Chapter Thirteen

"Don't let me go!" I clutched onto Kai's shoulders as he whizzed through the air.

"I will not."

Eventually, he lowered himself to the road and placed me on the ground softly.

"I can't see anything!"

Kai snapped his fingers and a ball of blue fire appeared above his palms. It brightened the path ahead of us, and in the distance, I saw my car. I was so happy it didn't fall with the bridge.

I suddenly felt embarrassed. After all of the memories came back, I realized that Kai was telling me the truth about his origin and his abilities. And I treated him like dirt the entire week and forced him to do things he didn't want to do.

And what were those creatures that attacked us earlier? "It's still raining. How come it's not going out?" I pointed to the flame.

"You continue to ask more questions that are difficult to answer." He smiled. "Allow us to leave this place and I will give you as many details as you wish."

"Yeah, okay." I stepped over to my car. Kai followed. I quickly turned on the ignition and pressed my foot on the gas, and drove toward the city. I knew we were going to have to report the collapse of the bridge so no one else would drive on it.

~

I placed my keys on the table and took off my sandals. I saw how messy my hair was in the reflection of the window, so I pushed it down to look less wild. Then I leered at Kai and extended my hand out to prevent him from sitting down.

"Okay, it's time to answer some questions, mister." I cleared my throat. "Who were those guys? Why were they attacking you?"

"They are soldiers of the Sellors nation." Kai sat on my couch and calmly began explaining. "I came here to hide the Lapis Lazuli that belongs to them. Although the gem is theirs, it reeks of immense power that causes one to feel greedy for more. And because of a foolish mistake that I've made..."

Kai looked to his feet and took a deep breath. He clenched his fists. "I am not to return to the Palace until my mistake is fixed."

His words ignited curiosity within me. Whatever happened before he came here must have made him feel guilty. I sat beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What did you do?"

"I made a grave mistake." He repeated bitterly. "I don't wish to share my misdeeds with you."

"You told me that you would give me answers, Kai."

"I did. However, I do not want to discuss my faults."

"Then how am I supposed to help you?"

Kai was making it hard for me to understand him. I needed to know why he was running away. Even if people have ill intentions, they don't just go after someone without a reason. I wanted to identify if Kai was some sort of criminal because if that were the case, I wouldn't want to help him.

"My only demand is that you take me far away, preferably a land filled with trees."

"I can't just help you run away from those things without any context. The forest is on the other side of town. And what about the people who live in the city? What if those 'soldiers' do something to them?"

"Do not worry or fret over your people, Phoenix. The Sellors are after me. They will not inflict harm on anyone who is not in their way." He narrowed his eyes at me.

I didn't understand why he was so stern when I asked a simple question.

"Kai... they almost killed you! They almost killed me!"

"I commanded you to stay in your Parrottle." Kai retorted furiously. "I would have been unharmed. But you disobeyed me."

"I disobeyed you?" I cackled and stood. Was he seriously expecting me to take the blame for trying to save him? I thought this man was going to die! No sane person would've left him on the bridge like that.

I sneered and poked him in the head. "Do you think the entire world revolves around you? I am NOT your slave!"

"Do you feel that it is fun to mock me?" He towered over me. "You speak ill of me, flaunting your possessions and disregarding my origin as if I were nothing but a fly. I will be truthful to you. If you were in Elvanor, your foul intentions would be punished to the highest degree. You lack proper respect, consideration, and care." Kai poked me in the shoulder with every word.

"I lack respect?" I scoffed.

"I am not done, woman." He spat. "I am of Royal blood. I am of Dragon descent. I will not have a mere servant of mine dishonor me. Your world is Pathetic and full of lazy, weak, and useless beings. Elvanorian soldiers can wipe out your entire realm if I were to demand it. And you... you are not a slave. But you are to serve me, so do as you are commanded, servant."

I raised my hand and slapped him. His face whipped to the side after I struck him and he brought his head back to look at me. He was stunned, and I didn't feel like continuing our conversation.

