Chapter 41 Avilyna
Avilyna
SWEET FLORAL POISON
Coming back from the bathroom, I find Vanessa fast asleep. I still have a million questions, and I’m sure she has twice as many, but they can wait. We’ve all had a rough day, and some rest won’t hurt anyone.
At the bottom of the stairs, a quiet stillness wraps around the house.
Peeking into the living room, I spot Caleb sprawled out on the couch, back turned, a tattooed arm covering his face, while soft snores pull my attention to the other side.
Wyll’s face is hidden beneath his hat, inky arms crossed, a bottle of fire whiskey resting on the floor just out of reach.
Tempted to join the party, I slip into the kitchen. The girls are probably fast asleep in one of the rooms upstairs, which explains the almost sacred quiet that hangs in the air, so still it feels as if you could reach out and touch it.
My stomach growls, slicing through the silence.
The best thing about Elgar, you can almost make anything happen, so long as you don’t mess with the laws of Kvirr.
Opening the massive fridge, its shelves packed with exotic foods I’m too cautious to try, I reach for a bottle of fairy wine, waiting quietly inside.
Opening the pantry, I find glass jars lined up, identified for different jams, syrups and nut butters.
A jar of PB and some dark chocolate, that’s close enough to Reese’s.
Fuck, I miss those.
After my munchies, I realize that Kai is keeping guard, typical of him.
I gulp down a second glass because I need some liquid courage, typical of me.
Then pour another before forcing my legs to move forward, grabbing a blanket to shield myself from the winter’s bite.
I slip into a pair of slippers; no way I’m dealing with combat boots right now.
The night is calm, the moon the only light glimmering over the heavy snow. Somehow, the cold doesn’t cut through me like it did that first night in Kallahan. Which is strange, since it was still the beginning of autumn back then.
Taking a deep breath in, I let the cold wash over me, and I wouldn’t have noticed him if it weren’t for the prickling sensation trailing down my spine.
In the corner of the porch, he stands. Still, almost melting into the darkness.
Only his steely eyes catch the light, his black balaclava hiding half his face.
I can’t help but be drawn closer until Kai’s presence towers over me.
A shiver runs through me, my nerves making my heart race.
“Cold?”
“Mmm, no. Not really,” I wave a hand like it’s no big deal. He leans in, his face inches from mine.
“So… am I the reason you’re shivering?”
Raising an eyebrow, I take a long sip of fairy wine, my sweet floral poison. “Someone’s really full of himself,” I snort.
“Yeah, well,” Kai growls, that smug tone curling around his words like smoke. “Since you walked through that door, I’ve been watching you. And your little heart? It only started running wild when you noticed me.”
I roll my eyes.
If he thinks I’m going to admit that, he clearly inhaled too much of his own ego.
“Yeah, because you look like a fucking serial killer lurking in the dark!” I snap, crossing my arms.
After what he pulled with Heather, he can rot in hell for all I care. And yet… the smug bastard just hums. No arguments, just that infuriating sound.
I roll my eyes and start to turn away, but a sudden tug yanks me back.
His grip catches my hair, firm, pulling me flush against a wall of heat and muscles.
A gasp escapes me before I can stop it. My wine glass slips from my hand and shatters at my feet, the blanket following suit.
One of Kai’s arms snakes around my waist, the other still tangled in my hair, holding me in place.
“You forget,” he murmurs against my ear, voice low and rough through the fabric of his mask, “I can smell you. I know what this does to you. Me watching from the shadows, eyes on every inch of your perfect body.”
In one swift motion, he spins me, pressing me back against the brick wall.
One arm braced above my head, the other splayed across my stomach, his touch a burning spark even through the fabric of my shirt.
It sends a lightning bolt straight to my core.
Kai lowers his forehead to mine, gaze locked on me.
With the moon glowing behind him, his silhouette is all sharp lines and tension, and I can see it, feel it.
The beast just beneath the surface, clawing its way up. And Kvirr helps me… I love it.
The way I get under his skin.
The way I leave him just a little less in control.
That kind of power? It’s dangerous—Addictive.
“Still not cold?” Kai asks, his voice low and amused. I follow his gaze downward, my nipples stretching the fabric thin.
“Not cold,” I whisper.
