My black sheep {Kai Parker }

9: Merliah

"Sangina mearma, ascendarum cavea. Sangina mearma, ascendarum cavea. Sangina mearma, ascendarum cavea. Sangina mearma, ascendarum cavea." Kai's eyes flash open as he furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"I don't feel anything. Why isn't anything happening?"

"Try it again" I suggest. Choosing to believe he had made some sort of mistake the first time. 'There was no mistake,' the voice begin their incessant nagging. 'You're not going home.'

"Merliah, I don't think that will help-"

"Just try it again!" I insist, frustrating making its way in my voice. Kai shoots me one last dark look before he shuts his eyes, starting to chant the incantation again. Saying the words over and over.

"Sangina mearma, ascendarum cavea. Sangina mearma, ascendarum cavea."

To my disdain, no flash of light appears to transport us back to the real world. The two of us still standing in a cave in a town with a population of two. Kai's eyes fly open as he sighs in frustration, his hand still intertwined with mine.

"I don't understand why this isn't working. Why isn't it working?!" Kai releases my hand and runs his fingers through his hair.

Panic surges through me, shattering the calmness I had moments ago. "Maybe you're doing the spell wrong," I suggest, my voice shaking.

"I'm not doing the spell wrong!" Kai snaps, letting out a frustrated huff.

"Sure, sure. Well, Kai, if you could quickly figure out what went wrong and fix it, that would be great because I don't have time for this," I retort, feeling the urgency to reunite with my friends.

"Okay, Merliah. I need you to stop crying yourself a river. It's breaking my heart," Kai's lips twitch in a slightly amused smirk. "You're not the one who's been trapped here for eighteen years," he adds, bitterness lacing his laugh.

"I'm sorry. Just please, find a solution," I close my eyes, attempting to regain composure.

"What exactly do you want me to figure out, sweetheart? I followed the spell correctly, I have the ascendant, and I siphoned magic from your friends. So please, Merliah, enlighten me on what I'm missing," Kai retorts.

"Kai, I swear, if this is some kind of prank..." I open my eyes, narrowing them at him.

"What? You think I don't want to go home as much as you do?" He scowls, taking small steps toward me. "Damn it. I want it even more than you do. You've been stuck for four days, Merliah. I've endured over six thousand days in this damned prison," he snarls, his breathing growing heavier with each inhale. I instinctively step back as his body trembles with anger. My fearful green eyes meet his blazing blue orbs, filled with fury.

"Okay," I whisper in a low voice. "I'm sorry."

"And now that I finally found a way back, it doesn't even work!" Kai shouts in anger. I flinch as he whirls around and slams his fist into the rocky wall behind him. Startled, I take a step back as his hand makes contact with the rough surface. Memories of the physical abuse I endured in my past relationship with Nathan creep chillingly into my mind. A whimper escapes my lips as I recall the last slap from my ex-boyfriend.

Kai's attention briefly turns towards me, acknowledging my presence, but he remains silent for a few moments before fully facing me.

"Are you alright, Merliah?" Every trace of anger vanishes from his voice as he says my name. His shoulders begin to rise and fall at a steadier pace, his breaths becoming shorter. Taking a few steps closer, he reaches out his hand to me. I flinch fearfully as his palm rests on my shoulder.