CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
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THE BALCONY OF KAI'S one-bedroom apartment was being put to use for the first time ever tonight. Bruises and cuts marked his skin; a very potent blossom of color developing on his cheekbone from where Mila socked him was the most noticeable. There were healing spells he could have used to ease the pain, but he was just about juiced out of siphoned magic and he didn't think it would matter much, anyway. A part of him knew he deserved to suffer for how much things spiraled out of control.
Iron fence supported his arms as he leaned on it, staring off blankly into the courtyard and up at the sky. He thought he was past being weighed down by guilt, that he had learned his lesson when it came to caring too much about the aftermath of his actions and who it affected, but all of that went down the drain.
Because these last couple of weeks, especially tonight, he was only thinking about what was best for him — and yet he had even gotten that wrong. Kai hated that he was living up to his infamous title of screw-up. No matter what he did, he just seemed to lose. Maybe because instead of having change happen to him, he should've got involved and defined it for himself.
A hand slipped into his coat pocket, pulling out the folded photograph he'd taken out of the broken frame. It was a little crumpled and had a noticeable crease down the center but it still held its sentiment. His thumb ran over Mila's figure, the frigid stance of his body relaxing. He shook his head while his gaze turned thoughtful.
"You're not going away, are you?" Kai murmured.
"No." A voice resonates suddenly from beside him, making Kai's head snap to the side. All the softened details of his face harden, alight warmth converting into icy lanes along the contours. He tucks the photo back into his pocket.
"What? Were you not referring to me?" The Necromancer continues, grinning cunningly, but his teasing mannerisms quickly evaporate into the bone-chilling air. "Of course you weren't."
"Give me one reason I shouldn't throw you over this balcony. Wait. Nevermind. I don't care enough to listen to your excuses."
"Yes, we all know what you really care about. Or should I say, who."
"I'm not having this conversation with you again. Please save the teenage girl sleepover talk."
"You're even more of a laughing stock than I thought." The Necromancer ignores Kai's harsh glare and hollow threats. "I gave you chance after to chance to become remarkable. I freed you of your sickening infatuation of that-that girl! Imagine my disappointment when I find out that you not only failed to dispose of her, but you've repeated the same mistake of falling in love with her."
Kai turns away with a set jaw. "I don't love her."
"Is that all you've bother to pay attention to from what I said?! Oh, you are absolutely infuriating!" the frustrated creature exclaims, fisting the stiff strands of his dirty hair. He then points a deteriorated finger at him. "I understand now why your family left you to rot in a prison world for twenty years. You were never up to Gemini Coven standards, and you certainly aren't up to mine."
This remark is what gets Kai to snap. Before he knows what he's doing, he's abandoning his unspoken promise not to participate in anymore violence tonight and is grasping the collar of the Necromancer's shirt. He easily flings him over the edge. The only thing holding the monster up is a clenched fist that is supplied by newfound strength that he thought was depleted.
The Necromancer's legs swing in the air and he briefly glances down at ground far below, but other than that he doesn't appear alarmed. He even chuckles at Kai's predictability.
"I don't care what you think about me. I don't care what anyone thinks about me, especially my forgotten family. You can call me foolish, weak, or unremarkable, but the truth is — and yes, I'm saying the complete truth — that you'll always be most the most pitiful person in any room." The Necromancer's smirk flattens into a scowl at Kai's words, which makes Kai smile smugly for a brief moment. "You talk of grand schemes and making nightmares come to life, but you always come up short, don't you? Even your reanimated zombies can't stand to be around you. I may have feelings for Mila, feelings I don't understand and didn't ask for, but I don't resent myself because of them. I don't have to live up to anyone's standards except my own. And I see now that the only thing sabotaging my future... is you."
Before the Necromancer could use his magic to retaliate, Kai already has his other hand shoved flat to his chest and is flawlessly uttering a Latin incantation. The slow-beating, blackened muscle is snapped free from ligaments and blood vessels, ripped from its attachment of withering lungs, to break through his ribcage and end up in Kai's hand. Kai crushes the heart for good measure, ignoring the black ooze and slimy texture, while the Necromancer finally matches his corpse-like exterior by going limp and lifeless.
He releases his hold on the creature's body, and the Necromancer lands on the mowed lawn with a thud. He opts for throwing the deflated organ in the community swimming pool, hearing the splash of it going in after he swung his arm with impressive precision.
Kai wipes his hands on his pants. He shrugs shrugs at the gruesome mess he made, pursing his lips. "I'm sure the maintenance guy will take care of it."
