Of Blood and Brooms - Chapter Eight
Of Blood and Brooms
Chapter Eight
It had taken more convincing then he would have thought necessary to get Key to leave without him, but finally the teen had relented. Key would never, or at least not in the near future, be comfortable in the presence of vampires, yet at the same time, Onew couldn’t bring himself to leave them. He was officially, or as official as it got, Minho’s Pet, and he refused to live anywhere else.
After his first week in his new home, or what considered his first week since it had been the first that he had been conscious for, he had decided that a bit of redecorating would be in order. Minho’s room had resembled a dungeon with dark drab walls and concrete floors. He supposed it made sense to have that sort of decor if the occupant of the room was prone to getting blood everywhere, but Minho was no longer that sort of creature. He firmly believed in that.
Heechul had not only been agreeable to the idea, but he had given Onew the use of one of his trucks as well as a sizable amount of money with which to begin his new project. The moment he had announced it, it had become a group effort with Jonghyun and Ryeowook declaring themselves his personal assistants.
While Onew was saddened that Minho couldn’t possibly participate in the shopping, the vampire didn’t seem to care all that much. He took to the remodeling with a general sense of amusement that was so like the Minho he remembered that Onew couldn’t be anything but joyful about it. Taemin on the other hand, had been depressed that none of the stores were really open late enough to accommodate his time schedule. He had settled on waiting for them to return home with a load of furniture and items, and then eagerly looking through them as he helped to carry them inside.
This was one time when Onew was grateful for the improved strength the vampires possessed. Yesung, after being persuaded by Ryeowook, had single handedly carried their new bed into the house and all the way to Minho’s room, all the while looking like he had been carrying a feather.
Once the walls had been painted, carpet had been laid, new furniture had been placed, and Onew had moved all of his things into it, he was somewhat satisfied with his new living space. It was, he imagined, somewhat like getting a first house and decorating it any way he chose and as he looked it over and Minho slid his arm around his waist, he couldn’t be anything but happy.
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With a sigh he laid the paint brush across the can, careful to keep it from rolling off and studied his handy work. The shapes he had been painting in an effort to make at least a corner of this room his own looked more like blobs of color than what he had intended. “I wish I could get Key to come help with this. He is the artist, not me.”
There was a snort, and an arm snuck around his waist before a body pressed solidly against his from behind. He smiled and covered Minho’s hand with his own. “It is true. These are supposed to be birds and they look like cave monsters.”
Gently Minho’s free hand pushed against his head tipping to the side and leaving it there. “No looking at them sideways doesn’t help,” Onew grumbled. He pointed to a bright yellow blob, “I’m pretty sure I painted three wings on that one.”
A chuckle sounded from behind him and the hand fell away. Over the past week they had become experts at communication without words. Although it frustrated Minho that he couldn’t get his vocal cords to utter a sound that resembled speech, they had mastered the art of communicating mentally while drinking from one another. Onew didn’t mind all together that much that Minho still couldn’t talk. The young man was making so much progress in other areas that he couldn’t bring himself to fret over it. Minho was nearly back to himself in actions and mannerisms, so much so that Onew nearly forgot he was now with a vampire instead of a human.
The vampire fingered the charm bracelet that Onew wore lightly, playing with the charms before he lifted Onew’s wrist as if showing it to him. “No,” Onew said with a smile, “I’m not going to cheat. I will just have to make it work.” Minho laughed again and let him pull away to retrieve his brush.
Onew, with brush in hand, was just about to turn back to his creation when a hand caught his chin gently. Minho guided his head to turn and face him and he was warmed by the pleasant smile he saw. If it were not for the red eyes and the fangs that wouldn’t disappear, Minho would look human to him. A pleased rumble that reminded him of a purr bubbled up in Minho and the vampire leaned in and kissed him softly, before releasing him.
Smiling and resisting the urge to kiss Minho deeper, Onew turned back to the wall as soon as he was released. Over the time that they had been reunited, they had done little more than kiss despite all of his efforts. Minho was frightened, not only of his strength, but of losing himself to instincts that he may not be able to control, to do anything more than kiss. Onew knew at some point he would have to get Minho to work past that, but they had quite a long time together, and there was hardly any rush.
Orange paint blended with yellow in a way that didn’t really seem to help the shape come out any clearer, but it certainly made it look a bit livelier. As he smoothed out the curve of a wing, Minho suddenly hissed and then snarled, a low and feral sound that sent Onew into immediately action. He dropped the paintbrush and found his charm bracelet with his hand while simultaneously spinning to face the threat.
There was nothing there, save for Minho who was standing, rage evident in his body and looking through one of the walls. “Minho,” he called softly, not certain if perhaps the threat was something he couldn’t even see. The vampire jumped, startled by his voice and then looked around as if frantic about something.
Quick enough to startle Onew into almost releasing a spell, Minho picked him up with an arm around his waist and moved them to the arm chair in the far corner of the wall. There the vampire pushed him into the chair and then turned to face the unseen threat. Not knowing what else to do, Onew’s fingers found his shielding charm, and he muttered, “Shield,” softly watching as a protective barrier flashed to life around them both. A slight nod of Minho’s head indicated that he had done the correct thing. It was the only acknowledgement that Minho had given him.
