Because of the long wait, here is an extra long chapter! Enjoy! <3
LVII: Jungkook
In the split second it takes me to process this information, Taehyung has already sprung into action. Jerking us to the right, the arrow narrowly misses my shoulder by an inch. I can feel it cut through the wind as it flies past us.
"What was that?" I ask in horror and surprise, but Taehyung doesn't have time to answer. Another arrow whizzes toward us, and he ducks as I clutch onto him for dear life. He increases his speed towards Shadow Valley, determined to outrun the arrows. We tilt downwards towards the ground, as Taehyung's eyes scour the ground for a good landing spot.
A volley of arrows are let loose, and they fly through the air like missiles toward us. Taehyung curses under his breath, maneuvering the air with unmatched agility, trying to evade the oncoming arrows.
But there's simply too many.
As Taehyung's body tenses for the next onslaught, another arrow, this one swifter than the rest, is fired from a different direction. Straight towards Taehyung's neck.
"Tae, look out!" I yell, and Taehyung instinctively ducks. The arrow doesn't hit his neck, but instead lodges itself deep in the plumage of Taehyung's right wing. Taehyung's eyes grow wide, and a gasp is ripped from my throat as we start to free fall downwards, one wing not being enough to support our weight.
"Hold your fire!" I hear a familiar voice shouting from down below. "That isn't the monster!"
But it was too late.
We were spiraling through the sky, me holding desperately onto Taehyung. Taehyung's injured wing flaps weakly, but it's clear that it's out of commission. The ground gets closer and closer, and I'm reminded of the time Taehyung flew headfirst towards the Thames river in order to shake off the specters following us in London. Only there's no water below us now. Only hard asphalt and concrete. My body goes rigid, tensing for the moment in which we're sure to make contact with the earth. If we were lucky, we could probably escape with just a few broken bones. Of course, luck hasn't exactly been on our side lately. My eyes close, and I try to ready myself for the bone-jarring impact.
But at the last possible moment, Taehyung twists in midair, and both his wings fold out. I can't imagine how much pain his wing must cause him, but he flaps them once, sending a gust of air rolling over the ground. We skid the last few meters, carried by his wings, and land hard on the ground, with Taehyung taking most of the impact. His arms curl tighter around me, intending to bring my head close to his chest. But the collision with the hard ground forces us apart, and I roll away from him. The hard ground knocks the breath out of me, and I lie there, winded, as the world spins above me. I close my eyes, trying to ease the ringing in my ears. As my vision slowly starts to return to normal, I cough, feeling dust billow up around me. I don't feel any pain in my body except for a throbbing headache, so I know that nothing is broken. But what about Taehyung? His body had taken the hardest impact by trying to protect me. I look wildly around, getting to my feet on shaky legs. There, on the ground, about ten meters away, lies an unmoving black feathery shape.
"Tae!" I hurry over to his side, my movements wild. Taehyung's tunic sleeve is ripped, and dust and scratches coat his handsome face. He's lying on his side, both his wings splayed out behind him. His eyes are closed, but they slowly open as I put a hand on his cheek. He blinks them once, and when he sees me, his lips form into a strained smile. I feel myself smiling back, so glad that he's at least alive.
"I'm okay." He says, but the tension in my body doesn't loosen. I can't be sure if he's actually fine, or he's saying it just for my benefit. Since he's clenching his jaw tightly, and has an arrow stuck in his wing, I assume it's the latter.
"Tae, you're not okay," I kneel beside him, running one hand gently over his injured wing. The arrow shaft is wedged deep into his right wing, and he flinches when I touch the wound. It looks bad, and my hands fumble, not knowing what to do. Should I take the arrow out? Yes, that seems like the most sensible course of action.
"This might hurt." I tell him, before firmly grasping the arrow with my hands, and pulling it out in one quick motion. Taehyung hisses, but stays still as blood trickles from the wound. A surge of bloodlust threatens to flow through me when I see the blood staining his black feathers, but I bite my lip, determined to control it. This was definitely not the time to get into a feeding frenzy. Taehyung looks a bit better with the arrow out, but now I have no idea what to do. Even if I needed to clean the cut, I didn't have any medicine on me. As I try to brainstorm new ideas, I become aware of a new set of feet running towards me.
