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1nthedarknessofthenight · 3 months ago

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﴾ i drink your blood and i eat your skin, part thirteen.

pairing: hwang hyunjin x f!reader

genre: vampire au

word count: 23K

warnings: angst ⋆ gore

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You couldn’t quite recognize yourself. The first glance at the mirror before you reflected the sadness, fright, and pain that you feel — the dark circles under your eyes, red from the restless nights you have spent here. Though after a while, under all these layers that lay over your features, it was still you. The girl afraid of so many yet, compared to now, little things. The girl who never imagined herself being in this situation — too scared to even try and survive what her future self did. Your melancholy circled around you, wrapping its cold arms around your neck, but at this moment, for the first time in a while, you truly enjoyed seeing yourself… like it was for the first time.

You can still remember your first breath this morning — remember the feel of his body behind you, cold as ice, but his touches warmer than the sun kissing your skin. You remember waking up from a restless night, but him being by your side gave you everything you needed. You blink a little too harshly at the light shinning down on the side of your face. You couldn’t sleep because you didn’t want to miss the feel of the sun’s warmth — which you haven’t felt and seen for a while. You got so used to the ways of a vampire life that you forgot you are human after all — ignoring your very much human feelings.

Watching yourself in the mirror, your gaze trail over the soft hue of browns, pinks, eyes circling around the redness of your cheeks till they fall on your lips. They are red, bitten, the color of blood, the lipstick the maids put on for you nothing, but a stain now. Your chest tightened, breaths short, mostly from your anxiety, but also from the corset tightened around your body. The dress on you was heavy — layers, upon layers of fabric, the deep maroon color seeping through your skin. You didn’t know that a color could give a person an heartache. It only reminds you of the blood that was shed because of you.

You don’t even flinch back when the woman next to you almost punctures you with the last hair pin, the small sting not lingering for too long. You can see her leave your side, because you still weren’t done with looking at yourself. The more you look, the more your mind swirls, eyes tired. Everything was so quiet…Maybe no one said a word to you, because they know — but hearing words of pity really wouldn’t make you better. The only thing you could hear were the voices coming from behind the closed doors of the bedroom, footsteps of the people making the old wooden floor creak. Everything was a show — this dress, your hair, even your own face. You felt like a pig for a slauther. Was it really necessary to do all of this, if it maybe not end well? Maybe…you have to remember that. Maybe you are truly just overthinking things, just overwhelmed, but Hyunjin certainly didn’t take anything lightly.

You are alone in this room, basking in your ownself and you hate the fact that you have never felt more prettier and loved than right now. All of this now requires a payment. Your body reacts first than your own mind, hair standing at the back of your neck, before you feel cold fingers tickling your shoulder. Your body also recognizes the person touching you, already having many of experiences to know at just a subtle touch. Your eyes look away from yourself to the place next to you, where he should be standing, but there was nothing but thin air.

The rings on his finger scratch you, as he trails his hand to your exposed collarbones, palm pressing down on the left side of your chest, feeling your heart. “You are cold.” Says Hyunjin and you push your own frozen hands into the thickness of your skirt. You can hear something in his tone — concern perhaps, but you are not particularly shocked by his statement.

Your eyes look down your slowly rising chest, watching his fingers dance across your skin, stopping right where the sun shines down on you. You are not cold, but your side that is next to his pulls you into the darkness. Looking up again, you sigh, glancing at the view peaking from behind the curtains. “Hold me, Hyunjin.” You say, eyes blinking away the tears from the light of the setting sun.

He moves you at that closer to him, you now nearly fully galloped by the darkness and coldness that somehow felt better than the kiss of the sunset. Hyunjin pulled you to him without a word, wrapping his hands around your naked shoulders and you can feel your eyes meeting his in the mirror. “You are breathtaking–“ You close of your mind, closing your eyes a little, when his breath hits your ear, your earring clinking, when he puts a small kiss to your earlobe.

Your head rolls back, falling onto his chest. You lean into his touch, begging almost — desperate for more. You don’t see the look in his blue eyes that trailed over the length of your neck in the mirror, but you do feel the deep inhale he takes, when his goes to dig his nose into your skin. Shaky breaths leave you, when his hand slithers to the middle of your chest, pressing you even further to his chest to run his mouth over your neck. The kisses Hyunjin covers your skin with are almost bruising, but you still can tell that he isn’t fully letting himself go.

You want him to and by the way his teeth trailed over the jumping vein under your skin — he wants it too. His low, long hum makes his chest rumble, air getting caught in your throat at that sound. “I almost want to leave you bare like this — so soft.” Trailing wet kisses across your neck, his breath fans over the spots he touched with his lips, shiver going down your spine. “However I have something for you.” You want to say something about him and his gifts, but seeing the look in his eyes, you don’t have the heart to reject him.

Giving you a one last kiss to your collarbone, his mouth leaves you, slowly dragging his lips up to your ear again, before he departs from you with a small shaky sigh. Your skin tingles, fingers releasing their tight grip they had on your dress. In the corner of your eye something glimmers, turning to look at him finally, only to gape. In his hands is a necklace — big, filled with diamonds in all different sizes and their beauty reflects in your eyes that stop at the bloodied stone in the middle. The necklace shines so brightly your breath is taken away from you from such sight and as your gaze travels over its beauty you look at the way he is holding it — two ribbons hold the whole necklace, its weight making the strings strech at its limit.

Looking at his fingers that are wrapped around the ribbon, you then meet his eyes. Hyunjin’s lips held a small satisfied smile and you hope that at that moment your eyes hopefully give him the gratitude he deserves. You are just speechless — watching him move behind you, before you look back at the mirror. The sight of the necklace floating in the air is almost comical and if it weren’t for its captivating beauty, you would for sure laughed.

The metal is cold on your skin, which seems to be suddenly flushed for some reason and you immediately feel the heaviness of the necklace as he ties a knot at the back of your neck. You wish you could see him, but maybe it is for the better — his whole presence is already screaming. The jewelry completes you, melting into your body that is covered in the color of blood. “Perfect — you are so perfect.” The side of his face falls against yours, shielding the bashful look on your face just a little.

Your hand goes to the necklace, trailing your fingers over the sharp stones, while you watch him move the few small pieces of hair away from your neck. “Thank you…for everything.” You don’t see his reflection in the mirror, but you basically can feel his questioning look that makes you turn around to face him. Looking up, you stop to admire his features like it was for the first time. The pull at his eyebrows is small — softening at your own face of vulnerability. “I wish that–“ The words, which you wanted to say get stuck in your throat, shutting down your mind instantly to let your heart speak. “I thank you for making feel something that I thought I never would. I thank you for seeing me for who I am.” You say, voice little and you will always be grateful for not having to scream to truly be understood. He already knew you so well…

Gazing at you he can tell that it wasn’t everything that you truly wanted to say, but your glossy eyes told him everything he needed to know. He brushes away the loose strands of hair before your face and his heart stings at your fighting — you don’t want to crumble anymore. “No, I thank you for letting me know that in this world there still could be someone, who would feel for someone like me.” You softly shake your head at his words, but you do not stop him for continuing. “Once a man turned into a monster, who somehow was bewitched by a simple glimpse — feel of someone like you. You make me feel human.”

Your eyes fall shut, lips quivering against your will, his words hitting you so deeply. You gasp, breathing in harshly, your hands falling to grip at his white shirt. “I don’t want to–“ You don’t want a lot of things to happen, but somehow the most realistic one that might happen isn’t the scariest.

“Please.” His on hands fall on top of yours, gently, not pushing your clamming hands away, even as they are so close to ripping apart the material between your fingers.

“Please, Hyunjin-“ The whisper of his name is sweet — you glance up from his rising chest, with soft, yet broken look, but you do not let your tears win. Your eyes hold determination, making him momentarily shake. “If something happens…promise me that you won’t try anything — that you won’t put yourself in danger–“

“Y/N-“

You don’t let him speak, silencing whatever he wanted to say, because you do need to hear him promise — promise you that he will not try to safe you. So much has happened and if it will have its ending, it should be only you, not the man that grew so close to your heart. That thought scares you even more than your maybe incoming death. He now knows what you want and you know that you don’t have to repeat yourself. The expression on his face tells you everything. Trailing his hands down yours, they hold you gently to his chest as he kneels down before you.

You can see everything in his eyes — every passing moment you two had shared, yet you only see the Moon…the Moon on the night you first met. You remember each breath you took, while you looked at his distanced figure, drawing this unforgettable moment and sealing it forever. You wish that you didn’t try and pull away from his ever touch that became so dear to you — you wish to relive everything. The man before you is cold as a stone, hands freezing, but they shake, seemingly on the edge of crumbling. “Hyunjin…I am sorry that I wasn’t kind to you firstly, that I didn’t–“ You ramble, because you want him to know how much everything meant to you — how he didn’t leave you, even after what you had done in the past.

You regret behaving how you did, even if it were just a normal and very understandable reaction after learning about the secrets of this world…you still have so much to learn. Hyunjin doesn’t want you to regret it, because it only made his dead heart beat more — it was still you and that’s what he loves the most. His eyes trace over every small wrinkle, dip, curve and invisible imperfections, which he will spend his whole undead life painting, but he knows that he will never be able to truly portray the enchanting beauty that you are. He can’t help, but press his finger to your lips, silencing you. “Please, stop it now, I can’t anymore–“ A frown falls on his face, but he is not so upset — he just wants to take you in one more time, with nothing in his way. “…just let me hold you, feel you…” He can hear your heart pounding as he puts your face into his hands. You let him him cool your hot skin, sighing softly, eyes fluttering and he has to bites down on his tongue. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Hyunjin says, tone hard and you blink your eyes open at the decision he seems to stand by.

“Hyunjin…”

Your sweet voice almost make him crumble, you have too much power for him to not say no to you — however he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he doesn’t help you, safe you…he has become selfish, he knows that, but he is fortunate enough to have a family, who would understand. His hands tremble at the thought, moments of his life flashing before him, but somehow the only thing in them is you. “No, listen to me — you are safe, nothing will harm you, when I’m with you, we will get through this…together.” Saying those words you feel your eyes stinging, chest tightening painfully. You hate that he won’t change his mind, you hate that he won’t let you go, you hate the thought of losing him — he hates the thought of losing you. You both know at this moment that there is no other way. Whatever happens, it will be together.

You lean into his hold, breath mixing with his. “Together.” You whisper, closing your eyes. You play with the ringer on your finger, feeling your own blood rushing in you ears, but you don’t notice his gaze traveling across your features. The only thing you feel is dread.

The hair on your body stands up, limbs twitching, still under his hold. Your heart stops, a wave of cold fanning over you, stabbing you. Everything turns dark. You can’t hear anything — oh, but you feel it. You feel its claws digging into your flesh, dragging you, pulling you away from this moment of peacefulness into a pit of despair and darkness. You feel a sense of weakness, making your eyes widened in fright, ears ringing. A low hum echoes in your mind, like a whisper and the sun’s light shinning down on your back seems anything, but warm. You try to make it go away, eyes going back and forth, staring at the carpet, not really looking, because you can just feel something creeping up on you. It’s so close…you can’t breathe. You can’t feel anything, but the wave of your melancholy luring you to look — ‘see me’.

The air that was left in your lungs is released but you do not take another breath in as you turn slowly to the slit in the curtains. You don’t feel Hyunjin trying to pull you back, this was something stronger than him. “Do you hear that?” You say, your whisper lingers in the air for s moment, before it fades into the pit of nothingness. Your eyes pool with tears, the harsh sunlight burning you, but it feels like if you would blink it will only come closer. You hear low, yet screeching sounds of something, perhaps another whisper and it only seem to get louder — way closer.

The man kneeling before you watches your pupils dilate, not speaking, completely frozen from the moment your hands in his turned cold. He tried to pull you back to him, but the look on your face — it was like you weren’t even here with him…in your own body. He listens carefully, unwillingly leaning away from you because of the sun shinning down on you. He can’t even reach out to you, you are completely lost. He can hear your slow heartbeat, the blood rushing in your veins, but he can’t hear what you are talking about. He feels your hand slipping from his, your hold turning weak. Hyunjin lips fall apart, when he looks back at you only to see your eyes moving rapidly — you were asleep. Panic rises in him just as he hears the door to the bedroom slamming open.

