Tempted | Kai Parker

eighty one: complicated

We'd woken up the next morning with distance between us.

We weren't knotted together, cocooned by warmth, and connected by soft brushes of skin like we normally were. Instead, it felt like there was a gap between us that neither of us could bridge, and a silence so heavy it felt like it was pressing down on my chest with incredible force.

I couldn't shake the feeling that there was a deeper meaning to the distance. Something more at play than just a bit of run of the mill jealousy. Even as he slept last night, his brow seemed to be creased with deep lines of concern, which still hadn't faded as we moved into the morning. And he was so unnaturally quiet. He stared into space, mouth pressed into a firm line, but he still didn't look thoughtless. If I looked into his eyes, I could almost see the troubles whizzing through his mind. I just couldn't quite decipher what they were. What had changed so drastically since we'd come here?

After an hour of sitting in bed and pretending our silence wasn't ridiculously uncomfortable, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. One of us was going to have to talk eventually, and as time marched on, and Kai's features only hardened, I became more certain that I would have to be the one to break the tension.

"So, what's your plans for today?" I asked.

"Council meeting this evening." He replied blandly, still staring at the far wall. "I was thinking I might try and talk to Phillip today about some things."

"Such as?"

"I wanted to talk to him about you being a vampire, if you're okay with that?" He said, finally turning and meeting my eyes. I couldn't explain why, but I still felt like he was holding back on something. Since we'd spoken last night, I couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't being entirely honest with me. "It's going to come out at some point, and I think he'd be a decent place to start. He'll probably have some advice he can give. But if you're not comfortable with people knowing, I obviously won't."

I shook my head. "No, it's alright. I don't mind." I assured, trying to look confident. "I actually told Townes yesterday, too."

His nostrils twitched ever so slightly, then he turned back to stare at the wall. "Did you?"

My heart sunk, as his jaw drew even more tight, his blank stare turning into a glare. It had seemed like he'd hated me for everything I'd said.

"Yeah - it sort of just came out." I explained, pretending I couldn't feel his iciness. "He was actually really nice about it though. So, maybe Phillip will be okay too."

"Mmm." He mumbled.

I let the back of my skull press into the headboard, trying not to let out a sigh. But it was incredibly difficult to be upbeat when you were with someone who was acting so uncharacteristically dull.

"Do you want me to be the one to tell Phillip?" I offered.

"Nah." He said bluntly. "He needs to go back to the hall today to collect some things, so I was thinking about just tagging along and talking to him then."

"Okay, then." I nodded.

"We'll probably only be an hour or so." He informed. "Then our evening meeting will be a couple of hours maximum."

"Can't you just pick up whatever he needs when you go for the meeting tonight?"

He shook his head. "Meeting's informal so it's not at the hall. Each council member takes turns to host. Victoria tonight." He explained, sounding bored. "You'll be alright here, won't you?"

Well, it wasn't like I had much of an option, i thought grumpily. I understood that council meetings weren't for me, that didn't bother me. However, it was crystal clear that Kai didn't want me there when he spoke to Phillip either, although his motives for privacy were more foggy to me. Was he perhaps worried that Phillip might not take the news well?