Kai Villalvazo’s Nemesis (The Kalon Tetralogy #1)

Chapter 5

RIGHT ON TIME — JAYMIE DEVILLE ? BACK TO ME — LIERDA

" That man is seconds away from devouring you, Yas," Yelena whispered with a giggle. I looked away with a faint blush when I caught Kai's intense stare for the third time since we got to the station.

We were waiting for the rest of the team to arrive so we could commence with the journey to the mountains at as early as 2:00 a.m. Lucian was coming along with all the other bodyguards.

It was still very dark and cold. I was layered in so many thick, warm clothes and I could barely see what was below. But I still looked cute—well—according to Kai because he couldn't stop staring at me with that cold, analytical gaze.

"Stop it." I tapped her arm and she laughed harder, reapplying her dark lipstick before snapping her mirror shut.

"I'm waiting for him to make a move, but he doesn't seem like the type," she exhaled, a gust of cool mist simmering in the air at the action.

She was right. He was in the far corner of the station with Kayden, his mammoth, ripped body huddled in the semi-darkness. His golden and silver eye the only thing glimmering so bright that my womb twisted.

Kai wasn't looking at me anymore. He was focused on Kayden, who was saying something to him.

Two days after the incident with Trent, I received some pictures from an unknown, untraceable number. And they had been…sickening, to say the least.

It was Trent’s mangled corpse in the middle of fucking nowhere, and it had probably been Kai who had killed him. I knew he was dark, but I hadn’t thought him to be this…unhinged.

Manic, even.

I wanted to ask him if he had been the one, but if he refused, then what? I had no evidence against him, just merely an assumption and hazy pictures that only showed a disfigured corpse.

My sixth sense said it was him; he had been the one to openly witness what happened between us. I was supposed to be scared of him, but instead, I was curious. How was he wired? What kind of creature was he?

Literally.

But I could feel it from afar, that darkness that encased his personality like a second skin. It was supposed to frighten me—threaten me, even. But instead, all I wanted was to get a glimpse of it.

He seemed to have seen it all, the good and the bad. He knew exactly how the human mind operated and any normal person wouldn't dare to cross his path.

Not only did his scars indicate that he'd conquered bigger opponents, but just his stare alone was enough to tell someone that not only would he erase their existence, but their entire lineage.

He probably would have been a loner without Kayden, I almost felt sorry. They were increasingly spending more time together and it was clear they were becoming fast friends.

I didn't know why—ah, there it was. The predatory glint in his heterochromatic eyes that scared people off. I looked away when my heart began to pulse faster, warning me to disregard him completely before I lost my remaining sanity.

It was dwindling, and fast.

"I'd rather he not. I plan on avoiding him as much as possible." I inhaled the cool, crisp air, tilting my head slightly.

"Good luck with that. Coach is probably thinking of giving him a superior position alongside you and Ethan." Yelena smirked and I couldn't hold back the look of horror that morphed over my features.

Fuck.

We couldn't work together; it would never work out. We would never?—

"Right! Good morning team, hope everyone is prepared for the season. We've got lots of practice and a few matches lined up and I expect nothing but the best from all of you." Coach Karter beamed at all of us as he adjusted the bag that was slung over his shoulder.

He briefly regarded me with a nod, his eyes moving to Yelena. I didn't miss the lingering stare he gave her. He was a very attractive man—it wasn't surprising that Yelena liked him. He was exactly her type: ocean blue eyes were her fetish. But I'd bet that she wouldn’t last with him for more than a month. Yelena wasn’t exactly capable of committing to one man.

People responded in low murmurs, but Coach didn't really care about people's opinions. "Great. Now, I'll take the register. We'll do this every day, and if you miss a day of practice without a valid reason—well, you know how it goes." He smiled wickedly before opening a thin file.

Once everyone had registered, he turned to Kai who had been silent most of the time, whispering to Kayden here and there. His name had not been called out, yet he seemed unfazed.

