Chapter 20

Jungkook pulled back in the driveway of the manor and you saw the other two cars, which told you that Jimin and Taehyung were back. You felt your skin crawl when you remembered that Taehyung had been out on a hunt. Then a spark of hope when you doubly remembered Jimin had been speaking with Lazarus. Perhaps he had some news.

Just before you touched the handle on the door, Jungkook grabbed your wrist, pulling you back. You turned to look at him in confusion, surprised to see him avoiding your gaze, a pink tint to his cheeks.

"Before... before we go in," He mumbled, glancing up and to the side nervously, making you frown in confusion. "Can you keep all of this between us?" He let out finally.

You stared for a few seconds and blinked, puzzlement ringing through your head.

"You've never told them where you go?" You asked, pinching your eyebrows together. Jungkook pursed his lips and shook his head.

"I've never told anyone." He murmured softly.

Your heart slammed in your chest and flames burst over your skin at his confession. You quickly looked away and cleared your throat loudly.

"Oh—um—yeah, okay. I won't say anything." You blurted, flustered. Jungkook released your wrist and your skin tingled from the release of contact. You licked your lips as he uttered a small 'thank you' and moved to the front door.

Jungkook opened the door and you both walked inside. You looked around the foyer and nearly jumped when you saw Jimin sitting in one of the loveseats next to the fireplace. You gasped in surprise at seeing him and clutched your chest as Jungkook shut the door behind you. Jimin was sitting cross-legged on the seat, one elbow on the armrest when his head rested on his knuckles. The lights were off and he was sitting in complete darkness, save for the light of the log fire flickering, making his face luminate dangerously. You could barely make out his expression, but his red eyes were enough to tell you that he was angry.

"Welcome back." He growled, sending a spark of fear down your back. Jungkook stepped in front of you, almost protectively and faced him head on.

"Sorry, I needed to run an errand and no one else was here to watch her." He said, his voice back to its monotonous, flat tone. Jimin let out a scoff.

"An errand, huh? What errand, exactly." He hissed, his voice an octave lower than normal. He was angry, that was for sure, but he hadn't yet made a move to attack Jungkook, like he had with Taehyung.

"I don't really see how that's any of your business." Jungkook deadpanned, shrugging his shoulders. You winced as Jimin's eyes flashed dangerously in the firelight.

"Not my business?" Jimin stood up abruptly, causing you to gasp and shrink away when you saw the look of murder on his face. Jungkook crossed his arms, standing his ground. "It became my business when you left this house with the girl and didn't bother to tell anyone about it." He pointed in your general direction and you bristled at the use of 'the girl' instead of your name.

Jungkook, however, didn't miss a beat. "It's not my fault that I was the only one here." He retorted calmly. Jimin grimaced, but Jungkook held his ground. "Maybe you should have given me a warning when you were going to leave so I could have timed it better." He said matter-of-factly. Jimin slammed his hand on the side table and you flinched.

"Watch your mouth, Jungkook." He snapped, his voice cutting and menacing. "Do not try to put this on me. There was no reason for you to leave with her without telling anyone or clearing it with me." His eyes flashed and he tilted his head. "You do know where I was, don't you?" He asked grimly, a small smirk teasing the corner of his mouth. "I was giving my report to Lazarus. If he had caught wind of this happening, you know exactly what he would have done to you."

Jimin's eyes glinted and you gulped. You couldn't see Jungkook's face, but you saw a tiny smirk lift Jimin's cheeks, telling you that Jungkook had given him the exact reaction he'd hoped for. Jimin's threat was harsh but vague, and you wished for the millionth time that you knew what exactly Lazarus held on these vampires to keep them loyal. You already knew Taehyung's reason, but Jungkook's seemed more consequential than it did bargaining.

"That's why you're not going to tell him." Jungkook growled, his arms falling back to his sides. You saw his hands clench to fists and you felt the urge to reach out and squeeze them, but you resisted.

"Y/N is fine. We didn't go anywhere dangerous." He continued, saying your name again, making your heart thud in your chest. Jimin sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of his nose, planting the other hand on his waist.

"You have a damn cell phone for a reason, use it." He ground out, his voice thick with irritation as he looked back up at Jungkook. Jungkook shrugged and looked away.

"I hate cell phones." He murmured, not sounding very apologetic. Jimin stomped his foot and you flinched at the abrupt sound.

"I don't give a fuck what you like or don't like. This isn't about your comfort. You tell me where she is at all times, you follow my direction, and you sure as hell do not disrespect me. Do I make myself clear, Jungkook?"

