"I think my father is trying to kill you."
I look up at Kai incredulously, my hand pressed over the wound etched into my stomach in the shape of his coven's symbol.
"He's-"
A pang of sharp pain rips through my abdomen and I cry out, squeezing my eyes shut and bending over. Kai curses under his breath, getting off of the couch and moving to stand over me.
"Lay out across the couch," He tells me.
With considerable struggle due to the searing pain from Joshua's wound, I stretch myself out across the couch and lean back against the arm rest, gasping. He leans down, eyes scanning my wound with furrowed brows and glances back up at me.
"Charlie, I wish I were saying this under different circumstances, but take off your shirt."
I blink, glaring at him. "Stop being a-"
"It's the most convenient way for me to try and heal you, so shut up and take off your shirt," Kai demands, "or you'll bleed out all over this couch. And I really like this couch, so," He gestures toward my torso.
"I hate you," I mumble, sitting up slightly and gasping out at the uncomfortable sensation. I grip the hem of my tee shirt and carefully pull it over my head, throwing it on to the floor. He sucks in his lips, hiding his irritating smirk.
"Don't be immature," I snap, the pain worsening and causing me to lose my temper quickly, "Hurry up and do something."
After giving my bloody wound a quick once over, Kai turns around and walks out of the room. My jaw drops and I pound my fist against the top of the couch, grunting through gritted teeth with anger and the pain inflicted by the Gemini symbol.
"Kai, what the hell," I shout after him, throwing my head back onto the armrest, tears forming in my eyes with the intensity of the pain, "Kai!"
My eyes squeeze shut and I inhale a lungful of air, releasing it shakily. A sob rises in my throat as the thought dawns on me that the breath I just took could be one of the last I ever take. Reluctantly, I open my eyes and to my surprise, Kai is standing over me.
"I thought you left," I say, my voice a weak whisper. Relief floods through me at the sight of him, giving me hope that I might not be spending the last moments of my life on this prison world couch after all.
"I did leave," He replies, "to get this."
My eyes widen when he holds up a knife, but the nerves twisting my stomach dissipate quickly when I recognize it as the knife that holds Jo's magic. He holds the handle in both of his hands, closing his eyes and inhaling through his nose as he siphoned a bit of the magic inside it. A small smile shapes his lips as the power begins to run through him and slowly, his blue eyes reveal themselves.
I watch him carefully as he kneels down beside me, cocking his head as he looks over the symbol of his coven written on my skin. Kai lifts his hand to my stomach, pressing it gently over the wound. I hiss through clenched teeth at the sharp pain inflicted from the pressure of his hand.
"I've seen him do this spell before," He tells me, "And, lucky for you, I think I can counteract it."
"Then do that," I gasp, the pain growing greater with every second that dragged on, "Please."
Kai places both of his hands on my abdomen over the bloody Gemini symbol and his eyes fall shut. He's silent for a few moments before his lips begin to form the Latin words of the spell that will hopefully save me.
The pain is still strong, but I try to focus on Kai. My eyes land on his pink lips as they chant the same foreign words repeatedly.
"Geminis de maledicto libera eam sana vulnera, non hostium."
I tear my eyes away from his face and glance down at the symbol cut into my skin. The edges are glowing, causing a burning sensation to sting my skin. I gasp out at the feeling, my hands trembling and eyes watering.
One of Kai's hands grips my wrist and I try to return my focus to him. His blue eyes are squeezed tighter and a drop of blood runs down his nose, his jaw clenched with the obvious effort of the spell. He continues the chant with a noticeable struggle, moisture littered across his forehead.
"Geminis de...maledicto libera... eam sana vulnera...non hostium," Kai forces out through gritted teeth, the chant coming out in broken parts.
I look down at his hand wrapped tightly around my wrist and gently pry them free with my fingers. As he struggles to keep chanting, I wrap my both of my hands around his blood-covered ones, squeezing as the painful sensation in my abdomen remains prominent. His locked jaw loosens ever so slightly but the blood still runs down his nose, over his mouth. Droplets of sweat slide down his forehead and his closed eyes tighten.
"Geminis de male...d-dicto.... libera eam...sana vulnera...non ho-hostium."
I feel his fingers begin to loosen around mine and I feel panic rising within me.
"Kai," I say urgently, watching as his utterance of the chant becomes choppy and slow, "Stay with me, please. I- I need you to stay awake."
"I'm trying," He says irritatedly, eyes flashing open as he inhales sharply through his nose, "It's hard to...counteract...the...coven leader..."
His eyes droop and the chant gradually comes to a halt, leaving his lips parted but no spell coming out of them.
"No, Kai, stay awake," I shake his hand rapidly with both of mine, my throat tightening as his body goes slack.
Suddenly, he begins to fall backward onto the floor, but I use our intertwined hands to pull him back toward me. He falls sideways onto my legs, his head hitting the couch cushion. I stare desperately at his motionless body, releasing his hand from mine and shakily raising my blood stained hands to his face. I grip both of his cheeks and pull his head up, brushing my thumbs over his soft skin.
"Kai. Parker," I persist, shaking him again.
I slide one hand down his neck, placing two fingers against the side to check for a pulse.
There's nothing.
