Chapter 26:
"I need you to tell me what Lazarus has on you."
"Okay, I'll tell you. But just so you know, this won't make me look very good."
Jungkook took a deep breath and stared at his hands. You clutched Dracula's journal tight and looked down at the ground. You weren't sure if you trusted yourself enough to look him in the eye just now.
"Well, I already told you that I was turned because of a joyride by some lowlife Blood Brat. And you already know that Clara broke up with me afterwards." You nodded mutely. "Well... I was kind of a wreck. More than a wreck actually. I made some... pretty bad decisions. I hurt a lot of people." He sounded so guilty and hesitant. You pressed your lips together, filling in the blanks yourself. He didn't just hurt a lot of people. He killed a lot of people. "For years, I was just... lost. I mean, I watched Clara move on from me, from us. It... messed me up, a lot. And I got myself into some trouble." He trailed off and then stood.
He paced in front of you and ran his fingers through his hair, looking distressed. You knew this was probably very painful for him and him telling you all this was the last thing he wanted, but you couldn't be sympathetic. Not when you knew what was at stake.
"You remember Rosemary, right?" You blinked in surprise and looked up at him. He was avoiding your gaze. You nodded slowly. "Well, you asked if I'd ever had a 'run-in' with her before. I have. It was a while back, we met when I was still on a rampage. It was a few months after Clara died, I think." He winced and your heart clenched. "She was on some sort of revenge mission because she was annoyed that the Elders excluded her simply because she's female. I was still angry, more so since Clara died, so she managed to rope me into her schemes. I ended up going after Lazarus."
You narrowed your eyes. "Going after him, how?" Jungkook looked you in the eye guiltily.
"I was going to kill him." He deadpanned, his jaw clenching. You sucked in a sharp breath. "It was part of Rosemary's plan. She wanted to form a coup. Obviously, things didn't go entirely to plan. Lazarus caught me and I would have been put to death." Jungkook continued, rubbing the back of his neck. "Instead, he spared me in exchange for a favor. This favor. He told me to watch and protect you with the others, otherwise he'd take back his mercy and have me and every one of Clara's descendants put to death." He finished and sighed, standing in front of the portrait. He was still staring at the floor and you had to look away from his face in order to process the information.
So you'd been right. For Jungkook, it wasn't about what he would gain, it was about what he'd lose. Which was definitely worse. If he had something to gain, if he'd been promised something, it would have been easier to tell him what you'd discovered. But now that you knew Lazarus would have Clara's family killed, it meant Jungkook might now be inclined to help you. Instead, he'd be more inclined to turn you into Lazarus, to reveal what you'd learn and your plan to escape.
"Like I said. It doesn't make me look great." Jungkook sighed and sat back down next to you. "I understand if you don't want to have anything to do with me. I know I'm a monster."
You blinked. The thought hadn't even occurred to you. He had basically just told you that he'd turned into exactly the kind of vampire from horror movies and books for years before getting caught up with Rosemary, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. The journal still clutched in your arms reminded you of the dark secrets that threatened your entire existence. That seemed way more threatening than Jungkook's violent past.
You shook your head and felt tears well up in your eyes.
"Why the sudden interest?" Jungkook asked, turning his head back to you. His eyes widened when a single tear slipped down your cheek. You clapped your palm over your mouth.
"Y/N? What? What happened, what did I say? Why are you crying?" His hands outstretched, but they didn't touch you. it as like he was too afraid to, like you might break if he did. And at this point, you might've.
"I-It's not you." You croaked, quickly wiping away the tears. You took you're the journal, your hands shaking. You opened it to the entry that revealed the secret and passed it to Jungkook. "I found this a little while ago."
Jungkook hesitantly took the journal and began to read. You heard him suck in a sharp breath and you closed your eyes. You had to tell him. He was your best chance of escape, but also the most dangerous if he turned on you. If he decided being human was more important, then you didn't know what you would do. But if he decided to help you instead of turn you in, then you might still have a chance.
"What is this?" he asked, a low growl from the back of his throat. You swallowed and reopened your eyes, staring at the ground.
"It's one of Dracula's old journals. That's the last one before he died. He found out about Lazarus' real plan for me and the people like me." You hugged yourself and started to tremble. "I wasn't sure if you already knew about it or not, that's why I asked you what Lazarus had on you. I was afraid he promised you a cure." You closed your eyes again and gritted your teeth.
