Our Demons {Kai Parker Book 1}

seventeen: In Which They Meet Again

Bonnie stared at Ria in astonishment.

"I cannot believe that you've been trapped here for all this time. We honestly thought that you had just left Mystic Falls because of," she trailed off. "I'm sorry Ria-"

"Don't. I know that no one, not Jeremy, not you, not Damon and definitely not Elena, none of you saw Kol as I did. And I don't want to fight."

Bonnie nodded her head and the two stood in awkward silence. Then, they heard Damon from the other room.

"You're awake. Good."

They left the kitchen, going to the living room where Damon was holding Kai in.

"We're on the same team," the siphoner explained.

Ria's heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice. Then, she saw him.

Although everything about Kai was the same she couldn't pinpoint the single difference on his face. He wasn't injured, his hair was the same, yet the wickedness glinting in his eyes was focused now.

"Really?" Bonnie demanded in bewilderment, "Do you always try to kill your teammates?"

"The important thing is that you have your magic back. It worked." Kai responded after a pause, he fought against the temptation to look at Ria.

He knew she had returned, obviously for Bonnie and Damon. She was here to make sure Kai wouldn't hurt them and possibly to leave with them.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Damon and Bonnie stared at each other.

"What you, you didn't really think I'd kill Damon, did you? In what universe does that make sense. I wouldn't kill one fourth of our population. I'm not a monster. I knew Bonnie would show up. She always comes back, all 13 times. And I knew with the right motivation she'd be able to access her magic. Although I did get a little worried with all you're bickering that Damon's life wouldn't be enough motivation. But turns out it was. I guess that's just how you show your love."

"So you did all that just to make sure I got my magic back?"

"Of course I did." Kai smiled, "Because you're magic is the key to getting the hell out of here."

Damon stomped out the room without explaining where he was going. Bonnie muttered an apology and followed after the brooding vampire.

"I should probably help you get out of those," Ria muttered. She went behind the chair he was tied to and began to untie him.

He stared at the ground and asked sarcastically, "You aren't afraid I'm going to attack you?"

"Kai, I never," she trailed off. Ria closed her eyes and stood up to face Kai who was now massaging his wrists from the rope burns. "I didn't leave you that night. I was kidnapped."

He glared at her and began to step forward. Instinctively she took a step back. Only after moving did she realize her mistake.

Pain flashed through his eyes and he moved as far away from her as possible.

"I guess this is my fault, scaring you that night. Telling you to forget about the boy you still love."

"No, that's not it. Kai I'm not afraid of you and I didn't leave that night."

"Oh, so I just went blind for a few months?"

"Obviously not," she rolled her eyes and began to step forward. "There are three hunters called Ying, Yang, and Wuji who are the guardians of prison worlds. When they realized I was helping you escape they came and took me, trying to force me to kill you so you wouldn't be able to leave."

He scoffed. "Sure, and how did you, a human, escape from these immortal hunters who are the guards of prison worlds?"

Noting his sarcasm Ria glared. She removed her hands from his arms. "I promised to help get you out of here Kai, and although I had second thoughts about it that night, I wouldn't break my promise. That's why I came back when I got away from them."

"You sure you didn't come back for your friends?"

"I didn't even know they were here! I came to find you passed out on the floor and Bonnie and Damon standing over you."

He stared down into her round doe eyes and felt his heart pounding. She was just as beautiful as he remembered she was, and nothing felt like she was lying to him.

He wanted to pull her close, embrace her, and tell her how much he missed he. That he was never going to let her leave his sight again.

But he couldn't bring himself to do any of those things, so he just stood there.

She felt shy under his intense gaze. To make matters worse, he wasn't saying anything. She wanted him to believe her, she wanted him to know that she would never betray him but there was no way she could prove the existence of the three hunters.

After she had beat them all psychologically, they were nowhere to be found. Ria ran to find a car and map to figure out where she was. She was only two towns away from Mystic Falls and hoping he was there, she drove without stopping.

"Nothings the same as it was before," he whispered to her. He dropped himself into the sofa and closed his eyes.

Ria sighed. She knew that although she didn't deserve his attitude, Kai was abandoned one too many times and this reaction was reasonable.

"I didn't think it would be."