Chapter 32:
"Alright, baby girl, show us the way." You cringed at Caden's hot breath near you ear, but you obeyed, turning and pointing in the direction of the manor. You looked back at Jungkook, who was walking, his shoulders hunched, in between two of the hunters. The other three stood behind you, with cruel sneers on their faces.
"So, why do you want me, Caden?" You asked, turning your head back to face front as the troop walked down the wooded road. "Don't you love Katie?" Caden sighed, rubbing a pattern into your shoulder that made beetles crawl over your skin.
"Katie's great, but you were always the object of my affection. Unfortunately, you decided you hated me and you were also stuck with your nose in books so I could never try anything on you. And believe me, I wanted to." He grinned, giving you a side look. You literally felt bile jump into your throat and you had to concentrate in order to not emit anything. "Plus, there must be something about you that makes you even more appealing to these vampires." Caden added, sending a distasteful glance over his shoulder.
"I had no idea..." You mumbled, turning your head away so he wouldn't see your repulsion.
"Of course you wouldn't. You never notice anything unless it's punching you in the face." He threw his head back, cackling, but you didn't see the joke. "Alright, my turn. What exactly got you involved with these... bloodsuckers?" Caden asked, making you stiffen in his grip.
"I don't see how it's relevant." You muttered, racking your brain for a suitable excuse. What could you tell him? Not the truth, he would absolutely exploit you if he knew the truth about you.
"Aw, come on, you can tell me." He squeezed you close and whispered in your ear, making you flinch. "Did they make you a deal you couldn't refuse?" You closed your eyes as he cackled loudly, joined by the other hunters. You could hear Jungkook make a disapproving growl from behind you, but there wasn't anything he could do. And you didn't want him to do anything anyway. You could still see the blood seeping out of his ears even though you weren't looking at him. You clenched your fists.
"I want to know something." You said, interrupting Caden's laughing. "What are those precautions you talked about that keep you from being compelled? Do you all have them?" You glanced at the other hunters, who gave you sneers and evil grins. Caden sighed and twirled a strand of your hair in his finger.
"I'm not really sure I should tell you." He said in a mocking tone. You clenched your jaw, forcing yourself not to snap at him.
"It's only fair if we're about to be together after all this. I'll find out eventually, won't I?" You said, forcing yourself to sidle closer to him, like you were actually excited about being with him. Caden's smile widened and his eyes glinted. He took the bait.
"Fine, I suppose you're right. I guess I'll have to tell you the story of how our organization came to be." Caden said, taking a deep breath before he started his story. "See, a long time ago, like in the 1800s or something, a man found out about the existence of vampires. He woke up one day after blacking out to find he was being experimented on by these monstrous creatures. They wanted his blood for some reason, but not to drink, to study. It turns out that his blood was unique in that it was poisonous to vampires and he couldn't be controlled by them." You blinked, staring at the road in front of you as he continued his story. He hadn't noticed your reaction. "He escaped the vampires and started the vampire hunter organization. He found out exactly how to kill vampires and how to torture them. He invented the vampire whistle and the stake crossbows. He also used his own blood to manufacture special pendants that can be worn as jewelry that protect hunters from the vampire influence."
"What made him so special? Why was his blood like that?" You croaked, your muscles tensing as you anticipated the answer.
"Nobody knows, but thank God for him because he managed to store pints and pints of his blood before he died so we have a bountiful supply to prevent vampires from controlling us." Caden lifted his free hand and touched a silver ring on his middle finger. You studied it to see a gemstone fastened at the top that was red, but it didn't look like a ruby or another red gemstone. As you looked closer, you saw movement swirling inside the gemstone, which you concluded to be blood. You gulped and blinked back at Jungkook, who looked just as in awe of the story as you were.
The founder of the hunters had been one of your ancestors, one of Dracula's descendants. The experiments he was put under must have been Lazarus and maybe Jimin. But unlike you, he never found out who he truly was and instead devoted his life to killing vampires. He'd seen them as nothing but monsters and blood-thirsty killers. A couple months ago you would have agreed with him. But now...
You glanced back at Jungkook, who met your gaze, his expression dark and thoughtful. You turned back to face front and pressed your lips together, racking your brain for a way out, an escape, something that would help the situation. Perhaps if you could somehow alert Taehyung and Jimin to your approach? Even though Jimin and Lazarus were your enemy, you would take them over Caden and his vampire hunters.
