"When we were made
It was no accident
We were tangled up like branches in a flood
I come as a blade, a sacred guardian
So you keep me sharp and
test my worth in blood"

Chokehold - Sleep Token
(there are gonna be so many songs of theirs, they are Jimin thinking about Aera coded)

Spice - O - Meter: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Starting strong lollll might go up to a 12 this book

🥀

I am losing all the nerve I have been bestowed by my sheer lack of not giving a fuck about anything.

"Jimin, may I come in?" Aera placed her hands on his wooden door, the sway of the boat making her feel more particularly woozy.

It had taken her hours, no, maybe a day to lose all of her dignity. She had fought herself from the morning till night and even rejected Kasra who had come knocking and asked if she was alright. Because human blood couldn't simply be leaving her without true fulfillment?

Another barrel later, and she was out of her fucking mind.

Hours of crying and kicking in her room, breaking a broom into three sections, and accosting a bucket did little to solve the issue. She was dwindling in weakness.

"No." His crystalline voice was muffled by the thickness of the door and wall between them.

"Perfect." Her nails began to pierce the wood. Her mouth salivating at the past taste of his blood.

"Why must you torture me even now? I've been running from you all week."

"It's a little disconcerting. You're usually running towards me with pitchforks and a barbed tongue."

"Ahh, but I'm too exhausted."

Aera grumbled, her stomach going dry. That hollow pit was an unnerving ghost, haunting her. She placed her hand on the knob, about to rattle it until she let herself it, it was her fault for trying to be cordial in the first place. He had not come out of his room since their last encounter, and that was three days before.

"I am not-"

"Aera? Is everything all right?"

Kasra called from behind her. She turned, meeting his concerned gaze as he looked between her and the closed door.

"Yes, everything is fine." She placed her hands politely behind her back, hoping her fangs would remain as blunted canines in front of the human. "Do you need something?"

The tall man pursed his lips, looking away from Aera instead of being enthralled by her. "Yes actually. I received a falcon from my tribe, and I must make it to the nearest port to convene with my men. I am sorry that I cannot make it the rest of the way with you, and that we must part ways earlier than expected."

More time alone with the man she wanted to bleed dry. How not alright.

"There is absolutely nothing to apologize for Kasra. Your presence will not be missed." Jimin yelled out, listening from his room just to interrupt.

Aera groaned, leaning against the door so she could look up at the man. She surely would miss looking at the stranger's face. And having the polite help that he offered her. As well as the heated looks he sent her way when she wasn't looking. She thought maybe he could have been a future endeavor. That would end with him gone, as they were likely never to run into each other again. On the other hand, they would not have to worry about him potentially working against them. It was the best option for them to part ways.

"Ignore him, you were the perfect traveling companion. You ultimately did the right thing in the end, and I am grateful for it."

Kasra placed his arm on the frame above her, leaning in. She inhaled a lungful of enchanting spice and moonlight. A scent she had never quite experienced before, "I am forever grateful that it led me to you. At least, for a little while."

The door opened from behind, making her stumble into a body.

"Disgusting!" She raged, stepping away from Jimin and wiping her back closer to Kasra. Childish, but it helped to cover some of her embarrassment.

The descendent of Nox avoided her insults, smiling brightly at the pair.

"Well, we are docked, right? Let's stay for the night, I am bored of feeling seasick."

*

She would never admit that Jimin was right out loud.

Aera would admit so in her head. Feeling the solid ground beneath her feet was almost, almost as sweet of a relief as blood would be. She had to stop herself from falling to her knees and kissing the dirt like a maniac.

"You look like you have visited the other side," Jimin said in a gravelly tone. His eyes were narrowed with discontent as she stared open-mouthed at the new land they fell upon.

Instantaneously, her mood soured at his euphemism. "As if you have any idea what that looks like unless you stare into a mirror when you palm yourself."

She continued to stare at the face of cliffs, the thousands of likes that twinkled like stars against the shoreline, and the white crumbled marble of ancient buildings. People, so many people, bustled around them. Tents and shops are open for people to buy clothing, food, and little trinkets. A market by the coast. She had never seen so many people together as once, even more than when all the Immortui attended balls. It was wondrous. The sound of laughter, and love filling the open periwinkle sky.

Jimin mumbled something under his breath, but she was too distracted to listen to him.

"Kasra, what is this place?"

