With time running out Bonnie and Enzo reluctantly team up with Kai, who is desperate to save Lucy's life and to repair his broken relationship with Bonnie. Finally, Enzo learns The Armory's true motives behind their search for Lucy Bennett.
I Really Can't Stay
Baby, It's Cold Outside
I Gotta Go Away
Michael Buble and Idina Menzel voices rung loudly through the speakers, inside the warm and toasty safe house. Lucy Bennett was quickly dozing off on the sofa, while her book rested against her chest. Moments later, Enzo emerges from the guest room and begins refilling her glass of wine, which wakes her up. The vampire has been spending more time at the cabin house, keeping Lucy preoccupied. Enzo wasn't the worst company she's had. He was funny, charming and quite insightful. Very different from the other men she's been with, but something about him made her caution still.
He stared at her for a long moment, with his own glass of wine in his hand. "We're having dinner tonight."
She shook her head. "What, why?"
Lucy watched as he took a sip of his Rosé and hummed in pleasure, which she rolled her eyes at. The witch grabbed her book off her chest and opened it back to the last page she was reading from.
"We need to ring in the New Year, and it's better than sitting around reading all night," he continued. "Would it kill you to switch up from your daily routine for one night?"
She chewed on her lip for a moment. "Should I change my outfit?" Lucy was wearing sweatpants and an oversize sweater.
Grim triumph lit his face. "Yes. Put something sexy on and be back in thirty minutes. I'm cooking." His composure did not even quiver slightly.
Lucy quickly got to her feet. "Fine."
The witch went into her room, searching for clothes. Bonnie and Enzo left all her belongings in Nova Scotia. Her cousin brought over some used clothes, but the only thing that could fit Lucy's body was the activewear. Except one little black dress in the bottom of her dresser drawer.
An off shoulder ruched dress. It was a long sleeve bodycon that hugged her slim, fit curves. Lucy knew for a fact that wasn't Bonnie's dress. Must be one of her old friends. Either way, it pleased Lucy with how she looked in it. Even though the dress was far too sexy for a night in, she sure wasn't trying to impress Enzo.
After emerging back out into the living room in her mini dress. She gasped as she entered the other room. Enzo had decorated the place with a dozen Christmas lights hanging around the open area. The dinner table had been set fancy in front of the burning fireplace. When she looked directly at the man standing several feet away from her, she noticed he was dressed in a formal black suit that matched her.
"You look ravishing." Enzo wheezed, stepping behind the table, pulling out a chair for her. "I thought you deserved a proper celebration."
She blushed. Which was so unlike her. Then again, she wasn't expecting this kind of gesture from Enzo. The two took their seats, and Enzo served dinner. And to Lucy's surprise, Enzo made Creamy Shrimp Risotto with Mascarpone. He also had two expensive bottles of Dom Perignon Rose Wine.
"I'm impressed," Lucy said, coolly. After the two quickly finished their dinner, she was completely in disbelief that Enzo was an excellent cook and good company. "Never thought I'd be spending New Year's Eve with a vampire whose family wants my head on a platter."
Enzo took a long drink of his fancy wine. "I wanted to bring us a little good luck, and I know you get lonely being here all alone."
She looked surprised, as if his concern had softened her. "So, I found some of Virginia's journals. She talks about how close the three of them were," she blurted, trying the subject. "But the Armory drove a wedge between them, Virginia seems to hate everything your family stands for."
He was utterly unfazed. "At least she knows what that is. I'm still trying to get more information out of Alex about them." Enzo lifted his glass up and drained the rest of his wine down.
Drawing her gaze away from him, Lucy replied, "From what Bonnie told me, they abandoned you in a workhouse. What's more to know?"
His laugh came out more like a sob. "You're a Bennett. Everyone knows the legacy of the all powerful Bennett witches. How pure, benevolent, and strong you women all are."
She turned the full force of her gaze on him then, and he sucked in his breath as it bathed him in compassion. "You want to know the legacy your family left behind, searching to know the type of man your father was." Lucy whispered. Her witchery was stripping away his defences.
"Knowing more just makes it easy to understand why he never came back for me." Enzo knew his ears were turning red under her steady gaze, but he couldn't help it.
She managed a pinched smile. "It never gets easy," she whispered ferociously. "My mother died because of vampires, like all the Bennett women. She got involved and paid with her life. It never soothes me to know my mother was a kind woman, I just wanted her alive." Her vision betrayed her as tears threatened to fall, but she knew she had to stay composed.
Something brushed her cheek, and she jerked back with a gasp. Enzo was before her with his hand outstretched, nothing but compassion in his expression - no disgust or revulsion, not even distress. "No pity party for us tonight," he murmured, reaching out again. "May I have this dance?"
