Beast, Blood, & Soul

* 49 *

I couldn't sleep.

I sat downstairs, in the kitchen with a single lamp on, looking through my childhood journal. Mindlessly turning pages. Memories I no longer had any recollection of except for the odd dream.

A hand suddenly closes the book and I look up. Jungkook is staring at me with a frown. He's shirtless and wearing loose pajama pants.

"Why aren't you asleep?" his voice is soft and loving. Will I never be able to hear this voice once the new moon comes? A tear falls from my eye.

"I can't stop seeing the nightmare," I whisper, my voice tremulous as I try not to cry in front of him.

"Oh, baby," He picks me up and puts me in his lap. He wraps me in his arms, tucking my head under his chin. "You know we're not going to let anything happen to you."

"I can't help but be afraid," I shiver. "I don't want to put everyone in danger."

"Hey," He kisses the top of my head, "We are going to find her and end this."

"But.."

He pulls away from me so he can look me in the eye, "Hey, where did my brave girl go?"

I look at him, "She got scared," I burst into tears. I wrap my arms around him, holding him tightly. I don't want this to end. "It's just really hitting home.  It was her plan. I was meant to die." I sob into his embrace. Jungkook just lets me cry, rocking me gently as he holds me.

When I've calmed down a little, he pulls me back to look at him and he wipes the tears from my red cheeks. "Feel better now that you got that out?" I nodded, my nose too stuffed up to make talking comfortable. I get up and grab a tissue from the counter and blow my nose.

"It's okay to be scared. We're scared, too," he says.

"You are?" I ask.

"Of course, eternal slavery is her goal. Can't wait." He says with a sardonic smile.

"Ha. Ha." I give an equally sarcastic response. I lean back into him and let my mind process how I'm feeling. "I want to believe that our love can win this. Just like how we had that purple shield that didn't let her take me. That somehow, our love, our intent, will make the magic help us."

"But?" he prompts.

"It's her game. She has all the cards. She knows all the plays. I'm even her creation. How do I beat her?" I choke out as I try to stifle more sobs.

"We. We will beat her." I look up at him. "We will beat her together. It's been only us for 500 years forcing her into a stalemate. She's made a move. You. We will make our move, too." He wipes the tears that refuse to stay off my cheeks. "She's given us till the new moon, right?"

I nod.

"One way or another, this will be finished." He sighs deeply. "I'm almost glad. I'm ready to be done with this and live our lives again."

"But what if she is right and I'm dead?" I whisper. Worry and fear consume me. Once free of their bonds to me, will they even care if I'm dead? Once they are free, will I matter? Gah, I feel like I'm stuck on a feedback loop. I just can't shake this worry.

"Stop that." Jungkook scolds me. "I can see it in your face. Every time we get that look off your face, she brings it back. You are NOT just bait. You are who we love. You are who we have started to live for."

He picks up my left hand. He points to the ring on my finger. The 8 gems gleam like their ruby eyes. "We didn't just give this to you because we're enslaved to your heart." He takes my hand and gives it a kiss. "We gave this to you because we love you. We learned to feel again, because of you. We learned to want again, because of you. We learned to live. Do you think that is something that can be determined by magic?"