Resurrection: Chapter Two
By V.C. Turner
Bonnie forced herself to keep her eyes on the road, but the naked man sitting next to her proved to be more of a distraction than she'd anticipated. He barely spoke. He didn't need to. The rhythmic sound of his breathing just a few feet away was enough to make her clutch the steering wheel and pray she made it back into town without wrecking her car.
Her revenge plan was shot to Hell thanks to a Bennett witch destiny that she neither asked for nor wanted. Killing him was no longer an option. There would be no epic battle in which she was allowed to save the day. There would be no torture to discover the truth of Kai's sleeping spell. There was simply a sexy, evil man sitting in the car next to her - clad only in a ragged blanket taken from the witch mansion.
Thoughts flooded her conscious mind as she made her way out of the woods and onto the streets of civilization. She should have left him behind, but there was no running water in the house. The structure was a shell for the most part. Bonnie chuckled at the realization that she felt like a shell too: existing, but not existing among the residents of Mystic Falls. She smiled. She nodded. She said 'hi' to the people around her, but the truth hit her with brute force: she was a stranger in her own hometown.
"Penny for your thoughts," he asked.
Kai's voice startled her. It took a few seconds for her to fully appreciate that she wasn't alone any longer.
She finally answered him, trying hard to prevent venom from lacing her voice as it usually did when they spoke to one another.
"You don't have a penny," she said, shooting him a brief sideways glance.
"Didn't stop you from looking over here to check though, did it?" Kai chided.
Bonnie forced back a smile. He somehow found a way to flirt with her, regardless of the situation. She still had no intention of letting her guard down around him.
"Would you give it a rest, please? I'm trying to figure something out," she added.
"Like how you're going to explain resurrecting and housing 'The Evil One?" he noted.
"Pretty much," Bonnie said flatly.
She pulled into the alley behind her grandmother's house and ushered Kai inside. As he passed in front of her, she noted his scent. Although he was covered in soot and cinder, there was a distinct masculine smell to him so intoxicating that it forced her to inhale.
Bonnie immediately chastised herself for the brief enjoyment she felt at breathing him in. She hurried him to the upstairs bathroom; then prepared a towel, washcloth, and shampoo so he could clean himself up.
She made her way downstairs, searching for something to eat while she waited for him to finish. There was very little food in the house, but she managed to make some angel hair pasta and turkey sandwiches for dinner.
The sound of running water in the upstairs bathroom soothed her. It meant she had company. She tried not to consider the gravity of bringing him back.
Bonnie bit her bottom lip and continued to work. After nearly an hour, the water was still running. A strange sensation crept over her bones. What was taking him so long? Was he okay? Oh, God: She was actually worried about his welfare.
She shook her head and waited a little longer for the shower to stop. It didn't. She headed upstairs to check on his progress. Slowly opening the door, a rush of steam hit her in the face, so she closed her eyes and waited for it to clear. When she opened them, bare skin blocked her vision.
Kai stood there with water still dripping from his hair. He toweled off in front of her as if he'd been doing it for years.
It was official: He had no shame.
Bonnie stood in silence, trying to form a coherent sentence in her mind, but it wasn't working. He was flawless and she hated him for it. She tried not to look below his magnificent chest, but curiosity got the best of her.
The quick glance at his manhood was enough to turn her lovely brown face a pretty shade of fuchsia.
"I – uh. I was worried," she stammered, "Um. Dinner's ready."
"So is dessert," Kai said, without missing a beat. His cocky attitude was evident, and he appeared to enjoy seeing the levelheaded Bonnie in complete disarray.
He towel dried his hair and leaned into her. The heat of his damp body irradiated her skin as he moved in closer to whisper in her ear. His lips caressed her earlobe when he spoke.
"You should feed me soon," he warned, as he grazed his teeth against her neck while kissing it, "Otherwise I'm going to have to find something else tasty to eat."
Bonnie shivered at his light touch. She immediately backed away from him, hoping he couldn't hear her heartbeat pick up speed. The urge to slap him was overwhelming. She had every intention of doing it, but her body betrayed her as it always did when Kai was around.
"Come downstairs when you're ready," she managed to croak out, then turned away from him to head downstairs.
Kai called after her.
"Well, if you don't find me some clothes, I'm going to have to eat naked," he said, "Unless that's what you want."
