He liked being alone. No tearful goodbyes, no hurtful attachments. He was free to come and go as he pleased, no one to tie him down. Sure, after three hundred years, he had connections all over the world, but they were just acquaintances, people to just help him get through life when he needed a little extra help.

Like Luhan.

It still amused him how that little pretty boy decided to become a public worker, spending most of his days down in a basement under harsh florescent lighting that highlighted his pale, undead skin, surrounded by rotting flesh. If humans couldn’t stand the smell, imagine how a vampire felt.

But today was one of those days were Luhan’s position came in handy.

Kris needed information. He’d caught the scent of an old adversary - one he’d lost track of decades ago - right here in his own territory. A ruthless vampire who needed to be put down. If anyone in the city were to know about a rise in vampire-on-human attacks, Luhan would be the one to contact.

The precinct was busy, loud and overcrowded with people begging not to be locked up, when he arrived. No one paid him any attention as he strolled down the hallway and to the elevator, pressing the button to call it. While waiting for its arrival, the sound of tears caught his attention. Looking around, he found you, sitting at one of the detectives’ desks with a police standard jacket around your shoulders.

You weren’t wailing or sobbing hysterically. Just sitting there with a blank face as tears rolled down your red cheeks. Occasionally, you sniffed, creating the soft noise that caught Kris’s attention in the first place. No one seemed to be paying vulnerable little you any mind. It was depressing.

Shaking his head, he turned back when the elevator dinged at him and hit the button for the basement with just a little too much force.

Luhan was busy writing something down on a clipboard when he arrived. He didn’t even look up to acknowledge his old friend even though he certainly heard his steps from the hallway, maybe even from the floor above.

“I’ve actually been expecting you to arrive sooner or later,” the coroner chuckled, finally looking up.

Kris leaned against an empty slab, his hands in the pockets of his designer coat. Not that he actually needed one. He just liked how it looked.

“Well, you are basically psychic,” he teased.

“No. Just intuitive.” Luhan walked over to the wall that housed the newly arrived corpses and pulled out a drawer as Kris joined him. On the cold slab was a young woman, maybe in her early to mid-twenties. Pretty except for the thick red slash that tore up . “I haven’t done the autopsy yet. I was waiting for you to arrive. Although, to be honest, I don’t really need to do one.”

Kris frowned thoughtfully. “Was it him?”

“That’s my guess.” Luhan gently pushed the woman’s hair away from her neck, showing off the side where the cut was deepest and brutally applied. “I found two puncture wounds hidden beneath the cut. Obviously vampire. This isn’t an unusual way for vampires to cover their tracks but–” he stopped.

“But what?” Kris urged.

Luhan sighed. “Did you see the girl crying upstairs? Pretty? Sitting at the detective’s desk?” Kris nodded. “This is the second person connected to her that’s died. In this exact way. And both bodies were left around like they were meant to be found.”

Kris’s eyes flashed red. The sudden changed didn’t scared Luhan like it might have with any human. He’d fully expected this to happen.

“It is him,” Kris growled. “This time, I’ll get him. And I’ll rip his throat out.”

Luhan pushed the drawer back into its holding cell, closing the door on the poor girl. “Do it soon. Before he kills someone else.”

With a hard nod, Kris his heels, stalking back to the elevator to start his hunt.

“I’ll send you the target’s information!” Luhan called out after him. The taller vampire simply threw up his hand in acknowledgment.

**

You were waiting for the breakdown. For the moment where what you had found down in the laundry room of your apartment building to truly hit you. But the breakdown didn’t come. Tears rolled down your face, but you didn’t really cry. And that’s all you wanted to do right now.

After what seemed like an hour, the detective finally came back with a cup of tea, handing it to you.

“Thank you,” you whispered.

The detective nodded. “Now, (y/n), tell me about Jisoo and what might have happened.”

You took a sip of the bitter tea and shrugged. “I don’t really know what happened. Jisoo and I were close. We were around the same age–”

“You’re her neighbor, correct?” he interrupted.

You nodded. “Yes. For the past two years. Every Friday night after work, we’d go down to the laundry room. Hardly anyone else uses it at that time since they’re all out. We’d just talk about life, our jobs, family while doing our laundry. I was late getting off today so when she didn’t answer her door, I figured she already went down. When I got there, she was… she was–” your throat constricted at the memory.

