Demon and the Mage (Jeongcheol)

Seungcheol

We'd faced a lot of shit in the past, but this had to be the worst. Not because of the actual threat but because we had so much more to lose.

And that meant we were going to fight. We couldn't stop them from coming for us, but that didn't mean we wouldn't prepare for it. I'd known without even asking my brothers that we'd go down swinging to save our mates. Literally, one of the only positives to come out of this whole thing was the knowledge that Jeonghan was safe from the ghasts, thanks to our mating bond. Plus, we had a heads-up of what was coming and a list of the ringleaders' names.

We got to work right away. The following weeks held a flurry of meetings, strategising, and hunting.

Sal hadn't given us much to go on. We knew those involved in the uprising planned on hitting us all at once before heading downstairs to take out Lucifer. They believed that killing us would weaken him, reminding any demons loyal to him that he had no succession plan. However, we also knew the attack wasn't imminent because those uprising were still building their strength. The more mages the ghasts captured, the more powerful their army would be.

Still, that didn't stop us from getting to work. Jeonghan and Joshua had extracted several names and locations from Sal before breaking them. Using my tracking skills, Vernon and I hunted them down before extracting whatever information we could. Frustratingly that was...little.

Soonyoung had volunteered to break into Hell to see what he could find out. Turned out Jeonghan wasn't only a pro at glamouring himself, but also other supes. The magic Jeonghan used on Soonyoung meant he could sneak downstairs without our father being any the wiser.

Meanwhile, Joshua strengthened the wards around all the places our mates frequented along with our own properties. Again, Jeonghan got in on the action, adding his own magic to create another layer of protection. No one other than my siblings, our mates, and Toby could cross them without us knowing about it.

Jeonghan had even stepped in to help Joshua train Seokmin and Seungkwan. Being mated to a demon meant we'd started self-defence lessons with them both several months before, but this threat on the horizon meant stepping up their abilities another notch.

Seeing the seamless way he blended in with my family made me love Jeonghan more. He could've taken one look at the shitstorm the demon laid out for us and gone running into the distance. Instead, he'd jumped in with both feet, determined to help us in any way he could.

Even so, I felt like tearing my hair out in frustration over the whole situation. Why was life never straightforward? This was supposed to be our honeymoon stage. We were supposed to spend days in bed, fucking and talking.

Not preparing for an attack that we knew far too little about.

I'd just returned from dispatching another name on the demon's list and was more than ready to hold Jeonghan. I wanted to hold him close, to feel some peace and solace in his arms for a few hours.

I landed outside his house and crept inside. I knew he was asleep, thanks to the bond, but that didn't stop me from wanting to be near him.

He was sprawled across the bed, dressed in a pair of red pyjamas. Turned out all his talk about only sleeping in briefs was bollocks. His mouth was parted, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath. I stroked his hair away from his forehead, taking in the dark circles under his eyes with a frown. He'd been working too hard. We all had. Even with our supernatural skills and stamina, the past few weeks had been a lot.

There was no way I would wake him up. He needed all the rest he could get. I'd strip off and spend the night cuddling him. Satan knew I could use the sleep too.