Gasping you pull your hands away from the vampire to your chest, your heart suddenly jumping back alive and somehow you knew that the sound of the door opening wasn’t the thing that scared you awake. Your head whips to that direction, eyes locking briefly with the dark haired man in the doorway, who mostly has his eyes on the vampire next to you. “Something triggered the traps.” Say Changbin, voice breathy and heavy, like he was running till exhaustion that you know he could never feel.

Your poor heart stops again at his words, your fear becoming real as you look at him in disbelief. “What?” Your question is quiet, going to turn back to the man before you only to be met with nothing, small wind blowing past you. You rapidly glance back at his brother only to be left with nothing again and you almost cry out at the realization that almost knocks you off your seat. “Hyunjin!” It was no use to call for him — he won’t listen to you, he won’t hear you…everything that you felt moments ago was more than an imagination — outside was death.

You swear that you can feel Hyunjin’s rage and with the way he disappeared you know he will do something you won’t forgive him for. You stand up, your legs feeling so heavy you nearly fall over. You still try to find your breath as you quickly gather up the layered skirt of your dress, before rushing out of the room. You don’t even need to ask where he had run of to, it was so obvious that it only made you run faster, seeing the sun still high up enough to feel its warmth on your skin. The hallways are brimmed with people — too many people, who moved out of your way, faces showing their own flashes of concern and small confusion at your state.

The tightness of your dress gives s little too no air, breathing heavily, feeling each one of your breaths coming short, chest pushing against your corset. Your muscles scream at your every move, but the adrenaline pulsing through you helps you. You can feel him — you run down the stairs, through the corridor, passing numerous of doors, but like you knew where to got to, you rush into the direction of the back doors, leading to the garden.

The first thing you see is the big stream of light on the floor, that almost blinds you as you come around the corner, stabilizing yourself quickly enough not to fall into the person running past you. You shield your eyes, turning to look, only to be met with a dozens of mem, who for a moment block the open doorway right before you. “Go!” You hear someone yell at the human guards, who without a word run through of the open door to the outside.

You are again blinded by the sun, eyes traveling next to the door, where Felix is. You can see the way he is trying too look outside like the others, who are hidden in the shadows behind him. He looks distressed, fidgeting in his spot, like he was trying to jump out of his hiding — or not…no. Your eyes filled with horror, realizing that the worst of your prognosis came true. The gasp leaving you alerts the blonde and also his company and when you meet his gaze, you can see it in his eyes. “Oh, my God.” Your cry is broken, heart hammering under your skin and bones, staring out of the open door. You knew that you couldn’t help much, but so the human guards, who ran past you few moments ago to fight whatever was out there — but you knew it wanted you and Hyunjin also knew that…The thought of seeing him hurt or worse — you don’t even want to picture it. Your stomach flips, nausea filling you as you stare out to the open, sun still shining. You don’t care what happens to you, the only thing you are worried about is the man who went out there, because of you.

With a sharp inhale you run down the lightened path before you, your naked feet dragging across the floor. You can see the others from the corner of your eye coming out of the darkness, eyes filled with horror at your move. “No, Y/N!” You don’t know who it was, but someone’s hand came to grab you, only retrieving, when their skin touches the sunlight. The awful hiss of skin makes you stumble, nose being hit with the smell of burned flesh that made your skin crawl. You ignore the need to turn around and make sure they were okay, but what of Hyunjin? Such a stupid thing to do…was really revenge so sweet? The shouting behind you pierces your ears, shivers going down your spine at the cold that had nothing against the star in the sky. “Come back!” You can hear their tone of desperation, but you knew there was no turning back.

The garden which you have seen only once — the statues, the roses, which Hyunjin gifted you were covered by a thick fog. The sunlight only made it harder for you to navigate through the miss, your feet digging into the moist ground. You can’t see nor hear anything and you desperately try not to let the panic rising in you win. Your lungs hurt from your running and the cold air, tasting blood in your mouth.

You run blindly, suddenly hearing shouts in the distance, but from what direction you can’t quite tell. You want to scream out his name, but the more you go further, farther from the mansion, more trees surround you and you knew that your own voice would only echo. You can see nothing before you and you almost run into a statue, palms slamming into the stone. Because of your stop you can fully feel the exhaustion and lack of oxygen, dark spot appearing right before your eyes and you can’t help, but cry softly at how useless you are.

You call out to him in your mind, pleading to the heavens above that nothing has happened to him. Your skin tingles painfully at the thought of him, making you press your hands to your arms at the sudden feeling. Your whole body is already bitten by the cold, your hot breath only filling up the mist surrounding you. Searching with your eyes, you make a small turn around the statue, its face guiding you back to the house if you would get lost. You blink, watching the black spots in your vision disappear, till there is only one left — but this one doesn’t go away.

Stilling in your spot, you lean on the stone behind you, feeling — feeling it again. The pain, sadness and fear as you stare at the mist of darkness before you. It moves suddenly, but it is still at its spot, it seemed like a shadows slowly materializing before you…into a figure. Your body leaps closer to it, only to stop yourself. This wasn’t Hyunjin. The tall figure in the fog wasn’t him, you could feel, smell it even — like a stench of a corpse. Rotten, yet sweet in such a sickening way you feel your stomach turning. Like the time you were sleepwalking, in every corner of your mind, it reeked of filth, filling you with the most horrible emotion and leaving you in a state of nothingness.

You back away, small twig snapping under your naked foot and you don’t even feel the small sting of it piercing your skin. But then it only steps closer to you, making you release a shaky sigh of terror. It isn’t real…it just your mind playing tricks on you, the person trying to hurt you is not a day walker, it’s just playing with your head again. However your own words that tried so hard to calm you sounded so forced and wrong you have to shake your head. You for once truly believe it, there is nothing that could make you believe this was just your imagination.

You watch it mimick you, though the last two steps that you take — it seems to get way closer to you, its strides way longer and more consistent than yours. You don’t want to look away, you can’t run, you can’t find your breath and you chase after it desperately, hand falling on top of your closing chest. And then suddenly you do breathe, only for it to not be yours. The sound of air puffing out of lungs wasn’t yours, but its. The sound sends shivers down your spine, hair at the back of your completely exposed and vulnerable neck standing. You can feel it fanning over you, even if it was still standing far away from you — so why can you feel it breathing down on you? Why can you hear the sound of their throat closing around each of their exhale? Why can you see their chest rising? Why does it seem like a silhouette before you — not a phantom, nor mass of darkness, but a real person.

The air fanning over you makes you freeze, taking in the smell of rotten flesh and blood. It makes your eyes sting, tears gather in your eyes, standing in the mist of nothingness — like in your omen, you and this were the only things present. Your limbs are so heavy, your body fuzzing and mind swirling. Screeching pain shoot through you, so sharp you had to press your fingers into your temples. Your nails dig into your skin, like trying to dig up the immense pain. Your mouth opens in a silent cry, eyes barely open, because you can hear — feel the whispers coming back to you.

They scream over each other, each different, some high pitched, some so low that you can feel their voice rumble. You are trying, but you can’t keep your eyes fully on the figure in the distance whose distance seemed even shorter than before. You can’t move, but your whole body shakes in your spot. The sun shines less and less and it seems to get even closer to you — was it really hiding in the darkness, the one you go so used to? It was hiding in each dark corner watching you and each time you felt it — each time you thought about it, each time you tried not to think of it…it was so close.

You hear it suddenly. In the depths of those whispers a voice rings louder than the others. You didn’t recognize it, nor understood it, but your body seems to. It felt just like the other time, just like yesterday’s night — you hear another. You gasp silently, eyes searching the cold ground under you. It was like the voices were fighting for who will pierce your poor jumping heart. They scream, words you cannot understand flying around your mind, but one of them calls to you. It says your name so sweetly, breathlessly and you swear you can hear the pain in their voice. Pain — ‘Y/N’, it repeats. It was in pain, pain, pain…it is in pain — he.

“Y/N…” Your heart stops, head turning into the direction from where the voice call out to you. You could recognize it everywhere…”Y/N–“

Hyunjin — his voice was broken, filled with pain and the sound tears your insides apart, completely silencing the others that die down, leaving nothing, but the memory of their screams. You blink, unleashing the tears that gathered in your eyes and the small plea in his voice makes you run into the direction of its owner. You don’t know where he is, you just feel him. The dark figure is forgotten, almost like it wasn’t even there to begin with — it tried to lure you, but the man calling out to you overpowered your corrupted mind, pulling you out of the suffocating darkness.

You run on your frozen feet, feeling the strain in your muscles that still fuzz with each of your step. The sun was getting lower, but it still was high enough to make shadows dance on the ground under you. Your eyes search through the garden, looking at each statue hoping that he hasn’t turned into one of them, but then a small cry is heard. It makes you stop, turning around you, searching, before your gaze travels to a tree not so far away from you. It was tall — tall enough to make a shadows big enough for someone to hide and go unnoticed.

The small specks of hope sparkles, when you see movement behind the tree and you breathe out in small relief to be only strike by another cry, that was full of pain. You move with a start, eyes wide in fear as the more you near it, the more you can smell the scent of burned flesh. Your eyes are sat completely on the figure hiding in shadows, your footsteps so loud you can hear the ground rumble and you weren’t the only one. From behind the tree you see pair of familiar eyes, but they now looked so dim that you can feel your own skin burning. You run towards him, watching his blue eyes widened, his hand so shaky and weak reaching towards you. You thought he was calling for your help, but no — he was trying to push you away. Your foot lands on the ground, but you freeze at the small distant click.

“No!”

You gasp, throat closing as the air is taken away from your lungs. Your eyes sting from the cold, hair fanning over your face that scrunches up at the force you feel on your chest. The world becomes a blur around you, colors and shapes in one for a small moment that seemed way longer than it truly was. The pressure on your chest tightens, pushing into you with force so great that you can’t breathe, till a silent cry leaves you. You feel yourself falling, head bumping into the ground, your body struck with sharp pain, but it is smaller than the one coming from your back. Your head doesn’t burn in pain, your vision slowly coming back to you, watching the world spin around you, till you blink. The pressure on your chest is torn away from you, making you cough, rolling onto your side, only when your hands come to support you they fall on top of a wooden floor.

Confusion strikes you, before it becomes all clear and real to you, when you hear a horrifying scream of pain, which makes all the hair on your body stand up. You sit up quickly, making your head spin for a moment from such a sudden move, but you don’t seem to register the pain in your limbs, when your eyes are met with a sight, that leaves you filled with complete shock. Hyunjin — his whole face and body is covered in lesions, skin puffy, red and raw. His friend support him to grasp at a stake that is pierced through his left shoulder.

“No…no, no, no–“ You crawl your way over to him, gasping in horror at his state. His whole body shakes, gripping onto the hand of his blonde friend. His eyes meet yours, filled with pain, lips opening and closing, gasping for air. You can feel the setting sun shining down on your back as you shield him, your own lips curling into a pained cry.

Hyunjin reaches out to you once more, but it is for you to come closer to you. You grasp onto his burned hand, ears ringing from the yells of others, but the only thing you can focus on is his raw skin — you don’t want to hold on to him, scared of hurting him, but he himself tightens his grip on your hand, eyes trailing across your face. Something falls from his mouth then, but it is nothing, but a splatter of blood costing his lips. “God, what did you do-“ You whisper, crying, your voice cutting through the small hallway, that quiets down, when Chan kneels behind Hyunjin.

You know what he did, but you hate the thought of him truly doing this and it wasn’t all — looking at the stake coming through his left shoulder, you have to sigh in agony at the way the man behind him doesn’t take it out right away. You watch his own hands shake, you see the way Felix tightened his grip on him, as Chan wraps his hands around the wood. “Hold him down!” He says and you are at that pushed to the side by Han and Jeongin, your hand falling from Hyunjin’s, who desperately reaches out to you again, only to be held back by his brothers.

Your breathing stops, with wide eyes watching as the stake is slowly pulled out his body. You frown deeply at the short scream leaving his lips, body twitching in the hold of his family, who doesn’t look at the painful expression on his face. Your eyes strain at his, the only thing left that could make you recognize him — his features were eaten by the sun. His eyes shine red, bloody like his raw skin, staring into yours and you can’t look away from the way you can see the absolute agony in them.

