Innocently Evil (A Kitty Bloom Novel)

by Beadsmoore, Felicity

  The black haired man, who seemed to have a flash of grey along his left sideburn, pushed the tall, muscular, blonde man to his knees on the floor and then bowed his own head politely at Louis. “I am dreadfully sorry, Sir,” he said in a deep, husky voice. “I would not have interrupted had this not been an urgent matter.”

  Louis raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the werewolf, who hung his head lower, and then started taking delicate steps down the stairs towards the two intruders. “Really,” said Louis, sarcastically. “Then please—explain.”

  The werewolf nodded, then grabbed a handful of hair from the head of the man kneeling before him and thrust his head back to reveal him to Louis and the astonished audience. Everyone gasped, while my quick beating heart seemed to skip a beat. Sam smiled up at me, appearing completely oblivious to the supernatural menace surrounding him. Through slightly better vision, I glared at him, partly so angry to see him and annoyed that he’d put himself in danger like this to save me, but mostly grateful that he had.

  “I caught him skulking around the perimeter,” growled the black haired man. “You said you wished us to bring him straight to you if we ever caught him, so I did as instructed.”

  “Very well done,” said Louis to the werewolf-man, but his eyes were all for Sam. Louis reached the ballroom floor and took a step towards Sam and the tall, black haired werewolf who was holding him. “Samuel Winter,” said Louis, slowly. “How glad I am to finally meet you. I have heard so much about you.”

  Sam’s eyes left mine for a moment and connected aggressively with Louis’. “Thanks,” he said, with a pleasant smile. “It’s all true and just for some fun I thought I’d prove it to you.” His dark, violet eyes met mine again and then looked past me.

  “Angelica,” Sam yelled. “Have you met my companion? Marcus Gray.”

  The werewolf-man with black hair dropped his hold on Sam and stepped to the side. My mouth fell open is surprise. My father? My father was alive. Though I still couldn’t see her, I heard my mum’s gasp and I could hear her footsteps approaching the edge of the stage beside me.

  “No,” she said, quietly, more to herself than to the room. “It can’t be.”

  Twenty-Four: An Unlikely Knight

  “Stop! Stop this at once,” shouted Louis. “I order you to stop!” Louis pointed his right index finger aggressively at the black-haired werewolf, at Marcus Gray, my father.

  Marcus didn’t flinch. “Angelica,” he called to my undead mother. “Is that really you?”

  My mum stepped up on the stage beside me and stared at the tall, muscular man walking towards her on the ballroom floor. “Marcus,” she said astonished and then she let out an elated sigh. “My Marcus.”

  My body seemed to straighten and strengthen as I watched her run down the stairs and into his open arms. They hugged and kissed and laughed as the room filled with curious whispers and worrying gasps. I couldn’t help but smile at the reunion and at Sam, who was now standing and who, I was sure, had some large part to play in the whole thing. Sam’s grin was wide and loving as he stared up at me and as I smiled down at him, unable to hide how impressed I was, I suddenly realized that the drowning numbness I’d felt in my body only moments before had disappeared.

  I glanced down at my slumped wrists and saw that the deep, violent gashes had healed and all that remained was the darkening scarlet of my congealing blood. Funnily enough, I actually felt better than I had earlier in the evening, like a weight had been lifted and my body felt more energetic than ever. Maybe my evil side’s powers were increasing, or maybe seeing Louis in considerable distress had something to do with it. Either way, I had to silently thank my evil half for her supernatural healing abilities and would be sure to pay her a future favor in return. Killing Louis would definitely do quite nicely.

  While my mum and my dad couldn’t appear to keep their hands off each other, my attention seemed to wander back to Louis, who was standing, silently still, staring at the couple’s joyous embrace. I could see the fury building on his perfectly pale, angular face and hoped he’d direct it at me. Max’s arms around my body had weakened just that little bit more that I needed and his stunned concentration was firmly focused on the cuddling, supernatural couple. At just the right moment, I’d fight myself free and see just how many punches I could hit Louis with before his werewolf lackeys came to his rescue.