You trembled at the bitter words and terrifying tone with which Jimin said Jungkook's name. It was more than just an order, it was a threat, a promise. There was more than just anger in the way he said it, it was almost as if the name was poison in his mouth and saying it was painful and threatening. It made you want to crawl under your covers and hide. You trembled and looked away from Jimin's vicious gaze. Jungkook took a breath.

"Crystal clear. It won't happen again." Jungkook ground out, staring at the ground. You gulped at his tone. You could hear it in his voice. He was just as freaked out as you were. Jimin sighed impatiently.

"See that it doesn't." He snarled, his eye glinting dangerously. "Now, get out of my sight." He snapped, waving a dismissive hand.

Jungkook sighed and turned away. You looked up at him with wide eyes and Jungkook's gaze met yours for a second. You saw a mixture of emotions, none of which you could identify, before they fell flat again. He looked away from you, like he hadn't even noticed you and walked away, his gait casual, but his back ramrod straight. He was trying to act nonchalant, but you could read him now. You could see the tension in his back and in the way he clenched and unclenched his fists. You watched him solemnly as he walked back up the stairs and disappeared into his room.

You turned back to Jimin who rubbed the back his neck, like he was massaging a stressed muscle and lifted the wine glass from the side table. He downed the rest of the glass in one gulp and sighed in satisfaction. You suddenly heard Taehyung's words in your head:

Jimin may act like a perfect gentleman around you but he's more sadistic than even me.

You swallowed hard and stared at the floor nervously as Jimin walked passed you and made his way into the dining room, without giving you so much as a passing glance. You watched him go, clenching and unclenching your fists, turning over what had happened in your head. He was always so... irrationally angry whenever something didn't go his way. Whenever something happened that was out of his control, the mask would fall and you could feel his fury that was so palpable, it bordered on desperation.

It wasn't logical, it wasn't sensible, the way he'd been reacting. Both times, you hadn't been in any real danger because you'd been with Jungkook or Taehyung. Both times, you'd returned to the house uninjured and safe. And yet, both times...

You clenched your fists and stomped your foot. You'd been in the dark far too long. You needed answers and you would be damned if you were going to let Jimin twist and turn and maneuver his way into avoiding them. You turned on your heel and stormed into the dining room where you'd seen him go. He was sitting at the table, leaning back with his legs propped up. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted up to the ceiling. He looked stressed, frustrated and tired. His head turned when you emerged in the door and let out an annoyed sigh.

"Now isn't a great time, Y/N." He muttered, turning away. You sucked in a sharp breath and scowled.

"What is your problem?" You demanded. Jimin blinked and looked back at you, his eyebrows raised condescendingly.

"Excuse me?"

You let out an exasperated grunt and marched straight up to the dining table next to him, slamming your palm on the table, shaking the chairs from the force.

"I said—what—the hell—is your problem?" You shouted, getting up in his face. "This is the second time you have gotten unnecessarily angry and I want to know: what is your problem?" You enunciated each word, anger churning in your stomach. Jimin sat up straighter, meeting your gaze head-on. He moved his feet off the table and glared.

"Back up, Y/N." he said, his voice low and dangerous. You bared your teeth.

"Why? Don't like it when someone else is yelling in your face?" You slammed the other hand on the table too and moved closer, instead of away. "Jungkook did nothing wrong. You had no business yelling at him or threatening him like that." You growled. Jimin leaned close, so close his nose almost brushed against yours and you jerked away, startled.

"He broke the rules. He went off alone with you without telling anyone. He has to know that's not okay." He said calmly, slowly, as if speaking to a child. You gritted your teeth.

"Why does he have to answer to you, huh? Why are you so invested in this? What exactly do you have to gain or lose from this? What does Lazarus have on you?" You demanded, your rapid fire of questions not seeming to make a dent. Jimin rolled his eyes and glanced away.

"I told you once before that asking these types of questions are very dangerous. It would be in your best interest to leave it alone." He met your gaze, as if trying to show you how serious he was. You scowled.

"Why is it dangerous? What exactly is dangerous about it? And to whom is it dangerous? Because it seems to me like you just don't want to answer." You snapped, slapping your hand down again. Jimin's calm, serious expression darkened.

"I'm serious, Y/N, leave off." He ground out, carefully. You shook your head.

"No. I'm sick of this. You need to explain this to me. Why did you threaten Jungkook? Why are you so irrationally angry when something happens that you don't know about? Why are so desperately obsessed with my safety?" You paused and let out a humorless laugh. "Honestly, why is Lazarus so obsessed with it? It can't just be because Dracula was his friend, that just doesn't make sense. None of this make sense. What does he have on you?" Your voice cracked and you realized how desperate you sounded. You swallowed and steeled yourself.

"We obey his orders, we don't question them. That's it." You blinked at Jimin's answer and felt rage curl in your stomach again.

