Original Stories Fan Fiction / Horror Fan Fiction ❯ Watcher in the Darkness Book 3: Imprisoned ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

While nothing had changed to the outward design of Karen's house, it was like a completely different place. I had plenty of time to check out my surroundings while Karen and Trevor had loud sex in her bedroom.

The houseplants on the balcony thrived, rather than being brown and wilted from neglect. The patio chairs were almost like new. The metal frames were free of rust, the cushions clean and untorn. The tiles on the roof were all uniform and in good condition, instead of the cheap, patched-over holes I was used to. There were no broken windows. There was no mold or dust on the siding. Even the pave stones on the walkway had lost their cracks.

It was creepy as fuck.

Karen cried out as she orgasmed for what had to be the tenth time. I blew a loose strand of hair out of my eyes in boredom. It felt strange to hear them together and feel not even a twinge of jealousy.

“Baby.” Trevor's words were muffled. “Baby, get up. Get up, get up, get up.” The pain in his voice was obvious. “My leg is cramping.”

“Probably dehydration,” I said under my breath. My feet were propped on the balcony rail as I used the tip of my knife to scrape blackened grit out of my claws.

Karen purred. “Stretch it out, stud, I'm not done with you yet.”

“No, wait. Hold on,” Trevor managed to protest between sticky kisses. The mattress creaked as he sat up. “I have to go. I was supposed to be home hours ago.”

“Well, you're not going to get into any more trouble than you already are. Just stay the night.”

“No!” Trevor took a moment to govern his tone. “No, I need to get going.” I heard his clothes rustle as he hurried to put them on. “My mom's not happy with how often I've been breaking curfew for…well, you know. My parents are threatening to take my car.”

“You're eighteen years old and we're engaged. When are they going to stop trying to run our lives? I'll be so glad when we're married and we don't have to sneak around like this anymore.”

Trevor made a vague sound as he continued to dress.

“I guess I'll see you tomorrow.” Karen's voice had grown cold. “Are you going to pick me up or do I need to take the bus?”

“Um, maybe you should catch the bus, or a ride with someone else. I don't feel so good. I'm going to stay home tomorrow.”

“Aw, my poor baby. What's wrong?”

“I don't have any fucking energy.” Even I blinked in surprise at the sharpness of Trevor's tone. “My head hurts, everything I eat makes me queasy, I barely sleep…”

I don't know if Karen heard the subtle accusation. If she did, she didn't care. “All right, then. Go get some rest, sweetness. I'll call you tomorrow afternoon.”

“Okay.” It may have been my imagination, but Trevor sounded kind of defeated.

“I love you,” Karen said, hopeful.

I rolled my eyes. That should have tipped the poor, dumb bastard off right there. Karen never said it first.

“Yeah. I love you, too,” Trevor muttered as he left the room. I couldn't stand him, but it was hard not to feel sorry for the guy. He wouldn't last much longer.

I waited until I heard Trevor's car start in the driveway before I knocked on Karen's window. She pulled back the lace curtain a few seconds later, a silky blue robe pulled tight around her nakedness. Her skin glowed as she gave me a long, blank look, then her face split into a wide smile.

“Tobias?” she said with a surprised laugh.

I blinked, long and slow like a cat. Tobias?

Karen shook her head in disbelief. “By the gods, it's so good to see you. You look great.”

Lying whore. “Can I come in?”

The corners of her eyes crinkled in worry. “Can you?”

“Not unless you invite me,” I pointed out.

Karen bit her full bottom lip. “Are you mad at me? From earlier?”

“You mean when you dominated me in the courtroom?” I shook my head. “No.” My tone was convincing because it was the truth. I wasn't mad. I wasn't even upset. I actually felt very little. “I promise, I'm not mad.”

Karen wavered for another heartbeat or two before her sweet face hardened with resolve. “Maybe that's not a good idea. I don't want to confuse the issue.”

I tilted my head. “What issue?”

“What?” Karen said with a frown.

“What issue? Why would it confuse anything to invite me in?”

Karen took a deep breath as she drew her shoulders back. Her boobs thrust against the thin material of her robe, leaving nothing to the imagination. “I'm sorry, Tobias, but I can't do that to Trevor.”

“Do what? What would we do?”

“You know…” Karen's confidence failed, leaving her flustered.

“No, I don't. Tell me.” It was fun to watch her squirm.

“Look, things are going really, really well with Trevor right now. I love him and having another man in my room would upset him.”

“That's never stopped you before.”

“And I was wrong for that.”

I placed both hands on the windowsill as I gave her a direct look. “Did you forget about our arrangement?”

Karen appeared to be resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “No. If one of us finds the Tepes Chalice, we know how to contact each other. Let's just leave it at that.”

“That's not what I was talking about.”

Karen blinked, caught off guard. “Oh. Then…”

I gave her an expectant look. “Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Well, do you want it?”

Karen faltered. “I still need time to think about it?”

I didn't have to pretend to be impatient. “You already said that you agreed.”

“Well, now I need time to think about it.”

I muttered curses under my breath. “There's no time to think about it. You should've made up your mind before I went through the trouble of stealing that goddamn talisman for you. Know what, fuck it. I'll bet Elaina will want it. She's a diviner, and she'll probably pay me.”

