Chapter 23:

After your shower, you changed into the clothes Jungkook left for you. It was obvious he hadn't dressed anyone besides himself for over a century because he left one of your camisoles and some baggy grey sweatpants. They were good pajamas, but considering it wasn't even midday yet, not the greatest outfit for the daytime.

You were feeling so much better than you had been when you'd woken up. The shower and some food in your belly was a huge help and even though you still felt helpless and the darkness was still there, there was a bit of light that kept you hopeful. The past few days, you hadn't been able to see any light at the end of the tunnel, but something had shown you that there was some even in the darkest of places. Well, more like someone. Or two someone's more specifically.

Jungkook and Taehyung's kindness, despite you being the whiny human crying and feeling sorry for yourself, was enough to remind you that even though this was a horrible situation, you weren't alone. They understood, they sympathized, they'd experienced so much worse. They should have been hard because of the darkness, should have succumbed to it long ago. And yet, they were here, helping you pick yourself up when you were at your lowest point. You'd insulted them, yelled at them, tried to cut them exactly where you knew it would hurt, but they'd taken it in stride and still helped you, even though it would have been so much easier to just let you wallow.

Jimin had reacted more in the way you'd expected, uncaring, insensitive and cruel. The hard words he'd given you still churned in your stomach and made you angry and bitter. It had honestly surprised you. he'd been so tender in the car and at the hospital. Not to mention that he'd always been the one to offer a kind word, even if a lot of it was faked. It seemed that the kindness in him only went so far. He stopped using the mask as much recently and you caught glimpses of the real, dangerous vampire underneath.

You still remembered how hard he'd clamped on your wrist and pressed you into the table, his face close to yours. Still remembered looking into his eyes and seeing the true emotion hidden underneath the perpetual mask. He refused to tell you the truth about what Lazarus really wanted. It couldn't have been just because of his relationship to Dracula. You weren't naïve enough to believe that.

You decided then that you were going to find out what was really happening. You had some of the puzzle pieces, but you didn't know where they fit and much of it was still missing. So much of your stay with these vampires had been figuring how you fit with them, but it was time to get to the root of it, to figure how all of it fit together. Jimin may want to keep secrets from you, but you'd been through enough, had lost enough. Now, there was nothing to hold you back, nothing left to lose.

You walked back into your bedroom after drying your hair and reached down for your phone that was still on the floor. You plugged it on to charge and noticed something else under the bed. You grabbed it and pulled out one of Dracula's journals. The one you'd been reading what felt like a million years ago. So much had happened since the last time you'd read an entry. There were answers here, you were sure of it. You flipped through the journal to where you'd left off and started to briefly read over each entry after to see if there was anything promising. One entry caught your eye and you began reading:

It has been a few months since the hunt began. Those descendant from my relationships with humans are being persecuted and executed for the special blood they possess. I never thought the countless human lovers I have taken over the centuries would one day cause me such pain. I never imagined that these children would have any sort of connection to me, and yet they became the most dangerous threat to my existence. The Elders are afraid of that power and the threat to the existence of vampires as a whole.

As for me, I have taken to my manor away from civilization. Of course, Lazarus has tried to persuade me back, but I know the Elders want nothing more than to kill me. I will not give them the satisfaction. I will continue to live on in the knowledge that I never succumbed to their authority or their power. I will live on a thorn in their sides for as long as I am able. I only hope that my descendants are granted a swift death as there is nothing I can do for them. They are too powerful, and they do not even know it.

"Y/N? Is everything okay in here?" You jumped at the voice behind you. You quickly shut the journal and pushed it under your pillow, turning around. Jungkook stood there, holding the glass of orange juice that you never had the chance to finish. You forced a smile on your face, the words from Dracula's journal still swirling in your head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the juice." You moved forward and took the glass from his hands, finishing it in large gulps. You wiped the your mouth with the back of your palm and Jungkook watched, expressionless. His eyes caught on your arm and he snatched your wrist, bringing your arm forward so he could see the bandage. The blood had seeped through a bit, but it had stopped bleeding by now. All that was left was a dull ache. His jaw clenched and you pulled your arm back, hiding it behind your back.

"I'm fine, I promise." You said quickly. He looked into your eyes skeptically, knowing you were just putting on a show, but he didn't question you. He nodded and stepped back, and you didn't realize how fast your heart had been beating until he was a few feet away. You resisted the urge to press your palm to your chest.

"You seem a bit better." He said softly, his hawk-like eyes, scanning up and down your body, as if looking for something that would contradict his statement. You shuffled in place, fidgeting with the sweatpants.