"Damn it, Kai," I cry out, my entire frame trembling now with sobs that begin to rack my body, but the tears refuse to roll down my cheeks.
Kai will be okay, he'll wake up again like he has many times before in this prison world where death isn't an option for him. But I don't think I'll be alive when he wakes up.
I curse loudly, reluctantly releasing his face. He falls motionlessly back onto the couch, his body weighing down on my legs. I look down at the symbol in my skin, the blood pouring out and trickling over my waist, soaking into the coach cushions. I may not be a witch but I can't just lay here and bleed out, waiting for my life to end. I owe it to my family back home to fight, to try and survive.
I place my hands on Kai's shoulders, flinching suddenly and yelling out due to another sharp pang of pain. This time, I could feel it throughout my whole body. Fighting through it, I push Kai to the other side of the couch, off of my legs. He falls against the other armrest, allowing me to free my legs and swing them over the couch.
"I'm not gonna die in this place," I whisper to myself, teeth gritted with the effort of standing up, the pain causing whimpers to fall from my lips.
When I finally get to my feet, hand pressed over my wound, I see Kai stirring in the corner of my eye. I whirl around, eyes widening. His eyes slowly open, appearing darker than usual as he fixes his stare on me. I let out a sigh of relief.
"That was quick," I tell him, "Thank God you're awake, we need to..."
The smirk on his face stops me from speaking, my words trailing off uncertainty. I frown, tilting my head at him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
He says nothing, glancing down at my wound and back up at me, the grin never leaving his lips. I blink, utterly confused by the way he's acting.
"Okay, I don't know what's up with you, but will you please-" My words cut off with a whimper of pain and I take a moment to collect myself, "please finish the spell?"
"Mm, no, I'd rather not," Kai says, shaking his head.
My eyebrows shoot up at this response, one I definitely hadn't been expecting.
"What...did you just say you're not going to do the spell?"
He nods, sitting up straight and hoisting himself up from the couch.
"I believe that's exactly what I said," Kai confirms, walking toward me, his smile slowly fading from his face. I swallow hard, backing up instinctively.
"Kai, I'll die within the hour if you don't do this spell. What's wrong with you?" I question him, eyebrows pulling together.
He stops a few inches away from me, fixating his frighteningly dark gaze upon my wide brown eyes. Fear pins my feet to the ground and I nearly shrink underneath his deathly stare, the knowledge that he's currently filled with magic only setting off my nerves further.
Kai lowers his face down to mine and I struggle to remain still, my heart taking on a rapid beat inside my chest. I can feel his hot breath on my skin now as I anxiously await the words that are about to come out of them. Finally, he speaks.
"I want you to die."
My lips part in shock at his declaration and I instinctively take a step back from him. A moment ago, Kai had been trying to save me. He was fighting with all of his energy against the curse his father had inflicted upon me. I can't even begin to understand what brought on this sudden change in him. Suddenly refusing to do the spell. Telling me he wants me to die. No one just shifts like that. It doesn't make any sense. He's acting just like...
His father.
I clench my jaw, looking between both of his blue eyes, eyes that practically carry a warning for anyone in their focus to back away. My hands are shaking with fear now and I swallow down in the lump in throat. The truth is becoming increasingly evident the longer I stare into his narrowed eyes.
"You're not Kai," I state, sounding much more composed than I feel.
A corner of his lip lifts into a humorless smile. "No. I'm not."
Every rational part of my brain and every nerve in my body is screaming at me to do one thing: Run.
I ignore the command, gulping and racking my brain for one question to ask him, one thing to say, out of the many thoughts circling inside my mind right now, along with various insults that I'm tempted to throw in his face.
"Joshua," I say, a tremor in my voice, "Where's Kai?"
He chuckles. "He isn't available at the moment. You can leave a message if you'd like."
My teeth clench, with a combination of anger for the coven leader standing before me and excruciating pain from the Gemini symbol.
"Bring him back," I demand furiously, "And leave me alone."
"He's here," Joshua replies calmly, "Just locked away for now so I can take care of business."
I back away, my hand staying pressed against my wounded abdomen. "Take care of business?"
He smiles for a moment and it disappears within a second, darkness passing over his expression. He raises a hand toward me.
"It's time to end this, Charlotte."
Damon's POV
Stefan and I meet back in the hallway after zooming all over the coven leader's house, trying to find him and stop him from enacting whatever sinister plan he's concocted. But it was to no avail.
"Where could he have gone?" I ask impatiently, looking between Stefan and Ric, waiting for an answer that likely none of us had.
"He couldn't have went far," Ric sighs, "He's probably still in here, we just can't see him."
"Well, we need to find him before he kills my best friend," I tell them, my jaw locking.
"And mine, too," Stefan reminds me, giving me a look, "We'll find him, Damon. Charlotte isn't going to die."
"No, she's not," I say too quickly, averting my eyes from Stefan's and attempting to ignore that damned sympathetic look he always gives me when my vulnerable side is revealing itself.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I press the name of someone who just might be of use to us right now and hold it to my ear. My foot incessantly taps against the hardwood floor as I wait for a voice to sound on the other end.
"We need a witch," I explain in response to Stefan and Ric's confused expressions.