When the stake comes out of his body, everyone sighs out in small relief and you choke at the hightened emotions filling up the room. Sobs shakes his body, but no tears fall from his eyes, nor cries, it was more like he was trying to breathe. He couldn’t — but he needed you. You move closer to him, clasping his hand once again, tears falling onto his body, but he doesn’t even twist at the liquid seeping into him. His mouth opens again, head rolling back, but the the man who has his body in his lap helps him face you. “I had him…I almost–“ His voice is hoarse, words almost unintelligible as blood flows from his mouth.

Hyunjin chokes, coughing uncontrollably and the sound seem to snap everyone back in the real time. “Somebody find a maid!” Seungmin yells, walking back and forth across the floor. His words is strong, seemingly collected, but you can hear the sadness and pain in his voice.

You shake your head softly at the man before you, feeling him grip at your hand more tightly till you feel bone touching you. His eyes are wide, but they hold nothing, but anger for a moment. Hyunjin coughs again, blood flowing down his chin as he gritted his teeth in pain. Your lip quivers, lump in your throat of trying to stop the sobs that want to so desperately shake your whole body. The words he said fly over your head, but they are not unheard by the others, who look at him with hard gaze, just as he turns to look at you again.

“Wolfs–“ He sneers through his bloodied teeth, the word being spat out like a venom. Even a single word is enough to make him cough out blood again, the liquid pooling from his mouth and seeping into his raw skin. You are completely deaf to what he is saying, you are on a verge of falling apart at his state. Your eyes trail over his lips, gaping, gulping at what seem like air, but it all comes to you instantly.

You lean closer to him, knees buckling under you as your hand hovers over his heaving chest, the rasp and almost whistling sound coming from his lungs makes you sick. In his wide eyes you can see the need for warm flesh, squirming in Felix’s hold that only seem to tighten more, when he looks between you two. “Drink from me.” You say, desperately trying to get closer to him, but he only backs away from you.

“No-“ He doesn’t know if he can trust himself right now, knowing that the subtle pulsing of his dried out veins crave the blood pulsing through yours. His need is taking control of his body and it is worst than ever before and the others surely can tell by the look in his red eyes. He is on the edge of losing control…but you however don’t see it or actually you do not seem to care.

Your hand reaching out for him is grasp into a tight grip, making you turn to its owner, who shakes his head at your move. “No, Y/N, you cannot-“ Han looks at you with sorrow in his eyes and you shake your head at him stopping you.

“I don’t care! Do you see him?” You raise your voice, though it is still quiet and broken as the eyes of the man pushing you away. You don’t care that the look in Hyunjin’s is pleading — pleading you for not to go closer to him, while pleading for your blood all the same. You know you are maybe not in the right mind right now, but you can’t stomach seeing him in such pain any longer, surprising the trembling man holding you by throwing yourself to Hyunjin, but unfortunately you are not quick enough for the man behind you.

You see for a split second how Hyunjin leaps at you also and you for a moment feel your heart skip a beat at the primal look in his eyes. It only makes you remember his true nature, but you still naively try to give it to him. You are harshly pulled back by the arms of the sandy blonde, who wraps his arms around you, caging you against his chest. You squirm instantly at the sudden and sharp move, momentarily looking away from the injured man, not seeing the way his three brothers push him down on the floor. “It’s gonna be alright–“ Minho’s words hit your ear, grip ever so slightly tightening around you, leaving you room to wiggle around in his hold, but it only makes you realize that even by a such small use of his strength you have nothing against him. You hear the hurt in his voice, while you shake and the raw emotion in his words makes you cry softly. “It’s nothing, calm down.” He shushes you, whispering to you.

You let the tears fall down your hot cheeks, your feet squeaking on the polished floor. Your eyes fall back to Hyunjin, who is already looking at you, sighing in pain as the hands holding him down pierce through his skin. The sight makes you slowly stop moving, exhaling. Footsteps follow, making you look up for a moment to the two figures nearing you. Changbin is holding s unknown woman, a maid that seems vaguely familiar to you and she certainly doesn’t seem to be unfamiliar in such position also. Her eyes widened a little as she looks down on the injured vampire, but she doesn’t miss a single beat after, kneeling down next to his head and he for the first time looks away from you to the wrist with she offers him.

You hold your breath, while watching the small interaction. Hyunjin lips parted, shaky hands wrapping around her hand, pulling it towards him, but even in his state and the desperate need for the warm blood in her veins, he doesn’t bite her. You can hear more than you can see it — the small sound of skin being pierced by his nail that cuts into her. You for a second thought he did it because he didn’t have the strength to even bite down, but when he suddenly looks at you, it becomes clear to you. Her blood drips down to his open mouth, making him lightly gasp, before he finally pushes her hand to his thirsty mouth.

The gulps he takes are loud, long, yet quick and you watch his skin slowly melt back together before your very eyes. He doesn’t move his eyes away from you, making you shiver slightly. The way he drinks makes something rise in you — his eyes bloom lighter, body and face healing with every drop of blood. He is shaking once again, but not in pain anymore, more in relief that over comes him and Changbin has to pull the maid away from him, before the hunger could overpower him.

You glance at the maid briefly, who shakily breathes out, pressing her hand to her chest, before she is pulled back. “Y/N.” Hyunjin voice makes you turn your attention back to him, lips partying at the sight of his face, that is now almost without any injury.

The rasp in his voice is still there, but when he reaches out for you again you are not pushed back away from him. Minho lets you go, everyone watching as you crawl your way to him, your hand hovering over his body. “Your face…” You trail off, moving your hand to his cheek and he softly leans into your touch with a gentle sigh.

Relief washes over you, as his breath fans over the dried tears on your face. You fight the argue to break down again seeing him healed, but in his eyes flashes something. He sits up slowly, with a helping hand from his blonde friend pressing onto his back, as he still recovers from his state. “I’m alright-“ Hyunjin says then, seeing the look of concern on your face and he feels guilty, because he knew what he did, but now that it is not as important as thing he says next. “I saw him — I almost had him-“

Him — same as you, you are now sure that the thing that has been haunting you is a person. His confession sparks up interest in the room, everyone going closer. The thing truly wasn’t just nothing, not your imagination or a spirit, but a man, who has been torturing you with his powers. Your expression betrays you, making Hyunjin realize that you already knew yourself. His mouth opens again, but he is interrupted by Chan who leans over his now uninjured shoulder.

“What did he look like?”

He was looking at Hyunjin, but no one could miss the empty look on your face, as your mind goes back to the moment in the garden. You do not know what he looked like, but your body seems to have the power to recognize him in every dark corner. “I did not see his face.” Says the vampire for you, already aware that he is not the only one, who saw the dark figure. “He was…there were wolfs with him, they bit me-“ You look back at him at such information, glancing at the noticeable tear at his side.

You become confused. Were you really not paying attention to anything around you? You have not seen a wolf, not even heard one. To you this doesn’t make any sense and you didn’t seem to be the only one. Though maybe the figure that you saw was one of them — a day walker, yet a supernatural being. No…it can’t be a warewolf. You have not seen any of them even once, but this answer cannot be so simple. The vampires whisper amongst themselves, in same disbelief like you, but it is certain that the now healed wound at his side was a bite.

“A warewolf?” States Felix, the word laced with confusion, yet anger. No guards had seen anything, other than his brother and you — you both saw him.

“No-“ You say, making everyone turn their heads at you, including Hyunjin, whose foreboding is proven right. He straightens just a little at your confession, but he doesn’t let the obvious concern win over him. The fact that know everyone realizes you have seen the same figure too, made the thought of the person seeking revenge all too more believable.

“He wasn’t one of them.” Continues Hyunjin for you, gazing at you with glimmering eyes. “He was like a phantom, I couldn’t feel him, but I knew he was present.” There is a pull at his eyebrows. He now fully understands you and what you are feeling, but the others still seem to be not so sure about such reality. Would it be possible that something else is out there, that they didn’t know of? Even after centuries, could there still be something beyond their imagination?

“Your mind maybe be playing tricks on you because of the sun.” Even Minho doesn’t seem to believe himself as he says those words, but he still can’t except the fact that there maybe be things out there that don’t have an explanation.

The dark haired vampire shakes his head and you for second see the reflection of yourself in his eyes that plea to be understood. “No…I know, he was real. Standing right outside of our bedroom window — he knew I would go after him, the wolfs were just a distraction.“ He doesn’t even have to say that. Everyone already knew that maybe this was the answer — werewolves might be behind this, but none of you fully believe such statement. It was so obvious that this was really just a distraction, so the unknown entity would make you confused. But who would convince werewolves to side with them? Who could be so powerful enough to use them for a simple distraction?

Sigh falls from Felix, placing his hand on his shoulder. “You must rest-“ He says, but Hyunjin only wiggles out of his hold, sitting up once more.

“I’m alright.”

“No, you are not.” Seungmin says, almost sneering at his words.

Standing up, the short haired man comes to stand behind you, towering over you both as the others come to stand next to him. “Brother, promise us that you won’t do anything so stupid ever again.” Says Chan, glaring down at the sitting man, who only gives him a look back. He doesn’t answer him, because if he did it would only be a lie.

Frowning, you fall back to your knees, hold leaving Hyunjin and that makes him glance back to you with a small alarmed look. He needs your touch so much, but you simply don’t have the heart to do anything else, but to stare at him. The reality hits you again — what he had done…There is nothing, no injuries, nothing that would remind you of what he just did, other than his torn up clothes and blood on his lips. Everything happened so fast that you didn’t even have the proper time to fully grasp what he did.

Others can feel the tension rising in the small hallway, noticing the dimming light from outside, nothing, but their eyes lighting up the room. “The sun is getting low.” States Hyunjin, turning away from your piercing stare to look upon his family. “We will have guests soon.” You want nothing more than to turn his attention back to you, so he would look into your eyes and see the hurt in them. He doesn’t need to — he can feel your anger and saddens…betrayal radiating from your body.

The words hold importance, seeing that what has happened isn’t something that they should talk about anymore, as it was just the beginning. They let it fly over their heads for now, but you do not. That is something you can’t just accept and forget so easily. “Wolfs…are you sure he isn’t one too?” Asks Felix next to you, looking down at the dark haired vampire, who still stays seated on the floor with you.

“Yes.”

“How do you know?” Hyunjin almost shrugs, but he chooses to look at you instead.

“I just know.” He says, voice so little, his dead heart skips a beat, watching your eyes fill up with salty tears.

You hear some of them walking immediately away after his words and in their fast pace you can feel their emotions that only linger in the small hallway. It only pushes you more to the edge of crumbling apart — the thing he did effect everyone, but some couldn’t spend anymore time looking down on him and see him take all of this so lightly. How can he think that what he did is right? Does he know how much it hurt everyone?

This all truly seems to be just the beginning and if it weren’t for the thing that’s about to happen next, few of them swear that they would kill him themselves for the stupid thing he did. “I want every corner of this house watched, no one gets out or in without my permission–“ Chan voice cuts through you, making for a split second come back to yourself.

“This will only raise curiosity–“ Says Changbin, tone slow and steady, but the man only shakes him off his shoulders.

“I don’t care.” You turn to look at him from the corner of your eye, meeting his gaze. At your stare he gestures to you and if you didn’t notice the look in his eyes, you would think he was angry with you. “They won’t care about anything else than her anyway — put up a show, we will all have our eyes on you.” The last part is meant mostly at the man next to you, silently watching him for a split second, before him and the others lingering behind disappear into the darkness.

The silence that follows is loud, screeching and you can feel the heated eyes of Hyunjin, who comes to sit down next to your shaking form. You can feel his hand hovering over you, but not touching you. You think of the fact that you might have not feel him again — how could he do something like that? “Y/N.” He calls out to you and you close your eyes for a moment, letting the tears fall down your face. He sounded so gentle and reassuring, but could he really not see, what he did? His hand falls to your naked back, shivering lightly at his cold touch that only leaves traces of fire. You hate how he is sounds, how he tries to calm you like it was a simple thing that you can forget about. His skin — burned to the bone, raw, his lungs screaming, with a simple breath, the blood pouring out of him…You tremble at the memory and when you suddenly feel small circles being drawn on your skin, they become anything, but calming.

