Wicked Lucidity

by Wicked Lucidity [lit]

  “What’s the fun in that?” I asked, knowing he was testing me.

  He ran his hand over my cheek taking the knife away from my face in the process. “It really is you. For a moment I was worried you were simply playing me for a fool. If you’re willing to sacrifice your friends then you’ve given in fully. The council was right. You were past the point of being able to stop.”

  “Karri?” Branson asked, sounding concerned.

  “Hansen,” I ran my hand over his chest seductively. “Let me kill that one before we leave. The man has been on my last nerve for years.”

  Hansen couldn’t look happier if he tried. “Very well.” He rolled off me and helped me to my feet, kissing my hand as I came up. I resisted the urge to smash my fist through his face.

  Putting my back to Hansen, I locked eyes with Branson. It was easy to read the confusion on his face. I winked. He stopped looking confused and played the part. “Karri, you don’t want to do this.”

  “No, I really do.”

  Chapter Three

  Something flashed before us. I looked down to find the CD player from the front porch sitting on the floor. It clicked on and what sounded like a choir of angels signing sounded from it right before it morphed into Tubthumping.

  I paused and stared down at it. I wasn’t the only one who found that odd. Everyone seemed to forget what had been going on.

  Branson laughed. “Turn it off. I’m going to throw up just hearing it again. Seger remember when you, me, Matty and Tripp got super shit-faced and decided to sing karaoke? We must have stood up there doing shots and singing this for hours.”

  Seger laughed. “Yeah, we made fun of Tripp for weeks because he kept saying that he was in love with Karri and that she said yes to marrying him.” He gasped and then whistled. “Aww, looks like big brother is watching. I’m guessing he is pissed. I’d like to take a moment to apologize for telling him that he was crazy when he was drunk and saying that.”

  Hansen snorted. “He can’t interfere. Not when it involves her. It doesn’t matter how big of a player he is for them now, he gave up his right to interfere where Karri is concerned.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Branson asked.

  I locked gazes with Branson and waited for Hansen to spill it all. I didn’t have to wait long. “You see, Fay, for us, if you tamper with another man’s mate and attempt to make her your own, you have to make certain sacrifices. You are required to give up a power.”

  Branson laughed so hard that he snorted. “Tripp and Karri were never an item. They were friends. His confession was caused by booze. None of us touched Karri. She has a strict not-dating-any-of-us policy.”

  “Well, she did right up until Tripp.”

  I didn’t stop or let on that I was beyond pissed. Instead, I bent down and picked up the African throwing knife that Amber had cut herself on. Her blood had now dried to it. Since she was technically an innocent, someone who was permitted into the gates of heaven without question as were almost all humans, it would burn like hell when it cut Hansen. I smiled.

  “What are you planning to do with that, Karri?”

  I froze at the sound of Tripp’s voice. Branson’s jaw dropped. “Holy fucking shit!”

  “Karri?” Tripp asked, his voice every bit as soothing sounding as I remembered it being.

  “Oh would you take your celestial ass back to the plane it belongs on?” Hansen asked, not sounding a bit shocked that Tripp was there. “Don’t you have a harp or something to play?”

  “Fuck off,” Tripp said making me smile. I knew then that Hilary had been trying to prepare me to see him when she’d talked about the green eyes one who watched over me. She knew Tripp wanted me to see him soon and she’d given me the time I needed to adjust to that. I made a mental note to hug her the next chance I got.

  “Wow, didn’t know they were letting their top guns talk like that, brother.” Hansen laughed from the gut, sounding as evil as he was capable of being. “You can’t help her or bring her back. She’s mine now. If you would kindly move, I will take her and be out of your hair.”

  “Tripp,” I said, softly, wanting to say so very much more to the man who stole my heart only to take part of it with him to the grave. “Patrick Swayze it.”

  I didn’t wait, I spun fast and sent the knife spinning through the air. It passed right through Tripp and slammed into Hansen’s chest. He fell back, clutched himself before smiling up at me.

  “You missed my heart.”

