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

Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

I MISS YOU, MY LOVE (SLOWED) — ANJELIHS

?? KAI ??

“ S o you want me to believe that an animal bit your shoulder?” Kayden looked amused as I gave him a bored expression.

“Whatever you want to believe is none of my business,” I simply said, lifting the weights continuously until I felt my muscles burn.

I had worn my usual black tank and matching shorts to the gym, forgetting that I had a nosy best friend.

He had noticed Yasmina’s teeth marks first thing when he saw me this late afternoon, and to be honest, the purple marks excited the fuck out of me every time I looked in the mirror.

It was one of the reasons I'd looked myself in the mirror more than once this month.

I wondered how much harder she could bite if I pushed her. And fuck, I couldn’t get the sight of her half-pleasured, half-incensed face out of my head. I shouldn’t have touched myself in the shower after the incident, but I couldn’t help it.

My cock had been so hard while I mindlessly fingered her, aching to be immersed in her heavenly, sweet heat, but I knew better than to fall into temptation. It would have serious repercussions and I would regret it at the hands of merciless punishment.

“I saw her sneaking back into the premises while I was doing my late-night study. Her neck was smudged with blood, and coincidentally, your shoulder is bitten, too.” He was putting the pieces together and I couldn’t find it in me to cover it up.

“Yeah, and your point is?” I dropped the weight and put my hands on my hips.

His toothpick slowly moved to the side, and it was a sign that he needed answers. “Are you two fucking? Or something along those lines?” He was straightforward with his question and I chuckled.

“Which response would make you leave me alone?”

“That you guys are fucking.” He didn’t bother sugar-coating it and I smirked.

“Then so be it.” I shrugged before moving to get my towel. The same towel that Yasmina had been wrapped in when she nearly drowned.

I could still smell faint traces of her on the thick fabric; a seductive radiation of intoxicating ylang ylang intertwined with warm jasmine and powdery custard, then a rich, saccharine punch of dark berries with whispers of spiced coconut. I didn’t wash it on purpose.

She smelled like pure and utter Heaven. Feminine. Mouth-watering.

Mine.

“How did I become friends with someone like you?” He shook his head with a sarcastic smile.

“I could ask you the same question.” I winked before wiping my face.

“So what is it about Yasmina?” He tilted his head in curiosity, the pick alternating between his lip corners. Now, he was interested in whatever I had to say.

I could have asked about the pretty girl he was obsessing over lately just to spite him, but I wasn’t interested. If it didn’t add value or benefit me in some way, then it would be nullified.

It would only become a point of interest once she became his weakness. That way, I would be able to control him.

However, I wasn’t that cruel. Unless it was necessary.

“She’s beautiful,” was all the explanation I offered him and he grunted in dissatisfaction.

“That’s obvious, everyone knows that,” Kayden pointed out and I smirked.

“Everyone but you, since you're asking me.” I smirked.

“Don’t give me that, motherfucker. I know it runs deeper than physical beauty.” He rolled his eyes.

“She’s my rival. I'm doing everything in my power to throw her off balance.” I gave him a better explanation. He couldn’t know the real reason why I was here.

“That’s not enough.” He narrowed his eyes.

“Too bad, that’s all you're getting.” I calmly folded my arms, watching him remove his boxing gloves.

“Has anyone ever told you that you're the literal definition of a dick?” He was smiling and I couldn’t help but do the same.

“It's not like I care.” I slipped my hoodie on when I heard some movement outside.

Kayden noticed this and the toothpick came to a standstill. I told him not to pity me. I hated that. I simply told him to be patient and that one day, it would all be over.

“We’re going on a break soon. Maybe you should come to mine,” he offered while finally removing it between his lips, and the look of concern in his eyes was something very rare. Kayden was just as heartless as me; he didn’t give a shit about anyone or anything that didn’t concern him.

Even if it did, you had to be hella special or patient to evoke any emotion from Kayden. Just like me, he had learnt how to conceal weakness the hard way.

But it obviously hadn’t been as rough and fatal as mine.

“I'm fine?—”

“That’s a fucking lie. They're going to kill you and you know it.” My jaw clenched at the harshness of his tone, and I knew it was out of concern, but I didn’t want to talk about it. I never did. He knew about my scars because we had both suffered the Mafia’s wrath.

