Namjoon propped one elbow on the table and tapped his cheek with a finger to a rhythm she couldn't place. "As our guest, would you like to make any opening remarks?"

Her throat seemed to swell shut, lips zipping together and breath shortening. The combination of their power physically unhinged her, but having to defend herself against it... The waterfalls on either side of the wall could not silence the anxiety blaring through each nerve in her body. Every word mattered, every carefully knit phrase. She didn't realize her hands were trembling until she gripped the armrests.

"I--," she began, then wavered. Luca's words sang through one ear and to the other.

You have a terrible habit of freezing when action needs to be taken.

Yoongi scratched the back of his neck, earring swaying as his head tilted. "Please do not waste my time."

She cut her eyes at him, using that as motivation to will motion into her face. "Excuse me if I am not used to these circumstances."

If he cared for the retort, he did not show it. Instead, he yawned.

She addressed the entirety of the group. "My name is Grey. I moved to Seoul eight years ago when I was thirteen. Not once have I ever seen an irkan, or knew of their existence. The same goes for my knowledge on any of you. My life changed in a matter of seconds due to an accident, and I need your help to stay alive until I can set things straight."

Collectively, they offered signs of muted acknowledgment and looked to Namjoon, who still focused on her.

He said, "So, you know who we are?"

She nodded. "You helped a lot."

Jin raised an eyebrow at the man on his right. "You two have met?"

Namjoon realized the other members were evaluating him. Subtly, he nodded, not backing down from any of their gazes. "I didn't think she would find us."

"I know Grey too." Jimin smiled in her direction, young man from the bar returning as though he had never left the barstool. The flirtatious glint in his eye brought heat to her cheeks. She couldn't stare at him for long, settling instead on Jungkook's profile. Through her peripheral, she did not miss Yoongi's curious cock of the head.

Jimin added, "How can I forget?"

Jin cleared his throat, causing the younger male to tear the connection between him and the girl. The businessman said, "How many of you know her?"

"I met all of you," she blurted, pressing her back against the chair as attention fell on her again. Her voice was small under the rumbling water. "At one time or another, each one of you separately. I just didn't know you were... connected."

"You encountered an irkan for the first time, how?" Yoongi crossed his arms, the fluffy sleeves of his white blouse folding. On his fingers were a few silver bands. Without his hat, she admired the short, dark and wavy strands of hair that fell over most of his forehead combined with the dangling earrings swinging in his ears. 

"I had an interview here. After I left, I went to get something to drink. A hooded figure chased me down through the rain and it caught me at a dead-end. It took off its hood and..." She searched for the right description. "It had fingers made of iron. It almost killed my cat, and when it was close to killing me, Jungkook stepped in."

They weighed her words. V from the pet store subtly leaned forward, eyes laced with a silent question towards the youngest.

"I got to her before it was too late," Jungkook confirmed.

V sank back in his seat. She extended a hand towards him, his glacial irises pausing on the gesture as though unsure of what to do with it. The other members tensed, curiosity forcing them to shift in their seats to get a better view. When he slowly reached out and clasped it, she gave the softest smile she could provide in a room full of fate-changing immortals.

"My name is Grey."

"Taehyung." He swallowed. "It's a miracle that you're still alive."

She detached from him, surprised at how his skin radiated heat opposed to Jungkook's and Jin's. Not only that, but she was also flustered by his voice. Deep and husky, yet tantalizing like honey dripping from a honeycomb.

"Anyway." It was Namjoon that severed their moment. "I can see why they're attracted to her."

Jin straightened. "So you feel her aura too?"

"It's impossible not to. With my powers I can see it. She's practically glowing." Namjoon shook his head at her, eyes trailing around her head and shoulders, politely not heading lower. She fought the urge to look at herself, to ask what they were referring to. "She's a walking magnet."

"Which is why she needs our help," Jungkook concluded. "Turning our backs on her is signing her death warrant."

Jin affirmed. "Without the wards of this building, she is as good as a sitting duck."

