The kiss literally lasted but a second.

As soon as his lips barely brushed against mine, he pulled back, his expression a mixture of suprise and something I couldn't quite read. One moment he had me pressed into the wall, trapping me between his arms and the next he was standing at the other side of the small walkway as far from me as he could get, the back of his hand wiping across his lips. 

"Myungsoo-" I began, not quite sure what I was going to say, but feeling like I ought to fill the awkward silence.

He held up a hand to silence me and the coldness of his voice as he spoke sent chills down my spine;

"We both know that was a complete mistake. That was my Hound overcoming me for a moment, but I've managed to subdue him. It most certainly won't happen again."

"Of course." I laughed bitterly, my face aching with the effort to keep my tears at bay. "Because there's no way you'd ever kiss me, right?"

"That's right." He agreed simply, his hard gaze locked on mine.

I swallowed thickly, pushing down my emotions so my next words came out stronger.

"Good. Because I would have kicked your if you'd have tried kissing me properly."

"Properly?" He repeated, his eyebrows raising, replacing the hard mask with a look of confusion. 

"Yeah, I mean, that was hardly a real kiss." I scoffed. "I've had better."

He nodded, his expression now back to its usual, smug self. "I forget sometimes that you're American." 

My back stiffened at his tone of voice. "I was born in Korea. I moved to America when I was a baby." 

"I just meant that you were brought up in America, where I know they have different values and standards, is all." He shrugged, his tone carefree.

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Just that things are different over there, which I'm sure you can attest too. Kissing is nothing unfamiliar to Americans, everyone kisses I hear, so the fact that you've been kissed before doesn't suprise me."

I was rendered speechless, so angry that I was unable to form words. The kiss had been completely forgotten in my sudden anger. How dare he? I glared into his smug, pleased expression and took a shuddering breath before storming out onto the main path, aware he was following. I whirled around, still shaking.

"Don't follow me." I warned darkly. "I mean it Myungsoo, don't you dare!"

"Where are you planning on going?" He questioned, his tone hinting at what his carefree posture was exhibiting; that I was boring him. "If you haven't noticed, we're supposed to be in school." 

"I'm going home." I gritted out. "And I don't want you to follow me. Either take a different route or go back to school, I seriously do not want to see your face right now."

We stared at one another for a moment before he shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Whatever, fine. Walk ahead, I'll keep my distance. You won't even know I'm here."

"I thought I said-"

"And I thought I made it clear to you that when you're wearing my mark you're a beacon to other demons. Just because they don't all appear as they did last night doesn't mean they're not around." 

I took another steady breath and turned around stiffly.

"Fine. I want you to keep at least five shops between us." I didn't wait for an answer as I set off, but somehow I knew he was taking my order to heart. 

It was then I realised that Myungsoo's presence effected me more than I liked to think, because as soon as he put that distance between us I felt it deep down and my body ached for me to slow down and let him catch up. My anger managed to override that strange compulsion, though, because I was quite frankly royally pissed. I had thought something magical would happen during my first kiss, that it would come from a love confession or even just mutually shared with somebody who liked me back. 

But no, my first kiss had to be ruined by that jerk announcing that the amazing, heart stopping kiss despite it being just a brush of lips that been a mistake, a slip of control; That he hadn't wanted it to happen and he actually thinks of me as some sort of loose woman. 

"Bastard, , idiot Myungsoo!" I hissed under my breath as I stomped down the familiar route back to our apartment complex. 

Mother would be in work, so she wouldn't know I was absent from school just yet. I planned to spend the rest of today watching kdramas where the male lead has a pretty hard time from the female one, and maybe then i'd- The sound of screeching tires interrupted my thought process and I turned my head just in time to see a out SUV park up right beside me, the back seat door opening with the vehicle still in motion slowly beside me. My eyes widened in fear as a set of eyes I'd never forget set upon me as he reached out of the car and grabbed me by the waist, hurling me inside and causing my bag which had been hooked over one shoulder to fall to the ground. 

It all happened to fast that by the time my brain registered just what was happening, it was too late.

I found myself sprawled across the lap of the one who had pulled me into the SUV and another young man, who was looking over his shoulder with a expression of delight.

"Ha! That dumb Demon is stood there floundering!"

"Because he knows he can't use his powers to catch us up without exposing himself." The driver chuckled. 

The one looking back turned around and blinked down at me, his head cocking the side.

"Is this the girl?" He asked to nobody in particular. "You're cute." He told me.

"Dude, she's Marked by that Demon." The driver muttered, his tone disgusted. 

"Nice catch, Kris." An all too familiar voice spoke. I lifted my head to see Tao looking back from the passeng