Oh boyyyyy...kicking off this last arc in a major way, right?! Even though Kai turning off his humanity is so terribly heartbreaking, I must say, writing no-love Kai has been an absolute BLAST. Happy reading, my loves :)
The second Liv stepped through the door of the diner, Bonnie immediately set upon her, checking her as mother hen would.
"You're okay?" she asked, looking for signs of injury. "You're not maimed?"
The blonde slapped her hands away, ruffled at being coddled like a child. "I'm fine, Mom. Don't be awkward." The two shuffled back to the table Bonnie had just vacated and sat down.
Now that they'd stopped moving, Bonnie was able to take a closer look at her companion. The other woman seemed worn down and tired, dark circles prevalent under her eyes.
"I was on the grounds of the compound last night," the hybrid began softly. "I know he turned off his humanity."
"Yeah." Liv quickly ordered a coffee from the waitress and thanked her politely. Once the server walked away, she leaned forward in her seat and let her head drop into her hands. "He came back last night after you left. He was a wreck."
"Liv, how could you let him do this?" She hadn't meant to sound so accusatory, but the look on the other woman's face told her she'd been more harsh than intended.
"Let him do this? You're joking, right? Considering it was your actions that did this, you're going to put it on me?"
"You're acting like I did it on purpose," Bonnie fired back defensively. "I'm just worried. A humanity-less Kai is a loose cannon. What happened to 'we've all tried to kill Kai, so it's fine'?"
"Hey, that respect goes both ways," Liv snapped. "I have zero control over Kai. I tried to keep him from turning it off."
"You should have tried harder," she shouted. Realizing that the diner patrons were staring, she smiled apologetically at them before shrinking back in her seat. "I'm sorry. But you have no idea how dangerous this situation is. Kai was already a threat when that switch was firmly turned to 'on'. With it off, he's going to make sociopath Kai look like a fucking teddy bear."
"All things I knew and all things I've already told him, Bonnie. You think I haven't said all this? He was grieving you, the loss of your relationship. And in true Kai fashion, he decided that violence was the way. He took all of our intel, basically pointed to one random location and decided 'hey, let's raid this place and kill all the people there'. No thought about whether or not innocents might be there or if there may be traps. Nothing. And because of the good will you helped foster, I knew that a lot of the coven would want to join him."
The darker-skinned woman let out a scoff at the sarcastic dig but remained silent.
"And I had to gently remind him of that." Liv seemed to deflate as she took a long drink of her coffee, a lot of the fight leaving her. Holding her friend's gaze, she let out a labored sigh. "Look, I don't hate you for what you did to Kai, and I know you love him, but what happened had consequences. He was a mess, Bonnie. When I forced him to face the fact that his actions now affected an entire clan of people, he realized that…" she trailed off, clearly not wanting to say the next part.
"He realized...what?" she prodded, nudging the other woman along.
"That loving you had weakened him. And that the only option was to turn his humanity off, so that he wouldn't be so heavily affected by your break-up. He figured no-soul Kai would at least be a bit more rational."
The words felt like a hard blow to her gut, practically knocking the wind out of her. "How has loving me weakened him? If anything, we've made each other better, more powerful."
"Bon, you have to understand. Before you, nothing has ever colored Kai's decisions but his own thoughts. Then, after meeting you, everything he did was with your relationship in mind. And when you...did what you did...he couldn't handle the emotions he was feeling, you know? He'd never experienced pain like that and it absolutely crippled him."
Her remorse hit her like a wave, threatening to down her from the inside out. "I've never felt like this, either." Her tone was tinny, small.
"Yes, but emotions are new for him as a whole, you understand that. Couple that with your hybrid intensity, he's feeling things tenfold." There was no judgement in Liv's tone, just stating fact.
"Liv, you can't possibly think that him turning it off will improve on anything, especially the coven's well-being." She had to change the subject; she just couldn't face her own pain right now. "Switch on, he's oblivious to the fact that he holds people's lives in his hands. Switch off, he literally doesn't care that their lives are in his hands. He'll probably kill them for funsies. That part of him that tries to temper his id is gone."
"I told him all that," Liv hissed back irritatedly. "He said that as long as he kept himself focused on Joseph and his minions, then we'd stay safe." Her voice shook a bit at the end. "And then he just...turned it off. There was nothing I could do."
"And how does he seem now?" The chill she'd felt the night before creeped back into her abdomen.
"He told me that if I helped him gain control of the rogue coven members, I'd be fine."
"His loyal followers can't possibly be okay with this."
"He also heavily implied that if I told any of the other members, he'd kill me...and that if I did anyway, and they attacked him, he'd destroy himself and take out the entire clan."