I wasn't sure how to express that his words were so hurtful. I knew that where I lived wasn't perfect, but I still tried my best to be positive about it. I felt my eyes tear up, and I looked at my feet immediately so he wouldn't notice.

Then, I stepped away and walked into my bedroom.

"Phoenix!" He called after me as I slammed my door shut.

~

The next morning, Kai and I both left my apartment early to travel to the forest. The ride was silent, so only the sound of heavy rain pounding against my car drowned out the awkwardness. Because of the storm, my nerves were on edge. I was afraid that one of those soldiers would appear out of nowhere.

Because of that, I drove a little bit faster than I would've preferred. I had this horrible feeling that someone was following us. I made a turn onto a deserted road that led to nothing but trees and a lake. Once I felt that this was an okay area to stop, I pulled over and parked.

This was it. This was the moment when Kai and I would go our separate ways. I had a lot running through my mind, and there was just some stuff I needed to get off my chest before he left. I just wasn't sure how to tell him when there was thick tension between us.

Kai unfastened his seatbelt and opened the passenger side of the door. When he shut it, I felt my heart sting. My body and mind were telling me to go after him. I huffed and opened my door.

"Kai!" I grumbled. "Kai, wait!" I caught up to him and my hand latched onto his sleeve. "Before you go, I just... I shouldn't have hit you last night. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, and I let my anger get the best of me." I rambled. "Some of the things you said hurt me, and I couldn't take it with all the extra stress I'm trying to handle."

"Phoenix," Kai placed his hand on my shoulder gently, and I could feel my body tense up. He rolled his thumb near my neck and put slight pressure on it, which gave me a little bit of relief. "Be free of your worries."

"I shouldn't have mocked you," I mumbled. I was trying my best to keep calm and not cry like a baby. "I shouldn't have insulted you or treated you like you were insane. You were right about your abilities, and I realized that I never even thanked you for saving my life. And now that I remember everything, I feel so terrible."

Kai blinked in surprise. "You've regained your memories of me?"

"I did." I sighed. "I'm going through a bit of an emotional roller coaster right now."

"Then, do you have memories of our agreement?"

"...no?" I shook my head. All I remembered was him. He was injured, and my mother and I took him to the hospital. He was bratty at first, but he made me laugh because he was different. He always talked funny. "I said what I said because I didn't feel okay letting you leave without saying anything."

Kai cupped my face in his hand and smiled at me. I felt my face warm up when he leaned forward. When he was dangerously close to my face, I felt him raise my hand, and he kissed it. But this time he let his lips linger and I saw a glimmer of desire in his eyes.

And that's when it hit me. I snatched my hand out of his hands quickly. My ears were burning when the memory infiltrated my mind. "Oh... no! Kai... no!" I gasped. "No!"

"Don't disagree with me, now, Phoenix." He smirked at me.

"Kai! T-that was over a decade ago! I was 13! I don't even think I knew you were being serious!"

"We sealed our agreement with a promise."

"We did?" Of course, we did. I knew we did. I just didn't want to admit it. "I'm not going to marry you."

"Not at this time, yes." He gazed off into the distance. "But when I return, and when I have corrected my wrongs, I will make preparations. And then, you will be my bride."

"We can't get married! We don't know each other that well! And I am not going to wake up every morning next to an egomaniac with lizard breath and scales on his skin! What if you accidentally burn me with your fire?"

I knew I was going overboard with my exaggeration, but you get my point.

"Lizard breath? Scales?" Kai laughed. "You have a very creative mind. I assure you, although I am of dragon descent, our children will look as human as they could be."

"Who said anything about children!? Do you know how expensive kids are?"

"When you produce more of our bloodline, I will take care of you well. Do not fret."

"Are you listening to me?" I growled.

"I hear you well." He kissed my forehead and all my thoughts went away. "We will meet again soon, Phoenix." He pulled away from me and turned around. Then he hopped over the ledge of the road and disappeared into the trees. I remained frozen in place and felt an empty void enter me.

