CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
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KAI STOOD OVER THE STOVE with waffle batter and bacon grease splattering his apron. He had the freshly made breakfast placed delicately on a plate; the main course is accompanied by a glass of orange juice and a small vase containing a rose he plucked from the neighbor's garden. He was quite content with the arrangement. The only thing he was unsure of was where to place the engagement ring he took out of its plush box.
He had been fumbling around with different ideas on how to propose. Before Mila, he had absolutely no interest in marriage. It was an absurd, pointless concept to him. And when he figured out that this is something he wanted to devote himself to, that he wanted to devote himself to her in every way, that's when his mind started spinning. Everything from grand gestures to just blurting out "marry me" rung around his head like a hula hoop.
It had been merely an hour ago that he had gotten some clarity. Kai had woken up before Mila, which had been happening more frequently because of her returning to a human state and needing more sleep. It was one of those mornings that Kai was just too energetic and hyper to go back to sleep so he restlessly turned his body to face Mila. She had switched from having her arms tucked around him to her pillow sometime throughout the night, and she was holding it to her chest like a child would with their teddy bear. Her hair was disheveled, her cheeks were flushed a slight red from having too many covers draped over her, and she was drooling but it was a picture that made it all seem so simple.
It didn't matter how he proposed. He didn't have to wait for a perfect moment. With the two of them, it would be special all on its own.
Natalie was attending her weekly book club meeting and Evan had made himself scarce after Kai mentioned what was going on. They had the house to themselves, and more importantly Kai had the kitchen to himself. He could hear Mila shuffling around upstairs, and it would only be a matter of time before she came down and saw the table arrangement.
A clever idea for the ring placement strikes him by the time Mila's feet are padding down the staircase. However, when she rounds the corner, it isn't exactly what Kai expected to see. Instead of rubbing the sleep from her eyes and being draped in a baggy t-shirt and pajama shorts, she is dressed and wide awake.
"I smelt the food from the moment I woke up. Actually, I think it's what woke me up. I'm hungry, like, all the time now. Is this what it's like to be you?"
Mila doesn't hesitate to pick up a piece of bacon. Her hip is pressed up against the table as she leans on it. It's only when she reaches for the orange juice that she fully notices the thoughtful display. She grins crookedly.
"Throw in some homical urges, then yeah. I think that's about right." Kai shrugs before leaning over to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. He can smell her shampoo and the fresh spritz of perfume she put on this morning — he frowned at that. "Are you going somewhere?"
She takes a quick drink before setting the glass back down. "Yeah, sorry to cut this short. Alex wants to meet to talk about some things, and before I meet him I promised Elena I would stop by before she went in for her shift. She's been wondering why I keep postponing dinner with her and Damon. They have no idea about what's going on at the school and we all want to keep it that way."
"You're leaving to go out with your ex-boyfriend?" Kai scoffs. His fist encloses around the ring.
"It's not like that. He called and said he wanted to catch up. And Ric is obviously too busy to answer my calls so I'm thinking maybe Alex will give me an update on the whole Josie situation. Trust me, it's nothing to get jealous over," she explains, reaching for his clentched hand and covering it with her own.
"I'm not jealous. I just," he sighs, relaxing from the contact, "do you have to leave right now? Because, I kind of wanted to ask you something. Before you go play fetch in the park or whatever."
Mila rolls her eyes but a smile is once again on her face from the comment. "What is it?"
Kai pauses under her awaiting stare. All he really had to is unwind his fingers and let the silver band with its encrusted diamond fall into her palm. That action would cause him to get down on one knee, still in her mother's apron, and say the words. It would be a domino effect, but he suddenly couldn't tip over the first tile.
A notification ringing through the air breaks the tension. Mila grabs her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. Kai lets his hand fall back at his side.
"I have to get going. We can talk later? When I get home?" Mila suggests. She is already walking backwards when Kai nods his head in agreement, still stuck in silence.
