Seven days ago, Eunhyuk used his creepy Medusa magic on Tao.

Seven days ago was the last time Kris saw the latter's lively chocolate brown eyes.  

Not a word from the E.L.P has reached his ears since then, leaving him more than just a little uneasy and halfway up a wall. A thunderous sigh escapes his lips as he rips his gaze from the garden beyond his window to the occupied bed across the room where an unconscious Tao sleeps. For a while, he simply eyes his limp body and listens to the faint beep of the monitor and the drip of the IV. Unknowingly, he inches himself toward the sizable bed with light steps, easing down next to Tao's head as gently as possible. 

Kris' hand moves with a mind of his own to touch the nearest cheek, the thumb smoothing its way down a curve of bronzed skin. Cool, even breaths dust over the skin of his wrist, a slight relief that Tao is only asleep and not gone. Further upward, eyelashes quiver oh-so delicately, and it almost tricks Kris into beliveing the eyes behind those lids will reveal themselves, but he knows better than that. A victim only escapes from Eunhyuk if the man himself so decides he'll release his hold. 

Within the span of almost three months, Kris has managed to be converted into a sappy, angsty teen all because of a singular person -- though it's not like his feelings are all Tao's fault. Five years have passed since he learned of his mate's identity, five years of knowing without a second of contact until now. It's almost as if he wants to make up for the loss of togetherness both he and Tao faced over the course, but it's proven to be the worst of ideas and a poor plan of action. He's a vampire. Tao isn't. He adores Tao to the point of wanting to spill about everything. Tao can't know about him or their kind. 

It's a constant struggle with himself to fight the tug he feels in his chest because as long as Kris is a vampire with enemies, he can't dare bring himself to drag Tao down with him. He's not the perfect hot bod with fangs depicted in the human love stories he's seen; he's more of a danger for reasons other than being a bloodsucker, and he'd rather Tao remain out of it. 

Yet even as he thinks this, he can't help but notice the fact that he's already ruined Tao's life with a simple coffee date. 

So involved in his thoughts, Kris doesn't notice the slim figure slipping into the room, weighed down by a loaded black backpack, but all it takes if a tiny tap on his shoulder for him to force the intruder into a chokehold. 

"Woah, Kris, calm down. It's just me, Yixing," comes a familiar voice he's all too familar with. 

He immidiately drops his arms from Yixing's necklike he's been burned, and he tries a bit harder than he likes to admit to scurry in front of the younger man in apology. 

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Yixing. I've been a bit high strung lately and just assumed you were an intruder."

"It's fine; I understand why you did it. I kind of figured you'd be going a bit crazy at this point what with the E.L.P and all." 

As he speaks, Yixing makes his way over to Tao's side of the bed, checking his vitals and condition like he's done for the last five days the man has been unconscious. A quick glance at the clock on Kris' nightstand slaps him in the face with the fact that it's not abnormal for Yixing to show up at this time. In fact, he should have expected the visit, only proving the latter right about Kris needing to straighten the heavy head on his shoulders. 

"There's been no message, no warning, no sign of any of the members. I don't know when they'll attack or what their strategy is. I haven't been able to get myself to leave this room because of the fear of them taking Tao when I'm not there to protect him. Kyungsoo's locked himself in his room again for whatever reason, so I don't have the extra power or eyes to waltz through those doors without a care. I just don't know what to do, what to think, anymore." 

Yixing jots something down on a piece of paper attached to a clipboard that holds all of Tao's vitals and health-related information. He opens the bag once more and pulls out two empty vials and a needle, and Kris realizes that it's to draw blood after he removes Tao's arm from under the heavy blankets and cleans the crook of it with an alcohol prep pad. 

"I don't know what to say, Kris, but I do know for a fact that you need to get out of this room, even if it's only for a few minutes. I know that you want to stay by his side, but some fresh air and a change in scenery could do you some good, you know. You're not human, I get that, and you're also not invencible; stress affects you as much as it would me if not worse. Look, I'll ask Joonmyeono send someone up to trade spots with you when I'm finished with Tao, so go outside or something and stop worrying so much. If they haven't shown up yet, I don't think they'll show up now."