“Talk to me,” he requested after a moment passed with nothing occurring. Minho’s gaze flitted to him and then away. “You are fast enough that you can still protect me. My shield will slow down whatever it is.”
There was a moment more of indecision before Minho turned and was suddenly filling his lap. The vampire immediately sunk his fangs into Onew’s neck and despite the rush the bite was still surprisingly gentle. “I cannot protect you here. Not from him.”
“Who?” Onew questioned, confused.
“The vampire that created me. He is here. I can feel him. If he Calls me, I may have to obey him. I may be forced to hurt you. I can’t stay, but I can’t leave you alone.” Minho sounded as though the indecision was causing him agony.
“I can defend myself,” Onew tried to reassure him, with more conviction then he really felt. “I am stronger now than I have ever been, with your blood flowing in me. My magic is stronger too thanks to you.”
“You are no match for him,” Minho sounded so confident in this declaration that it frightened him. “Heechul summons us,” the vampire sounded distressed. “He orders me to bring you.” Carefully the vampire pulled away, licking the wound closed and rising. His face was twisted with pain as he extended his hand to Onew.
“Don’t resist it,” Onew said gently, taking the offered hand and rising. “It hurts you to fight a command. Don’t.”
Minho nodded curtly and curled his fingers around Onew’s hand, using the hold to guide him slowly towards the door. He thought about leaving the shield around them, since it would move with him, but he didn’t want to chance starting any unnecessary violence. It would be better, he thought, to go in acting like nothing was wrong, and he let the shield fall away.
Glancing at him the moment the shield disappeared, Minho simply kept walking through the open door and towards some place he did not know. Clearly the command had not ordered a specific speed since the rate at which they moved was slow even for a human. Still it did not take long enough for them to reach a small, unseemly door set into the wall.
Only when they were standing outside of it, did Minho release his hand, not looking at him as he reached for the door handle. Beyond it was a huge hall, bigger than any he had seen, and he wondered just how deep they were beneath the ground to have a space like this. Minho moved forward and he followed, keeping his eyes on the vampire in front of him.
They walked to a semi circle of chairs and Minho moved to an empty one. Beside it was a plush cushion that the vampire directed him to with a gentle push. Onew didn’t like the idea of being seated low and venerable if there was going to be danger, so he knelt, tucking his feet beneath him to make it easier to get up if necessary as Minho settled in the chair beside him.
“Ah there he is,” a voice said from the center of the room. “I knew you wouldn’t destroy him.” Onew’s head snapped to the middle of the room where a man stood smirking at them. “And he has a little Pet too,” the creature’s face twisted into an in mockery of a human smile. “Such a nice little thing at that.”
Anger rose in Onew at the words that made him sound like no more than dinner. Following it was a burning rage directed at the creature that had tried to take everything from him.
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Silence was not only strange in their makeshift home, but uncomfortable as well. She wasn’t certain if it was the loss of Onew or simply the mood of the other people in the house that made it that way, but the tension was thick enough she could cut it with a knife. Hankyung acted as though Onew had died, instead of simply choosing to live with the vampires, while Key, surprisingly enough, seemed to be in a decent mood most of the time. More often than not, he simply looked thoughtful and not particularly angry as he had all the days that she had known him.
Poor Henry had returned from his vacation in Canada a day after it had happened, and she had been the only one who had tried to explain it to him. It had been nearly impossible to describe something that she only knew the basis of herself.
“What is the problem with men?” she grumbled into her phone that was propped against her pillow so that she could easily have a video call on it.
“I wish I could tell you,” Siwon offered her on the screen, with a gentle smile, “but I’m afraid I haven’t been a man for a very long time.”
“Nonsense,” she replied with a frown as she grabbed her phone and rolled over onto her back, holding above her head. “I don’t care what you say, you are still a man.”
There was a sadness in his eyes that she didn’t approve of. “Don’t be fooled into thinking that Jessica,” he said softly. “We may look like men, but a man will think twice before he tries to rip your head from your shoulders. We wouldn’t.”
“You would,” she said immediately, upset that their old argument was resurfacing. “You are a protector, not a killer.”
He shook his head. “I am very old, and with age comes control, but it also brings great weariness.”
Once, he had told her that dealing with werewolf instincts was very much like a toddler looking at a cookie. While it was possible to resist what the mind and body wanted most, eventually a child gets so tired of resisting that it cannot help but to snatch the cookie.
“You aren’t that old,” she argued.
He smiled at her again but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, “By human standards I am incredibly old.”
She sighed, “Can I come over tonight? I can’t stand the tension here.”
Siwon shook his head. “You had better not. Kangin is restless about something and usually things end up broken when he is restless.”
“He would never hurt me,” she knew that to be a fact.
“No, but I would probably try to kill him if he so much as looked at you,” he murmured softly.
She paused for a moment. “I thought he was the one who was on edge, not you.”
“He is, but so is everyone else. We are connected and when he is restless, we feel it as well,” Siwon admitted.
