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

Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

IN HIS TOUCH — CELINE DION

? YASMINA ?

" K en, did you take my fucking headphones?" I barged into his room, looking livid.

He calmly faced me, dropping his styling comb to address me. "No. I bought the blue ones like a week ago."

"Liar. You took mine." I entered his room and scrambled through his stuff. I overturned what I could: his gaming equipment, his closet, his pillows, you name it.

Everyone was back from the academy for a small break. I was so happy to be getting a break from everyone there, especially Kai Vazalo.

I needed to breathe and collect my thoughts in peace without feeling watched.

"Ew, this is disgusting." I closed his nightstand when I found a half-full pack of protection.

"What? A guy has his needs." He shrugged nonchalantly with a smile and I rolled my eyes.

"Looking for these?" a deep voice asked from his doorway. I grinned when I saw a tall, powerful Kayden standing leisurely with his usual toothpick lolling between his lips and my grey headphones in hand.

"Oh my, yes! You're such a lifesaver, I love you!" I rushed towards him and he held them out just in case I scratched him in the process of taking them.

It could get messy where my headphones were involved.

"You look fucking hot." His eyes casually scanned my body and I smirked.

I was wearing a dark crimson dress with a high slit and deep V-neck that flattered my ample cleavage. I had left my nipple piercings in and the satin material hugged my curvy figure like a glove.

I wore matching stilettos and long gloves to finish the look, and my smoky makeup went well with my straightened, silky hair.

We were going for an elite Mafia party on behalf of my dad to network and show the society that we were still very much involved in their operations, regardless of his absence. So, we had flown all the way from our mansion in Switzerland to Turkey for the event, and were booked on our own floor.

Dad's circle was more on the dangerous side and I wasn't naive enough to ignore the guards that always had guns around our mansion, or how the house was very hushed every time a group of affluent, older men came to his meetings.

But I loved the adrenaline rush. If anything, I've been trying to convince him to involve me, but he just won't budge. He says I still have a bright future ahead of myself.

It was a dream, a fantasy, the thought of having all those intimidating men who were about three times my size reporting to or bowing to me.

Power was essential, but extremely dangerous once misused. Unfortunately, in my dad's world, power was abused.

I had to do something differently. I wanted to make it up the ranks at some point. I'd seen the way my father kissed the feet of some of those men, and I wanted to change that once I took over. I had his important code, and all other codes to all his information, but thing is, I didn’t have his username to unlock the account.

So this event was going to be an opportunity for me to know people and understand the hierarchy manually. It was essential to know the leader of the flock.

Dad wouldn't help me, so I'd do it myself.

"Hmm. I'm sure I do, brother." I took his hand and twirled while he wolf-whistled.

"Pretty sure you're going to get whatever you want tonight." He winked, slipping his hand into his pocket.

Kayden was dressed in a custom-tailored suit that did nothing to hide his ripped muscles. He exuded of strong masculinity and brutal elegance.

It was hard to be in public with Kayden; girls and guys went feral whenever they saw him. He was unusually good-looking, and his grey-eyed stare was always either arousing or intimidating to the public. At some point, he was home schooled because of the attention.

"That's good for us. Dad wants us to get some intel on what's happening." Kendrick adjusted his jacket before finally leaving the mirror.

If there was anyone who valued his appearance more than all of us, then it was my dear brother.

Kendrick was tall, lean, and extremely handsome with a panty-dropping smile and feline hazel eyes that lured almost any girl or boy into his bed. Tonight, his dirty blond hair was slicked back to perfection and I knew he spent about two hours tops on every strand.

"I'm leaving the party a bit early, I've got an appointment," Kayden said neutrally, but fifteen years of knowing him was enough to signal us that a someone had influenced his decision.

A very special someone, because Kayden never cared about anyone at all. Anyone who wasn't in his close, extremely tiny circle.

"Hmm, I thought I saw you with a girl last week. Is that it?" I tilted my head with a mischievous smile and he huffed.

"If I say yes, will you leave me alone?" He raised his brows and I shook my head. "You never change, you're so difficult."

"Yep, deal with it Kay." I stuck my tongue out before fixing Kai's switchblade in my bra.

Duh, I never gave it back to him. It was sharp and shiny as fuck, a slight wrong move could send a soul to the afterlife.

It officially belonged to me: Yasmina Adelstein.

