Consumed » Kai Parker

Sixty

Kai's POV

"Okay, let's see..." My eyes intently scan the textbook that I'm studiously keeping hidden from Charlie's eyesight, to prevent any attempt at cheating. Though I knew my academically inclined girlfriend wouldn't dare, but it was hilarious watching her scowl when I pretended to be suspicious of her wandering eyes. "Typical symptom of psychosis?"

"Hallucinations, delusions of grandeur, social withdrawal, difficulty concentrating," She answers without taking a moment to pause for thought. "To name a few."

I squint at her, a smirk itching at the corner of my lip. "I said typical symptom, singular, but thanks, Einstein. You're the teacher's pet in class, aren't you?"

Wordlessly, she tosses the white straw wrapper that she's been fiddling with between her fingers at my chest. I promptly laugh, reaching across the table to intertwine my free hand with one of hers.

"Next question," She says sternly, while playing with the silver ring on my index finger.

The two of us are sitting in the Whitmore College coffee shop, tucked into a table in the corner for a bit of privacy among the various other students occupying the seating area. She had insisted that I stay at the apartment to modify today's training plan, but I'd already gone over it for what felt like a hundred times and I'm convinced that if I looked at another line of Latin today my brain would become deader than the language itself. Eventually, she relented, taking me up on my offer to help her study instead. We both took our respective cars separately, since unfortunately, I have to be at the boarding house soon and Charlie has to stay on campus for the rest of her classes.

I've been training with the Geminis everyday for a week now at the Salvatore house, much to the chagrin of the bloodsucker brothers. Stefan typically made it a point to go see Caroline or tend to some other business of his (probably devouring some bunnies deep in the forest) when I came over, which was more than fine with me. I still got the underlying urge to wring his neck whenever I had the misfortune of running into him recently, but elected to ignore the guy. For the sake of keeping my sanity.

When Damon wasn't sucking face with Elena, he would occasionally stick around, to "keep an eye on me and my freakshow students", or whatever. I told him he was free to sit back and learn something about real fighting in supernatural world, to which I received another empty threat about my heart getting torn from my rib cage. Or maybe it was another head detachment threat. You'd really think he'd be more creative with those, having over a century to practice them.

Despite the doubts I'd unabashedly voiced when the three witches first showed up in my apartment, I had to admit I was now harboring a subtle appreciation for their dedication to the craft. No matter how many times I'd instruct them to reestablish a forcefield or recast an offense, they'd try again until improvement was blatant.

Complaints were scarce, aside from Isaiah's never-ending supply of sarcasm. I've realized even he means well, despite the cool facade he wears like armor in the face of my teaching and criticism. He's as talented as the rest of them, with a persistence that I value under our taxing circumstances. Still irritating as shit, sure, but absolutely not lacking in power.

I had to hand it to Alistair. He was careful in his selection and it showed in the individual skillset each Gemini was demonstrating. Maybe I'll send the old man a muffin basket.

Popping another piece of my chocolate chip muffin into my mouth, I briefly review the notes in the margins of the chapters for reference. "Which category of psychological disorders is most commonly treated in the U.S?"

"Mood disorders," she states confidently, sipping her caramel macchiato. "Kai, are you sure you want to be doing this right now? I know you have the Geminis to worry abou–"

"I'm gonna stop you right there. Listening to you talk nerd is an honor. And way more entertaining than reading over ancient texts written by some old witches and warlocks that are currently shriveled up dust in the atmosphere."

She chuckles. "Do you have to call me a nerd every time I do anything college-related?"

"Have to? No. Love to, and will absolutely continue to say it until you're sick of the word, and far beyond that? Yuuup."

Rolling her eyes, she rests her closed fist against the side of her cheek, her cheek smushing against her knuckles in an utterly adorable fashion. "Caroline may even be a better study buddy than you. And she usually spends seventy percent of our time gossiping about things completely unrelated. So, think about that."

I tilt my head. "We'll see if you still feel that way when you ace this exam."

She smiles. "For someone who hasn't had to worry about school in a few decades, you sure are dedicated to this cause."

"Call it nostalgia?" I offer.

"For studying all night and completing lengthy assignments? Yeah, right. Something tells me that you're way too happy about leaving that in your past."

I tear off another piece of my muffin. "Okay, true. I am dedicated to you, though, and indulging all your obsessive study habits. Only fair, since you've been tolerating Gemini crap without so much as a slip of paper in the theoretical complaint box."

She moves her hand away from her cheek to wave it dismissively. "Don't go thinking you owe me. I'm definitely not opposed to watching my boyfriend train."

Smirking, I eye her knowingly. "Right, what was it you said to me last week? Something about it being kinda hot?"

"More or less," she comments off-handedly, her eyes gleaming.

I nod. "I could tell by the way you practically jumped me the second we got home the other day. Think my scalp is still sore from where you pulled my–"

"Do you know how to lower your voice?" She whispers frantically, eyes darting left and right, while a pink blush swarms her cheeks. "Oh, my God."

I smugly rest my chin in my palm. "Sorry, did you think you were dating someone who has a filter?"

"I might've had false hope, yeah," she retorts halfheartedly.

"Aw, too bad." I brush my thumb over her knuckles in repeating strokes, teeth sinking into my bottom lip. "But you're thinking about it now, huh?"

She swallows, subtly looking around to make sure no one is eavesdropping. "Kai."

"Hey, that's what you said that day too, except it was less of a scolding remark and more you moaning through it–"

Charlie's eyes lock on mine, widening. "Okay, okay, back to psychology, please?"

Grinning at her, I let my mind shamelessly wander back to that glorious moment in our apartment, not caring much if my thoughts blatantly showcased themselves on my face for Charlie to read like an open book.

"You know, I'm thinking philosophers were really onto something when they came up with the saying, 'third time's a charm.' Aristotle outdid himself there. No joke."

"Don't think it was Aristotle," Charlie murmured in amusement from behind me as we ascended the steps to our floor, "but go on."

"Aristotle, Plato, some random guy on the street, JFK, a caveman trying to start a fire with sticks and failing the first two times–whoever it was, is totally wise and deserves more recognition. 'Cause day three of Gemini camp? Hands down the best one we've had yet. Granted, it did take a little long for them to hone their accuracy in disarming spells–not to be confused with dismemberment spells, by the way. Dangerous mistake to make, which Isaiah almost did."

I paused in front of the door to chuckle to myself deeply, poising the key to be inserted into the lock. "But all in all, they really nailed it. You think I should take up teaching as a side profession when this is over? Because not to pat my own back or anything, but I am killing it with the whole wise-warlock-guiding-his-hopeful-apprentices-for-the-Great-War thing. We may hit a few snags here and there, but this is actually on the path to working out."

Unlocking the door, I headed inside, still rambling enthusiastically about today's ultimate success. The stray thought occurs to me that I've been listening to my own voice for a suspiciously long amount of time now, though, so I began to turn back to Charlie as she heavily pushed the door shut.

"Hey, uh, did ya tune out, Charlie? Because you're being awfully quie–"

Her fingers twisted into the fabric of my jacket, hastily yanking me to her height to accommodate her seeking lips. In a clumsy manner, my keys slipped from my fingers, clattering loudly to the floor and soon forgotten. She pushed me back against the wall, with the totaled force of her lips molded hungrily to mine and small hands pressed against my chest. I was still stuck dumbly in a state of shock at her assertive actions, my eyebrows shot up and hands hovering uncertainly in the air around us.

"Charlie–" Her name came out of my mouth muffled and she stole the chance to stroke her tongue feverishly over mine. I groaned throatily, fingers firmly clutching her waist. Her arms snaked around my neck, pressing her body tighter against my torso, and I indulged in the amazing feel of her, despite the complete bewilderment circulating my brain. Her hands tugged at my hair and I had to control myself internally before I gave into the urge to disintegrate her clothes.

With some effort, I tore my mouth from hers, panting for air. She frowned, her eyes accusingly asking 'why'd you stop' before she leaned up to trace her lips over my jaw instead.

"Babe, what–" I laughed breathlessly, trying to access a sensible thought–a huge fucking struggle, with the way she was currently kissing underneath my ear. "What...are you doing?"

"Hm, I don't know, what's it look like?" She replied sarcastically, her hands pointedly sliding down my abdomen to tuck themselves into the waistband of my jeans. A pleasant shudder traveled through my frame and I blinked rapidly.

"Well, right now, it looks..." My eyes trailed downward to her fingers working the button on my jeans, followed by the neat pull of the zipper. "Like you're trying to get me naked."

She smiled up at me, tilting her head, and the promised sin in her eyes made me hard to the point of discomfort. Oh, fuck. Wordlessly, she captured my mouth again, humming into the kiss. Her hand slipped over my boxers, purposely giving attention to where I was silently desperate for it. A moan ripped through my vocal cords, swallowed by her mouth, and I bit her bottom lip roughly. She gasped, retreating back a few inches, giving me a view of the hazy pleasure in her eyes.

"Did one of the Geminis zap you with a horny spell as some sort of prank?" I demanded, lifting my fingers to gently grasp her chin and hold her gaze. "Tell me the truth."

She snickered. "No. This is all me."

Lust reflected in the warmth of her irises and I was positive that my eyes mirrored the sensation. I released her chin, letting my hand cup her cheek instead, and swallowed. "Just making sure."

In an instant, I had her shirt pulled over her head, ruffling her hair in the process, and she shoved my jacket off. I aided her in the removal of my tee-shirt, before feasting my mouth on her partially bare chest. Fingers thread through my hair and a moan of approval, followed by a breathy call of my name, tumbling from her lips sweetly.

I absentmindedly wondered what brought on her sexually charged actions (no, I wasn't complaining. Not even a little, Jesus Christ.), because I hadn't even been clued in during our long car ride on the way over. In fact, we'd just been conversing, as I filled her in on the rundown for today's magic course and she seemed to be interested enough–

Oh. Ohhhh. I see.

Kissing back up her chest and throat, I stopped just before her closed lids and parted, swollen lips. Noticing that I wasn't doing anything, her eyes fluttered open and she furrowed her eyebrows. I just smirked back at her, knowingly.

"What?" She asked, quirking a brow.

"Listening to my recount of training the Geminis all the best battle tricks turned you on, didn't it?"

Her eyes widened at the accusation and she began stammering. "I...I was just–no. Nooo. God. I just wanted to–I'm–"

How she could transform from teasing temptress to blushing dork was so endearing that a smile nearly split my damn face and I couldn't stop myself from messing with her further.

"Admit it." I tilted my head smugly. "You loved it."

"You're so ruining the mood, Kai."

"What was that?" I cupped a hand over my ear. "Sounds like you want me to put my clothes back on and forget the sex–"

"Oh, my gosh," she mumbled, cheeks turning pink. "Fine!"

I raised an eyebrow, waiting. "I'm gonna need to hear you say it, beautiful."

