Vampire Diaries Imagines

Phoenix in the Shadows - Kol Mikaelson

The air reeked of blood and desperation as I watched Kol fight off the vampires foolish enough to cross him. The sound of splintering wood as he snapped table legs into makeshift stakes in his hands echoed through the dark alley. His movements were as deadly as they were graceful, but the sheer number of his attackers made it clear they were hoping to overwhelm him.

Idiots.

I didn't think twice. I pulled up the hood of my cloak and jumped into the fray. My body moved on instinct, my strength surging as I caught one of the assailants by the arm and wrenched it backward, breaking bone. I turned swiftly and drove the jagged edge of a broken stake into his chest. Another vampire lunged at me, but I ducked under his arm and swept his legs out from under him, slamming him to the ground with enough force to rattle the pavement.

Kol didn't acknowledge my presence-he was too caught up in the heat of battle. Not that I blamed him. One wrong move and it wouldn't matter who was helping him. We fought back-to-back, moving in an almost synchronized dance of chaos and fury until the alley was silent, save for our labored breathing.

He turned, expecting to confront whoever had jumped into the fight uninvited. I stood with my back to him, brushing dust from my hands. I could feel his piercing gaze burning into me, and I knew he was studying every detail, trying to place the stranger who had dared to intervene.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" His voice was low and sharp, dripping with suspicion.

I slowly turned to face him, pushing my hood back. Our eyes locked, and for a moment, everything stood still.

Kol's expression shifted from confusion to disbelief, his mouth parting as if to speak but failing to find the words. "YN?" he finally breathed, his voice breaking with something between shock and raw emotion.

I smiled faintly, crossing my arms. "Miss me?"

He stared at me as though I were a ghost. "This isn't possible," he said, his voice shaking with anger and relief in equal measure. "You... you died. Fifty years ago, I- I saw your body, YN. I buried you!"

"You saw only what you needed to," I replied cryptically, my tone calm despite the storm raging in his eyes.

Kol's face twisted with frustration. "Don't give me that, darling. I mourned you. I burned the world for you. And now you're standing here as if nothing happened?"

I shrugged, my calm exterior masking the ache in my chest at the thought of what my absence had done to him. "Do you really want the answers, Kol, or are you just happy to see me?"

For a moment, he looked as though he was going to press for more, but the words caught in his throat. His lips parted, then closed again as his gaze softened. The tension in his shoulders fell away, replaced by something raw and vulnerable.

"Bloody hell," he muttered under his breath before closing the distance between us in an instant. His hands cupped my face with a rough urgency, and before I could say another word, his lips crashed against mine. The kiss was desperate, filled with anger, longing, and passion that had simmered beneath the surface for far too long.

I melted into him, letting his kiss pull me back into the past-the nights we'd spent together before everything had gone wrong. Before I'd been forced to leave him.

When we finally broke apart, his forehead rested against mine, his breath hot against my skin. "You're really here," he whispered, as if saying it aloud would make it real.

I smiled softly, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "I'm here, baby. And I'm not going anywhere this time."

His arms tightened around me, as though he were afraid I might vanish again. "You'd bloody well better not," he said, his voice a mix of relief and determination. "Because I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again."