Twicelight

Chapter - 17

Third person's pov:

They emerged one by one from the forest edge, ranging a dozen meters apart. The first male into the clearing fell back immediately, allowing the other male to take the front, orienting himself around the tall, dark-haired man in a manner that clearly displayed who led the pack. The third was a woman; from this distance, all you could see of her was that her hair was a startling shade of red.

They closed ranks before they continued cautiously toward Tzuyu's family, exhibiting the natural respect of a troop of predators as it encounters a larger, unfamiliar group of its own kind.

As they approached, Sana could see how different they were from the Yoo family. Their walk was catlike, a gait that seemed constantly on the edge of shifting into a crouch. They dressed in the ordinary gear of backpackers: jeans and casual button-down shirts in heavy, weatherproof fabrics. The clothes were frayed, though, with wear, and they were barefoot. Both men had cropped hair, but the woman's brilliant orange hair was filled with leaves and debris from the woods.

Their sharp eyes carefully took in the more polished, urbane stance of Yoo family, who, flanked by Dahyun and Chaeyeong, stepped guardedly forward to meet them. Without any seeming communication between them, they each straightened into a more casual, erect bearing.

The man in front was easily the most beautiful, his skin olive-toned beneath the typical pallor, his hair a glossy black. He was of a medium build, hard- muscled, of course, but nothing next to Dahyun's brawn. He smiled an easy smile, exposing a flash of gleaming white teeth. The woman was wilder, her eyes shifting restlessly between the men facing her, and the Yoo family, her chaotic hair quivering in the slight breeze. Her posture was distinctly feline. The second male hovered unobtrusively behind them, slighter than the leader, his light brown hair and regular features both nondescript. His eyes, though completely still, somehow seemed the most vigilant.

Their eyes were different, too. Not the gold or black but a deep burgundy color that was disturbing and sinister. The dark-haired man, still smiling, stepped toward Jeongyeon.

"We thought we heard a game," he said in a relaxed voice. "I'm Jay Park, these are Hyuna and Dawn." He gestured to the vampires beside him.

"I'm Jeongyeon. This is my family, Dahyun and Chaeyeong, Momo, Nayeon and Mina, Tzuyu and Sana." He pointed them out in groups, deliberately not calling attention to individuals. Sana felt a shock when he said her name.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Jay Park asked sociably. Jeongyeon matched Jay Park's friendly tone. "Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?"

"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time."

"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves."

The tense atmosphere had slowly subsided into a casual conversation; Sana guessed that Chaeyeong was using his peculiar gift to control the situation.

"What's your hunting range?" Jay Park casually inquired. Jeongyeon ignored the assumption behind the inquiry. "The Mountain Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali."

Jay Park rocked back on his heels slightly.

"Permanent? How do you manage that?" There was honest curiosity in his voice.

"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?" Jeongyeon invited. "It's a rather long story." Dawn and Hyuna exchanged a surprised look at the mention of the word "home," but Jay Park controlled his expression better.