"Why, though? Why do you obey them without question?" You asked, almost pleading. Jimin's eyes squeezed shut and he banged his fist on the table in front of you.

"Y/N!" You gasped at the explosion of your name from his throat. You stumbled back as Jimin stood and latched a hand around your arm. He slammed your back against the edge of the table and you winced as he stood above you, leaning over you with dangerous, red eyes.

"I told you to leave off." He ground out, his voice calm and dangerously quiet. You swallowed hard. "If you keep asking questions, then we won't be able to protect you anymore." His other hand planted on the table on the other side, caging you in completely. You swallowed hard, leaning back, your bad digging uncomfortably into the table.

"W-what does that even mean?" You stammered, trying to focus your mind. The fury you'd been feeling was swallowed up inside you and you couldn't concentrate. Not when he was this close.

"It means exactly what I said. Stop asking questions. Do you understand me?" Jimin's dark eyes met yours and if you didn't know better, you could think he was trying to compel you. But there was no gold in his eyes.

"I-I..." You trailed off, unable to look away, unable to form a coherent thought in your head. From this close you could see every feature on his face, every line, every contour. He had no pores, no blemishes, his face was flawless. His lips were plump and you couldn't tear your eyes away from them as he started to speak again.

"Lazarus told me that this is where we must stay for the time being. We are not to leave or move away, as you hoped. He is trying to fix things with the Elders. You allow him to do his job and maybe the future won't result in your death, do you get it?"

You swallowed, something in your brain switching on at his words. You couldn't fully understand them, but you understood enough. "Get off me..." You whispered. Jimin's grip on your arm tightened.

"I need to hear the words, Y/N. I can't compel you, so you need to say the words. Do you understand me?" You gulped, leaning away from him as his gaze bore into you. You felt cornered, trapped.

"Jimin, get off her." The words coming from the door were quiet, but they projected through the entire room as if through an amplifier. You turned to the door as Jimin stepped back, but not very far. Jungkook was standing in the doorframe, his eyes fixed on Jimin's hand, which was still wrapped around your wrist.

"Jungkook. This doesn't concern you." Jimin said, his voice rumbling through his chest.

"I don't care. Let her go." Jungkook said, a sharp edge to his tone.

He took one menacing step inside and Jimin unclenched his fist, allowing you to pull your hand back. You clutched it to your chest, pushing off the table edge slightly to relieve the pressure in your back.

"Are you giving me orders, now?" Jimin asked, his tone light, but with a dark undertone. You swallowed and shuffled to the side, trying to put some distance between you and the volatile vampire, staring the other down in the doorway.

"My job is to protect her, you said it yourself." Jungkook replied, his face blank, but his jaw clenched and eyes dark. Jimin scoffed.

"You think she needs protection from me?" He growled, a small smirk on his face.

Jungkook shrugged. "You can't be too careful."

"No, you can't." Jimin pursed his lips and glanced at you and you continued to slide away.

"Y/N, come on." You turned to see Jungkook holding his hand out for you. You glanced at Jimin, who had crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. You looked back at Jungkook, peered into his dark eyes, which were usually flat, but weren't right now. There was something else, something hard. A warning. You heard his voice in your head. You should hold yourself to a higher standard.

You swallowed and walked toward him, as if in a trance, placing your hand in his. Jungkook pulled you behind him and gave Jimin a glance over his shoulder before guiding you out with a hand on the small of your back.

"You never gave me an answer, Y/N." Jimin called loudly, making you pause. You clenched your fists indignantly and turned around, scowling at him.

"Then, I guess we're even." You snapped, causing Jimin to smirk humorlessly. Jungkook ushered you away, letting the dining room door shut behind you. He didn't leave your side, his hand planted firmly on your back, until you were both up the stairs standing outside your room. Before you could enter, Jungkook's hand clasped in yours and he turned you to face him.

"You can't do that." He said gruffly, squeezing your hand. "You can't challenge him like that."

You blinked. "What are you talking about?" Jungkook sighed and looked down at where your hands were entwined.

"I know you want answers. I know you do. And you deserve them. But you cannot challenge him directly like that. You don't know what he's capable of." His hand twitched and he peered back up at you, his dark lashes shielding his eyes.

"Jungkook, you're not making any sense. He's supposed to be protecting me, like you, right?" You shook your head incredulously, staring up at him. Jungkook swallowed.

"Yes, but..." Jungkook trailed off and looked away. "Just... it's dangerous, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt." He released your hand and you stared down at it, surprised. Jungkook turned away and disappeared into his room, shutting it gently behind him. You stared at the spot he'd just been occupying, your hand tingling and your cheeks warming. You pressed the same hand to your chest and tried to suppress the wild beating of your heart. You closed your eyes and tried to remember what he'd been saying.