Something shifts in his expression, a switch flips, and his eyes go dark, wild.
“Take it off,” he commands, an order he expects me to follow without hesitation, and… I listen.
My fingers drift on their own accord to the hem of my shirt, the white cotton brushing over my skin as I start to lift it. Kai’s growl is low, feral. And honestly, that sound alone is all the reward my ego needs.
“You’re not allowed to touch,” the words slip out before I can stop them, bold, maybe even a little petty. But somewhere in the fog of the heat, there's still that faint echo of reason reminding me I’m supposed to be mad at him.
I am mad at him.
...Right?
Except it’s getting harder to remember why when all I want is to fall into this, into him, and let everything else burn for a little while. The playfulness in Kai’s face vanishes, replaced by something colder; his eyes narrow.
“Yes, I am.”
“It’s that or nothing,” I push, chin lifting in defiance. A beat of silence. Then a slow, wicked grin curls across his lips.
“Fine, then you can’t touch either.” Pulling his mask down, his tongue slides deliberately along one of his canines, slow and purposeful.
The flash of fang isn’t just for show; it’s a warning, a tease.
A reminder of what he is beneath the charm.
A predator, coiled and patient, always aware of his hunger. And right now?
That hunger is focused entirely on me.
Kai takes a step back, shrugging off his black hoodie to reveal his strong build.
With that same calm efficiency he brings to everything, he unstraps the safety jacket, each buckle clicking open as clockwork.
The straps drop to the floor with a dull thud.
Then the shirt, one pull and a casual shrug.
The fabric drags across his skin, and what it reveals is pure sin; every inch of him is muscle.
He runs a hand back through his hair, the motion flexing every line and curve of him as some kind of living threat.
One that knows exactly what he’s doing. His hair falls loose, untamed.
I like him better like this; less soldier, more storm, closer to the truth.
Both arms are sleeved in ink, just like I figured.
But his torso is bare. All smooth skin over sharp muscle, his stomach taut. And that V-cut at his hips?
It’s the kind of thing that dares you to lose your dignity. My mouth waters, my knees?
A little less cooperative than I’d like. Kai makes me feral. I could drop right here, chase that line with my tongue, and not care about the consequences.
But just as fast as that heat rises, the shadow follows.
Because that’s how it always goes. The thoughts sneak in sombre, cold, familiar; I don’t have the flattest stomach.
My hips are wider than what society calls ideal.
And just like that, the confidence I was clinging to peels away as cheap wallpaper.
I love myself, I do. I’ve worked hard for that.
But in moments like this?
It’s harder, heavier. And those old doubts? They don’t knock, they just let themselves in, breaking down walls.
“Hey.” Kai’s voice is soft, almost hesitant, as if he's afraid to shatter the moment between us. “Where did that beautiful mind of yours go?” I blink, my thoughts still tangled in the remnants of doubt.
My arms instinctively cross over my chest, a futile attempt to shield myself from the vulnerability I feel. I can't stop myself from asking, even though the question feels like a betrayal of myself.
“Do you ever… look at someone, and think, what the hell are they doing with me?” The words escape before I can stop them, raw and unfiltered. Kai steps closer, his presence grounding me. His gaze is unwavering, as if he's searching for the right words to say.
“Yeah,” he admits quietly. “I do.”
His honesty catches me off guard. I expected deflection, a joke, anything to lighten the heaviness of the moment. Instead, he stands there, open and sincere.
“I look at you,” Kai continues, stepping closer, “and I think, how the hell did I get someone like you to look back?” The words hit me in the chest, unexpectedly, and for a second, I forgot to breathe.
“Why her?” The words catch in my throat, tight and raw with pain. Kai’s hard lines soften, an unfamiliar vulnerability flickering in his eyes. Slowly, deliberately, he cups my face, his hands warm, searching for my gaze.
“It was never about her,” he whispers, his voice barely more than a whisper. “It’s always been you.”
I can’t speak. My brows crease, confusion leaking through. The knot in my chest is tightening, aching and twisting like a blade.
Kai swallows hard, voice trembling with something looking a lot like fear.
“You scare me. When I’m with you, I’m not the man I’ve been raised to be…
That I’ve been trained to be. It’s unsettling.
