The test was negative. Valerie figured out that the babies had been cloaked by the Gemini coven to protect them from Kai. He won't be pissed about them anymore because he's a heretic, and he doesn't need to be the leader of a coven anymore.
Caroline asked me to stay in the room while Valerie does the ultrasound. Jo and Ric decided to stay out of the room. Stefan's holding her hand. I stared at Valerie, wondering how she found all of this out and why she's so eager to help.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Oh my god."
"You're pregnant," Valerie stated.
With someone else's kids, I thought. I hate that I wanted to cry. It may be someone else's, but she's still pregnant. Even a vampire can have kids.
I felt like I couldn't breathe, choking on my own jealousy.
Valerie walked out of the room. I followed her, letting them have their moment.
"She's pregnant, right," Jo put her hand on my arm.
It was hard to look at her. I nodded once. "Yeah."
She sighed. She and Ric shared a glance. They looked fearful.
"What's... Is something wrong?"
She shook her head once. "No, I'm just -" She smiled. "I just found out a few days ago that I'm... I'm pregnant."
My throat felt like it was closing. I forced a smile on my lips. "Congratulations."
"Could you not tell anyone?"
I nodded. "Yeah." I took a quick breath. "I have to go."
I made my way out of the hospital and ran to my car. I drove as fast as I could with no destination. The anger in my body was making it hard for me to focus. Speeding probably isn't the safest option.
My jealousy got caught in my throat. I eased off the gas pedal as I thought of what to do. I couldn't take my thoughts away from the pregnancy and Caroline's happy life.
I want a happy life. The person I want a happy life with doesn't want it with me enough, though.
I found myself staring at his apartment building. I got out and walked to his door. I didn't hesitate to open the door and walk in. He was walking out of his bedroom. He paused, a confused look on his face. I walked toward him.
"What are you-"
I put my hand at the side of his face. "Shut up," I muttered before kissing him.
His hands instinctively grabbed my waist, pulling me against him. I moved my hands to my shirt and pulled back from the kiss as I pulled it off. I replaced my hand to the side of his neck and pulled him close to kiss me.
He stopped kissing me for a second, breathing heavily. "I thought you didn't want to see me."
"I don't. So shut up and kiss me before I find someone else."
He moved his hand to the back of my head as he started kissing me again. I moved my hands to the bottom of his shirt, and he pulled back to take it off. He was on me again, pulling me against him as he kissed me quickly.
He pulled me with him as he walked backward to his bedroom. Along the way, we lost our clothes. I pushed him to sit back, moving to straddle him. He raised up on his elbows, watching me as I sank down on his cock, stopping nearly halfway.
After gaining his ability to stop staring with a look of awe on his face, he sat up, grabbing my hips and forcing me all the way down. I screamed out as he moaned. I rocked my hips slowly. Put my hands at the sides of his head, my fingers threading through his hair while my thumbs rested against his cheeks.
I kissed him slowly, his tongue slipped past my lips. He rolled his tongue against mine slowly, moaning as I rode him faster. Every time he pulled me back down on his cock, I rocked against him, rubbing my clit against him.
He pulled his mouth off of mine and started kissing down my neck slowly. I moved one hand to his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around my waist, sliding the other up my body to my boob. He massaged it gently, rolling my nipple between his fingers. He did the same to the other. He dragged his lips down my chest, stopping just above my nipple.
He flattened his tongue against my nipple before swirling his tongue around it. He used his arm to keep me against his body, sliding me up and down his cock. He switched his mouth to my other boob. A high-pitched whine fell from my lips as his teeth grazed my nipple. He swirled his tongue around the throbbing nub.
I slid my hand to the top of his head, gripping his hair and pulling his head back. I gasped as he pulled me down quickly. I pressed my lips to his. My pussy clenched around him, making him moan. He moved his hands to my hips, fucking me faster. I couldn't kiss him anymore, unable to close my mouth. There was an endless string of cries and moans that fell from my mouth. I screamed out, feeling his cock throbbing inside of me.
