Once the night got started and the club began to fill, Hobi and Jimin joined us in the VIP lounge. A little later, Jin and Namjoon made their way up, too. Taehyung was the last to show, carrying two bottles of liquor in both hands to the cheers of everyone in the little room. Yoongi was at home working on something for Jin and wouldn't be there.
The VIP lounge was a series of booths tucked in the corner of the warehouse space that overlooked the dance floor on one side and the stage on the other. Because ours was in the corner of the lounge, we had a view of both. Jessi actually put on a good show, so I spent much of the night leaning over the railing so I could watch her set as the guys joked and carried on behind me.
"Hey, Morgan," Hobi yelled. "Play a drinking game with us!"
I looked at him over my shoulder. His eyes were squinted nearly shut and he was slurring his words. "Hobi, you're three sheets to the wind already. I don't think you need to be playing drinking games with anyone."
He laughed and leaned over Jungkook and Jimin, grabbing the waistband of my pants and pulling me into the plush velvet bench. "Don't be silly! I can still drink any of you under the table!"
"It's your funeral," I chuckled, grabbing a shot of something clear and throwing it back. When everyone looked at me, I shrugged. "Gotta warm up the throat first."
Everyone laughed while Jin poured out everyone's shots. "So what are we playing?"
"Never have I ever," Taehyung yelled.
"You guys do know I can't remember anything, right," I asked, looking around at everyone.
"Then you have nothing to worry about," Namjoon said in his deep voice that was only sexier when it was raspy from all the alcohol he'd knocked back. I tried not to think about that.
"Come here, sit with me," Jungkook said, throwing his arm around me when I scooted up beside him. He was growing on me. They all were, actually.
"Don't hog her, Kookie," Jimin said, sliding up on my other side.
"So you're not still mad at me," I asked.
He wrinkled up his face. His eyes were glassy and he looked half gone. "For what? I could never be mad at a pretty girl like you!"
I glanced at Hobi whose face had fallen and turned serious as he looked at his friend. I realized he wasn't as drunk as I'd thought he was. He caught me looking and shook his head slightly before reaching up and grabbing his shot. Jin clamped his hand around Hobi's wrist, stopping him from drinking it.
"Not until we start the game!"
"Then start! I'm thirsty," he yelled back at Jin, plastering the fake smile back on his face.
"Okay, okay," Taehyung said, leaning forward. "I'll start." He looked at me with an evil grin on his face. "Never have I ever slept nude."
"Oh! That's not fair," I yelled. "Who told you?"
"Honey, there are no secrets with us," Taehyung said, giving me that boxy smile of his. "Drink up!"
"Fuck you guys," I said, tossing the shot back. Jin immediately refilled it. Jungkook and Jimin took shots, too. I looked at each of them.
Jungkook shrugged. "Just be glad I haven't been sleeping in my own bed lately."
"Alright, Namjoon hyung. It's your turn," Tae said, leaning back in his seat.
"Hmm...okay. Never have I ever had a one night stand."
"Wait, really?" Jin asked, his eyes going wide.
"Never had the opportunity."
Everybody but me and Namjoon took a shot on that one. Namjoon sat back, pleased with himself.
Jin was next. "Fine. Never have I ever lied about myself to get laid." He smirked at Joon.
"Man, fuck you! That was one time!"
"Still counts, Joonie. Drink up!"
"Wait, I think I need to hear this story," I said with a grin, looking around at the men.
Jungkook leaned over to me, laughing. "Joon hyung met a hot noona online, but she would only date guys a lot younger than her. So he told her he was like 18 when he was 23. When she found out, she broke it off."
"Okay, but that's creepy. How old was she?"
"I don't know. Maybe 42?"
I looked at Joon, my mouth hanging open. He just smirked and took his shot. "She was hot. And fucking crazy in bed."
"Fucking crazy in general, sounds like."
"Jealous?" His eyes burned into mine. I glared at him and threw myself back in the seat.
"Okay...moving on," Hobi said, trying to keep the mood light. "Hmmm...gotta make it a good one. Never have I ever had sex in public."
"Fuck," Jungkook cursed, throwing back his shot. I looked sideways at him and grinned. His smile made me feel warmth in dangerous places. "Fucked a girl behind the club once. Got arrested for it. Ten out of ten would do it again." He laughed when he saw my face. "What? It was hot!"
I pursed my lips and sat back into his waiting arm. I was learning all kinds of interesting things.
"Your turn, Kookie," Hobi said.
