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Sim Jaeyun was a proud, successful lawyer, thank you very much. His clients never walked away disappointed, and he prided himself on maintaining his win streak. He was clear, concise and composed in the courtroom, and never let his temper get the best of him. He fought for his clients relentlessly, and ensured they got what they needed the most in the end.
That was probably half accredited to the fact that a good chunk of his clientele could otherwise destroy him on the spot, or cast unspeakable curses on his entire bloodline, or simply just eat him.
Being his specific brand of lawyer was not without its dangers. When Jake was a young, new lawyer fresh off the Bar, one of the partners of the firm he had been hired by asked him to take on a peculiar case. A young man had been accused of stealing a large sum of gold, and replacing it with dandelions. The strange part was, the young man claimed he hadn’t meant to do it, that his magic had gone out of control and if he could be granted an opportunity to study a little longer, he could change it back.
It wasn’t that the occult and supernatural were necessarily a secret in their world, but it’s just that humans rarely interacted with them. They elected to keep themselves secret, hidden amongst the shadows, while humans turned a blind eye as long as they didn’t cause any harm. It was a peaceful, if precarious, existence for both sides. Very rarely did cases like this pop up, but given that it was viewed as a pretty open and close case where the young witch was definitely considered guilty, the partner seemed comfortable handing it off to Jake.
Well, Jake didn’t really see it that way. He had met with the young witch, Riki, who couldn’t have been more than sixteen at the time. He came out of that meeting knowing he had to convince the jury that he meant no harm.
In the end, the boy had been allowed to be freed from his ‘crimes’ if he could prove that he could change it back. With the help of his older brother, they reversed the spell and all was well.
Jake thought that would be the end of it. A single odd case at the beginning of his career that would probably be wiped from the record, if only to keep the association between their firm and the supernatural separate.
Only, that wasn’t it at all.
Instead, Jake started being requested by several Otherworld folk. Witches falsely accused of theft or poisoning, daemons accused of breaching or creating faulty contracts, Fae accused of unjust kidnapping, werewolves accused of slaughtering farm animals or pets alike, all of these cases and more fell to his desk.
Apparently Riki and his older brother, Heeseung, were prominent witches in one of the biggest covens in the city. When Jake got Riki acquitted, they had gone back to their coven and explained the story. The next time one of the coven members got in trouble with a human or the city law, they would request Jake specifically to handle the case.
Jake knew that despite the front the city liked to present to the public, anyone deemed outside of the ‘normal’ standard were 85% more likely to be convicted and sentenced based on an allegation with little to no legitimate proof, with at least 72% of those unable to post bail or get early parole. From what Heeseung and Riki had explained to him, for a lot of the Otherworld folks, getting taken away from their coven, pack, thrall or access to their own world could mean the end of them. The city would dump them in a specialised jail, where they would be left to fend for themselves- which ultimately meant destroying each other to survive.
Jake wasn’t anyone special. Not really. He just didn’t think it was right to sentence people based on what the public perception of their kind was. He just fought for justice, as anyone who passed the Bar Exam should.
Within a few years, he built a solid clientele of supernatural creatures, and with the support of Heeseung and Riki’s coven, opened his own firm. He had a few human clients of course, Jake would be hard pressed to turn anyone who needed help away, but he specialised in the abnormal and unusual cases. He hired another witch from Heeseung and Riki’s coven, which they referred to as the Blossom Coven, named Sunoo to be his assistant. He also hired a werecat named Jungwon to help with research and consulting him on cases. As he fell further into the system and the cases presented to him, he was discovering new types of beings, and he wasn’t always sure where to start between them. Between Sunoo and Jungwon, along with Heeseung, Riki and the whole Blossom Coven, he had the support he needed to successfully fight for his clients.
Usually, his clients were facing prosecution from the city itself, or a human. So he didn’t have to worry about the prosecutor most of the time, because he already knew how humans worked. Once in a while, he would be asked to mitigate between two different Otherworld folk, but for that he would typically have Heeseung present, or have Jungwon in the room should he need assistance. Those cases typically came from magick or spiritual contracts that one party entered unknowingly. He would hear them both out, go away with his consultants and representatives of his patron coven, and come back with a solution.
None of that prepared him for the new clients that awaited him in his office.
He saw them through the window first, arms crossed and gazes off of each other. The blackout curtains he had installed specifically for his nocturnal clients were drawn, the magically enhanced fairy lights on to give the room some light. He shrugged off his jacket and set his briefcase on Sunoo’s desk, looking at him quizzically. “I didn’t know I had any early clients today,” he said slowly.
“It’s an emergency, last minute request.” Sunoo winced, handing him a file. “I’ve cleared out your morning and early afternoon schedules.”