Pulling away from him, you turn back to him, ignoring his eyes lingering on your teary state. “You idiot–“ It comes at as a choked sound, hiccuping as you gulp at the thick air around you. “You could have…” You can’t even finish the thought, you can’t — you don’t want to imagine him like that again.

Your shake in silent sobs, face scrunching up in pain and he feels immense regret fall on him. No — he doesn’t regret it, that’s the thing. He doesn’t regret going out there after him, but what he does regret is making you feel like this. You look absolutely broken and he knows that you know he doesn’t care. Hyunjin’s hands come to touch you again, but you only shake your head at his ways. “I’m alright.” He says and you want to laugh at his tries to calm you.

“Stop lying.” You spit out the words, chest heaving and eyes glaring. “One thing is running out there, when the sun was still high, but jumping in front of me-“

“It would have hit you!”

“And?” There is a small pause and his lips parted in disbelief. “It almost went through your heart, you almost–“

You fall apart then, placing your hands over your mouth to silence yourself. You felt pathetic in front of him like this, you hate that he try to gaslight you into thinking this was alright. The worse thing is you understand him and he understands you — it truly is like you are both alike and feel everything the other feels. It just was too much for you to handle, too little of time to truly get through this situation as your future is closing on to you. Hyunjin watches you for a moment — how you shake and cry into yourself, because of him. The dried blood on his lips cracks as he presses his lips into thin line.

He needs to be stronger — there is still the ball and knowing that he needs to not let his emotions take the win so he could be by your side. You don’t know it, but he is a coward. He doesn’t show his emotions, because it would only mean that the man haunting you was winning, but is it even necessary? The unknown man already knew the feelings he held for you, he knew that he would come after him and he knew that he was trying to kill him — he didn’t even have to dirty his hands and he almost won. He almost had you.

Hyunjin mind races with thoughts, but they dim at the broken sound of your cries. He pulls you then into his arms, now not pulling away from his touch, pressing your face into his chest. “I didn’t, I’m alright—“ His chin falls on top of your head, hands digging into you, pulling you closer to him. Your own tears fall on the already destroyed fabric of his shirt, your lips against his chest and right over his not beating heart.

With being so close to him, it is like you can see yourself through him. You understand why he did it, but it is just so hard to except it. “I know, what I did was stupid, but I c-couldn’t just leave you out there.” Hyunjin stops you, pulling you away from his chest to look down on you. You however don’t meet his gaze, staring at the sliver of skin peaking from his torn up shirt. You graze the tear left behind, before trailing it down to his chest. It was so close…”It almost went through your heart-“ You have to shake your head again at the awful thought and he helps you by pulling you to meet his gaze finally.

Both of his thumbs smear your tears away, but even that still doesn’t make the new ones leave your eyes. “Shhh…I am alright, you are alright–“ His last sentence leaves his lips with a sigh, blue eyes staring into yours. “We will figure this out together.”

You frown, surprising him by completely pulling away from him, straightening in your spot. “I don’t want to.” He holds his breath, watching your face turn stern. “This is all because of me, so promise me that you won’t try to do anything like that ever again.” Each word is said slowly, your tongue rolling over each syllable and he knows he doesn’t have a choice, but to answer. There is no way from him to back away, shield himself from your words and hard gaze. Though like a coward that he knows he is, he doesn’t answer you right away. You shake again, now in frustration and anger at his silence. “Hyunjin, promise.“ He doesn’t, he doesn’t even seem to fully look at you and it makes you push against his chest to wake him up from his thoughts. However he is right here — he hears you clearly. “Promise me, goddamit-“

“No.”

His tone is cold, pupils dilating his eyes as he finally answers you. It is no use to lie to you, he knows it would only anger you more, if he would break another promise. You are however still in disbelief, not so much of his answer, but from the way he says it. It is so selfish of him…The word together now seems nothing, but another lie. You can’t stomach the look on his face any longer, standing up to your feet and leaving him in a state of despair.

────

You can feel the pressure on your chest. You can feel your pulse, blood rushing through your vein that you push down on to with your thumb. The skin of your wrist blooms red, moon shapes dancing across your arm that you have been scratching with your nails. Staring at the wooden door in front of you, listening to the soft music only made you more nauseous. It is so amusing that behind the closed doors are vampires, just waiting for you to come in. You know that they can feel you — smell your scent, hear your poor heart. They have to know about you. A single human under the same roof as them, you can only imagine how they would feel, when they learn about your true position. Who you truly are…

It is all so quick, time ticking and the more you stand behind your possible death, the more it eats you. Your skin — blood that they all so crave maybe be splattered across the ballroom the moment you step inside. You can’t no longer think, find a plan. Now you only have to face it, with the last bits of bravery left in you. You circle the stone in your ring with your finger, watching it glimmer in the candle light, listening to the sound of violin cutting through the silence, before you can hear soft masked footsteps following the music.

The dress you are wearing is suffocating, tight around your middle and the heaviness wears you down. You can already feel your feet hurting, still tender from the outside and the shoes do nothing, but hurt you more. However this small bits of pain aren’t as strong as the one in your chest. The nearing footsteps stop right behind you, feeling the person’s breath blowing over your naked neck. It is cold, but not unwelcomed as the one you felt in the garden. This one is somewhat soothing, knowing who it is, but you don’t instantly turn around.

“It is time now, we have to go.” Each word bounces off your skin, piercing through it and traveling straight to your soul. The small nod of your head is nearly unnoticeable, even for the vampire. Hyunjin lets you for a moment drown in the small silence between you two, eyes traveling over your figure, listening to the small click of your nail makes as it meets the red stone on your ring. With his gaze traveling back to your neck, his fingers graze over the thin skin, watching goosebumps appear. He doesn’t even have to listen to your heart, seeing your pulse jump right before his eyes. “Look at me.” It’s more of plea than anything and you find your body already turning to him, before you can stop yourself. The look in your eyes makes him swallow the lump forming in his throat, feeling his chest tighten as he withdraws his hand from you. “Please, don’t look at me like that.”

You look at him all the same, trailing your gaze over his sharp yet soft features. “Like what, Hyunjin?” With furrowed eyebrows, your hand falls back to your side, ruffling the material of your layered skirt.

He sighs through his nose, momentarily looking up to the ceiling, before turning back to you. “You are angry with me.” He states the obvious, the small ‘still’ silent in his sentence.

You crain your neck at him, small pull at your lips from his words. “Now you understand?”

“You know why I went out there.” He says, taking a small step closer to you and it makes you stutter for a split moment.

“I know.” Saying that you look up at him fully again, your next words now a little clearer. “But do you know how selfish it was?”

“I was trying to protect you.”

“I know.” He is only repeating himself again and you have think that it must be some kind of unspoken rule you didn’t know of. “But what if-“ You cut yourself off, closing your eyes as you can feel them burning again. “What if the stake did go through your heart…you would leave me and everyone, because you thought you could kill him.”

His face now mirrors the same frown. “You don’t think I’m powerful enough to kill him? To protect you?” He says and you have to sigh a little.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it, you know, what he wanted and you still went out there — you left me–“

“I would never–“

“No–“ You shake your head. “But you would risk your life for me…I don’t want you to safe me.”

“Y/N.” He gasps out your name, placing his hands on top of your naked shoulders and he can see the visible shudder going over you. He is taken back by your words, by the audacity to even think of something like that. Do you really think that he will listen to you? Let you go and do nothing against it? Do you even realize what it would do to him…your death. You are both so selfish, yet not. “Stop saying those things, you would had done the same.”

You nod lightly again, looking at him through your darkened lashes, mesmerizing him for a moment. “I would — but would it not pain you that the person you care so deeply about would sacrifice themselves for you, leave you?” You almost stutter again, feeling your throat closing on you as you finally say those words. They still were quiet, but was it even necessary to say it out loud? The word scares you still and still you keep it hidden, but you hope he sees it shine in your eyes, in your words and your touch. Hyunjin’s hands on your shoulders soften as his features, lips parting. “You said we will do this together and if you want that, you can’t do something like that.”

Pain shines brightly from your whole being and he can’t fight against his own emotions any longer. “I am sorry.” His apology needed to be said, but it felt so little. “I just couldn’t stay put, knowing that the thing that has been doing these awful things to you was out there — I had to do it.” You close your eyes again, letting single tear escape, only to be caught by him. He breathes you in — taking in your state, the soft skin of your cheek melts into his and he wants to memorize this moment before him. You are so brave, you aspire him. He can’t even imagine what it must be for a human to experience this. The fact your nature is different, yet seem like such small thing. “Look at me–“ His own voice betrays him, but he doesn’t come to mask his expression as you open your eyes again. “I am sorry.”

You shakily exhale, placing your own hand over his. “We almost lost you, Hyunjin-“ You just can’t forget it.

He comes even closer to you, lips hovering over your forehead in a gentle kiss. “But you didn’t, I’m right here with you, I will always be….” In your heart and soul. You place your hand to his chest, that doesn’t rise nor a heartbeat is felt under your fingertips, but you can feel him. Your vision clears, letting his words fill your corrupted mind. You become calm again — the best you could, because the music playing behind the closed door only repeats to you your future. You feel his lips pressing to your skin, making it tingle and even if his hand falls back to his side, he pulls yours with him. “We have to go.”

Nodding your head, you let him put your arm over his, his eyes lingering on you a little longer and you can’t seem to look away either. His longer hair is brushed, kissing his shoulders and you finally take in his own clothes. The suit on him is black, but golden embroidery decorated his shoulders. Swirls turning into small leaves and flowers, the same ones that decorated your cleavage. The small details distract you a little, as he leads you to the entrance of the room. He mostly walks for you both, your legs too weak and shaky to even take a full step. It makes you glance back at the door, tearing yourself away from his heated gaze that you can still feel on the side of your face. A small squeeze on your arm makes you sigh a little and you try to focus only on him as you watch the doors before you open.

The music is the first thing that pours out of the room, orange and golden light shining down on the ground before you. The subtle sound of voices follows, while you step a little closer. Calm — you have to keep calm, you say to yourself as Hyunjin leads you. You don’t breathe for a moment, when you finally near the room and soon you have to gasp a little at the sight before you. You thought you have seen nearly everything that this place holds, but you are again left speechless.

Your eyes look up firstly at the high ceilings, painted with beautiful frescoes and decorated in gold. Candles only enhance the beauty of the room, reflecting on the metal and covering the room into warm orange light. You trail your eyes over the paintings, before they fall on the sight before you. People, upon people — wearing tailored clothes, styled in such perfection that it truly told you they cannot be humans. The whole room looked like a cathedral, with its hight, but the sin reeped from every person you laid eyes upon.

Dancers in the center of the room mesmerize you with their smooth moves, that hold passion so great it makes you shiver. The soft voice, simply angelic melts into the music and you take your attention to that direction, where a woman stands with her lips parted. Her voice is alluring and you feel absolutely hopeless by its magic and like she could feel it, she exchanged her hands to you, calling out you. The gesture is anything, but simple, because even from this distance you can feel her eyes turning into something dark. It makes you look away from her, only to be met with another sets of eyes and then another. They do not turn their heads, nor stop dancing, talking or performing, but you knew you were being watched.

Your heart dances to the beat of the music, hammering against your chest. Hyunjin however doesn’t stop leading you deeper, more into the crowd, like he thought you would both simply vanish and be forgotten in the sea of undead creatures. You don’t look away however — you can’t tear your eyes away from the scenery before you. Passing by the first figure you come upon on and their glare makes you cover, sneaking your other hand to hold your companion’s. “Everything alright?” Hyunjin asks you and you try to ignore the fact that everyone can hear him — everyone can hear and see your heart beating faster, blood boiling under their eyes.

You try to focus on him instead of them — the hand holding yours held a grip tight enough to make you see, that you are safe. You still can’t shake off the eyes on you, however you still stare right back at the people around you. It is so distracting, but still nerve racking. However the more you go deeper into the crowd, the more it makes you realize something…If they truly thought you are, who they think you are, the room would have certainly erupted by now. Maybe they are also not believing what they are seeing, or simply they don’t act on their instincts from the fear of Hyunjin and his family. Maybe they are just here for the show…

“I think so…” You say quietly, glancing up again and you stop in your tracks at the sight that hasn’t been there before. You don’t know their culture, but the thing you know is that vampires do enjoy entertainment — drama. You lips part in small gasp, while you watch two figures flying through the room. Their bodies twist and turn, before the separate themselves from the swing they held on and your sudden stop and simple look of astonishment makes the man holding you look into that direction also. “I have never seen this place before.” You say in amazement big enough to make your heart slow down a little.

