Chapter Text
-14-
brought the heat back
Jake’s hands were special things.
The ivory veins trailing up the length of his arms, the red of his knuckles, the way his skin tightly hugged each joint and bone like it were a thin coating of milk and honey–all of it contributed to the fascination of his five fingers.
Well, ten if you counted both hands.
They were the first signal of warmth my body clung to, the first reminder of life in this wasteland of cold I found myself lost within.
His hands evoked from me the joy of every hug, every bout of laughter, every smile I’d ever appreciated and wanted to experience again.
They were experts in the field of touch, and they were the only thing keeping me from the brink of death.
One to my heart, the other pressed to my cheek, provided me with a direct link to his scorching energy, to his internal reservoir of blazing passion. What he transferred to me then, wasn't just the force of all the heat he could muster, but it was also the accumulation of his bleeding desires.
I felt the impact in my chest.
A swell of fire overtook my senses and clouded my eyes with flimsy judgement. The sensation was reminiscent of the steam in Heeseung’s shower, of the taste of Jay’s meals, of the softness in Sunoo’s tone. It was what I could only loosely describe as the feeling of love.
Jake pressed his palm harder to my quickening heart, as if he were searing a hole through my sternum, not once tearing away his probing eyes.
“How’s that feel?”
His lips parted, his docile expression pouring life into my own.
“G-Good,” I said, my teeth a chattering mess. “You’re s-so warm.”
My fingertips began to tingle with freshly circulating blood, and my frozen grip finally loosened from the fabric of Ni-ki’s wet shirt. Almost automatically I latched onto Jake’s smooth button-down instead, desperate to feel his molten core against my palms.
There was a pause in the air as a low grumble rose from Ni-ki’s bobbing throat. I could feel that neither vampire wanted to forfeit their claim on my body, but Ni-ki eventually released his hold and let Jake have me for himself.
A dark red stare pierced through my irises and imprinted its force in my mind forever. I swear I could see my own eyes shimmering in the reflection of Jake’s dancing orbs, two tiny little fires lighting up my dilated pupils.
“That’s right,” he said, a smile breaking free from his lips. “Hold onto me.”
He whispered the words against my ear while staring out at the surrounding vampires, testing each of their restraint with his blatant mockery.
“Lucky bastard,” Jay’s voice cut sharply from across the room. “Wipe that stupid smirk from your face. It's pissing me off.”
“Hm?” Jake asked innocently, biting down on his bottom lip. “Are you jealous, Jay?”
Slowly Jake nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck, his hot breath touching my skin before the tip of his nose did. He traced faintly along my exposed collar bones, and I melted into his atmosphere, the feeling more pleasant than anything I could’ve ever anticipated.
He inhaled deeply along my skin and a soft moan escaped his lips, a reaction that appeared entirely involuntary despite his deliberate control over the moment.
“That’s enough,” Heeseung said, approaching us in a second. He towered over where we sat on the large plush couch, standing at Jake’s feet as if to trap him against the sofa.
It only registered to me then that Ni-ki had brought me to the living room, and that he was still sat beside where Jake had me in his arms. When I met his sidelong gaze, his eyes were already gouging holes into my skull, his eyebrows knit in pure agony.
Are you going to let him use you like that? He demanded within the confines of my head.
I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t want to hear from him anymore. How could Ni-ki pretend like he cared when he had killed me in cold blood?
I let my eyes bore into his own, watching as I denied him the satisfaction of an answer. His jaw clenched tight, and I could faintly make out the grinding of his teeth.
“You had your turn, Heeseung,” Jake finally spoke, a cocky tone dousing his words with gasoline. “You know you’re not the only one who can please her right? I happen to know a thing or two about what human women like…”
A kiss, deliberate in its placement, landed at the base of my neck, and a startled gasp left my open mouth. His lips were so hot, it felt as though a lit match was burning its way into my bloodstream.
“I’m pretty sure they like it when you ask for their permission first,” Heeseung said from his vantage point above us, his beautiful face now a mural of darkened contrast. “Maybe wait until she's got a pulse.”
I met his abysmal gaze through my flitted eyelids, and could hardly stomach the intensity of his crumbled features.
Clearly I was awake. Wasn’t he happy I was alive?
“We shouldn’t do this here,” Jungwon intercepted, attempting to defuse the ticking time bombs that were standing around casually in the confines of the living room. But of course his efforts were in vain since there was no turning back the clocks.
“You can stand and wait around if that's what you want, Heeseung,” Jake said, planting a kiss at the lobe of my ear. “I don’t mind.”
Just a single touch from him and my body was burning up with its own hardly contained fire. The cold that had raptured me was long forgotten—my damp clothes the only reminder of its scathing impact.
