No more words were spoken between us, as I watched him slip into a deeper sleep. Along his arms and down part of his chest, his skin warped and turned a slight brownish discoloration. However, it wasn't enough to consider him in a detained state. He was only sleeping. Careful not to disturb his peaceful state, I made no sound while he preferably entered his dormant rest.
"Victoria, my love, come back to me," piercing the silence, the present-day Kai sweetly called to me.
As my gaze fell back to the sleeping Kai of the past, a thick teardrop dripped from my eyelid. My heart couldn't bear to leave the Kai from the past in such a helpless state.
"Victoria, please, you need to come back to me. You're only hurting yourself by fighting it," Kai urged gently from the present, yet parting from his past self felt too agonizing.
"I can't leave you..." my voice broke partway, barely audible as deeper emotions swamped my heartstrings at the sight of him in such a vulnerable state, "Not like this..."
In an endearing whisper, Kai's voice cooed even softer, "I'll be fine. After you said, 'Go to sleep. I'll see you soon.' I passed out, and I won't wake up until Tom feeds me my father's blood."
"You... remembered what I said?" I sniffled, trying to brush my tears away with my ghostly hands, yet I felt nothing but the presence of my form.
The tenderness of Kai's voice streamed like the gentleness of a tranquil brook, "Of course, my love. Up to this very last conversation, I cherished each one we have had in your time gaps. I can promise you that I'll be fine. At this moment, I put myself in a happy dream state to be with you."
Intense pain suddenly jabbed into my skull, and the past faded from my eyes as I jolted back to my current timeline. I gasped for air, and my body convulsed violently in a severe seizure in Kai's arms.
"Get me something I can clean her with!" Kai's voice spiked with panic as blood gushed from my nostrils.
Within seconds, the convulsions quickly ceased, though I lay gasping desperately for air. Once my heart rate slowed down, I inhaled and exhaled deeper breaths as Kai cleaned the blood from my face with Glenn's assistance. After they finished cleaning me up, overwhelming emotions forced me to burst into tears. Knowing I was physically fine, Rome, Jack, Glenn, and Ian left, giving Kai and me some privacy.
"There is no need to cry," Kai whispered in my ear, rocking me in his arms as his fingers continuously brushed through my hair.
"I... I can't imagine the pain I put you through..." Tears burst through my closed eyelids as I struggled to speak.
"Shhh..." Kai cooed, cradling me closer into his tender arms. "You've done nothing wrong. I'm the weak one, while you found your wings even without my guidance."
"Yet, I got snared by Orlando," I whimpered as more tears dripped from my eyelids, and it felt like it's been ages since I had cried this hard.
"And that never would have happened if I hadn't been emotionally weak," Kai confessed, gently lifting my chin to meet his gaze.
Our eyes locked in a secure hold, and his lips descended upon mine with this electrifying fervent. As our lips capture that first skin-to-skin contact, a surge of desire spills over us through our soaring, passionate kiss. His tongue traced the outline of my lips as he sought entry, and I eagerly invited him in by parting my lips to deepen the kiss. In a sensual rhythm, our tongues intertwined in a feverish dance, entirely taking our breath away.
Breathless and consumed by the intensity of our kiss, a fiery inferno of desire ignited between us, and we surrendered ourselves to each other's embrace. Lost in the intoxicating whirlwind of our passion, we exchanged breathless gasps and muffled moans between our feverish kisses.
Reluctantly, Kai unexpectedly yanked away, and his chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath, yet a radiant smile enchanted his lips.
"We should get rolling," he murmured as his voice was husky with desire, and his eyes were still radiating with the intensity of our passion.
Too breathless to speak, I could only nod. After I ate breakfast, we strolled to the cliff that towered near the ruins of the palace he built. Behind a massive, rounded boulder, a hidden cave entrance unveiled itself.
Hand in hand, he guided me inside, revealing the true marvel of his palace grounds. "This is why I chose to build a palace in this area," he confided.
"I can see why you did," I marveled, dazzled at the sparkly array of rocks that glittered with such brilliance in a kaleidoscope of colors.
Sunlight filtered through the small holes in the cave ceiling, emanating radiant beams of light that danced across the cavern floor. Further helping me to see, a starlight effect shimmered and sparkled along the cave walls, reflecting this magical glow against the growing stalagmites.
As we turned, the sounds of trickling water increased before we reached a secluded watering hole inside the cave. The water was a gorgeous, nearly crystal-clear green color, which added a mystical beauty to the cave's atmosphere.
"This is extraordinary," I giggled, beaming brightly with joy.
"During the wars, I found this place and used it as a private bath. It used to be a lot wider, but it's dried up over the years," Kai further indulged my curiosity.
"A bath, you say, " I giggled, and a thought crossed my mind. "And how many vampiresses have you brought here before me?" I teased, jesting him for the fun of my curiosity.
Suddenly, Kai gently grabbed my waist and spun me against the rock wall, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Perhaps you shouldn't ask me a question that you might not like the answer to," with a dull sexy utterance, Kai responded, winking at me with a seductive look, which enticed a thrill through me.
As my arms wrapped around his neck, I softly muttered, "I've never doubted that you had your fair share of lovers in your life."
From the sincerity of his heart, Kai softly confessed, "I did, but none of my exes or crushes held my heart the way you do. Even if we weren't fated to be mates, I'd feel no differently than how I feel right now about you."
"Is that your way to sweet talk yourself out of the doghouse?" I teased, earning a light, amused chuckle from him.
"Don't pin me to look like some player like Evan. I didn't bring a vampiress here with the intention you're implying. I saved myself for someone special," Kai earnestly stated.
"Who was the special vampiress before me?" I pressed, genuinely intrigued to know, yet Kai squinted his gaze at me with uncertainty. "I promise I'm not jealous of your past relationships. I'm only curious because you never talk about them."
Faintly chuckling at my remark, Kai looked deeply into my eyes, "It's you, silly," he confessed his deepest secret, and my mouth gaped.
"There is no way I am believing that!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "Your performance in the bedroom tells me a whole different story!"