[CONTENTID1]Orchid[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Twenty[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Waking up in Baekhyun’s arms was a delight. After their argument and subsequent conversation last night, he had stayed in her room, hugging her while she fell asleep. Although her implication about sleeping together had flown over his head, she still enjoyed his presence and the feeling of belonging that came with it. Her soulmate had conquered her heart. Whether he was aware of it or not was another matter…

She yawned and slowly opened her eyes, gazing into the ethereal blue of his irises. He studied her with patience and waited for her to come to her senses. Yoonhee stretched her arms and pushed the cover down, causing her scent to envelop him. The flowery fragrance was tempting, as always, so he couldn’t resist and buried his face in her neck. The vampire’s hot breath caressed her skin, prompted her to inch closer to him. Her hand brushed his silky black hair as she embraced him.

Comfortable silence veiled them. His lips tenderly touched her neck, kissing it and even a little, but it seemed he didn’t need any blood since she never felt the stinging of his fangs. A pleasant tingle washed over her when he kissed his way over her jawline to her lips.

“Good morning, little flower,” he murmured. He propped himself up on his elbow and watched her with a warm glimmer in his eyes. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did,” she smiled. “I always do when you’re here.”

The smirk settling on his face showed his delight about her words, and it made her heart skip a beat. He was even more handsome when he looked at her like this. She could hardly contain her excited heartbeats.

“What do you want to do today, buttercup? I don’t have any work to do, so we could spend the day together.”

Yoonhee thought about the suggestion and wondered if she should bring up a certain topic again. It didn’t sound like a good idea. She had a feeling that it was better to use actions and not words. If she remembered their vacation, and in particular his reaction to her pretty negligee, she already had a good idea of what she could do. Seducing her soulmate couldn’t be that hard…

“Hey, petal, what’s taking so long? It’s a simple question,” he teased and bopped the tip of her nose to regain her attention.

“The amount of nicknames you made up for me is astounding,” she laughed. Hadn’t he just called her buttercup a minute ago?

Amusement brightened his blue eyes. “A single nickname could never do justice to you, sweet pea.”

“Another one?” she giggled. “You’re a charmer, Baekhyun.”

“Only when it’s you,” he winked and smirked.

She flushed. Her weakness for his flirtiness was something she would never leave behind. Yoonhee was so enamored with him that she herself was surprised. They were soulmates for a reason, a match made in heaven. All that was left was a confession… and of course, a sealed bond. But she was working on that.

“You’re distracted this morning. Why are you staring at me?” he chuckled. “Are you admiring me?"

“You’re handsome,” she admitted and surprised him with her bluntness. Lately, she had become more outgoing and honest about her thoughts and feelings. Baekhyun found the change endearing—it reminded him of a blooming flower in spring. The countless nicknames he chose for her were indeed very fitting.

“Thank you, my blossom.”

Yoonhee was torn between rolling her eyes and laughing. “One day, you’ll run out of nicknames if you continue doing this.”

“No, you’re an endless inspiration. I’ll never run out of ideas, little flower.”

Baekhyun’s words were rewarded with a furiously blushing soulmate and the jubilant melody of her heartbeats.

Since Yoonhee missed playing the piano with him, that’s what they ended up doing this afternoon. They went to his room and sat on the bench in front of the large musical instrument. Several sheets of music were spread out in front of them, and she chose a song that seemed vaguely familiar. She was sure she had tried to play it before, years ago. Baekhyun was happy with her choice; it was a song that he liked to hear since it was upbeat and cheerful.

However, it was also more difficult to play than the one from last time, so he offered to help her until she got the hang of it. Baekhyun played with his right hand and she with her left. She kept staring at his fingers as they danced elegantly over the keys. It looked effortless, but she knew reaching his skill level required a lot of practice.

 “You’re doing great,” he commented when the last notes of the song faded away. “Want to try playing it alone now?”

“Yes… but don’t laugh if I mess up,” she answered and bit her lip while she took a glance at the sheets.

“Why would I laugh? I like hearing you play, and besides, everyone makes mistakes.” His words of encouragement prompted her to lay her hands on the keys. He smiled, using the opportunity to place an affectionate kiss on her cheek. “Go on, little flower.”

