Wicked Games

by Kel Carpenter

  “She started to lose control of the beast,” Allistair said almost cheerfully.

  “Why do you sound so excited about that?” I snapped at him. I don’t even know how he found us, or why he was here, but given how the Horsemen always turned up at the most inconvenient of times, I didn’t question it.

  “I’m amused, little succubus,” he said softly in my ear, “because she is possessive enough of me to fight you. It makes me wonder what twisted little thoughts you have hiding in that mind of yours, and all the things I can do to figure them out.” I shivered and trudged forward, blaming it on the cold. He’s lucky Moira didn’t hear him. There would be a throw down in the parking lot.

  “Keep dreaming, incubus. You forget that Moira was there as well,” I said over my shoulder. The grin fell from his lips as he considered what I said, failing to notice what I didn’t say. His eyes shifting between me and my best friend as we climbed in the car.

  Moira thrust the pink box at me while she maneuvered the car with one hand and annihilated her doughnut with the other. Half the cock and one of the balls were already gone and it hadn’t been a minute since we’d set foot outside the store. I shook my head at her and barely contained my grin at the frown that graced Allistair’s lips while he watched us pull out of the parking lot.

  I shifted my eyes away from him to the sign over Voodoo Doughnut. There in the middle was the shadow man, with his gleaming black eyes. Moira turned the corner sharply and floored it onto the road. Out of the corner of my eye, just far enough that I could still see, I could have sworn the shadow man winked.

  But that’s not possible. It must have been a trick of the light.

  **Allistair**

  The beast was raging inside of her.

  She didn’t think I saw it. The way it looked out through her eyes with a challenge. She was the ultimate predator, and it made her highly possessive of anyone she deemed as hers. While the banshee may fall in that category, I was not stupid. She wants me, and her beast already thinks it owns me. It’s only a matter of time until she comes around.

  My would-be queen, just ripe for the taking.

  But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

  I needed to break through those walls and let her see that Rysten isn’t the only one with a heart. However pathetic an excuse for one mine may be. I was an incubus, and the only one of us four that could understand what she was going through. At least from a sexual deprivation level.

  She was brimming with power, so much so that her body was trying to find outlets, to siphon it off—and it was being made infinitely worse by how much she was starving herself.

  Not that she was going to let any of us fix that in the short term.

  First, I needed to find a way to patch up her mind from the damage the human caused.

  Then I will devour her and show her what someone truly worthy can offer.

  Chapter 4

  We spent the afternoon cleaning ash out of every nook and cranny of our house. Well, Moira did. I was on dustpan duty and in charge of disposing it in our metal trash can out back. I probably made thirty trips outside that afternoon and ignored the shadows as they crept around my house.

  The Horsemen were there, just beyond my line of sight. I couldn’t see them, but I could feel them. Their essence called me; to more than just me. It called to the thing pacing restlessly inside. My beast didn’t understand, couldn’t fathom, why I bothered with cleaning the house when we could be with them. When we should be with them.

  She couldn’t understand my human emotions, when we were not human. Not even a drop. That I was raised with humans was unimportant to her. She saw my need for independence and space as cumbersome. Inconvenient. Irrational even. My desire for time to adjust was laudable in her mind, but given that I knew exactly why she pushed me and what she wanted, I wasn’t inclined to listen. Not to a sociopathic entity that had very few true emotions of her own outside of desire and rage.

  She goaded me. Poked. Prodded. Did anything and everything she could to try and force my hand as the sky bled from blue to black. I didn’t give even an inch, because she would take a mile.

  Sleep was unachievable that night. Not with my body wound so tight that I ended up staring at the ceiling for the better part of the early November morning. Bandit curled around one side of me and I could sense Moira’s presence only a room away. Peace of mind never came. Just a restless and dazed drifting where time crawled at an agonizing pace. I must have blinked a thousand times because somewhere along the way, the night had passed, and morning was here.

  Soft light gleamed through the cracks in my curtains, illuminating my room with the soft grey glow of the cloudy sky. Despite the outward appearance of serenity, the beast still paced within me. Not at rest, even after a night of forcing myself to stay in bed with the hopes of finding peace. Oh no, she was not the least bit put off or worn down. If anything, she was more irritable. Her frustration leaked into me and the blood in my veins sizzled with life. Right at that moment, in my sleep-deprived, pre-caffeinated haze, I realized I wasn’t planning on sitting around or cleaning for another day.

  I needed to get out. Do something. Otherwise the damn beast was going to drive me crazy, or even worse, straight to the Horsemen’s beds.

  I jumped up and began digging through my closet, cursing under my breath at how cold it had gotten. Frigid enough that when I hunched over to dig through my pile of clean laundry, my breath frosted, turning into smoky white puffs in front of me. My lips thinned as I pulled on a pair of jeans over the long johns I wore to bed. The rips in the front of them showed the dark grey material beneath, giving me at least some kind of protection from the chill. I pulled on a t-shirt and two sweatshirts to finish myself off. It was going to be cold as balls outside, but I wanted short sleeves if I was going into Blue Ruby today. I never liked to tattoo in long sleeves. They felt constricting. Tight. Particularly in some of the awkward positions I have to get into to work.

