Last Snow_ Chapter 8: Games
Since my beta is taking a while to get back to me, I thought I would go ahead and update for now, and then come back and edit. Please enjoy and leave a review! :D Reviews encourage me to write faster and show me that I still have readers reading my fics :)
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"I don't understand." Henry started when we had all righted ourselves and had steered clear of Minah's path. "If the Fae's magic reacted with Minah's Talent, how come she's awake? She shouldn't be awake."
Minho hesitated, eyes once again meeting mine for a brief second. "The blood must have woken up." He said knowingly, and my face heated at the memory.
"Blood? What blood?" Sulli asked suspiciously. Her eyes wavered between Minho and I, and the redness of my cheeks only intensified.
"Sulli, close the gap." Kyuhyun said when neither Minho nor I offered her an explanation. She rolled her eyes.
"Such a sweet talker isn't he?" Sulli taunted.
"Henry." Kyuhyun gritted out in warning past clenched teeth.
Henry sighed and then turned to the girl. "If you behave yourself tonight, I'll take you to see the Chilseok Festival lights down town."
Chilseok Festival? My mind repeated.
Sulli blinked in surprise and looked at him with calculating eyes. "Really?" She asked quietly, a hint of hidden eagerness and hope laced underneath.
Henry nodded his head, hand slipping into her lap collect hers, lacing the fingers together.
The image burned in my eyes despite the darkness embracing us. There was an air of intimacy that was hard to miss, glowing around them beautifully.
"Yes, promise," He agreed.
There was the sound of groaning metal, and I jumped lightly in my seat, frantically looking around for the source of the noise. It was Sulli, glowing silver eyes working their magic as the gap in the roof mended itself, curls of metal falling into themselves.
I gaped, eyes large and disbelieving.
Henry saw my look of astonishment and gave me a half-hearted smile. "Telekinesis - Sulli's Talent."
Talent?
The melody of a phone vibrated in the air, greedily calling out for attention. "It's Sungmin." Minho alerted, calmly flipping the phone over to look at the caller ID flashing across the screen.
"Speakerphone." Kyuhyun said, eyes scouting the sky, presumably for any sign of Minah.
Minho did as asked, and the creamy voice of a young man filled the car. "She's heading for the village." Came a grim voice.
Henry looked at the phone with worried eyes."Which one?"
"Ruins."
My heart dropped.
'Ruins...?'
"Don't let her off the mountain." Kyuhyun dictated sharply.
"In case you haven't noticed," Sungmin bit out sarcastically. "that's exactly what we've been doing."
"Then you're not doing enough!" Kyuhyun scolded. "Why did you even let her that close to the village?!" Their argument continued, voices washing out, fading away.
Minah was heading to Ruins, my village - my home. Or at least what was left of it. And when she was done, there would be nothing left. Not even a single breathing body.
The soft clink of metal registered in my head, and I zoned out of my reverie to the foot well of the car. the present in the car. Gleaming in the darkness stood the hilt of a silver gun, the barrel resting against my foot. Celtic engravings vined up the handle, much like one of the Taemin's and Minho's guns.
A pulsing thrill crawled up my back, settling into my stomach.
I grasped the gun, turning it over carefully in my hand. The weight was heavy and the barrel was full.
In the front of the seat of the car Kyuhyun was still bickering with the man on the phone, a weary Minho holding the phone to the man's pink mouth.
A burst of anger coursed through me, and for the briefest moment I let it take over. I aimed the gun at the Kyuhyun's face and fired.
The bullet went spiraling out, leaving a thin line of smoke and fire in its wake, a sure sign of magic, nearing Kyuhyun's temple with great speed.
"Kyuhyun!" Henry yelled.
Kyuhyun looked at the incoming bullet from the corner of his eye, no fear in his eyes whatsoever, sending me into another fit of anger, and before it could reach its goal, Sulli flung out her palm, sending the bullet curving around Minho's face, and through the passenger window.
As the glass shattered Kyuhyun turned to stare at me with red muddy eyes, and I immediately pressed the end of my gun between his eyes.
"Stop the car." I said darkly.
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Jonghyun swallowed the lump lodged in his throat and kept striding through the woods, scrawny branches caressing his face. He walked with a heavy limp, favoring one leg over the other, and was clutching his right forearm with a steady hand.
Where was she?!