“We don’t use it much, but I wanted something special for you.” Hyunjin leans closer to you so you could hear his words better, as you quite didn’t have a supernatural hearing like everyone else in the room.

His breath hits your ears, blowing away the small, loose strands of hair and you almost pull away at the sudden tickling sensation. You can see his own eyes on you, but you still have yours on the room, now especially at another performers in the distance. “It is…certainly something…” Your voice dies at the end, trying to get over the fact he made this all so grand just for you. You somehow slowly got used to being given such gifts from him, but everything from this to the dress, jewelry and mostly the one piece glimmering on your finger could not make you feel at ease.

Your own naturally tense body senses the change in his grip as his hand tightens around your arm. It makes you tear your eyes away from the things around you, glancing up. You can see the subtle clench at his jaw, eyes set straight ahead. “What’s wrong?” You ask softly, eyebrows pulling together, before turning to the spot his eyes are on, only to be met with the face of his two brothers.

You can see it in their eyes that something wasn’t right, Felix’s and Han’s usually soft features now hard and cold. Looking back at Hyunjin you don’t mask the concern on your face, watching him tilt his head down at you, but his gaze still drifts away. “I-I…stay here.” You haven’t heard him stutter like this, voice so full of concern, anger and panic — everything circled around his irises.

Your breath cuts short, shaking your head immediately, grasping on to his hand, when he start to withdraw from you. “I don’t want to be alone–“ You swallow the lump in your throat, slowing down your own words so you wouldn’t stutter also — everyone can hear you.

He finally looks at you fully, his blue eyes flashing darker and you know that he didn’t want to leave you alone either — something truly is happening. “You are not, you are save, there is nothing to harm you, trust me.” You hear the urgency in his words, squeezing at your hand a little too painfully, but it is so it would leave a residue of his touch and presence. “I will be right back.” Your lips fall apart, but before you can even make a small sound he detaches himself from you.

Watching him turn his back to you, disappearing so quickly in the sea of people, you can’t help, but pull your hands closer to your chest. His reassurance of you being watched over seem so little, highly aware of how many vampires were around you. However you try to forget about — forget that they were blood thirsty creatures that could jump on you in any given moment. You have to wonder, how many of them are actually the ones on your side, the room was too big to see it in its full glory.

Turning around, you fumble a little with the skirt of your dress, looking down at the details that seem to only swirl before your eyes. You take a deep breath, glancing up again. People walk past you, some giving you a small glare of interest of why a human is trying to disguise themselves as one of them and some don’t even a spare you a simple look. Though it felt lime they were circling around you, like sharks, predators creeping up on its prey. It doesn’t help you feel any better, that you are standing in the center of the room, so you decide to take a small — falsely confident stroll.

You know that Hyunjin told you to stay were you are, but how? You would only be giving them a full angle view and it seems unlikely for you to disappear somewhere, where he wouldn’t find you. As you maneuver through the room, passing by the cold figures, your eyes don’t move away from the wall. You can hear them taking a deep breath, their noses twitching at your scent and your shoulders slightly shrug in uncomfortableness. You soon learn that room is way bigger than you anticipated — it stretches so much and you only realize you walked into a different section of it, that was hidden by high columns.

Amazement strikes you, looking back, before your gaze trails all the way to the ceiling again. You quite frankly haven’t seen something like this before — it was like a one big hall that even by its size hides so many secrets. You have to wonder again how it is possibly that no one knew of this place, but you realize that you still don’t know where you truly are either…maybe you are way farther from home than you think. Your thoughts distract you enough to not perceive the vampires, your pulse slowing to a steady pace as you admire the room.

Your eyes then flicker to a staircase on the other side from where you are standing, music flowing around you. The multiple, grand stairs lead to a door and you swear you can feel something pulling you towards it. It calls out to you the same way as the voice of the singer, whispering sweetly into your ears. However something suddenly washes over you — something you have felt many times before. You feel this something watching you, so different from the stares of the others. This one goes straight through you, shiver going over you, turning your gaze to the direction you don’t even know — it felt like it was everywhere.

The figures blend together, creating a smear of colors as you turn around searching, but you couldn’t quite pinpoint where this awfully feeling striking through you was coming from. Your skin tingles, blood boils under your skin and you nearly stumble from the wave of distress going over you. It can’t be…You can feel everyone watching you, listening to your heart that starts to pound wildly and you so desperately try to breath through your feelings. You can only seem to focus on the ringing in your ears, which increases only more, when the music and the singer’s voice rise high. You can feel it nearing, cornering you more, as the music comes to an end.

Pain — cold, freezing fingers wrap around your arm so tightly it makes you snap back to your body, gasping from the sudden sensation. You don’t even have the time to turn to its owner completely, before your feet drag across the polished floor. Eyes wide in fright they meet two black ones, hidden behind a highly decorated mask that reaches just above the man’s lips. You don’t recognize this man and you are sure he isn’t one of the men that are here to look after you. His whole demeanor was cold, sucking the life right out of you and filling you with terror. Your lips fall apart, naively trying to pull yourself out of his hold, but he only drags you further with him and at that the scream of help gathering inside you is ripped away from you, when you are suddenly pulled away from the room completely.

The world is a blur for a moment, your eyes too slow to catch anything from the fast movement. Your head whips back, pain shooting through your neck as just as that you are pull back into the slow world you are use to. You have to cough a little, your eyes stinging, vision blurry, but you feel the stranger’s hands on both of your arms. Facing him, you can’t do anything, but to catch your breath, barely catching the new scenery around you. A small hallway, that doesn’t seem familiar, but you can’t even get the details around you strait, because the man opens a door your back have been pushed onto, shoving you inside the room and your mind is completely blank for a moment from all what happened in just meer seconds.

You watch the door slam shut before you, breathing unsteady, your heart almost jumping out of your chest. You can feel fear overtaking your whole body, almost hyperventilating from how fast you have been taken away — you felt so useless and powerless under the man’s hold. You hear a click of lock next and you knew that there is no way for you to get out. So you turn around finally to face the room who have been pushed into, but the sight you come across off makes a strangled noise come out of your mouth.

You can feel them, way before your eyes land on the seven figures standing right before you. You can your chest closing onto you, freezing in your spot, because only with just one glance you knew — you just knew it had to be them. They looked and felt so different from any the other vampire you have come across of. You thought the fear you felt in the ballroom from the stares of the undead creatures was already great, but theirs…You can’t even describe how much their whole presence intimidated you — you could even smell it. Their mouths are shut, their eyes in the same color of gold, yet distinct from each other. They glare at you, staring at your squirming form, lingering on the left side of your chest where your heart thumps against your ribs. The are like statues, letting you take in their beauty and you can help, but trail your eyes to the one closest to you.

He had a tall figure, black hair framing his high cheekbones. His posture reek of confidence and there doesn’t even have to be smile of pride on his full lips to show that. The other next to him seem to be even taller, with soft, blond hair and prying eyes. He looks at you from beneath his lashes in interest, standing before the others in a sense of authority. You can’t move away from their eyes and you know it, but you still aren’t able to fully look into them, in fear you would melt into the floor right under you.

When you look to the other, standing just behind the blonde, his gaze didn’t seem so tense, but it still lack warmth. On his longer face danced shadows from the lit candles, only to remind you that the sliver of softness in his eyes wasn’t still inviting. And so weren’t the ones of the man next to him. His hair, dark as the night, reached his shoulders, small earring glimmering under the light. His face didn’t necessarily seem stern and hard, but it was so cold it send shivers down your spine.

A shorter, light haired man stood by him and his whole presence seemed to be the complete opposite of the one next to him. You could see the twinkle of amusement in his eyes, full lips pulled into a small smile. His other companion held his softness hidden, but he didn’t shy away to show it and that made you feel a lot more on the edge. The silence was so loud and you brace yourself for any incoming impact, but it never came. They still stared at you and you did the same, but not like them, you couldn’t figure out anything about them. Over the light haired man loomed a taller figure and you are taken back by his youthful appearance. Still his eyes showed you his true age, how much he had seen and you feel so inexperienced standing here before him. His jawline is clenched, eyes a little darker in the shadow covering his features. But in the same shadows you could still see the figure standing behind him. The small freckle under his eyelashes leads you two his golden stare, that was anything, but warm. You can see the questions in his gaze like the others, but he seem to be truly looking at you.

You wanted to come to him closer.

However you are startled by the sound of a door opening right behind these seven men and you finally seem to be able to move from your spot to look into that direction. Relief washes right over you, when your eyes meet Hyunjin’s, who momentarily glanced at your company, but seeing your fear filled eyes made him instantly rush over to you. “Y/N.” You breath out shakily, carefully going around the still silent vampires. They finally move also, turning to look at you both, before facing the others, who stood in the doorway.

In Hyunjin’s eyes flashes small concern, that only you could see, while you shorten the distance between you two. With a small stinging in your vision, you let him pull you into him, his hold strong and soft, not freezing like the one of the man, who lead you here into this room. He only has eyes on you for a moment too long, because he can feel the heated stare on his back as he shields your body. He hears the quiet footsteps of his family behind him and he at that faces the seven. “You came.” His voice shows disbelief and his whole family’s faces can’t help, but show the same. It surprise them all so much, that they already feel the suspicion that their presence was anything, but good. “Why?” They really thought, prayed that they maybe wouldn’t show up for the sake of you, so the problem that they would have to deal with would be the vampires in the ballroom. But they would learn about you sooner or later and Hyunjin already puts you behind him to protect you.

Just this simple question finally answers yours. These seven men are the oldest vampires, the ones that turned them. When you first saw them, you already knew, but hearing it being confirmed, made you tremble. The blonde, tall vampire in the center doesn’t show a sign of anger or anything, only looking at you from behind Hyunjin’s shoulder. The way all eight of them dig their feet in the floor, though seem to spark amusement in him. “You think we would miss our dear friend’s ceremonial?” With smooth voice, his gaze jumps between you two and you close your eyes a little at the obvious pause in his words.

The shorter blonde man takes a step closer, feeling how Hyunjin tenses a little, but as you watch the man, he doesn’t seem to be particularly frightened. “Hyunjin…is that woman by your side really her?“ His eyes meet yours for a moment, but you instantly look away from his stare.

The question is met with a small silence, seeing that there really isn’t any need for it to be spoken outloud. “A Human…” Says the man with longer hair, his voice deep and you can feel it rumbling in his chest. “Tell us — does she know?” His tone becomes cold so quickly, you really can’t help it, but grasp onto Hyunjin a little tighter.

“Does she know of what we are?” The tall, dark haired vampire tilts his head at you, but more so his gaze lingers on the man holding you behind him. “Is it perhaps why your letter sounded so urgent?“

“I can explain–“ Hyunjin only breathes out this much, before he is cut off by the man in the front.

“Oh, you will — you will definitely explain in a detail, why a human is standing here in this room, with the knowledge of our existence and exactly why is she holding onto your heart so tightly.” The tension rises in the room, like the flames of the candles behind you that lick at your skin.

Your heart hammers against your chest, pulling your eyebrows into a frown, when Hyunjin speaks in a small tone of desperation. “Her being human doesn’t matter.” He tries to argue, but can he? Even you know what this means — it is not forgivable that you are human.

“Doesn’t?” Spits out the blonde, turning to look at all nine of you with fire in his eyes. “Do we have to remind you all of the first rule, that you all signed in your names — the biggest out of all of them…” Gaze falling on the vampire holding you, the feeling of small repent is obvious by the posture of others, but they don’t turn away from you. “I would never thought of you as a traitor Hyunjin, siding, falling for a thing that is supposed to be nothing, but food — I certainly wouldn’t believe it, if I didn’t saw her standing in a room full of vampires, seemingly not too frightened or unaware as she should be–“

“We wanted to keep it a secret, at least till we would understand it fully.” Speaks up Chan, hands trying to indicate their innocence, but it is ignored.

