'Sheila, I'm fine, I promise.'

'If you're sure.' She relented, the woman could only ask so many times and there was no denying that Bonnie looked healthier than ever. That constant despair that used to stain her aura was completely patched over. She chalked it up to the compulsion, to forgetting that boy.

'Anyway I was wondering if I could see Beatrice.'

'What would you have to talk to her about that you couldn't say to me?'

'Nothing Sheila, I just wanted to get to know my mother's sister.' Bonnie recrossed her legs, trying to get the circulation going again. She was back at the camp because she wanted to talk to someone. This was one of her rare moments she had for herself, meetings all done and guests preoccupied. But Elena was busy, Caroline was indisposed and Tyler working, she decided to talk to Beatrice.

'Oh,' she sighed, looking guilty, 'Beatrice is busy right now, but I'm sure she'll speak to you another time-'

'Sure Sheila, some other time then.' Bonnie stood up, ignoring her grandmother's half-heartedly pleas for her to stay, and started back to the castle. She'd only seen Beatrice the once. No matter how many times she hung around camp or asked to see her, she never came across her aunt. Just as well, she supposed. There was no point in trying to get Beatrice to make-up for what she never had. Even if she looked like her mother, it didn't mean she wanted to be her.

She headed straight to her refuge. If she was going to have no one to talk to then she'd do it properly. She took the steps two at a time, wondering if she should have brought something to read. With no literature to distract her as she let her thoughts drift to Kai.

He passed her test, reacting well to the Guard initiative. At one point she swore she saw awe in his eyes and it was a look she wanted to see again.

The heavy door of the roof was left ajar and she pushed the rest of it open. Butterflies flapped, wings beating in her stomach, as she stepped onto the roof to see someone standing there. Barely a second went by before she recognised the back of his shoulders.

Him.

It was him.

Like thinking of him for even a second was enough to summon him. She allowed herself another second to control her senses, haywire at his unexpected presence, before clearing her throat to alert him to her own. The same throat suddenly constricted as his grey eyes, almost translucent in the sunlight, noticed her wandering up to stand beside him.

'This is my spot, you know.'

'Would you be open to sharing?' He smirked.

'What brings you up here?' She asked, avoiding his question and meeting his smirk with her usual brand of distrust.

'I remembered the view from the last time, it's beautiful,' he replied, taking his eyes off her to look back at the ocean. 'It's half the reason I agreed to come stay.'

'What's the other half?'

'You.'

The snort was involuntary. A reflex.

'Something funny?' He turned his back on the seaview, sitting down on the wall to look up at her.

'You.' She replied, joining his dangerous perch, breeze against her back. If either one of them fell there was no way the other could save them. 'Complimenting me to get me to like you isn't going to work.'

'What makes you think I was complimenting you. You're the reason I'm here, but I didn't say that it was a good reason.'

'Are you saying that I'm a bad reason?'

'Your a reason.' He watched the forest now. 'A reason is a reason, good or bad.'

Another snort- she had to stop doing that. A habit she thought she'd trained herself out of when she came to power. This time he looked back, exasperated amusement but she explained herself before he could ask.

'You love the sound of your own voice. Do you even hear what you say sometimes?'

'Of course I love the sound of my voice, have you heard it? It's so silky-'

'It's more rich than silky-'

'-Agree to disagree.' He closed, hiding a grin. 'And what's wrong with the things I say?'

'Nothing's wrong with them, they're just… different. Most people don't sit around discussing axioms.'

'Axioms? And I'm the one who says weird things..'

'I can't help it if I know more words than you.'

'Of course you do. Not all of us had access to scholars and libraries growing up, Princess.'

'Queen.' She corrected, tasting lead as she said the word. 'And I'm pretty sure you live in a castle too if we're comparing privileges.'

He winced.

He winced and she saw it before he could hide it under a smug smirk.

He winced and there was a reason for it, beat, beat, beating under the small pressure in her mind. This conversation with him was starting to take its toll. The pit in her stomach widening as she focused on the curve of his jaw.

