Hours later Yejin sat across from Minho, not really knowing what to make of him. He was an enigma. He had the looks of an Alpha, the smell of one, but there was something in the softness of his eyes that made Yejin wonder.

The tea was set before them and they were casually sipping from it, the room quiet as they did so. Minho took a final sip, set the cup down and laced his fingers together. “Your official title will be as a bearer,” he intoned.  “It does hold some small power in our court but I want to make one thing clear, you will not be seen as a mate to the AlphaPrime; you are not a concubine. You are a tribute of the flesh. In return, you will receive our seal as well as an opportunity to sign into our new treaty. That treaty offers you protection and the power of our alliance.” He placed his half-finished tea down. “I have something for you.”

He stood from their small table and walked across the bedroom to a large chest. As he begun to dig into the chest, Yejin figuring this was the perfect opportunity, pulled the vial out and emptied the contents into Minho’s cup, and mixed it with her pinky. Just as she was slipping the vial back in her sleeve, Minho turned around, holding a linen bag in his hands.  

“Jinki has taken up loving the smell of sunflowers.” He smiled fondly.  “It might put him at ease if you sprinkle these around your guest bedroom.” He took his seat and placed the linen bag in her hand. “Just in case…he’s…you know.”

She accepted it and placed it down. “Thank you.”

“Oh, and don’t wear any perfume. He hates it. And wear your hair down. I think he may miss running his hands through long hair that isn’t his. You’re an Omega, so you’ll appreciate how dominant he can be, but he doesn’t mind if you take the reins.”

Yejin narrowed her eyes and stored away the barrage of information. “I understand, although I must say I’m a pretty adept lover I don’t think I’ll have any problems.”

“I’m sure,” Minho murmured. His eyes lit up as if he was remembering something. “Oh, and another thing, he’s quite insati–“

Yejin placed her cup down with a little more force than she anticipated. “You don’t like me.”

Minho blinked, his surprise apparent and his brow raised. After a moment, he smiled. “I don’t know you, Yejin. I know nothing of you to like or dislike,” he said calmly.

“I’ve heard of you,” she replied. “There are rumors…about you.”

Minho tilted his head. “Rumors?” He tilted his head.  “Of what kind?”

“That you conspire with mages. That you are a witch. That you blinded the Oracles so that you could be AlphaBeta, that you are tricking the AlphaPrime, that you have seduced him–“

“Of course I’ve seduced him,” Minho said, a smirk on his lips. “That’s my job as his mate.”

Yejin rolled her eyes. “I know that you love him, I can see it in your eyes, but one has to wonder why you are going along with this. What do you get out of this? How does this play into your plans.”

“My plans…” Minho accessed her for a long moment, playing with the rim of his cup. “Do you believe these rumors,” he asked, avoiding her question. “Is there something about me that confirms your suspicions?”

Yejin hesitated between telling the truth and lying. The truth was easier. “No.”

Minho smiled.

“But that doesn’t mean they aren’t true! Wheph is the weakest of all of the Prae clans. For someone from Wheph to be chosen as the AlphaPrime, an Omega,” she whispered, almost vilely,” of all people, makes no sense. The gods wouldn’t be so foolish.”

“Bold, to question the gods.”

Yejin sniffed. “I am not questioning the gods. It is the Oracles–“

“And even more foolish to question the Oracles for they are their voices.” Minho leaned closer to her. “Your rumors are false and you should be careful if you’re going to repeat them. A witch,” he scoffed. “If I were a witch, would I need the help of a hunter from far away to trick my own territory? With rumors, be wise. Demand proof; don’t fall into such foolishness, especially if you are going to be a part of this court. One thing you should know is I am in danger every single day of my life; there is not a day where I feel safe. I have those who want to see me ruined, shamed and dead. Trust me, Yejin, becoming the Alpha Beta of Prae was something I neither dreamed of nor wanted. Yet I am no longer so foolish to question the will of fate.”

“Then why stay?”

“Because it is my duty. You should understand that. We both also believe in protecting our own. You are a hunter of Duphra Woods. You protect it and would do anything to protect it. It is the only reason you are here today. I care deeply about Prae. I would have served it as Alpha of Wheph until my dying day but the decision for me to be here was made for me, so here I am. But more than Prae, I care about Jinki. And if this will help protect him, then I will do it.”