“And you thought we would forgive you?” With wide eyes, the short blonde’s voice cuts through the thick air. Looking over the vampires you learn to care so much for, makes him release a small unamused laugh. “Are you really that naive?”

Closing his eyes, Hyunjin sighs, stepping a little aside, but not letting go of your hand. “At least hear us, before you give your verdict.” He says, pleading — pleading for your life and you have to look up at him with wide eyes as you now finally realize the situation. Everyone is tense, hand formed into fists, eyes on your now unhidden figure…if Hyunjin didn’t speak in such unmasked desperation, you might have been in their claws by now.

“Please, do.” Hearing the demand, Hyunjin couldn’t care about anything else other than you. Turning to you, your fingers laced together, he listens closely to your heartbeat. Only thing that matters is you — you, looking into his eyes so softly, with specs of fear and sadness, but under those emotions he focuses on the woman, who came to his life so suddenly, yet dreamed his whole life. Everything around you is just a background — you only have eyes on him.

“I can feel her…I can feel everything. I have never felt so close to anyone like this before. I knew from the moment that I saw her — you that this feeling was something different.” You blink away the small tears gathering in your eyes at his words. Him talking about you so dearly made you completely blind of the eyes watching you. “Please, trust me that I didn’t even believe it myself firstly and I did try to pull away, but I couldn’t, I simply couldn’t. I tried to understand why — why do I feel so deeply for a person I met so briefly. I spend multiple nights searching, but I found nothing, nothing, but the obvious. I wanted to be sure myself — convince myself that this is real…soulmates in a form of a vampire and a human.” The single word hits you so deeply now, you finally understood. Hyunjin then glances at the oldest vampires, but your are still stuck hazing at him. “I wanted to be sure myself, before I could convince you, but someone else found the truth way before I did…” They listen carefully to his words, analyzing his whole being as he stood there before them, telling his confession. Everyone seem to be looking and listening to only him, however you can feel a pair of eyes on you, but before you could look ar their owner, everyone turns to you at the next words. “Someone got into her room and left a message completely unnoticed, but it was clear…We found no trace, even after each of their appearance, every one more direct than the other and we think this someone is seeking revenge on me, us, through her.”

These words seem to make them forget about you a little, attention now on their first creations. “You think someone would be stupid enough to try, what you are applying?” Says the tall, short, dark haired vampire.

“The more important thing is–“ Minho steps aside, making you all look at him, as he glares at the men infront you. “Would you let them?“ You see a small challenging look on their faces, lips formed into thin lines for a moment. The question holds a deeper meaning and Minho really is asking them pf one thing only — do they trust each other enough to be on the same side together again after all these years…The man in the center, sighs and was it melancholy in his eyes?

“We are no family to you and certainly not friends by any means, but the thought of someone taking over our trusted…” The last word rolls out of his tongue slowly, looking around the room slowly. “Is not pleasing–“

Chan seems to sense something in him, frown falling on his face and you for the first time see him truly act on his emotions more than actions. “Really now? Are you really worried about of said thing, that someone is trying to destroy everything that we build or are you concerned only about her?“ Venom drips from his words and his question is answered instantly, when the vampire’s eyes drift to you firstly.

“Human…” You can hear the genuine confusion and the tight smile that follows doesn’t ease you. “Chan — my old ears might have disobeyed me, but did you said we? As in you?”

You feel so small, powerless in the room that you can’t help, but pull your hands to your heaving chest. Hyunjin looks at you at your move, but you don’t meet his heated gaze as you listen to the words being thrown out of his brother’s mouth. “If it weren’t for the fact that you cannot be killed — it doesn’t matter. All of this, all of them–“ He points to the direction from where you all came from, voice rising in volume. “We have the whole right to defend ourselves.”

“You broke the first rule!” The voice of the vampire that spoke before his blonde companion booms in the room so loudly you flinch. Then he points directly at you, his emotions firing so strong you can see the flicker of red in his golden eyes. “No human can know of our existence — you are all so lucky that we didn’t punish you the moment we heard of her–“

Your lips fall apart, the others next to you straightening their back. Hyunjin steps before you, shielding you and you don’t have the see his face and the others’ to see the anger. “So you knew…” There is no remorse on their faces and you yourself are in disbelief. “You knew, we needed your help and yet you all didn’t do anything — like cowards.” Felix comes so quickly behind Hyunjin you have to blink rapidly. All of this — everything falls onto you and you helplessly stand there unmoving, only watching the blonde pushing down onto his shoulder, so he wouldn’t do the stupid thing you were so afraid of.

Another laugh, but now filled with true amusement leaves the short, blonde. “Oh — so now you need us?“ You can feel that in this whole situation that it wasn’t so much about you as it seemed to be.

Hyunjin closes his eyes in small defeat, pushing away his pride and nodding his head in what almost seemed like a small bow. “Yes, even if it pains me yes, because if something happens to her…” The words die on his tongue, but he doesn’t turn to look at your deep frown that pierces through his heart. “Everything will be destroyed.”

The long haired man puts his hands in his pockets, leaning over to his and the others direction. “Maybe it’s time for a change.” His whisper sends shivers down your spine, fidgeting in your spot.

The long pause that follows makes the short haired blonde sigh, rolling his eyes. “You all bore me.” He says, however it doesn’t cut the tension. His eyes travel to a one specific person as he says that and in small curiosity you can’t help, but look over, only to spot Han, who stands next to Minho. His gaze is turned to the floor and with furrowed eyebrows you glance back at the other, only to find him already staring at you. “How is it that you can feel the same way a vampire can?”

That question makes them all turn their attention back to you. You yourself have been asking this same question every day — you didn’t believe it, but as your mind goes back to the moment few hours ago, you could still feel it. Your skin was tingling, was it maybe because of Hyunjin? Is it because that you started to open up, let your feelings guide you, that you can finally really feel this invisible string between you two? You don’t have an answer, only staring back at them in silence, the only noise being your heart and the cracking of fireplace.

The more your lips stay sealed, the more their gaze seem to darken and you desperately want to back away and run — your human instinct. Glancing at Hyunjin you come across the same questioning gaze, but in the corner of the eye theirs won. With your racing heartbeat and silence Chan seems to realize what you were thinking or more less he spoke again to distract them from you just a little longer.

“We had encounter with wolfs today.” That seems to do the job, but still it doesn’t help you calm down. “Just minutes before the sunset–“

Another genuine expression forms on the face of the vampire in the middle and you have to think how almost unnatural it felt. “Wolfs?” He exclaims, the word lingering in the air and for a second he just stares at Chan. They all look at each other and you distinctly remember why — said creatures were the thing why they were made for. He seems to not instantly believe such thing, but with the unwavering expression he sighs. “That would make sense yes, they certainly never liked us.” He says, stating the obvious.

“But their way of thinking, acting–“ Changbin speaks, shaking his head softly. “Till now they never showed up.” He argues with his own family right now, but that doesn’t make the others unaware.

“Maybe it is your doing?” The taller vampire with dark hair points out, glaring straight at Chan, who clenches his jaw. “Maybe they do not like their once companion playing for the other team–“

“We both know that doesn’t make any sense, there are just few clans left and we know they rather stay away from us.”

“Maybe some were sniffing around, heard about you and thought of revenge.” Shrugs the amused blonde again and his remark seemed to anger Chan so much, that Minho has to take a step between them.

“Revenge?” It is obvious that someone is trying to do that through you, but werewolves seem like such a unlikely enemy in this situation. It is way closer than you think. “If they did think of it, don’t you think you wouldn’t be the main target?”

The vampire before him tilts his head mockingly at his words. “Like you said, you are the strongest…and even so they are not stupid enough to try and fight.”

“Exactly.” Fires back Minho, waiting for just the moment he says that, words already flying from his lips. “We think someone is hiding behind them, using them to make us confused–“

“Don’t be ridiculous–“

“You think someone would be so hungry for a revenge?” The vampire cuts of his own companion, silencing him as his curiosity grows at such thought.

The sandy blonde shrugs lightly and you grip onto your necklace a little tighter at each of their sentences — it felt like you are a ticking bomb, ready to explode at any given moment, because you can just feel the heat in you rising from waiting. You keep track of their conversation, but you can’t seem to fully function as your mind turns into fuzz. Maybe you are now a little selfish, but you can’t help, but think of what they might do to you after this conversation ends. You focus back on Minho, glancing at Hyunjin, who is for that moment unaware of your struggle. “Don’t see why not.” Says his brother. “We all know what it is like.”

The man before him shakes his head, knowing already where this is going. “It can’t be a vampire–“ He argues.

You hear someone take a couple steps across the floor, eyes following the sound, landing on Seungmin, who you realize has been awfully quiet till now. “Are you sure? You have not shown gratitude for what we had done. You have all done nothing over three hundred years, no wonder every vampire thinks of us as the most powerful.” Grimace falls on his face, but you can see the glimmering pride in his eyes and that seem to make them snap.

It all happened so fast, the rising tension snapping so suddenly you gasp, head whipping around as you hear a loud noise. Turning into that direction your mouth opens in shock at the sight of Seungmin colliding with a wall. Your human senses are not quick enough to realize what just happened, staring with wide eyes at the sight before you. The long haired vampire, whose demeanor seemed so calm, yet cunning turns south, as you watch Seungmin being picked up from the floor in a blur. The vampire has his hand around his neck and you panic yourself, when the man under him struggles with the grip on his throat. “Watch your tongue-“ Spits out the vampire, his hair hiding his expression of anger and you can only stand there frozen in your spot, while everyone goes to stop the vampire from breaking his neck. “Remember who gave you this power, you are nothing, but a fledgling just like everyone.”

His outburst surprises even his companion and the furry radiating from the brothers of his creation makes the air taste bitter. You feel so useless, just standing there and watching, but even the vampires don’t act on their impulses. They stop themselves from getting between them, knowing that it would only make this worse. Seeing Seungmin holding helplessly onto the hand around his neck makes you really see how much power these vampires have. The man, who seem to be holding the most authority steps closer to the pair. “Let him go.” His voice is calm, yet demanding and you watch the family of the other straightening their backs, when he doesn’t do that. “Yoongi!” Snaps again the blonde vampire and at the sound of his name he finally releases the man in his hold.

Seungmin can’t help, but double over a little, breathing in shallow breaths, hand pressing onto his neck. Even from the distance you can see the small imprint of the man’s hand, Yoongi, but the marks instantly disappear by a blink of an eye. “You are even more weak than I remember…” Mumbles the long haired vampire, whose name is the only one you knew so far. Seungmin stands to his full hight again, his family taking a step closer to him with hard looks, but that really doesn’t move him at all, as he now turns to look right into your direction.

That move only makes the others follow his line of sight and you are only reminded of why you stand here with them. However now no one is standing beside you — you are completely alone and can’t help, but feel vulnerable under their gaze. The anger that was still present in the room doesn’t weaver, when the taller, dark haired man steps before the man, who you stare at for small insurance. Hyunjin now is hidden and you can’t do nothing, but face the unnamed vampire. “Now…” The air around you shifts, almost like everyone forgot about what just happened, but you can’t — they are so strong that even with their brother being choked to his last breath, they couldn’t do anything. So what does this mean to you? You are now finally being asked, interviewed and they all finally look right at you.

“How can you be human, but still be his soulmate?” You don’t move, not even shake your head, because you yourself don’t even have an answer. “Do you feel it? Do you feel your heart beating just for him? Breathing just for him, living every passing moment with him like a spear going through your heart?” Your eyes meet Hyunjin’s behind him and the fear in you melts away for a moment. Being asked this infront of all them is so different, than whispering it to each other alone. But you don’t care about the audience, eyes only on his — so soft, sweet, vulnerable like yours.

“Yes.” You finally spoke, voice strong in emotion, but so quiet. There never wasn’t a need to raise your voice to be heard by him.

Unfortunately he is torn away from your sight as the vampire steps before him again, making you turn back at him and you can see it on his face that he did it on purpose. “And you are still human…impossible.”

You can’t help, but frown at his words and you push away your surprise, when they let you speak again — maybe do respect humans in some part. “Why can’t it be?” Your shoulders shrug a little, turning to all of them and you try to hide the fear rising, with their expressions. “Anyone and everything can feel these emotions, why can’t it be me?” You say and your words hit them harder than your thought they would. Was it truly because you can understand them better than no human ever did? You always held your emotions high, sometimes so strong that you couldn’t control them and even now it was certain in your voice.

