46

"You're avoiding him."

I glanced at Ryan, who was standing beside me. "No, I'm not. I'm just talking to you."

He turned his body to face me. "You won't even look at him. What happened?"

I rolled my eyes. "Kai and I are fine. You, on the other hand, need to worry about your date. Where is she, by the way?"

He looked around, "Probably talking to someone." He looked at me. "I'm gonna go find her." He glanced behind me. A smirk crossed his lips as he looked at me again. "Fix your issues." He started walking away.

I turned around. Kai stopped a foot from me. "Issues?"

I nodded, "He thinks I'm avoiding you."

"Well, we haven't spoken since I picked you up, so he-"

"Don't side with him."

He tilted his head, "Something is wrong with you. Ever since last night, you've been acting weird."

I shook my head, "I'm not acting weird."

He stared at me for a minute, going through things in his mind. "We don't have to live together."

I stared at him. I had forgotten he even asked. "Oh." I shook my head, "That's not..." I stopped. This could be a bridge for me to get over my thoughts. "I just need time to think about it. And it's not because of you. I love you, and I would love to be with you all the time, but the house..." I felt my throat tighten as I thought about actually leaving it. "That house is one of the only things left of my mom." I shook my head. "I don't know how to give that up."

He stepped closer, grabbing my hands. "You don't have to give that up. I'll be with you anywhere you need me to. We can live together in your house or anywhere else. Just say the word and we'll be in Brazil in two hours." He placed my hands on his shoulders, and he stepped closer, putting his hands on my waist. "Or you can say no, and things can stay the exact way they are." He shook his head, "The only thing that matters is that I have you, baby."

I tilted my head, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You do have me."

He smiled. "Then we're okay?"

I stared at him for a minute and then nodded, "We're okay." He wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to kiss me. I slid my hands to his neck as I pulled back from the kiss.

"Evelyn."

I turned to look at Stefan, who was a few steps ahead of Damon. I pulled away from Kai. "Hey."

Damon stepped beside Stefan, "We have a problem."

"What is it this time?"

"Matt's mom," Damon answered. "She's drunk, and she's trying to get to Caroline."

"Where is she?"

"That's the problem," Stefan answered. "We lost her."

"Okay." I glanced at Kai, then looked back at the Salvatores. "I'll find her. Tell Bonnie to walk Caroline and don't let Caroline wait for me."

"You can't miss the wedding," Stefan objected.

I looked at him. "Well, I'm not letting her ruin the wedding, and neither of you can look for her. Caroline will get over it." Music started playing, signaling for everyone to take their seats.

"Fine," Damon responded. "Just don't make a scene." He put his hand on Stefan's shoulder, and they started walking away.

I started off, but Kai grabbed my hand. "Wait."

I turned to face him, putting my hand at the side of his face as I kissed him. I pulled back and stared at him. "I'll be fine. I'll see you in a minute."

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't. He nodded once. I pulled away from him and walked off toward the Lockwood mansion. I made my way inside.

I searched the upstairs first and then made my way down. After spending an hour going through the entire house, I went out the front door. I stopped at the top of the steps. There was a man lying unconscious on the path leading up to the house. I rushed over to him after realizing it was Matt.

I rolled him to his back. There wasn't any blood on him. I shook his shoulders to try and wake him up. I checked his pulse. It was faint and slow. I sighed in relief. I moved my hand to the side of his face. I channeled my magic into waking him up. He gasped as he sat up. I leaned back from him, confused by his urgency as he looked around frantically.

He looked at me. "Where is she?"

I shook my head. "I've been looking for her, I can't -"

"She's working with Katherine."

I furrowed my brows, "No. Katherine's dead."

"So was my mom."

I stared at him as I let his words sink in. "What did she say to you?"

He sighed as he looked at the ground. "Something about hellfire." He looked at me. "I need to go find Vicky and my dad. Can you look for her?"

I shook my head, "Vicky? She's dead, Matt."

He hurried to his feet. "Find her, Evelyn!" He started to run off.

"Matt!" I rose to my feet. He rushed into his car and sped off. I sighed as I turned back toward the house. I stood there for a minute. Katherine. Hellfire. Vicky. Back from the dead. I walked into the house, trying to piece everything together. I walked into the living room.