Jisoo, lying on the dirty concrete of the basement laundry room. Bright red blood gathered around her head like a sick halo from a cathedral portrait. Her eyes were open, staring up at nothing. She looked like she’d just been thrown down to the ground, whoever attacked her not caring about the aftermath.

You shook your head, not able to voice the images to life.

“That’s okay,” the detective said soothingly, rubbing your arm as a means of comfort. “Did Jisoo have any enemies that you know about? Anyone who didn’t like her?”

Again, you shook your head. “No. She tried to be friendly with everyone.”

“Did she complain about anyone ever?”

“No.” You sighed, “No one, but Ryan from work. But he’s just a .”

That peaked the detective’s interest. “Did he try advances on Jisoo? Is that what made her uncomfortable?”

“N-no,” you stuttered. “He just shares a bit too much about his personal life. I met him once, when we went out. Even drunk, he never tried anything on Jisoo.”

That disappointed him. “Alright. I’ll get one of the patrol officers to take you home. Here’s my card, in case you think of anything else.”

To your relief, the officer who drove you back to your apartment didn’t say anything, just letting the occasional radio message break the silence. He saw you all the way up to your door on the fifth level. Jisoo’s own door across the hall had crime scene tape to stop anyone from entering in case they needed to gather more evidence or clues.

You thanked the officer and went inside.

Just do your normal routine, you told yourself. And so you did. You changed into your pajamas, washed your face, brushed your teeth, and climbed into bed. But it was there in the dark, with the sound of the city attacking your window, that it hit you. Finally, with your face hidden in your knees, you were able to sob at the loss of your friend.

**

Two weeks had gone by since that terrible night and you were sure you were losing it. Maybe you should see a therapist.

You can’t afford a therapist.

Well, maybe you should just get a new job.

But you loved the bookstore, so living in constant paranoia was your only option. It was probably only your imagination, anyway. Your very active imagination.

In the corner of your eye as you walked down the street to your job or the grocery store, you would see a looming shadow. By the time you turned to get a better look, it’d be gone. There were times where you just felt like you were being watched. But no one was ever around.

Today, though, you were a bit more relaxed once you arrived at the small bookshop you called your second home. Your mother often complained that you could do better, but you were the assistant manager and with Bruce about to retire within the next year or so, you were next in line to be in charge. Why try to start over somewhere else?

A few customers milled about the store, but you deemed it safe to leave the register. The pile of returns and donations was getting high and you knew that Dani would never get all of them put away by herself. Grabbing a good number of books, you started wandering about the store, finding the rightful places for the novels.

Being surrounded by the pages of other people’s stories made you feel better. More comfortable. The smell of old books took you back to leafing through your grandfather’s personal library. He never threw away a good book and it drove your grandmother crazy.

Finding the ‘Gs’, you started to put the book on top away until you recognized the binding. It was the last book that Mr. Kim - your favorite regular customer - had purchased before he passed. You weren’t sure of the details, but someone said he had fallen down the stairs and hit his head. It was a terrible way for him to go. He’d been so sweet, coming in two or three times a week, sharing stories of his younger days with you. You had liked to think of him as another grandparent you could turn to.

Releasing a heavy sigh, you put the book away and searched for the next one. Naturally, its proper place was on the highest shelf, just out of your reach. You looked around, but the only ladder in the shop was currently being used by Dani, who was like a living elf with her small stature. Being the stubborn person you were, you just decided that you would get it up there yourself. You stretched your legs, reached out your arm as far as it could go, and were on the very tips of your toes, but you still couldn’t reach it.

A large hand appeared from nowhere, taking the book from you and placing it on the shelf. Gasping in surprise, you whirled around to face the stranger, nearly toppling over the remaining books in your hands.

“Whoa, there,” the stranger chuckled, steadying the pile. His long fingers were just barely touching yours. They were abnormally cold, but you brushed it off to poor circulation.

“Th-thank you.” Oh, great. You had stuttered and now you could feel your cheeks getting warm. But you couldn’t help it. The stranger was handsome, tall, and there was very little room between the two of you due to the closeness of the shelves.

“You’re welcome,” he smiled. Of course, it was a dazzling smile. He bowed his head politely. “I’m Kris.”

“(y/n),” you bowed back. Clearing your throat, you asked, “Is there anything I can help you find?”

“Yeah, I was looking for your supernatural selection.” There was a shimmer in his eyes that gave you the impression that he was silently laughing to himself.

“Of course,” you motioned with your head. “Follow me.” You led him to the back where his desired taste was stored. “Just let me know if you need anything else.”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

Trying hold your smile down to a friendly level, you nodded back and scurried out of there.

