Poison's Kiss (Deadly Beauties 2)

Just when I think she's about to choose one of us to be her third and final victim, she starts chanting. I cringe when I hear the summoning spell I never thought a human could use. I've only ever seen it successfully executed once, and it was my mother behind the chant then.

A gasp rips through my lips when a body appears in a fading motion. It's a girl lying there, writhing in pain as her body jolts from the hasty summon. I don't know her, but I can tell she's dark when her eyes light up a hazy purple. I hold my breath as though it will help.

It's a black widow. This is bad. This is really fucking bad.

I watch in disbelief as the dark hair whips around the convulsing girl's face. She cries out her piercing shrieks as the summoning spell leaves her in excruciating pain. I don't even know how she acquired the blood and hair necessary to complete the spell.

The black widow screeches out her pain again, only to be met by an invisible punch that jars her head back and draws blood from her mouth. The sadistic Barbie running the show just laughs.

"Are you going to tell me she's innocent as well?" she scoffs, her eyes burning into Kane's.

Despite the pain I know he has to be suffering through in order to talk, Kane tries once again to reason with the sociopath holding us captive.

"Jen, you have to stop. You have no idea what killing her will do. You'll have a swarm of widows after you if you do this. Not to mention, you'll be inviting this spirit to live within you until it sees it fit to evacuate your body. More than likely, it'll dwell within you for

ever. You'll never have control of your body again, Jen. It'll rule you, and you'll have to watch everything you do like you're on the other side of the looking glass."

Her eyes burn through him as her face distorts, the wicked humor fleeing completely. "She wouldn't do that. She's only coming into me to kill all of your filth, and then she'll leave me after she's done what I've asked."

So frigging stupid.

"Did she say that exactly?" Kane forces out with more strain.

The pressure in my chest is threatening to crack my sternum at this point. Tears are teetering on my lids from the unbearable pain.

"Yes," she growls.

"Those exact words?" he repeats.

"She promised me she'd give me what I desire the most, and then she'd leave me in peace. What I desire the most is all of your filth to be gone."

A luminescent silhouette forms in the room. It's nothing more than a weak medley of faded lights, but I can sense the powerful presence the meager light brings. The power behind our restraints tightens, deepens, and almost suffocates my weaker body. Kane struggles as well, finally unable to speak anymore.

The spirit is silencing him, keeping him from casting doubt upon the fragile mortal mind of the human girl who is toying with things far beyond her realm of knowledge.

Kane's hand manages to find mine, and he squeezes my hand as the girl starts the chants again. Jen pulls out a seemingly unremarkable curved knife with an ivory handle. It gleams under the light, and I clutch Kane's hand with what little strength I can muster.

She leans forward and the wrists of the widow split open beneath the blade. The red spills from her veins, running through and darkening the pentagram that is now burned into my floor. The venomous spit froths in the mouth of the spidress as she struggles to lay a deadly bite. Ineffectively, she snaps at the air, unable to break the invisible binds holding her down.

Her webs form at her hands, ready to strike and subdue the evil bitch with supernatural help, but they turn to ashes instead of finding their target. This is one seriously strong spirit.

The spidress spews some unintelligible rant in her widow language, and then she's gurgling on blood suddenly as it pools in her mouth. Before our eyes, her throat is ripped free by the invisible hand of the lit force.

I gasp and shut my eyes, unable to see the morbid sight before me. I struggle for my inner strength to emerge, but then I feel the power in the room growing stronger as the thunder and lightning ring out and crash outside. The air in the room swirls, bringing with it a dizzying effect.

I open my eyes to see the glowing force of the spirit surrounding the room with its more dominant presence.

"Alyssa, we have to find out what she wants and let her have it without provoking her once she takes over. Whatever her price, it'll be worth it to keep you alive, so just let her go," Kane whispers through strain.

As the spirit turns into a shape, I get sick at my stomach. Blond hair and a faint tattoo on the side of her neck show. She was a light user, a protected light user. Only the protected bear the symbol of our council.

She's breathtakingly beautiful even in her transparent form as she walks over to her worshiper. Jen stands to her feet, admiration oozing from her eyes as she gapes at the girl who couldn't have been older than eighteen when she died.

"That's all three," Jen releases with a breathless air.

"You did well. Now I'll give you what you desire," the eerie, chimed voice of the spirit murmurs.

Jen gives a grin full of malice as her eyes spark with sadistic excitement. "All of them. I want them all dead."