"The shower helped." You mumbled sheepishly. "At least now I don't smell worse than I feel." You cracked a smile, but Jungkook didn't return it. He just flickered his gaze from your eyes to your smile and then away.

He looked like he wanted to say more, but he decided against it and turned to walk back to his room. You watched him go, not sure what to say. What do you say to someone who'd just witnessed one of your depressive episodes? He was about to open the door when he noticed you still staring at him and he paused, giving you a stern look. You coughed and turned away, your cheeks flushing. As soon as you did, Jungkook entered his room and closed the door behind him so fast, you missed the movement completely.

You blinked, confused, but you didn't have much time to interpret because the room on the other side of your doorway opened and Taehyung came out into the hall. You stared up at him, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. Taehyung's gaze flickered down to your outfit and his lips pursed. You immediately felt self-conscious and wished you'd grabbed a sweatshirt.

"How are you feeling?" he growled, looking down at the floor. His fists closed to fists and you saw the muscle ticking in his jaw. You looked down at your arm, wondering if it was the blood that was irritating him.

"Better." You said softly, pulling your arm behind your back. "Thanks for the bar and the juice." Taehyung nodded and moved to walk past you. He stopped for a second, glancing up at you like he wanted to say something. You raised your eyebrows and he sucked in a sharp breath, opening his mouth.

"You know, when I was turned into a vampire, I thought I was going to get to spend eternity with the love of my life, but all that was taken when she betrayed me and left." Taehyung exhaled hard. He had said this in a rush, like he was afraid he'd forget what he was going to say, or chicken out.

"I know what it's like to realize you have no family, no friends, no future. The only thing that kept me going was the thought that one day, I'd get to return the favor." You saw his fists clench and you swallowed. "All I've wanted for all these years was to be able to kill the woman who took everything from me. And then I had a chance, but instead, she almost killed both of us." At that, you had to look away. The memories of the encounter with Rosemary was not something you liked to remember.

"After that..." Taehyung continued. "There was no point in me being here. No reason I should stay. And I didn't want to stay after that." He shrugged and you peered up at hi, your eyes narrowing.

"If you didn't want to stay, then why are you still here?" You asked quietly. Taehyung sighed, looking exasperated and defeated.

"Because I have nowhere to go." He whispered, and your heart slammed into your chest. "I have no one anymore and nothing to do. There's nothing for me now and you... you were the only person I had any desire to be around. I thought... I thought we were becoming friends." He avoided your gaze as a blush crept up your cheeks.

"We were. I mean—we are." You said quickly, trying to keep your composure. This was the most honest and open conversation you'd had with him since the day he'd opened up to you about Rosemary. Taehyung scoffed.

"I'm not sure about that. You don't seem like you really want me here." He muttered bitterly. You shook your head.

"I never said that. I... want you here." You blurted. You gulped, not meaning to have said it so outright. Taehyung blinked, glancing up at you. His dark eyes, shrouded by his thick eyebrows were heavy with emotion, but you could pick out surprise and hope as the main ones.

"You do?" He asked, his intense stare forcing you to keep eye contact. You nodded and hugged yourself, feeling weirdly exposed.

"Yes. I mean... we didn't get off to a great start, but... you've been pretty alright to me all things considered. You haven't outright lied to me and you opened up. I trust you." Taehyung's eyes narrowed and you swallowed hard.

"Fine, then I'll stay..." His voice was barely a whisper, but you could hear him as if through a megaphone. You nodded.

"Good." You smiled and you saw the corner of his mouth twitch, like he wanted to smile back. Instead, he shrugged and started past you, walking toward the staircase. You watched as he avoided your gaze and moved to the railing.

"I appreciate you, Taehyung." You blurted suddenly, causing him to stop in his tracks. "I appreciate you, and I don't judge you. I know you went out in the middle of the night to return the girl you took for feeding." Taehyung tuned back to face you, his eyes hard and his jaw locked tight.

"I did that because I know how you feel about it. About feeding on humans." He said slowly, his shoulders tensing. You sighed and scratched the back of your head sheepishly.

"I don't know anything about being a vampire." You said, shrugging. "Not really. You could tell me your experience, but that doesn't mean anything. I'll never feel what you feel or experience what you do." Taehyung crossed his arms as you continued. "I don't know what it's like to drink human blood and I don't know how hard it would be to stop. You don't have to hide that from me anymore." You gave him a close-lipped smile, and he tilted his head.

"Is this some kind of reverse psychology thing? Are you just saying that to make me feel bad and then change without you having to tell me?" he asked skeptically.

