“Yunho’s home is half a day’s run from here,” Changmin said, calm at last after the withdrawal symptoms had settled down with Taekwoon’s blood.

“Which means several days of walking for mortals,” Taekwoon muttered. He didn’t enjoy the thought of leaving Jaejoong with Yunho for days, but he knew they probably needed the slayer’s numbers to pull off the rescue.

“You asked for it, I told,” Changmin shrugged, the chains on his wrists jingling. They’d decided to untie the vampire, but they didn’t trust him enough to let him wander on his own. Steel manacles had replaced the silver bindings, but Hyunseung was more than ready to impale the vampire if he even dared to twitch in the wrong direction.

The slayers needed time to prepare, which was beyond infuriating. A small band of them dashed out into the dawn to find food. Another group was sharpening their weapons, and the final group was packing travel sacks. Taekwoon hated their fragility. Not only were they delaying Jaejoong’s rescue with their need for menial things like food and water, they were even talking about rest. Taekwoon knew he should probably have more respect for them, but he couldn’t help but seethe in anger at the thought Jaejoong being potentially abused as a vampire’s pet.

But, he mused, they’re probably just as worried about Hongbin as I am about Jaejoong,

Hongbin was a mess. That much Taekwoon could tell. Sanghyuk was constantly by his bedside, feeding him small amounts of food and helping him drink water and trying to keep his fever down, but all of those things were useless. Nothing improved his condition. Adding to his impatience, Hakyeon was standing right beside him, oblivious to the fact that Taekwoon was resisting the urge to drink him dry. The vampire clenched his jaw, unable to help but breathe in the mouth-watering scent. It just smelled so good...

“I’m hoping the trip won’t take too long,” Hakyeon said to him, almost casually, snapping him out of his thoughts. “We’re trying to form a game plan of how to get everyone there safely. I think we’re deciding to travel at night, for your sakes. We can use flashlights,”

Travelling at night would certainly be a sacrifice for the mortals and an asset to the vampires. Taekwoon was glad they weren’t planning on travelling by day, but considering the sun was already rising, there would be lost time, and that infuriated him.

“We’ll leave before sundown,” Taekwoon said tonelessly. “Neither Hongbin, nor Jaejoong have time to wait around most of the day,”

Changmin let out a scoff from where he was chained in the corner. “Seriously? You’re actually going to try to move around by day? That’s stupid. You’ll burn up in a second. I won’t lead you anywhere if you leave during the day,”

“And if you don’t lead us,” Taekwoon growled. “I will enjoy watching you writhe and beg for a hyung that won’t come back for you. Ever,”

Changmin swallowed, cowering slightly. “Y-Yes, hyung,” he rasped. He’d already replaced Yunho with Taekwoon. The vampire wasn’t entirely sure what he felt about that.

“What is that?” Hakyeon asked, frowning at him.

Taekwoon raised a questioning eyebrow.

“‘Hyung’,” he said. “Everyone’s calling you that. What does it mean?”

“Elder brother,” Taekwoon replied, “said by a younger brother,”

“So...?”

“Older vampires or vampires with more power are more respected. I’m pretty sure Changmin’s older than me by a few decades, but I have power over him which makes me ‘hyung’.”

 “Jaehwan used another word earlier,” Hakyeon tossed in.

“‘Noona’ is the same thing,” Taekwoon was seriously starting to get irritated at the slayer’s proximity. “Except it means elder sister,”

“Ah,” Hakyeon nodded. “Slayers have leaders, but we don’t have titles like that. Leaders are always people who are fit to be leaders,”

“Things aren’t as civilized in vampire society,” the vampire adjusted his cloak a little as sunlight slipped in through the window. “It’s more chaotic. The only order we have involves elders. Even then, covens tend to avoid each other because we all behave differently. Some of them are large, some are small like mine. If two of them meet, it either results in chaos or a merge. I like to keep away from that sort of thing,”

“Slayers can be like that too sometimes,” Hakyeon said, nodding. “Like when Junsu and Yoochun showed up, I didn’t know what to think. They were clanless. I automatically assumed they must’ve been exiled,”

“...Exiled...?” Taekwoon couldn’t help but ask the question.

