offer more support.

Devyn felt a release flow through his body as the demon completed strengthening the mark all he could without passing out. A trail of slaver stuck to Devyn's shoulder as Denzyl pulled away. The two's pants filled the air as they caught their breaths. Denzyl's arms stayed wrapped around Devyn as the human calmed his racing heart. Once his breathing was nearly under control, Devyn leaned against the demon and closed his eyes. He enjoyed feeling the rhythm of Denzyl's chest rise and fall. While resting against Denzyl helped calm Devyn, Denzyl's heart was pounding.

Denzyl looked down at the human resting against his chest and fought to control his breathing. Denzyl was grateful Devyn's eyes were closed as his face was flushed. The demon lifted his arm from around the human's chest and set it on the bed to help prop himself up.

"How are you?" Denzyl asked when they both had calmed down.

"Better," Devyn answered with his eyes still closed. He seemed rather content as he rested against the demon.

"Did...did it hurt?" A lump formed in Denzyl's throat as he asked this. The last thing he wanted was to cause Devyn more pain.

Devyn thought for a moment before answering, "A little bit. But...it actually felt quite...good." As soon as the words left his mouth, Devyn's cheeks grew red.

Denzyl felt his face heat as he heard Devyn's answer. "That's good, then."

Devyn smiled to himself as he continued to rest against the avex. After a few moments had passed, Devyn asked, "Can we clean up?"

"Of course," Denzyl answered as he positioned the human in his arms. Denzyl cradled Devyn as he stood to his feet and walked them to the bathroom. Devyn wet a towel and wiped himself down while Denzyl showered. The human then washed his hair in the sink before cleaning his face. Devyn was already in a bathrobe by the time Denzyl exited the shower. The human's cheeks heated when he saw the demon step out of the shower. Devyn quickly turned around as Denzyl grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waste. He had not seen the demon's full body before, making him flustered.

Denzyl's wounds were already healing quite nicely, so he could devote all his attention to the human standing in front of him. After drying his hair with a hand towel, Denzyl walked over to Devyn, who still had his back turned to him, and stood right behind the human. Devyn could see Denzyl approaching him through the mirror. The human held his breath as he saw the demon stop just behind him, and his breath hitched when Denzyl pulled the bathrobe to hang off his shoulders. However, the demon did not stop there. Denzyl pulled the robe until it hung at Devyn's waist. The tie was the only thing keeping the bathrobe on the human.

Warmth spread through Devyn's body as the demon began unwrapping the gauze from around the human's chest and abdomen, his hands gently brisking against Devyn's skin. Denzyl then reached over the human and grabbed a selection of serums and ointments from the cabinet stationed above the counter. Devyn released his pent-up breath as Denzyl began tending to his wounds. The demon was gentle in applying the medication, and Devyn hoped he could not feel his racing heart. Once the wounds were re-dressed, Denzyl exited the bathroom and left the human to change.

Devyn folded the bathrobe after slipping on the clothes that Denzyl had set on the counter. The outfit was the same as the one Denzyl had dressed him in before Ryiak came except these clothes were looser to accommodate the human's injured state. Denzyl was already dressed when Devyn exited the bathroom. Devyn stopped at the door and took a moment to admire the demon. The black shirt fit his body perfectly, respectfully showcasing his muscles and well-built shoulders. His hair was still slightly damp and framed his face perfectly. Devyn's gaze then roamed to those stormy eyes that were gazing at him softly. Devyn could not help but blush when the demon smirked at him.

Once he had satisfied himself by appreciating the crimson-haired man, the human slowly walked to the bed where the demon was sitting with a hair dryer in his hand. Denzyl positioned himself to sit behind Devyn as he activated the device. The dryer was much like a scalp massager in shape, with a strap for a secure hold and bristles to brush through the hair while drying the hair.

Devyn closed his eyes and hummed happily as Denzyl began drying his hair. He enjoyed the attention and care the demon showed him and was surprised at how gentle the demon was. The human was on the verge of falling asleep by the time his brown hair was soft and dry. Denzyl ran his long fingers through Devyn's hair and smiled as he saw the content look on the human's face.

"Devyn," the demon said softly as he turned off the device.

"Mmmm," Devyn responded sleepily.

"It's time to get ready."

Devyn opened his eyes at Denzyl's words. He turned to face the demon and nodded. It was time to get to business.

Repeating the same cycle, Denzyl dressed them both in black leather jackets and began gathering supplies. Devyn sat on the side of the bed that was not stained with blood as Denzyl prepared for their departure.

"Why have they not come for us yet?" Devyn inquired of Denzyl as the two headed down the stairs to the ground floor. He had been curious as to why he and Denzyl had been able to recover in peace. He had expected to be chased and hunted down before being dragged back to the hold and tortured before being killed. He would have been lying if he said that fear was not still prevalent and at the front of his mind.

"They are busy tending to the emyr,"Denzyl responded as he reached the bottom step.

"The emyr...?" Devyn's brows raised.

"I didn't kill him, so everyone would be occupied saving his life and we would be able heal safely."

Devyn stared at the avex in awe. He had been able to plan ahead when he had just recovered his memories and nearly immediately entered a rabid fight. How can you be so perfect?

Denzyl continued into the living room and began gathering the remaining supplies needed for the journey. The demon approached the western wall in the living room and typed in a code to a device fastened to the wall. The device turned green, and a square portion of the wall popped open, revealing a safe. Denzyl opened the door and selected a few weapons from the safe. Devyn accepted two guns and a knife from Denzyl and strapped them around his legs as the demon left to grab his stash of lorne. After a moment, the avex returned with two black backpacks. Devyn took one from the demon and slipped the straps over his shoulders.

The two then looped face masks over their ears and donned their caps.

"Ready?" Denzyl asked through his mask.

Devyn nodded as loud, quick knocks sounded on the door. Not again! Devyn's heart sank as Denzyl quickly stepped in front of him and checked the screen.