Mythical

6. Dinner

The only sound one could hear was the clanging sound of the cutlery against the plates. I subtly observed their body language. They were all sitting upright and tensely. Did they not enjoy their meals? Wait, vampires could eat human food? Could they eat garlic? Could they step out in the sun with their skin exposed, or did they have some magical ring to protect them?

My thoughts were interrupted when Jin cleared his throat, setting his cutlery down as he looked at me.

"Are you not hungry, human?" He asked. It sounded like he was angry. I flinched at the thought of him doing something to me for not finishing the food they served me. I was not used to eating so much. I couldn't eat anymore, but at the same time, I couldn't risk angering them.

"I-I'm sorry, I'll eat more," I whispered, cutting the steak before stuffing it in my mouth. My stomach screamed at me to stop or I'll face the consequences and anger them more.

"If you can't eat, then you don't have to. Don't force yourself," the vampire across me said. He had black hair and cat-like eyes His irises were black and blank. His entire demeanor screamed danger. "I'm Yoongi, by the way."

I forced myself to swallow before setting the cutlery down. I whispered a small 'thank you', hoping he could hear.

Once everyone was done eating, some maids came over and took our plates. I said a soft 'thank you' to the one who collected my plate. She smiled at me warmly before walking away. They returned in a minute with drinks for us.

I turned my attention to the vampire sitting at the head of the table when he cleared his throat. His features were ethereal, his brown irises stared at my black ones.

"You must be wondering why you're here," he started. Earning a nod from me, he continued, "simply put, you're our mate."

I stared at him, waiting for him to tell me he was joking before drinking my blood, but he didn't. He stared at me, watching my reaction carefully.

How the hell was I mated to VAMPIRES? I hated them! They were the ones who killed my dad, and I was mated to them?!

"A-are you sure?" I asked in a soft voice. I didn't want to anger them in any way.

"Yes," he responded. I reached for my drink and took a sip, only to spit it back inside the glass. Blood, they gave me blood as a drink? I was neither a cannibal nor a vampire. Why did they give me blood?!

Taehyung took my drink and sniffed it while I took the napkin to wipe my lips. The metallic taste of the blood almost made me empty my stomach contents.

"They gave him blood," he stated. "Did anyone get a drink other than blood?"

They shook their heads in response. Taehyung slammed the glass on the table, causing it to shatter at the force. I jumped in surprise.

"WHO GAVE HIM BLOOD?" He yelled. Jin pulled my chair a bit closer to him, drinking his drink calmly as if a situation like this was a daily occurrence.

One of the maids walked forward in fear. "I-I did, your majesty." She said. "I am deeply sorry about this, it will not happen again."

"Damn right it won't! Take her to the cells!" He yelled. I looked at the woman with worry. I opened my mouth to say something, but Jin squeezed my thigh, giving me a look while shaking his head. I slumped back into the chair.

Taehyung sat down, taking a sip of his drink as if he didn't cause a scene. I glanced at all the members to see that they were all calm. How often did he throw tantrums?

"This evening has already been quite eventful for you, Jungkook. You should rest, and give your mind to process everything," the vampire at the head of the table said. "I'm Namjoon, and that's Hoseok, the one who's sitting beside Yoongi. Have a good night."

-

I stood in shock, staring at the two vampires with whom I was supposedly roommates. Did I not listen when Jimin introduced the room to me? Also, why was I sharing a bed with them?! They lived in a palace, could they not afford an extra bed? Or could they not assign a different room to me?

Jimin gave me a spray, so my scent didn't tempt them in the middle of the night. I didn't think he knew the durability of the spray. Either way, he told me to keep my mouth shut and to obey whatever order they gave me.

"Jungkook, get in the bed," Taehyung ordered. I obeyed, not wanting a repeat of dinner. I lay on one side of the bed, taking up very little space.

I pursed my lips as Taehyung pushed me to the middle of the bed, Jimin already in bed and facing me. I straightened up, not wanting any form of contact with the vampires on either side of me.

Of course what I wanted was irrelevant, because Taehyung hugged me from behind and threw a leg over Jimin and I. Jimin moved closer to me, pulled the blanket over the three of us, and wrapped an arm around my waist, burying his face in the crook of my neck. My legs intertwined with his.

Images of that night flashed before my eyes, my breathing became shallow as fear crept up my body before wrapping itself like a blanket around me. My body started growing hot, I squeezed my eyes shut in fear. I couldn't stop imagining Taehyung and Jimin as the man who touched me. I let out a soft whimper.

Jimin and Taehyung pulled away and looked at me in the dark. They moved to give me space to curl into a fetal position as I started crying softly. I could feel his touch, hear his voice, I could feel everything. I didn't want to feel. I heard some shuffling, but it was muffled. The light in the room flicked on and the door opened. Someone was calling out to me, but I didn't budge.

"No please don't," I mumbled out. I was back in the alley. He was touching me as compensation for my blood. His every touch, every word, was engraved in my mind. What made the situation worse was my body's reaction to his touch, his rough grinds. I felt disgusted with myself, dirty even.

Someone shook me, I didn't respond. I lay there for a while as the images slowly faded out, and I was back in the bedroom with Taehyung and Jimin, except Hoseok was also there. The three of them stared at me blankly as I uncurled from my position, hiding under the blanket out of vulnerability, sniffles leaving my body now and then.

I peeked out of the blanket as Hoseok left. Jimin and Taehyung returned to bed after switching the lights off.

Taehyung hugged me from behind again, his hand going from under my arm and across my chest and this time my head was at level with his shoulder. Jimin lay in front of me, hugging me by my waist again, but maintained distance to watch my reaction.

I whimpered from their touch, hating every second of it. "P-please. I don't want this. I want to go h-home," I begged, tears rolling down the side of my face. I wiped them with my sweater paws.

"You're staying here, little cub. You're ours now," Jimin said coldly, before burying his face in the crook of my neck once again. I don't know why I was not triggered this time. In fact, I was really calm. Did they inject a drug in me to calm me down? No, I didn't feel drowsy, I was only exhausted.

I sighed, leaning my head back and resting it on Taehyung's shoulder as Jimin gently nibbled on my neck.

(Please do not romanticize this chapter, this is a very sensitive topic for people. I want people to understand one way how trauma can work. I've read a lot of books where the character is all fine after going through trauma, and it upsets me, even more, when the readers don't say anything about it.)