Devil in Disguise (Kai Parker)

Chapter Sixteen: Shouldn't be happening

Meg’s eyes were closed, her breathing heavy. For all Damon and Bonnie could tell, she had fallen asleep listening to music on Kai’s Walkman, leaning against a tree. But every time she could be sure they weren’t looking, she’d raise a bottle of Zima to her lips and take a hearty swig. She’d need it to get through the day.

For the most part, she was pretending to be asleep so Bonnie would stop looking at her. She seemed to have struck a chord with her little speech before. Honestly, she couldn’t care less what the witch thought of her right now, but it was rather disconcerting when someone kept throwing uncertain glances your way. But she was also doing it because it required concentration, and she needed to think of something – anything – else right now.

Damon had his own bottle of Zima, and smacked his lips exaggeratedly as he took another gulp. ‘Can you… stop? Let me concentrate?’ Bonnie looked up from the yellowing pages of her Grimoire.

He ignored her. ‘On the bright side, this stuff’s not so bad. It’s fruity, and fizzy.’

‘Damon, I’m working on something.’

‘On the not-so-bright side,’ he continued, narrowing his eyes, ‘is your intelligence, because you took the only chance of us getting out of here and turned him into a giant… douche-kebab.’

‘Respect for the dead, Damon.’ Meg spoke up, making them both jump. ‘You should try it some time.’

Bonnie looked at her weirdly again, and Meg sighed, grabbing a cap from her bag and pulling it over her eyes. So much for a reprieve. Damon clucked his tongue, ‘It’s creepy when you do that.’

Restless, she hopped to her feet and threw the cap away, like a Frisbee. She started to pace, circling their small clearing in frantic, rapid strides while pulling her hands harshly through her hair and looking repeatedly at her watch. Just this once, she missed her magic. Because this shouldn’t be happening, she shouldn’t be feeling… this at the death of a sociopath.

Anger at herself pooled up inside her and she let out a frustrated groan before collapsing to the floor again. Oh, great, and there were tears in her eyes. She stole another glass bottle from Kai’s bag, trying not to look at him, and ripped the top off. I don’t think I’ve ever drank so much in my life, she mused as the lukewarm liquid hit her tongue and her eyes focused on her wrist again.

‘You OK, Meggie?’ Damon asked cautiously.

‘What?’ she jerked her head up. ‘Me? Fine, fine, fine.’

‘Okay, then.’ he strode forward and plucked the bottle from her hands. She just shook her head.

‘Oh, this shouldn’t be happening.’ she murmured softly, looking Kai’s body full in the face for the first time since he died. ‘This should not be happening.’

‘Think about it, Damon.’ Bonnie continued their earlier conversation, looking at Meg with some unreadable emotion in her eyes – was that worry? ‘What prison gives an inmate a key?’

‘Is that a trick question? Or is this stuff actually starting to kick in?’ he looked down at the bottle of Zima and took another gulp.

‘I think the Gemini Coven used a Bennett spell to create this place. What if that’s why my Grams sent me here?’

‘This is the face I make when I don’t understand you.’ he made his eyes glaze over and nostrils flare, lolling his head around his shoulders. Oh, yeah, the Zima was starting to kick in.

Bonnie sighed deeply, looking at the Ascendant. ‘You know, the last thing my Grams said to me was to stay strong. What if that was her way of telling me I have the power to get out? I have the Ascendant, a massive celestial event to draw from… plus, a burning desire to get away from you.’

‘Is your Grams called Sheila Bennett, by any chance?’ Meg asked, shocking the two.

‘Yes… How did you know that?’ Bonnie asked slowly.

‘You’re right. It’s a Bennett spell.’ she nodded. ‘Sheila was there when they put Kai away. An old family friend…’

‘Which means,’ the witch turned too Damon triumphantly. ‘I can do the spell!’

She held the Ascendant in her palm and closed her eyes. Her face slackened as emotion was wiped from it and the spell took over. ‘Sangina mierma,’ she chanted, ‘Ascendarum carvaia.’

With a wrenching creak the gears and cogs in the Ascendant shifted, the rust peeling off it as it moved for the first time in years. Bonnie gasped, and jumped to her feet, still holding the Ascendant gingerly. ‘That’s why Kai wouldn’t kill me… he needed a Bennett. I was his only way out of here.’ she seemed amazed.

‘And not the other way around…’ Meg mused, springing to her feet. Bonnie looked at her, but this time it didn’t feel so alien. There was a touch of pity and understanding in her gaze, and when she offered an arm to help Meg up onto the mound of soil, she took it.

‘Whoa,’ Damon started, standing upright. ‘Where’re you going?’

‘Home.’ Bonnie grinned. ‘Coming?’

**

Bonnie exhaled sharply as she used the Ascendant to pierce her thumb, dribbling blood all over the cogs. ‘You sure you wanna use that? It’s all rusty; you’ll get tetanus.’ Meg peered over her shoulder.

‘I’ll take tetanus if it gets us home.’ she laughed unsteadily, the sound reverberating against the moist earthen walls. The tunnel was dark and wet, with water dripping in the background and shadows flitting across every surface. Light didn’t seem to hold any weight down here. Everything was murky.

Damon looked at Bonnie, without cynicism for once. He was smiling. The witch let out a shaky breath and smiled back, before holding the Ascendant up to the sky. Meg looked at her watch. It was 12.26. Only two minutes left. ‘Right, Bonnie… go.’

‘Sangina mierma. Ascendarum carvaia.’ she repeated the spell from before, and the device started to move again. The cogs stretched outward like embracing arms, revealing a series of scarlet jewels embedded in the centre and simply radiating magic.

‘It’s time, Damon. Meg.’

The vampire rubbed his hands together and sprang off the small boulder he had been sitting on, and Meg shouldered the two backpacks she was bringing home. One was her’s. The other was Kai’s.

Her emotions spiked at the thought of leaving his body to rot up there, but she steeled herself. He was dead. She couldn’t help him.

Of course, that just made her feel worse.

‘Alright,’ Damon drawled. ‘Let’s get awkward.’ He placed his hand under Bonnie’s, just touching the Ascendant with his thumb. ‘Like this?’

‘Yeah…’ she looked around. ‘You coming, Meg?’

The girl exhaled heavily and shrugged. ‘Why not?’ she bounded forwards and placed her hand parallel to Damon’s, with her pinkie just touching the tarnished gold of the machine.

He cocked his head, smirking. ‘I’m sure there are about a million people you’d rather be here with…’

Bonnie looked him in the eye, smiling rather fondly. Meg couldn’t be sure in the darkness, but it looked like her eyes were quite teary. ‘Not exactly.’

‘Never.’ Meg smiled. ‘Right, so –’

A sudden loud noise and Bonnie’s garbled scream interrupted her.