Eclipsed By Fate (A Bonkai Fanfiction)
By V.C. Turner
Chapter One
Kai Parker had every reason to hate Bonnie Bennett. She'd abandoned him in a prison world for a second time. She'd left him alone, again, screaming her name into the darkness with no hope of a response… She'd pinned him to a chair with chains and forcing him to listen to a song he hated for an eternity of torment. He should have wanted her dead.
But he didn't.
He understood her reasons for banishing him from the real world again. He'd tried to kill her more than once. He figured he had it coming to him. Still, he thought that of all the people he'd met since leaving his confinement in 1994, she'd be the one to forgive him. He wanted her to be the one to forgive him. For some reason, her opinion mattered because she mattered in ways he was not ready to admit to himself or to her.
Yet Kai continued to languish in the prison world of a dive bar, listening to the Karaoke version of "Two Princes." After what felt like months, he learned to tune the song out, but he stayed trapped in the same, seated position. His arms and legs began to feel heavy from the weight of the metal holding him down. From time to time, he'd allow his mind drift. When he did, he often dreamed of escape – of a freedom he didn't deserve but wanted anyway. He dreamed of traveling the world. He dreamed of making a life for himself that wasn't filled with revenge and death. Perhaps that was the greatest torture of all: An immortal life with unlimited power, no enemies to fight, and no one to give a damn about him.
There were also times he dreamed of the beautiful, dark-haired Bennett witch who sealed his fate. A part of him tried to think of new and creative ways to seek vengeance, but that darker part of his soul always succumbed to one thing he couldn't deny: she got to him more than anyone else ever could. Bonnie Bennett had a firm grasp of right and wrong, and she had a history of turning evil men into good ones. Could she do the same for him? It appeared to be too late to want such things.
Eventually, Kai lost track of time, so he thought he imagined it when the chains wrapped around his shoulders began to loosen. He didn't move for several minutes, waiting to wake up from a dream. But it wasn't a dream. Kai turned and twisted his body until the heavy metal fell from his shoulders and clanked loudly onto the floor.
The young heretic stood on shaky legs, nearly stumbling off the stage and toward the bar.
"What the Hell's going on?" he asked of no one.
"Kai?" said Bonnie's soft feminine voice from a direction he could not determine.
Kai spent years burning in the solitude of Hell, yet nothing terrified him as much as the sound of Bonnie Bennett's disembodied voice.
She sounded terrified.
She sounded desperate.
She sounded close.
He scanned the room, but only saw darkness. He then noticed that the song had stopped playing. As his strength returned, he staggered behind the bar and poured himself a drink. He felt the liquid flow down his throat and into his stomach. It refreshed him a little, so he poured another into the glass and surveyed his surroundings again.
"Kai," he heard her say again.
"Bonnie?" he called back.
Only silence answered him. He assumed it was his imagination or wishful thinking; perhaps a little of both.
While he felt relieved at not being tied to the chair any longer, he began to panic. Could the prison world be falling apart because something had happened to the twins? He had no right to feel protective over them. After all, he'd killed their mother. The pain of that crime stayed with him, and he deserved it carry it for eternity. But his nieces didn't deserve his wrath or his fate. He needed to get out. He needed to know they were safe.
Then another wave of dread hit him. What if the spell that held the prison world in place was broken because Bonnie died? Is that why he heard her voice? Could she be calling to him for some reason? He knew her friends wouldn't protect her, and she needed protection. She deserved it after all she'd done and all she'd lost in the name of saving those who wouldn't sacrifice as much for her.
His heart began to pound in his ears. An ache swelled in his chest and he fell to his knees. He needed to get out, but he had no way of helping the twins or Bonnie. He had no magic…or did he?
"Liberate me de isto carcere mundi! Liberate me de isto carcere mundi! Liberate me de isto carcere mundi!" he chanted, with his eyes closed and his mind focused.
He opened his eyes only to find the same darkness as before. Kai rose to his feet, heading for the door to the bar. He hesitated for a moment, and then pushed it open – no longer fearing what could possibly be on the other side. His vision filled with sunlight and it took several minutes for his eyes to adjust to the change.
"Kai," he heard Bonnie whisper again.
Kai looked around and noted an empty street. Perhaps chanting a spell wouldn't be enough to escape. He needed to draw power from a celestial event, but he knew it would be several hours before the sun set and the moon rose.
The wind began to pick up, tossing paper and other debris around him. He grabbed a piece of newspaper that landed on his thigh. The date on the newspaper read August 21, 2017. He read the headline scrawled in big letters across the top: "Total solar eclipse coming to North America."
