CHAPTER THREE: "A Creature of the Night"

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Seonghwa POV:

I was about twelve years old when the incident occurred, a moment where my life had been taken from me in a way that some would call a blurred line between a blessing and a curse. The memory of it all stayed fresh in my mind, the feeling of some blood thirsty stranger taking his pick of the litter by choosing to leave his mark on me. Based on my prior state, my body was already withering away from malnourishment and life was fading away with haste, until the moment he came. As he supplied himself with his form of medicine by draining me, I found myself feeling a growing sense of strength with each passing second he continued to feed.

Part of me wondered what would have happened if I chose to fight back, but the answer was easily understood. There was no fight in me to begin with, my mind already welcoming the inevitable death that was agonizingly patient to come prior to his appearance. Everything about my circumstances was nothing less than pitiful, a homeless orphan who rummaged the streets for scraps and makeshift shelters to survive the nights, no one to wonder or care about my whereabouts at all. It made sense why I didn't fight back, as the stranger was helping me out in his own unique way of bringing death to my doorstep.

However, I soon realized that death had different meanings..

I remember it all, the sudden transformation that took over my body. Once with a body that was weak and fragile, a body that was merely skin and bones, to newfound figure that showed no signs of anything other that lean muscle. The stranger had saved me that night, and I found myself following his footsteps ever since.

His name was Eunwoo, someone who took pity on a poor soul like me and gave me a second chance at living, even if the term had a different context. My heartbeat wasn't a sound that could be heard anymore...yet my eyesight was perfect...sleep was no longer a need, yet my energy was abundant. Everything that I knew to be basic necessities for life had become trivial, and a creature that I believed to be fictional tales in storybooks was the same creature I had become.

I was now a vampire...

Joined at his hip, I found myself amongst others who were the same as me, becoming close to a few who were a year or so younger in age. Four of them to be exact, young boys who followed in the steps of Eunwoo just as I did. Each of them had similar stories to my own, and yet, we still had our differences. All in all, I realized that what I knew to be life had completely changed for what I believed to be for the better. Under his guidance, we learned to harness our cravings, learn how to control our individual powers, and overall blend into society as normal as possible. Some of us went as far as taking jobs, earning degrees, or selling ourselves for money in modeling or other means.

It wasn't until I turned twenty-six that Eunwoo had been killed, leaving behind a written declaration to appoint me as next of kin for leadership. The idea was welcomed by the entire court, and with that, the title of leading was bestowed upon my shoulders. Thousands upon thousands of vampires roamed Seoul, each having their own groups and leaders. There were codes that each sanction abided by, allow us to coexist without any real issues. In total, there are 100 vampires underneath me, and the four who I grew up with became not only my closest advisors, but individual subleaders of a quarter of vampires each in the court.

Leaning back against the wall, a sigh escaped me as a pair of lips wrapped themselves around my length. Glancing down, a brown-haired male with bright red eyes continued to lick and suck, trying his best to gain praises at creating some semblance of pleasure for me. However, I couldn't even feel an ounce of satisfaction in the feeling, as my mind wandered back to the male I finally met in the dark alleyway.

Hongjoong...

Feeling frustrated, I pulled my length out his mouth and lifted him up by his chin, pressing a kiss to his forehead before ruffling his head. "Sorry...I'm not in the mood."

"Do you want me to be better, or let you have me in anyway you see fit?" He purred, pressing a kiss onto my bare chest.

Shaking my head, I granted him a smile. "You've done enough...leave Jun. I need some space."

Jun nodded, gracing me with a bow before leaving my bedroom. All I could think about was Hongjoong and the instant attraction I felt towards him. There was a small moment where my eyes caught sight of him a few days ago at an event, something that I forcefully made an appearance to keep up my facade as an Elite amongst the humans. In the few seconds that I laid my eyes on him, the feeling that came over me was indescribable. Something about him allured me, causing my fangs to instantly grow in desire to taste what was hidden beneath his skin. Not only did I want to delight myself in him, but I found myself longing to claim him as mine.

Little did I know that I'd get a chance to see him again tonight...

Staring out the window into the night sky, a smile grew on my face as I recalled each little detail about the male. Despite his outward display of rebellion and stubbornness, he was someone who had more hidden underneath the surface, and it intrigued me. For the first time in years, I have never felt such a strong urge to claim someone as my own, and yet, from a brief encounter, I couldn't help but reel in the reality.

A subtle knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts, and with a sigh, I waved the door open. "Is there something you need, San?"

San smirked, making his way over to the lounge chair before plopping down into it. "I'm just curious as to what made you come back so late? You usually never come back later than three in the morning?"

