“I swear I’m going to break that seal and bust the door down,” Donghae complained to whoever would listen while everyone gathered around the table for dinner. Only two seats remained empty; Master’s at the head, and the seat reserved for the sponsa to the right. Siwon still had his seat at the left, Donghae had taken the seat to the priest, and the remaining were filled by the scouts and the fledglings. I sat at the end, across from Henry.

“Leave him alone,” a feminine voice answered, sounding tired. Boa pinched the bridge of her nose, and scowled at a spot on the table in front of her. She wasn’t the only one ready to move on. The conversation had rested on the same topic for the past week, ever since Jongwoon locked himself in his room once again. I swore steam billowed out of Donghae’s ears when he heard that not only did the sponsa refuse to leave his room, but Siwon had also been instructed not to break the seal.

No matter how amusing I found seeing Donghae so worked up, it had no effect on the hurt that overwhelmed my senses. I was also on the list of those kept out of his room. The seal would allow me through, but I doubted Jongwoon would be too happy if I broke down his door. I wanted to give him time and space, but his recent instability had me more than a little worried. How could I trust someone who wasn’t in his right mind? There was no rationality behind his actions, and his emotions were as consistent as a tornado’s path. Imagining him lying there depressed didn’t sit right with me, but I couldn’t allow myself to dwell on anything worse.

“Boa, you don’t understand,” Donghae argued, rousing me from my thoughts.

“I understand perfectly,” she said, setting her glass down, half full. The dhampyress calmly stood up from the table. “I’ve lost my appetite.” Only a moment later, I rose from my chair and followed her out the door.

“Hey,” I called out, cringing when I heard the roughness of my voice.

“Kyuhyun?” She stopped in the middle of the hall, turning towards me. Concern was in her voice, but I didn’t pay much attention to the reason for its presence.

“I, uh, thanks, for getting Donghae to-”

“You don’t have to thank me,” she said with a soft smile. “I can relate to your brother, back when I was human.” The confession had me raising my eyebrows in surprise. She noticed this and continued. “My late husband was a cruel man. Denying me food, beating me down, forcing me to bend to his will. The night I killed him he had already taken every part of me. If Master hadn’t found me lying on the street, I would have bled to death from a miscarriage.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, despite knowing it wouldn’t offer any sort of consolation.

“Don’t apologize. I lost my child, and my life as a human, but I’ve also gained so much in this life. Becoming a dhampyre actually gave me a second chance at becoming happy, and both Junsu and Changmin are incredible friends that I wouldn’t have if I had died that night.” She rested her delicate hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly. “Forcing one to do something against their will is not something to be supported, but rather looked down upon. Your brother is not a helpless woman from the seventeenth century, so he has a lot more options than I did. He should try talking to Master, and come to some kind of agreement, because what they are doing now is not working.”

“Communication is not my brother’s forte, especially when he’s upset like this.”

“I’ve noticed,” she said, adding a soft chuckle. Her words unsettled me a little and I racked my brain for something else to talk about.

“How are Yunho and Jaejoong?” Her face fell at the mention of the names and I almost regretted changing the subject to something so sensitive for her. I couldn’t recall whether she was ever really close to the two. Maybe they developed some kind of friendship after Jongwoon and I left, or it could just have been because she and the scouts were the ones to find the two in such a state.

“Still won’t wake up.” Her voice cracked but she lightly shook her head, and tried to bring a smile back to her face. “Siwon is doing all he can, but they look like they’ve gone through months of torture before being cursed. Their bodies need blood, but the curse somehow keeps it from working, and it’s only a matter of time before they go into the later stages of bloodlust.” A sigh passed through her lips. “I was just about to go see them. Want to come?”

I was curious to see how this curse was affecting them. Despite living with a bloodking, the curse wasn’t used all that often. Enough so that I could remember him casting it, but not enough to have an idea as to what it did to its victim. I nodded and started to walk down the hall with her towards Siwon’s rooms.

The priest had a set of three different suites, all in the same hallway, one being dedicated to his research, another as an infirmary even though it wasn’t used as such very often, and the last being his own personal rooms. The only reasons in the past that I remembered him leaving these rooms for were dinner or if Master had called for him. But in the last few days, the priest was often found in the library or at Master’s side.