Well, not the only reminder, I thought as I looked around the room.
I searched for Sunghoon, and when I spotted his tall, pale frame in the doorway, it almost made me wish I hadn’t even bothered to look.
He was staring outside.
Not at Jake. Not at the others. Not at me. But out one of the large windows that filtered in light from the breaking of dawn.
His large arms were folded against his chest, his head knocked back against the paneled wall, his lips pulled into a permanent pout. His luminescent skin seemed to deepen a few shades, as the hollowed out definition of his cheeks and jaw were now colored with a miserable blue.
I thought if maybe he granted one glance my way, I’d be able to chip back the layers of cold indifference he plastered all around him, but he didn’t move, didn’t look at me once.
“Let him have his fun,” Sunoo spoke softly from the opposite corner Sunghoon was standing in. “He’s just messing with us.”
“Let him?” Jay choked, his head firing in Sunoo’s direction so he could face the composed man. “I wouldn’t let Jake within an inch of her if he didn’t just save her life.”
“It’s not about what we want, alright? It's about what she wants,” Heeseung said, his calm voice like a breath of fresh air.
I stared up at his unmoving body, and was made aware of what I couldn’t quite discern before. Through his glistening eyes, and shaking throat, I understood the restlessness of his features, how worried he must’ve been at the sight of my frozen form.
After all, he was the one who found me that night in the forest, who sang to me, who saved me. Of course, he cared more than anyone else about what I wanted.
But how was I supposed to feel anything but desire, when Jake was continuing to kiss my ear in such a lovely way?
He let the skin pull gently between his teeth, not so much as biting down on the cartilage, but still allowing his lips to leave marks of adoration on its surface. His breathing was like a mating call in my ear, one only I was privy to, and consequently especially weak for.
As good as I felt, I still couldn’t let my gaze wander from Heeseung’s black eyes. I wanted to know more, to know how he felt watching Jake. I wanted him to be jealous. I wanted all of them to be.
But Heeseung tore his eyes away, and stepped a few feet back, his head shooting in another direction. I could see Jay as well looking that way, even Sunoo, and Ni-ki. They were all looking at Jungwon, who appeared as though he were biting his tongue.
“Leave them,” he said, trailing a hand through his blonde hair. “She’s where she wants to be.”
The first to leave was Sunghoon, and with him my thoughts of the ice vanished. His figure cutting through the lake, my arms wrapped tightly around him, our legs intertwining. My guilt also seemed to melt away in an instant, as I no longer had to stand the gut-wrenching sight of him without a smile.
Jay muttered incoherent curses as he trailed off into the endless hallway, his voice echoing off the walls while Jungwon simply followed behind, throwing a glance back before he disappeared into the innards of the mansion as well.
Ni-ki and Heeseung both were stagnant, both hesitant to leave. But after a brief pause, Ni-ki got to his feet and stood beside the red-haired vampire, his height somehow even more intimidating than Heeseung’s already imposing stature.
Forgive me, he called out once more, and then he too was gone.
Heeseung stayed planted firmly at Jake’s feet, his posture not slacking an inch. He exposed the skin of his throat, the gesture both an offering of his vulnerability and an attempt to intimidate the emboldened Australian.
“Find me later,” he said in a shaken whisper.
I nodded from beneath Jake’s grasp, and watched as Heeseung disappeared from my sight.
“They’re upset, aren’t they?” I asked when I figured the vampires were no longer within earshot.
Jake adjusted my weight in his arms, shifting me up so I could face him while sitting on his lap. The gesture made my heart swell all over again. Perhaps he was right, perhaps he did know exactly what human women desired.
“They don’t trust me,” he said, tucking a strand of hair out of my face and behind my ear. “I don’t blame them, really. I’m…”
“What?” I asked, sitting up in anticipation.
Before my weight could press down against his lap, Jake held my waist in place so that my legs and abdomen hovered just barely above his thighs. The action confused me.
“I’m not a nice guy,” he finished, his eyes bathed in a shocking shade of crimson.
In a second I was flipped over onto the couch and pressed against the expensive fabric. Our positions were switched, and with them the dynamic between us also intrinsically changed.
“That’s not true,” I defended, holding his chest out arms-length away with my open palm. “You came to help me just now, you waited for me to recover when Jay removed the venom.”
A boyish laugh fell from Jake’s large lips, his shiny teeth on full display.
“The way you think is quite precious, I have to admit.”
“It's the truth,” I said, my words shrouded in a layer of thinly-veiled denial.
His face hovered just inches ahead of my own, strands of dark-brown hair framing his cheekbones with their sharp edges. His skin lit up the rest of his face like a fiery lampshade and enhanced the glow of his already effervescent appeal. His lips, fuller than ever were tinted the most innocent shade of pink.
