CHAPTER NINETY
[90]
song: crystallized by the xx

"HE TOLD ME HE DIDN'T HAVE IT." Damon says, eyebrows narrowed as he spoke with annoyance.

"He has it." Daisy says. She was not nearly as shocked that Kai lied as Damon was. "I watched him take it from Josette two days ago."

Damon rubbed his temples frustratedly. "And you're just offering to get The Ascendant for me, why? Out of the kindness of your heart?" He pries.

Daisy leaned back on the red velvet couch in Damon's living room with a scoff. "Oh no, I wouldn't do that." She says. "I'm gonna need something in return."

He raises his eyebrows, awaiting further intel.

She was hesitant to speak, as if saying it aloud completed the transition then and there. "Your blood."

Damon cocked his head to the side confusedly. "Do I want to ask you to elaborate?"

She takes a breath. "I'd rather you didn't." She sets her now empty glass of whiskey on the coffee table in front of her, before standing back up. She looks at Damon with raised eyebrows. "We got a deal?"

Damon eyes her suspiciously. "I'm not sure."

Daisy clenches her jaw, and chooses to elaborate on her own. "I only need a little. Just enough to—"

"—to turn you?" Damon interrupts, raising his eyebrows. Daisy was taken aback. "Yeah, yeah. Alaric told me already. Bummer." He adds sarcastically. "I'd almost feel bad for you too if you weren't such a pain in my—"

"Do we have a deal or not?" Daisy interrupts him this time, growing quickly annoyed.

He takes a breath, mulling over his options. "How quickly can you get me that Ascendant?" Damon asks, with narrowed eyes.

Daisy glances over to the old wooden clock that stood in the corner of the room. "Give me until the end of the day." She says, her mind flashing with images of what might come in the next hours.

Damon makes a face insinuating that that was a good deal. "Fine." He sighs annoyedly. "But don't make me regret this." He holds out his hand for her to shake.

Daisy eyes it. "I won't." And she spoke the truth.

She had no interest in hurting anyone else but Kai right now.

So she shook his hand.

—

Daisy now knew that if she were to spend any time hesitating, she would have to do it a good distance away. She sat in the car, it was turned off, and the late winter air was slowly creeping inside. Her eyes stayed glued on the hotel that her and Kai had checked into only a few days ago.

How quickly things turned south was unsettling, the hatred she felt in her heart now was almost as powerful as the love she previously held.

She placed her hand on her heart, it still beat, though it didn't feel like it was hers. She felt as if every breath, every thought and every movement she made were for him, were because of him.

She was overwhelmed with questions. Her left brain always kicking in at moments she wished it'd stay stagnant. Oh, how she wished she could live in the bliss of oblivion, maybe then she wouldn't be in this mess. Any of them.

Daisy rubbed her eyes, letting out a frustrated groan before forcing herself out of the car. Why she chose this approach was beyond her. But it sounded so easy an hour ago. She couldn't believe she was this mortified to go see him. She couldn't believe she brought pepper spray to go see him, and that she felt it wasn't going to be enough.

Walking inside the familiar lobby, she nodded to the concierge  who recognized her from when she checked in.

Part of her wondered if Kai'd even be there, or if he'd already packed up and left for San Diego- that would surely ease her nerves, but the purpose of this entire interaction would've gotten on that flight with him.

She knew he was here the second the elevator started taking her to the fourth floor. It was like her heart skipped a beat- but so much different- like her heart was alerting her that they were near again. Whether it was a warning, or a simple acknowledgment, she couldn't tell. But she knew he felt it too. No turning back now.

And then she found herself in front of his hotel door. And she just had to keep reminding herself why she was there. Get in and get out. But her hands were trembling, petrified of whoever stood behind that door— she had no idea who he was anymore, she had no idea what to expect.

The door had opened before she even has a chance to knock, and Kai stood in the doorway. He wasn't shocked to see her there, obviously- he knew she was coming. Though he looked almost breathless. His eyes were glued on hers with a tinge of desperation, that only she would be able to pick up beneath all that darkness.

And she just looked back up at him, too nervous to move- to say anything. For a split second, she felt the urge to just carry things on as normal. To leave a quick kiss on his lips and slip inside, to talk about their days and—

"What are you doing here?" Kai asks.

The question itself was usually something Daisy would find rude, but his eyes were full of a genuine confusion- almost worry.

She swallowed, for the first time she looked away from his eyes and past him- into the hotel room that was hers too only a few days ago.

"Can I come in?" She asks, glancing up at him again.

Kai just watched her for a few seconds before speaking again. Daisy was only a foot away and could smell the alcohol on him. It was so pungent she wouldn't be surprised if he'd just dumped an entire bottle of straight vodka on himself.