Suddenly, there was a commotion behind you and you and Caden stopped, turning around. Jungkook had fallen down on all fours, his knees scraping against the ground. It looked like one of the hunters had pushed him too hard. He gritted his teeth and bared his fangs as they grabbed his shoulders and yanked him back to his feet. He glared daggers at them and Caden scoffed.
"I thought vampires were supposed to be strong. You're just a clumsy freakshow, aren't you?" He sneered nastily, making you squeeze your hands to fists. "Look, you're even bleeding! How fucking pathetic."
You blinked in surprise and looked down at Jungkook's leg, where a scrape on his knee had indeed drawn blood. The wound was already closing up, but as you looked into Jungkook's eyes, worry etched into your features, you were surprised to see he was staring right at you, a pointed look in his gaze. You blinked and his gaze darted from his knee to your eyes again, intensely. He was trying to tell you something.
You looked back down at his knee slowly, and then it clicked: a way to get Taehyung and Jimin's attention without alerting Caden or the others. You blinked, realizing how smart Jungkook was. If you weren't in a dire situation, you might have kissed him right there. You gave Jungkook the smallest of nods that only he could see and you saw a ghost of a smile on his face as his eyes flickered proudly. Proud of you for understanding his message and proud that even in the middle of all this, you were both close enough to work together. Caden swung you back around and the group started on their trek again.
"Caden?" You asked hopefully, trying to sound as innocent as you could. "Do you happen to have any extra of those talismans with you? The ones that keep you from being controlled by vampires?"
Caden glanced at you, a suspicious look clouding his eyes. "Why would you want one?" You gulped and licked your lips.
"Well, when we get there, the vampires I'll be handing to you probably won't want to come quietly. And I'd like to be as protected as possible. I don't think my charms will work on them when they see I'm helping you." You said quickly, proud of yourself for pulling a lie like that out of thin air. Caden sighed and stroked his chin thinking over your words.
"You make a fair point." He said finally. "Alright, here I have this pendant you can use. Unfortunately, I don't have a chain, so just keep it in your pocket or something."
He dug into his pocket and handed you a diamond shaped pendant, about the size of a quarter. Like the ring on Caden's finger, it had a gemstone fastened in the center of the metal, diamond-shaped plate that appeared to be red because of the blood that swirled inside it. You touched the tip of the shape and bit your bottom lip, hoping it would be sharp enough. This was about to hurt, and you knew you couldn't show it on your face in case Caden noticed. You squeezed the pendant in your fist and let your arm fall at your side. You turned your head slightly to give Jungkook a sidelong look, just so he'd know what you were about to do. He needed to be prepared too. If he reacted at all, then the hunters could find out about your plan and it will have been all for nothing.
Caden started to babble about his exploits as a vampire hunter and the stories that some of the other full-fledged hunters had told him about their expeditions. But you weren't entirely focused on what he was saying. Instead, you were focused on the pendant in your hand and how the tip pressed into the pad of your thumb.
You took a deep breath and then dug your finger into the tip as hard as you could, biting your lip to keep from wincing at the pain as the metal dug painfully into your skin. You felt your skin split, but you kept pushing, wanting to ensure that it would draw blood. Behind you, Jungkook inhaled sharply, which told you that you'd been successful. You clenched your fist tighter and pushed your forefinger against your thumb, glancing down to see your blood pooling from the cut and dripping down to the ground. You pushed against the open cut in your thumb, making the blood seep faster from your skin.
You hoped this would be enough. Vampires had heightened senses and you knew that your blood was especially strong. It'd been proven many times over the course of your journey with the three vampires, so you hoped that this would be enough alert them. If you were bleeding, then they would smell it the closer you got to the manor. If this wasn't enough to alert them to something wrong, then you weren't sure what else could be. This had to work.
"...of course, when my mother was killed, that was the wakeup call for me." Caden was saying. You blinked, suddenly paying attention again.
"Wait, what? What happened to your mother?" You asked, turning to him in surprise. Caden scoffed.
"Weren't you listening? I just said my mother was murdered when I was young by a vampire." He snapped, giving you an annoyed look. You stared at him in surprise.
"I... I never knew that about you." You mumbled, truly at a loss for words. This explained why he was a vampire hunter in the first place and the contempt he held for them.
"Yes, well you never bothered to try to learn anything about me. Katie knew I lived with just my dad but she never knew why and I never wanted to tell her." He grumbled, his hand clenching around your shoulder. You gulped.