Lucy was too astonished to pull away. No one had offered her this type of comfort in years. Not wanting to be a Debbie Downer, Lucy allowed Enzo to pull her up to her feet. Enzo took the lead, wrapping his left with her right and placing his right hand on the small of her back. The two started swaying to the music of Ella Fitzgerald.
"This is so old school."
"Ella and Billie Holiday are talented women I grew up listening to." Enzo scowled miserably. "Their voices make any man want to fall in love again."
The look she gave him was worthy of Sheila Bennett. "Is that what you want, Lorenzo?" Her brown eyes were soft with concern. "To fall in love again?"
Enzo spun Lucy around before dipping her backward so deeply it caught Lucy off guard. But she was also enjoying herself. She giggled like a schoolgirl as Enzo lifted her back up. Now their faces were only inches apart.
"I've only loved one woman," he admitted, his voice thinning to a whisper. "Maggie James, she was beautiful, smart as a whip, and far too good for me. I wish to love again, one day." His breath was hot on her skin.
Blood pounded in her ears. "I've never been in love." Her lower lip quivered. "Forty-three years old, and I've never settled for one guy." Her arms twined around his neck, and she stroked his nape gently.
"You're not supposed to settle," he said, careful of every syllable. "When the right one comes, you'll know because you won't be able to live without them, you'll die for them, you'll give them the whole damn world. And they'll do the same for you." Enzo whispered, groping blindly for her hips and holding her fast, trying to compensate for the ideological distance between them.
She gave a tiny nod, her forehead moving towards his. Their noses bumped together and Enzo's chest tightened with guilt as he realized his hands on her hips and her copper hair fanning around his face, drenching them both in her fire. "I'm sorry," he muttered, reluctantly dropping his hands.
"Did I read this wrong?" she breathed, her eyes dark and luminous. "Don't you want me?"
"I slept with Bonnie." Enzo said automatically, tearing his eyes away from Lucy to look down modestly.
Her eyes widened in horror.
"It was one time, years ago. I just, I shouldn't be doing this with you." Enzo shrugged helplessly.
Something flashed in her eyes. "Do you love her?"
The question flabbergasted him. "No."
She raised her chin in defiance, but the gesture made her look brittle, liable to shatter.
"As lovely as this evening has been, I really must get going," he whispered. But being so close to Enzo was still exhilarating for her.
"You don't have to leave. I know you prefer staying in the guest room than whatever set up you have over there," she said, forcing a bitter smile.
"Alex is expecting me to report to her tonight, late night work session, even on a holiday," he said softly, clapping her awkwardly on the shoulder.
The contact seemed to break her out of her spell, and she clapped her hand over his. "Forgot you were a double agent," she whispered, her expression so earnest that tenderness welled up in him.
He squeezed her shoulder. "Happy New Year."
Lucy nodded her head. "Happy New Year."
She stood sadly as Enzo walked towards the door, grabbing his petite coat from the rack, and flung it over his shoulders. He turned to give her one last glance before leaving out quietly. Lucy, with the weight of the cause on her shoulders, managed a tremulous bow.
All the thoughts she wanted to express lodged in her throat, jockeying for release. To Lucy's horror, she began tearing up. She'd thought she was far beyond this, established in her unveiled acceptance, but this sudden loneliness was breaking the wound open anew. She just wants this nightmare to be over with.
Later that same day, the gang split off from the safe house. They traveled through three states, killing Rayna's list of vampires. By midday, Kai found himself in a musty furniture store out in Atlanta. He and Bonnie were in a front room together, after they cornered a rogue vampire. Without his magic, Kai was having a tough time relying only on a shotgun to kill vampires. Luckily, he had a powered up Bonnie at his side, who was in the mood for ass kicking.
"Aerodux motus!" Bonnie chanted. The vampire flew backwards once her spell hit him. Kai ditched his shotgun and pulled out a wooden stake. He sped over to the knocked down vampire and plunged the stake into his chest.
They went through the entire half of the furniture store, finding rogue vampires feeding on employees. Bonnie used the pain infliction spell to knock them out, and Kai shot them down with wooden bullets. The pair made a pretty skilled team. Kai looked around and smiled at Bonnie with pride. A soft chuckle fell from his lips as he packed his gun away. "Just like old times, Bonster. Remember Myrtle Beach?"
Bonnie pushed her curly bronze locks behind her ear. "When you tricked me into working with you after you promised to bring my grandmother back."
He leaned back and folded his arms, glancing around the room. "I didn't trick you. I thought for sure the spell would work, otherwise I would have never promised you that." Kai turned to face her as she studied him curiously. "The last thing I wanted was to hurt you, again."
