Shyly and a little awkwardly Sungyeol tread through the long corridor, bowing and flashing timid smiles here and there as some Vampires passing along recognize him… some smile widely and some look lost as to how they should treat him, but deep down Sungyeol could tell their greetings were sincere. Obviously they all loved Myungsoo and apparently Myungsoo and Sungyeol came as a package deal thus they respected Sungyeol all the more.

Sungyeol had woken up all alone in the pitch black room. A little disappointed, but he had concluded Myungsoo didn’t woke him like before just to let him rest some more. Then after a fierce tug-of-war… where poor Sungyeol himself was the rope… with Woohyun, who wouldn’t let him go out until he finish the food he had made with so much love… and Sungyeol was still grimacing at the most salty and tasteless egg roll he had to push down his throat, now he understood what his mate had meant by not falling for his so-called cook dad.

Sungyeol was thinking about where he could possibly find Myungsoo, since the elder was nowhere to be found inside the Mansion, when he noticed a figure sitting down on the stair right outside the main Mansion door. Keeping his silence Sungyeol flumped down beside the hunched down figure but before he could say anything…

“Hey,” Myungsoo mumbled, without breaking his eye contact with the plain ground under his feet.

“Hey,” Sungyeol muttered back. “Is everything alright around here? Nothing bad happened right?”

“Quite weirdly… everything is fine.” Myungsoo heaved a sigh before looking straight at the forest ahead of them.

“Huh?” Sungyeol tilted his head in confusion, clearly baffled by his mate’s hollow voice… what was going through that complex head of his??

“The men, that I sensed, that were keeping an eye on us are gone…” Myungsoo enlightened his mate, but his defeated stance didn’t changed and that worried Sungyeol.

“But that is good… right? I mean, they are not a threat to us anymore.” Sungyeol mumbled softly.

Myungsoo finally turned to look at Sungyeol, with his eyes as dead and hollow as his voice had been, before he said in a voice lacing graveness, “It’s the quiet before the storm, Sungyeollie… that’s what worries me.”

Sungyeol bit his lip nervously, not knowing what to say anymore. He could all pretend to be really intelligent and quick witted but in reality he was only 18 and his mind couldn’t think as deeply as his ancient mate.

“Wanna take a walk with me, in the forest?” Suddenly there was a 180 degree change in Myungsoo’s voice and his expressions, it took Sungyeol by surprise but the word ‘forest’ made his eyes to lit up, like a child being granted his favorite sweet, and he nodded quite enthusiastically making a bright smile to break on Myungsoo’s face before he held out a hand for Sungyeol to take and soon both of them were walking away from the Mansion, hand in hand, under the inky black sky with a moon few days younger than full moon stalking them.

“There are a few things I don’t understand from our last night visit,” Sungyeol broke the peaceful silence between them since his curious soul was itching to ask a few things. “Had that Witch always been like that?? I mean you did say she was evil but I never imagine her to flaunt that fact like this.”

Myungsoo chuckled lightly as he caressed the back of Sungyeol’s hand with his thumb before saying, “She was not like this before… well she always hated me and father, that’s for sure, but she never showed that in front of dad. Now you can guess what kind of nasty shock my dad would have gotten after last night…”

“Oh you don’t need to tell me, I have been a victim of it and endure the torture firsthand,” Sungyeol grumbled in annoyance but when Myungsoo rose an eyebrow in curiosity he went on. “He insisted to make food for me since he was ‘grieving’ and needed to ‘distract’ himself… and now I would never be able to look at eggrolls like I used to before.”

Myungsoo laughed loudly and the melodious sound made Sungyeol to smile widely as well… it was a reflex action, Sungyeol couldn’t help but feel warm and content to see Myungsoo happy.

“Anyways, if she wasn’t like this before then what was she like?” Sungyeol steered them back to the topic at hand.

“She was secretive… she wanted me dead thus she used a lot of ways, but always hoping nobody would know it’s her doing.” Myungsoo mused as he suddenly came to a stop, naturally making Sungyeol to stop as well, and the Vampire turned to face his mate. “I told you about a witch who helped your grandfather infiltrate our castle, 5 decades ago, remember?” When Sungyeol nodded quickly, Myungsoo went on. “Her name was Helena… a decade and a half after the attack, I found her. I only wanted information about my father but under the pressure she gave up and let me on a few other things… like how she was actually working for the Northern Witch and also the great mystery of how each and every mate of mine was brainwashed to hate and kill me…”

“Oh God!!” Sungyeol gasped in shock. “She is the real enemy.”

“Yup, she is the real enemy.”

“Now what? What do you think she is thinking? What could be her plans now??” Sungyeol asked in panic, worried for his mate’s life… how he wishes he could find a way to break off the curse from his mate, because he knew that was the only thing that would make that witch back off.

“I don’t know… I really don’t know…” Myungsoo mumbled in defeat, the exhaustion on his face making him look older than usual. “She would never let us on her plans… her mind is too complex and that is what worries me the most… and I would be lying if I said I am not scared.”

“Hey,” Sungyeol whispered as he slowly cupped Myungsoo’s face. “I am here for you… I won’t let anything happen to you…”

Peel of laughter erupted out of Myungsoo, making Sungyeol to frown in confusion.

“It’s not me I am worried about… it’s you that worries me,” Myungsoo explained. “She knows you are my biggest weakness right now and I am scared she will go after you…” Understanding flashed across Sungyeol’s features before Myungsoo tenderly gathered his mate’s face in his cold hands. “Just promise me one thing… no matter what happens, you will not leave my sight or side, because otherwise I won’t be able to protect you… and in all honesty, if this time I lost you Sungyeol, I feel like I might not be able to survive…”

Sungyeol gazed in Myungsoo’s burning eyes and the sincerity in them shone brightly, making Sungyeol to nod hesitantly before he took off his mate’s hand from his face and gave a tender and promise kiss to it, “I won’t… I promise.”

*=*=*=*=*=*

Dongwoo came to stand still with his paws nervously digging the ground under him and his eyes scanning the area, hoping to catch some- or any- sign that could indicate whether he was at the right spot or not, with a small black bag hanging from his mouth. He knew he was at the extreme West end of the forest… the place the thick streak had directed at and the place Kyuhyun had gone missing but now that he was here… he was extremely confused.

Dongwoo had planned to change into his human form before approaching the enemies, hoping to signal them that he wasn’t there to cause any harm or war, but now standing here- in his wolf form- clueless, he felt like the dumbest person alive. What had he been hoping for?? That he would walk right in the middle of a Vampire gathering if he kept going this way?? He sure was stupid!! What was