"What are you doing?" A formal voice came from behind her.
She kept her face in the bookcase, pulling them out in piles and dropping them into a large storage container. For days now Bonnie had searched the house for Emily's grimoire that used to be tucked safely away with the rest of her belongings. She made sure to change the hiding place so many times almost she couldn't keep track of where it was, but it didn't seem to be in a single one of her spots.
She had spent her free time combing through the library for any other grimoire's that the Salvatore's would have collected over the century and couldn't find a single one. She made sure to check when Kai was either out or nowhere within sight as to not look suspicious but consequently enough, any book that was related to magic seemed to be wiped from the archive resulting in her current predicament of being at her wits end and dumping them all out.
"Just catching up on some reading," she murmured, finger still running over each spine for any title or author to stand out.
"Anything specific you're looking for? Maybe I can help."
"Doubt it."
"Describe what it looks like. Old fashioned, brown leather, passed down through the generations perhaps?"
She gritted her teeth, swiping off a handful of books in frustration.
"That is a tricky book to find, it took me quite a few attempts of searching the house while keeping a hold over this body. I managed to burn all of the books relating to magic within the first night of taking temporary control."
"What?" Her head whipped in his direction from the latter and stared down at him. "You burned them? How – when?"
"The night after I saw you in his dream; I immediately sensed the danger and knew something had to be done."
"When would you have done all of that? I'm with Kai the majority of the day –"
"And night," he interrupted "but not these last few nights, which as you are well of aware of is when Malachai is at his weakest. When he slips into his dream state his subconscious can be subdued and controlled without a fight, much like what you saw the other night."
"Sleepwalking," she put together "That's how you've been taking control of him?"
"Quite effective, only side effect is I don't sleep while in this state – hence why I am awake at 5AM wandering the house but doesn't answer why you are."
Bonnie shrugged, looking back at the bookcase before stepping down the latter.
"If you hadn't noticed by now, we don't get too great of sleep around here. Maybe it's that prison we're-the-only-people-in-this-world claustrophobic feeling that keeps me awake."
"Well," he nodded "reading does ease the mind. Might I suggest a romance or good mystery to take your mind off of things?"
A romance mystery, she thought sounds about right.
Grabbing the closest book to her she scooped it under her arm and heading towards the door.
"Good idea, I'm going to try it out and get some sleep before morning. Goodnight."
She strode past him without stopping for a response and headed towards Stefan's room, hoping her last option wouldn't be a loss like the rest. Locking the door and pulling against the knob for good measure, she headed for his bookcase and tossed the book on the ground, followed by the next fifty.
She was about to scream out in frustration when a book hidden at the bottom caught her eye; pulling it out from its spot and seeing half a face of a young girl, pale and deranged with an eye encased in pitch black. Demonic Possession was scribbled in cursive underneath and the similarities sent a jolt through her veins, awakening her power.
She turned on her butt to lean against the bookcase, flipping through the pages and reading through every piece of information twice for the next two hours. Her blood simmered to a raging boil that would cool down to an icy chill from seeing the similarities of a full demonic possession to what has been happening to Kai.
Oppression; nightmares, hallucinations, and drawing on the person's weaknesses to break them down and open them up to possession.
Possession; entity has full access to the body and can cause them to black out or watch from above.
It wasn't until she reached the end that she was hit with a sharp sense of inspiration.
Exorcism; the expulsion of an evil entity from a body or place.
Bonnie bit the inside of her cheek, wondering if the spirit of someone who is living can be forced out of the body the same way as a demonic spirit. She made sure to let every word sink in as she pulled out one of the empty diaries behind her head and wrote down the steps.
A lot of it was didn't fall in line perfectly to her magical exorcism but could be tweaked for her benefit; like calling out the demon's name – which in this case could be Joshua, and holy water – which she could substitute for a spell.
She jotted down a few bullet notes; salt weakens demons hold on Host. More it reveals about itself, easier for the body to repel the spirit. Spirit must be ejected from the body both from the exorcist and the Host.
Bonnie underlined the last bullet knowing deep down this would be the most difficult task to do since she only has half the power to complete it. Mentally there is nothing Kai would want more than to expel his father out of his body – out of his life – and never see him again. Unfortunately the man controlling his body also has the upper hand on his full physical strength and a spell fighting against his mental stability locked deep in a vault in his own mind.
She also wrote down a couple of key points that she remembered reading in the grimoire's over a year; iron / iron sulphate is used to suppress magic, witch is powerless in a circle of ashwood.
