Not That Kind Of Witch • Kai Parker #1

36: hail mary

The park was eerily quiet. There wasn't a student in sight and a thick blanket of mist was settling down on the campus. Kai stalked into the clearing, a skip to his step. Glancing over his shoulder, he yelled, "Come on Jo-Jo. We don't have all night." Scoffing, Kai blurted out, "Literally."

Jo reluctantly trailed behind him, twiddling her thumbs and watching the sky. Following her gaze, Kai breathed out, "Look at all those pretty planets."

Kai smiled ruefully as Jo finally came to stand across from him. A nostalgic punch to the gut almost floored him. This was exactly how they were stood, watching each other, when she betrayed him. He hoped she was thinking about this too, it would make this whole process a lot...easier.

Looking away from Jo, Kai whistled. "Sparkling and bright."

Kai rhythmically rose onto the balls of his feet. "Aww, Josette... You would not believe how sick I am of eclipses."

Jo seemed less than impressed with Kai's theatrics. He was having fun and couldn't bring himself to make this easier for her.

"Let's just get this over with." Jo demanded, her voice almost not cracking.

Leaning towards her, Kai divulged, "If you think I didn't spend my last 18 years of solitude thinking of murdering you the entire time, you'd be tragically wrong."

He enjoyed watching her squirm. She'd enjoyed her life, probably never even spared him a thought, not one.

Straightening his shirt, Kai outlined, "I promised myself I'd rip something more important than a spleen out. A tongue maybe... or a heart." Kai finished with a cruel smile.

Jo rolled her eyes, unamused. Kai stepped back and took in a deep breath.

"Okay then. Any closing remarks?"

Spitting the words, Jo said, "You're a parasite."

Cracking her knuckles, Jo spared one last look at the sky. "You killed the people I love. You shoved a hunting knife in my guy. You destroyed my life. Now, I'm going to destroy yours."

Closing his eyes, Kai basked in her hatred. His matched hers but tenfold.

"Ouch, tell me how you really feel." Kai laughed in her face. "I guess we're all the hero of our own story, right Jo-Jo?"

Placing his feet equal width apart, Kai cracked his neck. "I guess we'll see who will be destroying who."

The wind began to pick up, once dormant leaves swaying in the breeze and dead leaves swirling into a cyclone around Kai. He hoped she was sweating, nervous. She should be.

One moment Kai was staring into Jo's increasingly worried eyes and the next, she was flying backwards through the air. He would've loved to take the credit for that sweet little move, but alas, it couldn't be so. Searching the clearing, his eyes landed on a figure strolling from where Jo had flung.

Pronouncing his words threateningly slowly, Kai questioned, "What have you just done?"

Luke didn't stop walking until he was was where Jo once stood. "Just gave her a nice little magic knock to the head." Staring at Kai intently, Luke explained, "But that doesn't matter and it's fine because you're going to merge with me instead."

Kai didn't know whether to burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter or pity the fool. He thought this would work? That he was even powerful enough to attempt to go up against him?

Kai settled on a smile. The bitter tasting emotion that was swirling around his head was beginning to cloud his judgement. He hadn't let himself question this, any of it, before now. He couldn't think about her right now.

"You? You want to merge with me?" Kai quizzed, cocking an eyebrow and wiping any thoughts of her from his mind.

Searching the woods over Luke's shoulder, Kai looked for any sign that Jo was awake back there.

"I hate to brake it to you-" Kai spat, "little bro, but we're not twins. Alright? This is not how this is supposed to go. This is not how this works."

No emotion showed on his face as Luke replied steadily, "No, that's true. You're right. But we share the same parents, same bloodline and thanks to your-" the first emotion, he'd seen on his brother came forth and it was glee, "time out in your magic prison, we're the same age. So, it's definitely a Hail Mary and maybe it won't work but I am willing to do and try anything to save my sisters life."

Kai was skeptical. It sounded too be good to be true. He wasn't going to risk his only chance in his foreseeable future on a maybe.  Luke reached his hand behind his back and when it reemerged, he was holding a boring looking knife. Kai felt like scoffing, that puny thing paled in comparison to his wicked assortment of knives.

"We're going to give it the good old college try." Luke outlined as he sliced the palm of his hand.

Turning on his heel, Kai began to walk away. "Thanks, but I'm going to have to pass."

***

Valerie was sat on the counter, drinking milk straight from the carton and eating leftover pizza that really didn't taste that good. But it was good, she was good, she was keeping her mind busy. She was keeping busy so that she didn't think about what Kai was possibly up to.

She'd showered, which took a while, due to the rank stench of stale water that would not wash out of her hair. She now owed Kai some new shampoo. The sun had long ago set beneath the horizon and the night outside the giant windows was all consuming.

Throwing the pizza slice into the box-the same pizza slice she had been nibbling on for the past hour-and jumped off the counter. It's official, she was about to go batshit crazy. She was pacing. Soon she'd be wearing a hole into the marble floor.

Her heart fell when there was a knock at the door. Who would be knocking? Valerie listed, Kai wouldn't knock, he has the key...and magic, it was unlikely it was anyone that wished to do her harm... They were either vampires or witches and either of those beings could knock that door down in seconds.

A frown settled on her face, as her feet softly padded towards the entryway. The large oversized tshirt she had stolen from Kai's wardrobe swung around her knees as she peered up into the peephole. The hallway was empty. She couldn't see a thing.

Standing back down on her feet, she jumped a mile when the door knocked again. Throwing caution to the wind, Valerie undid the latch and twisted the lock. Swinging the door inward, Valerie was stumped when nobody was stood in front of her.

Her frown settled lower. Reaching to shut the door again, it was almost closed when a boot shoved its way inside, knocking the door back. Valerie sprang back and met the eyes glaring at her.

More important of an issue, was the serious looking gun pointed right between her eyes. Running didn't seem like the best option, but then again neither did a bullet to the brain.

Bullet to the brain or bullet to the back? Neither sounded especially pleasant.

Her brain was still running a 100 miles a minute and she still hadn't questioned why he was holding a gun to her head.

"You're my insurance."

Ah, well that settled it then.

________

y'all (if anyone is still reading this), im super sorry about not updating in eons. i am aiming to finish this book within the next month or so and again, so sorry.

also, as always, votes and comments are always appreciated.

-bryony xox