The night was peaceful as the drizzly rain kept falling around the HIVE’s surroundings endlessly. The sky was covered in thick dark clouds that hid the moon’s silver light, leaving the place in deep darkness as the first spring rain was slowly giving life to all the trees and plants that had been severely damaged due to the heavy snow which had fallen the previous months.

Spring is the second of the two seasons that vampires dislike most, with summer being the first and the reason is quite simple. During spring and summer the sun is brighter and the sky is almost always clear, so it makes it harder for them to leave their shelter in the morning. Daytime becomes longer and that gives humans an advantage for they can wander around safely for much longer.

That first spring night everyone at the HIVE was fast asleep. Everyone except the patrolling guards and Oh Sehun. The latter was standing behind his room’s window quietly staring at the rain droplets that caressed the glass as his dark hair fell between his eyes. He was wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and a black long sleeved blouse and even though it was an unusually casual look for him he still looked flawless. He stood there with his eyes closed, enjoying the sound of the rain when suddenly a knock on the door behind him made him turn around.

“Who is it?” he asked and put his hands in his pockets.

“It’s me.” A deep voice was heard from outside the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened slightly making a squeaky noise and Kyungsoo entered the room. He made a few steps forward and stood in front of Sehun who looked at him from top to toe.

“Did somebody die?” asked Sehun ironically and cracked a playful grin. Kyungsoo quickly lowered his head to look at his totally black outfit and then raised it again.

“No. Why would you ask that?” asked the boy in bewilderment, but Sehun rolled his eyes at him as an answer and crossed his arms.

“Anyway, it’s a little late for visiting. I hope it’s something important.”

“The meeting has been arranged.”

A cocky smile appeared on Sehun’s face after hearing Kyungsoo’s sayings. He made a few steps forward and stood next to the boy putting a hand on his shoulder.

“You really think they’ll listen to us? I doubt it.” His voice was low.

“I believe that it’s better if we take the safe way first. Let’s just give it a try, at least. So, the meeting will take place at my private quarters. Of course the Park family was not informed about it.” The boy raised his head and looked at Sehun with his big eyes. The latter was staring directly at the door, his arms still crossed and the smile still lingering on his face.

The HIVE’s territory was enormous covering almost the whole city of Denver in Colorado and it was divided in four sections. Section D contained the workers’ rooms along with the mines and five large warehouses. The hunters lived in section C which also contained the training field, the orphanage, the school and the half of the hospital. Sections B and A belonged to the Founders and the noble families and they contained their rooms, the other half of the hospital and also the headquarters, the tallest skyscraper in the city. All the buildings were covered with thick lightproof glass and they were connected through bridges, making transportation from one place to another easier. Several small buildings that existed before the war had been destroyed creating large areas that were now full of military vehicles and a large wall surrounded the whole city turning it into a huge fortress.

The Do’s quarters were located in section B along with the Kang’s since they were the smaller families, but were no smaller than the other families’ rooms. Mr. Choi and Mr. Kang walked forward and opened the large double door revealing a long corridor. A long handmade carpet lied on the floor and there were many beautiful decorations on each side such as paintings and small statues of animals. At the end of the corridor a beautiful woman with long black hair was standing in front of a big wooden door. She was wearing a long black laced dress that reached the floor and a marvelous diamond necklace was hanging from her pale neck. Her fingers were intertwined and a forced smile lingered on her blood red lips as she stared at the two old men, who were heading towards her.

“Good evening Mrs. Mina.” Said Mr. Choi and bowed to the bewitching woman.

“It’s nice to see both of you again gentlemen. It’s been a while since our last meeting.”

“It’s always a pleasure to see you Mina. You look magnificent.” A wide flirty smile appeared on Mr. Kang’s face and the man took her hand and planted a gentle kiss on it.

“Thank you for your compliments.” She forced a small smile trying not to show her disgust. “Excuse me now, I must let my brother know that you have arrived.” The woman bowed and entered the room behind her.

The sound from her high heels hitting the wooden floor echoed as she made her way towards her brother, who was sitting on a dark leather sofa by the fireplace.

“Choi and that idiot, who always likes to flirt with me, Kang have arrived.” She said, still irritated from Mr. Kang’s gesture.

“Calm yourself down Mina. Remember these two men out there are the heads of two noble families and their families are much larger than ours so mind your manners, please. Now why don’t you go and bring us something to drink?”

Kyungsoo’s voice was calm but firm and one glare was all Mina needed to swallow her anger and walk away towards the mini bar on the other side of the room, leaving her brother alone with the two men who had just entered. The boy stood up immediately and bowed to the old men as they slowly approached him.

“Welcome to my home gentlemen.”

The men bowed back and shook hands with Kyungsoo. Then they sat on the sofa right opposite him in silence as they watched Mina walking towards them holding a silver tray with a bottle of expensive whiskey and three glasses on it. She gently put the tray on the coffee table that was in between the two sofas and retired to her private bedroom, forcefully smiling as she tried not to show how annoyed she was by Mr. Kang who was still staring at her with that flirty smile curved on his lips under his beard.

“I see you haven’t changed the place at all, Kyungsoo. It’s exactly the same as the last time we were here, only now you’re sitting opposite us instead of your father.” Said Mr. Choi while pouring some whiskey in his glass.

“Your father was a dear friend to us my boy. That’s why we agreed to come and meet you here. But you know better than anyone that we’re busy men and we don’t have much time to spare. So, we would appreciate it if you got straight to the point of this meeting.” Said Mr. Kang, his voice firm but gentle.

Kyungsoo took his glass in his hands and took a sip before he talked.

“Of course I am aware of the responsibilities you have gentlemen and I promise this meeting will not take long. So, I’m sure both of you are aware that the HIVE’s blood stocks are extremely low.”

Both men nodded and exchanged a quick glance as if they were worried about what Kyungsoo’s next words would be.

“As