His fingers dug into my skin as he yanked me down to the base of his cock. I gasped, feeling his cum shoot inside of me. A few short seconds later, an orgasm rocked through me. All I could see were his eyes pouring into mine. The look of pure pleasure mixed with bliss only spurred on my body.
I leaned my head against his shoulder, trying to catch my breath. I closed my eyes. After a few minutes, he pulled me with him as he laid back. I let my eyes stay closed as I lifted my head. I moved my hands to his chest. I held my breath as I moved off of him. I moved to lay next to him.
I stared at the ceiling, my hand on my stomach. I couldn't feel the cum slipping out of me. It only reminded me of why I came here.
The sinking feeling was back. I sat up and walked to my clothes.
"What are you doing?"
After pulling on my underwear and my bra, I started pulling on my shorts. I turned to him as I buttoned them. "I'm leaving." I turned to walk out of the bedroom.
"Wait!" I could hear him fumbling with his clothes as I reached for my shirt. Before I could even pick it up, he was pulling me back to him, his hand was gripping my forearm. "Why are you so upset?"
I stared at him, unsure of where to start. I suddenly envied his ability to shut his emotions off. His grip loosened and I pulled my arm from his hand. I grabbed my shirt and pulled it on. I pushed my hair back then crossed my arms. I looked up from the floor as I turned to face him.
There was a confused look on his face as he waited for me to answer. "Evelyn."
I could feel the sadness spilling out of me and flooding the room. I took a short breath before speaking. "Caroline's pregnant. That spell at the wedding wasn't for you, it was to protect Jo's kids. They used Caroline as a surrogate." I felt empty. "She's getting married in a month. She's having kids. And I can't even-" I blew out a breath of air. "I needed you and you left me."
He closed his eyes for a few seconds. He held out his hands as he stepped closer. "Evelyn-"
"No." My hands sank from my body as I stepped back. "I needed you and you knew that! You told me you couldn't even see me, and you expected me to be okay with it. I-" My voice caught in my throat. I covered my face and turned away from him.
"I had to, baby."
"Don't call me that." I moved my hands to the sides of my head, breathing out slowly. I turned to face him after putting my arms at my sides.
He slowly stepped closer. "I wanted to keep you safe from them, to protect you from what they were doing." He kept walking closer. "They were going to use you for a spell. And they needed to kill you to do it. The only thing they wanted more than you was me so I took their focus off of you. I had to go to Portland to throw them off as much as I could. I had to get rid of them before I could be with you."
The backs of his fingers brushed the skin on my neck. His hands hovered over my skin, the near touch enough to make the tears form in my eyes. He sighed shakily. I watched as his eyes became glossy. His lips worked to form words that never came out. My hands found their way to his arms, sliding to his wrists.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be there."
I shook my head once. I stared at him for a few seconds, watching his eyes move slowly across my face. I held his wrists tighter. "You can use me. You can hurt me. You can kill me. You can break me into a million pieces if you want, just don't leave me."
He shook his head, tilting my head back. "I won't."
"It just hurts. Everything hurts without you and- and I can't breathe sometimes. Everything gets mixed up and complicated. I don't-" I breathed out slowly. "I don't know how to move on and I don't want to. I want you. I want to be with you. I- I..." I furrowed my brows. I tilted my head.
Everything went still and quiet. The only things that exist are him and I. Everything with him feels natural and smooth. Nothing can be without him. The feeling of my heart beating in my chest wouldn't exist if not for him. I feel it stops sometimes without him by my side. The fear of him leaving me will kill me if my love for him doesn't.
"I love you." The words slipped from my lips quietly. But the feeling in them surrounded us like a bubble. "I'm in love with you."
He didn't get distant like I expected. He sighed like a weight had been lifted off of him. His brows were pinched together as a soft look consumed his face. "I love you."
