CHAPTER SIX

Our room was luxurious. Cordelia wanted me to keep an eye on Kyle, so we ended up together. It was really to my advantage. I didn't trust Kyle by himself right now and I didn't trust anyone else to take care of him.

It also seemed that the Coven came with several other perks, including a weekly allowance. I was able to buy clothes for Kyle and I. The ones we had all were matted with blood and mud. Even with the washes, all the stains never came off.

The fir night, I dragged Kyle out of bed and headed to the dining room. The other Madison didn't seem too surprised to see us there, but that didn't hold true for all of them.

"Who the Hell are they? I thought Spalding was the only guy here and I'm not sure I can really even call him a man," came the sneer.

"Queenie, this is umm… Madison," Zoe introduced.

"Another one?" There was a very obvious distaste in her tone.

"You can call me Lily if it's easier," It old them. "It's my middle name."

"Right, Lily ."

"I'm Nan!" the last girl piped in with a wide, knowing smirk.

I nodded at her. "This is Kyle."

"Her brother," Zoe injected.

We tucked in and a quiet man with long, greying hair – Spalding – brought us our meals. Everything was so fancy here and the food made my mouth water. Just as I was about to dig in, I noticed from the corner of my eyes that Kyle was completely ignoring the utensils and began picking through his food with his fingers.

"Use this," I scolded as I wiped his hands and placed the fork in it.

He whined, holding the utensil as if it was going to bite him. "Madi!"

My heart leapt when he said that. It was reminiscent to how he was before when he didn't have his way. "Like this." I repositioned the fork and helped him with the first bite. When he began to get a hang of it, I noticed Nan snickering. She didn't even bother to be inconspicuous with her gaze.

"I know what you two are going to do later," she sang quietly to me.

"What?"

"I can read your mind," she simply replied.

My mind involuntarily conjured the image of our nightly activities. Biting my lips, I noticed that Nana seemed to be enjoying herself. I really didn't need to know this, but I also couldn't let her blab our secret to everyone. "If you keep it a secret, I'll let you keep… reading my mind." It wasn't as if I could really stop her and it seemed that she knew it, too.

"Okay." She shrugged, the grin never wavering on her face.

What a strange group of people…

The rest of the night went surprisingly well. Queenie was loud and rather crude and her voodoo powers were scary to say the last, but everyone seemed to work in its own weird ways.

It wasn't until I met their Supreme that things became just a little more precarious. She was an elegant woman with expensive tastes.

According to Nan, she was the "all powerful" Supreme. What that position really entailed, I wasn't sure. The way she looked down at me made me feel as if I was nothing but an ant about to be stomped by her thousand dollar heels.

"Mmmmadiiiii," Kyle whined after I had him change into his pyjamas. He was watching me with wide eyes. I knew he wanted something, but I wasn't sure what. It was like taking care of an infant… with wandering hands.

That was a disturbing thought that I would never think, again.

"Stop it, Kyle." I flushed. "It's time to sleep. You'll heal faster when you're resting." I pushed him down on to the bed with full intentions to force him to sleep, but when he pulled me down with him, I could feel the bulge poking my stomach. "We shouldn't…" I whimpered when he laid a sloppy, wet kiss at the corner of my lips. "Sleep."

I pushed his hands away when they tugged at my shorts. "If you're not going to listen, I'll have to tie your hands together."

He didn't seem to understand, but my stern tone made him pout and he obediently stilled.

My eyes softened. "Good night, Kyle. I love you."

The lights went out and I relaxed against him. The sound of his rhythmic heart beat made me sigh in contentment. It was going to be an uphill battle, but to have him back, I really had nothing to complain about.

The next morning, I found myself completely enveloped by Kyle. This must've been what Tate felt back then. "Kyle…? Wake up."

He didn't budge.

"Come on, I need to go to the washroom."

With a shake and a poke, he finally rolled over before proceeding to grab my pillow and hugged it against him when I sat up.

I smiled. It was something I had seen him do countless mornings before.

…

So, can I watch you guys, tonight?"

I stared at her in disbelief. "I said you can read my mind, not stare at us in our room. Besides, we're not doing that, right now. He's still healing."

"Yeah, but he wants to. You're just being difficult," she retorted.

"How do you know what he wants?" I didn't like someone who was practically a stranger think they know Kyle better than me.

She gave me a cryptic smile. "I'll tell you if you let me watch."

Crossing my arms, I shook my head. That was never going to happen. Our room was our safe haven. It was where the two of us were allowed our privacy. No one could hurt us there when we're together.

"Whatever." Nan shrugged. "I'll get my own action. The house next door is moving in and I think I saw the son. He is sooooooo hot."

"Who's hot?" Madison raised her eyes at the excited girl when she and Zoe walked in.

Nan narrowed her eyes. "No one."

It seemed like it was common knowledge that Madison was going to steal any boy that she could. "Let's go give them a proper greeting," she grinned. "It's going to be a good night, tonight."