Charlie huffed. "You training the Geminis and talking about all that witchy stuff turned me on. A lot. Happy now–Kai!"

I had lifted her up before she could fully get her last words out, her torso balanced over my shoulder and one of my arms locked around her back to keep her steady. Feeling like I was literally walking on sunshine, I wasted no time in striding down the hallway and pursuing our bedroom.

"Thanks for that confession, I'm never letting you forget it," I told her cheerily, crossing the threshold into the room with quickened steps. "Now, mind if we finish what you started?"

A rolled-up paper whacking me on the arm brings me out of my temporary daydream and I'm met with Charlie's sharp gaze. She unrolls the makeshift weapon, setting it back down on the table.

"Had to snap you out of it, you were about to get drool on my textbook," she explains, but there's no masking the lovely balminess that set upon her face.

I throw her an obnoxious look. "Oh, sorry. Wouldn't wanna taint this fascinating chapter about–" My eyes skim the page. "Sigmund Freud's Oedipus complex theory."

Her expression becomes one of distaste. "Yeah, we can skip over that."

"A child's feelings toward the opposite–"

"I know what it is!" She exclaims, holding her palms up. "How about we just skip to Maslow's hierarchy?"

I laugh, in total agreement there, and flip a few pages ahead.

We get through a few more terms, me reciting and her dutifully defining. It's when she fails to respond to my query about the meaning of self-transcendence that I realize she's distracted, blinking at me with her eyes glazed over and brows furrowed. Frowning, I call her name a few times, while tapping on her hand for good measure.

She appears momentarily startled, coming back into full focus, and sighs. "Sorry. Got lost for a second. What was the question?"

"Never mind the question," I tell her dismissively. "I think we're overdue for a study break anyway. What's on your mind? You alright?"

"Sure." She shakes her head. "I mean, yeah–I'm good. Just..."

I lift her hand to my mouth, kissing gently over the back of her palm, and I see her shoulders loosen a little. "Talk to me."

"Just thinking." She cups her latte between her free hand, staring down at its contents. "You guys have already been training for over a week."

"Yeah..." I trail off, waiting for her inevitable follow-up.

Brown eyes meet mine, swirling with too many hidden emotions for me to pick apart accurately. "We're getting closer."

It barely takes me a minute to follow her train of thought. The battle that had become our final resort in my pursuit against my ruthless father is just on the horizon now, until it'll only be a matter of planning the gritty details of our ambush and its location. Keeping a cool head under the pressure hasn't been much of an obstacle for me, and that, I'm insanely glad for, because I can't exactly indulge in any semblance of panic when I have a swarm of Geminis following my lead. When I have Charlie, desperate for us to never be resorted to the powerless positions Joshua had forced us into in Maryland. I'm doing this for my coven, of course. Doing it for me, for a fulfillment of the karma Joshua has had coming to him. For the woman currently sitting across from me, holding my hand and regarding me with warm eyes. Hell, for Mary, and any other children who find themselves born with my ability and fearing punishment.

If I were anyone else, I might have cracked by now, the stakes being almost too high to handle. But this has been in the making for longer than just the week we've been training. No, this moment has been building in my mind since I was zapped to an eternal, solitary 1994. So, the fact that we're getting close to it coming into fruition doesn't bring panic or last-minute backtracking thoughts to the surface.

I'm ready. Beyond fucking ready. I have been for years.

"Which is a good thing," I assure her solemnly. "Means we're closer to putting all of this behind us. Everything's going right, Charlie, let yourself breathe."

"Are you, though?" She counters, narrowing her eyes. "Breathing, I mean. You seem swamped, with all of this. Once in a while, I'd like to see you sleeping at night and not hitting the grimoires in our living room."

I smile slightly. That, she isn't wrong about. There's been more than a few nights recently when I'd be in the midst of a solo prep session and, without even uttering a word, Charlie would stumble out of our bedroom, bleary-eyed and messy-haired. She'd just close whatever text I was searching through, grab my hand, and lead me back to bed with her. And always, without fail, I'd follow her without so much as a complaint.

Being taken care of was still new, but so wholly pleasant. It made me want to squeeze Charlie in a bear hug, but also ignited a stutter in my heartbeat that I didn't know what to make of.

Still, she had nothing to worry about, but trying to tell her that was like speaking to a brick wall. Worrying is one of her default settings and I've long since stopped trying to change that about her. I didn't really want to. The way I see it, it's part of the Charlie package, and everything in it's so essential to the whole that I just can't fathom taking anything away from it. Of course, that doesn't mean I won't still try to ease her mind the best I could, whenever I could.

"Haven't forgotten how to inhale and exhale, despite what you may be telling yourself," I reply easily. "And hey, if me not being in bed enough is what's getting to you? All you have to do is ask nicely."

My gaze turns hooded, probably heated too, and it does the trick in throwing her off her game for a moment. She chews on her bottom lip, making my eye-line instantly fall to her mouth, then grins.

"You're an ass," she says, the amusement lighting up her eyes watering down the remark. "And do I need to mention that your deflecting with humor tactics are pretty transparent to me at this point?"

"I'd be concerned if they weren't," I say with a shrug. "You got me, okay? So I've been a little on edge and yeah, I'm a control freak when it comes to magic. We knew this wouldn't be smooth sailing all the way through."

"Never said anything about smooth sailing, Kai," she says softly. "But the captain's gotta remember to take a breather. Unless you're fine with sinking."

I snicker. "Yeah, nice metaphor, Shakespeare. Your lit professor teach you that?"

She laughs too. "Nope, came up with that one myself. But don't miss the point I'm making. If you start to feel like you're drowning in all of this..." Reaching across the table, she grasps my hand in both of hers now, gently rubbing her thumbs over my ringed fingers. "Come talk to me. I mean it. Don't suppress things for my benefit. Because I'm getting really sick of that."

My chest feels lighter, like her words alleviate an anvil that had previously been sitting on it. The urge I have to kiss her right now is so strong that I seriously consider just hauling her right onto my lap in the middle of this small café, but I'm not exactly itching to give a bunch of college kids a show.

I settle for a warm smile, directed at her. "I'll make note of that. Maybe I should make a list too?"

She quirks a brow, questioning. "A list?"

"Of all my issues, even the dumb, whiny ones. I'll organize it on a day-by-day basis, just so I don't overwhelm you." I pretend to be pondering something deeply. "Okay, what's today...Monday? Issue number one will be that it's Monday–like, wasn't it just Monday last week? How many times do we have to suffer this hell beginning to the week?"

She purses her lips, trying to contain a smile. "Kai."

"And number two, hmmm...oh, we ran out of that cereal we both started to like. The cinnamon Cheerios? And I'm ninety-nine percent sure it was you who polished off the box, unless I was sleep-eating–yes, I've done that before–but we can fight about that later."

She lets go of my hand, bringing hers to her mouth to muffle her untamed laughter. Half-hearted guilt shines through her amusement. "That...was me. I had two bowls the other night."

I pretend to be appalled. "What do you have to say for yourself, criminal?"

Charlie rolls her eyes. "I was cramming for an exam I had the following morning. It's brain food."

"Uh, don't doctors usually say that about, like, beets, and not sugary cereal?"

She mulls this over. "Yeah, but...those are disgusting."

I chuckle. "Anyway, that's about the height of my issues list."

Raising her eyebrows, she feigns disappointment. "Yeah? That was pretty short."

Shrugging, I chew on the remnants of my muffin, savoring the chocolate on my tongue. "It's just, there's not much to complain about now that I have a really great roommate. Kinda owe the universe a lot right now. I gotta make sure to earn my keep."

Blinking, vaguely resembling an owl, she stares at me, then proceeds to hide a bashful smile over the rim of her latte. I rub the back of my neck, feeling my stomach fall into jitters with the affectionate look she's giving me now.

"That sounds nice, but I think my roommate's got them beat," she finally says, smirking.

I breathe out a laugh. "Yeah, you're probably right. Heard his cooking is world-class. You're one lucky woman."

"Yup," she agrees easily, not taking her eyes off mine, and my stomach flips.

The two of us contently delve into more idle chatter, textbook and written notes long forgotten on the table between us. Caught up in the smile gracing Charlie's face while she recounts a funny story, I almost don't acknowledge the bell ringing over the entrance, signaling the arrival of a couple more college students. Then, my brain distantly registers familiarity in the figures that unwittingly maneuver past us to the counter.

Turning my head, I spot two blondes giving their orders with the quickness that only regular customers can master. Charlie seems to catch onto my distraction, trailing off in her sentence.

"Kai? What are you looking at?"

Before I can tell her, she follows my eye-line to Liv and Caroline obliviously watching their coffee orders be prepared.

"Oh." She blinks in surprise. "I almost forgot they always come in here after their morning class on Mondays."

I eye her carefully, trying to read the emotion in her eyes when they linger on Liv's frame. "Do you wanna leave?"

She looks at me like I've grown three heads and I bite my lip to tame a grin. "What? No. Why would I? It's not like this is a secret anymore."

"Just checking. You and Liv–"

"Are fine," she assures me softly, then pauses. "Almost? We're getting there. Working through some things, for sure. But I don't have to hide from her, Kai."

The unyielding resolve in her gaze reaffirms this and fills me with a ballooning swell of pride, because holy fuck had she come far from panicking about her friends getting so much as an inkling as to what was happening between us.

When the girls receive their coffees, they're on their way to the exit, but Caroline's eyes sharply land on our corner table before Charlie can even wave her over. A bright smile stretches across her face and she heads toward us, followed by an uncomfortable Liv.

"Hey, guys," Charlie greets them kindly.

"Hey! Thought you two would be over at Stefan and Damon's place going over freaky spells and brewing green potions," Caroline says, waggling her eyebrows while stirring the straw inside her foamy frappucino.

I snort. "Do you think I own a broomstick, too?"

She cocks her head at me. "I can only dream. Really wish you were as cool as the Hocus Pocus witches."

That earns a scoff from me. "Glad I'm not. That movie's offensive."

Dismissing this opinion with a wave of her manicured hand, she pulls up a chair from an unoccupied table nearby, pushing it over to Liv, then another one for herself. My sister eyes me distrustfully, before pointedly seating herself closer to Charlie, while Caroline settles down beside me.

Figuring I can be civil for a few more minutes until I have to jet to meet with the Geminis, I purposely make eye contact with Liv–who's trying her damndest to pretend I'm not here.

"Hey, sis. I don't bite, ya know? Got me confused for your wolf boyfriend there."

Charlie looks between us uncertainly, with a set to her shoulders that tells me she's preparing to diffuse the situation if need be. Liv only throws me a tired scowl, the gesture not as aggressive as I expect.

"Excuse me for preferring to sit with my friend and not near the guy who juices peoples' magic when he gets a little irritated. I'm being cautious."

I laugh, flexing my fingers. "Aw, Liv, you don't have to worry about that. I'm sure the Luke in me would dole out a lion's share of guilt if I tried. You remember AP government? Well, it's like checks and balances."