"Territory 75. It used to be called Greece. They prefer its ancient name, Hellas." He stood in front of the pair, hands on his hips. Looking around like he had been here many times before, and loved it every time.

Aera was jealous. She loved Romania. But its beauty had never been hers. She had been dragged around to every place she had ever lived and was told to stay put. To travel, to see the rest of the world with this newfound light would be a blessing. Even the small amount of freedom she had to journey now was by a leash, she was to be called back.

Kasra turned to them, and Aera did her best to mask her emotions.

"This is where we part ways, but I will never forget your kindness." The man stepped forward, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. She smiled in return, the night sea the same color as her eyes. The man's strong face softened, "Or your beautiful face. If you must write to me, I will answer back. Go to O Antras tonight for lodging, they know me there. If you need any favors, use my name."

Aera felt Jimin staring at her, and her blush flared without permission at the other man's open appreciation for her. The man of night scoffed, probably making his mistrust in Kasra deepen. Because a man had to be crazy to want her.

"Thank you, Kasra."

"No need, the pleasure is all mine." The man leaned closer, leaving the softest of whispers in her ear as he pushed some ebony locks away from her face, "And I see why he has such an obsession with you, Aera of the sea."

She sucked in a breath, winded by what the man said to her.

Only a few knew Aera was only a nickname.

When she was born, she was deemed "peace". Ihrin in Romanian. An offering from her poorer, weaker town to gain more power with the King's child in an alliance. Her family's barely noble last name was Mare, taken from the ocean the family had lived near. She had been told that the family had been sick when they happened to cross through the rocky cliffs where the castle now stands, and had been given land and a title by the original Immortal King. Which was recently discovered by Leila and Taehyung to be Jae Otrava himself. While she understood her family was not from the line of original Immortui settlers, they still gained wealth and never felt legitimized. Her family had never been given the chance to tell of their secrets before the Old Queen would then cause their massacre.

Mare. That was her last name. Marina, her middle name. Latin. What could she say? Her mother was not very creative. Nor her father.

Ihrin Marina Mare. When she was younger, she could not say her full name. So she referred to herself as Aera, and that became what she was known by.

Her parents knew that. How did-

"How did you know?" She stepped away from him, hands creeping towards her knives. Jimin alerted to the motion, stepping in line with her. She ignored the sheer intensity of his gaze, probably not understanding what occurred.

Kasra held up his hands, "That is what Azita described you as. Aera of the sea. Jimin of nightfall. I am sorry if I have offended you in any way."

She paused. "You did not offend me. But you should not know this. Be on your way, I wish you luck on your work." She slid her knives back into their sheaths. Jimin was much closer to her side now, and she knew the look he was giving the other man must be menacing, for he seemed to realize his mistake.

"I will be on my-look out!"

Aera did not have to look out. Even in her weakness, she was faster than a human. So was her Immortui traveling companion.

Her knives were back out, stabbing at the person who attempted to bludgeon the back of her skull. Warm blood ran down her wrists, the person groaning one final time in her ear. She angrily through the weight of their body off her back, turning to see who attacked them. Her fangs vaulted from her gums, contorting her face into a menacing growl.

Jimin was unmoving, using shadow to volley back at the attackers. Shopgoers began to scream around them, screaming that the demons of the night were coming. Luckily for them, they seemed to be focused on the attackers and not what Jimin was using to fight back.

She knew he would be okay, so she locked eyes on the person who was fighting Kasra.

It did not make sense. They moved like humans, they were humans. But they were shadows as well, fading in and out with every hit or swipe of a sword.

They were masks, porcelain. The eyes cut out and rimmed with gold, the rest of their faces unmoving. The rest of their bodies were covered in tight black fabric that seemed to absorb and reflect the night around them. There human eyes trained on her without feeling, two more crowding around her as she made her way towards Kasra who was fighting off one at a much slower rate.

"Who are you?" She called out to them, unafraid. Any coward who had to wear a mask to kill was an unworthy opponent. She flipped her blades, letting the moonlight catch them. A glittering warning.

She expected that they were Tenebrian officials who somehow tapped into magic. Trying to scrounge back the power they lost during the uprisings when the sun came to be once again. Or, worse yet, villagers that had gone against her wishes and were here to avenge the death of Azita.

They were neither.

