Spikes growled as she sped through the town. She’d been tracking Ashlee with Blade’s help for roughly a week.
Sabbith had been right, she’d been so focused on herself that she hadn’t bothered to notice how suspicious Kitty’s injury had been.
And that pissed her off.
She glanced at her cellphone buzzing in the passenger seat, ignoring it as she pulled into a parking spot.
She spotted Ashlee’s red hair from the corner of her eye and jumped out of her car, leaving the phone behind.
“You’ll have to meet with me another time, Pup.” Ashlee hissed, turning to face Spikes.
“I already have an appointment with my daughter, and I don’t want to keep her waiting.”
“I’m not giving you the chance to hurt her again.” Spikes barked at her. Ashlee’s widening grin only proved what they all already knew.
“You pushed her didn’t you?”
Ashlee chuckled, brushing her hair over her shoulder.
“Of course I did, and the kitsune was the only one even remotely suspicious.”
“Why? She’s your daughter, why would you do that to her?” Spikes demanded, taking a step closer to Ashlee.
“You say that as if it means something to me.” Ashlee hissed in Spikes’s face.
“That child is no longer useful to me. Just as she is no longer of use to you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’ve been watching. She’s not useful anymore, so you abandoned her.”
“No. That’s not why I left.” Spikes argued, her eyes falling to her feet.
“Yes it is. She’s given you all the money you could ever need to survive, and funded a business for you. You don’t need her.”
“No I’m just trying to protect her.” Spikes protested, taking a step back.
“Don’t you think, if that were true, you would have done a better job of that if you stayed by her side?”
“Not when I’m trying to protect her from myself.”
“What do you think this is, a disney movie?” Ashlee laughed.
“Katherine isn’t going to welcome you back with open arms. She’s not going to understand.”
Spikes took another step back, covering her ears with her hands. Her eyes were on the ground, she shook her head.
Kitty would understand Spikes told herself.
She had to.
“You might as well give up.” Ashlee taunted the canine, grabbing Spikes’s chin. She forced Spikes to meet her eyes as they began to glow.
“You might as well give in.”
Easy. It would be so easy to give in. To stop fighting the monster growing inside and let it consume her.
To give up on any sense of humanity she retained.
“You might be be a worthless little nobody now, but I could turn you into so much more.” Ashlee’s voice was silky, seductive almost as she drew Spikes in closer.
“You could have all the power you couldn’t have as a child. You would control your own life.”
Spikes shivered, her breathing growing labored. She’d always felt her life was out of her control, always had to struggle.
She could feel it slip.
She could feel her humanity fall away from her with every word that fell from Ashlee’s lips.
“All you have to do is help me destroy that worthless little daughter of mine.”
Spikes blinked, eyes wide. It’d be simple enough wouldn’t it? To help Ashlee, to gain control of her life.
To gain the power to choose.
Spikes took a step back, shoving Ashlee away from herself. Ashlee stumbled back, letting out a shriek before she began to growl.
“What the hell is that matter with you?” Ashlee demanded, getting back up to her feet.
“No.” Spikes whispered.
“What?”
“No! You’re not gonna lay a damn finger on Kitty.” Spikes snarled, her own eyes beginning to glow.
“I wanted power. Growing up the way I did how could I not?”
Spikes clenched her fists at her sides, eyes at her feet.
“I still want it. I still crave the ability to have power over my own life.” Spikes hesitated, lifting her head.
Her eyes met with Ashlee’s which so closely resembled her best friend’s.
“But not at the cost of someone else’s. Kitty taught me that, Kitty helped me get out of the crap life I had. I will forever be in her debt.”
“You could easily get out of it if-”
“I don’t want to be out of her debt!” Spikes barked, silencing Ashlee.
“I want to be the person she believed in when she bailed me out of jail. I want to be the person she believed in when we graduated, when she helped me form my own business.”
Spikes could feel her eyes burn from unshed tears. She blinked, shaking her head before fixing her glare back on Ashlee.
“I’m not giving in. I’m not going to become a monster. I’m gonna be the person Kitty has always believed I can be.”
Ashlee rolled her eyes, her line of sight fixated elsewhere.
“And here I thought I’d get a new pet. Shame, but I cannot let you live after this.”
Ashlee grinned as she lunged forward, claws aimed at Spikes chest.
“Alas you’re gonna have to go through me first, Mom.” Kitty snarled, jumping in between the two, kicking her mother in the gut.
Ashlee groaned as she leaned back against the railing. She hissed, eyes locked on Kitty’s.
“About time you showed up. I was going to have to make your fanboy off himself if you took any longer.”
“What? Kitty, why are you here?” Spikes spoke up, reaching for Kitty’s shoulder.
“David called. I knew it was a trap.” Takado snarled, his glare focused on Ashlee.
“Yes congratulations.” Ashlee brushed off her arms as she approached the group.
“Your abilities of deduction are astounding.”
“So what do you want? I’m here now.” Kitty hissed, standing in between her mother and her friends.