How could someone so beautiful be as bad as he claimed to be?
No.
I knew better.
Beautiful things were often the most dangerous of all.
“The truth is, I wanted to drain you the moment I saw you,” Jake said suddenly, his usual tone of voice now an octave lower. “When Jay brought human blood that smelled as sweet as yours into our home he should’ve known I would want you instantly.”
My heart froze, and a ringing began to develop in my ears that caused my head to pulse.
“Sunghoon had to talk me out of it,” Jake continued to confess, his tone straining with each oncoming sentence. “Hell, he was even willing to go through with it too, but he backed out once we saw you asleep. So weak, so defenseless.”
“Stop,” my voice cracked.
“I couldn’t let go as easily. I had to gorge myself to keep the feeling contained. But really there’s nothing that can compare to your scent.”
“Jake–”
“I was so willing to give you whatever you wanted just for a taste of your blood. When Sunghoon told me you had fallen into the lake, fuck, was I happy. I knew that you would need me as much as I needed you.”
“Shut up!” I yelled finally, seizing his attention.
Jake’s round red eyes widened with artificial surprise, then fell back into their hauntingly honest state. Behind his pupils were abysses that sucked me in as much as they warned me away.
“That’s the truth,” he said softly. “The real truth.”
“No,” I whispered, my dead palm falling from his chest.
Jake’s head hung with shame. He pulled himself off of me, and recoiled the arms he had affixed to my body. Exhaling a long breath, he sat back against the couch and let himself relinquish the weight of his words.
As soon as he pulled away, I felt the absence of his warmth like a ton of bricks.
The cold crept back up my skin, sending a chill down my spine and a crushing blow of loneliness to my heart. The limbs that had thawed from his touch froze over almost instantly, and my fingers flexed for the fabric of his shirt that was no longer there.
Why did his separation feel crueler than his honesty?
No matter how much it shocked me to believe, Jake’s forthcomingness wasn’t what hurt. That level of bloodlust was expected of the vampires. It had to be.
I was hurt by the thought of him pretending to be something he wasn’t. He didn’t have to be good, have to be smiling all of the time, I would still adore him regardless. Fangs, and all.
Despite the icy sensation on my skin, I no longer shivered, my teeth no longer chattered, and I realized that the cold came from the loss of Jake’s attention.
Frustrated, I crawled over to where he sat against the couch, and waited for him to look my way. It didn’t take long for his eyes to land on mine, red, and fast, and staring in dire anticipation.
I snaked a hand out to one of Jake’s perfect palms which were sitting atop his lap, practically begging to be appreciated. I guided his hand to my cheek, allowing the large surface to cup my lopsided smile.
My eyes slid shut at the immediate warmth, at the instant gratification he provided me. How was he so skilled at making me feel good, even when he wasn’t even trying?
I opened my eyes back up to see him reclining into the couch with a bright look on his face.
“What is it?” Jake asked, a satisfied smirk overtaking his lips.
“You can’t…be so close and then…take it away like that,” I said, vague embarrassment strangling my words.
“Take what away?”
I didn’t know how to properly convey myself without giving up my pride. All I could do was point a finger out and poke him in the chest and hope it would get my point across.
A smiley laugh escaped Jake’s mouth and I swooned at the sound of his sheer joy.
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to use your words, hun. Body language can be very confusing.”
Another swoon, even worse at the dumb nickname. But I couldn’t help it. He was being unfairly charming.
“You,” I said, making sure my voice was loud enough to please him. “I want you, Jake.”
“You want me?” He repeated, mock surprise staining his words with condescension. “How bad?”
I groaned, and buried my face in his hands, no longer wanting to play along. But Jake was just as stubborn as I, and my body was only getting colder.
“Very bad.”
“Mmm,” He moaned, trailing his hand from my cheek, to my jaw, to my throat, the heat gripping me at once. “It's sick how much I’m enjoying this.”
I swallowed, hoping he would feel the movement against his hand.
“Are you just going to sit there or are you going to kiss me?” I said, my voice a thin, ghostly whisper escaping from the tightening muscles of my neck.
“Still deciding,” Jake replied, his breath full of fire. “I might just take my sweet time with you”
A whine left my mouth, my impulsive displeasure a symptom of my starved body. I squeezed my eyes shut at the shameful sound.
God, I was pathetic.
I couldn’t make him fall for me, or love me, or persuade him to kiss me. I could only beg for it until he decided to show me mercy, like he was finally paying mind to some long forgotten thought.
Jake’s hand slid from my throat, back up to the sides of my cheeks. Even as he brought my face just an inch ahead of his, I kept my eyes closed. Only aware of our proximity because I could feel his hot breath ghosting my lips.
“Can I?” He asked, a smile no doubt breaking free from his heavenly mouth.
