162 Running away and eloping

"It doesn't matter," Sung Nami huffs at him. "I have no interest in you whether you are a vampire, a human, or a countryside mosquito."

Mosquito… Klyn purses his lips. Though his true mate takes a lot after her father when it comes to her appearance, her quirks are similar to her demonic goddess mother.

She turns around and takes long strides away from him. Klyn sniggers, running after her. "I really don't love you, Sung Nami."

"Why do you keep saying that?" She stops suddenly and looks over her shoulder. Her eyes narrow dangerously. "Did I ask you to love me?"

A bright amused smile breaks on his face when he sees her like that. So predictable. She has no experience with men. Though he likes that he can read her like this, a jittery sensation overlaps his heart. "What I mean is… If I was the same playboy who stole your brother's girlfriend, I would have told you that I have fallen in love with you at first sight."

Her eyes turn dark. She faces him and says, "What do you want to say? Don't try to manipulate me with words."

"As someone who has been with women a lot," Klyn confesses to her, "I know about them more or less. It's not that I have always been able to seduce women. There were women who loved their significant others so much that their hearts wouldn't waver even if the world was turned upside down. There were also women who got tempted by me, but they always went back to the person who was their home. So, it's not that I never believed in love. I thought that I wouldn't find a person whom I could call my home."

Nami doesn't reply to him. She listens to him patiently. The world is not the same, and she has also changed. 

Rays of sunlight pour through the trees, bending around them like a halo. A cool breeze cuts through the forest, bringing a distant scent of magnolia to the true mates before it goes away. 

White suits her. He holds her cool gaze without fear. It's definitely her colour. "I don't know about the true bond. Honestly, I thought that you are so brave, smart, beautiful, and amazing… How could I, the youngest foolish pureblooded vampire, match you?"

"That's ridiculous." Sung Nami clicks her tongue. "If you weren't with me, I wouldn't have been able to find heaven's gate and open it. You risked your life to help me."

He smiles at her. Albeit he doesn't want to use these tricks on her, it's pleasant how she is contradicting her earlier words. Sung Nami also likes him.

"I won't lie to you anymore. I was attracted to you from the moment I saw you, but I started liking you when I saw you pushing so hard to save humans. You were worried about them the most among us." He tells her honestly, "I didn't fall in love with you, but I also couldn't stop myself from coming here. I like you a lot, and I think that I am riding a train that can't be stopped. It's going to crash. I will be surrendering myself to you."

Mating? How could she say the word with such a straight face? Klyn lets out a cough, breaking the eye contact. "I don't mean it that way. Have you looked at yourself? You are damn phenomenal from inside out. I was afraid of your family; however, I couldn't stop myself from coming here because I didn't want to lose a chance to be with such a wonderful girl because of my cowardice."

Her eyes soften. "My family is a little scary."

"That's true." He folds his fingers, stopping himself from touching her. If it was the past and she was someone else, he might have kissed her already. If he was the same person who hadn't met her demonic goddess mother who made him understand his heart better, he would have pinned this girl against the tree and showed her how he wanted her.

Only if… But he isn't the same person and she's way special for the person he was. She makes him want to be a better person.

Sung Nami doesn't look convinced. 

"Then again, you still owe me a date." He grins at her. 

"What?" She exclaims.  "I agreed to it because --" 

"You already agreed to it." He puts his finger under her chin, raising her face a little. "Just because we are true mates, I don't want to rush. Besides, you said that you have a lot to do: you are a sun guardian. Let me help you with it with everything that I can."

"But we can't date." She pushes him away. "Why are you deciding it by yourself? Didn't I say that I don't want you?"

Does she truly not want him? Klyn scrutinizes her face. Her face is flushed, but her cheeks are puffy. There's a hint of irritation in her eyes. He notices the slight makeup on her face. Her eyes dart away when he stares hard at her. What is wrong with her? She seems like she is interested in him, and then, she says that she's not.

"Are you going back on your words?" He questions her slowly. 

Sung Nami lets out an exasperated sigh. "If you want a date so much, we can go on one date after this post-apocalyptic era is over."

That's too long. And she's acting like there won't be a second date. Klyn puts his hands in his back pockets, pouting at her.

"Why are you making that face at me?" She grimaces at him. 

"I am wondering whether I should try to convince your family before I take you out on a date." He tilts his head thoughtfully, slightly miffed. "Or I should seduce you into running away and eloping with me since convincing your family seems difficult? There's always the lust spell option, but I am afraid that your parents will do something worse than killing me if I do that."