You really wanted to see him again. He was attractive and polite. And tall guys were your weakness. But he didn’t buy anything and by the end of the week, he hadn’t returned to the store.

Sundays were your main day off, so you did what you’d always done and went down to your favorite little coffee café with your newest book in hand. Taking a window seat near the door, you ordered a tea and sat back in the chair, cracking open the book.

You used to love mysteries, the thrill of trying to figure out who killed the victim and why as the main character tried not to be next. But ever since Jisoo, they just gave you nightmares of finding her body. So, instead, you’d turned to classic romances, like Jane Austen. You knew it was cliché, but you hadn’t read them before and they were giving you a comfortable place to run to.

So lost in the world of Austen, you didn’t notice the leg nearing your table until it was too late. The leg jostled the table enough to spill your now lukewarm tea.

“I’m so sorry!” The other patron was already cleaning up the liquid with a handful of napkins.

“It’s alright.” You put your book down in your lap and you jaw dropped when you saw who it was that had run into your table. “Kris?”

His eyes lit up when he recognized you. “(Y/n)! Wow, this is embarrassing.” Once the table was dry, he threw away the napkins and picked up the now empty cup. “Let me by you a new one.”

“Oh, no, that-” You were too late. He was already at the counter, ordering you another drink.

When he came back, he set down your tea before sitting in the chair across from you and taking a sip of his own coffee. “So, is it your day off?”

You nodded, bookmarking your place and setting the novel aside. “Uh-huh. I like this place, so I tend to come here every time I don’t work.”

“It’s a nice little café,” he agreed. “So, how long have you worked at the shop?”

And just like that, you were telling Kris basically your life story. He told you a few vague details about himself here and there when you asked, but he always turned the conversation back to you. Typically, you preferred to be left alone when you were reading, but you couldn’t be mad at this interruption.

Kris was funny, often making both you and himself laugh. You liked the sound of it; the way his deep chuckles mixed with your own obnoxious giggles. He was smart, too, often randomly dropping facts that you hadn’t known before. He seemed to like surprising you and throwing you off guard.

After a few hours, you had to leave, but before you could stand up, he grabbed your hand.

“Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?” he asked.

With your face heating up, you nodded, giving him your number. He said he would call you with a time and so he’d know where to pick you up. You could hardly wait.

**

Kris knew this was creepy. No one had to point it out to him. But he still couldn’t will himself to move.

When you’d left the café he’d followed you, just to make sure you made it home safe. He’d been following you for a while now, trying to see if he could catch Taejo on your trail while keeping an eye on you. That sadistic vampire always liked playing with his targeted victims, killing people around them until they realized that they were next. But he never showed. And Luhan confirmed that the only person who connected your neighbor and that old man – Kim something – was you.

So, Kris had to take things to the next level. He knew that their hatred for each other was strong, so if he made his presence known, maybe Taejo would slip up or confront him. That’s what dinner tomorrow was about.

At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

He hadn’t meant to enjoy talking to you so much. It’d been nearly two hundred and fifty years since he allowed himself close to a human. To have a conversation with meaning with a human. And there you were, fascinating him with every little reaction, every little subtle movement. It was irritating him.

And yet, here he was, sitting on your fire escape and watching you sleep. He hadn’t moved much since you arrived home and settled down in your room. Even when you left to go take a shower and get ready for bed. Now you were fast asleep in an over-sized sweater and a pair of very tempting shorts.

Kris let out a low hiss at the thought, knocking his head against the glass. Dumb idea.

The sudden noise pulled you from your sleep, making your eyes snap open. Kris crouched down, cursing for the first time his too-long body as he tried to stay hidden and out of view of the window. He could hear your erratic heartbeat as you approached the window, only calming down when you found nothing. You settled back down on the bed and he decided it was time to leave.

He had a feeling he was going to be in big trouble if he didn’t watch himself.

**

You were on cloud nine. You’d been there for over a month since you went out to dinner with Kris and you felt like nothing could bring you down.

That first dinner with Kris was the most romantic date you’d ever had. He reserved a private balcony overlooking the skyline at one of the most in-demand restaurants in the city. You had a perfect view of the stars in the candlelight dinner. The two of you talked then entire time, never having a moment of awkwardness.

Kris was a perfect gentleman the entire night. Maybe a little too perfect of a gentleman. He didn’t kissed you goodnight and that worried you, making you think he didn’t have the same feeling about the date that you did. But that worry went away when he showed up at the bookstore the next day, just to see you.

