Kei Valancia
Something is wrong with this. Rei sounded uneasy as I gripped the material in my hand.
What? The shredded bodies or the weird smelling shirt?
I’m serious, Rei snapped.
I’m serious too. If this is really his doing, then he’s escalating quicker than we had originally thought.
I bit my lip and frowned. The shirt smelled like a werewolf, but another scent was on it. I grabbed another article of clothing from the bag. It was a different scent, but it still had that smell. I checked all of the clothes in the bag, each having their own trademark smell but they all had that one thing in common.
It has to be him, Rei hissed venomously.
We can’t be sure. I could feel her anger grow.
Well, who else could it be?
I’m not sure, I admitted. I went back to identifying each body to a piece of clothing. When I was sure, I placed each shirt to its matching scent. Of course, the room reeked of the heavy stench of death, a thick cloak filling my nostrils. After I had finished, I stood back.
“Do you know who these are?” I turned to look at the small form standing beside Ryker. I noticed with curiousness that the energy around her seemed off. I frowned as the murky brown shifted to an ugly yellow.
“Are these right? They can’t be.” Her voice came out in a quiet whisper.
“They are.” Something was incredibly wrong with this woman. Her energy bubbled angrily, the grotesque two colors swirling up and down her body almost like a snake. My eyes widened when it dawned on me. She didn’t see me coming as I wrapped my fingers around her slender neck, slamming her body against the wall.
“Kei!” I ignored Ryker and instead, narrowed all of my attention to the current problem.
“How the hell did you manage this?” I hissed in her ear. I felt the malice roll off her in waves. This all-too-familiar bottomless black tried to envelop me, but I clenched my jaw and fought it off.
“Please…you’re hurting me,” she whimpered.
I growled.
Oh, that lying little—
“Kei, that’s enough!” Ryker roared, and he gripped both my arms in a painful grasp. He practically threw me across the room, and I landed on my feet in a defensive position. I snarled viciously at him while he in return roared back.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I saw him go to the aid of that thing, her pitiful whimpers followed by the quiet reassurances of my mate.
I may know your reason for attacking, but to others, you look like a crazy wolf gone wild, Rei sounded amused, and I sighed.
You’re right.
Of course, I’m still irritated that our own mate is consoling that thing.
I chuckled quietly, and Ryker turned to me with disbelief. I think I hated the light yellow.
“Kei,” he spoke cautiously as if not wanting to spook a frightened animal. “I think it’s best you go blow off some steam.”
I quirked an eyebrow and scoffed. “I don’t think me taking a run will change this situation.”
“Sweet Goddess, Kei. Will you just listen for once?”
I glared at him. “I will only listen if I think it’s best. Right now, me leaving this thing alone is the worst possible outcome.”
The woman inched her way behind Ryker, and I would bet my life that she had an evil smirk. “I-I’m sorry for whatever I did wrong.” Her voice was timid, but I heard an underlying sound of giddiness underneath her stutter.
—Just let me kick her ass.
—Chill. This woman has been here a lot longer than us. Therefore, she has a butt-ton more of influence than we do, and she knows it too. By the end of this, she’ll probably have me in a chokehold.
“Look, lady. You can’t hide that energy from me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she instantly replied. Suddenly, the dark green tint in her aura caught my eye, an idea dawning on me, and I had the strong urge to facepalm.
“Oh, I bet you do. Have you ever heard of the name Draven?”
She jolted as if I had shocked her. “No.” Her voice came out sharp, and I smirked.
“Oh, but your reaction tells me that you do.” I smiled slowly. “And with the state that your aura is in, you’ve been hanging out with him for quite some time, haven’t you?”
She was silent, but that answered my question. However, I had my doubts, though, as the colors warped even more. Draven may be involved with her, but I had a reason to think that he wasn’t actually involved with the main problem. I knew Draven was just not an evil man. He was more like damned Casanova from what I could tell.
He has got to stop with his playboy ways, or else, he’s going to get himself in trouble. I groaned to myself. So now, the question left unanswered would be: what happened to her? Whatever it is, these people had a rat, and I’m more than happy to exterminate it.
“Kei, explain what is going on.” Ryker was beginning to sound livid at this point.
“Hmmm. Let’s just say that I’ve found the reason to how these men were captured.” I walked over with slow, deliberate steps, a smile growing as I noticed her increasing unease.
“And what would that be.”