“It’s our laws,” Hakyeon explained. “Slayers have set ground rules for what we can do and what we can’t do. We’re far off from normal society, so at times clans can lose their morals, but most of us have laws. One of the biggest penalties is for killing another slayer. Murder, essentially. That gets the death sentence. Something like say... or serious violence can get a slayer exiled. I didn’t know whether it was safe to let them in, but then they told me everything that happened to them. They hadn’t been marked as exiles either, so I allowed them in,”

“You mark each other too,” Taekwoon mumbled.

“A scar across the forehead. We cut them with a knife then set them loose in the forest to survive alone. They usually don’t,”

Taekwoon was mildly impressed. Though the act of exile seemed somewhat barbaric, it didn’t compare to half of the things the lawless vampire covens often got up to. It was understandable, however. Vampires could get banished from covens for disobeying the orders of an elder. They were never marked, simply sent away to do their own thing. Sometimes, if the elder was cruel enough, they would be killed, often for the most pathetic of reasons. Taekwoon believed himself to be a just leader. He looked out for his coven, and he wouldn’t hesitate to kill any vampire or human who dared to attempt to hurt his family.

...

Jaejoong’s head was swimming. The warmth from Yunho’s blood had faded and left him in a state of numbness he couldn’t seem to shake off. More than that, he felt the pangs of hunger gnawing at him. He wanted blood. But he also wanted Yunho. He wasn’t sure which feeling was the most dominant.

Shuddering at the cold that seeped back into his bones, Jaejoong closed his eyes, lying still as he had for many hours now. He’d stopped counting the lines in the wooden beams embedded in the ceiling to keep the roof up. He’d also stopped trying to identify every odd noise that crinkled through the stone walls. The earthy scents had long since faded into the background, leaving him nothing to stimulate himself with.

I wish I could sleep, Jaejoong thought numbly. He tried to reach for the future, but his fog filled mind made it impossible. He kept trying to push through it, but every time he managed to slip past one layer, there were many more behind it. His head began to ache, and the thirst had begun to reach a peak. He needed blood, or he might just go mad.

The door swung open and the scent of lavender washed around him, along with a new, mouth-watering smell. Jaejoong snapped his eyes open, lifting his head to see Yunho slam the door shut, a young woman with hazy eyes following close behind him.

“Are you hungry, Jaejoong?” Yunho asked, crouching down beside him and gently his cheek. “I brought you something to eat,”

The lavender scent was overwhelming. He found himself not wanting the blood he needed for survival; he wanted the blood that flowed through Yunho’s veins. He wanted that sweet warmth and that terrifyingly pleasant high that came from it.

Jaejoong opened his mouth as Yunho’s wrist brushed his lips. Almost immediately, the vampire moved his arm away, chuckling softly.

“Not yet, Jaejoong,” he said softly. “You need to eat your meal before dessert,”

Even as a mortal Jaejoong had always wanted to skip to dessert...

The chains around his wrists came undone, allowing him to sit up. He glanced at Yunho, seeing those gleaming red eyes watching him, his head tilted to the side as though waiting to see what he would do next.

“Eat first,” Yunho prompted, gesturing to the woman.

Jaejoong turned towards her, seeing the hazy eyes slowly becoming conscious once more. The enchantment Yunho had placed on her was wearing off.  Soon, she would be fully aware, and Jaejoong didn’t want that. The sound of a keening mortal always upset him in the worst ways possible. No, enchanting was the best way to go.

He didn’t stand up. A mere tilt of his head towards the girl was all that was needed. Meeting his eyes, the girl began to walk towards him, her face a mask of awe and wonder. Jaejoong reached for her, pulling her gently into his lap. He didn’t have a knife with him, but Yunho had asked him to feed. He barely hesitated to slide his fingers into her hair and angle her head back before sinking his fangs into . She moaned, clutching the front of his shirt as her racing heart pumped her precious blood into Jaejoong’s waiting mouth. It was as exhilarating as it was terrifying, feeling a mortal die beneath his fangs. He’d never even bitten one, let alone killed one.

