lifeline ⇾ kai parker

23┃jeweled fates

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

ALARIC SALTZMAN SAT BEHIND his disorganized desk with what seemed to be a permanent frown ingrained into his features. He was slumped in his chair, his jaw clenching once he peered over to look at the time. He couldn't believe he had agreed to this, but the crossbow hidden underneath the desk and the magical trinkets stored away in a nearby drawer provided him enough reassurance.

Emma had gotten a group of students together, which included his daughters and Hope, to participate in some sort of mind excerise. So that meant he wouldn't be interrupted anytime soon and he could keep this meeting discret. After all, explaining to the girls that he was meeting with their beloved family friend he had accidentally killed along with their psychotic uncle who was also supposed to be dead, would only sprout questions he didn't have answers to yet. He had to keep this to himself for now.

Although, he was relieved that he had received a phone call from Mila before he had to make his own phone calls and pass along the unfortunate news of her demise. Guilt gnawed at him ever since he realized his blade had sliced through two hearts instead of the one he was aiming for. But if there was anything Ric was familiar with, it was guilt. And instead of dwelling on his mistakes, he skipped right to figuring out how he could clean up the mess.

So he had relented to the civil meeting Mila proposed after frequently reminding him that he murdered her and, accident or not, he owed her at least that. Although Ric did want an explanation on how they managed to return, he had no idea why she was bothering to defend Kai once more, but the two of them had never made any sense to him. It didn't matter how many times she saw the light and swore to never let Kai invade her life again; she'd always end up granting him forgiveness he didn't deserve.

Suddenly, the doors to his office fly open, and in strides Kai Parker, smiling wide enough show off his perfectly straight teeth. He sighs dramatically, scanning the academia scenery before settling on the man they were looking for. Alaric's face contorts into a full grimace, and his fingers twitch to wield a weapon.

"Hey, Ric! Lovely day to be alive, isn't it?"

Mila shuts the doors behind them, shaking her head at his behavior. "Kai, quiet. People are in class right now."

"And in murderous moods." Alaric grunted as Kai plops down in one of the cushioned seats across from him without being gestured to.

"And they say I hold grudges," the heretic mutters. Alaric squints in distaste, forgetting all the reasons he agreed to a temporary truce.

The click of heels on the ground distracts him enough to look past Kai and at the girl making her way over. Her highlighted hair was pulled back into a ponytail, loosely curled tendrils brushing against the back of her black blazer. A plum dress made up the rest of her professional attire that she would normally wear into work. She was treating this like all the other times she sat in leather chairs, behind glass walls, and with suits surrounding her; she meant business.

Her course to sit in the chair next to Kai is interrupted when he puts his hands on her hips and pulls her onto his lap. From her palm flattening on the arm of the chair to steady herself and the widening of her eyes, it's obvious she hadn't expected the move. Since his legs are parted widely like he was sitting on his very own throne, she settles on one of his thighs, throwing him a questioning glance over her shoulder. Mila had told him to be on his best behavior before they went in, and so far he was acting very complacent for someone who had a lot of sucking up to do.