“You what?” Jake blinked a few times. “I had a meeting with that werecoyote accused of causing a car accident scheduled for eleven-”
“Jungwon is taking it, since it’s just going over the facts and solidifying a story. Ms. Tate has already been informed and she has approved the change.” Sunoo nodded. “It’s a request from Heeseung hyung.” He added.
Jake sighed, because Sunoo knew he could never say no to Heeseung, and opened the folder. Inside sat a note in familiar handwriting. He sighed again, reading over it.
Jake-ah,
I’m sorry to throw this case at you so suddenly, it’s an emergency. Jay, or Park Jongseong for the file, is a friend of mine stuck in a dual contract with a vampire, Park Sunghoon for the file. I’m currently researching everything I can with the Coven’s resources, but even the Elder Witches have never seen anything like it.
Sunghoon bit Jay, which in any other case would convert him to his thrall, whether he was supernatural or not. But Jay is a Fae, and is arguing that since Sunghoon drank from him, he was technically eating Fae food without permission. That means that Sunghoon should be serving him instead. Both are contracts you have handled before, but not at the same time. They inherently contradict each other, which makes the magick behind it difficult to untangle. I was hoping you would be able to help them come to some kind of agreement in the meantime.
I wouldn’t insist you take this case if I didn’t think you were their best hope. One of them needs to surrender to the other's contract willingly, it’s the only way to settle the matter in terms of the magick. If they don’t, they need to at least agree to coexist. The magick is unstable because it’s untethered. Because this is something we’ve never seen before, we don’t know what the ramifications could be if the contracts continue to fight against each other.
I owe you big time Jake. I’ll treat you to dinner too.
Thank you in advance,
Lee Heeseung,
High Priest of Blossom Coven.
Jake sighed for a third time and ran his hand through his hair. “Inherently contradicting contracts, is that right?” He looked at Sunoo who winced in return.
“From the sound of it, yeah. It doesn’t help that they both seem very stubborn. This might be your toughest case yet.” He confessed.
Jake rubbed his forehead before tucking the case folder beneath his arm. “If this is as difficult as you and hyung are making it seem, it’s probably a good thing you’ve cleared out my schedule.” He took another deep breath. “Can you get a lunch menu for our guests prepared? Make sure we have all blood types stocked.” He winced.
Sunoo nodded. “Sure hyung, I’ll get it sorted.” He promised. “Good luck.”
Jake offered a small smile and entered the room.
The tension was palpable between the two occupants. Jake had slowly gotten used to sensing magick when it was around, light and dark, and the contractual magick, but it wasn’t like he was prone to it. He had to really focus, and it usually gave him a headache.
But not these two.
He could already feel exactly what Heeseung had said about the dual contracts- duelling contracts, more like. He nearly gagged on how intense the magick was, and wished he could open the window without disintegrating one of his clients in the process, just to get some fresh air inside. He cleared his throat and took a seat at his desk.
“Hello, I’m Sim Jaeyun, I’ll be serving as the mitigator in your case,” He introduced himself. “You may refer to me as Jaeyun-ssi or Jake-ssi, whichever is more comfortable for you. High Priest Heeseung of the Blossom Coven has already left me a general outline, but I would like to start with introductions and your individual sides of the story. We can start with Park Jongseong.” He nodded, looking between them.
“Of course you would start with him,” the pale man on the right scoffed.
He was ethereal, really. Moonlight pale skin, midnight black hair pushed back off his forehead and shockingly pink lips. When he spoke, Jake could see the little point of pearly white fangs. He was clad in a black ensemble that covered most of his skin. A long sleeve coat that dusted the floor, a black turtleneck, and black slacks, along with leather gloves. He was sculpted, gorgeous, enticing for lack of better terms. The Perfect Hunter, Heeseung told him. Vampires were inherently more beautiful than the average person. It was how they lured their prey in.
“We’re lucky he could see us at all. I called in a favour with the High Priest, otherwise we might have been stuck on a waitlist for months.” The other man snapped in return.
He, on the other hand, looked like spring-time personified. Honey glazed skin, eyes the colour of freshly churned earth, and chestnut brown hair that fell over his eyes wistfully. Jake could see that his ears were pointed and decorated in gold when he turned to glare at the vampire. Below his right ear, were two puncture wounds that hadn’t healed the way an injury on a Fae normally would, still green and puffy. While his silky, forest green shirt and charcoal grey slacks didn’t look nearly as expensive as Sunghoon’s ensemble, from that and the small, gold laurel in his hair, it was clear Jay was from the higher circle of Fae.
“And clearly he’ll be biassed towards you, considering the High Priest is your best friend,” Sunghoon hissed at him.
“You’re the one who insisted we needed a mitigator in the first place.” Jay snapped back.
