10

I could hear music faintly playing. I pushed myself to sit up. I looked around.

Kai's bed. Kai's apartment. Kai's listening to music. I'm in Kai's presence, and I'm not dying. He didn't kill me while I slept.

Maybe he's not the worst guy on the planet.

After pushing that thought away, I got up. I looked at the end of the bed to see my clothes. They were neatly folded. He cleaned them. I was unsure of what to do. I walked out of the room, making my way toward the music. I turned to the kitchen.

Kai looked up at me as he closed the orange juice. "Good morning."

I blinked a few times to make sure I was seeing that he's not murdering someone. "Hi."

He looked down at my body for a few seconds before finding my eyes again. "You didn't change."

"I'm still caught up in the fact that I'm alive." I walked to the counter and sat on one of the stools.

"I'm many things, babe, but a liar isn't one of them."

"Babe?"

He put his hands flat on the counter. "Is that where you draw the line?"

I furrowed my brows. "No, it's just weird. We're not... dating."

He smiled and scanned my face. "What would you prefer then?"

I grabbed the glass of orange juice he poured. "Evelyn." I took a drink then looked up at him again.

"Here are some suggestions - stop me when you hear one you like - babe, honey, sweetie, sweetheart, princess -"

"I hate all of them. Just call me by my name like a normal person."

He tilted his head. "You seemed fine with them when I was making you cum."

I looked down at his hands. "Mhm." I looked at his face. "Different circumstances."

"Hmm." He looked at my lips. "How about we make it the same?"

I stood up. "I have to go. I was supposed to go last night, but you decided to be a dick."

He smiled, "Don't pretend you didn't beg me for it."

I opened my mouth to speak, but turned away from him, walking back toward the bedroom. I stopped and turned to him. "You're a freak, by the way." I lifted the shirt, baring the panties to him. "Keeping them? Weird."

"I knew you would need them again." He stood up straight, pushing off the counter. "I shouldn't have though. You look way hotter without them."

I felt my skin flush. It was suddenly a hundred degrees. I swallowed and dropped the shirt. "Freak."

"For you."

I opened my mouth to say something, but every word that existed suddenly didn't. The last thing I want is a repeat of last night. Partly because I'm still exhausted and partly because I need to leave. I feel ashamed that none of my reasons are that I don't want to.

I turned and walked down the hallway to his bedroom. Maybe sleeping with Kai isn't the best idea, but it certainly isn't the worst. I get to piss off Damon and I get to have sex. I'm also not in danger of dying anytime soon.

There was knocking on the front door. I pulled on my shirt after putting on my bra and jeans.

"Evelyn!"

I rolled my eyes at Kai yelling for me. I pulled on my shoes then walked out of his bedroom. I stopped at the end of the hallway, frozen.

It was a possibility that Stefan and Damon would show up, but I didn't heavily consider it.

They both stared at me in disbelief. Kai looked at me. He was biting back a smile.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Did you sleep with him?!"

I walked further into the living room. "No. Not... exactly." Damon's anger was evident as his breathing was labored. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not dead and he didn't hurt me."

"It was really the opposite."

I looked at Kai, "Shut up." He furrowed his brows. I looked at Stefan and Damon.

"He's a psychotic murderer, Evelyn. He could've killed you."

"Screw that, you could've gotten pregnant!"

My face twisted in disgust at Damon's words. "Contraceptives were invented for that exact reason. And what the hell do you care?"

"You're 17."

I looked at Stefan. "Okay, Elena was 16 and you went after her." I shrugged. "I don't get the problem here."

"You were defiled by a maniac."

"That's a little harsh," Kai responded to Damon. He walked to stand beside me. "She was practically begging for it."

I looked at him. "That's reaching."

"That's disgusting," Damon corrected.

I looked at him. "You're such a hypocrite. If either of you were in my position, there's no way in hell anyone would be reacting this way. She almost killed my mom and you two were fine with that. I saved her and now I'm being berated just because I found a way to do it that you don't agree with. It's bullshit, and I want a reasonable and non-sexist explanation. If you can't think of one, then move on."

"He didn't force you?" Stefan's stare was intense.

"No."

"How are we supposed to believe that?" Damon asked. He was still angry.

I turned to Kai and grabbed his face. I pulled him down to kiss me. After the second of shock passed, his hands were on my hips. I moved my hands to his chest and pushed away from him. I turned to face Stefan and Damon again. They were staring in shock and disgust. One more so than the other.