A taller one stepped closer, an axe swinging by his side. "We are judgment, death, and order." His voice was low. Gravelly. But not unnaturally so.

Jimin stepped out from behind her, hands stitched to his sides. Aera was annoyingly grateful to see him, further confused by their cryptic introduction. "Riveting. Let me introduce myself and my companion to you."

Aera shook her head as she watched the attackers wait. Their mistake.

Jimin lifted the shadow, thrusting it forward so it smacked into one of their chests. She watched as the man screamed, his heart now pounding from outside of his body.

"So gory." She tsked and crossed her arms, "Could have been classier."

Jimin smirked, craning his head back to look at her, "Are you seriously complaining while I am saving your life? That's a new level of being ill- mannered, even for you."

"Well-" Her words were choked as she was thrust back. She wouldn't get to tell him just how ill-mannered she could be.

The other man had turned to shadow, a smoky limb wrapping around her throat and stealing the air from her lungs. Jimin blanched, his hand brought up like he was going to strike.

"Move, and I kill her." The shorter human made of shadow said, his arm growing tighter around her.

Jimin's fangs made an appearance, his steps moving closer. "Like fuck you will."

"Stop." She said. He was Dimidium, and she was not. That meant it was much easier to kill her than it was to kill him, who needed a jade knife struck with an anti-poison made with ingredients opposite of Lunetta. Even then, unless he was struck in the heart, it would only weaken him. "I am fine."

If her neck was snapped...she was done for.

Jimin grabbed at the roots of his hair, looking particularly distressed. If he struck at the wrong moment, the man could turn to shadow, and she would be killed by Jimin instead.

"It's nice to see you hesitating this time." She jested, though quite serious. Jimin stopped pacing, his eyes softening for a moment. It scared her more than the phantom hands around her.

"Aera!" Kasra yelled for her, running up beside Jimin. The rest of the attackers were struck down, with only the man holding her left.

"You have one warning Jimin, from Nox himself." The name sent shivers up her spine, and she watched Jimin's face whiten even further, quieting their fight. Her attacker leaned his masked face past her shoulder, "Give up your pursuit now, and join him. Join our god, your patron. Your only path to glory. She will die either way so choose wisely, you either get to watch or you get to close your eyes."

They were working with the god of night. Possibly possessed, just as Azita was. They were sent to make contact with Jimin, and they had found him quite easily. Too easily.

Jimin stepped towards them, and Aera had to sew her mouth shut. Her disappointment climbed up her throat, as he genuinely seemed to be mulling over what the apparent lackey of Nox said to him. His eyes were lacking their aloof glassiness, instead bright with a fervor she had yet to see. Finally, the god was making contact, right when he was most vulnerable. If he gave up, he could be given power. A way out of the impending doom that was his life when he made his way back to the mess he was a part of creating.

Who would turn down a new start? One that promised him more than what his past could offer.

She waited to watch him fall like snow and land safely on the ground. Brightly lit like a star, and forever cradled in shadow.

He looked past her, his eyes unfocused. She prepared for her neck to snap, for her life to no longer exist. Kasra crept to the side, motioning to her that he would get her out.

Then Jimin opened his mouth, "No."

Aera laughed. She laughed and laughed, even when a knife stabbed in between the bones of her ribs. Even when she felt blood pool into her mouth.

If these men were involved with Nox as they said they were, and the man had turned them down...

It meant Jimin was not a traitor. Not at all. Holy fuck. Why wouldn't the idiot just tell her? Why did he not tell Taehyung, Leila who almost called for his execution, than his exile?

"You'll regret-" The attacker started. He did not get far in his speech.

"Not until after you're dead." Jimin took the distraction, using shadow to fill his mouth and leaden the man's lungs. Aera heard him suffocate for a few moments before he dropped onto the ground. She brushed off her shoulders and placed a single hand onto her wound. She tried to not feel woozy at the marred flesh under her palm. She could handle everyone else's injuries except her own.

"Are you alright?" Kasra ran to her, wiping the blood off his face. His dark hair was black with his sweat, his eyes shining with misfortune. He leaned down to inspect her, but she held up a hand. She looked over his tall figure, peering at Jimin who was simply staring at the ground, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

"I'm not human." She tried to soften the sharpness with which the words left her lips. Her exhaustion only deepened, and her thirst too. If she stayed near Kasra any longer, she might open up a vein and bleed him dry. A lack of control she had not felt since she was an early teen, learning how to feed directly from humans. "I will be fine. Thank you for your help, as always." Jimin's head quirked up slightly. "Do you know who they were?"