Bonnie hadn't considered his need for clothes. She never thought he'd be around long enough for it to matter. Searching for ideas, she decided to loan him some clothes she'd purchased for her father that he never had the chance to wear.
Kai huffed at the idea of wearing anything around her, but finally gave in and put on the pants and shirt, which were both entirely too large for him. Bonnie chuckled at his appearance.
"Wow, just, wow," she laughed, heading downstairs as he followed.
"What, this isn't sexy?" he asked, spinning around.
"Not really. No," she said.
"You barely even looked," he pointed out.
Bonnie ignored him and arranged the plates on the table. She felt an odd sensation creep over her – she was getting all domestic with Kai.
It was surreal. She didn't like it.
"Just sit down, shut up, and eat your food," she barked at him, pushing away the slightly warm and fuzzy feelings she was beginning to have for him.
No matter what her ancestors told her, it couldn't be true that she was supposed to bond with this person. He was conceited and self-righteous. He was arrogant and evil. He was nothing she needed; yet a part of her still wanted something from him.
It must be the loneliness, Bonnie thought. She continued to tell herself that she was merely desperate for company and he provided that, at least for a while.
Kai gnawed at his food like the caged animal he'd been for the better part of his adulthood. He left bits and pieces of food all over the tablecloth. Bonnie looked at him with a combination of disgust and amusement. It was a depressing truth. He had been caged, freed, caged again, freed, and then murdered. His devouring of food as if there was no tomorrow shouldn't have been a surprise to her.
The clock had struck 2 a.m. before Bonnie realized just how tired she was. The day had taken its toll on her, so she prepared herself for bed. She turned down the lights and headed upstairs, passing the spare bedroom on the way to another restless sleep.
She noticed Kai's light was on and, despite her better judgment, she decided to check on him. Bracing herself for an onslaught of flirtations, she was shocked to see him simply pacing back and forth in a pair of baggy sweatpants.
"I know I'm going to regret asking you this, but what's wrong?" she asked, pretending not to care.
Kai looked her up and down with an expression that she had never seen on his face: fear. Well, it looked like fear. It could have been anything, but to the casual observer that didn't know him, she guessed they would see fear.
He continued to pace back and forth, without answering her.
"Come on, tell me," she continued.
"I'm waiting," he finally said.
"For what?"
"You wouldn't get it and I doubt you'd care," he said, turning away from her.
Bonnie entered the room cautiously, but continued to press him for answers.
"I think I'm smart enough to handle it," she told him.
He crossed the room to stand in front of her. If his intention was to be menacing, it wasn't working. Bonnie stood her ground, suddenly feeling Emily's presence within her.
"Bonnie, this isn't about being smart!" he yelled, breathing hard.
"Then what is it about, Kai?" Bonnie said as her tone softened.
He paused for a moment, appearing conflicted as to whether or not he should tell her.
"I don't know where I was. I don't know what I was before ending up in that old house with you … I just know I don't want to go back," he said.
"I'm not going to kill you, Kai," she told him. She didn't know if she believed her own words, but for some reason, she wanted him to believe it.
He shrugged his shoulders.
"That was your plan though: raise me from the dead, torture me, then kill me?" he said.
Bonnie swallowed hard, feeling guilty for considering murder as a means to an end. That wasn't who she was or who she wanted to be.
"It was," she admitted, "But I changed my mind."
His breathing slowed.
"I'm not afraid of you. You couldn't kill me before. I doubt you'd try now. I just don't want to go back," he said.
"I understand," she said, trying to soothe him. The sooner he felt better, the sooner she could go to bed without those pesky pangs of guilt that seemed crop up repeatedly.
"Like hell you do," he fired back, "You don't know anything."
"Kai, I was alone on The Other Side, for months! Months! I watched my father get murdered in front of me and there was NOTHING I could do about it. I watched my friends laugh and be happy, move on with their lives, and I couldn't even touch them -," she cut herself off and walked away, turning around to prevent him from seeing her tears.
"Bonnie…" he paused briefly, "Bonnie, you're right, okay? The Other Side was shitty. But at least you could see…something or someone. I had darkness. I had pain, this unbelievable, unforgiving pain. So much, I just screamed; couldn't stop. It wouldn't go away. I could never get used to it. Sometimes I thought there was someone there with me, so I'd chase after the other screams I heard. But there was nothing. Just nothing."
