[CONTENTID1]Azalea[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Twenty-Eight[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

When Yoonhee opened her eyes, her surroundings slowly came into focus. She did not understand yet why she felt scared—everything seemed normal at first glance. The mint green carpet on the wooden floor of her parent's home was worn out, lying in its normal spot below the coffee table. She looked around, struggling not to go under when a wave of melancholia reached her. Her memories of home were still clear although she hadn’t been here in years.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed a red puddle. It was growing, consuming the floor and reaching the carpet. The beautiful green shade was stained and forever changed—it was now that Yoonhee understood what was happening, and promptly she was swept away by the intensity of her fear. She hadn’t felt so scared in years—not since the night her parents had lost their lives.

Yoonhee watched a younger version of herself quivering in terror, gazing at the body of her mother as it lay on the ground. She had already taken her last breath. Not even magic could save her now, and when her younger self realized this, she let out a heart-wrenching wail.

The perpetrator entered her field of vision without warning, the hellish red color of his eyes matching the blood on the floor. Yoonhee was paralyzed. This man had taken everything from her and caused so much misery—she hated him with all of her heart, and yet she was scared to death. For some strange reason, the vampire did not look at her younger self, he looked straight at her. As if he could see her somehow even though this was nothing but a memory.

“You’re mine,” he said with a disgusting sneer, “And no matter how much you run, no matter where you hide, I will find you.”

She was about to answer him, tell him that he was wrong, but her tongue was glued to the roof of and not a single sound went past her lips. She had become a lifeless statue.

The shrill voice of her father penetrated the fog in her mind, screaming, “Run, Yoonhee, run!” and she watched her younger self sharing one last glance with him, knowing this would be their last moment together—and then she ran.

Yoonhee wanted to stay with her father, but she was forced to follow her younger self out into the night, having no control over her movements. Her feet carried her away from the vampire and her home, and again, someone was calling her name. This voice sounded just as frantic as that of her father, but it didn’t belong to him. It was someone else’s.

Hands grabbed her shoulders, and a familiar scent reached her nose—her eyes snapped open and once more, she was met with deep red eyes. However, this time the sight didn’t unsettle her because she immediately knew to who they belonged. It was dark in his bedroom, but she would recognize her soulmate anywhere. It dawned on her that she had been dreaming. How odd. She hadn’t dreamed about that night in a long time. Perhaps this was a bad omen—or perhaps it was a warning. Run, her father had screamed. The haunting sound of his voice still resonated in her ears as if he was standing in front of her. Distracted by her thoughts, she didn’t take note of Baekhyun’s worried questions until his cool hand touched her cheek.

“Yoonhee, what’s wrong?”

She glanced up, meeting the ruby glow of his eyes in the darkness. Seconds passed. She remained motionless and willed her quick heartbeats to calm down—Baekhyun seemed concerned about her and she didn’t want him to worry.

“You suddenly started trembling and mumbling in your sleep,” he continued, careful to keep his voice soft, sweet like honey. He intended to comfort her and it was working.

“I’m okay.” She breathed out, shaking off the remnants of fear. “It was just a nightmare… I think.”

She sighed and rolled on her side, laying her hand on the pillow in between her and his body. His palm soon covered it, grasping her fingers as if to remind her that she wasn’t alone. He concentrated on her pulse, waiting for it to return to its normal rhythm while he observed her expression. The stormy shadows in her gaze revealed a different side of her, one that was affected by memories from the past. The melancholia and underlying sorrow she displayed lead him to believe that her nightmare must have been about her parents…

“You think?” he echoed, worry pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“I saw the vampire who killed my parents, and he… he said something strange. It wasn’t just a memory, it was different. I’m afraid he might find me soon.” Her voice was an emotionless whisper.

Baekhyun’s throat tightened as a mix of worry and anger rolled over him, and he instinctively reached out to his soulmate, draping his arm around her body. There was no immediate danger nearby, but the vampiric side of him calmed once he felt her close to him.

“He may find you, but he won’t hurt you,” he muttered hollowly. Somehow, Baekhyun managed to keep his simmering anger to himself. It wasn’t discernible in the tone of his voice—but inwardly, it began to consume him. “If he dares to show himself, I will take care of him. I can tell how much this weighs you down; constantly worrying, always hiding. It’s time I put a stop to it so that you can live on without wasting a single thought about the bastard.”

Yoonhee remained quiet for a few moments. Baekhyun was strong, she was aware of this, and yet she couldn’t help but worry about him. What if he and her pursuer met—and what if their encounter would lead to his demise? The vampire had already taken her old family from her, what if he took her new one as well?

“This vampire and his clan… why do they want you? Why would they hunt you down for such a long time?” Baekhyun’s rough voice asked, and this time, his rage seeped into it.

Yoonhee shrugged and gave him the same explanation she had already given him prior to this, “They want my magic.”

“But for what? Why do they need your magic? Isn’t that strange? There are other witches who they could turn to, and yet they keep searching for you!”

“I’ve asked myself the same question many times, but I don’t have a definite answer. It likely has to do with my magical element. Green magic has the highest affinity for healing, hence why it’s unique.”

“It still makes no sense! Vampires heal fast on their own. They belong to the most resilient beings in existence, they wouldn’t need healing magic. I would expect them to search for destructive dark magic instead like Aeri did,” he closed his eyes and groaned. “I can’t stand the thought of someone taking you from me, it drives me insane. You belong with me.”

“Baekhyun… even if he manages to find me, I will fight. I’m no longer the defenseless witch I used to be, and if he tries to separate us, then he will get hell for it. I will drown him in wolfsbane if I have to,” she whispered, and Baekhyun was surprised at how soft she sounded despite the clear determination he read in her expression. He knew she could make a vampire’s life hell with her newly-acquired magical skills. She had learned how to manifest wolfsbane from thin air—quite impressive and terrifying for a vampire to think about. He knew how nasty that plant was.

“Kick his if you see him, but leave a piece of him for me, I want to get my hands on him too,” he murmured roughly, his hand brushing over her stomach. “And don’t forget to bring my parents’ gift wherever you go.”

Baekhyun safely drove her to work that day and insisted on staying nearby, but she convinced him she would be fine as long as she stayed at her shop—she had put up protective charms everywhere that masked the scent of her magic. Thus, no supernatural being except for other witches would be able to tell that she wasn’t human.

“Are you really sure you don’t want me to stay?” He ran his hand through his ebony hair for what seemed to be the hundredth time and shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

“I’m positive. This place is safe, and even if something were to happen, I got you on speed dial.”

A deep sigh. “Buttercup…”

“I don’t want you to worry, Baek. You could drop by during lunch break, then we could head to one of the restaurants in the area?” she smiled, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“Deal. I’ll be back by noon.”

“Okay, see you then,” she answered and kissed his cheek. He nodded and finally left the shop.

Yoonhee turned and walked back to the counter where a grinning Siyeon already awaited her. The human employee was over the moon after what she had witnessed. “Your boyfriend is so thoughtful and concerned about you! He must be worried because of the murders, hm?”

“Yes, they’ve been on his mind constantly. The police still don’t have any leads,” Yoonhee answered, kno