“So you would see reason,” Sunghoon glared, his eyes flashing ruby red at the same time Jay’s flashed a pine tree green.
“Gentlemen,” Jake interrupted, putting his hands up.
The tension between the magick spiked, and he couldn’t help the cough that escaped his throat.
The colour flickered out from their eyes as they turned towards Jake.
“I understand you’re both upset with the current situation, however, if we could refrain from agitating the magick in the contracts, I would appreciate it.” He looked between them both. “Please remember I am human, and therefore only able to handle certain quantities of magick at a time. If it becomes too overwhelming, I will be forced to ask you to leave so Sunoo can place more protection charms on the office, are we clear?”
To their credit, both of them looked guilty.
“Of course, Jaeyun-ssi,” Sunghoon said quietly.
“We really do appreciate you taking on our case,” Jay added.
Jake nodded once. “Jongseong-ssi. Please state your case as objectively as you can.”
Jay took a deep breath and straightened up. “As per Fae Law, if someone eats Fae food without permission, that person is bound to serve the Fae they stole from-”
“In any other case, the blood of a Fae would not be considered food,” Sunghoon interjected.
“But blood is food to a vampire, which you are.” Jay snapped.
“Gentlemen,” Jake said warningly before turning to Sunghoon. “Sunghoon-ssi, I promise you will get your chance to explain your side of the story. But in order for me to get a full understanding, I need to hear both sides in full.”
Sunghoon sighed but nodded, crossing his arms and looking away.
“Jongseong-ssi, please continue.” Jake motioned to him.
Jay took another deep breath and shifted in his seat. “It’s called a ‘Law’, but it’s an ever dormant magick that automatically activates once the food is consumed. Even the Fae have no control over it. The only way around it is if the Fae in question gives clear, verbal consent to whoever is eating the food.”
“I’ve only dealt with Fae Law contracts a few times,” Jake confessed. “I have a few questions, if you don’t mind?”
Jay nodded and sat up a little straighter.
Jake pulled out a notebook and pen. It had been a gift from Heeseung when they opened the firm, his own ‘grimoire’ as Heeseung put it. A place he could take down supernatural information from clients that he could refer back to when needed. He turned to the Fae section and nodded to Jay. “You said the Fae needs to give clear, verbal consent to whoever is eating the food. Is there a particular phrase you need to say, or can it be as simple as offering food to the other person?”
“The Fae can’t lie,” Jay started, which Jake thought was an interesting start to the conversation. “But they can manipulate and avoid the truth. It’s not practised anymore, at least it shouldn’t be, but back in the old days Fae would offer food to humans, and since they wouldn’t give verbal permission for them to actually eat the food, the contract would activate regardless.”
Jake wrote it down. “So is there a particular phrase?” He clarified.
“I thought you said you’ve handled Fae cases before?” Jay countered.
“If he says it and I feed from him again, my contract will win out,” Sunghoon said flatly.
Jay pressed his lips together, and Jake nodded in understanding. “Alright then. So you maintain that by feeding from you, Sunghoon-ssi has consumed Fae food without permission?”
“I don’t maintain it, the Fae Law maintains it.” Jay told him. “I would have been converted into his thrall unquestionably if the Fae Law didn’t think that blood was considered food in this situation.”
“Think? Is the Fae Law sentient?” Jake blinked in surprise.
Jay smiled wryly. “Isn’t all magick, in some capacity? We’re talking about a centuries old Law that can’t even be traced back because there’s nothing to trace. It just simply is. The way the moon pulls the tide, and the wind blows through the trees, the Fae Law exists.” He motioned to Jake. “Even a mortal can feel it sometimes. You might be more exposed given your relationship with the Blossom Coven, and therefore more sensitive, but even you could feel the magick warring with each other.”
Jake wrote it down and pondered over it curiously. “Fae magick is considered light magic, is that right?”
Jay nodded. “That’s right. It’s a little harder to classify since it’s not as black or white the way Witchcraft is, but it’s typically been put in the light category.”
Jake nodded and wrote everything down. “Thank you, Jongseong-ssi. I would like to get back to the Fae Law eventually, but first I would like to hear from Sunghoon-ssi.” He turned to him. “Please state your side of the story as objectively as possible.”
Sunghoon sighed and ran his tongue over his fangs absentmindedly. “I guess similar to Fae Law, a vampire converting someone into their thrall just happens. Unless you drink someone dry, or you kill them before they can turn, the venom from a vampire bite will automatically connect the person to the vampire.”
“It’s a venom thing?” Jake asked curiously. “Apologies, I don’t typically get vampire clients, so my current knowledge is limited.”
