Kenai

Chapter Fifteen - The Blood That Binds

The smell of pancakes was enough to rouse me, and I opened my eyes to see a loaded plate of fluffy American pancakes on the book in front of me. Katie was stood over me, and watched as I picked the cutlery up and started wolfing down my breakfast. After a few hungry minutes, Katie sat down in front of me, moving books aside with her feet as she lowered herself down to my level.

"Look," She said, "about yesterday-"

"I'm sorry." I blurted out.

I expected Katie to reciprocate, to tell me she was sorry and let us move on, but she didn't.

"I'm leaving tonight." She said.

I spat out the pancake I was eating and placed the meal down.

"What?" I asked.

"I've got a friend on the Wesen Council who's agreed to put me up for a few days until I can get access to a safehouse abroad."

"Why?"

"Because I can't stand seeing you like this. What happened to the strong, determined Kayla who could always find a way out of any tough spot? The Kayla that would do anything to protect her friends, regardless of her own safety? Where's she?"

"She died the second Deacon Blooded me." I said sadly.

"I don't believe that. I know she's still in there somewhere, but this new Kayla has buried her."

Without another word, Katie upped and left. I watched her go once more, knowing that I had caused this mess. I had driven away the only person willing to stay with me since this hellish journey began, and I was going to watch her walk out of my life tonight.

No. there had to be something I could do. I sprang to my feet and sprinted after her, feeling her sadness as I got closer and closer to her. We ended up in the dorm, where her bag was already packed and perched on the end of the bed. She had her back to me, refusing to even acknowledge that I was there, but I talked anyway.

"Katie," I said, fighting to keep my voice level, "you're right. Since I lost Mum, all I could think about was how good it would feel to kill Deacon, and when Alice told me about the spirits needing to ascend, I didn't want them to be as alone as I felt. I took you for granted, and I'm so sorry. Without you Deacon would've killed me the first day we arrived here. Without you I would've been ripped apart by a Lowen. I would never have learned as much about this new world on my own. Please stay Katie, I need you."

There was silence. I felt Katie's grief in my heart and I reached out to take her hand, but she pulled away. She turned without looking at me, and brushed my shoulder as she walked out of the dorm. The bag was still on the bed, so I knew she wasn't leaving yet. I sat on the edge of the bed and didn't try to stop the tears. Mum appeared at the foot of the bed, but I didn't talk to her. She came over and stood by me, her hand hovering over my shoulder as though she wanted to hold me, and that just made me cry more.

---

Katie avoided me for the rest of the day. I spent my time dismantling the funnel she had built, knowing that I wouldn't need it anymore. All the doors were unlocked, and the Academy was back to its original state, much to the disgust of Alice, who materialised in front of me as soon as the last door was unlocked.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Adjusting my priorities." I stated.

"This is because of the hybrid isn't it?"

"No, it's because I was developing an obsession and it was affecting my health."

"Your Kenai, your health is perfect!"

"What's the problem Alice?"

"The problem is that there are still over a hundred students waiting to ascend. The Varaat must be wiped out."

"At what cost? I'm not sacrificing my friend for anything. We're Blood-kin, and even without that I wouldn't do anything to hurt her because she's the only family I've got left!"

Alice disappeared, and I felt someone standing behind me. I turned around to see Katie wipe her eyes before walking away.

---

Night came too quickly, and Katie stood in the doorway staring out at the long dirt road ahead. She said nothing as I approached, as if she was afraid to rupture the silence that swirled around her. I could feel her sadness, but there was also something else racing around in her heart that I couldn't place. I knew exactly what I wanted to say to her before I lost her forever.

"Before you go," I said in a strained voice, "I just wanted you to know that I'll support you no matter what you do. You could be with me, or halfway across the world, and you'll always have my full support. I've learned so much from you and I wish I'd treated you better when I had the chance. You were right, and I'm sorry."

For a moment there was silence, and then Katie turned to me slowly, tear tracks on both cheeks, and threw her arms around me. That strange feeling was growing in my heart as I returned the embrace, and I realised that it wasn't strange at all: it was love.

"You really think I'd leave you?!" She said, squeezing me tight.

"But what about your contact?" I ask.

"Called him off after I heard you talking to Alice. I realised my place is with you."

I smiled, and as we separated I felt something sharp poke my neck. My hand shot up to find the source of the poke, and Katie watched as I pulled a small black dart out of my neck. The world started to spin and I fell to the ground, pain wracking every part of my body.

Katie was stood in front of me, knife drawn, as I tried to get my body to follow orders and move. My head was spinning, my lungs burned, and I could only watch as a mass of Wesen descended on Katie, overpowering her. They threw her onto the stone floor, her head bouncing off of the stone, before picking their now disabled target up and dragging her into the night.

I could feel Katie's emotions in my head and heart. I could feel her fear, her pain, and I could hear her screaming my name, her voice so scared that it broke my heart to hear. I tried to get to her, listening to the pain, every word etched into my eardrums as I realised that I couldn't save her.

"Kayla!" She screamed, "Kayla please help me! Kayla!"

---

The sounds faded, and the pain was all I had left. Katie was gone, kidnapped by the very force I had been hell bent on destroying. Lying on my back, I was only just able to turn my head as a dark shadow loomed over me.

"Well, well," Deacon said, "what do we have here?"

"Let her go." I said through gritted teeth.

"Now we both know that's not happening."

"Take me instead, please."

Deacon laughed. "A Kenai begging? How quaint."

He woged, his whole body changing into his Wesen form, and he knelt down at my side. I couldn't escape him; I was totally at his mercy and feared what he was about to do. He lifted my shirt, revealing my stomach, and with one claw he began to carve into my flesh. I screamed in pain as I felt every stroke of the claw, and by the time he had finished I wondered how I had any blood left.

He stood up, took his phone out of his pocket and took a picture. He showed me, holding my head still with one hand and holding the phone with the other. I saw the blood first, and once he zoomed in to the image I saw the word he had carved into my body. In jagged letters, right across my stomach, was one word that I could never hide:

KILLER

I wanted to vomit, but it was too painful to move. Deacon laughed as I began to convulse, the pain slowly dragging me into unconsciousness. Before he left, he woged again and slashed his claws across my throat, spraying blood up the walls. My head rolled, and I watched Deacon walk away with my best friend as his prize.