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TO MILA'S RECOLLECTION, she was having trouble falling asleep. However, it was clear she must have dozed off from the morning light peeking in through the seams of the curtains. They were drawn, but the armchair she was curled up in was positioned at just the right angle for a sliver of sunlight to paint a golden stripe over her face.
Hands sense the thin blanket that had been draped over her, which she pushes down her body as she sits up. Her neck is sore from sleeping in an uncomfortable position, but due to the perks of having supernatural protégés at your beck and call, that was the only physical pain she felt. Although, the memories of the quarrel all of three of them faced last night were still fresh in her mind.
She remembers feeling defeated and helpless lying there on the baseball field. Lizzie coming in unexpectedly to wack Kai off of her right when he declared he couldn't do what he so clearly planned to do, the unspeakable. Josie had returned to her side, too, and she tried to take advantage of Kai curled up in pain to follow through with the plan despite the obvious setbacks. Kai was quick to recover, though, and before Mila could let things get worse, she snapped out of her own hurt to usher the twins out of there. They almost didn't escape. Kai had casted a spell that had a ring of fire beginning to form around them, but luckily Josie was able to counteract it.
It was hard for Mila to fully let any of last night sink in. She had already thought that she was at rock bottom, but she somehow managed to drill her way even more downward, and brought Lizzie and Josie down with her. Thankfully, the damage Kai inflicted on them was reversible, but Mila still felt responsible for them getting hurt in the first place.
The doors to Alaric's office open up to reveal the man himself. Mila sits up straighter, an apology already on her lips because she hadn't gotten the chance to face him until now. He was busy dealing with another problem and wasn't aware about their little scheme until everyone was safely home and healed.
"I'm surprised to see you up so early. You seem... exhausted, still."
"I am, but... about last night-"
"No need to talk about it. The girls are fine. That's what's important," Ric interupts her, halting what was going to be a lengthened apology.
Mila squints at him. "What?"
"I know you're sorry Mila, and I know you would never intentionally let them get hurt," he elaborates. "And... Josie may have convinced me to go easy on you."
Her gaze falls to her lap, smiling slightly at Josie's intervention. She'd definitely have to thank the kindhearted and immensely considerate girl later.
Alaric clearing his throat captures her attention. She watches him lean against his desk, tightening cardigan-covered arms around himself. Mila knew there was something more he had to say before he met her attentive eyes.
"Um, so, our magical analysts discovered something when you were being taken care of last night."
"Right. My blood," Mila inferred. She combs some frizzy hair out of her face. "I already know it's an off-brand version of The Cure. But I would really appreciate it if you kept it private. I don't need to be targeted by a heap load of vampires who want to be human again because of that."
"No. That's not what I'm talking about, Mila. Your blood results, uh, showed something else." Alaric hesitated before continuing. There was no doubting that he was very uncomfortable relaying this information. "It appears that you're pregnant."
The hand pushing her highlighted hair back freezes along with the rest of her body. Raised eyebrows, widened eyes, and an agape mouth seemed to permanent features ingrained into her face. Even the breath that was about to be heaved out stutters inside of her trachea, but the most malfunctioning part of her was her heart, which sped up to an alarming speed.
"Are-are you sure?" She stuttered.
"Yes."
"That's impossible. I mean, I've only had sex with Kai, and he was a vampire during — oh." The night where he had coerced her into staying, where he had drank her blood before they delved into other intimate activities, came into the spotlight within her spinning mind. But surely it couldn't have been put into effect that fast.
"I take it, it is possible then?" Ric questioned, but if anything his response sounded conclusive, like he already knew the answer from the realization tainting her stunned expression.
Mila shoots up from her seat, perhaps too fast because she almost trips over her own feet and has to steady herself with the armrest for a second. She hurriedly grabs her belongings resting on the windowsill, her purse swinging over her arm and her car keys tight within her grasp.
"I... I have to go. Thank you for everything. I'll-I'll see you soon," Mila rushes out the assortment of sentences like she rushes out of the room and soon out of the school as well.
The fresh air doesn't soothe her, and neither does the blast of artificially cooled air when she starts her car. Shaky hands find the steering wheel, but her feet never find any of the pedals. She gasps in deep breaths, even letting a few tears fall from eyes that were already red and swollen, but her breakdown only lasts a mere minute.
Mila composes herself with one glance toward her stomach. The stress of her situation ebbs. The leaking faucet of her eyes is turned off. Hesitantly, she places her palm over her flat abdomen. She knows that she couldn't be far along and that it was just a merged group of cells in there, but she brightens nonetheless. Chapped lips twitch into a small smile.
"What do you know?" She whispers fondly. "Miracle Baby."
a/n: six more chapters left, besties. how unreal.