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

Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

TRUTH — AMI X

?? KAI ??

S he was all I could think about, even as my entire body ached in pain.

For the first time, I could hardly annihilate my target without feeling something or getting any attachment.

Where the fuck was the old Kai? What had they done to him? Why did I have stupid feelings for my nemesis?

And I took the punishment for all the times I slipped emotionally. This time, I felt every lash, every bite of the leather, and I took it like I always did. They were reminding me what a failure I was. They were trying to remind me why I was there in the first place.

I had forgotten the whole reason I was actually enrolled into Willowcrest Academy, and time really was ticking. I needed a game plan before they killed me, and this time, I actually had to stick to it.

I could hardly sleep and it was 8:00 p.m. I know you're probably wondering—why so early? Well, in this place, if you aren’t training, studying, eating, or being fucking productive, then this was the only sensible option.

I was even surprised they allowed me to network a week ago after what happened a year ago. I’d dug and sniffed too much last year.

This time, I hadn’t even spoken to many people. I had gotten carried away with Yasmina.

She had just looked so devastatingly gorgeous in her red dress, and the moment she stared up at me with those intimidating Medusa eyes, I had crumbled completely. I had fallen prey to her and lost my bearings entirely. I even showed her my secret spot—a greatly intimate part of me that only I had known.

Only Yasmina could possess that kind of power.

I could try and convince myself that the feelings were platonic, but nothing surpassed the intensity of my fury every time a male gazed at her the way only I was supposed to. Mesmerised, star-struck…

I couldn’t get past the way she had sucked my cock with that strong, Medusa glare of hers, choking on my seed and looking so dazed. It had turned me on. She had a wicked mouth and I got hard every time I replayed that moment at the slopes.

I thought of how she’d spread her thick thighs wide for me, how my cock would sink into her hot, wet cunt while her walls contracted. And she would sigh my fucking name with each thrust while she milked every inch of me. I wanted to do the most sinful things to her, consume her life until there was nothing left of her.

I inhaled sharply, my aching erection already half mast, and I counted to fifty to calm my dick. The thoughts of her were getting out of hand.

I was so willing to incinerate anyone who made her uncomfortable in the slightest. I would crush the world with my bare fists if it meant I got to see her breathtaking smile. I would most definitely sacrifice my needs if that made her happy.

Okay, I wanted my old self back. I needed divine intervention to detach from this goddess.

My phone vibrated on my nightstand and the relief that filled my heart was inexplicable. I hated this place and I was so fucking miserable; I wanted to go back to the academy. I hadn’t realised how being there had been so peaceful and unproblematic. I had even started healing mentally, physically and emotionally.

I was even happy and fulfilled by the sport, the food, the space, the people. I had always been an outcast, but Kayden had been the one person that made me realise I wasn’t alone.

“How bad is it?” Kayden was straightforward and I resisted a flinch.

I wanted to tell him everything and relieve the burden on my soul, but that would cause more harm than good. Kayden was a schemer, and the moment he struck, everything would go to shit.

“Well, I can't sleep so you can probably imagine.” I sighed and he did, too.

“You're going to give in one day, and we’re not going to wait around for that. You need to escape before they become too creative.” He sounded very worried and he had every right. Nothing was remotely human about this place.

The academy had been restoring my own humanity and sanity bit by bit. I even had a best friend now. And a girl I actually liked.

“Come to France, everyone is here. Yelena Dubois’ estate. I'll book you a first-class ticket right now if you say yes.” Kayden was adamant.

He knew that I would relapse back to my monstrous state if I stayed here any longer. I even wondered how I had stayed here for the past fifteen years. It seemed so unbearable now.

“Book the flight,” I spoke without thinking, and I groaned in pain as I got up from the creaking bed.

“I hate it when you're like this and you know it. It's not normal to be tortured every day.” He sounded truly concerned and for the first time, I felt seen. I felt heard and understood.

“It's going to end someday.” After I completed my mission, of course, which was starting to seem impossible by the months.

“See you when you get here. We’ll go back to the academy together so you don’t have to be in that place any longer than necessary.”

I had to find a way to slip out of here unnoticed, which was pretty fucking easy considering no one really cared about me. Or if I was seen, then I had to come up with a good excuse for leaving.

Kayden’s offer had been a long time coming. I was surprised he didn’t haul me to his place when the break started.

“Who is there?” He knew I was beating around the bush and was only interested in one girl’s presence.

“Yeah, Yasmina is here and she looks so goddamn hot in her bikini. Better get here before any of the thirsty guys snatch her.” I felt the poison seep into my blood as he spoke, my fist clenching tightly at the prospect of any males staring at her half-naked body.

