Eventually, Kai finds her. Of course he does. She'd been expecting it. The hum of anticipation had been building for days, settling inside of her and whispering in echoes throughout the air around her. The energy that stays by her side, wanders around, continues to live all of its own lives. It sits in her room sometimes, next to her. Watching her as she mixes potions and goes over spells. She'll light a candle and feel as the magic pokes at it, moves through it, uses it to twist into images and shadows that guide her. A faithful companion that was almost always just out of reach. Her own magic responds sometimes, it leaves her, stretches from her fingertips to twirl around with it, a playful but knowing dance between two forces that understood each other in ways words could never explain, in ways that sometimes not even Bonnie herself could decipher. Her magic was all of her, and yet it was also so much more.
And so, when Kai finally showed up, it wasn't a surprise. Rather, it was something inevitable, inescapable. It was the ending to a story she'd know from the start. The words scarred in her bones from the moment she had met him.
"Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie," Kai drawled as he stepped closer, his shoes soft on the wooden floor, a stark contrast to the dreams and memories of a future not yet lived, grounding her in the reality of the moment. The witch in question stood impassively. She refused to look at him, instead keeping her gaze on the vials and jars in front of her. Despite this, she was acutely aware of every one of his movements. Her magic was like static, thrashing wildly on her skin.
"What are you doing here?" she asks like she's surprised as she turns to finally meet his eyes. They were dark and rich with mischief. He stood there looking just like she remembered, sharp and intoxicating. Bonnie focused to keep her breath steady. There was something so effortless yet deliberate about him, as if the world bent to his will, struck by his charming yet wicked grin. He was a paradox, a contradiction—a siphoner. He was born from magic, gifted with it, yet he was forced to consume it—to destroy his own blessing. His touch was both a prayer and a curse that gave itself to a twisted kind of intimacy, one that Bonnie craved. He embraced his nature well, walking a fine line between salvation and damnation. Instead of an abomination as so many other people saw him, maybe even as he saw himself, Bonnie found him a mesmerizing revelation. Afterall, wasn't magic about receiving just as much as it was about giving? The whole point was to maintain balance.
Bonnie had giventoo much, and she had suffered greatly for it.
Kai shrugs, casually indifferent. "I got bored. Your friends are a little … bland."
Bonnie raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a coy, teasing smile. "So you came to play with little old me?" Her tone was light, but there was an edge to it, a glow of something darker glinting in her eyes as they shifted from glittering to something intense—mischievous, cold and then hot, like embers reigniting into a flame.
Kai's grin widened, a wolfish smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He tensed to move forward, to play out another one of his mindless tricks. But Bonnie had been expecting him, and she wasn't in the mood for games. With a quick, practiced motion, she flicked her wrist, releasing the spell she'd prepared earlier. The air between them crackled with energy as the potion took effect and sent Kai crashing to the ground with a mild yelp that he'd never ever admit to.
As he lay there incapacitated, Bonnie stepped over him, her lips pursed in mild irritation. "Moron," she muttered, flicking her eyes to the undeniably handsome yet unconscious figure at her feet.
She contemplates her next move for a moment. She could tie him up, maybe even torture him a little—just to teach him a lesson. But as she looks down on him, something gives her pause. She leans forward and hums, tilting her head to the side and appraises him with her eyes and her magic. On one hand, Kai's power was undeniably useful. On the other, he was unpredictable, a wildcard, and definitely not Bonnie's favorite person. Not that she had many favorites at the moment. She preferred to be alone, her magic a silent companion. But she was beginning to question whether that was truly what she wanted.
Kai stirred, groaning softly as he regained consciousness. His eyes fluttered open and for just a moment there was a glimpse ofsomethingin his eyes—something softer, almost vulnerable. The moment however, was broken quickly as his lips split into a wide unsettling grin she knew all too well, his eyes turning blank again as if struggling to keep up with the movement of his mouth.
"If I'd known that's how you felt," he began, voice dripping with mockery, "we could have had a lot more fun back in 1994."
His words were suggestive and ripe with double meanings, but his tone was cruel. Still, Bonnie refused to lose her cool. Her time in the aforementioned 1994 had given her a lesson in patience, although still not fully mastered. Bonnie would not let him get under her skin. Instead, she smirked, batting her lashes in a way that was both calculated and dismissive. Slowly, she leaned closer, locking her eyes on his in a silent challenge.
