They had awoken around noon the next day after having been wallowing beneath the jet-lag and the 9 hour time difference. Flying direct was a very taxing ordeal, one in which Kyungsoo would definitely reconsider the next time they decided to escape a country.

The chef and his soulmate had decided that they would distract themselves from their harsh reality for the day by venturing into the capital for some time alone. Yixing had originally offered to join them, since he also wanted to check out a few local music stores, however, once he heard that the couple wanted to be alone, he quietly slipped out of his hotel room and ventured off by himself for a while.

Kyungsoo initially felt horrible that the protector was all by himself in a new territory, but he was pleasantly surprised when Yixing arranged for them to have room service with a note explaining that he needed a distraction from the impending uncertainty of meeting Suho again.

Instead, himself and Jongin had spent just shy of three hours exploring the city and taking in the sights. Kyungsoo was finally capable of living out his tourist fantasy in a foreign land, outside the walls of Castle Wu.

It had been decided just a little while ago that they would dine in for a late lunch in Jongin's favourite new universal restaurant: McDonalds. Kyungsoo wanted to get a taste of the local cuisine, but a very calculated pout had him immediately agreeing, figuring that he might as well add it to the growing list he had compiled for himself and Baekhyun to complete once the human arrived.

Though it wasn't necessarily a holiday, Kyungsoo was going to treat it like one since he hadn't really had an opportunity to leave the manor ever since he and Jongin found each other. So, this trip was definitely going to become a valuable stop on Kyungsoo's bucket-list.

He had just taken a seat with his food across from Jongin when his phone rang. He rushed to pluck it from his trousers, expecting to see Katherine's name flash across his screen. His heart leaped when he realised that it was Baekhyun who was calling.

Jongin's brow raised as he watched his soulmate swipe against the screen and pull the phone against his cheek, his eyes and breath shaking.

"Baek?"

"Hey Kyung, are you available to talk right now?" Baekhyun's voice was soft on the other line, making it almost difficult for Jongin to hear.

"Yes of course, is everything alright?"

"Can Jongin give us a minute alone?"

Kyungsoo looked across the table at his soulmate, eyes kind and lips straining to hold back a laugh. Jongin nodded his head, pulling out his headphones he had packed just in case something like this had occurred. He placed them on his ears and quickly found a song, pushing the volume high, then placed it down so Kyungsoo could see and feel comforted by the privacy.

The bastard son of the King turned his attention back to his chicken nuggets, sagging happily against the booth with a content smile on his lips. Kyungsoo sent him a thankful air kiss before returning to his conversation.

"Okay, you got about four minutes before he has to change his song. Are you okay?"

"I'm so much more than that." Baekhyun's words easily soothed Kyungsoo's pulse, the vampire collapsing against his seat and smiling widely at Jongin who spied him curiously. "I don't have very long since Chanyeol's in the shower but you told me to call you if anything happened, and..."

Kyungsoo's heart stopped in his chest, his eyes growing wide as his lips curled upwards in a Cheshire grin. "Oh my gosh, is this about-"

"Yeah...." Baekhyun sounded so shy, Kyungsoo could practically see the glow of a blush from across the globe. "It happened at the last minute last night, we just woke up a little while ago...."

"I'm so happy for you Baek, this is so exciting!" Kyungsoo gushed, feeling almost like a teenager exerting themselves over their best friend's love life. This was incredible!

"It was so magical, he was so caring Kyungsoo... I couldn't have asked for a better first... It was truly something otherworldly, I don't think the feelings I had last night were in any way humane."

"That's what it is supposed to be like with your soulmate," Kyungsoo looks across the table, watching with a faint smile as Jongin focuses on his food while dancing ever so discreetly in his seat. "It's supposed to be incomprehensible and out of this world. You can't find the right words no matter how hard you try, you only know what you feel."

"It felt like the whole time it was happening, that the world had just faded away and it was just the two of us... Is that natural?"

Kyungsoo couldn't help but giggle, allowing himself to take a fry into his mouth. "No," he answered. "No it's not, it only happens when you are completely and hopelessly in love with someone."

"How do I tell him that?" Baekhyun wondered, though it seemed like he didn't want a response. Kyungsoo was going to give him one regardless.

"I can't help you with that part," Kyungsoo admitted. "You can try and plan out how you would say it but you will never find the right timing. Falling in love is so easy but it's hard to say it out loud, especially to the person you feel it towards. So my only advice would be not to plan it. Only you will know the moment that feels the most right, only you can make that decision. Besides, what's to say that he won't beat you to it?"

"I know him," Baekhyun laughed wholeheartedly. "He has been terrified to bring me into your world, there is no way that he will confess his love for me first. Not when he thinks that it will terrify me into leaving."

"You guys have only known each other for so long..." Kyungsoo could understand Chanyeol's hesitation. His relationship with Baekhyun had been accelerated from the moment they first met and Baekhyun had been dragged into their world so quickly that no other human being would be capable of coping as quickly as he did. Baekhyun truly was one of a kind, and Chanyeol was still afraid of losing him. "You don't have to do anything right now," Kyungsoo continued when it became evident that Baekhyun wasn't going to reply. "You don't need to keep going at the speed of light in your relationship. You've only known about your feelings for him for a while now, so why don't you just wallow in them for a little while longer? The timing will come when it's ready."