She spun on her heel. "That's the thing, you never think about how your actions affect others." With that, Bonnie walked off without another word. Kai hated being on Bonnie's nasty side. But he and Damon both hurt her. And he abandoned her cousin, who he made a promise to protect.
Kai followed behind her, still on high alert for more rogue vampires. He noticed Bonnie was making her way through the storehouse, and he could hear footsteps that weren't theirs and heard another female's voice. Coming to an abrupt halt, Kai pulled Bonnie behind a shelf of bar stools as he tried to keep them out of sight.
"How did you find me?"
"Come on Lorenzo, you've been leaving a trail of vampire corpses around the southeast." Kai notices Enzo moving closer to the other woman. "Don't be stupid, my team knows my location, if you even try to hurt me, they'll be on your ass."
Her words alarmed Kai and Enzo. "Well, you have me all alone," the vampire exclaimed.
Kai tugged at Bonnie's arm. It was time to get her out of here. But Bonnie whipped around and glared at him, pulling her arm out of his grasp.
"Where's Lucy Bennett?"
"Who?" Enzo didn't budge.
The brunette glared daggers, as if Enzo caused all her misery. "Lorenzo, please. This is a family matter."
Enzo frowned at his cuffed sleeves. "Alex, I thought we were family."
"Are we?" Alex asked curiously. "I know you had your little Bennett witch go undercover at the psychiatric ward."
Kai tried to pull Bonnie out, but she wouldn't stir. She was more stubborn than ever.
"I had a brief visit with Virginia. She told me everything." Alex said interestedly. "You see she gets these violent episodes, that's the reason I had her committed, she's not well, ever since Lucy killed Yvette, she's had a downward spiral."
Bonnie froze against Kai.
"Look, I need your help. Lucy put Yvette in that vault and left her in there to die," Alex said in a low, monotone voice. "I need her to open that vault back and get her out."
Enzo cleared his throat. "Alex, you're crazy if you think she's still alive."
"I know my sister, Yvette's not dead," she whispered ferociously. "Something in that vault is keeping her alive."
The vampire was skeptical. "I don't know…"
"Your situation is unfortunate." Alex exclaimed. "I need Lucy to do a simple spell to get my sister back so that we can have our family again. However, I know you want something in return."
She sounded all too trifling.
Enzo glared at his cousin. "What could you offer me?"
A small smirk played at her lips. "Lucy Bennett is sick, isn't she?" Alex pointed out. "Bring her to me, have her do the spell to open the vault, and I will do everything I can to save her life."
Kai had enough of this. He grabbed Bonnie by her arms and bolted out the building to escape before their presence could be detected. Kai could handle Bonnie's wrath later, as long as they made it out alive.
"We can't just leave him there," Bonnie said, her voice harsh and derisive, "We need to go back for him."
Kai had hurtled them out of the furniture store and shoved Bonnie into Enzo's car with no warning. He nicked the keys off her and charged off onto the highway. Bonnie sat fuming into her seat, trying to fight him.
"Enzo's a big boy, he can hijack a car and meet us somewhere safe." Kai snapped at her retreating, staring at the darkly outlined against the bright twilight sun.
She crossed her legs. All she could think about was Alex's conversation with Enzo. She knew Bonnie visited Virginia, she knew about Lucy's illness, and she believes her sister was still alive in the vault."
Thinking for a long moment, Kai finally asked, "What the hell is going on between you and Enzo, anyway?"
Bonnie's face twisted as she racked her brain. "Excuse me?"
The steaming Heretic looked unimpressed. "You two have been working together for months now, right? I assume you picked things up where you left off."
Anger was in her eyes. "How is this any of your business?"
Kai knit his brows together. "It's been three years Bonnie, I can't help that I want to know if something has changed since I've left."
"Yes, I graduated from Whitmore last year. I had two pending jobs at Mystic Falls High School," she pressed on in his direction. "Then Enzo showed up at my graduation. In fact, he was the only one that came. Only to inform me that the Armory had Lucy's location. So we both ended up going to Nova Scotia. Which, I will not ask how you knew about the island out there."
Kai chuckled. "Your friends have loud conversations."
Bonnie gave him a dirty look. "We rescued her right before they arrived and took her to the safe house, she's been there for almost a year. Enzo and I have been trying our best to keep her hidden away."
Kai took his eyes off the empty road and looked at her for a long moment. He wasn't sure what he should say to that.
"I gave up my job opportunity to go undercover at the psych ward. I met your old lover." She folded her arms and gave him a dark look. "Virginia St. John."
Perplexed by the response, Kai slowly inquired, "Wait, why were you looking for Virginia?"
"To get intel on Alex, we didn't know she was trying to open the vault. Honestly, I thought she just wanted to kill Lucy for revenge, it's what Virginia wants." Bonnie looked up at him innocently.