A smile broke across his face.
He looked at the watch on his wrist and wondered how much time he had. He didn't have to wait long. The sky began to darken. He closed his eyes and began to chant again.
"Liberate me de isto carcere mundi!" he said.
Nothing. Perhaps he needed to think of a destination. He could think of only one place he wanted to be, and it didn't matter if he would be welcome there or not.
"Liberate me de isto carcere mundi!"
Bright light filled his vision once again. He closed his eyes…a quiet prayer escaping his lips:
"Bonnie."
Bonnie Bennett sat in the center of the tiny backyard of her townhouse in Winchester, Virginia. She moved into the new home two months earlier and had slowly begun to adjust to the sounds of the small city: the occasional siren, dogs barking, crickets, chirping, etc.
Winchester boasted a population of just over 27,000 inhabitants. The new location provided an opportunity to start fresh in a city she could call her own – one that did not expect anything from her other than her presence at a 40-hour per week legal clerk job.
She took the position after obtaining her credentials to be a Paralegal. Although she would have aced the Bar Exam, she wasn't interested in becoming a lawyer just yet. She preferred the research that went along with being a paralegal. She also liked to work face to face with clients rather than delegate that task to others.
When she came to town, she walked its streets in search of independence. The name Bennett had brought her so much trial and tribulation over the years. She hoped her moniker wouldn't condemn her here as well.
Using the inheritance from her father, she found a quaint townhouse in the edge of town. Her neighbors were mostly new couples who had purchased their first home, yet Bonnie would move into her first home alone. She told herself she was fine with that – for the most part. She'd left Mystic Falls behind and traveled the world only to learn that while the locations changed, people rarely did. She found humans, witches, and vampires held the same old prejudices and grievances against one another, regardless of culture or language. She even found a few werewolves throughout the world – beings that appeared to be as lonely and scattered as she felt.
Bonnie no longer mourned Enzo. He appeared to her less and less over time. They agreed she had to let him go, and she did. What she tried to hold onto were her friendships, but those ties began to unravel after she returned from Europe.
Caroline became focused on her daughters and the magic school. Elena and Damon's uncomfortable reunion strained her relationships with both of them. Her mother, Abby, continued to evade the responsibilities of parenthood, so Bonnie felt the only way to escape the grief of all she'd lost would be to leave the place that reminded her of it.
She found Winchester through a Google search. The city was small, yet situated close to the larger, more diverse areas of Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. She felt she could make a new start there, so she packed her bags and left one morning after saying quick goodbyes to everyone.
As a witch, she could sense the supernatural creatures that shared the new town with her. At least four separate covens of witches inhabited the area, all culturally and ethnically diverse. They seemed to welcome her with open arms, but also a bit of caution. She was what they called a "rogue witch" because she belonged to no coven and had no family to call her own. Bonnie assured her fellow servants of nature that she had no intention other than to make a new life for herself.
They told her of a dangerous group of vampires called The Eternals, all of them magically branded with a red infinity symbol on their left arms. They were said to run the town after dark, so witches stayed inside at night although danger lurked around them at all times.
So far, she hadn't heard of any animal attacks or other deaths that could be attributed to vampires, but she kept her work schedule short so she that was inside before night fell. She cast spells to protect her property, but the solitude terrified her more than anything.
She was alone.
An uncomfortable peace existed between supernatural creatures in Winchester. There were places witches dare not walk, and other areas where a vampire risked death by merely stepping inside a magical boundary. While a mutual respect remained between witches and vampires, Bonnie could feel the tension was about to break.
Dangers lurked in this tiny Virginia town, not unlike the dangers she faced in Mystic Falls. While witches lived in larger numbers in this place, so did vampires and she had no allies among these particular.
Although a powerful witch in her own right, she needed help. She needed protection, but not just any ally. She needed someone ruthless and powerful, but she couldn't count on anyone – not on anyone in this world. There was only one world where she could find such a person. Setting him free could save her life or seal her fate, but in her mind she had no other choice.
So Bonnie Bennett sat in the center of her tiny backyard, with a grimoire in her lap and surrounded by tall white candles that cast a golden light around her. She called on the power of her ancestors. She called on the moon and the sun, joining together in the eclipse that hovered above her head as the sky began to darken.
Bonnie pricked her finger, dropping blood on the new ascendant. She closed her eyes and thought of him, hoping she wasn't making a deadly mistake.
