Take Me to the Sky | BTS+

Enter the Hive

Joon scoffed. "That's ridiculous."

"Ah, math is something that I'm good at, Joonie boy." Petra slid forwards and let her hands fall collectively onto the front of his chest. He kept his arms folded, guarded, but he didn't push her away.

Petra went on beneath her smile, "Hoseok plus one. Did you ever sort out who his white flag escort was? No?"

Lilith. Joon was determined not to let the recognition show on his face. "Didn't we come to discuss a deal? Not idle gossip?"

Petra's thumbs curled into the front collar of Joon's midnight blue shirt, caressing the fabric between her fingers. "We did indeed."

She gave Joon a push. He let himself slide backwards into the sofa next to Shae, bracing one hand off of the armrest as he did so.

"Shae, dear, would you join me a moment?"

Joon's heart skipped a beat. She just addressed Shae by her name.

Ever-accommodating, Shae rose to her feet and stepped forward.

With each movement, Petra studied Shae. Joon watched Petra watching Shae, and this alert attention was more unnerving than anything Joon had prepared himself for up to this moment.

Without asking for permission, Petra took one of Shae's hands and pulled her out towards the middle of the room, then lifted Shae's hand above her head and began to make the nervous young woman twirl slowly in a circle. One turn. Then Petra's hand fell away, and Shae's to her sides.

Petra reached out and pinched her fingers around Shae's chin, tilting it from one side to the other, clicking her tongue. Again, when she spoke, her voice was far from disappointed, "She's a fine specimen, Joonie."

"What does this have to do with why we are here?" Joon was gripping the armrest of the sofa hard to keep himself calm.

Petra ignored him, asking in a mock-innocent tone, "Have you seen the rest of her? All that pale skin underneath this pretty little dress?" Petra's eyes flickered over Shae's face, over her makeup. She noticed a smudging of color was stronger in one cheek than the other. Petra also saw that the lips had been freshly re-painted. She was willing to take a leap.

"I see you were making some quick work of her before our little chat." Petra folded her arms and turned to smirk at Kim Namjoon. "You naughty little tease. What's a girl to do?"

Joon growled, "Come here Shae." His anger wasn't at her, but it came out in his voice nonetheless.

Shae was about to eagerly oblige, when Petra put up a small-yet-undeniably strong hand and braced it against Shae's shoulder. "No. Stay right where you are. I like that he can see you from here better."

Petra walked behind Shae. Like spiders, her fingertips crawled up and braced against the tops of Shae's shoulders. A strange sensation of numbness crawled into her legs. She didn't know how or why, but her legs at Petra's touch had been paralyzed into place.

Petra began to lift the hem of Shae's dress. Just slightly.

Joon tried to stand--but the sofa had suddenly become flypaper, and by some magi-tech unseen he was stuck in the trap.

This trickster bitch. "STOP IT PETRA. THAT'S ENOUGH."

Stop, she did not. Petra pulled that white dress over Shae's head, leaving a translucent white slip behind.

Petra walked around circling Shae again, but this time her eyes were watching the look on Joon's face.

Shae had closed her eyes, as if willing herself to escape her present reality could make it so.