Moonlit Shadows

Getting To Know You

Taehyung paused after he closed the door to the bedroom. The room was dim, and he could just make out Sunny's silhouette on the bed.

"If you've come in here to lecture me about my distrust of Jaci, I don't want to hear it. I've already berated myself enough." Her words were followed by a sniffle. Taehyung quickly closed the space between them.

He settled behind her, snaking his arms around her middle. He rested his chin on her shoulder and waited in silence for her to continue.

"I know she's not a spy. She's been too oblivious to be a spy," mumbled Sunny. 

"But I really didn't think we would have to face Derrick again. I can't help but remember everything that happened. It's still so clear."

"Tae, I don't know what's up with Derrick, but he had every opportunity to kill us last time we saw him, and he didn't."

Taehyung took a deep breath. "That is all true. However, we don't know what's been going on with him for the past twenty years. People change, Sunny."

Sunny faintly smiled. "I know for a fact you have."

"And you have as well, babe," he cooed into her ear, kissing the shell of it softly.

"Life has been so calm. I should have known something bad was coming."

"Hey, what's a little drama? We've endured much worse," teased Taehyung.

"But two hunters? A rogue werewolf? I've never even fought a Hunter."

Taehyung was quiet and still, holding Sunny close as if his life depended on her.

Sunny noticed the shift in his demeanor and turned her head. "You have?"

"Only once. I think I messed him up so badly the Society didn't bother me until now."

"What happened?"

"This is a story better told lying down. So, lay with me." He gently tugged her back, and they settled down on their pillows together.

Sunny rolled and nestled against his chest, her fingers playing with the folds of his shirt.

"It was during the Korean War," he began. "Jungkook had insisted we join up and protect our home. I had managed to stay out of any and all wars up until that point. We ended up in different squadrons. I was put into a squad that fought closely with the Americans, and our first night together, I woke to find a Hunter hovering over me with a knife to my neck."

"You didn't hear him come in?"

"No. Even a vampire's strength couldn't hold up to those countless days of being on high alert. We constantly had to watch our backs. Not to mention the stupid sun. I couldn't exactly manipulate the weather to be cold in the middle of summer without causing a scene."

"I suppose not," giggled Sunny.

"Mmm. The enemy was sneaky and surprisingly stealthy. And they also had a Hunter hiding in their ranks. Hunters possess many supernatural powers. They can sense a supernatural being before they see them. They can be nearly silent. I was too exhausted to notice him. So, when I woke to see his filthy, smiling face inches from my own, I might have panicked just a tiny bit."

"Are you saying you screamed?" said Sunny, with only a hint of sarcasm.

"I most certainly did not! He dragged me outside and proceeded to give me the 'vampires are beasts that deserve nothing but death' speech. I was more irritated that he had interrupted my first good night of sleep in over a week. He wanted to toy with me, but I was not about to let some Hunter have fun at my expense. He kept talking so much that he didn't notice me using my powers. Somehow, I managed to surround him with subzero temperatures and froze him solid. One tap from my boot might have shattered him. While he was frozen, I whispered terrifying things into his mind. I then carried him back to his camp and left him there. Rumor has it, he went insane and was last seen roaming up and down the hills of northern Korea. Probably got shot. I wonder if he's still there," hummed Taehyung.