"I... I wasn't sure if I should tell you. I want to escape, to get out of here before Lazarus can enact his plan, but I didn't know if you would help me or not. And... I know that you have a lot to lose, so I'm not asking you to come with me." You let out a small huff, feeling strangely out of breath. "But maybe you could pretend I was kidnapped or something? I really haven't thought this through, I—"
"Stop talking." Jungkook stood up abruptly and you sniffed, blinking up at him. He pursed his lips and looked down at you, then at the journal in his hands. Hie eyes hardened and he held out a hand for you. "Come on." He said firmly. You furrowed your brow, but took his hand, standing up beside him. He nodded and looked up and down your face. "We're getting out of here." He squeezed your hand and walked over to the fireplace where a warm fire crackled and popped. You frowned in confusion.
"W-what about Lazarus? What about the people he threatened to kill?" You stammered, blinking up at him with wide eyes.
Jungkook turned and looked into your eyes. You gulped at their intensity and sucked in a sharp breath.
"Don't worry about me. The priority is you." With that, he tossed the notebook into the fire. You gasped and instinctively lunged to grab it out of the flames, but Jungkook grabbed your arms, pulling you back.
"Leave it." He ordered. You gulped, realizing how close you were to him at that moment. "We don't want anyone knowing what we know. We don't want anyone to know why we're gone." You blinked, staring at his collarbone, that was level with your line of sighed, and tried to ignore the thumping in your chest as he took a step back and wrapped your hand in his.
"Are you with me?" He asked gruffly. You blinked up at him again, his words taking a second to process. You pressed your lips together and pinched your eyebrows together before nodded slowly. Jungkook nodded in return. "I'll protect you, I promise. Lazarus won't get his hands on you."
You were blinded by the unadulterated sincerity, the truth in his gaze. Usually, you could never read him, never get a sense on what he was feeling. But he wasn't hiding anything now. He was being completely open for the first time and you didn't know how to react or respond. You could do nothing but nod as he squeezed your hand and guided you out of the room.
The two of you descended the stairs and Jungkook guided you to the door before disappearing into the kitchen. He came back out and you blinked when you saw him drinking blood directly from the bag. In two big gulps, the bag was empty and he tossed it aside. He extended his other hand and you stared at a granola bar. You took it mutely and started to nibble on it and Jungkook scratched his head and paced back and forth, muttering to himself for a few tense moments.
Suddenly, the doorknob turned and you gasped, jumping back as it swung open to reveal Taehyung standing in the doorway. He blinked when he saw you and Jungkook standing in the foyer, both looking like deer caught in headlights. He looked from you to Jungkook and furrowed his brow.
"What's going on?" He asked warily. You looked at Jungkook with wide eyes and he returned it, his eyebrows pulled together anxiously. You swallowed and took a breath.
Taehyung had chosen to stay here, even though he'd already confronted Rosemary. He told you it was because he had no where else to go and that he wanted to be friends with you. But if that wasn't the whole truth? What if Lazarus had promised him a cure? A chance to be human again? What if he knew?
"We're leaving." Jungkook said finally, snatching up your hand. Taehyung frowned and looked at you expectantly. You had to look away from his questioning gaze. "We're just... going to the store." Jungkook added, giving your hand a squeeze. You nodded and took a breath, facing Taehyung again.
"We're running out of groceries, so Jungkook was going to take me. Jimin is out getting more blood, he won't be back for a while." You said, forcing your voice to be steady and calm. Taehyung narrowed his eyes and looked back and forth between you.
"You're lying. What's really going on?" He demanded. You swallowed hard, feeling your bottom lip start to tremble nervously.
"Taehyung..." You started, trying to blink away the burning in your eyes.
"Where are you really going?" He asked again, stepping closer. Jungkook also took a step forward, so he was slightly in front of you, blocking Taehyung's path.
"We're leaving. I'm taking her away." Jungkook said shortly, raising an arm across your body. You stared up at him in shock. Was he really going to tell Taehyung?
"What the hell are you talking about?" Taehyung demanded, crossing his arms skeptically. Jungkook looked at you and then looked back at Taehyung.
"Do you know the real reason Lazarus wants her here, Taehyung?" he asked, his voice softening a little bit. Taehyung tilted his head.
"Real reason?" he asked, confusion spread across his face. You breathed out nervously.
"You didn't find it odd at all that he was going to such lengths for an old friend?" Jungkook asked again. Taehyung shook his head, frowning and pulling his eyebrows together.
"He wants to kill me, Taehyung." You blurted out. Jungkook tensed and gave you a sidelong look, like he wasn't too pleased you just came out with it. Taehyung's mouth parted and his frown deepened.
"What?" He looked between you and Jungkook like you'd lost your minds. You sighed. If he didn't know, then maybe he'd be on your side too, like Jungkook was.
"Apparently, my blood has the ability to reverse the effects of the vampire curse." You said solemnly, looking down at the ground. You Taehyung fists go limp and you didn't need to look at him to see the shock.