Something strange twists her face at the mention of Luke, but she sighs and regains composure. "Yeah, yeah, you're all yin yang now. I remember."

"Be civil, Parkers," Caroline scolds, raising an index finger in warning. "Or I'm kicking you both out."

I frown. "Uh, I was here first."

"I don't care." Putting the topic behind her, she leans toward Charlie. "So, what are you guys up to? Battle-planning? Strategizing?"

She laughs under her breath, glancing down at her pages of notes. "Close. Psychology."

Liv squints downward. "Were you color coding those?"

Charlie scoffs, trying to discreetly hide her multitude of colorful pens with her arm. "No..."

My sister just shakes her head, amused. "Thought maybe the one upside of you and Kai would be that his cool head would rub off on you." She turns an accusatory look on me now. "You're condoning this?"

I roll my eyes. "Oh, trust me, I tried to convince her to let me spell her extensions on assignments, leniency in grading, or at the very least, a relaxer potion. She's dead set on sweating it out the hard way."

Charlie groans. "If the rest of my classmates are, it's only right that I do, too. And it'll be more beneficial in the long run."

I tilt my head. "It's not your problem that the rest of your classmates don't have an all-powerful warlock for a boyfriend. Might as well revel in the benefits."

"Not to mention, a vampire best friend for all your compulsion needs," Caroline adds, lowering her voice. "I'm just surprised that you're finding time for a study session with all the craziness in your life right now."

The tips of my mouth quirks up wryly. "Am I the craziness?"

"Duh," she draws the word out, then sips her frappucino.

Charlie briefly smiles at our exchange, before becoming more solemn. "I have to, or I'll drive myself crazy. A little bit of normal is healthy."

I observe her in silent concern, noting the hints of bags under her eyelids and the dullness to her brown eyes. Immediately, I'm gripped with an urge to wrap her up in my arms, maybe even blanket her with a sleeping spell so she'll have to rest, because she's here worrying about my wellbeing and yet, a toll's being taken on her, too.

Caroline seems to share my sentiment. "You know what else is healthy? Sleeping. And food."

Charlie's eyes narrow. "I know?"

"Doesn't seem like it from here," I murmur in disapproval and she purses her lips, fiddling with the straw of her plastic cup instead of responding to my remark.

"Anyway," She sighs, clearly eager to remove herself as the center of attention, "did you guys get the good news from Jo?"

Caroline's face becomes alight with excitement and Liv cracks a smile, both gestures confirming that my twin filled them in.

"Yes. I totally had to act surprised. Ric and Jo tying the knot seemed pretty inevitable to anybody with a pair of eyes." She sighs happily. "They grow up so fast."

Liv lifts a brow. "They're both, like, almost twenty years older than you."

Caroline waves a hand. "Whatever, I'm gonna eventually beat them in vampire years anyway, so it's only fitting I step into the role of proud non-biological mom."

Then, as if a thought suddenly crosses her mind, she turns to me curiously. "Are you going to the wedding, by any chance?"

"This might shock you," I whisper conspiratorially, "but sure am."

Liv's jaw drops, drawing my attention away from Caroline's stupefied yet pleased gaze. "Did you guys have some really long therapy session I didn't know about?"

A smile tugs at my lips at the memory of Jo and I in our kitchen, where I also accused her of trying to be my makeshift therapist. "Something like that. And now, we're best buds. I even get to name one of the twins."

Charlie chuckles at Liv's gobsmacked expression. "He's kidding. But yeah, Jo invited the both of us."

She nods slightly, trying to absorb. I can tell there's something she wants to say, if the troubled look that tinges her features is any indication, but glancing over at Charlie, she seems to think better of it.

"So, just like old times with the two of you now," is all she says to me eventually, her blue eyes narrowed. "How about that."

"Strange, isn't it?" I comment. "'Course, I don't think she's about to ask me to escort her down the aisle as Joshua's much better and saner stand-in, or anything. But just goes to show? Anything's possible. Even with bad blood as thick as the Parker twins."

With that, I send a pointed look Liv's way, smoothing it over with a friendly smile. She scowls, recognizing the jab at her.

"If you're part of the wedding party, I might barf. Which would really ruin my bridesmaid dress, so save Jo the extra stress."

"Ouch," I reply, unperturbed. "That could be an easily fixed issue, but we both know it'd take you ages to get it out with magic. You want some pointers on that sort of spell? Happy to help. Unless we need to start with basics first."

"You only knew me until I was four, so stop shitting on my magic skills, asshat."

"Would you two quit it?" Charlie looks exasperated, then perks up as she registers the statement. "Wait, you're a bridesmaid?"

"She's the maid of honor," Caroline excitedly clarifies. "And I'm a bridesmaid, too! Especially since I asked Jo to let me help plan the wedding, she felt it was appropriate to have me be a bigger part of it. A month isn't a ton for me to work with but I've planned bigger bashes with less time."

"That's great," Charlie says genuinely. "You'll have to show me your dresses."

"Still in the process of picking them out."

"Which was supposed to be Jo's job," Liv adds. "But Caroline thinks she has a better eye for color."

"I do," the vampire retorts. "It's better this way, trust me. You'll thank me when Tyler swoons seeing you."

I check the time on my phone, then start to stand from my chair. "Gotta run. Cutting it dangerously close to being late, and I already have to deal with Isaiah's smart mouth enough, so no need to add fuel to the fire."

Charlie laughs, nodding in understanding. "Better hurry then."

Caroline eyes me suspiciously. "Leaving just as the girl talk was getting started. How convenient for you."

Tucking my phone into my back pocket, I maneuver around the table. "Yeah, as much as I'd love to hear some more about ruffles and color coordination, duty calls. Later, Caroline."

She smiles, waving her fingers. "Bye. Oh! And if you need help getting a suit tailored right, come to me, because the last thing Jo needs is her guests looking–"

"I think I'll be okay," I cut her off. "Maybe you shouldn't add too much to your plate."

"Are you accusing me of not being able to handle pressure?" She demands, offended. "You better check who you're talking to."

Merely smiling tauntingly in response, I move past Liv, ruffling her hair to annoy her. "See ya, Curly Sue."

She slaps my hand away, looking scandalized. "Go away."

Ignoring her, I tilt Charlie's face up to mine, kissing her chastely on the lips. When I pull away, she's slightly flushed from the minor display of PDA, but grinning nonetheless.

"See you at home?" I ask and she nods. "Cool. Call me if you need anything. And make sure you eat, 'cause you look like a ghost. There's leftovers in the fridge."

She rolls her eyes. "I'm fine."

Pursing my mouth, I look to the vampire instead, who's watching us with a wide smile. "Caroline?"

She shoos me away with a hand. "Don't worry, I'll get a burger in her if it kills me. And I'm already dead. Now, go."

Charlie's feigned annoyance is ruined by the smile she's struggling–and failing–to suppress on her face.

Halfheartedly, she starts to push me toward the door. "I'm okay, Kai. Have fun training. Update me later?"

"Duh." I wink at her, heading out of the coffee shop.

•••

Charlotte's POV

Classes go by smoother than expected, with none of the miserable adjustment that Mondays usually bring. That probably had a lot to do with the fact that I started my day off in an ideal manner–with Kai, and my friends. And coffee, of course.

I planned to retreat back to the apartment afterward because I was a little too tired to make a trip to the boarding house like I'd done every so often the last week. Caroline put a damper on those plans and, true to her earlier promise to get me to eat, literally dragged me to the mess hall to consume a meal of her choosing. It had been a while since I'd bothered to eat there; wasn't really necessary anymore, with Kai's Top Chef worthy concoctions. The food there wasn't terrible, but tasted closer to cardboard in comparison to the seasoned-to-perfection meals I've happily gotten accustomed to recently.

The cool air teases my skin now, ruffling stray strands of hair against my cheeks. Winter was dying down, now that March is here and ready to initiate a slow introduction to the long-awaited springtime. Despite the cloudy skies looming overhead, the temperature's pleasant and raises my spirits.

I loosely clutch the strap of my bag close to my side, seeing my car visible in the near distance. Its parking spot was isolated now, with most students having gone home or off to the next social event for the day.

Approximately ten feet away from the driver's door, I start to feel it.

The inexplicable sensation that I'm being watched.

It's a prickly thing, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. Gooseflesh decorates my arms, without even the not-so-chilly weather able to be pinned for blame.

Okay, don't panic, I sternly lecture myself, digging one hand into the contents of my bag in search of my keys. Willing myself to calm, I glance over my shoulder.

A shadowed figure, dressed in all black, lingers near another car in the lot. Not about to get in and drive it, either. He's just leaning against it, head cocked...watching me.

Swallowing hard, I turn away, rummaging more frantically now. My steps quicken, as casual as I can muster–no need to give this potential stalker the idea that I'm aware of him enough to be plotting an escape.

Pressing the button to unlock the doors, I think to myself that maybe, he's waiting for somebody. Somebody that isn't me and this is simply paranoia rearing its ugly head.

So, with my hand poised on the handle, I chance a look toward the mysterious figure again.

He's approaching my car with a lazy calm to his gait.

Something tells me he's not about to ask for directions to the nearest diner and there's certainly malicious intent at play.

Screw this.

Yanking the door open, I start to scramble inside, fully prepared to throw the car into reverse and run over the creepy pedestrian if necessary.

Fingers dig into the back of my jacket, firmly pulling me backward. A pale hand hinders the swinging door, planted on the window to roughly shove it closed once more. Holding back a shriek of surprise,  I turn my head to face the unwelcome intruder.

"In a hurry?" He hums and my skin crawls.

There's nothing remotely familiar about the man, nothing to suggest that we've met before under unpleasant circumstances. Eyes so dark they're practically obsidian peer down at me in mockery, so different from Kai's lighter brand of it. This one is outright menacing, preceding a battle that he has no doubts he'll be the victor of. Wisps of his chestnut hair flutter in the wind, peeking out from beneath his dark hood and brushing against the whitened scar over the left side of his forehead.

Propelling my body backward so his grip is thrown off, I whirl around and bring my knee up to his groin. He grunts, doubling over with a forced chuckle. I throw a clenched fist at his cheek for good measure, watching his neck snap to the side.

"Don't touch me," I hiss, trying to keep my voice even. 

He balances himself with one hand pressed to the side of my car, gradually starting to get back into an upright posture. With the dawning realization that I won't be able to get into my car without risking another violent altercation with the unknown man, I spin on my heel and sprint in the opposite direction.

His laugh echoes in the air behind me and how unbothered he sounds further sets me on edge. Like he's willing to let me get a head start because he knows attempting to escape is futile.

I run like hell anyway, aiming to reach campus. Once I'm around witnesses, I'll be fine, I just need to–

A body materializes before me and before I can react quickly enough to swerve in a different direction, I go crashing into its front. Strong hands come up to tightly grasp my biceps and I wrench myself free, stumbling backward to survey this new threat.