Katherine was in hell with Vicky and Kelly. They made a deal and found a way back. Hellfire can destroy Mystic Falls and everything in it. Including us. Katherine's going to destroy Mystic Falls with hellfire. But where is she, and why is Kelly here?

A loud clunking noise caught my attention. I looked at the fireplace. There were three propane tanks in the fireplace that were blazing. I stared for a few seconds as I took a few slow steps back. After realizing what was happening, I started to panic.

"Evelyn!" Caroline's ear shattering scream pulled me out of my head. I looked over to see Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Ryan, and Kai staring at me from afar. I started toward the door when it slammed shut.

I ran toward it, beating against it for a minute. I couldn't break it down. I remembered the front door. I turned to see it shut, too.

I ran toward the kitchen, trying the kitchen door. I could hear my heart beating in my ears. I'm trapped in a house that's about to blow up, and I can't escape. I heard glass breaking in the living room. I ran toward the noise.

Tyler peeked inside the window. "Come on!" He reached toward me.

I ran toward him. He helped me out the window. We ran from the house. We reached the end of the walkway before an explosion sounded behind us. We were both knocked to the ground.

I rolled to my back and sat up. I stared at the house as it burned. The only thing I could think of was Caroline. I pulled myself to my feet and ran around the house. I could see Stefan helping Caroline to her feet as Damon was sitting back on his knees, as was Ryan. They were all staring at the house with distressed expressions on their faces.

I walked over to Caroline. She wrapped me in a tight hug. I closed my eyes as I hugged her tightly. "Are you okay?"

"Mhm," I answered. I breathed out slowly. "I'm fine."

She breathed out shakily.

I thought for a few seconds. I pulled away from her. I looked around, searching for Kai. I looked over at the house. The door was broken. "Where is he?" I looked at Caroline.

She had tears in her eyes. "Evelyn..." She started softly.

I felt my stomach drop. I gasped softly as I looked at the house. "No." I heard footsteps as Ryan walked over. There was a crashing noise in the house. I started to run toward the house when Ryan wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me back against him.

I struggled against him for a minute before I was overtaken by the despair that washed over me. I leaned back into him as I gasped for air. Tears started to form in my eyes, escaping slowly, one by one. He loosened his hold on me.

I'm not leaving you ever again, okay?

He tried to save me, but he ended up dying for me instead. I should be the one in there right now, not him.

"We have to go," Damon said softly. "We need to find Katherine."

Ryan moved his hands to my arms. "Evelyn," he whispered.

I shook my head once, barely. "I can't leave him." My voice was just below a whisper. If I spoke any louder, I would break down.

A few minutes passed of them talking about me as if I weren't here. Caroline didn't want to leave me here alone, but Stefan and Damon convinced her. They asked Ryan to stay, so he did.

The flames of the fire were still as bright as when they started. I felt exhausted as I watched the building slowly falling apart.

My heart stopped, and my breathing stopped. I cupped my hand over my mouth. Kai stumbled to the doorframe. He leaned against it as he steadied himself. He looked up from the ground to see me. The same relief that spread through me consumed him.

He pushed off the door frame as I pulled away from Ryan. We hurried toward each other. I wrapped my arms around his torso as he pulled me into him. His hand rested against the back of my head, his other arm against my back as his hand pressed against my side. I inhaled shakily. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, breathing out slowly.

I leaned my head back as I slid my hands to the sides of his neck. I looked up at him, "Are you okay?"

He nodded slowly. Taking a second to answer. "Are you?"

I nodded. He leaned forward and kissed me. I moved my hands slightly higher. I stopped kissing him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He moved his hand from the back of my head to my neck. He hugged me tighter.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The tears in my eyes spilled onto my cheeks.

"Yeah, baby. I'm fine."

I felt like I was choking on guilt. "You could've died."

He kissed my neck and then moved his head back to look me in the eyes. "I'm alive, and I'm okay. We're okay." He nodded.

"Okay." I moved my hands to the sides of his face.

He glanced at my lips for a second before looking into my eyes again. "We should go help them."

