Karizma: Reborn

Lukas entered Knight Life behind Ryleigh and Bailey. He was wearing a silk black button-down shirt with a pair of jeans. The shirt constricted against his muscles as they were tensed with caution. He felt eyes follow him as he walked amongst the humans, but he brushed them off. He would have preferred to wear a muscle shirt, or no shirt at all, but he needed to blend in with the humans, and Kristopher’s club was a little more formal than a muscle shirt. His jaw twitched as he noticed men’s eyes rake along the sisters’ bodies. Bailey and Ryleigh may be well enough to come to the club, but he was still anxious about having both of them back in public.

Bailey was wearing a short red dress that fell to her mid-thighs, her brown hair tossed into a bun. Lukas had agreed with Ryleigh’s protest of Bailey’s attire, but he did not attempt to fight it; the poor girl had resurrected her sister and spent a week of her life recovering in a coma. Let her have some freedom tonight. Ryleigh’s attire, however, he did fight about. She was wearing a tight black dress with a low cut in the back. Her crimson hair was hidden beneath a long, blonde wig. She was stunning in that dress, and it drove possession deep into his wolf. Every eye that lingered on her skin was an eye that Lukas wanted to rip out and devour. He knew that she was gorgeous, but he had not seen so much of her body before, other than when she was a corpse, and that memory gave him nightmares. His beautiful mate, dead, disfigured, lost to the world. But the new memories that she was giving him, with her body perfectly accentuated in that dress as she walked gracefully in front of him? Those memories would be blissful dreams that he craved to have, until he could fully have her.

Lukas grabbed Ryleigh’s hand as she went to lead them upstairs to the restricted section of the club. “I know where he is,” she shouted over the music.

“Remember, no one knows who you are. A witch and a female Lycan walking upstairs may cause suspicion,” Lukas shouted back. He had sensed two other vampires upstairs with Kristopher. “My going up there first will not be as unsettling.”

“A Lycan is less threatening than a witch?” Bailey asked.

“The last Karizma died, remember? Witches right now are the most threatening beings on the planet,” Ryleigh added with a nod. “He’s right.”

Lukas pulled Ryleigh against him suddenly and she gasped in surprise. He lowered his lips down to her ear. “Stay close to me,” he whispered. “You smell Lycan, but if someone so much as thinks that you are something more, I will not hesitate to draw my claws right here.”

“You can’t,” Ryleigh whispered as she turned her face to his ear. “There are humans here.”

“I very much can, my love, and, for you, I will,” Lukas growled gently. He released her from his grasp and ascended the stairs of Knight Life. He was getting dangerously close to confessing everything to her, but this was not the time. Soon. It has to be soon.

Kristopher’s brown eyes flared auburn as Lukas approached. The auburn evaporated at the recognition, and Kristopher nodded. He had a glass of whiskey in his hands, his blonde hair slicked back in his crisp black suit. The vampire radiated power in the human world. If Lukas was not the Alpha of his pack, he imagined that he would feel intimidated by the vampire. But Lukas’ own power dominated Kristopher’s, so much that the two vampires sitting with Kristopher rose to their feet. One vampire had short blonde hair, his grey eyes a swirl with red with warning. The other vampire had short brown hair with blue eyes, but not as bright as Lukas’. Kristopher stood up between the two vampires as Ryleigh and Bailey walked past Kristopher.

“Alpha Lukas,” Kristopher said slowly. His brown eyes battled with relief and concern as he saw the two women that controlled his life. Lukas saw the restraint that Kristopher had from reacting physically; he had not seen Ryleigh in over a week, and he had not seen Bailey awake until now. “Grayson, Liam, do not be rude to the Alpha of the Vancouver pack.”

“The Alpha that comes with a bitch and a witch,” the vampire with grey eyes said curiously. He took a step forward, and Lukas instinctively put himself in front of Ryleigh. A low snarl reverberated in his throat, and the vampire with the grey eyes grinned. “She is a pretty bitch, I must say. Prettiest Lycan bitch I’ve seen in a long time.”

“You’d better bite your tongue before I rip it out of your mouth,” Lukas threatened darkly. Brief relief spread through his body as the vampire acknowledged Ryleigh as a fellow Lycan, not as a witch, but he loathed the degrading term when it came to her. He often referred to female Lycans with the same demeanor, most men did, but not for Ryleigh. Never for her.

Lukas felt Ryleigh’s hand graze his back suddenly to calm him. He saw Bailey plant herself beside him as she spoke. “We want confirmation that no other witches will be harmed, and we will be on our way.”

“And it took you bringing an Alpha and a bitch to muster the courage to ask?” Grayson asked as he cocked an eyebrow at Bailey.