Yejin still wasn’t convinced. “You care for him, yet you are okay with him welcoming another into his bed?”

Minho laughed. “Yes, because this was my idea.”

Yejin tried to hide her shock. “Your idea?”

“Yes. Prae is on the brink of war and I do not want something, anything, to distract our attention from it, to cause division, to weaken us. If having you here will do that, then it is what must be done.”

Yejin, because she was stubborn, set her shoulders. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t share my mate with someone else.”

“Pray that you never have to. It is not a good feeling.” Minho pulled his tea towards him. “Yejin, I want you to be happy with this arrangement. If you have someone back home, tell me. I can make arrangements so that your time spent here isn’t lonely. Because you will appear to be pregnant with the AlphaPrime’s child, there will be those who will not treat you as nicely as I would prefer.”

“There is no one,” Yejin muttered quietly. When Minho raised his brow in question, she clarified. “There is no one. I have no one back home. I don't...I don't have any friends...or family. I just have my title and my duty.”

Minho reached across the table and puller her hand into hers. “Then,” he said, his smile wide, his face impossibly handsome and warm, “I will be your friend. You will need one here.” He let go of her hand and picked up his tea cup, bringing it to his lips.

Without thinking, Yejin smacked it away.

Minho glanced at her, then down to the broken tea cup, and finally to the pale green liquid seeping into the white silk covering the table. “We don’t have to be friends,” muttered frowning. “It was just a suggestion. Ruining my tea was a dramatic way of saying so.”

Yejin stared at the stain on the silk, shaking. I can’t do this. I can’t be responsible for ruining such a man. One who has done nothing but welcome me so far. He has done nothing to deserve…

“I apologize for my rudeness but I couldn’t let you drink that tea.”

“Obviously,” Minho said, frowning.

She glanced at the door, knowing Fatima and the guards were on the other side. She leaned closer to him, motioning for him to come closer. “I can’t explain anything; it would take far too long but, when I leave, make a show of retiring to your bed. Get under the covers and don’t leave them, not for anything in the world save your mate. I’ll send him to you the moment we can, but it might not be until close to sunrise. Do you understand me?”

Minho look of surprise turned into suspicion. “Why?”

“I will explain it to you the moment I can and I know you’ve just met me, I know I’m a stranger and you have no reason to listen to my words, but I need for you to trust me. Desperately.” She picked up the broken tea cup and pulled the silk table cloth from the table hiding both it and the stain. She stashed it under his bed, hidden away from sight. Carefully, she pushed her cup to his side placed the vial in a place all could see. “If no one comes, run. Run before the sun rises.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Just do it!” she hissed. She stood and turned for the door. “Fatima. I am ready.”

The door opened and Fatima stepped in. “Already?” she said glancing from Yejin to Minho.

“Our conversation was short. It seems we understand each other very well,” Yejin offered with a smile and a small nod.

Seemingly please, Fatima stepped into the room, her gaze jutting to the tea cup and the vial. “Very well.”

Minho’s eyes narrowed for a faint moment before he stood, a yawn on his lips. “I think that after that conversation I will be retiring for the night. I am suddenly very tired. Yejin,” he said, turning towards her, “I pray that this night goes well for you. You have my approval.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Yejin answered, bowing slightly. 

“Very well,” Fatima repeated. She ushered Yejin out of the room, closing the door behind her. She tugged Yejin further from the Magnus Suite and one out of ear shot, pulled Yejin closer. “Is it done?”

Yejin just smiled and Fatima exhaled. “Good. Good. Although I can’t see what this has to do with you becoming pregnant, the last thing I want to do is draw Lord Toggo’s ire for a failed job.”

“No,” Yejin said, as she began to walk back to her guest quarters to prepare. “We wouldn’t want to do that.”

Jinki stood in front of the guest quarters suite, apprehension and dread pumping through his veins. It was only an hour or so before sunrise. It had taken him hours to drum up the desire to come down here. He looked down at his clothing one last time. He’d chosen the simplest outfit he could manage. For some odd reason, he didn’t want to dress up for this, as if this was a special occasion, as if Yejin was a special person. This was political. This was politics; this was taking a defensive stance by going on the offense.

