I'm sorry it's so short >_<;

~

We stared at each other for a long time, and I didn’t make any move to wash my mouth off like he’d told me to. Ken remained in an awkward standstill between us, looking back and forth, his eyes peeled wide. He cleared his throat not once, not twice, and not even thrice, but a total of four awkward times, clasping his hands uncomfortably with a loud clap. Neither Taek nor I reacted, and that just made it even more uncomfortable for the poor guy.

Scratching his head with a little wince, Ken looked back at Taekwoon. “I guess I should go over there with Ravi…?”

When Taekwoon didn’t even blink, Ken resorted to shifting in front of us, suddenly morphing into a chocolate brown wolf. That made me react a little, and I stared at him, recognizing him from the puppy pile from the other night. He gave me the equivalent of a grin in his wolf form, prompting me to run my fingers through his velvety fur over his long back, and then he slipped past Taekwoon’s legs and the frame of the door without difficulty, abandoning us noiselessly.

I sagged a little now that we were alone, and Taekwoon didn’t hesitate to grab me. At the same time, he turned the knobs of the sink, triggering the water, and we both leaned forward towards the basin. I reached for the water and he grabbed a bar of soap, and together we started to lather, rinse, and repeat, very careful to get rid of all the blood while I had my own job of keeping my lips sealed. Once I was thoroughly clean, Taekwoon ditched the soap, turned off the water, and grabbed me by my hips, lifting me up effortlessly onto the counter next to the sink. He walked forward, spreading my legs so he could get closer, his hands cupping my face with his thumbs holding my lips. He examined my mouth thoroughly, his eyes a little frantic still.

“Did you still have some cuts on your lips when she smeared the blood on you?” he asked me quietly, his eyes scanning.

Shaking my head, I held onto his wrists, urging him to relax. “No. I’m positive I didn’t.”

He finally met my eyes, and although they had been his human’s dark velveteen at first, they lightened to a brilliant amber in an instant, matching the stone around is neck. He grabbed my thighs and pulled me forward on the counter, closer to him, all possession. Now that the immediate danger was over, he had every right to be absolutely furious with me.

His hands dug into my hair and held me fast, securing a tight hold so I had no dream whatsoever of escaping—not that I wanted to. “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”

Loathing the very idea, I wrapped my leg around him and hit him hard with the heel of my foot on his backside. “No. Shut up.”

Exhaling vehemently, he brought me forward and quite literally seized my mouth in one of his most possessive kisses yet, making sure to leave me liquid inside. Around the time I thought that I was going to melt into a real puddle, he pulled away slowly, smoothing the palms of his hands down my arms. Lacing his fingers through mine, he whispered against my lips, “You ever pull anything like that again, and I really will consider locking you up in a baby proof room.”

I gasped. “As if locking me up isn’t enough, it’s going to be baby proof too?”

He nodded, unrelenting. “No sharp objects, no glass, no metal.”

I glared. “Those are some of my most favorite things, you know.”

Because he’d been gracious enough to make some noise to warn us of his approach, we separated in time so Hyuk didn’t have to see us tangled up. He still managed to look apologetic as he came into view, and he held up his hand, wincing a little as he let us know, “Uh… We’ve got Jekyll counting sheep, but your mom flew the coop when we weren’t looking, Mia.”

I wanted to beat his face in until it was unrecognizable, and I wanted to tear his heart out and feed it to him. I wanted to bathe in his blood, but not have a single drop enter my body, and I wanted to throw his body into the same river he dropped me into. I wanted to hate him. I really wanted to hate him, and I really wanted my desires to be genuine. The part of me that wanted to make him suffer so badly was a dark room, worms crawling out of the cracks, walls dripping ink, floors littered with leeches and maggots, and the snakes writhed and coiled, ready to strike. I wanted him to scream until his vocal cords burst and blood spilled from his mouth.

