Chapter 30 Kai
Kai
WEIRD MYSTERY SALAD
I get home and make a beeline for the kitchen, stomach growling like I haven’t eaten in days.
I yank open the fridge and spot two steaks, thank Kvirr.
Snatching those immediately. I dig around for something to throw on the side and find this bowl wrapped in waxed paper, tucked in the back.
Some weird mix of white beads, peppers and onions.
Huh.
Looks... edible, I’m no chef. Hell, I’m barely qualified to cook anything other than eggs without supervision.
That’s Wyll’s department. He calls it his spark, like it’s some soul-deep ritual.
Says his old man taught him that everyone needs one thing that’s just for them.
Something that keeps you grounded when the world turns to crap.
My dad taught me how to grit my teeth through pain and not flinch in the face of danger, real heartwarming stuff.
When Wyll officially moved in with us, he used to pretend he wanted to colour or draw whenever we were hanging out in his room. Which wasn’t often, given how wrecked the kingdom was. Even then, I knew he didn’t really care about crayons or sketches. He did it for me, for my spark that was dying.
But this meal, I’ve never seen it before, and we’ve been living under the same roof for years now. Which means it’s probably Vi’s, and suddenly it's a lot more interesting. Weird mystery salad it is.
After cooking up the steaks, I settle at the kitchen island and dig into the curious side dish.
First bite—Boom, explosion of flavour. The lemon hits sharp and fresh, something warm and kinda spicy wraps around it, and the onions add a little punch.
Weirdly good, like someone knew what they were doing. I chew, raising an eyebrow, delighted.
“Damn... maybe I should start eating more than just meat and the cafeteria food,” I mutter to myself.
Dinner’s done, so I head straight to her room.
There’s Avilyna on the balcony, rocking an oversized shirt, but unfortunately for me, it’s still not one of mine.
The fabric barely covers anything, and I am one thread away from losing it.
This girl loves comfy clothes, and I want her in one of mine so desperately, but my little move didn’t score that yet.
Looks like I’m gonna have to replace all her damn shirts.
Vi’s gorgeous eyes lock onto me, instinctively narrowing, and I flash her a smirk.
That pout she throws at me is dangerously cute.
It makes my heart twitch against my will.
I hate that she can make me smile like a damn fool.
After years of training and strategizing with men like my father, I shouldn’t be so easily affected.
And yet…
“What do you want?” she asks, smoke curling from her lips. I step closer, enjoying the way my body towers over hers. She doesn’t move, holding my gaze, daring me to get closer. So I reach for the joint in her hand.
“Your report, Princess. Remember?” Bringing the weed to my lips, I take a slow drag.
Then, grabbing her face, I pull her closer, squeezing her cheeks just enough to part her lips.
Our faces inches apart, I’m already feeling that buzz, and I blow the smoke straight into that sinful mouth of hers.
Vi breathes it deeply, locking eyes with me as I slide a wild lock behind her ear.
But she pulls back, slipping right out of my reach.
“Please don’t touch me. You look like you need more than one shower.” Right, forgot I’m probably a walking biohazard after that mission.
“True. You wanna help me out?”
Avilyna taps my cheek, all patronizing, “You’re a big boy. You can handle yourself.” I laugh, grabbing her hand. Her skin is so fucking soft, I can’t resist bringing the inside of her wrist to my lips, pressing a soft kiss there. I feel her pulse jump beneath my lips.
“What if I want to handle you?” Vi’s eyes widen before she tries to pull her hand free, but her efforts are useless.
Moving nowhere, she has no choice but to hold my gaze.
My nostrils flare at the smell of her arousal, and a grunt escapes me, while I lightly bite her tender flesh. Vi answers me with a lingering moan.
“Your eyes are glowing,” she whispers.
“That happens,” I answer matter-of-factly.
“Why?” Still holding her wrist, I pull her closer, while I inhale some more of the herb. Vi goes on her tiptoes, barely reaching my chin, mouth half open. Understanding what she wants, I stabilize my hand on her throat and make her fly with the smoke.
“It happens for different reasons, but most of the time it is when we lose control over our power, and instinct wants to take over.”
“Does it happen only to lycans?”
“Mmm, no. Any creature with powers has a tell. Usually it’s the eyes since they’re the windows to the soul.
” Avilyna steps back. She’s like the damn moon, pulling me in, leading this twisted dance, even if she doesn’t know it.
That’s the exact trap I can’t fall into; I can’t let myself be drowned in this mirage.
So I also step back.
“Alright,” I say, voice low and sharp. “Show me what you’ve learned.”
Her eyes flicker, confused at first, but then she masks it with the same cold indifference I’m wearing.
Avilyna starts telling me about her day, but I can tell something’s off.
Biting her lower lip, dodging my stare like she’s hiding something.
When she gets to the training part, I cut to the chase.
“Show me.” Annoyed, she heads back in, and she quickly slips on some black sweatpants.
Avilyna takes a spot on the black mat. With a quiet nod, she kicks off the dummy. Her moves flow smoothly, a mix of raw athleticism and sharp technique that screams years of training. Her strikes are clean, tight, backed by quick blocks. No doubt, she knows how to fight.
But watching her up close, I see the hidden potential, the kind that could make her one of the best out there. Vi sneaks a few glances my way, looking for some kind of hint. I throw some pointers here and there, pushing her to sharpen her balance between speed and precision.
“Your old man trained you well,” I say, hoping to ease her up a bit. Avilyna’s shoulders drop just a notch. “But you gotta tighten your aim.”
She nods slowly. “Okay... How?”
I tilt my head slightly, measuring her focus. “How do you usually approach learning something new?”