Ashwood would be the most effective since a witch cannot cross over the circle, but she would have to find an ashwood tree and grind it down – and she was a little short on time.
Iron or iron sulphate is definitely still effective but she'd have to find something within the house to not give off any suspicion. She got up from her spot and walked out of Stefan's room making her way to the basement. She was sure to stay quiet; taking on her ninja-stance she felt when she ran throughout the house to avoid Kai two weeks ago and made it quickly downstairs.
The basement was more of a cellar than anything; dirt floor with a dusty dank smell, not to mention the iron barred dungeon room where more than one vampire has been trapped. She gritted her teeth, if she could somehow get Joshua into the basement she could lock him in this room but in reality, breaking Kai out of his mental prison sounded like an easier task.
She walked around the rest of the cellar knowing there were other rooms and other forms of torture locked away with the rest of the dark Salvatore secrets. She turned a corner and walked into a small room with objects lining the walls. Glancing behind her, she took a few steps inside and looked around quickly, not wanting to linger.
Her fingers trailed along the items; many forms of sharp edged weapons and wooden objects of all sorts until her fingers landed on what she was looking for. Taking them off its handle she pulled the handcuffs apart to see if they can still withhold someone and felt her mouth curve up in relief to see they are still intact. She felt the heavy metal in her palms and examined it closely before she was sure it was iron.
Before he went looking for her, Bonnie held the handcuffs close to her chest and scurried back up to Stefan's room. Fighting the urge to sleep but knowing she needed her strength and energy for tomorrow, she dragged herself into Stefan's bed and rested her eyes to prepare herself for the next day.
-x—x—x—x—x—
Exhausted, bleary-eyed, and on edge; Bonnie dragged herself through the house to pick up the supplies she needed. There were the items for show; the ascendant, her notebook and some clothes, then the items she truly needed; salt, a knife, the handcuffs, a 6in. iron rod, a torch lighter, and some rope… just in case.
She turned out of the kitchen to the main entrance and found Kai standing at the front door. His posture was straight and his face expressionless, nodding once before opening the door and walking out.
They made their way through the woods in silence, her secretly grateful for the quiet time to sort out her plan for the hundredth time. She was so absorbed in her thoughts she almost walked right by the entrance, tripping over her foot before stopping herself.
Walking inside she froze, heat flashes hitting her as she glanced around the cave from the wall where she was pressed up against to the rock he had her pinned to. She tried to keep even breaths as the guy she's having vivid memories of walked past her and into the small circle of light, glancing back at her without a flicker of acknowledgment.
Bonnie had been going back and forth on when she should do the actual deed; before or after the eclipse. Joshua said specifically that he was the strongest during the phase of the eclipse and the moment he's been waiting for; because of this she has gotten it in her head that if she can stop him before the phase is complete he won't be able to reach his full strength. She couldn't find any factual information to back up her theory – since demonic witch possession through a bloodline was surprisingly not a typical book the Salvatore's kept in their library but she thought she made good use out of what she could find.
"Happy to finally leave this place?"
Bonnie knew better than to underestimate the man behind the mask; his thoughts and actions towards his son was just one aspect of what she has seen him capable of. If there was any inkling that she was against him she was certain he would sense it.
"You have no idea," Bonnie admitted, not letting herself feel the true desperation she felt in her words. "I'm pretty sure I would never find the need to come back to this house."
He smiled, putting Miss Cuddles down next to his foot and pulling the knife out of his back pocket, pointing the tip into his index finger and twirling it slowly in his hand.
"Soon enough you will not have to."
She tried to focus on the words he was saying over what he was doing.
"And soon enough you'll be back with your family," she promised.
He smiled but it was still different on Kai's face, never seeming to meet his eyes. He glanced at his watch then back overhead.
"It's almost time," he murmured.
A shot of adrenaline coursed through her, her fingers and toes tingling with a buzz as she stepped into the circle of light. She reached for the bag next to her and pulled out the ascendant, idly keeping the other items tucked under one of her shirts.
Flashes played out like a movie before her eyes of standing in the same position with the guy she has spent the last few months alone with and the half a dozen ways the situation has ended. Whether it was one of them dying, leaving together, or an unexpected turn of events – the one constant was that she never knew what was going to happen. Dreams and reality alike, her thoughts were scattered and her morals were swaying against a breath of wind; never certain in what it was she wanted to do.