He inhaled slowly, filling his lungs with the night's intoxicating scent. He picked up a rich feminine aroma from the mix, releasing a low growl when he recognized the scent of blood tinging the edge.
She smelled hurt.
He grunted and moved faster, stumbling clumsily over a few bumps in the path. His arm was burning, and every time he moved his leg another jolt of throbbing pain seared up his leg. All of which were aching reminders of his encounter with Minah.
He brushed the thought aside.
His wounds would heal on their own, but Minah's would not.
No, she was far too young to heal her wounds on her own. She was far too young to even be off by herself.
Jonghyun winced, another line of pain pulsing in his arm. He paused amidst his walk, and lift his hand from his bleeding wound, pulling back the ripped sleeve to investigate the damage. He frowned at the deep gash. It would be a pain to heal. He sighed, replacing the fabric of his torn shirt sleeve over the cut.
"Mhmmm..." Jonghyun froze as his ears prickled, picking up the sound of soft sobs. He strained his ears and tried to decipher the noise, his nose catching the scent of tears in the air.
A shy hiccup was all it took for him to recognize the owner of the tears. It was clearly Minah.
He moved quickly, easily pinpointing the location of the sobbing vampire and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the dark form of the girl, blanketed in the night's shadows.
She was curled into herself on the ground, clutching her hand to her chest. Her head was tucked into her chest, dark hair spread over her face like a veil, hiding her from his gaze. All Jonghyun could see from his place was the glimmer of blood staining the skin of her wrist.
The girl sniffled pitifully on the ground, shifting her hips in efforts of getting more comfortable.
His eyes softened. "Hey." He said quietly.
The sniffles stopped as did the crying.
Jonghyun watched her with guarded eyes. "Why are you crying?" He coaxed.
Minah screamed at him, raising her head defiantly with hair lashing across her face. Jonghyun backed up quickly.
They stared at each other silently, each watching the other with calculating eyes.
After a lengthy pause Jonghyun opened his mouth to comfort the girl, but she cut him off with an animalistic screech. Jonghyun snapped his mouth shut, watching Minah crawl backwards against the trunk of a tree for refuge.
His forehead crinkled with lines of confusion.
Was she scared? Of him?!
She glared at him with cold eyes, hands trembling against her chest from her place. A streak of blood was inching down her hand to her arm and dripping onto the ground beneath her.
He breathed in deeply, red flashing before his eyes. She had been severely damaged.
Jonghyun's eyes traveled back to Minah's face, and his heart fell at the tears forming in the girl's eyes when she glanced down at her hand. She was hurting so much.
He tried to approach her again, but her face turned nasty, lip curling up threateningly.
Jonghyun hesitated. He needed a new tactic. Anxiously he lowered himself to the ground and held out his hand to Minah in a come hither manner. "Come here." He encouraged her sweetly.
The female vampire simmered, but Jonghyun remained ceaseless, arm still out in offering. "I won't hurt you." He promised.
The girl wavered, tentatively looking him over. "You're hurt right?" Jonghyun tried again. The girl shrank away from his pointed gaze but shyly nodded her head. "Let me heal you." He persuaded.
There was another moment of silence, Minah's eyes roaming over him subjectively, mind turning over his proposition.
Finally, like a tiny kitten the girl crouched and crawled to him, eyes never leaving his face, and taking contingent little steps. She crawled with a hitch, balancing her weight onto her uninjured hand.
Jonghyun smiled at her approvingly, hand still out, but she didn't take his hand, stopping before it and looking at him expectantly. Her hand was back against her chest, and Jonghyun grimaced at the amount of blood on it. Gently he reached out to touch her, watching as Minah jumped in fear, eyes going angry and wild. He paused, trying to meet her eyes and convey his feelings. She met his with no qualms, and slowly the anger subsided. He tried again, lightly touching her hand, pleased when she didn't jump or snarl at him. His tried to lower his eyes to look at her hand, but was met with red eyes at his attempts. So he chose the smarter route and kept his eyes glued on her as he pried her hand from her chest.
When he had unfurled it from her body, he slowly dropped his gaze, gritting his teeth at the hole. The edges of the cut were ragged, perhaps from a dagger, and nearly pierced through the entirety of her hand.
"Fuck." He cursed loudly, grinding his teeth in irritation.
A whimper broke him from his inspection and he looked up to see Minah's teary eyes.
"I'm so sorry." He whispered.