We entered the dark room, illuminated only by a few scattered candles, not that we needed them for sight. They cast the room in a flickering orange glow too dim to be useful for any human’s eyes. Before deeming them completely pointless, I sniffed the air a few times, taking in the scents of chamomile and lavender – relaxing aromas. Soft, but labored breaths could be heard from across the room, and I could only assume they were from the two cursed dhampyres. Only when sick or injured did our bodies need to breathe. If we didn’t have access to blood we had to take as many of the nutrients from the air as we could, but it never made little more than a dent in our condition. Nothing more than a few extra minutes before turning to dust. This was different. They depended on each of those breaths to last them more than just the few minutes needed to seek out fresh blood.

“Because they can’t take blood,” Boa started, noticing my confusion. “Their bodies are healing at the rate of a normal human. So Siwon has been making herbal remedies, hoping to speed the process up a little. He gives them a paste made of iron, folic acid, water and some other vitamins and minerals, as a way to mimic blood, but it doesn’t help much. There hasn’t been any changes in the last three days, but it’s all we can do.” I nodded, and followed her further into the room. She knelt beside Yunho, grabbing the small cloth from a bowl of water resting on the nightstand. Without any explanation, she began to dab at the sweat that had built up on his skin, showing no embarrassment as she moved the blanket, uncovering more of his bare form.

“Would you mind checking on Jaejoong?” I didn’t bother to give a response, instead moving to the bedside, and imitating her actions. Boa was the type that if she asked someone to do something, they did it without complaint. Partially because she was one of the strongest dhampyres in the clan, but mostly because she was the kindest. Defending Jongwoon earlier wasn’t a rare occurrence. Sometimes it seemed like out of everyone, she held onto her humanity the most. So it was out of respect for the dhampyress that I swept the damp rag over Jaejoong’s face and neck. When I reached his chest, I paused. Something there struck me as odd, something I didn’t notice before.

“Do you know if Jaejoong is bonded to anyone?” Boa looked up from her task, and her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

“These two left three years ago,” she started, saying the words slowly as her brain processed whether her information was correct. “Both of them said they wanted to find someplace more stable before bonding, so as far as I know he shouldn’t be bonded. Why?”

“These markings.” I motioned for her to come closer and she set the rag down before doing so. “Notice how these ones move, slithering around the body like a snake? They’re part of the curse, but these ones on his chest,” I traced one with my finger, “these don’t move and they have the exact same design as the ones Jongwoon has.”

“So what does that mean?” she asked, tracing over the lines with her own fingers.

“Maybe nothing, but if Yunho is the mate, it could mean that the reason Yunho is rejecting blood is-”

“Because it’s not Jaejoong’s blood. How did Siwon not notice?”

“I don’t-”

“Not everyone has the unfortunate chance to bear witness to the deeds of vampyres, let alone, vampyric bloodkings.” I turned to see a tall figure at the door, but just by the voice, I knew it had to be the high priest. Siwon set a few blood packs in the refrigerator by the door, which also held vials of different substances and a few jars of others. I had no idea what was in them, and I didn’t really care to find out.

“I had only read about this curse,” he continued, “and that it causes strange markings around the body. I’m sure Kyuhyun would be able to tell you more about the curse from personal experience.”

He was right. I had seen all three of a bloodking’s birthright abilities: the curse, the blood bomb, and a third, more gruesome ability, one which Changes humans almost instantly to vampyres without being bitten. Because the human’s blood hadn’t been drained, the fluid needed to be forced out. Blood spurted of their mouth, nose, eyes, and ears – anywhere it could flow freely, and the creatures produced were more monstrous than their creators. With a body in instant need of blood that usually drenched their own bodies, the “insta-vamps,” as I had called them, would attack their own limbs first, only knowing the thirst of bloodlust. In rare cases, one would latch onto another, ripping the flesh away with only their teeth and fangs. Throw a human in a pack of them, and what remained would litter the ground in tatters; bloodless, shredded remains of something that once lived and breathed. Leeteuk used to make these insta-vamps for pure entertainment. As the gory spectacle would take place in a sort of arena before his “throne,” he would wear a sly grin and sip on a silver chalice of blood, remaining silent as cheers would erupt at the sight of the monsters. The sick man even had the nerve to pit women and children against each other.

