[CONTENTID1]Daffodil[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Fifteen[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Yoonhee heard Baekhyun’s footsteps as he returned home. The door next to her bedroom creaked when he opened and closed it. She sat on her bed, hugging her knees and peering at the light underneath the door. Should she go after him and ask what happened? It was very late, midnight to be exact, and he had been gone for hours. Despite Kyungsoo’s and Jongin’s efforts to distract her, she had ended up worrying about her soulmate.

All she knew so far was that Baekhyun had gone looking for Sooyoung. The thought of her ex evoked the ugly sensation of loathing deep within her. It had faded during the last weeks when they had been separated, but the kidnapping orchestrated by him had brought it back. She didn’t want this vile man to have any power over her or Baekhyun.

Yoonhee didn’t realize her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, but someone else did. A knock at her door startled her. She gripped the bedsheets, burying her fingers in their softness.

“Yes?” she called. The door opened, revealing her soulmate. Baekhyun had changed his clothes, sporting casual sweatpants and a shirt. Since his hair was damp, he either had taken a shower or walked through the pouring rain outside. The alluring blue of his irises was a relief to see.

“You’re back,” she commented with a hint of a smile on her face. He nodded wordlessly and approached the bed, sitting down on its edge without taking his gaze away from her. She leaned her back against the pillows, waiting for him to speak, hoping for an explanation about his disappearance this evening.

“It’s very late, you should be sleeping,” he chided her. “You have yet to recover from the blood loss.”

“I know, but I couldn’t sleep as long as you were gone,” she sighed, frowning at him. “Where have you been, Baekhyun?”

His gaze left hers and darted to the window. The curtains were half-closed, letting some moonlight fall into her bedroom. He swallowed, gathering his thoughts before he answered her most pressing question. “I paid a visit to Sooyoung,” he muttered, expression growing stony and harsh.

She grabbed his arm. “So you found him?”

“Yes, I did,” Baekhyun said icily. “Junmyeon, Chanyeol, and I ambushed him. All clan members agreed he needs to be taken care of. He was a menace.”

“Wait, did you… actually kill him?” she breathed. Her grip slackened as she slowly let go of him. A flash of red lit up his eyes. Their gazes met.

“Sooyoung is dead. He won’t bother you anymore,” he confirmed.

Her breath hitched. She froze in realization, staring into space as a plethora of thoughts raced through her mind. It was hard to fathom Sooyoung was gone forever. She struggled to comprehend it and she struggled to make sense of her conflicting feelings. She felt lighter than before, much lighter. Why was it so liberating? Was she a bad person for feeling relief in this situation? Someone had died, and she was relieved?

“Are you upset with me?” Baekhyun asked, misreading her stunned expression. “Did you want him to live?”

“I… no!” she stumbled over her own words. “Knowing he is gone is liberating… I guess this is for the best.” Who knew how many other people he would have tormented after her? She didn’t want anybody else to go through the same sick she had experienced.

“It’s reasonable you’re relieved to be rid of him,” Baekhyun said, reading her thoughts by studying her expression. “He was not a good person and the way he treated you was horrible When. I spoke to him, he made it clear he would not stop tormenting us unless I kill him. So I did what was necessary. From now on, you don’t need to waste another thought about this person.”

Baekhyun was right, she could leave her past behind. And not only that. With Sooyoung gone, she could reopen her shop. She could finally return to her passion and start over. He wouldn’t be there to ruin it another time.

“Baekhyun,” Yoonhee stiffened when a thought crossed her mind. “Did you get hurt? Did he use his magic against you?”

“I’m fine, buttercup. He couldn’t cause any damage, to neither of us.”

“I’m glad you brought Junmyeon and Chanyeol,” she said with a stern glance in his eyes. “Vampires are not invincible.”

To her surprise, her strict words made a smile appear on his lips. “Are you worried about me?” Baekhyun asked, bopping her nose with the tip of his finger. “Yoonhee, it’s you we should be worried about. You’re supposed to sleep, it’s late.”

“I already said I was waiting for you, Baek.”

“Now I’m here,” he countered, arching his brow. “Lie down, petal.”

“Will you stay with me?”

“Yes,” he said. There was darkness in his voice, leading her to think he never intended to leave her alone tonight. She made space for him and lifted the cover up. He slipped underneath it and pulled it over their bodies. Yoonhee let out a drawn-out sigh when she hugged him and snuggled up to him. Their legs got tangled. Baekhyun carefully took her hand, watching her wrapped wrist in the darkness. His fingers lightly caressed it, not finding any bloodstains on the bandage.