A different man stares down at me, mimicking his companion's choice of all-black clothing. Green eyes study my face and the genuine interest in his stare unsettles me deeply. His black hair is buzzed short, revealing an inked tattoo behind his ear.

Mentally playing back the way he'd appeared practically out of thin air, I reach a dreadful conclusion.

They're witches. Shit.

Definitely more muscular than his leaner partner, more capable of beating me to a pulp. Still, I foolishly attempt to dart around his bulking frame, desperation driving my actions.

"Cato," I hear the first man heave a sigh. "Don't let the girl escape, remember?"

"Jasper," A deep voice responds, sounding amused. "You know she isn't going to get anywhere. Let me have fun."

"We're on a mission. This isn't your playground."

"One in the same, though, aren't they?"

Amidst their conversation, I will my burning limbs to go faster in their hasty escape, panting with the effort. The thought occurs to me to start screaming, if only to sway the two threatening men from acting on their terrible intentions. Surely, a crowd would be the last thing they want to deal with for what they're expecting to be an easy fight. It'd be useless though, considering there currently isn't a soul in the vicinity that would hear.

"Sweetheart, you're going the wrong way," Jasper, the chestnut-haired man, calls out. "We're right here. No time to chat?"

Nearly out of the parking lot, I simultaneously sift through my bag into my fingers curl over the familiar rectangular feel of my phone. Who to call, who to call...

Before I can make the quick decision, an invisible tug knocks my feet out from under me and I tumble to the pavement. Breathless from the impact, I cradle my scraped hand to my front, thankful that my bag broke some of the fall. I'd lost my grip on the phone in the process, however, but file the issue away for later resolving in order to focus on getting to my feet.

Two tall shadows are towering over me as I'm beginning to stand on shaky legs and I swallow with difficulty, noticing their frightening closeness. It's useless to run.

My pendant weighs down on my chest, a comfort in this dilemma. Reaching up to curl my fingers over it, I slowly turn around, schooling my expression into one of clear anger.

Jasper, the one who'd cornered me by my car, is smiling with a pleasantry that I might have fell for had he not been clear about the aim of his forceful mission. His partner, Cato, just stares me down, no smile, but dry amusement dances in his irises.

"You're witches," I state to break the silence, eyes darting between the both of them in case one tries to make a sudden move.

"She's observant," Jasper murmurs sarcastically, eyes gleaming. "What gave it away? Is it the hair? Cato's tattoo? The fashion choices, maybe?" He looks down at his jacket, loosely buttoned shirt and matching jeans, speculatively. "Or the spell I used to knock you down? Yeah, that ought've done it."

"Just a lucky guess," I reply impatiently. "I don't have time for jokes. You work for Joshua, right?"

Their eyes slit, and it's Cato who answers. "Work with Joshua is more accurate."

"I don't know," I remark, folding my arms. "Acting as his beta witches, doing his bidding...doesn't seem like much of a partnership."

He grimaces. "Smart mouth for someone who can be dead within seconds if we deem you useless to our cause. Think about treading carefully."

An icy chill runs like a shiver down my spine, but I miraculously keep my composure. "What do you want?"

Jasper chuckles. "Oh, a number of things. Power. Luxury. New car. Your boyfriend dead...the list goes on and on. You can call me materialistic. I'm guilty as charged."

A fresher dose of panic swarms my thoughts, making my heart pound painfully in my ribcage. Then, it's replaced by something stronger, more lethal–fury.

Unthinkingly, operating solely on the rage induced by the threat they indirectly aimed at Kai, I lunge a fist at Jasper. He neatly catches it between his palm, fingers curling in on my knuckles. Wagging a condescending index finger at me, he makes a "tsk tsk" noise. Bringing my knee up, I successfully hit him in the stomach, and he stumbles backward, laughing heartily.

Cato comes up behind me, roughly seizing my forearms to twist them behind my back. I ceaselessly struggle, my teeth gritted with anger. My bag had fallen off my shoulder sometime in the middle of the altercation, deserted near my feet.

"Get off of me, asshole!"

"Jasper." His voice is supremely irritated. "Get a cloaking spell up before we end up accidentally wrangling some more college students into this meeting."

"Come on, don't you savor the rush that comes with potentially being caught?" Jasper protests, then falters when his fellow witch responds with stewing silence. "Fine. Why'd Joshua assign you as my partner again? You're no fun." He waves his palm up. "Invisique."

He rubs his hands together satisfactorily, walking toward me with a lopsided smile. "You've got some aim. But try that again and I'll make you wish you'd cooperated. Be a good girl."

I stare at him hatefully as he leans down to be level with my eyes, as if trying to compel me. "Where's Malachai Parker?"

I refrain from answering, lifting my chin defiantly.

He laughs. "It's alright, I knew you wouldn't tell me. Just thought it'd be fun to give it a shot. But it's okay, really. All that matters is that you know where he is. Because you're going to do Cato and I a teensy favor."

"I'll never do anything for you, least of all Joshua," I counter. "Go fuck yourself." I try to turn my head to get a look at the man effectively restraining me. "Both of you."

A dark look passes over his face like a shadow, then he carefully lifts a hand upward. I stiffen, waiting to brace the impact of whatever spell or physical force he's about to inflict. Only to be taken aback, and disgusted, when his fingers gently trail down my cheek, a muted threat in their close touch. As if reminding me that he can close them around my neck at any moment, if he really wants to.

I jerk my head away, grimacing. He calmly smiles.

"I'm afraid this adorable act of bravery is misplaced," he tells me, falsely apologetic. "Unless you're fine being the poor victim of a hex, or two...or three?"

I lean forward, maintaining eye contact with his cool black stare. "Do your worst. It won't change a thing."

"No?" Jasper taps his chin. "You seem awfully confident, even though I could burst your blood cells. Cato, you have any clue why that is?"

Cato strengthens his hold on my arms, nails digging into skin. Involuntary tears spring to my eyes but I harshly blink them away. "Think I do. Something related to that accessory on her pretty neck."

"Ah." Jasper knowingly chuckles, averting his attention to the pendant on display above the neckline of my sweater. He slides a palm beneath it, testing its weight. "This thing? Say, where'd you get this? Your boyfriend buy it for you?"

I don't bother to answer that, choosing to aim a kick for his shin instead. He curses, moving himself out of my reach.

"Thought we were playing nice, Charlotte," he growls and my stomach tightens at the use of my name. "I can see why Malachai likes you. Never had the pleasure of meeting the man myself, but word is he's got a penchant for chaos. And you seem like the type to dish it out. Or maybe curb it? Or both, to keep things exciting, is that right? Match made in heaven, as they say."

"I'm not telling you where he is," I say furiously. "So you might as well go back to Portland. See what else Joshua needs. Come to think of it, he's probably waiting for you to get back right now so you can pick him up a coffee. Or maybe you'll be promoted to dinner runs."

Cato yanks my arms into a more painful position and I bite back a cry. "Careful. What'd I say about that smart mouth?"

"It's the protection pendant, Cato," Jasper tells his companion in amusement and I freeze. "Fueling her stupidity. She doesn't believe in magical punishment. What do you say we humble her?"

Come on, come on, freaking do something, put up a forcefield, zap them into the ground, something! I silently scream, tilting my head down to eye the pendant with barely concealed desperation. Something's wrong, but I'm too terrified of the prospect of facing two witches without any ammo to completely come to terms with that increasingly obvious fact.

"Didn't think we knew about the details of that cute accessory, did you?" Jasper taunts. "Oh, don't worry, Joshua made sure to fill us in. He also told us about how he took it off you in the basement..." He tilts his head. "And gave it a little twist of his own while you were too busy counting sheep with your boyfriend in the basement."

Horror dawns on me as my mind flashes back to when Kai and I had gone upstairs with my friends, shortly after they saved us from impending doom. I'd been so relieved to find that Joshua had discarded my pendant on the table in his abandoned living room, in his haste to flee before angry vampires could tear into his jugular. Not once did I consider it could've been a trap, set up so perfectly.

I'm such an idiot.

"What did he do to it?" I demand, my voice growing shakier. "Tell me."

Jasper gestures around us. "Well, you'd think that the lack of a convenient forcefield around you to keep the bad witches out is a sufficient answer to that question."

The pendant's weight against my collarbones loses its previous sense of comfort and safe association with Kai. Instead of a cherished gift, it becomes an item to fear, an association with Joshua, and I'm itching to yank it off, burning it for good measure.

"I know Joshua," I snap. "He wouldn't just strip it of its magic. He did something. What aren't you telling me?"

He shrugs. "It's nothing, really. Just a little tweaking to make you more...susceptible."

"To what?"

"Magic." His lips curve. "Pain. Mind manipulation. The works. Specifically, when it's on Joshua's orders. Neat, isn't it?"

Oh, no.

Not wanting to hear another word, I think fast, slamming my head back so it hits Cato square in the nose. He curses through clenched teeth, consequently releasing one of my arms. It's enough leverage for me to partially turn around and swiftly kick him in one of his knee caps. He yowls, letting go of my other arm to sink to the ground.

Whirling around to face Jasper, his smiling face is too close for comfort. "You're a fun chase. But I'm tired of games. Coercere."

Orange strands of magic lasso around my wrists to restrain them tightly together, heat digging profusely into my skin. I scream, incapable of holding it in, because it burns like nothing else has before.

Jasper waves a lazy hand downward and more strands snake around my ankles, with the same blistering result. My screams grow in volume for no one but Joshua's two henchmen to hear.

I would've crumpled to the ground from the new magic-ropes binding my ankles together, but Cato's bulky arm firmly wraps around my torso to keep me upright.

"You can do...whatever you want," I manage to get out, albeit unsteadily, "to me. But I'm never telling you where he is just for you two idiots to go ahead and k-kill him. Fuck you. You can pass that message on to Joshua."

Jasper studies me with mild interest, silent, the only noise between us being my whimpers from the steady burn on my arms and ankles.

"Okay, then. I will." He steps closer. "After you kill your boyfriend for us."

There's a fleeting moment where I'm absolutely positive that I heard him wrong, that no one could be so delusional to think I would do that, it doesn't make sense.

I start laughing, though it's strained. "Asking me to do your stupid job now? What's next, you're gonna bribe me?"

Cato's hand wraps around my throat, loose enough to let me keep breathing but the twitch of his fingers tells me he's ready to change that at a moment's notice. I exhale shakily. Stay calm stay calm stay calm....

"No bribes necessary," Cato growls into my ear, clearly still aggravated about my earlier assault. "You're not gonna have much of a choice in the matter."

Jasper nods. "Not that we wouldn't love to force you to tell us his location and just get the job done ourselves but...so much hassle. And you're his girlfriend, near and dear to his heart. Joshua tells us he gave up his powers to protect you. Safe to say he'd die for you too...even if it's at your hands?"