"I appreciate that Kyungsoo, thank you..." he pauses for a moment and Kyungsoo watches as Jongin quickly loads up his next song, it begins to play when Baekhyun continues. "If you see Yixing around today, could you maybe not tell him-"

"That you're no longer a virgin? Yeah, no need to tell me that! Consider my mouth stitched! I do not want to deal with another overprotective guy on this trip. Thank you, Chanyeol and Jongin are more than enough." Baekhyun's laughter on the other end of the phone kept the conversation light and airy despite the growing nerves rattling in Kyungsoo's ribcage. "Any word on when you two will be going to your meeting?"

"I'm already dressed so I'm assuming that it will be whenever Chanyeol says, he's not too happy about this arrangement but I'm pressuring him to comply regardless. Though I think I speak for everyone when I say that the sooner this is over, the better."

"Just be safe," Kyungsoo pleaded. His eyes filled with tears as Jongin reached across the table to take his unoccupied hand. "You have people waiting patiently for you on the other side of the globe, so don't make us wait for too long okay?"

"You'll see me soon," Baekhyun giggled. "I promise. I'm going to be fine, I was able to handle Suho and Kris perfectly fine, I think I can handle this too. So, I'll see you in a few hours Kyung, don't wait up! I'll send you a message at some stage later today to keep you updated, but for now just enjoy your time with Jongin, let him keep you preoccupied."

"Good luck," Kyungsoo wishes him, lightly squeezing Jongin's hand.

"Thanks Kyung," Baekhyun grinned. "But we both know that I won't need it!"

Pulling up outside the fated office building had Chanyeol wanting to ring out his intestines. A large lump had formed at the base of his throat and his palms were already covered in sweat, despite not having even entered the building yet! He harshly slid them against his jeans, hoping that the dark denim would be enough to rid him of his growing anxiety.

Baekhyun sat next to him in the passenger side of his car, smiling shyly up at him as he allowed his eyes to wallow in his soulmate's appearance. Chanyeol had gelled up his red bangs, letting his forehead be exposed to the early morning rays. For once he looked well rested and had decided to dress like a menace to society. A black leather jacket covered his shoulders and arms as a tight black short-sleeved tee rested against his chest and torso, it had been tucked neatly into a pair of black denim jeans with untied black boots resting on his feet.

On the other hand, Chanyeol had encouraged his soulmate to wear whatever made him feel comfortable. He did not want Baekhyun to think that just because they were being called before the Council that he needed to dress formally or in a suit, no one was expecting the human to be calm or collected in this situation so the best piece of advice both Chanyeol and Kyungsoo had given him was to wear whatever the hell he wanted.

So, instead of formal wear, Baekhyun managed to get the vampire Prince to agree to letting him wear skinny jeans - a pretty uncomfortable clothing option in Chanyeol's opinion, but one that Baekhyun seemed ecstatic to wear. Especially they were what he dubbed, his "favourite pair".

Baekhyun had chosen to pair his favourite jeans with one of Chanyeol's favourite hoodies, the very one that he had given him on their first date that Baekhyun had not been in much of a rush to give back. The Prince certainly couldn't complain, especially since he quickly found himself adoring the sight of his soulmate completely immersed within it. The fabric engulfed him to a comedic degree, but he looked adorable and his cheeks were flushed with life.

As if expecting his soulmate's reluctance to leave the vehicle, Baekhyun leaned his upper body across the console between them and lightly brushed their lips together. The warmth of his palm pressing down against Chanyeol's cheek acted like an anchor keeping him tethered and not allowing his mind to run off into the countless 'what ifs'.

Instead Chanyeol found himself grounded, his feet against the driving pedals and his hands clenched tightly against the steering wheel. His head had been coaxed to the side and his vision was solely taken up by his soulmate's beautiful face.

"We're going to be fine," he whispered into the air between them. Chanyeol wanted oh so desperately to believe him.

"Baek-"

"No." The human interrupted him with a fire burning dangerously in his eyes. "I'm not going to let them take you from me, Park Chanyeol. I might not be a vampire but I will do everything in my power to prove that I am deserving of being your fated soulmate. These idiots are just covering their asses so that your sperm-donor can't use this to stage a rebellion. You are just going to have to trust me when I say that I can do this."

"I do trust you." Chanyeol admitted so easily, pausing for a moment to wallow in how sincere he felt saying those words. He even believed them. Everything had just become so easy since he met Baekhyun, his feelings were so clear and evident and for once he wasn't afraid to admit them point blank either. "I know you're going in there with a mission of your own, but I can't help but feel a little nervous here... like I'm leading you into a lion's den."

"Don't be." Baekhyun whispered right back at him, his thumb gently caressing the skin atop of his cheekbone. "I'm ready for all of their little tricks."

