Chapter Text
Everything is FAIR When Love is WAR
PROLOGUE
Had I known I was going to face down death today, I totally would’ve bought myself the banana shake. Instead, I walked out of the convenience store with a single packet of mint chocolate and a magazine. I touched the homeless man who lingered outside. His bloodshot eyes cleared a bit, that too-bright edge to them dimming to a more normal sheen.
I ignored the onlookers who snapped photos of me from their smartphones and headed for my gold Mustang.
The pocket of my black underwear that was above the jumpsuit buzzed. A second later, “No need to imagine 'cause I know it's true They say, ‘All good boys go to Heaven, but bad boys bring heaven to you…”
I groaned. Perfect timing for a call from the KNPA.
They were the human segment of the Korean National Legends Association or in short KNLA., which I was a part of, and we often teamed up to fight crime in Seoul.
I reached down the front of my skintight purple dry-fit jumpsuit, noticing that even more people had stopped to take pictures while I fished the device out from my underwear. I waved at them and smiled.
“Hey Jieun,” I said, lifting the phone to my ear as I hopped into my car, “thought you lost your phone.”
“He found it,” said an unfamiliar voice. “Bottom of his locker. This is Officer Jensen. Jieun told me to call you on his behalf.”
I’d never heard of Officer Jensen. Had Jieun gotten a new partner without telling me?
“Why isn’t he calling me himself?”
“He’s talking to the fire department at the moment.”
Shit. I gripped my phone tighter. The police and the fire department in one location? Something happened.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“An electrical fire broke out at the K–1A2 Reading Centre in South Gwangdo, just off of South Avenue.”
My stomach bottomed out. “What?”
“Know the place?” Jensen asked, hearing the tone of my voice.
“Yeah, I do.” I went to the Reading Centre during my free time and hung out with the university kids.
I rubbed my eyes. “How bad is it?”
“Very bad. Firefighters haven’t been able to get inside. Place is locked up, windows are barred.”
My palms were already beginning to sweat. Not the kids. I hated emergencies with kids. “How many are trapped inside?”
“Don’t know. We think two to three dozen.”
“m’kay, I’m on it.”
Why does everyone pick up the worst timing? I was on heat and my powers were almost non-existent when it happened.
Fcuk it. I have people to save.
I started up the engine and flipped on my siren.
Move the hell out of the way people, I’ve got some kids to save.
I screeched to a halt behind the fire trucks and ambulances that surrounded the burning building. Just beyond them, the area had been cordoned off.
I slammed the car door shut and approached the nearest officer. I didn’t need to pull out a badge; they knew who I was by my outfit alone.
“Bunyx, just the man I wanted to see.”
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Has anyone been able to get inside yet?”
“No. We’ve been working on the door, but the thing’s built like Atlantis.”
Not surprising given the area. The Learning Centre would get robbed blind in this neighborhood without the extra security measures. My eyes cut to the door.
A fireman wielding an axe swung at the knob. As I watched, the handle snapped off, and he kicked the door open.
I pushed past the officer and charged after the fireman, steeling myself for the heat.
I fucking hate getting burnt.
I stepped through the flames, only pausing on the other side of the entrance.
That…didn’t hurt.
I blinked, glancing down at my bodysuit. It still shone a burnished plum. My exposed skin remained unblemished. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
I thought of using my supersonic speed but by the way, judging the fire in front of me, it wasn’t a good idea.
I squinted at the hallway in front of me. The fireman who ran in here before me was nowhere in sight. My skin prickled as an eerie silence replaced the roar of the flames.
Behind me, the door slammed shut.
I swiveled around, and the first thing I noticed was that it was not the door to the Reading Center. That door currently had handprint turkeys plastered across it.
The second thing I noticed was the building’s unblemished interior. The flames that had risen into the sky hadn’t scorched the walls, or the floor, or the ceiling.
In fact, now that I was inside, the fire had disappeared altogether, as though it had never existed in the first place.
“Fuck me.”
I’d walked right into a trap.
Just for the hell of it, I tried the doorknob.
Locked.
Big surprise.
I turned to face the rest of the building. It appeared abandoned, but I knew better.
I strode down the hall, poking my head into the empty office rooms I came upon. Old furniture and tagged walls greeted me. Wherever I was, it wasn’t the Reading Center.
What kind of Cypher could weave an illusion this powerful? And why would they trick me?
As I continued down the corridor, the hair on my arms stood on end. Someone hidden watched me.