"Reverse the..." He trailed off and you braved a look up. He was staring at you, his mouth parted and his eyes wide, like you were a ghost. You pursed your lips.
"I don't know why he hasn't started experimenting on me yet, or why he hasn't tried to use my blood, but I don't want to stick around and wait for him to follow through." You said determinedly. Jungkook let out a deep sigh.
"Wait, Y/N, this is crazy, how do you know?" Taehyung shook his head and waved his arms dismissively before glaring at you, then at Jungkook in disbelief.
"I read it in Dracula's journal, Taehyung." You said, letting a little desperation sneak into your voice. Jungkook had burned the journal, so you couldn't prove it. You just hoped he would believe you. "Dracula was against the whole thing, he was against using his human descendants, but Lazarus went ahead and did it anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the one who killed Dracula in the first place."
Now that you said it out loud, it did make sense. Dracula had said himself that he made an enemy out of Lazarus. What if Dracula had tried to stop him and then Lazarus had killed him out of spite?
"We have to get her out of here, Taehyung. You care for her too, right?" Jungkook said, drawing your attention back. Jungkook looked at you, his gaze softening, then back at Taehyung, who was also looking at you. You swallowed and inhaled deeply.
"Please, Taehyung. I can't stay here. I can't just wait for him to kill me." You whispered.
Taehyung was silent, looking between you two, his lips pressed together and his brow furrowed. You squeezed your fists, pulling your eyebrows together. He took a couple of deep breaths and then finally nodded slowly.
"Okay, go, take her away, protect her." Taehyung nodded at Jungkook.
"Wait, you should come with us." You reached out and grabbed his sleeve. Taehyung's gaze softened and he shook his head, extracting his arm from your grip.
"I'll make it look like someone kidnapped you. I'll mess up the place, give myself a couple wounds, that way it will look convincing. I'll steer Jimin away from you." He nodded and gave you a soft, sincere smile.
"You guys think... you think Jimin knows?" You asked quietly, feeling your heart sink as you looked between the two.
"I have no doubt." Jungkook said immediately. Taehyung nodded.
"There's no way he doesn't know. This is probably what he's wanted all along." Taehyung said firmly. There wasn't a hint of hesitation in his voice.
You sighed and looked down, feeling more hurt and betrayed than you'd expected. It wasn't like you'd ever trusted Jimin. But it stung to know that all along, he'd only wanted your blood. He didn't care about your life that went along with it. Through everything, you thought maybe you'd gotten through to him a little bit. At least enough where he considered you to be more than just a conquest. But you'd been wrong.
"Okay, Y/N, let's go." Jungkook squeezed your hand and led you out the door.
"Leave the car." Taehyung added quickly. "That way it'll be more convincing that you were taken instead of fleeing." Jungkook nodded and led you down the steps. "Keep her safe, Jungkook." Taehyung and Jungkook met gazes and they nodded at each other. Jungkook suddenly crouched down and you stared at him in confusion. He gestured to his back.
"Get on my back." He said sternly. "We can't use the car, but we need to get out of here fast. I can get us away quick, but only if you're on me." You swallowed hard and walked behind him. You wrapped your arms around his neck and shoulders from behind and Jungkook hooked his arms under your legs before hoisting you up and standing in piggyback. Taehyung nodded at you.
"You'll be okay, Y/N." He said gently. You felt a pang of panic at the finality of his statement.
"Wait, I'll see you again, right?" You asked quickly. Taehyung gave you a sympathetic smile, but he didn't look hopeful.
"That doesn't matter right now. You need to go now." He stepped back and started to close the front door. He gave you a soft wave just before the door shut. You sucked in a sharp breath and tried to bite back the sobs that wanted to climb up your throat. You buried your face into Jungkook's shoulder as the vampire turned around.
"Okay, make sure you're holding on tight." Jungkook said, drawing your attention back to him. You nodded and wrapped your arms tight around his neck, pressing your chest into his back.
Then, he started to run and you gasped as the wind blew into your face. You clutched tighter and gritted your teeth, feeling your stomach flip at the overwhelming speed. It felt like hours that you were clutched tightly in Jungkook's grip, but you knew it was probably only a couple of minutes.
Finally, Jungkook slowed to a stop and you gasped for breath, prying your eyes open again. You collapsed off his back, your knees hitting the pavement. You felt your stomach roll and the unmistakable feeling of bile rising in your throat. You turned around and gathered your feet under you, rushing to the side of the pavement. You ducked behind a bush and emptied your stomach into the leaves. You heard Jungkook sigh from a couple paces away.
When you finally lifted your head back up, you looked around and realized you were standing on your university's campus. Well... ex-university you should say.
"Jungkook, what are we doing here?" You asked, looking around. Jungkook shrugged.