Kai nodded, opening the door further. Daisy took a breath before stepping past him and into the room. He lingered in the doorway, watching her as she walked past him, before shutting the door.

Daisy eyed the three empty bottles of liquor that sat atop the mini fridge, and then the half empty one that sat next to the half empty glass on the bedside table. She clenched her jaw, before turning back around to face him.

"Daisy—" He let out. It was like she was staring at a completely different person, this was not the man who came into Josette's apartment the other day, who mocked her without a hint of guilt or regret in his eyes.

She felt her heart began to ache, but she wouldn't let it go on for too long. He was good at this, too good at this. He knew who he was working with— but she did too.

"Don't." Daisy cut him off. His mouth closed, though he was desperate to continue, to plead his case. "I just—" She started to pace. Though it wasn't due to nerves, it was to have an excuse to wander around the hotel room to see if he'd just let The Ascendant laying around. "I have so many questions."

"I know you do." Kai responds.

Daisy glances at him, noticing the short stubble on his jaw. She rubbed her eyes, but out the corner of them she quickly examined each open hiding space that would fit an Ascendant. Though there was nothing in sight.

"I never meant to hurt you." He adds.

Daisy stopped, and scoffed, that was real. "I can't believe how many times I've heard that come out of your mouth." She says.

"I'm telling the truth." He steps closer to her, but it looked like the movement made him a little nauseous.

Daisy backed up quickly, her eyes widening as she watched Kai struggle to stand upright. She closes her eyes and lets out a frustrated sigh. "Why haven't I aged?" She asks, though the question took her by surprise herself.

Kai looks up, his eyes tired. He starts to shake his head, he was way too drunk to explain the magical history of Mirasuls, but he wasn't sure when he'd get another chance. "When we met, back home- when we 'connected'," he used air quotes. "Your life before me ended, and your new one, which follows mine, began. You won't stay 18 forever— not until I..." he trails off, rubbing his eyes.

It was metaphorical in more ways that one. Daisy inhaled deeply, she knew she genuinely did have more questions— but right now she was scrambling to find anything that would get him talking. She kept glancing around, for an open drawer, or a—

"Will you sit down?" Kai asks, clenching his jaw.

Daisy's attention was returned to him, and she took a deep breath. "I'm not staying." She says.

He looked like he was about to fall to his knees. "What do I have to do to prove that I care about you?"

Daisy's whole plan went down the drain the second she walked through that door, and any hopes to remain calm and collected with it.

"Nothing!" She says, straining her voice a little. "I'm not asking you to! I don't—" she shakes her head. "I don't care."

Kai's eyebrows narrowed, and he looked like he was really genuinely fighting back tears. First they were sad, but the subtle changes in his expression showed they were angry tears. Daisy straightened her back, knowing she'd crossed a line.

Before she knew it, he was making his way towards her, breathing heavily in an attempt to stifle whatever emotion was coming up from the pit of his stomach. She didn't react quick enough, and he had latched onto her hand— the one that was still bandaged from the glass shard she'd taken to it the other day.

His eyes were glued on hers, wide with fury and fear. He'd brought her hand up near her head as he got close to her face- desperately searching for anything left between them.

But she shut her eyes, she squeezed them closed because she was too scared to look him back in the eyes. She was shaking under him, her lips twisting into a frown as she fought back the fearful pleads she was so familiar with.

"You're hurting me." She let out, her eyes still closed.

Kai immediately relaxed, glancing over to the her hands that he didn't realize he was squeezing so hard— he didn't even realize he was this close to her. He didn't know what he was doing. He stepped back, letting out quick, staggered breaths as he searched to regain composure— searched for any ounce of logic from what had just come over him.

Daisy held her hand, now throbbing with pain as she watched Kai quickly glance around the ground, desperately trying to collect himself. And she felt sympathy, but that's where they differed so greatly.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." He shook his head quickly, before looking back up to meet her eyes. She stood there still frozen, holding her hands close to her chest.

His heart was breaking, he could feel the aching pain throughout his whole body and he hated it. He'd never be used to it and he would do anything to be rid of it.

Standing there watching him, Daisy quickly remembered why she was even here in the first place, though that all seemed so ridiculous right now.

She inhaled with a shudder, exhausted and just sad. There was no more perfect word for what she felt besides sad. Sad that this was what her life had come to, what their life had come to. That these spiteful games would never end, that he'd plead his innocence and beg for her forgiveness- and most times she would.