"We're kinda late, let's get going." Kendrick led the way and we all walked out, but not before I took my clutch from the coffee table in the lounge.

The bodyguards were already on standby when we got to the SUVs and Lucian opened the door for me.

I flipped my mini-mirror open then reapplied my scarlet lipstick while Kayden and Kendrick got in on either side of me.

"Don't smile at anyone unless you want something from them, okay? If you feel unsafe, just let us know," Kendrick assured me and I nodded like a little girl.

He was such an amazing big brother to me, I honestly felt blessed to have him. I never got into trouble or got bullied in primary or high school because either Kendrick or Kayden were always at my rescue.

Especially Kayden, since Kendrick was older and finished school way before me.

I had my headphones on for the rest of the journey while Kendrick and Kayden spoke about the upcoming bike race.

When the car stopped in front of the red carpet entrance, I took them off and placed them in a compartment under the seat before slipping out. Lucian helped me to adjust my dress before I followed the boys to the entrance.

They produced some kind of golden cards, and without another glance, the massive bodyguards let us through. The bass of the loud music rumbled in my gut, the sweet aroma of fresh pastries and alcohol filled my senses along with various expensive perfumes that flooded the spacious room.

The venue was more of a gothic castle that had some modern elements to it. It looked very aesthetic with the variety of fancy cocktail glasses, the glacial seafront, and complimentary dark forest beyond the vitreous floor-to-ceiling windows.

Cleanly dressed waiters moved around with different coloured beverages while people conversed in small groups. So many people had showed up to the party and had dressed to kill.

I could identify a couple of designer fashion pieces here and there, but it wasn't long until a group of older women came to us.

Damn Kayden and Kendrick.

“Kayden Visconti, it's such a pleasure to see you.” The lady in the middle outstretched her hand, but Kayden didn’t bother to greet her.

“We couldn’t help but notice you from afar, you look ravishing.” The other woman bit her lip and they all hummed in agreement.

I was distracted as I scanned people who had attended the event. I identified Mr. Miller and Mr. Moretti, one of my dad’s close acquaintances in the Bratva Association.

I matched faces with those I had seen in dad’s hierarchy map. I had successfully caught a glimpse of it and took pictures of the document. Ms. Bianchi, Mr. Ford, Dr. Ellis…the list went on and on.

However, I was more interested in meeting Alonzo Valdez, the leader of the entire Bratva Association.

I had never seen him and I knew I probably wouldn’t unless I made a name for myself around here.

Rumour has it, very few people had actually seen or spoken to him. He only showed up for high-profile events, but was rarely seen with the crowds. Their meetings were hosted behind closed doors in dark basements and secret rooms that a limited number of people had access to.

Including my father.

But everyone knew his cutthroat, heartless son: Kirill Valdez. Even I knew him and we had crossed paths and spoken a few times, mainly because he was involved in Kayden and Kendrick’s racing.

Speaking of which, I could see him and Kendrick talking by the balcony, and they were standing very close to each other. Kendrick was small compared to Kirill’s muscular body, and it was intriguing that Kendrick won a few races against a beastly man like Kirill.

I was also surprised to see them hanging out. Kendrick was regal and cheerful, while Kirill was aggressive with some serious anger issues.

I raised my brows further when Kirill’s hand stroked Kendrick’s cheek, but I didn’t have much time to think about it when a voice interrupted my train of thought.

“It should be illegal to be this stunning, Yas.” I swerved to find a familiar, ruggedly handsome guy staring down at me, his dazzling smile nearly blinding the fuck out of me.

Ramsey Crawford. Heir to Crawford Enterprises. Son of an extremely powerful minister and businesswoman. Both his parents were very influential in society and were greatly feared all around.

I had gone to the same high school as Ramsey and I could clearly recall his strong crush on me. He had asked me out about four times to no avail, but he was not used to hearing the word ‘no’, hence his obsession with me.

Ramsey was good-looking, but he wasn’t that mature. He had a childish element to him that turned me off, and he was too gentle and soft for my liking.

Maybe I was the problem…

“Ramsey, long time.” I offered him a nod.

“Indeed. You look great, like, really great.” He trailed his gaze down my body and I internally rolled my eyes.

“Thanks. How’s your hockey career doing?” Another thing, we were both into winter sports, but he was an ice hockey player.

“Good. We won three games and lost one so far this season, so we’re pretty cool.” He shrugged nonchalantly.

