Night Kiss

by E. T. Malinowski

  “I still don’t understand,” Jin-woo said. “What does that have to do with Ki-tae?”

  “Ki-tae is, for all intents and purposes, a recovering addict, Jin-woo-ya.” Cheongul sighed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. “Ki-tae used to struggle with even the most minor injuries, but as the years have passed, he has gotten much better at resisting and even ignoring them. What HanYin suffered today wasn’t a small injury. With the scent of HanYin’s blood saturating the hall and now here, it’s too much too fast, and Ki-tae was in no condition to resist when all this fucking started.”

  “Cheongul,” Min-su said, stroking his arm. He seemed to calm beneath her touch.

  “I’m sorry. I just…. My brothers are suffering, and I can’t fucking help them!” Cheongul snarled. “And in the process, you got hurt.”

  “I’m fine. It was just a little scratch,” she reassured him, pushing her hair to one side and showing her neck. “See? All better.”

  “Still.” He pulled her tight against his chest.

  “Are you telling me Ki-tae would hurt HanYin-a?” Jin-woo whispered.

  “Yes,” Hyun-jo said. “His sole goal would be to get that blood, to consume it. He would hunt HanYin-a until he had drunk his fill. Addiction to Vampire blood is an all-consuming desire for the source. All the addict can think about is that person, the next sip, the next taste. They lose all sense of self.”

  “There is hope, however,” ChenBao said as she closed the sliding door behind her. She walked over to the island and took a plate, then started nibbling the food almost delicately.

  “Is there?” Soon-joon said. “I have never seen Ki-tae like this. He has never lost himself this completely in the desire for blood, not since the very first. He has always fought against it, always.”

  “Of course there is hope, my family,” ChenBao said, and then she turned to look a Jin-woo. “You are our hope.”

  “What?”

  “The last word Ki-tae-ya spoke before I put him to sleep was your name, Jin-woo-ya,” she said. “There is potential in that.”

  “When can I see him?” Jin-woo felt the urgency building within him. He bounced his leg, and his fingers itched for a pencil or something, anything to occupy them. Soon-joon tapped his plate with a spoon.

  “I will take you to him after you have eaten,” Soon-joon said.

  “Before we get on to that, there’s one thing I want to know,” Min-su said. “What in the hell happened? One minute everything was going great, the next, it’s chaos. I mean, I know the lighting truss broke, but what the heck happened?”

  “According to Seung-gi hubae, the truss did not simply break,” ChenBao said. “It was sabotaged.”

  “Someone tried to kill my son,” Soon-joon growled. “That is all I need to know.”

  “But who? Who would do something so… horrible?” Min-su asked.

  “Mei,” Jin-woo said quietly. “It was Mei.”

  SALVAGEABLE. THIS was salvageable. It might take another day or two, but she could work with this. Mei paced back and forth in her bedroom. The overturned lamp shone like a spotlight on her movements. She kicked the torn sketchbooks out of her way, sending paper flying like confetti. How could her sweet Jin-woo draw that…. She didn’t even have a horrible enough word to describe Ki-tae. No, he was gone. She didn’t have to worry about him anymore. All she had to do was get rid of Min-su and Jong-in, and then she would have Jin-woo all to herself. He would never leave her, never reject her, and he would be so good, so very, very good.

  Mei turned toward her map and began removing pins, throwing them carelessly to the floor. She didn’t need them anymore. There would be no more concerts for Bam Kiseu. They were ruined. No one would want to see such trash. Jin-woo would be happy with her now that he was gone. They’d move somewhere quiet, away from people. They would have many children, and he would draw only her, sing only for her and no one else.

  But… Min-su and Jong-in had to go first. They could not be allowed to stand in her way, to take Jin-woo’s attention from her.

  Mei giggled and flung herself onto her bed, rolling until she could kiss the picture of Jin-woo that hung right next to her pillow. She looked up, her eyes jumping from picture to picture to picture. Jin-woo was the most beautiful person in the world. Oh, how she had loved taking his picture, following him, seeing all the things he liked. She accidently bumped the table at the foot of her bed, rattling all her tokens of Jin-woo. His pencil nubs, several pens, a can of his favorite drink, and a plate of his favorite cookies, all of them sat on the table in precise order, never shifted, never moving, the perfect shrine to her Jin-woo.