"It's really none of your business."

"Aw, boo." Wooyoung pouted, skipping over to San with a smile as he sat on his lap with eagerness, "I won't lie to you, Hwa. You seem very...happy? Did something happen?"

Rolling my eyes, I turned to see the two male looking at me with curious eyes. "Again, it's none of your business. Just because I consider you two my little brothers, doesn't mean everything has to be shared."

"We are also your closest friends Hwa," San sighed, "but we shall respect your wishes for secrecy. I actually came here for a request."

My eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Oh? What is it?"

"Could we...get officially married? At least here in our court, not in the human world of course." Wooyoung asked with a shy smile.

"That's all?" I smiled, "that wasn't that big of a request. I have no issue with that, considering that the two of you were mated for so long. I'm surprised you didn't bring up the idea sooner."

San laughed. "This is the first time we've ever had a chance to relax, that's why. Hyunjin and Felix are already married, so it's our turn."

"What is this, a group meeting?" Hyunjin asked skeptically, hand in hand with his lover Felix at the doorway. "You two are always trying to get special treatment from Seonghwa..."

Felix squeezed his hand and shook his head. "Stop it..."

A chuckle escaped my lips. "Now Hyunjin, you know that's not the case...they just wanted to pester me about marriage, that's all. Besides, you basically did the same thing to me a year ago."

These were the four males that were precious to me, the four that grew up with me together as children while Eunwoo leaded the court. As far as trust goes, the ultimate bond between us allowed an unconditional level of trust to be shared. Loyalty was sacred, and I knew that the sentiment was mutual between all of us.

Felix smiled. "I'm happy to hear that my best friend is finally getting married. I'd love to help plan the wedding for you two, if you'd allow me to."

"Of course!" Wooyoung grinned. "I couldn't imagine asking anyone else."

Sighing to myself, I shook my head. "I swear you four give me headaches...if that's all you wanted to discuss, can I please have some space to think?"

"Despite our imposing arrival," Hyunjin paused, focusing his attention on me, "I recently had a vision involving you Hwa..."

The room suddenly grew silent, as well all knew what that meant. Each of us had powers, with me having more than the others. Amongst the entire species of Vampires, the commonly known powers included the obvious immortality, super strength and speed, and the ability to hide our prominent features in case of the need to blend into society, such as our eyes and fangs. It allowed us to not only maintain our secrets from the public eye, but also obtain our cravings for sustenance when needed.

However, some of us were gifted with a few other special abilities. Wooyoung was gifted with the ability to read minds, San obtained the power of persuasion, Felix held the gift of manipulating nature, and I held all three including the power of controlling minds, as well as bodies. Despite all that, the one gift that was the rarest of them all was the gift of Foresight, which Hyunjin had the honor of wielding.

"Oh...? Do tell, Hyunjin. What did you see?"

Hyunjin sighed. "It wasn't clear, but I saw a blue-haired male...but he had fangs like us...and he stood with us. However, you two held hands. That's all..."

"Does that mean he's supposed to be your future mate? After all these years, you finally have one!" Wooyoung gasped, earning a gentle elbow to the stomach by San in response.

Granting the group a smile, I chuckled. "Even if that were to be true, I have too much responsibilities at hand to focus on at the moment to worry about that."

With a quick flick of my hand, all four males were rushed in a blur outside the door. "If you'll excuse me."

"But Hwa, wait-"Felix called out, but I quickly shut the door and locked it.

Mating with someone was more than just entering into a relationship. It was a lifelong bond with a singular partner, a bond so strong that if one person is in pain, the other would feel the same amount of pain. It was a sacrifice of sorts, declaring your entire being to another person that the cliché words of 'death do us part' is taken as nearly gospel. It was dedicated your life to the one person you loved, doing any and every thing to protect them from harm, so much so that idea of ever severing said bond would cause agonizing death to both parties. It was true that I was yet to find a mate, but the reason was that I couldn't imagine having someone tethered to me that I didn't love.

The small possibility that Hyunjin had the chance of seeing Hongjoong as my potential mate had my mind running rampant. Part of me wanted to know more, specifically when such a delight would occur so that I could work towards it. Although, another part of me couldn't help but feel sick towards the idea. The last thing I wanted was to steal away the humanity from someone who seemed to be already so broken inside, a person who clearly had to fight his own way of life. My circumstances were based on a withering lifespan that was inevitably knocking on deaths door, while Hongjoong's life seemed to be nothing less than stable and thriving.

Staring out the window once more, I made a promise to myself and silently to him, a promise that could potentially keep him away from me forever.

I will protect his humanity, even if it kills me in the end...