"God didn't exist when you laid with me
the devil didn't touch me when you kissed me
all of your glory gave me riches
and I became an angel with your kisses"

Angel - River Styx

Spice - O - Meter: 🌶️🌶️(she's back...)

🥀

"I am not playing this childish game with all of you idiots."

The prince, as dull as he could be, was looking at her with a sloppy smile. One too many drinks, and he forgot they did not get along, in the most disinterested of ways.

"I am merely asking you to play hide and seek. What is childish about that?" He stumbled into the wall a bit, and Aera let out a winded breath. She wanted to go back to her room and stare at the ceiling until she fell asleep.

"I will rest instead. You are not my husband yet, nor my King so I truly have no intent on listening to you."

Taehyung said her name more solemnly, those gold-flecked eyes seeing too much. "Aera, just one game. I know we have not gotten along in the past but-" He paused, something like sympathy passing over his impeccably annoying features. Too brutal and too carved, "You barely talk anymore. You do not come to fetes, you do not even pretend to engage with the other ladies of the court. You are like a ghost. You don't fight with Jimin anymore."

"Don't." Aera seethed, from annoyed to enraged within a second, "One, never speak to me about your best friend." Her heart flared as she thought of the man, who was sent to hunt with a group of foot soldiers. In recent months, they had spoken little to each other. The wedding was set to occur within the next year, and he had made himself busy with everything but the preparation. She had spent every minute pretending it was not happening, by bedding other men and drinking. Every interaction between them had been frosted, stony. Nary is an insult, but instead a lethal dose of genuine hatred.

At first, it stung. She assumed he had finally grown up, and gotten tired of constantly bringing her pain. She should be happy he had finally given up. Every time he passed her in the halls, his face contorting in more distaste, she should have been grateful his mouth was kept shut. Still, it showed her that her fear of the initial engagement was now coming true.

That one day, everything would change.

Taehyung insisted, "You can say no. You can change your mind and leave within the first minutes of hiding. I just did not feel right not including you."

She did not say that he had not included her all night. That she had seen him flirting with another young woman. All of his friends did not like her. It was all fruitless.

He was trying to be nice, and in her emotional fatigue, she was weak.

"Fine, only for a little."

Taehyung's smile lifted at the corner, his eyes twinkling in the dim light of the castle. Not in a way that she liked, or made her heart race. They never reminded her of a viper but of something kinder. "Perfect."

He pulled her along by her elbow, gently letting her go when he brought her into the throne room. All the young noblemen had gathered there. Yoongi and Jeongguk, the younger being the prince's cousin. Namjoon and Jin, are older and more stoic. Lastly, Hoseok never hid his interest in her. Most of them gave her a civil greeting of welcome.

"Hello, beautiful," Hoseok commented, watching her walk slowly to their strange little circle. Arms crossed and already defensive.

"Fuck off," Aera said, denying him in public. Neither she nor Taehyung could pretend it was because they were engaged. Neither cared. She just did not feel like dealing with him at the moment.

"So! Let us get started. The rules are no hiding somewhere that could cause someone harm. I am not setting anyone's bones. Again." The prince sent a pointed look at Jin, who shrugged his shoulders. "Anywhere within the castle is game."

Aera wrapped her arms more tightly around herself, wishing she was as drunk as the rest of them. She planned on making her escape within the first ten minutes. If someone found her scent, they would not dare attempt her chambers.

The 18-year-old paused, looking around, "Wait, who is it-" Her question was drowned in the chaos.

"Run." Taehyung's voice carried around the group, as he waved his arm over the room.

Plunging them into pitch black.

Against her better judgment, she did feel a rush of excitement. Hearing the boys yell and run into each other was entertaining, but she wanted to clear all of them. She moved quickly, using her heightened senses to orient herself towards the open throne doors. Pumping her legs hard, she quickly cleared the marble floors and made it to the rougher stone of the hallway. All their scents still mixed, and she ran down the hall until it started to smell like outside and the slight chalk of granite and fresh soil.

She had made it to the area around the baths, and close to the Temple. She could smell the scent of salt and fresh water. If she turned to the right-

No, there was another scent. Softer, warmer. Vanilla, but not like a baked good. A heady, sensuous depth. Her mouth began to water, and her heart to pulse. It did not make sense, because the one person who embodied it was not here.