As Chanyeol led him from the parking lot, his warm hand spread against his lower back, Baekhyun's tongue stung with unshed words. His hands were fisted beneath the covering of the zipless hoodie's pocket, his fingernails dug so deep they would create crescent moons on his palms. Why was it so difficult for him to say the words when he knew in his heart that they were true? There wasn't a sliver of doubt in his mind and yet his tongue remained still beneath his teeth, motionless, useless.

The elevator doors opened and he quickly stepped inside, shuffling to the side when Chanyeol came in after him. He watched as the vampire pressed the button for the sixth floor, before his fingers returned to their tangled mess by his waist.

Baekhyun reached out his own hand, allowing his fingers to ghost over the back of Chanyeol's palm. He smiled happily as the vampire easily grasped his hand and allowed their fingers to interlock against their sides. He hummed in approval as the taller pulled their joint hands to his lips and pressed a delicate kiss against Baekhyun's knuckles.

They gazed at each other for a moment, wallowing in the silence for a moment longer. Chanyeol used their hands to pull him closer, daring to kiss him on the lips in enemy territory. The human could do nothing but hum in blissful content, pushing himself onto his tippy toes to savour the feeling for a little longer.

When the bell rang and the doors opened they exited the elevator with pleased smiles and roaring hearts beating in tandem. Baekhyun clutched Chanyeol's hand like a lifeline, allowing him to lead them through the hallway and into one of the many meeting rooms.

The room was exactly like Baekhyun had imagined it. Two elongated walls running parallel to each other, one containing floor-length windows, the other filled with various framed generic pictures. Against the photograph wall stood a table as long as the room, filled with an assortment of catering goods and vials of colourful beverages. In the center a giant oval table with both arches facing to and from the doorway they just entered through. Seven chairs were placed towards the opposite end, gathered tightly amongst each other, while two chairs were placed just by the entrance.

Baekhyun remained where he was behind Chanyeol, allowing him to be the initial barrier between himself and the Council who were congregated along the further wall in a small group of black.

Unintentionally Baekhyun's eyes continued to scan the space, his breath hitching when he realised that they weren't alone. Hidden in the corner closest to the wall of windows was a small assortment of people chattering amongst themselves, though their attention immediately panned towards them when Chanyeol cleared his throat.

"Oh my gosh, he can see us!" One of them screamed and almost instantly Baekhyun found himself surrounded by them, all of them excited and desperate to communicate with him.

He wanted to open his mouth and tell them kindly to shut their mouths since he had very important matters to attend to, but the words were quite literally taken from his mouth.

"All of you will have an opportunity to speak with the boy at some stage, but for now he has far more pressing matters to attend to!" Turning his head slightly to the left, Baekhyun watched amused as Nana entered the room with her hands crossed against her chest and her brow raised. "I am the boy's guardian and I will not allow any of you to ruin this meeting for him. Do I make myself clear?"

"That's the Queen's mother!" One of them whispered as they backed off and allowed Baekhyun the space to breathe. "I heard about the accident but I didn't expect to see her protecting the boy!" Another shrieked.

"Now, don't be letting them affect you darling." Nana announced, strolling right by Chanyeol on her way towards the ghostly gathering. "You're not here for them."

"What can you tell me about the Council?" Baekhyun wondered. He remained hopeful as the young vampire took a moment to rattle his brain about the members, perhaps the knowledge Kyungsoo could give him would come in handy when he meets them on Thursday.

"Well considering the fact that I went to school with some of them, I would say that I know some of them quite well." Baekhyun's heart fluttered as Kyungsoo's lips formed a small smirk. "So, I want you to think long and hard about what you want to know."

"Let's just start with their names," Baekhyun decided, knowing his brain may only need specifics before the extra fluffy details. "And perhaps anything that you might be able to tell me about their appearances so I can distinguish which one I'm addressing?"

"Cyrus is the youngest," Kyungsoo began. "He'll be the one most interested in you. He has a very modern view and he's extremely interested in developing the human and vampire connections, which makes him the head of our interracial department."

"Any distinguishing features apart from ogling me at every opportunity?" Baekhyun wondered, finding his choice of words quite funny.

"I'm certain that he still possesses some of his baby fat and he adores changing his hair colour every chance he gets so he should be the only one in the room with a ridiculous colour apart from Chanyeol."

Baekhyun can't help but giggle, making a mental note of the first council member's appearance and job description. He gestured for Kyungsoo to continue, as he digs into his packet of biscuits and pulls out another for munching.

"The next easily identified one should be Augustine, he's the oldest member. The son of one of the Original Council members. Now, I've never spent much time with him but he's pretty easy to recognise since he is never clean shaven. He likes growing a stubble beard and takes great pride in keeping it organised, he's pretty precise about things and while he isn't against change, he doesn't embrace it as easily as Cyrus does. He's in charge of keeping the memory of our race alive, and because of his age his memory is heavily relied upon by the monarchy to avoid repeating the same mistakes."

"So he's a rules and regulations type huh?" Baekhyun wondered, offering out the biscuit packet to Kyungsoo who happily took a pile.