This was to protect his family.

That very thought was enough for Jinki to raise his hand and knock on Yejin’s door.

He’d dismissed all of his retinue, not wanting any of them close to witness this. He hoped that he would be able to erase it from his mind as well once it was over. He didn’t want to dwell or remember this night.

The door opened with a long loud creak and Jinki was greeted by the Priestess of Duphra Woods, Fatima. “Right this way, my lord,” she said as she ushered him into the sitting room. As Jinki took a seat, Fatima placed a warm cup of tea in front of him. “Qi tea. Helps with vitality…uh, ual energy.”

Jinki groaned internally, but accepted the cup, bringing the hot liquid to his lips.

“Yejin will be with you shortly. I shall be outside if either of you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

Jinki watched her leave, the door closing behind him. His palms were sweaty so he began to wipe them off on his pants. When he was satisfied, he reached for the tea cup again, trying to down as much liquid as possible. A memory hit him.

“Heard it gets you really in the mood like, uncontrollably .”

Minho cleared his throat. “It…it does make you more lusty I guess but they really only used it for arranged matings. An aphrodisiac of sorts to create a romantic atmosphere that would otherwise be unlikely.”

Victoria leaned over, her eyes wide with stark interest. “Is that what you and Jinki are going to use?”

Jinki shook his head, hard, and drowned the rest of his tea. We didn’t need it, but I wish I had it tonight.

Another quiet creak and the door connecting the sitting room to the bedroom opened. Yejin appeared in the doorway, dressed in a simple and modest nightgown, her feet bare and her shoulders covered with a dark orange robe. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long, my lord,” she said bowing.

Jinki gulped. Yejin was beautiful, he wasn’t stupid enough to deny that and he could admit that if he’d been mated to anyone other than Minho, she would be a sweet temptation. Her hips flared sensually, her s were heavy and full and her neck was long and graceful.

But he was mated to Minho and although his body responded to her, his heart did not make that leap. Still, knowing his duty, he stood and met her at the doorway. “You did not. I just arrived,” he said, answering her question. Yejin was shorter than Minho by a head or two and Jinki had to make the mental adjustment to look down instead of up. It had been a while since he’d towered over someone–Jonghyun did not count.

“Good,” she said playfully. “There is something that I want to show you.” She slipped her robe off and threw it into the sitting room before she took a step back into the room. The move confused Jinki. “Just in case.”

Jinki frowned and nodded slowly as he closed the door. She’s a weird one.  She slipped her hand into his and drew him further back into the room. Moving with purpose, she led him to the bed. “Lie down.”

Jinki pulled his chin in. She doesn’t waste any time either. Jinki did as he was told. If Yejin wanted this done and over with, then it could be done and over with. As his back touched the sheets, Edna slid onto his lap, straddling him. He looked up at her, wondering if she was going to take control all night when he blinked in the darkness of her room.

“What…what is that?”

Yejin put a finger to her lip. In her hand was a dark piece of kohl and long piece of fabric. She placed it on his chest and began marking it with the kohl, her hand moving fast. When she was done, she lifted it so he could see. As she did so, she moaned, wantonly.

She’s not weird. She’s crazy. I haven’t touched her!

Yejin pointed to the fabric again. Oh, right. It was hard to see in the low light in her room but the contrast the kohl made against the white fabric made it easier to see.

Fatima has placed a croux in the room; she can hear everything that’s happening.

On cue, Yejin followed up with another loud moan. Jinki looked up from the fabric to her, his confusion now apparent. “What are–“

Yejin rushed and slapped a hand over his mouth. She pointed to a creepy wooden doll in the corner. “Croux,” she mouthed. She placed the fabric down and folded it over, covering her last message before she began writing again. When she was finished he held it up again.

Minho is in danger.

Jinki squinted to read it, his eyes widening, not at Yejin’s following moan but her words.

Minho was in danger? He sat up so fast he almost threw her off of him. Rolling her eyes, she placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back down. While she was writing more on the fabric, Jinki was trying to keep his wits about him. If Minho was in danger, then he could give a less about the ruse. He needed to get to him!