Don't challenge Jimin? What the hell did that even mean? What was he not telling you?

"Y/N?" You whirled around at the sound of your name, feeling like you'd just been caught with your pants down. Taehyung was standing in the entrance to his room, completely shirtless. You coughed and looked to the side, avoiding looking down at his bare chest and smooth torso.

"H-hi, Taehyung. I didn't know you were back." You murmured, cheeks still warm. You weren't sure if it was because he was half naked, or because of what just happened with Jungkook. Either way, you were annoyed at yourself.

"Yeah... I heard some shouting, is everything okay?" He slipped outside and closed the door behind him, as if trying not to let you see what was inside. You blinked and turned away, trying to clear your head, which felt fuzzier than normal. You weren't supposed to be able to be compelled and yet it kind of felt like you were waking from a daze.

"Yes, everything's fine. Everything's..." You trailed off when you noticed something on the corner of his mouth. Something red. "Is that... blood on your face?" You asked, taking a small step forward. Taehyung lifted his hand to his face and licked the side of his mouth, wiping away the blood with his tongue.

"Um... yeah, sorry."

Your eyes moved to his bedroom door and back to him. This time, you focused on his body, on his bare chest and down to his sweatpants, which looked like they'd just been pulled on. Your heart sank.

"Don't tell me..." You shook your head and frowned, stepping back slightly. Taehyung's cheeks tinged and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Look, Y/N..." He started, but you held up a hand, silencing him.

"Don't." You snapped, looking away. You felt tears prick the back of your eyes. "You said you were going to do what you wanted, regardless of what I had to say about it. Don't try to justify your actions now."

With that, you walked into your adjacent bedroom and shut the door behind you, hearing Taehyung sigh behind you. You leaned against the closed door and clapped your palm over your mouth, trying to keep yourself from breaking down right there. This shouldn't affect you. What he does should not affect you.

You felt hurt, betrayed, even. It was unfair, and you knew you shouldn't have been feeling this way. But after everything that happened, after everything you went through with Taehyung... From him almost killing you, to hating your guts and picking a fight with you every chance he got, to saving you from another vampire and then again from Rosemary, the woman who'd destroyed his life. You'd come so far... you considered him a friend, as unconventional as the relationship was, you considered him a friend.

You thought... you thought perhaps your feelings meant something to him. They had when he's protected you, when he'd opened up to you about his life. And yet he had still gone against your feelings. There was some innocent human in his room right now being taken advantage of and being fed on and the only remorse he felt was the fact that you'd caught him.

You sighed and hardened your heart, wiping your tears, shed and unshed away. He was not worth your tears. None of them were. None of them.

Your mind trailed back to your hand in Jungkook's and the intense way he'd been staring at you. It was so jarring, considering that he was always so distant, so stoic. When he gave you a look that was filled with emotion, you didn't know how to react, how to interpret it. What had he been saying? You can't challenge him like that.

You rubbed your head, feeling a headache coming on. This was way too much to think about. It was late, today felt like it had been the longest day you'd had since you moved into this house. You were thinking too much, and you were tired. You could hear the bed already calling your name. You shuffled inside, kicking your shoes off and pushing your pants down before tumbling into bed and falling asleep, exhausted both physically and emotionally.

Your phone woke you a few measly hours later, making you wake from a restless sleep. You sat up and rubbed your eyes, looking over at the side table where your phone was charging. You saw Selena's name glowing up at you and you frowned in confusion. You picked your phone up, looking at the time as you did so. Why was Selena calling you at four in the morning?

"Hello?" You said, putting the phone up to your ear. You heard Selena's frantic voice on the other end.

"Y/N? You have to come quick. It's Katie!" She shouted shrilly, making you wince.

"What? Selena it's four in the morning what do you—"

"Katie was in an accident, she's in the hospital! Y/N, please!" Your eyes widened when her words registered in your head.

"The hospital? What happened?" You threw your legs over the bed, feeling wide awake all of a sudden.

"There was an accident, you have to get here now!"

"Okay, okay, I'm on my way." You leapt out of the bed and yanked your pants on at the same time. You dropped the phone in your haste and picked it back up, dismayed to see the call had gotten disconnected. You raced out of the room and ran down the stairs two at a time, seeing Jimin standing at the bottom, staring at you expectantly.

"Jimin, I just—"

"I heard. The hospital?" He asked, cutting you off. You nodded quickly.

"Yes. I know, we're not supposed to go anywhere and I'm supposed to cut them off but—"

"You don't have to say anything. Let's go." Jimin stepped toward the door and opened it for you, letting in the chilly night air. You sighed and gave him a grateful look, before following his lead and stepping out into the night.