I shot Ryker a sideways glance before putting my attention fully on the woman before me. “You’re standing right next to her,” I said.
The room was silent, the woman’s ragged breathing the only sound.
“And what’s the evidence,” he rumbled.
I cocked my head. “The evidence is her horrible color. I mean, jeez, woman, what in the world happened to you? Did Draven make you do some freaky stuff under the sheets? Wait. Don’t answer that. I do not want the details.” I shivered with disgust. “The question is, why?”
She was silent. But then something happened. And that something would be me being slammed against the wall with a hand wrapped around my throat.
“Totally called it.” I choked out and smiled crookedly.
“Kei!”
I tilted my head and noticed with slight confusion that Ryker’s body and power seemed muted, but then it dawned on me. “You have some freaky magic shield thing going on.”
Her laugh sounded almost like a dying deer but underwater. It was quite the laugh. “To be honest, I didn’t believe Draven when he kept going on and on about your powers. But I guess he was right after all.” Her voice was a sneer. The colors around her were all mashed up into a dark, ugly mess, showing how unstable she actually was.
“I am slightly horrified that Draven would mention me to someone as crazy as you. Correction, I am immensely horrified that he mentioned me at all.”
Wow, she had a powerful right hook for such a petite woman, but the pain quickly subsided.
“He loves me. Besides, Draven isn’t the one to do this.” Her grip on my neck tightened, and I simply rolled my eyes. Seriously, it was like a child trying to choke me. No wait, that’s offensive to kids. But then her words only confirmed what I knew.
“Man, this conversation became so boring. Oh wait, it was always boring. Now, why don’t you turn yourself in like a good little psychotic girl? Or we can play. I would choose the second choice.” I grinned wickedly, and she just snarled in my face.
“I’m the one in control. Your boy toy won’t be able to help. Same goes for that dumb fleabag of an alpha.”
I shook my head as if I were disappointed. “Oh, dear, you’re not only psychotic but an idiot.” I raised my arm and patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. “Well, maybe a good beating will fix you right up.”
“You—”
I cut her off by reaching up and gripping the collar of her shirt, throwing my head forward and headbutting her hard. She let out a cry before her grip loosened, and I pushed her away.
“Kei, how the hell do we put this thing down?” I noticed that was Brad’s, and I didn’t look up.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll bring down justice upon her like a freaking tsunami.” I cracked my knuckles as I stood over her.
“We don’t know what she can do. Kei, just get this thing down.” This coming from an angered Ryker. Why is it so fun to push Ryker to his limits with his temper?
Maybe because it’s hilarious, and he sounds so irresistible when his voice gets all deep. I had to agree with Rei on this one.
True, true. Now, let’s have some fun. I smiled evilly.
You are going to enjoy this way too much.
Probably. I reached out and gripped her leg, pulling her towards me. She screeched like a banshee as her clawed hands swiped at my face.
“Woah, there. You’re quite feisty, aren’t you?” I remarked, staring at her in amusement.
“I’ll kill you,” she hissed, leaping up onto her feet.
I popped my neck. “Didn’t Draven tell you anything? Sweetie, you’re just an annoying fly to me.”
She roared, and it shook the room around us. I watched her ugly form bend and charge right at me. I dodged her attack, causing her to blow past me and rammed into the wall instead.
“Too slow, sweet pea.”
She shrieked, and crimson spilled around her. That sure was a lot of hate coming from such a small body.
“Aww, I hate you too!” I cooed at her, blowing a kiss and a wink in her direction.
“Kei, be serious!” I heard Ryker pound against the invisible wall.
“I am serious. Sort of.”
His loud growl made me sigh.
“Fine,” I muttered and pouted before striding over to the woman.
She hissed and spit, crouched down into a defensive position. I stood just a few feet away, my legs shoulder apart and my arms crossed. “Since it seems like I can’t have my fun, I might as well make this quick,” I grumbled grumpily before holding my hand out and forming a ball of power in my palm. It glowed in the darkness, an electrifying white orb that would stun her into a deep sleep for a while. “All right, doggie, it’s time to play catch.”
She only growled and made a move towards me. Unlucky for her, I already “saw” this move, and I pulled my arm back as if I was a baseball pitcher and chucked it right at her face. She didn’t even see it coming.
