Bloodline | Maknae Line (21+)

15:

Chapter 15

The car ride back was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. Taehyung drove silently, his shoulders much more relaxed than they had been when driving to the vampire bar. To be honest, you were surprised he wasn't freaking out more, considering he'd almost been killed by a past lover who had murdered his entire family.

You kept replaying the events that had just transpired over and over again in your head. You could still feel Rosemary's hand on your cheek and the image of her violet irises were burning into your brain. You could understand how Taehyung had fallen in love with her. She'd hypnotized you without even the ability of compulsion, there was no question she could hypnotize even the most closed off people. There was just something about her, something magnetizing and intoxicating that was hard to dispel.

Thinking about what Taehyung had been through and how it had all occurred, you could also understand his perpetual anger and overall apathy toward feelings of compassion or kindness. Even though you knew he was much older, he'd stopped aging when he was young. Which meant, at the time he was turned, he wasn't much older than you were now. He was young, stupid and in love. He probably didn't fully understand what it meant to be immortal and to have to become a killer in order to survive. But then it was too late to change his mind after she'd turned him. And not only that, but she'd killed his family because of their history. With that kind of trauma... you might have expected him to be much worse than he was.

Granted... he had fed on you the very first time you'd met. And then he'd threatened to kill you on multiple occasions after that. And not to mention he'd toyed with your friends just to spite you. But even through all that, he was taking his mission seriously. As soon as he realized that things were going sideways and you might get hurt, he'd removed you from the situation. If he was so consumed by rage and hatred, he might have let Rosemary harm you just so he could have a shot at getting revenge on her.

On top of everything, you'd just found out that there were vampire hunters. Vampire hunters... it was unfathomable. There were probably more vampire hunters out there than you thought, just like there were probably more vampires. You wondered how many there really were, if they still existed today, and if you knew any of them. Just how complex was this web?

When you finally saw the manor appear in the windshield, you breathed a sigh of relief. You were exhausted, drained and really really hungry. The whole point of this expedition initially was to get food for you, and that had been ruined. So, it was safe to say you could eat an entire thanksgiving meal by yourself if given the chance.

Taehyung parked the car outside and you noticed the other two cars parked outside the garage. The others were already back. You wondered if they had been worried about you. It was weird to think about, since none of them had really displayed any kind of affection or genuine worry toward you. Jimin had come close, but you still weren't sure if anything he said was sincere. And Jungkook was too emotionless to tell.

You and Taehyung walked to the front door and you exhaled, feeling happy that you were back at the manor.

It suddenly hit you with a jolt. You were thinking of this place like a home now and less like a temporary residence. Were you actually... getting used to it here? You supposed it should be expected since you'd been here nearly two weeks, but it was still strange to think about. Your mind wandered back to your old apartment and your friends. You wondered if Caden had gone through with his promise and moved into your empty room. That thought alone made you exasperated and sad.

Taehyung unlocked the door and walked through, letting you follow behind him. You had barely walked into the foyer and shut the door behind you when suddenly, Taehyung was slammed up against the wall next to you with a loud bang. You shrieked and jumped back at the sudden impact to see Jimin's arm slanted across Taehyung's throat, holding him against the wall, a murderous look in his eye.