You chuckled and shook your head. "No, this isn't that. I just realized... I mean, I was at my lowest and you didn't judge me. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't show you the same respect?"

Taehyung pursed his lips as you gave him a friendly smile. He sighed and nodded at you, his gaze softening. With that, he turned to walk back down the stairs and you watched him go, feeling like a weight had been lifted from your chest.

You turned back to your room, seeing the corner of Dracula's journal poking out from under your pillow. You stared at it, thinking about what you'd read from the journal, about how Dracula had found out about his offspring. He'd gone into hiding when the Elders had started hunting those that contained his blood. You weren't entirely sure how you felt about it, considering he'd never tried to help them or maybe dissuade the council. He'd been perfectly happy to hide himself away and let all those that came after him suffer. But then again... would you have done any different? You liked to think you would, but you had to remember that he was an ancient vampire who hadn't felt real human emotion in so long, he'd probably forgotten anything similar.

"Y/N." You jumped again. What was with people sneaking up behind you today? You turned around, already knowing who it was. Jimin stood at the top of the stairs, his arms crossed over his chest, a stern look on his face.

"Will you join me downstairs? I'd like to have a talk with you." He turned back around without waiting for your response and disappeared down the stairs.

You sighed and pressed a hand to your chest. You wondered what he wanted. To yell at you for being too whiny and annoying? Probably. He hadn't been exactly understanding since you'd returned from the hospital.

You walked back into your room, pulling a sweatshirt out from the closet and pulling it on. It was a black sweatshirt with your university's name printed on the front. It was worn down and stretchy from the countless number of times you'd worn it during your three years at university. You felt a lump form in your throat again as you thought about what you'd lost and quickly blinked the moisture away, swallowing painfully.

You walked out of your room and paused when you saw Jungkook poking his head out of his room. He gave you a long look, his eyes sweeping over your attire.

"Do you want some backup?" he asked monotonously, jerking his head toward the stairs. "I might not be much help, but I can offer moral support." You cracked a smile and shook your head.

"Thanks but... I think I'll be okay. What can he say that would make this worse, right?" You shrugged humorlessly and Jungkook pursed his lips. His eyes were focused on your sarcastic smile for another long moment, before he moved back and shut his bedroom door.

You exhaled and walked down the stairs, slowly, since you were still feeling a little dizzy, and walked into the dining room. Jimin was there, sitting at the head of the table, a box of pizza and a tall glass of water sitting in front of him. He looked up when you entered and the smell wafted into your nostrils, making your stomach make a sound like a dying whale. Jimin's mouth was pressed into a thin line, but the corners twitched at the sound. You swallowed and crossed your arms.

"What do you want to talk about?" You asked. Jimin nodded his head at the pizza.

"I ordered this a bit ago. It's a piece offering. You haven't eaten in a while so," He pulled out the chair next to him and gestured to the seat. You sighed, really wanting to refuse his offer. You would have, if not for your overwhelming hunger and the pungent smell that you could almost taste.

You walked forward and sat in the chair, pulling the pizza box toward you. You flipped it open to see a plain cheese pizza, but it seriously couldn't have looked better. You picked up a steaming slice and took a few bites, resisting the urge to moan at how delicious it was. This probably wasn't the best pizza you'd had, but right now it was the most delicious thing you'd ever tasted. You finished the first slice in record speed.

"It's good to see you have your appetite back." Jimin said, watching you scarf the pizza slices down with amusement. You took a few gulps of the water and ignored him. Just because you were eating his peace offering, did not mean you accepted it. You were getting real tired of his back and forth attitude toward you.

"Listen, Y/N—" He started.

"Are you going to apologize for being an asshole this morning?" You asked sharply, cutting him off. You gave him a hard look and he blinked.

"Well... yes, that was plan." He admitted sheepishly. You scowled and shook your head.

"Save your breath, then. I don't accept. I'm sick of your attitude." You turned back and stuffed a slice into your mouth. Jimin's eyes widened at your response.

"Excuse me?"

You swallowed hard, annoyed that you couldn't enjoy the pizza fully with him sitting here. "You heard me. I'm sick of your stupid highs and lows. Sometimes you're kind and understanding and other times you act like I'm something that's stuck under your shoe." You glared and he flinched at your accusation. "You can't just decide to treat me one way or the other depending on your mood or what you'll gain from it. I'm a person, you know? And considering what I've been through these last months I think I deserve a bit of slack." You turned away and took another drink, glaring at the table. "I deserve to lose it sometimes..."

Jimin was silent after your lecture. You finished the second slice and started on the third, reveling in the taste of cheese and tomato sauce. You kind of wished you had some garlic sauce.