The girl’s heart beat its last and she fell limp to the ground. Jaejoong the last of her blood from his lips, feeling immensely satisfied. But there was still that one, lingering thought that had now been forced to the front of his mind.

“You are a sight to behold, Jaejoong,” Yunho said softly, using his thumb to wipe off a tiny trickle of blood that had escaped his tongue. Expecting him to it off himself, Jaejoong was surprised when Yunho’s thumb slipped between his lips. His tongue flicked out to taste the drop, Yunho’s skin leaving a more powerful flavour in its wake. He let out a soft whimper, his green eyes begging for permission.

“Go on,” Yunho slid his fingers into the hair on the back of his head, cradling it as he slit his thumb on Jaejoong’s fang once more. as the blood flooded into his mouth, Jaejoong on the wound, his hands clenching Yunho’s wrist. It wasn’t enough. He wanted more.

As Yunho tugged the thumb from his lips, Jaejoong gripped his wrist tighter, the warmth beginning to be fade and his mind whirling with the simple thoughts of more. Yunho smiled at him, his red eyes gleaming as he recognized the desperation in Jaejoong’s eyes.

“You want more?” He asked.

Jaejoong barely hesitated to nod. His only fear was that he wouldn’t get it. His eyes darted to the veins lacing Yunho’s throat as he hoped and wished he would get what he wanted.

The red eyed vampire reached for him, pulling his body towards his. Jaejoong crawled into his lap, his lips grazing Yunho’s neck as the heat inside him burned and raged. More, it thundered. More.

“You’ve been good today, Jaejoong,” Yunho murmured in his ear. “You can have it,”

Jaejoong dug his teeth into the vampire’s neck, whimpering as the heat burned and raged. He moaned, Yunho’s blood flowing through him and making him feel more alive than he’d felt in many years. It was like , the build-up before the end, and Jaejoong thought he would never reach it.

He cried out when Yunho pulled him away from his throat. “N-No,” he rasped. “Please,” he wasn’t done yet. Everything was spinning and rushing, and all he could think about was Yunho, Yunho, Yunho.

“Jaejoong,” Yunho whispered, pressing him into the floor. “I’m going to take you so high,”

He didn’t expect to feel Yunho’s fangs pierce his neck. But more than that, he felt release. He clutched the back of Yunho’s head, mewling and pleading for him to never stop. The vampire’s fangs dug deeper, bit by bit taking away the head spinning high and replacing it with a floating bliss so wonderful, Jaejoong was certain he’d left earth entirely.

Yunho slipped away from him, his lips coated with Jaejoong’s blood as he smiled down at him.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, caressing his cheeks. “My Jaejoong,”

“Hyung,” Jaejoong rasped. “Yunho-hyung...”

...

Wonshik wasn’t sure why he was sticking close to the bitten slayer. It wasn’t as though he was told to do so by Taekwoon. In fact, nobody had even asked him to do it in the first place. Hongbin was perfectly okay being piggybacked by Sanghyuk, the boy who never left his side even for a second.

They’d left the old cottage and train yard behind in the middle of the afternoon. The sun was still burning down from the heavens, making Wonshik feel very uncomfortable, but his cloak kept him protected from the worst of it. He kept his head bowed, his eyes squinted almost completely shut against the violent light that illuminated the world. He found himself wishing for clouds and rain or something to take the edge off it.

The pace was brisk as they marched the trails. Taekwoon and Jaehwan were holding the chains attached to Changmin as they were slowly led through the hills and valleys of Korea’s untamed forests. Wonshik was unsure of why they dared to trust a vampire who was still deeply attached to his master. Changmin couldn’t be trusted. That’s what his instincts told him. And his instincts were rarely wrong. Jaejoong might’ve had precognition, but Wonshik always knew what was right and what was wrong. Unfortunately, Taekwoon had stopped listening to him the moment Jaejoong had come into the picture. Even now, he wasn’t listening. Nobody would. His instincts were telling him that much.

And so, Wonshik kept quiet, keeping his eyes on Hongbin. He felt that was what he should do.