She hated that she didn't know what to do next, though her heart was telling her that he needed her, that she needed to help him— her mind was telling her that was the curse speaking. Everything about them was a curse— and the only way to find any truth in that was to get that blood. To transform, and live out her inevitable immortality. But at least then she would know if whether or not those feelings, so vivid and powerful, were all just a side effect.

"I have to go now, Kai." Daisy says, avoiding his eye contact in fear that if she were to see his face she might break down herself.

"I don't have anyone else—" He pleads, lifting his head up as Daisy began to walk past him and out the door. "Please, please— you're all I have."

She reaches her trembling hand out towards the door, just trying to get out of here as quick as she could. She'd find another way to get blood- she didn't care at this point.

"Wait—" Kai says urgently.

Daisy twists the door knob quickly, she opens it halfway but it shut again by a force that wasn't hers. She turns around with narrowed eyebrows, Kai was still on the other side of the room but his hand was held out towards the door he'd just shut with his magic.

She was panicking, sure, but she'd dealt with this kind of behavior so many times that her main concern was that she wasn't panicking enough.

"Wait." He says again.

Daisy didn't appear to have much of a choice.

He eyes her cautiously, before walking over to the dresser. He holds his hands over the top drawer, closing his eyes and muttering a spell. Soft white light emit from the cracks of the drawer for a split second before he opened it.

He pulls out The Ascendant and turns back around to face her. She was taken aback, her eyebrows narrowed as she watched him confusedly. Kai held it out towards her, stepping closer. "This is what you were here for, right?" He asks, looking at her with wide eyes. "Take it."

Daisy didn't know what to say, for all she knew this could be another twisted trick, like if she accepted that Ascendant from him she would now be legally bound to him by some secret magical law. But it was the desperation in his eyes that told her otherwise.

"Come on," he began. "You were gonna give it to Damon in exchange for his blood, I know." He says. He takes another step towards her, but she doesn't flinch this time.

"He told you?" Daisy asked confusedly.

Kai shook his head. "No- I just— I know." He says, holding it out closer. Daisy didn't want to pry any further into how he knew. If he was following her again, for her own mental state, it was probably best she just let it happen.

"Take it. Get the blood. Shift, and- and break the connection and then you'll see." He nods quickly. "See that all of this was real. That— that we were real, that our love was real and not just magic." He takes another step closer, but her eyes were too focused on his to notice that he had gently grabbed her hand and put The Ascendant in her palm. "You know it's true."

Daisy's bewildered expression hasn't changed. "I don't know that." She says.

"Then find out." Kai says, narrowing his eyebrows. "Prove it to me. I don't care about the connection- or- or power, or anything." He shook his head quickly. "I just want you to love me again. I don't care about anything else. Get rid of that stupid curse, and come back to me."

It was the first time Kai had referred to it as a curse, only proving her own thoughts. Her eyes slowly trailed down to the object in her hand. She came here for this anyways, it was the fact that he was giving it to her that felt so unsettling.

"Daisy." He spoke again, and she wondered how long she had gone silent.

She looked up at him and his tear filled eyes, the weight of The Ascendant in her hand. "I have to go." She spoke quietly.

And he didn't protest, the room was silent. Her eyes lingered on his for only a few seconds longer before she had turned around and swung the door open. She was halfway expecting another force to keep it shut, but there was nothing. She was out the door and down the hall with no further words.

a/n
this book is almost over :'(
and u know what that means! time to promote my new book!

if you liked the witchy, small town, slow burn enemies to lovers of this book, pls check out ...

UNDER THE VIOLET MOON

DARCY CHASE had a bright future.
        There was a steadiness to her, as if all the storms in the world were a whispering breeze if she was there. She was kind and clever, perhaps that's what drew people to her. She'd gotten very used to her routine. Every day she went to school, and went to work right after. Growing up in Southeil Harbor her entire life, drastic changes were not a common occurrence. You spent your days relaxing at the beach, and your nights partying at the pier. Though the town is plagued with strange disappearances and unexplainable occurrences, everyone knew to just turn a blind eye.
        However, ignoring it became difficult for the girl as she found herself thrown into the reason behind it all. Due to accidental circumstances, Darcy unravels the secret history of Southeil, and in that, became one of the few girls in power to stop the dangers that are soon approaching.

KIERAN DUMONT only knew one thing.
        He grew up in power. With strict rules, and no time for play. His family was destined for one thing; keep the witches in check. It was a task only performed by the Dumont's, and it had been their job for centuries.
        The boy was quiet, but not out of painful shyness. It was a reservedness, like a conscious choice to observe the lie of the land before he got involved. Every word he spoke was calculated, as it was all he had ever learned. He came to Southeil to do the one thing he was trained to do. And the moment he met her-he knew things weren't going to be as easy as he had prepared for.