For the first time, in an ironic twist of fate she had a clear goal with a set path and plan behind it; none of which resulted in her safe departure home. She shook her head at herself and at the wonder of how she ended up here, clearing her head of everything before looking back at him.
"You're doing the right thing, Miss Bennett" he reassured, grasping the outside of her arm once.
She sighed, trying to shake off any last nerves and smiled.
"I know, when it comes down to it I always do."
She sliced farther down on her hand since she still had a mark on her palm from her last attempt and poured the blood over the ascendant.
"So how do we do this?"
"You say your spell while my power mixed with the celestial event takes full effect and then you will be teleported home."
"You won't – I mean… you're not going to do it right in front of me, right?"
He chuckled softly.
"No, Miss Bennett, I will wait until after you are gone."
She sighed in relief, his answer both satisfying and reassuring her on another piece of information; he can't kill him while she's here.
"Okay. Well," she gripped the ascendant in her hand "here we go."
"What we've been waiting for," he finished.
Bonnie felt her eyes burn with a brief flare of rage hoping he didn't catch it as she clenched her teeth.
She knew these next two minutes were crucial and had to be taken on very cautiously. In a perfect world she would already be throwing aneurisms and spells his way to subdue him and wait out the eclipse. The only problem with that is he'd be able to see what she was planning, think it through, and have time to intervene. Too far into the spell would be drastic for obvious reasons but she needs to push the boundary to be able to pull off her plan; bring her close enough to feel the power and take hold of her own fate.
Starting in on the first verse, the wind overhead picked up as she felt a wave of power surging through her, seeming less intense with her shortage of magic to absorb it. She glanced over at Kai's profile and saw his eyes closed and his head lifted towards the light. Pretending to groan she fell to one knee as she went into the second verse, the ascendant whirring and clicking as her power blended into the power of the eclipse.
Bonnie unzipped the bag and quickly took out the rod and torch lighter as she went into the second verse, turning it on and leaning over out of his sight as she said the chant louder to drown out the noise. When she saw that at least an inch of it was red hot she gripped the rod behind her back and stood up slowly with the ascendant in the other.
His gaze dropped back down to hers as she hit the last verse and he let in a deep inhale, glancing at the ascendant below then back overhead and the almost fully eclipsed sun.
Before losing her nerve to hightail it out of there she used his distraction to her advantage and dropped the ascendant at her feet, grabbing his left wrist and pressing the scorching hot rod against the black symbol. He yelled out in a mixture of pain and anger as the rod burned a mark in between the two straight lines causing the symbol to burn bright before simmering back down to a crimson red.
"What are you doing?" he bellowed.
"Unbinding you," she smiled "Motus!"
Gripping her hand against his wrist they were both blown in the same direction into the cave wall. He groaned before pushing himself upright, clenching his fist and making her throat close. Bonnie gasped for air as she tried to stand up, falling back on her hands and knees as she saw his feet back away.
Closing her eyes she let out a deep breath, clearing her mind before digging her hands into the ground and gripping the dirt. Power radiated through her fingertips into her bloodstream, slamming her palm down and the ground vibrating under her touch as Kai lost his balance.
Twisting her hand he froze in place momentarily before slowly sitting up and facing her.
"You think your magic is any match for mine? I'm the leader of the Gemini Coven."
Keeping one hand still dug into the dirt she gritted her teeth and focused so hard she could feel her nose starting to bleed. He chuckled, slowly but surely lifting himself up until he was standing straight. Each step he got closer to the small circle of light she felt something deep within her stirring and trying to push itself out of her body.
Bonnie watched him within an arms-length of the circle of light and closed her eyes, letting the pressure inside take over; starting in the pit of her stomach and working its way out, up her throat and underneath her skin. She felt her simmering rage spike to a boil as a deep calm washed over her over what needed to be done, settling her shaky hands as one stayed in the dirt and the other lifted towards him.
Taking a deep breath she let the pressure build until it filled her to the top, tipping her over the edge as a flood of power surged through her – yelling out and propelling him ten feet forward into the wall crashing down with a hard thud. She clenched her fist and he locked in place, his airway closing with the force of being paralyzed.
"Did no one tell you? I'm a Bennett witch."
Her body felt a surge of power; burning bright and fast. Even with the hold she has against his body she can feel her magic withdrawing from her body one electric charge at a time.
