[CONTENTID1]Aconite[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Ten[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Yoonhee spent her morning in the living room with Chanyeol and Baekhyun. They sat on the sofa with their eyes glued to the tv screen. The vampires played a competitive game, while she opted to watch them. They hammered their fingers on the buttons of their controllers, making her think they would break them soon if they didn’t stop. It was sort of amusing how engrossed they were in their game.

“Next time I’ll beat you,” Baekhyun grumbled when a Game Over flickered over his part of the screen.

“Dream on. You’re too slow to keep up with me,” the other vampire grinned.

“Shut it,” Baekhyun complained. “I want a rematch and this time, you’ll get it!”

“Good luck, Baek,” she chimed in.

“He’s going to need it,” Chanyeol snickered.

“ing hell!”

She giggled at their antics. They must have known each other for a long time, considering they both had been part of the clan for decades. She stayed and watched them play for another five minutes until she decided to head to her room. While they were busy, she wanted to make a quick phone call, preferably without being overheard.

She entered her bedroom and closed the door behind her. It was high time to get in touch with her friend Chaewon. They hadn’t spoken since before the breakup with Sooyoung. Yoonhee had a feeling she would be happy to hear about it since she had urged Yoonhee to do it. And in hindsight, it had been the only right decision.

Yoonhee sat on her small balcony that overlooked the garden. The summer sun was high up in the sky, warming her skin with its rays. She dialed Chaewon’s number and waited for her to pick up which didn’t take long at all.

“Yoon!” she said excitedly. “How are you?”

“I’m great and you?”

“Same,” Chaewon laughed. “I just finished making lunch with Mark’s help. We have to clean up the kitchen later, though. Are you at home right now?”

Yoonhee smirked, easily imagining the mess the chaotic couple had created. “Good luck with that,” she snickered. “I am, but not where you think. I broke up with Sooyoung a few days ago.”

“Wow, really? Congrats! About time you kicked that bastard’s . I hope he never dares to show his ugly face again,” Chaewon went off, voice dripping with malicious joy. “So you got your own place to live?”

“Kind of? I moved in with Baekhyun and now I’m staying with his clan,” Yoonhee explained, earning stunned silence from the other end of the line.

Chaewon needed a moment to get over her surprise. “H-Huh? What’s going on all of a sudden? Weren’t you strictly against it?”

“I changed my mind. It’s for the best. I’m comfortable with Baekhyun… He’s considerate and entirely different from Sooyoung,” Yoonhee replied, playing with a lock of her black hair as she looked at the garden down below.

“I see, that’s amazing to hear. I’m happy for you,” Chaewon said, the smile on her face being audible. “Are you in love with him?”

Caught off guard by her bluntness, Yoonhee’s heart leaped. “W-What?” she stumbled over her words.

“You heard me correctly. Tell me! Are you?”

“No?”

“Doesn’t sound very sure,” Chaewon giggled. “It’s alright, Yoon. Take it slow. It’s not like Baekhyun nor you are going to age any time soon.”

“We do have lots of time,” Yoonhee agreed. She fought against the blush that spread all the way to her ears.

“Did you let him drink your blood, by the way?”

“Yes.”

“Oh wow? You won’t stop surprising me,” Chaewon gasped. “I’m speechless. So you trust him that much?”

“I do. He’s very kind to me even though he is a vampire,” Yoonhee smiled.

“What is it like to be bitten by him? Does it hurt?”

“Only at the beginning, and then it’s… uh… okay.”

Chaewon snorted and broke out in giggles. “Mhm, okay. That says a lot,” she remarked with a suspiciously ambiguous tone in her voice. “.”

“Chae! It’s—”

“I can’t believe this! You went from being a scaredy-cat to being ?” Chaewon had to be crying tears from laughing so much.

“Not true!” Yoonhee grumbled. “Lies!”

“Sure, lies,” Chaewon answered, clearly not believing a word her friend said. “But all jokes aside, it’s great you’ve found someone who you are comfortable with. That’s invaluable.”

