Forty-eight hours.
Lira had spent them training, eating, and completing every task with iron discipline. But instinct hadn't stopped for a single second.
It wasn't just romanticism. It was pure vampiric biology. Kai's blood was the best she had tasted in eight hundred years, and her SS-rank instinct wouldn't stop demanding it.
---
Lira tried to ignore it. She trained with Drak, cataloged supplies, and repaired her tent until every knot was perfect. She kept her hands and mind busy.
It didn't work.
On the third morning, Kai was alone checking the resonance Qi on the northern perimeter. Serah had gone out to explore the high terrain. The Orcs were on the training field.
Lira saw him and walked directly toward him.
---
Kai heard her coming. He didn't turn around.
"How's the Qi going?" Lira asked.
"Still responding to the mount." Kai looked at the mountain. "It won't drop below seventy-eight."
"Does it bother you?"
"No."