When she held up the fabric again, it was like she could read his mind.

“You can’t go to him yet. We must’n alarm Fatima. If she feels anything is going wrong, she will run to Gikwang. However, if she thinks we have at least lain together, she won’t be so jumpy. I hope this position will scent mark you–enough to reassure her.”

She paused to continue writing.  

“They know, my lord. The Blue Crescents. They planned this–to separate you from Minho, to distract you–as a way to prove to the rest of Prae what they already know: The AlphaBeta is pregnant. You have to find a way to get Minho away from here before sunrise or he’ll be charged with treason.”

Anger, white hot anger welled up in Jinki as the pieces fell into place. This was a trap. This entire thing was a trap. He looked down at his hands, feeling the failure weighing heavy on them. How could I have let this happen?  

“I have to go,” Jinki mouthed. He grabbed her gently by the hips and lifted her off of him.

“What about Fatima?” Yejin mouthed back.

“Let me worry about that.” He headed towards the door. Then a thought hit him in his rush to leave. “Duphra Woods will be compromised about this?”

“Let me handle that.”

“Why… why are you doing this,” he lipped silently.

She grabbed the fabric and began to write again. This time when she held it up, she was smiling. “Because he offered to be my friend.”

Jinki waited a few more minutes outside of Yejin’s room before marching towards the door out of the sitting room. When he swung open the door, Fatima jumped to standing, her face alarmed.

“What’s the matter, my lord? Is everything…is everything okay?”

Jinki smiled. “This must be a bit anxious for all of us. I need to take a short walk, clear my head.”

The alarm doubled on Fatima’s face. “But–but–“

Jinki tried to calm her, remembering Yejin’s words. “I’ll only be gone a few moments.” He pulled up closer to Fatima, leaning towards her ear. “There is an oil that I want to borrow from the High Steward, one sensual in nature, if you understand what I am trying to say,” Jinki said, his smirk sly. “I’m sure she would enjoy it immensely. It is mixed just perfectly for a woman and this might be the only time I get to experiment with it.”

Fatima narrowed her eyes for a moment before rounded, “Oooh! Oh! Yes, yes! Very good, my lord, very good! Shall I go check on Yejin in your absence?”

Jinki was quick to grab her arm. “I wouldn’t if I were you. I’m not sure how thin these walls are but I was able to pleasure her for a moment or two before this idea popped in my head. She is quite sated at the moment and drifted off to sleep. I hope to be back before she wakes.”

Fatima nodded. “Yes, yes. Very good, my lord. Very good!”

“I knew you would understand, Fatima. I shouldn’t be long.” Jinki graced her with another smile before he made his way down the hall, calm and leisurely, casually looking over his shoulder, seeing that she stayed to the sitting room. As soon as he was out of sight, he picked up the pace, gunning for the other sector of the guest suite on the opposite side of the Great Hall. He reached his mother’s door first and tried it. Danye kept Iseul company while Xiah smoothed things out in Durkhai as their returned Alpha but it was hard to tell where they would be at for the night. Sometimes it was Iseul’s and other times it was Danye’s room.

Luck was with him tonight. As he pushed the door open, he found them sprawled over Iseul’s bed as if they were competition on who could cover the most of it.

He ran to Danye first. Shaking her, he whispered, “Danye, please get up! It’s very urgent!”

Danye stirred, blinking herself awake. “Jinki?”

“I don’t have time to explain. But I need you to get dressed. Minho is in danger.”

 That sleep drained from her face.  “What? What do you mean he is in danger?”

Jinki pulled her from the bed before he reached over and began shaking his mother awake. “I’ll explain on the way. We need to get to Jonghyun.”

It would have been easy on any other night to fall asleep and stay asleep. Although he wasn’t very far along, the pregnancy was having an effect on his energy level. Minho would find himself yawning mid-sentence, his steps sluggish as he traveled from meeting to meeting, sometimes falling asleep as he and Jinki would talk quietly after their meals.

So it should have been easy for him to fall asleep. Yet, he couldn’t. He couldn’t even find the desire to close his eyes. He lay as still as he could under his covers, the bed cold without Jinki’s warmth.