"Extremely." Kyungsoo agrees. "He's the one that reminds everyone of the rules our people have written, and he makes sure that the monarch follows through with upholding them. He also acts as judge in many of our court cases since he can recall their original establishment. He carries himself with poise so he should be easily identified amongst the others."

"Who's next?"

"Next would be the twins, Perseus and Marcus."

"Perseus as in the Greek hero, wife of Andromeda, Perseus?" Baekhyun couldn't help but giggle, wondering if a vampire could go back that far in history. Kyungsoo laughed wholeheartedly at his best friend's facial expression, the vampire shaking his head as he rushed to rest Baekhyun's mind before it ran off with questions.

"He is his name sake, there is no relation." Kyungsoo clarified, making Baekhyun pout. "Though I do find it ironic that he deals with our naval territory."

"You guys have naval territory?!" Baekhyun gaped, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. "Where?"

"That's classified..." Kyungsoo announced before munching on one of his biscuits. Baekhyun regarded him for a moment before recognising the slight tremor on the corner of his lip.

"You don't know do you?" he deadpanned.

"...maybe." Kyungsoo admitted, hanging his head between his shoulders, but he quickly burst into a giggling fit in the next breath.

"Okay, so who is Marcus?"

"Marcus is his brother, they're just a few years older than Cyrus. They're identical in height and in appearance but their eyes are completely different. Perseus as you can guess has bright blue eyes while Marcus has hazel orbs. Marcus is older and very overprotective over his younger brother so he'll linger around him no matter where he goes."

"What does Marcus deal with?"

"He's our chief advisor, he's in charge of protecting our race. He's particularly interested in territorial disputes. Our war chief in time of war and what not. He's a little hot-headed but his soulmate easily balances him out-"

"Wait, he has a soulmate in the Council?"

"Yeah, Nikolai. He's the face of the greater vampire population, he's solely concerned about the rest of the vampires. He meets with the people and takes their concerns to the relevant Council member. He's like their secretary I guess? But his position is really important. He works closely with Chanyeol and he goes between the others pretty easily. Out of everyone on the Council, you should be least worried about Nik, he's lovely and has a big heart. He'll be excited to meet you since he knows how long Chanyeol has waited to find you."

"How close is he with Chanyeol?"

"They would have been in the same year of school if Kris allowed Chanyeol to actually go there, but because of his position, he was always at the manor to speak to Kris and because of his age he would stop in to see us and spend some time with us. Nikolai is the least of our worries." Kyungsoo reassured him, making Baekhyun's speeding heart return to normal.

"That's just six, aren't there seven Council members?"

Kyungsoo sucked a breath of air into his lungs, looking extremely uncomfortable as he struggled to find the right words. "Julius," he began, before halting himself at the beginning of his sentence. "He's the wild-card. Very traditional. Very difficult to persuade in matters since he's very stubborn and headstrong in his opinions. It's very hard to change his mind once he makes it. He'll be the one that Chanyeol is worried about, especially since he's the one that passed the message that you would be hurt if he didn't comply with the order. It's not that surprising when you learn that he's very close with Kris."

"So, Kris does have someone on the inside then?" Baekhyun wonders, though Kyungsoo noticed how unsurprised he sounded. "I'm not surprised. Getting at least one of them on his side would be worthwhile, especially if he was planning on halting any decisions being made-"

"Or in this instance, ensure that Chanyeol does what he's told."

"Well if it isn't Prince Chanyeol," one of the living members announced from the other end of the meeting room. Baekhyun found it a little difficult to pull his attention away from the ghosts who were standing ever so close to the group of vampires. "I see that you chose the right course of action!"

"If I had it my way I wouldn't even be here right now," Chanyeol admitted. Baekhyun took note of how easily that seemed to have annoyed one of the Council members. His long hair hung over his eyes and cascaded down to his clavicle. He seemed focused solely on the Prince so Baekhyun allowed himself to take in his presence. "But since someone threatened the safety of my mate if I didn't comply, I felt obligated to see the matter handled."

The vampire that Baekhyun was watching scoffed and rolled his eyes at Chanyeol's words. His mind quickly connecting him to the Julius that Kyungsoo had warned him about previously.

"I do apologize for the rather unjust message," one of the other members stated, glaring at Julius who didn't try to hide his displeasure regarding Chanyeol's opening statements. "No immediate harm would have come to your soulmate by our hands-"

"Oh?" The Prince interrupted, cocking a brow in their direction. "I was under the impression that I had no choice in the matter and now you claim that no harm would have been done had I denied your request? It seems that there isn't much unity amongst the members as of late."

"Unfortunately not, so it would seem." The same man shook his head, but he quickly snapped back to attention just as fast. "Since you are both here, let's start by settling down to face this little inconvenience, shall we?"

"We're prepared quite a spread for your mate," another vampire exclaimed, branching himself away from the group and strolling over to the long table along the left wall. "We aren't entirely sure what satisfies his human diet so I did some research and consulted a catering service. Please," he gestured towards the food with the palm of his hand. "Let him feast."