"It was the first place that came to mind. I figured we could come up with a plan once we were away from the manor." He deadpanned. You swallowed hard and tears welled up in your eyes as reality started to sink in.
"What are we gonna do, Jungkook? Where are we gonna go? Did we just make a huge mistake? What if Jimin didn't know, what if he could have helped us? Oh god, what if we—"
"Y/N, stop." Jungkook grabbed your shoulders, turning you to face him. "You're going to drive yourself crazy." He drew you into his chest and you exhaled harshly, unable to keep control of your breathing. There was a lump in your throat and the burning behind your eyes told you that you were very close to breaking down into sobs. You really didn't want to have a meltdown right now, especially not in front of him. You didn't have the time.
"Come on." Jungkook took hold of your shoulders and turned you toward the campus coffee shop a little bit down the road. "Let's get something hot to drink and calm down. Then we can make a plan."
You felt like you were in a daze, but you allowed him to steer you into the coffee shop and sit you down at one of the tables. He ordered and then joined you at the table, sitting down across from you. You ran your trembling fingers through your hair as Jungkook leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
"What should we do?" You asked. "We can't keep running forever."
"We won't." Jungkook said. "Look, you might not like this, but I really think the only way we can make it so that you're not hunted anymore is to kill Lazarus." You lifted your head in surprise.
"Kill him? What good would that do? The Elders would still be after me." You said incredulously, shaking your head.
"I'm not sure they are." Jungkook said hesitantly, rubbing his chin. "Lazarus wouldn't want anyone to get wind of your existence just in case his experiment works. I'm not sure the others on the council even know you exist."
"But... then what about the times that I've been attacked by vampires? What about the two that you guys killed? And the one that attacked me and Taehyung at the grocery store?" You waved your arm animatedly and Jungkook sighed.
"Here are you drinks, my darlings." You turned your head at the eerily familiar voice that had just approached your table. You gasped when you caught a flash of violet eyes.
"You!" Jungkook stood up so fast, he knocked his chair over, but before he could do anything, two large men grabbed his arms on either side.
You shrieked and jumped up, but you felt an arm snake around your waist and the other snatch your wrist. Your back was slammed against the wall and you saw stars. You blinked them away and your vision focused on the beautiful, terrifyingly flawless image of Rosemary pinning you to the wall. Her ruby lips and violet eyes were piercing against her translucent skin and her mouth was perked into a gleeful smile.
You heard Jungkook grunting and swearing and you turned your head to see Jungkook struggling against the grip of the two burly men, they bared their teeth, revealing their fangs. Your blood turned to ice when you realized the hopelessness of the situation.
"We meet again, cutie pie." You turned back to Rosemary who drew her fingers under your chin, lifting your head slightly. She leaned in close and licked her lips. Your gaze dropped to her mouth involuntarily and you swallowed hard. Her head kept coming closer and you leaned away, feeling your heart jump into your throat.
"Stay away from her!" You heard Jungkook's voice from far away, but you couldn't see him anymore. All you could see was violet.
"Time to sleep, darling." Rosemary purred. "There's someone who wants to see you."
Then you felt her grab your forehead and smack the back of your head against the wall. The pain from the impact spread over your body and your head when fuzzy. Your vision blurred around the edges and beetles crawled over your face before you fell into darkness.
~~
Your eyes fluttered awake and you winced at the throbbing in the back of your head. You reached up to touch your head and you realized you were lying on what felt like a couch. You pushed yourself to a seated position and looked around. You were in a large lavish room with tapestries and Victorian columns. You saw portraits of people you didn't recognize and beautifully lavish curtains covering large windows. You swung your legs over the couch and planted your feet on the ground, turning to face the front. You looked up and gasped when you saw two people occupying a loveseat just across from you.
Rosemary herself was sitting on the arm of the loveseat, her luscious raven hair tied back into a braided bun. She was wearing a long maroon dress that hugged her curves in just the right places. She smirked at you, her lips and eyes ever-prominent. She was hypnotizing as usual, but your attention turned to the man sitting in the loveseat beside her. Your mouth parted when you scanned over his young and handsome features, feeling your heart slam into your chest.
He was young, maybe only a few years older than you, and his smile was bright, cheerful, even boyish. But the thing that struck you immediately, was his features. You were staring at a carbon copy of your own face. His eyes, his nose, his mouth, his hair his pigment, everything was identical to yours. The only differences his face had from your own was a more pronounced jawline, thinner lips, and short unruly hair. Other than that, he was a perfect male-version of you.
Your jaw dropped as you stared at this mirror image of yourself, who gave you a broad smile.
"Well, it's good to meet you, Y/N. My name is Dracula. Perhaps you've heard of me?"