A loud zip echoes throughout the impressive room as Yixing shoves the two vials in a side pocket and hauls the bag onto his back with a huff. He quietly sighs and sends a look to Kris before saying, "As for Tao's health, he's perfectly fine, though I think some nutrients through the IV would do him some good, considering the fact that Eunhyuk's...whatever...doesn't bother with the fact that Tao can't eat or drink in his sleep. I'll run a few test to make sure there isn't any imbalance, but there's nothing major to worry about. Now, I'm going to talk to Joon and check up on the Kyungsoo problem. Get some rest!"

Just as quickly as he'd come, Yixing hastily leaves the room with a short wave, weaving his way through the expansive space and zooming straight out of the heavy wooden doors. 

Kris takes a seat on the edge of the bed as soon as the doors are securely shut and lets his head fall into his hands. He heaves a hefty sigh. Yixing's words ring throughout his mind as he conemplates his commands. It's a no brainer that a stressed vampire is a hazardous vampire, and anyone can see that Kris is clearly a perfect fit for the description. The four walls with only so few windows can only do so much to allow him the space he needs away from the dormant Tao and the stiffness of the air. Besides, it's only a few minutes that he'll be gone, and he can come right back and watch over Tao when he's done. He can last that long, can't he? 

Before he can even think to change his mind, Kris rises from his spot and decides that the garden just below his window is where he'll get his fresh air. He'll just take a speedy stroll and head to his room in the fifteen minutes he's allotting himself. He's dressed in his usual garb of slacks and a black button down and only bothers to throw on a pair of his comfortable dress shoes and comb his fingers through his hair before he's up and heading for the door. He makes sure to sling a watch on his wrist to keep up with how long he's been out. 

Hand on the door knob, he hesitates. Kris swiftly turns on his feet and heads back to where Tao is lain, cupping the mans face in his larger hands and plopping a soft but firm kiss on his forehead before he goes. He gives Tao's closest hand a squeeze and his red hair a quick ruffle, and he's out of the door before he decides to stay.  

Fifteen minutes. No more. No less. 

Henry's a genius. At least, he thinks he's a genius, a ing great genius. 

It's almost funny how readily people and vampires alike will give in to a bit of "coaxing", specifically two of the many guards positioned near the east wing. It was bribery really, but he got the information he needed to complete the plan he completely revised. From there, it was all too easy to corner them when they took a regularly scheduled break at their regularly visited meeting spot. They played right into his palm, just like he knew they would, and he almost feels bad as he knocks them unconsious with a few hits to the right places. 

Henry deposits the bulky guards into the closet of the room, which he hopes is inhabited, they tend to use for their rendevous and begins to make his way to the part of the estate where he knows Kris' second in charge will be, a fact he knows thanks to the two goons. It's a risky trip for sure, considering only select Chosen are allowed in the area, and he's completely positive he saw Lay wandering around earlier; but it's a risk he's willing to take if it means he can finally high-tail it out of this wackadoodle estate. Honestly, if he has to deal with Chanyeol's creepy smile or tell Sehun to off again, he's going to lose it. 

With a sharp turn and a lengthy trip down a corridor, he's in the area he was previously told about: the long hallway that holds the rooms of Kris' dearest. He knows that if he walks all the way down and takes a right, there will be a set of double doors. He knows that behind those double doors is undoubtedly going to be Joonmyeon's room, the man of the hour. 

Tiptoeing, he heads towards his set destination, passing a weeping Kyungsoo's room, which is placed away from the others, and stopping in a corner with more shadows than he could ever ask for. It's almost too easy to blend in right next to the towering doors, and his ability to cloak the fact that he's even a vampire makes it so simple that he doesn't know why he bothers to hide. Due to this though, he has to press an ear against the door to clearly understand the conversation just beyond the wall. Inside, he finds that he was correct about Lay, the man currently in the room chatting with Suho on what he assumes is a bed if the rustling is anything to go by. 

"Tao doing okay?" he hears Suho mutter, the smacking sound of a kiss following his words. 

"Tao's perfectly fine. It's Kris and Kyungsoo that I'm worried about." 

"Why is that? Is something wrong with them?" 