She whimpered again, and he pressed a kiss to her hand, sticking out his tongue to taste her blood. She hissed, rolling her eyes from the pain. He paused and waited till her light red eyes met his before he determinedly licked the wound again. Her hisses filled the cool air, mouth parting and releasing small bouts of pain as he licked her cut. The wound started to knit itself back together to the flawless canvas it was before, save a light pink scar decorating her palm. Not that Jonghyun took noticed he was much too preoccupied watching Minah's face - the way her eyes flutter close and her mouth closed and curved around certain words.
Her eyes slowly opened, this time a chocolate brown with tiny specks of red. Her eyes drifted to her hand, eyes lighting up at the healed skin. Jonghyun stopped, retracting his tongue and placing another soft kiss on her palm.
"There - all done."
She titled her head and clenched her fingers experimentally into a fist. It was perfectly healed. She turned back to him and gave him a beautiful smile, her entire face instantly transforming.
Jonghyun's breath caught in his throat.
She stared at him again and happily purred girl purred, crawling closer and nuzzling her nose against his neck.
"Good girl," Jonghyun soothed, ruffling her hair affectionately.
She purred louder.
"Were you always quite this cute?" Jonghyun murmured, kissing the top of Minah's head. A pretty smile graced her lips and she pulled back from his chest to settle between his legs. She titled her head cutely as she stared at him, eyes zeroing in on his still bleeding shoulder. She frowned, looking at him curiously.
Jonghyun followed her gaze and gave her a weak smile on remembrance. "Yeah, we're matching, huh?"
He teased her lightly.
He tried to move his arm to show her he was fine, but ended up stretching the wound that much more. He groaned and Minah whimpered at the pained look on his face.
"H-h-hurt?" She childishly asked. He gave her a weak smile, her voice warming him. "Hurt." He agreed softly, unable to hide his pain from her pretty eyes.
She looked upset. "M-me?" She asked unsurely.
He frowned. "No." He said firmly, reaching out to rub her cheek. "Me." He emphasized, caressing her cheekbone.
Her brow furrowed further confused, leaning forward to press her lips to his neck. She lightly brushed a kiss over his skin. Jonghyun shuddered, ripples of pleasure crawling down his spine. Unexpectedly she stuck out her tiny pink tongue, sweeping it over the deep cut of his shoulder. Jonghyun tensed, gritting his teeth against the coarse pain. His movements didn't go unnoticed, and Minah hesitated. Her eyes darted to his face, contorted in pain, and returned to the wound. She pulled back the ripped tear of his sleeve, and licked his wound with more fervor, slowly healing one bit of skin at a time. She licked diligently at his shoulder, mending the skin as best she could.
Jonghyun hissed and groaned throughout the entire process, fingers clawing at the damp forest dirt.
Minutes ticked by, not a word exchanged, when Minah finally pulled back. She inspected her hard work before deeming it acceptable and ducking her head in a timid gesture. Panting Jonghyun glanced at his partially healed arm. The majority of the torn tissue had been mended and a strip of skin had pulled itself together making the wound smaller.
He stared at it in awe.
"Sorry?" Minah uttered. She nipped at his earlobe apologetically, grabbing Jonghyun's attention.
Jonghyun's eyes hardened. "No." He admonished strictly. He grabbed Minah's chin, forcing her to look straight into his eyes."None of this is your fault." He swallowed. "None of this should have happened."
She cocked her head again, brown pupils filled with confusion. Her lips parted, and she raised her hand to his face, a finger gliding over his cheek. It was such a humane gesture. It reminded him of when she was human. When she was...better.
"Minah...I-"
A gunshot cracked through the forest, a cacophonous bang that rattled the trees, scaring their leaves off their branches.
Jonghyun strained his ears, trying to find the source of the noise.
'Thump....thump....' The rush of a clamoring heart awakened him, the thick scent of fresh blood calling to him.
He looked before him, eyes locking with Minah's. Dark brown pools darkened to red, and she suddenly smirked, fangs jutting past her bottom lip. She pulled away from him in one fluid motion, avoiding his griping hands, and took off for the night's latest entertainment.
"Minah, no!" Jonghyun roared after her.
His plea fell on deaf ears as Minah disappeared, her hair whipping behind her.
The monster was back, and the night was far from over.
No, this was not supposed to happen.
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I gasped, a low raspy cry for air, eyes going wild as I tried to breath. Sulli's eyes glowed a blood red, fingers curled into a fist and directed at me.