Zoe seemed a little more hesitant to go as Madison dragged her out.

Nan rolled her eyes at me before grabbing a cake tray. "She may have the looks, but I know the way to a man's heart! I baked him a cake that he won't be able to resist!"

I looked at the two disappearing forms. "You guys go ahead. I – "

Nan hooked her arm around mine and skipped us out the door despite my protests. In her other hand was the glistening chocolate cake she had baked. It really did look delicious. She never struck me as a baker, but she seemed to be full of surprises.

The house next door was nearly as grand as the Coven's manor. With the door still opened for the movers, we strolled right in and was met with a startled look that transformed into a charming smile.

Nan was right. The neighbour boy was very good looking, but he was no Kyle.

"Hi, I'm Luke," he introduced himself. "I believe we're your new neighbours?"

Before Nan could say anything, Madison was practically pressed against him. "I'm Madison Montgomery, but you probably already know that," she purred.

Luke smiled politely at her, but the shifting eyes gave away how uncomfortable he was. Those hazel eyes soon settled on Nan and then, the cake.

He brushed off Madison who huffed with indignation and was in front of Nan. "Hi."

"Hello," Nan beamed. "I baked this cake for you."

"Looks delicious." He graciously took the cake as he continued to stare at her.

My eyebrows rose above my hairline. Interesting… I definitely liked him. Not only did he ignore Madison as if she was just another girl – which she was, despite her modelling and acting history, but he seemed genuinely interested in Nan.

"Who are you?" a stern voice suddenly interrupted us.

A middle aged woman had her arms crossed as she glared at us. "Who are you? Do you always make a habit of going into people's homes unannounced?"

"Mom, they're our new neighbours," Luke explained. "They were just here to bring us cake."

Her piercing eyes only momentarily glanced at the pastry before they were directed back on us. "Thank you, but I would appreciate it if you rung the doorbell first, next time. Now, please leave my house. I have a lot to do and I don't need four girls getting in my way."

Her tone of voice made me frown. There was something very familiar about her attitude. She reminded me of Alicia. Her controlling behaviour made me wonder if she also treated Luke the same way Alicia treated Kyle.

"Look, lady." Madison walked right up to her. "I don't care if you're his mother. Luke's a big boy. He doesn't need his mommy getting in the way of him getting a hot piece of ass."

He words only further triggered the mother's ire. "GET OUT!"

"Mother – "

"No, Luke. Go upstairs. These – "

Suddenly, the curtains around us burned high to the ceiling. For a moment, I saw him staring back at me through the flames, but I quickly shook the image away. That was impossible. Kyle was alive and in our room where he was safe.

"Let's go." I tugged Nan's hand, but she continued to gaze longingly at Luke who seemed to be doing the same.

"We have to get rid of the fire first," she argued as Madison Montgomery stomped away.

The mother was screaming in horror, while Luke could only stare in disbelief.

I sighed and flipped the water from the flower vases to douse the flames. "Come on."

I couldn't believe what Madison had just done out of such a petty argument. Was she really that desperate? Luke wasn't even interested in her. Perhaps that was the root of her anger – the humiliation of being upstaged by Nan.

When we arrived back at the house, Nan plopped on to the couch with a sigh. "If only I had a few more minutes. I'm sure I would've made Luke fall for me."

Her wistful expression made me smile. "Don't worry. I think he's already in love with your cake. I'm sure we'd be able to catch him alone, next time."

"Yeah!" she grinned back.

Despite her unconventional behaviour and tendencies, she became one of my closest friends. There was a passionate and optimistic girl beneath all the quirkiness.

"I want what you and Kyle have," she sighed. "It must be so nice."

I looked around to make sure no one was listening. "It didn't come instantly. I've known him most of my life."

"He's not your real brother, right?"

I nodded. "I was adopted by his father. Alicia never liked me, but I think it only pushed Kyle and I closer together. He defended me like a big brother would – at home and at school." I smiled at the memories. When did the relationship really change? Was there a particular time that just being siblings wasn't enough?

The first kiss had set everything into motion, but I knew it was long before then that I had started viewing him as more. A part of me must've loved him since the first day when he invited me to play with his favourite action figure. No one had ever been that kind to me.

"Muh – di?"

"Hey, Kyle." I kissed his forehead.

He had a frown on his face.

That was never good.

"What's wrong?"

There was a jumble of sounds, but nothing I could decipher. At my confused expressions, he dragged me to the big window and pointed at the neighbour's house. He kept pointing and stomping his feet, grunting in frustration.

"Muh –di! N-nuh ooo!" He jabbed his finger at the glass pane, angrily. "NO! No! No!

I tilted my head. These were the first words he had ever attempted to say properly other than my name. He was very determined to tell me not to go to their house. Was there a reason for that?

As Luke appeared at the window with only his trousers on, Kyle angrily pulled the curtains closed with a low growl.

