Raziel's POV

Zorander glares at me. "What did you do!"

He did nothing, Melkopnius hisses from inside the pod.

I spent the whole morning sitting by Melkopnius' side as they tried to digest the book. Zorander went into work this morning but took the rest of the day and the next two weeks off when I informed him of Melkopnius' condition over the phone. He didn't even bat an eye at the bag of scales I left on his bed, but he flew into a fit of rage when he saw Melkopnius' weakened state.

Massster, I will sssurvive. I did not die in the visssion.

This seems to calm Zorander and he takes a deep breath. "Okay. If you need anything, I'll be here." He gestures for me to follow him outside and I do. "Can't you heal them?"

"I tried."

"That book better have been worth it," he snarls, and I nod and give him a sad smile. He sighs. "Go home. You look like shit."

I huff but I feel the exhaustion that I've been keeping at bay starting to creep back in. "Melkopnius will be alright."

I didn't know this with certainty, but both God and Satan know how dangerous this book is so I have to believe that if this is the way to destroy it, they will help somehow. My words seem to reassure Zorander and his lips quirk at the sides.

"About tricking you in-"

"It's okay. I would have done the same. It was disgusting."

Zorander smirks and I smile and pat his back before heading out to the Uber he called for me a few minutes ago. On the drive home, I place my hand over the tattoo and hear Kai telling Milan how much he missed waking up in my arms this morning. I stop listening when Milan starts talking about her hooking up with Ayaan; the two got together after the party at Jax's house.

Once I arrive, I head straight for the bedroom and curl up under the covers. I wake up a few hours later, shower and head to Kai's school, waiting next to his turquoise car once I arrive.

I don't have to wait long because soon Kai is jumping into my arms and crashing his lips into mine.

"You're here!" He giggles and pecks my lips. "I missed you! Do you want to go on a date?"

"Yes!"

Kai squeals and pecks my lips again. We have a short conversation with Milan and Ayaan, then get into the car and set off.

"I think you'll really like Korean barbecue! I heard your stomach when we were talking earlier, so we're going to an all you can eat one! What did you eat today?"

The mere mention of food has my mouth watering and my stomach rumbling; I pout. "I didn't."

Kai gasps and speeds up a little as we listen to music for the rest of the drive to the restaurant.

The sweet aroma of sizzling pork and beef wafts into my nose as soon as we enter the restaurant. We are seated near the window and we can see the pedestrians trudging through the grey sludge that was once fluffy, white snow.

Overhead, yellowish lights give the restaurant a warm glow and distant laughs and chatter fills the air. Kai takes a sip from the glass of water in front of him and he asks about Melkopnius and how things went with the book while we wait for the server to bring our order.

My eyes widen when they bring us raw food, but Kai giggles and uses two tiny sticks to transfer a few pieces of meat to what I now realise is a circular grill embedded into the table. Kai teaches me how to use the two sticks, which he called chopsticks, and we talk more about our days.

For dessert, Kai takes me to a cozy cafe that sells pastries, and we decide to take some home for Declan and Lance who are staying with us until Declan's mom is discharged from the hospital.

We call Zorander to check in on Melkopnius on the way back, and Zorander tells us that they're still in some pain but it doesn't seem to be as bad as earlier that afternoon.

Upon entering the house, we follow the giggles to Kai's indoor pool, finding Lance and Declan sitting on the edge of the pool with their feet dangling in the water.

"Are those pastries? Do you have cream cheese Danish?" Declan kicks his feet in the water. "They're Lance's favourite."

"You remembered!" Lance coos and makes a heart with his hands which has a pink tinge appearing on Declan's cheeks as he grins and makes a heart with his fingers.

I leave the pool area to source some candles and a match and when I return, I find a cheerful Lance eyeing the Danish and licking his lips. I put the candles down, light them and mutter the offering for the hollow, and Lance squeals before sinking his teeth into the pastry.

"Ummm, this is amazing!" He closes his eyes as he chews, a contented look spreading across his face.

Declan's face lights up as he watches Lance enjoy the food. "Isn't he the cutest!" he exclaims, causing Lance to giggle and Kai to coo.

Nope. Kai is the cutest.

I, still however, find myself smiling at the interactions between the hollow and the human.

"We'll let you two continue your date." Kai waves to them before intertwining our hands and leading me out the door. "Wanna play videogames with me?"

Before I can respond, Kai is pulling me towards his game room. I've only been in here once when I was exploring Kai's house, but I barely understood technology at the time, so this room was a huge mystery.

Kai flicks on a switch and the room roars to life, beeping and dinging as multi-colour lights flash from the various games lighting up the entire room.

"Oh, that looks like the inside of your car." I point to the car seat and screen in the middle of the room.

"Do you want to try it?"

I sit in the car seat while Kai loads the game. He puts some weird goggles on me, and I gasp when I see an open road with lush palm trees lining the sides.

Kai giggles and I feel a tender kiss on my cheek. I look down at my hands finding an animated version of my hands covered in black gloves. The rest of my body is also animated, and as I look around, I see more of the scenery and even some houses in the distance. "Woah!"

"Cool right! They're virtually reality glasses!" Kai exclaims. "Oh! Your seat belt!" I feel him reaching across me and fastening my seat belt before placing my hands on the wheel. "I'll let you use an automatic to get you started. The pedals are at the bottom; right pedal for gas and left pedal brakes. If you want to turn left, turn the wheel left and the opposite direction if you're going right. Ready?"

I nod and I hear beeping before the word "go" appears in front of me. I slam my foot on the gas pedal and yelp when I feel the seat jerk backwards. "Is that normal!"

"Yes! Go! Go! Go!" Kai yells.

The car zooms past the trees, and even some people. A giant ice cream cone to my right catches my eye and I glance towards it. "Kai, look! An ice cream shop!"

"Raz! Watch the road!"

I release another startled yelp when I look back ahead of me and there is a wall fast approaching.

"Brake!"

All of Kai's earlier instructions seem to get muddled in my head and I crash head first into the wall. The seat shakes violently as I cling to the steering wheel. As suddenly as the shaking started, it stops and I'm once again on the open road.

My mouth hangs open and I take off the goggles. "By the angels!"

Kai's cheeks are flushed as he giggles uncontrollably. He hops onto my lap and strokes both my cheeks. "Awww Raz, that was a great first attempt! If you practice some more you'll get better! Promise!" He releases another string of giggles and I can't help but smile.

"Glad I could entertain you," I whisper, gently rubbing my nose against his.

"I know some other ways you can entertain me." Kai giggles and crashes his lips into mine, immediately sucking my lip into his mouth and releasing a happy sigh. "I love you," he murmurs after breaking the kiss.

"And I love you," I reply, marvelling in the bright smile that spreads across his face.

"Hey." Declan's voice sounds from behind us.

Kai grins and gets up from my lap. "Do you want to play together? I have some board games that can be played in teams so Lance can play as well."

Lance and Declan both beam and the four of us spend the next hour and a half playing games and chatting before heading to bed since it's still a school night.

Thank you for reading! ❤

What did you think of the chapter? Do you have a favourite game?
My favourite games at arcades are the shooting ones or racing ones and my favourite boardgame is Avalon.

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