Our Demons {Kai Parker Book 1}

twelve: in which he has that nightmare

In his sleep, he saw her die for the eighth time.

There were three hooded figures standing in the woods opposite of Kai.

"You are a parasite, Kai Parker. Every thing you touch will die, everywhere you go misfortune will fall upon you, and everyone you love will loathe you."

Kai grinned, "Well, it's a good thing I don't have anyone to love, right?"

"That may have been true previously but-" he is cut off when a girl ran into the clearing towards him. She was beautiful and Kai recognized her as Ria, but her hair was shorter. He touched her cheek, tracing the hideous scar on her porcelain skin.

"Who did this?" he bit out, searching her eyes for a name.

"Kai, you need to go. You aren't safe here, go."

"It is too late to save his soul Ria Emmers," the hooded man stated and revealed a dagger. "You should have given up on him when you had the chance."

In a swift moment, he was behind her and plunged the dagger into her back. The tip ripped past her chest and into the front of her shirt.

They disappeared and she fell to the ground. Kai desperately attempted to save her.

But there was blood, too much blood, and she wasn't breathing.

~~~
"Kai, wake up."

Ria held down his arms and yelled his name again. He was strong and she almost fell over when he struggled against her but she shifted her entire weight on him, gripping his arms tight and refusing to let go. With one last cry, he woke up and found himself underneath her.

"What?"he stuttered, "What are you doing?"

Ria sighed as she sat back and ran a hand through her hair.

"Honestly? I was sleeping until I woke up to you yelling. What happened, did you have a nightmare?"

"It was nothing,"

Ria didn't appreciate his secretive demeanor. She had spilled her entire life story to him, the least he could do was trust her. She turned away from him and walked to the window. She crossed her arms, staring out into the night.

"Some people believe that nightmares hold elements of truth you know. Like, foreshadowing death, symbolizing fears, a glimpse into the future."

Kai knew she was pushing for answers, so he told her, "You were stabbed."

"I said some people believe that, not me." Ria sighed and returned to the bed, climbing in and pulling the covers over her. "Honestly, I thought we got passed the point of secrets?"

He narrowed his eyes and wondered why she was asking him so many questions. "Was this before I drugged and kidnapped you or after the whole I got my parents killed talk?"

"Can't we have one conversation where you're not acting like a douchebag?"

"That depends on whether or not you stop thinking you can change me."

"I don't need to change you, I just need to help you find yourself."

"I've had eighteen years to do that."

"Yeah, but clearly there hasn't been any progress,"

Kai glared at her back when she turned around in the bed and fell back to sleep.

He didn't like what he was feeling, but the thought of this feeling going away was terrifying.

The aggressive beating of his heart against his chest gave him the same thrill as when he had murdered his younger siblings.

The desire to touch her was as empowering as when he siphoned magic from witches. It was all too much, and he felt like a junkie high on powder.

He sat back, wondering why Ria emmers made him feel like this.