  When I glanced over at my mum and dad again, their postures had changed. They were still touching each other lovingly and desperately, but now they were facing Louis. Disbelief and anger filled my mum’s eyes, while a vicious smile of revenge twisted my father’s lips.

  “How could you,” my mum asked Louis, as heartfelt pain tore at her voice. “I thought I loved you.” She slipped off the gold, ruby studded wedding ring from her left hand and threw it to the floor in front of Louis’ feet.

  I watched as Louis’ golden eyes followed it as it tinkled lightly against the ballroom floor and then rolled to a stop. For the first time, a twinge of pain seemed to cross Louis’ face, and I almost felt sorry for him, but it was quickly replaced by a contortion of furious arrogance as he raised his eyes back to my mother.

  “Face it, Angelica,” he spat smugly, “you did love me and you chose me. You could have waited and pined hopelessly for him for the rest of your pathetic life, but you didn’t. You chose power, privilege and immortality over him. I made you do nothing, it was all of your choosing.”

  My mum’s jaw dropped at Louis’ foul allegations and she raised her left hand to her mouth in shock and shame.

  Marcus’ arm wrapped around her shoulders comfortingly and he growled at Louis. “You made me this,” he snarled. “You took me away from her and then manipulated her. She only chose you because you gave her no other choice. Cornering her and breaking her until she needed you is completely different from offering her a fair choice. None of this was of her choosing or mine. You did this to us.”

  Louis’ face turned hard for a moment, then he rolled his eyes and tilted his head conceitedly. “Please,” he said mockingly. “Have you completely forgotten whom you are addressing? I am your master, you are my dog. Now obey and be a good boy.”

  A defensive fury rose in me at Louis’ words and I promised myself to get a punch in later for my dad.

  Marcus held his head high and jutted his chin out at Louis as he pulled my mum closer to him. “I don’t think so,” he said happily. “I’m free of you now. I finally have something to live for again and I have Sam to thank for that. I follow my own orders, not yours. My will and my power are now my own and there is nothing you can do about it.”

  At my father’s words an interested murmur broke out among the glamorously dressed audience around us. Pursing his lips tightly, Louis’ eyes glowed a brighter gold and they left my father for a moment and glanced cruelly over at Sam.

  “One last thing,” said Marcus, pulling Louis’ brutal attention back to him. “I thought you should know that although you took our youthful love from us, you also managed to give us an eternity together and for that I thank you. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

  Marcus and my mum grinned gleefully at each other. Then with each of them completely lost in the aura of the other, they turned, arm and arm, and began walking for the far, decorative double doors that Marcus had entered through only moments before.

  “Hey,” I tried to yell through somewhat parched lips, but I barely created a sound.

  Sure, I was very happy for my parents touching reunion, and of course, I didn’t want to ruin it. But I couldn’t help my disbelief that they were just going to run off and leave me behind. I was their only daughter after all. But they didn’t hear me and they didn’t turn back.

  I felt my face cover with an expression of shock and I looked down at Sam, hoping to find an answer. With eyes wide and his jaw held firm, Sam shook his head warningly at me and mouthed the words: ‘One problem at a time’. Slightly relieved that he seemed to be comfortable with what was happening, I calmed my
self down a bit and tried not to think about how much it hurt to see my parents leave me. I pouted unhappily at Sam, but could strangely understand his reasoning. With fewer allies in the room, there would be fewer people to save. Of course, this plan also worked in a negative reverse and would mean that there would be fewer people to help us fight our way out of here. I hoped Sam knew what he was doing.

  Trying to bring my mind back to the problem at hand and deciding to follow Sam’s orders like a good soldier, I focused my attention back on Louis. He hadn’t moved a muscle and his eyes were still firmly fixed on my parents’ departure. Rage filled his expression and seemed to thin his face, making his eyes appear more hollow and his cheekbones more prominent. Clearly, his evening wasn’t going so well, not even close to plan. Of course he’d be angry and now it was time for me to let out my anger on him.

  Just as I was about to quietly apologize to Max before head-butting him and making a swift escape, Louis spun his viperous attention towards Sam.

  “You,” he snarled. “You ruined my evening. You ruin everything, you always have. I think it’s time your little angel wings were snipped.”

