chapter 9

Whispers spread through the crowd of upstanding ladies and gents and Woohyun feels his blood boil. He wants to know who and how. Sunggyu should be at home and safe – not here at this bloodbath of madness.

            “Now let the ceremony begin!”

            Woohyun bites his lip – he can feel everyone’s lustful eyes on Sunggyu. How could this happen? Myungsoo had managed to keep Sungyeol a secret for months and Woohyun couldn’t even manage a week before Sunggyu’s very existence was known.

            Could he avoid it now? No – there is no return. He wanted to avoid the rite of passage; he knew what it meant and he didn’t want that for Sunggyu. If he could, Sunggyu wouldn’t even be his partner. Ever since that day years ago, Woohyun had wanted to make sure that Sunggyu wouldn’t know anything and would never be in harm’s way again. He’d failed, though, by dragging Sunggyu into this. Because as fate would have it, Sunggyu had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and hell would freeze over before he’d let Sunggyu die. Of course most of the vampire world would consider hell already frozen over since he cares so much about a human – since he’s in love with a human. It’s not so uncommon in the vampire world but for the royal family it is.

            Woohyun wants to laugh at how weak he is. A weak person live him doesn’t deserve Sunggyu who Woohyun thinks is a living angel.

            “I think we should have a preshow, wouldn’t you agree?” his uncle raises his hand and once he snaps his fingers, bars shoot up from the ground, creating a cage around Sunggyu. Lunatics materialize and stumble towards Sunggyu, tongues hanging out of their mouths and wild eyes eating him up.

            “A little blood never killed ‘em! Let’s enjoy the show!”

            Woohyun snaps. Like he could let lunatic filth touch his angel. Woohyun raises his hand and swings, slicing through the metal bars. A collective gasp falls over the crowd and when he steps forward they begin to cheer. Woohyun swings his arm back as he steps into the throng of lunatics, a blade of wind cutting them in half in one go. The crowd erupts in applause and Woohyun finds it disgusting. He walks in long strides until he is standing over Sunggyu’s figure.

            Woohyun takes the dagger and brings the blade to his wrist, slitting it slowly, letting the crowd see the red liquid. He it slowly, keeping it in his mouth as he leans down and presses his lips to Sunggyu’s slightly parted ones. He lets the blood flow and makes Sunggyu drink it all. When it’s all gone, Woohyun pulls away, his fingers brushing away stray strands of hair on Sunggyu’s forehead. He wipes away the blood trailing from the corner of Sunggyu’s lips as his eyes flutter open.

            “Woohyun?” he asks, disoriented. It hasn’t set in yet but Woohyun’s vile blood will spread and the ritual will be complete.

“Surrender unto me your flesh, heart, and soul,” he cups Sunggyu’s rosy cheek, the vow rolling off his tongue fluidly.

 Sunggyu’s confusion is cut short when he jolts to a start, trembling. “It burns,” his voice shakes and he grips Woohyun’s hand tightly, his fingers shaking. “Woohyun… my body – it burns!”

He lifts Sunggyu bridal style and spins on his heels, breaking into a swift walk. “Anyone who lays a finger on my Claimed will become my enemy and I will not hesitate to kill you,” he announces. He glances over to Myungsoo who nods. Sungyeol is safe and remains unknown to the vampire world.

            His uncle cackles wildly. “Of course, dear nephew. He is now a part of the royal family and will be treated as such! The ceremony is complete at last!”

--

            Warmth. Warmth, and the sweet, familiar smell of honeysuckle. Sunggyu nuzzles into the warmth – he’s tired and cold and the warmth feels so good against his skin. It takes him a moment to realize that his eyes are closed and that he is in fact awake. He slowly opens them and is met with a wall of skin greatly resembling a chest. He’s really confused when he looks up and sees Woohyun’s sleeping face. His heart starts to pound and he blushes – being in such close proximity with Woohyun makes his head all mushy inside. Woohyun’s arms are wrapped around him tightly and Sunggyu tries to decide whether he should try getting out or just staying like this.

            Before he can come to a decision, he suddenly remembers everything. Minhyuk, the soiree, and the last thing he remembers is Woohyun’s face and burning pain that spread through his body quickly. And Sungyeol… what happened to him? Sunggyu pries Woohyun’s arms off of him and sits up, swinging his legs out of bed. The moment he puts weight on the balls of his feet, he topples over, his legs giving out beneath him. He makes a yelping sound and prepares for impact when he is pulled back.

            “You’ll find it hard to walk and move around for a bit.”

            Woohyun’s arm snakes around his stomach and pulls him close, Sunggyu’s back pressing against his chest. “W-Woohyun!”

            “How are you feeling? Other than the fact that your body is going to be a little sluggish for a while.”

            “What happened? At the soiree? And what about Sungyeol? We… were separated and—”

            “Shh, shh. Sungyeol is safe – Myungsoo found him unharmed.”

            “But what about me? What happened at the soiree?”

            Woohyun sighs and rests his chin on the crown of Sunggyu’s head. “The ceremony is complete.”

            “W-what do you mean?”

            “In human terms, it’s like getting married. When our bond was first created we were ‘engaged’ and last night we got ‘married’,” Woohyun looks terribly sad and Sunggyu spins around in his arms. It’s weird – Sunggyu’s sad, too. Is the connection so strong now that he can feel what Woohyun feels? “I’m sorry, Sunggyu. I really am. If only I hadn’t gotten you involved in all of this. You’re in danger now because of me and—”

            Sunggyu’s hands move quickly and he cups Woohyun’s face. He figures that he’s already going to hell with Woohyun now so he might as well tear down his walls and let Woohyun completely in. There’s no turning back now and he thinks loving Woohyun isn’t such a bad thing. “Don’t be sorry. I don’t mind. I mean, of course, I never dreamed of a life like this but it isn’t bad and even though I haven’t been living it very long, I don’t hate it. You’re not a bad person and I like being with you so don’t be so down.”

            Woohyun blinks at Sunggyu. He seriously wasn’t expecting Sunggyu to accept him. Is Sunggyu really okay with this?

            “Since I’m in danger now I guess I’ll have to be more careful,” Sunggyu chuckles lightly. No point worrying about it now. Woohyun and he are in it together now.

            Woohyun smirks and Sunggyu is taken aback at the sudden change in atmosphere. Woohyun leans forward, softly pushing Sunggyu down on the bed. “Then you can’t run away. Do you understand? I’ll protect you forever so you can’t ever leave me.”

            “I guess we’ll be together forever from now on?”

            “Descend into this hell together with me, then, my beloved.” Woohyun kisses Sunggyu for longer than he cares to count and he’s pretty sure his heart is going to pound right out of his chest if this keeps up.

            Woohyun pulls away and leaves butterfly kisses down his neck and jaw before pressing his lips against Sunggyu’s collarbones. “W-Woohyun,” Sunggyu manages, gripping his back.

            Woohyun’s lips and hands are everywhere and Sunggyu feels like he’s just become a bumbling mess that can’t string together a proper sentence. Woohyun has reduced him to a hot and bothered mess. His hands must be utter magic.

            “Into the fire we go,” Woohyun whispers against his skin, sending shivers through his body. If this is hell, Sunggyu doesn’t think it’s too bad.

*muffled through the fire and flames plays in the distance*