Our Demons {Kai Parker Book 1}

twenty-two: In which he returns

Ria cursed when she saw the tire deflated. This was the third car this week that she had highjacked and like the last two, it gave up on her.

"What else can go wrong?" she exclaimed dropping the bag of groceries. Her eyes widened when she remembered a second too late that the eggs were in that bag. 

She fell to her knees and removed the broken eggs from the bag. Nothing had been going her way ever since she had landed in the town. Two shelves holding paint had nearly fallen on her a few days ago at the mall, she was locked in a freezer for hours, a tree in the forest fell knocking her over, and she never slept for more than two hours a night.

She blinked back the tears and tossed the shells behind her. Another hand reached for the bag and she fell back. 

"Philalethia" he whispered. 

"What?" she stuttered, frozen, unable to move, terrified he was only a shadow. A false reality. A ghost.

"Philalethia," he repeated gazing into her doe eyes. "It's love for truth. Now, I don't know anything about love but I do know a fair bit about truth. And the truth here is that I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I haven't been able to sleep wondering what you're doing, if you're sad or doing something crazy. The truth is I care about you."

"You're not real,"

Kai chuckled shaking his head. He held her around the waist and helped her up. His soft breath fanned across her face and she shuddered.

"You're not real," she repeated.

A gasp left her throat when he closed the distance between their bodies. He was aggressive but in a way that only showed desire.

"I'm pretty darn sure I'm real," he breathed out, eyes flickering to her lips as though begging her to deny him once more.

Ria pushed herself away from his hold and instead threw her arms around his neck. She pulled him into her, breathing in the familiar scent of pine. A tear rolled down her cheek when she felt his heart against her chest.  

"I didn't think you'd come back,"

He kissed her temple, basking in the reality of holding her in his arms.

"I didn't think you'd be here."

"Funny how life works. How did you find me?"

"Well, once I finally got out and did what I had to do- which turns out was a lot more complicated than I intended for it to be. You weren't there, according to Damon you never got out with him. At first I didn't believe him, you've met him, you know why I wouldn't. But then I met your cousin Elena. She was going crazy wondering what happened to you. So, I figured if you're not out of the prison world, then you're still in it. And what do you know? I was right."

"Wait, you were looking for me?" she grinned.

"Obviously," he admitted with a roll of his eyes. "I need my partner in crime, you keep me in check."

She looked down after a couple of seconds and he stroked her cheek wondering why she was upset. "Why do I have the feeling you're not staying here?"

"I want you to come back with me."

Her eyes widened as she looked at him. 

Acceptance.

Ria has only ever wanted to be accepted.

Her parents refused responsibility for their child and chose to punish her for their mistakes. They never looked at her as a daughter, one that they had an obligation to care for and love.