by K.N. Lee
“You need to know what happened. Tabby has possessed our friend.”
“What does this have to do with me and my coven?”
“She was one of yours,” Angelica answered her. “You need to free her from our friend. Trust me, you do not want the repercussions if you don’t.”
Matilda frowned. “Is that a threat?”
“Yes, actually, it is. Our friend, Kai,” Angelica’s voice broke on his name, then she cleared her throat and continued. “He is an Oni demon.” She paused, then nodded. “Ahh, I see by the look on your face you know exactly what we’re dealing with.”
Matilda nodded, then leaned against the door. “Unfortunately, as she is no longer living, there is nothing I can do to offer assistance. What I can do is trap her soul once she is freed.”
“Oh no,” Angelica growled. “There is no trapping her soul. I plan on ripping her out and…”
“Thank you,” I interrupted her. Shaking my head at Angelica, she growled at me, then leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. “I appreciate the kindness you’ve bestowed upon us today. Do tell me, though, do you have the ability to scry for her?”
“Yes, now that I can do. Please, come in. Do you have something of his?”
I nodded. “Yes, I can get you one of his t-shirts. Hang on.” Releasing Angelica, I looked to her, my brows furrowed. “Do not do anything stupid.”
“Like what? Storm the castle and slay the dragon?”
Matilda groaned and rolled her eyes, I chuckled. “Yeah, exactly. I’ll be right back.” Sprinting to my car, I pressed the button latch on the trunk, then yanked out Kai’s shirt. He kept a change of clothes in the car at all times, just in case the Oni decided to break free.
Running back to the house, Angelica stared at Matilda while the witch stared at nothing. “Here,” I offered and handed over the shirt. “This is his.”
She nodded and took it. “Come then, let’s get started, shall we?”
Matilda brought us into a room that housed a square wooden table with four chairs. Each had a letter placed upon it, N S E W. I glanced to Angelica with a raised brow, which she returned.
“I sit at the North tower. Each of you will take a place in East and West.”
“What about South?” Angelica asked.
“South will be wherever Tabby shows us. Follow my direction, this should not take long.”
As we took our seats, me East and Angelica West, I took her hands across the table. “This will work.”
“Are you convincing me or yourself?”
I flinched slightly. “Well? Who’s to say it won’t? She sent us to the underworld.”
“Yeah, look how well that turned out. Kai got possessed by a dead witch.”
Matilda cleared her throat as she reentered the room with a basin. She sat it in the middle of the table. As I continued to hold onto one of Angelica’s hands, I looked inside at the contents—water. I turned to the witch.
“What does the bowl of water do?”
“It is my conduit to scry.” She held onto Kai’s shirt and closed her eyes. She mumbled something and her head dropped down slightly. I glanced to Angelica and raised a brow. She shrugged. Matilda gasped and opened her eyes…and they were pure white.
“Oh my gods,” Angelica whispered. “Is she okay?”
“I am fine, child. I am channeling where Tabby may be.” She fell silent for a moment, then squeezed the shirt. “Oh, I have something…yes. There she is.”
“Where?” I found myself asking and leaned forward. “Where the hell is she with my friend?”
Matilda leaned forward and raised her hand above the water. Curious, I looked over and found the water boiling.
“What the fuck?” I whispered.
“Is it hot?” Angelica asked.
I shook my head. “How can it be? There’s no heat.”
“Look,” Matilda called and moved her hand away. The water settled and slowly, I moved my eyes to the water once more. And there he was, Kai, standing at the bar of the MC clubhouse.
“Well, it makes sense she would go there,” Angelica said.
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“She is probably hoping Teach shows up. You know, exact her final vengeance and shit.”
“True.” He looked over to Matilda and flinched. Her eyes were her normal color once more. “Wow, okay. Umm, thank you, for everything today. Seriously.”
She smiled and settled back into her chair. She handed the t-shirt back over. “Whatever I can do to help. You are right, Tabby is my problem. I honestly never considered her a problem in the afterlife.” She shook her head. “Major mistake on my part.”