Every piece of his care and love for me bled into our bubble sinking us back down to Earth, but it didn't burst; it expanded. For once I wasn't suffocated by grief, but by love. Love that I get to call ours.
He leaned closer, hesitating to kiss me. I pushed up on my toes to press my lips to his. My body melted into his. He kissed me slowly, filling me with hope for a future and a fairy tale ending.
I smiled into the kiss, moving my hands to his. He moved his hands to my hips, keeping me pressed against him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing me closer to him. He wrapped his arms around me, his arms crossed and his hands holding my waist.
He rested his forehead against mine. I didn't bother to open my eyes. After a few minutes of just us, I felt exhausted. The day had gone from suffering and hopeless to eventful and fruitful.
"This means we're together, right?"
I smiled. "Not necessarily. I could have a husband and kids in another-"
"Not funny."
I pulled my head back and looked up at him. I tilted my head. "You tell me." I looked at his chest. "Do you want-"
"I want you."
I slid my hands to his chest. "You want me to what?" I pushed against him as I walked us back toward his bedroom.
"I want you to be with me."
"Like in your bed or..." I stepped back, leaving his hold.
"Like in a relationship." He sat down and tilted his head, staring up at me.
I started unbuttoning my shorts. "As your girlfriend?" I pushed them off and moved my hands to my shirt.
He struggled to keep his eyes on mine. "Yes."
I pulled my shirt off before walking over to him. "Don't touch." I cupped his face in my hands, making him look me in the eyes. "Ask me."
"Can I be your boyfriend?"
"Obviously."
He smiled. He put his hands on my hips, pulling me onto his lap. I moved my hands to his shoulders, pulling back from his kiss. "No sex."
He got a sad look on his face. "What?"
I put my hands on his and slid them down my thighs. "You heard me."
A quiet whine filled my ears, making it hard for me to stick to my own rule. "Okay," he sighed.
I kissed him softly before we laid down. We laid facing each other. His outer arm was over my body, keeping me close to him. His other hand was under the side of my face, his thumb was brushing my cheek. I rested my leg on top of his body, keeping him close to me. His cock was pressed against my pussy, our clothes were the only barrier. A very thin, taunting barrier. I could see the struggle in his eyes to not move too much.
"I hate your rules."
I smiled. "It's just for tonight. And stop complaining or I'll make this a lot worse for you."
"That's impossible. And don't take that as a challenge."
I closed my eyes. "Goodnight."
"I hate you."
"Doesn't feel like it," I laughed.
A strained moan slipped left his lips. "Don't move."
I opened my eyes. I moved my hand to his mouth. "Shh." I rubbed against his cock. His brows furrowed together as he moaned against my hand. "I will make this very painful for you if you don't shut up and go to sleep."
The pleading look in his eyes made it hard for me to stay still. I moved my hand to the side of his face.
"Just close your eyes and go to sleep."
He breathed out slowly. "Goodnight."
I kissed him softly. "Shh."
He huffed out a breath of air as he closed his eyes. I stared at him for a few more minutes. Boyfriend and girlfriend. The thought made me smile. I watched as his face slowly let go of tension.
"I love you."
He didn't respond, lying in a blissful sleep. His ability to fall asleep so fast astounded me.
For the next hour or two I watched how peaceful he was.
...
I felt his lips on my neck, drawing me out of sleep. I moaned at the feeling of his body pressing against mine. His hard cock was pressing against me.
"Good morning."
"Morning," he mumbled against my skin.
I looked over at the clock. 7:39. I turned my attention back to Kai. I put my hand on his shoulder, using my entire body to push him back against the mattress. I put my hands on the bed beside his head and lifted completely off of him.
He stared at me with an unhappy look on his face. "Hey-"
I put my hand over his mouth. "You woke me up for sex." I felt him smile. I moved my other hand to his stomach, sliding my fingers into his sweatpants. He reached for my hand. I moved my hand off of his mouth and kissed him. I pulled his hands above his head, pinning his wrists against the mattress.