And that’s how it’d been for a while now. He’d take you out or he’d come over to your place. At least three times a week, he’d come to the store to talk to you and keep you company. From the way he treated you to the little facets of his personality, he was everything you ever wanted. But he still hadn’t kissed you. And you just weren’t brave enough to take that step. You didn’t want to scare him away if he just wasn’t ready yet. But his lack of action was planting little seeds of doubt in your mind.

You were lost in this thought as the two of you walked hand in hand down the street to your apartment. Kris felt the sudden change in your mood.

“(Y/n)?”

You kept staring straight ahead. “Hm?”

He stopped your steps with a slight tug on your hand. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Embarrassed but not sure why, you just shrugged. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

The frown and creased forehead told you that he didn’t believe you, but he continued down the street, still holding tight to your hand. It was silence all the way to your door, even as you put the key in your lock to let yourself in. Getting a sudden sense of courage, you whirled on him.

“Do you even like me?”

His eyes widened. “What? Of course I like you, (y/n). That’s why I’ve been spending time with you.”

Your voice came out barely above a whisper as you stared down at the ground. “But that’s all you do.”

He sighed, his breath ruffling the hair against your forehead. Cautious fingers caressed both sides of your face before tilting your head up to him. A small, playful smile sat teasingly on his lips.

“You’re really cute when you’re pouting,” he told you softly.

As you opened your mouth to retaliate, he took his chance and brought his lips to yours.

He started off tender, as if he were scared you might break or run away. Kissing him back, you showed him that you weren’t going anywhere. You wrapped your arms around his neck, bring him closer to you. He trailed his fingers down your sides at an agonizingly slow pace, as if memorizing every curve. They didn’t stop at your hips like you’d expected, instead continuing down to your thighs before lifted you up and pinning you against the door.

Kris pulled away, looking up at you. “This is why I haven’t kissed you yet. I knew once I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop.”

You smirked, cradling his jaw with your palms. “Who asked you to?”

He shook his head at your challenge, diving in again and kissing you with more ferocity this time. It amazed you how he was able to keep at it while unlocking your door and carrying you inside gracefully.

Once again, you were caught between Kris and your door, now inside your apartment. You pulled away just for a second to get another lungful of air when something caught your eye. Wiggling out of Kris’s embrace and reaching out, you flipped on your light switch and screamed.

Written in thick red letters on your wall were the words “YOU’RE NEXT”.

Kris hid your face in his chest and pulled you out of the apartment while dialing nine-one-one. The authorities were there soon after. You were shaking in the hallway as they sent people in to search your home. Kris answered all questions for you and confirmed the two of you never made it past your front door. Words were going in your ears, but your mind wasn’t making sense of any of them, except one: blood.

A detective arrived at the scene, quickly speaking to one of the officers before approaching you.

“Miss (l/n)? This girl was found dead just a few hours ago. Do you know her?” She held out a picture to you. With an unstable hand, you took it and gasped.

Your knees gave out from under you and only Kris’s grip around your waist kept you from crumbling to the floor. The sobs made it impossible to answer.

“It’s her coworker, Dani,” Kris answered for you.

The detective nodded. “Is there somewhere you can stay tonight, Miss (l/n)? Where you’ll be safe?”

“She’ll stay with me,” Kris declared. Those four words made you feel so relieved you able to catch your breath and calm down just enough to speak again. You wanted away from here.

You whispered, “Can we go?”

The detective nodded and she turned away to her comrades.

You hardly paid attention as Kris drove you to his place. It was a fancy high-rise apartment building, but you couldn’t find it in you to be impressed.  

Kris was patient with you as the two of you slowly made it to his home. He ushered you inside, not stopping until you reached his bedroom. Still in the dark, he handed you a T-shirt.

“You can change into that, then we’ll go to bed.” He disappeared into the bathroom after giving you a soft kiss on your forehead, closing the door behind him.

It took you a moment to function again. The effort it took just to undress and put on Kris’s shirt exhausted you. The shirt itself was big on you, stopping just above mid-thigh. Before you might have been a little embarrassed. At this point, you couldn’t find it in you to care. In automatic mode, you slipped into his bed, settling underneath the covers. Kris came out just a few seconds later, smiling just a little bit at you.

He, too, had changed. Now he was in an old shirt with the sleeves cut off and pajama pants. Sitting down on the bed, he took your hand in his.