Angelica stood and held her hand out to the witch. “Thank you for everything.” The woman took it and offered a firm shake.
“Please, do let me know when it is all settled?”
I nodded. “Will do.” I reached for Angelica, “Let’s go.”
As we made our way outside, my phone rang. Grabbing it as Angelica got herself situated in the car, I answered it.
“Hey, thank you for calling me. You are a hard man to find.”
A chuckle on the other end, he answered. “Whatever I can do to help. Where can I meet you?”
I gave him the address to the MC clubhouse. “We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. Will you bring your wife?”
“Yes, and our son will be with us as well. They have equal experience in this area.”
“Oh wow, okay, thank you. Do you need anything from me?”
“No. I’ll see you there.”
I hung up and got in the car, starting it up.
“Who was that?” Angelica asked.
I smiled and turned to her. “Consider it the cavalry on their way.”
She smiled. “Oh goody! We get to have our own little war against an Oni demon!” Sarcasm suited her well. “Seriously, Felix, who is coming? Your pack?”
I smiled and took off down the road. “No, but trust me, these guys will know what to do.”
She nodded. “Okay. I trust you.”
“I want Kai back as much as you do.”
“I know. I just want him safe.”
Reaching over, I took her hand and brought it to my lips. I kissed it softly then squeezed her palm. “He will be. Have faith.”
“I’m trying, baby, I’m holding on to what I have left.”
Smiling at her, I felt the pain she was feeling. I felt her longing. I felt her fear. She was connected to Kai in the same way she was connected to me. If a part of her died, a part of me would die along with her. If Kai were to die…well, we won’t even think about that right now.
Chapter 14
ANGELICA
As we pulled into the MC clubhouse parking lot, a tall man, well-built, stood next to a woman with long red hair, and a young man who appeared to be a smaller version of the man next to him. And a demon?
“Holy hell…is that…oh my gods, how did you find them?” I squealed.
Felix chuckled. “Connections, baby.”
As he parked the car, the first of the hybrids, Alex, turned to face us; his black-feathered wing span elongated. The woman next to him had to be his wife, Lisa, and their son, Jonathan. My fingers played with the door handle. I say played because for the life of me, I could not grab the blasted thing. Finally, my grip remembered what it needed to do and the door flew open. I got to my feet and found myself speechless.
“Hello,” Alex said with a smile. He approached Felix and Lisa walked toward me.
“Hi there, I’m Lisa,” she held her hand out and smiled.
“Oh yes, I know who you are,” I grinned like a maniac. “I’ve heard stories.”
“Oh,” she blushed and fidgeted with loose strands of her hair. “I hope they’re all good?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Jonathan, come here, honey. This is Angelica. Angelica, this is my son, the first born of our new race, Jonathan. And this pretty little thing on his arm is Gorgon.”
The dark-s
kinned woman chuckled. “You do realize I am much older than you?”
“Semantics,” Lisa offered with a grin.
“We received word of your friend, Kai?” Alex started and offered his hand to me. I found myself smiling in his presence, I couldn’t help myself. This man, this hybrid angel-demon, went to Hell to save the love of his life. I sighed; I had dreamed of that kind of love as a child.
Felix cleared his throat and when I looked to him, I blushed. “Sorry,” I whispered.
He shook his head with a smirk. He explained everything we had been through; from the underworld to Kai getting possessed by a dead witch.
“From my experience when Lilith, the original succubus, possessed me, I was able to fight my way out. Keep in mind, of course, I was no Oni.”
Jonathan nodded. “As for me, I fought against the control that was placed over me and found my way back to her.” He pulled Gorgon closer and kissed her temple.
I smiled and nodded. “That’s lovely, but Kai, as you said, is an Oni. I,” I paused and took Felix’s hand in my own. “We have no idea how to do this, or to get this bitch out.”
“You are a banshee, are you not?” Gorgon asked.