After a few more seconds, I'm ready to let my impatience get the best of me and throw my phone at the wall when finally, the phone is picked up.
"What do you want, Damon?" is the first thing Liv says.
"Hello to you too, little Gemini twin," I greet, "I need a favor."
"Not a surprise."
Ignoring this comment, I continue, "I need you to do a locator spell on your coven leader and tell me where he is."
There's a moment of silence on her end before she responds slowly, "You want me to give you my dad's location? Why?"
"Look, Liv, I don't really have time for in depth explanations right now. Charlotte's life is at stake here, so just do it, okay?" I tell her urgently.
"What do you mean, Charlotte's life is at stake? Is she okay?" Liv presses, her tone concerned. I exhale sharply through my nose.
"She will be if you tell me where your father is."
She pauses and when she speaks again, an undertone of anger is audible in her voice. "He's trying to kill her, isn't he? Just like the last time? I told him, I told him to leave her alone-"
"I need you to locate him right now, Liv. Or your best friend is going to die in your psychopath brother's prison world."
"Okay, okay," Liv complies, "I'll find him. I'll call you back in a few minutes when I have his location."
"Hurry," I say before hanging up and slipping my phone back in my pocket.
"Liv is doing the locator spell on Joshua as we speak," I announce to the both of them, "so once we know where that son of a bitch is, we find him, make him stop the spell, and boom, my beloved best friend remains alive and well until we can figure out how to break her out of Kai's prison."
"Damon," Stefan says after a moment. I hum in response, looking at him expectantly.
"You don't think...you don't think we're too late, right? What if-"
"Stefan, don't even try to finish that sentence because I'll end up snapping your neck in a fit of rage if the words leave your mouth," I warn him, my nostrils flaring. He closes his mouth, lips tightening slightly and nods once.
"I hope she's okay," Stefan says, looking down at the hardwood floor.
I swallow hard, nodding in agreement. The three of us fall into silence after that.
Minutes later, my phone vibrates in my pocket and I quickly pull it out, pressing the green button to accept the call.
"Where is he?" I ask hurriedly, wasting no time with greetings.
"He's in his house in Portland," Liv says.
"Obviously I know that, we're here too," I snap, "but he cloaked himself. I searched the whole house and I can't find him. Where is his exact location?"
Silence ensues on Liv's end and I clamp my mouth shut, trying not to erupt with anger. I need to give her time to think, I know that, but I wish she would think faster because time is definitely not on our side right now.
"The shed," Liv finally speaks and I release a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding throughout her silent pondering.
"What shed?" I frown, "If I recall correctly, I didn't see any shed when we were outside."
"That's because it's cloaked just like the house, but you'll be able to reveal it if you know where it is. It's behind the house, next to the pool, about twenty feet away from it. It's near that Douglas-fir tree, you can't miss it."
"Got it, thanks," I hang up and slip my phone back in my pocket, looking up at Stefan.
"Liv says there's a cloaked shed out back, which is probably where we'll find Papa Parker. Come on," I jerk my head in the direction of the front door.
"Ric, no offense, but I can't keep up with your human speed, so just meet us there," I tell him, ignoring his eye roll, "Or wait here, whatever. We've got this handled."
Before Ric can protest, Stefan and I run with the perk of our vampire speed out the front door, arriving at the spot Liv described within seconds. We look up at the empty spot and then at each other, silently deciding how to uncloak the shed. Stefan bends down, picking up a sizable rock off of the ground and aims it at the invisible structure, pulling his arm back and throwing it forcefully.
It works, seemingly bouncing off of mid air. The rock's hit causes a ripple to appear in the air and suddenly, a white shed materializes before us. Stefan and I exchange a look.
"Alright, brother, let's go stop this bastard."
The two of us walk toward the shed doors, determination in our strides, knowing that the coven leader is likely inside, trying to kill Charlotte. We throw the doors open forcefully, ripping them off of their hinges. They land with a thud in the grass behind us.
Joshua Parker is sitting on the shed floor, lit candles arranged in a circle around his cross-legged form. His eyes are shut and lips moving in a foreign chant.
A chant that's currently hurting Charlotte, bringing her closer to her death.
The sight fuels my anger and a growl rips through my teeth, propelling me toward the man with my fists clenched at my sides. Stefan follows suit, the both of us prepared to beat him to a pulp before he can hurt her any further. Suddenly, just as we're a few feet away from him, we bump into an invisible barrier.
"What the hell," I slam my palm against the barrier, grunts emitting from my throat. Stefan is doing the same, his usual calm demeanor seeming to leave him as he stares wide eyed at the man behind the barrier, hell bent on killing our friend.
"No," He whispers, punching the barrier repeatedly, "no!"
"We need to get past this damned barrier," I say, frustratedly, "He's not going to get away with this."
Joshua barely stirs with our presence, his mind appearing to be deep in the spell.
Charlotte's POV
Joshua stalks toward me in the form of his son, all traces of teasing humor gone from his expression. His hand remains raised and fear seizes me, momentarily rendering me frozen to the spot.
The realization that I'm going to die right here, right now, if I don't move dawns on me quickly and I snap out of it. I reach down for the knife Kai used earlier to siphon magic and grip it in my shaking hand, holding it up threateningly toward Joshua.