“Umm, practice ‘til I get it,” she says, moving through the motions while I circle her, mentally marking her flaws.
“Ever try visualization?” I ask, watching her face go blank. That’s all the answer I need. “You gotta run through the movement in your head first. Mentally rehearse every step, every strike. It tunes up your muscle memory, fixes your form before you even hit the mat.”
“Okay…” she hesitates.
I cut her off. “You have to do it every day. You can use it on anything, really. Whatever you wanna get better at, just keep at it.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“I’m not, I’m helping myself.” Avilyna scoffs, like I’m full of shit.
“Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that,” she shoots back with a wink. That little terror wants to play the know-it-all?
Fine, let’s play.
“How about you tell me what you’re hiding? And then I’ll tell you why.”
She freezes. Panic flickers across her face. The doubt that she might be the enemy claws at my mind, choking clear thoughts and letting suspicion take the wheel.
“What is it?” I press, voice hard, unable to fully hide my emotions. That seems to snap her out of it.
“I don’t think I can trust you,” she says, almost like a question, locking eyes with me.
I don’t want to lie, not to her.
“You should trust your guts, then.”
“Why?”
“My old man wants me watching you. In case… you’re a spy.” The words slip out before I can stop them. The urge to reassure her is bigger than my logic. When she’s around, my guard drops. Vi makes me feel weightless; air in the depths of this abyss.
The truth hits her like a punch, confirming something she was suspicious of.
“What if I can’t control it?” Avilyna whispers.
I raise an eyebrow, confused. “Control what?”
“The thing that could make me pass as the enemy.” Her vulnerability hits me like a sucker punch.
“Look, only your actions count. If it’s something you can’t change, how can you be blamed for it?
” I slide my hand into hers and squeeze lightly.
No idea why, just some gut pull making me act.
If I can’t have her, at least I can protect her, and maybe these moments of good deeds will be enough to keep me from drifting too far from duty.
“I’m not a witch. Not just some mundane.” I keep quiet, careful not to scare her off. “I think I’m… a valkyrie.” Her words fall softly, almost swallowed by the night. Without my lycan senses, I might’ve missed it.
But everything clicks.
Why has she been hidden away? Why does she have that raw connection to Kvirr without any training? How the hell did she survive that demon attack?
She finally lifts her gaze to meet mine, scared as hell, and damn, that rips me open.
I keep my face neutral, “So?”
“What do you mean, so?”
Yeah, what the hell do I mean?
Valkyries were the first suspects in the Bloodmoon War.
They were all hunted down for interrogation, and because of that, they nearly disappeared.
But who could blame them when there’s no real justice?
When the power isn’t equally divided? And never has been.
During the first years after the tragedy, the ones who were arrested, well, we never saw them again.
So really, who could blame them for disappearing?
“As I said, it’s your actions that matter, Vi. But let’s keep this between us for now.” She slowly smiles.
A real, rare one, full and shy, the kind that lights up the darkest corners of your soul and wrecks you all at once. And just like that, she becomes my fucking weakness. Mine, whether I want her to be or not. Avilyna will terrorize me until I die, I just know it.
And what a goddamn beautiful little terror she is.
I am so fucked.
“I figured.”
“Smart girl,” I growl it out, her cheeks flush, and yeah, I’m a little proud.
“Why do you call me Vi?”
“Your name’s a mouthful.”
“Better than some three-letter abbreviation. Your parents were lazy.”
“Probably.” She doesn’t expect the honesty in my tone, and suddenly she’s pulling me in, arms wrapping tight around my neck, crass forgotten.
“What the hell are you doing?” My voice gets swallowed in her curls.
“Shh. Don’t question it, just enjoy it.” Her voice is soft, a whisper that threads through the tension gripping me. I’m stiff as stone, every muscle locked tight, but her warmth presses against me. Slow and steady, and something inside cracks, then melts.
I stop fighting.
Slowly, deliberately, I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close. Every curve, every heartbeat pressed hard against each other, stretching this moment into something endless.
“You can put me down now.” Her muffled voice calls out.
Shit.
I hadn’t realized I’d lifted her off the ground, lost in the strange comfort of her touch. Reluctantly, I let her slide back. The promise of peace radiating from her is the beacon to my chaos, and I’m caught in the high of it.
“Let’s go inside, I’m starving. I made a couscous salad, do you want some?”
“Oh, that’s what it’s called.” She shoots me a curious look. “Mmm, yeah… about that, it’s gone.”
“What do you mean it’s gone? I made a big-ass bowl.”
“Yeah, I ate the whole thing,” I admit, rubbing the back of my neck as guilt sneaks in, an unwelcomed guest. Not exactly my favourite feeling, leaving heat on my cheeks.
Avilyna feigns surprise, “You’re telling me I made something the infamous and infuriatingly stoic Kai Brackwell likes?”
I go to playfully swat at her, but she dodges it. “I’d be more than happy to whip up some more.”
“Like you have a choice.”
I take a breath, square my shoulders as if I’m heading into a fight, and reluctantly ask. “Alright... how the hell do I make more?”
She gives me that look, flat, unimpressed. “Of course, you don’t know how to cook.”
“Yeah, well, in my defence, I thought couscous was either a skin rash or a made-up word.” Vi rolls her gorgeous eyes, as if she’s reconsidering every life choice.
“Come on, pretty boy. Try not to set the kitchen on fire.”
“You think I am pretty?”
“Oh shut up,” Avilyna grunts in annoyance, but she can’t hide the adorable shade of pink her cheeks take. And at that, I can’t hold the genuine laugh that bubbles out of me.