Aftertaste | J.JK

She Is Mine

I sag into the familiar warmth.

Jungkook.

The man tilts his head at me, and for a second I see his eyes glow a vampiric yellow— a shocking contrast from the black it was before.

He's a vampire.

My eyes widen in horror as I mull over the thousands of things that could've possibly gone wrong if Jungkook hadn't pulled me away.

"Let us take this outside, shall we?"

Jungkook's eyes spark a deathly silver as his body tenses, a low growl escaping his throat. He wraps a protective hand around my waist, his voice threatening.

"She stays here."

A challenging glare appears in the man's irises as he stares back at Jungkook. He's nearly as tall as him— which doesn't help my case to pretend that he's not that intimidating at all.

"She comes."

A thoughtful look appears in Jungkook's face as he ponders the best move. When he touches the top of my head gently, I know that he's made his decision.

"Very well."

The moment he consents, my surroundings fade into a blur once more. The warm-toned walls of the cafe replace themselves with dark ones, and I suddenly find myself in a place I can't recognize.

It's dark. That's all I know.

But now that it is, the man's eerie yellow eyes seem to glow even brighterin both malice and bloodlust. A small smirk dances in the corner of his lips as his eyes travel down my figure shamelessly.

"She smells intoxicating— but wouldn't you already know that?"

At his drawl, I feel fury grip Jungkook'a body as he roars. He suddenly disappears from my side, a blur against the blackened walls as he moves inhumanly fast— inhuman in nature.

"She is mine."

My eyes go circular with terror as my eyes barely track their movements— they were just too fast, too quick. All I can see are their glowing eyes, colors deathly and flashing as flesh strikes flesh.

Not even twenty seconds has passed when the two suddenly materialize, with Jungkook pressing the gasping man's throat in his hands.

"You're strong," The man is wheezes, his expression stricken and exhausted. "What pack do you come from, vampire?"

"One that you don't want to entangle yourself with," Jungkook hisses, his lips turned into a painful grimace.

Then I notice cuts— lines of dark crimson— marring the right side of his cheek. It trickles heavy rivulets of red over his skin, dripping his blood into the cold pavement.

The man gasps desperately as he grips Jungkook's sleeve, a final attempt to make a bargain.

"But we can share, no? She's just—"

Jungkook slams his hand down on the man's mouth, and I gasp as a spray of blood paint the walls. His eyes are wild with a light of fury and rage as he draws closer to the gurgling vampire, back arching.

"Say that again."

"Jungkook," I whisper in my mouth, the words frozen and silent on the tip of my tongue. This wasn't him— wasn't him at all.

I don't want him to live with this— with something that his anger forced him to be and to do.

"I told you to repeat."

"Jungkook!" My voice is louder now, and he looks up at me— worried eyes meeting a mass of silver-blue rage.

But as soon he sees something in mine, the anger melts away like ice in summer. Vulnerability replaces his irises as his lips part, eyes wide as I plead for him to stop there.

"It's okay now, right? Let's go, Jungkook."

I see the anger slowly washing off from his eyes as he stares at me numbly, like he'd been caught doing something illegal. With his fingertips awash in blood and his eyes silver-dark, his grip loosens on the man's neck.

"Thank you, Gardenia."

Then the vampire isn't pinned underneath Jungkook anymore. Something wet and thick trickles down my neck as cold fingers caress the exposed skin.

Everything stops.

Jungkook's bloodstained eyes go wide with horror as I hold my breath, squeezing my eyes shut with anticipation.

I'd made a mistake. But I don't regret sparing Jungkook's innocence— I didn't want him to kill, to murder. It would be worth paying the price with my blood.

"Thank you so much."