As the sun sunk below the horizon, Wonshik heard his vampire allies sigh in relief as they lowered their hoods. The slayers became tense and more alert, because now, they were the vulnerable ones. His eyes slid towards Sanghyuk and Hongbin. The boy was staggering slightly beneath the weight of his friend. Wonshik had to admire his strength. He’d been carrying the wounded young man all afternoon, and now, the moon was rising. He must’ve been exhausted.

Without thinking too hard about it, Wonshik slid up beside him and offered a slight smile. “Hey,” he said, hoping the slayer would lower his guard. “Let me carry him for a bit. You need a break,”

“Like hell,” Sanghyuk spat, shying away from him. “I’ll carry him myself,”

“Sanghyuk,” Hongbin rasped, his voice gravelly with pain. “Just let him carry me,”

At the words of the slayer, Sanghyuk’s expression softened. “But Binnie...he’s a vampire,”

“Like it makes a difference. What more can he do to me? Bite me again? Come on, Sanghyuk, quit being stubborn,”

Realizing he was fighting a losing battle, Sanghyuk shrugged Hongbin towards Wonshik. Effortlessly, the vampire took the wounded slayer onto his back, feeling the clammy arms wrap around his neck.

“Thanks,” Hongbin mumbled before his head fell onto his shoulder. He was dead weight on Wonshik’s back, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

“I’m watching you,” Sanghyuk growled.

“Nice to know,” Wonshik said calmly.

The slayer let out a grumble of irritation, but the vampire could’ve sworn he felt Hongbin tremble ever so slightly with a silent laugh.

Hongbin’s scent was a mess. He smelled of death, blood and venom. Wonshik could barely remember what he’d smelled like as a healthy mortal being. He felt him shudder against his back once again, this time not with laughter. By all accounts, Hongbin was being amazingly strong. Wonshik was a young enough vampire to remember what it felt like to transform. He could still remember the icy feeling of the venom trickling through his veins, burning like fire but so terribly cold. Every part of his body cried out for relief, but it never came. Not until his heart finally stopped beating and he faded into the darkness. Wonshik was more than certain he spent the entire time screaming. Hongbin was shockingly quiet. Either he was much stronger than anyone gave him credit for, or he simply didn’t have it in him to scream anymore.

“Will it stop?” Hongbin suddenly rasped, so quietly, Wonshik almost didn’t catch it.

“What?” Wonshik questioned.

“It hurts so bad...”

“I know,” he sighed softly. “I’m afraid it won’t,”

Hongbin shuddered again.

“But the good thing is...you have people around you. You have hope that I didn’t,” Wonshik wasn’t sure why he said it, but it felt right to say it.

“You didn’t have anyone...?” Hongbin’s voice trembled. The vampire could feel Sanghyuk’s eyes on him.

“No,” Wonshik replied. “I was bitten and I fought the vampire off. I don’t even know how much time I dealt with the bite before I died. All I knew was the pain. It was a blessing when I died, to be honest,”

“I’m sorry,” Hongbin mumbled.

“It’s not your fault,” Wonshik shifted him just slightly so he sat better on his back. “And I’m alright now. I mean, I guess by your standards being a vampire isn’t exactly alright, but still. Once you get used to it, it’s not so bad. I’m just glad I found Taekwoon. I feel like I wouldn’t be who I am now without him,”

Hongbin’s head bobbed slightly. “Were you scared?”

“I was terrified,” Wonshik admitted. “I didn’t know what had happened or what was going on,”

Hongbin nodded. “I’m really scared...” he whispered. “But I can’t tell Sanghyuk that,”

Wonshik merely nodded, acknowledging that he’d heard the words.

“I don’t want him to worry,” Hongbin shuddered again, letting out the softest of whines. He buried his face in Wonshik’s shoulder, hiding the pain he must’ve been feeling. The vampire only wished he could do something more to help him.

.

.

.

A/N: I almost forgot to update again to be honest lol. 

Your thoughts on this chapter? How are you guys feeling? It doesn't get any easier from here on out - in fact I'd say it gets worse before it gets better. Good news though: In the next chapter, we welcome our mysterious cameo character! If you remember from the forward, I said they would be important to the plot - and they are super important! I do hope you'll give them a good, warm welcome! Hint: I hope you like swords <3

Lots of Love <3

~starlitskies