“No, it’s alright,” Sunghoon waved it off, but it was clear he was uncomfortable. “Venom is the best way to describe it. It connects the biter and the bitten through the Thrall Bond. Once there’s Venom in the bittens system, it latches on and stays there. That’s what creates the contract.” He cleared his throat. “It also is meant to uh, subdue the bitten, so to speak.”
“Subdue?” Jake raised his eyebrow.
“It would be hard to drink someone’s blood if they’re thrashing around,” Sunghoon shrugged. “It’s meant to stop the pain, and from what I’ve heard can actually make it pleasurable. It’s supposed to be a kindness. If you’re drinking someone dry, they’ll basically drift off to sleep and not even know what’s happening. If you want to convert someone to your thrall, it’ll make it so they’ll hold less resentment towards you.”
Jake could hear Jay snort but elected to ignore it. “Is it rude to ask a vampire's age?” He asked tentatively.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Sunghoon asked, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
“You said from what I’ve heard,” Jake explained. “Were you not bitten? Or can you just not remember being bitten?”
Sunghoon exhaled and leaned back in his seat. “I remember.” He said quietly. “Respectfully, Jaeyun-ssi, unless you think it’ll help my case, I’d rather not get into it.”
Jake nodded and glanced at Jay, who was looking at the bookshelves filled with human law and magick books alike, his hand covering the bite mark on his neck. He took a deep breath and turned back to Sunghoon. “So like Fae Law, the Thrall Bond happens whether you want it to or not?”
Sunghoon nodded. “It’s why we have to be so careful. Despite what humans believe, most vampires actually don’t want hoards of us roaming around. Too many vampires means not enough food. Thralls are actually quite small, most vampires try not to sire more than a few at a time if they can help it. After a few hundred years the bond can weaken enough that those Thrall members can leave without consequence if they want to.”
“Can I ask how many you have in your Thrall?” Jake asked carefully.
“I’ve never sired someone before,” Sunghoon shook his head. “I’ve been in a Thrall before, sure. More than one. But I’ve never started my own.”
“Did you intend to start a Thrall with Jongseong-ssi?” Jake raised his eyebrow.
Sunghoon wouldn’t look at him, or Jay, who was clearly curious about his answer. Sunghoon swallowed and ran his tongue over his fangs again. Vampires weren’t held to the same Law the Fae were, Sunghoon could lie and Jake would have no proof otherwise. So for the vampire to get all quiet and nervous over the answer seemed just as damning as if he said it out loud.
“Would you have bitten him if you knew he was Fae?” Jake redirected the question.
Sunghoon shrugged. “We try not to drink from other Otherworld folk. It’s a matter of taste, more than anything.” He wrinkled his nose. “Werewolves for example are bitter, and daemons- well, they don’t really have blood per say, but a daemon born is stale and mouldy. And Witch blood is spicy.”
“Spicy?” Jake was surprised to hear Jay speak to Sunghoon in a tone that didn’t resemble a pledge to murder him.
“It’s the magick,” Sunghoon waved his hand. “It literally pierces your tongue and throat because the magick in their blood is trying to protect the Witch. They’re also the only Otherworld folk I know of that can actually fight against a Thrall Bond because the Coven will always take precedence.”
“Which is why you went to Heeseung first, right?” Jake looked at Jay curiously, who nodded.
“I’ve been alive a long time,” Jay confessed. “And I’ve never met a Fae bitten by a vampire before, but Heeseung said his friend Jeongin got bit once, and was able to fight the Thrall Bond. I was hoping they could help.”
“Jeongin? Yang Jeongin?” Sunghoon blinked.
Jay looked at him surprised. “You know him?”
“No, I know the vampire who bit him. Hyunjin.” Sunghoon clarified, narrowing his eyes. “He almost killed him.”
“Maybe vampires shouldn’t go around biting random people then,” Jay snapped.
“Gentlemen,” Jake held up his hands and checked the time.
Somehow, they had already been talking for three hours. He found magick did that sometimes. It didn’t like the time constraint. He suspected that’s why Sunoo cleared his schedule in the first place- this much conflicting magick couldn’t be good for the timeline.
“I suggest we take a break and have lunch before we get down to business. Jay-ssi, we have a Fae-friendly menu available, and Sunghoon-ssi, we have every blood type fully stocked-“
“I can’t.” Sunghoon said flatly.
“I’m… sorry?” Jake blinked a few times.
Sunghoon gritted his teeth. “It’s the Thrall Bond. Because it can’t finish completely, I can’t drink from anyone or anything else. The Bond will reject it.”
Jay glanced at Sunghoon before looking up at Jake. “Can we have some privacy?” He asked quietly.
Sunghoon’s gaze snapped to him. “You don’t have to-“
“You said you only go hunting when you really can’t stand the hunger anymore,” Jay bit out. “You couldn’t have drank that much from me last night, and if you haven’t eaten since you must be starving. You killing the lawyer in bloodlust is not the outcome we want.” He said firmly.