Before she was hit with another shockwave she ran straight for him, picking up her backpack on the way and crashing down to her knees in front of him. She heard him take in a small but sharp breath and knew her magic was wearing thin. Still gripping one hand in a fist she dumped the already opened bag on the floor, snatching the handcuffs and putting them on his wrists. She clicked one closed and felt a sharp pain as his hand broke free of her hold and wrapped around her wrist. Her vision blurred as she yelled out, leaning forward from a shock of vertigo and clicking the other cuff closed.
Bonnie's vision settled as the burning immediately dissipated from her body. He looked down and back up at her, an unknown and unsettling darkness casting over his eyes.
She heard the final whir and ticking of the ascendant and spotted her bear knocked over and left in the middle of the circle before a flash of light lit up the cave.
"Shit!"
She ran towards the circle of light for Miss Cuddles and ran straight through the flash of light; landing on the other side with nothing in her hand or on the ground.
Turning back to a shaking head she rolled her eyes, already anticipating his reaction. What she wasn't prepared to hear was his calm demeanor during these surprising turn of events.
"Well this has turned out as quite a bad day for you."
"For me?" she questioned baffled.
"As you see now you have a limited amount of magic left coursing through your veins, most you just wasted in the last minute and may not be enough to get you home. I would have given you more to ensure your departure but your stint has sent your magic away to where you should be."
"Yeah, that was unexpected."
"As for me," he continued "I will have tomorrow for attempt number two and the next day after that if I need a definitive third chance – but I will still succeed in what I came here to do. Unfortunately for you, there is a good chance you will now have to stand by idly and watch."
"Not a chance," she scoffed "seeing how he's alive if I'm here."
"Maybe you will learn something; like not to mess with fate and what is rightfully coming against a person."
"You mean teach me a lesson?" flashes of Kai's nightmare momentarily blinded her, causing her to lift her hand; flicking her wrist as a small slash mark appeared across his forearm followed by his angry sneer. "I think I'll pass."
"You can't beat me," he bit out "and the more harm you do to his body the stronger hold I have against him."
Bonnie dropped her hand letting out a frustrated noise. How was she supposed to gain the upper hand and subdue him if she couldn't hurt him?
"Why are you doing this?"
She laughed once, shaking her head and looking away.
"You must really care about his wellbeing." It wasn't a question.
Ignoring him she walked back over to where he was sitting and crouched in front of the items, hastily shoving in the few items that fell out of her backpack – the lighter, rod, and notebook – along with the handcuffs and reached for the salt before being pushed backwards.
Before her equilibrium settles she was being hauled up to her feet by her upper arms, a cold metal going around her throat cutting off her airway.
"I'm sorry," he said from behind her, pulling the metal chain between the handcuffs tighter against her neck. "But like you said, as long as you are here Malachai stays alive."
She reached behind her head, trailing over his fist and grabbing hold of his wrist below the handcuffs near the brand.
"Kai,"she wheezed out, her vision getting hazy as she tried to hold onto whatever energy she had, "please…"
A humorless laugh came from behind her before he let out a small groan followed by a sharp gasp as the metal loosened around her neck. Ducking underneath it she turned towards him as he took a step back, her mimicking his movement and lunging forward through him towards the container of salt. He lost his balance and stumbled backwards into the wall as she rushed out a shaky semi-circle of salt around him.
Bonnie searched his face trying to see a glimmer of Kai's smirk or spark of mischief in his eyes but all she saw was emptiness. Even if it was for a brief moment Kai was able to break through his father's hold and that made her feel uplifted. His teeth flashed in anger before stepping forward and coming to a halt before the line.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Just a safety precaution," she shrugged.
"You are making a mistake, Miss Bennett. You will not come out victorious, I assure you."
"I don't know," she stood up straight, walking the border of the salt line and landing in front of him. "I've surprised even myself from time to time of what I am really capable of."
"You're no match for me," he stood his ground a few inches from her, his gaze dark and unwavering.
"I guess we'll see," she smiled, walking over to her backpack and grabbing her notebook, preparing herself to send his father back to where he came from, but not where he truly deserves.
Bonnie flipped open to the bookmarked page marked Stages of Exorcism and underneath were four bullets; pretense, breakpoint, clash, and expulsion. She has already surpassed the first stage – the demon revealing its true identity and trying to portray itself as the victim. The next step is to bring out his true self and true intentions – where his pretense collapses and you see who the devil behind the mask is.