"Jungkook!" Jin's anxious voice sounds behind me, and I get crushed in a hug the moment I turn around. "You're okay!" Jin clings to me, and I can see tears starting to pool in his eyes. I feel a surge of relief go through me. Jin was here. Everything was alright. He would know how to treat Taehyung. Taehyung watches us through narrowed eyes, even scowling when Jin hugs me tighter. Jin doesn't seem to notice as he finally breaks away from me, wiping away a few stray tears before looking at Taehyung.
"Taehyung!" Jin breaks into a broad grin. "You're alive! How are you feeling?"
"I've been better." Taehyung answers, as Jin kneels next to him to examine his wing. He prods here and there, and Taehyung hisses every time he touches a sensitive spot. After a few minutes, Jin nods and looks up.
"It's not serious," Jin says, picking out a small blue bottle from his bag. I breathe out a sigh of relief. "The arrow didn't hit any vital bones, and the cut is clean, though deep. But you've strained it pretty badly. It should heal in about a week with the right poultice. Flying is completely off the table though. You'll have to levitate like the rest of us for a while, Taehyung."
"I don't mind." Taehyung grits his teeth as Jin applies medicine to the wound, then wraps it in a white bandage. Once he's done, Jin rummages through his bag, his usually calm face suddenly looking stormy. "But you took quite a nasty fall. Your right shoulder is dislocated, and though it's easy to pop into place, it'll hurt."
"I can take it." Taehyung says, and Jin nods. "Okay. Jungkook, hold Taehyung steady so he doesn't move. I need him to be absolutely still." I move into position behind Taehyung, securing my arms around his body. He leans into me, his hot breath tickling my cheek. Jin puts his hands on Taehyung's shoulder firmly, ignoring Taehyung's sharp intake of breath.
"Ready? One, two, three!" Jin pulls Taehyung's arm forward and straight, guiding the ball of his arm back into the shoulder socket. Taehyung's body jerks, and he bites his lip so hard a droplet of blood stains his white teeth. This time, I can't control myself. As Taehyung's body starts to relax, I bend forward to kiss him. Simultaneously, my tongue flicks out to taste his blood, feeling the tart flavor bloom in my mouth. As soon as I do, I quickly pull back, feeling shy.
Taehyung stares at me in delighted surprise. "When did you become so confident?" This, of course, makes my blush come up, and he laughs. Jin makes a makeshift sling out of white cloth, bringing it over the shoulder, so that Taehyung's arm is firmly secured.
"All done." Jin gathers up all his equipment back into his bag, dusting his hands off.
"Thanks, Jin." Taehyung says gratefully, moving his arm back and forth in his sling, before wincing.
"If you're really thankful," Jin's face changes into a scowl. "You will never ever do something like that again. What were you thinking, trying to fight off the monster on your own? God that was so... so..." He struggles to find the right word. "Stupid, Taehyung! We were very nearly the first vampires in recorded history to have a heart attack!" Underneath his angry tone, it's clear that he's overflowing with concern.
Before Taehyung can answer though, another voice sounds from close by. This time a female voice, along with the sounds of many pairs of running feet. As I look to my left, I see the rest of our group running towards us, with Lisa in front.
"Taehyung!" Lisa gasps, running to her brother. He envelops her in a tight hug, and the siblings cling to each other for a minute. Lisa is careful with Taehyung's injured arm as she searches his face for any wounds or cuts.
"Oh thank the Great Above that you two are okay!" Lisa sighs, sending me a brilliant smile. "Jin here was absolutely convinced that you two couldn't have survived that high a fall. And even if you had, we weren't sure what the monster would do to you. We tried to send a rescue team down, but all we discovered were burned out fires, and none of us could trace your scent in the dense forest. Even I have to admit, I started losing hope after the frigid night."
