Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 32

Taehyung's eyebrows arch. "Do you notice any other differences?"

"I don't know... I also woke up feeling really thirsty. Is there any water here?"

Understanding dawns in Taehyung's eyes. "That's normal, Kook. But water won't be the thing to quench your thirst. Newly made vampires develop a craving for blood in the first 24 hours. You just need to drink some blood, that's all."

My heart skips a beat. Last night's memories flash through my head and my breath catches. "So I'm―I'm―"

"Yes," Taehyung says, pulling me closer if possible. "You're a vampire now, Jungkook. I marked you last night. See," He pulls down my shirt a bit to expose my left shoulder. Sure enough, there are twin black dots staring back at me, clearly visible against my white tunic. I run a hand over the mark, sighing when sparks seem to explode from the touch. The simplicity of the dots surprise me, but it's beautiful nonetheless. My mind flashes back to the time when the soldier threatened to mark me during the war, and I shiver. If Jimin hadn't been there to stop him...

"Do you not like it?" I hear Taehyung ask, a little bit of sadness creeping into his voice. My eyes widen. "No! It's beautiful. I love it. I was just... thinking about something else."

"Like?"

I sigh, wondering if it was a good idea to tell him. "There was a time during the war... when a Shadow Valley soldier cornered me in an alleyway. The same one who ripped my shirt. H-he said he wanted to mark me, but before he could, Jimin stabbed him in the back. I was just wondering... what would have happened if he had marked me instead of you."

I feel Taehyung's arms tighten considerably around my waist, and his eyes glow a dangerous shade of red. When he speaks, I can't suppress a shiver at the amount of venom in his voice. "First, may I tell you how much I want to flay this man alive over a fire? He didn't deserve such an easy death. But if he had somehow managed to put his vile mark on you..." His fingernails cut into my soft skin, and I squirm in his hold.

"It would have been without your consent, meaning that it would have hurt like hell for both of you. The soulmate bond between us would have considerably weakened, since a mark identifies you as taken. Until I remove his filthy mark and mark you as my own again, you would be... his." Taehyung's voice drops deep on the last few words, and I cry out as his fingernails draw blood. My cry of pain seems to snap him out of his daze, and he pulls me into his arms once he sees the blood.

"Oh no, no. I'm so sorry, my love. I'm so sorry. I got too carried away." The cuts aren't deep, and the blood has already stopped.

"It's fine. The cuts aren't deep anyway." He still looks apologetic, and I want to coo at the way his eyebrows furrow in concern. I raise a hand to caress his cheek, and he looks away, cheeks turning crimson.

"So is that why I want to be by your side all the time?" I ask. "Because of the soulmate bond?"

He nods. "After your marking last night, the bond between us strengthened. Think of it as a rope tied between us. If one of us goes too far away, the rope gets pulled, causing both of us to feel pain. That's why the bond wants us close together."

"Oh." It's not something that I had ever imagined, but it made sense. Seeing my face, Taehyung seems to hesitate, his fingers nervously drumming on his leg. "Jungkook?"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay with it? Becoming a vampire like this, I mean. I know this might not be exactly what you wanted, but―" I cut off his words with a kiss on the lips. He immediately kisses back, hand coming up to circle my waist as I lean into him. After a minute, I break off the kiss, looking into his surprised red eyes.

"Tae, stop being so worried. If this mark means that I get to spend eternity with you, then I couldn't ask for anything more. You brought me back from the brink of death. I'm not sure how I can ever repay you for that."

"You don't have to." He says, hand brushing over the mark with a tenderness that makes me melt. "You being here is enough. Though I suppose an extra kiss wouldn't hurt."

I laugh, and it's him this time who pulls us into a long, passionate kiss. Our lips mold together perfectly, and he kisses me with impatience that I didn't anticipate. In that moment, I crave nothing more than his hands in my hair, his lips on my body. Hungry mouth swallowing me whole. But before I can voice my needs, he pulls away, hands still around my waist.

"You're my miracle," He murmurs against my hair, rocking me gently. "My beautiful, beautiful miracle." I smile into his chest, almost falling asleep again from Taehyung's gentle movements. But then I remember another characteristic of vampires.

Experimentally, I reach a hand up to touch my teeth, jerking them back in surprise as I feel sharp edges where my front teeth should have been. Taehyung notices, smiling down at me as I feel my newly acquired fangs.

"You'll get used to them in a while," He says when he sees me frown in discomfort. "I'll show you how to hide them later. Your eyes, too." I look up at him, confused.

"What color are my eyes?" I ask, and Taehyung cups my face in his hands, cocking his head and putting his finger to his lip like he was thinking.

"A beautiful red," he declares. "An irresistible, mesmerizing scarlet."

"Like yours?"

"A little lighter, but yes. Soulmates tend to have a similar eye color after they're marked. It marks their bond."

"Oh." Now I understand why I thought that Jimin and Yoongi's eye color was so similar. And the Namjin couple both had dark brown eyes. "So... is the bond between us complete?"

I hear Taehyung laugh. "Not until we make love, no. But I won't do it until you're ready. Take you time."

"Oh!... you mean―oh..." The meaning of his words sink in, and I'm suddenly aware of how see-through my white tunic is and how close we are. Strangely, it doesn't bother me as much as it did before.

"Don't worry," Taehyung whispers into my ear. "You'll have all the time in the world to ready yourself. I won't rush you."

"So, if I asked you to do it here, would you say yes?"

Taehyung laughs, shaking his head. "I wouldn't recommend it at all. Your body's still recovering from the poison. Give it a few days, Jungkook. Or a few weeks. I understand your impatience, considering the force of the bond, but give your body time to heal."

But I don't want to wait. The earlier feeling of desire I felt from the kiss is back, more forceful than ever. I want him. And I know he wants me. I can barely feel the pain in my body anymore; only a dull aching at the back of my mind that I know I can control. When I look into Taehyung's eyes, I see my own wishes mirrored in them, though cleverly concealed. He doesn't try to stop me as I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him tight, reveling in the warmth of his body against mine. He doesn't stop me when I whisper the five words into his ear which I know will be my undoing.

"Make love to me, Tae."

👀👀 I'll try to update later today...