I placed my hand on his cock, rubbing him through his pants. He moaned. I moved my lips to his jaw, kissing softly for just a second, then moving down his neck. His stomach caved in as I rubbed him faster.
"Evelyn," he breathed.
I hummed against his neck, waiting for him to say something else. I moved my hand to his stomach, and he whimpered. I dipped my fingers into his waistband. I moved my lips to his ear. "Use your words, baby."
"Just touch me."
I slid my hand lower, my fingertips brushing against his cock. "I am touching you."
He shuddered. "Evelyn."
"Mhm." I kissed his neck, sucking gently, then soothing the skin with my tongue.
"Just make me cum."
"Okay," I muttered against his skin.
I pushed his pants lower and pulled his cock out. I wrapped my hand around it and started pumping slowly. I twisted my hand and squeezed gently as I got closer to the tip. His quiet curses and loud noises made me eager to make him finish. I scattered kisses across his neck as I pumped him faster.
I could feel him squirming more with every move of my hand. His cock throbbed. He groaned. I lifted my head and stared at him. "Look at me when I make you cum, baby."
The veins in his arms were popping as he pushed against my hand. I looked at his face.
"Oh fuck," he whined.
"Does that feel good?"
He gasped softly. "Yes."
"Open your eyes."
After a few seconds, he looked at me. His brows were knitted together, and his mouth hung open. The blanket surrounding us kept the warmth in, making it harder for him to stay calm. His begging stare made me want to stick his cock inside of me and cum with him.
"Are you going to cum for me?"
A soft whimper fell from his lips. "Please," he begged.
I smiled and let go of his hands. I moved down his body, sitting back on my knees. I leaned down and took his cock in my mouth. His tip hit the back of my throat and I used my hands to pump the rest of his cock. My eyes started watering and I moaned. A few seconds later, he was moaning as his cum filled my throat. I swallowed all of it, savoring the taste.
I could hear his heavy breathing. I put his dick away and moved up his body, sitting on his lower stomach. I put my hands on the bed on either side of his head and stared down at him. He opened his eyes. I felt his hand on my waist.
I smiled. "Happy birthday."
A smile slowly covered his lips. "Thank you."
I leaned down and kissed him. He started to kiss back when I pulled away. He whined as I moved off of him. I walked into the bathroom and pushed the door shut, leaving it cracked. I turned on the shower and got undressed. I waited for him to walk in.
"Kai," I said in a singsong voice.
A few seconds later, he was running to me, lifting me and walking into the shower.
...
I watched as the ball I shot toward the corner pocket went in. I looked at Ryan. "Your boyfriend?"
He nodded, "Yeah."
I pulled the stick against my body. "I mean he can stay, but why didn't you mention him before?"
He walked up to the table and bent forward as he aimed for a ball. "You got busy." He looked at me. "Literally and figuratively."
I kicked his leg. "You're not supposed to talk about it, asshole."
"Yeah, well..." He shot the ball then stood up. "You're going to have to tell everyone now that you're dating." He looked at me.
I tilted my head, "Not the sex part. So keep your mouth shut." I bent down to shoot another ball.
"Where is he, anyway? Shouldn't you two be all over each other?"
"I don't own him. He has a life." I shot the ball into the side pocket then turned to face Ryan. "His friends asked him to go to a bar because it's his birthday."
"Right." He walked to the opposite side of the table.
"Why'd you say it like that?"
He shrugged. "If I just got into a relationship, I would stay with my partner for every minute of every day."
"That's because you're clingy. Kai and I don't need to be together every second of every day."
"Because your lives are linked. You don't have to constantly worry about the person you love because you know he's alive."
I nodded once, "But I still have to worry about him." I pulled the stick away from my body. "He's a murderous vampire and if someone decides to piss him off..."
"Right. Well maybe to prevent murdering happenstances you could tell people you're together. Everybody seems to like you."