“Nice, you’ve always been good at hockey.” I tilted my head, reminiscing about the old times. Times when we didn’t have hormones and practised well together.

“Hmm, I guess. And how’s the snowboarding season?” He stared down at me with his emerald eyes that complemented his blond hair.

“It's okay, just a bit tough this season. Lots of competition this semester,” I sighed, sipping on the martini I had taken from a passing waiter.

“Yes, I heard there’s this sci-fi guy in your team now, and he's the captain.” Ramsey smirked and I didn’t find his pun funny at all.

“Sci-fi?” I echoed, feigning amusement.

“Yeah. Heard he's got a golden eye and a black one? I don’t really remember, but a lot of people have been talking about him. They say his strength is robotic or something.” I resisted any facial expression as he spoke.

Great. Everyone believed that I was going to get my ass kicked this semester, or worse, the Championships.

“They're just exaggerating. He's human and perfectly normal.”

“I'm sure we have a match with your academy soon. I'll have to see for myself.” Ramsey rotated his glass in his ringed hand. “So, got a boyfriend?”

“That’s none of your fucking business,” I muttered in a bored tone and he chuckled in amusement.

“Still feisty, I like that. From the tone of your response, I'm guessing you don’t.” He studied my face like it was something he was seeing for the first time.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” I shrugged, looking around for someone else to approach for a worthwhile conversation.

“The dreams of you do.” He stepped forward and in a swift reflex, I had the switchblade positioned against his balls.

“If I were you, I'd step away immediately.” His eyes were wide in surprise, and he held his hands up in surrender. He wasn’t expecting that at all, but I wanted to put him in his place.

“Damn, babe, you really know how to bring a man to his knees.” His eyes sparkled and if anything, he was more interested than before.

“I don’t see you on your knees,” I deadpanned, narrowing my eyes at him until he flinched in fear.

“If I get on my knees, do I get to eat you out then?” he tried to bargain, but I was already walking away.

I was stopped by his hand securing around my wrist, and before I could say anything to protest, a shadow had already loomed over him.

He turned back, his face equally as shocked as mine the moment we saw who it was.

Kai stared down at Ramsey condescendingly, his silver eye relucent and so sharp that Ramsey shrunk away. He looked extra clean and masculine in tailor-made black suit sans the tie, showing all my bite marks and the same spot I'd cut him with the switchblade.

He had kept his word. My scars on him were out for the world to see.

Aside from that, his aura screamed composure, dominance, and lethal beauty, I had to clench my thighs to stop the slow throb that had begun to form between my legs. He was still intimidating as ever, but brutally handsome that nearly all eyes were on him.

“I suggest you get on your knees and apologise to my girlfriend for making her uncomfortable.” He stepped closer and Ramsey timidly backed away.

Girlfriend? Wow, that was new.

“Oh, haha, I was simply pulling her leg. You must be the sci-fi guy?” Ramsey was equally in awe of Kai’s aristocratic perfection.

“Sci-fi?” Kai questioned in the same way I had before.

“People mentioned that uh, y-you look like someone from a sci-fi film. And you kinda do.” Ramsey shrugged, but Kai didn’t seem amused at all.

“Interesting, now, do as you're told. I don’t want to cause a scene on such an important occasion. Your father is handing over the family business to you in a few months, no? Wouldn’t want anything ruining that plan, now do we?” Kai’s threat held so much weight that Ramsey visibly panicked.

“What do you know?”

“Not relevant. Five seconds is all you have.” Ramsey didn’t waste time and scrambled to his knees, looking up at me solemnly.

“I'm sorry.”

“She has a name,” Kai deadpanned coldly.

“I'm sorry, Yasmina.”

“For what? Be specific.” I smiled nefariously.

“For disrespecting you and making you uncomfortable.” He looked down in guilt.

“You're forgiven, Ramsey.” I nodded, and once Kai seemed pleased with my response, he folded his arms.

“Good, now fuck off before I change my mind on her behalf.” Ramsey didn’t waste time and fled before he got into more trouble.

I giggled to myself, but that soon ended once Kai was a few inches away from me. His manly fragrance engulfed me, a delicious rendition of icy citrus, woodsy incense, and silky vanilla.

Now that he was up close, I finally took note of the bruises and scars on his face. The corner of his eye had a small cut that was dripping, and the side of his face was a dull purple.