  “I wasn’t aiming for it. I just wanted it to hurt really fucking bad. I’m guessing Amber’s blood will burn like hell later, buddy. I told you already that I can’t kill you. You look too much like Tripp for me to take your life.”

  Laughing, Hansen pulled knife out and threw it at me fast. Tripp put his hand out to stop it and it went right through it. “Karri!”

  I slammed my palms together fast, catching it in mid-air and stopping it just before it would have gone through my skull. Branson let out huge sigh and I think Seger did too.

  It was Riston who I felt compelled to look at. I found him staring at me with what looked like worried eyes. That was silly, he was under Branson’s control, right? There was no way he could understand what was going on. I tore my gaze from his and glanced at Hansen. “At least mine struck its target.” I dropped the knife.

  When Tripp turned and faced me, my hands began to shake. I tried to look away but he held my gaze. A slow smile spread over his face. “You figured it out, didn’t you?”

  “Well, I didn’t think they’d send a boy to do a man’s job if that’s what you’re asking.” I shifted a bit wanting desperately to run to him and hold him in my arms but knew better than to try it. “You look good, you know, for being dead and all.’

  “So do you, for umm, being alive and all.”

  I smiled, thinking back to Hilary and sitting in the front yard, discussing the spirits of our loved ones still surrounding us. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t use six-year-olds to send messages to me, though. I almost lost it in front of her and she didn’t need to see that. I needed time to adjust to you being gone, Tripp.”

  Tripp smiled wide, melting my heart. “Well, she’s stubborn but not near as bad as you. She insisted on being allowed to tell you how I felt. Plus, she told me I was handsome so I used that to my advantage. I’ll apologize later. I didn’t know how else to get you to really listen to me, Karri.”

  “Oh, I hear you fine but you’re always bitching about me not taking enough safety precautions or forgetting to eat. You never say anything helpful.”

  “My brother is an ass,” he said, with a loop-sided smile.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Gee, thanks for that. Though, I knew that Hansen was an ass a long time ago. You forgot gullible. That seems to play to everyone advantage lately.” It was awkward, trying to talk to him with everyone else standing and watching us.

  Tripp’s warm smile softened the hate that I felt over his death a bit. It was better than I ever hoped for, seeing him there, unharmed, and radiating power, love and energy. “Hey, didn’t I get you that shirt?” I asked, as my gaze ran over the cream-colored ribbed shirt that he was wearing. “It’s kind of kewl that they let angels wear jeans there too.”

  “Karri, I explained this to you long before I had to leave. We don’t die. We move to another plane of existence and continue the fight there.”

  “I know,” I said softly, wanting to ask him if he’d meant my mother and father but keeping the question inside.

  Tripp nodded. “We’ll talk later about it. Okay?”

  Smiling, I nodded.

  “I’m impressed. I thought you’d give into the urge to slit Hansen’s throat, Karri.”

  Evil radiated off Hansen, drawing my attention to him. He narrowed his gaze. “What’s going on?”

  Tripp didn’t bother to face his brother, he kept his eyes on me. “You forget how strong she is, brother. You had centuries of practice pretending to be on our side but st
ill fail to get past her guard. Karri, on the other hand, mastered the art of playing both sides less than seven years ago.”

  “She wasn’t playing, Tripp. I felt the evil in her let loose. I felt it. And the council knows she’s close. They sent me to draw it out and bring her to them.”

  It was my turn to laugh. “No. They sent you in hopes I’d kill you.”

  He looked shocked. I couldn’t blame him. “Don’t take it personally, Hansen. They needed someone they were positive I would jump at the chance to kill. And they needed that person to be powerful enough to call out my bitchy side before I did strike. That way....”

  Tripp nodded. “Karri would turn completely. She’s too close to the edge to kill a fallen angel now and they know it. So does she. They also knew their chances of her being blinded by hate could push her far enough to allow herself to switch over. They underestimated her, as usual.”

  “I’d go away if I were you, Hansen before I let one of the ‘inferior’ races here slit you open.”

