"Sehun?" Hana whispered in disbelief when the tall male showed up with drinks in his hands. She was expecting Kai to arrive, but was taken aback when Sehun was here instead. "Why are you here? I thought... Kai...?"

"He asked me to come instead," Sehun explained and set down the glasses on the table. "You should close the curtain, Hana. The sun will rise in an hour and you don't want to be burnt, trust me."

Hana pulled the curtains together and closed the window. "How's Hanbin? Has he waken up?" Sehun shook his head as an answer, "He should be. But he might be too shocked and traumatized. He is still in deep slumber right now."

"What happen to you, Hana?" Sehun swiftly sat down in front of her. She wasn't used to this Sehun, who talked a lot more than before. Hana shook her head and drank the blood in hurry, "Kai is speaking nonsense. I am perfectly fine."

Sehun hummed. Hana knew he didn't believe her at all. He was simply giving her time to reflect and tell him the truth before he forced it out of her. Either way he would get it. She frowned at the idea.

"You know I can tell when you lie," he softly spoke in that low, husky voice, his eyes on her hands, and his own trailing her wrist, slowly making a path onto the white, fair skin. She shivered by his mere touch. "Did you forget about we're emotionally connected?" Hana's breath almost hitched when he stopped whatever he was doing and looked up to meet her eyes, "I know what you're feeling right now. You're lying."

Damn Sehun and his way of seducing people. Hana froze on her seat and stopped more blood from the glass. She felt cornered, but at the same time, she didn't. She had been dying to let the feeling out, so why not Sehun? She was planning to tell Kai anyway. Didn't she trust Sehun more than anyone else right now?

"I... I'm just scared, Sehun," she breathed in and out. "I'm sorry if I look pathetic right now. But that's the truth. I am scared of everything that happened and everything that will happen in the future."

Sehun didn't seem abashed by the revelation. He took everything in calmly and listened. "It's normal to feel scared, Hana. We're not inhumane and we're not fearless creatures. Now, tell me specifically what makes you feel scared."

Hana gulped down her saliva. She didn't know where to start where it wouldn't hurt both Sehun and her. Sensing her confusion, Sehun gently took her hand to his. Her tiny little hands that still felt warmer than anything else. She calmed down a little and stared at Sehun,

"The Elders threatened us," Hana spilled out. "They want me to overthrow you and Jaejoong and choose another heir from other family. They want to rule this clan by using the army of the Forsaken." She looked at Sehun who seemed to be deep in thought. A moment later, he replied, "They're planning on a rebellion against my brother?"

For the first time, there was no hostility in his voice when he mentioned Jaejoong. Rather, he sounded worried and surprised. Sehun pulled away from Hana. Wasn't this what Hanbin had warned them before he fell into unconsciousness? The army of the Forsaken... So this wasn't Jaejoong's doing like he expected it to be. It was the Elders' plan all along. He gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"Yes," Hana muttered softly.

"We should tell Jaejoong and the others. This is serious, Hana. We are going for a war and we don't know when it will happen. You should be ready," Sehun was back to normal. His eyes were as sharp as usual, filled with nothingness Hana always wondered of. She didn't know why, but seeing Sehun like this calmed her down.

"I never have a choice to be ready, just so you know," Hana replied without any grudge. A smile tugged onto her lips, and Sehun almost, almost smiled back, but he didn't. Hana dared herself to hold his hand, and felt the warmth she still longed for. But then, both pulled back when they couldn't stand anymore of the tension.

"You are one very strange woman," Sehun shook his head at her, recalling the very first moment they met in Hana's college swimming pool. "You freak out so much, but when it comes to things like wars and this, you're calm and quiet."

Hana chuckled, sarcasm pouring out, but not to Sehun. She was laughing at herself in irony, "I am not calm at all. Most of the time I just pretend like I'm fine when really... I'm scared inside." She poured another glass of blood and sipped it in silence, waiting for Sehun's reply, and if he didn't, she was waiting for the silence to take the doubt away, to wash off the fear and uncertainty in her mind.

"It's only normal," Sehun watched Hana's movement, when her fangs came out, and all the blood went in. "We're not human, but we do possess the same characteristic. You're scared. That's understandable. But I'm sure you know that you have to face the fear anyway. Your life can't possibly stop here just because you're scared."

"This world is a constant battlefield, Hana. People die everyday," Sehun added on bitterly when Hana didn't respond. She seemed drown in her own misery, while he was battling his. She didn't look at him when she finally talked back, "I am scared, Sehun. It's not the people that I'm worried about most, as selfish as I sound. It's Jongin, it's Miyoung, it's Jaejoong, and then there's you..."