"I hope he will be okay," I muttered and walked back over to my car. I stopped when I turned and saw a long sharp blade being displayed in front of my neck.

The man holding the sword was older and dressed similarly to Kai. His hair was gray and long and pulled up into a bun at the top, while the rest of it hung below his shoulders from behind. He eyed me suspiciously. I guess that eerie feeling I had earlier about someone following us was confirmed.

"Don't hurt me!" I squealed and placed my hands high in defense.

"Who... are you?" His eyes skimmed over my appearance and his lips curled downwards. He was disgusted by me. "What affiliation do you have with our Young Master?"

"Y-Young Master?" I giggled nervously.

"Don't play foolish with me, woman." He spat out the last part as if he had a problem because I was a lady. "Are you a Sellors spy? Seeking to wreak havoc on the descendant of Thi?" He slid the blade forward and pressed it against my skin. "Or perhaps you are a woman of this realm, and greed flows through your veins. Are you aware of the Young Master's wealth and position?"

"I've been told about it." I snorted.

"I do not enjoy your display of mockery and false wit. Therefore, I will punish you for seducing him for your own selfish pleasures." He raised the sword at me and swung it down, but I jumped out of the way and ran over to my car.

"Wait! Wait!" I screeched. "I am not seducing him!" The sword slashed the exterior of my hood and I wanted to bawl my eyes out over the damage. That was going to cost a lot of money to fix.

"You will perish slowly by my hands if you make me run after you." He snarled.

"No!" I sprinted to my right, and his blade smashed the back windows of my car. He plucked out the blade with ease and ran at me. "I'm sorry! Please stop!" I tripped on my foot and fell on my butt. I crawled into a begging position and clasped my hands together. "Please!"

I felt the man kick my arms and my back hit the road. For an old guy, he was very strong. "Kai!" I cried. "Kai! Help me!"

"You dare call for his help? I'll end you here!" He raised his sword above me and positioned it right on top of my chest. And I closed my eyes, waiting for him to strike. My eyes were all watery and I could barely see him through my tears.

I waited for death to come, but it took me a moment to realize that I was still breathing. I opened my eyes and still saw the blade, but it wasn't aiming for my heart. Instead, the sword was lifting the chain around my neck. The man stared at it with his mouth agape.

"Phoenix." He pulled the weapon away and threw himself on his knees in front of me. "Phoenix, it is you. Forgive me." He grabbed my hand and I began screaming bloody murder.

"Get away from me!" I scrambled myself up and began to run in the opposite direction of this man, but I felt him snatch me by my arm.

"Do not be afraid! I did not know it was you!"

"Let me go!" I cried. "Kai!"

"I am sorry!"

"You almost killed me!"

"It was my mistake." He frowned and dragged me closer.

"Kai!" I wheezed. The older man was thrown off of me in an instant, and I saw Kai standing there with his eyes glowing the same shade of blue. I ran behind him and hid away from the older man.

"Young Master!" He pouted.

"Arthur?" Kai narrowed his eyes at the man. "Why are you here?"

"The Emporer has sent me to assist you! Once I finally recognized your scent, I followed you."

"He almost killed me!" I hissed.

"Is this true?" Kai balled his fists and looked at the old man.

"It was only a moment until I recognized her scent and caught sight of her pendant. Phoenix, from another world, do forgive my error."

"You damaged my car!" I spat viciously.

"... Your car?"

"It is their kind of Parrottle. They use it to take them from one location to the next." Kai explained and pointed over to my silver sedan.

"Oh my, is that what that is? My sincerest apologies. I will repay you. How much silver does it cost to fix my harm?"

"A lot, sicko!"

"Do not display your rude behavior to Arthur, he is my best servant." Kai scolded me.

"But he totaled my car!" I whined. "Look at it!" I pointed at my windows and the scratch marks all over the front.

"If silver is not enough, then what about gold?" Arthur reached up and took the same hairpiece Kai had a few days earlier out of his hair. The bun he had disheveled and his long gray strands covered his face.

Oh no. I did not want to make another visit to the pawn shop.