Closed World || Kai Parker || Kol Mikaelson

05. Force

|| MAYLIN

My neck was stiff and aching when I woke up. I tried to stretch and sit up, but I couldn't move. I blinked and groaned heavily as I realized I was tied to a chair. The memories washed over me and I grumbled angrily. "Are you serious? Are you into bondage games or what?" I shouted, finally looking around as my eyes adjusted to the brightness.

We were definitely still in New Orleans, I could hear the rain outside. But we weren't in the hotel anymore, we were in a bedroom with imposing, large furniture.

There was no sign of Kai and it really annoyed me that he had left me tied up here. "Hellooo?!" I called out with a rather aggressive undertone when he finally poked his head in the door. "Oh hello!" he said, grinning broadly at me. He came in and bent down right in front of me so that his face was hovering in front of mine. "Yeah, I'm into bondage games, but I only tied you up so you wouldn't leave right away." I raised my eyebrows and returned his gaze. At least he's good-looking, I thought. He actually looked really good. He had such pretty blue eyes with long eyelashes. And that proportionate face with the dark hair. I imagined how good a beard would look on him and shook myself briefly to tear myself away from these thoughts.

Now it was he who raised his eyebrows when I didn't say anything. "What's the matter, did my looks leave you speechless?" He grinned again and I sighed. "You're a joker, huh?" I shook my head. "Oh please don't tell me you're going to torture me with flat jokes now." His grin didn't even twitch. "No. But, if I was going to torture you, at least we'd be in the right place. We're in the mansion in New Orleans where the Mikaelson family used to live. Does the name mean anything to you?" I froze. I raised my eyes and looked around, momentarily even having the irrational fear that Kol would turn the corner at any moment. Kai noticed my change of mood and tilted his head. He straightened up and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "The name actually means something to you! Tell me, have you met the family?" He pulled up a chair and sat down in front of me. He sat so close that our knees touched and I shuddered for a moment. Wow, I hadn't realized how much I apparently craved physical closeness.

"I don't want to talk about it," I fended him off and looked away. But Kai didn't let up. "Oh come on, if you tell me about it, I'll untie you too, I promise."

I slowly raised my eyes and sighed. "Kol Mikaelson killed me and then I woke up in this world." Kai's eyes bored into mine and he fell silent. "That doesn't make sense," he finally said. I frowned at him. "What do you mean?" He stood up and stepped back, about to leave the room. "Hey!" I shouted. "You said you'd untie me!" He paused and turned back to me. His face was grim, there was no trace of the grin. "You can't be dead!" he hissed, coming towards me. "This is a prison world for me. It's a punishment, but I'm not dead! This isn't the afterlife! I'm here with my body, how is all this supposed to work?" He had placed his hands on my shoulders, his fingers pressing painfully into my skin, shaking me. "I don't know!" I replied, squirming under his grip.

He stopped shaking me, but still let his hands rest on my shoulders. "You must be magical somehow. There's no other way, but I don't sense any magic in you." He frowned.

He stared at me thoughtfully for a few moments, then sighed and straightened up again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. It was the pocket knife he had used to slit my throat. At first I thought he was going to slit my carotid arteries again, but instead he undid the restraints and untied me.

I rubbed my wrists and slowly stood up. "Thank you," I mumbled and headed for the exit. "Maylin?" Kai stopped me and his voice suddenly sounded calm. It was unusual to hear my name after all the time I'd spent here alone. I paused and turned to face him, looking at him with a waiting gaze. "Let's try to get out of here together." I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "After you attacked me several times, killed me once and then tied me up?" I pretended to think about it and then raised my finger as if I had an idea. "No thanks!" I said in a cheerful tone and left the room. I wanted to put some distance between us first.