"Sulli?" Minho called from the passenger's seat, turning to see the commotion. "Sulli what are you doing?!" He demanded.
Sulli gave him no response and continued her hold on me, an unseen heavy weight digging deeper into my chest. "Sulli, release her!"
"It takes seven minutes for the brain to die without oxygen - eight if you're lucky." Sulli whispered, voice perniciously calm.
Her hand shook as she spoke, and the slick feeling of fear crept up my back.
"And trust me when I say, I can make those last few minutes of your pathetic excuse of a life more painful than anything you could possibly fathom."
I trembled in my seat under her hold, trying to will myself to breathe and throw off her control.
Minho frowned. "Sulli, you've made your point. Enough! We-"
"Is this how it works in your world? You scare people off with threats of killing them?" I interrupted. The words were jumbled and airy. It was difficult to speak with the constricting pressure in my chest.
I let out a silent scream, eyes dilating when the pressure grew intense and stabbing.
Sulli scoffed, eyes hard and unforgiving."I don't make empty threats. Especially when it comes down to bitches like you." She tightened her fist.
"Oh look," She continued unrelentingly. She glanced at the thin silver watch garnishing her wrist. The time glowered at me, black spots marring the site as my vision began to blur.
"Your eight minutes are nearly up."
She looked back at my eyes, clenching her jaw. Her hand shook harder, and the gun in my hand trembled. What the hell was she doing?
My eyes widened even more and I noticed the gun that was once trained at Kyuhyun's head was slowly rotating in my hand, the barrel turning to face me, and I couldn't stop it. It was all in Sulli's control.
I gritted my teeth in anger and fear. Again....again I was letting them control me, letting them bring me all to close to death.
"I'm tired...of playing...this game. Stop...the car." I said brokenly, gasping for air between words, pausing to collect myself
"This is my game. I decide when it stops."
The barrel of my gun shook, and I glared at Death with blazing eyes for the first time that day.
"A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain
Softly blows o'er lullaby bay."
A lazy fog hugged my head, the unseen stinging weight easing cautiously, rolling back into itself.
The pressure on my chest dissipated, and the gun fell out of my hand.
"It fills the sails of boats that are waiting--
Waiting to sail your worries away.
It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain
And your boat waits down by the key."
I blinked, vision clearing, and stared in confusion at the side of Sulli's head. She was boring holes into Henry's form, her attention no longer on me. Henry's eyes were glowing a dull honey orange, and he too was boring holes into Sulli, challenging her to pull away from his control.
"The winds of night so softly are sighing--
Soon they will fly your troubles to sea.
So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain."
Sulli's hands shook, unfurling from their clenched state. Henry reached out and grasped them, still singing his sweet haunting lullaby. His lips moved up her jaw, to her ear where he serenaded her. She was practically sitting in his lap, her hands digging into the fabric of his shirt.
"Wave good-bye to cares of the day.
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain
Sail far away from lullaby bay."
Silence swallowed us, and I continued to stare as Henry moved his lips to the shell of her ear.
"You, Sulli Lee, are no killer. Do well not to forget," He chastised in his rich voice.
It was mesmerizing. He was mesmerizing.
Sulli clenched her jaw tight and glared at him despite her scolding, but gave him a terse nod in understanding.
"Now, I think an apology is in order." Henry spoke, but this time, the command wasn't directed at Sulli. He gaze was riveted to me, bathing me in his golden daze.
Anger flamed up inside of me, burning my core. "I have nothing to be sorry for." I said through clenched teeth.
"Better find something fast!" Sulli shot back, whipping around to stare me down.
"That-that.."I fumbled with my words. "That thing of yours is out there rampant - completely uncontrollable! She's going to destroy my village!" I swallowed. "She's going to destroy my home."
"And you think by tracking her down, you can stop her from attacking your village?" Kyuhyun spoke. My passionate drive wavered. "You said yourself she's a monster. How do you plan on stopping her? She'll rip you apart."
My face fell.
Yes, she would rip me apart...and then she would take with her Ruins. There were so many possible solutions, so many choices, but the end result was the same. There wasn't anything I could do. A film of water blurred my sight. I was useless. Was I always quite this useless?
"You have your options." A clear voice rang out. My eyes fell on the rear view mirror and found Minho's. He looked at me meaningfully, and the implication was clear.