“Now that we know Jaejoong is bonded,” Boa spoke up, pulling me from memories of the vampyre den. “Is there any way to prove that Yunho is his mate?” Siwon looked hesitant, but I simply extended my claws, puncturing into Jaejoong’s arm while carefully watching Yunho for any reaction. Sure enough, his arm twitched and a slight wince touched his feverish face.

“They’re bonded,” I stated, letting my claws retract, noticing a few drops of blood beading on the pale skin. I swiped those drops onto my finger, moving around the other two to Yunho’s side, brushing my finger against his chapped lips. Boa waited with bated breath and Siwon stood silently analyzing the two for any change – both wondering if that had been the key to the survival of at least one of the two. A pink tongue slowly emerged, dabbing at the red staining his lips. Fangs elongated, as a few of the minor cuts on his face began to smooth over.

“It worked!” Boa cheered, but Siwon only shook his head.

“The curse must have only been placed on Jaejoong, and the effects transferred through the bond to Yunho,” Siwon explained, but the grim expression didn’t leave his face for a moment.

“That means we should be able to cure Yunho,” Boa said, starting out sounding cheerful, but grew uncertain seeing the twin looks Siwon and I wore.

“The curse makes the body reject blood, and by giving Yunho Jaejoong’s blood, it may wake him, but it puts Jaejoong in an unstable predicament. He would become bloodlusted and…” he trailed off.

“And if Jaejoong dies,” I started, looking Boa in the eye.

“So does Yunho,” she finished solemnly. Her shoulders slumped and she shook her head, slumping onto the edge of Jaejoong’s bed.

“At least now, we know if we can somehow cure this curse, we can save both of their lives,” the priest said, trying to instill hope once again into the dhampyress.

“That means we’re one step closer to healing them,” she added, a small smile finally touching her lips. Of course, I had to be the bearer of bad news.

“As far as I know, only a bloodking can remove the curse.” Dark, worry filled eyes to Siwon and he nodded.

“I’ll keep experimenting,” he assured, “and then we may have a chance of finding another way of removing it.” Looking to the ground, he carefully avoided naming our last option, which involved handing over my brother, but I was sure all three of us had the same thought in mind.

Sunlight peeked through one of the curtains and I sighed as that meant that I needed to head back to my room. Maybe when I woke up, all our problems would be solved and people all around would be wearing large smiles, and Jongwoon and I would be able to leave. Reality .

“Both of you should retire for the day,” the priest said. “I’ll take care of these two.” I didn’t wait for further instruction, and just walked out the door, leaving the other two behind me. I opened the door to my room a few minutes later, wanting to just fall into bed and rest the day away. Instead, I found Sungmin, putting the few clothes that other dhampyres, such as Donghae, had spared him into a duffle bag.

“What are you doing?” I asked, startling him a bit with my voice. Brown eyes looked up to me, and a sheepish smile settled on his lips.

“Uh, you’ve been pretty stressed, and Donghae said I could have my own room and-”

“So you’re just going to leave?” The door closed behind me, and he dropped another shirt into the bag.

“I thought-”

“If you want to go, then just go. I don’t care anymore.” I fell onto the bed, closing my eyes to the dim light that began to fill the room. The bed shifted as another weight fell upon it, and I opened my eyes to see Sungmin gazing down at me from where he sat.

“Still worried about your brother?” he asked in a tender voice.

“I thought you were leaving.”

“And I thought you didn’t care.” He smiled, when he realized I didn’t have an answer to that. “Why does your brother seem to hate Master so much? Especially since Master just said he was in love with him?” I thought about brushing Sungmin off once again, telling him it had nothing to do with him, and that he needed to just leave well enough alone. But I didn’t.

“Didn’t you hear what Jongwoon said? Master Changed him, forced him to become his sponsa, and even held him here as his food.”

“Then why did Master say he either had to Change him or kill him?”

“I don’t know,” I confessed. “And as far as I know, Jongwoon doesn’t have his memories of when he was Changed. He only remembers being attacked by someone, and then waking up here in the hostel.”