"Stay away from me," I warn him, swallowing down the lump rising in my throat.
Looking from the knife clutched tightly in my hand to my glaring face, Joshua doesn't even falter, much to my irritation. It's moments like these, when dealing with another supernatural threat in danger-ridden Mystic Falls that I feel weak. Like nothing but a weak human, posing no threat to anyone. It's the worst feeling in the world, maybe even worse than the terrible pain Joshua's spell is currently inflicting upon me.
I grit my teeth and shake my head slightly, pushing away the thoughts. Thinking about how weak I feel is only going to make me lose this battle. I may not have Kai or his magic fighting alongside me right now, but I have my determination to survive for my family.
Adrenaline surges through me and I pull my knife wielding arm back quickly, aiming for his torso. Seeing Kai's blue eyes staring back at me throws me off, causing me to falter for a moment.
Joshua takes the opportunity to utter a single spell, "Motus."
I scream as my body is flung backwards, my back slamming into the wall. I fall to the ground with a thud and a cry, the knife slipping from my fingers and clattering to the wooden floor.
I lay curled up on the ground, the combined sensation of the spell flinging my body across the room and the open wound in my abdomen making it nearly impossible to move. Pained moans fall from my lips and my eyes flutter, watching helplessly as Joshua stalks toward me. Kai's black socks pad across the floor, controlled by a man with evil intentions.
Blurry spots dot my vision, a wave of dizziness coming over me as I try to push myself up off the floor. My eyes dart towards the knife near my feet and I stretch my arm out, pushing my body closer to grab it despite my body protesting the effort.
My fingers finally reach the knife handle and I grab it just as Joshua is near. I swing the knife at his leg, sinking it into the flesh. I hear him yell loudly, silently reminding myself that despite it being Kai's voice, it's not Kai that I stabbed. It's Joshua.
I yank the knife out of his leg and scramble away from him on all fours, leaving a trail of blood dripping behind me from my wound. I prop myself up on one knee, pushing against the hardwood floor with my palm in an attempt to get on my feet. Grunts of effort and pain are forced through my gritted teeth, but nonetheless I manage to stand.
My vision blurs momentarily, the loss of blood beginning to affect me and a sharp pain just below my heart indicates bruised ribs from the fall I just experienced. The pain feels unbearable but I refuse to die in the prison world at the hands of Joshua Parker. I owe it to myself to fight, instead of taking this fight curled up on the floor.
Kai's voice enters my mind, repeating his words from earlier today when I expressed my concern about dying while doing the spell that could potentially get us out of here.
"Or you might not. But you're so quick to pity yourself. How about you have a little confidence in your strength, Charlie?"
"Have a little faith in yourself."
The words push me to turn around and face Joshua, the coven leader hiding like a coward in Kai's body. I tighten my fingers around the bloody knife, taking a step closer to him. He cocks his head at me, laughing humorlessly at my defiant stance and begins to limp toward me.
I stare back at him with a burning look of hatred, taking another step.
"I'm not just going to lay here on this floor and let you kill me," I say lowly, "I'm not going to die like this."
He's standing over me now, looking down at me with Kai's burning blue stare, but the feeling I get from them is so different now. Kai's ignite a fluttering within my stomach, even unnerving me, but they're impossible to look away from. But knowing it's Joshua's sick mind behind the blue eyes that usually hypnotize me, I feel nothing but disgust and hatred.
"Go ahead, kill me," I tell him, shrugging. He raises an eyebrow, not expecting this.
"I mean," I continue, "in my opinion, it's a pretty cowardly move. Do you really see me, a mere human trapped in your son's prison world due to unfortunate circumstances, as a threat?" I laugh, "some coven leader you are, afraid of a girl whose never posed any danger to you or your coven. Just look at this, at how far you've gone just to kill me. I must really scare you, huh?"
He snorts, shaking his head, "Oh, I assure you, I'm not afraid of you."
"Then why?" I ask, tilting my head, "why are you so hell bent on killing me, if it's not fear?"
"You seem to be forgetting one emotion," He smiles, leaning down towards me and hissing, "anger."
It's my turn to snort, rolling my eyes, "Anger at what exactly? What have I done to make you so angry?"
Joshua glares down at me, jaw locking, "You seem to have formed quite a bond with my abomination of a son. Anyone who bonds with that boy is likely as diabolical and screwed up in the head as he is. My son is a threat to the future of the Gemini coven and as long as you're on his side, so are you."
My lips part at his assessment of the relationship between Kai and I, nearly laughing at the absurdity of it.
"Trust me, Kai and I are two very different people. I'm nothing like him and I'm no threat to your coven. People I care for are a part of that coven. Liv is my best friend, I wouldn't do anything that could put her in harms way."
"Helping my son escape is putting her in harms way," Joshua practically snarls in my face. I stand my ground, despite the quickening of my heartbeat.
"Kai won't lay a hand on her...he promised me," I fire back. Joshua barks out a laugh.
"Oh, my dear girl, you really believe he's going to keep his promises to you? He doesn't care about you or any promises he's made to you, I assure you. All he cares about is merging so he can become the leader of the Gemini coven, and he is willing to kill anyone who gets in the way of that. Liv, Luke and you included."