Chanyeol remained rooted in the ground before him, making Baekhyun's lips curl upwards in a faint smile. He allows his fingers to lightly squeeze against the hand still within his grasp and just like that, Chanyeol lets him go. His lungs drew in air before he gently sidestepped his mate, allowing himself to be completely in view for all seven vampires to see.

The six watched him as he walked over to the banquet, the seventh smiling cheerfully as he welcomed him with a plate. Baekhyun kindly accepted it, bowing his head a little in gratitude which made the vampire giggle in return. The action caused his bright blue hair to bounce ever so slightly on top of his head.

"My, my, you truly are a fascinating case!" he states, allowing his eyes to shift and his teeth to appear. Baekhyun watches as the veins beneath his eyes become evident and his lips weighed down by his fangs. He could faintly make out Chanyeol's warning growl, but he simply allowed his lips to curl upwards as he turned his attention back to the fruit settled below him.

"Correct me if I'm wrong Cyrus, but vampires can ingest my human food if necessary, right?" Baekhyun wonders, allowing the name of the vampire to slip through his lips like Kyungsoo told him. Names had power in this society and he was going to use it to his advantage. He used the blissful silence to grab a few pancakes and stack them onto his plate, alongside the small pile of strawberries he had collected. He quickly noticed that the vampires had placed the syrups for his pancakes towards the opposite side of the table, the side closest to them.

They were testing him. Baekhyun wasn't a scared little human who shivered in the face of a challenge, especially since Chanyeol was only a couple steps away. He would jump in the moment anything went south, but the Council knew better than to try anything right now. So, Baekhyun completed the next few steps towards the syrups, picking one at random and spilling it over his plate. He turned back to them with a smile on his lips, before finally making his way back to the seats next to Chanyeol.

"Most do not care about it much, but for those who live a healthier lifestyle fruits can become quite like chocolate for a human. We grow to crave them too." Cyrus lectured with a smile of his own on his lips, for good measure he also gathered a small plate of fruit before returning to his own seat across the table. "I see that you have also done your research."

"I figured that I might as well learn everything I could about the men wanting to see if I'm a valuable soulmate to their Prince. While I might still have a lot to learn about your world, I figured that I might start with you guys."

"Oh and I'm supposed to think that you didn't tell him everything he needed to know?" Julius snapped, his eyes glaring across the table at Chanyeol who still had yet to take a seat.

"He didn't have to tell me anything about any of you," Baekhyun continued. "In fact he didn't want anything to do with this meeting, until I forced him to allow us to come."

That seemed to have gathered the interest of all of the council members, even Cyrus seemed surprised by the information. Baekhyun gently laid an arm on Chanyeol's and the vampire pulled out a seat for him. It was the head of the table, Baekhyun slipped down onto the leather and placed the plate down next to him.

"So how is it that you know so much about us?" Perseus wondered, blue eyes piercing even from across the room.

"I learned almost everything from Kyungsoo," Baekhyun had enough brain cells to say, smiling politely when he noticed that all of the attention was on him. "He was more than happy to explain a few things to bring me up to speed, but he wasn't my only source of information."

"Who else?" Julius demanded, looking borderline feral.

"Let's not open that can of worms just yet," he giggled, casting a quick glance at the back of the room where the group of ghosts had congregated under the watchful eye of Nana. "Shall we turn our attention back to the matters at hand? I was really hoping to spend the rest of the afternoon with Chanyeol."

"Yes, of course," Cyrus announced, smiling politely. "We will discuss some topics with Chanyeol first while we allow you to eat your meal, but please feel free to join in on the conversation whenever you feel necessary."

Baekhyun was beginning to like Cyrus, he seemed to be very open-minded and didn't come across as hesitant or alert or ready to pounce like the other five council members. There was another man sitting between the twins that seemed to be just as interested in him as Cyrus was; this must be Nikolai.

"As you are aware, my Prince, your father has come before the Council ordering us to look into your soulmate who, while definitely appears very vampiric in some characteristics, is unmistakably human by the flush of blood in his cheeks."

"I assure you Augustine, that I never once withheld the information regarding Baekhyun's humanity from any of my family members, I was just unfortunate to have found him when my Father was scheduled to go to China, otherwise I can assure you that he would have been informed personally." Chanyeol found it rather easy to twist the truth in front of the Council. He had done it many times before and it became as natural as breathing.

"You must understand our caution with our ruling," Marcus spoke up, hazel eyes dark as he leaned forward onto the table. "Male humans do not easily slip into our society as their female counterparts. There hasn't been an account of a male turning since the beginning of our history-"

"Forgive me for the interruption," Baekhyun spoke, smiling politely. His eyes lingered on Marcus as he swallowed the strawberry currently in his mouth to begin speaking again. "But you're not the one who possesses the information regarding this piece of knowledge, that falls beneath Augustine-sshi's jurisdiction."

"I am afraid that he is correct Mr Byun," Augustine announced, his cheeks flushing with red at being brought back into the conversation from the human sitting across from them. "Our archives do not possess a situation similar to this."