Kai went cold. "Look about Virginia…"
"I don't care about your past mistress," she started in a viciously low tone, "Your personal life is your own business, as is mine."
Before Kai could fight her on this. Bonnie's phone rang, and she answered it quickly.
"Please tell me you're okay?" Her voice became suddenly aloof again.
"I'm good, Alex just wanted a chat with me before letting me go."
Bonnie raised her eyebrows, "She wants Lucy to open the vault."
"Only to be disappointed when she finds her dead sister's corpse," Enzo admitted. "She believes something is keeping Yvette alive in there."
Kai mumbled something inaudible under his breath.
Bonnie leaned closer. "What is it?"
"Alex told Lucy there was a monster in that vault." His hand gripped the steering wheel tightly. "We open that vault, god only knows what sort of evil we'll be letting out."
Bonnie flared her nostrils, unwilling to say anything.
"Look, I'm going to wrestle myself a car." Enzo's voice was low and weak. "We can meet up at the next state on Rayna's list. I'd like to see this list through before Lucy shows signs of sickness."
Bonnie stiffened her posture. "Like what?"
"Once she breaks out in scabs, Lucy will have about a week, if not less."
Kai gasped, nauseated. "We might already have a problem then."
Bonnie lifted her head slowly and met Kai's gaze. "Please don't tell me."
Rubbing his temples with one hand, he said, "Before we left, I saw a scar on her face. She told me it just appeared after Bonnie gave her the news."
Bonnie opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
"I'll meet you guys in Alabama." With that, Enzo hung up on them.
Bonnie glanced over at Kai to see anger in his eyes. Bonnie just pulled a knee to her chest, wrapping her arms around it as they drove off into the night.
Enzo stood staring at the cabin, with two cups of coffee for himself and his house guest. Once he walked through those doors, there was no turning back. It's been months since he'd been at the safe house, Bonnie had been living there since January. Since Enzo was too busy at the Armory to break away from Alex and her thugs. He was also partly avoiding Lucy. After their New Year's Eve incident, he never met for things to go that far with her. He's never let his emotions control him like that before. There's something about Lucy Bennett. Enzo couldn't understand it.
Pushing the front door open, a roaring fireplace and the beautiful sound of a woman's voice, a crystalline voice which was caressed by a soft and wafting string through the booming speakers, greeted Enzo.
'cause There Was A Time When All I Did Was Wish
You'd Tell Me This Was Love
It's Not The Way I Hoped Or How I Planned
But Somehow It's Enough
Enzo felt a pain in his chest at the sight of Lucy, lounging around in a silk nightgown, singing Vanessa Williams, Save The Best For Last. It took a few seconds before she turned around and noticed him standing there.
Confused and anxious, Enzo looked up at Lucy. The way she moved away from the fireplace and sauntered over to the couch. There was a cockiness about her that made him feel ill at ease. Smirking, she dropped her elbow on the armrest and cupped her chin in her hand.
"Hello, stranger."
Enzo took a seat on the couch with her. "Your crooning voice drew me in."
Lucy tilted her head a bit. "You've stayed away long enough."
"Been busy at work." Annoyed, he folded his arms. "Alex has me traveling more than hoped. I trust you and Bonnie have been bonding without me."
She laughed. "Honestly, Bonnie is like the little sister I never had. Very different from her mother."
"You and Abby weren't close, were you?"
"Not really. My mother and Sheila Bennett were half-sisters. Lucious Bennett, my grandfather, had an entanglement with two different women getting them both pregnant. Yet, he chose Sheila and her mother over my mother and Grams. They ended up moving out to DC after the whole affair went public. Regardless of Lucious' mistake, my mother wanted to stay in contact with Sheila."
Enzo nodded in understanding, "Family's not all what it's cracked up to be."
Her face softened, and it looked like she was trying to suppress a scowl. "Nope."
Unable to look the witch in the eye, he stared into the fireplace before asking, "Where's Bonnie?"
"She left last night, she found Virginia's location."
Enzo looked confused. "Where?"
"Psychiatric hospital in North Carolina." Lucy sighed, her crisp voice sounding impatiently agitated. "She told me she'd be back in a couple weeks."
A hot anger bubbled up his throat. "She left you alone?"
Horrified, Lucy hissed, "Not as if she had a choice." She cracked her knuckles, earning a grimace from Enzo.
"I guess I'll be staying until she returns."
Lucy pushed her dark hair behind her ear. "Once Bonnie gets what she needs from Virginia, we can move forward to taking down Alex and the rest of her cult."
He paused for a few minutes, studying her carefully. "Think it'll be that easy."
