THE CROOKED SAINTS

06.

♫ track playing: lilith by halsey ft SUGA

I wake with a gasp, my throat jammed shut and my breaths imprisoned in my chest. I grip my neck to enable any passage of air but nothing works, and to my dismay, the sheets are ripped off of me. A seven foot tall shadow looms over me―the gilded eyes glowing vividly, panic blooms in my chest as I writhe―fearing any minute I could be a corpse. 

"You disobeyed me." The gravel voice tears open my flesh with an aching agony, my bones simmering to be ash. "You went against me." He kneels on the bed, brushing his decaying fingers over my cheek, "You'll pay." The smell of rotten flesh nauseates me and tears spring in my eyes, spots of black entering my vision.

"Stop." I hear myself choke out but I'm halfway into an comatose state so I can't stop myself from physically arching and silently pleading him to end this grief or to end me. "Stop." I whisper just as my vision goes obscure and all I see before facing the dark are the haunting gilt eyes that I once looked into without having my heart ripped open. 

☙

I'm jolted awake and the sunlight almost blinds me. I hear my panic-stricken inhale, my hand still gripping my neck but there's another hand on my shoulder. I clamber away from it, terror inching every space of my skin and leaving goosebumps in it's wake. 

Jungkook peers down at me, heavy gaze settled on me. His hand still mid-air from where it was placed on my shoulder. "I told you to―fucking knock." I snap, trying to compose myself but failing relentlessly. 

"I did. You didn't answer. We're ready for the final meeting," He says before his eyes flit to my right, I follow his gaze to find the water bottle on top of my side table. "Drink and calm yourself down. I'm waiting outside." He stops for a second before glancing over his shoulder, his eyes still as steely as the first time I saw them, "No one's here." He assures stiffly but I can't find myself to retort. I sit still as he exits the room and I pull the blanket to my chest, clutching it tight. The memory of last night tarnishing every morsel of belief in me. 

"Fuck." I mumble under my breath as I wipe my cheek and find it wet, I itch to get rid of every drop of tear that spitefully slides down my cheek. I'm not supposed to be crying but my body feels as if it was lacerated open and every bone, every muscle was knackered dry and put back together. I feel like a lump of muscle. And that's when realization dawns in. 

"Oh no. No. Fuck no!" I scramble out of the bed, standing upright and closing my eyes. Trying to channel any fragment of magic I can find in my blood but I feel nothing. "No." I sob out, closing my eyes tighter and urging my sorcery to flow through my veins and hum with the unprincipled warmth that I'm no stranger to. Nothing. 

I sink to my knees, feeling biting rage eat at my insides, every vein in my body screeching with the truancy of my sorcery. Larc wasn't going to get away with it. By devouring my magic out of me, he just clawed his way into a war zone. I was going to get it back in the most poisonous way possible, by feasting on every whimper of pain he unleashes when I annihilate his darkness limb by limb. 

Alarc Dragnis, my dearest brother, was going to taste the rancor of my magic that he seems to value incredibly, so much that he stole it on my mother's behalf. I grip the fabric of my shirt tight, fisting it. I'll make the magic so virulent for him, that the longer it's in his control, the longer his anguish sustains. 

I wasn't a fool, I know I was planning gamble against two of the most potent spirits to have ever existed, and if Dragnis blood was known to be treacherous, I would show them the worst treason they could imagine. 

And I knew exactly how. 

☙

Everyone's already in the lounge when I creak the door open and enter. It's visible from my appearance that I maintained minimum effort as I sport sweatpants and a crop top, my freshly washed hair pulled back by a pin. "I apologize for being late." I say, my curt tone resonating along the walls. 

All their eyes follow my movement as I take my seat on the armchair, shrugging my shoulders once to get rid of the apprehension and violence nestled deep inside me. "That's fine." Hoseok smiles astutely, walking forward and prolonging the blueprint towards me. He leans over me, pointing out the entrances they configured in my absence and I focuse frugally on them. 

"You'll be entering with Jimin. As his assigned plus one for the ball and both of your jobs is to keep an eye out. The rest of us will take care of the heist." Namjoon adds, his gaze flashing between me and the silver headed brooding man sitting in the far corner of the room, the whiskey in his hands and severity in his eyes making my back neaten. 

"We have to keep forward an act." He stuns me by speaking, his eyes cutting mine, "To every beating heart in there, we're a couple. We're the Elshers―you, soon to be. Nina Hwang, the fiance," He narrows his gaze at me indicating that's my alias, then his finger coils to himself, "Jihyun Elsher." 

I nod. "We're to be married, sickly in love, auctioning because Nina likes to waste money for a cause and all the consequential bullshit. The point is―" He leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees―a forbidding look on his face and his tongue darting out to wet his lips, "You will do everything in your power to seem tractable. Bat your eyelashes, be timid, whatever the it takes. But once we're in that hall, there's no messing up." 

Translation: Be a docile arm candy. 

I raise a brow at his impudence, but then my eyes trail over the grim expressions of every man in the room and I just nod, discerning that this was earnestly important to them. But that didn't mean what Jimin said didn't exasperate me. It irks me to the point where I want to take the whiskey in his hand and splosh it on his face and then shove the glass the down his throat. Tractable...Bat my eyelashes? If he wants a seductress, he'll get a seductress. 

"I understand." I settle on saying, my eyes speaking a different story as I make sure my depraved gaze is hooked with his calculating one. 

"Good, then. We appreciate it, Luna." Namjoon states, standing up. "The auction will take place tomorrow, but we will stay another two days in Italy. We can't be seen leaving on the same night of the robbery, it'll cause questions and the aiport is exactly where they'll look for the bandits." Everyone nods in agreement. 

"I have a question." I tilt my head curiously, "What is it exactly that you're stealing?" 

Namjoon grants me a slanted smirk, "The penumbra exhibit." 

My eyes widen inadvertently, "Are you serious?" There's enrapture in my voice and my stomach drops at the final resolution, this was one of the most ground shattering robberies and I was a part of it. The penumbra exhibit was worth over five hundred million dollars consisting of the finest jewels; the pink star, the Oppenheimer blue and over three hundred sorted diamonds paired with god knows the price attached to them. 

This just got way more electrifying, with risk comes the overbearing thrill. But my breath bottoms out as I lock eyes with Jimin once again, his untrusting eyes and contemptuous lips drill anxiety into my mind. He think I'll mess up, he has made sure I know I'm not welcome here and that I was the last resort. 

Well, little does he know, even without magic, I'm pretty darn enchanting. There's no resisting a pair of high heels and red painted lips of a vixen. 

☙

A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading! this is one of my favorite chapters! x