He paused, breathing heavily. And the way his veins pulsed under his golden, sweaty skin was making her mouth water. He peered down his chin, watching her ease closer. He laughed nervously, and not out of fear. He rubbed the back of his neck, "I should have told you sooner."

"You don't say." Jimin deadpanned, crossing his arms. His line of vision returned to the moonlit sea.

"They are why I am here. After we won the rebellion against Tenebris, another evil made its way into the world." He paused, eyeing her seriously. She felt it down to her toes, as they were the only beings situated in the once bustling area. Gone in a second, like the sun never befriended them again. "There are people who preferred the night. Who preferred the chaos and obscurity of darkness. With the light brought clarity, and righteousness to misdeeds. It left much to be desired by those who use the dark to enact terror or to gain their power. Control." He pinned Jimin with his stare, who remained impassive. "That was when fanaticism began, for older ways. For gods that were long forgotten. For Ahriman. Excuse me, I believe you call him Nox, the god of night and darkness. A being they believed they should worship to bring back night."

Jimin sighed, "I am waiting for a name."

Kasra grimaced, "Somnum Exterreri. They believe that the more souls they collect, the Nox will bestow night once more. When I was with Azita, I was collecting intelligence about their whereabouts, their leader. Who they listened to when Nox was not there to give them parameters. Everything."

"Nightmare." She repeated the Latin words into Tenebrian.

"Yes, they call themselves the nightmare." The dark-haired man shook his head, "They are so rare a sighting I never believed I had to tell you. As you saw, they have made a pact with the god himself. Of both shadow and flesh." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, turning his head to Jimin, "What did they want with you of all people?"

Aera felt a rush of blood from her side but was too full of pride to interrupt them. Also, she was highly curious to see how Jimin responded. While he was a dick, he was never boring.

Jimin's smile was a lighthouse in the darkness of violet night, as he opened his arms widely to the side. "Ahh, you did not suspect? I am the bastard Prince of Romania and a descendent of Nox himself. I am practically a myth myself. Were the shadows and evaporating not enough to figure that out?" He laughed, "Do not worry. Me and my very great grandfather are on terrible terms at the moment, considering I am not willing to be his bitch errand boy. You are safe with me, to a certain extent.

Kasra lifted his chin, inspecting the man carefully. "That is good to know, and I thank you for your alliance." Perhaps more guarded than before, as he adjusted the sheath for his sword, his fists flexing. "I must go now, I am already too late. I wish you safe travels, for both of you. I hope home is closer to you than before." He was shaken. He meant for them to head back to Romania.

"We will be quite all right."

Our will is more all-powerful than any god.

Kasra's smile deepened, all of the tension leaving his face. "Goodbye once again, beautiful liar. Let us meet again one day." She let him grab for her free hand, and press a kiss onto the back of her hand. He looked up at her through his thick lashes, taking her in with his lips upon her flesh. She swore for a moment, she saw a flash of familiarity in his eyes. Before he pulled away, and that easy casual countenance was back in place.

"Good luck."

The pair stood, watching the large mass of his body disappear into the night. A carriage waiting for him further down the road.

"What the fuck." Aera let out in an exasperated breath.

As if a creepy disappearing old lady who might be an ancient priest was not creepy enough. A possessed sister, insane followers of Nox? This was already not the journey that she expected, and she doubted it would get any easier.

"A nickname."

"What?" Aera questioned, confused. "Liar?"

"Aera of the sea." He commented, offering no other explanation. Aera was too fatigued to fight with him or to tell him to shut up and not worry about it.

Jimin was silent as they walked along the strip of houses and shops. All the lights had been turned off, in fear of the Nightmare. Aera was beginning to lose hope and energy, until they saw a plain brown sign hanging on a post about after a half-mile walk from the main coastal beach.

"O Antras." She commented pointing.

They walked up to the inn, and luckily lights were still on.

The bar was packed on the lower floor, men and women huddled together drinking. Aera stumbled, grabbing onto the host stand as she was overcome with the smell of fresh blood. Jimin eyed her with a strange expression, addressing the old woman who looked at them with shock.

"My wife and I need two rooms," Jimin spoke for her.