'My point was,' she lassoed the conversation back to where she wanted it to go, 'be real.'

'Be real?'

'Be real.' She asked of him.

'You first. Why me?'

She peered over the edge of the wall, vertigo as she looked down but forcing herself to keep looking. The threat of falling was cancelling out the pain of honesty.

'You know why.'

Rich Kingdom, big army, nice family name.

'That doesn't sound like a real answer Bonnie.'

How had he managed to take her suggestion and throw it back at her?

'Ask me a real question then.'

'Why do you want to marry me if you don't even like me?'

'Does it matter?'

'It matters to me.'

She clenched her fist, looking back up at his face, devoid of humour or crinkles. Blank, he wasn't giving anything away. If he was lying it was cruel, and she wanted to believe so bad that he was being dishonest. It was safer than believing he was genuine, protecting her with a healthy layer of skepticism.

'I never said I didn't like you.'

He frowned, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck in discomfort and she marvelled in his real face. No perfect smile to mask the hard lines around his eyes, or how deep the dark circles under his eyes were. In parts his features were a chapter, together they were his story. Tired boy, exhausted over something he couldn't recall.

Her hand fell onto the space between them, laying tentatively flat on the wall to support her body as she shifted closer.

Kai watched her move, instinct telling him to close the gap and dive for her lips.

No.

That wasn't him.

It couldn't be.

He concealed his deep breath from her in case she thought it was nerves. Fresh air to stave off the oncoming migraine. But she was close enough for him to feel her warmth, shoulders nearly touching, and the proximity made his thoughts hazier.

'You never said you liked me either.' He pointed out, the only thought he could verbalise as he swam in them.

'What are we, twelve?' Her turn to smirk this time, and it looked better on her.

'One of us is.' He sneered a little too darkly than he meant to, dealing with his heavy mind. It wanted him to leave, get out of this situation, but he wanted to stay. Odd. He never had to distinguish between the two.

'Well on that note.' She took his initiative, her own mind demanding the same escape. He made no move to stop her leaving, jaw wired shut as he watched the back of her.

Follow her, follow her, follow her.

Don't let her go.

He let his head drop into his hands, wiping a palm over his throbbing temple.

'I'll see you later.' He heard her say, door creaking and he looked up in time to see her disappear through it.

All this pain and it was because of something he thought. Niggling sensation eating at his ability to think properly. Heart beating erratically every time he saw her, palms sweating, and there was this need. A need that was barely a concept. More. Just more. More of her- but it couldn't be lo-

Chest burning every time he saw her.

The desire to battle her verbally in every conversation.

He wanted to prod her, poke her, watch her fall apart.

Strong emotions he didn't think he was capable of.

There was only one thing it could be.

One conclusion that would alleviate his mind.

How else would he feel about his brother's ex-fiance, calling him to her Kingdom to see if she could use him just like she used Lucas? Showing off her smarts and her military power to try and scare him into falling in line. She thought she was so smart, lapping up the attention and practically throwing her beauty in his face- taunting him. He hated it.

He hated her.

Kai hated Bonnie, he realised, and he was left with a clear mind.

Enzo was already in her study by the time she stormed back in, feeling too agitated to think, walking too quickly past him to register anything but his blur.

'What's got you wound up?'

'Nothing.' She snapped, changing her tone when she caught how she sounded. 'Just Kai. He's

being a difficult guest. I have no idea what's going through his head and it's irritating.' She said, placing her hands over the fire to warm them up as Enzo moved closer behind her.

'Well let's not be too hasty. Why don't you judge him after what I've got to tell you? Then you can swear your merry heart out.'

She stopped, looking at him with suspicion. 'What have you got to tell me?'

'Well it's not so much what I have to tell you, it's what she does.' Enzo stepped to the side, revealing the chair behind him, and Bonnie was suddenly aware of the young woman filling it.

'Hi.' She wiggled her fingers in greeting, familiar grey eyes wide with the hunger of outside contact. 'I'm Jo- Josette. Kai's twin.'