Dark Indiscretions
Chapter 23

Nearly two days had passed and Krista Belle was barely holding on to her humanity, if you could even call it that. She desperately wanted to give in to her father, let go, and indulge in sinister acts, but the only thing keeping her from losing it completely were her mother’s words. “Just because we are evil doesn’t mean we have to act on it all the time. We don’t always have to inflict pain and suffering everywhere we go like our predecessors.” Sounded good in theory, but if they didn’t save her ass, thought Krista, she was going to just say fuck it and do whatever her father wanted her to do.

He was everything people were afraid of when the word “Mystic” was mentioned in a hushed and hurried tone. Krista saw more of him in her; the longer she spent near him, the more she listened to him speak. He didn’t care who he hurt as long as he was happy. That was all that mattered. He killed without thought or conscious. She had the potential to be just that. Hell, she would be just that if her mother hadn’t raised her all these years. He was quickly undoing centuries of training in just days. She was afraid if she started she would never be able to stop.

As she was thinking to herself she heard several footsteps. Who the hell could be coming with James to see her today? He never brought anyone with him. Hell, she didn’t think he had talked to anyone but her in centuries. She just wanted the pain to stop. How much torture could one person take before they snapped? She really didn’t want to replace out. She had now seen both sides, and she liked the side she was on. The one her mother had been helping her to stay on. Even if she had strayed a couple of times. Hell, no one was perfect, and Mystics weren’t really known to be compassionate. Her mother was special.

“Well hello, my darling. I’ve brought you some visitors today. I don’t know how much your mother told you about our family, but let me introduce you,” James said.

Family? What the hell is he talking about now? Her mother killed them all, before she even killed James.

“By the look on your face, I’m sure you have questions. Don’t worry, dear. Everything will be just peachy. This is your grandma and grandpa. My dear brother and sister. These are your uncles, your mother’s brothers. Yes, I’m sure she told you she killed them, and indeed she did, but my power knows no bounds. I brought them back just as I brought myself back, and I’m sure they have a bone or two to pick with our dear Jenny when she comes for you,” James explained.

“You are insane,” Krista said.

“Oh sweetie, there is no need for name-calling,” Sara said.

“We are family, after all. It’s so nice to see our daughter has reproduced,” Samuel Sr. added.

Yep, her mother was right. Her family was whacked. She could see Samuel Jr. and John hovering in the background with looks of delight. That couldn’t mean anything good. Her rescue party was going to walk into a very sticky situation, and there was no way she could alert them to it. She didn’t quite understand the bond she had with her mates; she could only communicate feelings, not words. It looked like her father had upped the damn ante and everyone could be walking into a death trap. She just hoped no one lost their life trying to save hers.

Taz felt Krista’s distress, but he didn’t know what it meant. He knew she was trying to tell him something but he could only read the emotions. Not the words behind them. The bond was different since his mates weren’t wolves like him. In fact let’s call it what it is. A pain in the ass.

“Nathan, do you feel it too?” Taz asked.

“Yes, but I don’t know what it means either. All I know is we have to hurry up with that damn plan,” Nathan said.

“What? What’s wrong? Is she okay?” Jenny asked in a panic.

“I believe she is. She’s strong, and she’s hanging on. It’s just her emotions have changed. We think she’s trying to say something, but we can only read the emotions and not the words behind them. The bond is different from what Jackson and Tay have because they are both wolves. I’m sure you feel it. You can read their emotions but not the words,” Taz explained.

“You’re right. They can feel each other’s emotions and speak. I can only feel their emotions and vice versa, but we can’t speak. Maybe it will come with time,” Jenny agreed.

“So, Old One, first things first, do you have an actual name we can call you, and how do you know James?” Jackson asked.