Sunghoon looked just as angry about the whole situation, but didn’t argue further.
Jake appreciated Jay was trying to keep his head on his shoulders.
“I’ll step out of my office and give you two some space.” He nodded and headed for the door.
“Don’t drink it all,” Jay requested quietly.
“You’re no good to me dead,” Sunghoon muttered in return before Jake closed the door behind him.
He glanced through the window out of curiosity. Sunghoon’s head was dipped down on the right side of Jay’s neck, the same place the bite marks had been before. He could see Jay had pressed his lips together, resolutely not giving him that verbal permission Sunghoon needed. Jay's face pinched up in discomfort, his eyes flashing green before sliding closed, one hand coming up to rest on the nape of Sunghoon’s neck as he got his fill. He did look rather blissful in the moment, and Jake wondered curiously if this was for him as much as it was for Sunghoon.
One thing he did know, was the tension between the magicks suddenly seemed to drop away for the moment they were on the same page.
“Hyung,” Sunoo said, grabbing his attention.
“Sorry, I just…” Jake trailed off. “I wanted to make sure…”
“That Heeseung hyung’s best friend isn’t drained of blood before you can figure out a solution?” Sunoo guessed knowingly.
Jake winced and smiled guiltily. “It’s not that I don’t trust Sunghoon-ssi, I’m just… worried. That’s all.”
Sunoo nodded in understanding. “There’s a reason vampire venom is sought after, you know. People get addicted to the feeling. There’s an elixir with diluted vampire venom called Sweet Venom. Since a lot of Otherworld folks can’t get drunk off human liquor, that’s one of the ways they get the same effect.”
Jake took that information in and snuck a glance over at the pair curiously. Sunghoon had pulled away, holding a tissue to Jay’s neck and talking to him quietly. Jay seemed a little dazed, but he shook his head and took over the tissue.
“Do you think Jongseong-ssi did it on purpose? For the venom?” Jake asked, surprised as he looked back at Sunol.
“I’ve known Jay hyung for a while,” Sunoo shook his head. “He’s not a SweeVen junkie or anything. I'm not even sure SweeVen works for the Fae. If he did it on purpose, it wasn’t for the venom.”
Before Jake could respond, Sunghoon opened the door. With a snap of his fingers, Sunoo lowered the blackout blinds on the whole floor and lit the lights in place of the sun, but Sunghoon didn’t seem all that concerned about it.
“Sorry,” Sunghoon bowed his head. “I’m just letting him have a minute. Could you get him some food? And water?”
Jake noticed his fangs were smaller, less pronounced now that he fed. He nodded once and turned to Sunoo. “Think you could handle that?”
“I know what hyung likes,” he nodded. “I’ll be right back.” He vanished into thin air, leaving Jake alone with Sunghoon, who was staring at the office door, troubled.
“Sunghoon-ssi?” He said carefully. “Are you alright?”
“He knew,” Sunghoon mumbled.
“Knew what?” Jake blinked.
“He knew I would have to feed from him again,” Sunghoon licked his lips, as if savouring the taste. “That’s why he wouldn’t say the phrase earlier.”
“Sunghoon-ssi, can I ask you a question?” Jake said slowly. “Just out of curiosity?”
“Off the record?” Sunghoon glanced at him.
Jake nodded and crossed his heart. Sunghoon nodded and turned his gaze back to the door.
“You said that all Otherworld blood typically tastes awful, right? Or just plain fights back?”
Sunghoon nodded again.
“What does Fae blood taste like? To you?” Jake observed him curiously.
“Sweet,” Sunghoon breathed out, his eyes transfixed on where Jake knew Jay to be. “Like honey.”
Jake nodded slowly, looking at the door and back at Sunghoon. “What do you want out of this, Sunghoon-ssi? What do you hope the outcome is?”
Sunghoon looked at him, but it was like he wasn’t seeing him. Sunghoon looked just as out of it as Jay had when he fed from him. When Jake didn’t say something fast enough, Sunghoon’s gaze turned back to the door.
They waited outside while Sunoo helped Jay get his strength back. When Sunoo gave them the okay, they headed back in. Jay was cradling a cup of tea, looking a little worse for wear.
“Will you be able to, in good conscience, finish this meeting, Jongseong-ssi?” Jake asked him carefully.
Jay nodded. “I’ll be fine,” he said quietly.
Jake nodded and settled in. “I’d like to ask about what happened, what led up to you getting bit, Jongseong-ssi.” He explained. “Sunghoon-ssi, would you like to start?”
Sunghoon cleared his throat and nodded. “I was hungry, I hadn’t fed in a few weeks and I knew I needed to soon,” he started. “So I went to Concessio.”