She flipped to the next page and read Rite of Exorcism scribbled across the top. From the little research she conjured up on exorcisms, opening it with a prayer and a quote is supposed to open the planes and give her a stronger power over him.
Taking a deep breath she started saying the prayer, ignoring his smirk out of the corner of her eye and sliding into the paragraph quote. By the time she finished she saw a grimace underneath Joshua's strategically blank expression and felt a surge of hope.
Clasping her hands together she chanted a Channeling spell, drawing his father's energy out of Kai's vessel. He flashed his teeth in a snare, pulling at the handcuffs and walking straight up to the salt line.
"Why are you doing this?" he gritted "What good has Malachai ever done for you?"
She shook her head, repeating the spell over and feeling a gust of energy blow through her body as it left his. Bonnie held his gaze as an unfamiliar expression stared back at her through a deep set of blue eyes she could point out in a lineup. Hearing the words come out of Kai's voice but knowing she was talking to his father was a very surreal feeling, her new and old morals fighting off of each other, bouncing off her skull causing a headache to break out. She herself could not give him a definitive answer for why she was doing this but at one point it became out of her control; an investment that she had to make sure was okay.
"He's a murderer!" he yelled.
She let her mind wander to all of the horrible things she used to let keep her up at night; from Kai as a person to the actions he has done in his past that landed him in this prison branded a dangerous monster.
A wave of uneasiness settled over as she recalls how strongly her negative feelings towards Kai went, so deep she tried to kill him multiple times to escape without him. She replays the scenarios of her propelling a pic-axe into his chest and watching him fall to the ground and feeling no emotion, or stabbing him in the neck and feeling justified in doing so. She let a sigh – in a dark corner of her mind knowing what she was also capable of.
"Aren't we all."
His eyes flashed with confusion as she attempted to give a real exorcism – saying Joshua's name many times to dissociate him from Kai's body, casting him out by Jesus' name and God's name and commanding he leave his vessel.
What started out as a hint of humor in his eyes fled the moment he clutched his chest, grumbling low in his throat and staying in that position. She kept going with the ritual not wanting to break the momentum and watched him fall to his knees, an enraged noise escaping his throat as his fist slammed against the ground.
"You will regret this," he enunciated each word slowly. He locked eyes with her and had a look of pure cynicism.
A harsh breath left him as she repeated the Channeling spell to draw out his energy.
"He will kill you."
"He won't," she answered in a knee-jerk reaction, not knowing where it came from.
He chuckled quietly through his agonized groan, a gesture similar to Kai's but not with quite enough gumption.
"You are a fool," he spat.
"And you are a monster," she shot back. "I may be a fool for wanting to help the damaged sociopath, but you are a monster for making him that way."
His laugh was cruel.
"He was set in his ways long before I started in on him."
"Somehow I doubt that," she said through clenched teeth, a memory of him talking about his nightmares at thirteen and hiding in his treehouse bringing itself to the front of her mind.
"How I chose to handle the dangerous child I raised is none of your concern."
"Maybe not," she hummed "but what you do to him now is."
Lifting her hand palm up to him, she closed her eyes and concentrated, hearing a pained groan come from in front of her, opening her eyes to see him gripping the side of his head.
"I know you said I couldn't hurt him physically because Kai would feel it... but you're controlling his mind right now, right?"
Bonnie concentrated harder and he leaned forward on his hands and knees, puffing out harsh breaths against the dirt. Her headache went from an ache to overwhelming as she felt sharp pressure behind her eyes; her brain feeling like it was splitting in half.
"Come on Kai!" she yelled in frustration, his physical weakness a sign she is in the third stage; the clash. This is the stage Bonnie has been terrified to get to – the fate of the outcome rests not only in her hands anymore, but with the person who is locked away within his own mind. If these last few months have taught her anything about Kai Parker it is that he is strong, and he wants to live.
"He can't hear you!" he cackled. "You can't reach him! He is trapped in his very own 7 levels of Hell."
Her hand wavered in the air, almost losing her concentration at the deeply disturbing term.
"What does that mean?"
He smirked, yelling out as she burst another blood vessel in his brain.
"Tell me!"
Kai's blank stare looked back at up at her from the ground and a calm smile spread across his face.
"Dreams are one thing to break through but memories are a whole different area, if you recall his current nightmares as an example. Trapped within his own mind, his own memories, as he falls deeper and deeper until he lands in the pit; his one memory he'll never be able to leave."