"If I don't stop her...?" I asked quietly.
For the briefest second a flash of sorrow filled his eyes, gone as fast as it came. He handed me the phone.
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"I don't understand." Henry started when we had all righted ourselves and had steered clear of Minah's path. "If the Fae's magic reacted with Minah's Talent, how come she's awake? She shouldn't be awake."
Minho hesitated, eyes once again meeting mine for a brief second. "The blood must have woken up." He said knowingly, and my face heated at the memory.
"Blood? What blood?" Sulli asked suspiciously. Her eyes wavered between Minho and I, and the redness of my cheeks only intensified.
"Sulli, close the gap." Kyuhyun said when neither Minho nor I offered her an explanation. She rolled her eyes.
"Such a sweet talker isn't he?" Sulli taunted.
"Henry." Kyuhyun gritted out in warning past clenched teeth.
Henry sighed and then turned to the girl. "If you behave yourself tonight, I'll take you to see the Chilseok Festival lights down town."
Chilseok Festival? My mind repeated.
Sulli blinked in surprise and looked at him with calculating eyes. "Really?" She asked quietly, a hint of hidden eagerness and hope laced underneath.
Henry nodded his head, hand slipping into her lap collect hers, lacing the fingers together.
The image burned in my eyes despite the darkness embracing us. There was an air of intimacy that was hard to miss, glowing around them beautifully.
"Yes, promise," He agreed.
There was the sound of groaning metal, and I jumped lightly in my seat, frantically looking around for the source of the noise. It was Sulli, glowing silver eyes working their magic as the gap in the roof mended itself, curls of metal falling into themselves.
I gaped, eyes large and disbelieving.
Henry saw my look of astonishment and gave me a half-hearted smile. "Telekinesis - Sulli's Talent."
Talent?
The melody of a phone vibrated in the air, greedily calling out for attention. "It's Sungmin." Minho alerted, calmly flipping the phone over to look at the caller ID flashing across the screen.
"Speakerphone." Kyuhyun said, eyes scouting the sky, presumably for any sign of Minah.
Minho did as asked, and the creamy voice of a young man filled the car. "She's heading for the village." Came a grim voice.
Henry looked at the phone with worried eyes."Which one?"
"Ruins."
My heart dropped.
'Ruins...?'
"Don't let her off the mountain." Kyuhyun dictated sharply.
"In case you haven't noticed," Sungmin bit out sarcastically. "that's exactly what we've been doing."
"Then you're not doing enough!" Kyuhyun scolded. "Why did you even let her that close to the village?!" Their argument continued, voices washing out, fading away.
Minah was heading to Ruins, my village - my home. Or at least what was left of it. And when she was done, there would be nothing left. Not even a single breathing body.
The soft clink of metal registered in my head, and I zoned out of my reverie to the foot well of the car. the present in the car. Gleaming in the darkness stood the hilt of a silver gun, the barrel resting against my foot. Celtic engravings vined up the handle, much like one of the Taemin's and Minho's guns.
A pulsing thrill crawled up my back, settling into my stomach.
I grasped the gun, turning it over carefully in my hand. The weight was heavy and the barrel was full.
In the front of the seat of the car Kyuhyun was still bickering with the man on the phone, a weary Minho holding the phone to the man's pink mouth.
A burst of anger coursed through me, and for the briefest moment I let it take over. I aimed the gun at the Kyuhyun's face and fired.
The bullet went spiraling out, leaving a thin line of smoke and fire in its wake, a sure sign of magic, nearing Kyuhyun's temple with great speed.
"Kyuhyun!" Henry yelled.
Kyuhyun looked at the incoming bullet from the corner of his eye, no fear in his eyes whatsoever, sending me into another fit of anger, and before it could reach its goal, Sulli flung out her palm, sending the bullet curving around Minho's face, and through the passenger window.
As the glass shattered Kyuhyun turned to stare at me with red muddy eyes, and I immediately pressed the end of my gun between his eyes.
"Stop the car." I said darkly.
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Jonghyun swallowed the lump lodged in his throat and kept striding through the woods, scrawny branches caressing his face. He walked with a heavy limp, favoring one leg over the other, and was clutching his right forearm with a steady hand.
Where was she?!
He inhaled slowly, filling his lungs with the night's intoxicating scent. He picked up a rich feminine aroma from the mix, releasing a low growl when he recognized the scent of blood tinging the edge.
She smelled hurt.
