55

My skin felt like ice. The coldness surrounding me slowed my memory as I tried to think of what had happened.

Everything hit me all at once, forcing my eyes open. I lifted my head, pushing off the ground and sitting back on my knees. My breathing slowed as I looked around. Seeing that I woke up in the middle of an empty Mystic Falls made my heart stop for a minute.

I'm trapped in a prison world with my worst nightmare, and nothing can save me.

I pushed myself to stand and looked around, searching for him. I started walking, checking over my shoulder. I felt paranoid.

The only thought I had was to survive so I could kill him. If I die in the process, that's perfectly fine with me as long as he stays dead.

I made my way around town, not stopping anywhere I'm familiar with in case he's waiting for me.

A drawn-out whisper of my name filled my ears. I sucked in a breath of air, turning in the direction from which it came. I was met with nothing but an empty street. The same voice came from the opposite direction. I turned to see nothing again. I took a few steps back, stepping off the sidewalk.

I turned around swiftly as the voice sounded from behind me. I gasped as Joshua's eyes stared back at mine. I didn't waste any time running as fast as I could. I didn't think of where I was going, I let my feet guide me from him. A cry escaped my throat as I started to get slower.

I felt hands grab my waist and pull me away from my path. I screamed out, pushing against the hands that were on me. I felt a hand cover my mouth as he shushed me. His body pressed against mine.

"Baby, it's me. You have to be quiet."

The sound of Kai's voice made me freeze. I felt him for a moment, the way his body pressed against mine. His hands gently held me. I opened my eyes slowly as a cry escaped my throat. His soft, sad eyes met mine. I felt tears leave my eyes, rolling over his hand.

"You have to be quiet," he whispered.

I nodded once. He moved his hand to the side of my face. His eyes scanned my face before returning back to mine. I moved my hand from his wrist to his forearm. The relieved look on his face made more tears roll down my cheeks.

"Are you okay?"

My other hand moved to rest against the one that was on my face. "I thought you were dead."

He tilted his head. "I wouldn't leave you."

I breathed out slowly. I stared at him for a minute, trying to keep myself from crying more. He leaned forward, kissing my forehead softly. The press of his lips on my skin made me feel calmer. After a moment, he stepped away, grabbed my hand and held it.

I followed close behind him as he led me into a building that looked broken down. He pushed open a door and held it open for me to walk through. I walked to the couch and sat down, and a minute later, he joined me.

I stared at my hands as I pressed my fingertips into the palm of my hand, my nails almost breaking the skin. He put his hand over mine, stopping me from pushing my nails further.

"Evelyn."

The softness in his voice made my chest feel tight. The shakiness in my breath made it impossible for me to look at him.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No," I answered after a beat. "He's just..." I closed my eyes for a minute. "Klaus ripped out his heart, and he's still alive. Except he's not alive." I could see his eyes in my mind. I opened my eyes and looked at Kai. "He tied his life to this prison world. It's the only reason he's still alive. If we destroy the ascendant, we can kill him. But he has it, and there's no way he's giving it up."

He moved his hand to the side of my face and wiped the tears off my cheeks. "We can get it back. We will get out of here, and we will kill him."

The doubt I felt was overwhelming, making it hard for me to believe him this time.

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against him. I wrapped my arms around his body, resting my head on his chest. He moved his hand to the back of my head, pulling my hair out of my face. The sound of his heart beating slowly was soothing.

"I want to be with you again."

He pushed my hair behind my ear, moving it over my shoulder. "When we get out of here." I lifted my head and looked at him as he talked. "We can go away for a while, just us. Everything will get better because we'll be together again."

I stared into his eyes. "I love you."

The palm of his hand cupped my face perfectly. He pulled me down to kiss him. Once our lips parted, the same words fell from his lips. "I love you."

...

The feeling of his hand tightly holding mine made me feel safer. Walking next to him was enough already, but having him touching me is even better.

We have to get close to Joshua to get out of here, which is the worst part. Just thinking about seeing him makes me feel like running. Kai let go of my hand.

Kai figured out Joshua plans to leave us in here and use the meteor shower that's happening tonight to get out of here.

We stopped walking when we reached the clock tower. He's doing the spell in the middle of town, where he brought me in.

My heart sped up once Joshua came into view. He stood in the center of town, staring at the ascendant in his hand. His undivided attention was placed on the blood-soaked metal. It was starting to rust. His eyes were still as mortifying as ever.

We waited until his eyes were closed, and he was halfway through the spell to get closer. I shut my eyes to shield them from the light that engulfed us.

He was too distracted to even notice we were only a few inches from him.

I opened my eyes. The dark sky was all I could see. I looked over to see Joshua on the opposite side of the open area of the quarry. I sat up. I reached over to Kai, trying to wake him up. The spell knocked him unconscious. I looked over at Joshua again. He was lying so still, he looked dead.

A few feet from him was the ascendant. Chills traveled down my spine. I looked at him again. He lifted his head. I quickly rose to my feet and darted toward it. I threw myself onto it, holding it tightly in my hands. He yelled as he rolled me over.

I threw the ascendant as he grabbed my wrists and held them over my head. I cried out as I squirmed under him. I could feel his blood dripping on me. I shut my eyes and turned my face away from him as a sob broke from my lips.

"Please stop!"

His hand was pressing on my lower stomach. "Give it to me!"

"I don't have it!" I cried out.

He leaned closer, his lips hovering over my ear. He lowered his head, the tip of his nose dragging down my neck as he inhaled deeply. My breath caught in my throat.