I blinked, then nodded. “How did you know?”
She smiled. “I am a powerful demon. I know a lot more than you realize.”
Jonathan raised a brow. “She is the demon of dreams. Among other things. She knows a lot more about shit than any of us could ever realize.”
I nodded. “How do I get her out?”
“My dear,” Gorgon said with a smile. “You scream.”
I lowered my gaze and shook my head. “It is not that simple.”
She stepped forward and touched my shoulder. “Yes, my dear, it is. Focus on Kai and keep him in your sight. Find and locate this bitch inside him. Lure her out and as soon as she is in your grasp, scream and destroy her.”
Felix pulled me close and kissed the top of my head. “I’ll be there the entire time.”
“You must not be in the same vicinity, my friend,” Gorgon told him.
“What?” I asked. “Why?”
“Your scream could affect him if, for any reason, you were to get out of control.”
Fear coursed through me. “What about Kai? Couldn’t I destroy him?”
“Absolutely you could. This is why you need to concentrate on saving him. No distractions.”
Felix stood silent, his arm dropped from my side. I took a few steps back to the car and leaned against it.
I looked from him, to the group, then back to him. “I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time,” Alex told me.
Closing the distance to Felix, I leaned next to him. “Talk to me.”
He sighed and looked to me. “I know you’re capable of this, I have no doubts about that.”
“Okay. Then what’s the problem?”
“My problem is if she gets control of his Oni, you may not stand a chance.”
I nodded and pulled him against me, hugging him. “Then we can’t let that happen.”
He sighed into my shoulder and his arms tightened around me. “Come on, let’s rejoin them.”
I nodded and cupped his face, then kissed him softly. “I love you.”
He smiled. “I know. I love you.”
We made our way back to the group, then I nodded. “Okay. I appreciate your time, and meeting each of you. Maybe once this is all over, we can buy you drinks?”
“That sounds nice,” Lisa offered. She closed the distance and hugged me. “All you need to do is call, we’ll be right outside with Felix, okay?”
I nodded, then swallowed hard. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“You never have to thank us for this,” she offered. “Now,” she pulled back and straightened her shirt. “Go inside and get the other third to your symphony.”
Felix growled next to me. I touched his face, then lowered my gaze. “I sure hope I know what I’m doing.”
Felix hugged me once more, followed with I love yous in my ear. As he released me, I could not meet his gaze. Not like this. I was simply a pawn in a game of chess coming to fight the queen. I did not stand a chance, but I would fight with my dying breath to bring my Kai back.
Crossing the grounds to the entrance of the club, my fingers gently pressed upon the door. It opened slowly with a creak. The air smelled stagnant and thick. It felt similar to the underworld. I attributed that to Tabby’s possession of Kai.
“Tabby, where are you, you body snatching cunt-ass bitch?” I grinned at my own words, knowing I was playing with fire. Fear may consume me but I’m no pussy.
“Oh, baby,” came the voice of Kai. Well, it sounded like Kai, but the dialect was quite different. He spoke with a southern accent that was all Tabby. “Tell me you love me. Come on, honey.”
“Fuck you,” I growled. “Release Kai. Give him back to me.”
“Or you’ll do what if I don’t? Scream like the little bitch you are?” Tabby laughed and shook her head. “Sure, I’ll give you Kai.” She grinned and took a step back.
The air shimmered around Kai’s body and I knew I had stepped into a death trap. “Felix?” I called to him. “She’s releasing him! She’s going after the demon!”
I heard Felix outside yell, as well as two others—Alex and Jonathan. They may have been holding him outside for his own safety. But what about my safety?
Kai’s body bent over and he groaned. “Oh my gods,” Tabby mumbled. “This is quite painful, but oh so good! The power he holds!” On her last word, Kai’s voice became heavy and deep, the demon making his presence very well known.
Kai’s body doubled in height. His skin darkened to a burnt red color. He growled again and as he raised his head, bright red eyes flashed to me.