He grunted and moved faster, stumbling clumsily over a few bumps in the path. His arm was burning, and every time he moved his leg another jolt of throbbing pain seared up his leg. All of which were aching reminders of his encounter with Minah.
He brushed the thought aside.
His wounds would heal on their own, but Minah's would not.
No, she was far too young to heal her wounds on her own. She was far too young to even be off by herself.
Jonghyun winced, another line of pain pulsing in his arm. He paused amidst his walk, and lift his hand from his bleeding wound, pulling back the ripped sleeve to investigate the damage. He frowned at the deep gash. It would be a pain to heal. He sighed, replacing the fabric of his torn shirt sleeve over the cut.
"Mhmmm..." Jonghyun froze as his ears prickled, picking up the sound of soft sobs. He strained his ears and tried to decipher the noise, his nose catching the scent of tears in the air.
A shy hiccup was all it took for him to recognize the owner of the tears. It was clearly Minah.
He moved quickly, easily pinpointing the location of the sobbing vampire and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the dark form of the girl, blanketed in the night's shadows.
She was curled into herself on the ground, clutching her hand to her chest. Her head was tucked into her chest, dark hair spread over her face like a veil, hiding her from his gaze. All Jonghyun could see from his place was the glimmer of blood staining the skin of her wrist.
The girl sniffled pitifully on the ground, shifting her hips in efforts of getting more comfortable.
His eyes softened. "Hey." He said quietly.
The sniffles stopped as did the crying.
Jonghyun watched her with guarded eyes. "Why are you crying?" He coaxed.
Minah screamed at him, raising her head defiantly with hair lashing across her face. Jonghyun backed up quickly.
They stared at each other silently, each watching the other with calculating eyes.
After a lengthy pause Jonghyun opened his mouth to comfort the girl, but she cut him off with an animalistic screech. Jonghyun snapped his mouth shut, watching Minah crawl backwards against the trunk of a tree for refuge.
His forehead crinkled with lines of confusion.
Was she scared? Of him?!
She glared at him with cold eyes, hands trembling against her chest from her place. A streak of blood was inching down her hand to her arm and dripping onto the ground beneath her.
He breathed in deeply, red flashing before his eyes. She had been severely damaged.
Jonghyun's eyes traveled back to Minah's face, and his heart fell at the tears forming in the girl's eyes when she glanced down at her hand. She was hurting so much.
He tried to approach her again, but her face turned nasty, lip curling up threateningly.
Jonghyun hesitated. He needed a new tactic. Anxiously he lowered himself to the ground and held out his hand to Minah in a come hither manner. "Come here." He encouraged her sweetly.
The female vampire simmered, but Jonghyun remained ceaseless, arm still out in offering. "I won't hurt you." He promised.
The girl wavered, tentatively looking him over. "You're hurt right?" Jonghyun tried again. The girl shrank away from his pointed gaze but shyly nodded her head. "Let me heal you." He persuaded.
There was another moment of silence, Minah's eyes roaming over him subjectively, mind turning over his proposition.
Finally, like a tiny kitten the girl crouched and crawled to him, eyes never leaving his face, and taking contingent little steps. She crawled with a hitch, balancing her weight onto her uninjured hand.
Jonghyun smiled at her approvingly, hand still out, but she didn't take his hand, stopping before it and looking at him expectantly. Her hand was back against her chest, and Jonghyun grimaced at the amount of blood on it. Gently he reached out to touch her, watching as Minah jumped in fear, eyes going angry and wild. He paused, trying to meet her eyes and convey his feelings. She met his with no qualms, and slowly the anger subsided. He tried again, lightly touching her hand, pleased when she didn't jump or snarl at him. His tried to lower his eyes to look at her hand, but was met with red eyes at his attempts. So he chose the smarter route and kept his eyes glued on her as he pried her hand from her chest.
When he had unfurled it from her body, he slowly dropped his gaze, gritting his teeth at the hole. The edges of the cut were ragged, perhaps from a dagger, and nearly pierced through the entirety of her hand.
"Fuck." He cursed loudly, grinding his teeth in irritation.
A whimper broke him from his inspection and he looked up to see Minah's teary eyes.
"I'm so sorry." He whispered.
