Pleasantly Raising Cain

Lost Soul (Part 4)

The scream echoed through the house, and Tate rushed into the kitchen to see Sophie Pleasant and Karma battling each other. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and immediately knew it was Valkyrie.
The dark haired woman reached the bottom of the stairs, and her eyes widened when she saw her daughter fighting against Karma Snow. Then her brown eyes snapped towards Tate, and she growled.

"What the hell are you two doing?!" She yelled. Tate laughed. Valkyrie stopped in her tracks.

"Where's Skulduggery?"

"Helping your other pathetic daughter," Tate replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Enough chit chat," Tate snarled, teleporting behind Valkyrie and grabbing her in a headlock. Valkyrie managed to get a grip on him, and wriggled out of his hold. She flipped him over her hip, and Tate crashed against the floor. She went to help Sophie, but the Teleporter snagged her ankle and she fell forwards, rolling as she came up. Tate got to his feet, and teleported in front of her, grabbing her around the throat and launching her into the wall. Valkyrie dropped to the ground, and groaned. Tate dusted his hands as she tried to get up, but couldn't.

"How does it feel?" Tate chuckled, walking towards her. "To be beaten by your daughter's boyfriend?"

Valkyrie looked up, half of her hair falling in front of her face.

"Where's Bella?" She asked, and winced. Tate laughed.

"Probably dead by now."

Valkyrie coughed. "What?"

Tate narrowed his eyes. "If Skulduggery has gotten there, he's more than likely already too late."

"What did you do?"

Tate smirked, and he listened to the sounds of Karma fighting Sophie. He should probably wait until she was finished, but he couldn't help himself. He had to tell Valkyrie now.

"The cycle goes around doesn't it Valkyrie? It's never ending really. Serpine killed Pleasant, Pleasant killed Serpine."

"I'm confused..."

"You should be, you bumped your head pretty hard on the plaster. Anyway, Karma and I are brother and sister. Yeah I know you're surprised I can see it in your eyes. Also, Nefarian is our father."

"Serpine?" Valkyrie coughed again.

"Yes," Tate leaned down beside her. "And you are all going to pay for what you did to him."

"What... What did we do?" Valkyrie's coughing was getting more violent now.

"Skulduggery killed Serpine."

"That was over ten years ago."

"Why do you think Karma made friends with Bella? Why do you think I pretended to be her boyfriend? It was only to get close to you all, get you to trust us, then we would strike."

"You're a bunch of psychos."

Tate kicked Valkyrie in the stomach, and she cried out as the sound of her ribs breaking echoed. She curled up, and Tate grinned.

"It's a shame you have to die... I would've liked Skulduggery to see his wife and daughter get killed." Tate paused. "For a second time."

"You... Are a cruel... Bastard."

"I never claimed otherwise."

**********

Karma snarled when Sophie screamed. So much for a surprise attack and taking them both down quietly...

She lunged over the kitchen counter, and collided with Sophie, papers scattered and plates smashed to the ground. The two girls rolled to the floor, and Sophie came up on top. Fire flared in her palm, and she brought it down on Karma's face. The blonde girl grabbed her wrist and twisted, the bone snapping. Sophie cried out, the fire disappearing, and Karma used the moment to roll out from underneath her. She jumped to her feet and turned, just as a wave of air hit her, sending her smacking against the fridge.

She spun around, and Sophie could see how her eyes had turned red. She was angry...

"You'll pay for that!" Karma snarled, launching herself at the brown haired girl again. They tumbled and hit the edge of the counter. Sophie managed to grab a bunch of Karma's hair, and smacked her head against it twice. The blonde girl fell to the ground, blood falling in drops. and Sophie stepped away, looking out the doorway to see Valkyrie and Tate battling each other.

Karma moaned, and Sophie turned all her attention back to her. She was slowly getting to her feet, and Sophie saw the energy cracking in her palms. For a minute she was wondering why she was fighting Bella's best friend, but it was obvious that Karma had come here looking to kill her. Her heart started pounding in her chest. She hoped that Bella and the other girls were alright...

Sophie braced herself, and as Karma turned, energy came straight for her. She grabbed a plate that hadn't smashed, and used it as a shield. It blasted her backwards and deflected the energy. The stream veered off course, breaking the kitchen window and disappearing outside. Karma screamed in frustration and abandoned her magic, coming head on at Sophie. Sophie tried to dodge, but Karma was too fast, and she sent a kick into Sophie's ankles, taking the Elemental off her feet.

Suddenly, the sound of a car pulling up paused both fights. Tate watched with his eyes narrowed. It was quiet, and then the front door was thrown off its hinges, and the Dead Girls were standing there, hands on their hips. Missing two members, they attacked.