  Suddenly Mei sat up. She hadn’t been able to get Jin-woo out of the theater. She had to leave him there, and she knew they had stolen him from her. How to get him back? How long would they hide him? They couldn’t conceal him forever. Eventually they would have to bring him out to deal with the social media storm she’d created. It was too bad her beloved Jin-woo would get caught up in that, but he had been naughty. Mei rubbed her forehead. Just like he’d been naughty in the storage room. That was not a nice thing to do to his beloved. She would have to devise an appropriate punishment for that, nothing too serious. He was her perfect man, after all, but something would need to be done.

  Mei pulled on the sweatshirt he’d left behind in class one day, curling up in it. She sighed as she fell into an agitated sleep. “Naughty Jin-woo, you’re only for me.”

  Jong-in

  JONG-IN OPENED his eyes slowly. He blinked a few times and then sighed. HanYin lay on the pillow next to him, his eyes still closed. His breathing was steady, though, so that was a good sign. He only wished HanYin weren’t being stubborn about taking his blood. Hyun-jo had said he would heal faster if he drank, but the stupid man refused to take it from Jong-in. He hadn’t given Jong-in a good reason why. As he noted the dark circles and the tight lines around HanYin’s mouth, Jong-in resolved not to allow him to refuse much longer. Clearly going without was making it harder for him to heal, and Jong-in was so done with that.

  He had fallen asleep shortly after HanYin slipped into his healing state. Hyun-jo had entreated him to come out of the room, but he refused. He wasn’t going to leave HanYin to deal with this by himself. Besides, he was tougher than he looked. The next time HanYin woke, they were going to have a serious talk about this not-taking-blood-when-he-needed-it thing.

  “You’re frowning.” HanYin’s voice sounded so weak, but to hear it was the sweetest music.

  “Of course I am. You’re still being a dumbass.” Jong-in snorted.

  “Don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Then don’t,” Jong-in said with a shrug. “If Jin-woo-ya is anything to go by, it doesn’t have to hurt.”

  “I….”

  “HanYin, what are you afraid of?” Jong-in demanded.

  “I’m not afraid.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “You hang around Min-su-ya too much. Picking up her language,” HanYin grumbled, wincing as he shifted on his stomach.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment and not tell her you said that, and that was a very poor distraction attempt.” Jong-in scooted closer until their faces were barely inches apart. “You’re in no condition to make love with me as you take my blood, but you’re conscious, so you can feed and heal. Please, HanYin, it’s killing me to see you like this.”

  “Stubborn Fox,” HanYin muttered, but he shifted slowly until he could take Jong-in’s proffered wrist. Jong-in shivered as HanYin brushed his mouth over the sensitive skin. His breath was hot, teasing, sending darts of pleasure racing straight to Jong-in’s groin. And then he slowly sank those fangs into his flesh.

  “Oh shit,” Jong-in moaned as the darts became waves. He was hard in seconds and moving restlessly on the bed.

  Still HanYin continued to feed, and it was the most erotic sight Jong-in had ever seen. He moved closer, pressing the length of his body along HanYin’s uninjured side, careful not to jostle him too much. HanYin g
lanced at him with silver eyes before closing them once more, and Jong-in whimpered. He wished he were buried deep inside HanYin, bringing him as much pleasure as Jong-in was experiencing at this very moment.

  Finally HanYin withdrew his fangs and delicately licked at the wounds. He looked at Jong-in, a small smile on his face before he slipped into the healing sleep once more. Carefully Jong-in maneuvered until HanYin’s head was on his chest. He gently stroked his hair. He was never letting him go, ever.

  Soon-joon

  SOON-JOON STOOD over the sink, washing the dishes, his mind carefully blank. If he thought about everything that had happened today, he would destroy his surroundings. The rage within him was nothing compared to the pain of seeing his sons hurting. He couldn’t even begin to think about how to handle the mess those photos and video were causing. More importantly, how was he going to protect his sons and the people they loved from someone he knew nothing about? He had made a mistake in thinking Jin-woo’s stalker and the threats to Ki-tae were unrelated. He should have known better and acted accordingly. He should have….

  Gentle hands touched his, stopping his movements. He stared at them for a moment. Long, elegant fingers, fine-boned but strong, impeccably maintained. He looked into Hyun-jo’s eyes.