The cute nickname caused her to smile. She began to play, concentrating on both of her hands as well as the beat of the piece. Her eyes darting back and forth between the keys and the notes on the sheet. Baekhyun studied her as she created a beautiful melody all on her own—sharing his passion for music with her made him very happy. Joy glimmered in his eyes, mixing with adoration for his talented soulmate. He had been elated to learn about her interest in piano music, and the more they practiced together, the more confident she grew in her abilities. At this point, she was able to play most songs with both hands and rarely hit the wrong key. When the song reached its end, the last sounds lingered in the air for a moment until she removed her dainty fingers from the keys.

“Perfect!” he praised her, flustering her. “You’ve become so good at this, Yoonhee. I’m proud of you.”

“It’s easy with your help. So thank you, Baekhyun.” Her hand left the piano keys and grasped his. She leaned in and stole a kiss from his lips. It conveyed not only her gratefulness but also her happiness. Their lips merged, and what began as an innocent act soon grew passionate. Her hold on his hand tightened, and she slid closer until their thighs touched. Fire through her body. She was pleasantly surprised when his demeanor changed. He stopped holding himself back, and his sharp fangs grazed her skin as his tongue entered , easily dominating the kiss. She tasted his desire and shivered with delight. Perhaps they would—

The doorbell rang, interrupting them abruptly. They broke apart, lips swollen and pupils dilated. Yoonhee inhaled and exhaled, calming her wild heartbeat. She sensed a familiar aura near the house and winced. Her lust evaporated like steam when she realized to whom it belonged. Of course, Aeri had to appear now. Her timing was even worse than yesterday.

“It’s her,” she muttered. “What the hell does she want?”

“I have no idea,” Baekhyun sighed, visibly disgruntled. “Are you using a protection spell? She doesn’t know you’re a witch, does she?” Since he was her soulmate, spells of this kind had no effect on him, and thus he was never sure whether she was using one or not. Yoonhee was cautious and determined to elude her parents’ murderer, so she never forgot about it.

“Don’t worry, she has no clue.”

Baekhyun paused for a moment, his face darkening when he thought about the impending encounter with his ex. “Junmyeon expects me to talk to her to avoid conflicts with her clan…”

“Let’s go, I’ll accompany you.”

“Are you sure?” He furrowed his brow in worry, not happy about the idea. The overwhelming urge to protect her dyed his eyes dark red and caused his fangs to elongate.

“Yes. I won’t let this woman push me around,” she decided, “And I will support you.”

He didn’t answer, merely leaned in and left a kiss on her hairline. None of them was keen on meeting Aeri, but it had to be done.

The clan members had already welcomed Aeri when Yoonhee and Baekhyun arrived in the foyer. However, the other vampires were quickly ignored when Aeri spotted him. A pretty smile lit up her face, making her eyes shine. She walked up to Baekhyun, swaying her hips and oozing confidence. Yerin cringed, exchanging a glance with Yoonhee whose exasperation rose.

“Hello Baekhyun,” Aeri chirped in a sugary tone. “I’m glad to see you! Last time, we missed each other, unfortunately.”

“Aeri,” he answered, sighing her name. “What brings you here?”

Her smile widened. “I wanted to see you, of course. We haven’t talked in a long time.” Aeri’s gaze wandered over the other present clan members in the foyer, skipping Yoonhee since she wasn’t worth her attention.

“I don’t see why you would want to talk. We broke up. Everything has been said already,” he answered, struggling to stay polite. He felt Junmyeon’s warning gaze on himself and exhaled, forcing himself to choose his words with care before he made a stupid mistake. It was not a good idea to make the leader of another clan their enemy—but since he already considered Aeri his enemy, this was anything but easy.

“Come on, Baek, don’t be shy,” she pouted, putting her palm on his chest. “I want to spend time with you!”

Yoonhee glared at the beautiful vampire, seething with jealousy. Her magical power flared, but thankfully it was well masked. Baekhyun was the only one who noticed it.

“We could get back together. What’s stopping you?” Aeri added with a sultry smile, purposefully ignoring Yoonhee’s glare. She twirled her silky blond hair around her finger, waiting for his answer.

“Didn’t you hear what he said?” Yoonhee cut