"You mean to tell me that in the whole of vampire history there has never been a soulmate link between a vampire and a human male? Forgive me if I cannot fully comprehend that."

"Not that I have ever stumbled across," Augustine continued, growing a little heated by Baekhyun's insistence.

Chanyeol glanced at his soulmate, not even surprised to find his eyes gazing over the heads of the Council ahead of them, his lips curled upwards in a small but faint grin.

"Well I can call bullshit right now." he stated, sinking back into his seat. Chanyeol felt his heart stop.

"Mind your tongue!" Julius hissed, claws growing on the table. Chanyeol's hands immediately formed fists, getting ready for a fight.

"Hold on," Nikolai announced to the room, standing from his seat with his eyes wide. Chanyeol caught his gaze before the Council member returned his attention to Baekhyun. "What do you know that we certainly do not?"

"I can tell you that your archives are missing a massively important section which was unfortunately lost in a terrible fire about four hundred years ago?" Baekhyun sounded unsure, his eyes narrowing as his ears strained to hear. Chanyeol realised that he would continue to hate hearing only his soulmate's part of the conversation. "Yeah, four hundred years ago."

"Impossible, the section that was destroyed wasn't revealed to anyone outside this Council and we do know exactly what was contained within that part of the building! Old transcripts from ship logs with ship ledgers and transit routes-"

"And passenger lists," Baekhyun continued where Augustine faltered. "Passenger lists that would indicate that there was a couple quite like myself and Chanyeol on board one of the ships heading for a new home. A female vampire and a male human, both registered under the woman's name, though clearly there was no blood connection which was also stated in the status of the couple, who listed their relation as being one another's soulmates."

"That's insane!" Julius screamed, making Baekhyun snap his attention back away from the ghosts within the room. "Who the hell are you to possess such false information? Augustine is our record-keeper and our advisor in vampire history, he would know of what you speak of and he clearly does not seem to possess a clue-"

"Hang on Julius," Augustine snapped, shutting the younger vampire up with a flash of his eyes and a snap of his elongated fangs. He turned back to Baekhyun with intrigued human eyes. "May I ask where it is that you got this information? I can only assume that neither Chanyeol nor Kyungsoo possess such knowledge."

"It was neither of them," Baekhyun politely declined, smiling kindly at Augustine who merely looked fascinated to learn more. "I would happily reveal the name of my informant as long as you refrain from emotional outbursts."

This seemed to intrigue them more and Chanyeol found himself growing a little uncomfortable about revealing Baekhyun's secret to them. He turned back to his soulmate, alarm bells no doubt ringing in his eyes as Baekhyun offered him a gentle smile.

"I have to tell them," he whispered, though he knew that they would hear him anyway. "If we want them to accept me, they need to know what type of damage I can do to them."

"Please," Julius laughed, "What could a human do to the likes of us?"

"Hmm." Baekhyun sang, eyes sparkling as he gazed over Julius' head. Chanyeol sent the poor vampire a small whine, hoping that he would feel the wrath of whoever was standing behind him right now. "Shall I tell everyone about the Halloween instinct of 1927?"

Julius' eyes widened, his lower jaw dropping as his face grew dangerously paler. His claws dug deep into the wood of the table between them, his slashing ringing in the silent air. "No." he growled out.

"Now," Baekhyun announced, returning his gaze to Augustine who looked far more intrigued than before.

"You have my word that no emotional outbursts will occur." He grinned, offering Baekhyun a slightly confused smile. His soulmate seemed to take it as the perfect opportunity to give the Council member exactly what he wanted.

"I received the information from your sister Ophelia-"

The air within the room was sucked right out of every vampire's chest. Baekhyun offered them all a small smile as they took their time to process.

"But she's -"

"Dead," Baekhyun concluded with a faint nod, though his voice was filled with remorse. "I know. But I can communicate with her nonetheless-"

"How..." Augustine wondered, his eyes wide, clearly amazed. Chanyeol was surprised to find how easily the eldest Council member was believing this.

"Her ghost still lingers," Baekhyun sounded like he had practiced this speech more times than he was willing to admit, but his preparation didn't take away the serenity of the proclamation. He meant everything he said and he understood how shocking this information may be to others. Chanyeol watched as his soulmate's lips curled up and shook his head as he turned his attention away from Ophelia and to Augustine. "She said to tell you that she appreciates the flowers that you leave on her grave every week, and she wants you to focus on getting more tulips, she really enjoys the red-"

"The red ones!" Augustine finished for him, eyes filled with unshed tears. Chanyeol felt his chest lighten as the oldest member turned to look at him now, his lips curling upwards as he stood up. The Prince dipped his head and Augustine disappeared before their very eyes. He appeared right next to Baekhyun with a small smile on his lips. "I want to thank you very much for revealing this secret to us. But, surely she has more information regarding what you just told us."

"Absolutely, one moment." Baekhyun turned his head towards the air next to Augustine and smiled patiently as he no doubt listened to Ophelia reveal the information she wished to convey. Augustine took his time watching Baekhyun converse with his sister, shock and awe mixing on his face.