"I understand, but you're asking for a large commitment. She won't be in this building every second of the day, and when she isn't, you're asking that one of us pick up the slack." Namjoon shook his head, a few others mimicking him. Taehyung shrugged.

Jungkook said through gritted teeth, "It isn't like we're doing much of anything else besides wasting away. Picking this up would be beneficial for all of us."

Jin cast a curious glance at his younger friend while Yoongi's scowl deepened. Jimin's face remained blank, Hoseok dropped his head into his hands.

Namjoon did not turn, but glanced at Jungkook sidelong. "You do understand the implications of what you're asking for? The cycle you and Jin want to begin?"

"I prefer that to handing over my soul. Not all of us are so willing to give up."

The passion in Jungkook's tone made her flinch. Rushing water streamed through the ensuing silence, reflecting the storm surrounding the table with its crashing.

Yoongi yawned a second time. Then, "Personally, I am not here to babysit. Had I known I would have been called in for this, I would not have come. But, I'm here and still don't have a legitimate reason to believe the chance is worth taking."

"Grey," Hoseok chimed, "you do realize that irkans hunt humans often, don't you?"

"I know that," her eyebrows scrunched in the beginning phases of irritation. First of all, they conducted the meeting as though she wasn't there. Second of all, her best friend lied in a hospital a few miles across town and instead of being there to watch over her, she had to listen to them slap a price tag on her life--decide just how much it cost. "I am not like the other humans you have here."

Jimin scrunched his nose in confusion, so did Taehyung. 

"How are you different?" Hoseok crossed his arms.

"I went down a rabbit hole. Jumped into some kind of portal on accident. I need to get back home and the stupid lake isn't opening. There has to be some type of heavenly explanation for what's happened to me, because I don't see another way where any of this is possible."

Jungkook said, "I don't understand."

Namjoon licked his bottom lip. As he answered, she had to force herself to meet his eyes to catch at least a bit of what he reported. "She's referring to the open pockets between dimensions. She's fallen through one of them. A very rare occurrence, but possible if the realm on the other side of the exchange accepts her."

"Then it did accept her, and we ought to get her back," Jin stated.

Yoongi slowly blinked. "Why?"

"Because the demons from your world are obsessed with me. The ones from mine weren't so obvious about holding public executions."

The stoic angel rolled his eyes. "You mentioned one attack."

"One of them flew into my best friend's apartment and almost ripped her arm off under the impression that it was me. I can't even be around her without causing havoc. I need an alternative that keeps me out of the street. Away from any human at all. That's why I need all of you."

Taehyung crossed one leg over the other. "When was this?"

Jimin's pretty head rolled to the side as he listened to her response.

"Last night."

Hoseok frowned. "Is your friend alive?"

Grey began to speak, then shut her mouth when Jin stole the question. "Yes. She's stable in the hospital. Won't remember a thing when she's conscious again."

Yoongi flipped some of the dark chocolate waves from his brow. "What happened to the demon?"

"I killed it."

The entire meeting room quieted. Jin, Taehyung, and Hoseok gawked, jaws dropping to the floor. Jungkook beheld her as though she, too, was a creature he had never come across. While Namjoon blinked incredulously, something crossed Jimin's eyes. Disbelief, intrigue, admiration? It vanished before a proper classification.

Yoongi's arms went slack, elbows finding the armrests. "Wait, what?"

"I killed it. Scissors through the neck and a flower vase to the head."

"You never told me that you fought it," Jin snarled.

Grey shrugged. "You never asked."

"I like this one," Jimin purred.

Yoongi's lip pursed as he turned to Namjoon. "I'm done asking questions."

The leader scratched his head, regrouping slowly. He adjusted the silk front of his black jacket. "Any last words from our guest before we vote?"

"There is a larger purpose in requesting your protection, please don't forget that. I have a mission of my very own and if I can use at least a bit of what you can give, it can speed up the process by lightyears. I put a lot of people in danger unintentionally, and I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

Jin nodded like he was proud of her.

Namjoon's dimples activated as he said, "Council, I need a final vote of aye or nay, and one distinct reason why you selected your choice. If one member dissents, the proposal is dismissed."