"Right, so we've got a new member on the team, Kai Vazalo. He's going to be with us for the rest of the semester and I expect everyone to treat him with kindness. Let's welcome him with a round of applause." Coach encouraged and people went the extra mile by cheering.

I, for one, did not lift a single finger.

I could smell the competition, and I didn't like it. At all. Confidence effortlessly radiated off him and I pushed back the sick feeling of anxiety.

You're going to be a World Champion. You're going to be a World Champion. You're going to be a World Champion. You're ? —

"Alright, girls, let's get onto the bus first." He gestured to the shiny, brand-new model as the automatic door slid open.

I went up the stairs, the cool air whooshing over my features I almost shivered. I walked past the front seats, opting for the middle rows and settling right by the window.

I loved the window. I didn't like any sort of interaction with anyone who wasn't Yelena and I needed the spectacular view while I listened to my favourite music. I needed some time to myself, especially on long journeys.

I convinced, well, more like forced Yelena to sit in the front with Coach, since we went over a verbal plan of how she was going to approach him.

No one would know; people would assume they were having a snowboarding related conversation, since such relationships were condemned at the academy.

I pulled out my silvery grey headphones, connecting them to my phone. While I was in the process of scrolling through my playlist, a presence settled right beside me.

My eyes squinted in disbelief when I was engulfed in a cold, spicy rendition. It was expensive and so familiar, I almost flinched in response. I would have inhaled and basked in the delicious, icy masculinity, but I didn't like the situation I was currently in.

The hairs on my neck were already rising in alert. This was not good.

I had to admit, he smelt delicious as fuck.

But why here, of all places? Why me?

I didn't dare to look at the man beside me. He was so…so gigantic , I found it utterly bizarre. I had never seen someone this large in my life, it almost fascinated me.

I tried to ignore the small brush of our arms when he shifted slightly to retrieve something from his bag. It was tiny, but it still had an impact. Through all the layers, an unfamiliar heat spread through my skin and I quivered, scooting farther from him. The silver chain that peeked from the back of his neck glimmered in the lighting, nearly blinding me.

I was nervous. So nervous. Very nervous, actually.

I couldn't ignore his presence, even if I wanted to. My soul yearned to intertwine with his, craving a taste of his trauma to heal and uptake the burden. I wasn't sure where the sudden urge had come from, but I also couldn't deny that my pussy was having a tiny fit the more his dominant energy rolled off him in powerful waves.

He didn't have to say much to get girls into his bed. All he had to do was just…exist, breathe in their direction.

When I finally mustered the courage to look at him, he was looking ahead, giving me a breathtaking view of his side profile. Damn, his jaw was something else. Sharply chiselled and strong, I blinked the moment he clenched it.

I was so absorbed in studying him that I didn't notice the different coloured eyes staring down at me, infiltrating my soul once again and perceiving me completely.

I internally cursed when I felt a moisture oozing in my panties and I secretly squeezed my thighs together, keeping the movement subtle, but of course—Kai fucking Vazalo never missed anything. And I mean never.

That was proven right when he trailed his eyes down to my thighs, a tiny, almost non-existent smirk tugging at his lips. Again. If I wasn't paying so much attention, I would have missed it. I had never taken him as the type to hunch over in pure mirth, and he surely wasn't going to anytime soon.

I turned away, hoping my cheeks weren't a deep rouge colour. Which I was certain they were, because of the warmth that simmered over my skin.

The bus started moving and I decided to play my music in an attempt to ignore Kai. The lights in the bus dimmed and I reclined my seat, ready to fall back asleep.

Within moments, I found myself drowning deep into calm, rippling, sparkly pools of gold and silver until the darkness engulfed me.

My arms tightened around the warm pillow that was just perfectly within reach. I sighed happily, snuggling against it as I returned to my beautiful slumber. This was genuinely the most peaceful sleep I'd gotten in ages.