"We all thought you two were dead!" Jin bursts out, furiously wiping the tears from his eyes. "I saw Jungkook fall off the cliff and I thought... I thought... " He shakes his head, the rest of his words ending in a sob as he buries his face in Namjoon's chest.
"I don't believe it," Namjoon marvels, holding Jin close. "I really don't. Taehyung, is that really you?"
"It is," Taehyung agrees. His crimson eyes flash in the predawn gloom, as if to prove his point. Namjoon breaks into a broad grin, leaning forward to clap Taehyung on the back. Taehyung winces when Namjoon accidentally hits his dislocated shoulder by mistake. Namjoon guiltily backs away, while Jin hits his chest lightly with a disapproving, "Yah!"
"But I don't get it," Baekhyun says, looking at me. "How did you manage to overpower the monster when none of the strongest warriors could? Uh, no offense, but you're not much of a fighter, Jungkook."
"V," I say quietly, and everyone turns to look at me. "His name is V, not the monster. And I didn't overpower him. He willingly handed back control."
"Willingly?" Hoseok repeats. "Why?"
"Because..." A lump forms in my throat as I think of his last words. His pitch black eyes. "Because he wanted me to be happy." Taehyung stands stone-still beside me, and I take a tentative peek at his face. I would give anything to know what he's thinking right now, but his face is impassive, like a slate of marble.
Baekhyun looks absolutely confused. "So, what you're saying is that he handed over control to Taehyung and stopped the war because he wanted you to be... happy?"
"In a way, yes." I drop my gaze to the ground, and Baekhyun takes this as a sign that he shouldn't ask anymore questions, though I can see he has many more.
"So the monster―sorry, V, is gone?" Hoseok asks, a bit of hope creeping into his voice. Even though I try not to, I involuntarily flinch at his words, before just nodding. No matter what I said, would V always be considered an antagonist? It is true that he never showed his so called "good" side to anyone except me, and had caused more destruction that one person should be able to do. But it felt wrong to have people looking back at this moment, and breathing sighs of relief that V was completely gone. Perhaps even praising me for being the one who had somehow eradicated him. I didn't want that. I wanted V to be remembered... not as a hero, but not as the villain either. He didn't deserve that. I turn to Taehyung, wondering if he had an idea that could change everyone's perspective of V.
"Taehyung..." My words die out as I realize that Taehyung is not standing next to me anymore. I look around, only to find him down the street, gazing at the broken down buildings half eaten by fire. His posture is relaxed, and his face serene enough, but I'm not fooled. Underneath that nonchalant mask, his hands shake ever so slightly, and his eyes are hard as steel. I know him well enough to know that something is bothering him. And it's not hard to guess. I walk over to him, but he doesn't turn to look at me like he usually does.
"Tae?" I touch his uninjured shoulder lightly, not wanting to startle him. He turns around slowly to face me, and when he does, I see that his eyes are horror-filled.
"I destroyed a clan, Jungkook." Taehyung's voice is strained and hollow. "Not just a city, but a whole clan this time, and one as big as Shadow Valley. I knew it was bad, but not... not this. Not to this scale."
"We can fix it," I assure him, taking his cold hands in mine and pressing it to my cheek. "This wasn't your fault." His smile looks like a controlled grimace, and I can tell that he doesn't believe me. But all he says is, "I hope so." I let it go just this once, and with a sigh, he pulls me closer to him.
He handles me so carefully, his fingers pressing softly against my temples, my cheekbones, my jawline. Like one stray touch would undo me. No wonder. After seeing all the destruction he had caused, I must look like an easily breakable piece of porcelain in comparison. But he doesn't pull away when I rest my head against his chest, putting my palm over his non-beating heart. His hand, lighter than a moth's wing, brushes my hair back, so that his lips can touch the hollow beneath my ear. I shiver at the unexpected intimacy of the gesture, though in reality, I should have expected it. He lifts my chin up with one hand, examining my face. I close my eyes, feeling his lips brush against mine as he leans down. But with a sudden intake of breath, he pulls away, leaving me confused and disappointed. But I soon see why.