"Aera, Aera-" A voice, the color of lavender, whispered into her right ear, "I have found you at last."

The woman took off running, her heart ready to explode. Footsteps sounded from behind, thunderous as they kept her pace. She knew within moments, she would lose her small lead.

That Jimin would catch her.

She was turned mid-run, her back slammed against the rough stone behind her. A hand was placed behind her head, preventing it from hitting the wall as well.

Jimin stood before her, adorned in a dark traveling cloak. Looking at all the menace that he was. Dark eyes found her in the dim darkness, his plump lips visible from being wet. His teeth were a stark white when he smiled, his body pressing near hers. As always, never touching. He pulled his hand out from behind her head and caged her with his arms so she could make no easy escape. Their scent mingled, a bouquet of vanilla and cherry.

His head dipped near her neck, and her pulse fluttered. He traced along the area, inhaling, and she was left wanting to claw out of her skin.

She hated that he was a cat holding her wriggling body underneath his paw. Always collected, always in control. And every minute near him she felt as if she was losing her mind. It was not fair, it never was.

"I caught you. I won."

Aera laughed, making sure to put as much venom in it as she could, "You didn't win shit. I did not even know it was you I was hiding from. Why are you back already?"

Jimin's breath tickled her cheek, and she moved back. "You noticed I was gone. Did you miss me?"

Did he catch amnesia while he was away? He had been treating her like she was non-existent for two months now. Never acknowledging her, never even calling her a hog. Not pulling her hair, not using other people to mess with her. The man wouldn't even answer back when she told him that he looked terrible in his new advisor uniform. Now, he was acting like they had not engaged in a cold war before he left. No, it was as if he was back to his usual state of ill will with her.

He had some audacity to even make the jest. Like everything was fine, and that he had not abandoned her.

Because when he was not making her life miserable, she was alone.

"Not for a moment."

His pupils widened in his irises reflecting less light as he peered upon her face, "I could say the same." Then, his mischievous expression came back, "Aera you are procrastinating. I won, fairly at that. So you must pay the loser's price." Every time he said her name, she felt a sharp tingle at the base of her spine.

His lips were too close. He smelled too good. He was smiling, and speaking to her. It was too much when for months she had been given nothing at all.

She placed her hands on his chest, pushing lightly. It was a terrible choice, as he refused to move an inch, and the top buttons of his shirt under the cloak had been opened. He sucked in a quick breath when her hand touched his bare skin, and she pulled her hand back, nursing the pads of her fingers.

He would not let her go. It was his terms, and he wanted her to play the game.

"What is your price?" She entertained him, though she remembered nothing of it from the rules.

The man pretended to contemplate, lowering his arms so they were level with her shoulders. He shifted his weight, making his mouth-watering scent swarm her senses. She tried to dull them before her heart sped up at a rate that was more suspicious than its quickened pace.

He cocked his head to the side, outlined by the silver of the moon. A crown above his infuriating head, "I want to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the truth."

Easy. She expected a dare of some sort, one that would require risking her life.

"Ask away."

Jimin's smile grew as he leaned down to her ear, "Promise me you will answer with the truth."

"I do not care to protect your feelings, so yes. I will tell the truth."

The man laughed, and it warmed her despite the winter air and his skin that ran just as cold.

"Tell me, why do your lashes flutter when you kiss someone?"

One second. Then another.

"I am leaving." Aera's cheeks flared as she pressed against one of his arms. Soon she would snap the bone to get away. Months, it had been months. And that is what he wished to mock her with? She did not even realize that she did that, and he might have been making it up just to tease her.

Jimin doubled down, collapsing his arms further in. If she fought against him now, she risked touching him. She just couldn't. Not when her blood was already turning to fire.

"Aera." He called for her. She turned her head left and right, grinding her teeth as she wished for an escape that would not come. "Aera." She faced him, and he seemed startled when he locked eyes with her. He shook his head, then spoke, a suave new offering, "If you will not answer that, I will do you one better."

She refrained from punching his balls, saving it for when he asked his next embarrassing question. "What?"

He bit his lower lip, "Why do you look at me when you kiss others?"

Aera snorted. On the inside, she panicked. All of the years between them, and she never prepared herself for this question, "The same reason you look at me when you kiss others."

