Closed World || Kai Parker || Kol Mikaelson

07. Research

|| SOPHIA

"Time is a factor that can differ between different worlds. While some worlds have a similar intrinsic time, others can be completely different. For example, you might observe that in one world a period of a week has passed, while in another world only a single day has elapsed." I stared at the words I had read out loud and blinked. Did that mean that time could pass differently in the prison world where Maylin was trapped? Had she possibly been there for years, while three months had passed here? Or maybe it was the other way around and she had only been there for a day, while the time here just flew by.

Elijah and Kol just looked at me briefly and continued to leaf through their books. Obviously not a fact they thought was particularly important. So I too delved back into my research. Silence reigned for a few hours, broken only by the constant turning of pages. Until Kol finally leaned back in his chair and groaned in annoyance. "This is pointless, there's nothing in these books. Shouldn't we talk to the witches who created this prison world instead?" He looked at Elijah, who had fixed his gaze on the book in his hands and was slow to look up. "Not a bad idea," he agreed and stood up. "I'll speak to Niklaus and make the suggestion to him. In the meantime, you could get to grips with the Nexa and find out if there are any records that could help us. Since we can't find any more information about the prison world, we should at least make some progress there." I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands into fists. "We've been here for hours, can I see Jack please?" Elijah turned his gaze to me and Kol looked to me as well. He had a much colder expression than his older brother, though. "I'm sorry, Sophia. Niklaus was very... specific with his ideas about how this was going to go down. You won't be able to see Jack until we have something helpful to show." I crossed my arms in front of my chest and stifled an angry comment. Instead, I silently reached for the next book: a collection of fables. I doubted whether there was anything seriously useful in it.

Nevertheless, I opened it and focused my attention on the lines. Elijah left the room after giving Kol a warning look that made it unmistakably clear that he should behave himself.

Kol was silent for quite a while, flipping through his tome of myths and legends unmotivated and sighing dramatically over and over again.

I knew he was doing it on purpose to provoke me. I had been awake for over 24 hours now and my nerves were frayed. I was sure he was just looking for an excuse to hurt me without incurring his brother's resentment afterwards.

But that bastard could wait a long time. I ignored him and immersed myself in the fables. My eyes flew over the lines, straining to find words like worlds or time or wanderers. I had actually managed to block out my surroundings so much that I hadn't even noticed that Kol had gone quiet. Or that he had stood up and was behind me.

It was only when I felt his breath on my right ear that I snapped out of my trance and turned my head. I swerved to the side when I noticed that Kol had leaned forward and his head was hovering next to mine. He had his eyes on my book and his brow furrowed in irritation. "For a moment I thought you'd found a thriller among all those old tomes, as engrossed as you were." Now his gaze flitted directly to me and my breath caught in my throat. He was so close to me again that fear shot through my limbs and my pulse quickened. I wanted to move away from him and put distance between us, but I was in a state of shock. It was as if my body was refusing to give him the satisfaction. My heart, however, was beating treacherously fast and I knew he must hear it.

The corners of his mouth lifted and he grinned mischievously. There was that dark veil in his eyes again and I had to swallow when I saw one of his fangs flash. "Help me, darling, what is it that makes your heart race like that?" His eyes twinkled in amusement and focused on my neck. The scarf was in place, but from this position Kol could still see the almost completely healed bite marks. "If you like what a hybrid does to you, just wait and see what it's like when an original does it," he whispered and my hands tightened around the book. Kol's hands landed on my shoulders and I saw his eyes turn red. Briefly, I felt a telltale heat shoot through my body and a soft whimper escaped my lips. Just as the tips of his fangs grazed my skin, I raised my hand and struggled. "Don't touch me!" I hissed, sending a wave of pain through his head that made him flinch. As if surrendering, he raised his hands. "All right, all right!" he growled and I ended the spell. Kol glared at me and I expected him to be angry and attack me again, but surprisingly he grinned at me. "Cut me some slack, Sophia." he said, straightening up again. "You don't often meet people who like it when you feed from them. It's too tempting." I slammed my hand on the table and jumped to my feet. "What are you imagining?" I hissed at him. "It's none of your business what I'm into. And believe me, you're the last person I'd willingly let bite me. Not after what you did to my sister." Kol lifted his chin and looked at me challengingly. "I'm a thousand years old, darling. There will come a time when you'll beg me to bite you, just you wait." I pressed my lips together and crossed my arms in front of my chest. "I'd rather die," I replied and Kol just smiled.