Tears rush down my cheeks now at the blinding pain from the burns embedded into my skin, but I muster the energy to glare through them. "Your plan's flawed. I'd never hurt Kai. Not in a million years."

"We knew you'd say that. But nothing a little magical persuasion can't fix right up."

Punctuating the vague statement with a smile, Jasper grasps both sides of my head with piercing fingers, forcing me to stare into his obsidian gaze. I thrash against Cato, who tightens his hand around my neck as a result. Gasping through constricted airways, I choke out a final curse, before the chanting begins.

•••

Kai's POV

"Vatos!"

Furniture explodes in an array of mahogany and metals around Isaiah, but he throws up a solid forcefield before any of it can impact his face. Preservation of beauty really is the arrogant Gemini's motivation, but I don't voice this, not really up to getting into another of many arguments with the witch.

"Better!" I praise. "That's what I mean when I say reaction time is everything. You can be the most powerful witch around, but if someone spells a hex on you quicker than you can counter it, well...bye-bye life."

"Heartwarming sentiment," Isaiah chuckles, waving a hand to fizzle out the barrier.

Quinn stares at the wreckage surrounding us, then throws me a doubtful look. "Kai, you sure Damon's gonna keep letting us practice here when we're trashing it like this?"

I raise an eyebrow at her, while effortlessly enacting a repair spell that has the aftermath of my "vatos" all put together and good as new. "The stuff that we can fix in five seconds, tops? I'm sure he'll survive."

She shrugs, picking at a loose thread on her gray sweater decorated in white hearts. "I'm just saying, the other day I melted one of the window panes by accident and he threatened to turn me into a 'witch-pire'. I told him the correct term is Heretic, but I don't think he cared."

Leave it to Damon to lay empty threats on the good noodle in my selectively small group. Isaiah, I'd get; his smart-ass attitude has it coming to him. Even Alex, who turned the vampire's blood to acid just for the sake of perfecting his craft. But Quinn? Harmless, in everything but her fiery power. She was a good addition for a magical fight, but nothing screamed "danger, must threaten" about the girl when her etiquette and manners were considered.

"One thing you need to know about, Damon, Quinn," I begin and she looks up curiously. "He's all talk. No vampirism awaits you."

"But that'd be so awesome," Alex interrupts, stretching out across the couch while he levitates three pillows above his head.

I flick a finger in the air and the plush material all comes crashing down on his face. He elicits a muffled groan, tossing them away, and shoots me a look.

"Dude. What was that for?"

"Unless you plan on attacking Joshua's army with feather-soft pillows," I state dryly, "you should probably get back to it."

Quinn snickers and he lightheartedly shoves her shoulder after he grudgingly rises from his comfortable spot on the couch.

"We gotta take you out for a drink," Alex suggests, cracking his knuckles as he peers down at one of the grimoires open on the table. "You need to not be the hard-ass teacher guy for a few hours."

I roll my eyes, scratching my stubble. "Maybe later. Duel with me."

His eyes brighten with excitement and he nods, crossing the room to a more vacant space.

Five offense spells into our back-and-forth, there's a sudden interruption. The front door creaks open behinds and I see Alex–who was previously struggling to get out of a disarming spell I tossed at him–perk up, breaking out into a toothy grin.

"What's up, Charlotte?"

Just as I was getting ready to use his distraction as an opportunity to throw another spell at him, I pause, eyebrows furrowing. She hadn't texted to let me know she was coming at all. Maybe this is her version of a surprise. Or Whitmore got so dreadfully boring without her favorite Gemini to spruce it up and she needed to change that.

"Let's take a break," I casually tell Alex and he winks, wiggling his eyebrows in a knowing way. Ignoring his childish antics, I turn around to greet my girlfriend.

"Making an entrance right when I'm in the middle of a duel." I shake my head, the corner of my lip curving. "But I guess I can excuse you for it."

Charlie lingers near the door, kicking it shut behind her with a forceful nudge from her boot. It returns to the hinges with a slam and I raise my eyebrows at her unreadable expression.

"Woah, who messed with you today?" I tease, stopping when I'm directly in front of her. "Professor give you an A minus instead of an A plus for that paper you slaved over? I told you I can easily," I swipe a hand in the air, "take care of things like that if you let me. But, of course, you're hard-headed. That's okay, too. I'll be your audience and moral support when you go give him a piece of your mind."

She still doesn't say anything, but there's something strange about her features that I can't quite pinpoint. Nothing soft, no sweet smiles, or playful rolling eyes. I figure I can chalk that up to her having a long day.

"Jeez, even I'm getting the silent treatment? Must have been a rough day. But I know just the cure."

With that said, I snake one arm around her waist, pulling her into my chest so I can wrap the other over her shoulders. She doesn't melt into the embrace like usual, doesn't quietly sigh or make a move to hug me back. Instead, I feel one of her arms raising–

"Kai, look out!"

Alex's alarmed voice has me hurriedly stepping back in confusion, then swiftly turning to glare at him over my shoulder.

"I said we're taking a break, Alexander, no sneak attacks while I'm–"

"No, man, behind you!"

A flash of quick movement in my peripheral has me cutting off mid-sentence and, on quick reflexes, I whirl around to see Charlie with a determined scowl etched into her face.

Swinging a silver combat knife toward my neck.

While my mind fails to register the bizarre what-the-fucking-fuck nature of this twist in the day's events, my body quickly reacts to the imminent threat. Deflecting her attempted hit before it can land, I catch her wrist in my hand.

The cold tip of the blade is poking my Adam's apple and I manage a dry chuckle, staring down at the shorter brunette.

"Training had been getting a little repetitive," I tell her, trying to disguise the uncertainty coating my tone. "I, uh, take it this is your way of adding something interesting to the table?"

The only response I get to this is her eyes narrowing, fire illuminating the brown depths. Her jaw clenches and she pushes the knife against my throat with a touch more pressure. Uh, oh.

"Kai," Quinn calls to me, her voice doing nothing to conceal her nerves. "Something's wrong with her."

"No shit?" I retort lowly, side-eyeing the witch. Isaiah and Quinn have stopped their training in the wake of Charlie's arrival and now, their eyes are tracking us with visible trepidation.

"Jesus, what'd you do to piss her off?" Isaiah wonders. "She do something new with her hair and you didn't notice?"

Ignoring him, I secure my hold on her knife-wielding wrist to gradually ease it away from my carotid artery. Not for a second do I dare break our gaze, despite the visible animosity in hers, out of a probably irrational belief that keeping her in my sights will diffuse this puzzling situation much quicker.

"Okay," I say carefully, lifting my other hand palm-up in a placating gesture. "I'm gonna need you to hand me this nifty knife, as nice as it is. That cool with you? Even if it's not, it wasn't really a request. Sorry."

Her glare solidifies just as I've managed to lower her hand back down to be level with her midsection. I'm startled by the lack of warmth in it and the sheer level of cold fury that I've never before witnessed on her. Didn't even think she was capable of it, with a soul like hers.

Therein lies my first mistake, because I'm floored to the spot, searching her face for some explanation to this onset of strange behavior. Foolishly, in my desperation to figure this out, I allow myself to succumb to distraction, despite the weapon that still resides in her hand.

She snatches the chance I unwittingly gave her and I can't even blame her, because fuck, I'm usually not this off my game. Wrenching her hand free of my grip (that had loosened while I was too busy staring at her like a moron), she fists the collar of my shirt in her hand in an astonishingly strong hold, then slams me back against the adjacent wall.

"Charlie," I exclaim, eyes wide. "Woah. What the fuck are you doing?"

She presses the side of the knife to my throat, watching my Adam's apple jerkingly bob, then slides her eyes back up to mine. "I have to kill you."

My eyebrows shoot up, reaching ridiculously high on my forehead. For a moment, I have to ask myself if exhaustion from training hadn't caught up with me and my actual body was currently victim of a deep sleep. Maybe this is some sort of hot fever dream that my brain cooked up and it's getting close to the part where we have rigorous faux-enemy sex, or...

Oh, fuck, of course.

Her voice had just sounded damn near robotic, as if the thought wasn't even her own. There's a glaze in her eyes that I notice now, with our overwhelming proximity, suggesting one thing.

She's under a goddamned spell.

And I bet I can guess who the fuck is responsible.

Wrath roils inside of me, spurring my magic to hostile attention, but I try to put a lid on the retaliating power for now. This isn't an enemy, for fuck's sake. This is Charlie. My Charlie. The real enemies will go at the top of the growing file titled Stupid Fucking Problems That Still Need Solving, stored away for later brainstorming. Right now, I need to figure out how to snap my girlfriend out of her murderous bout of violence.

"Charlie," I speak evenly, lowering my head to better look into her eyes. The knife scrapes my skin slightly, but I can't bring myself to care. "Look at me. Who did this to you, hm? Who told you to kill me?"

She blinks and I wait, hopefully and patiently.

"No more talking, Malachai," she finally hisses, pulling her arm back to launch the knife toward my chest. Her use of my full name, said with such revulsion, gives me pause for a moment, but I snap myself out of it. It's not her, it's not her.

I'm prepared to dodge it, when suddenly, Alex yells out a "motus!"

The force of his intervening spell sends Charlie hurtling backward, her body crashing into the coffee table. She loses track of her knife with it, the silver blade glinting in the artificial light as it clatters across the floor. Grimoires, unused candlesticks, and other miscellaneous items skid off the wooden tabletop with her impact. She crumples to the floor, groaning.

Fuming, I turn on Alex. "What the fuck was that?"

He looks at me incredulously. "You mean me saving your ass? She's trying to kill you, Kai. Now's not the time for your ego to take a blow."

I snort, exasperated. "Not that, just–leave this to me. You stay out of it. No offensive spells."

"You can't ask me that, that's not fair–"

"She's under a spell," I tell him harshly. "I'll handle it."

Storming away before he can make me listen to whatever protest he thinks of, I approach Charlie, who's already getting to her feet. Her eyes lock on mine with more anger than before, as if I was responsible for her sudden airborne trip.

Isaiah and Quinn have huddled together a few feet away, watching her like she's a ticking bomb and they're waiting for the right opportunity to diffuse it before detonation.

"This is the by far weirdest foreplay I've ever seen," Isaiah remarks under his breath. "And I've watched some crazy porn."

Deigning not to respond to that statement, I cut them both a warning look. "Keep your magic to yourselves."

Isaiah arches an eyebrow. "Kind of a tall order there, boss. Won't be much of a rebellion if you're dead before we can put it into action."

I shake my head. "She won't kill me. Stay where you are, all of you. I mean it."

Charlie stalks toward me now and I casually flick a finger upward to land the previously discarded knife right into my palm. She tilts her head at it in subtle question, then raises her eyebrows, as if daring me to use it. Like I ever could.