  He snickered. “You know as well as I do that they can’t hurt me, Karri.”

  Glancing down at the CD player, I arched my brow. “Okay, the grand entrance thing is getting on my nerves, Tripp. Please do something with it. It makes me think of vomit too and I wasn’t the one drinking or throwing up.” I cast an angry look at Seger, Tripp and Branson. They all laughed.

  “I thought it was funny,” Tripp said, winking.

  “You would.”

  Branson exhaled loud enough for me hear it. “See, I told you they were just friends.”

  Tripp and I locked gazes. He shook his head no and I understood. He didn’t want me to tell them the truth. Why, I wasn’t sure. The music stopped and I heard it then, the call of the demons that the evil ones had obviously sent in the event Hansen should fail in his set mission--converting me to the darkness. They shrieked as they entered the room, swooshing in as dark shadows.

  I sprung into action. I let my power cover me.

  Tripp reached out for me, his hand went through me. “Karri, no!”

  It was too late. As I felt my hair pulling upwards and my clothing changing over, I knew that I’d crossed that thin line between good and evil once again, each time putting myself closer to never returning. Glancing down, I found myself wearing a black leather cat suit that left my breasts almost hanging out and nothing to the imagination. It formed to every spot of my body. The now four-inch spiked heeled boots I wore made me the giant Hilary had claimed I was.

  The shadow demons would go for the purest forms of good they could find. It didn’t surprise me when they went at Amber. Branson threw his magik up, protecting her from their onslaught. The ones that went at Tripp found themselves passing through him with no luck. When they turned their attention to Riston, the evil and the good side of me shared a moment of perfect understanding--Riston was not to be harmed.

  I put my hand out fast. “Come.” I commanded. They didn’t hesitate. No. They switched directions fast and came directly to me.

  Hansen gasped. “Karri, no. They’ll kill you. I didn’t know they would send them. I didn’t....”

  Tripp came at me fast. “Don’t you dare do it, Karri-Lynn. Don’t you dare merge with them. You won’t walk away from....”

  I began the merging process, allowing all the evil they held into me before Tripp could get it out of his mouth. It was the only way I could be sure that they couldn’t report back to their superiors or harm anyone I cared about. If they ate away at me, they’d die. So would I but it was all I had.

  The force of them entering me and the evil that they brought sent me flying backwards. I slammed into the wall. Plaster cracked and fell to the floor as I bit back a cry of pain.

  “What the hell is happening to her?” Seger asked, breaking my hold on him and charging towards me.

  He couldn’t have been more on time if he tried. As I felt my body lift high off the ground again it lunged backwards. Pain followed by the sound of breaking glass told me exactly where I was headed. Out the window.

  Seger grabbed hold of my hand, yanking me to him. My power brought the breaking glass back with me, making the window whole once more. The momentum I’d been carrying left me crashing into Seger. We tumbled, me falling over him and him fighting to keep hold of me.

  “Switch back,” he said, sounding labored.

  I heard him talking but it seemed far away. I knew then that bad Karri was holding the reigns. I smiled and scratched my fingernails over the top of one breast. Blood swelled to the surface. Seger stiffened as he tipped his head back, fighting the blood call I’d just put out unwillingly.

  “Karri,” he bit out as his teeth began to lengthen. The beast within him fought for control and the evil in me wanted it to win the battle.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Branson asked, sounding as panicked as I felt on the inside.

  Hansen moved towards me and pulled Seger away from me just as Seger’s eyes began to swirl with shades of amber. “Get a hold of yourself, wolf.”

  Tripp put his hand out. “Karri-Lynn, release them. They’re feeding on your darkness.”

  A wicked laugh tore free from me. “Do you wish for us to be free, to share with you what we have learned, angel?”

  That wasn’t my voice I heard talking. I knew then that the shadow demons were in league with the evil I already carried and that gave them the power to control a good deal of me. They seemed drawn to Tripp.

