Burned » Kai Parker

15

"There's reports of a turf war on the verge of escalating between the vampire populations in Salem and Keizer. It may require intervention soon."

Kai took this in with a vaguely thoughtful expression and a hand on his jaw, nodding. Frankly, someone could've informed him that the next bullet point on the list was mass human extinction and he still would've acknowledged it in the same manner.

It had been days since Kai and I first met in his apartment to kick off a round of training that I still housed some skepticism about. We decided on Mondays, and the funny thing was, it was never a day of the week that I liked, for obvious reasons. Sudden start to busy weeks, a wake-up call from days spent sleeping in or going out with a carefree head, that's all the day was good for.

Sessions with Kai after working hours should've made them so much worse. Instead, I'd went back to my apartment days ago feeling...refreshed. Maybe hopeful, for the first time in a while. Like my power had been in a dangerous stalemate for a while and Kai was the confounding force to set things into a different motion. Where that force would take me, I didn't know, but I'd hold on with a steady hand and discover it eventually.

"How do you want us to proceed, Malachai?" An old Gemini inquired. Edward, Edmund...Edgar, I think? Too many faces, too many names to allocate to them.

We were sitting in the middle of the second Five Covens meeting and diving right into the nitty-gritty, now that the introductions and formalities from the first gathering were over with. And the petty complaints, I thought with a twinge of irritation, glancing at Cordelia and Elizabeth.

"How do I want you to proceed?" Kai repeated lazily. "I don't."

"Just to be clear, you don't want us to take any action?"

"On a low-scale bloodsucker rivalry?" He snorted softly. "It'd be a waste of resources and of our time. Not a Five Covens issue. Let them duke it out, and in the off chance that they start hiking up a body count, a few of us will head down there."

Edgar nodded his assent, returning his attention to the files shortly stacked below him. "Then we've covered the concerns for this meeting. Mostly tensions at the risk of the rising, or falling, so for now, we'll keep an eye out and keep you all updated."

Everyone looked over at Kai, waiting for his final word before they started dispersing.

"Meeting adjourned," Kai confirmed, standing from his chair. As soon as he uttered what were possibly  sweetest two words known to man, I eagerly grabbed for my bag and got up with Sam and Luis.

"And it didn't end in a screaming match, or Eva threatening a Gemini." Luis pretended to wipe sweat off his brow, making Sam laugh. "Maybe these meetings aren't so bad."

"Maybe the no threatening a Gemini thing is a little premature," Sam said, as we walked out of the conference room. "We haven't even exited the building yet."

"Just admit that you guys wish I hashed it out with Cordelia again," I replied dryly. "I know you were seconds away from snoozing in there."

"I'd rather be fighting to stay awake, then holding you back from fighting our allies," Sam countered, patting the top of my head. I batted his hand away.

"Hate to not side with you here but you would not be able to hold her back, scrawny boy." Luis poked him hard in the side for emphasis.

I snickered loudly, while Sam looked offended. "I've been working out regularly! Just because I'm tall and I thin out a little more, does not mean that–"

"Eva!" An enthusiastic voice interrupted Sam's oncoming rant and I turned to see Derek jogging up to me, smiling. "Hey. Didn't get to catch you after the last meeting."