Peeling the covers back, he looked at the faintly grey sky.

Dawn would be here soon. The covers tightened between his fingers. Jinki was not back yet, but he didn’t expect him to be.

“If no one comes, run. Run before the sun rises.”

Run. Run where? Any why? Why did he need to run? Who was he running from?

This is ridiculous. If there was going to be an issue, then he should alert someone right? Yifan. He could alert Yifan. Yifan oversaw Kyung, Kyung oversaw the guard. Even if it turned out to be nothing, he should–

The noise of the alarm, the long low bellow of a hunting horn caught his attention.

Alarmed, Minho sat in his bed, pushing the covers to his lap.

“Guard!”

The door opened a moment later, and the person at his door was not someone he recognized.

“Who the hell are you?” Minho asked, his voice deep with authority.  “What the hell is going on? Why was the alarm sounded?”

The look on his face wasn’t friendly. “That is none of your concern. You are to stay here until the High Eunuch comes.”

The High Eunuch? “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but–“

The guard took a step back from the door and closed it before Minho could finish. Minho sputtered unintelligibly before he threw the covers off of him. He remembered to reach for his dagger and stalked towards the door. Snatching the door open, he was greeted with the tip of a sword pointed at his chest.

“Get back in there. I won’t repeat myself, my lord.”

Minho nodded, the scent of the Beta wolf before him radiating barely restrained patience. Well that wasn't Minho’s problem. Faster than the guard could react to, Minho used his dagger to knock the sword out of the way and to bring it to the guard’s throat.

“I don’t know you, or how long you’ve been working inside of my fortress at the High Eunuch’s biding, but know this–I make the ing demands inside of these walls.” The guard’s grip tightened around his sword and Minho pressed the dagger closer, the blade nicking his skin. “You desire to die, is that it?”

“I’d rather die than to serve you, any of you. You are nothing but meals,” the guard spit. The anger reflecting in the guard’s eyes was something that almost knocked the wind out of Minho.

Minho’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”

“Miiiiiiiiiiiiinho,” the guard sang, low and guttural. “You smell absolutely delicious. If I didn’t have my orders to keep you alive, I’d drink from you,” the guard slithered, his lips wet.

Minho recoiled at his words. “What–what are you saying?”

The guard smiled and the tips of sharpened canines greeted him. It was unlike shifter’s canines, which only appeared during a power shift…these were…were…

“Minho get down!”

He faintly recognized the voice but he followed the command, dropping to a knee.

“Avonthet!” An ampoule smashed against the guard chest and a bright burst of flames arose from it. The guard dropped his sword and worked frantically to control the flames but was unable to. Minho watched in horror as the flame spread, engulfing the guard, his screams echoing off of the walls of the Magnus Suite.

Minho turned towards the direction of where the ampoule came from. Yejin stood there, her attire different from the last time he’d seen her. Her body was encased in a singlet of leather, scaled like a dragon’s hide. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a high ponytail and three slashed of red paint decorated her right cheek.

“Yejin?” Minho asked as she approached.

“Come with me, my lord. Your Alpha is waiting for you.”

Minho shook his head in confusion as she began to lead him out of the pavilion. “Why isn’t he here?”

Yejin paused at the Magnus Suite doors, putting her ear to it and listening. “Your mate is safe in the Dongbang Library and commands a small contingency of Fortress guards from there. The High Eunuch has led the Vampyre here and they are engaged in battle.”

Minho pulled back from Yejin, his face white with horror. “I’m sorry, what?” he stuttered.  How could so much have happened?

Yejin pulled the door. “I am as surprised as you! He promised us protection from them and yet they attack the night we are here? Highly suspicious but everything Gikwang does has been suspicious.” Yejin looked over the bridge. Seeing no one, she led Minho across by his elbow.

Minho yanked his arm from her grip. “Why?” he demanded.

“We don’t have the time!” she yelled. “I need to get you to him.”

“I won’t. I won’t put him in danger, not if this fight is because of me. And I know it is. I can feel it. Tell me,” he growled, pleadingly. “Please.”