“It’ll be all right,” he promised.

You squeezed his hand. “You’ll stay with me, right?”

He seemed shocked at your request, but he gave in, slipping under the covers with you. “Of course.”

You wasted no time scooting in closer to him, letting him hold you as you managed to fall asleep peacefully.

When you woke up the next morning, Kris was gone. A small note left on the nightstand told you that he had to check up on something at work and would be home soon. You were a bit depressed that he wasn’t there, but all you could do was shrug it off and get out of bed.

Sitting down on the couch, you turned the TV on to the news. After the weather, the anchor turned serious. A picture of Dani appeared next to her on the screen.

“Twenty-five-year-old Dani Marcum was found brutally murdered last night in her home. The police are now suspecting that it could be linked to two other deaths: the murder of Jang Jisoo and Kim Kiwon.”

Your jaw dropped at that last name. You thought the death of Mr. Kim had been an accident, now they were calling it murder?

“All three bodies were found drained completely of blood. However, the amount found at the crime scenes was not enough for authorities to say that they simply bleed out where they were found. They are not sure where the rest of the blood as gone. The only theory is that killer drained the victims and took the blood with him, possibly as a sick souven–”

The TV shut off and Kris tossed the remote aside before joining you on the couch.

“(Y/n),” he whispered.

“Why me?” you screeched, turning to him with tears in your eyes. “Everyone around me is dying and now I’m next. Why is this happening to me?”

The answer you expected was that he didn’t know. The answer you were prepared to hear was that things like this happened and you couldn’t explain it. But that’s not what you received.

Kris took both your hands in his, eyebrows pulled tightly together as he searched for words. “(Y/n), what I’m about to tell you is going to sound crazy, but I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

You swallowed thickly, fearful of he was about to say, but nodding anyway.

“Okay. Good.” He scooted closer to you, meeting your eyes. “(Y/n), there is a world you don’t know about. A world you think is fictional, but is actually real. A world of supernatural creatures.”

You froze. Then you got mad.

Jumping to your feet, you started yelling. “Are you serious?! Three different people close to me were killed! And you’re going to tell me it was because vampires and werewolves are real!”

Before you could blink, Kris was in front of you, his hand over your mouth. That was impossible.

“Please, don’t yell,” he begged between gritted teeth. “I’m serious, (y/n). They’re real. Look.” He opened his mouth to reveal his two canine teeth had grown impossibly long. They shrank back again to a normal, uninteresting size. “We are real. That vampire that killed those people is after you. His name is Taejo. That’s why I’m telling you this.” Hesitantly, he removed his hand.

“W-why is he after me?” You still had trouble processing all of this, but what else could you do? The proof was right there in front of you.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “That’s just what he does. It’s his sick little game he likes to play. He finds a target, someone he thinks he can play with. Then kills those around them quickly before going after who he really wants. Those people die slowly and painfully.” He ran a hand through his hair, letting out an exasperated sigh. “I’ve been trying to find him, catch him before he can kill again, but he’s too fast. He’s older than me and more powerful. When I discovered you were his target, I knew I could finally do something.”

You lit up at that last comment. “You’ve been… trying to protect me?”

Kris flinched, looking down at you guiltily. “I… can’t honestly say that. (Y/n), I’ve been wanting to kill Taejo for the past two centuries. Back then, he killed the woman I loved before I could turn her, to protect her. Now I’m going to kill him before he can get to you. He just hasn’t shown his face yet.”

Your own face fell. “So, I was just bait?” You let out a humorless laugh. Of course you were. Why else would he just fall into your life after such a tragic event? Anger surged up side you, ready to boil over. “I can’t believe you!”

Kris took a step towards you, his hand reaching out. “(Y/n), it wasn’t like that. I mean, it may have started out that way, but now I–”

Smacking it away, you retreated. “NO! Don’t you dare try to justify what you’ve done! You played with me to get revenge! And I was stupid enough to fall for it. To fall for you! I actually was going to – ugh! I can’t even believe how stupid I’ve been!” The tears were falling now and you were frustrated with how much crying you’d done in the past month. “Just stay away from me! I hate you!”

Without thinking about it, you ran out the front door. The fact that the supernaturally gifted vampire didn’t come after you only solidified the fact that he really didn’t care about you.

Taking the stairs, you kept going until you were outside. That’s when reality hit you. You were still in Kris’s shirt and your underwear.

“!” The staircase had turned out to be the emergency exit, leading out to an alleyway. Which was now locked from the inside. “Great.”

