Chapter 63: This kiss was different

Seeing that Liliana could no longer fight the current, Vincent let out a low howl.

His eyes sharpened. Without hesitation, he shifted into his human form and swam straight toward her.

This was his fault.

He should never have made that decision yesterday.

And now, he would not let Liliana die because of his mistake.

"Liliana!" Vincent shouted as he grabbed the girl’s arm. The figure still in wolf form was already unconscious.

The current was extremely strong; using the wolf form to swim was the only proper way to survive. A human body would never be able to withstand the force of a current this powerful.

Vincent’s body began to sustain injuries from the relentless battering of the river current. His face slowly turned pale, while his clothes were already soaked in blood. The river current felt like knives continuously striking his body.

Vincent clenched his teeth and began swimming upward, trying to find a place for himself and Liliana to land.

"Ugh..." Vincent muttered when he finally reached the ledge at the upper part of the cave where they had been staying earlier. It had taken him half an hour to get there while carrying Liliana’s wolf body.

Vincent dragged Liliana’s wolf form away from the fierce river current.

Atop the cave where they had been, Vincent only then realized that the ravine they had spent the night in was also already submerged.

The ravine in front of him was clearly no longer a ravine, but a great river that had long since dried up.

Vincent looked down at Liliana, who was still unconscious.

In an instant, his body collapsed beside her. He had run out of strength; his body was severely wounded. Blood continued to flow, soaking his academy uniform.

In order to save Liliana, he had been unable to use his wolf form, forced instead to endure in his far more vulnerable human form.

His eyes blinked once as he gazed at Liliana, then slowly closed completely.

Liliana woke not long afterward. She opened her eyes slowly.

After being intimate with Vincent, her Silver power would automatically heal her wounds. And Liliana only realized this when she had nearly died just now.

Her eyes immediately fixed on Vincent in his human form, who was still gripping her arm that remained in wolf form.

"Vincent? What’s wrong with you? Are you all right?" Liliana asked as she immediately shifted back.

Her gaze fell on the wound on the man’s back that was still bleeding.

She hurriedly shifted Vincent’s position so that he was lying on his side, then used her silver wolf ability to heal his injuries.

"Damn it... this is too slow. Vincent, don’t die yet. Why has your body become so cold?" Liliana asked in panic.

Her silver wolf power moved extremely slowly—unlike when she healed the wounds on her own body, which was far faster.

Liliana looked around at the vast expanse of forest. Not far from her was only the river that had nearly drowned both her and Vincent.

Liliana slowly closed her eyes, trying to channel far more of her Silver power.

But Vincent’s body grew even colder. She truly did not know what to do. His pulse was growing slower.

"Ah... Vincent..." Liliana said as tears fell. "I’m sorry... I’m still weak. If I were much stronger, you wouldn’t be like this just from saving me. *Hiks*... Vincent... please, wake up. Why have you become like this? Why did you save me?" Liliana asked in an increasingly hoarse voice, even as her hands continued trying to treat Vincent’s wounds.

"You could have been free if I had died earlier. I beg you, open your eyes..." Liliana said, her breath growing more broken.

"Liliana... Vincent’s body is already cold," Silver said in her mind.

"I can no longer sense Vincent’s wolf," she added.

Liliana shook her head, refusing to accept that reality.

Thinking of the man who had only recently marked her dying, Liliana’s heart pounded hard.

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

Liliana’s tears flowed even more freely.

"Vincent... you have to live. I owe you my life. How could you die like this in this place?" Liliana asked through sobs.

Liliana closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

"That’s right... Older Brother, Father, Mother, Lady Mega... forgive me for not obeying your orders. But I cannot let Vincent die after he saved me."

"I promise I will accept your punishment after this, but I cannot simply let Vincent die."

Liliana nodded firmly. Both of her hands moved quickly to remove the earrings from her ears. In the blink of an eye, Liliana’s silver wolf power—which had been sealed by her silver earrings all this time—surfaced.

Liliana wasted no time. She immediately channeled her power into Vincent’s cold body.

Silver light continuously poured from Liliana’s body. And this time, it was far brighter than when she had healed Cassian in the past.

Slowly, Vincent’s body, receiving the flow of power, began to emit a silver light of its own. Though not as bright as Liliana’s, the light gradually restored warmth to Vincent’s body temperature.

His face, which had been pale, began to regain color. Unnoticed by Liliana, the wounds on his face also slowly disappeared, and his straight black hair changed color to silver.

The light radiating from their bodies was so bright that it dispelled the darkness of the night around them. A thin shield enveloped them both, as if they were not beings from the same world as the place they currently occupied.

Slowly... very slowly, Liliana could feel the pulse in Vincent’s hand that had previously disappeared.

It was faint, but it was there.

His breath began to be slightly detectable.

Until finally, his fingers that had been motionless began to move.

Liliana noticed it.

A satisfied smile slowly appeared on Liliana’s lips.

The change did not stop there. His eyes blinked as well. Once. Twice.

Until Vincent’s gray eyes met her dark brown ones.

The smile on Liliana’s face grew wider, yet her tears continued to flow.

"Vincent... you’re awake? Does anything still hurt?" Liliana asked once she realized that Vincent’s body was no longer absorbing her power.

Vincent rose from his position and sat up, gazing at Liliana.

Without saying a word, he cupped Liliana’s face and kissed her.

This kiss was different from the one he had given when he marked her. There was a warmth that Liliana had never felt from him before.

Liliana’s body tensed for a moment before she finally returned the kiss.

She then moved closer and wrapped both of her arms around Vincent’s neck.