Yejin led them to the high wall that led to the exit and stopped. The sounds of metal ringing against metal, the screaming of commands, the battle cries, were now loud that he was out of the protective shell of the Magnus Suite. “Your pregnancy was no accident. Kibum, the High Steward, made previsions to prevent conception but the medication never made it into your mating moon meal. So those who sabotaged your meal know of your pregnancy, they always have. They were waiting for the time where you could no longer physically hide it.”

Minho looked down at his swelling abdomen, his hand fluttering over the bulge. “T–they know?”

“Yes, they know. I was brought here, not to become a flesh tribute to Jinki but to serve as a distraction, a way to separate the two of you. It was the only opportunity Iustus had to get you, willingly, in two separate places in the Fortress to plan this.”

“You–you knew this was going to happen,” Minho stated, his brow furrowed with anger.

“Yes, my lord.”

“And yet you! You–“

“Yet, I am here,” she said slowly, “with you, trying to get you to your mate, despite the harm it may do to the safety of my village. Now isn’t the time, my lord. Doll your punishment out to me later. I will accept for I did what I did to protect my own…just as you have.”

Minho eyed her warily, the silence growing long between them before he rolled his eyes. “Take me to the Dongbang Library.”

Yejin nodded and began to slowly open the Magnus Suite doors. As the doors opened, Kyung popped his head in. “We must hurry before the path to the Dongbang Library is cut off.”

“Are they inside the gates?” Minho asked. 

“Not the inner gate. I have every man at the gates, holding it off. The fortress is damn near impenetrable. They’ll have to do better than that if they hope to get in this baby.”

“Do you need me at the gates as well,” Yejin asked. “I am a Vampyre hunter, I can help.”

“No. The information you gave us earlier will be of great help but to preserve relations with Duphra Forest, you are not to be involved in this. We can’t have you hurt on Prae soil.” He shoved a letter into her hand. “This is from the High Steward. He says its directions on what to do after you’ve delivered Minho to Jinki.”

Yejin nodded and the three of them continued towards the Library. They rounded the corner and Minho was better able to see the fight across the courtyard. Kyung was right. The guards were holding steady at the gate and along the sentry wall. He wasn’t sure how long they could hold up. Legend has it that Vampyre have an almost inexhaustible energy.

“Come, my lord,” Kyung said, drawing Minho’s attention. “We have to get you to–

An explosion rocked the ground and knocked Minho off of his feet. He hit the ground, hard, the wind knocked out of him, his vision blurring. His ears ringed with the force of the blast and he struggled to look up through the smoke and debris. What he saw shook him to the core.

“The gate!” a sentry yelled, the sound barely registering to Minho. The lower half of the gate had a sizable hole blown in it and was engulfed in flames.

Kyung struggled to stand and began towards the inner gate. “Yejin,” he yelled, holding his side. “Get the AlphaBeta inside!”

Yejin held her hand to her bleeding forehead and nodded. But before she could stand and come for him, a pair of strong hands wrapped themselves around Minho, one under his legs, another firm against his back, hauling him up and tightly against their body. Minho recognized the scent before he could even turn his head.

“Are you okay?” Jinki yelled over the roar of the fire, frantic worry coloring his face white. He didn’t wait for Minho to answer before he was retreating up the stairs and behind the doors of the Dongbang Library, Yejin on his heels.

Jinki placed Minho down and began to check him over, his hands roving over his body, checking for injuries. His hands stopped at his shoulders and he exhaled, haggardly, before drawing Minho into his embrace. “I wanted to come for you myself. I swear on every god we know I did but I couldn’t–they wouldn’t let me leave the Beam Room. Half of Prae’s leadership is here. I couldn’t–I just couldn’t.”

“What’s happening?” he mumbled against Jinki’s forehead. “Why…”

“War, Minho. War has broken out all over Prae.”

“All over Prae?” Minho’s mouth dropped open. “I–impossible.”

“My lords!” Yejin yelled from behind them. “We don’t have much time. The fire will hold them back for a time, but the moment the flames extinguish, they will rush the gate. If any time was the time, now is the time.”

Jinki nodded firmly and his heels, his hand wrapped tightly around Minho’s wrist. Silently, they traveled through the Dongbang Library, taking a familiar hard left and then through three archways. They stopped when they approached a wall at the end of the Orb of Heavenly Light Corridor.