Terrifying, actually, but nothing happened with Heather; I pushed her away.
I waited… I waited for you to look away. ”
My voice breaks, “And you want me to believe that? How… How can I trust you after all this?”
Before I can even process what’s happening, Kai pulls a dagger from his side and presses it into his palm, easily breaking the skin.
“What are you doing?” I reach out, panic clawing up my throat, but he pulls the blade just beyond my trembling fingers, his eyes unreadable.
“I’m trying to earn your trust,” iron edge beneath his words.
“A blood promise?” The realization is deafening.
A binding, a sacrifice, that comes at a great cost. Kvirr is the power we wield, because it’s safe.
But blood magic? That’s a different kind of enchantment, one worshiped in Netherworld.
Those spells always come with a greater price, and the cost isn’t just blood; it’s a distortion, a twisting of your very soul. The reason why it’s forbidden in Elgar.
Kai’s smile is dark, the wildness barely held in check.“Yes.”
I shake my head, voice breaking under the weight of fear and doubt. “I’m not worth that.”
His gaze softens, but the fire in his voice doesn’t fade. “You’re worth everything. The world, my soul. I’d burn it all down for you.” There’s a fire in his words, raw and unyielding, and it leaves me dizzy.
Then, without warning, he closes the space between us.
His mouth crashes against mine, urgent, greedy.
Teeth scraping, breaths hitch, and our bodies press close, every sharp, desperate motion telling me just how much this means to him.
And yet it’s not close enough, his hand slides low, gripping the curve of my ass before lifting me effortlessly with one hand.
I wrap my legs around him without thinking.
A soft, involuntary whimper breaks free as I bite down on his lower lip, and copper floods my tongue.
Kai’s hips press against me, hard and relentless, while his fingers find the nape of my neck, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss.
Our breaths mingle roughly, ragged, two storms colliding.
His other hand threads through my wild curls, anchoring me as if I might drift away.
Slowly, deliberately, he brings his forehead to mine, and for a moment, the chaos quiets down.
All that’s left is the sound of us. Shallow, uneven, and utterly alive.
Kai slowly lowers me down, then raises his bloodied hand into the air.
“Fidik, I swear to answer any question Avilyna asks truthfully for the next two minutes.” The crimson drops lift, swirling before fading into smoke. He shoots me a cocky grin. “Two minutes, Princess. Don’t waste it.”
I’m stunned.
He actually did it. Pledged his soul, his soul, for me.
“Tic-toc,” Brackwell says, smirking.
I swallow hard. “Has anything happened with Heather since we met?” He nods.
My chest tightens, disappointment settling in my gut, a heavy stone.
“Once that first night you were at the manor,” Kai’s voice is rough, as if he’s tasting something bitter. “But I couldn’t enjoy it, the whole time, I could only think of you. Only you, in every thought.” He adds the last words shyly, and it makes my heart race faster.
I hate to admit it, but knowing I’m the only one who haunts him like this? It twists something inside me, a fierce, fierce satisfaction.
“But I saw you kiss her,” I spat out, refusing to be so easily fooled, fury in every word.
Kai’s eyes darken. “You saw exactly what I wanted you to see. Heather’s predictable. I knew how to push you away, how to make you think it went that way. The moment you left the room, I shoved her off. Nothing happened.” Heat floods my veins, burning hotter than any wine.
I don’t think, and my palm connects sharply with his cheek. The sound echoes between us. His head jerks to the side while pink spreads across his skin. Shame and something darker coils inside me, but I know it’s no regret.
“I deserved that,” he whispers. Kai locks eyes with me, no bullshit.
“Look, the only person I’m thinking about is you.
The only one I give a damn about is you.
Yeah, there’s Wyll, Caleb, maybe Nalaka and Sakura, but none of ‘em even come close. Not the way you do. So yeah, I’m sorry.
Ok? I am sorry, Vi.” He snaps those last words as if the idea of me doubting him is the biggest insult he’s ever heard.
His statement wraps around me, thick, heavy, and burning like the alcohol still clinging to my throat.
Clouding my head, and all I can manage to ask is.
“What do you want?”
A slow, dangerous grin spreads across Kai’s face. A hunter’s smile that sends a shiver straight down my spine.
“You.”