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CHAPTER 3

RESTLESS NIGHTS

That scent. Minho stayed a few students behind. His eyes devouring the back of Taemin's head.

It was the first time he took to account the boy's figure. His slender shoulders that were at an angle, his slim back that was wide at the top and smaller at the waist, his long legs that took every step with pride, despite the fact that he was at the bottom of the social food chain at Daewon high. Everything about the boy screamed sensuality.

Taemin sped up, Minho loosing the view of his head. He tried to cut through the two in front of him, but their conversation made it impossible to get their attention.

Who cares about the school festival? Minho thought, as they kept ranting on about the annual school festival that happens every year. It wasn't something that Minho was particularly interested in. As a matter of fact, he'd rather skip the whole event.

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry." Minho apologized, shoving the two aside and running off, ignoring the angry calls following behind him.

Luckily, Minho wasn't that far behind and was able to catch up to Taemin. His vampire speed coming in handy when he needed it.

Who are you? The question kept plaguing Minho's mind as he kept a good distance behind. What exactly made Taemin different from all the others? Why did his blood have the same scent? Minho was desperate to find out. So desperate, that he went to the lengths of following Taemin. Was this what he was reduced to? A stalker.

The matter of him stalking wasn't the problem. It was the fact that he continued stalking.

He stepped softly on the ground, walking around falling twigs, making sure not to accidental snap them and give himself away. He steadied his breathing. He wouldn't be a vampire if he couldn't control his human aspects.

Minho was the best in his family at tailing people without getting spotted. That was mainly the reason why Jonghyun always brought him along every time he went hunting. Jonghyun was great at many things--athletics, studies, appearance--but the one thing he lacked in, was stealth. He would always scare off the girls the moment he was going to strike by stepping on a branch or falling down, causing them to immediately run away and come back with a pair of police officers. Not very masculine. He was completely hopeless.

Of course, Jonghyun was a Nightling who you didn't want to annoy. He showed no mercy when it came down to it.

Minho waited across the street as Taemin entered a market and came out with a bag full of groceries. He looked through a window as Taemin listened to some music inside a record store. His head pumping along to the music. Minho even hid behind a newspaper while Taemin bought some gum and licorice at a candy stand. The man greeting him as he paid.

"Who are we following?" Jonghyun's words whispered into Minho's ears.

Jonghyun stood beside Minho, a bag of m&m's in his hands, making it aware that he too made a stop at the candy stand. He popped the m&m's in his mouth. Not chewing, just swallowing. Jonghyun loved sweets. He had the biggest sweet tooth in the family, but he could never stand chocolate getting stuck in his teeth.

It wasn't pretty and not at all intimidating when he retracted his fangs and there was chocolate at the tip of them. Mere floss wouldn't do the trick in getting it out and let's be honest, fangs were a vampire's baby and it was important for them to be taken care of.

"Are we going to eat?" Jonghyun asked crumpling up the m&m wrapper and stuffing it into his jeans pocket. The fact that he had already filled his hunger and wasn't satisfied with the small energy boost, irritated Minho. It was day light, even Minho knew that was against the law in their world to feed during the day.

There were people buzzing around and there was no dark to keep them hidden. There fore, daylight hunting was a thing that could lead to execution.

Minho rolled his eyes and ignored his brother. He didn't have time to entertain him. Not while he was in the midst of finding answers to questions that flooded his brain the moment he met Taemin.

Although Minho paid no mind to Jonghyun, Jonghyun still found himself standing beside Minho. The darkness of the alley they stood in used as their cover. Even with his brother's breath running down his back, he refused to look away from the boy.

So far, from following him, Minho learned three things. Taemin was independent, meaning he probably lived alone, he had a sweet tooth and by the way he greated the stand owner, it seemed like he was there often, and he loved banging his head to music. Minho loved the way Taemin's neck showed through his hair every time he dropped his head.

"Did mom and dad send you to find prospects for Jessica?" Minho scoffed at the question. Not only will Jessica never go for it, but he would never allow Taemin to become a prospect.

The Choi kids continued to grow in age, but not in appearance. Still, their parents continuously begged for them to search for their mates. A Nightling born to love them for all of eternity. Unfortunately, neither of the Choi kids, including Minho, were interested. They enjoyed their freedom. Feasting on all and taking plenty to bed. They've made themselves clear time and again, but their parents still went about on their own search for the mates.

They only hoped for their kids to be as happy as they were. Even though Ga-in was not Chin-ho's destined mate. She was once human who was almost killed by her father when she was pregnant with Minho. If Chin-ho hadn't turned her, she would have bled to death in the delivery room from the knife wounds. Since then they've never strayed.

Their kids, on the other hand, weren't sure if they could keep to only one person the same way.

Minho observed as Taemin sorrowfully peered through a window of a cell phone store. His heart beating endlessly. He didn't know his heart could still beat. It almost made him feel like he was still alive. Like his blood was still rushing through his veins, sending signals to his heart, telling it that this boy is the one you want. Minho couldn't denie it, Taemin definitely sparked an interest.