Chanyeol dared to look at the other Council members in the room, not at all surprised to find them each looking as awestruck as their elder appeared. Even Julius seemed surprised by the revelation. The Prince allowed himself to gently place a hand down on Baekhyun's thigh, his chest swelled up with pride as Baekhyun's fingers linked through his.

"She said that there have been incidents that occurred like our situation," he gestured to himself and Chanyeol. "Though you're correct that not many have been documented. Apparently that was your Father's choice to declare. He thought it best to exclude them from the record since they were very rare cases and didn't happen very often."

Chanyeol couldn't help but notice that Julius seemed to be relieved to hear that part of the conversation, his shoulders slumping on either side of his head. His eyes widened when he realised that the Prince had noticed his actions, ducking his head slightly to avoid holding any further eye contact. The vampire didn't know what it meant, but he made a mental note about it to return to at a later date.

"Your Father's journal-" Baekhyun halted in his words, his eyes returning to Chanyeol for a moment. His fingers tightened against the Prince's fingers before turning his attention back to Augustine. "She's changing topics to discuss the location of your father's journal. It's supposedly in her chest from the Augustine manor. She said that you would know what to do with it."

Augustine seemed to realise that Baekhyun was trying to convey something to him in code, something that he couldn't easily describe in the presence of the other Council members. He however, managed to contain his surprise and simply nodded his head in understanding. "Yes," he confirmed, glancing down at the other members. "I have been wanting to find it to add it to the archives."

"Well it's a delight that you were able to locate it!" Nikolai beamed, leaning towards his soulmate as his gaze fell back to Baekhyun. "Your soulmate is a rather peculiar creature Chanyeol... appears as a vampire but smells and breathes like a human, and now we come to find out that he also possesses the ability to speak with our ancestors?"

"I can only communicate with those who remain close to their loved ones," Baekhyun clarifies for the rest of the Council who seem to perk up at his statement. "Ones that haven't moved on, who have unfinished business and even then not everyone chooses to reveal themselves to me."

"Might you be able to address anyone else in the room? Or are we only blessed with Ophelia's presence?" Marcus wondered, eyes narrowing as he speculated that Baekhyun's ability was a mere fluke.

"There are far too many to count," Baekhyun admitted with a tired sigh. "Would you care for a lightning round?"

"I would request something to help distinguish your power," Perseus admitted, smiling sheepishly. "We Council Members grow a little jealous of being left out of other people's conversations, we would also like to strengthen your claim for these powers. To ensure that this is not a mere fluke."

"I can attest to that!" Julius hissed, his fangs appearing as his eyes flashed orange. "He barely spoke ten words to me and I already believe him."

Baekhyun's curled lips appeared like a smirk. "You should know that I never wanted to reveal myself to you so early, Julius," he admitted. "But unfortunately they just had too much to tell me about you. You are a truly fascinating creature yourself, I cannot help but think that this introduction will have you reevaluating your future plans."

"You don't know what you speak!" Julius snapped, blinking out of existence.

Chanyeol grabbed him by the throat before he could raise a hand to Baekhyun, he growled as he tossed the elder man back across the table. "Now, Julius, this is no way a fair match. You want to kill my soulmate, you go through me. Try that act again and I can promise you that you'll lose your head. "

The other Council Members didn't offer him their hands as he stumbled to regain his footing, they simply eyed him for a moment before turning back to Baekhyun who had been momentarily awestruck by Chanyeol's show of force.

"Please Baekhyun," Cyrus said, drawing his attention. "Please continue."

"Your grandfather wants to let you know that your soulmate isn't as far away as you might think." Baekhyun turned to Nikolai with a timid revelation, his cheeks burning as he relayed his message. "I don't think I should tell you this so soon, but you might want to go to the doctor in the near-future. This is coming from your aunt who seems to be a little too happy for her own good." Marcus' head snapped to look at his soulmate, missing how Baekhyun's attention slipped to him. "It's nothing to worry about, but your mother says that you and your brother need to settle that land dispute quickly so you can start that project that you both keep putting off." Perseus didn't expect to receive a singular message. "This is coming from someone named Matthew, he says that the thing he left you can be found in his crypt but you need to take a... snake? Along with you... I have no idea what he's talking about since he's being cryptic but that's it. Now," he breathed out a small sigh. "If you would forgive me for politely announcing my tiredness. Communicating with several ghosts is a little draining on the body."

"Of course," Cyrus jumped to his feet, rushing towards the catering table to gather up a small glass of orange juice. He approached Baekhyun slowly, shyly looking up at Chanyeol who allowed him to pass without any problems. The youngest member placed the glass just in front of Baekhyun and offered him an apologetic smile. "Thank you very much for entertaining us for as long as you have, I can speak for everyone when I say that it was greatly appreciated. Being able to hear from our lost loved ones is extremely special and we will not easily forget it."