  “You’ve washed the same plate three times now,” he said as he pulled Soon-joon’s hands away from the sink. He put the plate in the drainer and then grabbed the dish towel, drying Soon-joon’s hands. Hyun-jo pulled him from the kitchen and into the living room. Soon-joon allowed himself to be pushed into a chair and Hyun-jo to settle in his lap.

  “I don’t mean to push,” Jin-woo said as he came into the living room. “No, that’s not true. I do mean to push, but you said after I ate, you would take me to Ki-tae.”

  “I did.” Soon-joon sighed.

  He patted Hyun-jo’s hip to get him to move, earning a pout. When he was able to rise, he gestured for Jin-woo to follow him down the hallway. He turned in the direction of Ki-tae’s room. When he glanced back, he saw the confused look on Jin-woo’s face.

  “He wasn’t in his room.”

  “No, he wasn’t,” Soon-joon said. He touched the top of the wooden panel across from Ki-tae’s door, and it slid open silently. “He was underneath it.”

  “I don’t know whether to be amazed or creeped out,” Jin-woo said.

  “It is a necessity,” Soon-joon said with a sigh. He seemed to be doing that a lot. “Well, more precautionary than anything else. We haven’t had to use it in quite some time.”

  “He’s… he’s okay?”

  “Yes and no,” Soon-joon said as he led the way down the steps. “He is not injured physically, but the blow to his self-esteem, to his mind, it will be devastating to him. He will not like knowing he hurt Min-su-ya and fought with Cheongul. He will not like knowing he was a danger to HanYin.”

  “So why tell him?”

  “Because we try not to keep those kinds of secrets from each other,” Soon-joon said. He punched a code into the panel next to the second door. “It would only add to his distress. He would feel as if we betrayed his trust, and I will not do that to him.”

  “I guess I can understand that,” Jin-woo said. “It’s so you don’t add that pain on top of whatever it was to begin with.”

  “And there will be further stress to come. The attack at the concert was not the only strike against this family,” Soon-joon said softly.

  “I don’t like the sound of that, but it’s going to have to wait,” Jin-woo said as the door slid open. “It’s so bare.”

  “This is not a room to be comfortable in,” Soon-joon said. “We keep the furniture sparse because when it is used, things are usually destroyed.”

  “I guess that makes sense too. I don’t like the idea of him in here, though.”

  “Neither do I, Jin-woo-ya. Neither do I,” Soon-joon said.

  When he returned to the living room, it was to find only ChenBao and Hyun-jo remained. He returned to his seat, but Hyun-jo didn’t join him.

  “We’re going to have to address this second attack at some point,” ChenBao said.

  “It cannot be tonight,” Soon-joon said. “HanYin has not recovered, and you still have Ki-tae in stasis. Jin-woo-ya is with him now. It will not do much good if they cannot speak to one another.”

  “It is already done,” ChenBao said, her eyes flashing white. “Still, this media attack is serious. This country is not quite ready to accept their idols may be attracted to the same gender, and Jin-woo-ya is caught up in it. His academic career is in jeopardy.”

  “As is Jong-in’s,” Hyun-jo added. “Although that was not so much an attack as a sign of relief.”

  Soon-joon looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Sometimes Hyun-jo liked to keep his little gems until the last possible moment.

  “He kissed HanYin right onstage.”

  “Oh dear.” ChenBao giggled. “Well, there’s really no spinning that, and I really don’t think we should try.”

  “No, it would be incredibly difficult and I don’t think it would be right,” Soon-joon said. “As for their academic careers, I would like to think Jeonjin University would not penalize them for this. It may not be a realistic thought, but it is a thought nonetheless. If the worst-case scenario happens in that corner, they will not have to worry. There is a place for both Jin-woo-ya and Jong-in-a, as well as Min-su, at BL Entertainment.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Enough for now,” Hyun-jo said firmly, looking at them. “For tonight we focus on the healing of our family. Tomorrow we will face the threat to the company.”

  “Agreed,” ChenBao said. She rose gracefully. Soon-joon smiled as she placed a kiss on his forehead, as she had done every day they were together since he was a small child. She did the same to Hyun-jo, ruffling his hair.

  Then it was just him and Hyun-jo. Soon-joon studied him. Since his declaration, Hyun-jo had not returned to his own apartment to sleep. He had not taken one of the guest beds. And he had not allowed Soon-joon to feed from his wrist. In response, Soon-joon had simply not fed from him. He did not care for people telling him what he would or would not do.