“Then let’s go out somewhere,” she insisted.
He laughed. “It wouldn’t matter. That sort of thing isn’t affected by distance. So instead of trying to kill him I would kill an innocent person on the street.”
As he was speaking she noticed something moving past her bedroom doorway out of the corner of her eye. “Just a minute,” she told him, rolling upright quickly and then off the bed. She poked her head out the bedroom door just in time to see someone dressed in black disappearing out the front door. Judging by the silver stake strapped to his back, it had to have been Hankyung, since he would let no one else wield it.
She waited for a long moment but didn’t hear a car pull out of the driveway. That meant either one of two things. Either he hadn’t left yet, or he had taken off on four legs instead of two. Jessica lifted the phone and stared at Siwon’s frowning face for a long moment. “I think something really might be wrong.”
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Heechul watched the intruder in his seethe with a deceptive laziness, one hand drifting through Taemin’s hair, who sat on the floor beside him. He could feel the unwelcome vampire pressing on the edge of his mind, and it was taking more effort than it should have to hold him at bay. A portion of that, Heechul reasoned, was that he was busy trying to protect all of the minds in his seethe, lest the uninvited vampire try something.
“Seungri, why have you so improperly arrived in my territory?” he asked.
The vampire’s lips twisted into a mockery of a human smile. “I gave you one child that night, as a portion of the deal, and it seems that you have taken two. I came to claim what was rightfully mine.”
He could feel the growl bubbling up in Taemin and he slid his fingers to the nape of the young vampire’s neck. A gentle squeeze both reassured him and informed him of his place. It wouldn’t do to have Taemin react to the vampire’s taunts.
“I took the gift you offered. The dying body of a human was in no way a part of our terms and he was in my territory. That makes it my choice to do as I please with it,” Heechul replied flippantly.
“Not when the reason that the human is the way he is, was due to one of mine. That makes him mine as well.”
“This matter has been settled,” Heechul replied waving him off. “Your business is concluded. Take your leave.”
“Very well,” the inhuman smirk was far too wide for his liking. “I bid you well.” The vampire bowed deeply and then as he rose spoke a single word, “Come.”
There was power behind the word, power that only a Maker could so easily throw in the direction of his creation and without Heechul’s leave Minho began to rise from his seat. ‘Stay,’ Heechul countered directly into Minho’s mind, pushing his own power behind the command. Yet the young vampire continued to rise and began to take slow steady steps forward. In his mind he could feel the dark chuckle of the other vampire curling victoriously. If Minho walked out of his seethe, Called or not, Heechul would be powerless to stop it and the witch would be bound to follow.
Alone he could not override the call of a Maker to its creation, at least not with the state at which he found himself, however he knew something that might be able to. ‘He will not take what is ours,’ Heechul hissed, directly into the human witch’s mind. There was a hint of agreement, hidden behind the thick shield that had been placed there, and Heechul spared him a moment of pity for the fragility of human minds before he shattered through it with a sharp mental jab.
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Onew was blinded by the worst pain he had ever felt in his life as something within him imploded. The warmth that had always lingered in the back of his mind and reminded him of magic and warm sunshine was suddenly gone and replaced by a razor sharp cold. He dimly realized that his body was rising to its feet all on its own, he certainly hadn’t told it to do that. He couldn’t have told it to do anything besides curling into a ball at the pain.
Dimly in the back of his mind, he felt the vampire, Heechul. How he knew that was who it was, he couldn’t say, but he did know that it felt very wrong to have another in his mind as the vampire was. Then, from the depths of his mind, and idea surfaced, a spell, so old that only his very bones knew of its existence. The knowledge of it was lost to the minds of the witches, yet somehow he remembered it now.
The world seemed to slow around him as he studied it, and he realized that he could never do a spell of that magnitude, he would never have the power. Heechul was there suddenly curling around his mind again, not unwelcomed but not wholly welcomed either. The vampire tugged on his consciousness, pushing him to see something. A moment later he could feel the four warm sparks of magic, one of which was deep and full of power. Still he knew they were not all that would be required of him for this spell, and the vampire tugged his mind in a different direction.
There was Minho, hot and cold all at the same time in his mind, and he could feel their connection. One of magic, but also one of great emotion and blood, pulsing strong and through that connection, every other vampire in the seethe was connected to them. The power he needed was there, his for the taking, now that he knew of it.
He raised his wrist to his lips and bit down, his teeth tearing though his own flesh. It was painful as human teeth were not designed for the action, but that pain could be ignored in favor of what he needed to do. Blood dripped hot from the wound and ran down his palm to his finger tips. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he extended two fingers and began to draw in the air.
The symbols he created were nothing he recognized, yet he knew the precision with which every stroke should be created. Symbols hung heavy and red in the air in front of him and he fed them power from all of those connected. It seemed like hours had passed from when he had begun until he finished the last swirl, yet mere moments had passed.
Then a voice that was not his spoke through his mouth, “You may not take that which is not yours.” As soon as the words were spoken, he released the spell. Fire burned through his veins, racing through his blood as the spell unleashed, its power directed at the unwelcome vampire in their midst. There was a primal scream from the creature, and a returned angered noise from Minho, then, blissfully, everything went white.