"Supra priores elementorum invoco infra libertatem illi adducite eum ad me. Et dimísit eum. Afferte huc illum ad me," Bonnie chanted over and over again. She had a clear picture of him in her mind: his black hair, blue-grey eyes, and five o'clock shadow. She knew she had to say his name aloud, to complete the spell, so she closed her eyes and allowed the magic to flow through her:
"Kai," she whispered, calling to him as if he were sitting next to her.
After the wind picked up again, she repeated the spell.
"Supra priores elementorum invoco infra libertatem illi adducite eum ad me. Et dimísit eum. Afferte huc illum ad me," she said again.
The candles around her burned brighter as the moon fully covered the sun.
"Kai," she said again, her heart beginning to beat furiously in her chest.
White light filled the space around her. She found the strength to stand, backing away from the light and preparing for whatever danger he presented. Once the light vanished, a dark figure knelt on the ground before her. She held up her hands in a protective stance, waiting for an attack.
An attack that never came. Silence filled the air as the moon abandoned the sun and daylight returned. He remained in the same position for several agonizing seconds. She could hear his breathing, but nothing else. Kai finally looked up at her, his eyes distant and confused, as if he were somehow caught in a dream and was only now waking up.
He stood slowly taking in his surroundings before his eyes fell on her face. Bonnie remained still. She waited for a threat or at least a snide remark, but he said nothing.
"Kai?" she said, her voice sounding softer and less authoritative than she wanted.
She heard him take in a deep breath, like he'd been holding it in the entire lenght of his seclusion. His behavior fasincated her. He acted like a newborn child seeing the world for the first time.
Kai suddenly ran toward her, scooping her up in an embrace that startled both of them. He squeezed her like a man clutching a life preserver; perhaps that's what she was to him in this moment. He quickly released her, sitting her gently on the ground before cupping her face in his hands.
"Are the twins okay?" he asked.
Bonnie gathered her thoughts before answering him. She had no idea why he was asking, but his concerned seemed genuine.
"They're fine. They're fine," she answered, backing away from him slowly. This was not the reunion she'd expected.
"Are you okay?" he asked, again with concern in his voice and a panicked expression on his face.
"I'm – I'm fine," she told him, still shaking from nervousness, fear, and excitement.
His features settled as he continued to look around.
"Where are we?" he asked, walking around the backyard, "This isn't Mystic Falls?"
Bonnie walked closer to him.
"No, it's not," she said, "We're still in Virginia. This town is called Winchester."
"Never heard of it," he added, "But anything is better than Hell or a Prison World."
Bonnie nodded, even though he wasn't looking at her.
"I guess you're wondering why I helped you escape?" she offered.
He turned to her, his face devoid of its usual mischief or hatred.
"And I guess you're wondering why I haven't tried to hurt you?" he asked.
Bonnie backed up a few steps from him, her frightened heartbeat thundering in her chest. She knew he could hear her manifestation of fear, but she still possessed the ability to kill him or banish him should he step out of line.
"Why haven't you?" she bluntly asked.
"I don't feel like going back …to Hell or another Prison World anytime soon, so relax: you're safe," he said quietly, looking at her with eyes the pierced her soul.
A skeptical Bonnie looked him up and down before speaking again. She refused to allow everything she felt for him to overwhelm her this time. He made her feel so much – anger and fear, but also excitement and an attraction that she knew shouldn't be there given their history together.
"Follow me," Bonnie said, leading him into the back of her house.
They walked through the kitchen and into the center of her living room. On the coffee table sat her grimoire, a knife, and an empty wooden bowl surrounded by another set of ivory candles.
"I'm not sending you anywhere Kai. The truth is, I need you," Bonnie admitted, "There are … certain dangers here that demand someone as lethal as you can be."
Kai took a few seconds before responding.
"So, you helped me escaped the Karaoke prison world so I could be your bodyguard, the supernatural Frank Farmer to your Rachel Marron?" he asked, looking up at her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
"This isn't The Bodyguard, okay. Look, I spent years protecting my friends, and getting tortured by my enemies – including you," she told him, "You owe me."
Bonnie lit the candles with magic and quickly grabbed the knife.
"This spell will ensure that we don't hurt each other. It's a mutual insurance, policy, so sit down," she said; finally using the proper authoritative voice she wanted.
Kai smirked at her, raising an eyebrow before sitting on the floor across from her.
"Whoa, you're getting bossy. It's sexy," he flirted.
Bonnie growled at him, but she was certain the blush in her cheeks betrayed her angry expression.
"Give me your hand," she demanded.
