Lowering the sharp edge of the kitchen knife on my wrist, his eyes widened in surprise. "Since I'm the only one who knows of the location of those spell books, I'll send it to the grave. I'm not going to let more people become victims!"

As he extended his hand to stop me, I took two steps back shaking my head. "Don't. Don't come near me!" Distressed with my reaction, he was hesitant to stay back according to my demand. Instead, after I took a step back, he moved closer too. "Don't. Listen to me first. I have an important reason. But you misunderstood my intentions."

Swallowing a gulp, he tried to move his hand forward to try and take the knife from me. "I'll not be lenient with you if you come closer!"

After realizing that I wasn't going to listen the convincing way, he rolled his tongue with a sigh. "Let's talk this out. You can decide after hearing me out. Please." When my eyes fell in contemplation, I looked up again still unconvinced.

  "Why should I trust your words?"

"Because you have to. I won't let you take your life." I didn't want to break down and let him take advantage of my weakness. But when I looked into his eyes, my adamancy seemed to have vanished completely. Unable to ignore his request, I slowly nodded.

Resting my back over the sink area, I pursed my lips holding out the knife in case he acted likewise. "What did you want to say?" He turned to the knife in my hands before lifting his head.

  "It's true that I've been in contact with him, but only four days ago, when Tricia died. But I have nothing to do with him. Just put the knife down and I'll explain everything to you." As I glared into his eyes, I let out a scoff. "This? Is it because he needs me alive to get the spell books?" He quickly run his fingers down his hair, shaking his head.

  "Just listen! I'm not working for him. I don't know who told you that, but I'm not. You have to trust me-" I turned around when I heard my phone beep. "I'm coming over. The address is correct, right?" From Catherine. Taking advantage of my absentmindedness, he tried to take the knife from me.

  Acting swiftly, I pulled the knife back. When he tried to arrest me in his arms and stop me from slitting my wrist, I closed my eyes and stabbed him. His eyes wavered when he felt the cold metal penetrate though his lower abdomen. Stepping back z a tear fell over my cheek feeling his blood on my hands.

  My hands started to tremble as he moved back holding his tears. When he attempted to talk, blood spurted from his pale lips with melancholy and shock lurking over his flickering eyes.

   "I-I...What did I just do?" I muttered tearing up. With his blood dripping over the tiled floor, his hands moved up to cover his wound, falling on his knees.  I lowered my eyes to check myself but my hands were stained with his blood. His blood dripped from the sharp metal to the edge, before falling on the floor. Shaking, I watched him fall on hus knees, losing blood from the open wound.

"I told you not to come closer!" Sobbing, I took several steps back shaking my head. For the first time in my life, I had stabbed someone. I killed someone. I killed the man I loved so much. Dropping the knife on the floor, it clinked until it settled flat down.

My eyes widened in shock as I watched his eyes grow dim by every passing minute. Looking into my eyes, he tried to talk despite coughing blood. I closed my eyes and shook my head persistently.

"S-Save him," he mumbled. Hearing his plea, my eyes opened quickly. With a last deep breath, he slowly collapsed on the floor, thumping over his knees. Confused and unable to watch him die, I wiped my tears with my arm and rushed to hold him up. "S-Save Dexter," he repeated pouting blood at each mutter.

Lowering his head, I was totally confused with his request. Who was Dexter? Why should I save him? Is that all he could say to me after lying to me?

As he pulled a picture of a young man standing by a garden fully dressed in black, he struggled to push the picture into my palms. "Please," he added enclosing his wound with his hand. His blood smeared the whole floor. I shook my head hugging him. "Why did you have to do this? Is that all you can say to me?!"

  He turned his head back negating my statement. Hearing a knock on the door, the person by the door walked in after hearing coughs. When she got into my house, her eyes flickered seeing him in a pool of blood lying in my arms.

  "Max!" she screamed rushing over. "What happened?! Get me your first aid kit. Any alcohol will do." Capturing him in her arms, I moved back glaring at the picture he handed over to me. "Clara! He's loosing too much blood. Hurry!" I stepped back in hesitation.

"He's working with Ian! Why should i help him?!" Glaring at me curiously, she got up and hastily run though my drawer for the kit. Grabbing a kitchen knife, she took an alcoholic drink out of my fridge and helped him to sleep on the sofa. When his eyes closed, she turned to me yelling.

  "You stabbed him?" I turned away from her, holding my tears back. "I'll explain to you later. We have to save him first. You'll regret it if you don't help me."

  Meeting her gaze, I couldn't help but feel confused. What did she mean by I'll regret it. "Get me a bowl of hot water." Without much of a choice, I did what she said. I watched her pour alcohol over his wound. He let out a scream, rolling over from the pain..she quickly pushed a material in his mouth and squeezed the blood stained towel in the clean water.

  Repeating the whole process, I moved back to the kitchen to get a clean bowl of water for cleaning the wound. As sweat accumulated over his forehead, she cleaned it up with the towel and checked his temperature.