"Alright." I could feel him looking down at me, but I refused to meet his stare. Namjoon was looking between Kook and me, but I couldn't read his expression. "Never have I ever sucked a dick."
I took the shot.
"Wait! I thought you couldn't remember anything," Tae said, leaning forward. All of their eyes focused on me.
I tipped my head to the side. "I don't, but I know me and it's a pretty safe bet to say I've done that."
There were various looks and sounds of approval from the guys around me until Jimin sighed and took the shot beside me. We all turned and stared at him, wide-eyed.
"What? We were both drunk and experimenting. Not like it's a big deal."
"Who," at least three people yelled, but I couldn't tell who.
Jimin just grinned seductively and shook his head. "Nope. That's not part of the game."
"Damn, this is a good game," Hobi said, refilling mine and Jimin's shots. "Your turn, Morgan."
"Never have I ever killed just for the fun of it."
You could have heard a pin drop around our little group as they looked at each other. Then, one by one, they each took the shot. I didn't think about it being a low blow, but judging by the looks I was getting, it must have been. No one had the chance to say anything about it, though, because the black haired security guy, Seonghwa, was jogging up the stairs towards us.
"Sorry to bother you, hyungs, but there's a guy that says he's here to see Namjoon hyung. Says he's here to pay back a debt for his boss."
"Who's his boss," Namjoon asked, leaning forward. Any sign of the reverie from before was gone. He was all business again.
"Cha Hakyeon."
Namjoon chuckled and leaned back. "Send the fucker up. This should be good."
Jungkook wrapped his arm tighter around me and leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Don't say anything. If he speaks to you, let Namjoon or Jin answer for you. And act drunk."
I nodded and picked my legs up into the seat, leaning into Jungkook more. As the mousy-looking man came into the little room and started bowing to everyone, I put my hand on Jungkook's thigh and nuzzled into his neck, giggling like an idiot.
The man stiffened when he saw me. Jungkook dropped his head back and ran his fingers over my shoulders. I ran my hand up and down his leg and kept giggling.
"Who's the bitch?"
My fingers dug into Jungkook's thigh sharply. His dug into my shoulders in warning. I latched my lips onto his throat to keep them from saying something they shouldn't. Jungkook cleared his throat, making his Adam's apple bounce.
"The bitch is none of your concern," Jin growled. "What are you doing here?"
The guy shuffled on his seat and pulled a bottle of expensive-looking alcohol from a duffel bag on his shoulder. "Cha Hakyeon sends his regards and deepest apologies for the actions of his associates last night."
"I'm having to replace the carpet and two whole rows of seats in my theater and the best your boss can do is send a bottle of soju," Jin hissed. I rested my head on Jungkook's chest so I could watch from the corner of my eye. The man opened the bottle and started pouring shots in everyone's glasses. Everyone's but mine. His eyes flashed to me, but I acted like I was too drunk to notice.
"He's prepared to pay for any damages the...unfortunate... death may have caused." The man's voice was strained in a weird way. It's like he was holding back some strong emotion, hiding it behind contrition. I couldn't help but turn my face to him. Sweat beaded up on his forehead as he looked around the room nervously. He poured himself a shot but his hands trembled when he went to grab it. Something was very wrong with this dude but my guys were too fucked to see it. Jimin was in and out of consciousness beside me, just perking up enough to drunkenly grab his shot glass. Hobi's eyes were barely open. Jin and Joon looked reasonably coherent, but they were watching the man for signs of a weapon. Jungkook was tense and ready to pounce, but he was holding the shot glass, ready to shoot it as soon as his hyungs did. Taehyung watched the situation cautiously, but I could tell he wasn't sure what the problem was, either.
"Oh, he's sure as fuck going to pay for the damages. I've had to reschedule a month's worth of auctions until I get everything done. That, alone, is going to cost me millions. Is Hakyeon ready to pay that?"
"Of course," the man said, He bowed to hide his clenched teeth. My heart rate jumped up. I sat forward despite Jungkook inconspicuously trying to pull me back. I glanced over at the shot glass. Something about the soju looked...off. I scanned the dude's clothes as quickly as I could, but I couldn't see any sign of weapons. Surely security would have checked him before letting him in.
"This soju is just an offering to show Cha Hakyeon's feelings toward Bangtan. He wishes only to give you that which you deserve. Shall we toast?"
"Absolutely," Jin said, holding up his shot. "To acts of contrition."
The man narrowed his eyes and brought his shot up in toast, then to his lips. But he didn't take it. He didn't even let it touch his skin. And that's how I knew.
