ELVEN | K.TH

47

Then someone pulls me back.

Jimin.

"I—I'll enter first, Rinei." He says, his expression deep with alert. "Something doesn't feel right about this entire situation. Stay behind me, please."

I hush my voice, my eyes narrowing.

"...okay."

And the both of us fall silent as Jimin carefully clicks the door open. The inside of the small
cottage is dark and quiet, making every single one of my nerves stand up on its ends.

Where is he?

Where is—

"Tae."

His name tumbles out of my lips before I even realize.

Taehyung is motionless on the bed. He looks asleep, the sheets flat under his body and one hand placed on his chest. His eyes are closed, lips pursed.

Jimin frowns.

"What the he—"

His eyes fly open.

And my body moves by itself the moment I see the look in Taehyung's deep, dark eyes. It's the look I'd seen before— twice now, including both times.

Soulless.

Incomplete.

I shove myself between the two of them at the same moment Taehyung throws himself at Jimin, his hand outstretched towards Jimin's throat.

Both my hands wrap around his wrist just in time. And even with two hands, I still stumble backwards from the sheer strength rippling off of the dark-haired elf in front of me.

Jimin is stunned to silence, his body frozen at the emptiness in his best friend's gaze.

"Tae...?"

Not this again.

Please.

Come on, please.

Taehyung tilts his head at me. His eyes search my face, roaming across my features as if he was taking in the first impression of a stranger he had never met before.

He looks at me like he doesn't know me at all.

"You."

"Who are you?"

It feels like everything is crumbling. Like everything we'd built up to this point is slowly crashing down, all around us.

"Who am I?"

My voice is low.

Everything is falling apart.

"I'm Rinei, you stupid idiot."

The silence that follows is almost suffocating. He stares at me, his eyes hollow with the shadows. I can see the dark magic brew all across the lines of his figure.

All this time.

Had he been struggling? By himself, all alone?

But then I remember the way he had looked at me with pure confusion when I'd asked him about this before.

He doesn't know.

He doesn't know either, that he does this every night.

I feel Jimin shift behind me. His voice is tight, as he places his hands on my shoulders and tries to move me back and away from Taehyung. He senses that he is dangerous— uncontrollable, right now.

"Rinei, come be—"

"Do not move, elf."

"Do not speak."

Taehyung's eyes are still fixed on me as he hisses under his breath. It sends chills up my spine, the way he looks at me.

But I'd been through this before.

Jimin's jaw flexes.

"Tae, you're not yourself. You're going to end up hurting her—"

"Look."

And I hear Jimin suck in a sharp breath as I grip Taehyung's chin and force his head further downwards, to meet my eyes. I don't blink, and neither does he— even when his gaze narrows to slits.

Hella intimidating, but I'd gotten used to it.

"You know me." I growl, tightening my grip. "So this is what we're exactly going to do. You're going to walk back— nicely, without attacking Jimin— to the City, and then we're going to figure out the what the hell we're going to do to solve this problem."

My teeth grinds together.

"Understand?"

I can feel Jimin staring at my back like I'd finally gone insane.

A devilish smile snakes up Taehyung's lips.

"Fun."

"Do you have seven lives, human, or are you just out for a death sentence?"

I meet his eyes coldly.

"You and me are going to have a long, long talk when this is over."

He laughs, a silken sound that dissipates into the night.

"I should just kill you."

"Try me. You're the one who's going to regret it."

"Am I?"

Then I gasp in surprise as his arms suddenly wrap around my waist and sweeps me off the floor. And in just a blink of an eye the cozy beige walls of the cottage has changed to the darkness of the Elven Forests.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!!"

All I glimpse is Taehyung's smirk as he takes me higher into the trees, deeper into the Forests. Opposite the direction of the Elven City.

I yelp as I twist backwards at the silhouette of the cottage growing smaller. "Jimin—"

"Him?"

I glare back at him as he smiles.

"Trust me. He won't be able to catch up."

"No one can save you now, love. So hold on tight."