Chapter Text
As they approached the elevator to the penthouse, two security guards watched them carefully. He didn’t like that. He didn’t want them anywhere near Cha—the mortal. Fragile as her tiny form was, these men could break her in an instant.
“Don’t talk to them,” he growled.
She squeezed his hand. Ever since they’d left the hotel, she’d been holding onto it. Now she smiled up at him reassuringly. “It’s okay. I know them.”
He looked at them again. They looked — dangerous.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“We can’t. You know we can’t. This is our only lead.”
“Then we let Saeyoung rot.”
Her face twisted in pain. Dammit. No.
“I can’t do that,” she said.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
“Fine,” he found himself snapping. “But stay behind me.”
Without letting go of her hand, he strode forward, tugging her along with him.
“We’re here to see the one called Jumin,” he demanded.
The guards stiffened. One kept his eyes on him, while the other’s gaze flicked to the girl at his side. “Miss Charlotte. Are you all right?”
Just as he’d asked, she stayed where she was, a step behind him. Good. The stem of goldenrod he’d pinned to her shirt must be working, keeping her cautious.
He opened his mouth to snap at the guard, but her free hand touched his arm, and the motion was enough to make him pause, turning his head to look at her.
With her eyes on the guard, she gave a tiny laugh, and his ire rose. Why was she laughing at him?
She’s not laughing at us. She wouldn’t do that. Watch — we’ll see what she does—
Ray. That idiot.
“I’m fine.” Her tone was relaxed. “My friend comes off a little strong, doesn’t he?”
The guard hesitated, then gave a small smile, nodding his head. “You could say that.”
His grip on her hand tightened. He didn’t like the guard talking to her. Yet he felt Ray in his head, holding him back. Trust her.
It’s them I don’t trust.
“He’s all right,” she said. “He’s been looking forward to meeting Jumin for a while, so he’s a little impatient.”
The guard shifted his weight, drawing his attention immediately. But the man only said, “I’ll tell Mr. Han you’re here. Who should I tell him is with you?”
Her expression faltered for a moment, her eyes darting to his. Then she squeezed his hand one more time before returning her attention to the human guard. “Tell him — tell him I’m with my friend Ray.”
The C&R executive was taking this all remarkably in stride. V had been in his penthouse for half an hour, talking about faery courts and magic, and the man seemed completely unmoved. True, he had already experienced quite a bit of fae magic firsthand, but that seemed to V all the more reason for the man to be shaken.
When a knock came at the door, a brief expression of displeasure flitted across his face, but it was gone in an instant. “Excuse me for one moment.”
With that, the executive rose, crossing the room to the door. V watched as he spoke quietly to a man in a suit, able to pick out only a few words. It sounded as though someone was asking to see him.
Then he heard something that made his blood run cold.
“…I’ve never heard of anyone called Ray.”
Oh, no.
Saeran.
“Let him in!” V spoke before he could properly think, and the executive blinked at him. Taking a breath, V made himself be calm. “Please. If Luciel is in danger, this man will be, too.”
The executive nodded, turning back to the man at the door. “Send them both up. At once.”
He wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t afraid. There was no reason to be afraid. He was strong, and no one could hurt him.
And he could protect her. He was strong enough to do that now.
So why was his heart pounding so hard? It must be because of Ray, still there in his mind. That was the only explanation… wasn’t it?
His mortal tugged on his hand, drawing his gaze. To his surprise, she released him, only to cup his face in both her hands, then rise to her tiptoes, capturing his lips with an intensity that left him breathless.
Gods, when she did that… he was powerless, and he was powerful. Powerless because she held his heart in her fist, and she could crush it in an instant. Powerful because…
Because of the way she melted in his arms. Because of the way she sighed into his kiss. He caressed her lips with his, and she shivered, moving one hand to tangle her fingers into his hair. Her every reaction showed him the power he had over her.
It wasn’t one-sided on his part. Her reactions gave her away. She held his heart. He couldn’t deny it any longer. But…
…he was beginning to believe he held hers, too.
He broke the kiss to look at her face, anxious to see her the way he’d affected her expression. Her lips were parted, her eyes dark with desire. Gods, she was beautiful. She was the most breathtaking thing he’d ever seen.
“Charlotte,” he breathed.
Her eyes went wide. Then her fingers tightened in his hair. “What did you call me?”
Oh. The name had slipped out.
“Charlotte.” He could hear the defensiveness in his own voice. “Is there any reason I shouldn’t say your name?”
“No.” She pulled his head down so she could kiss him again, then again, and again. “You should say it all the time.”
Just as he began to lose himself in the kiss, the sound of someone clearing their throat jerked him back to reality. He broke away to glare at the security guard who was now regarding them uncomfortably.
“What?” he growled.
“Er — Mr. Han will see you now.”