At last, the moment she'd been waiting for. Oddly enough, the panic that held her hand as she strolled into this banquet hall dissipated. Peace in her honesty and self-security warded it away. She had been Grey, regardless of what that entailed.

"Youngest to eldest," Namjoon called. "Jeon Jungkook?"

"Aye. Her passion is commendable and the assignment is only temporary."

One.

The leader progressed. "Kim Taehyung?"

V milled over thoughts by the busy look in his stare directed into the waterfalls. After a few seconds, he sighed. "Aye. I don't have a reason. It is the right thing to do."

Two.

"Park Jimin?"

"If she does not restrict my freedom or hinder the missions I have set for myself, then I am willing to accommodate the extra task. Aye."

Three.

Namjoon pointed to himself. "Aye. She is smart enough to understand that she endangers others. She is also smart enough to care about ensuring it doesn't happen again. I would like to learn more about her. Jung Hoseok?"

Four.

"I will support her on her journey, if her heart is truly set on returning. Aye."

Five.

"Min Yoongi?"

Her heart sank at Yoongi's grimace. The second eldest moved his hair from his eyes with a finger. Plain discontent stained his features, but it wasn't pointed at her or at the other members. It was a subdued sort of attitude, a visible representation of the stone-cold walls laced with withering flowers that he placed around his heart. Even when he announced his choice, the boredom didn't falter.

"Any human that kills a demon has my vote. Aye."

Jin was last, and she held onto hope that he'd sneak her a smile or a sign that this was what he wanted too. The eldest sighed through his nostrils. "Aye."

"Then it is done. Seokjin, we grant Consent for the protection of the human girl." Namjoon cast her a charming smile. "Welcome to our home, Grey."

She swore she was going to faint. Hoseok grinned softly alongside Jimin and Jungkook. Taehyung returned to staring into the distance. Yoongi looked down at the tabletop, dull expression yearning for nothing more than to be away from this room.

"You begin work in a day. Be punctual and professional," Jin warned. "I still have the power to fire you whenever I want, so don't get lazy. My employees are world-renowned and have the highest esteem--,"

"Quit nagging her," Jungkook said. "Your inner eomma is showing."

Jin scoffed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. "Me? Nagging?"

Taehyung nodded. "You were rambling."

"After everything I do for you and you two tell me I'm nagging? I slave over the stability of this home while you travel, Taehyung. Jungkook, I pick up after you--,"

Namjoon clapped a hand on Jin's back, locking gazes with the elder respectfully. "Care to tell Grey what to do next, Seokjin? With this sudden change of plans there are a lot of things we need to discuss on our own."

Grey feigned interest in the tabletop, the tiny diamonds that shimmered beneath the glass cover like shooting stars. Jin muttered a string of undecipherable words under his breath, then acknowledged her at the opposite side of the table.

"You are dismissed to choose whatever bedroom you'd like. The kitchen, dining room, library, and other public rooms are available to you at any time. Visits to the hospital will also be unlimited, so long as it doesn't stop you from coming to work. As for your wardrobe, one of us will accompany you to the mall tomorrow. You are to continue living your normal life like nothing has changed."

She wasn't sure if she knew how to do that anymore. Still, Grey stood from her seat, becoming aware of how small she was before it, before all of them. "Will I have to tell you where I'm going before I leave?"

"No. One of us will always be with you."

That didn't necessarily comfort her. She stole one last look at the group of men. Wicked beauty sharpened by heightened grace cut her so deeply in that moment, that as she turned to leave she found that she was breathless. How each one of them were so sinfully alluring she would never be able to tell. Her heart raced again, not for anxiety or alarm, but for the sheer fact that she met them all before and those encounters were still engraved in her memory days later. They were scarily unforgettable, yet ephemeral. The dark doors opened on its own at her approach.

"Grey," Seokjin called. She peered over her shoulder. "One last thing. Floor 42 is absolutely off-limits. If I, or any of Anaphiel, discover that you've been there, you put this pact at risk."