“Yes, I’m grateful for him,” Yoonhee said. Words alone couldn’t describe how lucky she was—it was a huge relief to be separated from Sooyoung. No more walking on eggshells around him, no more screaming, and no more abuse. She was significantly happier without him.

By the time Yoonhee returned to the ground floor and passed the living room, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were still busy with their videogame. Judging by their shouting, this time Baekhyun was winning and Chanyeol seemed frustrated about it. She held in a smile and walked on to the kitchen, planning to make lunch for herself. When she entered the room, she found Yerin sitting on one of the barstools at the counter. The vampire glanced up from her phone when Yoonhee arrived and smiled at her.

“Hello there. How is your day going?”

“Couldn’t be better,” Yoonhee replied. “I just had a call with my friend. She is a werewolf and lives with her soulmate. We haven’t talked since I broke up with my former boyfriend, so we had a lot to catch up on.” She fetched a few ingredients for her lunch from the fridge and began to prepare them while she talked to Yerin.

“You’re friends with a werewolf? That’s interesting,” Yerin suggested, resting her chin on her hand.

“We met a few years ago after I moved to Seoul,” Yoonhee replied, briefly glancing up once she heard the front door open. One of the other vampires must have arrived.

She put the freshly cut tomatoes in a bowl and went on to cut onions. However, the knife was razor-sharp, and a tiny moment of inattention sufficed for her to cut herself. She hissed, retracting her hand. Red bloomed on her finger, trickling down the digit. It was a deep cut and it burned.

“Damn it,” she mumbled and looked up to find Yerin on her feet.

“Do you need a band-aid?” she asked.

“Yes, that would be great.”

Yoonhee was stunned at Yerin’s indifference and didn’t spot even a hint of red in her eyes. She was unbothered by the spilled blood. Since she had already found her soulmate, Yoonhee’s blood was nothing special—it wouldn’t sate her anyway.

Nevertheless, it was dangerously tempting to other people in the house. Its sweet smell hung in the air, reaching into the foyer. The clan’s youngest vampire unfortunately passed the kitchen at this very moment, noticing the irresistible scent of fresh blood. He inhaled, his fangs growing and eyes flashing red.

Yerin’s head snapped to the doorway, staring at the vampire who had just appeared out of nowhere. Yoonhee had never seen him before, but his height coupled with the searing thirst for her blood that was written all over his face prompted her to shrink back. She pushed her body against the counter, fear growing within her.

“Sehun,” Yerin snapped sharply. “Stay where you are!” It was an order, but the other vampire hardly cared. His ruby eyes were nailed to Yoonhee, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Anyone could see he was not in his right mind, a slave to his thirst. It was hard to tell what his next move would be. Bloodthirsty vampires were unpredictable.

A crushing sense of déjà-vu crept over Yoonhee. Suddenly, she stood in the living room of her old home—facing the red eyes of her attacker, seeing the body of her mother laying behind him on the ground. She couldn’t escape the greedy stare of the vampire and was paralyzed in absolute terror. Her eyes watered. All color drained from her face.

Yerin snarled warningly once Sehun took another step towards Yoonhee. The tension in the kitchen was incredibly thick—and the female vampire began to fear that she might not be able to stop him on her own. His state was concerning. He was completely overtaken by his vampiric instincts. No rational thought remained on his mind.

When the situation was about to escalate in the worst way, someone appeared behind him in a flash, dragging him back with an arm around his neck. Sehun growled, losing sight of his prey, only to be faced with the contorted features of another vampire.

Baekhyun’s lips drew back in an enraged snarl. His scarlet eyes glared daggers at Sehun. Caution crossed the younger vampire’s face, but his thirst was stronger. Baekhyun knew what Sehun’s objective was—and he couldn’t allow it. Without hesitation, he pounced on Sehun, using his full weight to bring him down. Baekhyun’s knee pushed into Sehun’s chest, unwavering like a block of concrete. The taller vampire snarled and hissed angri