It felt like the world had swallowed her. Why did he ask? Why did he have to upset the balance of their desolate realm? It was easy when they left their actions assumed and unsaid.

It had started ever since he accused her of being shit at it. Then he would do it back to her, and so forth. That is all, that is all to anyone if they were curious as to why they looked like insane people. Why why why? Why? Why must he ask?

It was silent as Jimin devoured her answer, tasting it.

"That simply cannot be true." He answered finitely, a secret smile on his lips. She frowned further, now curious as to why he did it back to her, "Lend me your honesty."

Caged in his arms, and even if he let her go, she would never get away.

She looked into his eyes, biting her cheek. A habit that drew blood. "Because we like to compete with each other, and we are the only two people in this castle ruthless enough for it to be a fair fight. We like to win. We both like to hurt each other, as our agony causes the other delight. We each want to create the most pain."

Jimin shook his head, craning his head back. Veins started to become prominent along the elegant expanse. He hid his smile, "I told you our reasoning was not the same."

"What is yours then?" Aera huffed, crossing her arms over her chest again. She was tired of being laughed at by him. Forever some sort of joke in his eyes.

"I already told you. Your eyes flutter." Aera's breath stalled when she felt the edge of his thumb brush against the angled edge of her cheekbone. "A moth's wing when the breeze hits. For a moment, all there's to see is evergreen." His lips inched nearer. Still too far away, and he must have realized that what he said sounded saccharine. A dull blade that honed his voice, "I wish to never see it again."

He left her alone in that hallway that night. Not waiting for an answer-back. A shot of hope was to be poured out when she saw a maid leaving his room the next morning.

She got him back at the next fete. Making sure her eyes fluttered when Hoseok grabbed at her waist, her chest in a dark corner of the room.

Only interrupted by the sound of tinkling glass.

"Cheers! To my best friend's soon-to-be wedding. And to his wife, the most wound up, uptight swine to have ever crossed these castle walls. I remember the first time I met you. Pigtails and all, she held murder in her eyes for everyone but darling Taehyung." His eyes dipped to hers, daring her, "If only she loved him." The room quieted, even Aera who had laughed at the cruel line before, had grown silent. Jimin smashed his glass on the floor, letting his head fall back and wine run down his face. He pointed at her, "You would think a prince would be enough for her. But my Aera is just insatiable, isn't she?"

Taehyung grabbed his friend, trying to pull him out of the room. He told the musicians to continue playing. Jimin was cursing, telling him to let go.

Aera said nothing, slowly unwrapping herself from Hoseok's shoulders.

Neither let themselves ask out loud

Why did this bring them pain?

*

The next week passed somewhat easily with the tides.

Despite Jimin and Kasra being locked in some weird, outwardly aggressive battle the entire time.

Aera knew not to trust the stranger but was also not dumb enough to piss him off.

While they were arguing over who should stoke the fire, and who could move around ropes, she was working on warming up their new guest.
It seemed as if he had known better because the man remained closed and civil. Polite and somewhat flirtatious, but much more guarded than he had been the other night. She wanted information about Azita that could lead them to Nox, and he was the only one likely and willing to tell them.

She sat next to Kasra now, watching the sunset. Her new favorite time of day. It never hurt her eyes to stare at the bleeding sun, so much more vulnerable here than at its proud stance in the sky. Its last rays of deep red, purple, and orange stretched out like it was anchoring itself. It did not want to be pulled from the sky, it wanted to see the moon.

The sun turned her body a deep, burnt color. The black of her hair, a merlot. She stared at her fingers, lifting them to the red. Watching the waves of wine pass between her open fingers, its reflections from the sun like spun gold, and wondering how they had survived the dark so long when this existed.

"My brother would have loved the sun setting as much as you do."

Aera was startled, despite knowing the man was sitting beside her. They had spent a fair amount of time alone together, as Jimin got pissed off during their feuds and left to the single bedroom.

The stranger had been respectful, taking up a small area in the deck with some crates and using furs. Aera had a little spot in the storage room. She stopped sleeping with a knife under her pillow when the man hadn't attempted to kill them after three days.

She was not used to having tasks done for her.