“So does he think Master was the one who attacked him?” I shrugged, and closed my eyes once again to his speculative glance. “Maybe he was close to death, and Master had to either Change him or leave him for dead. Doesn’t that then make him a good guy then?” Words formed in my head but I didn’t want to say them. If I spoke them, I would lose that false sense of security that I accrued over the years of denying them in my head. I lived with harsh reality buried underneath countless lies that I created in order to keep the image in my mind of my strong big brother who could do anything.

“My brother would be the first to agree with you if you said that death was better than being a dhampyre.” The room fell into complete silence, and I had been tempted to open my eyes, just to see the kind of expression Sungmin wore on his face. But the temptation remained just that, an unfulfilled desire, which I masked with a face of apathy, and eyes still closed.

“I don’t think he’d go that far. I apologize for sounding insensitive, but if that really was the case, wouldn’t he have just ended things before he became sponsa? I mean, what was stopping him then?” A deep breath filled my lungs, and I released it slowly through my nose. Did I dare confess a truth that remained between Jongwoon and me? A truth that even we strived to cover up in our own minds?

“Probably the same thing that stopped him nine years ago when I found him with our father’s gun held to his head. Or ten years ago, when he was officially diagnosed with depression.” A shaky breath fell from my lips, and I struggled to pull another in. I almost jumped when a warm hand settled onto my knee, and that warmth spread through my entire core. My eyes still refused to open, but that subtle form of comfort had been more than enough to calm the emotions rising to the surface. With the gentle touch, I found the strength to at least breathe clearly, and swallow a lump that I had forming in my throat. I wasn’t one to cry, wasn’t one to waste time with tears or emotions that only made things worse, but they had been locked inside me for too long to hold back.

“I never noticed,” he said quietly, as if being loud would disrupt the walls of stability we had created – disrupt the fortress of comfort and security protecting my confession.

“You wouldn’t. His own brother didn’t notice until it was almost too late.”

“So what stopped him?”

“I did.” The hand tightened on my leg, so briefly that I almost wondered if it really happened. “But now I can’t seem to get through to him anymore. If we never came back here, everything would have been fine. If those stupid vampyres would’ve left us alone, we would have never had to, and if he didn’t leave with just that damn note that said he needed some time alone, neither of us would’ve even became a dhampyre.”

“Sounds like you’ve had it rough.” My eyes shot open and watched as his expression softened to a caring smile. Why was it that those few words made me want to remain strong, while pour my heart out even more?  I didn’t think anyone would look past my brother’s pain, and see mine. In all honesty, I didn’t want anyone to. Jongwoon needed me to be the strong one, not someone cracking under the pressure, but this person, made it sound like it was alright. Almost like he was letting me break into pieces, and he would then be there to patiently glue them back together. I didn’t know how to take those words. How was I supposed to respond to that? Sungmin must have noticed my uncertainty and stood up.

“Why don’t we go somewhere?” he asked, reaching out to pull me off the bed. I snorted, and turned away from him, but secretly I was grateful for the change in subject.

“It’s daylight idiot, do you want to be burned beyond recognition? Besides, I don’t think we’ll be able to take another field trip any time soon.” I cursed my voice that sounded a bit lower than it should have because of the emotions still wanting to clog my throat.

“I didn’t mean outside,” he said, as if it was supposed to be obvious, and grabbed my hand, pulling me up, across the room and out the door. “Come on, Henry showed me this the other day.” Excitement filled his voice and I wondered if there was still a place in this hostel that I hadn’t yet explored. Practically running, he led me down the hall to the staircase, bounding up the steps with an incredible amount of energy that I didn’t possess. After being almost dragged up the stairs, I had been pulled down another hall and to a door that I always assumed just led to a supply closet.

“In here,” he urged, opening the door and pulling me up another set of stairs. This time though, the stairs were old and creaking, and I wondered if they would really support our weight.  Surprisingly, we made it to the top without incident.

What waited at the top, had escaped my list of things to be expected, yet I should have completely expected it when I started to climb those old stairs. An attic, filled with remnants of the past, and not just from this hostel’s history, but from what looked like the past lives of different dhampyres. Boxes lined the walls and covered the floor with their contents spilling out in some cases.  A few mannequins towards the back displayed fashions from a different time, and a few racks even proudly held different weapons ranging from the swords of the medieval era, to shotguns of today. Poking around in a few of the boxes I discovered mostly just trinkets, some jewelry, documents, clothing and some photos. Surprisingly, what I didn’t find in this room was dust, and I wondered if someone had recently cleaned it, or if a spell like the one in the library had been casted to prevent time from damaging such pieces of the past.

