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

Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

EVERYTHING — KAYVAHN FT. ELLISTON

? YASMINA ?

I had spent at least three quarters of my day studying for the upcoming econometrics test, snowboarding with Ethan and Yelena, and a quarter of it thinking of my nemesis.

I hadn’t seen him all day, but that didn’t matter to me. Right?

Yelena had squealed in excitement when I told her about the little hatred feud going on between us. She thought Kai and I were a match made in Heaven, and I disagreed with her every time.

I was barely soulmates with that psycho.

Nonetheless, I still stepped on his toe at every opportunity. Whether it was rearranging his stationery and papers or drawing in his notebooks, I did it all.

Today, I had gone as far as taking my favourite Dior lipstick and kissing his entire front page until it was completely covered. The satisfaction afterwards surpassed any punishment he was going to give me.

I was here to make his life a complete Hell.

It was 6:00 p.m. and we were doing team training at the slopes. The sky was ominous and gloomy, the wind violently swaying the pine trees that stood tall over us and some debris. The lightning crackled in the sky from time to time, but I wasn’t fazed.

I always felt so alive in the rainy weather.

The massive floodlights illuminated the entire place so I could see the trail through my shield glasses. They also had night vision for times when I snowboarded off piste.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when a larger shadow suddenly covered me from the side, and despite my layers, a familiar chill coursed through my spine.

It was too familiar to ignore.

I looked up high and saw him. He was wearing a black helmet and matching shield glasses so it made him look far more dangerous, far more sexy. Mysterious.

He tilted his head slightly, a signal that he was indeed, looking at me. It was a slow turn of his head; the shift was almost frightening.

Something was so heart stopping about the moment. I wasn’t sure if it was the fact that we were racing at the exact same speed or the fact that I had finally gotten his attention after a good three weeks of him ignoring me regardless of my actions.

A downpour began, the heavy rain pelting so hard on us that Coach signalled us through our shield glasses to come back. However, Kai and I had different plans as we raced down the slope, continuing with the trail and challenging each other to get to the finish line first.

Kai was hot on my trail as my heart thumped, my instincts helping me manoeuvre in both the rain and snow. The temperatures were rapidly dropping and the rain was becoming extremely violent. If we didn’t make it within the next five minutes, we would definitely die.

The adrenaline was high. The risks were fatal. But that’s what we both thrived on.

Peril.

I raced as fast as I could, doing minor tricks until I got past the curve. I could feel Kai’s looming presence behind me, the snow crunching underneath his board audibly despite the rain sounds. It was all so thrilling and exciting.

My body was starting to shiver bit by bit, but I tucked my posture, refusing to be defeated by my rival. This was my sport, hence I'd prove that to him this time.

Past the curve, Kai began to pick his speed until we were aligned, and as the lightning illuminated his gigantic figure, I realised just how powerful he actually was and it made my fight or flight instincts kick in.

He always gained momentum towards the end of the race. It was a smart technique.

Everything about him was suddenly intimidating on the slopes. His massive, muscular figure, his tall frame, his effortless high speed—everything.

Despite my quivering state, I multiplied my speed until it was far too much, keeping it under steady control as I zoomed past the snow. I had never needed to race this fast since the Championships, but I’d been practising harder these days. Until my knees and back hurt.

The rain made it so hard to see what was in front, but I bit my lip in determination and continued, swerving past obstacles and now I was seconds away from the finish line.

Kai caught up once again, and it was clear that if I didn’t do anything, he was going to win.

So I swerved slightly to the side, my board sending a flood of snow up in the air towards him. I laughed nefariously when it slowed him for a minute, and I took that minute as an opportunity to get to the finish where Coach was patiently waiting for us.

I came to a stop then stepped out of my bindings to carry my board. Coach was shaking his head in amusement and soon, Kai caught up and stepped off his board, too, dusting the remaining snow from his shoulders.

“I should have known my captains would do something so life-threatening.” Coach laughed, leading us into the gates and back to the dorms. Everyone else had already left because of the vicious weather.

“Didn’t know you were that feisty,” Kai murmured on our way back, and I simply smirked.

“You don’t know a lot about me.” I smirked as we walked to the elevator. Coach had left us once he was certain we wouldn’t be able to go back to the slopes.

We really were capable of anything.

The elevator’s infrared scanned us and automatically detected our floor number before it opened. When it did, I was surprised when Kai allowed me to enter first.

Now that I was thinking about it, I had to share this limited space with him.

He could see my brain over-evaluating the entire situation because he smirked and simply moved to the back, leaning his muscular body against the railing. His slightly wet hair clung enticingly to his forehead, jaw, and neck.

We made eye contact in the mirror, and I resisted a blush when he shamelessly stared back. There was something different about his gaze that I couldn’t pinpoint. Was it the lust or hatred that burned in his beautiful, rare eyes?

I couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes took in my body and my overall appearance as though a lot had changed about me. He was definitely checking me out. I looked away the moment his eyes met mine again then exhaled audibly.

The entire elevator smelt like him. His aura radiated dangerously off him, like radioactive waves.

