Switchblade - 32
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There were times before when Taemin had been so freezing cold. He'd survived on vampire blood, but in the middle of the night his feet would go numb and his teeth would chatter. The weather isn't particularly cold tonight, but Taemin holds Yukwon in his lap, and the cold of his skin is absolutely the most horrible thing that Taemin has ever felt.
He tried pouring vampire blood between Yukwon's lips. He knew that he was too dead to be turned, but he thought that just maybe it could make him warm. It didn't. Taemin drank the rest of the blood in the vial on his necklace, feeling a great need to feel the warmth and energy for himself. Almost immediately, the blood came back up. He coughed and red splattered onto Yukwon's face. With a sob, Taemin hurried to wipe the blood away.
He didn't hear or see anyone arriving. He just looked up to see only two people, far too few. Kyung had a solemn expression, staring down at Yukwon. Minhyuk looked directly at Taemin, his expression less emotional.
"They took the rest of us," he announces in a blank voice.
"Taeil?" Taemin questions.
Minhyuk shakes his head, "He went to get the others back. He said he knew where to start. We would have went along, but we heard that he was here.."
Taemin sniffles once, avoiding eye contact. "Did he say where he was going?"
"Yeah," Kyung finally speaks up, his voice sounding softer than usual, "We're not going to tell you though."
"What.."
"We're going with you to get them back," Kyung says, "All of us together. And we're not leaving Yukwon here."
Hearing the name out loud is more than Taemin can take at the moment. He bows his head, unable to hold back his childish sobs. He didn't deserve to cry in front of them, but he did. "It's my fault," he says, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Yukwon."
Tao boredly twists around the switchblade in his hands. Other humans clutter the space around him, talking this and that about their vampire 'masters'. He's told he's better than them. He's bonded to a member of The Council, so he is better than them, that's what his vampire says. Well, he doesn't feel any better than them. Maybe if she didn't have him sitting around with a bunch of dumbfucks in the top of some dessert store, he'd feel a little bit superior, but here he is.
Anyway, he knows all too well that if he makes one little fuck up he'll end up as dead as Kai did after that whole 'live execution' drama. Tao narrows his eyes, squeezing the switchblade in a fist. It's annoying to think of Kai now. By not acting when that little girl showed up with her van, he was only doing exactly what The Council told him to do - nothing that they didn't tell him to do first.
If he had to fight to defend the honor of The Council, Tao thought, he was going to fight if his vampire liked it or not.
Here his chance arrives, when the locks to the door pop off and in walks a small, bloody, pissed off vampire.
"Which one of you has Taemin's switchblade?" Taeil asks.
"That's Taemin's vampire," one of the bonded's announces in a gasp, looking horrified like so many of the others. Taeil shoots her a glare that only lasts until Tao speaks up.
"I have it. What are you going to do about it?"
"Take it back," Taeil tells him, "Right before you tell me where I can find the hunters that The Council just captured."
"The Council captured more hunters?" Kwang asks, looking around at the others, "Did anyone else hear about that?"
Tao raises a brow, reaching into his pocket first to withdraw his cellphone. He holds Taemin's switchblade lazily in the other hand as he reads the screen on his phone, "I didn't get anything new."
By the time Tao has raised his head again, Taeil is in front of him, pounding a fist against his cheek. Tao falls to one side, caught gently by the soft arm of the sofa he sits on. He only smiles, flipping a switch on the weapon in his hand to pull the blade out. When Taeil goes to hit him again, Tao slashes it out at him. Taeil backs off in time to avoid it, staying back as he inspects Tao.
Tao grins at him, "Is this what you want?" he asks and stands up.
The others around him move back, one warning him that he can't fight a vampire, another adding that he'd get in trouble. Tao ignores them entirely, keeping his attention on Taeil. He loses his grin, looking serious when he asks, "You're just a little thing, aren't you?"
Taeil grits his teeth together angrily, but doesn't respond to the insult. He carefully runs forward towards the human. He knows what that switchblade can do because he's seen Taemin use it enough, but not underestimating this human should get him far enough.
His hand gets hold of soft, warm flesh and he squeezes it has hard as he can, causing the human to scream in pain.
"Do you think Taeil is okay?" Kyung asks Taemin after a while. It's not a question that is out of kindness or concern. He's asking for the sake of conversation and moving on. He doesn't change even when he's standing next to his friend's dead body.
If Taemin concentrates, he's aware that Taeil is fine. There's something there.. adrenaline, Taemin thinks. "He might be fighting," he says without worry.
"I hope he leaves some for us," Kyung says, his voice a little more emotional this time. Taemin watches Minhyuk put a hand on his shoulder.
At that moment, sirens and lights finally come their way. It's the ambulance they've been waiting for. Taemin looks down at Yukwon's corpse. This is goodbye..
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