“Concessio?” Jake repeated.
“Is a club for Otherworld folk,” Jay piped up.
“Mortals who want to experience being around Otherworld folk come in sometimes. It’s a good way to find someone willing to let you feed.” Sunghoon explained.
“Willing?” Jake repeated.
“Once again, it’s hard to feed from someone who’s thrashing around. No offence, but some mortals are kind of… dumb. When it comes to Otherworld beings. A lot of them romanticize folks, but especially vampires.” Sunghoon told him, wrinkling his nose. “Really, I blame Twilight.”
“Okay,” Jake blinked a few times. “So you were going to Concessio to feed. Is that when you found Jongseong-ssi?”
“Sort of,” Sunghoon closed his eyes and cocked his head to the side. “I could smell him. He smelled sweet. Some humans are like that too, and he looked human so I wasn’t really thinking he was anything else. Besides, I was hungry and I already decided he was my next meal. I wasn’t really thinking of anything aside from how to get him alone.”
Jake felt a little uncomfortable with how Sunghoon so casually described Jay as a meal, but Jay didn’t look all that surprised or offended by it, so he tried to keep his mortal comments to himself.
“And there was no indication that he wasn’t human?” Jake asked curiously.
“I mean, the ears usually give Fae away. But a lot of the Mortals that like to go to Concessio regularly have body modifications. I’ve seen a lot of pointed ears and split tongues that weren’t natural. It was dark, I was hungry, so I didn’t really think much of it.” He shrugged.
“So you went to Concessio, saw- er, smelled Jongseong-ssi, and decided he would be your next, uh…”
“Meal,” Jay supplied, taking a sip of his tea.
“Right,” Jake cleared his throat. “So when did you decide that you were going to make him a part of your Thrall instead?”
“Sorry?” Sunghoon blinked a few times.
Jake looked up at him from his notes. “We’re here because you want Jongseong-ssi to be in your Thrall,” he said carefully. “So sometime between you first smelling him and biting him, you had made the decision that you wanted him in your Thrall instead, right? When or why did you make that decision?”
Sunghoon stared at Jake dumbly, like he wasn’t quite comprehending what he was saying.
“I don’t think he wanted me in his Thrall,” Jay said honestly. “I just didn’t give him a chance to finish drinking.”
Jake turned to him surprised. “You think so?” He raised his eyebrow.
Jay motioned to the vampire before sipping his tea again. “Look at him. Look at how he was talking when you were asking about his bite experience. He said he’s never sired someone before, I imagine that’s not a stroke of luck. That’s intentional.”
“That’s not true.” Sunghoon blurted, squeezing his eyes shut. “I wanted him in my Thrall. I did. I don’t know when I made that decision, but I did want him.”
Jake and Jay both looked at Sunghoon surprised. Clearly Jay had been banking on the idea that Sunghoon didn’t actually want Jay in his Thrall, he just didn’t want to give in and be under Jay’s control instead. Which meant that it was possible…
“Jongseong-ssi,” Jake said after a moment. “Did you know?”
Jay looked at him surprised, and Sunghoon turned to him, looking for the answer. Jay opened and closed his mouth a few times.
“Know what?” He shot back.
Fae couldn’t lie. They could avoid or manipulate the truth, but they couldn’t lie. Not if the question was specific enough.
“Before Sunghoon-ssi bit you, did you know that he was a vampire?” Jake asked.
Jay looked away. “It’s hard to be sure, in situations like that.” He said carefully. “Like Sunghoon-ssi said, lots of mortals have body modifications when they come to Concessio. It’s not uncommon to see sharpened teeth or bleached skin.” He cleared his throat.
“At any point before he bit you, were you certain that Sunghoon-ssi was a vampire?” Jake pressed.
Jay looked like he was in pain, his mouth opening and closing a few times. “Yes.” He whispered.
“And were you certain, at any point, that Sunghoon-ssi drinking from you would enact the Fae Law?” He asked.
“No,” Jay said, and he relaxed a little. “No, I didn’t know if it would enact the Fae Law or not.”
“But you hoped it would.” Jake guessed.
“That’s speculative,” Jay shot back.
“It’s true.” Jake said firmly. “You weren’t sure but you thought it was possible.” He paused.
“You knew?” Sunghoon glared at him. “You knew it was possible the Fae Law would enact if I drank from you?”
“No! No, I didn’t know!” Jay said quickly, turning to him. “And do you expect me to believe that you didn’t know I was Fae? Seriously? Even though it’s known that if a vampire drinks from a Fae, they could be immune to sunlight?”