It worked, as I knew it would. Karen held out her hand as I began to push away from the window. “Wait. Fine…just. Wait?” She hedged one more second. “You can come in.”

I couldn't fight back a smirk. I slid the window open then a cloud of jasmine perfume drifted into my face like nerve gas. Karen took a step back as I entered, and I had almost forgotten how I towered over her.

Karen looked me over with a scowl. “Okay, so where is—?”

The rest of Karen's sentence was lost as my fingers locked around her throat. I lifted her as though she weighed nothing at all then slammed her onto the bed. She flailed at me with her weak little fists, but she may as well have been whipping me with ostrich feathers.

My rage sprang forward, always there, coiled like a rattlesnake in tall grass. I couldn't keep the words from bellowing out of me, “Where is she?”

“Who?” Karen's voice was strangled. Her face turned bright red as tears filled her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

I couldn't seem to keep from squeezing. The sensation of her windpipe being crushed by my bare hands was incredibly satisfying. “Where is Karen?” Spittle would have flown from my lips if my mouth hadn't been so dry. “What did you do with her?”

Her hands were soft and cool on the sides of my face. “I'm right here. I'm here, Toby. Don't you recognize me?”

Her strangled voice was getting on my nerves. I pinned her wrists above her head then pressed her against the mattress with the weight of my body. “Save that bullshit. Do you think I'm as blind as a regular fucking human? What did you do to her mother and brother?”

“Nothing.” Karen shook her head, insistent. “They're fine. Mom's at work and Scotty is sleeping. Please, calm down, Toby.”

My hands tightened with anger, and her tender flesh felt like play dough. “Don't talk to me like you know me, demon. I'm going to ask you one last time. Where is Karen?”

Karen's expression smoothed to contempt, no longer the least bit afraid. “I'm not supposed to tell you.” Her voice had taken on a weird resonance, like a huge crowd of people speaking in perfect unison.

I can't stand the demonic accent. “Wrong answer,” I said as I pulled back my fist.

“Wait.” Karen's tone was so rational that it was gasoline on the flames of my temper. “Calm down so we can talk.”

“I don't talk to demons. Just tell me where she is.”

Karen—rather, Bad Karen—blinked as though she was blown away by my lack of proper upbringing. “Wow, are you ever comfortable throwing that word around. My kind has a name, bloodsucker.”

“And I couldn't care less what it is. What are you doing here and what happened to Karen?”

Bad Karen rolled her eyes. “Nothing happened to her. She's fine.”

“And I'm supposed to take your word for that?”

Bad Karen shrugged. “I would. It's all you're going to get.”

It seemed pointless to pin her if it didn't hurt her, so I released her hands. Bad Karen made no move to get out from underneath me. “That's not good enough,” I said.

Bad Karen's lips pursed. “Too bad for you.” Her hands moved between us so she could untie her robe.

It took everything I had to keep from looking down. “Don't play with me, demon.” My teeth ground together against the sudden but strong ache in my lower abdomen.

Bad Karen grunted with desire. “Oh, yeah, call me names. Tell me I'm a bitch, and a whore. Make me suffer. I love it.” I felt her quick fingers unfasten the button of my jeans.

I caught her wrist a split second before her hand slipped past my waistband. “Don't.” My tone was a death threat. “Don't do that.”

“Your mouth says no but the rest of you says yes.” Her hips moved against my obvious need. “Come on. I know you want this. It's been a while, hasn't it? You won't even have to hold back. I can take anything you can dish out.”

The heat of her radiated through the thin denim that separated her body from mine. I shoved away from her. “You're disgusting.”

Bad Karen's features shifted, became just a little bit older and infinitely wiser. “How disgusting am I now?” Justine said.

I punched her in the face. Hard. Bad Karen groaned as her eyes rolled back. She licked the blood from her split lip, prodding the already swollen flesh with the tips of her fingers. A deeply gratified smile spread across her face as she said, “That was amazing.”

“Tell me where Karen is. Now.” There was no real threat in my voice. I didn't have a leg to stand on and we both knew it. It took all that I had to keep from staring at her exposed…everything.

Bad Karen moved so that she was kneeling on all fours. “Not until you hit me again.”

I stood, if only to put some distance between us, because I wanted to do what she asked. I wanted it bad. “Not a chance. Tell me where to find Karen, demon.”

Bad Karen glowered as she threw a pillow at me. “Stop calling me that. I'm a doppelganger, shithead.”

This shocked me. “What the hell is a doppelganger doing here? And how can Karen afford to have someone like you take her place?”

Bad Karen made a vague gesture. “Where there is a will, there's a way. Now,” her expression turned seductive again. “Where were we?”

I turned my back on her then stepped toward the window. “Tell the bitch that hired you that I need to talk to her. She has three days to respond or I'll yank the curtain down on your little magic show.”

The way Bad Karen crossed her arms made her tits press together. No way in hell that wasn't for my benefit. “You're no fun.”

I left without another word. My head was splitting, and I had to find a barrel of ice water so I could soak the lower half of my body.