Ace of Hearts

10

"I'm fine. I just had a run in with a vampire." I pry his hands away from me and start walking down the street. "I was just heading home."

Unfortunately, Jeremy doesn't want me to get by that easily. He grabs my wrist to stop me, but quickly lets go when he sees me flinch. "Lee, what happened? You have to tell me."

"If you wondering if I got hurt, I didn't. The vampire is dead, that's all you need to know." I snap as I turn and take off down the street. He shouts after me, but I can't hear him over the sound of my rushing heart and shaky breaths.

The apartment is empty when I stumble in a sobbing mess. If I wasn't crying already, I would have started at the relief of not having to explain to my dad why I'm like this after my 'date.' I reach for my phone instinctively to tell Kol I'm safe, but all my pockets are empty. Then I remembered it clattering to the ground before— what happened.

I barely manage to trudge over to the couch before I collapse. My knees pulled up to my chest, face buried in a pillow, and the images flashing through my head.

A knock at the door echoes through the apartment, and I stay put in the hopes they'll simply leave. Instead, they keep on knocking. "I know you're in there, darling. I can hear you." Kol's voice rings in my ears.

I wipe my eyes and pray that he won't notice my red eyes as I stand up. The door creaks on its hinges. "What do you want?"

"Have you been crying?" Are the first words from Kol's mouth when he sees me. "Is everything okay?"

"No, but I don't really feel like talking about it. So tell me, why are you here?" My voice has a much harsher edge than I expected it, but I don't bother to apologize.

"I just came to make sure you were safe. You never showed up, and I was—worried. Plus, I found this in front an alley." He watches me carefully as he passes me my phone, and I barely manage to look at his hands as I take it. Especially since it's clear he saw the body. There's no way he could have missed it if he found my phone and was looking for me. "Grab your jacket." I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me off before I can mutter a syllable. "No arguments."

"There's no way you're letting me say no, are you?"

"Not a chance, Ace."

. . .

"This way. I found a great path through the woods a couple days ago." I meekly smile back at Kol, who has been doing his best to help me forget today's horrors. "It leads to this beautiful quarry and waterfall."

"Whatever you say, darling." There's a long pause between us before Kol speaks up again. "So are you finally admit what you were crying about earlier?"

"No, I don't feel like talking about it." I scoff bitterly when I catch his wary looks. Right now, it's the last thing I want to talk about.

"Ace, I saw the body."

"I figured as much."

"How—?" The rest of the thought is lost as Kol still scrambles to put it into a coherent sentence.

"How did I kill him? I don't know." I reply as I watch my boots turn the leaves on the ground to dust. "I just touched him, and the next thing I know, he's desiccated on the ground and his friends were running."

"You touched him? That's it?" Kol questions as he analyzes everything about me. My shaky hand move to the leather cord around my neck and fiddle with the silver band on it. The constant static in my palms has grown to needles in my skin since the incident, which cause my fingers to twitch and tremble. "Why are you shaking?"

"I don't know." I sigh and feel more like a broken record with each question. "After I—I—there was this surge of energy. Anytime I use my magic, it feels like static, but this was different. It didn't feel like normal. It was almost like the more he desiccated the stronger the magic was. Now, it won't go away." I want to smack myself for sounding so childish and whiny. Kol moves to take my hand, but I recoil. "Don't touch me. I don't want you to get hurt. I killed someone today, and all I did was touch him. I'm a monster."

"You are certainly not a monster. If anyone is the monster, it would be me." Kol sighs and pulls me into his chest. Despite the sense of comfort I feel in his embrace, it does nothing to ease my guilt or anxiety in my chest.

"I can't do this. If this is what magic does, I don't want it anymore. I don't want this feeling, or the power that came from hurting him. It's too much, Kol."

"You're stronger than this, darling. If anyone can do this it's you." He pulls back and forces me to look him in the eyes. "Let me help you with this."

I barely manage a nod as I let myself fall into Kol's arms. The extra energy–the fire in my veins– slowly subsides as I focus on one thing—him. Every thought is directed towards Kol. The way he's finally being genuine, his caring gestures, and how I feel safe and strong for the first time in an eternity.

The shaking in my arms and hands finally slows down as the static feeling calms down. "Lee, what did you just do?" Panic rises in my throat at the distressed sound of Kol's voice.

"Is everything okay? Are you hurt?" Questions tumble off my tongue faster than my brain can think them. "Please, tell me I didn't hurt you."

"Quite the contrary, darling." Kol smiles–genuinely smiles at me, and before I know what's happening, his lips are on mine for the briefest moment. It passes in a flurry, and I genuinely wish that moment could have lasted much longer.

"What? What happened?"

I watch in amusement as Kol practically tumbles over his own feet to clear a spot on the ground and leaves one leaf in the middle of it. "I want you to make it levitate."

"Are you serious? I can do that in my sleep." I roll my eyes as I speak, but I focus on the leaf and do as instructed.

Kol wait for the leaf to settle back on the ground before he focuses on it. Then, he mutters the spell like it's his greatest wish.

My heart nearly stops as it starts to levitate. "How did you–? I thought vampires couldn't do magic?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I never thought I'd be able to do that again." Kol whispers as a genuine smile comes across his face. His fist open and close like he's trying to get comfortable with the rush surging through his palms. It's the rush I've come to know all too well. "I haven't done any magic in a thousand years."

"Do you think has something to do with–" my throats closes around the words. "–with what I did to that guy?"

"It's unlikely, but we can't rule it out." Kol tells me and reaches for my hand across the table. "Either way, it's something else for you to learn how to control."

"Is that your way of saying you'll stick around to help?" I ask him, but I don't get a reply. Instead, Kol simply sidesteps the question entirely.

Kol looks at me, and I can barely read the emotions in his face— fear, sadness, and something else. "Let's get you home, Ace." Is all he says before he turns on his heels and leaves.

"It's Lee." I call as I catch up to him. "My name is Lee."

"So you do have a name." He chuckles and shakes his head. "I assume I finally did something to earn your trust?"

"Yes, you did, Kol Mikaelson, but you have a long way to go for anything else."

"How far do I have to go for you to consider giving me another chance at dinner?" Kol questions and even with his classic smirk; there's a sense of vulnerability to his voice.

"We'll see, Mikaelson." I reply with a genuine smile. "We'll see."