I swallow down the rising lump in my throat, trying not to let his words affect me. Kai isn't going to kill Liv and Luke, he's going to find another way...
Right?
Joshua notices the current battle his words have caused in my mind and uses it as a chance to attack. Before I can react, his hand wraps around my throat and he shoves me against the wall. I cough, gasping for air that becomes difficult to intake as his grip tightens significantly. The knife slips from my weakening hold, clattering to the floor.
"Don't worry," Joshua whispers, "my son won't kill you. Because I'm going to."
Damon's POV
Stefan and I push against the barrier with every ounce of vampiric strength inside us, grunting loudly with the effort.
"I hate magic," I grumble, shoving all of my weight against the invisible barrier, "this damned thing won't break."
"We can do this, Damon," Stefan says from beside me, while relentlessly pushing, "think about Charlotte. Think about saving her. And push."
My mind conjures up the image of a terrified Charlotte, cowering against the wall and screaming in pain while Joshua Parker stands over her, chanting loudly and angrily. Something in me snaps and I push harder against the barrier, yelling out.
My strength combined with Stefan's is enough to make the barrier falter slightly, a ripple zipping through it.
"It's working," Stefan breathes.
We continue to shove against the barrier, thoughts of Charlotte being our sole motivation to keep pushing. Little by little, the magical gate gives out with our strength until our palms are pushing against nothing and the two of us stumble forward when the barrier completely disappears.
Joshua continues to chant, oblivious to the two vampires standing above him, about to rain all over his Gemini parade.
Charlotte's POV
"Let me go," I say in a strained voice, the air supply in my lungs running dangerously low.
Joshua gives me one of Kai's famous smirks, but this time there's no teasing or lightness behind it. It's a smirk that frightens me, a great contrast to the way Kai sending a smirk in my direction usually entices me.
"You made a big mistake, working with my son," Joshua growls, "Kai doesn't deserve to escape. If he succeeds with the merge, the first thing he'll do is kill me and I can't have that."
"Maybe you d-deserve it," I choke out, "I saw Kai's scars. You were awful to him. Cared more about being coven leader than being a good father to your kids."
Joshua shakes his head. "How dare you judge me for what I did to him? Kai does not deserve your sympathy, or anyone's. He killed his siblings, he nearly destroyed the coven. And if you don't believe he should be locked up in here, then you're just as bad as him. Kai seems to be enjoying your company in his prison world and I didn't create this prison with the intention of him enjoying himself. Which is why I'm going to kill-"
Joshua pauses, gasping suddenly. His grip loosens on my neck and I burst into a fit of coughs, inhaling large amounts of air into my lungs. I watch in confusion as his eyes squeeze shut and his teeth clamp down in anger.
"No," He hisses, "the Salvatores-"
My eyebrows shoot up at the name. The Salvatores? How are Stefan and Damon involved in this...
Could they be stopping real-world Joshua at this very moment?
Joshua's grip on my neck is released and his eyes roll back, revealing the whites of them, sending a shudder down my back. Then, they shut and Kai's body is sent falling to the hardwood floor. I remain against the wall, my chest moving up and down quickly with my harsh breathing. I look down at Kai's lean frame laying motionless on the floor, my heart racing with the fear that Joshua will take over his body again. But something tells me that if Stefan and Damon are involved, that isn't going to happen.
I sink down the wall to the floor, my breaths becoming shallow as my head spins. I lean my head back, my eyes dropping as the pain from the wound subsides, my body feeling more fatigued. Even with Joshua gone now, I'd lost too much blood and without Kai awake to do the spell, I'm going to die within minutes.
Damon's POV
I step over the candles and reach down to grab Joshua by his shirt collar, swinging him out of the circle and toward the wall. His eyes flash open, the chant cutting off abruptly, and he hits the wall with a harsh thud, his body slipping to the ground with a grunt.
Stefan speeds over and picks him up with one hand around his neck, pinning him to the wall of the shed.
"I tried to be civil," Stefan says to him, the usually calm man now close to boiling over with rage, "but you've gotten on my last nerve. What ever you've just done to her, you're going to undo it right now. Or I'll kill you. Do you understand me?"
Joshua chokes out a laugh. "You won't do that. If you kill me, you also kill my entire coven. That includes Liv, Luke, and Jo."
I know Stefan is bluffing with his threat but if I didn't know him any better, I'd be pretty convinced with the scary composure of his voice, carrying an undertone of fury.
"Well, we don't have any sort of sentimental attachment to the Gemini twins so trust me, we will kill them. And then you won't have a normal set of Gemini twins to merge and become leader of the coven. Instead, you'll be stuck with Kai and Jo, and you wouldn't want your sociopathic son as leader, would you?" I cock my head at him, taking a few steps closer.
Joshua exhales sharply through his nose, staring at the both of us with flared nostrils and glaring eyes.
"Or I could just give you both an aneurysm right now."
I smile humorlessly, shaking my head, "If you try that, the first thing we do when we get out of here is kill your precious twinsies. So, choose wisely."
He gives us a long, cold stare before sighing in defeat, a sound that's music to my ears.
"Release me so I can do the spell."