Kai reached his left hand across the table with the palm up. Bonnie quickly sliced it with the knife, allowing his blood to trickle into the bowl. Kai didn't flinch and the gash immediately healed; proof that he still possessed his vampire abilities.
"You could have warned me, you know," he said.
"Oh, now what fun would that be?" she quipped.
Bonnie then sliced her own hand, dropping her blood into the bowl. She added a few additional herbs required for the spell as Kai watched in what appeared to be amazement.
He scooted closer to the table, looking at the spell book in front of him, and reading the words. Bonnie noted a small smile creep across his face before he straightened his expressions.
"Say this with me," she said.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"I'm sure, okay," she added.
Bonnie motioned for Kai to join hands with her, so he did. They looked at the spell, and said the words in unison.
"Spiritus invoco in unum ligare nos venenatis reputavi sanguinem animum uias. Spiritus invoco in unum ligare nos venenatis reputavi sanguinem animum uias. Spiritus invoco in unum ligare nos venenatis reputavi sanguinem animum uias," they said.
They looked at each other intently as the candles burned brightly and the spell took hold. Once they released each other's hands, Bonnie began to feel a strange sensation throughout her veins. It was as if she received an infusion of fresh magic, making her more powerful that she'd ever felt before. Her nerves hummed and all of her senses came alive at once. She'd felt numb for so long, that the sensation overwhelmed her. She lost her balance and fell back against the sofa.
Kai pushed the table out of the way, kneeling down next to her with a surprising look of worry in his face.
"You okay?" he asked.
Bonnie thought about it for a moment.
"Yeah, fine. I just didn't expect a linking spell to do that. I've done them but they've never had that effect on me before," she said quietly, gathering her thoughts.
Kai sat next to her with a mischievous grin on his face.
"The thing is...that wasn't a linking spell," Kai told her.
"What are you talking about. Of course it was," she retorted.
Kai pulled the spellbook in his lap and showed it to her.
"You have to brush up on your Latin, gorgeous," he said, pointing to the spell, "This word means 'bind,' not link."
Bonnie pulled the book into her lap, reading the spell to herself.
"What it means is that anything you do to me, you'll feel, and vice versa. Like I said: it means that we can't harm each other," she insisted, sitting the book down.
She adjusted her position on the floor because every sensation she felt began to distract her. Her emotions seemed to be out of control, conflicting sensations of excitement, fear, hate, love, anguish, pleasure...all of it assaulted her at once. She had trouble focusing.
Kai's smooth voice broke her from those disquieting thoughts.
"Being bound to someone, especially another witch, means is that we can channel each other's powers – using it for strength if we need it. It also means every emotion, every intense sensation – physical or mental - that one of us feels, the other feels it too. Witches usually only due this kind of spell if they're … married," Kai explained, the smile returning to his face.
Bonnie sat up.
"You're joking. Tell me your joking," she pleaded, knowing somehow that he was telling the truth.
Kai didn't respond verbally. He grabbed a pillow from the sofa and unzipped it, removing a white feather. He then took the feather and lightly ran it across is left forearm. Bonnie jumped in response, clutching her left forearm because she also felt the sensation.
"So…we're …connected on –," Bonnie began.
"Pretty much every level," Kai said finishing her sentence.
Bonnie pushed herself away from him.
"Can you read my mind?" she asked him.
"Not word for word, but I know what you're thinking and I can feel what you want. You'll feel the same kind of stuff from me," he added, moving closer to her and placing his hands on her thighs.
Bonnie swallowed hard, scowling at him because she was beginning to realize that some of the feelings she was beginning to experience, were coming from Kai. They both excited and angered her. She wondered just how much he could read her.
"What am thinking right now?" she asked.
Kai acted as if he had to think about it, as he moved closer, inches from her frowning and flushed face.
"You want to slap me … almost as much as you want me to kiss you," he purred.
Bonnie shook. She could not hide anything from him and she hated that, but she couldn't break the spell without his cooperation. He'd never agreed to that. She'd have to live with it for now.
"I don't want you to kiss me," she lied, knowing a part of her – a part she was trying to fight – was still attracted to the bastard.
Kai leaned forward, brushing his cheek against hers as he whispered in her ear.
"Yes you do, but don't worry," he said, "I can wait."
Bonnie pushed him back. Feeling their combined emotions was disorienting. She needed distance to focus.
"If you knew that's what the spell would do, why the Hell didn't you stop me?" she asked.
Kai smiled at her, lifting her chin and looking deep into her eyes before he spoke.
"Oh, now what fun would that be?"