“Up ahead. A man just passed me.”
“Oh no,” I moaned. Liane hated to be passed.
She stepped on the accelerator until she was even with the car that had passed her. “Watch this.” She rolled down her window and said something under her breath. The tire on the man’s vehicle popped, sending his car out of control. I looked back just in time to see the car hit a truck, spin around a few times, and finally crash into a guard rail.
I laughed. “That was horrible!”
That one potentially deadly prank set the tone for the remainder of the trip. Together, with William, we constantly tried to one-up each other in our viciousness toward others. At one point, we had the police chasing us through the streets, but a five-car pileup blocked the pursuit, thanks to William.
I no longer saw the faces of the victims we tortured. I reveled in the power I had over others and used it merely for my own entertainment.
When I returned home, Boaz was waiting for me in the bedroom. I immediately threw my arms around him. “You’re home early!”
“I can’t stay. I only returned to get a few more supplies.”
My eyes narrowed. “For my surprise?”
“For your surprise. Where have you been?”
“I went with Liane and William to the city. We had a killer time.”
“I’m glad, but I would feel better if I was with you. It’s still dangerous.” He sat on a sofa across from the bed.
“I don’t think anyone’s going to mess with me.” I removed my coat and walked over to him and fell into his lap. “When are you leaving again?”
“In a few hours. I’m very close to fulfilling your dream. Soon, love. We will be together and unstoppable.”
He tilted my chin and kissed me deeply. Gripping me tightly, he lifted my body and carried me to the bed. The air thickened and the electric current between us grew as it often did when we were so close. I stared into Boaz’s eyes; a dark mist swirled in great swells as our combined power gave him a natural high. He smiled, but not at me, and I knew it. He was smiling at the power.
***
Boaz was gone the next morning, leaving no note saying when he would return. It bothered me that he was away from me so much. Working on a surprise? Unlikely. I thought about it all morning before choosing to ignore the uncomfortable scratching at the back of my mind. Boaz would never turn against me. I was way more powerful than him.
I decided to go somewhere, too. To the city for a few days. Relax. I knew several supernaturals there I could party with, or I could likely get Liane to come again. And if by chance Boaz came home and I wasn’t there, then too bad. I wasn’t going to wait around. Besides, the dark power inside me was already festering again. I was afraid if I didn’t leave, I might hurt the mansion or those working inside it. Like Boaz, dark energy was incapable of holding still.
It was raining in New York; it dripped from the gray sky like a faucet that wouldn’t shut off, making the city smell like a wet dog. I left the Cardigan Hotel, my umbrella tight in my hand, and headed toward 5th Avenue. That was where I would find the most people. Complete strangers that meant absolutely nothing to me. I would use my magic against them, giving me the release I desperately needed. Already my insides were beginning to hurt. The dark power within me could only be satisfied by pain and suffering—whether mine or another’s, it didn’t care. I preferred it be another.
A cold wind swept up an abandoned newspaper. It swirled at my feet before it was carried away into the night. I pulled my coat tighter around me and mouthed the word “Caldor”. Invisible warmth blanketed my entire body.
I toured the city alone, walking from 5th Avenue to Central Park West. I’d never been alone like this, but I wasn’t worried. It was everyone else that should be worried. Too bad no one warned them of my arrival.
I destroyed and hurt whoever and whatever I could without causing too much attention. People tripped, glass shattered, dogs bit. All freak “accidents”. With every curse or incantation I uttered, dark magic left me, and I no longer felt like I was being stretched from the inside out.
As the hour grew late, I sat on a lone bench in Central Park to watch the full moon rise over the city. A few minutes later, a couple huddled together in quiet conversation walked by me. I was about to mentally shove the man into the woman, but something stopped me.
I rose from my seat and followed after them, frustrated by their obvious affection for each other. I was in love, too, but they looked different—they looked happy.
Why am I not happy?