Turning to Hyunjin, the vampire lets you see him again, meeting his gaze immediately, before it turns to the man as he gives him a question that has been in the back of all of their minds. “How did you know she was the one?” He asks and Hyunjin flickers his gaze to yours again. He wants to say everything, let his emotions speak for him again, but he knew that wouldn’t make them believe.

“I can’t compel her.” He says and everyone instantly disagrees, not believing even a little.

“Lies-“

“He can’t.” You say, raising your voice to be heard even if you know you don’t have to. With you letting your presence known, with nothing in the way of getting to you now, they don’t held back anymore.

The whole room turns to you, you are now the center of attention and even if you hate it, even if you can feel your terror overwhelming you whole, you don’t shy away. There is no way for you out of this. “Show us.” Demands the blonde man, gesturing to you both.

Hyunjin at his words steps closer to you, slowly, like he was giving you time to calm yourself or maybe turn your attention fully to him, but it doesn’t help. You trust him, you trust yourself — you know the truth, but you still shake nervously. What if it doesn’t work? No, you know he can’t compel you. It is the thing that lead you to him. The man who doesn’t mask his own small speck of fear, which only you can see stops infront of you and you look at him so closely. You already remember each curve, dip, mark on his features, but that doesn’t stop you from admiring him for the thousand time.

It is like the first time you met. You can still remember his eyes, the emotions held in them as he was the first man, who truly look at you and see you. Even you can smell the emotions in the room, slowly cutting through the thick fog of darkness caging you. Hyunjin can’t help, but graze his hand softly over your cheek, seeing the stains of tears you shed since meeting him — the tears that you shed for him. With his eyes he searches for something, using this moment to take you in and with the feeling of your skin he doesn’t even feel the ominous presence of the others.

His lips then lift up a little and you are taken a little back at such move under this situation, but then it becomes clear to you, why he did that. “Don’t smile.” He could’ve said anything, but he chose something so sweet, you truly couldn’t help yourself, but do the same.

Your small move is not unseen by the others and seeing the short blonde in the corner of your eye, you can feel his mocking grimace before you can even see it. “Oh, is that it?” The mocking sweetness in his words makes your face turn sour, but that change of expression doesn’t move him, as he eyes you closely. “You are lying, Hyunjin.” He states, clicking his tongue a little and said man turns to him with hard stare, however the vampire’s eyes are only set on your form. “I can smell the silver from here.” His nose wrinkles and the others, even you, look down to your necklace. That’s why he gave it to you — he didn’t want you to fall for the tricks of any vampire. Though that doesn’t make Hyunjin any less confident, stepping aside just a little, but what comes next he wished that he didn’t do that.

“Jungkook.”

The unknown name belongs to the vampire with youthful features, who kept himself hidden till now. He doesn’t even look back, his attention fully on you. You can tell that there is something whispered, when they said his name. He stalks to you so slowly, you have to back away a little at the look on his face. With his hands behind his back, he walks up to you, stops right infront of you. His whole presence and posture screams of power that you could only dream about of having. His eyes trail all over you and you feel yourself twitch in your spot, when he suddenly comes closer to you. You don’t want to turn around and face him, when he stalks behind you, but you do squirm at the subtle touch of his fingertips on your skin.

His freezing hand moves so slowly from your naked shoulder up to your neck that you have to shudder. Something about his touch makes your stomach turn, maybe it is because of the way he stops for a second to press his thumb over your jumping pulse. His hand leaves your skin freezing, blindly following his touch with your senses and your chest tightens, when with just a single move he unties the knot on the necklace. “Your bride has a beautiful neck.” He says, but it felt anything, but a compliment. He pulls it away from you just with two of his fingers, dangling the heavy jewelry, like mocking the try of keeping you safe from a vampire’s powers. You hear it being thrown across the room, the heavy noise making you flinch a little to harshly, but you can’t help it, when he walks back to face you again. He is so close to you, looming over you with blown out pupils. Your lips fall apart a little, almost missing the quick look behind you.

You couldn’t even blink, so fast you feel yourself twitch, mind being emptied with just his voice and you don’t even fully grasp, what he so suddenly puts in your hands, as you feel your pupils dilating just like his. “Kill yourself.” You inhale sharply, body freezing just for a second and your mind screams in panic, when you look down into the dagger in your hands. It felt horrible — you couldn’t control your own body, your hand turning the dagger to your chest so fast you can’t even blink.

Next you feel pain. Your body shakes violently as your hands move to dagger yourself, but that never comes. Someone wrapped their arms around you before you could do it, the clanking sound of the weapon hitting the ground loud to your ears and you fight harshly under their hold as they pulled you with them to the ground. Your eyes are wide, not particularly looking anywhere, but your mind only screams at you, repeating those words said over and over. You can’t — you can’t control your spasming body, mind screaming at you to stop. The tears rolling down your cheeks are the only thing coming from your doings and the panic rising in you is nothing, but fake. You have to do it — your own body betrays you, when your teeth start to dig into your tongue.

You cry silently, tasting the blood coating your mouth, praying for it stop, but you can’t do anything. You realize, who the touch belongs to, who is holding you, but you couldn’t focus on anything else other than the pain. Choking, your hand immediately grasp the hand of the man holding you down, when he suddenly shoves his fingers into your mouth. With his strength he is able to pry your teeth away from biting your tongue off, as he presses down on the muscle. “Stop!” You cry, choking, teeth digging into his fingers, tasting iron. “Stop it now!” It isn’t meant for you, but for the vampire named Jungkook, who watches with others the scene infront of them.

You can’t even breathe through your nose from the blood that pools down your throat. The compulsion literally makes you powerful enough that Hyunjin couldn’t contain your spasming body, your feet dragging across the floor as you struggle — Deja Vu. Your body betrays you again, when your lungs don’t take in any air and your head spasms at the lack of oxygen. You can already see the black spot in your vision, but before you can slip into unconsciousness — Jungkook finally speaks.

“Stop.”

Hyunjin’s withdraws his fingers from your mouth, making you choke out and lamp for the oxygen. Everything swirls around you, body slumping and falling to your side. You struggle with getting air to your stinging lungs, body shaking in pain at the tenderness on your tongue. In your state you don’t even see Hyunjin charging at Jungkook with nothing, but anger. Someone helps you sit up and your teary eyes meet Felix’s, who softly holds your head up. You gasp, cough in his hold and the more you get your breathing stable, the more the hidden sobs in you escape your lips. Your ears still ring, but even in your state of helplessness your head turns to his direction.

Hyunjin true form is uncontrollable — eyes vibrant red, face pale as alabaster and even though your vision swirls, you can see the veins on his face pulsing with anger. Three of his brothers struggle to hold him, his attention only on the man responsible for your pain, but on his face is anything, but regret. They don’t show mercy or sympathy, nothing, but amazement — and that only made him more furious. They did this only out of spite, not even caring if he wouldn’t be fast enough to stop you from piercing the dagger through your heart.

“You knew! You knew what was happening and you still choose to do the nothing!” You have never seen Hyunjin so out of control, shaking so much in emotion and you for a moment don’t recognize him. His face controls, hurt so big on his face, your breath gets stuck in your hurting throat. “After all we have done for you?” His voice breaks in the end, his chest heaving.

“You haven’t even marked her!” Yells the vampire before him, short, black hair falling into his eyes as he gestures to you. That word strikes small confusion in you and you look at Hyunjin, who at your soft gaze stops to shake with anger. His eyes turn slowly to blue at your state. You have an idea what he meant by that — the memory of your teeth barely grazing Hyunjin’s vein the time he let you feed of him…is this also why he never drank from you before? Because he knew he would sink his teeth into your pulse to make you his forever?

Hyunjin stops to struggle under the grips of his brothers, vulnerability going over him at your state, but when he decides to turn back to the man before him his softness dissolves. “There is an enemy right infront of us.” He says through gritted teeth, glaring at the seven vampires before him.

“You broke our rule!”

There is no need for Hyunjin to try and compel you again — they know. The quiet blonde, who has been watching from afar, detach himself from the others to stand between them. “You will lose us all if you won’t respect it–“ Says Jeongin, before gesturing to you. “Someone is trying to get through us through her.” He repeats the same words said before, but even with the emphasis, they only repeat themselves also.

“You think someone is that stupid enough?” Exclaims the tall blonde in disbelief that they still stand by their words. “We would kill them immediately!”

Seungmin, who you learned is standing right behind you and Felix, who still keeps you in his hold, shakes his head. “How can we trust that you would? You haven’t appear in years…no wonder they are going after us and not you–“ That makes the long haired vampire release a short, dry laugh in complete awe.

“Strongest…”

The mockery is strong, filling up the room with sourness that you could taste on your tingling tongue. You swallow your saliva mixed with the irony taste of blood, cringing lightly. The blonde still holding you puts a hand on your back and you are thankful for so such gentleness. Hyunjin still stands there in his spot, watching the silent interaction and he has to push away the anger for your sake. The silence is loud, everyone breathing through everything that just happened and you have to stare at them all — waiting. Their verdict is taking really long, but one of them finally asks the question.

“Are we going to kill her?”

It is such a horrible question to be said about a person, who is right infront of them, thinking of their life like nothing, but another waste they might needed to get rid of. You waited for this the whole time. Since you got here, why they came — did you convince them to let you live? Did the moment of you almost killing yourself convince them that you are completely devoted to a vampire? Do they trust your words? That you can feel the same way as them — and so deeply. The question is still unanswered. Do they care enough for them? Would they care if their first ever creations would be killed? Their once friends…family?

The one in the middle, the one who tried the most to understand your situation and you the most, stares at you in thought. You don’t have the strength to make yourself look stronger, but that doesn’t mean he can’t see how strong you truly are. Even if you don’t feel like it, you somehow are just as significant as them.

Vampire or not.

“No.” He says, his tone is soft, while he still looks at you. “Rules are meant to be broken sometimes…” No one — nothing is said to disagree with him and you have to release a small cry of relief, just as everyone. That man doesn’t ignore it, turning to step before Hyunjin, who was ready to walk away to you. “I hope you know what you are doing-“

“I know.”

His tone holds determination, ending into a loving whisper, when he turns to you. The vampires before them all agree with this decision, even if they didn’t show it through their words and actions. They somehow now understood, when they watch him walk up to you. There was nothing else to be done or said at this moment, but you do thank to the heavens in small, silent cries.

The blonde leaves you as Hyunjin takes his place, both of you falling to hold yourselves close to each other. Everything, the big weight of your shoulders is lifted now for the moment and the relief of not being taken away from the man holding you is now the thing laying on top of your shoulders. He pulls you to his chest, holding head under his chin as you wet his shirt with your tears. The others now see no use of being present anymore, but they can’t help, but linger just a bit longer to watch your shaking form. They never seen Hyunjin so broken, greatful — so full in emotion.

You know that this isn’t over, it is just the beginning somehow, but you can’t help, but melt into his arms in happiness. They all leave you both sitting in each other’s embrace on the floor, but someone’s footsteps slowly come over to you. Hyunjin is the one to look up first, pulling his head away from yours, but his arms around you don’t move. You do the same, glancing up to the figure standing over you, trailing your eyes up their body before you stop at their face.

It is the same man, the last one, the one that haven’t spoke, the one, who hid himself in the shadows. He doesn’t speak even now, only pulling your necklace that has been rip away from you from behind his back. Your face shows a speck of greatfulness at the gesture, taking the dangling jewelry from his hand, unaware of the looks being shared between him and Hyunjin. You are not so much thankful, because of the fresh memory of that vampire compelling you and when you turn back from the necklace to him, he is already no where to be found.

You are now both alone in the room, quietly holding onto each other for a few moments, but Hyunjin then puts your face into his hands to look at you. However your lips fall apart at the sight of tears on his face, eyes still glassy from them, while you let him look over you. He never cried before. “Where does it hurt?” He says in whisper, but you are still stuck staring at his face.

