"This won't do. He is still too weak"

At this rate, it was going to take them ages to get the light demon back, not to mention the fact that Taemin and the vampire had lost too much of their blood already. They really didn't have much time. He could hear the howls coming closer and closer.

"We need to move fast. It is only a matter of time till they find us. My lair would be the safest for now. Taemin and the vampire need time to recuperate and get their strength back"

Between them, Kibum and Minho managed to lift Jinki and guide the weary Taemin and Jonghyun to safety. Kibum felt his conscience prick him for the first time in years, as he watched the way the vampire was struggling to save his friend. He truly only wanted to teach the demon a lesson. He hadn't thought of the consequences even once, before just charging. As part of his penance, he offered to go out and search for prey while Minho watched over the three beings in his care. Shifting to his shadow form, he glided about, until he saw a large wild boar that he knew would give them all a significant amount of strength. Attacking it ferociously, he absorbed the carcass into his shadow as he couldn't afford to carry the meat back, especially when there were zombie werewolves on the loose. On his way back to the other side of the forest, he spotted a lone werewolf and took his chance to figure out their weakness. Creeping stealthily, he grabbed a bit of the werewolf's shadow and started to reel it in. The werewolf jumped up immediately and looked around, its eyes glowing red. Kibum moved away quickly, as he saw the wolf sniff the area where he was, just a  moment ago. With their heightened sense of smell, there was no doubt that these creatures were indeed, formidable.

"Minho, I'm worried. What if we don't get the demon back to his full strength in time? I can give him some more of my blood"

"Don't. You're already too weak, Taemin. Once Kibum gets back with food, we'll all feel a lot better"

Jonghyun was amazed at how the sprite and fairy supported each other. They seemed to be opposites, just like him and Jinki and they already had a spark between them. He blinked back his tears as Jinki cleared his throat faintly.

"Jonghyun-ah, you look tired. Rest a while"

"Not unless you're back, Jinki-ah. your light is still faint. I'm afraid to leave you, even for a minute"

Hearing the love in the vampire's voice, Taemin felt happy that the demon was loved by someone even more than he loved him.

"Jonghyun, don't worry. We won't let anything happen to him"

Just then, Kibum returned with his prey and they all fed together. Although the quantity wasn't enough, all except Jinki were able to regain their strength. Throughout their meal, Minho's brows were furrowed as he kept thinking of how they were going to face the beasts. Now that Kibum had seen them firsthand, he knew they needed to be extremely vigilant.

"Kibum, I've got it. The demon draws his light from the sun. If we generate that amount of heat, we can bring his strength back"

"I don't understand how this can happen. In case you haven't noticed, it is night now and we can't wait till the sun rises"

"I control fire. If I can increase my power to its maximum, I think I would be able to generate as much heat as the sun, which the demon could easily absorb"

"Let's try it. I think you're right. This has a chance to work"

His blue eyes glittering with unshed tears, Taemin led Minho away from the others for a few moments.

"I'm glad that you're able to do the right thing. I'm really going to miss you, Minho. Know that I'll always care for you"

"Taemin, I don't understand what you're talking about"

"With that amount of heat, I will evaporate. I won't be able to withstand it at all"

"Trust me. I won't let you slip away from me. I'll protect you always"

After dropping a featherlight kiss to Taemin's open mouth, Minho walked towards the other beings. Taking Jinki's hand, he led him to the mouth of his lair.

"Kibum, shield Taemin and the vampire. Neither of them will be able to handle the heat. I'll take the demon to a secluded area in the forest and use my powers. Don't leave the lair until you hear the sound of our return"

"Go. I'll protect them"

As Minho walked away with the demon, Kibum spread his aura around the lair. He manipulated his shadow to form a wall that covered the mouth of the cave and waited patiently. His aura was powerful enough to absorb the smoke that would be generated by Minho and strong enough to keep the heat away from the cave.