Silence fell on the room again. Bonnie's breath caught in her chest. She had an urge to hug him, but fought it.
He walked to her and grabbed her by the arms. He immediately let her go as if he regretted the force he used.
"I know why you brought me back, Bonnie, but I can't help you," he told her.
"Why not?" she demanded.
Kai shook his head.
"I can't tell you that," he responded.
"I can figure out a way to make you talk, one way or another," Bonnie threatened.
"So this is how it's going to go, huh? I flirt with you. You threaten me. I get mean. You get defensive. I back off, you get judgmental – fuck, we might as well be married," he chuckled, but there was no humor in his voice.
Bonnie changed her tone, she backed out of the room to stand in the doorway, hoping leaning on the frame would help her steady her mind as well as her body.
"Just, get some rest," she said, "I will check on you in the morning.
"You do need to know something though," he started.
"What's that?"
"I won't go back there," he added, "I will kill whoever tries to send me. Do you understand?"
Bonnie nodded. She started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to him.
"Even me?" she asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
Kai drew in a deep breath and thought about it for a moment.
"I'm not here to kill you Bonnie," he said weakly.
Too frightened to ask him any more questions, Bonnie finished her retreat.
Bonnie thought that having someone else in the house with her would stop her daily nightmares, but it didn't. The images that burned in her head were of witnessing her father's death. She watched as her dad ascended the stage in the town square and began to speak. Then a man who looked like Stefan appeared from out of nowhere. He stood next to Rudy, taking the microphone from him.
Bonnie shook in horror as she watched this memory play out again. The crowd was again compelled into submission. They could not move. They could not stop him. They could not help her. She ran helplessly toward her father in slow motion. She knew what would come next. Silas would slice her father's throat right in front of her.
Bonnie's screams were silent. Tears burned her eyes and cheeks, and she fell to the ground. She couldn't look away.
But the scene changed. Silas was thrown across the stage. Bonnie couldn't understand how it was possible since she had no powers as a ghost. She looked up and saw Kai standing on the stage several feet from her father.
No one in the crowd appeared to notice her, but Kai did. He reached down and led her up on stage.
"Go on," he said, pushing her toward Rudy, "Say goodbye to your dad the right way."
Bonnie shook her head.
"No, no. This isn't how it happened," she told him.
"You told me," Kai said, "But you deserve the goodbye you never got."
Bonnie began to weep. Over the years, she and her father had finally come to terms with one another. He'd finally accepted her existence as a witch and was proud of her accomplishments. She'd accepted that he loved her and wanted to keep her safe, no matter how much power she possessed.
She flew into her father's arms and told her dad that she was going to be okay.
"That's all any father wants to know, Bonnie," Rudy said, "I love you sweetheart."
Rudy walked off the stage and into an oval of light. Bonnie then turned to Kai in her dream.
"Thank you," she told him.
Bonnie's eyes flickered open. Kai was lying in bed with her. Instead of anger at his presence, she felt grateful at what he'd done for her in her dream.
"Thank you," she repeated – this time in the conscious world.
"Well, I owed you…resurrection spell and all," Kai said, smiling cautiously at her.
He sat up slowly and, as he did, and painful loneliness set in on Bonnie.
"You – you don't have to leave," she said. Her own words surprised her.
Kai frowned, his look of disbelief so amusing to Bonnie that she began to laugh despite the tears she had just shed for her dad.
"Is this a trick?" he asked.
"No," she answered, patting the covers and inviting him to sit down.
He wasn't as terrifying as he had been before, but she was still skeptical about him staying in the room with her. His presence did, however, have advantages. If he could enter her dreams, perhaps he could stop the nightmares.
Kai began to check under the covers and pillows.
"What is your problem," she asked.
He held up his hands.
"Just checking for any weaponry you might use against me," he said with a smile that made her heart drop.
"How do you do that – the dream jumping thing," Bonnie inquired.
"If you promise not to kill me, I'll teach you," he said looking down at the bed, "Over the covers or under?"
"Over!" she said.
Kai obeyed, sliding onto the bed next to her. They were more than a foot apart but she could still feel the warmth of his body. It was comforting and unsettling at the same time.