  At first, although I was worried, I thought this threat was quite funny coming from a vampire who only reached Sam’s shoulders. But then, with a glance around the room, I noticed the uniformed werewolf-men coming in from all directions behind Sam, forming a claustrophobic circle around him. And I realized that this was not going to be a fair wing-snipping.

  “Sorry,” I whispered to Max, as I whacked my head backwards into his face. I ducked out of his arms as he stumbled backwards in surprise and as I ran silently down the podium stairs to the ballroom floor, I glanced back and gave him an apologetic shrug.

  Max frowned at me as he held his right hand up to his sore nose and as he saw me near his father a spark of fear burst across his bright, amber eyes. “Kitty, no,” he called out anxiously, much to my frustration.

  Louis spun to face me, but with the help of my evil half’s killer combat moves I anticipated him and shot a right hook to his pristine alabaster jaw.

  He stumbled backwards and glared up at me in surprise. “What,” he said, sounding confused. “How is this possible? You’re alive.”

  As I held a tight fighting stance, Louis looked at my dark, blood covered arms and then back up at me.

  “And you’re healed,” he snarled. “I knew there was something different about you.”

  “Yep,” I said, as I watched him cautiously. “I’m different and both of my different sides want a piece of you.”

  Louis clenched his jaw angrily at me and then warily glanced over my shoulder to look at his son. “Forget to mention something to me, Maxwell,” Louis said disappointedly as he raised a suspicious eyebrow.

  For a moment I was utterly impressed that Max hadn’t told his father anything about the agreement between my two sides and the strength and power I had gained because of it. It seemed as though he actually did want to help me even if it meant hindering his father’s plans. I guess he did want me to have a fighting chance after all. But then Louis’ hostile eyes met mine and the small thankful smile on my lips dropped and I focused on the fight once more.

  As I widened my stance, I noticed a problem with my plan and felt the tight material of my dress restrict my movement. With my eyes firmly focused on Louis’, I dropped my left hand to my hip and gathered the tight, stretchy material on that side up higher until it was decently above my knees. Then cautiously, I moved to do the same to the right side. Seeing his chance to pay me back for my earlier well aimed punch, Louis struck out at me angrily, but I’d seen him coming and blocked him fiercely with my left hand. As I dodged another violent blow with my left arm, my right hand finished hitching up the skirt of the dress and I bounded back a few steps out of Louis’ range.

  “That wasn’t very polite,” I said, unhappily, as I glared at him from a newly positioned fighting stance.

  “I’m not very polite,” said Louis, arrogantly as he glanced from my face down to the bottom of my now more mini-dress-like ball gown.

  I gave him a cheerless ‘ha-ha’ look and frowned. I was looking forward to hitting him again.

  “Kitty,” called Sam suddenly and cautiously from behind Louis.

  Without removing my concentration from the pointed, painful knuckles of Louis’ fists, I glanced at the white t-shirted figure of Sam in my peripheral vision. “Yeah,” I answered, with my eyes still firmly connected to Louis’.

  “Are you sure you want to do this,” he said a little apprehensively.

  I thought about it for a second, but both sides of me had already made up our mind. We wanted payback for all the horrible, life-disrupting events that occurred over the past four days. Louis was at the heart of all our problems and we were going to have some fun trying to pummel him into the ground. Whether we won or not, this was a fight we had to finish one way or another.

  “Yep,” I called firmly, although I felt a little internally reluctant.

  Both sides of me might have wanted to fight, but they didn’t have to look forward it and I was pretty sure that sooner or later I was going to get hurt.

  “Okay,” said Sam decisively.

  A loud thwack, like knuckles hitting skin, followed Sam’s answer and in my peripheral vision I saw a busy commotion going on behind Louis. The dark shapes of the uniformed werewolves seemed to surround the bright, white t-shirt wrapped tight across Sam’s back and I hoped that he wasn’t too outnumbered. While a part of me wished that I could help him win his battle, I knew that I had to focus on my own, because it was sure to be much harder than expected.