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“Sooyoung,” Heechul called softly. “Take our guest outside our territory please, he is no longer welcome.” She nodded and rose slowly, hiding a stagger at the weakness they all felt, and moved to him. Her fingers touched his skin lightly and she closed her eyes. A moment later she disappeared. “Leave us,” Heechul said dismissively and one by one his vampires disappeared from the room.
When all were gone except for those permitted to stay, he rose, refusing to allow his limbs to show the weariness they felt. Minho was kneeling on the floor crouched protectively over the form of his Pet. As Heechul neared he growled and glared up at him, eyes brilliant red. ‘What did you do to him?’ the vampire demanded in his mind.
“I reached into a deep part of him and pulled forth a magic that has been long forgotten. He will be fine,” or at least Heechul hoped he would be, “but more importantly is you. I cannot reverse the damage that was done to you, but together with the help of your witch I have broken the bond that your previous Master held over you. You are yet too young to be on your own and I offer you the choice of joining my seethe.”
‘If I do not?’ there was a challenge there.
“Then another vampire, more powerful than you will come for your witch and kill you while taking him. He will become the whore and power supply of another seethe,” Heechul said simply.
The growl that bubbled forth from the vampire would have frightened any man, ‘Like he is to yours?’
“I grow tired of this. Take your chances here with me or die trying to protect him from others,” Heechul snarled, extending his arm.
Minho watched him for a long moment, then suddenly sharp fangs pierced into his wrist and the young vampire drew out only what he needed to begin their bond anew. The moment he pulled away, Heechul leaned in, quicker than a man’s eye could follow and bit down on the vampires neck, as was his right. He drank only what was necessary, and released Minho immediately afterward. “Take him to your room and rest,” he ordered softly.
The young vampire, either eager to get away or frightened over what he might do, obeyed. He gathered his unconscious Pet into his arms and disappeared through the door they had first entered through.
Taemin was watching him as he turned back to his place, the young vampire’s eyes red with hunger. Heechul couldn’t afford to feed him now; doing so would be not only dangerous for Taemin, but the entire rest of the seethe as well. “Leave me,” he ordered, putting the power of a Maker behind it.
It may have been foolish to send Taemin away hungry, but the boy would be fine for a few hours. When Taemin had vanished, having no choice but to follow orders, he rose shakily and walked back to his padded chair where he collapsed. Only once he had fully sunk into it, did the other presence he had felt in the room make itself known.
“I could kill you easily now,” Hangeng murmured, his eyes glowing a golden yellow and the silver of the stake glinting in his hand. “You are too weak to stop me.”
“So you could,” Heechul said tiredly, closing his eyes. It wasn’t worth the effort it would take to disguise the truth from the witch and Hangeng was likely equally as tired.
“I should kill you for what you know,” he growled.
Heechul laughed, the sound soft, “The secret of your kinds’ Blood Magic is safe with me. Few could trigger it anyway and without so much to draw upon the cost is death.”
“A fair price to pay for what can be done, some would say,” Hangeng answered.
“So they would. Well get on with it. Either kill me or leave. I tire of this,” although his eyes were closed, he was hardly sleeping or preparing to for that matter.
He was almost surprised when he heard nothing further from the man and a few moments later his presence faded from the vicinity. Heechul hadn’t heard him leave, but that was hardly anything remarkable for Hangeng to do. Into the silence he rested, wondering just what he would need to do in an hour or so to regain his strength.
Footsteps, too loud and slow to be a vampire’s, clattered into the chamber and he inhaled once to take in the scent of the newcomer. “Jonghyun,” he breathed softly.
“Hangeng told me to come, he said you would be hungry. You haven’t fed from me in a while, so it should be safe,” the human told him.
Heechul’s eyes opened a fraction and he watched Jonghyun’s careful approach. “I would have no control,” he warned truthfully.
“You wouldn’t kill me,” Jonghyun’s response was confident. “And I can deal with whatever else no control means.”
He was likely correct, Heechul wanted to protect this human too much to kill him himself, but he would not be able to control what else that would mean for the young man. “Very well,” he moved an arm to the side, beckoning the human closer.
Jonghyun settled on his lap and rested his head on Heechul’s shoulder leaving his neck open and bared. “Whenever you are ready,” he breathed.
Heechul could smell the excitement on the young man as he placed his arms around Jonghyun’s body, holding him tightly, and he smiled. “Silly human,” he murmured, kissing the side of his neck before opening his mouth and letting his fangs pierce the skin. A moment later, as the sweet blood met his tongue, the human threw back his head and screamed, not a sound of pain, but one of pure, unrestricted pleasure.
Chapter Nine
Masterlist
AN: I'm finally back! Sorry for the unannounced hiatus guys.... I received a job in a permanent position for the rest of the school year, unexpectedly. So much of my time and energy was devoted to that. Now I am done with that job for the year, I will be working summer school but that should be shorter hours and leave me with more time for writing! The next chapter is already half way done.
