Chapter 5
Tamsin was standing to attention in the vast hall of the small mansion on the Dark territory of the downtown that Bo had chosen as her headquarters. If anyone with a mind-reading ability asked the succubus why, she would probably murmur something about the inconspicuous look and convenient location of the residence while thinking that its general macabre quality and uncomfortable drafty rooms were just what her body and soul craved and well deserved.
Dressed in black from top to toe, with nothing but eye-liner for make-up, adorned with a couple of knife handles protruding from various pieces of her leather outfit, Bo looked to the whole world like a no-nonsense leader of the Dark. In Tamsin's discerning eyes she was a haggard and care-ridden woman with a huge and not quite welcome burden on her shoulders and on her conscience.
"You called, my lady," the valkyrie executed a half-bow that she hoped would seem ironic enough to be in keeping with her snarky personality.
"I need your help, Tammy," Bo bypassed the preliminaries, pacing to and fro in front of the other woman, "I got wind of this ancient scroll that can help gain entry to the nether world and I had Vex track it down for me. But as you know the underdressed walking disaster just can't keep out of trouble and fly under the radar. He got into a run-in with the Light fae in possession of the scroll and I got a roasting from Trick."
"You gave Vex the money to buy the scroll off the owner and the Brit opted for killing the owner and pocketing the money," Tamsin summed up drily, "Wise of him, stupid of you and understandable of the Light fae to fight for his life."
"That is why I want you on this mission with me, to get the scroll, to use it to open up a way to the realm our girl might be in," Bo went on, too taken with her sole focus to take offence at the minor digs, "I need someone who loves Kenzi as much as I do, someone to go the distance with me, someone to cover my ass."
"Why don't you call Dyson?" the blonde asked, restraining herself from checking out said ass which was conveniently turned her way with Bo still pacing away her agitation.
"He's Light," came the curt reply.
"Since when do you care about this?" Tamsin snorted and found herself looking straight into the fired-up brown eyes.
"Since I am shouldering the responsibility for half of my people," Bo enunciated through gritted teeth, "Since I found out how infinitely more difficult it is to kick against the imperfections of the establishment when you're actually in a position of power."
Her black-rimmed eyes were boring deeper into the valkyrie's features as she kept talking, her voice gaining a little playfulness. "On reflection, seeing as you two seem inseparable these days, the wolf can tag along. Call him, Tamsin," the succubus offered, her tone light but her expression unreadable.
"No need," the blonde responded swiftly, "Why would two nice girls need a grumbly wolf?"
Bo suddenly broke into a sincere smile as she put a hand on the other's shoulder, "I am glad to hear that. It's you I want, Tammy."
The valkyrie could feel her own face burning and she knew a rare, and thus treacherous, blush was coloring her usually pale skin, and she knew that the succubus picked up on it for Bo's smile lost much of it warm friendly sincerity and gained the sultry seductiveness that was undeniably her nature.
"And where is Lauren?" Tamsin asked hoarsely, in a hurried attempt to cover her heated reaction to her leader's words.
"Lauren is busy at the lab, researching Evony's peculiar condition," Bo dropped the smile, but her lower teeth immediately caught her upper lip in an expression that, consciously or subconsciously, was far from innocent.
"Is that a sensible course of action to let the doctor work in that direction?" Tamsin questioned with a little concerned frown, "What if she can turn Evony fae again and the curly bitch makes a grab for the Dark throne?"
"As long as I have enough time to use the dark resources to get my sister back, I don't mind a nice cat-fight with Evony," Bo answered in a low voice, "I don't even mind losing it. I am not sure I'll be much chagrined to relinquish the power."
"Besides, to the best of my knowledge, Lauren is still a long way from reversing the effects of her 'humanizing' serum,' the succubus went on in a nonchalant tone, "But she is happy to be busy and away from me."
"She loves you," Tamsin objected coldly.
"She loves me, Dyson loves me – that seems to be the going axiom. And yet both of them are keeping their distance and nursing their broken hearts as far away from me as they can," the brunette's dispassionate voice didn't waver, "Love is only all-triumphant if it can triumph over pain and ruination. And now that we are all damaged and in pain, it's you who is by my side."
At the look of hope and of the smile, slowly spreading on Dyson's face, Kenzi threw her newly developed ghostly inhibitions to the wind and, on an impulse, lunged in an attempt to hug him. While the rational part of her mind was buzzing with surprise, she felt her body make contact, if only for the merest of moments, and she basked in the sensation for the split second she was accorded. However, when he tried to hug her back, his long arms simply fell through her without connecting.