Lacing her boots. Tying the ropes, unfurling sails. Scrubbing the deck when barnacles began to march up the sides. Every time she tried to contribute to the crew of this ship, Kasra would reject her aid. Jimin and she had done her work separately before.

He looked bronze in the light, his dark features standing out like smoke. He sat a distance away from her, hands stretched behind him. Selfishly, she was gladdened that he brought up such a sore subject. It meant that her attempts to pry him open again were not entirely in vain. If she had to continue to touch his skin by accident and flutter her lashes all demurely, she might vomit, no matter how handsome and helpful he had been.

She got closer to him, "How do you know? My parents died, and some days it feels like I never knew anything about them at all."

His amber eyes narrowed in sympathy, "Death is often the peace that life could not bring. Life is messy, there is betrayal, abandonment, and hardship. Death is pretty, as it leaves behind something to miss."

"You are right about that." Aera started, pushing away her conflicting thoughts about her parents. Instead, of focusing on getting answers. Her hand spread along the wood of the deck, her hand casually brushing his own. Kasra looked between them, his brows furrowed. She smiled softly, "I was wondering—"

"What a spectacular view." An unnerving and unwelcome voice sounded from behind them, a shadow carried from the endless crash of waves.

Every. Fucking. Time.

What would she have to do to be able to question the man alone? She thought for a moment about dragging Kasra to her storage bedroom and sleeping her way into getting answers. At least the other man would be unable to barge in then.

Kasra sent her a knowing smile, rolling his eyes. She laughed genuinely, as Jimin stood behind them, glancing between their sitting bodies.

It took him little time to ignore discernment, settling between them with a jug of alcohol in his hands.

He sighed, resting on his elbows. Aera scooted to her right, trying not to grind her teeth into powder. The man took a swig of his drink, his bright hair glowing like a candle flame in the setting sun.

She made the mistake of turning to look at him. Face cradled by light, as if it were too afraid to fully touch it. Shadows gray and violet, which made his masterfully elegant face appear sharper. Narrow cheekbones, prominent. Lips plush and oppositional to his carved jawline. Both light and dark and danger, all framed by the last vestiges of night in his eyes.

Aera glared at him, knowing it was the only thing she could show. She made sure to send as much disapproval his way as she could.

'What are you doing here you moron? Do you not see I am in the middle of something, move.'

Jimin feigned confusion, lifting his straight and dark brows.

'Yes, and that is exactly why I came to interrupt idiot.' The man answered back without speaking aloud at all. Just a wink that sent an arrow through her chest, and another deep sip of alcohol.

"We got off on the wrong foot, drink with me," Jimin said aloud, breaking the tense silence that had manifested between the three unlikely strangers.

Huh?

Kasra let out a deep scoff, "Is it poisoned?"

Jimin took a large sip of the drink, never breaking contact.

Aera began to press her nails into her palm, the sharpness sobering her. She leaned forward, attempting to see the other man's reaction. It dawned on her that Jimin was going to use this opportunity to find out more, as he believed she was ill-equipped to seduce it out of the man.

"Drink up."

The stranger would be left with little choice.

Kasra took the alcohol from Jimin's outstretched hand, "It would be rude of me where I am from to not take this offering, but alas, I must refuse it for myself. Instead, I wish for Aera to take it for me."

Oh?

Jimin protested as Aera began to stretch herself over him to grab the jug from the man next to him. The descendent of Nox's words cut off, his eyes boring into the side of her head. Kasra's smile was a blade, as he pulled the jug out of her reach.

"I will give it to you." He kept his eyes on Aera, though his voice held a steely taunt to Jimin, "Tilt your head back." He was trying to make the man jealous because, for some reason during their interactions, he gathered that the man might have feelings for her.

Ridiculous.

If only he knew it was a futile task. The only time she had seen the man truly jealous, was that night at the Spring solstice. She could not dance or drink, as she watched the man trail his hands over another like she was an artifact. When that breathless want still colored him, even when Leila willingly left his arms.

Jimin did not care because it was her, he cared because he was not winning. Kasra did not need to know that, as long as he was willing to piss him off with her.

She tilted her head back, feeling Jimin's eyes on her profile and Kasra's on her lips. She draped over Jimin to reach, and he did not move to steady her.