The bell over the store's door chimed, banging ferociously against Minho's eardrums every time someone came and left. It was like he turned up the volume on his stereo. He was hearing everything that went on around him in surround sound. His hands came over his ears. It was futile to try and stop the sounds, they would just keep coming. The best thing he could do was try to focus it on Taemin.

"You can't keep hanging around here!" Minho heard a man yell.

He only looked away for one second and when he looked back, Taemin was being waved off by a middle aged man. The feeling told Minho that it was an everyday occurrence.

Taemin bowed apologetically. "I won't come again. Sorry."

"Stupid kid." The man mumbled after Taemin ran off.

Minho growled. His fangs had retracted and punctured his bottom lip. If he didn't bite down he would have ran to the man and ripped his throat out. Anger was never easy for Minho to control. More or less it controlled him.

With his brother trailing behind, Minho skipped across the street, swerving out of the way of oncoming cars and snuck a peak at the window. A phone. One, by the looks of it, that Taemin couldn't afford.

"Is that one of your friends?" Jonghyun asked elbowing Minho on the arm.

"Kind of." Minho answered, his arm resting comfortably on the window.

"He has Watchers around him."

Minho turned around and looked up at Jonghyun, his brother casually looking at Taemin. "Watchers?"

Jonghyun nodded. "About three of them. Must be some important kid to have three Watchers on him."

Watchers were creatures not to be reckoned with. They were powerful and completely deadly.

Guardians.

That's what they were. They were summoned spirits who watched over the most powerful humans on Earth. Ones with psychic abilities--visions, telepathy, telekinesis.

Vampires alone were the only ones able to see the Watchers, but because Minho hadn't fully matured yet, he hasn't received that ability. Hence, he didn't see them sticking themselves on Taemin.

From what Jonghyun and his sister told him, they were grey transparent human-like spirits that hovered above the heads of their charges, creating an unbreakable shield around them. Unfortunately, humans were the only threat that they couldn't protect against. It was forbidden to invade human lives and that includes harming them.

Watchers were a twenty-four hour service kind of thing. They never slept and never ate. They had no body, so food consumption was impossible.

Normally, gifted humans would only have one Watcher. One of them had enough power to protect against the Earths most dangerous weathers--tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes. No weather was a match for a Watcher. Let alone a vampire.

To have three on him, meant Taemin was more powerful than any other and the threat on his life was greater.

#

"I'm home." Taemin said low, walking into the dark ridden house. It's quiet, ominous feeling sent a chill down Taemin's spine, like it did everyday. Slowly, as days went by, the chill became smaller and smaller. In a few days time it will disappear all together.

Taemin didn't expect a welcoming committee when he walked through the house. His shoes and school bag left behind, resting by the front door.

His mother worked late into the night and his stepfather didn't show up until the next morning. Taemin didn't exactly know what he did, but he was glad that he wasn't around. He liked the alone time he got from their absence.

The TVs' picture bounced off the walls and ceilings off the kitchen and living room. The only light in the whole house, coming from that picture box. The TVs' sound was faint, but Taemin's hearing was always exceptional. That was probably why he could hear the clanking of the beer bottle against the table by the recliner.

A short, stubby arm reached out for the beer. From the crucifix tattoo on the forearm Taemin knew exactly who it was.

As the beer disappeared into the recliner Taemin was able to draw up a picture for himself. His stepfather chugging down the beer. Each gulp bigger than the last. The foam would fill in his chest and he would hit his fist against it to release the belch.

"You're home." Taemin set his groceries on the table, standing it up right, so his apples wouldn't roll out and bruise when they hit the floor.

"Your mothers not home. I haven't eaten yet." The raspy voice came out gurgled.

Drunk.

Most times Taemin's stepfather went through two cases of beers until the point that his judgement was impaired. It was mostly everyday that he was home.

"Make me something to eat." Taemin knew the request couldn't come out any nicer. His stepfather, Han gyong, wasn't a pleasant man. He was around fifty. Short and heavy. His beer belly stuck out two inches and his smell, well it was bad enough to make your nose fall off. Whenever he was around anyway.

Being alone most days, Taemin only ever picked up ingredients to cook for one when he stopped by the market. Could he manage to make curry enough for two with what he got? Taemin decided it had to be done. So he was going to have to make it work. Even if he had to cut down on the amount of curry he consumed which wasn't much.

Taemin picked up the bag of apples from the table and emptied them into the sink, allowing them to gently hit. Bruising was never appetizing.

He prepared the rice cooker, plugging it into the empty socket by the fridge. He ran cold water over his dried rice. Spinning it in circles, cleaning it, repeating the action a few times until the water came out transparent and he could see the rice inside the metal container. He dropped the rice into the cooker and turned it on. No watching required. It's not like using a pot and stove. It would turn off when it was done. Taemin loved it because he was never good with a pot and stove.

The only dish he could make on the stove was curry and an occasional ramen, but he would mostly buy instant to save himself time anyway.