Kayden really knew how to activate the beast in me.

“If anyone so much as touches her, text me their name. I’ll deal with them when I get there.” I smirked while packing a small bag of clothes.

“Will do, can't wait to see you back here.” Kayden sounded so excited, it made me feel appreciated and welcome.

Slipping out of the guarded mansion wasn’t a problem. Having Louis, my partner in crime and one of the senior bodyguards, drop me off at the airport was pretty simple, too. Problems began when Rico started calling while I was already settled in the plane.

I deliberately ignored it and looked out the window at the clear night, marvelling how so much darkness can hold so much beauty. In a way, that aspect resonated with me. Sometimes, incredible beauty was found in the darkest places, much like fireflies in a night garden or stars in the velvet night sky. Or fireworks during a big celebration.

I only hoped that someday, someone would take time to see beyond the darkness in my heart. Or more specifically, Yasmina.

I arrived at the estate within three hours, and as expected, the place was extremely glamorous. Everything screamed opulence and immense luxury, from the lush greenery to the massive, illuminated three-storey mansion. The water features had neon highlights and the driveway was made of pure marble.

It wasn’t the first time I was seeing something like this, but it was my first time being in a French estate in the vineyards. And I fucking loved it already.

A professionally dressed butler came to my service and greeted me before introducing himself. His name was Marco, and I was to ask him if I needed anything at all. He had been assigned to me by Yelena and Kayden so he led me into the mansion.

I could faintly hear the cacophony of clinking glasses and music upstairs the deeper we ventured.

“Make yourself at home, please,” he commented, and I looked all around to study my surroundings. I resisted the strong urge to space things out or put them in order as we walked through the hallways. Something about the scattered books, candles, diffusers, and accessories made me feel unsettled.

And Marco must have noticed this because I literally paused by the table, unable to help myself anymore.

“Excuse the mess, we have quite a number of guests around,” he said genuinely.

I didn’t respond, instead, giving into my urges and putting the things in order before gesturing for him to take me to my room.

The room I was given exuded elegance and intense masculinity. Kayden must have co-ordinated this and I was thankful for the dark theme. Marco left me after giving me the directions to the roof-top, where everyone currently was.

He should have known that I wasn’t a social person. I preferred to go out when everyone else was not present. I organised my room to my taste, grouping and co-ordinating everything until I was satisfied.

I texted Kayden that I was now in my room and he read it immediately.

Within two minutes, he was already knocking on my door. When I opened it, I was met with his cold, but concerned gaze. We did our usual bro hug but I flinched in pain, causing him to look me in the eye.

“Fucking hell, I shouldn’t have let you go. I have some ointment for you. It works magic for the pain.” He placed a bottle in the palm of my hand. “Make sure to apply this before bed. Hell, I'll even help you if you want me to.”

“Thanks, but I’ll manage. Are you happy now? I made it.” I raised my arms in surrender and he chuckled.

“Of course. One of the first things I did when I got here was find a room I thought you’d like.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “And I'm guessing you're happy because there are eight books on each shelf.”

He knew about my OCD tendencies so well. “Hmm, it's okay, I like it.”

“Are you coming down for dinner?” Kayden could see the doubt in my eyes already because he shrugged with a nod. “Thought as much. I'll leave you to rest, but I'll be back to check on you,” he confirmed and I gave him a thumbs up.

He was about to leave when we heard a movement from outside the door. We both glanced at each other and Kayden took it as a cue to open my door.

We were not surprised to find a dark-haired beauty standing behind the door, eavesdropping on our conversation in nothing but a bikini, like Kayden had mentioned. She had obviously been swimming, but I hadn’t expected her to look this tantalising.

Fuck, the thought of guys who weren’t even half her worth staring at her made me so mad.

I inhaled a subtle breath then met her piercing Medusa gaze. Her viper green eyes were feline and half-lidded, making her look a thousand times seductive.

Holy fuck. Fuck.

She didn’t even try to look guilty for listening in on our conversation.

“Leave it to Yasmina to find out you're here despite using the secret driveway.” Kayden sighed heavily.

“Only Vazalo would colour code the Vogue magazines on the coffee table, he knows the whole damn colour wheel.” She shrugged before inviting herself into the room.

God help me, this girl was going to be the official death of me.

The bikini did nothing to hide just how sexy her body was, and I couldn’t help but memorise the smooth curves that shaped her much like an hourglass. Or the way her voluptuous breasts were concealed by the bra, but her piercings were visible.

If I had known she had nipple piercings, then I wouldn’t have stayed away from them like she had requested last time.