Grey nodded and strode from their sight. Though there wasn't documentation, she understood the magnitude of the spoken contract. It bound her in silver chains to immortals--to crestfallen monarchs. The heavy thud of the doors closing at her back acted as her placing a signature on the dotted line.

:::

Taehyung was getting sick of going through the same thing over and over again. A pretty face, a few whispers of sweet nothings, a stolen kiss. Next came the constant worry, the doubt that unfailingly accompanied certainty, the eventual failure--because there was always a chance of them being bested again. The nervous racket from that beating thing in his ribcage assured him that trouble was on its way.

He missed the days when that beat never existed. He just was, and the world opened itself to him as a harvest of endless opportunities because he possessed the power. In his weakened, present state he'd catch it kicking around in his chest as a reminder that it was getting easier to kill him with every passing day.

It kept obnoxiously pulsing as that girl sat next to him, the buh-bum ticking so incessantly that he focused on the waterfall walls and the petrichor misting from them to forget about his pathetic condition. That was why he spaced out during the meeting; why the only glimpses of the conversation he caught were that her name was Grey and she'd killed a nightstalker.

He would applaud her competence, but some of the women before her figured such things out as well. That knowledge helped them live a bit longer than the softer picks, but at the end of the day, they were still in Seoul. And those women were buried six feet under.

"I give her at least two months," Namjoon interrupted the peace.

Yoongi shook his head. "Less than a month."

"You're already putting a deadline on how long she'll last?" Jin leaned back in his seat, sinking down a few inches. Taehyung understood that position spiritually. A stressed man finally unwinding. One day, he'd paint that.

Jimin ran a hand through his platinum hair. "Which one of us do you think she'll favor most?"

"Not Yoongi," Jungkook smiled, shyly avoiding eye contact with the member that offered a middle finger and a scowl. "You tell us. Do you have a heart?"

Yoongi put his hands atop his head, appearing to fight off sleep as he blinked. "I have blood."

"Why are we doing this again?" Hoseok's cheekbones became apparent as his lips turned into a pout. "None of us have any intention of actually trying to find love."

"We are trying to get home," Taehyung claimed. "She's our last shot at breaking the curse, and I think we should be careful not to share that with her."

"You don't think we should tell her?" Jungkook crossed his arms. Taehyung appreciated how young the bodyguard was, how he maintained all that passion after centuries of disappointment. 

"Getting a human to fall in love with you is not easy to do when it's a request. The process should come naturally. The less she knows, the more she's willing to trust." Since he spoke from a piece of personal experience that still shred apart his sanity, he hoped one of the others would come to his aid.

And, correct to his calculations, Namjoon threw himself into the debate. "I agree with Taehyung. Humans don't like having their free will taken away." 

Taehyung and the leader made eye contact, the pity and apologies passed between them almost disgraceful.

Jimin said, "Let's stop talking about that and get to the fun part. I bet I can get her confession first."

Taehyung tried not to wince at the familiar, staggering arrogance even though it was eerily similar to the voices that stroked his conscious when he let his guard down. The appeal of joining the dark side was strong, even for him, but to know that some of the other members gave less resistance to the temptation...

Jimin was slipping into a shadowy embrace. The rest of the table surveyed him cautiously.

Jin broke the ice. "You are not worldwide handsome like me."

Namjoon groaned. "Please, stop saying that."

"It's true," Jungkook shrugged, "Jin is the most handsome member."

The group sank into bickering, Taehyung sank into a trance. He missed this constant noise and liked having all of his brothers around at once. He just could not bring himself to enjoy the process of helping another new girl. He remembered meeting her at the pet store, how woefully innocent her crush on him was. And for a heartbeat, he hated how easily he could take advantage of her human emotions.

However, he knew as much as his other members did that if she was the key, they would each do everything in their power to break the hold Earth had on them and return to their glory. Even if it meant hurting a few mortal feelings in the process.

Besides, he was not the only player on the board. Not even the player that mastered all the skills.

Games of love were full of secrets, backhanded moves, and the correct positioning; all of it so trivial in nature.

:::

(A/N) Alluring reader,

Are you a pawn in a game, or a soul they can learn to love?

With love,

M