Losing Your Memory ° Kai Parker

Chapter 31

The night air wrapped around me the moment Kai pushed open the door of the Salvatore house and stepped outside. It was cold enough to sting, but nothing compared to the ache spreading through my ribs and the throbbing burns on my wrists.

Kai didn't look back to see if I was following.
He didn't have to.
I always followed. At least... I always had.

His car was parked in the driveway — not the fancy sports cars Damon or Stefan would drive, but a black sedan I'd seen him steal once just to annoy the owner. He opened the passenger door for me with a mocking little bow.

"After you, sweetheart."

I climbed in without a word. My hands trembled as I adjusted the seatbelt, my fingers grazing dried blood on my collarbone. I wondered if he noticed. I wondered if he cared.

Kai slid into the driver's seat, turned the key, and for a moment the only sound was the low hum of the engine.

Then he spoke, his voice too casual, too light.

"You didn't even leave a note, Jen. I thought we were in a committed relationship."

I stared out the window. "I escaped."

"Potato, potahto."

The car rolled down the driveway, and for the first time I realized how quiet everything had become. No Damon yelling. No Bonnie attempting a spell. No Elena begging him to leave me alone.

Just us.

And the horrifying truth that I had no idea where he was taking me.

We drove for nearly twenty minutes in silence before I gathered enough courage to speak.

"Kai... where are we going?"

He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, humming some melody that didn't match the atmosphere at all.

"I rented a place."

A chill ran down my spine. "Rented?"

He grinned. "Well... took."

Of course.

The car turned onto a narrow road leading into the woods. My pulse quickened. Everything in me screamed to run, to jump out, to do anything—
But I stayed. Because if I bolted, he'd catch me. And worse... I wasn't sure I could outrun the part of myself that still, stupidly, loved him.

The headlights flashed against an old cabin tucked between the trees. It didn't look abandoned — it looked lived in. Which meant whoever usually lived here... wasn't here anymore.

Kai turned off the engine, then turned to me as if we were simply arriving at a romantic getaway.

"Home sweet home."

I didn't move.

He tilted his head. "Do you need help getting out?"

"I can get out myself," I muttered.

"Good girl."

Heat flared in my cheeks — anger, humiliation, something else I refused to name. I opened the door and stepped outside, the cold earth stinging my bare feet. Only then did Kai break the silence.

"You should've worn shoes."

I spun on him. "I didn't exactly have time to pack."

He smiled — a soft, infuriating smile. "I gave you twenty minutes."

"After torturing me."

"Details, details."

He brushed past me, walking toward the cabin. I followed slowly, every step reminding me how bruised, how broken, how fragile I was.