Kasra delightfully lifted the heavy container, easily placing it at her lips and lifting it. She made sure to look up through her lashes at him, as her lower lip cradled the top. The alcohol was smooth and tangy, and she made sure her mouth was full before pulling away. Aera wiped some of the Immortui wine that trickled from the bottle, feeling its effects immediately, as it was much stronger than the human variation. She sat back down, as Kasra's gaze lingered on her. Knowing how easy men were, she lifted her hand to suck softly on the finger that she had cleaned up with wine.

She would have.

If Jimin had not snatched her hand into his palm. Aera jolted at the cold, unfamiliar touch of his hand. Different from what she had experienced rarely as a child, as he had been so keen not to touch her. His thin fingers traced carefully over her, as he lifted her hand to his lips. Lips she had never touched, lips that she had dreamt about, lips that which she was unprepared to meet. Her heart and blood and lungs and legs and eyes were screaming, screaming at him.

"You left some, dear Aera." He said calmly, his voice rasping in his lower tones. A name he had not called upon since they were 14, and she had not been engaged or widowed.

The man smirked, before parting his smooth pink lips, much too decadent for any man. His tongue slowly ran over the pad of her frozen finger, unable to move. Her heart ricocheted in her chest, her eyes locked on the sight before her. The sensation, as his mouth was just as cold as the rest of him. His nearly, but not fully, obsidian eyes took in her reaction, taking much longer than necessary.

The man pulled away, letting her hand drop like what happened had been nothing. Aera was practically trembling at the small sensation that occurred, and Jimin grabbed back the alcohol bottle and began chugging it heartily. Still with his lackadaisical position, and his careless expression.

That was the problem always, wasn't it? How being close to him could send her heart into a frenzy that felt something close to death. How her blood would boil from a single word of his, a single breath of air in her direction. And she had to work to make him feel nearly as riled and for none of the reasons she was.

She held her hand close to her chest.

Why did he do that? When he had been so careful to never truly come into contact with her before. She already knew the answer. And it was the man who sat next to them, looking disgruntled at the display, despite his attempt at provoking Jimin.

He never liked to lose.

"It is your loss man," Jimin spoke out loud to Kasra, breaking the even more fragile silence. "The taste is impeccable."

Kasra cleared his throat, lifting from his position. His well-adorned body is shown like silk in the sunlight, his dark blue dressings both beautiful and unfamiliar. He hands his hands together.

"Excuse me both, I am feeling a bit seasick. Goodnight. Aera, I will meet you on the deck in the morning."

Aera waited for his footsteps to disappear and a door somewhere to slam. Her chest aching with unsaid vexation, she finally unleashed on the man.

"What the entire fuck is your problem?" Aera yelled, standing up from her sitting position. Jimin had the nerve to look shocked by her outburst, a limp hand on his chest as he placed an arm underneath his head. Getting comfortable, "I was so close to getting him to speak about Azita!" He made no apology. She placed her hands on her hips, venom seeping into her voice, "I am starting to believe it is because you are trying to cover Nox's tracks, I might just have to send a letter to the King and Queen about your disloyalty."

Jimin raised a brow, holding up his hand so the red sun refused to meet his eyes. He took another drink of wine, his lips wrapped around the edge, and still, she had not felt their smoothness. Were they just as cold as the rest of him? "What you are doing with him is not going to work."

"Why is that?" Of course, he does not believe in my ability to seduce. To extract. It had never worked on him before, and he probably believed all other men were just as impervious.

"You already showed your cards the other night. You got to know him, and then you turned on him. He wavers in your interest in him, already thinking that it is because you want something from him." He looked at her with eyes that thought she should already know this, "Still, he is going to let your seduction take place. Because he wants to fuck you and he has decided that I am in the way. Leading you to think you wiled him into bed when it was he who did it to you. When you finally lay with him, you will wake up in the morning and wonder why he is more closed off than ever. But, Aera dear, it is because he got what he wanted without divulging any information that benefitted you."

It was logical, and more than likely, right. But she hated hearing it from his mouth. Pointing out all that she had done wrong, and what she could do better.

"Oh, and pissing him off using me is going to help us find Nox?"

"No, it is just entertaining."

Aera laughed bitterly, bending over him from her stance, "I am so glad you believe so. You rotting misogynist. Using me like an object to make other men feel inadequate. I am so glad you are attempting to do your duty here, instead of being childish. My mistake."

