Our Demons {Kai Parker Book 1}

chapter thirty-seven: Fooled Her Twice

There was a mixture of feelings in the room and Ria was becoming overwhelmed with how strongly she could feel the energies.

Her powers first controlled her and every second felt like she was locked in a small plastic box with the fog of her breath blurring her vision.

The energy she saw in colour, a mixture of reds and blues and greens. But after Afriel, she learned to focus on a single person's energy at once.

Elena was a dark blue flickering. Bonnie's energy mixed with hers, but with a more yellow tint. Damon's was the most vibrant, a reddish orange.

"It's a long story,"

"Take your time," Elena smiled. She hadn't left her cousin's side since they got to the Salvatore House. She was relieved that they had found Ria again, relieved and finally calm.

"Believe me," Damon voiced with sarcasm, "we have plenty of time."

Stefan entered the room with a glass of water and offered it to her. He threw a glare over his shoulder at his brother and encouraged Ria to talk.

She looked up, and immediately felt at ease when his energy glowed a solid green; a colour she only ever saw from children and animals.

She may have just been given her free will back, she may have killed the coven of witches who were trying to perform a sacrifice, and her love might have just made an attempt on her life but seeing Elena's pity towards her and Damon's obvious arrogance, she knew she had to grow a backbone.

"I'm an Addonexus."

An unsettling feeling crept across the room. The Salvatore brothers threw Elena a confused look but she was equally unsure. Bonnie who had been silent the entire time cleared her throat drawing the attention off Ria.

"Born human but has the ability to control energy."

Ria nodded, "I used the energy from my humanity to heal Kai. Then you restored my humanity by reminding me of the pains- of what it meant to be human. When I left, an Angel found me and taught me how to master my powers."

Elena gripped her hand, letting her know that she didn't have to be afraid. "What powers?" she asked.

"I can read your emotions from the aura in the room. Healing. Using the light to manipulate shadows."

"Bon-Bon? Is it possible to take this Addonexus out of little Ria here?"

"Damon," Elena warned, throwing her boyfriend a glare.

"What? You know I'm right. This," he pointed to Ria, "isn't right. She isn't supposed to be mixed in our mayhem, or any mayhem for that matter. We'll find a spell, humanize her again, and she can forget about everything that has to do with the crazy we've put up for since those Originals came."

"Just the same as fate promised Elena in your lives, I'm destined to be a part of this."

"You're not," Stefan argued. "You aren't destined to put up with any of this, fate is a fickle thing. Nothing is set in stone, Ria."

"I don't believe that. I refuse to believe that Benedict was a misfortune and nothing else. I refuse to believe that meeting Kol and Benedict finding me was a coincidence. I refuse to believe that the Guardians of the prison world came to me instead of killing Kai themselves. I know it's the Addonexus in me that has helped me survive this long."

Bonnie pursed her lips and after a minute of silence she asked, "Elena, can I talk to you in private?"

The two girls left the room, leaving the Salvatore brothers.

"You still care for that little shit?" Damon grumbled, pointing an annoyed look at Ria.

"Funny, I asked Elena the same thing about you," she retorted with a glare.

"Leave her alone Damon." Stefan pushed his brother, "She's been through enough. Stop interrogating her."

The older Salvatore pushed past his brother, grabbing a bottle of Bourbon off the table and slamming the door especially hard as he left the house.

He would never admit it out loud, but he cared a little too much for the bitter mouthed brunette. If she would only listen to him, he could help her be happy and safe.

Inside, Stefan stared at Ria.

"How come we never talked?"

She looked up when he took a seat beside her on the sofa.

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since we met, you and I never talked, we never got to know each other."

"Not to come off dramatic but when we met you were pissed at everything that moved and breathed in your direction because of the Elena and Damon situation. Not to mention you were stuck babysitting me while Damon got the girl."

"Thinking back to it now, you deserve to punch that Stefan."

She bumped her shoulder against his, grinning at him she asked, "Are you suggesting this Stefan has changed?"

He laughed feeling cornered by her questions. "What I'm saying is that when people are naive, and arrogant, and ignorant, they hurt other people who don't deserve it. Blaming you because Elena didn't love me, treating you like a nuisance, being rude and mean, you didn't deserve any of it. This apology is long overdue, but whether you decide to forgive me or not, I will always stand by you and the decisions you make."

"Really?" she raised an eyebrow, "Because no one else has that mindset."

"No one else sees what I see. Ria you are so strong and independent, people need to trust you more. I was an idiot to think otherwise, but you can trust me to have your back now." He cleared his throat and ignored the fluttering in his chest. "What's going to happen between you and Kai? I heard he was trying to strangle you last."

Her chest burned at the mention of his name. "I broke his heart again, he won't forgive me."

"I don't know, I've seen stranger things. Maybe you just need to convince him that you won't leave this time, give him every reason possible why he won't regret this. He does care about you Ria. You didn't see him, how terrified he was when we all thought we were going to lose you."

Hearing Stefan's support and advice, a light of hope ignited inside of her. Maybe it wasn't too late, maybe Kai would give her a second chance.

Ria pulled Stefan into a hug and wondered if anything would have turned out differently if she and Stefan were closer.

"Thank-you Stefan. I forgive you."

~~~

"What are you talking about?"

"Believe me, Elena, this is the only way to keep everyone safe. You think he won't go after Alaric's daughters? After us? After Ria?"

"We promised to help her Bonnie. This would break her heart."

"Not if she doesn't know. I'll send him into the prison world with a spell but you have to convince Ria that he left on his own. That he never wants to see her again."

"She won't ever trust us again Bonnie."

"I'm with Bon-Bon on this one."

The girls jumped hearing his voice. Damon entered the room in silence, but he heard every word.

"Care to be a little less stalker-ish next time?"

"I think the plan needs a bit of work. Send Parker to the prison world, I'm sure he misses it. But if you place a spell to make Ria think she was seeing and talking to Kai, and this imposter Kai convinced her that he hated her and never wanted to see her again, we wouldn't have to worry about this ever again."

"Usually I would say no but Damon's right. Please, Elena, let's not lose her again."

Elena thought back to Ria who finally trusted her again. Who smiled, who talked, who was back.

She wasn't going to regret this, right?