“Witches and vampires have been enemies for centuries,” Bailey stated. “You think I’d come unprepared?”

“If you were truly a witch worth harming, you wouldn’t need backup,” Grayson said.

“Enough!” Kristopher snapped. “We are upsetting the witch and the Lycans, and the last thing we need are my customers exposed to a bloodbath. Go get a drink.”

“You can’t be serious,” Grayson said.

“If you doubt his seriousness, very much believe mine,” Lukas growled suddenly. “Neither one of you are the infamous Karizma Killer, so we do not need to talk to you. He is the one who made a sport of killing witches. It’s his word that we need, not yours.” Lukas noticed Kristopher flinch ever so briefly, but neither vampiric companion saw it.

“Grayson, let’s not cause trouble for Kristopher,” Liam spoke up. He shifted his eyes to Lukas. “But if trouble is caused without us here, know that we will return to end it.”

As soon as both vampires descended the stairs, Kristopher scooped Bailey into his arms and crushed her to his chest. “You’re alive,” he murmured.

“I wasn’t the one who died,” Bailey grinned. She pulled back and looked at him. “I’m fine, before you ask. How are you doing?”

“Better, now that I know that you both are okay,” Kristopher exhaled. He released Bailey and looked at Ryleigh. “Nice hair, pet.”

“It’s temporary,” Ryleigh said as she approached Kristopher. She hugged him tightly. “I’ve been so worried about you,” she whispered.

Lukas fought his wolf’s jealousy. Now is not the place. He shifted to lean his torso against the balcony railing as he gripped it tightly. He studied the humans below him as he distracted his wolf. Innocent. Every single one of them is so innocent, so blind to the world around them. Blind to the war that is about to be fought, that they would all die in, if not for us. For her. For my mate that is willing to die to save every single person here. He gripped the railing tighter, and it groaned in protest. He scoffed and released the metal at its newly bent angle. He turned back around and faced Kristopher.

“Are you all right?” Kristopher asked.

“What have you found out?” Lukas deflected as he crossed his arms over his chest. Ryleigh shot him a glare, but he brushed it off. “Ryleigh wants to project again.”

“Just that blood is going missing from the hospitals,” Kristopher said slowly as he studied Lukas. “They haven’t said why. I’m assuming that they are preparing for the annihilation of the human race.”

“Without humans, there will be no food supply,” Ryleigh said.

“Exactly,” Kristopher nodded. “And it’s not just small amounts going missing. Blood donation centers are offering considerable compensation for donors.”

“But everything else is quiet?” Lukas asked. “That doesn’t make sense. The vampires won the war that had been ongoing for centuries, and they are just staying quiet?”

“It appears that way, or they no longer trust me,” Kristopher said as his jaw clenched. “Considering that neither Grayson nor Liam know more than I do, I think Master is waiting until the final piece of his plan is ready before he tells anyone.”

“My death wasn’t it?” Ryleigh asked suddenly.

“I don’t think so, no,” Kristopher answered as he shook his head. “There’s a piece missing somewhere, and it’s tied to the blood.”

“I have to project again,” Ryleigh muttered.

“No,” Lukas growled deeply, and Kristopher cocked an eyebrow curiously. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Lukas, we’ve been over this,” Ryleigh sighed with exasperation. “We need to know what they are planning before the world burns.”

“It’s not safe,” Lukas said through gritted teeth.

“The hell it’s not!” Ryleigh snapped. “I don’t smell like a witch anymore, and I’ll even hide my magic as a precaution. They wouldn’t know. If you hadn’t pulled me back last time, we’d already know and be preparing.”

Lukas snarled in response and whirled around. His hands gripped the metal railing even tighter, the metal’s protest now a sharp screech instead of a groan. His gums ached as his canines threatened to descend. His wolf was terrified. Hell, he was terrified. One wrong move with her projection, and she would be found and killed. Logically, her argument was sound; they needed to know what the next move was, regardless of the cost. If Lukas and Kristopher knew, they could counter it, and Bailey would help if something happened to Ryleigh. They would risk one Karizma, but they did have two; even if they lost one, the other could step in and fight in this war.

But Ryleigh was not just a Karizma to Lukas anymore. She was not just a fighter or an asset. She was his reason for living, for breathing, for wanting to end this war against humanity before it even began. Once this war ends, the world can continue to spin, and he could live with his mate in solace. Until that happened, his wolf was terrified of losing her before their life could even begin, and Lukas could not deny that he was broken at the realization. The Alpha that protected his pack for centuries was willing to throw it all away because of her. I am willing to let civilization burn if it keeps her alive. “I need air,” Lukas growled. The metal snapped beneath his grasp. He tossed the shards on to one of the couches and rushed down the stairs.