Chapter 13

Kenzi stepped back, she didn't know if Trick's magic was working, how did they get the door open?

"Trick, Trick it's not working." She said slowly.

"Just because they got the door open doesn't mean they can get past the barrier." He said. Kenzi grabbed Hale's gun off the bar and cocked it quickly. Trick looked at her inquisitively.

"Just in case." She smirked and aimed it toward the door.

"Kenzi my dear." Kenzi froze. Someone was calling her name. Whatever was at the door was calling her name. Trick looked up at her, his eyes full of worry.

"Come on Kenzi, I need to see your face darling." The voice sounded oddly familiar, Kenzi stepped forward and Trick grabbed her arm again.

"Kenzi…no." Trick warned.

"Kenzi." The voice was soft and so enticing, Kenzi felt drawn to it, she had to go. She jerked her arm away from Trick and she ran forward. Everything in her body screamed and begged her to stop, but her mind was pulled forward, she wasn't in control, she could feel it slipping out of her hands. She went through the door to the bar and ran toward the entrance, as she approached she could make out the fiery red hair and cat like green eyes. She slid to a halt and frowned.

"Duchess." Kenzi said softly. Kenzi realized quickly that she was still pointing the gun, but now it was pointed at Duchess' head. Duchess clicked her tongue softly.

"Put that away, there's no need for it. Come on, step outside and talk to me." Duchess stepped back as if she was giving Kenzi room to come out the door. Kenzi felt her arm start to move down, slowly putting the gun down. Her body tilted forward. Her inner self clawed at her skin, shouting at her to stop. Kenzi ground her teeth and forced her eyes to the ground, she shook her head, trying desperately to get Duchess' voice out of her head.

"Stop it." Kenzi said quietly.

"Stop what sweetie?" Duchess asked in that ridiculous melodic voice. Kenzi stepped back and jerked the gun back up into position, aiming it right at Duchess' head again.

"Stop using your powers on me. I don't know much about your kind but I know a bullet to the head works more often than not. So stop or I'll make you stop." Kenzi said. Duchess smiled and for the first time Kenzi noticed her teeth. She'd smiled plenty of times during their first encounter, but never with her mouth open. Now that she was fully smiling Kenzi was frightened by the sight. Her teeth were all small and came to points at the end, almost like a shark's teeth. Duchess chuckled.

"Do my teeth frighten you?" she asked.

"No." Kenzi said sternly.

"I haven't the time for games Kenzi." Duchess waved her hand.

"Get rid of this magic and allow me inside." She ordered in a stern voice. Kenzi felt a small tug at her will and she put her finger on the trigger.

"One more time. Mess with my head once more. I dare you." Kenzi said. Duchess sighed and nodded reluctantly.

"I've come to collect my favor, get rid of the barrier and let me collect it." she said.

"What do you want?" Kenzi asked. Duchess pointed a long finger with a blood red fingernail right at Kenzi's chest.

"I want what's in there." she said.

"An organ?" Kenzi asked appalled. Duchess erupted in laughter and shook her head quickly.

"No, no, not an organ, although she is wrapped up around your heart, like a vice, she's got an awfully tight grip on you."

"What?" Kenzi asked calmly.

"Did your wolf shifter friend not tell you what he saw? She's taken over your body twice now. All white eyes and alien like voice."

"Dyson told me he saw something" Kenzi said, frustration evident in her voice. He didn't give her a lot of details, details that she wished she knew right now.

"Do you recall passing out once right after you saved Dyson's life, the other when you had a vision of Trick in danger?" she asked. Kenzi nodded, that was all she could do.

"There's something inside your body Kenzi. More like someone actually. She's taking over your entire body at her own convenience. When in all truth, she's hiding. She's hiding from all the people she's wronged and when she comes out, she knows she has to face them."

"What's inside me, who is inside me?" Kenzi asked quickly. If this had been a few years ago Kenzi would be laughing in Duchess' face right now and calling her insane. But since she'd been in this world, she'd learned that anything was possible. Just a couple months back Inari had kidnapped her and replaced her, fooling nearly everyone, so she thought it was perfectly plausible that someone was inside her. What else could explain the weird visions she'd been having?

"Come and I will show you? I'll also retrieve her from your body."

"Is that all you want?" Kenzi asked.

"Yes. I just want her." Duchess said, showing off her shark like smile once again.

"Why? Why do you want her so bad?" Kenzi asked. Duchess chuckled and ran her tongue across her lips slowly.

"Like I said, she's done a lot of people wrong and she has a lot of enemies. One of those enemies is a very very powerful man. His name is Aros and years ago he stripped away the powers of someone very close to me. If I turn over your possessor to him, then that person's powers shall be returned. And I will also receive a handsome reward." She said.

"Whose powers got taken?" Kenzi asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"You've met her, Tatiana."

"Why do you care about returning Tatiana's powers?" Kenzi asked.

"She's my daughter." Duchess said. Kenzi paused, she could hardly believe that Duchess was Tatiana's mother, they both looked around the same age.

"I honestly would have never known she was inside you had you not come to me for help. When I stabbed you in the thigh I saw a brief flash of her in your eyes, and I knew then she was in there." she said. Kenzi stopped her rushing thoughts and actually took a second to think.

"Wait, if you just want to get her out of me, why can't you pass the barrier?" Kenzi asked.

"Because in order for Duchess to remove her, she has to kill you." Trick said from behind Kenzi. Kenzi had completely forgotten about Trick being there. Kenzi felt her heart hammer hard into her chest.

"Sadly, that is true. But, if a sacrifice is what it takes, then so be it." Duchess shrugged.

"What? You're not putting a single poorly manicured nail on me. These shoes and blood do not mix." Kenzi said as she pointed to her shoes.

"Kenzi." Duchess said sweetly. Her voice penetrated Kenzi's mind hard, and she felt it slam into her. Her arm instantly dropped, lowering the gun and she stepped forward. She felt Duchess' hard pull on her and she couldn't resist her, she was trapped. Suddenly a body blocked her vision and Duchess slammed to the ground.

"Get the hell away from her."