Stefan looks over at me skeptically then back at Joshua, tilting his head. "If you try anything—"
"You two have made yourselves clear," Joshua replies flatly.
After a moment, Stefan removes his grasp from his neck and steps back. Joshua brushes himself off and walks back to the circled arrangement of the candles, sitting down in the midst of them.
He begins to chant.
"Geminis de maledicto libera eam sana vulnera, non hostium."
Stefan and I watch him with crossed arms as he chants the Latin words repeatedly. The previous fear that I felt with the thought of possibly losing Charlotte begins to dissipate as I watch Joshua do the spell that will heal her.
After a few moments, his chanting ceases and his eyes slowly open, looking up at me and then to Stefan.
"Your friend is fine. Now leave my home and don't return," Joshua demands.
"Not so fast," I shake my head, stepping closer, "I want to see her."
Joshua frowns, getting to his feet, "How exactly do you intend to do that? She's in the prison world."
"Don't play dumb," Stefan says, "We know you're capable of doing a spell that'll temporarily put us in the prison world. It's how Damon stopped you from killing her last time. So let us see her."
Joshua exhales irritatedly, walking toward the doors of the shed, "Fine. Follow me."
Charlotte's POV
I lay against the wall for what feels like hours but in reality it's only been a few minutes since Joshua left Kai's body. My eyes drift up to the ceiling as I wait to bleed out, too weak to do anything at this point but wait. Shallow breaths falling from my parted lips is the only thing that I can hear in the silence of the prison world.
So this is how I'm going to die. Bleeding out in the Salvatore living room of a 1994 Prison World next to an unconscious sociopath whose been my only company this past month. Not exactly how I expected to go out, but I shouldn't be surprised. When you live in Mystic Falls, dying of old age like most people isn't really part of the package.
I let my eyes fall shut and wait for something to happen, like my life flashing before my eyes filled with images of the people I love most and the memories I've made with them or maybe just blackness. I never really have given much thought as to what happens when you die but now with my death seemingly moments away, I start to wonder. Will it be a blissful heaven? Maybe it'll just be nothing...maybe I'll just cease to exist.
Suddenly, my thoughts of death are interrupted when I feel an uncomfortable sensation shoot through my abdomen. My eyes flutter open and I look down, startled to find the edges of my wound glowing like they had been before when Kai was attempting to heal me. I glance over at Kai, thinking that it could be him doing this, but he's still motionlessly laying on the floor.
I gasp, placing a hand over my abdomen and groaning with the feeling of the wound closing, like it's being pulled shut by invisible stitches. Hope fills me as I watch the symbol etched into my abdomen disappear. I'm not going to die today.
Within minutes, the Gemini symbol disappears completely, leaving my torso clear of any open wounds but the blood that had seeped from the symbol remains on my skin. I breathe out shakily in disbelief, running my hand over my newly healed stomach.
I place my palm on the hardwood floor, hoisting myself up to my feet with much less effort now that there wasn't an large gash in my torso. I sway slightly, the dizziness from the great loss of blood still affecting me. My palm presses against the wall to steady myself.
"Easy there, Char."
My eyes widen at the unexpected voice and I look down at Kai instinctively, but he hasn't moved. I turn my head to the left and my jaw drops at the sight.
Stefan and Damon stand a few feet away, smiling at me. A pair of smiles that I've missed so much.
My hand drops from the wall and I rush toward them, going around Kai and stumbling with lightheadedness. Stefan reaches his arms out to grip my elbows, preventing me from falling face first onto the ground. He holds me at arms length to scan me and frowns.
"Charlotte...why aren't you wearing a shirt?"
I laugh at the fact that my lack of a shirt is the first thing Stefan acknowledges, causing both of them to grin back widely. "Joshua's spell, it gave me a really bad wound right here," I point at the spot where the symbol had previously been, noticing the anger that flashes in their eyes, "so Kai tried to heal me and I had to, you know, take off my shirt. But he never got to finish the spell because Joshua took over Kai's body."
Stefan and Damon stare at me for a moment with concern in their expressions before Stefan wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into him.
"I'm glad you're okay," He whispers into my ear, running a hand soothingly over my back. I close my eyes and bury my face into his shoulder, inhaling his scent.
"I missed you," I murmur into his shirt, wrapping my arms around his strong torso, "You and Damon. Thank you for saving me."
"We'll always protect you, Char," Damon says softly, "And I promise you, one way or another, we'll get you out of here and you'll be back home with us."
I half smile, pulling back from Stefan's warmth and noticing the blood stained on his shirt.
"Oh, sorry, Stefan," I apologize, smiling sheepishly at him. He looks down at his shirt and chuckles, shrugging.
"Don't worry about it."
Stefan disappears suddenly and comes back seconds later with a tee shirt in hand. I thank him, taking the shirt from him and pulling it over my head.
"You're okay, right?" Damon asks, looking behind me presumably at an unconscious Kai and back into my eyes, "he hasn't hurt you? Tied you up, tortured you, none of that?"
I shake my head, flashes of Kai's lips capturing mine in a heated kiss against the cave wall popping in my mind. Thank God vampires can't read minds.
"No, Damon, I'm okay," I look at him and then at Stefan, nodding, "really."