  “So, you want to fight me,” said Louis, mockingly. “Well, my dear, you’ll never win. I am older and stronger than you will ever be.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him and tightened my stance. “You’re right,” I said amusedly. “You’re definitely older, I can tell that by the corpse smell, but stronger—I just don’t think so.”

  “Funny,” he drawled with a clearly unamused snarl.

  As his lips pulled back to reveal sharp, white canines, I couldn’t stop myself from giving him a wide cheesy grin. I was definitely going to enjoy this.

  In a blur, his right arm struck out aiming for my chin, but I saw it coming and ducked, then aimed a punch to his stomach.

  Louis lurched back and growled furiously at me. “This is not a game,” he said.

  As I bounced preparedly in a steady stance, I tilted my head to the side and frowned in feigned confusion. “Really,” I said, surprised. “Are you sure? ‘Cause I’m having a great time. Or are you just whinging, because you’re a sore loser?”

  Louis let out another aggressive snarl and ran at me. His left arm swung a firm strike towards my jaw, but I’d anticipated him once again and blocked him. Unfortunately, he had also anticipated me and as I threw my strength and focus into blocking him, his right fist came up hard under my chin with an upper cut. I heard my teeth click as my jaw snapped together and the force of the punch threw my head backwards. I stumbled back a few steps and shook my head to clear the ringing in my ears, but before I had a moment to recover Louis was on me again.

  He threw a left hook to the right side of my face and I felt my teeth slice into the soft tissue of my inner cheek, while blood poured down onto my tongue. Without focusing my shot or even putting much thought into balance, I flew a right hook towards where there blur of his face seemed to be and as he dodged to the side, I kicked my left foot up hard into his groin. With a shrill yell, Louis buckled over clutching his groin as he glared at me.

  Having a few seconds spare to prepare myself, I regained stable balance and put my fists up close to protect my face as I readied myself for another round. With a small wobble, Louis steadied his stance, too and seemed to wait patiently for me to make a move.

  After a calculated moment, I obliged and threw a feigned left hook towards his face, which he moved to block. But, as his firm arm block neared my fist, I pulled back and spun in a flash,
shooting him with a right kick to his chest. He stumbled backwards and buckled over a second time, holding the left side of his ribcage. Then, in a moment of vampire speed, he rushed at me angrily and swung a side kick to the left side of my chest. I blocked him with my left arm, but without warning his kick bounced off my arm and swung back again, lower and caught me in the side.

  I fell a few steps to the right, losing my careful balance much to my annoyance, and then recovered gracefully. I scowled at Louis’ winning grin and ran at him, jumping into the air at the last minute and aiming a kick to his head. Although he’d seen me coming, my evil side’s supernatural speed was fast enough to match his and even though he managed to step backwards, my aim was still accurate.

  The sole of my red satin pump hit him hard in the face and he tumbled backwards. I landed a little unsteadily on the ground beside him and swung another sharp kick to his chest while he was still off balance. Louis tripped back and the force of my tremendous kick, and gravity, made his body collapse to the floor.

  A successful grin stretched across my lips as I looked at him lying helplessly on his back on the ground. I was certain in that moment that I could beat him, that I was just about to beat him, but unfortunately, I’d underestimated him. Suddenly, I heard a deep masculine cry from the loud brawl going on ahead of me and fear gripped me.

  “Sam,” I yelled desperately as I looked up and took my attention from Louis.

  Sam was being pelted from all sides by strong, continuous blows that I was sure that not even someone like him, a powerful guardian angel, could take it for very long and survive. Although he was getting in a few good punches, the eight uniformed men around him, most still in human form but some more wolf-like, definitely had the upper hand. He was fighting a losing battle and if I didn’t do something soon, I’d lose him.

  The crowd of supernatural guests around us was watching our fight with a hopeful intensity. None of them had moved to enter the battle for themselves, yet all were keen to remain close to the action. Much to my dislike, the majority of their eyes were on Louis and me, and I was a little worried about who they had decided to root for. As my eyes snapped back to Sam, I saw a tall red-headed werewolf catch him off guard and knock him off his feet. Certain that there was no way he’d stand a chance fighting from the floor, I instinctively moved to run to him and made the biggest mistake of the night.