"Your wife? Two rooms? She looks like she is about to keel over. I am glad you survived those demons. They have been attacking this village since the start of this week." The kind old woman questioned, reaching for keys within the wooden stand.

Jimin winced. "Sorry to hear that." He looked at Aera, who seemed to grow paler by the minute. "You would want another room if you heard her snore."

"Kill you," Aera growled at him, half-passed out and still ready to fight him.

"See? Not very pleasant." The old keep did not seem impressed, but Jimin continued. "Her exterior and interior are very different."

The old woman thrust out her hand, her eyes trained on Aera. "The last two doors on the right. Just make sure she is okay before you sleep. If you need any supplies, tell me."

Jimin thanked her, before pushing on Aera's back, "Let us go dear." In her stupor, she cursed but still followed his nudge. She grabbed onto the railing, trailing up the white stucco hallway until she made it to the top. Jimin watched her the entire time, not offering to take any of her weight.

"Come now, to my room." He said, brushing past her to unlock the first door. A deep blue color. She followed, gripping at her side, holding two flaps of flesh together. Though she could no longer vomit, she wished she could.

Once she was in the room with him, she wondered why she even followed.

He turned, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt like he had had all the time in the world. She could barely take in the room, which seemed to be carved from beige stone. Since the room was in a corner, one wall was arched and open to the sea air. She could see the entire village, the rocks, and the swaying ocean. There was a single simple bed within a dug-out arch in the wall across from the window. Cream sheets and soft pillows laid atop the frame. A bathtub sat off to the side, luckily with faucets and running water. The lighting was soft from the warm, white candles wrapped in gold metal from the wall. Many more sat circled the bathtub, fresh roses floating along the surface.

"You're not healing." He said into the sweet air. His hair becoming silk in the breeze that flew in from the window.

Aera felt herself wilting, and the patience she had all day with him. There was no time to play coy, not when she could walk downstairs and massacre that entire bar of people.

"Astute." She whispered sarcastically, doubling over, "That's because I am starving again you bloody idiot."

Jimin paused, leaning onto the back of a floral armchair. His hands gripping the wood, showing his veins.

Delicious. Veins.

"You just fed."

Did she hear concern? That simply could not be. He would just be pissed off if something did her in before he got to do it himself.

'I will not make even death easy for you.'

"Ever since I had your blood I have been unable to feel quenched from humans alone. You have infected me." Aera pressed into her side, another warm rush of blood coming to the surface. Jimin zeroed in on the wound, remaining far from her. "With your gluttony and greed. I have been poisoned by you."

The asshole smiled, his arms flexing as he connected with her gaze, "Or maybe you are just addicted."

She heard his blood flow. Scented that caramel that lay beneath his skin. Her skin was pulsing.

"It makes no sense. I have drank from other Immortui." She was losing her cool, raising her voice with every bit of want for him that entered her system. Had before not been enough? Did the gods choose to mock her now by adding blood lust to the compiled list of things she felt for him?

Jimin corrected her, his brows lifting arrogantly. "You never drank from a Dimidium before me." He could not wipe the smirk off his face if he tried. Instead, ducking into his shoulder so she could not see the sheer breadth of it.

"Oh don't sound so prideful. Whatever it is, it's fucking with me. Finding out what exactly is happening might have to wait till we get home, and we visit the library."

"Whatever philosopher. Here."

She thought she had finally lost the battle, when the man let go of the chair. Walking around it elegantly, his pointer finger an anchor, and placed himself onto the chair. His legs wide, his back rested onto the plush surface, and his arms spread over the sides.

He was telling her to sit. To feed.

"No. Not from you."

"Do you see a cup lying around? Just do it."

How could he offer so easily? He never wanted to even touch her, let alone have her sit on his lap and do the close act of feeding.

It was usually the first step to any night of fun for an Immortui. Drink some wine, some human blood. Then, because human blood is usually enough, feeding from their own kind was for other purposes. Their blood and bite could be painful, or sensual. An aphrodisiac, of sorts. It was likely that if she bit and drank from him, they would have reactions.

"It is too intimate."

It was true. She had not drank blood from another Immortui after Garnett. She was not sure she could handle the act with Jimin, fears aside. He hated her, and she would hate seeing lust in his eyes color for her over the bite and only that. His every repulsion against her converted into something he did not want.