“I thought that was a myth, because Fae don’t usually let themselves get cornered by one of us, the Sweet Venom doesn’t work on Fae! I didn’t even know real Venom worked on Fae!” Sunghoon snapped back. “But you knew I was vampire and you let me drink you on the off chance that what? Some stupid Fae Law would override the Thrall Bond? Or did you expect your blood to fight back like a Witch would?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know, okay? I didn’t have a plan, not really!” Jay protested. “You were pretty and I liked dancing with you, and when I realised your only plan was to drink me dry what was I supposed to do? Let you? You wanted me to lay down and die so you could walk in the sun?”
“I didn’t know you were a Fae! Why would that be my plan?” Sunghoon shouted.
The magick was warring again, and Jake felt like he was being suffocated. He choked as he tried to come up with a solution, his eyes watering as Jay and Sunghoon argued back and forth over the logistics and evil plans and secrets.
Two warring contracts that needed to be settled amicably. Both making the receiver committed to the enactor. Both born from, as much as neither would like to admit it, a fascination with the other. Frankly, the more Jake thought about it, the more it was starting to sound a lot like a-
“Congratulations!” He blurted out.
Jay and Sunghoon were both so surprised at his outburst, their fighting ceased immediately, lessening the tension in the room. Jake pulled at his tie and coughed, leaning against his desk until he could breathe again.
“Sorry, congratulations?” Sunghoon said slowly.
“On… what?” Jay blinked.
“Your new marriage.” Jake presented it to them.
“Our what?” Jay and Sunghoon said at the same time, both absolutely baffled.
“You’re both immortal, right? And you’ve been around for a long time?” He cleared his throat and stood. “Look, there’s no way out of these contracts as far as I can see. Neither one of you is willing to give in to the other, and the only one you can forcibly break is the Thrall Bond, and the only way that can be done is by killing the vampire who sired it.”
“I can live with that,” Jay nodded solemnly.
“I can’t,” Sunghoon protested immediately. “Sorry, marriage is your solution? Seriously?”
“Think about it,” Jake said firmly. “This is an unprecedented case. Neither of you have ever heard of this type of situation before, and the Blossom Coven is doing everything they can to try and find a solution, but there’s no guarantee they’ll find something that won’t wind up killing one or both of you in the process. Heeseung said he’s concerned about what the two contracts fighting each other could do to you and to the Otherworld folks around you. He said the magick is unstable as it is because neither have a solid anchor. I don’t know much about the Thrall Bond, I’ll admit, but Jongseong-ssi, think of the Fae Law. You know how fickle it can be. How long do you think it’s going to be content with being untethered?” He said, tapping his desk. “I propose you two enter a third contract. A binding contract. One that can tether both the Thrall Bond and Fae Law together.”
“Would that even work?” Jay asked after a minute. “You’re talking about a Witch’s Binding Ceremony, right? Their traditional wedding ceremony? Would it work on a Fae and a Vampire?”
“At the very basis of it, Fae magick is light magick, right?” He confirmed. “And I would take a guess that Vampire magick is closer to dark magick, right?”
Sunghoon nodded slowly.
“I’ve been to a wedding at the Blossom Coven. They used light and dark magick in the ceremony. Heeseung is a talented Witch, if anyone could pull it off it would be him.” Jake said firmly. “All I know is if we don’t do something that pleases both open contracts, it could have dire consequences.” He pointed to Sunghoon. “Besides, you can’t drink from anyone else until this is settled,” he pointed to Jay. “And you are stuck under Fae Law which is known for being vindictive if it doesn’t get its way.”
“Still… marriage?” Sunghoon slumped back in his chair. “A Witch's Bind is forever, there’s no breaking those.”
“Forever is a long time when you’re immortal.” Jay told him quietly.
“Can I be frank and unprofessional for a second?” Jake asked, annoyance clear in his voice.
They both nodded, looking up at him with wide eyes.
“The only time that these stupid contracts haven’t felt like they were suffocating was the moment you fed from him,” Jake said, pointing at each of them in turn. “You were connected, on the same page, and understood that you needed each other. Even now, can’t you feel it? We’re only discussing implementing a third contract, and it already feels like they’re… getting along? Is that the right term?” He looked between them. “You’re telling me you two have been alive this long and the craziest thing you’ve heard is entering a marriage so magick you don’t have full control over doesn’t potentially destroy the whole city?”
They were both quiet for a long moment. “Well, when you put it that way,” Sunghoon muttered.
“You’re in agreement?” Jake clarified.
“We don’t have much of a choice, do we?” Jay sighed.
Jake nodded once. “Great. Perfect,” he took four long strides over to his door and threw it open. “Sunoo-yah, get the High Priest on the phone. We have a wedding to arrange.”
“Oh, did you finally propose?” Sunoo perked up. “It took you long enough.”