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"MILA, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOUR food is getting cold." Alex questions from across the patio table of the Mystic Grill.
Mila's eyes avert from the lively sight of town square. Her surroundings were full of people making the transition from heavy to light clothing as spring flourishes and replaces the dry, icy air. However, her mind was elsewhere, even when she focuses back on the person in front of her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking," she answers, glancing down at the basket of fries and the burger she had barely touched. This was the first time in the past couple of days that she didn't have an appetite.
Alex leans forward; his forearms, bare from the rolled-up sleeves of his navy sweater, sticks against the recently wiped surface of the table. "About Josie?"
"No. I mean, yes. I'm concerned about what's going on with her but also Kai was acting weird this morning." Mila shifts in her chair with crossed arms. "He got really quiet in the middle of our conversation and he rarely is ever quiet. Seriously, he never shuts up. I didn't think anything of it at first but now... I don't know. I'm sorry. You probably don't want to hear about this."
"No, it's okay. Go on. You can talk to me," he reassures.
The sense of calmness that Alex always radiates sinks into her. She relaxes slightly, gazing at his attentive face. His eyes resembled the ocean more so from openness than color.
"Well, we recently got back together, as you know. And uh... in order to do that we made an agreement for things to be different this time, that he'd have to change."
Alex frowns. "And he's not?"
"No, he is. He's doing really well actually," Mila clarifies, sitting up straighter. "It's just-I don't know. Maybe he's starting to have doubts? He's made a lot of sacrifices, given up everything he knows just to make our relationship work this time, and maybe that's too much ask. Maybe I stripped him of his identity and he doesn't know what to do."
Her bottom lips receives a slight pressure from her teeth as she bites it anxiously. She glances down at the bracelet she had taken up wearing again, its rose charm reminding her of the red flower that adorned her breakfast this morning. She didn't have to guess where he had gotten it; the kitchen window looked into their neighbor's yard and he had left the sheers on the counter — the reminder of how mischievous he is made her smile a bit.
"I've heard what people say about Kai. He has a very... violent reputation. He sounds like a supernatural con man, if I'm being honest. And I know you like to look past the surface, but I can see you are definitely having doubts, and for good reason." Alex extends his hand and places it over wrist. She doesn't notice the gesture, still consumed by her thoughts.
"I mean, I don't want him going on murdering sprees or anything, but I don't want him to just be an unhappy housewife who stays home all day and finds joy in nothing. I found him making breakfast with my mother's apron on and in her slippers — both of which are pink and littered with polkadots. He looked adorable, but that's besides the point."
"Sounds like a complicated situation. Maybe you're right. Maybe he's just playing a part that he's bound to get bored of," Alex offers up a comforting squeeze. "I know you deal with a lot of drama. You deserve someone that doesn't pile onto it."
Mila looks down and retracts her elbows from the table. Alex's touch is removed, his body tipped back into his own seat. Her scowl deepens because things hadn't gotten any clearer.
Alex had told her that Josie made quite a scene when Alaric had held an assembly, but, since he was still relatively new and not in the inner circle, he didn't know exactly what Ric's plan is to fix his daughter. If Mila had to guess, Hope was on it and formulating her own plans; she had never seen one person come up with so many loopholes, but then again Mila had experienced her fair share of them.
Since Ric was too preoccupied to cater to their deal and Mila didn't feel right leaving until everything settled down, it looked like they were staying in town for a few more weeks. She had mentioned to Elena earlier that she was prolonging her stay but didn't say anything about Kai being back. She figured, if everything worked out, she'd announce it in a few years when Kai has had a long time of good behavior behind him.
"I think I better get going. It was nice seeing you again. If I haven't said it already, congratulations on the new job." Mila offers up a small smile after fishing out her wallet from her bag.
"I got this." Alex waves the gesture off. "It was nice seeing you, too. Maybe we can do this again sometime?"