 Minho watched Jinki repeat the actions from so long ago, after the feast and Jungmo’s halfhearted threats against them that night. When he withdrew his knife, the wall swung towards them, revealing a long hallway.

It wasn’t until they approached the inner door, did Minho realize Jinki’s intentions. “We’re going to hide away here?”

Jinki was silent as he ushered them in. Two people he recognized were sitting at the table, the worry on their faces palpable.

“Minho!” Dannie uttered, flying from her seat, her arms wrapping around his neck. “Oh I was so worried, you couldn’t imagine!” she said, her voice heavy with tears.

Minho pulled back and used his thumb to wipe away her tears. “It’s alright. It’s alright. We’ll find a way to secure the Fortress.”

“Damn the Fortress! I’m just glad you are okay.”

Iseul appeared at Dannie’s side and gently detangled her from around Minho’s neck. “Come, Dannie, we need to prepare.”

“,“ Yejin said suddenly, her head turning towards the open door. “They’ve breached the gate.”

Iseul frowned. “How could you know such a thing?”

“I can feel prana…or a Vampyre’s life force. They are inside of the Fortress.” She turned to Jinki. “We don’t have much time, minutes, maybe seconds.”

“Do you remember where the Beam Room is?” Jinki directed to Yejin. “Alert Jonghyun. Alert the council. Hurry.” Yejin nodded and took off. Jinki looked past Minho to Dannie and Iseul. “I’m leaving him with you.”

Minho jerked his head to Jinki, his mouth dropping open. “What–what?”

“Stay here, Minho,” Jinki commanded. He reached for his hip and unsheathed Espada.

“No, absolutely not. You’re not leaving.”

“I have to,” he stressed as he backed towards the door. “It is my duty and you know this.”

Minho grabbed Jinki’s arm and pulled Jinki to him, clinging to him desperately. “No. No it’s not. Your duty is to protect me and my duty is to protect you. You can’t–you can’t leave. I’ve seen them, Jinki. They are monsters. You can’t fight them. It’s too dangerous.”

“Minho–”

“No! I’m pleading with you. I’m begging you, please!”

Jinki eyes slid close and he began to gently pull himself out of Minho’s embrace. “Minho…come to your senses. This is the reason we were–“

“I don’t care!” Minho screamed.  “They are here for me and this is my fault, this is all my fault, it’s always my fault and if you are hurt because of me…I–” Minho paused, trying to keep his quivering voice in check, to stop the tears flowing down his face.  He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around Jinki’s waist. “Please, don’t leave me,” he begged. “Please,” he sobbed.

Jinki bent forward and pulled Minho from him. He grabbed both sides of Minho’s face and kissed him, fiercely and deeply. “I will come back to you. I promise. I need you to believe me,” he said softly, his face broken with the decision he’d made. “I need you to wait for me. Can you do that? Wait for me and know that I will come back to you,” Jinki whispered furiously, passionately. 

“Jinki…please don’t…”

The alarm blared again, this time from the inside of the Dongbang Library. Jonghyun’s voice was heard from the opposite end of the Orb of Heavenly Light Corridor. “They’re at the door! Every man who can fight–to me! Barricade that door!”

Jinki looked back, his grip on Espada tightening. He stepped back out of the room, Minho following him, his hands reaching out for him.  The door started to close but before it could, Jinki locked eyes with Minho and Minho thought he was going to die from anguish.

“Ama’il etandula ama’il etudala, Minho. I will come back for you.”

“Jinki–“

The door closed and Minho collapsed into tears. 

_______________________________________________

A/N: Uh.

A/N: The War, the real war is here. 

A/N: HOOOOOOOW LOOOOOUD ARE THE DRRRRRUUUUMS OF WAAAAAAAR?

A/N: Unbeknownst to Minho and anyone not equipped with magery, Danye altered her scent permantely after the death of her mate and child. It's different from Minho's scent altering because not a hint of her scent leaks through, she doesn't have a unique smell, she has a completely customized one. She choose wild cherries. She did this, just like her son, however, to keep her brothers from looking for her. There is also a reason, why a shifter, who mated for love, didn't die of heartsickness. You'll have to stick around for that.