"Kris hasn't come out of his room for days, and I can tell it's driving him crazy. As for Kyungsoo, he's doing it again."

"I know; I hear him every night I try to sleep. It's as unbearable now as it was then." 

"Did something happen to trigger his memories? I know that he's not his old self yet, but he was doing so well for years now. He hides the fact that he's sensitive behind walls, but a little gust of wind wouldn't send them all tumbling. Kyungsoo isn't the type to break down for no good reason." 

Huh. It seems that Henry hurt Kyungsoo more than he first thought. Sure, it was his intention at the time to get the man out of the way while he completed his mission, yet he never expectd this to happen, for Kyungsoo to shut himself off from the rest of the world. It's almost a bit disappointing to hear, honestly, that the shorter male isn't nearly as tough as he acts. They're so alike, so similar in stealth and style. He'd expected more of a fight when he provoked Kyungsoo, not a lump of grief and tears that wouldn't bother with him. 

"Believe me, I've tried to talk to him and figure out the problem, Xing. We've all tried so hard to get to him, but we can barely make it past his door without him forcing us out. And there's no way we can squeeze it out of him, or he really will break down. He's simply too fragile right now to tip over the edge. On another note, how is Kris's situation?" 

"Not good either. He's stressing himself out, so I told him to go out and take a break from being cooped up in that room. I don't know if he listened to me at all. By th way, I meant to ask if you knew anyone to replace Kyungsoo for the time being. Kris won't leave because he wants to protect Tao. If someone's there to take his place, he won't be so stubborn about it." 

"A replacement? I would recommend Baekhyun, but he gets distracted and could never sit in one room for so long. Truthfully, they're all reasonably strong, but I think Sehun might be more fit for the job. He has more of an emotional attachment to Tao than any of us do and wouldn't hesitate to fight for him if need be. He's powerful, almost as much as Kyungsoo really. It wouldn't be easy, but it wouldn't be hard for him to fight off an E.L.P member." 

"Then he'll do just fine. I'm going to let him know and come right back."

"Don't be too long," 

He can fight off an E.L.P member? Who the hell do these people think they're dealing with? They speak as if they're talking about Sehun stomping a roach, not battling some high-tier, badass, vampire clan, and Henry is completely affended. He's plenty strong all on his own. Heck, he's probably even stronger than Kyungsoo, and if that stupid kid can't beat Kyungsoo, then there is no way in this world Henry is about to be outsmarted in his own game. 

The squeaking of old door hinges breaks him out of his reverie and causes him to snap up and into the shadows. Out of the room comes Lay, his thin figure slipping through the crack he made before swiftly turning to shut the door behind him. 

Henry continues to slink in the shadows behind him until they reach an area that's almost too perfect: a place where he can't be seen or heard. He can't run the risk of someone like Luhan or Chanyeol rushing out of their rooms and catching him in the act. But he has to take action soon, for Lay is a set of stairs and a hallway away from reaching the youngster on his mind. 

When he processes that it's time to do his job, Henry attacks the oblivious Lay, quickly wrapping one hand over his mouth and the other over his throat, a short blade of the many he kept on his person at all times raised and ready to strike. 

"Peek-a-boo," Henry whispers into his ear, taking care to blow as well simply because he knows it's one of Lay's pet peeves.

Muffled words fill up the eerie silence as Lay stuggles to get out of his grip, but Henry holds him firmly from behind and presses his weapon even closer to skin.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Be a good boy, and keep still for me, would you? Maybe I'll give you a sticker after I'm done. Or would you prefer a lollipop? Maybe some gum?" 

He can feel Lay shaking under his tight hold, and he feels amazing because of it. He already has this plan in the bag, only two steps left and he'll be on his way to his own estate. He wastes no time with completing one of the remaining two, quickly putting Lay to sleep with no effort at all and carrying him into the empty room he'd shoved the guards in. He throws the limp body into the closet with the other two and shuts the door with an exaggerated click, exiting the room entirely when the job is done. 

It does't take him very long to reach the east wing, Kris's famed dungeon. He even stalks right in without any hesitation, remembering to continue his humble human Chosen act as he goes, bowing his head to every guard he passed. Before long, he figures out where Kris's actual room is (he went to the wrong one twice because Kris really is ing smarter than he thought) and greets the guards positioned there with a full, ninety-degree bow.

