Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 13

Baekhyun led us quickly through the twisting hallways until we came upon a set of black doors, made of obsidian like almost everything else in the palace. Easing them open, Baekhyun stepped inside, his shoes making no noise as he silently tread towards a brick wall at the end. He tapped the center brick twice, and the bricks shuddered, before splitting open with a groan. I flinched at the grating noise, but neither Jimin nor Baekhyun seemed concerned.

Motioning for us to follow him, Baekhyun walked confidently between the opening, while Jimin and I followed a little more tentatively. The opening led to a small, cramped alcove just wide enough to fit all three of us. There were small holes ridded in the northern wall, so that we could see what was happening in the room in front of us. Baekhyun ushered us inside the alcove, and I ducked underneath the low-hanging ceiling of the wall, being careful to make as little noise as I could.

Once settled in, I peeked through the holes, just to see the figure of Taehyung and another man in the room. The air sparked with tension, which made me think that there had been an argument even before we arrived. Taehyung was pacing around the room shaking his head, while the other man, who I assumed was his grandfather, watched like a hawk. Baekhyun's eyes grew wide at the sight of the old man, and I could see why.

Taehyung's grandfather was a tall, powerful looking man with blue eyes as sharp as a scythe. The lamplight painted his thick mane of white hair gold, and a ceremonial sword hung at his side in a gilded scabbard. His face was etched with hard lines of disapproval which complimented his equally puckered lips. He looked like I had always imagined a vampire: strong and proud, but with a gleam in his eye which told me that he wasn't a stranger to death. A black, falcon headed cane glinted in his hand.

"Grandson," His voice was deep and grating, only bordering on distaste. "What have you done?"

"What have I done, Grandfather?" Taehyung spun around to look his grandfather in the eye, and I was struck by how similar they looked when angry. Their respective red and blue eyes flashed with equal ferocity, enough to make even the strongest beast cower. "I would like to ask you the same thing. You never visited for 300 years. 300! Your pride was so great that you couldn't even show up to my parent's wedding. Your own daughter died in a fire 200 years ago, and yet you acted like she had never existed. And now you dare come here and question my decisions? Get out!"

His Grandfather made a low growling sound, a noise that made me shiver from my head to my toes. "I have heard rumors about you, boy. Rumors that can bring down the Kim family name if they are true." His gaze seemed to rake across Taehyung, but my soulmate didn't flinch. He stared steely back, as if daring his grandfather to continue. "You've brought back a human, haven't you? A human who you want to marry. A human whom you believe is your soulmate."

"Not just believe, dear Grandfather. I know he is. I can feel it." The old vampire's eyes flickered at Taehyung's words. The only indication in his otherwise stony face that betrayed his surprise. "Well, I hope you rejected him is all I can say. A human cannot mingle with vampires. It is not the way."

"Then I suppose that the way must change," Taehyung said calmly. "I haven't rejected him. I can't. I love him too much to do such a thing. One day, he will rule by my side and be mine forever. I know it." I felt my heart skip a beat at his words. Did he really love me that much? He wanted me to rule with him? A warm fuzzy feeling enveloped my heart at the thought. But not for long.

His grandfather slammed his hand down on the antique entryway table so hard that a vase fell from it and shattered. "Foolish boy," he growled. "A human could never serve as queen of a vampire clan. Especially the Sirius. Soulmate or not, he's useless to you. He doesn't have nearly as much power as a girl of good ancestry could give you." I flinched at his words, and Jimin wrapped an arm around my shoulders.