I watched as the ball made contact with her blobby form, little white electric bolts spreading through her body. She stood rooted to her spot, her aura a now peaceful soft white before it dimmed, and she collapsed onto the ground. I made a clicking noise with my tongue before turning to face my audience. I spotted Brad’s familiar reds and purples, along with Mark’s soft amber glow that was uniquely his own. However, I did notice a new silvery gray aura standing in the background, but I couldn’t examine it further as Ryker was becoming more agitated, his power filling the whole room except for the part that was closed off by the invisible shield.
“Dude, calm your furry butt. I’ll get this thing down in no time.” I rubbed my hands together. “I would recommend that you step back a bit.”
They did, and I closed my eyes. I took in a deep breath and probed the wall with invisible tendrils, trying to find a weak link. Of course, I didn’t, and I knew whoever helped sleeping psycho over there was quite powerful to make such a barrier.
She must have gotten help from a witch, Rei concluded.
I don’t know, but I’m going to strangle Draven when this is over.
“He’s such an idiot, bedding any woman that he can get his eyes on,” I muttered out loud.
He doesn’t seem to change, Rei mused.
I chuckled quietly and with ease, overpowered the wall. I watched as the colors on the other side brightened once more, Ryker’s power filling the space like a flood.
“You know, I think it’s time I and my dear old friend Draven have a long chat about his suitors,” I mused, looking towards the unconscious woman. Two large hands suddenly gripped my shoulders, and I was pushed into a hard chest.
“Who the hell is Draven?” Ryker said in a clipped tone.
“Like I said, he’s an old friend of mine. We go way back.” I chuckled at the memories of the goofy man, more like a brother than anything else. His mind could be perverted, but he usually meant no harm unless you did something to make him mad.
Ryker growled possessively, and I patted his chest. “You don’t need to feel threatened. He’s honestly like a brother to me,” I said soothingly. His arms didn’t loosen around me, and I sighed. “Anyhoo, I think you need to keep that woman contained. I have a feeling that she’s the main reason as to why these men had disappeared.”
“And what makes you think this?” Brad stepped beside us, dark brown of tension tinting the air around him.
“One, her energy is seriously all wacky. It’s all gross and warped-looking. Two, she made a pathetic attempt to try to kill me. And three, I just hate her guts.” I shrugged at the last part and smirked. The room was silent, and I could hear the peaceful breathing of the woman. Oh, how I wished I were in bed sleeping the day away.
“Alpha Ryker, I would like to discuss something with you in my office. Jett, take her to a room. Have guards posted outside the door,” Brad commanded.
I noticed the silvery aura from earlier bow, and I observed the tall, broad form walk over and pick the woman up and walk out of the room without saying one word. Jett must have been the silvery silhouette character.
If the men are going to have their boy time, I guess we should slip away and pay our dear friend a visit.
I was about to reply to her, but my train of thought was suddenly scattered.
“Stay inside.” Ryker bent down and whispered in my ear, using one finger to trail along my cheek in a slow fashion.
I felt my body coil tight at his touch, the electrifying pleasure affecting me greatly. “Why do you bother if you know that I’ll probably end up doing it anyway?”
He sighed and pulled back. “I don’t know. Maybe I think that you’ll be smart enough to listen.”
I bristled at his tone and separated myself from him completely. “I’m smart enough to know when you’re being insolent, so I’ll just be on my merry way.” I turned on my heel and strode off, a stupid part of me hoping that he would stop me. But he didn’t. I chuckled dryly as I walked down the hall.
—I’m going to get gray hairs from that man.
—It’s a good thing we have silver hair then.
You do have a good point, I said to her.
She scoffed. I always have a good point.
Sometimes, I responded.
I walked into the empty kitchen and went out the back door. A few young pups were running around the yard, the afternoon sun hot and smothering but not seemingly affecting the bright balls of energy. Kids were always fun to observe, as their energies were always so bright and full of life. Vibrant and beautiful.
You sound like a creepy pedophile.
I began walking towards the edge of the yard and stopped at the tree line. Oh, sweet peanuts, I do, don’t I?
I shuddered. Let’s just pretend I never said that.
It’s your guilty conscience, not mine.
I laughed out loud and smiled, staring off into the woods. I guess so.
I let my thoughts wander for a moment, my mind on Ryker.
Let’s go. Give him time to chill his paws before we confront him again.
I said nothing but nodded at her words. With one last deep breath, I sprinted off into the woods and felt the excitement to see my old friend.