I nodded, too lovedrunk to even say the words. But it was Jake. Obviously he wasn’t satisfied with anything that convenienced me. No, that would be making this far too easy.
“You have to say it,” Jake said, his tone crackling with sparks
I struggled to open my mouth and get the muscles to do their job properly.
“Y-yes, you can.”
When the words escaped they came out of a rushed, muddled mess.
“Again.”
I felt a tear well up in my eye, the hot feeling also starting to build in my shaking throat.
“Please, just kiss me Jake.”
A pause, a hum. I opened my eyes, and before I could take in the sight of his simmering smile, I felt the touch of his hot mouth against my own parted lips.
Heaven.
The kiss was heaven.
Or rather, it was the most beautiful hell.
His lips were sugar against my own, his tongue a scalding presence that wormed its way deeper into my mouth. His panting overlapped with my own breathless gasping, turning the sounds into one joint moan of craving.
My hands found their way into his thick hair, raking from the lengthy ends all the way up to his part. I tugged on the loose strands, pulling him deeper into me.
His large hands explored my waist, slowly teasing their way up and stopping mockingly at my ribs.
Must be hell, I thought, my attraction in overdrive.
Heaven wasn’t, this infernal, this hungry.
Reluctantly I pulled away, but only once I was actively on the verge of losing my breath—and my mind. Seeing the view ahead of me though, made me wish I hadn’t ever let go.
Jake’s lightly curled hair was tousled across his face, his revealing shirt haphazardly untucked from his pants. His lips were a prickly red. Most damning of all, his eyes were black recesses of desire, his pupils nearly doubled in size.
“Why’d you pull away?” He demanded, as he feasted on the air provided by our separation.
“Too hot,” I said in between breaths, the double meaning behind my words entirely intentional. “You’re…too hot.”
A laugh escaped his lips, genuine, real, and annoyingly contagious in its rhapsody. I even managed to crack a smile.
“It’s not my fault,” he said, dipping down into my neck. “It’s because of you.”
Jake gently latched onto a neglected spot on my collarbone with his lips, expertly applying the right amount of suction to make the skin ignite with pleasure. At the same time, he trailed down my figure with his free hand, his fingers tugging at the hem of the soaked sweater that clung to my body.
I wished he would just tear it off.
But, he wasn’t a mind reader. Not like Jungwon at least. However, Jake could read the body. Perhaps that was how he knew to extract the intended emotion he desired to evoke from me, every single time without fail—perhaps he knew from experience.
Regardless of the reason, the sweater was soon pulled off.
He cupped my bare breasts with his muscular hands, a single gold ring on his right hand briefly shocking my flaming skin. He continued to kiss at my neck and worked his way back up to my earlobe where he took what felt like my whole ear into his mouth.
I twitched against him, my body on fire.
“Jake–” I said, half moaning, half pleading.
His thumbs worked at my nipples, his hot tongue lapping at my tender neck. He let the weight of his legs fall in between mine, and I fed my hips against his, desperate for friction.
“Do you want me to take care of it for you?” he said, his low voice heavy in my ear.
I nodded, in blind agreement with whatever he said. I simply felt too good to disagree with anything.
Our lips met again, and he removed the remaining wet clothes from my body, leaving me entirely nude beneath him. His consuming warmth provided me with enough security to not feel exposed at all, not even remotely.
“You’re perfect,” Jake said in between kisses, a smile keeping his lips from meeting mine properly.
I grabbed the back of his head and guided him back into me, back to where I could feel his heat resting on top of me. I yanked the buttons of his blouse open, my hands far too eager to explore his sculpted chest, and tugged on the loose fabric until he complied and was once again pressing his weight down against me.
This time, his pants bunched up tighter at the origin of his desire. I reached for the dark outline in his pants, and once I tugged on the stiff fabric, a moan escaped from Jake’s lips, the sound a drunken symphony.
“Fuuck,” he breathed, his voice pitching unexpectedly high. “Don’t make this impossible for me.”
“What?” I asked, playing coy while I continued to tug on his bulge. “I’m helping you out.”
Jake tore through the remainder of the buttons of his shirt and slid out of the fabric in one swift motion, his bare chest like a radiant slab of pink marble. He fiddled with his slacks until they were pulled down around his ankles and he was sitting with his thighs turned outward. In the commotion I somehow landed atop his lap, his black boxers the only separation between our two hot-wired bodies.
“I can’t stand it,” he confessed, suddenly grasping the sides of my face and seizing me with his glistening eyes. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”
My incandescent heart glowed from the sincerity of his illuminating words. When he held me in his hands, there was only one thing I wanted, one thing I knew to be true.
“Jake, I lov—”
“Please…let me bite you.”