"I am not the misogynist here, it's your new victim," Jimin said, losing some of his nonchalance. He sat up further on his elbows, his muscles held tight with animosity.

"Oh? The man who helps me with tasks? Who goes out of his way to be a gentleman?" Aera narrowed her jade eyes at him, "I might switch him out for you, allegiance to Nox or not. At least he takes care of me in some way."

"I let you do things by yourself because you are capable. I have never had the urge or the need to treat you like some damsel in distress, or some incompetent man."

"Well, maybe I like being treated as such."

Everyone back at home had helped build her outer shell. They had taken a chisel, and molded her a statue of unfeeling. She had never been treated like the woman she was. A temptress, something to be desired.

But not someone soft enough to protected.

Jimin eyed her, hesitating before he fired something back at her. His eyes traced from the bottom of her dark skirts to the collar bones unmarred by jewelry of any sort. Her long, black hair tumbled around her wildly, a siren underwater.

She was standing there, staring at him below her.

Then he was gone, only a dark smoky mist left behind.

"Jimin?" She called out, the air growing chillier as the last bit of light dipped into the horizon. The sea became dark, the clouds a shade of night. "Jimin?" She called out again, only hearing the echo of her voice and the spray of salt.

The wind whipped angrily, at her hair, and her skirts. Bringing the material around her so it outlined all of her curves.

She screamed when she felt his hands on her shoulders, over the material of her dress. They squeezed gently, before moving down to her elbows. They were icy, her head arching back involuntarily, and meeting his chest.

Jimin's voice was a whisper by her ear, and the rest of his body kept away from her, "You like being taken care of?" Her head swam as his hands held the tops of her forearms, his lips accidentally grazing her hair. "Is that what you want from me Aera? I can be tender, kind, and attentive." Aera's lips parted, as his lips brushed her ear. "Something tells me you do not want gentle, not where I am good at it."

Aera grimaced, pushing at his limbs. She was tired of being mocked and daunted by him because he found them ever being romantically tied a laughable offense.

"Go to hell." Her breath was coming out in gasps, and she hated herself for it. She projected her anger, attempting to hide her degrading desire.

For Jimin was the face of poise, as he angled himself away from her. His dark eyes saw only what was before him. "Not if you are not condemned to go with me." I will not be the only one to suffer.

The man walked away, leaving her once again overwhelmed and confused. Things between them before had been cruel, but at least they were easy to understand. Now that he had broken his unspoken vow of needlessly touching her, it only complicated the situation.

How could she lure him in if she were the only one in shambles?

Her fingers still burned with the memory of his tongue. The wet sensation curled around her mind, between her thighs, and her chest. She touched her lips with them, hoping to seal her fate of hatred. She let the feeling sink in, so she could maybe one day stop craving it.

Because nothing would stop her from punishing him.

A painful pang of hunger hit her stomach. Aera held the feeling feeling the flesh beneath her dress, shocked by it. She had just fed the other day, but maybe she had been so starved before that she still needed to heal. Recognizing the feeling, she decided it was best to ride out the rest of the night on the ship anyway.

She went below deck, quietly going to her storage closet. Sending a glare towards Jimin's door, his presence felt even through the wood. She traipsed around it, going to the small barrel she had placed in the room with her.

It was a welcome distraction and relief to feel the taste of blood dilute the want in her mouth. She drank heavily, barely letting her mouth fill before swallowing. She felt parched, still. She drank more and more.

And more.

Growing more frustrated with each sip. It could not be right. She kept drinking, trying to fill that empty chasm within herself. But the feeling of tumescence never came.

Not even when she drained the entire small barrel dry.

She dropped the wood to the ground, her mouth covered in blood. She held her panic inside, afraid that the men would hear her. She looked at her blood-soaked hands, horrified when she had the urge to lick them clean, just to ingest more.

The human blood that had been harvested, was placed onto the ship for her consumption.

No longer worked.

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(a/n: YAyyyy another update!

Thank you guys for the support! I hope you are enjoying everything. Sorry, I had to rearrange some things. But the NEXT chapter is where things really get started ;)

Ugh, I just love them. Their tension is top-notch!!

And Aera? Girl what is going ONNNN???