He did not love her, desire her. It felt like taking his choice away.

Then, her deeper desire. One too delirious even for her starved brain to think of.

"Look at who is shy now?" He patted his leg with one hand, widening his legs. "I am a man, not a dog. I can control myself Aera, but I doubt I'll even have to try."

Her fingers and limbs felt numb, a strange sensation rolling over her. There were no cups lying around, and she was not sure she could remain awake much longer. Surprisingly her reluctance did not come from being afraid that he would hold her there, and bite her too.

I cannot touch him like that. I cannot. He will hear my heart beat, he will feel it. He will scent my want for him. But at least I can blame it on the feeding. Aera's knees became weaker, and caused her to stumble forward. Jimin's eyes widened, but he remained in his seat.

"Aera." Is all he said. His voice like ivy climbing its way up her body.

For all she knew this was his plan. He's been taking some potion that's making her want to feed from him, a way to make her need him. To look pathetic.

No.

Not this way.

Not now.

Once again, it is he who is calm. Collected, facing our newfound position with courage and carelessness. I will be in ribbons.

And yet my feet carried me to him, a leaf left to the wim of a winding river. It was not his fault, only her failure to control her deep wish to conquer him in his entirety.

She should be cheering at how convenient he was making this for her. It was the perfect oppurtunity to seduce him, and to leave him wanting more of what he could not have. In time, breaking his will with the trust she had invested in between their bodies. It was not dignity nor pride that stood in her way of diving in.

It was the girl within her, who wondered what they could have been like if she had told the truth the day of her engagement.

She lifted the thin fabric of her ebony dress, only the hems frilled with lace. The neckline cut straight across her breast, pushing them so tightly they moved harshly with every breath. She held tightly to the black pearl necklace she always wore, feeling the haphazard thump of her heart below her palm.

She practically snarled at him, knowing she probably looked like skin and bone. There had been times when she saw Sorina, the old daughter of the moon, and thought there was a resemblance. The same porcelain skin, sunken and large eyes, and darkly spun hair. It worried her now more than ever she might have been similar to a woman who had been imprisoned for so long. While she had been beautiful, it was a haggard and fierce beauty.

Aera felt like the shadow Jimin should be. Yet the man shined like the stars. His eyes never straying from her, as she took graceful steps forward. She thanked her late mother for her stiff gait, for she had been forced into ballet lessons ever since she was able to walk. Withered, and still dignified in her whole starvation.

The man waited, smirking. His hands dangling over the sides of the armchair, and his silver hair perfectly tousled.

She wiped the expression right off his face when she lifted her dress just enough to straddle herself over his hips.

Jimin held his breath, his eyes appraising her from below. She was slightly arched, feline as her head hovered above his form. Her thighs hugged him without much room for contortion, kept tight by the chair itself. She could feel the strain of his muscles against her center, luckily covered by layers of fabric. But the iciness seeped through, aligned to his flat, contoured stomach.
He looked between them, a look of shock on his face. Aera already felt nervous, and she spit at the quivering, worthless emotion. His hands flexed out, and she panicked. If he grabbed her hips so she did not fall back, she would surely implode.

She tried to judge his expression. Uncomfortable? He had always been careful to keep their distance. Displeased? He had been with many other woman, and was recently in love with a goddess. Disgusted? Possibly, from the way it almost seemed like he wanted to sink through the chair and away from her.

What else could she expect? They had been rivals since they first realized what hatred was, and that it belonged to them.

Aera was worse. In all her years, in all her knowing, she never felt more out of place. Simultaneously, more lustful in her life. The long line of his neck was calling for her, and his lithe body underneath her was beginning to wake her other senses.

"Touch me and you die." Aera warned him, eyeing his open and closed palms.

She lifted a brow, questioning if he was alright with her next actions. The man watched, nodding, before she slowly placed her hands on his shoulders to hold herself steady. She felt the muscly sinew underneath his blouse, and wondered where he had been hiding it.

Jimin adjusted his legs, lifting her body unsteadily and causing her to grip more tightly to his upper half. Aera grumbled, suddenly much closer to his face and pressed closer to his torso. In the cold all she could feel was heat, heat, heat.