Bonnie sucked in a sharp breath. A humanity-less Kai with nothing to lose. The idea was absolutely frightening. "Liv…"
"I don't know what to do." The younger woman seemed defeated and it was one of the few times she'd showcased such vulnerability. "I agree with everything you're saying Bonnie, I know how bad this can get, but...what do I do? Kai's power far exceeds mine and I can't risk the coven's lives by telling them. Most of them are so young, I…" She trailed off, hopeless.
"We have to get him to turn it back on," Bonnie's voice was firm. For the moment, she felt like herself again. There was a goal in place now, something to work towards. Everything else could wait. "In the meantime, I'm still going to help him. And you. If you keep me in the loop of his plans and feed me all the intel, I can do recon missions. Try to suss out any potential traps and relay all of it back to you. If we can stay one step ahead of him, we can keep him from getting himself, and everybody else killed. Regardless of what he's removed from his brain, Kai is still impetuous by nature."
"Bonnie, how is you doing this alone any better than Kai doing it?"
"Because I'll have Stefan and Caroline with me. And because I'm sure the news of what happened between me and Kai has reached Joseph and his followers...they won't be looking for me."
"Bonnie…"
"I know I'm asking a lot of you to do this, but I need to protect him, Liv."
The other woman seemed conflicted; she knew that if Kai found out, there was no telling what he would do. But she was completely in over her head right now. "Is there a way for me to get information to you without him finding out?"
Bonnie sighed in relief, cheering internally at her victory. "I have some spells that should work." She took a sip of her own coffee and thought through her next words carefully before she spoke again. "How...How do you think he'd react to seeing me?"
Liv balked at the question. "You can't be serious, Bonnie. What have we been talking about the last 15 minutes? He had to shut off his humanity to stop hurting over you and, what? You want to poke the beast?"
"I don't know, okay?" Bonnie shouted, earning annoyed whispers from the other patrons. "I just want to see him."
"For somebody who's super old, you have the emotional intelligence of a teenager," Liv said incredulously. "Come on, Bonnie. This is so messy. Just let it be."
"Okay, fine, he won't see me, okay? I'll cloak myself. I just need to...I don't know. See it for myself, I guess. See what we're up against."
The judgement was evident on the blonde's face. "Bonnie, can't you just give it some time? Leave it well enough alone? For now, at least? Three days ago, he snapped your neck."
She didn't respond, choosing to sip the rest of her coffee in silence.
"Are you sure this was the last known headquarters for Joseph?"
"The last local one, yes. But our intel is old, Kai. We warned you of that."
Kai let out a long sigh, his irritability shining through. "Fine, box up whatever you can find. Maybe they left something that can give us some clues about their other hideouts."
Bonnie slinked forward, impossibly light on her feet, taking measures to stay as far from the group currently occupying the abandoned safehouse as possible. She'd cloaked herself to ensure they couldn't pick up on her presence, but one could never be too careful.
Liv had relented and told her where Kai would be, which, incidentally, led her here. To some old storefront that had been magicked to be impenetrable. She'd caught the tail-end of their work bringing down the barrier and had snuck in behind them.
They seemed unsurprised that nobody was there, but Kai was still quite disappointed. As the other coven members dispersed to gather whatever they could, their leader remained in the center of the front room, taking in his surroundings.
Now that there was a lull, she allowed herself to fully take him in. How was it possible to miss somebody this much? To grieve so deeply a man who stood mere feet from her?
"I know you're here." His voice was a soft rumble, but it startled her from her daze. Kai turned to stare at the space she was currently occupying as though he could actually see her...and maybe, he could. "I've known you were here since we cut through the barrier."
Removing the cloaking spell, her look of shock was prominently on display. Now that she was in full view, she felt vulnerable. She'd never intended for them to actually speak or interact; for today, all she wanted was to see his face. Crossing her arms over her chest, she shuffled forward a foot and offered the smallest of smiles. "Not sure how. I did cloak myself."
"Magical connection, Bonnie, remember? You didn't think I'd keep an alert on that link just in case you decided to make an appearance?" He regarded her coolly, seemingly unphased by her presence with the exception of a slight annoyance. "I assume our link is how you found me this time, no?
"An unnecessary step to take for somebody who doesn't feel anything for me, isn't it?" She didn't bother to refute the last statement. His assumption kept Liv safe.
"Just because I don't care about you doesn't mean I want you around me."
The way he said it, like she was a nuisance, it made her grieve the Kai who had loved her even more. "Going right for the jugular with your words, aren't you, Parker?" Bonnie asked with a scoff.
He merely shrugged in response, as though he didn't care. And for all intents and purposes, he probably didn't. "What do you want, Bennett?"
"I miss you." She blurted it out unintentionally. She'd meant to give a sarcastic retort, but it was true. She missed him so much, it almost hurt.