“Of course, it’s just been so long since anyone has used it. My name is Kain O’Grady. It means ‘warlike’ in Irish Gaelic. As far as James is concerned, this may take a bit of explaining. I will only give important details since we are pressed for time. James and I were best friends for centuries. We attended school together. We were like brothers. He rarely followed through with anything. He was a pretty decent guy considering what people think of our kind. All was well until your parents were born, Jenny. He started changing slowly. It came to a head when your parents decided to marry each other instead of Sara taking the oldest son’s hand, as was tradition. He became closed off and cold. The bitterness lasted decades and our friendship became more and more strained. Then you were born, and he came to me super excited. He said he had another chance to be happy, and no one or nothing would stand in his way. He didn’t care what he would have to do, but he would have you at all costs. I told him he was mad and to get a hold of himself, but he wouldn’t hear of it. We had a huge falling out, and I never heard from him again. I thought nothing of it until a century later when I read of your family’s slaughter in the paper. That night I had a vision of our current situation. That is the short version of how I know your uncle. One day I will sit down and tell you the long,” Kain replied.

Jenny’s mind was reeling. Her uncle had been obsessed with her from the time she was born. It was ridiculous. All because her bitch of a mother decided she would marry her twin instead of her big brother. The wonders never ceased. Her life was a living hell all because her family was a bunch of psychos.

“Nice to meet you, I guess. So Jenny, did you learn how to kill your uncle for good this time?” Jackson said.

Jackson’s question snapped Jenny out of the haze she had started to enter. She had to look back through her unconscious memory to remember the question that he asked so she could answer without letting them know she had spaced out for a second.

“Well, Kain has ‘The Book of Mystics.’ He says the answer should be in there. I hope he will show me,” Jenny said.

“Excellent, why don’t you start there while the rest of us come up with a battle plan? I have set up the white board, people, so let’s get some ideas flowing,” Jackson said.

Jenny motioned for Kain to follow her to the den while everyone else talked battle strategy. Once in the den, Jenny asked Kain to show her the part of the book that she needed to read that would tell her what she needed to know. The man marked two different sections, then excused himself back to the dining area to help the others come up with a plan. She read the headings of the two chapters Kain had pointed out. “How to kill those who can’t be killed,” and “What happens when a Mystic kills another Mystic.”

Both sounded exactly like what she needed. She would start with, “What happens when a Mystic kills another Mystic,” seeing as she had technically killed five, even if her uncle had come back to life. Jenny looked at the page and began to read.

“What Happens When a Mystic Kills Another Mystic”

On my travels I have met a lot of Mystics. One in particular stands out to me because he told me a story. We all know we each have one power. He had five. Unheard of, I know. I asked him how it happened. He told me because in his life he had killed four Mystics. Somehow from killing them he had gained their power. No matter what they were. If a Mystic dies by another Mystic’s hand, a copy of their power is transferred to the other upon death. He found this out one day when he had a vision, and that was never his power. He had killed an Oracle because she had stolen something of his.

Holy fucking shit. This was a complete game changer, Jenny thought. Now the Oracle’s cryptic ass message made sense. That Jenny had to die to live. She had to kill herself as she killed her uncle. At least now she knew she would be coming back. She couldn’t tell her mates, though. They would never let her attempt it if they knew. Even if she could come back afterward. That’s one question answered. Hopefully the others were answered with this other chapter.

“How to Kill Those Who Can’t Be Killed”

A powerful spell. Ancient. Its incantation is quite different in form. Summon an Unbind Power Mixture to pour over ashes after you use the spell. This will unbind the power attached to the Mystic from coming back, keeping them dead. (See page 323 for mixture ingredients). Stomp on the ashes after you pour the mixture on them and chant:

What once was bound,

Now unbind.

Say this three times.

Well that seemed easy enough, Jenny thought. The only thing she needed to do now was look up the ingredients for the mixture and mix them together and decide who would pour it on James once she turned him into ash.

“Unbinding Power Mixture”

1 bottle extra virgin olive oil

10 drops of crushed pepper and sea salt mix

15 drops peppermint oil

1 black onyx crushed

1 object touched by person you want to unbind

5 drops of your blood

2 strands of your hair w/root attached

Mix together and put in a glass vial until ready to use.