"I wouldn't dare." He laughed, so close. So close, that his somehow always sweet breath tickled across her face. She could see every freckle, and the intricacies of every feature. His eyes were as evasive as ever, the line between brown and true black. He licked his plump lips, drawing her attention, "I remember the first time you said that to me. It is remarkable how you have change so much and so little since you were a girl. Do you remember? We were twelve, and we were learning how to bite properly. Professor Dascalu paired you up with me. You got so angry because you wanted to be with the prince, you wouldn't even try, and look at you now."

Aera frowned, knitting her fingers into his shirt. He shifted underneath her, his throat bobbing as he awaited her reaction.

"You are leaving out the part where you told me you would try and not bleed me entirely dry and turn me into jerky." He chuckled underneath her, eyes shining. The strangeness of the situation finally sunk in.

The pair of enemies slightly getting along. Her sitting atop him without being launched off. How easy it was to touch him.

"What are you trying to do?" The words escaped her, feeble in her exhaustion. Her fight had dwindled, only temporarily. Her suspicion still remained in its place.

Jimin pursed his plump lips, tilting his head to connect with her more directly. She could see all the truths amidst the lies in his irises, "I'm trying to make you more comfortable. I know this is hard for you."

"Or maybe you're trying to avoid talking about what happened earlier?" Aera laughed, and her body decided to loosen up. She felt more liquid, as she leaned towards the man.

Or maybe it was the blood deprivation.

"What would that be?" Jimin inquired, feigning ignorance. He felt the focus of her attention, and let his head fall back so his skill lay over the back of the chair.

An open invitation.

Still, her eyes traced his every angle. The way his eyes glittered beneath lashes, as his lids lowered over them in a lazy manner. Inspecting her, and somehow in power even though he was under her. His lips were red as he continued to bite them, a small flush starting over his cheeks. She wanted to reach out and touch the flesh, to see if it would spread with her fingers. Her hands remained on his shoulders, but they moved inward. Closer to the sides of his neck, so she could hold both hunter and prey still.

"That you turned down Nox, which means you are not aligned with the god." Aera curved over him, her nose brushing the fair line of his neck. He bowed further back, opening more flesh to her. She felt his muscular thighs shift under her body, heat erupting between them. She neared the cut line of his jaw, feeling the urge to nip it. She remained close, letting her thoughts run wild while she reigned in her actions. "That it was not you who acted against the King and Queen. Well, at least not entirely you. And yet, you remain un exonerated, and labeled a traitor. Why?"

She felt the pound of his heart against her ribs, and saw the heightened rise and fall of his chest. She kept herself at his pulse, unable to pull away from his saccharine blood. Her lips traced over the pulsing vein, feeling the only spot of heat within his body and almost moaned with relief. A whimper fell from her lips instead, as her lips made full contact with his skin.

She could practically taste his essence again, as her tongue made journey over his vein. An appetizer before the main course.

The man shivered underneath her, still keeping his promise. "You'll have to bite me first to get that out of me."

She knew what he meant. Already with just his scent, she was practically gone. She would've answered anything in this moment to get a taste.
Her body was pumping with the concoction of curiosity, thirst, and need.

Would he finally let me into his shadows?

"You will tell me Jimin." Aera whispered into his ear, breaking her own rules and running a hand from his collar upwards. Goosebumps raising under her palm as she fisted his hair at the base of his neck, "I am not letting you run away this time."

She bit into his vein, a deep groan leaving his lips. His whole body went relaxed underneath her, and while his hands gripped so tightly to the chair she swore the wood would snap. Everything wrong in the world was righted, as Aera felt the warm rush of his blood in her mouth.

A single thought attempting to steal her euphoria.

Will I be able to escape him after this?

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(A/N: 🤭I feel like such a minx 💅🏻😍 hahahaha for the next chapter. It's only getting started 😼

Did I do them justice? They're freaks. Btw the feeding seen is much longer, and will continue in the next chapter. I just didn't want to put the entire scene in this chapter, it didn't feel right.

There's just sooo much animosity + like understanding between them. I honestly love writing them, but I want it to be perfect every time. Like I need to encapsulate their long existence together that was concealed in solace for soooo long (but I literally thought of during the wedding scene)!!! I just need the intensity to be there, and I hope I met y'all's expectations!

I found this portrait on Pinterest and I was like damnnn that's Aera. Tim Burton looking esque but also like

And another which _pricklypanda_ found that I also liked!

UGHH SUCH A QUEEn!

Like Jimin...we get it. We get it completely. 1000%