  "This isn't good. He got a fever too. There will be trouble if we send him to a hospital."

  She dipped the blood stained towel in the clean water and squeezed it before applying it on the wound. "Why would I regret it? Is there something I don't know-"

  "-yes. I have to tend to him first. I'll tell you later."

  She pulled her bag from the table and fished out some herbal ointment and pain killers from her bag. "You carry them around?" She nodded and smeared the herbal medicine over hid wound before bandaging it over his waist too.

   "This can stop the bleeding. But it's not as effective as the treatment on the hospital. Make sure he doesn't move too much. For the remaining hours, I don't know if he can survive for the season."

  As he moved his head back and forth, I could hear him murmur the same name from earlier continuously.  She sighed and run the towel over his forehead to clean his sweat.

"Mom...please don't leave me," he muttered shaking his head. Cathy placed a soaked material on his head to cool his temperature before turning to me for a glass of water. She opened his mouth and made him take the painkiller with a sip of water.

"He's delusional. I don't know if he can withstand this since he's not had any blood for weeks. The cut is quite deep too."

I closed the door scampering to her. "He doesn't like feeding on humans. He has been living on the blood of wild animals since childhood. That's why he cherishes his bow and arrow."

  Turning to his, remorse began to feel my heart. "He hasn't fed for weeks?" She sighed and got up. "Yeah. Ever since he separated from Ian, he's never had human blood because he didn't want to."

I plummeted by his bed staring at him with tears running down my cheeks. Did I make a mistake with him again. "He's been absentminded for days now. It was only after following him I found out that he's blackmailing him with Dexter's life."

When I turned to her, she added, "He's the one that helped him to escape when he was twelve. He's grateful to him and didn't want to leave him to die in Ian's hand. He didn't tell you because you had issues of your own. I don't know if he's still alive. Today was the last day he gave Max."

  "What about Kate and Tricia?"

  "He saw Kate on the day she died. She confessed her feelings for him but he denied her. So she threatened to give out your bankruptcy to everyone. He only managed to take the documents from her and warned her to end it."

Sighing, she continued, "For Tricia, he killed her to save you and other possible victims. How your fingerprints ended up with the police had nothing to do with him. He was always there to save you because he's lodged in the forest and always hunts.

He's been fighting Ian since he was just a little boy. To get something to eat, he had to hunt ever since he was seven. Sometimes he almost got killed by them. I wonder how he survived all these years. This tattoo," she paused exposing a tattoo on his arm.

"It was to cover a deep scar he had when he was attacked by a hyena while hunting. I'll check the pharmacy store for wound treatment.  Stay here with him. It's the least you can do for him after this."

I nodded staring at him. How could I have accused him? I misunderstood his intentions and now he's fighting for his life because of me. Who set my fingerprints up then? Who's playing with my thoughts?

  "I'll try to get some blood from the hospital before he wakes up." She left leaving me with him. I run my hands through his hair crying.

Nathan was wrong this time too. Why did I believe him in the first place? I relaxed my head by his side, falling asleep. When I noticed his fever moving up, I dipped the towel in cold water and washed off the sweat throughout the whole night. After waiting for her for the whole night, I ended up falling asleep by the edge of the sofa, sitting on the cold floor.

 Waking up from the uncomfortable situation I slept in, my eyes widened looking at the sofa. The sofa was empty. "Max!" I called out but I heard only echoes of my calls. I threw my eyes around in desperation, trotting my feet on the floor. I got up and checked my room, but he wasn't there.

I saw my photo album opened on the bed. Strange....I don't remember using it. Suddenly I heard something fall from the kitchen.

  I darted to the kitchen to see a glass of water broken on the floor. "Are you okay?" I asked moving to pull him from there.

Just as I held his hand to support him to walk, he jerked off my hand and walked slowly to pick up the dust pan. "I'll do it," I said but he pretended as if he didn't hear me and kept on sweeping off the glasses into the bin with much difficulty.

I poured another glass of water for him. But he brushed past me before walking to the exit. "Max, wait!" I yelled running after him.

"Where's Cathy?" he asked, still walking slowly. "She left yesterday for medicines but she'll come today." He nodded and looked out thinking about something.

"You can stay here until you fully recover." Even though I said this, he turned back and started walking outside. I scurried after him holding his hand.

He was about to fall on the stairs but I held his hand. He quickly moved away, staring at me angrily, "I can take care of myself."

  I was hesitant to follow his request due to his current state. "You should stay put for now. You're not supposed to move around too much. Let me just help you."

Turning to me surprised with my sudden change of attitude, he refused my hand and due to the massive impact, he stumbled back. "Adrian!" Cathy who just arrived and I chorused. Walking slowly to her, she helped him to stand up.

"Any news of him? I have to get him out safe. Has Ian forwarded another threat?" Max complained touching his forehead since he was feeling dizzy. She helped him sit on the sofa before talking. "Does Ian suspect me backing out?" She shook her head.

  "He's dead. His body is on display on the streets."

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