I shook my head, "You need to go home. You-"

"Evelyn." He grabbed my hands. "I'm fine." He nodded. "They need us."

"They can figure it out on their own. If you keep going after that, you will pass out. Let me take you home."

He stared at me for a minute before breathing out slowly. "Fine."

I nodded once. He kissed me again before we walked to the car. I drove slower than I normally would, glancing over at him every minute or so. He was leaning back with his eyes closed. His hand was pressing against his side.

"Just drive."

I sighed as I focused on the road. "I am driving."

"Slowly."

"Safely."

"Mhm."

I turned my attention completely to the road. He didn't say anything the rest of the way there. I parked the car and we got out. I watched him carefully to make sure he wasn't about to fall and die. He stopped walking and turned to me.

He held out his hand to me. "I'm fine."

I put my hand in his, and we started walking again. "You are not fine."

He sighed, "What makes you think that?" He pressed the button in the elevator.

I turned to face him. "Um, I don't know, maybe the fact that you were almost burned to death not even an hour ago."

He looked away as he laughed to himself. "You worry too much."

"No, I don't. You just do things you shouldn't do too much." He shook his head once, still staring at the doors to the elevator. I grabbed his jaw and made him look at me, "You're not listening."

He stared at my lips. "I shouldn't do things."

"Kai."

"Keep talking." His voice was lower and accompanied by a smirk.

I groaned in frustration and pushed his head away. I started walking off the elevator, bringing him with me. He pulled his hand away as he walked inside. I shut the door after I walked in. He pulled off his suit jacket as he walked into the bedroom. He tossed it onto the bed.

I followed after him. He was standing in front of the mirror that was facing his bed. He stared at the buttons of his shirt as he took his time taking it off.

"You're staring for the wrong reasons."

I leaned against the doorframe. "Why are you taking your clothes off?"

"To change." He glanced at me for a second before looking at his shirt again.

"You don't need to change because you're not going anywhere."

He sighed before looking over at me. "It's hellfire. They can't just kill Katherine to get rid of it. They need magic."

"They have Bonnie." I lifted off the door frame and started walking toward him. "She will find a way to stop it. They don't expect you to help them because you almost died."

"Us."

I furrowed my brows, "What?"

"You said they don't expect me to help. You're excluding yourself. If I'm not helping, neither are you."

"Kai, I-"

"You aren't going. You'll try to help them, and you won't survive it." He stepped closer, leaving a foot of space between us.

"I have to help them. They're my friends."

"No."

I tilted my head. "What?"

He grabbed the untied tie from around his neck and held it between his hands. "No. You're not helping them because you're not leaving." He stepped closer, leaving an inch of space between our bodies.

"You're kidding, right?" I laughed wryly. "I mean, telling me what I can't do is really -"

He kissed me to shut me up. I reacted after a moment of confusion. He grabbed my hands, pulling me with him as he walked toward the bed. He let go of my hands. He tossed the tie onto the bed before moving his hands to the back of my dress.

I put my hands against his bare stomach, sliding to his sides. He pulled my dress off. Before I could say or do anything, he moved me onto the bed swiftly. He rested a knee between my legs, the top of his thigh rubbing against my clothed clit as he leaned closer. A desperate moan passed my lips.

I started to reach for his face to pull him down to kiss me, but he pulled my hands above my head. He stared at my wrists as he tied them together with the tie. I arched off the bed to lean my head back and look at what he was doing. He tightened the knot, making me squeal. I looked at his face.

As he reached for something behind the pillows, his leg rubbed against my pussy again, making me moan. I looked back at my hands again to see that he connected the tie to a chain on his bed. I tried to pull my hands away or bend my arms, but I couldn't move.

I looked at his face, "Are you serious?"

He stared at my lips, "You're going to let me do whatever I want to you."

"It's not like I have much of a choice anymore now."

He looked into my eyes. "The more you pretend you don't want this, the less you'll get to cum."

"You know I still have shoes on, right?"

A smirk formed on his lips. "I'll get to them."

He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me. He dragged his hands down my arms, then across my chest. He slid his tongue past my lips. He dragged his hands down to my boobs, groping and massaging them gently. I twisted my hand to hold onto the chain.