She shook her head. "No, but the three of us together, we could do it."
Enzo thought before he answered. He wanted to say the right thing.
"Alex won't know what hit her."
Lucy grinned mischievously. "Look at you geared up for a fight. I know she's your family and all…" the sultry witch said, taking a chance and resting her hand over his. He turned to look at her, but didn't pull away.
"Screw her, she's treated me more of an errand boy than a family member," said Enzo between clenched teeth. "I'll make sure we put an end to her and the Armory."
Her hand tightened over his. "You're not what I expected, Lorenzo."
He might have said: You don't know me, or what did you expect? But her mouth closed over his in a soft kiss.
Lucy's tongue slid into his mouth, and he moved to wrap his arms around her desperately. The kissing grew fevered, and Lucy pulled at his shirt to free it from his jeans. In response, Enzo slipped his own hands under her nightgown to feel her skin. It felt electric, and they helped take off each other's clothes. Enzo's lips found her skin, and he kissed whatever he could, until he took a breast into his mouth and sucked gently. Lucy gasped and cradled him with one hand, reaching down to to stroke his erection with the other. He held her, kissing and stroking her clit as her hand moved over his. Enzo suddenly pulled back with a whimper, eyes wide open. "Lucy, I..."
She chuckled. "Not turning me down again, are you?"
He looked up, startled, as she leaned forward and kissed him. "No, never again," he said with a teasing smile.
Lucy smiled, her entire expression lighting up. It was startling and beautiful to see. And for the first time, he had ever seen a genuine smile on her face. He grasped her face and kissed her before pushing her to the floor.
He plunged deeply inside of her, feeling the hot, wet warmth all around him. He moved slowly, agonizingly slowly, his hands tight around her hips. He groaned at the contact, the magnificent feel of her, the sensation of having sex at last. He had lived like a monk these past few years.
Lucy arched against him, gasping. She seemed to make purring sounds. Her inner muscles clenched tightly around him, wrapping around his aching cock. Enzo could hear his own grunts, loud in the oppressive silence. Her head was thrown back, and she came without a sound, thrashing around his cock. He thrust deeply, bringing her to another climax even as he edged closer to his own. When he came, he spurted deeply within her hot depths.
He kissed her hard and forcefully, digging his hands further into her skin. "You are bloody wicked."
Lucy reached for his arms and pulled him towards her. "I'm a lot more than that."
He fell down onto the floor next to her, and they both stared up at the ceiling, breathing hard. After some time, Enzo turned to face Lucy, and she too turned to him and smiled. This just felt right.
He was not a jealous man. And he would never be jealous of someone as lame as Enzo St. John. Who finally had a last name now that he found his family, according to Damon. The family who was trying to kill Lucy. Kai didn't understand why either Bennett woman was putting their trust in a known screw-up like Enzo. Yet they trusted him with their lives, even though he's the reason Lucy was currently dying from poisonous huntress blood.
Kai looked out into the parking lot and watched how comfortable Bonnie and Enzo were, their hands playfully touching each other. Their loud laughter, over an inside joke, he couldn't understand.
Tired of seeing those two be mushy, Kai pulled out his cellphone and made a call.
"How are things going, D?"
"Awful," He said impatiently. "Stefan and Ric have been bickering this entire trip."
"Sucks, why?" Kai asked, frowning.
"Caroline Forbes." Damon had also informed Kai about the love triangle between Alaric and his former high school students, which was beyond creepy for him.
"I could use a distraction, please," the vampire breathed.
Kai groaned loudly. "You think Bonnie and Enzo are…"
"Fucking again, possibly." Damon laughed innocently.
Kai closed his eyes. "This isn't how I thought things would turn out."
"Oh boy," Damon tutted mockingly, but there was a small, understanding tone he couldn't completely hide. "You really thought she'd wait for you, didn't you?"
Kai let out a heavy sigh. He didn't have an answer, and he was afraid of what would come out of his own mouth if he admitted to anything.
"Elena wasn't even in her coffin for a year before a fucked someone else." Damon coughed, then paused. "As much as Bonnie cares about you, I don't doubt she found someone else. She deserves happiness somewhere, even if it's not with us."
"Us," Kai began, as he shifted the weight from one foot to another. "You still love her or something?"
Damon chuckled a bit. "What Bonnie and I share is between us. But I'm not the guy you should be worried about."
Sighing, Kai put his left hand in his pocket, but said nothing else. He kicked himself internally for even mentioning it.
"Oh crap, Alaric has Stefan in a headlock," Damon barked, unbelievingly. "I gotta go." The phone quickly disconnected.
The mental image alone made Kai laugh for what seemed to be the first time in ages. He strode across the parking lot to Bonnie and Enzo, who were still flirting with each over.