Kayden seemed to notice that I was uncomfortable because he exhaled in regret then got up to give me a strong pat on the back.

We were not affectionate and this was all he could offer me. “I'm sorry, I crossed the line. But if you need a break, just let me know. You need an escape and we both know it.”

I didn’t respond, afraid that my emotions would control whatever I would say next and leave me in deep regret and guilt. He was my only friend, the first friend I had ever made my whole life, and I wasn’t about to lose him at the expense of my feelings.

“It's fine, I'll think about your offer,” I said honestly, weighing out my options and finding solid excuses to give for spending my break away from them.

We left the indoor gym then went to his room to get ready for the last party that was going to be hosted to celebrate the new captains and the start of a new era.

I showered and dressed in my usual colour: black. I wore cargo pants and a plain t-shirt with my boots, then ran a hand through my hair. I wasn’t in the mood to play fucking dress up, so I stuck to the basics.

Kayden had done the same, but he had added his favourite leather jacket to the mix. If you wanted to witness Kayden’s bad side, then tampering with his motorcycle was a good starting point.

We went downstairs and my eyes burned when I saw vibrant colours, especially from the girls. The only girl who had chosen a reasonable colour was Yasmina, who she was currently sitting in Ethan’s lap, laughing like an angel.

She never looked that happy and carefree around me, it made my fists curl and my blood boil. The fact that she never gave that pretty smile to me made me so mad. I almost considered suffocating Ethan in his sleep for fun.

His energy seemed carefree from afar, but it took a tough motherfucker like me to know that his energy was just as dark.

Yasmina was dressed in a stunning metallic dress with matching thigh-high boots, and her silky, dark hair spilled past her shoulders and glistened in the low strobe lights each time she moved. Her makeup was magnificently done and the bold eyeliner made her viper-green eyes stand out.

All the males had their eyes on her, drooling and submitting to her like lost puppies. Even the fucker Ethan had his hand on her waist and I fought the urge to cut that same hand and use it as a centrepiece in my room.

Only I was allowed to touch her like that. To hate her. To want her. To stare at her. To claim her entirely.

“I thought you were going to dress fancily for the party, but to each their own.” I was pulled out of my thoughts by a feminine voice.

I knew her face, but I couldn’t be bothered to remember her name.

I didn’t bother with a response, looking back at Yasmina and the sleazy fucker.

“You seem to be having the same thoughts as me. I want Ethan, you want Yasmina, but they don’t seem to be leaving each other anytime soon.” She spoke again, and this time I bit my tongue to hold a snarky response.

“We can strike a deal, don’t you think? Make them jealous.” I looked down again, and in one introspective glance, I took note of the desire for me in her eyes.

“Fuck off.” I couldn’t resist the words on the tip of my tongue anymore, and she blanched as soon as they rolled off.

She scurried away much like a chicken, then I sighed at the peace I finally had.

Now, where was I?

Oh yes?—

“Vodka, you need it.” Kayden handed me a small glass full of the clear liquid, and this time I was glad he was there for me.

“How close are they?”

He scouted for a clean toothpick in his jacket before answering me.

“Very close. She thinks it's platonic and he has no interest, but the fucker masturbates to her every night.” He calmly explained like a loyal right-hand man and my lips quirked.

“Anything else current?”

“He hates you and wants to get back at you for stealing the snowboarding limelight. He knows you have some interest in Yas, hence his actions. He wants to join econometrics this semester just to get close to her.” He gave me the information without blinking and in that moment, I wanted to give him a big hug.

But I obviously wouldn’t do that.

Kayden knew everything about everyone and that’s why we became fast friends. He was quick, reliable, and imperceptible. Fluid and silent, but very violent when provoked. He knew everyone but me, but I took extra measures to cover my tracks because he worked faster than the devil.

“Looks like he’s got a little crush. Weak spot?”

“His snowboarding career. He has this semester to prove to his guardians that he is worthy by winning the Championships again, or else it's back to the foster home. I'm still digging, though.”

My brain quickly connected the dots. He was getting close to Yasmina to learn her techniques and practising everyday with her because she’s a potential World Champion for this year.

But that wouldn’t happen on my watch.

“So I'm going to make this short, since you all want to party.” A silence descended when Coach spoke up with a mic in hand. He had a paper in his grip, and the tension among us was so palpable one could choke on it.