Kai stared right back, his expression unreadable.
After a moment, Bonnie blinked slowly and raised her brows with a quiet, unimpressed hum before moving back completely to grab her bag from across the room. Completely unhurried and carefree, as if it were a lazy Sunday morning and she had all the time in the world.
As she reached the door, Kai's voice interrupted her, a hint of confusion bleeding into his otherwise smug tone. "Hey, where're you going? What about me?" his face gave the faintest echo of a frown.
Bonnie turned slightly to address him with a look of mild amusement. "What about you?" she mirrored, resting her weight on one leg, her posture relaxed but eyes sharp.
Kai didn't respond, just lay there half-propped up and still bound by her spell. His gaze narrowed as he studied her with that same calculating look she'd seen so many times.
Bonnie smiled softly. "You're smart Kai," she soothed out. "I'm sure you'll figure it out." Her condescension only further darkened his alluring features.
With a final quirk of her brows, she turned and walked out the door, leaving him behind. She wasn't overly worried about what he might do—she had already taken everything even mildly important out of his way. And besides, she had other matters, more important matters, to attend to.
The night was cool and quiet, an appropriate atmosphere for the task at hand. Bonnie moved through the darkness purposefully, her steps light and meticulous as she tracked her target. The vampire she was hunting was a nomad, a nobody in the grand scheme of things, certainly not someone important enough to catch the attention of the Mikaelsons. But he had been causing problems, and Bonnie was in exactly the right mood to deal with problems.
When she finally cornered her fated victim, it was over quickly. The fight was brief yet brutal, and by the time it ended, the vampire was a mere pile of ashes at her feet that quickly dissipated in the breeze, finally returning to its rightful place. Bonnie stepped back and wiped the blood from her hands, before delicately sweeping a strand of stray hair behind her shoulder, her expression one of calmness and composure.
She turned slowly, already having sensed his presence before seeing him. Kai was leaning against the wall, watching her with that same unsettling grin.
"You're late," Bonnie said, her tone flat as she regarded him warily. The energy that surrounded her felt it too—it stayed close, cloaking her protectively. Yet, she could also sense its pull toward him, drawn by the sheer power that he radiated with irresistible ease.
Kai's eyes glittered with something unreadable as he straightened up, his grin widening. "I got distracted," he replied, his voice casual, almost playful. But there was an undercurrent of something darker there, something Bonnie couldn't ignore.
She didn't trust him—not entirely. She'd have to be a fool to do so. But at this moment, she didn't have to. She had what she needed, and she was more than capable of handling whatever came next. The night was young and far from finished, and Bonnie Bennett wasn't done playing her own game. Not yet. And now, she had a gallant knight as her newest pawn, added lovingly to her collection. She had no doubt that Kai was playing his own games too. The question remained, could both a king and queen survive on the board together? The answers lay engraved into her very core whispering vague and indecipherable sweet nothings in the shell of her ear. She shivered involuntarily, suddenly lost in the deep haziness of it all.
She smiled devilishly at him, high on the bloodlust of a kill, on the magic that thrummed in her veins. She stalked closer, gaze lowering as she locked in on her prey. Kai regarded her with a mix of guarded anticipation, a dark excitement flickering in his eyes. She grabs onto her jacket with both hands as she reaches him, pulling him towards her boldly. He stumbles at her intensity, momentarily caught off guard and seemingly unsure.
"Kai," she whispered breathlessly, eyes hazy and cheeks flushed. She wants to know what it's like totake—to siphon. Sheneedsto know, it's unbearablenotknowing. She can't stand the itching beneath her skin, the clawing of magic thick in the air. It clogs her throat and she can barely breathe through it, can barely hear above the buzzing around her.
Her eyes are half-lidded as she grasps onto him, his hands instinctively clutching at her.
"Bonnie," he groans, his face tilted upwards in a wordless plea, the muscles in his neck straining under the tension.
She can't help but thread her fingers in his hair, tugging harshly until their faces meet and she's able to surge forward, planting a desperate, open-mouthed kiss against his chapped lips.
Take. Take mind chants at her as she digs her nails into him and presses herself impossibly closer. Kai lets her, yielding to her need and giving in to his own. Her skin burns despite the coolness of the night and Bonnie revels in the power she feels, as if finally reclaiming a part of herself she had long denied.