Taemin prepared a clean knife, rinsing it and wiping it dry with a paper towel. He picked up an apple from the sink and began slicing. The knife slid into the apple smoothly and came out clean. Thank god for sharp knives, they got the job done without hassle.

"I love watching you cook." His breath reeked of alcohol as it blew into Taemin's nose. "You look so much like your mother when you do it."

Taemin was so concentrated on his cooking that he didn't hear his stepfather sneak up on him. Face it, normally he wasn't a light walker. It must be the beers affect. Some people stumble, others are light as a feather.

He seductively ran his lips over Taemin's ear. The contact making Taemin shiver and not in a good way. He held his breath while Han gyong wrapped his hand on Taemin's and cupped it. He squeezed it tightly, bringing his other hand onto the other cheek. A low moan shaking out of Han gyong's mouth.

When that wasn't satisfying enough, he slid his hand over Taemin's hip, sliding down and rested on his crotch. The touch, made Taemin writhe in disgust.

Telling his mother would be useless. She would say that he was drunk and to pay no mind. That wouldn't be a problem, if it was first time it's happened, but that was far from it.

Whenever he did come home early, like he did today, Taemin would be on high alert. He knew his stepfather would eventually molest him. Most of the times he was as sober as a new born baby.

Taemin could push him away, but little by little, that had no effect. Han gyong would push his whole body weight onto Taemin, making it impossible for him to squirm out.

Taemin was left with only one option.

He held tight to his knife, making sure it wasn't going to slip out of his hand and stuck it to Han gyong's stomach. The tip, Taemin knew, was poking through Han gyong's shirt.

"Get off me!" Taemin growled, jamming the knife at Han gyong every minute he lingered.

Just as Han gyong was slowly backing away, Taemin shoved him. Pried himself free. Han gyong's hands twitched, wanting one more touch. Wanting to take the boy's innocence. Taemin wasn't having it.

Taemin held the knife out in front of him. A firm gaze. If his stepfather was going to try it again, he would meet his demise. The end of a very sharp knife.

Door slamming and feet pounding echoed through out the house. she was home and by the sound of it, she wasn't happy. Taemin dropped the knife, clanking and bouncing before laying flat. Things will only turn out worse for him if his mother walked in while he was holding it. She would assume that Han gyong was the victim and Taemin was the culprit.

Misook stormed into the kitchen, her face burning in anger. A white package in her hand and her purse in the other. Taemin knew what was coming before she even took a step forward.

Moments in his memory were missing. One minute, his mother was standing by the table and the next, Han gyong was holding her back. Her arms clawing at Han gyong, begging him to let her go. Everything in between was a blur.

By the way his face was throbbing, Taemin knew he was hit. Not just an average slap, but a fist to face punch.

"You had one of your friends beat up Lee's kid?" Taemin feared this would happen, he just had no control over the situation. "Take your box and go to your room. If I see you, I'm going to kill you."

Murderous eyes glared at him.

Run.

Taemin scooped up the box from the table and ran.

"I should've never had you!" Taemin heard his mother yell before he took refuge in his room.

Taemin knew not to take his mothers words to heart. He had to live with it his whole life. One incident didn't make a difference. Even though she spoke to him so harshly and he had to put up with her constant hatred, he still loved her. After all, she gave life to him. Even if she regretted it.

Taemin climbed into bed, but not before locking his door--he didn't want any unwanted guest making a midnight visit--and crawled under his covers.

Shaking the box close to his ear, Taemin tried to guess what was inside, but he was always bad at that game and eventually gave up. He tore the box apart, making it look like a mauled zebra after it was caught by a lion.

Glistening in the dark, the phone sat carefully protected inside it's box. Orange and white. It was the phone he wanted. The one he'd wanted for months now, but couldn't get, because he was tight on cash. A green serpent strap hung off the corner. It's tongue slithered out of it's mouth.

Four consecutive beats went off in the small room. The phone's screen shined and vibrated in Taemin's hands. A message. He flipped it open. The number was one he didn't recognized.

I hope you like your new phone. Your's was a little outdated.

Taemin pulled out his phone from his pocket. It was a standard grey flip. No camera and an antenna in case reception was lost. One of the old models. To be honest, the phone wasn't his favorite.

He stamped his fingers against the buttons of his new phone then closed it shut. He laid down, his sleepless eyes staring at the ceiling.

#

The message came in four consecutive beeps. One, two, three, four. He flipped his orange and white phone open. Two simple words.

Thank you.

Minho smiled. How two simple words brought him happiness was even a mystery to him. Somehow, the boy had a strong affect on the forty-eight year old vampire. Stronger than any woman ever had.

He clamped his phone shut, sitting on his bed, his back against the wall. The moon creating a smear of light on his floor.

Copper hair and charcoal eyes hopped into his brain. Images of Taemin flashed in front of his eyes, one after the other. His pink lips and small waist, his small hands and cute face.

After that, how was Minho supposed to fall asleep? If his fangs weren't already showing, they definitely would have after the image of Taemin's long, slim neck popped into his head.

"What are you doing to me?" Minho slammed his head against the wall, he would soon lose to this kid's pull, he knew that..