Blood Bank

A w a k e n i n g - 31

Aera shifted slightly in the bed. Her head throbbed and her body ached all over. She forced herself to sit up despite her body not wanting to. She looked under the covers and saw that the only thing she had on was an oversized shirt.

The memories of the night before flooded her thoughts, making her eyes widened. She limped towards the door and forced it open. She made her way down the hall and towards the stairs. She struggled to keep herself upright as her legs felt like jelly.

"Joon?" She called out. She somewhat wished it wasn't a dream. She let out a squeal as she knocked over a vase. She fell to the ground, the shards piercing her skin. Frantic footsteps echoed in the house and finally, he appeared.

"What happened?" Namjoon knelt down to her level and examined her wounds. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as the smell of hers was tempting.

Meanwhile, Aera was stuck in her own world. She stared at him as tears filled her eyes. Scars covered his body at random places, the one on his chest being the most obvious one. His hair had been dyed to black and has not been trimmed. Nothing else really changed except for his pink eyes.

"Does it hurt? I'm sorry let's get you patched up." Namjoon mumbled. He carefully lifted her bridal style back into the bedroom. He placed her on the bed before getting a first aid kit. "It's going to sting a little."

Aera didn't mind the sting of the disinfectant. All she could do was stare at him. So many questions filled her head as she examined him. It was already sure that it was him but how did he survive? Who's arm did they find back then? By the time Namjoon finished cleaning her wounds, Aera was a crying mess.

"Did you hurt anything else? Why are you crying?" Namjoon placed his hand on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe the tears away. Aera placed her hand over it and nuzzled her cheek into his palm.

"Why are you so cold?" Aera sobbed. "Why are you such an idiot? The moment I woke up they told me you died you asshole. Do you know how much I cried for you?"

The worried expression on Namjoon's face fell, replaced by a sad one. He pulled her into a hug and waited for her to calm down. He was sure she wouldn't understand if she wasn't calm.

"You promised to be there when I reached 10." Aera sniffled. After an hour or so, Aera finally stopped crying. Namjoon gave her a glass of water to keep her hydrated. "What really happened? What's going on? Why were you with Taehyung?"

"That day, I really did die. Everything was pitch black and I felt at peace until Taehyung revived me." Namjoon explained. He looked down at his arm. "He forced me to drink his blood and cut my arm off to make you guys think I was dead. He brought me back and this doctor kept injecting things into me. After that they put me through some kind of mental and physical torture."

Aera's eyes quickly glanced at all the scars on his body. What did he have to go through?

"At some point I broke into the torture and they got their way with me. The next thing I knew when I woke up was when I saw you last night." Namjoon let out a frustrated sigh. "I remember regaining control of myself when Yoongi talked to me. He gave me this locket saying it will help. I'm grateful he did."

"It brought you back to reality?" Aera asked. Namjoon nodded and held the locket between his thumb and index finger.

"I'm sorry. For what I did last night and for whatever I did while I wasn't myself." Namjoon said. He couldn't bring his gaze to hers as she touched the marks on her neck. "For now, go back to the palace. You're safer there."

"What? You're coming back with me right?" Aera asked. The boy shook his head sadly. His eyes turned pink.

"I can't go back to what I was before. I'm a Nightwalker." Namjoon said. "The cost of reviving me was to turn me into one. That's why my arm grew back."