Chapter Eight
It had taken more convincing then he would have thought necessary to get Key to leave without him, but finally the teen had relented. Key would never, or at least not in the near future, be comfortable in the presence of vampires, yet at the same time, Onew couldn’t bring himself to leave them. He was officially, or as official as it got, Minho’s Pet, and he refused to live anywhere else.
After his first week in his new home, or what considered his first week since it had been the first that he had been conscious for, he had decided that a bit of redecorating would be in order. Minho’s room had resembled a dungeon with dark drab walls and concrete floors. He supposed it made sense to have that sort of decor if the occupant of the room was prone to getting blood everywhere, but Minho was no longer that sort of creature. He firmly believed in that.
Heechul had not only been agreeable to the idea, but he had given Onew the use of one of his trucks as well as a sizable amount of money with which to begin his new project. The moment he had announced it, it had become a group effort with Jonghyun and Ryeowook declaring themselves his personal assistants.
While Onew was saddened that Minho couldn’t possibly participate in the shopping, the vampire didn’t seem to care all that much. He took to the remodeling with a general sense of amusement that was so like the Minho he remembered that Onew couldn’t be anything but joyful about it. Taemin on the other hand, had been depressed that none of the stores were really open late enough to accommodate his time schedule. He had settled on waiting for them to return home with a load of furniture and items, and then eagerly looking through them as he helped to carry them inside.
This was one time when Onew was grateful for the improved strength the vampires possessed. Yesung, after being persuaded by Ryeowook, had single handedly carried their new bed into the house and all the way to Minho’s room, all the while looking like he had been carrying a feather.
Once the walls had been painted, carpet had been laid, new furniture had been placed, and Onew had moved all of his things into it, he was somewhat satisfied with his new living space. It was, he imagined, somewhat like getting a first house and decorating it any way he chose and as he looked it over and Minho slid his arm around his waist, he couldn’t be anything but happy.
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With a sigh he laid the paint brush across the can, careful to keep it from rolling off and studied his handy work. The shapes he had been painting in an effort to make at least a corner of this room his own looked more like blobs of color than what he had intended. “I wish I could get Key to come help with this. He is the artist, not me.”
There was a snort, and an arm snuck around his waist before a body pressed solidly against his from behind. He smiled and covered Minho’s hand with his own. “It is true. These are supposed to be birds and they look like cave monsters.”
Gently Minho’s free hand pushed against his head tipping to the side and leaving it there. “No looking at them sideways doesn’t help,” Onew grumbled. He pointed to a bright yellow blob, “I’m pretty sure I painted three wings on that one.”
A chuckle sounded from behind him and the hand fell away. Over the past week they had become experts at communication without words. Although it frustrated Minho that he couldn’t get his vocal cords to utter a sound that resembled speech, they had mastered the art of communicating mentally while drinking from one another. Onew didn’t mind all together that much that Minho still couldn’t talk. The young man was making so much progress in other areas that he couldn’t bring himself to fret over it. Minho was nearly back to himself in actions and mannerisms, so much so that Onew nearly forgot he was now with a vampire instead of a human.
The vampire fingered the charm bracelet that Onew wore lightly, playing with the charms before he lifted Onew’s wrist as if showing it to him. “No,” Onew said with a smile, “I’m not going to cheat. I will just have to make it work.” Minho laughed again and let him pull away to retrieve his brush.
Onew, with brush in hand, was just about to turn back to his creation when a hand caught his chin gently. Minho guided his head to turn and face him and he was warmed by the pleasant smile he saw. If it were not for the red eyes and the fangs that wouldn’t disappear, Minho would look human to him. A pleased rumble that reminded him of a purr bubbled up in Minho and the vampire leaned in and kissed him softly, before releasing him.
Smiling and resisting the urge to kiss Minho deeper, Onew turned back to the wall as soon as he was released. Over the time that they had been reunited, they had done little more than kiss despite all of his efforts. Minho was frightened, not only of his strength, but of losing himself to instincts that he may not be able to control, to do anything more than kiss. Onew knew at some point he would have to get Minho to work past that, but they had quite a long time together, and there was hardly any rush.
Orange paint blended with yellow in a way that didn’t really seem to help the shape come out any clearer, but it certainly made it look a bit livelier. As he smoothed out the curve of a wing, Minho suddenly hissed and then snarled, a low and feral sound that sent Onew into immediately action. He dropped the paintbrush and found his charm bracelet with his hand while simultaneously spinning to face the threat.
There was nothing there, save for Minho who was standing, rage evident in his body and looking through one of the walls. “Minho,” he called softly, not certain if perhaps the threat was something he couldn’t even see. The vampire jumped, startled by his voice and then looked around as if frantic about something.
Quick enough to startle Onew into almost releasing a spell, Minho picked him up with an arm around his waist and moved them to the arm chair in the far corner of the wall. There the vampire pushed him into the chair and then turned to face the unseen threat. Not knowing what else to do, Onew’s fingers found his shielding charm, and he muttered, “Shield,” softly watching as a protective barrier flashed to life around them both. A slight nod of Minho’s head indicated that he had done the correct thing. It was the only acknowledgement that Minho had given him.
