Bloodline | Maknae Line (21+)

26:

Chapter 26:

"I need you to tell me what Lazarus has on you."

"Okay, I'll tell you. But just so you know, this won't make me look very good."

Jungkook took a deep breath and stared at his hands. You clutched Dracula's journal tight and looked down at the ground. You weren't sure if you trusted yourself enough to look him in the eye just now.

"Well, I already told you that I was turned because of a joyride by some lowlife Blood Brat. And you already know that Clara broke up with me afterwards." You nodded mutely. "Well... I was kind of a wreck. More than a wreck actually. I made some... pretty bad decisions. I hurt a lot of people." He sounded so guilty and hesitant. You pressed your lips together, filling in the blanks yourself. He didn't just hurt a lot of people. He killed a lot of people. "For years, I was just... lost. I mean, I watched Clara move on from me, from us. It... messed me up, a lot. And I got myself into some trouble." He trailed off and then stood.

He paced in front of you and ran his fingers through his hair, looking distressed. You knew this was probably very painful for him and him telling you all this was the last thing he wanted, but you couldn't be sympathetic. Not when you knew what was at stake.

"You remember Rosemary, right?" You blinked in surprise and looked up at him. He was avoiding your gaze. You nodded slowly. "Well, you asked if I'd ever had a 'run-in' with her before. I have. It was a while back, we met when I was still on a rampage. It was a few months after Clara died, I think." He winced and your heart clenched. "She was on some sort of revenge mission because she was annoyed that the Elders excluded her simply because she's female. I was still angry, more so since Clara died, so she managed to rope me into her schemes. I ended up going after Lazarus."

You narrowed your eyes. "Going after him, how?" Jungkook looked you in the eye guiltily.

"I was going to kill him." He deadpanned, his jaw clenching. You sucked in a sharp breath. "It was part of Rosemary's plan. She wanted to form a coup. Obviously, things didn't go entirely to plan. Lazarus caught me and I would have been put to death." Jungkook continued, rubbing the back of his neck. "Instead, he spared me in exchange for a favor. This favor. He told me to watch and protect you with the others, otherwise he'd take back his mercy and have me and every one of Clara's descendants put to death." He finished and sighed, standing in front of the portrait. He was still staring at the floor and you had to look away from his face in order to process the information.

So you'd been right. For Jungkook, it wasn't about what he would gain, it was about what he'd lose. Which was definitely worse. If he had something to gain, if he'd been promised something, it would have been easier to tell him what you'd discovered. But now that you knew Lazarus would have Clara's family killed, it meant Jungkook might now be inclined to help you. Instead, he'd be more inclined to turn you into Lazarus, to reveal what you'd learn and your plan to escape.

"Like I said. It doesn't make me look great." Jungkook sighed and sat back down next to you. "I understand if you don't want to have anything to do with me. I know I'm a monster."

You blinked. The thought hadn't even occurred to you. He had basically just told you that he'd turned into exactly the kind of vampire from horror movies and books for years before getting caught up with Rosemary, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. The journal still clutched in your arms reminded you of the dark secrets that threatened your entire existence. That seemed way more threatening than Jungkook's violent past.

You shook your head and felt tears well up in your eyes.

"Why the sudden interest?" Jungkook asked, turning his head back to you. His eyes widened when a single tear slipped down your cheek. You clapped your palm over your mouth.