I was merely seconds away from falling back asleep when the pillow shifted. Of course, I was dreaming. I must be dreaming. That must be the only reason.

In my semi-conscious state, it moved again. Now I was worried. I ran my hands over the surface of the pillow, my brows furrowing when I was met with solid muscle instead of fabric.

I forced my eyes open, freezing when I realised that the pillow itself was holding me tight. This had to be some kind of nightmare, it had to be. Surely, there was no other reason why my pillow was cuddling me with strong, muscular arms. If this wasn't Utopia, then I didn't know what was.

Nervously, I lifted my head to meet the pillow's gaze, and it stared back at me. It fucking stared back at me with two human eyes. I could hardly get a word out as realisation slowly dawned on me.

This wasn't a pillow. Oh my gosh, this wasn't a pillow. This was Kai fucking Vazalo. And we were cuddling. We were?—

I tried to get out of his lethal grip, but he made no move to let go of me. His cold eyes sparkled with amusement, and he seemed to be enjoying exactly what was happening. But that only flashed in his features for a split millisecond.

I couldn't ignore the amazing feel of his defined abs and pecs beneath his warm fleece. I couldn't ignore his engulfing body heat that emanated onto me. I couldn't ignore how his robust arms were enclosed around me like I was a little, delicate package.

His delicate package.

Something about being in his embrace was…thrilling. I couldn't think straight and his gaze was penetrating right through my mind. He was so good at this eye contact thing, and whatever he was trying to achieve, it was working.

"Let me go," I deadpanned, the scowl on my face worsening.

He didn't bother responding. Instead, he removed his arms in compliance. I blushed at the fact that my legs had been draped over his strong thighs, revelling in the soothing contractions of his leg muscles.

"Why were you holding me? That's a little weird." I grimaced, sitting back in my seat and dusting myself off.

"You crawled into my arms." It was the first time hearing his voice since the morning began and my blush deepened when my womb contracted in stimulation. It was a simple statement, but his deep, relaxed tenor was like velvet sex.

"You should have pushed me away or something," I mumbled.

"I tried to, but you're like a leech." He smoothed out his jersey, giving me a calm, unperturbed stare.

"And the part where you wrapped your arms around me?"

"You were shaking, kücük tavsan ." He shrugged as though it were nothing. "Don't worry, if you were my type, I would have fucked you already," he murmured close to my ear before pulling away.

Fury filled my body, but I simply distanced myself from him. Thank goodness I wasn't his type, it was given. But a part of me, an annoying part of me had hoped?—

For what? A kiss? Are you fucking stupid?

"So glad I'm not," I muttered while turning to the window and taking in the snow-capped trees and mountains. We were so close to our destination, and my stomach churned as I thought about the upcoming season.

Go big or go home, I guess.

The bus came to a stop before the grand infrastructures: the school, the dorm mansions, and the sporting facilities. It was a stunning place covered in white snow with tall pine trees and mountains in the distance.

I smiled when I noticed Lucian parking my latest matte grey Discovery in my reserved garage. A few seconds later, a black, shiny Range Rover parked beside mine and I rolled my eyes at the fact that the number plate that read ‘KAI’.

Oh well, it's just a garage, after all.

I got up to descend from the bus, and I shouldn't have noticed the way Kai casually placed his hand over the armrest so that I wouldn't get hurt, but I did.

By the time I had stepped out, Yelena and Coach were standing outside, patiently waiting for me. I jogged over to them, wrapping my arms around her. I had missed her for the past few hours.

"Do we get rooms that are next to each other?" I asked Coach. His grim smile told me all I needed to know.

"I tried to put in a word for you for weeks, but they wouldn't budge. Stronger influence from someone in the hierarchy." He shrugged and I sighed in despair. "But don't worry, I'm sure you're going to make great company with your new neighbour. You got off to a head start in the bus, I'm sure you'll make wonderful acquaintances."