It was then that I realised what he was trying to get at. My lips quirked up. So that was why he was upset. His jealousy was endearing, but unnecessary.

"Oh, Kyle." I tugged him away from the window. "You never have to worry about him or anyone else. You'll always be the one I love most."

He stared at me with wide eyes and pulled me into a clumsy kiss.

"Mm…" I happily hummed, snuggling against him.

…

"Madi?"

I sighed, rubbing my cheeks against the toned contours of his chest. "I love you, Kyle."

It had been such a long time since I've felt peace like this. So much had happened in such a short period of time, but I'm glad that through everything, I still had him.

"Madi?"

"We can go for ice cream at the park," I continued, smiling as I imagined the last time we had gone together. It was a wonderful day, even if it had poured and we were completely soaked by the time we got home. Even if Alicia had yelled at us all night because of how late we stayed out. Even if we had both gotten sick the next morning. At least I spent it all with him.

"Madi!"

My eyes snapped open. The trip around my waist tightened when I tried to turn to see who was calling out to me. The voice sounded familiar, but it couldn't be…

I looked at Kyle who was still sleeping peacefully. If he hadn't been the one, then who…? "Kyle?"

I couldn't hear it anymore.

"Go back to sleep, Madi," he mumbled, rolling us over so that he was nearly completely on top of me. As comforting as the familiar weight was, I couldn't help feeling that something was amiss.

"Wait, Kyle. I think something's…" What was I saying? What could possibly be wrong? I was just being silly.

"MADI!"

"Did you hear that?!" No, I couldn't ignore it anymore. My heart raced in my chest and I tried to push him away. There was someone else in the room. I could feel it. "Kyle, get off. I need to – "

"Go. Back. To. Sleep."

His eyes were opened, nw. Two glowing red orbs burned into me.

This wasn't Kyle. Someone else was wearing his skin.

"Get off me!" I screamed, trying desperately to push him off, but he was an unmoveable weight. "Get off! Kyle! Kyle, help!"

He chuckled. The rumble of his chest shook me to the core. "Mm…" He nuzzled my neck as if he was really him. "Don't be afraid, Madi. Haven't I told you time and time again that I would never hurt you?"

"Get off!" I continued to futilely push against him. No matter what he did or said, I knew for a fact that he wasn't my Kyle.

"Shh…" He stroked my hair.

"What did you do to him?! I – I heard his voice earlier... What did you do?!" I shouted, struggling against him. If Kyle was gone because of this demon…

"Calm down," he chastised as if I was but a young child. "He's still here. Your worries are unwarranted. He's only sleeping – healing. His mind is in fragments. It'll be a while before he'll be back to how he was before."

"I doubt you invading him is only making things worse," I snarled.

He smirked. "On the contrary, my presence is actually helping him. You'll just have to deal with me in the meantime. Before you know it, you'll have your precious Kyle back."

I sniffed. It didn't really make things better, but at least Kyle was safe and he'd be back to normal soon.

"While we wait…" His grin stretched across his face. "Let's have some fun."

It only took a snap of his fingers to remove all clothing from our bodies. I could feel the familiar fear creep up in my throat. "No!"

My wrists were raised above my head, trapped in his much larger hand.

"No, don't!" I cried as I felt his swollen head brush against my thigh. "Don't, please."

He ground his hip against mine one last time before collapsing against me with a sigh of resignation. "Damn you…"

I couldn't believe that he had actually listened. I was completely at his mercy. No one else was there to stop him.

"I really hate you, sometimes…" I heard before everything began to fade to black.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Sorry for the late update! I had everything written in my notebook and was going to type it, but I had such an off two weeks that I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Too bad I still needed to go to work and that was a huge source of my distress. I worked five days, had one day off and then another five days. You wouldn't believe how done I am, right now. I know there are a lot of people who work more than me, but I'm so mentally drained after what happened.

December also seems to be the month where all my friends have their birthdays, so I'm stuck doing what I love, but in a more panicked state of mind because I didn't have as much time to prepare it as I liked. All my Christmas cards will be done, soon, though and the presents wrapped, so that's always a good thing. I might've outstretched myself by making around thirty Christmas cards from scratch.

Anyway! Please, forgive me for posting this a week later than expected! It shouldn't happen again!

Thank you ThatOneGirlwiththeM, NameWithNoMeaning, guests (anonymouscsifan and DaisyChan).

ThatOneGirlwiththeM: Haha! Yes! Carnal knowledge! I never actually thought of your name in that way, but I completely understand what you mean with staying at the back and collecting knowledge.

NameWithNoMeaning: Yes! The other Madison problem will definitely be a much bigger problem in the future!

anonymouscsifan: Some of your questions will be answered in the next couple of chapters! In terms of the threesome thing… … …

DaisyChain: You'll just have to wait and see!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

I apologise again for the late update. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to put up the next chapter on time, but after this month is over, things should mellow back down. I really can't wait for that!

Does anyone else have this love/hate relationship with holidays like me?