"I think I'm handling it fantastically right now!" Delia retorted.

"You are?"

"Of course I am," Delia said, "I'm not cringing away from you, am I? I'm not screaming it out at the top of my lungs for anyone who cares to hear, am I?"

Caius smiled lightly.

"No," he said, "No, you're not."

Delia shook her head a little and let out a breath.

"There's a lot I'd like to know about what you are. About how you got to become what you are. But I'm not a moron, Caius. I'm well aware that the need for secrecy is part of this reveal. It doesn't matter how I found out. What matters is how I handle knowing."

"So why…?" Caius started to say before Delia completed for him,

"Why am I so upset?" She asked and scoffed, "I'm upset because I thought I deserved to find out about it in a better way than I did."

Caius nodded.

"That's fair," he said.

It was more than fair actually. Also, if he intended to keep it from her, then he shouldn't have brought her along to witness a fight that eventually forced him to take on that form.

And the truth about that was, Caius hadn't thought he'd need to shift. Yes, he was strongest in his shifted form as that was the only way he could actually exert the true effect of his current Vampiric evolution level. Plus, his Vampiric Ferocity granted a nice boost to physicality.

But, Caius had felt that being at the Fourth Circle and having Delia as a fighting partner would be enough to buy Aurelius some time so he could harness his Divine energy and end the Demon.

Except the enemy hadn't been a Demon Caius had been expecting. It had been Belron and suddenly, his Magic was not enough. Trait Acquisition Potions also proved insufficient even after he used up his supply. Eventually, he was forced to Shift and Delia bore witness to his form.

It hadn't been planned.

Hardly anything had gone to plan today.

"You should know though that I never hid it because I thought you couldn't keep it to yourself. I hid it because I'm a bit of a coward who can't decide when it's time to open up," Caius said as he leaned closer to Delia.

Delia turned her head to look at him and she finally lost the battle she had been waging against herself to keep her smile off her beautiful bronze face.

Caius leaned forward and Delia crossed the rest of the distance between them to press her lips to his. Delia shifted in her seat, moving closer to Caius until her thigh was pressed against his. But that didn't seem enough for her. She wanted more and lifted her leg to drape it across Caius's as she lunged forward, pressing herself against him and intensifying the ongoing kiss.

She felt Caius stroke her lips lightly with his tongue and she parted them to allow him entry. Her sweet breath flowed into his mouth while his delicious breath flowed into hers as his tongue explored the inside of her mouth.

Delia's tongue rose quickly and excitedly for tangled up with Caius's invading tongue while she gulped down any bit of his saliva that dripped into her mouth. She had both of her hands on the sides of Caius's head like she was keeping him in place for their spittle swap.

Delia meant all that she had said. Even when she had found out he was a Vampire, what she had felt wasn't disgust. What she felt was surprise that bordered on shock. Like how could she have not known the one who set her heart aflutter was a Bloodsucker?

They indeed had a lot to talk about. But here was not the place for it. After all, if she was serious about keeping his secret, then she shouldn't force him to speak of it right outside the Headmistress' door.

Yes, there would be time for talking. Right now was to enjoy the feel of his body. And enjoy it with the new context. Like, as much as he so clearly desired her lips, her kiss, her body against his, did he desire her blood more?

Caius's hands worked down her sides, gripping her hips before he raised one hand to place at the center of her back. The way his touch felt against her, Delia felt she might as well have been naked. She felt chills of delight coursing through her and for a while, she forgot entirely where they were.

That was until she opened one eye and saw that Aurelius had turned his blue eyes on them. The look on his face was one of stunned disbelief. Like he couldn't believe they were doing that with him a mere foot away.

The look amused Delia and she smiled into her kiss with Caius. But she did start to feel a bit self-conscious and the intensity with which she engaged in the kiss with Caius began to fluctuate until Caius sensed something was wrong.

They separated so he could look at her and ask,

"What is it?"

Delia gestured with her head behind him and before Caius even turned, he could guess who she was referring to. Still, he turned for confirmation and sure enough, Aurelius had stopped staring off into nothing and was looking at them instead.

Caius smiled lightly.

"Hey, Aurelius. How are you feeling?"

"Like I really envy you," Aurelius said in a low voice.

"Yeah, I know she's so hot," Caius said with a gesture at Delia who flushed red and slammed her shoulder against him while getting off him.

"What— No," Aurelius said and then realized how that could easily be taken the wrong way as he hurried to correct himself,

"I mean, yeah, she's very pretty but I'm not talking about that. I'm saying I envy that you can do what you're doing considering what we're about to face."

"And what are we about to face?" Delia asked. Her blush had waned a bit and she now looked quite serious,

"Professor Raoul said we have nothing to worry about."

"Of course they'll say that," Aurelius said with a little scoff, "But do we really have nothing to worry about. I mean, it's a fact that the Fiend only attacked because of me…"

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Delia asked, "You said it back at the Forest as well."

Delia had actually been more of the mind that the attack had been because of Caius because he had acted like he had expected a lot of it and hadn't faced the occurrences with all that much surprise. Even Belron— Caius had looked at the Fiend like he knew what it was and what it was capable of. Which led to his insistence for her to get away.

'Gods, we really have so much to talk about,' she thought in her head as her eyes returned to Caius's face which was now solemn.

"I can't talk about it," Aurelius said shaking his head and again gesturing at the closed door as he continued,

"That's why it's going to be hell in there. I have been ordered not to speak of this in any capacity that'll satisfy anyone seeking answers."

"Ordered by who?" Delia demanded.

Aurelius let out a breath as his shoulders sagged in resignation.

"Ordered by Aether," Caius supplied.

Delia's eyes returned to his face and Aurelius's eyes were wide.

"How did you know that?" Aurelius asked.

"I think it's easy to guess," Caius said.

"What had he been ordered to keep quiet about?" Delia asked Caius now.

Caius frowned and pointed at Aurelius.

"His presence as a godling calls Demons here. They'll rise from Hell in waves of increasing difficulty either by sheer strength or numbers or by sneaky subterfuge aimed to destabilize his foundations.

It is his duty to battle those waves of Demons and upend their schemes. And he was charged with that duty by Aether, the Goddess of Divine Light."

Delia's mouth gaped but Aurelius's eyes just went wide.

"There's no way that was 'easy to guess'," he said, "How did you know that?!"

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