For some reason, the look suited him and made him a thousand times sexier. It made him seem far more dangerous and unapproachable.

“What happened to you?” I questioned, but he simply smirked.

“Since when do you care about me?” His eyes sparkled.

“I don’t, but I'm surprised someone kicked your ass this time.” I folded my arms, and I didn’t miss the way his jaw clenched.

“That’s because I let them. It wasn’t personal, so I let them have it.” He said it so casually, which actually contrasted with the severity of the bruise.

“I didn’t think you’d take your generosity that far.”

“I don’t, but I got something far more valuable in return.” Kai spoke nonchalantly before laser-focusing on me. “Dance with me.”

I stared at him in pure disbelief, laughing incredulously before staring at him harder. “Wait, you're not joking?”

“Do I look like the type?”

“No, not really.”

“Exactly, now let’s dance before?—”

“You change your mind. You need to get a new line, that one is getting old.” I teased while I allowed him to take my hand.

Something flashed in his eyes for a brief second, something between amusement and admiration. “But it gets the job done, doesn’t it?”

“Whatever, Vazalo,” I drawled impassively. My breath slightly hitched when his large hand settled on the small of my waist, grazing my exposed skin on my back.

Of course, the dress left my entire back on display.

His feather-light touch ignited something in me as I tiptoed high in my heels to wrap my arms around his broad, sharp shoulders. Now, his hands were just inches below my ass.

We were close, too close for my liking. His scent was already clouding my brain and if this continued, I was going to make some extremely bad decisions.

I matched his intense eye contact as we swayed on the dance floor, the proximity of his body making my nerve endings tingle. Every part of my skin burned in anticipation, my heartbeat was abnormally erratic as I felt Kai’s cool exhales against my exposed neck when he leaned in.

Rivals were never supposed to be this intimate. I hated this guy. We couldn’t do this. I couldn’t be emotionally vulnerable to him. It might cost me the Championships trophy. I couldn’t?—

I abruptly stepped away from him, dusting myself off in the process before clearing my throat. We had gotten closer than I would have liked, but I couldn’t deny that being within his vicinity like that made my heart flutter in the most concerning ways.

“Chickened out? I thought as much.” Kai didn’t look the least bothered by my sudden action. Instead, he leaned to whisper against my ear. “Come with me, I know a secret spot in the castle.”

My curiosity got the best of me so we slipped away together, despite my doubts. I followed him down a staircase then through a dark hallway that had different kinds of picture frames.

Kai moved so fast and swift, like a shadow of the night. His movements had the grace of someone who knew the nooks and crooks of the place.

If I had to navigate the way back to the hall, I'd most likely not make it.

I hadn’t realised I was taking in the new surroundings with so much awe that Kai had stopped moving, patiently leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

His piercing stare was so intense that I made eye contact with him, resisting a blush of embarrassment.

“This used to be the secret passage in the event of an invasion or an unexpected siege. The royals often escaped down here.” His deep, melliloquent treble filled the silence of the atmosphere and I almost shivered.

“Wow. This is really cool. How did you find this place?” I marvelled, studying the unfamiliar faces in the monochromatic frames.

“Boredom.” He paused, as though wondering if he should say more. “This is my home town, I was born here in Turkey.”

“Really? So that language you speak, is it Turkish?” I asked, fascinated by his revelation.

“When I'm speaking to you, yes. For others, it's Russian.” I gaped at his confession.

“Do you speak to anyone else in Turkish?” He shook his head no and a wide grin tugged at my lips. “Does that make me special?”

“I don’t know, do you want to be special?” I huffed at the fact that he answered my question with a question.

He started walking when I did, then he stopped before a steel door.

Kai pressed his thumb in the middle, and the sealed door opened much like a vault.

I gasped in awe as he led me into an indoor garden full of chromatic butterflies, flowers, and virescent plants. There was a mini, azure fountain in the middle of the vast place, and I couldn’t help but marvel at the variety of flower species in the lively, expansive garden. Even the rare ones were in here.

I could barely hide the excitement of being in such a peaceful, sweet-smelling garden with so many pretty creatures. The ladybugs, the fireflies, the butterflies…it was a breathtaking sight.

“There is more.” Kai’s voice had softened by a smidge, but it still made a difference.

I followed him, ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ as we passed more shrubbery and water features. This place was absolutely divine.