She whimpered again, and he pressed a kiss to her hand, sticking out his tongue to taste her blood. She hissed, rolling her eyes from the pain. He paused and waited till her light red eyes met his before he determinedly licked the wound again. Her hisses filled the cool air, mouth parting and releasing small bouts of pain as he licked her cut. The wound started to knit itself back together to the flawless canvas it was before, save a light pink scar decorating her palm. Not that Jonghyun took noticed he was much too preoccupied watching Minah's face - the way her eyes flutter close and her mouth closed and curved around certain words.
Her eyes slowly opened, this time a chocolate brown with tiny specks of red. Her eyes drifted to her hand, eyes lighting up at the healed skin. Jonghyun stopped, retracting his tongue and placing another soft kiss on her palm.
"There - all done."
She titled her head and clenched her fingers experimentally into a fist. It was perfectly healed. She turned back to him and gave him a beautiful smile, her entire face instantly transforming.
Jonghyun's breath caught in his throat.
She stared at him again and happily purred girl purred, crawling closer and nuzzling her nose against his neck.
"Good girl," Jonghyun soothed, ruffling her hair affectionately.
She purred louder.
"Were you always quite this cute?" Jonghyun murmured, kissing the top of Minah's head. A pretty smile graced her lips and she pulled back from his chest to settle between his legs. She titled her head cutely as she stared at him, eyes zeroing in on his still bleeding shoulder. She frowned, looking at him curiously.
Jonghyun followed her gaze and gave her a weak smile on remembrance. "Yeah, we're matching, huh?"
He teased her lightly.
He tried to move his arm to show her he was fine, but ended up stretching the wound that much more. He groaned and Minah whimpered at the pained look on his face.
"H-h-hurt?" She childishly asked. He gave her a weak smile, her voice warming him. "Hurt." He agreed softly, unable to hide his pain from her pretty eyes.
She looked upset. "M-me?" She asked unsurely.
He frowned. "No." He said firmly, reaching out to rub her cheek. "Me." He emphasized, caressing her cheekbone.
Her brow furrowed further confused, leaning forward to press her lips to his neck. She lightly brushed a kiss over his skin. Jonghyun shuddered, ripples of pleasure crawling down his spine. Unexpectedly she stuck out her tiny pink tongue, sweeping it over the deep cut of his shoulder. Jonghyun tensed, gritting his teeth against the coarse pain. His movements didn't go unnoticed, and Minah hesitated. Her eyes darted to his face, contorted in pain, and returned to the wound. She pulled back the ripped tear of his sleeve, and licked his wound with more fervor, slowly healing one bit of skin at a time. She licked diligently at his shoulder, mending the skin as best she could.
Jonghyun hissed and groaned throughout the entire process, fingers clawing at the damp forest dirt.
Minutes ticked by, not a word exchanged, when Minah finally pulled back. She inspected her hard work before deeming it acceptable and ducking her head in a timid gesture. Panting Jonghyun glanced at his partially healed arm. The majority of the torn tissue had been mended and a strip of skin had pulled itself together making the wound smaller.
He stared at it in awe.
"Sorry?" Minah uttered. She nipped at his earlobe apologetically, grabbing Jonghyun's attention.
Jonghyun's eyes hardened. "No." He admonished strictly. He grabbed Minah's chin, forcing her to look straight into his eyes."None of this is your fault." He swallowed. "None of this should have happened."
She cocked her head again, brown pupils filled with confusion. Her lips parted, and she raised her hand to his face, a finger gliding over his cheek. It was such a humane gesture. It reminded him of when she was human. When she was...better.
"Minah...I-"
A gunshot cracked through the forest, a cacophonous bang that rattled the trees, scaring their leaves off their branches.
Jonghyun strained his ears, trying to find the source of the noise.
'Thump....thump....' The rush of a clamoring heart awakened him, the thick scent of fresh blood calling to him.
He looked before him, eyes locking with Minah's. Dark brown pools darkened to red, and she suddenly smirked, fangs jutting past her bottom lip. She pulled away from him in one fluid motion, avoiding his griping hands, and took off for the night's latest entertainment.
"Minah, no!" Jonghyun roared after her.
His plea fell on deaf ears as Minah disappeared, her hair whipping behind her.
The monster was back, and the night was far from over.
No, this was not supposed to happen.
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I gasped, a low raspy cry for air, eyes going wild as I tried to breath. Sulli's eyes glowed a blood red, fingers curled into a fist and directed at me.
"Sulli?" Minho called from the passenger's seat, turning to see the commotion. "Sulli what are you doing?!" He demanded.