"Please let me go," I cried.

He lifted his head quickly, gasping. I felt him jerk me off the ground, pulling me to my feet. He held my wrists together behind my back, and his other arm was around my body, his hand on my chest. I opened my eyes to see Kai holding the ascendant.

"That's mine!"

"Let her go, or I'll destroy it."

I could hear the smile in his voice, "If I die, she'll die too. My power will take us both down."

The tears escaped my eyes. I breathed out shakily, "Do it."

He twisted my wrists tighter, making me whine. "No!"

"Let her go!"

A delirious laugh passed his lips and traveled down my spine, making me feel like throwing up. "You don't want her. She's been ruined." He lifted his hand, moving it to my stomach.

I bit down on my tongue as I choked back a sob. The anger that was displayed on his face mirrored how I felt. "Break it!"

Joshua slid his hand slightly lower, inching his fingers toward my pants. I tightened my jaw, trying to stop myself from breaking down. His shuddered breathing was fanning my ear, making my stomach sink lower. "The longer you take, the more she takes. Hand it over, or I- we die."

My heart started beating slower. I furrowed my brows. He hesitated. "You're bluffing." My voice was so quiet, I almost didn't believe I said anything. Kai looked at me, confused. "Break it!"

He looked at Joshua. His breathing got heavier as his hold on my wrists got tighter. He gripped my shirt in his hands as he breathed in sharply.

I watched as Kai threw the ascendant as hard as he could. I stared at the broken pieces, focusing on making them light on fire. His hold on me loosened as he started screaming in pain. He backed away from me, toward the fire. I stumbled a few steps from him.

Joshua dropped to his knees, gathering the remnants of his existence. He caught on fire. After only a few minutes, he was burned entirely, and there was no proof of him at all.

I looked over to see Kai staring at me. He was slowly making his way over to me. I turned toward him as I breathed out all of the air in my lungs. A weight was lifted off my chest as I realized it was finally over. He's finally gone, erased from existence. I can be with Kai. Kai can be happy.

I threw my arms around his neck, pushing up on my toes as I hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around my torso, keeping me tightly against him. His hands curved around my sides as his face dipped into my neck. The warmth and comfort of his hold allowed me the strength to finally break down completely.

Even after I stopped crying, I kept myself flat against him. He kissed my neck softly before pulling his head back. I slid my hands to the sides of his neck as I pulled my head back. I rested my thumbs against the sides of his face. His eyes stayed on mine, focusing all of his attention onto me.

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head once. "It's okay."

He opened his mouth to speak, but I pulled him down to kiss me. After the initial shock wore off, he kissed me deeply. His lips moved slowly against mine. He moved his hand to my lower back. I slid my hand to the back of his head, threading my fingers through his hair. He moaned softly. I lifted onto my toes again, leaning deeper into the kiss. The nerves I once had have melted away now.

I pulled back from the kiss reluctantly. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes again. He stared at my lips for a minute before his eyes found mine again.

Neither of us said anything. We didn't need to.

I moved my hands to his arms. He looked down as he moved his hands to mine. We started walking, our fingers intertwined as our hands never separated. I pulled his arm against my body, resting my other hand on his upper arm. I leaned my head against his arm.

He squeezed my hand tighter. "What's wrong?"

"I'm tired." I let my eyes close for a minute.

"I can carry you."

I laughed as I lifted my head. "It's okay."

"Are you sure?"

I smiled as I shook my head, "Just keep walking, pretty boy."

He laughed quietly. "Let me know when you change your mind."

Halfway home, he gave up on letting me walk. I wrapped my legs around him and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands rested on the bottoms of my thighs. I rested my head on his shoulder, letting my eyes close.

He moved a hand off my leg. A few seconds later, he was touching me again. He started walking again. I felt him sit down. He pulled my legs from around his waist and then grabbed my arms, pulling me off of him. I groaned as he laid me back gently.

I reluctantly raised up on my arms and looked up at him. He walked out of the room. He was back a minute later. He walked toward me, "Go to sleep."

I shook my head. "I want you."

He paused for a minute. He swallowed as he nodded. "You're exhausted."

I furrowed my brows. "Not for sex, pervert. Lay with me."

He smiled as he moved closer. He reached for my hands. I grabbed his hands, and he pulled me to my feet. "Take your clothes off."

I pulled my hands from his. He walked toward the closet as I kicked off my shoes and then pulled off my shirt and pants. I turned to face him, and he pulled a shirt over my head. He carefully flipped my hair out before holding my face in both of his hands and kissing me softly.

"I have to go call your sister and tell her we're alive. I'll be right back." He started to walk away. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to me. "What's wr-" I moved a hand to the side of his face and kissed him again. I let go of his wrist.

He pulled back after a minute, and I smiled at him. He laughed breathily as he walked away. I got back on the bed, moving to get under the blanket. I laid on my side, facing away from where he lays. I laid my arm that was under me out beside me. I was going to sleep faster than I had imagined I would. The one thing that kept me from falling asleep was Kai.

I groaned as he slid his arm under me. His other arm laid over me, pulling me against him. His firm body was like a heater, making me feel giddy. He pressed his lips to my neck softly, and then he kissed my cheek.

His lips moved next to my ear. "Sweet dreams, baby." He kissed just below my ear, then below that. He rested his hand on my wrist, sliding his hand into mine, his fingers pushed between mine.

I fought against the exhaustion for as long as I could before becoming consumed by it.