“What?” Jake blinked. “No! No, not me- wait, who did you think I…?”
“So you didn’t propose to the High Priest?” Sunoo asked slowly.
“You’ve proposed to Heeseung hyung?” Jay asked, from behind him.
“Why do you call him hyung if you’re older than him?” Sunghoon asked curiously.
“My physical age is younger than his, as far as we can tell,” Jay shrugged. “I don’t know… it feels right.”
“I did not propose to Heeseung,” Jake said, his face burning. “No, I just- look, Sunoo-yah, can you please just call Heeseung? We figured out a solution.”
“Right away, hyung.” Sunoo nodded, calling Heeseung quickly.
Jake slumped against his doorframe and rubbed his temples. He glanced behind him to see Sunghoon standing by the window, staring at the blackout curtains, clearly unsure.
“You want to know if it’s true,” Jay said quietly, standing behind him.
“It’s a myth. It’s something older Vampires tell fledglings as a joke.” Sunghoon whispered.
“Fae can’t lie,” Jay reminded him.
“They can avoid or manipulate the truth.” Sunghoon glanced at him.
“Fae blood makes Vampires immune to sunlight.” Jay told him. “The more you consume, the better the immunity.”
Sunghoon looked at him surprised. “How do you…”
Jay offered a pained smile. “My kind used to be hunted by humans and Otherworld folk alike for the magick in our blood. For centuries we were on the run, never settling down long enough because someone always came for us. I’ve seen a few Sundwellers in my time. They drain the Fae entirely, so there’s no Fae to enact the Law for. It wears off after a while, so it’s not permanent, but it does work.”
Sunghoon studied him, looking him up and down. Jake watched as Jay took Sunghoon’s hand in his. “You just fed, less than an hour ago. My blood is still running through your veins,” he murmured. “How long has it been since you’ve seen the sun?”
“I don’t remember,” Sunghoon confessed, watching Jay remove his glove for him. “What if it doesn’t work?”
“If the sun burns you, I’ll concede.” Jay said without hesitation. “I’ll join your Thrall if it doesn’t work.”
That seemed to be enough for Sunghoon. Jay drew the blackout curtain back just enough for the light to hit their intertwined hands. The vampire stared at his hand in amazement, watching as it didn’t so much as smoke. He drew back the rest of the curtain and took a deep breath.
“Oh,” he gasped, his eyes sliding shut and he basked in the sun. “It’s warm.” He whispered.
“I don’t know how long the effects will last, but-”
“Jaeyun-ssi,” Sunghoon turned to him quickly, only taking his hand from Jay’s to remove his other glove and shrug off his coat to push up his sleeves. “We’re going to take a walk, we’ll be back when the High Priest arrives.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay-” Jake started, but Sunghoon was already pulling Jay out of his office and down the hall, right past Heeseung, who was staring at them bewildered.
“Jay-ah, what are you-”
“We’ll be back, hyung!” Jay called over his shoulder. “Sunghoon-ah wants to see the sun!”
A smile spread across his lips, his own giddiness rising at Sunghoon’s unfiltered joy as they headed out.
Heeseung watched them go and turned back to Jake, pointing at the pair's retreating backs. “What did you do?”
“They like each other, their prides were just wounded,” Jake shrugged. “They both know the contracts are at war with each other, so I suggested a third contract be put in place. A Witch’s Bind.” He explained.
“You told them to get married?” Heeseung’s eyebrows shot up.
“It was all I could think of,” Jake winced.
“No, no, that- frankly, that’s the conclusion I came up with too, I just didn’t know how to present it to them. They were both pretty upset about the whole thing.” He assured him. “The Witch’s Bind would tether both open contracts.”
“Exactly,” Jake nodded. “Jay was worried because he thought Sunghoon was using him to be a- a Sundweller? I think that’s what he said. And Sunghoon was pissed because he thought Jay trapped him on purpose. Once that got sorted, everything sort of fell into place.”
Heeseung whistled. “Are you sure you’re not an Otherworld folk? Like at all?”
Jake shrugged. “No, just a mortal.” He assured him. “So do you think you can do it? The Witch’s Bond.”
“If those two can get along for a few days, yeah, I think I can handle it.” He nodded. “Until then, I believe I owe you dinner?” He raised his eyebrow.
“What about Jay and Sunghoon?” Jake frowned.
“Sunghoon is feeling the sun for the first time in centuries, Jake-ah. We won’t get them back until nightfall.” He assured him. “C’mon, my treat.”
Jake grinned shyly and turned to Sunoo. “If they come back early, call us.” He told him.
“I will, enjoy your early dinner,” Sunoo smirked, waving at them.
Jake left on the arm of the High Priest of the Blossom Coven, and couldn’t be more grateful for that first case that came across his desk.