Chills broke out across Bonnie's skin as she clenched her fist blocking off his air supply. She gritted her teeth, her magic felt paper thin rubbing against her veins as she pushed herself harder, her body giving way as she felt her nose bleeding.
She watched his ghostly smile at her weakening state and yelled out, her fist so tight her knuckles turned white until she saw his body start to slouch from sudden exhaustion. She heard his jagged coughs when she unclenched her fist, walking up to the line and crouching in front of him.
"Miss Bennett – stop – before you hurt yourself. You can't reach him, and you have almost no magic left; he is too weak."
Anger sizzled up her throat as she reached over the line and grabbed his wrist, checking the blood-red symbol and glanced back up at him.
"He can't break through my hold on him."
Bonnie let that piece of information simmer deep into her mind, testing out the different thoughts that it triggered and locked in on one.
"Maybe the both of us can."
"What happened to the girl who saved her friend when she was getting shot by my son?" Anger surged through him, trying to grab her arm but she was over the salt line before he got the chance "the one who knows the difference between right and wrong, good and evil?"
"I am right here," she said with confidence, knowing exactly where her sense of right and wrong stood, and who was on either side.
"Do you think my son would ever do the same thing for you? He has no empathy, no emotional connection to anyone – ever. You are no different, just another little girl lured in by his looks and charm; it's deceiving."
If her magic was at full capacity she wasn't sure what state of mind Joshua Parker would be in, but it would definitely be coated in agony. She gritted her teeth at the sinking feeling he brought on by being portrayed as a weak and silly girl that is being used by an attractive guy. She couldn't put her finger on why exactly, but she had a gut feeling that she knew he was wrong - and maybe he knew it himself.
"You know I'm right."
She couldn't help but laugh at the irony.
"No, actually, I don't think I do. And I don't think you do either, otherwise you wouldn't be fighting so hard to tell me all the horrible things about him."
"I'm just trying to understand how a smart girl can be making such a rash decision right now; there must be a reason behind it."
She cocked an eyebrow and shrugged with one shoulder, lifting her head to the same side as a blasé answer to a loaded question that she had no answer to other than a feeling.
Knowing she has to hold onto every little bit of magic she had left, Bonnie looked around the cave for any heavy objects and came up short. Contemplating for at least 30 seconds, she walked out of the cave then ran around the woods, finding the heaviest fallen branch and bringing in back into the cave.
Joshua was pushing against the invisible boundary with all of his strength but it wouldn't budge, the iron cuffs securing the effect as a mere mortal, helpless and on the defense.
"Oh this is for you," she said cheerfully, dragging the tree branch over to where he was. "Figured I'd give you a little something extra special to help you sleep."
"Malachai will kill everyone in my coven the moment he is let free!" he exclaimed "Are you so naïve to believe he won't? You will be knowingly letting him do what sent him to the prison world in the first place – can you live with that?"
Bonnie felt a heavy weight press against her chest as she tried to breathe deeply, the ache growing with each passing breath. Kai has admitted himself that at the very least he would go after his father, merge with his twin sister, and become leader of his coven with untapped power he has never experienced before. She knows this to be true but like an invisible force from her chest to Kai's; she felt the inexplicable need to stand by him.
The damaged and the broken have always been a weak spot for Bonnie since she was a child; the overwhelming need to find the cause of pain and make them better, stronger than almost any other emotion she feels. With Kai, she couldn't see it at first through all of the judgements and walls up against him until she could feel herself getting closer the more he opened up to her.
Unbeknownst to her, not only had he gotten under her skin but inched his way into her mind and changed the way she saw him – as a person and as someone in her life.
"I can't let him die," she said it so quietly it sounded like a revelation within herself.
She picked up the tree branch and swung it like a bat as hard as she could, the end contacting with Kai's head and him collapsing onto the ground unconscious.
"You are going to be complaining for days about that headache," she mumbled.
She walked over the salt line and lifted him up so he was sitting backwards against the wall.
"Am I really going to do this?" she asked herself out loud, knowing the answer the night before but that voice of reason in her head just wouldn't stop its incessant chatter.
Shaking her head, Bonnie sat down next to him and leaned against the rock placing her right hand in his left. She caught one last look at the brand and noticed it was still a dark shade of red, not switching back to its charred black state since she unbound his physical hold against Kai by breaking through the magic with iron.
Closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath, she rested her head against the caves wall and started the chant to pull her into his dream until her vision went hazy underneath her closed eyelids and she felt a pull against her; encasing her in darkness.