"Yeah, if I'm back in town again. I'll be sure to give you a call."
Mila stands up, fixing her blue blouse that had rode up a little. The flowing material is tucked into the front of her jeans. And with the strap of her purse thrown over her shoulder and the black-framed sunglasses slipped on, she looked exactly how she was: unobtainable.
Because she belonged elsewhere, to someone else, but Alex refused to accept it. He was not giving up on the idea she might change her mind. She just needed a little convincing.
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THE MINT FLAVOR OF HIS GUM and his impeccable self control anchored him down to the backseat of the cab. He fidgets, slapping his hands against the leather seats and constantly moving his outstretched legs from the left to right side. The urge to sink his fangs into the carotid of his driver clouded his head, but it was nothing to how restless he was knowing that Mila had gone out with Alex.
It had bothered him more than he thought. Kai wasn't worried about Mila doing anything because he trusted her, but the idea of them alone together tormented him. So he may have impulsively did a locator spell, called a taxi, and told the driver to head to where the magic had pinpointed. If he would have waited five more minutes, he could have saved himself the trouble. Mila texted him back after he spammed her with many wordy texts, but he had no regrets.
Right as Kai's bubble popped, the car halted to a stop in front of a building swarming with people. The big, red letters of the mall's sign reflected the beaming sunlight; it would have blinded him if he wasn't too busy digging through his pockets. After pulling out lint, a lollipop wrapper, and a few pennies, Kai found the twenty he had stuffed in there.
Instead of placing it into a hand that was once the olive skinned and smooth, it was suddenly withering and sickly white. Kai drew his own hand back, eyes glancing up to see a familiar, carved face in the rear view mirror. His startled expression quickly contorted into an unamused one.
"You know, you should really invest in some lotion," Kai sighed out, slumping against the wide seat.
"That's a poor way to greet the almighty king of the underworld, harbinger of life and death, an elusive and powerful being so terrifying that-"
He cuts off the Necromancer and his usual build-up introduction. "Listen, I don't know why you decided to pop up, but whatever it is, I'm not interested. So, why don't you go back to your treehouse."
"My lair is a dark and cursed crypt that would leave you trembling at the sight! How dare you!" The Necromancer twists around in the seat, looking out of place in casual apparel instead of his elaborate getup. "And here I thought you would be worthy of a second chance..."
"You left me to die. You're lucky I'm not turning your spine into a necklace."
"And it's that kind of potential that shouldn't go wasted." The Necromancer grinned wickedly, showing his blackened gums and rotten teeth. Kai almost offered him a piece of gum.
"Aww," Kai cooed, tilting his head. "You'd make a great little league coach. Not that I ever was in little league. Nobody seemed to trust me with a bat."
With a great effort, the monster refrained from blowing up again. "I am just offering you a chance to be on the winning side. I have already recruited your niece who is blossoming into quite the evil enchantress — thanks to you, I hear. What do you say? Care to make it a family reunion?"
"Reuniting with my bloodline? Sure, that's going to go well," Kai laughed at the offer, something that made the Necromancer display his frustration and fury. "Ah, this was fun. Seriously, if necromancing doesn't work out for you, try being a comedian. I'd go to your shows. Well, maybe. I'm kind of busy as of late. I'd have to check my schedule."
Kai moves to exit the vehicle, fingers latched around the handle, but the Necromancer's next words stops him. "I guess the rumors are true."
"What rumors?"
"That you've been tamed. You've... lost your touch." The unnatural cyan color of his eyes gleams at the taken back look Kai has. "All because of a pretty face. We've all heard this predicable story before and you've fallen victim to it. Such a shame."
His eyebrows are pulled inward as he frowns. He doesn't like being underestimated. It's the thing that intertwines into the net of his insecurities that have yet to be fully untangled.
When Kai peers over his shoulder at the scarred face, it's with perverse determination, an unwavering instinct that's been aching to not be suppressed anymore. He is ready to prove a point.