“Everything.” Ashlee whispered, before looking up. Her glowing sapphire eyes instantly meeting her daughter’s.
“You’re going to give me everything and then, maybe, I’ll let you live.”
“Don’t listen to her!” Spikes shouted, twisting out of her brother’s grip and running at Ashlee.
She easily side stepped Spikes’s attack, and blocked her swing.
“This is none of your business, Mutt!” Ashlee hissed, slapping Spikes away.
Takado snarled, moving to attack Ashlee until Sabbith grabbed his arm.
“Don’t. Restrain Spikes. She’s losing it, Takado.” She pointed at Spikes, who had begun to shift into her more animalistic form.
Takado grimaced, his eyes darting between Ashlee and Spikes. He hesitated.
Spikes lunged at Ashlee again and Takado grabbed her just before she made contact, holding his sister back.
Kitty glanced back at Takado as he pulled Spikes away concerned etched on her face.
“Don’t take your eyes off of your enemy.” Ashlee hissed, grabbing Kitty’s arm and throwing her against the railing.
Kitty yelped with shock before quickly dodging another blow from her mother.
“You’re supposed to be my mom, not my enemy!” Kitty shouted, pushing her mother away.
“What’s supposed to be, and what is are completely different things, Katherine.” Ashlee retorted, attempting to grab Kitty’s arm again.
“Why? Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Kitty screamed, pushing her mother back again.
“Because you’re the little shit that ruined everything! I had it made. I had all the power and wealth I ever wanted, and you got my husband killed.” Ashlee shrieked, grabbing Kitty’s shoulders and pushing her back against the railing.
“I finally had everything I wanted and you ruined it. So I’m going to ruin you.”
Ashlee grinned, trying to push Kitty over the railing.
“Mom stop! Things don’t have to be like this!”
“Unfortunately they do. It’s about time you learned there are consequences to your actions.” Ashlee’s eyes began to glow, a cruel smirk forming on her lips.
“It’s about time you grow up.”
Ashlee shoved Kitty again, this time hard enough to send her over the railing.
“You’re gonna have to try harder than that.” Sabbith snarled, punching Ashlee in the face as Takado caught Kitty’s hand and began to pull her back up.
“You okay?” Takado whispered, pulling Kitty into his arms as he stroked her hair.
“Takado restrain Ashlee. Spikes we’re gonna need your compulsion over here.” Sabbith began barking orders.
Takado nodded, kissing Kitty’s head before releasing her to grab Ashlee.
“Make sure she never comes anywhere near Kitty again.” Sabbith spoke to Spikes, though her glare was fixed on Ashlee.
“With pleasure.” Spikes responded, her amethyst and gold eyes beginning to glow.
“I don’t need to be near her to make her hurt.” Ashlee snarled, struggling against Takado’s grip.
“Hold her still Takado.”
“All I have to do is make a phone call to our old friends back home.” Ashlee began to laugh hysterically.
“Wouldn’t it be fun to watch the same people who murdered your father kill all of your friends, Katherine?”
Kitty felt her heart stop, and what seemed like time with it. She turned her head slowly, eyes wide with fear as she looked into her mother’s eyes, far lost to her madness.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Kitty made her way toward her mother.
Ashlee’s mouth opened to speak again, and everything sped up.
Time returning to normal.
Ashlee’s screaming echoing around them as Kitty ripped her heart out of her chest.
Everyone turned to look at Kitty, disbelief and shock coloring their faces.
It’d happened so quickly none of them had time to react.
Kitty’s eyes fell to the ground, her shoulders heaving as her whole body shook.
“Kitty?” Takado dropped Ashlee’s lifeless form at his feet, taking a step closer to the small feline. His hand was outstretched, reaching for her shoulder to comfort her.
He hesitated as she threw her head up and began to laugh.
“Kitty?” Sabbith stuttered, glancing at Takado and Spikes.
Takado took another step forward, gently grabbing her forearm.
“Katherine?”
Her eyes suddenly widened, smile vanished as she glanced down at the heart in her hands.
“I… I…” Kitty shuddered before she dropped the heart and began screaming.
“Takado we need to get her out of here. Now.” Spikes shook her brother’s arm to get his attention.
He closed his eyes and nodded, forcing himself to turn away from Kitty.
“Get her out of here, Carissa. Sabbith-”
“Wipe any witnesses memories. I’m already on it.” Sabbith nodded, leaving to chase after some people she’d seen fleeing the scene.
Takado watched his sister lift Kitty and carry her to the car before turning around to dispose of Ashlee’s body.
“What the hell are you doing?” Takado snarled at the sight of a man kneeling over Ashlee’s body.
The man looked up at Takado with wide eyes.
“You aren’t meant to be alive.”
The man stood from and made his way towards Takado. Takado’s eyes widened, taking a step back from him.
“How would you know that?”
“I was there when you died. I was the one who took your soul.” He stated, stepping closer to Takado.
Takado swallowed, refusing to step back any further.
“What are you?”
“I’m a reaper. My name’s Warren.”
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