Chapter Eighty-One

2.1K 162 119
                                    

Seungmin's chest seized as he stared at the foreboding darkness, desperately trying to ignore the tightness of his lungs and his heart. His eyes slid down towards his fingers where he tried to conjure a spark, but – nothing. He swallowed thickly, returning his eyes to the space of the large library cloaked in shadows. He'd been caught at, quite possibly, the worst time.

The only option he had now was to bluff his way out; the person who lingered here was not friendly, he could almost feel the malicious intent drifting towards him. He wished he knew who it was – vampire or werewolf? He'd be dead in under five minutes if it was either of those two.

Yet at the same time... he had to get this information to Jisung. This information changed everything. With it, they actually had a shot... they could actually...

"You should have left well enough alone..." He whirled to the right, his heartbeat slamming against his ribcage, beating so loud he was definitely sure whoever it was could hear it – vampire or werewolf. Calm down, he told himself, gritting his teeth, don't let them know. "You should have minded your own business." To the left, now.

Dammit, he thought, eyes scanning the entire library, despite the fact that there was a darkness so thick he couldn't see through it, even when his eyes should have grown accustomed. He tried his magic again, and intense pain radiated from his chest. He winced and shook his head, his breathing growing ragged.

He had to find a way to get this information to Jisung, before... before–

A shout rang through the library as he was tackled, head slamming against the ground.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Minho's eyes snapped open. He stared at the ceiling, blinking slowly. He turned his head, eyebrows furrowing in confusion when he noticed the empty space next to him. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Jisung?" he called into the darkness his eyes could already see. Nothing.

"Did he go to his office?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes again as he slowly slid out of the bed, pushing aside the blankets. He half expected the floor to freeze him over, but when his bare feet came into contact with the wooden floorboards, he realized that his feet were probably colder.

All this vampire stuff would need some serious getting used to.

He debated returning to bed or going to find Jisung, until he decided on the latter. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep until he had the werewolf's inhumane warmth to cuddle into. His cheeks flushed at the thought before he quickly shoved it back down, slipping out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.

The packhouse halls were deserted, the only light to guide his way being the moon that shone in through the various windows. It was as he walked along the maze-like halls that he realized he really didn't know where Jisung's office was. He'd been there countless times, but he still couldn't manage to remember the way.

He scratched the back of his head, looking down the two corridors that led left and right. He bit his lip, wincing as one of his fangs snagged at it. He grimaced; that was another thing he'd need to get accustomed to.

Then, coming from the darkness to the right, came a muffled shout. His eyebrows furrowed as he froze completely, ears straining to listen. There came a dull crash and then another yell – this time it was pained.

Minho's eyes widened as his jaw dropped slightly, before he decided to go right. He continued to hear muffled shouts, and soon he was running, zipping along the halls so fast they blurred around him. When he finally came to a set of mahogany doors sealed shut, he knew he'd arrived at the right place.

Without a moment's thought, he shoved them open so hard they slammed against the walls; an ear-splitting crack resounded throughout the space as cracks splintered along the wood. The first thing that hit him was the smell – blood. He paused, muscles tensing as clouds began to drift before his eyes.

He shook it off, rushing into what he found was the library. He followed the scent of the blood until he came to a small area lit by a small lamp. His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. Seungmin was barely moving, blood pooling around him, his hands twitching. On top of him was...

"Felix?" Minho said breathlessly, staring in horror at the familiar back, the familiar person with blood dripping down from sharpened claws. Slowly, the boy lifted his head, blood splattered across his cheeks, but the most shocking thing of all were his eyes. They glowed the faintest shade of crimson, and he was almost too shell-shocked to move.

Seungmin's dull eyes met his, the blood completely drained from his face, leaving him with a sickly complexion Minho was sure mirrored his own. After the shock had worn off, there was only rage boiling in his blood. "Why?" he managed to choke out, feeling heat radiate behind his eyes as they slowly grew darker.

Felix didn't answer as he slowly stood, blood dripping from the edges of his white shirt. For a moment, horror overtook his rage as he stared at it. Felix didn't speak, though he didn't attack either. There was a strange laxness to his face, before his face split into an eerily familiar grin. Minho resisted the urge to step back, his eyes trailing over to Seungmin's motionless body.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that if they didn't get him help soon, he'd... Minho swallowed thickly, shaking his head. Seungmin wouldn't die; he wouldn't let him, even if that meant having to fight one of his best-friends.

Again betrayal froze over his veins as his eyes narrowed into a threatening glare only accentuated by the redness that had settled over his vision. For a moment, Felix stood spellbound, his jaw slowly slackening, before his entire face went blank.

He didn't move for several moments, and Minho's eyes darted between the fallen wizard and the werewolf standing across from him; he hadn't Shifted yet – why? He was running out of time; the stench of blood was thickening, and his stomach twittered anxiously. With a resolute clenching of his jaw, Minho decided on his course of action. He knelt down and picked the unconscious wizard in his arms, careful not to jostle him too much.

A lump formed in his throat as he took in the many wounds that lined his chest, his face, his throat. His heart rammed against his ribcage as his fangs began to elongate. He forced himself to bite down onto his own lip, disgusted with the thoughts that had drifted through his mind, regardless of how fleeting they'd been.

He shook his head roughly, the force of the action enough to make him feel as though he'd slammed his head against a wall. He blinked warily as he attempted to get by Felix, making a break for the door, but he never got that far.

Felix came to stand in front of him, blocking the only exit out of the library. "Get out of my way," he hissed, face contorting into an angry grimace. His friend's face was void of any expression, his eyes glazed over as though he couldn't really see.

Minho bared his fangs, but that didn't seem to faze the wolf, either. He swallowed thickly; no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't bring his body to move and attack Felix. Their memories together flashed behind his lids, and he found that the more he struggled to move, to attack, the more his heart ached in response.

So he did the only thing he could do in that moment; he sprinted across the library to the far end, and broke through one of the ornate windows.

A/N: Brooo it's my birthday in a couple of days, and, honestly, I'm really not looking forward to it this year. 

Q: What's the best movie theatre snack?

A: Ginger Ale and any type of candy. Man, it sure does take me back to my movie dates with my dad when I was younger cri 

Lots of love,

~Emilie

Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}Where stories live. Discover now