"Like I told Julius earlier, I had no plan to reveal this to any of you when I came in here, but I want to open with you. I am Chanyeol's soulmate if you like or not, and I want you to know the type of person you have at your disposal. Obviously I know that this is not an easy decision to make since allowing a human to enter your world without the possibility of transitioning cannot be easy. But I have to remind you all that if you allow my soulmate to marry someone else based solely on what I am, then you will all be remaking the same mistake you have already made. It doesn't take a genius to know that. I cannot speak for the vampire people, but I can guarantee you that they have developed a wish to see a pair of soulmates on the throne for a change. As I have said, I still have a lot to learn about your world, but I am more than eager to begin. So I will humbly await your decision."

Baekhyun rose up from his seat and Chanyeol couldn't help but rush to follow him. The Council looked at him for an additional comment but the Prince just pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. "He speaks for both of us. The only thing that I will add is that you can call Suho when you have reached a decision. I will continue to ignore my phone for the meantime since I am still not completely over the threat against my soulmate."

"You will hear from us in due course, I can guarantee it." Augustine announced, speaking for the members who each dipped their head in agreement. "It was a pleasure to finally you Mr. Byun, I hope that we can meet again."

"I hope so too." Baekhyun's gaze was strong as he politely accepted the elder vampire's hand on his own.

With his mate pressed against his chest, Chanyeol was ready to start moving them out of the room. Baekhyun merely paused to drink the rest of the orange juice Cyrus had left for him. Chanyeol watched as the formerly mentioned vampire and Nikolai crept up on them, smiling only slightly until Baekhyun recognized them and smiled fully.

"I also wanted to say that it was a pleasure to meet you," Cyrus announced with a blinding smile. His bright blue hair bounced as he gave Baekhyun his hand for a shake. The human giggled as he returned the handshake. "I really hope that we get to meet again! I would love to run some of my ideas through with you regarding our human and vampire relations!"

"I would love to hear all about them!" Baekhyun tried to sound as upbeat but it was evident that the ghosts had taken a lot out of him. "Forgive me for my low spirits, I am quite tired right now."

"Forgive us for keeping you so long," Nikolai apologized, revealing his teasing grin. Chanyeol wanted to reach across his soulmate and punch his friend in the arm but they were in business territory, they couldn't reveal their comfort with each other to everyone else. "We really appreciate everything that you've done."

Baekhyun lets go of Cyrus' hand and happily takes Nikolai instead. Chanyeol watches with bated breath as Nikolai gasps and immediately pulls his hand back, his eyes wide as he continues to stare down at the human. Chanyeol's hands grip Baekhyun's waist a little stronger as Nikolai's jaw remains hung open and his eyes are filled with a mix of astonishment and terror. The other vampire turns his head to Chanyeol and the panic is slowly replaced with a small ounce of contentment.

His lips are raised and his eyes are small as he shakes his head. Baekhyun is about to ask what happened but Nikolai simply raises his index finger to his lips and gives them both a wink before he turns on his ankle and retreats to the other members of the Council - Cyrus following him with an equally surprised expression on his face.

Chanyeol didn't want to stay around to hear them discuss everything that happened, his skin was prickling with goosebumps as he pulled Baekhyun closer and began to remove him from the room. He kept a close hold on him until they were in the elevator, where the human finally grew the strength to ask what had just happened with Nikolai.

"Remember when I told you that they all had specific powers of their own?"

Baekhyun shyly nodded his head. "Yeah, Kyungsoo forgot to mention them though because it was all too much information at the time."

"Well, Nikolai has the ability to see a person's future by touching someone. He uses it mostly when he's meeting with the vampires but you're the first human that he's had a chance to pull the ability on. I honestly forgot all about it until he was already touching your hand."

"So he saw my future?" Baekhyun wondered, looking slightly disturbed. "I feel a little violated to be honest." Chanyeol couldn't help but laugh, Baekhyun slipping into a small fit of his own. "Will he tell me about it?"

"In time," Chanyeol agreed. "He didn't want to say anything in the presence of the others, but they will no doubt ask him about it now that we left."

"That's his problem to worry about," Baekhyun announced, letting out a quiet tired sigh. "At least now we have a little more information about our own situation to go on." He hummed, leaning his head back against Chanyeol's chest as he watched the floor lights blink above them. "We know we weren't the only human male and vampire pair."

"That's true..." Chanyeol hummed, though this would just add to the giant stack of questions that was slowly increasing by the hour. "Let's just focus on getting to the airport right now, we can talk more about it after we get settled in with my family."

"Oh yeah," Baekhyun giggled, his fingers gently squeezing against the palms on his waist. "Your adorably annoying family... do you think Yixing's forehead vein is popping yet?"

"Oh he's desperately thinking about how to avoid meeting back up with Suho, wouldn't surprise me if he's booking a flight back to China. I would be doing the exact same thing if I was in his shoes."

"Can we go to China?" Baekhyun wondered, pulling Chanyeol out of the elevator and towards the front door of the office building. "OoOo maybe Japan?"

"Are you thinking of honeymoon destinations?" Chanyeol teased, his eyebrow wiggling as he linked their fingers together. "I would like to offer Paris as a destination."

"Noted." Baekhyun giggled, pulling him through the door and back into the parking lot. "China, Japan and Paris are officially on our honeymoon list."