I halted.
“I know you’re there,” I said. “You might as well show yourself.”
A thud sounded behind me as someone dropped to their feet. I turned, and when my eyes fell on my assailant, I sucked in a breath of air.
“Ah, crap.”
For every legend, there was a cypher. Standing in front of me was one of the worst of them, the Scypher, the Mastermind. Imposingly tall and clad all in black, he was KNLA’s bugaboo, someone I’d hoped to never cross.
My eyes moved from the leather hood that covered half his face to the gloves he wore.
“What do you want with me?” I fought the urge to back up. I was a legend, damn it!
The corner of the Scypher’s wicked mouth lifted. “You.”
I steeled myself. “Doubt that’s going to happen.”
Scypher sauntered towards me, the leather straining over his muscles. “Perhaps you need a little convincing.”
For every one of his steps forward, I took one back, until I bumped the far wall of the building. My escape lay on the other end of the hallway, and I’d need to outmaneuver him to get there.
I followed him with my eyes and tried to ignore the fact that he was looking damn hot in that black overall.
“So the fire…?”
Scypher took another step forward. “An illusion.”
“And Officer Jensen?” Another step.
“Not real.”
Now I know who stole Jieun’s phone.
“That’s a pretty elaborate setup for one little legend.”
He stopped in front of me. “Don’t sell yourself short. If you weren’t powerful, I wouldn’t be here.”
My heart rate escalated. “Why are you here?”
“I forgot my mission.”
“What?”
“You are damn hot.” His tongue swiped wetting his lips.
‘Don’t look at him, don’t look at him.’
He held out a gloved hand. “This doesn’t have to be hard.”
But it did.
I brought up a boot and kicked him in the chest. The move wasn’t very powerful or all that well placed, but the fucker was surprised, and really, that was all that counted.
He stumbled back and, sidestepping him, I sprinted for the door. Dipping a hand down my underwear, I fished for my cell phone, which was once again nestled just above my crotch. I seriously needed pockets.
I pushed my legs harder while I pulled the device out. I would live through this. I’d be the exception.
Scypher plowed into me from behind, his arms wrapping around my waist. He tackled me to the ground. The phone flew from my hand and skittered down the hall as my jaw cracked against the floor.
Well, there went that plan.
Pushing me onto my back, the cypher straddled my torso. He gritted his teeth and yanked my wrists above my head.
“Care to reconsider, Jungkook?” He stared down at me, and I could see his eyes glint from the shadows.
“Get off of me.” I twisted against him, struggling to free myself. He might as well have been made of metal.
“Not an answer.”
He pulled off a glove with his teeth. I eyed the bare skin like it was a venomous snake and bucked against him.
“Last chance to do this the easy way,” he said, his voice deep.
I thrashed under the weight of his body, but he was simply too big and me too small.
My heartbeat madly as his hand crept closer. He drew out the action, probably believing that fear would make me re-evaluate his offer.
I lifted my chin and squared my jaw. “Screw. You.”
Warm skin caressed the nape of my neck. His hands were surprisingly gentle for someone who chose evil. My eyes moved to his face, cloaked in the shadow of his hood. A long moment went by.
And then another.
And another.
I blinked.
‘Oh! Come on.’
He and I stared at each other. My heartbeat was steady, and other than being crushed under a huge dude, my breathing was stable.
You would’ve thought someone had hit the man upside the head, he looked so stunned.
Rather than removing his hand, he began stroking the skin of my neck. His touch was cautious, almost…wondrous. His hand glided up my neck to my jaw and his thumb grazed my lower lip. I heard his breathing hitch and felt his body shudder.
I swallowed. Quiz me this: what would a cypher want to do with the first legend he wouldn’t want to hurt?
He lifted his hand long enough to pull back his hood.
I sucked in a breath of air as I got my first good look at the Scypher.
He was hot. No, hot didn’t begin to cover it. He was cum-in-my-pants beautiful.
And of course, he had to be evil.
Why do all the sexy guys have to have issues?
Why?
Strands of nearly black hair swept back from his face. Deep, dark eyes glazed back at me. He leaned in, so close I could feel his cool breath against my skin. His hand went to my cheek, his fingers trailing over the skin there.
His expression was full of wonder. Oh, and lust. A crapload of lust was there as well. He glanced down at my mouth.
“Don’t,” I warned him.
He smiled.
And then his lips crashed mine.
~~~*~~~