Kai made a face of disgust and shook his head, "Our vamps a mile away, we need to get going."
Bonnie and Enzo looked at each other, confused, but said nothing as they followed Kai into the car.
The three of them hurried over to a five-star dining spot. When they entered, Kai was the first to spot the three vampires, who were viciously feeding on a now-dead server. They splattered blood all over the walls and floor. The rouge vamps have been feeding on the customers for what seems like an hour.
After a throaty scowl, Kai called out, "Seems like we missed out on all the fun."
The three blood covered vampires turned to see that they had visitors standing before them. They all bared their fangs menacingly, but neither Kai nor Enzo wasted time flinging stakes at them simultaneously. They both aimed their stakes directly to the heart, killing two of the vampires instantly. The third vampire, light-skinned young man and light brown hair, looked panicked. Enzo quickly cornered him and pinned him onto the table behind him.
"Lorenzo, don't…" he whispered softly.
"How do you know my name?" Enzo seemed to hesitate as he tried to form his words, his brown eyes staring at the two vampire bodies on the floor.
"I know you and Malachai," the vampire said coolly, lifting his eyes to look at Enzo fully.
Kai craned his neck. "Who the fuck are you?"
The stranger looked at him and chuckled. "Of course you don't recognize me in this body. It's me… Beau."
Enzo frowned, looking away from the man, but Kai walked over to the table.
"Long time no see," Kai elaborated, a conniving smirk plastered on his face. "Actually, last time I saw you, Rayna Cruz burned your body to crisp."
"That wicked bitch, she'll get what's coming to her." Beau sneered, his back still laid across the dining table.
"She will," Kai continued. "Sorry you won't be there to see it." With that the Heretic snatched the stake out of Enzo's hand, rearing his arm back to stake Beau in the chest.
"Stop! He saved Caroline's life."
Kai turned, surprised at Bonnie's loud tone.
Bonnie made her way over to him and grabbed hold of his wrist, keeping him from ending Beau's life.
He glowered at her. "No, Valerie saved her life, she stayed and made sure Caroline delivered those babies." Kai said through clenched teeth.
The witch shook her head. "Beau didn't have a choice."
Kai inhaled deeply through his nose as he fought the urge to scream at her, "Bonnie I can't spare him, Lucy's life is on the line."
"We can find another way," she mumbled between her tight lips.
Bonnie turns to Enzo, giving him a pleading look. "Mate, let's spare him. Come on…"
Kai didn't have time to be a bleeding heart. Not today, not while Lucy's life was barely hanging on by a thread. Pulling out of Bonnie's grip, Kai thrusted his hand into Beau's chest and ripped out his heart. Then he dropped it in front of Bonnie's feet.
He closed his eyes. "I'm not asking your permission to do what needs to be done. I'm not Enzo. You won't move me by batting your pretty little eyes at me. I'm killing every single vampire on this list, and then I'm going to swap Rayna's life for Lucy's." Bonnie's break of eye contact didn't go unnoticed by Kai. He immediately felt a pang of sorrow for her, but quickly tried to shake it off.
Before he could say anything else, she turned on her heel and headed out of the restaurant. Kai held back a groan, knowing he fucked up again.
After the total fiasco with Beau. Enzo and Bonnie agreed to stay and clean up. It was better to not leave a trail of corpses for Alex and the Armory to find. Kai was outside the restaurant, walking into the alley where Enzo was depositing the victims' bodies into the dumpster.
With no thought at all, he spoke up.
"If you and Bonnie don't have the stomach for this, I think you should sit this trip out." Kai said quietly, unable to shake off the feeling of unease, thinking of the hurt in Bonnie's eyes.
Enzo rolled his eyes. "That sounds like the beginning of an accusation."
"Rayna hated Beau more than anything, especially with his ties to the man who killed her father, you think she'd be okay with us not killing him." Kai said coolly, crossing his arms.
"Seems like you have everything under control, then." Enzo scowled, brushing his sweaty chestnut locks from his face.
Kai narrowed his eyes. "Yes, because between you two cuddle bugs and Stefan's dilemma with Alaric. The only person who's taking this seriously other than me, is Damon who's only trying to get into Bonnie's good grace or pants, who knows with him." He replied sardonically, an uneasy smile twisting on his face.
Enzo massages his temples. "I don't know what she sees in either of you."
He gave the vampire a deadpan look. "I could say the same about you."
Enzo studied him for a moment, unsure if Kai was prepared for the truth.
"Does it scare you? That I'm fucking her again," said the vampire as he shoulder-checked Kai, walking up past him to get to his car. "You both made it so easy for me to have access to her."