“Talk to me,” he requested after a moment passed with nothing occurring. Minho’s gaze flitted to him and then away. “You are fast enough that you can still protect me. My shield will slow down whatever it is.”
There was a moment more of indecision before Minho turned and was suddenly filling his lap. The vampire immediately sunk his fangs into Onew’s neck and despite the rush the bite was still surprisingly gentle. “I cannot protect you here. Not from him.”
“Who?” Onew questioned, confused.
“The vampire that created me. He is here. I can feel him. If he Calls me, I may have to obey him. I may be forced to hurt you. I can’t stay, but I can’t leave you alone.” Minho sounded as though the indecision was causing him agony.
“I can defend myself,” Onew tried to reassure him, with more conviction then he really felt. “I am stronger now than I have ever been, with your blood flowing in me. My magic is stronger too thanks to you.”
“You are no match for him,” Minho sounded so confident in this declaration that it frightened him. “Heechul summons us,” the vampire sounded distressed. “He orders me to bring you.” Carefully the vampire pulled away, licking the wound closed and rising. His face was twisted with pain as he extended his hand to Onew.
“Don’t resist it,” Onew said gently, taking the offered hand and rising. “It hurts you to fight a command. Don’t.”
Minho nodded curtly and curled his fingers around Onew’s hand, using the hold to guide him slowly towards the door. He thought about leaving the shield around them, since it would move with him, but he didn’t want to chance starting any unnecessary violence. It would be better, he thought, to go in acting like nothing was wrong, and he let the shield fall away.
Glancing at him the moment the shield disappeared, Minho simply kept walking through the open door and towards some place he did not know. Clearly the command had not ordered a specific speed since the rate at which they moved was slow even for a human. Still it did not take long enough for them to reach a small, unseemly door set into the wall.
Only when they were standing outside of it, did Minho release his hand, not looking at him as he reached for the door handle. Beyond it was a huge hall, bigger than any he had seen, and he wondered just how deep they were beneath the ground to have a space like this. Minho moved forward and he followed, keeping his eyes on the vampire in front of him.
They walked to a semi circle of chairs and Minho moved to an empty one. Beside it was a plush cushion that the vampire directed him to with a gentle push. Onew didn’t like the idea of being seated low and venerable if there was going to be danger, so he knelt, tucking his feet beneath him to make it easier to get up if necessary as Minho settled in the chair beside him.
“Ah there he is,” a voice said from the center of the room. “I knew you wouldn’t destroy him.” Onew’s head snapped to the middle of the room where a man stood smirking at them. “And he has a little Pet too,” the creature’s face twisted into an in mockery of a human smile. “Such a nice little thing at that.”
Anger rose in Onew at the words that made him sound like no more than dinner. Following it was a burning rage directed at the creature that had tried to take everything from him.
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Silence was not only strange in their makeshift home, but uncomfortable as well. She wasn’t certain if it was the loss of Onew or simply the mood of the other people in the house that made it that way, but the tension was thick enough she could cut it with a knife. Hankyung acted as though Onew had died, instead of simply choosing to live with the vampires, while Key, surprisingly enough, seemed to be in a decent mood most of the time. More often than not, he simply looked thoughtful and not particularly angry as he had all the days that she had known him.
Poor Henry had returned from his vacation in Canada a day after it had happened, and she had been the only one who had tried to explain it to him. It had been nearly impossible to describe something that she only knew the basis of herself.
“What is the problem with men?” she grumbled into her phone that was propped against her pillow so that she could easily have a video call on it.
“I wish I could tell you,” Siwon offered her on the screen, with a gentle smile, “but I’m afraid I haven’t been a man for a very long time.”
“Nonsense,” she replied with a frown as she grabbed her phone and rolled over onto her back, holding above her head. “I don’t care what you say, you are still a man.”
There was a sadness in his eyes that she didn’t approve of. “Don’t be fooled into thinking that Jessica,” he said softly. “We may look like men, but a man will think twice before he tries to rip your head from your shoulders. We wouldn’t.”
“You would,” she said immediately, upset that their old argument was resurfacing. “You are a protector, not a killer.”
He shook his head. “I am very old, and with age comes control, but it also brings great weariness.”
Once, he had told her that dealing with werewolf instincts was very much like a toddler looking at a cookie. While it was possible to resist what the mind and body wanted most, eventually a child gets so tired of resisting that it cannot help but to snatch the cookie.
“You aren’t that old,” she argued.
He smiled at her again but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, “By human standards I am incredibly old.”
She sighed, “Can I come over tonight? I can’t stand the tension here.”
Siwon shook his head. “You had better not. Kangin is restless about something and usually things end up broken when he is restless.”
“He would never hurt me,” she knew that to be a fact.
“No, but I would probably try to kill him if he so much as looked at you,” he murmured softly.
She paused for a moment. “I thought he was the one who was on edge, not you.”
“He is, but so is everyone else. We are connected and when he is restless, we feel it as well,” Siwon admitted.
“Then let’s go out somewhere,” she insisted.