I tried to pull my hands away from their binding to touch him. I whined when I gave up. He lifted one hand off my body, moving it to the bed. He slid his other hand to my stomach. He lifted his hand, leaving just his fingertips against my body.

His fingers dragged slowly toward my panties. I stopped breathing for a moment. He tucked his fingers into them and pulled them lower. He drew his knee back as he pressed his thumb over my clit that was still covered. I tried to move to ease the tension he was creating between my legs, but it was pointless.

He swiped his thumb down, then back up. I moaned into the kiss. He started moving his thumb in slow circles, the print of his thumb drawing whimpers from my throat. He pulled back from the kiss and I opened my eyes. I stared up at him.

He started circling my clit faster. "Let me hear those pretty noises, baby."

The soft tone of his praise only spurred on my need to vocalize how I felt. I pulled against the chain to keep myself from grinding against nothing.

"Do you like how that feels?" I tried to speak, but I couldn't. The only sound that escaped my throat was a moan. "Come on, baby. Tell me how I make you feel."

I gasped as he started going faster. I struggled to keep my eyes open, "So good."

"Mhm," he nodded slowly.

I released the air stuck in my throat, breathing out slowly. "Kai," I moaned. "Please let me cum."

"I thought you needed to leave."

I groaned. I looked at my hands. His thumb shifted as I moved, making waves of pleasure washing over me. I looked at his face again. "Kai, I can't-" A moan interrupted my sentence. "Oh my God! Please."

There was a dark look in his eyes as he looked down at my body. "Cum for me, baby."

A high pitched whine was accompanied by a string of moans past my lips. My eyes fell shut as the intensity of my orgasm controlled my body. I grinded against nothing to try and calm my body down. A whimper fell from my lips when he started moving his thumb again, circling my clit slower than he ever has.

I opened my eyes to see him staring at me again. The lustful look in his eyes made me whine. He's not done yet. Not that I'm complaining.

He leaned down and kissed me. His lips were soft in contrast to how hard and fast he was kissing. I pressed my legs against his body, urging him closer to me. He was unmoved. He brought his hand down to my knee, pushing my leg to the bed. His other hand moved from my chest to my throat.

I moaned into the kiss as he squeezed my throat gently. He grinded his hips into mine. I whimpered from the sensation that warmed my entire body. I rocked against him slowly, rubbing against his hard cock through his pants. He groaned, squeezing my leg tighter as he moved his hand to my thigh.

He pulled his hips back and I moaned. I pulled at the chain, trying to break it. He spelled it. He pulled his head back,staring down at me as he caught his breath. He was zoned in on my mouth.

"Let me touch you."

He shook his head as he swallowed. "That's not how this works." He looked into my eyes. "I get to do whatever I want to you." He started kissing me again. As I started to kiss back, he stopped. His lips hovered over mine as he whispered, "And you're going to enjoy it like the good slut you are." He pressed himself against me again. He looked into my eyes. "Isn't that right, baby?"

"Yes," I moaned.

He pulled back again as he started to kiss me again. He started to kiss down my body, trailing soft, wet kisses down my body, trailing his hand after. His kisses became longer the lower he got. He moved his hands to my hips, his touch never leaving my skin.

His fingers hooked around my panties, scrunching them an inch lower. He kissed my lower stomach slowly, his tongue sliding gently across the skin before he sucked it gently. He repeated the motion all across my lower stomach, the sensual feeling leaving my skin tingling.

He sat back as he pulled my panties off. His hands found their way back to my thighs instantaneously. He pulled my legs further apart, making me groan. He kissed the top of my right thigh softly, then kissed the same place on my left thigh. He alternated between each leg until he kissed all the way to my knees, then up the insides of my thighs. I breathed out slowly as my eyes closed.

My body was taut as I waited for him to do something. I could feel his warmth breath fanning my already hot skin. I whined from the tense feeling that consumed every part of me. My head was pounding from the anticipation.

"Tell me what you want," he demanded softly. The tone of his voice mixed with the warmth of his breath made my pussy clench.

"You," I answered breathily.