A wry laugh passed my lips. "Everybody is a bit of a stretch. Caroline's losing her mind about me leaving yesterday. Stefan is also upset with me because I left. Ric and Jo are bound to hate me once they know about Kai and I's relationship."
"So you have problems that will go away with a conversation." He walked toward me. "Go solve those problems so you can come out about your relationship. Or you can stop complaining and do what makes you happy. Stop caring about what everyone else might think or what they could possibly do. As long as you have your boyfriend it shouldn't matter."
I tilted my head, "Everyone's busy dealing with their magical drama right now. My problems would-" He raised his hand in front of my face. I slapped his hand away. "I was speaking."
"Yeah, well, you obviously didn't think about what I just said. Stop thinking about what everyone else wants and go have the relationship you've been dreaming of for the past year and a half."
I looked over as the door to the Grill opened. Kai walked through the door with one of his friends.
"Now would be a great start." I felt him move closer. "Go kiss your boyfriend," he whispered.
I turned to Ryan. "Then what?"
"Then we can go fix your problem with Caroline." He took the stick from my hands and backed away.
I stared at him for a minute, trying to calm my racing heart. I realized that it's just Kai and forced my fear down my throat. I turned and started walking to the bar where Kai had walked off to. He turned to me.
A smile spread across his lips, "Hi."
I smiled back as I stepped closer. "I thought you were at a bar."
"I was. We got bored and ventured off."
I looked over to where his friend had seated himself. In the corner of the restaurant. He was staring at us. "Who is he?" I looked at Kai.
"Miles." He looked at me. "He's a dreamboat, right?"
I nodded, "Yeah. Is he single?"
He tilted his head. "You're hilarious."
"You think so?"
He looked at the bar, then at me. "I thought you were hanging out with Ryan."
I nodded and looked back at Ryan, who was leaning back against the pool table. I looked at Kai. "I am."
He looked at Ryan, then at me. "Why is he staring at us?"
"We were talking about you. About us actually. You and me." I laughed nervously. "I know we talked about keeping it to ourselves for a few days to spare everyone else, but that feels a little ridiculous. I mean, it's our relationship, right? It's ours. So hypothetically-"
"Evelyn," he tilted his head. "You're rambling."
"I am?" I nodded once, taking a breath. "I'm sorry." He grabbed my hand. "I don't want to have you in private. I want..." He pulled me closer as he stepped toward me. "I want this to be a real thing. A real relationship." He nodded as he put his hand at the side of my face. "I want to have you all the time, everywhere."
He leaned closer, his lips just inches from mine, "Uh huh."
My breath caught in my throat. I moved my hands to his chest and kept my face far enough from his so I could look into his eyes. "I want you to be just mine, though, so don't, um, don't go kiss other girls or anything. I just... I want you to be mine in the way that I'm yours."
His hand pressed against the small of my back. He smiled before closing the distance between us. He kissed me slowly, sliding his hand to the side of my neck.
I pushed against his chest and he slid his hand to my waist. He pulled back from the kiss. I took a breath as I slid my hands to his shoulders. He pulled his eyes away from my lips to stare back at me.
I struggled to think of something to stay. My thoughts spun like my vision. "Thanks?"
He moved his hands to mine. The smile on his face grew. "I love you." He pulled my hands off his chest.
I smiled. "I love you."
He glanced over my shoulder, then looked at me. "We can talk later."
"Okay," I breathed. I pulled my hands from his as I stepped back. "Later." He nodded. I reluctantly turned away from him, walking toward Ryan, who was waiting by the door. There was a smirk on his face. The smile drained from my lips and I punched his arm, "Shut up."
He laughed as we walked down the street. I looked at him as he started talking. "You're ridiculously in love with him."
I looked back at the path in front of us again. "You told me to go kiss him."
"I didn't realize it would lead to you tripping over yourself trying to pull yourself away from him."
I rolled my eyes. "I didn't trip over myself."
"You were pretty damn close."