He laughed. “It wouldn’t matter. That sort of thing isn’t affected by distance. So instead of trying to kill him I would kill an innocent person on the street.”
As he was speaking she noticed something moving past her bedroom doorway out of the corner of her eye. “Just a minute,” she told him, rolling upright quickly and then off the bed. She poked her head out the bedroom door just in time to see someone dressed in black disappearing out the front door. Judging by the silver stake strapped to his back, it had to have been Hankyung, since he would let no one else wield it.
She waited for a long moment but didn’t hear a car pull out of the driveway. That meant either one of two things. Either he hadn’t left yet, or he had taken off on four legs instead of two. Jessica lifted the phone and stared at Siwon’s frowning face for a long moment. “I think something really might be wrong.”
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Heechul watched the intruder in his seethe with a deceptive laziness, one hand drifting through Taemin’s hair, who sat on the floor beside him. He could feel the unwelcome vampire pressing on the edge of his mind, and it was taking more effort than it should have to hold him at bay. A portion of that, Heechul reasoned, was that he was busy trying to protect all of the minds in his seethe, lest the uninvited vampire try something.
“Seungri, why have you so improperly arrived in my territory?” he asked.
The vampire’s lips twisted into a mockery of a human smile. “I gave you one child that night, as a portion of the deal, and it seems that you have taken two. I came to claim what was rightfully mine.”
He could feel the growl bubbling up in Taemin and he slid his fingers to the nape of the young vampire’s neck. A gentle squeeze both reassured him and informed him of his place. It wouldn’t do to have Taemin react to the vampire’s taunts.
“I took the gift you offered. The dying body of a human was in no way a part of our terms and he was in my territory. That makes it my choice to do as I please with it,” Heechul replied flippantly.
“Not when the reason that the human is the way he is, was due to one of mine. That makes him mine as well.”
“This matter has been settled,” Heechul replied waving him off. “Your business is concluded. Take your leave.”
“Very well,” the inhuman smirk was far too wide for his liking. “I bid you well.” The vampire bowed deeply and then as he rose spoke a single word, “Come.”
There was power behind the word, power that only a Maker could so easily throw in the direction of his creation and without Heechul’s leave Minho began to rise from his seat. ‘Stay,’ Heechul countered directly into Minho’s mind, pushing his own power behind the command. Yet the young vampire continued to rise and began to take slow steady steps forward. In his mind he could feel the dark chuckle of the other vampire curling victoriously. If Minho walked out of his seethe, Called or not, Heechul would be powerless to stop it and the witch would be bound to follow.
Alone he could not override the call of a Maker to its creation, at least not with the state at which he found himself, however he knew something that might be able to. ‘He will not take what is ours,’ Heechul hissed, directly into the human witch’s mind. There was a hint of agreement, hidden behind the thick shield that had been placed there, and Heechul spared him a moment of pity for the fragility of human minds before he shattered through it with a sharp mental jab.
▪▫▪☼▪▫▪
Onew was blinded by the worst pain he had ever felt in his life as something within him imploded. The warmth that had always lingered in the back of his mind and reminded him of magic and warm sunshine was suddenly gone and replaced by a razor sharp cold. He dimly realized that his body was rising to its feet all on its own, he certainly hadn’t told it to do that. He couldn’t have told it to do anything besides curling into a ball at the pain.
Dimly in the back of his mind, he felt the vampire, Heechul. How he knew that was who it was, he couldn’t say, but he did know that it felt very wrong to have another in his mind as the vampire was. Then, from the depths of his mind, and idea surfaced, a spell, so old that only his very bones knew of its existence. The knowledge of it was lost to the minds of the witches, yet somehow he remembered it now.
The world seemed to slow around him as he studied it, and he realized that he could never do a spell of that magnitude, he would never have the power. Heechul was there suddenly curling around his mind again, not unwelcomed but not wholly welcomed either. The vampire tugged on his consciousness, pushing him to see something. A moment later he could feel the four warm sparks of magic, one of which was deep and full of power. Still he knew they were not all that would be required of him for this spell, and the vampire tugged his mind in a different direction.
There was Minho, hot and cold all at the same time in his mind, and he could feel their connection. One of magic, but also one of great emotion and blood, pulsing strong and through that connection, every other vampire in the seethe was connected to them. The power he needed was there, his for the taking, now that he knew of it.
He raised his wrist to his lips and bit down, his teeth tearing though his own flesh. It was painful as human teeth were not designed for the action, but that pain could be ignored in favor of what he needed to do. Blood dripped hot from the wound and ran down his palm to his finger tips. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he extended two fingers and began to draw in the air.
The symbols he created were nothing he recognized, yet he knew the precision with which every stroke should be created. Symbols hung heavy and red in the air in front of him and he fed them power from all of those connected. It seemed like hours had passed from when he had begun until he finished the last swirl, yet mere moments had passed.
Then a voice that was not his spoke through his mouth, “You may not take that which is not yours.” As soon as the words were spoken, he released the spell. Fire burned through his veins, racing through his blood as the spell unleashed, its power directed at the unwelcome vampire in their midst. There was a primal scream from the creature, and a returned angered noise from Minho, then, blissfully, everything went white.