That had done it. The snide comment about Bonnie. Kai pushed Enzo into the hood of his car, his forearm pressed against the daring vampire's throat. A funny sound came from Enzo as Kai hissed. "Let's get this straight. I don't care if Bonnie and Lucy trust you. I am holding you responsible if anything happens to either of them. I'll show you another side of me that'll have you begging me to mercy kill you."
"Kai, that's enough," a voice entered the alley.
Bonnie's eyes narrowed. But that was the only sign that what he said had annoyed her.
Enzo's face was red as a tomato. Kai quickly let him go, and the vampire pushed away from him. Enzo took a glance at Bonnie before storming back inside the restaurant.
"You are really something else." Exasperated, she threw up her hands.
Kai shifted his weight a bit. "How can you trust him after everything?"
To say Bonnie looked angry was an understatement. "You left me. Damon left me. Caroline and Ric left me," she elaborated. "Enzo saved Lucy's life. He made a mistake with the pills, but he still saved her that day in Nova Scotia, where you left her for two fucking years."
Running a hand tiredly over his face, Kai leaned forward to her. "I didn't think…"
"No, you didn't think. You lied to me, Kai." Bonnie snapped angrily. "That night you left. Why didn't you tell me where she was?"
"I'm sorry," was all he said, seriously, but in a soft tone.
Bonnie clenched her jaw. "You're so worried about me fucking Enzo, you can't even see what's really going on."
Kai huffed, his cheeks growing warmer. "What is it, what am I missing, because what I'm seeing is him putting his hands all over you." He snarled, looking up.
Bonnie sprang up to him and slammed her fists on Kai's chest weakly. "You idiot, Lucy and Enzo are together."
"Has she completely lost her mind?" He said, trying to dodge her small fists as they pounded into his chest.
Bonnie blinked. Abruptly, her expression hardened, as though she remembered who she was talking to. "Lucy loves him, and Enzo loves her. Don't even think of ruining this for them." With that, she turned and marched off.
Kai turned and let out a sigh of relief. Although he shouldn't be celebrating yet, he pissed off Bonnie once again today. He might be higher on her shit list than Damon at this point.
Lucy Bennett was all smiles once Bonnie and Enzo returned unharmed. Her day with Rayna Cruz was intense. The Huntress had lost all her agency and free will. Lucy didn't want that for herself, and she hoped this trade with Rayna didn't come with too many complications.
"Oh, thank god you guys are okay." Lucy answered from a chair sitting next to the unlit fireplace. Enzo bent down in front of it and looked up into her face.
"Oh, love." Enzo's words stopped as he noticed her face breaking out in sores.
She lifted her hand and touched his. He pulled her closer, kissed her softly, and held her close for a moment.
"Damon's finishing up the list. Once he calls us back we can move forward with the swap." Bonnie said easily, the corners of her lips upturned.
"Does anyone know how to do the life swap?" Kai stepped out from the shadows and into the dinning area near Bonnie.
Bonnie quickly said, "We need a shaman to perform the spell."
"You still need to convince Rayna that this is what she wants." Lucy whispered, her voice filled with grief. She laid her forehead on Enzo's shoulder for a second.
Kai stared at her, unblinking. "She will. I'll make sure she does."
Enzo lifted his head a little and muttered, "This is no time for you to lose your cool with her, Rayna will agree if we don't push her."
Lucy closed her eyes, leaning her head back, "If not, then I guess it's over for me."
The room full of people watched and stared at Lucy, as if they wanted to see her finally have a complete meltdown.
"Lucy, can I talk to you?" Kai asked, desperate to change the subject, to bring it back to something less controversial.
"Enzo and I can…"
"There's no need, Bonnie." Lucy said, rising to her feet and not looking directly at him. "Thank you for helping today. Having more hands on deck has made this lighter for the three of us."
Immediately, he clammed up. "I'm just trying to fix things between us," Kai said, but stopped.
Anger welled in her chest.
"It's too late for that." Lucy couldn't help biting back. "Even if I get to live I still have to face Alex, still have to own up to what happened to her sister."
"Nothing's going to happen to you." Bonnie tried to argue.
Enzo looked at Kai with hate-filled eyes. "The only thing Alex wants from you is the vault open."
"So she can see her dead sister. Then lock me up there with her," she said bitterly.
"Don't talk like that," Enzo said, voice one notch above imploring.
"I'm sorry Lorenzo." Lucy stood, her anger apparent for all to feel. "But I have less than a day before they come knocking down these doors and taking me away."
No one had no comeback, no rejoinder, for her succinct and completely correct statement.
"We need to focus on Rayna. Once we do the swap, then we can focus on Alex and the Armory," Kai spoke, breaking the silence. "Even if I have to hold Virginia St. John as a hostage."