“Angelica,” he called, and this time it was my Kai! “Help me, please!”
“Baby, I’m trying! Tell me what to do!” I ran to him across the room and skidded on my knees to him, taking his face in my hands. “Tell me what to do!”
“Get her the fuck out,” he growled, “of me. Get her out!”
“How?” I screamed. “How?”
I suddenly lost my breath as my body flew across the room. My back hit the wall and when I slowly glanced up, Kai’s demon, his Oni, stood to full height. His tongue elongated and slashed the air like a snake. His horns pushed from his forehead and dripped with blood. His body consumed so much of the room we were in, I felt like an ant underneath the shoe of a giant.
“Kai?” I whispered. “No, please. No,” I cried to myself and pulled my knees to my chest, the air fighting to fill my lungs once more.
“Kai is no longer here, you bitch!” The final word spat as Tabby spoke. “Oh my gods, the power he holds! I am invincible!” The Oni’s arms went up in triumph and slammed holes into the ceiling. As he pulled them down once more, some of the ceiling came on top of him. He merely shook it off. “So tell me, screaming bitch,” the Oni crossed the room and reached down for me. “Are you ready to meet your maker?”
Chapter 15
ANGELICA
Air escaped my lungs and I could not breathe. The Oni grabbed my shirt and lifted to me to my feet, and then some. My feet dangled, toes barely scraping the ground. He brought me close. The stench of what could only be described as the pits of Hell came from his mouth. He breathed upon my face and I gagged.
“Are you ready to die for him?” the Oni asked.
“If my sacrifice saves him, then yes,” I coughed out. My vision began to blur. It was not because of his breath, although that was bad enough. It was the fact I was not getting air into my lungs.
Suddenly, I felt myself floating, at least until I hit the bar. Thank goodness the wood broke my fall, because it absolutely broke something in me. I could not move; my leg was in excruciating pain. I reached for it then flinched to the touch. Fuck!
“Where oh where did you go, little lady? Hmm?” The southern accent of Tabby came out in the voice of the Oni. If I were not hurting as mu
ch as I was, I may have actually laughed.
I kept myself low, out of sight, and my voice quiet.
“Angelica,” Felix howled outside. “Baby, talk to me!”
“She’s fine, darlin’, just fine,” the Oni answered. “Matter of fact, I may just have her for my next meal. I’m feeling awfully hungry.”
“No!” Felix screamed and I closed my eyes. I could not take it. Not like this, not anymore.
Taking in a long, deep breath, I made an attempt to tune everything out. I focused on Felix and Kai, focused on our love, our symphony, our power that we had between us, the power right here.
The fire in my leg extinguished as if water set me free. Coming to my feet slowly, the Oni stood just on the other side of the bar. He smirked and reached for me.
I closed my eyes and his hand wrapped around my throat. He pulled me over the bar and as he spoke, his saliva spat onto my face. “Bring me Teach. He is mine and I want him!”
Letting the breath out I had been holding, my eyes slowly opened. Rather than perfect vision, I saw gray…no, silver. Everything appeared in a different light. Slowly I blinked and staring at the Oni, I could see Kai, and Tabby. In my mind’s eye, she had him in a bind, her hand around his throat, similar to how she held me.
Blinking once again, I focused my energy on her, and her only. My lips parted and my mouth snarled. Something speared in my mouth and I tasted iron but did not care. My body grew cold and it began to shift into something else.
At least the fear I could sense. The fear in his eyes told me as much.
“Release him, or die.” The voice was not mine, but it came from me. It seemed to startle the Oni as much as it did me.
“You plan on killing me, witch?” the Oni asked. “I may remind you who has the power here.”
I blinked again as his grip tightened around my neck, but it did not bother me. I was not relying on air at this moment, but needed, longed, yearned for something else. My body fought for dominance in a different way. It needed sustenance provided by the death of another, and Tabby was my target.
“Release him, or you will die. There will be no coming back from where I will send you.”
