Redamancy | Elena Gilbert

Chapter 62

Kai's target practice wasn't fun.

Well, he enjoyed it. But Rosalind was having the worst time.

"You have got to be kidding me," she fumed when he suggested they turn her blood to acid. "Okay. Fine. But you are not getting any better with your magical precision, you know? You still keep accidentally cutting me where you don't intend to, and burning my face."

"The whole point of this is to get better at it," said Kai as if he was talking to a child. "Obviously."

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Well—" she winced when she felt her body begin to ache, "Can't you try to limit it to just one part of my body?"

"No," said Kai. "Stay still."

She glanced up at the vervain-wolfsbane ropes he'd bound her to the ceiling of Mystic Falls High School with. "Do I really have a choice there?"

He nodded. "There is some wiggle room. Stop moving. Phasmatos navaro pulsus sanguinox."

She let out a whimper of pain as he drifted his hand over abdomen, causing her to feel a sharp pain in her lower back.

"You're frying my kidneys," she said, trying her hardest not to show she was in pain. "Kai— if you don't stop, I'm going to black out."

"You've blacked out before," he said, lifting his hand so the burning sensation climbed up her throat, causing her to gag as if she might throw up. "Don't you remember?"

The memories were fuzzy. "Kai," Rosalind coughed, trying to stop herself from vomiting. "Can't remember... please stop..."

"Shh, shh, shh..." he grabbed her face, and she screamed, trying desperately to pull away from him as the burning rose into her eyes. "You need to accept your punishment, Ro-Ro. You cut my head off, ripped out my heart, chained me up, acted like a total bitch. You only let me live at your apartment because your girlfriend asked you to and I'm only still alive because you know Ruby and Jo would be unhappy if you killed me. I think you deserve this."

Rosalind stared at him hatefully as he pressed harder, causing her to see spots in her vision. She felt her consciousness slipping away until the image of Kai's face was gone.

Being unconscious around him made her nervous. It was a lingering thought, something she was aware of even without being awake. There was no telling what he would do to her. She didn't trust him at all.

"Wakey wakey."

He snapped his fingers in her face to rouse her. "Hey, time to get back to practicing."

"You're not getting any better," said Rosalind tiredly. "I've met witches who can do these pain spells without saying a single incantation. You still have to chant it out."

Kai's eyes darkened. He flicked his hand, as if trying to snap her neck. All it did was make a locker door fly off, nearly hitting her in the face.

"Damn it," he said, disappointed that he seemed to be proving her point.

"Visualize it," she muttered, figuring there was no point in delaying his progress. Hopefully, the sooner he was done learning, the sooner she could leave. "Visualize what you're trying to do and look at me when you do it."

"Shut up," said Kai. "Stop pretending you're helping me."

"I'm not pretending. You have me here against my will. You're training for the Merge, aren't you? So you don't fry Jo before the spell can be done? I might as well help you, 'cause I want to go home. I have a girlfriend waiting for me, and I'm sure Ruby's worried, too."