“What I like best is over here,” Sungmin said, before I reached out to search for magyk in this place. He walked to the very back wall, and pointed at the circular window casting a gentle light into the room. Drapes masked the morning’s brightness, further protecting our sensitive skin that wouldn’t regenerate new tissue once touched by the unforgiving, and sometimes fatal, sunlight.

“We’re in an attic full of treasures, and you decide you like the window the best?” Sungmin shook his head, and a large grin spread across his face.

“Not the window, but the view,” he faltered, realizing something rather important, “which we can’t actually look at. Sorry, Kyuhyun. It was night when Henry showed me this room, and I guess I forgot about us being dhampyres for a moment.”

“It’s fine,” I brushed off, walking over and picking up a rather heavy sword from one of the racks. “I wonder who actually used these things.” I looked at the polished blade, seeing my reflection in the metal.

“Who knows,” he answered, running his fingers over a fur cloak that donned a mannequin.

“Why do you like that view so much anyways?” I asked as I set the sword back and picked up a mace.

“Because I can see the city,” he replied, turning to me with a smile. “It feels like I’m not completely cut off from the rest of the world, and that I’m still sort of alive. I loved seeing all the colorful lights in the distance, and imagining that all my friends are doing well and that life is going on for them.”

“What about your family?” He shook his head.

“Don’t really have any. Hyukjae is the closest to family that I have left. We met in middle school and stuck together all throughout high school and college. We became roommates after my parents passed away, and now after so many years, it’s hard to be away from him. I wish I could see him again, just to tell him not to worry about me.”

“I wouldn’t recommend doing so,” I told him, moving away from the weapons to a small, ornately decorated jewelry box. Something drew me to the square box, painted black, with red, gold and white creating a design of swaying bamboo along the edge of a delicately carved emblem. It looked like a net of twisting vines, which weaved around each other. To be able to make something like it, I knew the craftsman was a master of his trade. I picked it up, turning it in all sorts of directions in order to find the latch to open it. No matter what, I couldn’t find where it opened and if not for the rattle of something inside, I would have decided it was merely a block of wood. As I brought it closer to my face, a white sheen ran over it, surprising me a bit.

“You need magyk to open that box,” said a voice from behind me, startling me so much I almost dropped the box. I turned to see Siwon at the door with his arms crossed. He nodded to the box I held and stretched out his hand, like a father taking away a forbidden toy from a child. With sluggish steps, I crossed the room, setting the box in his hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sungmin walk over to us in curiosity.

“Aperire buxum ad revelare occulta pulcritudinis,” Siwon whispered, letting his eyes flash white as a glowing white line appeared around the center of the box. The light flashed brightly before dulling and fading away entirely, leaving a perfect seam all the way around the box. Reaching his hand out again, he offered the box back to me, and I accepted it, looking to his face for permission before pulling the lid off. Inside, nestled on a bed of red velvet, lied a pair of delicate earrings, just a simple pair of blood colored gems with threads of silver loosely wrapped around them.

“They’re beautiful,” Sungmin said from my left side.

“These have been in Master’s family for quite some time,” Siwon said, taking the box from my hand, and replacing the lid, causing a white line to seal the box once again. “An heirloom passed down usually by the women in his family, but Master kept them when his family line ended with him. A little story surrounds these earrings that if offered to a potential spouse, and that person only takes one earring and offers the other in return, then the two are destined to be together.” He let out a small chuckle. “But that’s just a legend.”  Dark eyes glanced between Sungmin and me, before he took the few steps to place the box back on the shelf. “So why are you two in Master’s attic?”

“I-”

“Because we can,” I answered, sparing Sungmin from having to come up with a response. “What are you doing here?”

“Master told me there might be an enchanted item in here I could use to help slow Jaejoong’s deterioration.” All three of us just stood there for a moment, before Sungmin clasped his hands together.

“We should probably go,” he said cheerily, probably because that meant escaping this rather awkward setting. Once again, he took hold of my hand in his rather soft one and dragged me past Siwon and down the stairs.