He hummed in response. A few seconds later, he slid one of his hands to my stomach, pinning me to the mattress. I gasped when his mouth covered my pussy, his tongue pressing flat against it. He closed his mouth halfway as he dragged his tongue up to my clit.

"Is this what you want," he mumbled, making me moan louder.

"Yes."

He kept me pinned firmly to the mattress, taking away my ability to move. He sucked my clit gently before easing the throbbing feeling with his tongue. I screamed out as he moved his tongue faster. He hummed in response.

"Just like..." I gasped, the feelings rushing to my head. I groaned. "Don't stop!" I whined.

He pushed my leg out further, giving himself more of me. A heady feeling washed over me as the tension in my body relieved itself as I came. The thoughtless noises that fell from my lips only made him keep going.

"Kai..." I moaned softly.

He groaned. He slid his hand to my other thigh, pushing my legs further apart. The overwhelming sensations were suffocating me. My eyes filled with tears. A high pitched whine passed my lips as I tried to pull against the chain again.

He stopped to catch his breath. I moaned in relief. I breathed out slowly. He kissed the insides of my thighs before moving his hands to my hips. He started kissing back up my body. He slid his hands up my sides. He kissed the base of my neck for a moment before moving to my jaw. He kissed my lips, pulling the breath from my lungs. I moaned into the kiss, wishing I could pull him against me.

I tried to move my legs, but they were too weak and shaky for me to move on my own. He pulled his head back and I forced my eyes open. He stared at me for a moment, studying my eyes.

"Are you okay?" His voice was soft and laced with concern.

I nodded once. "I'm okay."

He glanced at my lips, "Are you sure?" He looked into my eyes, "Because we can stop and-"

"I will break this chain and strangle you with it."

He smiled then tilted his head, "I'd love to see you try."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he started kissing me again, letting his tongue roam my mouth. I moaned as I kissed him back.

His hands disappeared from my body. A few seconds later, he slid the tip of his cock across my pussy, coating himself in my cum before pushing inside of me. I gripped the chain that bound the tie around my wrists tighter than before.

He moved his hands to the sides of my body, gripping me tightly. He slid into me quickly and harshly. Our moans filtered together, filling the kiss with the sounds of our pleasure. He moved a hand to my shoulder, holding me still as he pulled out then pushed into me again. I rocked my hips up to push him into me the rest of the way. His fingers dug into my sides, bruising my skin.

He moved his lips to my neck, kissing my skin gently. He fucked me slowly, filling me completely each time. After four or five thrusts into me, I was cumming around his cock. He paused his movements, his loud moans muffled as his mouth was pressed against my neck.

After a few seconds of gathering his ability to think again, he started fucking me faster, pulling himself closer to cumming. My pussy clenched around him involuntarily. He groaned. He lifted his head and I opened my eyes again. He was staring at my lips.

"Do it again," he demanded. He thrusted into me harshly, filling me the rest of the way. His cock was throbbing inside of me. I recreated the motion, squeezing around him. His mouth hung open as he gasped for air.

A helpless look formed on his face. His eyes fell shut as he rested his head against mine. I felt his cum shoot inside of me. A quiet moan fell from my lips.

His hands loosened on my body. He slid his arms under my body, moving to my head. His fingers slid through my hair as his thumbs pressed against the bottom of my jaw. He started kissing me. He breathed into the kiss, which led to a moan.

The slow, passionate kiss only lasted a few short minutes. His tongue pushed into my mouth, robbing me of the air in my lungs. I moaned as he started fucking me slowly. His body moved against mine, only feeding my need to touch him.

My entire body ached as we kept going. The ability to cum felt like it was out of my control now. It's his now. He can control it forever if he wants. Everything he does feels right. It feels like he knows more about my limits than I do.

He pulled out of me finally. He kissed me softly before moving off the bed. I let my eyes stay closed.

I heard the chain rattle as he grabbed my wrists with one of his hands. He unlatched the chain then sat next to me. He pulled my hands closer to him. I groaned at the sore feeling of my arms moving. I turned my head to face him, not opening my eyes.

"How do you feel?"

"Dead."

He laughed softly. "I'm sorry."

"Mm. Don't be. I like it."