Kai regarded her with a wry chuckle, clearly not buying her words. For a second, Bonnie was hopeful she saw a flash of recognition, as though his switch had been nudged, but the look was fleeting, and his disposition became impassive once again. "I can understand that. What will you do with all your free time now that you're no longer planning my demise?"
"That's not a true statement and you know it," she said with sincerity, earning a scoff from her fellow hybrid. "I'm not planning anything. I lo-"
"No." His tone was sharp, heated. "Don't start that shit. I don't want to hear it."
"Kai-"
"You have some nerve, Bennett, following me," he said with an incredulous shake of his head. "What do you even want? There's nothing here for you."
"Please don't say that."
"I'm only speaking the truth. Whatever it is you're hoping for, it's not happening." Hands tucked deep into his pockets, he sauntered around the space, seemingly looking for potential clues. "I'm well aware of how much I loved you, Bonnie. I also acknowledge that you didn't love me back."
"That's not-"
"It doesn't matter what you say," he stated, speaking right over her. "The only thing that matters is that you're gone. The part of me that housed any type of feeling I have for you is shut off."
Knowing it and hearing him say it to her-in a voice so devoid of emotion, it was worse than anger-were two totally different experiences. This was absolutely crippling. She couldn't even find words to respond.
"I suppose you thought maybe I'd be angry, that I'd be looking for a little verbal spar, hm?" His attention was back on her as he stopped circling the area. "Maybe get in a quickie fuck while you're at it?" Hands linked behind his back, he took several steps towards her, forcing her to tip her head up to maintain eye contact. He regarded her with mild interest as he took in her form, gaze lingering on the curve of her hips.
She felt raw and disgusted, his words making it clear he wasn't looking at her as anything more than a way to get his rocks off. "I thought you didn't have feelings for me anymore," she said mockingly, armoring herself with anger.
"I don't have to love you to have my dick in you." His words were cruel, harsh. The delivery made it worse, such a casual air, as though he was talking about the weather. A hand reached up to yank her hair back at the nape. "As I recall, you were very...enthusiastic. What do you say, Bonster? Want me to fuck you right here? It's kinda hot, isn't it? Knowing they might hear your screams."
She bristled at his use of her nickname, one he had previously uttered with such affection. Shoving him with all her might, she caused him to sail back and smash into a pile of wooden pallets.
He stood up and sniggered, seemingly feeling victorious at seeing her anger. Wiping at some blood dripping from a wound on the back of his head, he grinned widely. "Not always sweet on me, are you?"
"Why are you doing this?" She couldn't hide the hurt in her voice, even as she stood her ground. Defiant. "Fine, your feelings for me are gone. But the cruelty. Why?"
"Because it's fun," Kai replied with a shrug. "Because you broke my heart. Because you're bitch. Pick one."
Bonnie sucked in a sharp breath, affronted. Before he could get in another word, she threw her hand out in front of her, this time causing him to crash completely through the wall that separated the front of the shop from the back storage area.
Hearing the commotion, the others ran in to see what had caused all the noise.
"Bonnie? What's going on?" It was Kayla, the young woman from the gathering, who spoke up. Her eyes moved back and forth from hybrid to hybrid, unsure of the situation.
"It's fine," Kai barked, "don't interfere." Clenching his fists, he brought his arms down towards the ground, causing the floor beneath her to break. She went crashing into the cellar below, landing painfully on her back. Rolling onto her side with a cough, she braced herself with palms against the concrete and got back on her feet.
"Oh my God, Kai, what did you do?" Kayla's head peeked over the hole above Bonnie's head, concern lacing her features. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," the hybrid bit out, pulling out a piece of wood that had embedded through her hand. Immediately, the wound began to heal, the skin weaving back together.
"Sorry, guys, as much as I love an audience…" Kai flicked a hand and the others slid back through the entrance they came in, as though dragged by an invisible force. The door shut with a slam and Kai spelled it shut, quickly bringing up a barrier so they couldn't get back in. He hopped down to join her, a dark smirk splayed on his lips. "We don't have too much time. There's a group of them, so they should be able to take down my spell in a few."
"Time for what?" Bonnie spat out. "That quickie fuck you seem so enthusiastic about? Because it's not happening."
"Aw, did I hurt Bonster's feelings by attacking her? But it's our love language, baby. It's how you introduced yourself to me, remember?" Rusted nails that seemed to float up out of nowhere shot forward and pieced her skin painfully.
Letting out a grunt, she threw her magic forward, creating a sonic boom that, once again, sent Kai flying back to the other side of the room. She took the slight reprieve to yank the nails from her skin, dropping the offending pieces of metal to the floor. Before she could steel herself for another attack, he was already back on his feet and throwing a magical chokehold at her.