I tuck it away into the inner pocket of my jacket, smiling humorlessly. "For safe keeping. You understand. I don't really feel like being gutted today. Maybe we can talk this out over dinner instead?"

"I don't think so." Her voice is dry, preceding a shower of flying limbs–first her fist, directed at my face, which I curl my fingers around before bruising impact can be made. Then, her knee jutting upward into my stomach, forcing a rough exhale from my lungs just before I double over. She uses the momentary weakness to reach inside my jacket, her other hand clamped tightly over my shoulder.

Before she can access the hidden knife, I straighten up, grabbing her wrist.

"You know I don't wanna hurt you," I say lowly. "Please, Charlie. Tell me who did the spell."

Peeling her fingers out of my jacket lapel, she tries for another punch instead of answering the question, but I thwart her attack. Grabbing her arm, I whirl her body around until her back is crushed against my chest. One of my arms winds across her shoulders, the other over her torso, keeping her arms restrained at her sides.

She's breathing heavily, thrashing ceaselessly. I feel the Geminis' cautious stares on us, but they don't interject, watching to see what I'll do.

I bring my mouth to her ear, brushing my lips over the lobe. "Listen. It's me. Kai. Your boyfriend, not the latest person on the hit list someone assigned you. Stop fighting me and remember who the real enemy is."

She stops moving, almost going numb in my grasp. I watch her attentively, feeling like I'm holding my breath as I wait for the hopeful outcome of Charlie breaking through the magical hypnosis she's under.

Then, there's a brilliant glow in the red gems embedded in her pendant, burning brighter by the second like balls of hot fire. I frown, leaning over her shoulder to get a better look at the illumination. That definitely hadn't been my doing, was never even a feature of the pendant I gifted her in the first place.

"Uh, Kai, what the hell is tha–"

A sonorous blast, stemming from the deceivingly innocuous accessory, knocks me a solid ten feet away through the kitchen entry. I hit the tiled floor hard enough to get the breath knocked out of me, stars swimming in my vision as I blink rapidly up at the circular ceiling lights.

Charlie appears in my hazy vision moments later, peering down at me. I swallow roughly, raising an unsteady hand up to her. She'll come back, that I have no doubts about. I just have to push a little harder than I thought.

"Charlie, wait–"

She suddenly grips her head and screams, her mouth opening with the vocal agony. I immediately sit up, trying to reach for her face.

"Hey, what's happening?" I question hurriedly, ignoring the aching in my joints as I stand. My hands cup her cheeks and she looks at me through teary eyes. "Charlie, are you–"

"Ah, that's my fault," comes Isaiah's drawl from the entry. "Little brain blast to take her down a notch."

My head jerks in his direction and, seeing his palm raised toward Charlie, fire ignites in my veins.

Pinning him with an icy glare, I reluctantly pull my hands away from her face and clench my fists. "Either you stop what you're doing to her or I make you. Your choice. I'd go for the easier route. It'll save everyone a lot of trouble. And you, a lot of useful limbs. Or organs."

Unperturbed, he walks closer, with Quinn and Alex soon in tow. "Oh, chill out. It's just the illusion of pain, really. Not giving her an actual aneurysm. I reserve those for vampires, 'cause believe it or not, I do have some sense of morality."

"Kai, I know you care about her, but right now? She needs to be stopped before things get worse, and if that involves some pain spells, do we really have a choice?" Quinn stresses, her hands waving in a frantic manner.

I inhale slowly through my nostrils, only able to focus on the sound of Charlie's gritted noises. "Stop the spell, Isaiah."

"Can't."

"You know what she'll do when he does," Alex argues.

"I said stop the fucking–"

Before I can finish my sentence, or hash out a magical fight with Isaiah that was bound to get ugly, red strands of magic weave in the air to lash out toward him. Alarmed, he drops his palm, then starts to murmur a counter chant. The coils tighten around his body before he can voice it, lifting him a couple feet into the air.

"Isaiah!" Quinn shouts, horrified.

Throwing a look over my shoulder, I find Charlie keeping her eyes on the witch, the strands of magic sourcing from the pendant.

Maybe this'll be a bigger fight than I'd anticipated.

"Alex!" I yell and he looks at me. "Tether him. Fast."

Nodding in quick understand, he raises his hands to pry through the pendant's magic with his own, attempting to pull Isaiah back down. The witch's face is screwed up in pain, but fortunately, Alex's spell seems to be making speedy headway in bringing him to the ground.

I turn back to Charlie, who has her eyes steadily trained on me with malice.

"Look at me," I tell her firmly, striding closer to be in front of her. "I'm not against you. And you're not against me, either. But you wanna face off like this? Fine. Do it, just me and you. Not my coven." I smirk. "Not much of a fair fight. For you."

Taking my bait, she squints in challenge, then immediately, the magic recoils and I glance over to see Isaiah now standing upright with Alex and Quinn.

Waving a lazy hand in their direction, I erect a forcefield between us, keeping them outside of it.

"Kai!"

"What the hell are you doing, man?"

"When she kills you, don't expect me to attend your funeral."

I clench my jaw, staring down at my girlfriend. "It's Charlie. I've got this. You guys should go."

"Like hell," Isaiah snorts.

The pendant's magic strikes out again, this time with me as its target, and I let it, without intent of retaliation. The menacing wisps snake around my throat from opposing ends, then simultaneously twist to constrict my airways. Two other strands circle around my wrists, yanking me down to my knees with my arms trapped behind my back.

I tilt my chin up, staring at the red glow from the magic illuminating her determined features.

"Charlie," I breathe out, but the magic is slowly tightening its iron fist around my neck.

Come on, come on, come on...

Something flickers over her face. Shock.

I almost collapse completely, this time out of relief. There she is.

She blinks, her eyebrows pulling in once more to resume her old, impassive stare. It doesn't faze me nearly as much now, knowing my Charlie is currently fighting her way through.

"You don't want to kill me," I choke out. "But I gotta s-say, this is...pretty kinky."

Isaiah chuckles nearby, but it's distant with the forcefield between us and the buzzing of magic near my ears.

Her eyes flash familiarly again, the emotion in them more prominent. She squeezes them shut, then they open again soon after, filled with horror.

"Kai?"

I manage a relieved smile, despite the spots swimming in my vision.

"Hi," I utter weakly, the magic rope making it a die-hard mission to take me out of consciousness.

Shaking her head as if to clear it, Charlie lifts one of her hands to dig her fingers into the side of it. She stumbles away from me, tears filling her eyes when she finally absorbs the state I'm in.

"Oh, my God." Her voice crawls up a few octaves, then she shakes off her panic to tilt her focus to the magic-swirling pendant resting on her collarbones in a false display of innocence. Lifting her fingers to the chain holding it together, she screams, her flesh sizzling at the touch. My eyes widen and I want to yell for her to stop, let this happen, but she's persistent and I've lost control of my vocal cords.

Blackness teases my vision, but it's in and out, giving me solid glimpses of Charlie being burned by the cursed item that had once been a cherished gift. She doesn't stop, though, not for a second, despite the disturbance of the fiery touch it wounds her with.

I can't watch this, let me fucking pass out already, or better yet, free her, I plead, and I think it's the ancestral spirits I'm begging with, if they're even still listening, but who knows right now.

Finally, she elicits one last scream, yanking the stubborn pendant away from her neck. Tossing it high so it goes soaring across the room, she stares after it, her body trembling. Then, looks at me, as the magic restraining me dissipates into thin air and I can breathe lungfuls of air again. Our eyes lock, both of us speechless and panting.

She sways once, then twice, before passing out.

•••

"I leave you guys alone with your creepy witchy woo for one damn day. One." Damon leans forward on the couch, holding a single finger up for emphasis. "Figured, hey, I'll get lunch with Elena, let the Gemini freaks have at it, giving you guys the benefit of the doubt. And I miss out on Charlotte trying to murder you?"

Charlie has been unconscious for two hours now, currently laying in one of the unclaimed bedrooms I carried her to earlier. The Geminis had insisted on sticking around, but I told them they'd been gone for too long already and the best thing they could do for me was get back to Portland–and report about any suspicious activity, particularly witches that are whispering about conspiring against me. I knew I'd get names out of Charlie, but she had yet to wake and I was getting more antsy with every minute that ticked away on the clock.

Damon and Elena had returned not long after and I'd given them the gist of what happened, fielding their concerns. Her sister is upstairs right now, watching over her, which had been my job first until the vampire all but pushed me out the room, insisting she'd let me know when she woke up.

I drag a hand over my face tiredly. "Can you try to sound less enthusiastic? And remember she got hurt, too. So this doesn't really call for celebration."

He shakes his head, disgruntled. "Over a century of living and I keep getting the short end of stick. She at least get any good stabs in?"

Spreading my fingers, I send him a glower through them.

Shrugging, he leans over the table to grab the bourbon bottle by its neck, followed by an empty crystal glass. "You should be glad I'm making light of the situation. 'Cause you know what I really want to say. Unless I need to spell it out for your peabrain."

"Yep," I reply flatly. "This was my fault, witches targeted her to get to me, I bring her more trouble than it's worth, she should dump me, yada yada. Am I missing any key points there?"

He smiles tightly, bringing the rim of his glass to his mouth. "That about covers it for now."

I lean back into the sofa cushions, eyes raising to the decor on the walls above his head. "Just so you know, I've already beat you to that lecture."

He snorts in disbelief, but I continue, "Really. There's nothing you can tell me about what happened today that I haven't already told myself. So, save it. It's redundant."

I meet his eyes and he squints back at me, seeming to be contemplating this. Just as I'm assuming I won't be getting a solid answer beyond that, he sets his glass down, then clasps his hands together in his lap.

"Look," he sneers. "I'm not an idiot."

I open my mouth to argue that actually, he is, but he swiftly holds up a hand, as if sensing my oncoming words and stopping them before they can hatch. "Shut up. No smartass comments. Let me talk."

Raising my hands in innocent surrender, I nod at him in mock encouragement. He rolls his eyes, mumbling something about me being a dick, then continues.

"Anyway, I saw how Charlotte was when you were keeping your distance after we got you guys out of your father's creepy torture dungeon. It was her birthday and her only wish," he pauses, vaguely irritated by what he's about to say next, "seemed to be to know that you were okay. Known her for a while and sure as hell have never seen her like that with any guy. So, yeah, you make her happy. Whatever–wipe that smirk off your face."

I promptly suck in my lips, mouthing an ingenuine "sorry."

He grunts. "And since you make her happy, much as it makes me sick, I wouldn't be too great of a friend if I wanted you out of her life. Even if I am pissed off about what happened today–hell, the last few months. I'm just asking you to look out for her. But if I'm being honest, I don't even have to, because you watch her like a hawk already. Yes, I do wanna strangle you because it's your witchy drama that has her unconscious upstairs as we speak, but I can't say I haven't gotten Elena in some bad collateral-damage circumstances before."

