The door creaked open. Her heart stammered in . She shouldn’t be here. She really shouldn’t be here. The dark bleak house seemed to push her away and she wanted to let it. This was a mistake. But her feet ignored the fear in her gut and carried her over the old wooden threshold. Like in any horror movie the door slammed shut behind her. Unlike a movie though, she knew this was reality and far more deadly. She was afraid to breathe, but still stepped forward. Hardly three steps in, a chill blew past her.

“I do believe I warned you never to come here again.”

The cold voice sounded behind her. For a moment closed up and she couldn’t even make a sound. Something impossibly quiet moved to her side and she looked up in reflex. Her eyes widened. There he was. Still the same as ten years ago. Those eyes…

“You should know what I am…”

It was more of a statement then a question, but she answered him anyway. Shaking like a leaf.

“Yes.”

Yes, she knew. She knew the moment she met him so many years ago. When he caught her all too curious babysitter snooping around in this house and killed her for it. her blood until the very last drop… He was a vampire.

“Good, I assumed you’d forgotten. Humans have such short memories.”

Oh Sehun. Tall and rank. Powerful muscles hidden underneath an old-fashioned cut suit. Eyes that could turn you to stone, yet saw right through you. Hard and unreadable, seeing everything. He was the immortal that haunted her in her nightmares and now again in real life. She couldn’t forget even if she wanted to.

“A suicide mission then?” he asked in the same cold tone.

She forced her tears back, trying desperately to regain her voice.

“I suppose it is…”

“Why did you come here, Kim Ae Ri?”

He used her full name and it froze her up completely. He chuckled darkly.

“Yes, I remember your name. There aren’t many I allow to leave.”

He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“And yet here you are again.”

“I… Please…”

Her legs were starting to go weak from the sheer effort of keeping her mind together. His icecold eyes glittered in the dark.

“Please what? Let you go? I don’t let prey walk away twice.”

“Please let me explain, before…”

Her voice failed her, but they both knew what she meant. Sehun lazily leaned against the wall.

“Then go ahead. Tell me why you chose to ignore my warning.”

Ae Ri’s heart was threatening to pound out of her chest. It took her a few tries to find her voice again.

“I’m here to beg for my friend’s life.”

Apparently not the answer he was expecting, he raised his brow in question.

“In a few hours my friend and her boyfriend are going to come here.”

She shivered under his intense gaze, but gathered her courage and continued.

“Solbi thinks this house belongs to her boyfriend. He told her it was an inheritance from his father. That it needs a little work, but that they can make it their own little place.”

She smiled bitterly.

“For them and their future children.”

He snorted.

“And she believed it?”

“She believes anything he tells her. I’ve been warning her not to come here my entire life, but she won’t listen to me anymore.”

“Her stupidity is her own problem. Why should that matter to me?”

“He’s coming here to kill you.”

Everything was quiet for a moment. And then Sehun burst out in laughter.

“He can try,” the vampire snickered in amusement.

Ae Ri shook her head desperately. She was serious.

“He knows what you are. He knows and he’s going to use my friend as a distraction.”

“That won’t save him anyway.”

The vampire slowly ran his tongue over his fangs.

“I look forward to his sad little attempt.”

“My friend has nothing to do with this,” Ae Ri continued quietly. “Please. If they come, let her go.”

“Didn’t I already tell you, Kim Ae Ri? It’s a rare thing for me to let anyone go. I already did it once this century. Why should I do it again?”

“I know I have nothing to offer you…” she stammered.

“True,” he nodded coldly. “Not even your own life. The moment you stepped over that threshold it already belonged to me.”

Ae Ri was shaking so badly she had to steady herself to the wall.

“She doesn’t know anything,” she begged in a whisper. “Please spare her life.”

“Shouldn’t you be more worried about yours?”

“Then I wouldn’t have come here in the first place.”

Ae Ri was fighting back tears. Everything was going to fail. She only had one last chance to make this right. If she failed to save her friend, then the people responsible wouldn’t be getting away with it either.

“He’s being paid to kill you. Someone has a bounty out on your head and there will be more coming to hunt you.”

He moved so suddenly, Ae Ri barely had time to blink before he grabbed her by the throat and shoved her against the wall.

“Congratulations, you have my undivided attention now.”

Her hands clamped around his wrist and she struggled desperately against his grip. He slowly loosened it. She took a deep shaking breath in relief.

“Talk,” he growled lowly.

“I heard him talking…”

She coughed and took another deep breath.

“I heard him talking on the phone. He was bragging to someone about this easy new job he got.”

“The boyfriend of your friend?”

She nodded.

“Damien. He said they were paying him a small fortune because of a stupid old myth.”

“And what myth would that be?”

“About a house full of treasure and the vampire who guards it.”

He snorted in annoyance.

“What am I? A dragon?”

“He doesn’t believe it. He thinks it’s just a hoax, but he’s still bringing my friend along.”

“His little sacrificial lamb,” Sehun hummed sarcastically.

Ae Ri gasped and squeezed her eyes shut as he suddenly leaned in close.

“Let’s get inside where we can talk a bit more comfortably.”

