Alicia listened to him and obeyed without hesitation. She let go of her lip and he pulled her against him, immediately trapping her lower lip gently between his teeth. He then ran his tongue over her abused lower lip a couple of times before stopping to stare deeply into her eyes.

  　　The sudden contact quickly sent sparks shooting through her, igniting the fire that was already smouldering within her in the blink of an eye. She knew that she could not do anything for him. The poison had already spread out. The antidote the witches had managed to develop was useless now even if she went out and searched for the herb that might not even exist in this area. If this poison had turned the skin completely violet, then that was the certain indication that the victim was considered beyond help. It was already hopeless.

  　　No witch had survived the poison after reaching this stage. She knew that he was telling the truth. This poison would not be enough to kill a man like him. But the extreme pain that he would need to withstand… it would still last for few more hours. And she could not even do anything about it.

  　　Suddenly, he pulled away from her. "Are you cry…" he asked before trailing off when his eyes widened at the moment that he saw the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes.

  　　He grabbed her face gently with both his hands. His voice came out quite frantic. "Don't tell me… are you feeling my physical pain too?!"

  　　Alicia quickly shook her head at the sight of the horror reflected in his eyes.

  　　"No, no… I'm not. I don't feel anything. Don't worry." she told him swiftly and his breath came out sharp as a blade. His shoulder sagged in relief before his gaze returned to her face and stared at her with concern and confusion.

  　　"Then… Why were you…" he paused, his facial muscles clenching as his thumb gently swept an arc below her eyes.

  　　"Because I know how painful it is. I've experienced that poison once before, and it was… truly unbearable. I didn't even reach the stage you're at right now because I got saved by an antidote before it was too late. I can't even imagine how painful…" a silent teardrop fell from the corner of her eyes, and he went very still. "You've taken the poison for me… and I can't even do anything for you. I'm so useless…" Alicia was not one to belittle or put herself down, but this time, she really meant what she said. Her heart ached to see Ezekiel in this condition.

  　　His throat worked before his tight and controlled voice came out. "You're tearing up like this just because you feel bad you can't do anything for me…??" he sounded as though he could hardly believe it. "Are you going to feel better and stop crying if there's something you can do for me then?"

  　　His question and the look in his eyes that moment rendered Alicia speechless as it took her by surprise. Was there still something that she could do for him? But she nodded without hesitation. As long as she could relieve his pain, whatever he requested, she would try and deliver it. What she was feeling right now was quite shocking even to herself. Watching him in pain and knowing that he was undergoing a pain she could not even begin to imagine felt almost unbearable. She did not know she would feel like this and tremble to this extent when this man gets so badly hurt.

  　　And if she could, she just wanted to do something. Anything for him. She would do whatever it takes just to help him ease his pain even if it was only a little bit.

  　　"Then kiss me." The words he blurted out made her blink, forgetting about the ache that was in her throat for a second.

  　　"Wha…t?" she could not help but think that she might have had heard him wrong. Did he ask her to kiss him?

  　　"You want to do something for me, right? Then kiss me." Ezekiel repeated his request, looking straight into her eyes.

  　　He was not even joking. She could see the seriousness in his eyes. But… how could a kiss help even help one bit in this situation? Was he in so much pain that his mind had gone bonkers?

  　　"What would my kiss even do for you?" she could only ask, hoping that he was not asking for this just so he could distract her or perhaps just for her own satisfaction.

  　　"Stop overthinking and just give me what I want from you, Alicia." He growled and the sound of his voice sent chills down her spine. A pleasurable one instead of the opposite.

  　　So she bent over and gave it to him, the kiss that he asked for. She thought that maybe this would be a good distraction for him to forget about the pain, if that was even possible. She honestly did not think it would be that effective, but he had asked for it. And right now, she was willing to give him anything that he would want from her. Anything.

  　　Alicia kissed him gently at first but eventually, her kiss began to become wilder and deeper. And soon, she was kissing him with everything that she had, kissing him as though she owned him. She went at it as though there were nothing else around but just them and this all-consuming kiss.

  　　Her thoughts started to get lost at how good he tasted, at how warm and delicious his mouth was. If she could kiss away even the smallest portion of his pain right now, she would do it willingly. And she would passionately do so. So she did her best and took possession of his mouth and kissed him like she was trying to conquer and seduce him for all that she was worth.