My jaw drops. "Is Damon Salvatore giving me his rarely-donated approval? And acknowledging his hypocrisy? All in one speech?" I whistle, then check the space around me. "Hold on. I need a camera for this. Would you mind repeating all that, starting with 'I'm not an idiot'?"

"None of that," he states curtly, "is ever getting repeated. It wasn't even really a damn compliment. I'm just agreeing to tolerate you."

I place a hand on my chest, pretending to be touched. "I tolerate you, too."

His hand extends to grip a nearby pillow and he hurtles it at me. I duck my head out of the way, then send him a scorned look.

"Hey." I gesture at my face. "Not the money-maker." 

Snorting into his cup, he mutters, "If that's the money-maker, you're gonna be filing for bankruptcy real soon."

I chuckle. "That's not what Charlie says."

"I'm sure," he answers flatly.

"No, really, you can ask her–"

"Pass." He knocks back the rest of his glass, then immediately begins to refill its contents. "I still wish she'd gone for a human. Like Matt. Boring, but reliable and stress-free. Just what she needs."

"But she decided she wanted a mega-powerful witch in her life," I conclude satisfactorily. "Do you blame her?"

"Nope, I question her."

"Don't knock it 'till you try it. Well, actually," I pause, considering something, "you already have, huh?"

"Sorry?"

"You know. You and Bonnie? Knocking boots?"

He blinks, stunned. "Bon Bon's my best friend. And before you say it, without benefits. Where'd your twisted little mind conjure that idea up from?"

I casually shrug. "You guys argued like a married couple in the prison world, I just looked between the lines."

"Then you're not as observant as you think, Sherlock."

"And she did come back to you thirteen times–"

"Ending this pointless discussion now." He lifts a hand, warning me to stop, and I smirk, settling back into the cushions.

Elena descends the staircase then and I get to my feet in a hurry, my chest twisting as I hope for a positive piece of news.

She surveys the unbridled worry that I'm sure is written all over my face and offers a comforting smile. "She's awake. I was just talking to her. You should go up there, Kai. She isn't talking much, but maybe there's more she'll say to you."

Releasing a heavy exhale, I nod, stopping by the kitchen to pick up the food I'd previously prepared for her, and head upstairs with the plate and mug clutched in my hands.

Damon and Elena's voices fade the deeper I get into the corridor, until I come to a stop in front of the one door that remains ajar. Steeling myself, I push it open with my shoulder.

Charlie is leaning against the headboard, changed into the gray hoodie and black sweatpants that I'd conjured from our apartment while she was still out cold. The hoodie's mine, but I know it's one of her clothing favorites in terms of comfort and her skin was chilled when I cradled her against my chest. She needed as much warmth as she could get, hence the blanket I'd found to throw over her. It sits at the foot of the bed now, rumpled up.

I smile when I take in how the bigger size envelops her smaller frame and the way she pulled the sleeves over her fingers. It leaves my lips when I study her face and the exhaustion that's clearer in it now than it had been back at the coffee shop. She stares down at her criss-crossed legs below her, her arms hugging her torso, and the glumness of her outer appearance initiates a painful ache in my chest.

"Hey," I call out softly, kicking the door shut, and maneuver to the nightstand beside her. "How you feeling?"

She stares at the plate of grilled cheese I set down, then eyes the coffee cup I offer out to her. There's a doubtful flicker in her gaze that has me fighting a smile.

"No worries, I summoned the mocha creamer from the apartment," I add. "No boring, flavorless coffee here. Scout's honor."

She accepts it from me, murmuring a thanks, and I stand there for a beat too long, just watching her. What I wouldn't give to be inside her mind right now and figuring out which parts of today's events she's overthinking to torture herself.

I cross over to the other side of the bed, pushing myself up to stretch out beside her. Our thighs touch and the new closeness tempts me to pull her into a tight hug, but I'm not sure how she'll react to that at the moment.

"Charlie," I murmur, my voice soft but clear in its sternness.

She hums absentmindedly, staring at steam emanating from her mug.

Who did this, give me names, I need to know what I'm going to call them when I watch the light go out of their eyes– "Talk to me, please."

She inhales unsteadily, then locks her gaze on mine. I'm taken aback by the hard edge to it, emphasized by her eyebrows drawing in.

"Why aren't you mad at me?"

I blink, registering this. "I...what?"

She huffs in frustration, depositing the mug next to the untouched plate, and angles her body in my direction to face me more fully. "I can't accept this, Kai."

I cock my head in confusion, trying to follow her line of thought. "The coffee?"

She runs a hand through her tangled hair. "No, not the–I mean, you being all sweet with me right now. Making me food," She rubs her eyes, managing a breathless laugh, "getting my favorite creamer for my coffee, giving me–" She gestures at my face for explanation, "those eyes."

An amused smile tugs at the corner of my lip. "What, bedroom eyes?" I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively.

She shoves my shoulder, making my body vibrate in an uncontrollable chuckle. "You know what I mean. That's the same cute look you pull out on me when you're worried I'm studying too much, or not eating breakfast, or–" She cuts off, sighing shakily. "Kai, I-I tried to kill you."

Ah, right. This dose of unnecessary guilt, I was absolutely expecting, because I've come to know Charlie and her emotional habits like the back of my hand. Leave it to her to bear the burden of violent acts that weren't even really committed by her, that she didn't have any type of control over.

"No, you didn't," I tell her firmly, but she's shaking her head.

"Technicalities aside, I did. It was me. You can resent me a little."

I smile. "Don't plan on it, but I appreciate the kind offer."

Her eyes are a mixture of exasperation and sadness. It's a look that I'm itching to erase from her face, replace it with something more positive in nature.

Wordlessly, she raises her hands to gingerly rest them around the sides of my neck. I watch her curiously, but make no move to stop her wandering touch. Her eyes are trained on the same spot on my neck that had been constructed by magic earlier, disturbance in them. She looks confused when she finds no telltale mark there and glances up, presumably waiting for an explanation.

"Healed myself already," I assure her quietly.

Swallowing audibly, she gives a barely perceptible nod and checks both of my wrists for good measure, the ones that had been tied behind my back. The skin there is good as new, but she seems to need to see for herself for a sense of peace, based on the way her shoulders instantly deflate in a slow, measured exhale.

Then, she blinks hard, as if remembering something, and trails her hands down my chest. She gently pushes up the knit fabric of my black shirt, revealing my abdomen and part of my chest. Holding the bunched-up shirt in place with one hand, she uses the other to carefully prod at my skin.

"Charlie, I'm fine."

Her eyes zero in on an area closer to my navel and she exhales sharply. Glancing down to see what got her attention, I spot a purpling bruise from when she'd jammed her knee into my stomach.

"Kai," she whispers, horrified.

"It wasn't you," I remind her, shrugging.

She hesitates, then brushes the tips of her fingers over the bruise. I flinch slightly, still supremely sore, and she instantly recoils. "Crap. I'm sorry. You should heal this, too."

I snort. "Babe, it's just a bruise. It'll go away in a few days. Not worth wasting my magic on."

She seems to be in disagreement with this, but merely purses her lips and doesn't argue the topic further. She pulls my shirt back down, eyeing the mark one last time with conflicting emotion swimming in her gaze.

My eyes rest on her collarbone and I stiffen, noticing the pendant-shaped burn that's grazed into her skin like a tattoo. The chain left behind its own red trail, a line arcing around the length of her slender neck. I move closer, lifting a hand to touch it, and I feel the unmistakable hint of magic still sizzling where the necklace burned her. Then, feeling like I might dissolve into hysteria, I reach for her hands to find similar burns inside her palms where she grabbed the necklace. Pushing her sleeves up, I find more on her wrists.

She reflexively winces, leaning away from me. "Elena tried to give me her blood for all the burns. Didn't really work."

"Because they're magic-induced. Vampire blood won't wipe this away like a regular old cut. You need a healing spell...a couple of them, by the looks of it." My jaw clenches and the anger return, red hot. "Who did this to you?"

She looks sheepish all of a sudden, staring at my shirt. "I tried to fight them off. Going against two witches is just as difficult as it sounds. They found me when I was leaving Whitmore."

I grit my teeth. Keep calm, now's really not the time to lose your cool.

"They threatened to kill you." Her face darkens. "I wasn't going to let them. But definitely didn't anticipate what their real plan was."

"Names, Charlie," I say, my voice like gravel. "I need their names."

"Cato and Jasper," she answers after a few seconds. My brows furrow at the unfamiliar pair. "Yeah, I've never seen them either. They weren't Geminis, Kai. They're more of Joshua's recruits. I guess they were finishing what he never did back at the basement."

I bite my mouth, nodding a little. "Fucking cowards couldn't come find me themselves? Sounds about right for two guys that run in Joshua's crowd. Birds of a feather."

She hums in agreement, then a troubled look crosses her face. "They'll come back for you, Kai. When they realize I didn't do it."

"I hope they do." I smile. "Been itching for a kill. Hell, maybe I'll drop by Portland tomorrow and seek 'em out."

"Save all your anger and energy for the real fight, Kai," she says urgently. "Not them. And I know you wouldn't be stupid enough to risk blowing all this preparation for a couple of beta-witches."

"Fine. But I'm going to get them back for this, Charlie." I pause, chuckling. "Did you just call them beta-witches?"

She grins. "They didn't take that too well."

Humor bubbles up inside me and I squeeze her thigh. "Fuck. I'll be sure to use that one."

We smile at each other, the tension almost chipping away, but there's still something I have to do. Clearing my throat, I gently slide my fingers around one of her burned hands, tugging a little.

"Come here."

She eyes me skeptically, but complies, throwing one leg over my lap to straddle my thighs. I rest my hands on her hips momentarily, idly rubbing circles through the thick fabric of the hoodie.

"What?" She asks, frowning at me.

"I couldn't heal you while you were unconscious," I explain reluctantly. "Figured I'd let you get a few hours of decent rest. Um...the pain would've woken you up."

Realization dawns on her. "Oh. So, you're...going to do it now."

"I have to," I tell her apologetically. "It'll be over before you know it. Would do it another way if I could but healing spells on these types of burns are a tricky thing. And I'll need to siphon first, to get the magic out of them."

She gives me a reassuring smile. "I trust you. It's okay, I can take it."

I stare into her eyes for a moment, still unsure if I should proceed. She nods encouragingly, wrapping her hands around mine and bringing them to rest on her collarbone, just atop the pendant mark.

"You sure you want me to heal this one first?" I inquire.

She tilts her head in bewilderment, then understanding shines in her eyes. "It's gonna be the most painful, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I answer honestly. "Look, I can start with the ones on your wrists and palms–"

"No," she cuts me off decisively. "I'd rather rip off the band-aid. Go ahead."

I let out a breath, keeping one hand on her collarbone and lower the other to grasp her hip, steadying her. "Okay. Fair warning, you're gonna wanna shove me off. Try not to?"

"We'll see," she murmurs, somewhat jokingly.