Sehun was about to open his mouth to talk, but Hana shook her head and continued, "No, I am not scared even if I die. I already died once, remember? But you... You and them... I just can't... I can't bear to see you hurt." Hana rubbed her eyes in frustration. She couldn't say out loud the thing she kept to herself all this time. She was scared to be alone. She'd rather die than to live alone. She couldn't live without these people she had come to call 'family'.

"That is supposed to be my sentence, don't you think?"

Sehun's eyes glowed brightly, to the point that it was blinding. Hana leaned back because she couldn't... This feeling and this fear just suffocated her all her life. Sehun grabbed her wrist, before sliding his hand down to grab hers. Cold, her mind registered, but she liked it. She had never liked fire, and instead preferred low temperature.

"Hana, have a little faith in me, will you?" Sehun spoke in a hushed whisper. "I am supposed to be the one worried about you, not the other way around. I would assume that Jaejoong and the others already told you about the Mark and the relation to me?"

Hana blushed immediately, a quick, instant reaction to Sehun's question. Thankfully, she was saved from answering when a maid entered her room in panic, "Lady Jung, Lord Kim...! Oh God!" She screeched loudly and stopped herself by covering . She looked aghast to see her former Master here, in the room with Hana. It was scandalous and dangerous.

"I..." The maid couldn't decide whether she should apologize and bowed in respect to the young Fallen. Hana breathed in relief because she knew Sehun's attention had drifted away from her. He was looking at the maid in agitation.

"Is there anything you need to tell me?" Hana cocked her head to the front and asked the maid. She threw one last careful glance to Sehun before answering Hana, "Ah, yes, my apology, Lady Jung. Lord Jaejoong had asked for your presence in the guest room. He said it is important."

Sehun stood up from his seat and Hana followed. She gave the maid a quick nod and ran after Sehun. "Well, aren't you quick to change, Sehun?" She sneered, trying to catch up with his pace. Hearing her words, Sehun chuckled silently and slowed down a little, "I should say the same thing to you. You adapt pretty quickly to the palace's life."

Hana grudgingly muttered some things like Jaejoong and his lesson, but both of them stopped talking once they reached Hanbin's room. Sehun opened the door and waited until Hana went inside.

Jaejoong, Lay, Kai and Kris were inside the room, minus Luhan, which was quite unusual because there was no way he wasn't here unless he really wasn't inside this castle. On another note, Hanbin was still lying on the bed, weak and pale, but at least he was now awake. His lips were a scary white-ish shade, and his irises were the lightest blue color.

"Is he...?" Hana bit her lips and came closer to the bed, "Are you okay?"

Hanbin stared at Hana, trying to look carefully as to who this stranger was, before he finally asked, "Who are you?"

Kris was the one who replied, since he was closest to Hanbin now, "She's the lady of the vampire clan."

Hanbin took a good few seconds to judge Hana, using his ability to judge whether or not she was to be trusted. It was until Kai faked a cough that Hanbin nodded at her out of courtesy. She nodded back. Hanbin didn't seem like the type to trust people easily, given his position as the Prince and Princess' guard.

"Now tell us what happened to you," Kris demanded sternly.

"It happened three days ago, at dawn, when the Forsakens barged into our kingdom. They started with the Summer Court first, slaying everyone they met," Hanbin retell the story with fear-stricken expression. "If it's just a few Forsakens, a hundred or two, we'll manage just fine, but there were so many of them and only few of us at guards."

"We evacuated the King and the Queen. Prince Suho was saved, but we were too late to save the Princess." Regret. Guilt. The colors of death. All swirled inside like poisons. Kris clenched his fist. "Chorong... The Princess is dead?"

Hanbin's silence was a confirmation.

"Well, according to Hana, it's the work of your corrupted Elders, brother," Sehun glared at Jaejoong while folding his hands to the front of his chest. Kai and Jaejoong instantly looked at Sehun, then Hana. "They're planning on a rebellion against you."

"They want to rule the Shadow world, the vampires above anyone else, by using me," Hana added onto what Sehun said. "When I rejected they threatened me, and you, and everyone else..." She stopped when she noticed Jaejoong's furious expression. Her eyes widened in fear. She wasn't used to this side of Jaejoong.

"Yongguk? Himchan?"

It was Kris' voice that asked first, in the midst of the heated discussion. All of them looked at the door, revealing Luhan, and two worn out werewolves with bloods all over their bodies. It was like the reminiscent of Hanbin two days ago, but a little bit better. At least their injuries weren't as severe.

"The werewolf clan is scattered. We're running away from the Forsakens," Himchan tried his best to describe the current situation, but failed terribly. His words were muffled that they barely understood what he was talking about. "It's your damned Elders, Jaejoong. They're coming here soon, in a few hours. You'd better run now. Run or fight for your death..."