He pushed some hanging vines aside to reveal an enormous library that reached insane heights. Holy shit. The ladders were extremely tall and I internally wondered how many more were there due to the infinite rows of bookshelves.

I couldn’t help the squeal that left my lips as I twirled happily, revelling in the euphoria of being in paradise. The sight of all the countless books made me go feral; I found myself running towards the nearest shelf and taking the prettiest book from the collection.

I hugged it against my chest, the nostalgic smell of paper, ink, and wood overwhelming me.

I had forgotten all about Kai’s presence until I felt the strong, dark vibrations of his energy nearby, and the heavenly smell of his musk rapidly diffusing into the atmosphere.

I reopened my eyes, and the rare sight of his golden eye sparkling brighter than the silver one caught me off guard.

He seemed to notice that I noticed because within a few milliseconds, a shutter had reverted him back to the cold, distant version of himself. The emotions were unexpectedly submerged beneath the soulless gold and silver ice.

“This place…is spectacular, I've never seen anything like so.” I had the biggest smile on my face and I couldn’t care less if I looked fucking silly. This whole area was a dream, a fantasy come true.

Kai slowly walked up to me with the agility and slow strength of a predator surveying its prey. He stopped once he was directly above me, and the moment I looked up to him, I realised why he had towered over me like that.

Above us, was the most stunning view of the incredible constellations of the velvet night sky above us.

I didn’t hold back my sigh of utter happiness and ecstasy as I scanned the glimmering blanket of stars that coated the contrasting sky. The sight was so priceless that Kai held my shoulders to stop me from stumbling.

“Kai, this is so beautiful.” My mouth was agape in pure admiration.

“You said my name.” His slow, sexy drawl brought me back to Earth, and I switched my gaze to him. The golden eye had a small sparkle, meaning he probably felt something emotional, even if it was minuscule.

That was because he had finally earned the privilege, even if it was for a brief moment.

“You called me by my name for the first time, kücük tavsan , it can only mean one thing,” he murmured, emphasising on what I'd unconsciously done.

I smirked, tilting my head. “I was off-guard, don’t get used to it, Vazalo. The privilege is not guaranteed,” I teased and his lips twitched.

“My name sounds better. I can almost imagine how you’d moan it, or scream, I don’t really care?—”

“Okay, okay, we don’t want to know what's in your filthy head.” I pretended to cover my ears while he chuckled.

“We? You and who?”

“The plants. See? That one is already wilting.” I pointed at a green branch with white patches, but Kai snorted.

“It's a variegated species, kücük tavsan . It's perfectly healthy.” He plucked one of the leaves then ran his finger on the white area. “There’s no chlorophyll here, hence why it's white.”

“Whatever, I refuse to look dumb.” I folded my arms and tipped my head. He didn’t respond, instead, he did something very rare.

He laughed.

It was a symphonic, deep melody that sounded far too perfect to be coming from him. I gasped, wishing I had recorded this precious moment and tucked it away to remind myself that he was human.

I involuntarily smiled when he collected himself, shaking his head slowly.

“So you do laugh.” I nudged him and he once again reverted to his bored stare.

“Don’t all humans do?”

“Yeah, except you. I almost thought you were challenged.” His brows raised in surprise and it made me giggle.

“I won't comment.” He waved his hand in dismissal.

Kai patiently waited and watched as I went through the gigantic library, holding the books I was picking along the way and holding the ladder for me whenever I spotted an interesting book on a high shelf. His patience with me surprised me; he was a whole different man tonight.

I couldn’t exhaust the entire place, though. My wish was to stay in this place forever and ever. But it was quickly short-lived when I asked one innocent question.

“What does this place mean to you?” I asked obliviously, and I surely wasn’t prepared to see so many different shades of anger flash on Kai’s face. He has always looked so stoic and cold, but this was different.

The reaction was so strong that I visibly coiled away, and he easily took note of this before reigning everything in. I had pushed him too far; him showing me his secret spot had been a stretch and I understood that he couldn’t give me more than that.

“We should go back. I'm sure your brother is looking for you.” I didn’t protest because the mood had already darkened and I didn’t want to trigger him any further. Whatever was haunting him seemed really severe, it followed him around everywhere.

He was my rival, but I promised myself that I'd get to the bottom of his concealed trauma.

I was going to unravel my nemesis.