Bonnie wanted to be held, to feel like she mattered to someone, but having Kai be the person to do it unnerved her. She missed being touched, being held, being kissed, being loved. She didn't expect him to feel anything for her, but the least he could do was help fill the void.
The moon cast a faint blue glow into the room.
"I'm not going to hurt you if that's what you're worried about" Kai whispered, looking into her eyes.
His gaze startled her: not because he was threatening, but because he was genuinely being kind. She didn't know how to respond to that.
She scanned his form in the moonlight. Her eyes surveyed him from his disheveled black hair to his full lips, to his strong arms.
Bonnie needed to be held, even if she had to snuggle next to a monster to feel safe. She needed it so badly her skin ached.
She looked back at him feeling the need to say something, but unable to find the best words to describe it. She opened her mouth, but closed it immediately.
"Come here," he said, reaching out an arm.
Kai waited for her to scoot next to him and after a few awkward moments, she did. He tentatively wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his chest.
Bonnie felt his heartbeat go up, and then slow to a more even pace. She knew hers was doing the same.
"Thank you," she said.
"Don't mention it," he said back.
Without thinking, she wrapped her arm around his chest. Kai hesitated for a moment, looking down at her with skepticism, then placed an arm around her waist.
His look of curiosity made her laugh out loud in spite of herself.
"What?" she asked.
"What – What is this by the way?"
"What's what?"
"This, lying in bed wrapped around one another – thing. Don't get me wrong; I actually think I like it. I'm just wondering what it's called."
Bonnie almost choked on her words before she spoke them.
"Normal people call it cuddling," she answered.
"And this is all you do…just lie here?" Kai continued his inquiry.
"Well, yeah –" she said, trying to hide her enjoyment at his fascination with something that appeared to be so basic: human contact.
"I'm feeling warm and kind of – I don't know – tingly. Is that normal?" he asked.
"Probably not for you, no," she answered. She buried her face in his shoulder so he couldn't see her expression. She was letting down her guard and it terrified her.
He drew in a deep breath and squeezed her.
"But you like it, right? You miss it?"
"Yeah, I do," she admitted.
A brief silence fell between them before he spoke again.
"Well, hurry up and go to sleep before I say something nice," he looked down at her and smiled – a wicked, knowing grin that she hated up until that moment.
"Oh. Go ahead and say something nice," Bonnie prodded, "It might scare me enough to kill me."
"Fine," he looked down at her, stroking her cheek, " You are a beautiful woman, Bonnie Bennett," he said quietly, "Now go to sleep before I start sounding like a jackass again."
She simply nodded. She had no words. Her heart felt like it stopped, but she didn't die.
Instead, Bonnie fell asleep in his arms.
She awoke a few hours later to a warm aching feeling she'd never had before. The foreign sensation was both intense and intoxicating – she was drunk off of it.
She tossed. She turned. Nothing would quiet the sensation, and it was growing. Her eyes opened to see Kai sleeping next to her. She had rolled away from him in her sleep.
Bonnie returned to lying on his shoulder, but the feelings she had grew more intense. She needed something from him and it terrified her to think that he could be the only one to fix it.
He looked so normal there next to her in the dark. So harmless. Her breathing picked up and something inside of her begged her touch him – so she did. She let her fingers graze across the exposed skin of his stomach where his t-shirt was riding up.
More – her body cried out, but it was wrong. She didn't like him. She wanted him dead several hours ago. Yet one touch wasn't going to be enough.
Bonnie feared she was being manipulated somehow. The sudden urge to seduce Kai or be seduced by him should have repulsed her.
But the panting she was doing wouldn't stop. She shook his shoulder to wake him, desperate for his help. She didn't know if she was more frightened that he would take advantage of it, or if he would reject her for sport.
"Kai," she said as she shook him.
He groaned a little then answered.
"What, What!" he said, not really opening his eyes.
"Please, wake up!" she begged. The sensation was unbearable.
He finally turned to her and appeared shocked at what he saw.
"What's wrong? Are you sick or something?" he asked, brushing the hair from her face and looking at the beads of sweat along her forehead.
Bonnie suddenly lost her words. His genuine sincerity for her well being, coupled with his unnecessarily handsome face, added to her own uncontrollable desire – it was just too much for her to handle.