Ray was close to the surface, brimming with a turmoil of emotions and panic that nearly matched his own. He didn’t bother to push the flower boy away.
Releasing him with obvious reluctance, Charlotte took his hand once again, and he let her lead him to the elevator.
V couldn’t calm his nerves, waiting for that elevator door to open. He hadn’t seen Saeran in so long. The precious boy he’d taken under his wing years ago, who was brainwashed now to hate him — V didn’t know what emotion to process first. Fear, shame, sadness… he’d missed the boy so much…
After what seemed like ages, the elevator pinged, and the doors slid open.
The man before him looked nothing like the boy he remembered — and yet was undoubtedly him. His red curls were now a silvery white, the tips of his hair pink. His amber eyes were a startling mint green. He wore a white shirt with the top two buttons undone, paired with black slacks. Those green eyes swept the room suspiciously, then landed on V.
Before he could properly process what was happening, Saeran lunged toward him, wrapping his hands around his throat.
“You!” His growl was somehow desperate. “You!”
V couldn’t speak. His air supply was cut off. Of course, he didn’t need to breathe, and the pain of being choked didn’t matter, not with Saeran finally here in front of him. But he needed to speak. He needed to tell him—
“Stop!” That was the coordinator. “Let him go!”
“You don’t know what he’s done!”
“Then let him go and tell me!”
Saeran’s hands tightened on V’s throat. “He betrayed my Queen. He tried to steal her power. He—”
“The queen?”
“Yes!”
“You mean the queen we’re running from right now?”
Doubt flickered in Saeran’s eyes. His grip faltered just enough for V to get out a few words.
“She… betrayed… me…”
“Lies!”
“What if it’s true? Please, let him go. We’ll talk, we’ll all talk—”
Panic rang in Saeran’s voice. “He and Saeyoung! They abandoned us. They… They…”
The coordinator put her arms around Saeran’s waist, resting her head against his back. “Please,” she whispered.
Suddenly V was free. Instinctively, he reached for his neck, watching as Saeran grabbed his own head, tearing at his hair. “I can’t—”
The boy slumped, and the coordinator stumbled under his sudden weight. When Saeran looked up again, the innocence and fear in his eyes was a sharp contrast to the fury he’d shown only a moment before.
“Ray,” the coordinator said, tightening her arms around his waist.
Saeran looked up at V, and V realized his lashes were wet. “V,” the boy said.
This was V’s fault. All of it was his fault.
“I’m sorry,” V said.
“Why?” Saeran straightened, lifting his head. His voice was hard, but his eyes were so sad they made V’s chest ache. “What happened? What did you do?”
Where to even begin? “I was supposed to protect you, and I failed.”
“Protect me from what?”
V hesitated. The big question. Well, he supposed they might as well jump right into it.
“From… the man who kidnapped Luciel.”
Confusion crossed Saeran’s innocent face. But the coordinator spoke first.
“You know who kidnapped Luciel?”
It was time for it all to come out. “Yes. It could only be one faery.”
“Who? Who!”
His voice left him, but he rallied quickly. “His father.”
Saeran spoke again. “Why would this Luciel’s father want to hurt me?”
… He didn’t know? V tilted his head as he spoke. “Because he’s your father, too.”
The words sent Ray reeling. “My… my father?”
He knew nothing of his family. Had no memories of anything before his Queen found him. But the Voice — the Voice remembered things. The Voice must have known.
What does he mean?
The Voice was there, his fury and fear tumbling around in their mind, but when Ray asked the question, he ignored it.
Fine. If the Voice wouldn’t answer, he’d have to ask V. With a deep breath, he met the man’s eyes. “I — I have a father?”
The instant the words left Ray’s mouth, he felt like an idiot. Of course he had a father. Everyone had parents. But the concept of family connected to him seemed very strange and far away. He couldn’t wrap his head around it.
Then the secondary meaning of the words hit him. “I have a brother ?”
V frowned in confusion. “You don’t know — but you said Luciel’s true name—”
The Voice’s anger flared, but still he said nothing.
Of course. Of course the Voice knew already. Ray’s own anger bubbled up, but that wasn’t important right now. Since the Voice wouldn’t talk, Ray tried to put him out of his thoughts. “But this Luciel — he’s a human, isn’t he?”
V shook his head. “S—” He stopped, then started again. “Ray, if you’ll let me, I’ll explain everything.”
How could he trust a word V said? Everything he knew said to get as far away from him as possible. He was dangerous, he was evil—
But that all came from his Queen. It was her words that taught him that. And now his Queen, she was, she was—
She was not what he’d believed.
Charlotte slid one of her arms away from Ray’s waist, reaching instead to touch his arm. The gesture of support gave him strength. All right. He would make this leap of faith.
“I can’t promise I’ll believe you.” Ray found his voice was shaking, but he pushed on. “But I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.”