"I have free will, and I used it. Now, what do you want?"

They didn't speak for a minute. "You need to come home," Stefan finally answered.

I crossed my arms. "Why?"

"Your mom wants you to."

It only took the mention of her to snap me out of whatever trance I was in. "Okay."

Damon's eyes moved to Kai, glaring at him. "You're the luckiest person on the planet."

"Oh yeah, I know," Kai remarked.

I looked at Kai. "You're a dick."

He looked, the smirk on his face widening. "I'm just having fun, Evelyn."

I looked at Damon and Stefan. "You can go now. I'll be there soon."

"You said that last night."

I nodded once, "I'm aware."

"He shouldn't be breathing right now," Damon muttered as he walked away.

Stefan stared at me for a minute before following after his brother. I've been stared at like that a lot, but never by him. He's disappointed. Understandably so, of course. But it still hurts.

"That was fun."

I turned to Kai. "Because you're psychotic."

He tilted his head, "Says the girl who kissed me."

I looked to the side, "To prove a point." I looked at him again.

"They know you have free will, they just don't want to believe you used it to do things with me. They think I'll kill you. And I still might, by the way."

"Yeah, not until you've had your dick inside of me."

He raised his brows, "Wow. You're very cocky."

"No, I'm just right."

He tilted his head, "God, I should really fuck that attitude out of you right now."

My lips parted hearing the words leave his mouth. "I don't have an attitude. And I have to go."

"That's fine. I know where you live."

"That's very threatening and ominous. We're never having sex at my house or anywhere outside of this apartment. And we're definitely not telling people that this 'thing' between us is happening."

"'Thing'?"

I furrowed my brows, "Yes."

"That's..." He sighed. "I don't know if I should feel insulted."

"Please do."

He shook his head, "I can't wait to hear you begging me to fuck you. I'll remind you of this moment and you'll regret it deeply."

"You're insane if you think that will ever happen."

He stepped closer. "Mhm."

"And how the hell would you know what regret is? You're a narcissistic sociopath who has never felt it in his entire life."

He stared at my lips. "Those are some really harsh words for such a pretty little mouth." He looked into my eyes again.

I should feel offended, but I'm oddly turned on. "How would you know; you can't feel them."

"Then make me feel something." His voice was quiet and resonated deep within me. I pressed my thighs together.

"I have to leave."

He nodded once, "So leave."

I felt like I was glued to the floor. His eyes were searching for something in mine. My mind was floating with filthy thoughts. If he can read my mind, I'm sure he's filled with joy and pride right now.

I took a few steps back then turned away. I walked to the door. I grabbed my keys. I turned to look at him as I grabbed the door handle.

"How is this going to work?"

He thought for a moment. "I'll call you."

The terms and conditions of this deal felt like blurred lines that he would cross in a heartbeat. "No one can know."

He raised his finger to his chest and made an x where his heart is. The smile on his face made me think otherwise. I don't expect him to keep it between us, but I have hope that he will. But instilling faith in someone like him is like trusting a lion not to attack someone who is taunting it.

I walked out of the building with a lot of regrets and a lot of wonder, but I'll get over it. I stopped at the end of the parking lot. Damon and Stefan are standing by my car staring at me. I feel like I'm standing on hot coals.

I started walking again. "You were supposed to leave."

"And you were supposed to be the good girl."

I stopped in front of them. "Caroline was, actually. So why don't you go lecture her about sleeping around? She knows a lot more than I do."

"Slut shaming your sister. That's a new low. Tell me, Evelyn, how does it feel to be a bad sister and a bad person?"

"I would love to, but why don't you tell me what it's like to be a homicidal psychopath first, Damon?"

"Okay, both of you stop." I looked at Stefan. He looked from Damon to me, "You know this is wrong, why did you do it?"

"I don't owe you an explanation." I took a step back. "I don't owe you anything actually, especially not my time."

"She has a week, Evelyn."

I stared at Stefan. "What?"

"Your mom, she has a week. That's why we needed you last night. She wanted you to be the first one to know, but you decided to sell your soul to the devil instead." Damon's harsh tone made my eyes fill with tears.

I felt like my oxygen was slowly depleting. The world around me was spinning faster, making it harder for me to grasp onto reality. The magic was supposed to help her.