  Just as I finished lacing up my boots, Moira appeared in the doorway of my room, steaming cup of coffee in hand.

  “Going somewhere?” she asked. Her tone was testing, not quite bossy, but the displeasure was there. She crossed her skinny green arms over her chest and cocked her head.

  “Yep. I have four clients today, two of which I had to reschedule with last week. Not to mention whoever else rescheduled yesterday,” I replied, equally as terse. From his hammock in the corner, Bandit flung himself at me, wrapping his arms around my neck. He let out the most pathetic mewling noises ever, and I’m pretty sure they were all for effect.

  “Are you sure? Even the trash panda is worried about you. Maybe it’s better you stay home for another day,” she said as Bandit let out another screech in my ear. His tiny paws grabbed at me as his claws dug into the back of my neck.

  “I’ve already stayed home for two days. I broke my tradition of going to Martha’s every Saturday, and I have never missed one in ten years. I’m not staying locked in the house anymore. You and Bandit can get over it. We still have bills to pay and a tattoo parlor to run,” I said resolutely. The raccoon hanging around my neck literally started quivering and bawled like a fucking baby.

  For fuck’s sake.

  A knock, or pounding rather, interrupted us. Bandit shut his trap and climbed on my shoulder, switching modes from whining little shit to vigilante protector. I shook my head and muttered,

  “Unbelievable…”

  Moira followed behind me as I approached the front door. I put my hand to the lock as I stared through the little peephole. Never in my life had I bothered to check before opening the door. Until now. I guess being drugged, molested, and then almost kidnapped would do that to you.

  “Ruby, I know you’re there, love. Why don’t you open the door for me?” Rysten called. His dark green eyes stared at the hole in the door. His sandy blonde curls, Miami Beach t-shirt, and trendy jacket were so misleading for what lurked beneath his glamor. His dark powers weren’t what made me lock the
doors, as formidable as they were.

  Silently, I cracked it open.

  “There you are. I’ve been worried. Allistair told us you had a little problem yesterday with keeping the beast at bay. I thought I might come spend the day with you,” he said gently. His hand was more insistent than his words as he pushed the door open further. Just wide enough to see Bandit bolstered to my shoulder, and Moira standing next to me with her arms crossed over her chest. “That one”—he motioned to Moira and his jaw ticked—“sent me away last night when I tried to check in on you.”

  “Me?” Moira gasped innocently, looking from side to side before placing a hand to her chest. She opened her mouth in pretend shock. Rysten threw a glare in her direction and she dropped the façade, cackling even though she was only doing what I asked her. But who was I to ruin her fun?

  “Well, as you can see, I’m taken care of and I’m actually running a bit late for work…” My voice trailed off as the other three Horsemen stepped into view from the side of the house, where I could only assume they were hiding.

  “I can take you to work,” he said. His voice was falsely cheerful. Hopeful.

  “Or we all can,” Laran cut in, placing his hand on Rysten’s shoulder in such a way that would have been supportive, even brotherly, if he weren’t squeezing the crap out of him. Yeah, subtlety wasn’t War’s strong suit.

  “There’s not enough room,” I said. Laran had the audacity to cut his eyes towards my VW bug and actually consider it. Even when a frown graced his lips, he didn’t yield.

  “We could—”

  I held up a hand to stop him. To both my surprise and pleasure, he stopped talking. The beast purred.

  “I know you guys mean well, but I need you to give me time to think about things. Okay?” I asked. Next to me, Moira muttered, “Some space wouldn’t hurt either.”

  Both men cut her harsh looks and I let out an exasperated sigh. My nerves were just too frayed to put up with the bickering today. Sleep deprivation wasn’t treating me kind and the snarling beast inside me was royally pissed.

  “Can I have a minute, Moira?” She gave me a cool look that promised this wasn’t over as she strode away, her bathrobe stirring in the breeze.

  The four watched me reproachfully, their faces unreadable, but all emotions splayed open for me to see. It was a spectrum that ranged from an ever-present controlled rage, to the throbbing intensity of desire that invaded every cell of my body, making the hairs on my arms stand on end.

  “Look guys, I’m heading into work. Without you. Any of you. I need the day to just try to pretend that everything is okay. That it’s normal. Do you understand?” I asked slowly. A flash of pain shone in Rysten’s eyes, but he smiled nonetheless.

  “Of course, love. If that’s what you need,” he replied. Laran opened his mouth to disagree and Allistair grasped his shoulder.

  “Let’s go for a walk, War,” Allistair said briskly. His golden eyes flashed to mine, and then they were gone, leaving only Rysten and Julian on my doorstep. The resemblance between them was striking, but it was only skin deep. When you really looked at them, there couldn’t be two people more different.

  Rysten was kind, easy to laugh and quick to smile. He was the hottie-next-door you always dreamed about. The guy that has his pick of girls but marries his high school sweetheart and settles for life. The kind that every girl wants to date, and every guy is friends with, and across it all, you just can’t help but love him. He’s the sweet guy. The good guy…but Julian was entirely different.

