The Sacrifice of The Blood King: A Taekook Story

Chapter Twenty-Three: You Belong to Me

(The above artwork is not mine, I just absolutely love it. Credit goes to the artist!)

>SMUT WARNING<

...

Cold darkness surrounds Jungkook as he stands on an icy mountaintop. All he can see is falling snow and glimmering ice beneath his feet. With each step, his boots crunch loudly, and the wind dances around him, piercing his skin with frigid ice and snow. In the wind, Jungkook hears more than howling; he hears the sobs of pain. Sharp broken yelps and quivering gasps force him forward, his whole focus solely on the voice pleading for help before being fractured and broken by a scream.

He moves blindly, turning in the direction he thinks he hears the cries before he suddenly is inside a stone room. Steely bars stretch across one wall and red-speckled hay is scattered along the floor. The ceiling has two thick chains dangling from it, and hanging there is Taehyung. The large rusted chains cut into his wrists, ripping at the delicate flesh. He is naked except for the silver chain around his throat that glows in the dim torchlight.

Jungkook tries to run to him, yet he cannot move; his feet are restrained by his own set of chains. From the darkness behind Taehyung, he can see a whip flick out and lash into the prince's back. Another sharp cry echoes around the dungeon as Taehyung is whipped again and again, each scream and cry piercing Jungkook's ears. Blood drips onto the hay below, but no matter how hard they struggle, neither man can break free from the restraints holding them in place.

"Stop it! He's done nothing wrong! Stop!" Jungkook screams, yanking desperately at the chain around his feet, yet it just seems to get tighter and tighter. A maniacal laugh breaks through the darkness before it lashes Taehyung once more.

Jungkook watches in horror, constantly fighting the rusted steel around him as Taehyung's screams burn through him, searing deep into his soul.

...

Jungkook wakes with a start, a guttural cry on his lips as he sits bolt upright against his pillows. Sweat coats his skin, yet he feels so cold, his body shivering as he tries desperately to not recall his nightmare. The look on Taehyung's face, the blood on the hay, the maniacal laughter, and the restraint of the chains; all bounce around his mind until he feels as if he is going insane from the scene.

Beside him, Taehyung shifts and sighs, still consumed by sleep as he lies facing away from Jungkook with his face squished against the pillow. Gold swirls linger on his skin, though much fainter as some of it has finally worn off while the prince slept. Jungkook takes a deep breath, trying to calm the worry rushing through his veins, yet he can't stop it. He slowly shifts the bedsheets to expose Taehyung's back. His beautiful caramel skin is only marked by the hickeys and lovebites the king made earlier in the night; not a single mark shows of a torturous lashing. Heat radiates off the prince, and Jungkook is drawn to him like a moth to a flame. He lies down once again, turning so he is facing Taehyung's back. His long, calloused, fingers trace over a hickey and along the silver chain around Taehyung's neck.

He tries to forget the image of it glowing in that prison cell, yet he cannot. His mind tortures him with replays of that moment, not once stopping no matter how much Jungkook tells himself it was just a dream. When he closes his eyes, he can see the blood-stained whip lashing out of the darkness and the flash of agony consuming Taehyung's face. He hears the screams of pain and the maniacal laughter that followed.

His own struggling scream burns in his chest as he pulls Taehyung closer, burying his face in the small crevice between Taehyung's neck and shoulder, ignoring the metal chain so he can smell the sweet scent of sandalwood that wafts off the prince. A scent that isn't marred by blood. His hands cling tightly to the prince's bare waist, needing him as close as possible. He needs him safe here.