He pulled the tie away gently. He rubbed my wrists gently, drawing a quiet moan from me. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at him. He was focused on my wrists.

"Kai."

"Yeah, baby?"

"I love you."

He moved his hands to mine before looking into my eyes. "I love you." He pulled a hand away, moving it to the side of my face. He leaned down and kissed me softly.

After he pulled away, he moved to lay next to me. He covered us both with a blanket before wrapping me in his arms and pulling me against him. I kept my arms tucked between us. The side of my face was pressed against his chest. The sound of his beating heart lulled me to sleep.

...

I groaned as I rolled to my stomach. The sound of banging on the door pulled me out of my sleep. I lifted my head and looked over at the clock. 6:17. I listened to hear the shower running, but it wasn't.

When did he leave?

The banging on the door continued. I sighed in frustration as I got up. I pulled on one of Kai's shirts from the closet and a pair of my underwear. I pushed my hair behind my ears to keep it out of my face.

I pulled the door open after unlocking it. I felt confused to see Kai standing with Damon and Stefan. They all looked exhausted. I opened my mouth to ask, but I realized I actually don't want to know. I pushed the door slightly before turning to go back to bed.

I pushed the door shut behind me, letting it slam. I climbed back into bed, pulling the blanket over me completely. I closed my eyes. The door opened then shut. Kai's footsteps came closer to the bed. He pulled the blanket back, uncovering my face. He sat down.

"You left."

"I came back."

"With Damon and Stefan." I pulled the blanket over me again. "It's six o'clock in the morning."

"I forgot my key."

I groaned as I rolled to my stomach, burying my face in the pillow. "Forget to come back next time."

He sighed, "Evelyn."

"What?"

"We have to talk about this."

"Mnh-mnh. Go away!"

"It will take five minutes."

"Make them leave."

"Then will you listen?"

"Yes."

A minute later, I heard him talking to Stefan and Damon. Then I heard the front door shut. I rolled over and pushed the blanket down to my stomach. I sat up, leaning back on my hands. I watched him walk over and sit on the bed facing me.

"I'm listening."

There was a smile on his face that he pushed away. "I'm sorry you woke up alone. Last night, I couldn't sleep. I tried to call your sister to see if they had found a way to stop Katherine. They had and then they asked if I could help. I did. Katherine's dead and we're all safe."

"I genuinely hate you."

He furrowed his brows, "What?"

"You're a hypocrite! I needed to go help, but you told me no! You chained me to your bed to stop me from going!"

He grabbed my hand. "Okay! I'm sorry. I should have let you help. I just knew this was a really big problem. I didn't want you to get hurt."

I tried to push away the anger I felt. "I really hope you're not being serious."

He tilted his head. "I just know you, Evelyn. You would've done something erratic. This wasn't just-"

"I would've helped in any way I could have." I pulled my hands away. "How is that erratic?"

"Someone needed to keep Katherine in the line of the hellfire. I know for damn sure you would've sacrificed yourself!"

"How is that a bad thing?! I would've been saving you and everyone else!"

He paused for a minute, looking away.

I thought about what he said. "Someone needed to keep Katherine in the line of hellfire?"

He looked at me. After a beat, he answered. "Yeah."

I shook my head once, "Who was it?" A sorry look crossed his face as he disregarded our fight. "Kai, answer me."

"Baby," he started. "Take a breath."

"Why? Just tell me what happened."

He grabbed my hands, moving closer. "Stefan was going to do it, but Alaric beat him there. He made Katherine stay in the path of the hellfire."

"But he's okay, right? I mean, he has to be." I shook my head, "He wouldn't leave Jo and- and..." I could feel the lump in my throat. "Tell me he's alive." The tears in my eyes prevented me from bringing my voice above a whisper.

He moved a hand to the side of my face. "I'm really sorry, baby."

I exhaled sharply as the tears in my eyes spilled over. "Ric's dead?"

He nodded hesitantly. His brows were furrowed as his eyes scanned my face. "Yeah."

I felt him lean closer after I closed my eyes. He kissed my forehead. He slid his hand to the back of my head as we moved closer to each other. He held me against him. I buried my face in his neck, wrapping my arms around him as he pulled me onto his lap.