Sulli gave him no response and continued her hold on me, an unseen heavy weight digging deeper into my chest. "Sulli, release her!"
"It takes seven minutes for the brain to die without oxygen - eight if you're lucky." Sulli whispered, voice perniciously calm.
Her hand shook as she spoke, and the slick feeling of fear crept up my back.
"And trust me when I say, I can make those last few minutes of your pathetic excuse of a life more painful than anything you could possibly fathom."
I trembled in my seat under her hold, trying to will myself to breathe and throw off her control.
Minho frowned. "Sulli, you've made your point. Enough! We-"
"Is this how it works in your world? You scare people off with threats of killing them?" I interrupted. The words were jumbled and airy. It was difficult to speak with the constricting pressure in my chest.
I let out a silent scream, eyes dilating when the pressure grew intense and stabbing.
Sulli scoffed, eyes hard and unforgiving."I don't make empty threats. Especially when it comes down to bitches like you." She tightened her fist.
"Oh look," She continued unrelentingly. She glanced at the thin silver watch garnishing her wrist. The time glowered at me, black spots marring the site as my vision began to blur.
"Your eight minutes are nearly up."
She looked back at my eyes, clenching her jaw. Her hand shook harder, and the gun in my hand trembled. What the hell was she doing?
My eyes widened even more and I noticed the gun that was once trained at Kyuhyun's head was slowly rotating in my hand, the barrel turning to face me, and I couldn't stop it. It was all in Sulli's control.
I gritted my teeth in anger and fear. Again....again I was letting them control me, letting them bring me all to close to death.
"I'm tired...of playing...this game. Stop...the car." I said brokenly, gasping for air between words, pausing to collect myself
"This is my game. I decide when it stops."
The barrel of my gun shook, and I glared at Death with blazing eyes for the first time that day.
"A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain
Softly blows o'er lullaby bay."
A lazy fog hugged my head, the unseen stinging weight easing cautiously, rolling back into itself.
The pressure on my chest dissipated, and the gun fell out of my hand.
"It fills the sails of boats that are waiting--
Waiting to sail your worries away.
It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain
And your boat waits down by the key."
I blinked, vision clearing, and stared in confusion at the side of Sulli's head. She was boring holes into Henry's form, her attention no longer on me. Henry's eyes were glowing a dull honey orange, and he too was boring holes into Sulli, challenging her to pull away from his control.
"The winds of night so softly are sighing--
Soon they will fly your troubles to sea.
So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain."
Sulli's hands shook, unfurling from their clenched state. Henry reached out and grasped them, still singing his sweet haunting lullaby. His lips moved up her jaw, to her ear where he serenaded her. She was practically sitting in his lap, her hands digging into the fabric of his shirt.
"Wave good-bye to cares of the day.
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain
Sail far away from lullaby bay."
Silence swallowed us, and I continued to stare as Henry moved his lips to the shell of her ear.
"You, Sulli Lee, are no killer. Do well not to forget," He chastised in his rich voice.
It was mesmerizing. He was mesmerizing.
Sulli clenched her jaw tight and glared at him despite her scolding, but gave him a terse nod in understanding.
"Now, I think an apology is in order." Henry spoke, but this time, the command wasn't directed at Sulli. He gaze was riveted to me, bathing me in his golden daze.
Anger flamed up inside of me, burning my core. "I have nothing to be sorry for." I said through clenched teeth.
"Better find something fast!" Sulli shot back, whipping around to stare me down.
"That-that.."I fumbled with my words. "That thing of yours is out there rampant - completely uncontrollable! She's going to destroy my village!" I swallowed. "She's going to destroy my home."
"And you think by tracking her down, you can stop her from attacking your village?" Kyuhyun spoke. My passionate drive wavered. "You said yourself she's a monster. How do you plan on stopping her? She'll rip you apart."
My face fell.
Yes, she would rip me apart...and then she would take with her Ruins. There were so many possible solutions, so many choices, but the end result was the same. There wasn't anything I could do. A film of water blurred my sight. I was useless. Was I always quite this useless?
"You have your options." A clear voice rang out. My eyes fell on the rear view mirror and found Minho's. He looked at me meaningfully, and the implication was clear.
"If I don't stop her...?" I asked quietly.
For the briefest second a flash of sorrow filled his eyes, gone as fast as it came. He handed me the phone.
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