There was another place that existed, however, and it was a green field that went on and on with white petals fluttering in a light breeze. Blades of grass swayed back and forth peacefully, and birds sang with happiness, euphoric in this paradise. The sky was a vast ocean overhead, without even the threat of a cloud, going on as far as the eye could see. Here is where I wanted him to rest with me, forever in peace.

I blinked and both halves of me resettled, the fantasies dispersing, reality staring me in the face: Jekyll, tied to a sturdy Victorian chair, his legs crossed at the knee, because how else would someone like him sit? His head was tilted to the side, his expression a mask of boredom, rust-streaked hair somehow still managing to look stylish, as if he’d used gel instead of someone else’s lifeblood.  He was looking much like the werewolves at the moment, his coat ditched so he was completely shirtless, his rose tattoo exposed, wearing only black leather pants but with boots instead of barefoot. My body reacted to him against my better judgment, and he noticed that somehow, his head turning.

Smirking slowly, his wry smile seductive, he murmured, “It’s harder now, isn’t it?” He laughed quietly, the low sound even more tempting. “You’re so close, beautiful, it’s a wonder you were able to resist.” His eyes slid over to Taekwoon standing by the fireplace in the wolves’ basement, but Taek didn’t look at him. Amused, aware that his existence caused Taekwoon pain, Jekyll went on, “Temptation is everywhere for you, I’m sure.”

Hakyeon cleared his throat, getting more and more upset with Jekyll’s taunting. “Is this really how you want to waste your last breaths, Jae?”

Laughing so profoundly, from the belly up, the sound both compelling and shiver-inducing, Jekyll shook his head. “My last breaths? Do you really think you’ll be able to kill me? Any one of you?”

Ravi took a step forward. “I’m definitely ready if you are, clown.”

Arching his eyebrow at Ravi, Jekyll cocked his head and sneered at him too. “Maybe in another decade, pooch.”

Fed up, I stepped forward and touched the top of Ravi’s bare arm lightly, and he relented immediately, turning to look at me gently. I shook my head and smiled a little, shrugging my shoulders. “It’s not worth it. That’s how he functions, he just likes getting a rise out of people.”

Watching my hand on Ravi’s arm, Jekyll’s expression soured and he narrowed his eyes, his irises glowing like reflectors. “Easy, beautiful, fleas stick.”

I turned to look at him sharply. “They do not have fleas,” I told him through my teeth, beyond frustrated with him. “Your stupid joke is old, get a new one.”

Turning to look at last, Taekwoon rested his intense gaze on the full-fledged vampire in the room. “Does it upset you to see her interacting with her pack? She’s ours, you know. She’s my girl.”

Jekyll reacted so quickly, I jumped from the shock, and Ravi responded immediately by taking a half-step in front of me, throwing his arm around me so he was between us.

Straining against the chains wrapped around him in multiples, Jekyll bared his fangs at Taekwoon and yelled so loudly that my ears popped a couple of times, his boot-clad feet pressed against the bare cement floor, his clawed hands gripping the arms of the chair. The veins in his hands, arms, neck, and forehead stood out prominently, and the muscles in his upper body bunched and rippled, now on full display.

“She belongs to me!” Jekyll bellowed, and as he moved, the chain around his neck caught what little light there was in the room and gleamed.

Narrowing my eyes, I stepped around Ravi and dashed forward, reaching for the pendant. Before anyone could stop me, and before even Jekyll could react, I had the chain torn from his neck and in my hand. I moved back, holding the necklace in my hand, staring down at it closely.

I dropped my hand once I recognized what it was at last. Looking away, I felt my heart plummet for the umpteenth time that night. “I gave it to her for her birthday. Why do you have it?”

Breathing heavily, Jekyll told me, “Maybe it was more important to me.”

“Okay, that’s it. Hold me back!” But before anybody could, Ken’s fist connected with Jekyll’s cheekbone and I swear the vampire’s face was shattered.

The field with the oceanic sky turned gray and the snakes started to sing in the dark room, and while I fought with the desire to both aid and hurt Jekyll, I stood behind Ravi, my eyes wide shut.