Aftertaste | J.JK

We Are The Contest

Jungkook's POV

I don't know what to do, and it's tearing me apart.

Every second I stay close to her, her scent seems to get more intoxicating— more beautiful. The desire to keep her safe barely pushes it down, but I don't know when the lust will resurface.

But now there's another.

Another vampire that wants her, the same way I do. Another that senses her overwhelming fragrance, the aura of attraction she surrounds herself with that drives me absolutely insane.

Calm down.

My feet are quiet and deadly against the pavement as I walk, the fresh air cooling down the heat flushing my cheeks. She'd seen me— seen me vulnerable with those electrifying doe eyes of hers.

She is so beautiful I can't stand to be near her.

Forcing myself to take deep breaths, I head down the empty streets, only lit with the falling sun. It was easier to breathe now that I'd put some distance between.

I embrace my senses— the ones I'd closed off when I was near her. It was easier to handle the want and desire that way, which was how I could be close to Elle without kissing her to death.

My instincts heighten— and the surroundings clear from the fog I'd forced upon myself. I can see the tiniest things— smell the faintest scents.

About five meters to my right, I can hear an ant scuttling across a dirty garbage bag, in search for food. About fifteen meters to my north, I hear the soft breathing of a woman in her bedroom.

And five hundred meters to my left, the familiar sound of flesh colliding against flesh.

Surprise rocks through my body as I listen closer, pinpointing the direction of the noise. It grew louder by the step— and I catch a muffled scream, a threatening hiss.

Vampire hunters. I was sure of it.

Silver tinges my eyes as I scale the nearest building, with enough grooves and ridges to make the climb easy. Strength runs through my fingertips as my fangs develop, eyes deepening in color.

Vampire hunters— so near.

How come we hadn't already known about this?

Keeping my body low, I use the sunset shadows to my advantage when I reach the top of the roof. It's better to be above than below— better to have higher ground.

The gasps grow more pronounced, and I pick out details as I go.

Make vampire. Three hunters—

A car?

No.

A truck.

My movement grow faster and more urgent as I finally reach the area right above the noise. I'd been right— there's a small truck to the left of four figures, with one restrained and struggling.

Blood roars in my ears, my teeth grinding against one another.

I can still remember the night Yoongi hyung had nearly died in the hands of the hunters. It was the same night that we'd abandoned the house we'd lived in for decades— the same night that we'd run.

The shadows obscure me as I peer down at the truck. They'd thrown the vampire in the back, laughing and muttering something about rewards and the contest.