"Would it completely freak you out if I told you I needed you to kiss me," she asked him, hoping her seriousness would prevent him from turning the situation into a joke.
"Are you kidding?" Kai responded.
"No, I mean it," she told him.
"Yeah it does freak me out," he said, "But that's not gonna stop me."
Kai grabbed her face and kissed her mouth with passionate uncertainty. He held onto the base of her neck, while pulling her against his chest with his free hand. He caressed her back and left a trail of scorching kisses down her jaw to her collarbone.
Bonnie's need only increased by his surprisingly respectful treatment of her body.
"Why are you being so gentle?" she asked, panting with the intensity of a command.
"What," he said breathlessly, caught up in the euphoria. He continued to plant torturous kisses on every inch of her exposed skin.
"Kai, you can't hold back," she pleaded, "There's something wrong with me."
"Nothing's wrong with you," he said into her neck as he ran his hands down her arms.
It took all her strength to pull him away from her screaming body, but she did because she needed to look him in the eye before she said it.
"Please," begged Bonnie.
"Bon, I'm a hybrid vampire witch that hasn't done this in 20 years. Everything in me is stronger now. My muscles. My power. I mean it," he warned, "I might actually kill you."
She yanked at his shirt until it fell from his shoulders, exposing the perfectly sinful body she was craving with a fierceness she'd never felt before.
"As if I'm afraid to die," snapped back.
She grabbed him by the waist and kissed him hard, as if each caress of her lips relieved some of the intense sexual pressure she was feeling. He tore the pajama shirt from her body as she ripped his sweatpants to shreds.
Bonnie needed him. It wasn't just desire. It sure as hell wasn't love. It was something that felt supernatural.
He stroked every inch of her body until she was on fire. He wasn't siphoning magic from her. It felt as if he was, in some way, giving her some of his power.
Uncertainty still remained on his handsome face as he hovered over her for what felt like eternity. His eyes devoured her body as if he were trying to map out the best way to tease her, please her, drive her insane, and then give them both what they wanted.
His gaze did things to her insides that made her writhe violently on the bed. Kai dipped his head down, and began kissing up her left thigh and down her right. He looked up into her eyes, and vampire veins began to show. Bonnie's breathing ceased and he stopped moving.
Kai swallowed and looked away.
"It's okay," she reassured him.
He nodded in acknowledgement, and continued kissing up her body until he reached her breasts. He gave careful attention to every inch of them: nibbling, kissing and licking until Bonnie thought she'd pass out.
Kai reached her chin, and then kissed up to her earlobe.
"Still sure?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered.
Kai slipped inside her quivering folds as she dug her fingernails into his shoulder blades. His movement was deliberately slow – to the point of pleasurable agony. Perhaps he was being cautious. Perhaps he was trying to tease her. Regardless of his intentions, wanted him to pick up the pace, but he didn't oblige her. He kept his steady rhythm as he kissed her lips so softly her eyes rolled back into her head.
Bonnie wanted to scream, but there wasn't enough air left in her lungs. She moaned. She sighed. She whispered his name when he freed her mouth long enough to speak it.
The desire coiled within her so tightly she thought she'd explode and catch the house on fire.
"Kai, please," she begged him again.
He sped up only slightly as he pulled away from kissing her to look in her eyes. She noticed that his eyes had darkened and his fangs were beginning to show.
"Bonnie, I need to…" he started.
"It's okay. Do it," she assured him.
Kai nodded, then pressed his mouth to her neck, biting down hard enough to break the skin, but gently enough not to cause damage to her flesh. He moaned loudly in her ear as Bonnie screamed through both her release as well as his.
He freed her neck, but continued to pant into her shoulder.
Bonnie didn't realize that she was gripping him so tightly that she'd drawn blood.
He finally pulled away from her as sunlight broke through the windows, casting bright yellow light throughout the room.
Kai looked at her wounded neck rubbing the small puncture wounds he'd made.
"I'm – I'm sorry about that. Do you want me to fix it," he started to bite down on his wrist, but she stopped him.
"No, I'm okay," she said as she rolled over to face him, "I just don't know what this means."
Kai shot her a wicked grin as he stroked her back lightly.
"Oh yes you do," Kai said.
"Well, I suppose that settle's it," she said, winking at him, "It's Heaven."