The potion seemed simple enough, and Jenny had everything needed for the mix. She went into the kitchen and searched her pantry for everything she would need and mixed the potion together. Once that was complete, she went back to the dining room to get up to speed on the rescue mission.

The white board was pretty much covered with everyone’s position and assignment. Just how long was she in the den with that damn book? No matter. It seemed like the plan was coming along nicely.

“So what’s the plan? I see you guys have been busy,” Jenny said.

“Yes, I trust you found out what you needed to know,” Jackson replied.

“Yep, I have everything I need. So how are we going to do this?” Jenny asked.

“Okay, good. I sort of have a plan together, but it would really help if we knew exactly where she was being held. I mean, we really don’t even know what kind of building, if they are even in a building,” Jackson said.

“Oh, let me do a location spell really quick,” Jenny said.

Jenny leaned against the wall and recited the Location Spell that she wrote when she was a little girl. She could have called to her witch blood but her uncle seemed to be blocking it somehow. This spell he wouldn’t see coming.

Blood of my blood,

I call to thee.

Open your eyes,

So that I might see.

It happened so quickly. She saw dirt and tunnels. It was a cave about two hours away from her townhouse. There was only one way in but you could get lost for days inside the many tunnels. She saw the direct path to Krista.

Once out of her trance, she relayed the information to everyone else. Jenny didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

“A cave? That changes things a little. I was hoping we could hit him from two different places but now it seems we will have to stick together. I don’t think we will be able to draw him outside either. He’s going to want us to come inside. We are going to have to be smart about this. There is no room for error. The wolves will shift and fight in their strongest form. Nathan, you and your family only shift your eyes, hands, and teeth, so fight however you fight best. I know your eyesight is better than ours. That leaves the Mystics. Jenny, we will get you close enough to spell your uncle. The rest of you, I hope you have some good counter and protection spells up your sleeves. Kisty will untie Krista and get her out of the cave,” Jackson said.

“Well, it’s a plan, at least,” Jenny said. “Nathan, I will need you to pour this on James once he turns to ash, then stomp on it and repeat this line three times: ‘What once was bound, now unbind,’”

“I will be more than happy to,” was Nathan’s reply.

“Okay. Everyone knows what needs to be done and what they need to do. So gather your things and your thoughts, we leave in twenty minutes,” Jackson said.

Here goes nothing, Jenny thought. She wondered what surprises her uncle had in store for them. No doubt he knew they were coming. Either way he was dying tonight for good, one way or another. As Jenny gathered some last minute items, she could only think of the Oracle’s words. The sins from her past.

Krista felt her mother’s blood touch her own. She let out a blood-curdling, high-pitched, maniacal laugh.

“She comes,” was all she said before she let unconsciousness take her.

James clicked his tongue in disgust. So weak. If not for the fact that he recognized her blood as his own, he’d say she wasn’t his. What had Jennifer turned his daughter into? She would have been killed centuries ago if the rest of the family knew. He would have to toughen Krista up quickly. James had a few favors owed to him he could collect on. Honestly, he didn’t want to waste them on the pitiful creature before him, but he had grand plans for this one. She was the one he’d been waiting for.

In the middle of the forest

“It has begun...she has the book. ‘The Prophecy’ has officially begun,” he said.

“What are you talking about? It’s not possible. Kain has the book, and he’s hidden it well for centuries.”

“Times have changed. James has returned, and he plans to claim that which he believes is his, by right or by might. It does not matter to him.”

“We must stop this!”

“It is not yet time for us to intervene.”

“What are we supposed to do then? Nothing?”

“We watch, and we wait until our time comes.”

“We cannot let this come to pass.”

“Do you not think I know that? I know better than anyone else what is coming.”

It was his fault after all. He’d done this to his family; hell, to the world. He’d spoken to the unleashing of a monster. The only thing left to do now was to wait until the pieces started to come together before he showed his hand. Preparations were in order. Everything had to go according to plan. He had to act at the precise moment and not a second too soon. Strength and courage be with him on this final leg of a long ago preordained journey.

“Of course, love. You are right. I will defer to you. Forgive me.”

“Always.”