I glanced at him. "You're just jealous because I can actually touch my boyfriend." I looked in front of me again.
He scoffed, "That was low."
"You deserved it."
I opened my car door as he walked to the other side. I froze as my eyes landed on Lillian and Joshua. They were staring directly at me as they stood across the street. I could see the hatred in their eyes. He was wearing a black suit and she was wearing a black dress.
"What are you doing?"
I glanced at Ryan then looked at them again. But they were gone. It took a few seconds to get breath back in my lungs. "Nothing." I got in and shut the door. I started driving.
...
I stared at the floor as I walked down the hallway of his apartment building. Caroline was surprisingly happy for me. Her attitude about the pregnancy has changed to happiness. She had a discussion with Jo and Ric and she agreed to be their surrogate. It made me feel sad for her, but also happy for Jo and Ric. I was hoping to shake the chilling feeling from earlier, but I haven't been able to.
I walked into the apartment and shut the door behind me. Kai told me he'd be here soon and to just stay until he got here. I kicked off my shoes and made my way to his room. I sat at the end of the bed and stared at the wall. There were a few pictures on his wall, all of which were either us or just me. It feels a little stalkerish considering we've only been together since last night, but also sweet.
The longer I stared at the pictures, the longer I thought about us. We're together now and we're happy. We have a future, I can feel that much. But somehow those feelings go away every time I've gotten them. Except with him. He feels permanent.
Somewhere down the line in our lives, I'll want to start a family. I know I won't be able to. That possibility was destroyed the minute his father introduced himself to me. I understand that, and I don't blame Kai. Some part of me feels like I should though.
None of this is his fault. The only pain I've ever been in because of him was the few times he hated me and tried to kill me and when I had to leave him. Leaving him was of my own volition, though.
The emptiness in my mind spread through my body.
I moved to lay on down, staring at the empty space of the bed next to me. I kept my hands under my head. I spent the next two hours staring at nothing.
The sound of the door opening didn't startle me. Or when it shut. Or his footsteps. I wanted to move and to feel okay. It's his birthday, he shouldn't have to deal with me today. He should have a carefree, happy day.
"Hey, baby."
But I can't move. I can't will the tears in my eyes out of existence. I can't feel anything except the numbness inside of me.
All because of the people who ripped my sanity out of my body.
"Baby?" His footsteps brought him closer. He sat down, facing me. "What's wrong?"
I didn't look at him.
"Evelyn?" His voice was softer. He put his hand on my arm.
"I'm sorry." The tears escaped my eyes. He laid down, turning to his side. Looking at him made me feel worse. How could I do this to him?
His eyes stayed on mine as he brushed the hair off the side of my face. "What are you sorry for? What happened?"
I didn't want to answer him. I felt like I was choking on my own voice. "I'm ruining your day. You're supposed to be happy and have a good day, but you have to deal with me instead. You shouldn't have to coddle me and waste your time making me stop crying. I should be able to not cry for just one day."
He rested his hand at the side of my face, wiping the tears of my cheek. "My day is not ruined. I've had a good day, and it's even better when I get to take care of you. You're not the burden I have to deal with, baby. You've been through hell so you deserve the right to cry everyday." He moved his hand to my shoulder. "I'm never wasting my time when it's spent with you."
I felt like I was suffocating as graphic thoughts about what they did to me pushed images into my head.
"What is it?"
My breathing became more unsteady. "I can't-" My voice caught in my throat. "I can't get it out of my head. And when I can't move or they'll get louder, but if I just lay here and I don't move I can still feel them. And it won't go away. It feels real." More tears filled my eyes. "I just want it to stop." I inhaled sharply. "Can you please make it stop?"
The fearful look in his eyes made me feel guilty. This shouldn't be his responsibility. But he does it anyway.
He pulled my hands to his chest then wrapped me in his arms and held me against him. His arm under me kept me against his body while his other hand cradled the back of my head. My attempt to not cry failed the second he moved closer.