Kayden must have sensed that I was in an intense daze like all the other guys because he cleared his throat loudly. Guess I had been in my head for too long. I calmly looked away from her then smirked in response.

Someone had to appreciate all that beauty, after all.

“Seems to me, you're obsessed with me,” I teased, and her eyebrows lifted slightly.

“Says the guys who’s drooling over me.” She smiled, and to be fucking honest, that was one of the most enticing smiles I'd encountered all my life.

If I could, I'd study the angles, curves, and tilts of that flawless smile for a living.

“What do you expect when you're looking like that?” I shrugged and if I wasn’t looking so closely, I wouldn’t have seen her cheeks tint slightly.

“Okay, okay, no flirting when I'm here. I know you missed each other, but tone it down.” Kayden shook his head in amusement.

“Missed who?” we both said in unison and Kayden’s amusement upgraded to a gaped mouth.

“I won't meddle, but I'm gonna go. Don’t do what I wouldn’t do,” he warned playfully while walking to the door.

“The question is, what wouldn’t you do?” Yasmina mocked him and he flipped her off in response.

We both chuckled as he left, then made eye contact. There was an unspoken tension between us and it was so palpable, one could choke on it. The air crackled with spine-chilling electricity as our staring contest intensified.

“You look so much worse than last time.” Her hand reached up to my face, but I flinched away, avoiding her touch altogether. And just like that, she had shattered whatever energy was floating between us.

I had to be grateful, but the topic she wanted to touch on was not an option right now. I was here to fucking forget everything.

“Yeah well, they got me again.” I shrugged carelessly, but nothing was careless about the way Yasmina studied my bruised cheek. For the first time, she looked concerned, like genuinely concerned.

“Looks like whatever you're getting in return is so important if you're taking this many hits,” she muttered, before lowering her hand in defeat.

“Yeah, it's important.” You are important, baby . I stepped back an inch before staring down at her small stature. “So, are these piercings the reason you told me to stay away from your tits?”

Yasmina bit her lip with a smile before crossing her arms. “I never let guys go near my breasts.”

Well, I wasn’t expecting that at all.

“You mean to tell me that, no guy has ever kissed, licked, or sucked them?” My voice lowered as I moved closer to her until she was trapped between me and the wall.

“No one seemed worthy to go that far.” Something emotional must have flashed in my eyes against my will because she looked quite surprised by my reaction.

I shuttered all reactions immediately before smirking down at her, inhaling her pure ylang ylang infused dark berry oud, encased in a sweet rendition of amber.

“Is that so?” I probably looked unhinged again because she shivered visibly. “When do you consider them worthy? Is it when they give you an orgasm so Earth-shattering that you see your favourite constellations? Is it when they eat your pretty pussy out so good that you can't feel your soul? Or…is it when they fulfil your fantasy by hunting you down and fucking you so damn rough, that you want to die?”

Yasmina looked so speechless as her mouth gaped in shock, her viper-green eyes dilating a fraction upon the adrenaline rush. I had clearly hit a sensitive nerve because now she could hardly look at me. She knew it was all true.

“How…”

“How what, kücük tavsan ? How did I figure it out? How did I know that you wanna be fucked like a rag doll?” I smirked a little, tilting my head to take a better look at her. She was now pale, but clearly aroused. “Some of the darkest desires come from bad dreams, and conveniently, I happen to be your worst nightmare.”

Her breath hitched as I came closer, and she gasped softly when my calloused hand ran down her hip, hooking my finger onto the string of her bikini bottom.

“We’re not supposed to do this, but you're just so fucking hot,” she whispered, her manicured hand massaging my bicep gently. I could hardly resist the flutter of her eyelashes as she looked up at me seductively.

Giving into my rival wasn’t the plan.

Her touch was scalding, I could feel my cock coming to life right away. Lord knew how desperately I wanted this girl, and how I'd stop at nothing.

I just needed one more taste to forget about her, to stop obsessing over her.

“I swear if I so much as smell you, I'll lose my goddamn mind.” I bit her earlobe softly, revelling in her femininity.

Emotions were just so high between us and we weren’t thinking rationally.

“Yasmina! Someone is here for you downstairs.” We were pulled out of the moment when we heard Yelena’s voice from outside.

On instinct, I removed my black hoodie, leaving me in a long-sleeved turtleneck, and I handed it to her. She looked confused at first, but then smiled.

“Hmm, jealous much?”

“No, but I don’t want to cause a scene on such a beautiful trip.” My hand caressed her cheek. “Because for you, kücük tavsan , there will be bloodshed.”