"How do you know it was a vampire?" You asked, holding your fist tight against you to try to hide the blood. You had to keep him talking, to keep him a distracted as possible.
"Because I was there. I watched the monster drain her of her blood." His eyes darkened and his fists clenched around your shoulder. His expression made the hairs on the back of your neck stand. "I will never forget that vampire's face." You quickly turned away, not liking the way he'd said it. He had murderous intentions and you needed to be very careful to make sure they didn't turn on you or Jungkook.
Finally, the group turned down the long driveway to the manor. Caden placed his whistle in his mouth, while the other hunters readied their stake crossbows. You swallowed as you looked up at the grand manor, feeling like the last time you'd seen it had been a lifetime ago. So much had changed since then.
There wasn't time to reminisce on what had happened here and what had happened since being here because as the group approached, you spotted Taehyung and Jimin both standing at the entrance, their arms crossed. You heart swelled in your chest as you looked from Taehyung to Jimin. Taehyung was standing stiffly, his back pressed against the door, while Jimin was casually leaning on the railing of the steps, his perpetual smirk ever-present. Taehyung met your gaze and his expression was unreadable as he looked down at your hand where you finger was still dripping with blood. Jimin straightened, bringing your attention back to him.
"Well, well, isn't this a surprise?" Jimin said, smirking down at Caden and the hunters.
The hunters standing behind you immediately flanked either side of Caden and pointed their crossbows at Jimin and Taehyung, while the ones holding Jungkook shoved him to the ground, his knees connecting with the concrete with an ugly crunch. Caden wrapped his arm around your neck and pulled you against him, fingering the whistle with his other hand.
"If you're surprised to see us, then this will be easier than I thought." Caden said loudly, obviously feigning more confidence than he felt. You could feel him shaking through the arm around your neck. You grabbed his forearm, pulling it down slightly so he wasn't crushing your windpipe. Jimin grinned, his eyes glinting dangerously.
"I assure you, this will not be easy for you." Jimin jumped over the rail and landed spryly, almost directly in front of you and Caden. Caden jerked back, lifting his whistle to his mouth.
"Stay back if you don't want to end up like your friend." He snarled, jerking his thumb back at Jungkook. Jimin's eyes slid to yours and then back to Caden, his smirk widening.
"Don't I know you, little human?" Jimin asked, tilting his head tauntingly. "I recognize you from the hospital, of course. But your face is familiar. Have I threatened you before?" He rubbed his chin and lifted a teasing eyebrow. Caden bared his teeth and raised his hand pointing the whistle accusingly at Jimin's nose.
"I knew it was you when I saw you at the hospital. I knew exactly who you were." He growled, his grip around you tightening. You winced, your air supply very close to being cut off. Jimin laughed delightedly.
"My reputation precedes me. But tell me, little human, where do I know you from?" Jimin waved his arm, the other behind his back, like he was talking to a diplomat. Caden growled under his breath.
"Ten years ago. You killed my mother in a grocery store parking lot." He accused, taking a menacing step forward. You gasped in surprise, looking between the two. Jimin quirked an eyebrow and stroked his chin.
"Did I? I don't really recall it. I don't doubt it though, I've killed quite a lot of people in my lifetime." Jimin's smirk morphed into a malicious grin, his fangs flashing dangerously. "I'm sure she was quite delicious."
Caden's eyes flashed in fury and he waved his hand. One of the hunter's clicked their weapon and the stake from the crossbow flew at Jimin at too fast a speed for you to follow. There was a crunch and you yelped, taking an involuntary step forward, but Jimin's head lifted and you realized that the stake hadn't pierced him. Instead, Jimin held it in his fist, an inch from his chest. He'd caught it before it could impale him. Jimin's eyes were blood red as he lowered the stake and tossed it aside. It landed with a clatter and Caden gasped and stepped back, pulling you with him as he stared at Jimin, obviously unprepared for his uncannily fast reflexes.
"Trying to kill me so soon? That's not good manners." He said, shaking his head, like he was reprimanding a child. Caden quickly grabbed his whistle with trembling hands and raised it to his mouth. Jimin lifted a hand sharply, making Caden pause.
"If that's a vampire whistle, I would refrain from using it." he said, a hard edge to his voice that wasn't previously there. You gulped and looked back at Jungkook, who was staring up at Caden, his eyes focused on the whistle.