"Well, that's awkward," Kenzi mumbled, stepping back, and stared up at Dyson who looked more than a little shocked by their failed embrace. Quite understandably shocked, she had to tell herself, for who wouldn't be? It's not everyday that your friend turns into a ghost and comes back to tell you off over a dysfunctional relationship and a bottle of booze too many.
"So, what's the plan, Kenz? Where do we go from here?" Dyson asked after clearing his throat with an embarrassed look that quickly dissipated when Kenzi, immensely boosted by his use of 'we', beamed back at him.
"Do you know how to get you back in your body?" the wolf went on with his half-baked line of questioning. His mind was trying and failing for something pertinent to say, for a smart suggestion or a succinct expression of how he felt. Instead, Dyson was smiling a goofy smile that he couldn't help – he was ways too happy to see her and hear her voice to think beyond that at the moment.
"No idea, D-man, but first things first. What the hell are you doing to Tam-tam?!" Kenzi was starting to get hot under her intangible collar, "No, scratch that! I know what you did to her, I was practically an eye witness, I mean what little I saw of your interaction gave me a general idea…" Her righteous indignation fuelled by her sisterly-motherly feelings towards the valkyrie was significantly dampened by the blurted half-admission of her peeping tendencies.
Dyson cocked a brow with a quizzical half-amused expression, "How long had you been watching us before you spoke to me?"
"Not long and don't try to sidetrack me! I mean, what are your intentions regarding her?" she went on a bit calmer and resorting to her trademark faux flippancy, "I can tell you don't lurve her, wolfie. So what's the deal, dog breath?" She pointed an accusatory finger at his chest, following the gesture with a little shove which wasn't much of a shove as her hand went right through him this time.
"Damn it! Ghost powers at play! I can't even poke a guy!" she thought to herself with a touch of frustration but clamped down on a defeatist attitude, "Get it together, Kenzi, you'll learn to touch, you almost did when you hugged him."
"You're right, I don't love her, I've been using my ex-partner and I've been generally quite ungentlemanly towards her," Dyson started answering in the meantime, his stoop and downwards-trained eyes telling her he was not proud of himself on this one, "In my defense, I don't think she loves me either. And I'm sorry that I hurt her, Kenz, and I'm sorry you had to see that. It's just that we all have been so hurt and confused without you…" He stopped mid-sentence, as if it was self-explanatory, as if it went without saying that losing Kenzi was enough of a reason to unravel, which most probably was the case for him.
Catching Dyson with his guard down, allowed a glimpse into the depth of his pain, the little ghost felt badly for her wolf man, who seemed so contrite and miserable it broke her heart. "You're not quite yourself here, fluffy, but never fear the Kenz is here," she smiled and made as if to put a consoling hand on his chest but immediately jerked it back. Instead, she started pacing the room, her mind churning, while he was openly watching her, taking in her dark blue skinny jeans and black corset with fishnet over her top and – never one to miss them – her signature platform boots. He caught himself thinking that she looked so good, such a sight for his sore eyes.
Kenzi halted her pacing and, executing a sharp half-turn on her vertiginous heels, caught the general direction of Dyson's gaze. "Dude, are you checking me out?" she asked, her eyebrows rising with mixed curiosity and amusement.
"I am just trying to wrap my mind around having you back here," the wolf answered sheepishly and not completely truthfully and the girl slanted her eyes downwards at her own outfit. "Wow! When did I have the time to change my get-up?" she exclaimed with genuine surprise, "A subconscious call to the best part of my wardrobe? That's one ghost power I totally dig!"
"I wonder if I can conjure myself the latest D&G tunic?" she added dreamily and, shaking the mental image and the craving that went with it off, changed tack, "Ok, first off, no more moping in your dog-house, dude, you need to get it together. Bo and Trick need you and I need you if I'm ever going to get back into my body. I mean it's out there, god knows where. Omg! Somebody else could be using my body again! They could be hurting it or, worse still, wearing pink!" Kenzi looked a little woozy at the thought of that. "I may need to sit down, totally faintable idea! We have to find out what happened to my body and how I could be walking around without it and how come I am a frigging ghost now!" she suddenly realized she was channeling Bo at her most commanding and self-centered and went with it, "You need to mobilize the troops for operation 'get the hot Kenzi even hotter' and I do mean my body temperature here. Now, bin the bottle, D, and let's move out! Some fresh air would do you loads of good!"
And with that she motioned for him to get shoved out of the door.