When Taehyung reached for the delicate wrist that Aera passively held against the bedpost, his eyes became stuck on the small laceration decorating her neck.
‘Do I taste good?’ Her angelic whisper interrupted his thoughts, and he instantly shifted his gaze from the cut that he’d inflicted.
Taehyung placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head to get a better look. The bleeding had stopped, but it was never his intention to hurt her. He was out of control - lost in the moment as he felt her succumb to his touch.
‘Is there a reason you don’t follow through on your threats?’ Aera quizzed, folding her arms behind her head as he turned to leave. ‘Anyone would think you liked me.’
Taehyung stopped and glanced over his shoulder to see a smug Aera waiting for a response to her suggestive comment. When he struggled to find the suitable words that would make her think otherwise, he did what came natural to him; snarled and turned his back.
‘The little brat,’ Taehhyung muttered, closing the door on the woman that had him hot under the collar.
Aera was right; he had no intention of sending Jimin to her, but after that last remark, there was an overwhelming drive to show her that he wasn’t a man one should toy with.
Flopping on the end of his bed, Taehyung sank into the satin sheets and stared at the ceiling, taking a minute to process what had just unfolded.
Aera was a pain in the arse, but she was also one-of-a-kind, her enticing disposition provoking him in ways he never thought possible as the amorous scene replayed in his mind and he savoured the flavour of her blood lingering on his taste buds.
Her behaviour was an extreme turn on, not to mention commendable. Even as he secured her to the ominous slab and held a blade to her throat, the enchantress remained unafraid, seducing him as she stared death in the face.
When the adrenaline left his system, though, Taehyung found himself flooded with a mixture of confusion, anger and lust.
It was a real head-scratcher attempting to understand her. The mouth-watering mess he felt upon stroking between her legs proved her undeniable hunger for him. So the question that troubled him the most was her reason for not admitting what they both knew to be true.
It was obvious to him that she had issues. He did too.
Taehyung’s biggest burden was the fear of being alone. Yes, he could find a wife at the drop of a hat, but he wanted a woman to stand by him, demons and all. Like his father, a partner in crime would make him complete, but with that came vulnerability, and that was something that didn’t sit too well with him.
A woman who could cater to his needs was hard to come by, but he swore he would find her, and if this was it - if Aera was the one he had waited for - he wasn’t ready to let his guard down yet. If he was to take her as a wife, the true test would be how she reacted to his involvement in the cult.
Until then, he would not give himself to her, and he would put aside his thoughts of what he envisioned for their future. If by any chance he had mis-interperated this whole thing, Aera would at least make for a compelling viewing, even though he would hate to have to get rid of her.
In the meantime, Taehyung was willing to play along with Aera’s games. One of them had to give, and it sure as hell wouldn’t be him.
With a heavy sigh, Taehyung dragged himself to the edge of the bed; he needed to make a move instead of pondering the fate of the woman who was getting under his skin. With a quick change into some loose clothes, he grabbed his phone and headed downstairs.
During the time he had Aera in the basement, he had three unread emails confirming delivery dates from a reputable vendor in Japan. In the coming weeks, he and Jimin would be kept busy acquiring endless packages, from furniture and hi-tech machines to chemicals and test tubes.
The laboratory he’d forked out on required his full attention, along with digging deeper into the fascinating world of human cloning.
When he wasn't distracted with Aera, and sweet talking associates that enabled him to turn his idea into a reality, Taehyung spent some time researching the complicated procedure. The process of human cloning was a lengthy one - the same timeframe as human life. It would be a tedious project, but his instincts told him that it would be worth it.
Scrolling through his messages, Taehyung tapped out a reply to his new consociate as he roamed towards the open veranda that spanned the back of the house. He passed the main living room and kitchen, then the office and games room, but they were all unoccupied.
If Park Jimin was quiet, he was either up to no good, or he was hibernating in his favourite room. The rustic style lounge he preferred to relax in was tucked away at the end of the main walkway. With a real log fire, and cosy bucket seat sofa, it was a peaceful haven to steal a quick nap.
Taehyung approached the homely room, hearing canned laughter from the television as he noticed the ambient glow from the crack in the door.
He didn’t want to drag his friend into his unorthodox romance, and in hindsight, he wished he hadn’t retaliated to Aera’s jibe.
‘I know that face.’ Jimin squinted through accusing eyes as they landed on his sheepish visage poking through the door. ‘What’s going on? Did you kill her?’
Taehyung forced a wide smile, and edged into the room, making himself comfortable on the plush three seater beside him. He had gone over his opening line at least ten times, but as he faced Jimin, everytime he opened his mouth, he found himself stalling.
‘I’m your best friend, spit it out.’ Jimin encouraged, but upon closer inspection, his voice changed to that of concern. ‘When was the last time you slept, Tae? You look like shit.’
‘You look like shit!’ Taehyung retaliated, but then cupped the back of his neck, took a deep breath, and spat it out. ‘Things went a bit too far with Aera tonight.’
