𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍 | ʙᴛs ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇs

-Falling Prey-

"I was a hunter, he was my prey-but when he fell, it was my heart that broke..."

♛

-CLARA

The scent of blood was thick in the air. I, Clara Ashcroft stood in the middle of the ruined cathedral, my crossbow steady, finger resting lightly on the trigger. The moonlight filtered through shattered stained-glass windows, casting fractured colors on the floor-a beautiful contradiction, much like the monster before me.

Min Yoongi, known in whispers as "Suga," leaned lazily against a broken column, his black coat billowing slightly in the midnight breeze. His sharp eyes, nearly as dark as the abyss, reflected something between amusement and boredom. The scent of fresh blood-my blood-was laced with the dampness of old stone.

"Not bad," he mused, licking a smear of crimson from his thumb. "For a hunter, you lasted longer than most."

I ignored the sting on my shoulder where his claws had grazed my skin moments ago. A fraction of an inch deeper, and I would've been dead. Instead, I had managed to land a silver dagger between his ribs before he twisted away. We were evenly matched-for now.

"Too bad I can't say the same about you," I shot back, cocking the crossbow. "For a vampire, you're talkative."

Yoongi chuckled. "And for a hunter, you hesitate." He tilted his head. "Why, Clara?". His eyes flicked to my name badge which I quickly notice and that made him smirk.

I hated that question and his damn smirk. Hated that he was the one asking it. I had fought countless vampires before, driven stakes into their chests without flinching. But there was something about him-his voice, his aura, the way he stood between predator and poet-that made me hesitate.

I exhaled sharply, adjusting my grip. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Too late." Yoongi took a step forward. I didn't move. "I've seen it before, you know. Hunters who start to wonder if we're really monsters." He smirked, flashing his fangs. "We are."

"I know," I whispered. Then, in a blur, I fired.

The bolt should have hit his heart. Should have ended this. But Yoongi was fast-faster than any vampire I had fought before. The next thing I knew, I got pinned against the cold stone wall, the crossbow torn from my hands, his fingers wrapped loosely around my throat.

And yet, he wasn't squeezing.

I glared up at him. "Finish it."

Yoongi leaned in, his breath cool against my ear. "You really think I'll waste a hunter like you?" His lips curled into something almost... fond. "You're interesting, Clara. I don't want to kill you."

My pulse hammered against his touch, not from fear-but from something more dangerous. "Then what do you want?" I asked, voice steady.

Yoongi's dark eyes burned into mine, and for the first time, I saw something beyond the monster. Something old. Tired. Lonely.

"I want to see how long you can last before you stop seeing me as the enemy," he murmured.

My breath caught. That was the real danger, wasn't it? The fact that, despite everything, a part of me already had.

And Min Yoongi knew it.

Yoongi's fingers lingered at my throat, his grip firm but careful-like he was testing me, measuring my reaction. I refused to look away, even as my pulse betrayed me. I'm a hunter. A killer of his kind. And yet, I had never faced a vampire who toyed with my mind more than my body.