His arms around me tense again, and when my eyes flutter open, I see that Xian has come into the small clearing, his storm-gray eyes troubled as he glances at the burned buildings. Alastair follows him, and as grandfather and grandson make eye contact, it's clear that their feelings for each other haven't changed in the slightest. While they survey the area, Hoseok detaches himself from the crowd, and goes to Xian's side. As they talk in low, hushed tones, I'm glad to see that they seem much more comfortable with each other than before. Hoseok even kisses Xian on the cheek before returning to his group. Xian turns bright red, and a dreamy smile spreads across his face, before he switches back to his stone-faced 'leader' facade with obvious reluctance. Taehyung knits his eyebrows together in confusion, and I realize that he still didn't know about Hoseok and Xian's pairing.
"Soulmates." I whisper into his ear, and understanding dawns in Taehyung's eyes. A real smile twitches at the corner of his lips as he glances at Hoseok, who also has a faint blush on his cheeks. Xian walks over to us, nodding his head in curt greeting. Alastair follows, a bit more warily. He and Taehyung pointedly don't look at each other.
"Xian," Taehyung looks the leader of Shadow Valley in the eyes. "I'm so sorry."
Xian stares at Taehyung for a long moment, before shaking his head. "Jungkook's right. You are not to blame for this. In the end, it is not your fault. My clan..." He glances around at the burned wreckage, and purses his lips. "My clan will recover. I'll make sure of it. We've faced... well, maybe not worse, but certainly many hardships in the past. This is just one of them."
Taehyung nods, though I can still see guilt in his eyes. "I'll help in any way I can, I promise."
Xian smiles a tight-lipped smile. "I think I'll hold you to that promise. Soobin," He nods to a young brown-haired boy standing next to him. "Make a count of the survivors, and those unhurt enough to work. We need all the help we can to rebuild." Even though I'm sure that Xian didn't mean it, his words make Taehyung feel another wave of guilt. I squeeze his hand, and his uninjured hand comes up to stroke my hair.
"Of course sir," Soobin says, saluting before walking away. Xian nods a farewell to us, before walking after his deputy. I expect Alastair to follow them, but he doesn't. Instead, his blue eyes rest on Taehyung.
"Taehyung," Alastair gazes at his grandson, his movements unsure. "You're back."
"Yes." Taehyung's voice is pure ice, and I shiver. I'm not used to him speaking so harshly. "I'm sure you're thrilled."
Alastair scowls. "I am, actually. Considering that the monster tried to kill me the last time he saw me."
"I would have forgiven him," Taehyung says with conviction "I would have thanked him."
"No you wouldn't have," Alastair says with equal bite in his tone. "If I died, and you couldn't take back control from the monster, where would that leave Lisa? With no family at all. Think about how she would feel."
Taehyung sneers. "I'm glad to see you're finally starting to care about my family. How long did it take you? Oh, I remember. Five centuries. Five bleeding centuries. As for Lisa, I don't think she would have minded in the least whether you were alive or not. Having you as family is the same thing as having no one at all."
This time, Alastair looks a bit apologetic. "All your accusations are true, I concede that. And I want you to know that I'm... sorry." Taehyung raises an eyebrow, but Alastair continues. "I have no excuse for my actions. That's why I hoped that by siding with your friends in the war, I could earn back your trust."
Taehyung looks stunned for a moment, before a bitter laugh leaves his lips. "Do you really expect me to just overlook all those years of neglect for a single apology? You're going to have to try harder than that." His tone becomes scathing. "And there's nothing to earn back, Grandfather. You never had my trust from the start."
This was going a bit too far. "Tae―" I start, but he whirls on me, fangs bared. I shrink away from his dominating gaze.
"Don't." His voice is dark, nothing like how he speaks to me usually. His grip on me is so tight that it's painful. Alastair merely watches the exchange, an unidentifiable emotion crossing his face. Taehyung takes a deep breath, before turning back to face his grandfather. There's hatred in his voice when he speaks.