"No!" I lunged forward, knocking the shot from Jin's hand. The man jumped up and back, pressing himself against the railing like he was about to jump. I reached out with my hand, wrapping my power around his throat and pulling him back down into his seat. He looked up at me in fear and anger.
"What the fuck, Morgan," Jin screamed, standing. Taehyung jumped up and pulled the curtains closed, hiding us from the rest of the people in the club that hadn't yet figured out something was wrong due to the noise in the building.
"It's poison," I growled, staring down at the man that dare kill my men. I shook off the darkness at the edges of my vision that was threatening to take over. Using my powers for too long was dangerous, but I didn't care. This man had come to kill them and he wasn't about to get away.
"Morgan," Hobi said cautiously, stepping up behind me.
I turned and shot him a look. "Sit down, Hobi. He came here to kill you all." Hoseok's eyes went wide and he sat down slowly. Even Jin stepped back when he saw me, something very close to fear written on his face. I turned back to the man. "Tell them."
"Monster," the man whispered. I tightened my mental grip on his throat, cutting just a little more air off, but not enough that he couldn't speak.
"You're about to see a monster if you don't speak up. Why are you here?"
"Hyunsoo was Hakyeon's cousin."
"Fuck," Namjoon whispered beside me. "She was right."
"So you came to poison them as retribution."
"Yes."
"Then I think the proper justice would be to make you do that which you came to do. No?"
"Please," he struggled. I tightened my grip.
"Drink it."
"No."
I narrowed my eyes and dropped my chin. The power that was coursing through me was delicious and ominous. I drank it in, getting as drunk off it as any drug or liquor. I found his mind with mine and flayed it open. His eyes went wide, then his pupils dilated. I was in. I smiled.
"Drink it," I said again. My voice was low and harsh. So much so that I didn't even recognize it anymore. I loosened my grip on the man's throat so he could move.
Without a word, the man leaned forward, picked up his shot, and tossed it down his throat. Almost immediately he began to convulse as foam poured from his mouth. Within seconds, his body went slack in his seat. I let him go and straightened, smiling down at his body.
"Morgan," Hobi's voice said behind me, softly.
"Yes?"
"You can let go now."
I dropped my head to the side, then let it fall backwards, feeling the seductive pull of my powers. "No. I don't think I can. I'm having too much fun."
I felt Jungkook step up behind me. His hands trailed up my arms and he bent over to kiss my shoulders again. I sighed and leaned back against his chest. "Let go, baby. He's gone. You did good."
"Mmmm...Jungkook..." I moaned. "More..."
"Yes, baby, of course. But you have to let go, first."
"Okay, Kookie." I said, pushing the power down, feeling it coil around inside me like a venomous snake. As it left me, so did my energy. When it was gone, my knees buckled and I fell into Jungkook's waiting arms. He dropped back into the velvet cushions, bringing me with him.
"Is she back," Jin asked cautiously.
"I think so. Morgan, is that you?"
"Yeah. What happened?" I looked at the faces around me.
"What's the last thing you remember," Namjoon asked, leaning forward.
"The man was about to--" I looked over and saw the man in his chair and it all came back to me. "Fuck! No! Did I...?"
"Tae, take her home," Jin interrupted, his voice changing back to the authoritarian I was used to. "Kook, stay here and help clean this up."
Taehyung stood, pulling me out of Jungkook's arms and rushing me out of the room. The bodies around us pulsed and pushed against us, but Tae kept a firm grip around my arm and waist. Gina looked over at me, her eyes narrowing for a moment before she returned to the people around the bar demanding drinks. Everything else was a blur as Taehyung put me in the car and tore off through the night towards the house.
"It's been so long since it happened," I mumbled to myself. "If I stay in that space too long..."
"Ssh, it's okay," Tae said, patting my knee.
I flinched at his touch. "No! You don't understand. The longer I'm there, the harder it is to come back. The power...whatever this is...it does something to me. It corrupts my mind." I grabbed my head, squeezing against the pain that was setting up in my brain like a vice crushing my skull. Tears filled my eyes, though I had no control over them. The pain was just that strong.
"We'll be home soon and I'll take care of you. Don't worry. Just hang on a little bit longer."
I could see him glancing at me from my slowly deteriorating peripheral vision. "I shouldn't have come here," I moaned. "I should've stayed on the streets. I'm going to get you all killed."
Just like you got her killed.
Then the voice inside my head laughed.