"Okay." Jimin said finally. You blinked and looked up in surprise.

"Okay?"

Jimin nodded. "Okay, I won't be back and forth anymore." He said it so nonchalantly, like it was the simplest thing in the world, like just saying it fixed everything. You narrowed your eyes at him.

"I don't believe you." You growled, taking another bite. "I can never tell what's fake and what's real with you. So, I'm just going to take everything you say with a grain of salt."

Jimin laughed and you blinked. You hadn't meant for that to be funny. "That's probably a good idea." He said with a smile. "I'm not used to being genuine with people so I'll probably slip up a few times. I am sorry, though, for what I said to you this morning." He finished sincerely, giving you a long look.

You narrowed your eyes and peered into his gaze, trying to detect any trace of mockery or malice. It was always difficult to detect sincerity with him as much of what he said or did was never genuine and always had an ulterior motive. But for some reason, you believed him. You believed he was sorry and you believed he was trying to make it right.

"Okay, good, thank you." You said quietly. You stuffed more pizza in your mouth, mostly to diffuse the awkwardness that followed. Jimin took a deep breath and clasped his hands together.

"But that's not actually what I wanted to talk to you about." He said tightly, making you look up again. "I honestly didn't know how much the hospital would affect you. To be completely frank, I thought you were just being dramatic." He rolled his eyes and you grip on the pizza slice tightened.

"Dramatic..." You repeated through thinly veiled disdain. Jimin held up a hand.

"In my defense, I have been numb and insensitive to humans for a long time. It will take a minute for me to get accustomed to humans again." He cracked a smile, laughing at his own joke. You weren't amused.

"I've been living here for a while now, you know?" You pointed out. Jimin coughed and shrugged.

"Yes, but you tend to be emotional in private and I tend to... ignore the more controversial issues." He grimaced and you smirked humorlessly. You took another bite.

"So, what did you really want to talk about?" You asked with your mouth full. Not the best etiquette, but you were way past the point of being proper.

"Well, the hospital was a lot. I could tell that it affected you a lot." You stomach dropped. You really didn't want to talk about this. You were just barely coming up for air from that overwhelming darkness and you really didn't want to go under again. "And I know you didn't want to talk about it but—"

"I still don't." You interrupted. Jimin sighed and kept going.

"You asked me about a long term plan a while back." He said, making your head pop up in surprise. "You want a future, right? You think you don't have a future anymore and you think that everything is pointless now, right? I know that feeling very well." His eyes went dark and he looked away for a second, before turning back to you with a smile. You frowned.

"How do you know that feeling?" You asked skeptically. Jimin shook his head.

"It's unimportant. What is important is that I want you to see that I'm serious about having your best interests. I want you to be happy. So I'm going to talk to Lazarus again."

You gaped in surprise. "What? Why?"

"I'm going to talk to him again and ask him about moving and perhaps letting you enroll in school again, or get a job, or something. At least something for you so you don't feel like you're drifting." He gave you a soft smile, but you continued to gape, at a loss for words.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. If we're being honest, last time I talked to Lazarus, I didn't push it hard enough. I think he can be persuaded." He smiled and stood up. "I've asked him to meet me in the next town over. It'll take me a day or two, but I should be back with good news. I just wanted to tell you before I went." He patted your shoulder.

He moved to leave and you stared at the table, that nagging feeling still there.

"Jimin, we're being honest with each other, right?" You asked, making him pause. He turned to face you, a skeptical look on his face.

"Yes, we are." He said slowly, narrowing his eyes. You took a breath and looked him in the eye.

"Then I need you to tell me what Lazarus has on you and Jungkook." You said firmly, watching Jimin's face fall.

"Y/N... we've talked about this." He said slowly, shaking his head. You clenched your fists.

"No we haven't. I've asked and you've shut me down." You deadpanned. Jimin sighed again and rubbed his temple.

"I can't say about Jungkook, that's something for him to tell." He started. "As for me... I'm sorry Y/N. I can't tell you."

You stared at him incredulously, feeling more than a bit desperate and let down. "Why not? How bad could it be?"

Jimin smiled ironically and looked past you, off ahead to something you couldn't see. You frowned at him, even more confused.

"I promise, Y/N, you don't want to know the answer to that question. You're just going to have to trust me on that." He turned away and walked out of the dining room, his shoulders tense even though his gait was unbothered.

You sighed as you stared after him, the last slice of pizza dropping in your hand. You looked down at it and put it back in the box, not feeling as hungry anymore.

I'm going to find out eventually, you thought to yourself. I have nothing better to do and nothing left to lose.