“Does the bite hurt?” he asked in a quiet voice.

“It’s fine… it really is. I made a healing potion while you were gone. It speeds up the recovery process. Maybe I can remove the bandage tomorrow.”

“Sounds good,” he hummed, closing his eyes and inhaling her sweet scent. Baekhyun allowed himself to relax. He splayed his hand over her spine, her back. Thanks to his affectionate gesture, her breaths evened out—she was almost asleep. Baekhyun enjoyed being with her like this. It felt pleasant to be close to his soulmate. The anger and the wish for revenge that had overtaken him were gone. He was at peace and could focus only on her.

Baekhyun was proud of Yoonhee and the progress she had made recently. He found it hard to fathom that this affectionate woman had once been scared of him. And now, she slept at his side without even a hint of fear, wearing a content smile on her lips. His little flower was blooming.

“Sleep well,” he whispered in her hair, leaving a kiss. Yoonhee remained oblivious to this, already in dreamland.

Many hours later, Yoonhee slowly woke up. The summer sun was already up, shining in her face when she turned towards the window. It was warm and cozy under the cover. She was wrapped up like a little burrito. A smile lit up her sleepy expression.

“Mhh, so comfortable,” she mumbled, still half-asleep.

“So clingy,” someone else drawled, the voice much deeper than hers.

“Huh?” she yawned. “Who said that?”

Rubbing her eyes, she gradually returned to the present and when she raised her head, she gazed straight at Baekhyun’s amused smirk. He bit his bottom lip to hold in his laughter, his fang digging in his skin.

“Baekhyun?” she asked dumbfoundedly.

“The one and only.”

“You’re here!” she exclaimed once she was fully awake. He could almost see a lightbulb turn on above her head.

“I’ve been here all night, silly. Are you ready for breakfast?”

“Yes, I’m hungry,” she answered and untangled herself from the cover before she left the bed. She felt his eyes on her while she trudged to her wardrobe, choosing something to wear. Since it was another hot summer day, she picked a light dress, not wanting to bother wearing pants in this weather. She vanished into the bathroom for a while and when she returned, her hair was combed and her teeth brushed.

The pair left her bedroom and headed downstairs to the kitchen where they encountered Chanyeol. The red-haired vampire had just fetched one of the blood bags in the fridge and poured its content in a wine glass. Yoonhee tried not to cringe.

“Good morning,” Chanyeol said. He shot Baekhyun a questioning glance and gazed at her. “How are you, Yoonhee?”

“I’m okay, thanks for asking. What about you? I heard you accompanied Baekhyun yesterday.”

Chanyeol looked so shocked, his eyes visibly widened. “You heard?” he echoed. Apparently, he had not expected Baekhyun to reveal it to her, especially not so soon. Chanyeol had underestimated his friend’s bluntness.

“I told her because this concerns her as much as it concerns all of us.”

“That’s fair, I guess,” Chanyeol agreed.

“Next time, please don’t hide such things from me,” Yoonhee said. “I’m not a child.”

“But you’re not a vampire like us,” Chanyeol said with furrowed brows. “And I’m sure you would not approve of our ways in every situation.”

“I’m aware that your kind likes to resort to violence. But since I’m supposed to be a part of this clan, I don’t want to be left in the dark about what’s going on.”

“Then we will respect your wish,” Junmyeon’s calm voice chimed in. The clan leader remained in the doorway and watched the three of them. He must have been in his atelier until now since his fingers were covered in splatters of acrylic paint. “Are you feeling better today?”

“Yes,” Yoonhee smiled.

“Good. Yerin has been worried about you. Maybe you should talk to her later.”

“I will.”

Junmyeon nodded and gave the group a small smile before he left the kitchen. In the meantime, Chanyeol had finished half of his bloody drink and Baekhyun was busy preparing breakfast. Yoonhee opted to help him and set the table. Even though Baekhyun didn’t require food, he usually ate with her so that she was not alone. She was grateful for this and appreciated his efforts to make her feel right at home.

By the time they sat down at the table, Chanyeol was on his way to Sehun’s room. He mentioned something about working on a new song with him.

While Yoonhee and Baekhyun had breakfast together, they chatted about random topics. Her shop, for example, and a possible reopening. Yoonhee was excited about it and shared her ideas with her soulmate. A melody interrupted them, confusing Yoonhee until she realized it originated from Baekhyun’s phone. He checked the caller ID before picking up. She watched him curiously, wondering who it was.

“Hello?” he said.