▪▫▪☼▪▫▪
“Sooyoung,” Heechul called softly. “Take our guest outside our territory please, he is no longer welcome.” She nodded and rose slowly, hiding a stagger at the weakness they all felt, and moved to him. Her fingers touched his skin lightly and she closed her eyes. A moment later she disappeared. “Leave us,” Heechul said dismissively and one by one his vampires disappeared from the room.
When all were gone except for those permitted to stay, he rose, refusing to allow his limbs to show the weariness they felt. Minho was kneeling on the floor crouched protectively over the form of his Pet. As Heechul neared he growled and glared up at him, eyes brilliant red. ‘What did you do to him?’ the vampire demanded in his mind.
“I reached into a deep part of him and pulled forth a magic that has been long forgotten. He will be fine,” or at least Heechul hoped he would be, “but more importantly is you. I cannot reverse the damage that was done to you, but together with the help of your witch I have broken the bond that your previous Master held over you. You are yet too young to be on your own and I offer you the choice of joining my seethe.”
‘If I do not?’ there was a challenge there.
“Then another vampire, more powerful than you will come for your witch and kill you while taking him. He will become the whore and power supply of another seethe,” Heechul said simply.
The growl that bubbled forth from the vampire would have frightened any man, ‘Like he is to yours?’
“I grow tired of this. Take your chances here with me or die trying to protect him from others,” Heechul snarled, extending his arm.
Minho watched him for a long moment, then suddenly sharp fangs pierced into his wrist and the young vampire drew out only what he needed to begin their bond anew. The moment he pulled away, Heechul leaned in, quicker than a man’s eye could follow and bit down on the vampires neck, as was his right. He drank only what was necessary, and released Minho immediately afterward. “Take him to your room and rest,” he ordered softly.
The young vampire, either eager to get away or frightened over what he might do, obeyed. He gathered his unconscious Pet into his arms and disappeared through the door they had first entered through.
Taemin was watching him as he turned back to his place, the young vampire’s eyes red with hunger. Heechul couldn’t afford to feed him now; doing so would be not only dangerous for Taemin, but the entire rest of the seethe as well. “Leave me,” he ordered, putting the power of a Maker behind it.
It may have been foolish to send Taemin away hungry, but the boy would be fine for a few hours. When Taemin had vanished, having no choice but to follow orders, he rose shakily and walked back to his padded chair where he collapsed. Only once he had fully sunk into it, did the other presence he had felt in the room make itself known.
“I could kill you easily now,” Hangeng murmured, his eyes glowing a golden yellow and the silver of the stake glinting in his hand. “You are too weak to stop me.”
“So you could,” Heechul said tiredly, closing his eyes. It wasn’t worth the effort it would take to disguise the truth from the witch and Hangeng was likely equally as tired.
“I should kill you for what you know,” he growled.
Heechul laughed, the sound soft, “The secret of your kinds’ Blood Magic is safe with me. Few could trigger it anyway and without so much to draw upon the cost is death.”
“A fair price to pay for what can be done, some would say,” Hangeng answered.
“So they would. Well get on with it. Either kill me or leave. I tire of this,” although his eyes were closed, he was hardly sleeping or preparing to for that matter.
He was almost surprised when he heard nothing further from the man and a few moments later his presence faded from the vicinity. Heechul hadn’t heard him leave, but that was hardly anything remarkable for Hangeng to do. Into the silence he rested, wondering just what he would need to do in an hour or so to regain his strength.
Footsteps, too loud and slow to be a vampire’s, clattered into the chamber and he inhaled once to take in the scent of the newcomer. “Jonghyun,” he breathed softly.
“Hangeng told me to come, he said you would be hungry. You haven’t fed from me in a while, so it should be safe,” the human told him.
Heechul’s eyes opened a fraction and he watched Jonghyun’s careful approach. “I would have no control,” he warned truthfully.
“You wouldn’t kill me,” Jonghyun’s response was confident. “And I can deal with whatever else no control means.”
He was likely correct, Heechul wanted to protect this human too much to kill him himself, but he would not be able to control what else that would mean for the young man. “Very well,” he moved an arm to the side, beckoning the human closer.
Jonghyun settled on his lap and rested his head on Heechul’s shoulder leaving his neck open and bared. “Whenever you are ready,” he breathed.
Heechul could smell the excitement on the young man as he placed his arms around Jonghyun’s body, holding him tightly, and he smiled. “Silly human,” he murmured, kissing the side of his neck before opening his mouth and letting his fangs pierce the skin. A moment later, as the sweet blood met his tongue, the human threw back his head and screamed, not a sound of pain, but one of pure, unrestricted pleasure.
Chapter Nine
Masterlist
AN: I'm finally back! Sorry for the unannounced hiatus guys.... I received a job in a permanent position for the rest of the school year, unexpectedly. So much of my time and energy was devoted to that. Now I am done with that job for the year, I will be working summer school but that should be shorter hours and leave me with more time for writing! The next chapter is already half way done.