Consumed » Kai Parker

Twenty Nine

A faint ringing sound gradually lulls me out of my slumber, my eyes fluttering. I notice the dark ceiling above me and my brows knit together in confusion. This definitely isn't my dorm room or the boarding house. Where–

Wait.

Oh, crap.

The disorientation starts to subside and I open my eyes fully, turning my head slightly. With the movement, I realize I'd been sleeping with my head propped on Kai's shoulder, one arm thrown across his torso and my legs stretched out across the couch.

Trailing my gaze up to his face, I see that he's fast asleep–eyes shut, soft snores falling from his parted lips. His chest rises and falls steadily underneath my arm with each breath he takes. His arm is loosely draped over my waist, enveloping me in warmth and his pleasant scent.

The ringing that had interrupted my sleep sounds again and I curse quietly, eyes darting to my phone laying near my feet. I reach over and grab it, turning off the ringer before the loud noise wakes Kai.

At the sight of Liv's contact name lighting up my screen, I sigh softly and debate for a moment whether or not to answer. Moonlight shining through the windows of Kai's apartment reminds me that I'd told Liv earlier that we would hang out tonight.

I check the top of my phone screen for the time and my eyes widen.

8:13

I nearly smack myself on the forehead. One moment Kai and I were eating burgers on the kitchen island, then we'd spent some time talking on the couch. I vaguely remembering drifting off in the middle of something Kai was saying.

How had I let myself lose total track of time? 

I glance at Kai to make sure he isn't stirring before pressing the answer button on my phone and holding it to my ear.

"Char, where the hell are you?" Liv asks before I can even say hello, "I got out of psych like an hour ago so I went up to your dorm but you weren't there. I kept texting you and you didn't answer so I thought that you–"

"Liv," I cut her off, lowering my voice, "I'm sorry, something came up. I'll be there in a few."

"I thought you said you're on campus."

I bite my lip, eyes flicking to Kai. "I'm...I was earlier, but I just wanted to reacquaint myself with the town, so I went out for a while."

"Oh," she replies, a bit skeptically, "you sure you're okay?"

"I'm okay," I assure her and that may have been the first thing I told her in the conversation that wasn't a lie.

Despite the brief panic I'd felt when I woke when I realized I fell asleep in the apartment of the very person my friends and siblings are intent on keeping me away from, being here alone with Kai has done wonders to ease the tension I'd been feeling recently. Of course, I'm happy to be back home with my family, but their questions and suspicion about Kai is another added factor to the growing list of things I'm currently stressing over.

Elena's judgmental interrogation in the hospital and Damon's threat to severely hurt Kai are reactions I definitely expected but worry about nonetheless. They view Kai as just another villain threatening Mystic Falls; putting him down before he does the merge is undoubtedly something they'd have no problem doing.

Kai has to wait an entire month before he merges with Jo. A lot can happen in a month.

The possibilities of what could occur in that span of time leave a bad feeling in my gut. Joshua, or even my own friends, could get to Kai before then. He isn't safe just waiting around in Mystic Falls.