  “Shall we retire?” Hyun-jo asked as he rose from the couch.

  Soon-joon continued to study him. He had lost his heart to Hyun-jo long ago. Hyun-jo had loved him, had stayed by his side for over a thousand years. Even after Soon-joon sent him away, Hyun-jo had not left him. He still did not feel worthy of the sacrifices Hyun-jo had made for him. To lose his clan, his family, and spend two hundred years powerless was too much to give. And yet Hyun-jo gave it without reservation. Was his guilt worth holding on to when it kept him from the man he loved? Perhaps it was time to let it go.

  Soon-joon led the way to his room. He paused at the foot of the bed as Hyun-jo closed the door behind them. Keeping his gaze steady, Soon-joon slowly unbuttoned his shirt, then tugged it from his jeans. He slid it off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. He never took his eyes off Hyun-jo, noted all the subtle shifts of his facial expression as Soon-joon removed everything. He caught the quickening of his breath, the shifting of his eyes from a beautiful brown to the gorgeous lavender, and the whitening and lengthening of his hair. Then he turned to face Hyun-jo, not hiding his erection. Still Soon-joon said nothing.

  “Saiai,” Hyun-jo whispered.

  Soon-joon crossed the room in a blink and buried his fingers in the hair at the back of Hyun-jo’s neck, yanking him forward to claim his mouth. He thrust his tongue deep, growling at the first true taste of his love after so many years.

  In seconds he was as naked as Soon-joon. Soon-joon didn’t let go as he maneuvered them onto the platform bed, kicking the blankets off in their haste. They writhed and twined together, touching every inch of skin they could reach. Soon-joon hissed as Hyun-jo dragged his claws down his back, bucking his hips forward. He grabbed Hyun-jo’s hands and pinned them above his head with one of his own. He used his leg to spread Hyun-jo’s thighs wider, giving him access to all the wonde
rfully sensitive areas between them. He reached for the lube in his nightstand and then set to the delicious task of preparing Hyun-jo. Soon-joon smiled at the little whimpers, moans, and yips that filled the room. He remembered those sounds, had loved them so long ago and still adored them now.

  As much as he wanted to draw out the pleasure for Hyun-jo, Soon-joon needed to be inside him, needed to be one with him, to feel that connection solidify between them. He replaced his fingers with his hard shaft, pushing forward just the way he knew Hyun-jo liked, and the high-pitched cry confirmed his little Fox still loved to feel the slow stretch of his cock sliding inside him. “So tight, so hot, I love the way you feel around me.”

  “Soon-joon,” Hyun-jo whimpered as he wrapped his legs around his waist.

  He tugged at his hands, but Soon-joon would not let them go. He held them with both hands, staring into Hyun-jo’s eyes as he slowly made love to him, each thrust a lingering invasion that only pushed the pleasure higher, increased the tension in every muscle. Yet he was the one brought to ruin when Hyun-jo turned his head to the right, offering his throat, offering blood straight from his heart, offering the chance of a deeper bond with him.

  He placed his lips against his neck, brushing them back and forth as he spoke. “Are you sure, watashi no kokoro? It will be forever.”

  “Saiai, I have already given you over a millennium. How much longer are you going to doubt my love and devotion to you?” Hyun-jo said, his eyes glistening.

  There was only one way to answer that question.

  He gently pierced the skin, the rush of Hyun-jo’s blood into his mouth heightening the pleasure of being buried deep within his body. He released Hyun-jo’s hands and slid his arms beneath his back, lifting until he could sit back on his heels, driving his shaft deeper, and Hyun-jo cried out, clenching around him. Without conscious thought, Soon-joon moved his body to match the pull on Hyun-jo’s neck. Hyun-jo dug his claws into his back and then clamped his sharp fangs onto his shoulder. He felt the magic surge across his skin, Hyun-jo’s white-blue fox-fire searing his flesh, not with pain but with pleasure. Joy as he had never experienced before filled him. He would carry Hyun-jo’s seal forever. Tears slid down his cheeks even as he pulled back and licked the wounds left by his fangs. He clasped Hyun-jo tightly to him, increasing the speed of his thrusting as he felt the trembling in Hyun-jo’s body. His little Fox was close, and Soon-joon would have him reach his pleasure first.