Where the hell were you supposed to go?  You didn’t have your phone or wallet and your apartment was currently a crime scene.

“Well, I must say, I never pictured you looking so… delicious.”

You whirled around to find the sickly sweet voice that had called out to you. It belonged to an older man with sandy blond hair and almost sheet white skin. He was wearing ordinary clothes, like anyone else in their thirties might, but something inside you said he wasn’t normal.

“Hello, dear.”

Scared, you took a step back. Too fast for a human, the man appeared in front of you, grabbing both of your arms and pinning you to the wall. He smiled sadistically.

“You and I are going to have a lot of fun.” He knocked your head against the wall, taking away your consciousness.

**

You woke up hanging from a wall by your wrists. The warehouse was crumbling apart around you; windows broken in and covered by rotting wood, holes in the ceiling created by rust. The only things that seemed to be sturdy were the chains secured around your wrists that left you dangling against the cinder block wall.

“Oh, goody. You’re awake.”

The man from earlier appeared in front of you, raking his finger down your cheek.

“Kris should have known this would happen sooner or later.” He leaned close to your ear. “I always get my prey.”

You gasped. “Y-you’re Taejo?”

The psycho grinned when he pulled back. “At your service, my dear. I take it Kris ended up confessing to you?”

“Why me?!” you screamed, ignoring his own inquiry.

Taejo simply shrugged. “You happened to pass by and smell… so enticing. Your fear right now makes it even more mouthwatering.”

“You’re insane.”

“Maybe so,” he cackled. “But it’s fun. And Kris thought he could protect you from me.”

“He wasn’t trying to protect me.” You couldn’t stop yourself from correcting him. “I was just bait so he could get to you.”

Taejo shook his head. “Oh, dearie, how wrong you are. Sure, at first he simply wanted me to see him, thinking I might slip up since I hate him so much. But I’ve seen the way he looks at you, how he’d watch you as you slept, perched outside your window like a silent knight. He looks at you just as he looked at her. Which is going to make killing you even more fun.”

You couldn’t believe it. No, you wouldn’t. He was just messing with your head, playing his sick game. That’s what it had to be.

But as Taejo took a step towards you, he was suddenly pinned to the ground. Kris had his neck in his hands.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find you?” Kris hissed, his canines extended, sharp and dangerous.

Taejo laughed. “I was counting on it.” With a slam, he pinned Kris to the wall next you, their positions now switched. “I wanted you here, to watch me rip her apart like I did the last one. To make you suffer before I kill you once and for all. Or maybe I’ll keep you around as a pet.”

Kris let out a monstrous roar that shook you to the core. Filled with rage, he channeled it to throw Taejo across the room. From there they were engaged in a battle too quick for your human eyes to see anything beyond blurs. All you could do was wait and see who would come out on top. Snarls and hisses echoed throughout the warehouse as they crashed into old crates, crumbling them into sawdust.

Then the fighting stopped. Kris had Taejo’s head in his hands with a leg wrapped around his torso to keep him steady. Taejo clawed at Kris’s arms, but the scratches healed as quickly as they were formed.

“Just do it,” Taejo hissed.

“Gladly.”

Crying out, Kris yanked on Taejo’s head, ripping it from the rest of his body as it went limp. He threw the head away and immediately came to check on you, breaking the chains around your wrists and setting you free. With no energy left in your body, Kris caught you before you could tumble to the ground. Sitting down, he cradled you in his arms, cupping your jaw in his hand.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, placing a kiss on your forehead. “I’m so sorry.”

You blinked up at him, confused. Was Taejo right? “Why are you sorry? You got want you wanted.”

“But I almost lost you,” he countered.

“Why would that matter?” You struggled to sit up so your lungs could get more air. Kris helped you, but refused to let you leave his lap.

“Because I love you.” 

Your jaw dropped at the bold statement, but he held a finger to your lips, stopping you from interrupting. 

“Yes, at first, I just wanted to catch Taejo, but you, you silly human with your blushing cheeks and beautiful laughter, made me fall in love with you. I’ll understand if you hate me and I’ll let you go if that’s what you want, but please know that it’s the truth. Besides, Taejo’s gone, why would I lie about loving you?”

You couldn’t argue with that. He got what he wanted, which was Taejo dead. You were safe again, so why would it matter if you hated him or not if he truly didn’t care?

Smiling just a little bit, you leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “I think I love you, too.”

“Then I’m yours,” he replied. “Forever.”