The touch of your hand on his cheek makes him snap back to the reality — the reality where you are with him, alive. Your thumb swipes over his skin lightly, other hand coming to his to lace your fingers together. “I am fine, your blood healed me.” His blood only healed you physically and you can’t help the small bits of tears escaping your eyes again, when you trail your fingers over his, remembering your teeth digging into him. “I am sorry-“

“We have been through this, Y/N–“ Hyunjin shakes his head at your apology, eyebrows pulling together. “You could never hurt me.” The painful, yet real smile appears on his lips and yours lift ever so slightly in shared relief. “It pains me that someone is targeting you because of me…but now you do not have to worry — we have them on our side.”

“How can you be so sure?” You ask truthfully, but you know it really must mean something that they let you live — that they didn’t punish him for breaking the most sacred rule of them all.

“I am not.” He says, but you don’t shake in fear of the fact that they might change their mind. Something told you that they wouldn’t — do they really care? “But I know you somehow convinced them…” Hyunjin smooth down softly the few pieces of hair covering your face, before his palm meets your cheek again, smearing away your dried tears of pain and sadness that leaves only warmth behind. “We don’t have to worry no more, at least for now — so I can fully enjoy my bride.”

You match his wide smile, watching the light come back into his eyes at that word. “Bride? Is that what I am?” You say, small playfulness in your voice and you take his words to not worry about anything, atleast for now.

“If you let me have you…” That sentence sends your heart racing, looking down to your hands. He doesn’t push you to answer such thing, but it still is left to be answered — some day. You can now finally wonder, you finally don’t have to wait and only you can only live now, but…there is still something out there haunting you. However your mind and body is so tired that you truly can’t think about what might happen next, now you have nothing to guide you or get you ready. Now it is only your destiny and that can’t be changed.

Hyunjin reminds you to not worry for now, when he takes the necklace from you to put it on to you again. It maybe now lacks a little security, but you remember that you are now more safer than you think. Their methods and way of speaking isn’t forgotten nor the fact that they might not be trusted, but that is a feeling not coming from you. Hyunjin thinks that, he doesn’t want to trust this someone so easily, when they had wronged him and all of them so maybe times before.

“We should go back.” He says and you nod slowly,pushing away your tears of exhaustion away, picking yourself up the best you could. You can’t stop now…There are still those vampires waiting for you and you know that the arrival of the originals really peak their interest. They must already know…

Standing up took you a little time, wobbly legs ready to give up on you, but Hyunjin steadies you, till you got your strength back. Even with his blood you feel the tiredness creeping up on you, but it changes into nervousness, when he lead you then out of the room. Like before, you feel the nerve racking pressure on you, as you near the ballroom again, but now you held onto Hyunjin a little more at ease. Still what if this confirmation will lead the other vampires to snap? No, like said they are not stupid enough to try and even say a word.

“Focus on me.” Hyunjin says to you, when you both stop before a door. Even in the dim light you recognize the door — it is the same one that called to you, now being opened slowly, letting out the still softly playing music out, but it seemed to waver, when you take a step closer.

Your eyes fall bellow you, traveling across the whole room, as everyone turns to look at you. Before you is the staircase that you have been looking at before you were taken. You understood that the calling you heard was maybe your own future. With the originals present, completely unmoving from the sight of you and Hyunjin, the room fills with looks of wonder, soft whispers flowing around you. His hold tightens around you a little, guiding you down the stairs, while you watch the vampires around you move aside.

They were making a room for you…even if some of them didn’t look pleased by a sight of a vampire being so close to a human — they didn’t do anything against it. You are surprised by the way they seem to respect you or maybe they are just too afraid to doing anything against it. Descending down the staircase you find the gazes of his family, who watch you both, with softness in their eyes. Being so distracted, so out of your body, you don’t even register Hyunjin stopping in the middle of the empty space everyone made for you, but you do glance at the few couples taking their stands around you.

His movement makes you look at him again, letting him put your hand on his arm, while his lands on your naked back. He can feel your goosebumps under his palm, only smiling softly at you again, as you both lace your hands together. The nerves and anxiety leave you at that and so the other people around you. He is now the center of your world and you listen closely to the music gaining in volume.

It is so different from the last time you danced with him, but it still felt the same — so warm and full of…love. Your heart beats faster, but in said emotion that has been kept hidden in your heart till now. You don’t feel any repulse, you are finally not afraid to feel. Hyunjin guides you like before, twirling you around and dipping you softly, but you somehow don’t need him to. It is like your hearts formed into one and this dance its just their making.

This dance is different from that one you danced before, it is more complex and quicker, so you don’t expect him to move away with you, your hands instantly reaching out for him. However before you can stumble or move out of rhythm someone takes you in their arms. “I don’t think we were properly introduced.” You breathe in sharply a little at the sudden move, but you don’t look away from the man infront of you. It is the tall man, with high cheekbones and longer face, also the one that haven’t spoke to you till now. You remember his eyes filled with softness and now there is no mask to hide their natural sparkle. “I’m Hoseok.”

Your mouth falls open at his light hearted tone. You don’t know if you want to even say your name back, because after all his family did to you, it really wasn’t no need, but you fall victim to his charms. “Y/N.” You say back quietly, eyes searching for Hyunjin, however his subtle touch tickling your skin leads you back to him.

“I don’t say this often as it is in my nature, but I want to apologize–“ You frown a little at that, not because you didn’t know why, but it is simply because you are taken back by it. Dipping you, he sees a look of small disbelief and confusion on your face, making him continue. “You seem to be a clever woman, vampire or not.” You look at him closely, analyzing his expression. Was that a compliment? Did he really think it would warm up your heart after what his family had done? His apology seems to be truthful, but you don’t fall for it. Hoseok only smiles at the expression on your face, just a little wider, before he twirls you into arms of another.

Their hold is strong and you flinch slightly at such differences from the man before him, who actually controlled his true strength when holding you. Your eyes meet amber and you feel your heart stop beating for a moment. It is the man from before, the one that gave you back your necklace — the one that has his hand on the upper part of your naked back. Not like his companion he doesn’t hover his hand over you, he almost digs his fingers into you, but under his gaze you don’t even feel the slight sting of his nails.

Cold — you feel coldness creeping up on you, hand that is held in his shaking slightly. The more he twirls you around, the more he dips you, the more he gets closer to you. You almost feel his chest against yours and you can’t seem to find the will to move away or anything against it. When he dips you again — so low that your feet hover over the floor. he presses his palm on the back of your neck as your head rolls back at the sharp move. His fingers tangle slightly in your hair, tugging just a little to make you shake, you looking at the upside down world, however you only feel his breath fanning over your sternum. “I will help you.” He says and you gasp at the voice. It is sweet like honey, like from a dream, it wakes fire in you, burning your skin. Your head becomes fuzzy and not just from the way he pulls you back to him, as the music ends. He doesn’t let go of you and you something prevents you to do the same, but that wasn’t the same for the someone, who walks up to you both, pulling you away from his hold.

Hyunjin stands next you, now being the one to have in his hold, glaring challengingly at the man before you, but he only gives him a sliver of his attention as his eyes still trail over you. You are puzzled by such deep look, hand falling on top of the vampire’s holding you and that seem to move his attention.

You watch with choked breath as he turns away from you, but with a one last shared look between him and Hyunjin, he disappears in the crowd like nothing happened — but something did and your body can’t seem to forget it. With that interaction you let your mind wander, while the holding you close, pulls you to fave him. “Are you alright?” Hyunjin asks you and you turn to look at him with a small sigh. Just like you, he seem to take this small interaction to his heart, something flashing in his lightly colored eyes.

You don’t answer this question, shrugging away the lingering memory, ignoring the eyes of the room watching you both. “Is there somewhere we can talk — privately?” You ask him, already feeling the tiredness weighting you down. The room is so full and even with being filled with nothing, but the walking dead you feel heat rising inside of you. It is too much for you — all of it. You truly wanted to give Hyunjin, what he wanted and truly enjoy yourself, but you couldn’t. Though you didn’t know that it doesn’t matter if you two won’t stay — everywhere is everything he wants, when he his with you.

He eyes you a little, seeing the distance look on your face, but he doesn’t question it. “Yes…come with me.” He could feel the pressure of eyes on the both of you, when he quickly leads you out of the room. The vampires’ lips are parted, questions and remarks on ready to fly of their tongue and he knew you could feel them judging you. You didn’t deserve any of it, but what did he think? Almost everyone present holds disgust for humans — seeing them as nothing, but food. The only important thing has been done and he doesn’t have to mark you for them to see it. He doesn’t care, he holds pride with having you by his side.

You do almost pull away from him, when you realize he guided you back to the same room, where it all happen. Staring at the floor which you were struggling for your life on is so hard to look at. You know that there maybe isn’t a room safe enough to speak in without being heard, but you are confused by his choice. “Is it safe to speak here?” You question, turning to him, when he closes the door to the room. “I though everyone could hear everything that happened here–“

“No, we can speak here clearly.” Hyunjin reassures you, walking up to you slowly. “Before we got here I smelled burned sage — small spell, but it does work on vampires.”

Your raise your eyebrows in bewilderment. “Spell?” You repeat in shock and small realization. “They have a witch on their side…” It is not a question and he already knows, what you are thinking.

“Propably…” He sighs, but he already knows the truth.

There has been time — still is, when him and his family thinks that a witch being the reason for your tortures is the only thing that made sense and you both share the same look at the memory. “You don’t trust them.” You say and you are in agreement with yourself. You have already thought of them not being necessary on your side, only caring about themselves and how it might effect them, but hearing this information makes you talk of it again.

“No, I don’t.” He repeats himself again and you can see the battle in his eyes — it is so hard to trust them, even if they did let you go. His head is a mush. “However I’m certain that they will keep a close eyes on you and everyone else in that matter.” He says, looking at you through his hand as he pressed his fingers to his nose bridge. Hyunjin then sighs through his nose, eyes falling to your raising chest with a frown. “I will never forgive them about that, I would kill them if it was possible–“

You walk up to him at that, hands grasping onto the material of his suit. “That doesn’t matter anymore.” It does and you know it. He only lets you bewitch him into thinking that it doesn’t. You both don’t know what to truly think, but one thing is certain — you are alive. Your skin is still warm under his hands, he can still hear your heart beating. Hyunjin is distracted by your beauty once more and he truly thinks you must be some kind of enchantress. So, your next question really makes him twitch.

“That man…is he your maker?”

He instantly knows, who you are talking about and his lips form into thin line at the reminder, but he holds himself together. He doesn’t burst into anger at the memory of him — him touching you so boldly, right infront of everyone, right infront of him. Hyunjin only nods, head hanging low, before he glances at you from beneath his eyelashes. “Taehyung.” He says, letting you put a name to his face finally, not missing the bitterness in his voice as he says his name. “Did he tell you that?”

You blink at the tone, shaking your head. “No, I just had this feeling…” You can’t describe it. Maybe it was because he reminded you of Hyunjin in some way, maybe you just knew somehow. Maybe you knew, because of the interaction in this room between you three or maybe it were the looks being shared between them. Maybe it was his touch…

You have to shake off the sudden thought, hand touching your forehead. Your head hurts from everything and you can feel the pain pulse under your fingers. “I’m tired…” You whisper, sighing at the wave of exhaustion, feeling Hyunjin’s hand on yours.

“You can rest now.” He says, rubbing soft circles onto your skin, but even with your pulsing head you open your mouth to ask him something — the thing that made you speak to him in the first place.

“Hyunjin…” Your look of sadness and the whisper of his name in a plea makes him tremble for a moment, but his shoulders quickly slump at your next words. “I want to go home.“ You say, reminiscing the faces of the people you left behind, the ones you miss so badly and care for so deeply. “I want to see my own family, I want to see them-“

Hyunjin can feel your pulse quickening and hear your breaths come out short, shushing you softly. “Alright.” He nods, smiling softly at you and he gleams at your look of thankfulness, before he pulls you closer to him again. You had never felt so safe and warm like this in someone’s arms before — not like this. “But for now, stay with me for a little while. I want to enjoy my beautiful bride a little longer.”

The title makes you warm inside, smiling into his chest and you know he can feel your lips stretching on his skin. “Alright.” You repeat, your smile not leaving you and Hyunjin can’t help, but do the same. However you don’t see the flash of emotion in his blue colored eyes…

Dismay.

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