Chapter 55: Worth it

May glanced down at the three claw marks on her chest, then back up at Ray’s face, which looked ready to catch fire—

"Ray... when you say ’suck it out,’ you mean... with your mouth?"

"What else would I use?!"

He barked the words like someone had stepped on his tail, then forced his voice lower. "You think I want to? If I don’t get it out and the infection reaches the heart, even the gods won’t be able to save you."

May’s mind raced. She already knew the poison wasn’t lethal—the system had dinged in her head earlier, ranking the toxin at Level One. It wouldn’t kill her; it would only cause local infection and a lot of pain.

But Ray didn’t know that. He believed the venom could take her life.

"...Then suck it out."

Her voice softened, carrying a faint tremor. She reached up and tugged the torn collar lower.

The frayed fabric pulled aside, fully exposing the three purplish-black claw marks to the air.

Snow-white skin against dark, stained lines—the contrast was almost blinding. The faint suggestion of what lay just beyond the torn cloth was impossible to ignore.

Ray’s breathing turned heavy at once. He stayed crouched there, two fingers still gripping her collar, the veins on his knuckles standing out.

He stared at that patch of skin for three full seconds, then jerked his head sharply to the side, as if fighting himself.

"Ray, it’s fine." May urged him, wincing from the pain. "The wound’s in the open air... it hurts..."

Ray drew a deep breath and turned back.

One hand pinned her shoulder firmly against the wall. The other pushed the torn fabric farther aside.

The moment his fingers brushed her skin, both of them flinched.

His hands were rough—calluses from years of knives and guns scraped across the delicate surface and sent a fine, tingling shiver through her.

May instinctively tried to shrink back. He held her in place.

"Don’t move."

He lowered his head.

The instant his lips touched the three claw marks, her whole body jerked.

It wasn’t only pain.

A dizzying, electric numbness exploded outward from the wound, racing along her skin all the way to the base of her skull.

His jaw brushed the skin of her chest—hot and hard.

She could feel his breath spilling across the open cuts, hot as open flame.

Ray sealed his mouth over the poisoned marks and sucked hard.

"Nn—"

May bit down on her lower lip, unable to stop a muffled sound from escaping.

Her hands flew up and gripped his shoulders, nails digging into the fabric of his combat uniform.

Black poisoned blood mixed with saliva. He turned his head and spat it onto the ground, then—

May’s thoughts were already slipping. She leaned against the wall, the corners of her eyes flushed red, tears clinging to her lashes, her own teeth leaving marks on her lip.

Ray’s mouth stayed pressed to her skin—rough, scorching... His breathing grew heavier, chest rising and falling hard. The hand on her shoulder tightened without conscious thought, pulling her body a fraction closer.

There wasn’t much venom. Three or four pulls cleared it. The purplish-black color slowly faded, leaving pale pink flesh underneath. Yet he showed no sign of lifting his head right away.

His lips remained against that patch of skin, breath still burning hot...

"Ray..." May’s voice was barely a whisper. "It doesn’t hurt anymore..."

Ray jerked upright as if burned. He knelt on the ground, traces of black blood still on his lips, eyes dark as bottomless wells.

He looked at her—eyes red-rimmed, cheeks flushed, chest rising and falling hard—and something inside him snapped.

He seized her wrist and yanked her away from the wall, crowding her back against it.

Their mouths crashed together before either of them was ready.

Teeth knocked. It hurt. Neither pulled away.

Ray’s kiss held no gentleness at all. It was pure force, as if he meant to pour every second of restraint he had been holding into her mouth.

His rough lips crushed against hers; his tongue forced its way past her teeth without asking permission.

May couldn’t catch her breath. Her hands clutched blindly at the collar of his combat uniform.

She tried to push him, but her arms had no strength—she only gripped tighter.

"Mm... Ray..."

The words were trapped in her throat, turning into soft, broken sounds. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

One of his hands locked at the back of her head so she couldn’t retreat. The other banded around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

His chest pressed to hers. The heavy drum of his heartbeat slammed through both layers of clothing straight into her.

May’s mind went completely blank.

One clear thought flashed through: this man had held himself back for so long that once the dam broke, he was more terrifying than any zombie.

A system notification chimed in her head. She didn’t register a single word.

How long the kiss lasted, neither of them could have said.

When Ray finally released her, both of them were breathing as hard as if they had just finished a five-kilometer run.

May rested against his chest, lips swollen, tears at the corners of her eyes, her whole face burning.

She looked up at him and discovered that the merciless tyrant who never blinked while killing had ears red enough to smoke.

"Ray..." She licked her bitten lower lip, voice rough. "Just now... the way you kissed me..."

He didn’t answer. He pressed her head back against his chest and rested his chin on the top of her hair, still trying to steady his breathing.

After a long moment, he spoke in a low, rough voice. "Next time you get hurt again, I’ll break your legs myself."

May curled against him and secretly curved her lips.

[System notification: Deep intimate contact with target Ray detected. Favorability +40. Points +200.]

She closed her eyes, heart floating with quiet satisfaction.

Worth it.

His technique might have been rough, but it was honest—and the force behind it was real.

She was still thinking when a sudden muffled impact sounded from the passageway outside the chamber.