His chilled breath ghosted over her skin. Despite the fear, a stray thought fluttered in her mind, how strange it was for vampire to have breath. She shivered.

“I… I don’t…”

“Get inside,” he growled.

He let her go, but as soon as his hand was gone from her neck, her legs gave out from underneath her and she fell to the ground. She looked up at him with eyes wide in fear.

“I’m sorry, I can’t…”

Sehun stared at her unblinkingly, before bending down and grabbing her with a single hand to fling her across his shoulder. She yelped in surprise.

“So very weak humans are.”

A small tug in her stomach made her gasp as he moved through the house at a dizzying speed. He dropped her unceremoniously on the ground of a rundown bedroom, filled with rubble and decaying furniture.

“Start talking,” he ordered.

He moved to sit on the old falling apart bed. She almost feared it would break as soon as he sat down, but it mysteriously held.

“What else did you hear?”

She tried to avoid his piercing gaze, carefully sitting up on the dusty floor.

“They told him there was a curse,” she whispered.

Ae Ri hardly dared to look up at him. Sehun smiled darkly.

“A curse?” he asked softly.

A sharp edge crept into his voice.

“A curse where you can never leave this house…”

“I don’t need to.”

He lifted his hand. Ae Ri let out a small scream as her body was pulled up by an invisible force and flew straight to him. He caught her easily. His cold hands gripped her waist and he pulled her on top of him. She didn’t dare breathe. His dark eyes glittered and he chuckled in amusement.

“My prey tend to come to me on their own accord.”

He swiped her hair away from her neck. His tongue sneaked out to his lips in hunger. She tried to push away from him, but it was no use.

“If you can’t leave this house, then you’re the one vampire they have a chance to catch. But they don’t know what you’re capable off, so they’re sending in others to find out first.”

It came out as one rushed breath.

“Who?”

“No one knows. They hide behind shadow corporations and shell companies. But they’re desperate to get to you. They’ve raised their bounty a couple of times already.”

“And how do you know about this so well, Kim Ae Ri?”

“I…”

A bright blush suddenly spread over Ae Ri’s face. His hand slid to her back, slowly slipping under her shirt.

“Well?”

He quirked an eyebrow at her.

“I… I’ve been… investigating… about you.”

Her voice trailed off and he laughed wholeheartedly.

“Such a bad little human. Sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. It’s almost as if you’ve always wanted to come back here.”

He bared his fangs, lifting himself to reach her neck. She started trembling when she felt the sharp tips brush her skin.

“They intend to capture you,” she whispered anxiously, trying to avoid his fangs.

“They can try,” he smirked.

She still struggled against his grip, trying not to focus on how her body seemed to fit so well with his.

“Here’s a little secret,” he breathed into her ear. “That curse is just as much of a myth as the treasure is.”

Her eyes widened.

“What…?”

He chuckled. Warm and deep, unlike his cold fingers now running up and down her spine.

“No curse,” he smirked. “I can leave this place. I just enjoy letting humans believe otherwise.”

“But…”

“Shhh.”

He quickly lifted himself and pressed his mouth on hers. She felt the sharp tips of his fangs sting her lips, but oddly didn’t mind it at all. She marveled at the strange sensation. So warm and yet so cold. He gave a soft growl and she felt it rumble in his chest. Without wanting to, she slowly relaxed in his hold.

“Anything else you have to tell me? Any other myths you’d like to discuss?”

He was making her dizzy. This didn’t make any sense. She was scared of him. He was going to kill her and she knew it. Yet one touch and she was practically melting. Ae Ri shook her head slowly.

“No. I…”

She stopped, but Sehun hummed, allowing her to continue.

“I just… thought I needed to warn you.”

She frowned, knowing it was true, but not understanding where it came from. He smiled.

“How cute. But unnecessary.”

“Those people won’t stop until they get to you. They will keep sending someone over until they find a way.”

“That only means I won’t go hungry for a while,” he smirked.

“My friend doesn’t know anything about this...”

He sighed and made a face.

“Still going on about that?”

“I have to,” she spoke softly.

Sehun yanked her off him and rolled them over. She gasped in surprise.

“You know what happens to anyone who enters this house. That’s not a myth.”

He nearly purred on top of her, using his body to cage her in.

“Even if, by some miracle, I decide to let your friend live… You still ignored my warning.”

He a slow stripe up her neck. Ae Ri tensed and shivered.

“That comes with a price.”

She yelped as he suddenly sank his fangs into her neck. Her eyes widened and she struggled in reflex. He quickly pressed his body down on hers to stop her. Ae Ri whimpered quietly.

“My friend…” she choked out.

Sehun grumbled, reluctantly pulling his fangs back to look at her. Blood colored his lips and ran down the corner of his mouth. Her blood…

“Fine,” he sighed, his lips slowly. “I’ll give your friend a chance.”

Ae Ri’s eyes lit up with hope.

“But it’s hers to take or screw up.”

She gave a small nod and blinked her eyes closed in relief. Her body instantly relaxed underneath him. Sehun stared at her.

“Humans,” he murmured. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand them.”

His arms coiled around her, pressing her body closer to him while he sank his fangs back in. Ae Ri gave a soft weakening sigh and Sehun drained her dry.