Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 46

The action is startinggg :)

XLVI: The monster

It's beautiful.

The fire that engulfs eastern quarter rises high into the sky, its almost musical roar drowning out anything else. Buildings collapse into rubble as I fly through the sky, surveying the destruction. On the ground, the specters rage through the streets, their shadowy shapes flitting from building to building. It won't be long until Shadow Valley falls completely. Whatever the vampires do will be in vain. In the end, fire conquers all. 

And yet, amid all this destruction, I see a figure clad in loose white robes standing in the middle of Central Square, which is still yet to be engulfed in flames. It takes me a moment to realize that it's Jungkook. He's scanning for something in the sky, probably me, and his hands clutch anxiously at his shirt. Embers flash and fall around him, but he doesn't seem concerned, as his large eyes try to search through the ever-thickening smoke for a sight of me. 

I frown, considering. It seems wrong for Jungkook to be out here alone, without any protection. But then again, I can't see anyone else around him. No guards, no nothing. Perhaps he was so desperate to see Taehyung that he sneaked out of the castle. Love makes people do foolish things, that I know.

If you dare hurt him, Taehyung's voice sounds in my head, full of suppressed anger. Nothing is stopping me from―

Burning me in the pits of hell, I finish for him. I know the drill. And relax, I won't cause any permanent damage.

You son of a ― I silence his voice, pushing it down. I can still feel his seething anger, but it dissolves into something different as we near Jungkook. More...calm, still there, but muted.

Jungkook looks up, and though he seems wary, he doesn't look surprised. I land about five feet away from him, studying him closely. He only comes up to my shoulder, making me realize how small he is.

"You came." He sounds as if he expected nothing less.

I shrug. "Being the only living thing in a twenty mile radius, you were easy enough to spot."

"I'm sure." I catch him eyeing my mask, a look of mingled sadness and strain on his face. It couldn't be easy, seeing the face he had looked at for years now covered with a silver mask. Perhaps I should start there. 

"Do you like it?" I trace a finger over the cool surface of the mask. "It's made of living metal. Beautiful, isn't it?"

It takes a moment before he shakes his head. "Taehyung's face is much more pretty than that silver mask. Why do you wear it? It doesn't suit you at all."

"It gives me more power in battle, I suppose. It's made with deep shadows, like myself. And it's useful for... subduing some tiresome voices." I see a brief flash of fire in his eyes at my words, and feel a smile curving at the corner of my mouth. Let him know exactly how much power I have over his soulmate. How hopeless his mission is to bring him back. Perhaps then he would see just how much he was wasting his time and efforts on a mission that was bound to fail.

"Such a pretty mark. Did Taehyung give this to you?" I run a hand over the mark on his shoulder, and he shivers. I can see that he desperately wants to back away, but for whatever reason, he doesn't. I cluck my tongue disapprovingly.

"Why do you still have this?" I ask. "Is it not much easier to move on? Taehyung won't be coming back to you. Erase the mark and move on with your life. The pain won't be easy to bear at first, I'm sure, but you'll heal. Right now, Taehyung is as good as dead. Settle down with another vampire. I'll spare you both from my wrath and destruction. That is the only mercy I can offer."