Slowly, as to not overwhelm her system, I start to pull the magic from its burned source with my siphoning. There's little reaction from her at first, aside from her body fidgeting over mine, then as I pry deeper, noises of discomfort spill from her lips. Her eyes are squeezed shut and she fists my shirt between her fingers, nails nearly digging into my pecs.

"You're okay," I assure her, keeping my voice measured and steady since it's probably not wise to let my true trepidation shine through. "I know it hurts, but it'll hurt a lot more if I let these wounds sit without doing any–"

"Kai," she utters breathlessly. "I know. Just–do it."

I smile at the brave face she clings to, then continue to tug the buried magic from its hiding spot. She cries out and my face screws up, throat tightening.

"I'm sorry," I murmur repeatedly, feeling like shit all the while. Apologizing for my ability had once been commonplace in my life, but I'd never thought I'd have to experience that with Charlie. It's one of the things I cherish about her being human; I don't have to worry about hurting her when we're intimate, injuring her when I mean to do the exact opposite. So this–this is really fucking difficult, more than I thought it'd be.

She instinctively starts to lean away from the offending tug of magic, but I wind my free arm behind her back, coaxing her toward me.

"Can't fight me on this." I kiss beneath her ear, then over her jaw, cheeks, and temple, in an attempt to distract her from less pleasant sensations. "Even though I know you want to. Let me heal you."

She nods compliantly, though her face is still scrunched up in pain. With a few more seconds of pulling from the burn, the last of the magic seeps into my system like a breath of fresh air.

Sighing in relief, she drops her forehead against mine.

"Not done yet. Still have to do that pesky healing spell," I remind her, nudging her back a little.

"Yay," she deadpans and I chuckle, pressing a quick kiss to her mouth.

As I utter the chant in a clear voice, my eyes alternate between the dwindling burn and her face, trying to simultaneously make sure the healing process is ago and that Charlie is still handling it alright. She is, of course; handling it spectacularly, really, and fighting me significantly less this time around. Her hands clasp behind the nape of my neck and she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, fighting past the stinging threads of magic healing the damaged skin.

I rub up and down her spine soothingly, while occasionally kissing over her face and whispering words of reassurance into her ear. It aids in making her relax, to my relief, as she willingly sags further against me.

What feels like an eternity later, all of the burns on her body are successfully healed, including the ones around her ankles that I hadn't initially noticed until she pointed them out for me. An undercurrent of aggression tried to fight its forceful way out of me the entire time, as I thought of Joshua setting his witches upon Charlie to hurt her like this–to get to me. That, I wasn't fucking okay with. I was always a firm believer in confronting the true target of my anger, no reason in beating around the bush and hiding behind others to get the job done. Joshua had always been a coward and he'd reached his lowest point, willing to harm her if it meant eradicating my existence.

You have no idea what battle you've just unleashed, old man, the thought surfaces, dark but comforting in its promise of retaliation.

Charlie pulls back to blink at me blearily, recovering from the onslaught of healing spells and siphoning I'd overloaded her body with. I eye her in concern, reaching up to cup her face in my hands.

"Took it like a champ," I offer to lighten the mood, smiling crookedly. "How do you feel?"

She sighs contently, burrowing her head in my neck and wrapping her arms around my back. "So much better. Thank you."

"Anytime," I murmur into her hair, rubbing at the back of her scalp and tickling her spine with lazy fingers.

Being thanked for my siphoning. Yeah, add that to the list of miraculous firsts.

Charlie kisses my cheek, then gets off my lap to settle back onto the other side of the mattress. She reaches for the plate of grilled cheese and balances it on her legs, throwing me a grateful smile.

"Smells amazing."

Her growling stomach punctuates this and I narrow my eyes at her. "Eat. You took a lot of magical hits today. Your body needs to rejuvenate."

She raises her eyebrows at my no-nonsense expression and pointedly takes a large bite out of the first sandwich. "Happy?"

"Will be when your plate is clean."

I stare at her absently while she quickly makes it through the first grilled cheese with visible vigor. There's a topic I still need to broach, but the healing had been the most imminent task a few moments ago.

"They used your pendant as an amulet to center the power of the spell," I tell her, my jaw ticking at the thought that her gift had been used for such purposes.

She looks over at me, swallowing her current mouthful. "Jasper said something about Joshua manipulating its powers when he captured us in Maryland. To make me more susceptible to spells, either from him or any other witches he orders against me." She shakes her head. "I should've known something was up when we just found it upstairs that day. Why didn't I question it more?"

"I should be asking myself the same thing," I grumble. "Fuck. I'm sorry, Charlie."

She gives me a look. "It's not your fault, Kai. No one's but Joshua's. And hey, you can always make me a new and improved one. Maybe wire it with an instant kill mode for the next time I see your stupid father."

I laugh in surprise at her unusually hostile suggestion. "That'll for sure be in the coming updates. Any color requests?"

She's halfway through her second sandwich now and pauses, shrugging. "Know what? Surprise me."

I kiss the side of her head. "It'll be ten times better than the last."

"I don't know." She smiles fondly. "That one came with some nice memories."

"Like almost choking me to death?"

She winces, glaring at me. "I was thinking more along the lines of you kissing me under the mistletoe at the party, but sure, let's pretend I meant that."

I wink. "I know you did. You're secretly kinky."

She whacks my shoulder, scandalized by my remark, and I guffaw, my head falling on top of her shoulder.

A few minutes later, the plate is reduced to crumbs, much to my satisfaction, and she downs half her coffee. She slumps against my body, sighing into the crook of my neck.

"Food coma?" I tease.

I feel her head shaking. "Just tired."

"Caffeine did nothing for you? I'm shocked."

"I know right, I'm a mess today."

I laugh, easing her off so I can grab the blanket at the foot of the bed. Tugging it over her, I start to move toward the edge of the bed to make my way out.

"Hey." She raises her head off the pillow. "Where are you going?"

"Downstairs. I'm sure Damon desperately needs my company. Elena's not cutting it."

She rolls her eyes, patting the bed. "Well, I need it more. Stay with me for a little while longer?"

An affectionate smile shapes my lips and I respond by laying down beside her, opening my arms so she can sidle up to me. Her head rests on my chest and she pulls the warm blanket all the way up to her shoulders, exhaling softly.

A knock in the doorway causes us both to turn our heads lazily, seeking the source of the interruption.

Damon narrows his eyes at our position, but chooses not to comment on it. "Hey, Char. Almost came up to check on you sooner, sounded like this moron was killing you."

"I was healing her," I correct him. "If you wanna hear what it sounds like when I am killing someone, step right up for a free trial."

Charlie laughs under her breath. "Hi, Damon."

He stops scowling at me to turn a softer gaze on her. "You feel okay? Need me to go eat a couple of witches? I did skip dinner. Kinda starving for a snack or two."

"As charming as that offer is, I don't need anyone else getting hurt." Her eyes travel to me briefly. "I'm fine now. They'll get what's coming to them."

He smirks. "Vengeance, now you're talking my language."

Turning to me, he raises a brow expectantly. "I'm assuming you've got a diabolical plan at the ready, oh great Gemini leader?"

"Plans haven't changed," I tell him. "We're still waiting. Only moves we're making will be at the battle. Not a minute sooner."

Irritation washes over his expression. "And wait for them to keep making more moves on her in the mean time?"

"They won't," I say harshly and I feel Charlie squeeze my torso.

"If you say so," He drawls. "But she's not going back to Whitmore tonight. No dice. She's staying right here, at least for the night."

Charlie raises her head off my chest, glowering at him. "I'm right here. Capable of making my own decisions. Do you really think they'd strike twice in the same day?"

"It's a good idea, Charlie," I add and she looks to me, surprised. "For precaution. I'll stay with you."

Damon scoffs. "Hey, now wait a minute, I didn't open up the offer to you."

I eye him flatly. "Damon. You live in a boarding house. Think you can spare the extra room. And no worries, I won't go digging through your blood bag supply. I'm a respectful guest."

He opens his mouth, aggravated, then clamps it tightly shut. Grumbling to himself, he drops the issue. "Whatever. Glad you're alright, Char."

She smiles at him and it does wonders in making the displeasure in his expression die down. Tossing me a warning look, he says "don't get any ideas" and walks out.

"Spending the night in the boarding house," Charlie says, propping her chin up on my chest. "Deja vu, huh?"

"Tell me about it," I mutter.

Lifting herself up, hands pressed against my torso, she leans down to capture my mouth with hers. I hum into the kiss, raising my head off the pillow to gain control of it. She smiles at my eagerness, then slides her tongue over the seam of my lips until I part them. Our tongues stroke together with no frantic movement at play, as we both make the unspoken agreement to just enjoy this simple act of intimacy.

"No making out under my damn roof!" Damon's voice bellows from down the hall, followed by Elena's higher pitch calming him down.

Charlie breaks away, startled, but her eyes are glinting brightly with humor. I laugh, pulling her into another kiss partly for the sake of pissing off the vampire, and we both smile into it.

She moves her mouth away from mine to trail a sweet path over the corner of my lip to my stubbled jaw. When she stops to look down at me, a breathtaking smile gracing her swollen mouth, a wave of emotion crashes over me and nearly pulls me under with its unprecedented force.

"I love you," I say, not even thinking the words through before they leave my lips. It's like my soul was speaking for me, encouraging the declaration from my tongue before I could overthink it because fuck, she's so beautiful, and it desperately needed to be said.

It's the first time I voiced it since the night in our apartment, which incidentally, was the first time. I'd been making damn sure to show her in every way possible since then, but saying it is where I continued to trip up, with the foreign feel of it on my tongue nearly choking me. She never seemed to mind, because she's fucking wonderful and understands without every little thing requiring a concrete explanation.

Charlie's eyes widen and I feel like I'm holding in barrels of oxygen, refusing to breathe until her brown irises light up with answering joy. A smile shyly curves her mouth and she curls into my chest again, tugging the blanket over the both of us.

I wrap my arms around her and she briefly leans her head up to let her lips brush my ear. "Hey, I love you, too. Small world."

Laughing, I hug her tighter and her body shakes with the rumble emanating from my chest. Smiling just as brightly, she closes her eyes and rests.

More problems await us, a fuck-load to be more precise. But I have few doubts about the outcome being in our favor because frankly, I have all the motivation in the world–balled up into the single form of the woman currently falling asleep beside me.

Author's Note: this chapter took insanely long to write because, well, it's insanely long, so i really hope that it makes up for the long wait. we're in the endgame now.

yeah, it's mainly kai's pov this time around because i felt that's what worked for this chapter (and his is always super fun to write)

do you guys prefer charlie's or kai's pov? or no preference? just curious!

thank you for reading and THANK YOU for over 650k reads! i still remember thanking people for 100 reads in like chapter 12. crazy. CRAZY.

i love comments so let me know your thoughts. til next time, which is hopefully really soon!