Chapter 1: The Night He Returned

The night was heavy with rain, the windowpane rattling like fingers tapping against glass.

Taehyung lay in bed, the sheets tangled around his trembling legs. His throat was dry, his mind a haze of terror and longing.

The old clock on the wall ticked slow, each second like a drumbeat counting down to the inevitable.

He knew he should run. Move. Fight.

But he didn't.

He stayed perfectly still, eyes squeezed shut, pretending to sleep.

The cold crept in first, a slithering mist that made the air brittle. Then, the whisper of footsteps—soft but certain—crossing the worn wooden floor.

Taehyung's heart thudded painfully, each beat screaming wake up, run, escape.

But a part of him—the part that still wore his wedding ring even after the funeral—ached for the familiar presence.

A shadow leaned over him.

Breath—cold as the grave—brushed his cheek.

"Mine."

The voice was a raspy, broken thing.

Yet somehow, it still sounded so much like the man he had loved. Loved beyond reason. Beyond sanity.

Tears slipped from the corners of Taehyung’s closed eyes. His fingers clutched the sheets so tightly his knuckles whitened.

"I waited," the voice murmured. "Waited for you to call me back. But you didn't."

Taehyung couldn't help it. He opened his eyes.

And there he was.

Jungkook.

But not the Jungkook he remembered—this was a ruined thing. Skin pale as paper. Lips tinged blue. Eyes—once warm and brown—now black, endless voids that held nothing human.

Still, he was heartbreakingly beautiful.

"J-Jungkook," Taehyung gasped.

Jungkook's lips curled into a sad, feral smile.

"You remember me."

He reached out and cupped Taehyung’s face. His fingers were cold, but gentle. Possessive.

"You're thinner," Jungkook murmured, thumb tracing Taehyung’s hollowed cheek. "Fragile. You need me."

"No," Taehyung whimpered, but the word had no weight.

"You do," Jungkook said, his voice dropping to a low growl. "You always did. That's why I'm here."

Without warning, Jungkook leaned in, pressing his lips to the sensitive skin of Taehyung’s throat.

The kiss turned into a bite, sharp and deep. Taehyung cried out, a broken, breathless sound, but he didn't move. He couldn’t move.

Pain bloomed—sharp, searing—and then faded into a twisted, aching pleasure.

When Jungkook pulled back, a thin trail of blood glistened down Taehyung’s neck.

"You belong to me," Jungkook said, voice like a prayer.

"Ashes to ashes. Flesh to flesh."

He kissed the blood away tenderly, like a man worshipping a shrine.

Taehyung sobbed silently, torn between horror and an unbearable yearning.

"I'll never leave you again," Jungkook promised, climbing into bed and pulling Taehyung against his ice-cold body.

"You’re mine. Even in death."

Taehyung wanted to scream.

But all that came out was a broken whisper:

"Please... stay."

And Jungkook smiled.

A smile that promised he would never let go.

Not even if Taehyung begged him to.

Not even if it meant dragging him into the grave with him.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***