“Is it just me, or is he a bit creepy?” the fledgling asked when we were nearing the second staircase.

“Who? Siwon?” He nodded and I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“He always creeps up behind me, asks some seemingly innocent question, like how I’m doing, and then disappears a few seconds later.”

“He’s easier to be around than Donghae or Master,” I admitted, and Sungmin casted his eyes towards his feet.

“That’s true,” he muttered, “but I still think he’s creepy.” 

I shrugged, and that was the last either of us said as we finally made it back to the room. Sungmin’s bag of clothes sat unforgotten on the floor beside the bed. I stared at it for a moment, feeling a pang of something at the mere sight of it. Sungmin tensed beside me. Ignoring both, I crossed the room and flopped down on the bed, rolling to face the wall. The door closed only a moment later, and I heard Sungmin’s soft, hesitant footsteps. The bed dipped as he climbed in and settled into a comfortable spot.

I closed my eyes and tried not to think about Jongwoon, Sungmin and the bloodking’s curses.

The metallic scent of blood filled the air. It would have been stifling if not for the sweet intoxication it brought. All resistance I had was forgotten in just a moment. I breathed it in deeply and tasted it upon my lips, letting myself lust even more for it, drown in its intensity. Hints of fear, too, flitted about, dancing around the room like a pixie.

So tantalizing.

Lured by the scent, I blindly followed it. I wanted it to envelop me in its sensual aroma, and yet also to release me from its clutches. So consumed by the desirable mixture of fear and blood, I let my primal instincts devour my sanity. Screams pierced my fantasy but the dancing pulse of a distant heart held it intact. I felt my fangs elongate, and I breathed in even more, lost in the scent’s incredible power. My hands reached out, grabbing onto the source. The heartbeat spiked, only adding to the sensations. I didn’t wait for a second to sink my teeth into the warm flesh, almost sighing in pure bliss at the first taste of blood. It cascaded down along my tongue and down my throat in warm rivulets. Lost in the moment, I almost didn’t hear the weak voice near my ear.

“Kyu-“ it strained to say, sounding beyond terrified, like the peals of mice caught by the cat. My eyes shot open, I jumped back with inhuman speed as the illusion shattered around me. Sungmin, stood before me, with hands in manacles that kept him from falling to his knees. Tears gushed from his eyes as he sobbed hysterically. Blood spilled from two puncture wounds where his shoulder met his neck. He struggled against the chains, wanting to be as far away from me as possible.

I didn’t... did I? I asked myself, taking another step away from him. The fear in his doe eyes had tears rising to my own. I couldn’t have.

“Sung-”

“Monster!” he cried out before I could finish. The word alone felt like a knife to the gut, but the way he said it, with so much vicious hatred had me paralyzed with everything from guilt to self-loathing.

A monster.

I looked to the bite on Sungmin’s shoulder.

I was a monster.

I wiped the blood from my face, staining my hands in the crimson liquid.

Nothing but a monster.

I stepped back. Once. Twice. And stumbled over something on the third step. Sitting up, I looked to see just what I had tripped over.

A body.

Familiar brown eyes gazed motionless at something behind me and dark hair barely masked the bloody scar on his neck. My eyes widened at the sight, clumsily shuffling towards his head. Shakily I reached out and pulled his body to cradle it in my lap.

Not him. Anyone but him.

I opened my mouth to let out a scream, rocking us back and forth. My chest constricted. The air refused to leave my chest. The sound tore through my body, sounding so pained, so ragged that it sounded like the roar of a beast rather than the cry of a broken man.

Monster.

“Not Jongwoon,” I cried into his hair, holding his body tightly against mine. “Not my brother.”

Monster.

I jumped up so fast that I almost fell right off the bed. Immediately, I looked for Sungmin, wanting some sort of confirmation that it was nothing more than a terrible nightmare. The fledgling lied completely still on the other half of the bed and didn’t stir when I rolled him onto his back. Fear crept up within me, but when I saw no sign of blood or wound, I let it go with a sigh. He was alright. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and ran my hands over my face before getting up.

I didn’t rest for the next few days. Instead I spent them in the library, pouring over the books. Just one, I only needed one book with the right information.

These dreams needed to end.