"Who are you, and why are you here? You aren't either of the Chosen allowed to access the east wing," says a colossal, burly man that has Henry legitimately shaking in his boots. He may have been the strongest vampire between them, but damn, this dude is huge. 

"M-my name is Henry, and I was instructed by Suho to come here and watch over Tao while Kris is out," Henry lies, clearing his throat to get rid of the stutter of fear.

"Do you have something to show Suho vouching for you?"

. 

He'd forgotten about the ridiculous voucher thing this clan used. He can almost hear Baekhyun whining in his ear about not being able to go into the "restricted" areas without being anyone from Kris's weirdo squad or someone with a voucher from said weirdos. It was complicated, too intricate, and totally unnecessary in his eyes, so he never really followed the rule. Then again, Henry followed no one's rules but his own.

"Not anything physical. He said to call him up to verify that he told me to come here. Now, if you would so kindly step out of my way, I can get started on doing my job. I don't particularly want to get yelled at by Mr. Big Man today." 

Henry harshly shoves the brute as he walks past him and into Kris's room, which is still overly large (seriously, what was up with the room sizes here? This room was the size of an entire apartment and still managed to be smaller than the master bedroom) and way more falmboyant than he expected from someone like Kris. Everything is in the classy colors of black and white, with a few grays and splashes of bright red thrown in every now and then. The carpet is plush under his raggety boots, and the bed looks even softer then the one he usually sleeps on every night. 

On said bed lies the man he's spent so many days looking forward to kidnapping. Now that he's seeing him in something that isn't a blurry photograph taken from afar, he thinks that Tao is just as Eunhyuk described: cute. He's tall, probably tall enough to complement Kris's towering height, and gorgeously tanned, his red hair bringing out his skin tone very nicely. His body is slim and limbs lanky-looking, and Henry thinks he'd be a nice mate to have. It brings back that guilty feeling he had when he'd first arrived and saw that depressed look on Kris's face when he spoke about Tao, but he has to do this. He has to show his clan that he is smarter and much more capable than they believe him to be. He can't fail this mission solely because he thought the leader's mate was hot. 

A quick scan around the room later, Henry has an escape route in mind and is ready to impliment it as soon as possible. He dashes over to the sleeping Tao and carefully removes the IV needles stuck in his hand, covering it with a badage he found on the dresser before turning off the machine monitoring his vitals and removing the little stickers from his body. He hates to do it, but he throws Tao's body over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and heads to the window closest to the far left wall, where a balcony pokes out into the garden. Seeing as the floor he's on isn't very high for him in the slightest, he nimbly creeps down to the ground, landing like a cat when he let go of his only safety. 

Standing by a bush of frosted, winter-blooming camellias located opposite of him is Kris, though he's more-so keeping an eye on his watch than sniffing the perfume the flowers give off. It gives Henry enough cover the sneak through the shadows to the nearest exit: the way he entered the estate in the first place. 

Once he's through the gate, he releases a sigh and sets Tao's body down next to him, careful to keep him as unblemished as possible; it wouldn't be so clear for long, he knows, yet he wants to preserve it while he can. He's still got to somehow get completely off of the estate property and to his own home, but it'll be a piece of cake for him. He's done jobs like this far too many times for escaping to still be difficult. 

But now, the worst is over. He kidnapped Tao from their enemy without them finding out. He cando this; the rest is easy. Yet he can't help but find himself rethinking what he's done. 

Is this really such a great idea in the first place?

And is Kris even the real enemy here?

I realize that I at updating on a set schedule, so I'm so sorry for giving you guys updates so late all the time T_T. I always say that I'll try to update sooner and that honestly hasn't happened thus far. I'm already working on the next chapter to make up for lost time, and I WILL get it out as soon as it's complete. Thank you to all of those who subscribed and to those of you still stay subscribed ^^ I hope you'll enjoy the chapters to come. ^^

Please comment and tell me what you think. I could use you guys' ideas on what you'd like to see happen later on ^^ Thank you again!