The look on their faces is clearly skeptical at my response but they nod, content with accepting it for now.
"Joshua is going to pull us out any second, but-"
"How did you manage to get him to send you here?" I ask, surprised. Stefan and Damon exchange a look, indicating that their method required quite a bit of force.
"We may or may not have threatened to, uh, kill Liv and Luke if he didn't heal you and send us here," Damon says nonchalantly, "no biggie."
My eyes widen and I shove at both of their arms, my strength barely making them budge.
"You threatened to kill them? You- you wouldn't actually do that... would you?"
"Of course not, Charlotte," Stefan assures me, soothingly placing a hand on my shoulder, "we know how much Liv means to you. We'd never do anything like that. Right, Damon?"
Damon pauses for a second and Stefan shoves at his shoulder, giving him a look.
"Yeah, yeah, right," Damon rolls his eyes. I look at him skeptically but choose to drop the subject for now.
"How's Elena and Jeremy?" I ask them.
"They're okay, they just really miss you and you being gone for a month has been really hard on them," Stefan says, giving me a sad smile, "same for the rest of us."
I sigh, this response not coming as much of a surprise from me but it makes my heart ache, thinking about what my siblings and my friends have been going through in my absence. It's been a month but it feels like it's been a year since I was in present day Mystic Falls, going about my life as usual.
"Hey," Stefan says, cupping my face in his hands and looking down at me with warm, brown eyes that have always been a comfort to me, "Joshua is about to pull us out, but this won't be the last time we see you. I swear to you we'll figure out a way to bring you home. Stay strong, it's going to be okay. Remember that we love you and we'll never stop fighting for you."
I stare up at him with tears in my eyes at the heartfelt statement, nodding wordlessly. He releases my face after a moment and hugs me once more. When he pulls away, Damon takes his place, wrapping me in a big hug.
"We'll find a way, kiddo," Damon murmurs in my ear, "I promise. I love you, okay?"
"I love you too," I smile, a tear slipping down my cheek, my arms reluctant to let him go but he pulls away from the embrace after a few silent moments.
Within seconds, before any other words can be exchanged between us, Stefan and Damon are gone.
An empty feeling settles in my chest in their absence and I remain standing in that same spot for a few minutes, unsure of what else to do. I look over my shoulder and to my dismay, Kai still isn't conscious. I sigh, walking over to him and kneeling down, taking a moment to study his attractive features as long as he isn't awake to tease me relentlessly for it.
I grab both of his upper arms, standing up and swinging one leg over to the other side of his waist. With both feet planted firmly on the floor, I struggle to pull him up to his feet, eventually managing to get him halfway up. Wrapping my arms tightly around his torso, I walk toward the couch with Kai in my hold.
Once we're in front of the couch, I lean down, setting him down on the side that he usually sits on. His body slouches against the armrest, head hanging at an uncomfortable angle. I bend down so that I'm eye level with him, pressing two fingers against his neck to see if his pulse has returned. Disappointment floods through me when no pulse is found and I sigh quietly, wondering how long it usually takes him to resurrect after he dies in the prison world.
After adjusting him so that his head is laying against the cushions rather than hanging in the air and cleaning his hands of the dried blood from my wound, I head upstairs to the bathroom to shower.
•
Three hours pass. Kai still isn't awake.
I lay down on Kai's usual bed in pajama shorts and a tank top, sighing loudly as I stare up at the ceiling. Lack of company in this prison world makes it more unbearable than ever and it's only been a few hours. I can't imagine what it must've been like for Kai, being stuck here for eighteen long years without a soul to accompany him. It truly is the definition of hell.
I find myself wishing for Kai's incessant rambling in my ear, wanting to hear his teasing comments and meaningless tales of his adventures in the prison world. Anything is better than the silence.
Eventually, I drift off into a deep slumber on Kai's bed, today's bizarre events having taken a huge toll on me.
When I finally wake, moonlight is shining through the window panes. Wow, I think to myself, have I really been asleep for that long?
My stomach growling pushes me to get out of Kai's comfortable bed, sighing as I leave the room and walk down the stairs.
As I pad toward the kitchen, I hear a familiar voice whistling to an old AC/DC tune. My heart jumps in my chest and I eagerly head inside, finding Kai's back to me as he stands over the stove, flipping pancakes.
"I know you're probably tired of pancakes," he says, "but I mean you can never really go wrong with pancakes, right? And I spiced it up this time, added chocolate chips."
I can't help the smile that forms on my lips at hearing his voice, walking to his side and looking up at him. He turns his head to look at me, mirroring my smile.
"Charlie, why are you looking at me like that?"
I shrug, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the counter, "I was starting to worry you were never going to wake up."
Kai chuckles, sliding two more chocolate pancakes on a plate, "You would've liked that, wouldn't you?"
"No," I admit, "I don't think I would."
He raises his eyebrows, glancing at me curiously and I take a moment to stare into his blue eyes, thankfully no longer tainted by Joshua. His eyes trail down to my torso.
"I didn't really expect you to be alive either when I woke up, but then I found you, sleeping in my bed," Kai smirks and I blush, "how'd you get rid of the symbol?"