"Stay away, Grandfather," Taehyung snarls. "If you really want to earn my trust, then start by staying away from me and my family. From Lisa. From Jungkook. From everyone I love. I don't want to think of you as an ally, only to have you backstab me at the last moment. Go back to Blackcliff, and stay there."
Alastair doesn't look surprised at Taehyung's outburst, like he had already expected this from the start. He simply nods, and for once, he looks like a tired old man rather than a hardheaded military leader. "If that's what you want."
"It is. Goodbye, Grandfather." Taehyung doesn't even bother to look back as he stalks off, with me still in his tightened embrace. Neither of us speaks for a while, though I can sense the hate rolling off him in waves.
"He helped in the war," I finally say quietly. "Can you please try to forgive him? At least give him a chance. For me." I play my trump card, hesitantly looking up at his face.
Taehyung stares at me, disbelief crossing his eyes. "You want me to forgive my grandfather? You of all people? Have you forgotten how much he disapproved of you just because you were human?"
'I haven't," I say quickly. "I just think he deserves a chance."
Taehyung purses his lips, and I can see that he's struggling to reach a decision. Finally, he shakes his head. "I can't, Jungkook. No matter how much you want it, I can't ignore the fact that he mistreated us for hundreds of years. I'm sorry, but I won't change my mind, at least not yet. Not even for you. Can you understand that?" A note of pleading has entered his voice.
"Yes," My voice is soft. "I can." I realize that it will be futile to try and change his mind now.
Taehyung smiles his true, boxy smile, and holds me tight. He reaches his hands out to hold my face, his smooth thumb tracing across my lips. Now and then, I feel his face press into my hair. "Thank you," he breathes in my ear. I smile, tilting my head up so that our lips touch, his surprisingly warm and sweet on mine...
Someone coughs.
We both turn, only to see the whole group staring at us. Jin and Namjoon are both making overly sappy expressions, while Baekhyun looks plain disgusted. Hoseok looks as if he's trying to stifle a laugh, but not really succeeding. I turn red, and try to back away, but Taehyung doesn't seem to be planning to loosen his grip anytime soon. He doesn't look fazed in the slightest, perhaps even enjoying the company. He leans down to kiss my forehead, a sweet but poor substitute from our slow kiss on the lips, before turning to address the group.
"I think we should all head back," Taehyung says, as if nothing had happened. "We shouldn't linger here, not when there's so much to be done. Since Armad Castle is... gone, we should probably go back to my childhood home. It's the safest place, and it's also conveniently located close to Shadow Valley. I intend to keep my promise to help them rebuild." Murmurs of agreement fill the square, though I notice that Hoseok remains silent. Taehyung notices it too, because he turns to Hoseok, who looks up with wide eyes.
"And what about you, Hoseok?" Taehyung asks. "Do you want to come with us, or do you want to stay here with Xian? He is your soulmate, after all."
Hoseok hesitates for a split second, before nodding. "I want to stay here. You and Jungkook have been very good to me, and I enjoyed my work, but I think... I think I want to settle down. And I do love Xian. This seems like the perfect opportunity to do so."
Taehyung smiles. "Then I wish you all the best, Hoseok. Shadow Valley is lucky to have you as their queen." Hoseok blushes, murmuring his thanks. Taehyung then turns his attention to the rest of the group. "Everyone else, we're going home."
"Home?" I murmur, resting my head on Taehyung's chest. "Are we really going home?" The prospect seems too good to be true. Even through my half closed eyes, I'm almost certain that he smiled. A wave of fatigue washes over me, strong enough for me to close my eyes completely for a minute. Because we were so absorbed with our search for V, I hadn't slept in more than four days. The exhaustion was starting to catch up to me, now that I was comfortable and in no danger. A pair of warm lips press against my own, and a small giggle escapes me. A deep chuckle sounds, and the beautiful, velvet voice of my lover echoes in my ear.
"Yes, my love. We're going home."