Hoseok: That's why they call me Master, sweetheart. Now it's your turn. Say it.
Yoongi: If you want my help that badly, you need to give me something in return. Something I can't get anywhere else...
Namjoon: If they want to take you back, they have...
"You're not taking me to prison?" you asked. "What is this place?"
"My house."
He motioned for a guard about forty paces from you. How he could see the signal in the dark, you didn't know. He bowed when he approached.
"Yes, Captain?"
"I want you to tell the others," Namjoon said, "that I have brought in a... personal hostess. She is not to leave my quarters. Should anyone approach her, they will be punished."
The guard visibly swallowed and bowed. "Yes, Captain."
"Also," Namjoon added, looking at you through the corners of his eye, "should she leave my quarters, kill her."
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Your breath caught in your throat, shattering as you swallowed.
"Yes, Captain," the guard said for the third time, leaving.
Namjoon's grip tightened. He swung the door open and shoved you inside. When he shut the door behind you, you turned to kick him in the face. He grabbed your foot in midair and twisted it, sending you to the ground. Your hip slammed against the wooden floor, echoing in pain at impact.
He sighed. "Did Hoseok train you to do that? It was quite easy to catch."
You sat up, scowling at him. "You taught me that."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "I never taught you to kick above the chest. Ribs, groin, and knees, remember?"
You thrust your heel forward to take out his knee, but he leaned to the side, avoiding it.
"Stand up," he commanded, walking back towards the entrance.
You rose to your feet as he untied his sword from his belt and hung it in the placeholder on the wall, next to a whip. He then took off his outer robe and hung it next to that, turning to face you. He lit another lantern, and it filled the room with a dim light.
The smell of heavy exotic perfume made the sitting pillows and wooden table seem more expensive, but there was nothing else in the room.
"You'll stay here," Namjoon said, walking back towards you. "These are my personal quarters. No one will bother you here. Not if they want to stay alive."
"You're just going to hold me hostage here, then?" you asked. "Leave me bound up and in your bedroom?"
"Isn't that your new job anyways?"
You clenched your teeth. "If you touch me, I'll let them kill me."
His jaw tightened as he leaned down to the table, picking up a dagger. He unsheathed it, stepping towards you again.
"What are you going to do now?" you asked, backing up. "Slit me open if I don't get in your bed?"
"Shut up!" he barked. "I don't want you in anyone's bed! Understand?"
He bit his lip as he drew closer, adjusting his grip on the dagger. He reached behind you and grabbed you by the ropes behind your back, then cut through them. Your throbbing wrists fell to the sides. He put the dagger in his belt.
"You can move about my house freely," he said. "But don't leave it. I can't do anything for you if you step outside."
"You expect me to comply?"
"You don't have another choice," he said. "You belong to me now. I can send Hoseok the ten thousand to make it official, if you want."
You punched him in the stomach. He took it, barely wincing. His eyes laughed as he looked at you, and you wanted to rip them out of his skull.
He walked over to pick up the lamp, nodding his head in the direction of the hallway.
"I'll take you to your room," he said.
"My room?"
He turned to face you. "What? Do you want to stay in mine?
"Go to hell."
He smirked. "Didn't think so."
He took you to your room - small and empty, with some blankets, and a table littered with brightly colored bottles covered in dust. He lowered the lamp onto the table next to the bottles, the light creating a purple and red hue across the walls.
"I'll be in the room across the hall if you need me," he said.
You folded your arms. "You don't think I'll slit your throat in your sleep?"
"If you were going to, you would do it. Not threaten me with it."
"I'm not a little girl anymore," you threw back, annoyed with his indifference. "I'm not weak and helpless. I've been trained to kill, same as you. You really think I won't do it?"
"Fine then," he said, stepping forward. He grabbed your wrist pulled the dagger from his belt, putting it in your hand. He brought your other hand up to the handle, caging your hands against it. He pointed it at his own throat.
"Slit it," he said. "Do it now while you have the chance."
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His eyes didn't waver from yours as your hands shook against the knife. The tip dented his skin at the base of his throat, nearly piercing it.
You heard the screaming.
You shook your head, closing your eyes to get it out. When your head dropped down to your chest, Namjoon released your hands, and the knife dropped to the ground.
You stumbled back, resting your hands on the table behind you. Your knees were trembling, your body shivering from the inside out.
"You're not a killer, Y/N," he said, his shoulders dropping. "I know you. You could never live with yourself if you took life instead of giving it."
You shut your eyes, trying to keep yourself from throwing up.
"Even if you lost your mind and killed me," he continued, "you wouldn't make it out of this prison alive. If you're going to come up with an escape plan, come up with a better one."
You swallowed the nausea back down your throat. "I don't need an escape plan. They'll come for me."
He stepped in towards you, your bodies almost touching. His eyes picked up the flames from the lantern, and the purple and red hues along with it.
"If they want to take you back," he said, "they have to get through me first. And trust me... I won't let anyone take you from me that easily."
