Kai sprinted through the dark streets, the night pressing heavy on his back like a cloak woven in urgency. His mind raced faster than his feet, heart pounding as the warehouse faded behind him. The missed calls. Julia and Kady worried him and Julia's more so. The moment he reached Julia's apartment complex, he didn't even hesitate and surged up the steps and threw open the door.
Thud.
His body collided with an unseen force. He recoiled, blinking.
"What the—?" he muttered, then paused… and scoffed softly, almost impressed. "Well, I'll be damned," he said, placing a hand on the invisible barrier shimmering faintly in the air. "She actually got the boundary spell up."
Through the translucent magical shimmer, he saw Julia.
And instantly, the little smile vanished from his face.
Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her skin pale. Her clothes speckled faintly with blood. He could smell it, washed off but still lingering enough for his vampire senses to pick up, like a ghost that refused to fade. The coppery scent mingled with her natural scent. His first instinct, his first thought wasn't even formed with words, just a mental though 'Shit.'
Julia met his eyes. She said nothing, but slowly raised her hand and gave a downward motion. The barrier flickered, then dissolved into nothing allowing Kai to step inside.
She stood there, fragile and shaking like a snapped violin string still trying to hum a tune. Without hesitation, he went to her, pulling her into a firm embrace. Her sobbing started before she could even form a word, her hands clutching his shirt, face buried into his chest.
He held her tightly, gently stroking the back of her head, murmuring, "Hey… hey… what happened? What's going on, Julia?"
She looked up at him, and through broken breaths, said, "She's dead… Kady's mom. She's dead."
The words hit Kai like a slap across the soul. He blinked. "What?" he said, almost reflexively.
Julia nodded. "Yes."
Kai's jaw tightened. "How the fuck, Julia? I told you to stay away from her."
"I did!" Julia's voice cracked as her body tensed in his arms. "I stayed away! I ignored her calls, all of them. She kept trying but I didn't answer. I swear I didn't. But then… then she came with Kady. She said something about a complex spell to get Marina's stash. She sounded different this time, like… like she knew what she was doing."
As Julia spoke, Kai's heart sank further. His eyes widened slightly as her words pieced together something he couldn't believe.
'What the actual fuck?'
The pattern, it was still following the same trajectory as the original broken timeline. Even with Julia removed from the equation, things were still… happening. As if fate itself refused to let go and somehow found a way to set the motion.
He blinked back into the moment as Julia started pacing frantically, wringing her hands. "She came to my place… she begged me. Said it was just one spell. One. That she'd leave me alone after that. And I thought…" Her voice cracked as she stumbled back to the couch. "I thought if I just helped, she'd go. I didn't want her here. I didn't want to be part of it."
Julia curled into the couch, knees pulled to her chest, tears rolling freely again. "I shouldn't have done it. I should've just said no. But I… I just wanted her gone, Kai. I didn't mean for it to happen."
Kai sat beside her, bringing her close again. "It's okay… shhh, it's okay."
"She was bleeding," Julia whispered hoarsely. "And I tried to help. I used the healing spell, I tried. But it wasn't enough. I wasn't enough. She died anyway…"
Kai held her tighter, his voice gentle but steady. "It's not your fault, Julia."
"Isn't it?"
"No." He looked at her seriously. "If anyone's to blame, it's Marina. Not you. She's the one who sent her down this road. You were just caught in the wake."
She wept for a while longer, letting it all fall apart in his arms. Thirty minutes passed in a quiet haze before Julia finally emerged from her room in a new outfit now clean, and calmer.
Kai gave her a small smile. "You got the boundary spell down, huh?"
Julia nodded, then hesitated. "It… it happened after..."
He understood instantly. She had probably fled home after the incident, desperate and terrified. Her emotions must've surged and that was when the spell took root. A consequence of the trauma.
Kai's tone turned thoughtful. "Magic doesn't just come from anywhere, Julia. That's the miserable thing about it. It's almost always fueled by… negativity."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean magic is strongest when we're at our weakest. Sadness, fear, desperation, anger… depression those are what amplify it."
Julia laughed bitterly. "That's fucked up."
Kai scoffed. "Yeah, well… Quentin said the exact same thing, you know."
She slowly walked over and sank into the couch beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. The silence was almost warm this time.
Kai added softly, "The real danger is letting that power consume you. Let it root too deep, and eventually… you won't recognize yourself anymore."
There was a beat of silence.
And then he whispered something else something softer and barely above a breath.
Julia looked up.
"What did you say?" she asked.
Her eyes met his and only then did she realize just how close his face was. So close she could see the silver flecks in his irises. So close she could feel his breath on her face. And he, in turn, was hit by the scent of her cloves and tears, blood and lavender of her shampoo. His breath caught for half a second.
And then Julia leaned in. Tentatively and Slowly.
Her lips brushed against his lightly.
And Kai… didn't pull away.
Pulling away he looked into her eyes for permission, "Come here." He murmured softly and brought a hand to her face, lightly brushing a strand of wet hair away from her face and leaned in, gently blowing hot air against her ear before pressing an open mouthed kiss to her neck.
She inhaled sharply in satisfaction at the feeling, her body shuddering when the warm air hit her skin and looked up at him with her irresistible eyes when he pulled back. She could feel the heat rising up in her whole body and she didn't want that feeling to end. He opened his mouth to speak but never got a chance to.
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