  Branson got a pained look on his face and rubbed his beard vigorously. “Why is my cock as hard as a rock? Don’t get me wrong, our Karri’s always been able to keep it on its toes, “he pointed at me, “but that Karri is making me want to fuck a hole through the wall.”

  Tripp kept his eyes locked on me as he answered Branson. “It’s because Karri isn’t in control of herself. She has a natural ability to regulate how much sexual energy she gives off when it’s just her. The shadow demons have blocked her ability to do that. Watch her, she’s not herself. She can and will use sex as a weapon right now. And she can and will kill you if given the chance.”

  “So, you’re saying that our Karri is some sort of sexual seductress?”

  Tripp nodded, slowly as he began to circle me. “She was created for a powerful mate,” he glanced behind me, towards Riston, “one who is a natural born alpha, so much so that his appetite for sex would be hard to fill by a normal mate. Before he shut himself off from the urge to procreate, he was insatiable. So much so, that even his friends would worry about him.”

  Hansen stood next to his brother, watching me closely. “Why would someone like that shut off their natural sexual urges?”

  The shadow demons within me began try to toy with my powers, making things in the room shake and move slightly. I opened my mouth and spoke but had no clue what the hell it was I was talking about. It wasn’t even my voice that came out. “It’s simple, dark angel. Males of the supernatural kind outnumber females greatly. Often, they live for hundreds of years before their mate is even born. Should they meet their mate before she is of age to perform the mating ritual, their bodies automatically shut down the urge to find comfort, to seek pleasures and do not respond again until their mates have been put through the ritual needed to awaken their sexual side.”

  “Anyone else think her head might spin?” Branson asked. “That does not sound like Karri’s voice.”

  “It’s not,” Tripp said. “It’s one of the demons she’s holding in to keep you all safe.”

  The demons within me held tight to their grip on me. “She can hear you, green-eyed one. She can hear all of you. She fights hard, hoping we will die within her. We will but that matters not to us. We answered the call of our master and his wish was that if she could not be brought over, then she was to die. We will have served him well. It will be a great loss to our side for she is remarkably close to being one of us and would have been unstoppable. It is her concern for all of you that holds her to the light. With no anchor, she would have lost the fight soon anywa
y.”

  Tripp locked gazes with me and for a moment, it felt as if he was able to see the real me, trapped within the demons grasp. “Karri, set them free. There’s someone here who can destroy them. He’s not banned from interfering but if he tries now, baby, he’ll kill you too. He knows this and that’s the only reason he’s not acting out right now.”

  “Baby?” Branson asked.

  Seger growled out and charged at me. I could smell his arousal dripping in the air. He wanted to fuck me and the demons I carried wanted to let that happen. They forced my hands up and over my body, making me sway to an unearthly beat that played out around me. “Have you thought of her before, wolf?”

  Seger’s nostrils flared.

  The demons surged within me, sending my power out in a massive wave. It made the entire room vibrate. I twirled in a circle, even though I didn’t want to. Laughing, I tipped my head back. “So much power left uncheck in one so young. Do you realize that she is only allowing us a tiny portion of the magik she carries? It is most remarkable. Our master would be most pleased. And the horrors this child,” I tipped my head and laughed, “for that is what she is in comparison to the rest of you, has seen horrors you can only try to imagine.”

  The demons were attracted to Tripp. So was I so I gave in to the urge to go to him. They tugged at my magik, using it to caress Tripp. He gasped. I smiled. “Green-eyed one, she knows your body well. Tell us,” I ripped opened the front of the leather outfit, leaving my nipples just barely covered, “how well do you know hers?”

  “Karri,” Tripp said, softly. “Let the loose, baby. I give you my word that someone here can destroy them.”

  The demons laughed through me as they felt my struggle with hearing Tripp promise anything. They moved aside, mentally, long enough for me to comment. “Like when you gave me your word that you’d be the one to kill me?”

  A pained look passed over Tripp’s face. “Karri-Lynn, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lie to you. I swear. But I couldn’t--I can’t be the one to hurt you. I don’t have it in me. “