‘I knew it. You killed her, didn’t you?’ Jimin shuffled to the edge of the cushion, and waited for him to elaborate.
‘No.’ Taehyung’s eyes slammed into his. ‘She’s upstairs.’
‘I’m lost. What went too far?’ Jimin asked, furrowing his brows.
‘What took place during our visit to the basement.’ Taehyung reached for a glass before continuing, ‘It seems we’ve found ourselves in what I can only describe as a power struggle.’
‘How is that possible? She’s chained to your bed?’ Jimin spluttered, using his hand to stop the fine mist of liquid that nearly escaped his mouth.
‘She may be chained to my bed, but she’s enjoying it.’ Taehyung raised a brow. ‘And by that, I mean she’s aroused by it. By me.’
‘Just to be clear. You’ve still not fucked her?’ Jimin leaned over to the table for the decanter and filled their glasses.
‘No.’
‘So, she still isn’t begging for it?’ Jimin mocked, shaking his head and taking a swig. ‘What do you two do every night?’
Jimin’s teasing came as no surprise. He would have done the same had the roles been reversed.
‘I couldn’t explain it if I tried.’ Taehyung’s eyes wandered off. ‘All I know is that she wants me, and I just need her to admit that.’
‘What do you think she’s trying to achieve?’ Jimin straightened in his seat, becoming more invested in what he had to say.
‘That’s what I’m trying to figure out.’ Taehyung necked the whiskey and pushed his glass back at Jimin for a refill. ‘I think she’s trying to determine if I like her too.’
‘It sounds to me like you both need to cut the bullshit, and tell each other the truth so you can start your psycho family.’ His confidant advised whilst topping his glass up.
‘That can’t happen yet, I’m still testing her,’ Taehyung drawled as he stretched a leg across the sofa and pulled the futon closer with the other. ‘Besides, I want Aera to admit it first.’
‘You two certainly are strange,’ Jimin sighed while resting his head on the back of the sofa.
He needed to get to the point and ask the man for the favour he’d sought him out for, but the notion of anything happening between Aera and his best friend made his blood boil.
‘Mochi,’ Taehyung whined the childish name he used when he indeed needed a favour.
‘Okay, now I know you want something.’ Jimin let his neck roll towards him. ‘What is it?’
‘This is going to sound weird, so hear me out.’ Shifting his body, Taehyung swivelled on the sofa to face him head on. ‘I need your help with something.’
‘Everything you do is weird,’ Jimin chuckled. ‘Hit me.’
‘She asked for you,’ Taehyung blurted, but held his breath, trying to gage Jimin’s reaction.
‘What do you mean she asked for me?’
‘I told you. Things went too far.’ Before Taehyung could continue, a cheeky smile grew on Jimin’s face. ‘Don’t get too excited. She asked for you to spite me,’ he clarified while shoving his foot into his ribs, ‘so, I threatened to send you in to fuck her.’
‘You said I’d do what now?’ Jimin snorted in disbelief.
Taehyung scraped his hair off his forehead and shuffled closer. ‘I have to follow through on this, Jimin. If I don’t, it will be obvious that I-’ He groaned, unable to finish his sentence. ‘She’s trying to call my bluff. Help a friend out, will you?’
‘Are you asking me to fuck your potential wife?’
Jimin looked uncomfortable with his revelation, so Taehyung jumped in with his plan of action. ‘You’ll get an important call before things have a chance to escalate.’
‘So, you’re basically asking me to test her?’ His mischievous grin hinted that he was up for it.
‘Yes.’ Taehyung mirrored his roguish smile.
‘You two are completely messed up, you know that, right?’
‘I do.’ Taehyung nodded in agreement.
‘I got my own shit going on you know.’ Jimin sniffed as he shifted away and propped his legs on Tae’s shins.
‘Don’t tell me you're still pining over that Spanish lamb who wouldn’t even tell you her name?’ Taehyung jumped at the opportunity to take a dig at his friend.
‘Ha!’ Jimin grinned at him and pulled his phone out, ‘Got her name and number. I told you she was into me.’
‘Why don’t you bring her here? There’s plenty of handcuffs knocking around.’ Taehyung gave him a suggestive smile.
‘I don’t think Maya’s quite as fucked up as Aera.’ Jimin thumped his calf and thrust his leg off the sofa to stand up.
‘Give me a couple of days,’ Taehyung said cockily as he sprawled across the three seater, ‘I owe you, Mochi.’
‘I’m off to bed. I can check in on her now if you want me to?’ Jimin teased as he trundled to the door.
‘We’re good for tonight, but don’t forget. Plenty of handcuffs if you change your mind.’
When Jimin left, Taehyung retrieved his phone, eager to learn more about the enigmatic Aera. He hit the dial button when he found Mr Bak, immediately requesting background information in exchange for a generous payment.
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfESeYEd3G
