SILIN

He looks so anxious.

And somehow he reminds me of the first time I had met him, freshly bought from the auction. Back then, his scarlet eyes had been firm and frozen, gaze transfixed on me without a single wavering of his lips. Even though he must've been so afraid.

Back then, I had been too ignorant to know.

I touch the line of his shoulder. His broad figure swallows up half my vision, as I sit down at the edge of my bed. I would tell him to sit next to me, hadn't he already looked so uncomfortable being here. The last thing I wanted was for him to run away again.

His mask covers his lips. And his dark curls cover his downcast eyes.

"Taehyung."

Somehow, I can practically see the way his mouth is clamped shut behind that dark, protective cloth of his. He's looking for a chance to run again, to avoid me. And this time, he may actually leave for good.

I don't understand what's making him do this.

But I can feel it. The way that he would never tell me the truth no matter how much I ask nicely.

And sometimes.

Beasts could be tamed in other ways.

"I'm going to count to six," I whisper. "Tell me what has been going on with you these past couple days."

His eyes widen.

"One."

I rest a hand against his waist, near the hem of his sweat-soaked shirt. His gaze wavers, and I see him rapidly flick his eyes up to meet mine. But his figure stays still, hands crossed behind his back so taut that I can see the stretch of his broad, muscled arms.

"Two."

My hand slips underneath. I feel him bite back a gasp as I slowly run my fingers along his hard, firm body. Nothing about him is soft.

And I see his face twist with resistance.

The edges of my lips tint with a smile.

So it is mine, hm?

It's my body that you have been fantasizing about. Are you afraid that you cannot have it? Are you afraid of hurting it?

Tell me with your own mouth.

"Three."

I drop my hand. And his scarlet eyes flash open when I grip his wrist instead. Slowly, in a heat mixed with both desire to be touched and to know his thoughts, I do a thing that I would've never had imagined myself doing.

I bring his hand to my cheek. He is frozen still, his eyes crimson as ever as he stares unblinking into my face. I rest my head against his thick, calloused hand for a split second before lowering it down to my chest.

I hear him gasp.

"M-Mistress..."

His entire body is trembling. I hold his hand against the curve of my breast, my eyes never leaving his.

"Four."

What are you afraid of.

You are stronger than you think you are.

You are stronger than your desires.

I slowly unravel the chiffon ties of my dress near the shoulders. His breathing, rough and uncontrolled, is the only thing that fills the silence of the room. The dress slips off, revealing smooth, unblemished skin.

"Mistress, p-please..."

Prove to me that you're not a slave to your own Beast, Taehyung. Prove to me that you are stronger.

Prove to me.

"Five."

I look up at him. His eyes are so bright red that it reminds me of the Blood Moon. And I see the cloth of his mask, stretched taut with the full lengthening of his fangs. Any moment, I'm well aware that this Taraka is able to rip me head to toe and end my life in an instant. He is more than capable of doing that.

But I don't believe he will.

He is not slave to his Beast. And I need him to know that as well as I do.

Because right now, he is too afraid.

He would not hurt me. I trust him.

I trust him.

"Six."

And he breaks.

He tears away from my weak grip. And both his hands are on my shoulders, pinning me down to the bed. I utter a gasp as he rips the mask from his lips and crashes them into mine.

He kisses me, for the first time.

And I feel his urge to break. But he never does, just like I thought he would. Just like I had trusted. Slowly, my lips tilt upwards into a smile as I run my own tongue across his fangs. His hands caress me, gentler than Han had ever treated me.

Heat pools in my body. And I moan, full of pleasure as he lifts me onto the bed. The curves of my figure arch into the planes of his body as he kisses down my throat. Breaths pass me, hot and wet.

I love him.

I want him.

And the night and day blurs into one.

________________________________

RIN

Why the heck.

My eyes flatten at the woman standing before me. Her hair is curled to perfection, not a single strand falling out of place. The dress she wears bleeds wealth and the pretension of wealth.

And I'd just been about to take a sweet nap.

"Show respect in front of the nobility, hm?"

I half-heartedly bow my head into a slight tilt, not even bothering to hide the distaste curling the corner of my lip. A scoff echoes soon after, as I raise my chin again to face her. Her brows are knit with disapproval.

I don't even know the name of this woman. All I'd seen her was from a couple times around the Asura Palace, either clinging desperately onto the arms of the King or ordering servants around as if they were slaves.

She bats her lashes poisonously.

"I ought to have slapped you from that."

"But," She taps the sole of her diamond heels against the wooden floor. "You're lucky that I've taken a liking to you."

...what?

"I'd like you start working for me as my personal maid. I'll reimburse you handsomely, of course."

I scoff. This time, it slips out of my mouth before I can even stop it. But even then, I doubt I would've made any effort to stop it, anyways.

The woman's toxic eyes flash up. Her right hand stops in midair, right in the middle of fanning her powdered face.

I meet her eyes straight on.

"With all due respect," I start. "Even as an ignorant servant, even I am aware that you are nothing compared to the Queen of Asura."

And I can see the moment when this woman shows her true side of crazy.

A sound splits the silence of the hallway as she lifts her manicured hand and slaps me across the face.

_______________________________

SILIN

A knock on the door makes my eyes flutter open.

The room is awash with the blue tints of morning sunlight. When my gaze shifts lazily towards the clock, I see that it reads just barely half past seven. The morning is still early.

Who...

I raise my upper body from the pillows. A slight wince twists my expression when I try to move my legs, as the sore pain of the past night pulses deep within my body. The sheets slip from my bare shoulders.

"Mistress."

Gentle hands wrap a loose shirt around my naked top. Taehyung's scarlet eyes pin for a heavy second on the closed door, as if blaming whoever had broken the peace of the morning. It brings a smile to my lips. My own eyes trace down the lines of his exposed upper body, the one that I had touched every single inch of the night before.

"Mistress, stay here." He whispers, having had noticed the pain that had twisted my features earlier. "I—"

"It's perfectly alright."

He stares back at me, the lower half of his face hidden underneath his dark mask. I reach for his hand, slowly getting to my feet. With the shirt around my shoulders, I approach the door to meet whoever is on the other side.

It's Jimin.

His face is dark and solemn, locked down with a pressed emotion that I can't even read. His entire body is stretched taut with tension, as if he is seconds away from snapping.

"Jimin," I utter. "Why—"

His amber eyes hit the ground. And my own widen with shock as he drops to the floor on his right knee, his head angling towards the carpet. His voice is pleading.

"Your Majesty the Queen."

A faint chill runs down my spine at his next words.

Take mercy. And save your servant.