Enzo looked mockingly at Kai and sneered. "You'd really do that?"
It was Kai's turn to grow dark eyes. "I'll do a lot more than that," his voice murderously low.
Lucy's eyes followed Kai as he exited the cabin.
"He at least deserves an A for effort." Bonnie bit her lip in indecision.
Enzo smiled grimly, "He left her on an Island."
Bonnie sat down, breathing angrily. "Rayna was also going to kill Damon, then chase down Valerie, and the other Heretics and kill them."
"He could have told you about Lucy, instead he kept secrets from you," Enzo exclaimed, distressed. "That could have cost her her life."
Bonnie cocked an eyebrow. "Lucy was the one who told him to."
Enzo walked over to Bonnie swiftly, his teeth bared. "So it's her fault?"
She swallowed thickly, his mind racing. "I'm not saying that, but…"
"Oh, I see what this is," Enzo widened his eyes. "You're trying to ease your own guilt because you want to get in his trousers."
"Excuse me?" Bonnie gave him a grave look.
"You're still in love with the idiot." Enzo raised his eyebrows, looking down his nose disgustedly at Bonnie. "I mean all those one-night stands with dangerous bad boys with cropped copper hair at those biker bars. Think we didn't notice."
Bonnie pressed her lips together. "Only business I have with Kai is saving Lucy. Not to fuck him."
Lucy closed her eyes and mumbled something incoherent.
"What was that, love?"
Lucy rubbed her temples. "I'll ease off Kai, and if Bonnie wants to be with him, that's her choice." Her ears were ringing.
Laying her head back against the chair, Bonnie breathed erratically. "I'm not…"
"I'm in no position to judge you." Lucy said, finally looking up after a long silence. Her startling eyes were like a flash of light.
Bonnie looked her in the eye in silence for a moment, her face an agonizing image of emotions before nodding.
Lucy sighed with exasperation. She knew if she didn't make it out of this alive, Bonnie deserved to have a shoulder to cry on. Last thing she wanted was to demand Bonnie to stay away from Kai. She wasn't sure about a lot of things, but she knew one thing, Kai Parker loved Bonnie Bennett, it's a fact.
"Stefan hates me," Damon said sharply, "And I think this time I screwed up so bad he might never forgive me." Once Kai made his way into the storm cellar to talk to Rayna, the vampire called him and greeted him about his day. "Meanwhile, Alaric is over it, he wants us both out of his life for good."
Kai huffed. "Lucy's giving me the cold shoulder again."
"Damn, and Bonnie?" Damon asked quietly.
"Possibly hates me more than she hates you." There was a momentary pause. Kai then said, "But good news is she isn't dating Enzo."
Damon cleared his throat nervously. "Silver lining I guess."
"Yep," Kai retorted back. "Lucy's dating him, instead." He was racking at his brain for all the good things that came out of today.
"Wait, what's a babe like Lucy Bennett doing with a second-rate vampire like Enzo." He states; it sounds childish, the way he says it.
"Loneliness, boredom, who knows," he sighed in exasperation, running a hand through his hair agitatedly.
"Please tell me you have better news than this?" Damon groaned miserably.
"Rayna just agreed to give Lucy her last life." Kai said in the same stressed response.
Damon perked up quickly. "She actually agreed to the deal."
"Yep, and she left us a brief note," he said through gritted teeth with a fake calmness.
Kai was staring over from the corner at Rayna Cruz, curled up on the floor of the storm cellar. Surrounding her were hundreds of pages of scribbled notes and simple illustrations. "The bad news is she added some more names to the list."
The Huntress was twitching tiredly on the floor. Kai's eyes wandered around the room. Every flat surface was covered in pages, more nonsensically drawn were pinned onto the walls and the overturned table.
Damon sighed. "How many?"
Kai felt his heart constrict tightly. "She was a vampire hunter for over a hundred years, Damon." He hissed, walking forward to lower his voice. "That stone had countless vampire souls." He shuffled through the pile of papers from off the floor.
"I'll talk to Ric and Stefan again," Damon said airily. "We always manage."
Kai was quiet for a long while. Finally, he croaked, "We need more people. Forbes and Donovan."
"I'll see what I can do." Damon said simply, a hint of dejection in his voice.
The clock was ticking. They've all come too far to turn back now. Kai only wished he still had his magic at full capacity. And for the first time in twenty years, Kai yearned to hear his mother's soothing voice.
AN: Only three more chapters to go. They'll be filled with action, drama and suspense. Kai, Damon and Enzo working together against the clock to save Lucy. A mystery person from Bonnie's past will show up. And Kai finally comes clean to Bonnie. A lot more shake ups, heartbreak, and a character death coming. Besides that, how does everyone feel about Lucy and Enzo?