Bonnie's body lifted upward, the tips of her toes dragging along the cement. Kai stepped forward until he was inches from her, her line of sight level with his. His gaze held nothing, no hatred, no love. Nothing. An artificial smile marring his face, he leaned in with a deep inhale.
"The smell of your blood is intoxicating, you know." He moved intimately into her space, tongue peeking out to flick against the pulse point behind her ear. Like he'd done so many times before; times where she'd loved his hands on her. But the moment was sullied by the fact that love wasn't what drove him this time. There was nothing in him but a carnal need to fulfill his bloodlust. To take what he wanted without consent. The man she'd loved could never do this. This wasn't him. "I think it'd be neat to drain the life out of you."
Hands thrown out to rest against his forearms, Bonnie began to siphon, leeching his magic from him. The moment the chokehold was released, she moved quickly to punch him with all her strength, an uppercut that dislocated his jaw. Kai fell backwards, unable to catch himself and landing hard on the ground. She didn't wait for his retaliation before she leapt forward until she was on top of him, her fists connecting with his face again and again. Every hit was a way for her to share her pain, for her to tell him how he made her feel. She might have fucked up, she might have hurt him, but he was doing everything in his power to shatter her. And it was working.
Her speed was overwhelming at first, but Kai seemed to gain his bearings and grabbed her wrists, effectively stopping the hits. His gaze wasn't lifeless anymore; there was a sinister glee that froze her insides. He was enjoying her pain...he liked seeing her hurt.
This. This was the psychopath that caused such fear. But this time, the evil in him was aimed at her.
He siphoned from her, taking no care to be careful with how he did it. He pulled painfully at her essence, taking greedily and with a savage force that mutilated her magical core, A sadistic smirk darkening his facade, he muttered a quick incantation and a wooden stake soared from behind, puncturing her back and missing the heart by millimeters.
The cry that escaped Bonnie was strangled, blood gurgling from her throat and spurting out through parted lips. Hands now released, she was able to grip the foreign object protruding from her chest.
Sliding out from under her, Kai stood and cracked his bones back into place. He then bent down on his haunches and met her gaze, reveling in her struggle.
Through gritted teeth, Bonnie began to pull the wood from her body, groaning every time she felt a splinter break off within her. The process was slow: she was severely weakened and each tug was excruciating.
"I told you, Bonster. There's nothing for you here," he commented, as though chastising a child. "Actually, I take that back. I have gratitude for you. Were you not such a hateful, heartless little cunt, I never would have understood that love is useless." He flicked his eyes upward, listening to his coven members try to break through his spell. "What I want is loyalty, obedience. I don't need to be loved, I wanna be worshipped. And they can give that to me." Grazing a finger over her blood-soaked hands, he brought it to his lips and lapped at the liquid. He hummed in satisfaction, his countenance so twisted, it made her feel even sicker. " I could have killed you just now, you know. But they like you and I need to stay in their good graces." He lowered his word to a whisper. "Can't have them knowing I made some changes to my inner psyche, can I?"
Bonnie was finally able to remove the last bit and threw the stake off to the side. Sucking in breaths of relief, she began to stand on shaky legs. Her hands covered her torso protectively-the wound was slow to heal-and she immediately threw up a defensive shield spell. It was embarrassingly flimsy and he could break through it with a tap if he wanted, but she was so weak...it was all she could do.
Kai chuckled as he followed her up, straightening to his full height. He backed away with hands up in mock surrender. "Aw, no need for that. Like I said, my coven likes you. You should be happy. You're the one who wanted me to care about them. And I do...well, I mean, I can pretend to. So long as they prove useful to me. Powerful as I am, even I know that I can't kill Joseph and his little pets alone. There's a lot of 'em, you know. "
"You're not the man I loved, are you?" Her voice cracked as she asked the question. It was rhetorical, she obviously knew the answer. But she asked it just the same.
Seeming to ponder, he made a show of tapping his finger against his chin. "I mean, realistically, I'd say this is closer to the real me. Baby bro's voice in my head is gone and I feel like who I used to be." He let out a content sigh. "Gotta say, I've missed this me. He would never have been so weak for some hybrid pussy."
The words were daggered, sharp and painful the way they hit her. She wanted to say something, anything, but he'd rendered her speechless.
"I imagine you're gonna try to get me to turn it back on because...well...I know you," he continued. "And, honestly, I could care less. Plot away. Have fun. Just stay out of my sight, Bennett. Don't follow me." He bent his knees and leapt up until he was back on the main floor of the store. Glancing down through the hole where Bonnie still resided, he wiggled his fingers in a childish wave. "Coven or not, if you cross me again, the stake won't miss its mark next time. Bye bye, Bonster." With that, he blurred away, leaving her alone.
And crushed.