“So we carefully compiled the results and we have come to a conclusion after thorough examination. We went through your progress throughout this challenge and we found the selected captains to have a powerful dynamic.

“They constantly challenge each other’s intelligences and come up with good solutions in the end. They work well together and have proved to work exactly the way the psychologists had researched. We are very pleased to have these two as our captains for the remaining two semesters, so let’s give a round of applause for Kai Vazalo and Yasmina Adelstein.”

I watched her slowly pale as realisation dawned on her. She wasn’t happy. The shock had shaken her and I could visibly see her trembling from where I was standing.

I ignored all the loud cheering as I made eye contact with her, deciphering so many complicated emotions in her emotionless eyes. The black pupil was nearly non-existent as the anger, worry, and disappointment consumed her features.

I simply smirked at her, not bothering to cover up my amusement. Yasmina glared harder, then it dissolved when she faced Ethan, who had squeezed her thigh to get her attention.

His days were numbered. Every time he touched her, I deducted a week from a month.

It was a matter of seconds before I gave him a fatal warning.

“Can you come up so we can toast to this new snowboarding era?” Coach held up a bottle of champagne.

I walked all the way to the front and it took Yasmina longer to get there, mainly because she was reluctant and half-drunk. Coach poured opened the bottle with a pop and everyone hollered loudly.

“So, lets raise our glasses to Yasmina and Kai, as well as a successful snowboarding season.” Everyone cheered once again and I raised my glass an inch, smiling inwardly when Yasmina enthusiastically raised hers.

She was probably coming to terms with the fact that we were officially stuck together.

She can try and run, but she wouldn’t get far. I'd always catch her and when I did, I'd devour her so thoroughly that she’d hate me.

We clinked our glasses together and I gave her a malicious smirk.

A reminder that I was about to make her snowboarding season a living fucking nightmare with no regrets whatsoever.

Yasmina offered me a fake smile before drinking the whole glass in one go. Yep, she was definitely inebriated.

We stepped off the platform and I watched as she returned to her group of friends, who were now carrying her and cheering so loud that I winced at the animalistic sounds.

Wow, how does she co-habit with such uncivilised creatures? She never failed to amuse me at all.

The party was now in full throttle as Coach left and the music turned up a notch. People were so distracted with all the dancing and the alcohol, so I took it as an opportunity to follow Yasmina.

She was now standing over Ethan, doing a little tiptoe dance. She obviously needed the bathroom.

“Eth, please come with me.” She pouted and he looked amused. A look I could gladly wipe off with a simple swerve of my fist.

“Sure—”

“I'll take her,” I simply spoke, and the both of them looked at me in surprise. Well, Yasmina looked irritated, but I was not bothered.

No way was I going to let that predator take Yasmina upstairs. He would most definitely take advantage of her weakness. Not that I wouldn’t, but it was different. She trusted him, she hated me.

“Don’t worry, she’s my friend. I'll go with her.” Ethan moved to get up and without thinking, I kicked him back down. Those who saw gasped in horror, but quickly turned away when I stared back at them.

That’s what I fucking thought.

He evidently looked startled, and now his tiny brain was starting to process the danger that would swallow his soul if he didn’t behave. His eyes blazed for a split second as though he wanted to retaliate, but he must have thought better when he noticed my biceps effortlessly and visibly flex beneath the jacket.

“I won't repeat myself.” I simply took Yasmina’s hand and despite her reluctance, I still dragged her upstairs.

“I would have given you a mouthful if I wasn’t so pressed,” she huffed when we got to my room after going up the stairs.

“So it's a good thing you are, isn’t it?” I smirked, opening my door with my fingerprint and letting us in.

“Such an asshole.”

“There’s the bathroom. Help yourself.” I calmly gestured to the room, ignoring her insults like I always did. “Or would you like me to watch you do so? I'm down for that shit.”

“I hate you, Vazalo, like really hate you.” She stomped her foot and I thought she looked cute.

“I'd be surprised and disturbed if you felt any other way.” I shrugged nonchalantly, then gave her a wink. “Maybe we can put your sour feelings to good use. Pull each other’s hair and bite each other while we’re at it. I know you like it rough, kücük tavsan .”

And with that, she walked to the bathroom with a deep scowl and slammed the door.

This was only the beginning, and I was enjoying it a little too much.