  He didn’t strike me as the type of bad boy that roamed from woman to woman. He was more reserved than that. More guarded. There was this air to him that had an edge of something stronger, harder than steel. Colder than ice. Darker than even death. Julian wasn’t a bad boy or the boy next door. He was the kind that lived in the darkness. That fostered it. Nurtured it. The kind of man that mothers warn their daughters about. The kind that no matter how smart a girl you are, no woman could possibly say no to.

  He was the kind that may not leave a string of hearts in his wake, but when he did find someone…

  Heaven and Hell will not be able to separate them. Not even God herself.

  My cheeks warmed and I silently cursed my pasty cheeks.

  “Ruby?” The question brought my comparing them to a grinding halt. I drew my eyes away from Julian’s lips, the lips I had been staring at so intently and not realized it.

  “Yes?” I asked, slightly breathless.

  “Everything alright, love?” Rysten asked slowly. Their eyes were focused on me with an intensity both sinfully delicious and unnerving at the same time. Lucky for me, I was pretty sure my thoughts were my own. Unlike me, I didn’t think they could read emotions. Except maybe Allistair…

  “Yep,” I drawled out. “I’m just tired and still processing everything. Let me have today to get back in the swing of things…” I trailed off at the look the brothers were sharing. It was unreadable, but undeniably there. “Is there something you have to say?” I snapped. The up and downs between me and the beast were giving me whiplash. One moment I was turned on and the next I was agitated. Maybe it was me coping. Maybe it was the transition. But it was probably just the Horsemen.

  Rysten approached me. Unlike Laran, who had no issue crowding my space, or Allistair, who wore a wicked sneer as he tempted me, Rysten simply stopped short and took my hand in his. Bandit grumbled under his breath but settled back on my shoulder, the closest that he ever comes to accepting anyone outside of me and Moira.

  “I can only imagine how hard this is right now.” Rysten’s words sounded tight with an unnamable emotion that I didn’t want to feel. I wondered if it was his inability to truly empathize, or sympathy at the situation their arrival had put me in. “But you need to have a guard around you at all times now, love. We can wait to talk about the changes coming, but please don’t ask us to leave. We can’t. Not when one of the demons who attacked you still roams free.”

  I sighed deeply, running my free hand over my face. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like any of this. I planned to keep pushing back until there was no other choice, but maybe for today having one of them with me wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. The beast was restless and called for blood, and I didn’t want to give her a chance to spill it. As much as I hated to admit it, they soothed her.

  Keeping her calm was just as important as keeping bloodthirsty imps away. My control over her, even if it was barely, was the only reason they were still giving me choices and letting me decide things for myself.

  “Fine, one of you can come with me today, but this doesn’t mean I’m moving in or agreeing to being watched twenty-four-seven. It just means I don’t feel like arguing today. Got it?” Rysten nodded, a smirk playing on the corners of his lips. Beside him, Julian’s expression turned cold, his emotions laced with something almost like…jealousy?

  I raised my eyes to his, the question almost playing on my lips. I didn’t feel it was my place to ask, but before I could decide, he turned sharply and strode towards the shade of a large conifer.

  “Keep an eye on her. One of the other’s will switch in this afternoon, if she’ll let us.” His voice was icy. Curt. The long-sleeve shirt he wore bunched around his shoulders where the muscles contracted, taut with tension. He didn’t spare a glance over his shoulder as he strode into the shadows and disappeared like he was never here at all.

  **Rysten**

  He had no reason to be pissed at me.

  He knew exactly how this was going to go down the moment all four of us laid eyes on her. She’s not just an infatuation, and she never will be. He was daft for continuing to hold her at arm’s length while expecting the rest of us to do so as well.

  We weren’t just her guardians anymore, even though she herself did not want to see it.

  Her beast chose us.

  I knew the moment I saw her standing at the door, crossing her arms over her chest like she could cover the truth. She’s formed an attac
hment, to each of us, and the beast accepted it.

  Not that it would have ever accepted anyone else. Humans were not even worth that predator’s attention and other male-demons would not be able to handle it, or her.

  She was more her father’s daughter than she realized, and Lola would have been proud.

  I’ve never met a she-demon that I felt truly possessive over. It’s difficult when you know that the one you were created for may come along at any point, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that very she-demon would be the one to draw out the darkness.

  To goad it. Rile it up.

  And make me want to slaughter any male outside of us who dared get close to her.

  Chapter 5

  The bell jingled on the front door of Blue Ruby Ink.

  “We’re closed for lunch right now,” I said without looking up. Rysten and Moira had left only minutes ago to find lunch for us while I completed the revisions to the design a client requested.

  “We need to have a little chat, you an’ I.”

  The thick southern drawl was unmistakable.

  As was the blonde haired, blue-eyed beauty behind it.

  “What do you want, Kendall?” My words were terse; laced with a hint of the beast I could not hide. I was going to need to make this little meeting short, or risk her upsetting the dark entity that disliked everything she represented.

  “Josh is missin’,” she started, her voice quivering a fraction as she said it.

  I set the pencil down and slid the design aside, placing it in a seal-tight envelope to protect it from Moira’s klutziness and any accidental spills that Kendall was prone to.