"Like hell I would." Caden snapped, making to blow on the whistle. You grabbed his shirt, pleading with him with your eyes. If he blew the whistle, it would affect all of them, not just Jimin. But Caden wasn't looking at you. He was still focused on Jimin, who was chuckling lightly, as if he still found the whole situation the most amusing.
"Do you think this is my first encounter with vampire hunters?" Jimin said, leaning back on his heels nonchalantly. "I can assure you, they've tried all their weapons on me, and yet I'm still here. And they are all dead."
Caden's hand was frozen with the whistle close to his lips. He was pale and he looked uneasy. Jimin was smirking, tilting his head, like he knew he was in control, despite the dangerous weapons all pointed at him. You glanced back at Jungkook, who was giving you a wide look, like he was warning you of something big. You got the message loud and clear: it was about to get pretty ugly. You shifted backward, but Caden's grip around your neck was iron tight. You gritted your teeth, glaring fearfully at Jimin, whose eyes slid from you to Caden, his smirk ever-present.
Caden gulped and then blew on the whistle, a new fire in his eyes. Jungkook screamed and slapped his palms to his ears. Taehyung started screaming too and you squeezed your eyes shut, trying to block out the sound. You whimpered, pulling from Caden's grip and stomping your feet.
"Stop this Caden, please, you promised!" You exclaimed, slapping his arm. But Caden wasn't looking at you, it was like he'd forgotten he was even holding onto you. He was instead staring at Jimin, the color draining from his face. You turned to see what he was looking out and gasped. Taehyung had fallen to his knees, scratching at his ears, but Jimin only looked mildly annoyed. He winced a bit and rubbed his ears, but he didn't fall to the ground or scream like the others. He barely looked affected at all. Caden stopped the whistle, staring wide-eyed at Jimin, who tossed his head and exhaled, smiling brightly.
"Well, that was a bit stronger than I remember, but nothing I can't handle." He said cheerfully, making a big show to yawn and hit the side of his head, like he was popping his ears.
Caden's hands were trembling and he squeezed the whistle in his fingers "What... how?" Jimin grinned and laughed, spreading his arms out.
"I told you, little human, your weak little toys won't work on me. I have dealt with far worse than you." He smirked and gave Caden a look that would have had braver men sprinting in the opposite direction.
Caden grimaced and stomped his foot. "I'm not little. I'm literally taller than you." He whined, like a little kid. You resumed your efforts to struggle out of Caden's grip, but you might as well have been fighting against iron shackles. He was in fight or flight mode, which meant his senses were kicking into overdrive and he was stronger than usual. If you were going to get free, he was going to have to let you go on his own accord.
Jimin tossed his head back and laughed. "Oh darling, you're all little to me. When you're on your knees, begging me to spare you, you're all little and pathetic." He grinned, taking a few steps forward. "Height has nothing to do with it."
"Kill him now!" Caden shouted, his voice cracking. You heard the hissing and snapping of crossbows firing and you gasped as five stakes flew straight at Jimin's chest.
Jimin's eyes flashed red and he jumped into action. He dodged and parried the stakes at a speed too fast for your eyes to follow. You gasped when he caught one of the stakes and threw it back at the hunters, hitting one of the crossbows. The hunter gasped as the weapon broke and fell out of his hands. Jimin rushed to them in a blur of motion and in one, sharp movement, he snapped one of the hunter's necks with a sickening crunch. You and Caden yelped as the hunter collapsed to the ground, his eyes glassy and very dead.
Jimin jumped to the next hunter, snatching the crossbow and breaking it over his knee before grabbing the hunter by his hair and tilted his head to the side. You gasped in horror as Jimin's jaw unhinged and he plunged his fangs into the hunter's neck. The hunter screamed and started to spasm and shake as Jimin clamped his jaw down tight on his neck. Only a few seconds later, the hunter stopped fighting and his body went limp. Jimin released his neck and grinned wiping the crimson blood from his lips with the back of his hand as the dead hunter slumped onto the ground.
"Taehyung, get up!" Jimin commanded, cracking his knuckles. You looked over at Taehyung, who shook his head and stood to his feet, wobbling slightly. Caden shoved you back, releasing his iron grip on you and pulled his crossbow over his shoulder.
You stumbled, trying not to lose balance from the force of the shove and gasped as Jimin turned around, grinning evilly.
"Well then," He said. "Let the games begin."