I couldn’t wait to get to my room and run a bath. I couldn’t be this close to him for long; my body was already screaming at the proximity of his mesomorphic, rigid body.

“You seem to be on edge, kücük tavsan . Relax, I'm not going to bite you. For now.” His smooth, deep voice startled me, but I inhaled deeply to regain my balance.

“So you keep mentioning.” I rolled my eyes.

“We had a truce, isn’t that supposed to resemble friendship?” He tilted his head when I looked at him.

“No, it doesn’t. It just means there are no hard feelings between us.” I shrugged, wishing the elevator would get us to the final floor quickly.

“Hmm. But you make me hard, so what does that say about our truce?” A glint of mischief shaded his eyes briefly, and the silver eye was beginning to sparkle.

I needed to get out of here before it was too late.

“I've always known that you wanted me.” I giggled seductively, and in a swift movement, I was trapped between his hard, powerful body and the mirror.

“Now don’t act like the feeling isn’t mutual, kücük tavsan . I know you touch yourself when you're alone, thinking about me.” Kai spoke close to my ear and I resisted a shiver. I refused to feel ashamed about my sexuality. It was my body, I had every right to touch myself.

“It's not mutual, Vazalo, deal with it.” I wiggled out of his grip and a low, dark chuckle rumbled in his gut as we came face to face.

Well, I was looking up, but that didn’t matter.

“Now that I think about it, something about you makes me want to bite you.” He easily flashed his perfect, white canines as an emphasis on what he had just said. “Until you bleed to death. You’d look so pretty as a corpse.”

This is why no one ever befriended this guy. From afar, his energy openly and effortlessly screamed ‘I will kill you and not feel bad about it’. And it was always wise to take his signals because they were true. But I was drawn to his hatred for me.

Our rivalry ran deep, but I couldn’t pinpoint why he loathed me so much.

“I will bite you back, and I mean it.” I gave him a strong glare, but that barely swayed him.

“I fucking love it when that happens. The damage from last time is still there.” Kai tugged his jacket aside to reveal his neck and the purple bite marks were still imprinted on his milky skin. Something was so unusually intimate about seeing my marks on him.

“If you think your threat will stop me, think again. Nothing can stop me from tainting you until you're dirty, dark, and soulless…like me.” His hand left a ghost-like touch on my cheek and something about the slow reverb of his sex drawl made my thighs clench involuntarily.

“And if you think you can manipulate your way into my life or my panties, think again.” My hand swiftly moved to where I knew he kept his switchblade, and once it was in my grip, I brought it up to his neck.

My father had taught me all the tricks on self-defence and that’s something I had valued the most.

He didn’t look too fazed, but a small hint of surprise flared in his eyes for a millisecond.

“Newsflash, kücük tavsan . I've seen and tasted you,” he whispered in a tone that dripped of sin and velvet.

He was so close, too close. I could smell his masculine musk along with a hint of rain and earth. My nipples tightened as our chests made contact and I held my breath when he grazed his lips against my cheek.

I kept the switchblade pressed on his neck, the tip going deeper with each movement he made. “Come any closer, and you will have a scar.” I gave him a look full of resentment.

I should have known that Kai had no limits. I should have known that he had a loose screw somewhere because not only did he move very close, but soon his sanguine warmth was dripping onto my hand. He smirked when I raised my brows at him. It was minor, but a lot of blood gushed from it. He was daring me to back away or panic, but he had another thing coming.

“Look who’s making a mess today.” I tilted my head, deepening the cut a bit more before drawing the bloody switchblade, cleaning it against his jacket then closing and slipping it into my pocket. “Don’t fuck with me, Vazalo, it could get worse.”

It was mine now.

He seemed impressed, but a strong element in his features told me that he was taking it as a challenge. He was psychoanalysing everything and doing some deadly math in his head. The energy was rapidly shifting between us, and not in a good way.

Something about Kai tainted by the sanguine liquid made him look a thousand times scarier. The darkened glint in his heterochromatic eyes didn’t make things any better. His jaw clenched slightly as he flexed his neck, causing more blood to ooze from the scar.

I placed my bloody fingers against his lips, pushing them into his compliant mouth. He sucked and I tilted my head with a grin. “Hmm. It's only fair you clean your mess from my fingers.”

The tables had turned, and I was using his words against him. I slipped them out when an ache formed between my thighs with the way his tongue rolled between my fingers.

Now that the liquid gold eye was very pale and the silver one was unusually bright and pulled taut, I knew I was in deep shit.

He was merely seconds away from doing something so fucking crazy. He was unstoppable whenever he tapped into that energy.

I had approximately five seconds to make a move before Kai pounced, and as the elevator doors opened, I was already backing away.

I escaped while I had the chance, but when I looked back, he wasn’t chasing me. He was simply watching me. The way a predator examined it's oblivious prey. Having him chase me was less scary than his current reaction.

This reaction made my gut twist.

The manic look in his eyes couldn’t be ignored. I could have sworn he smiled in the process, but it was very brief. He stood there, looking composed, lethal, and so damn sexy.

The elevator doors began to close, but not before he winked. Promising nothing but terror.

Yeah—I was fucked.