"Stefan and Damon," I explain, "they stopped your father from doing the spell and made him heal me."
Kai nods, shutting off the stove, "Ah, the good brother and the bad one. Bet they did the whole good cop bad cop thing with my dad. Man, I would pay money to see my dad beaten up by two vampires."
I snort, following him to the stools in front of the counter. He sets down both plates of pancakes along with forks and I sit down, eager to dive into the meal. Kai goes to the fridge and returns with two glasses and a carton of milk, pouring some for the two of us. I thank him when he slides a glass over to me before sitting down next to me.
"It's weird," he says after a moment of us eating in silence, "one second I was doing the spell and I felt okay but then it's like it was just sucking all of the energy out of me and I passed out. Between me and Jo, I've always been better at magic. Didn't think that spell would take such a toll on me."
I swallow down another bite of chocolate chip pancakes and turn my head to look at him, "Joshua...he took over your body when you were unconscious."
Kai sets down his fork, slowly turning to look at me with a deep frown, "He what?"
"He, like, possessed you, I guess you could say," I look away, struck with the displeasing memories of Kai's eyes staring into mine with Joshua's cruelty behind them, "tried to kill me, but Stefan and Damon eventually stopped him and you passed out on the floor when he left your body."
Kai looks down at the counter, his jaw clenching, clearly not too happy about hearing that the person he hates most in the world had taken control of his body when he was unconscious. Then, his gaze snaps back up to mine, looking like he's about to ask me something.
"I passed out on the floor?"
I nod, "Yeah."
Kai takes a moment to sip his milk, staring at me with amusement over the rim of the cup. When he sets the glass down and wipes the back of his hand over his upper lip, he continues to stare at me with a tilted head and crooked grin. I blink, glaring at him.
"Kai, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Well, it's just that I recall waking up on the couch. Not the floor."
His words don't carry any relevance to me but after a moment of pondering, I remember lugging his body off of the floor and setting him down on the couch. A blush coats my cheeks and I duck my head down, avoiding his amused expression.
Kai laughs at my embarrassment, curling a finger underneath my chin and lifting it so I'm looking him in the eye, "Aw, you carried me to the couch. That's cute."
I roll my eyes, slapping his hand away, "The floor looked uncomfortable. I was being nice."
He bites his lip to hide his growing smile, "I didn't end up crushing you? You know, with my super big muscles and all."
I snort at this, shoving him lightly, "Well, it definitely wasn't easy pulling you up or bringing you over to the couch, but I managed. You're welcome, by the way."
I turn away from him, taking another bite of the warm pancakes and washing it down with a sip of cold milk. After wiping my hand over my mouth, Kai clears his throat.
I turn my head and find his face strikingly close to mine, causing my breath to catch in my throat. He leans in before I can protest, tilting his head and capturing my lips in a kiss. I inhale deeply through my nose, my eyes falling shut with the feeling of his soft lips moving against mine. His tongue trails along my bottom lip and my hand reaches up to place a hand against his hard chest.
Kai pulls back after a moment, his face remaining a few inches away from my own. I bite my lip, glancing down at his lips and back up to his lustful stare.
"What was that for?" I question.
He smirks, leaning back, "Just thought I'd take a page out of the Charlie handbook on how to properly give thank you's."
I smile softly, rolling my eyes as I remember when I kissed Kai after he'd lifted the curse Joshua planted in my head to make me feel like I was going insane.
The two of us finish our pancakes, in silence for the most part, and down our glasses of milk within minutes. When we're done, I yawn loudly.
Kai puts the dishes in the sink and turns around to lift his eyebrows at me, "Wow, tired already? After that nap?"
I nod, my eyes dropping, "Give me a break, I lost a bunch of blood and today was pretty draining."
He nods, jerking his head to the right, signaling for me to follow him. We head upstairs, Kai's hand on the small of my back leading me to his room.
"Keep me company in my room tonight?" he asks, stopping in front of it, grinning slightly.
Maybe it's the exhaustion speaking or maybe it's the fact that after the events that have taken place today, I don't feel like being alone. What ever the reason may be, I find myself nodding in response.
Kai pushes the door open, gesturing for me to go first. My feet carry me to the left side of his bed, pulling back the covers and sliding underneath them. As my head hits the soft pillow, a sigh of content leaves my lips.
I watch Kai as he walks over to his side of the bed, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor, leaving him in a pair of black sweatpants that hang off of his hips. I stare up at his perfectly sculpted, leanly muscular body and the desire to run my hands over it strikes me. But I attempt to push the desire away as he gets into bed beside me, pulling the covers over both of us.
My eyes are fixated on his, the sound of our soft breaths filling the silence in the room lulling me further to sleep.
"You're glad that I didn't die today," He teases, "you can pretend you don't like me all you want, Charlie, but I know you secretly want me around."
I exhale softly through my nose in amusement, rolling my eyes, "Whatever you say, Kai."
Soon, my eyes are drooping and I continue to listen to the sound of Kai's breathing, the reminder that I'm not alone in here making it easier to fall into a comfortable slumber.
Author's Note: Wow, this chapter was definitely one of my longest ones but also one of my favorites to write.
Feel free to let me know your thoughts on this chapter, I always love to read all of your comments. (: