Karizma: Reborn

Chapter 3: Ryleigh

Panic. Terror. Disorientation. Ryleigh's blood was fueled by her confusion at her resurrection. Why did her scent vanish? What did it mean about her Karizma blood? Was she even still a Karizma? She could tell that Kristopher was puzzled by her sudden outburst, but he would not understand. No one would understand, Ryleigh thought. No one except Bailey. The sisters had spent their entire lives embracing their bloodline, their magic, making it all that they were. Ryleigh and Bailey did not exist past their relationship with each other and their bloodline, and, in one swift motion, it seemed like Ryleigh had lost all of it. Her magic was gone, her Karizma blood appeared nonexistent, and her own resurrection had harmed her sister. It was too much. Ryleigh heard Kristopher behind her as she swung open the door of the adjoining house and entered.

Bailey was limp, entranced in a deep sleep that rendered the world around her null. Her brown hair was disheveled, and her breathing was heavy. Ryleigh watched Bailey's chest rise and fall with each breath, as if reassuring herself that Bailey had not died trying to bring Ryleigh back. Ryleigh took a step forward and felt Kristopher's hand grip her arm softly. Ryleigh growled lightly and turned to face him. His eyes hardened as he looked at her. "She needs to rest, pet. Allow her that. You can ask her your questions when she awakens."

"I don't need her awake to have my questions answered, Kristopher," Ryleigh said. "But I also need to make sure that she is okay."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember the promising date that I had at the club? The one that you beat senseless, and I had to wipe his memory?"

"Not an easy one to forget," Kristopher grumbled.

"I can enter Bailey's mind like I did his, but not to alter memories. To communicate with her subconscious. I will not wake her up physically, just communicate with her mind that is awake within." Ryleigh turned and looked at Bailey. "My magic feels her magic, but it's weak, Kristopher. She wasn't ready for this. She shouldn't have brought me back." Ryleigh turned to face Kristopher again. "I need answers, and I need to make sure that she is okay. Maybe my magic can help aid in her recovery as well."

"Pet, you've been awake for ten minutes. You need to finish your own recovery," Kristopher said softly.

"Knowing that she will be okay will help me recover," Ryleigh smiled bitterly. "I can't..." she sighed. "I can't just go back to sleep, knowing what she did for me, and not knowing what I am anymore. You can't expect that of me. So, it's either I talk to her, or I start breaking shit." Ryleigh could feel her wolf scratch beneath her skin at the suggestion of destruction, and it made her smile stretch slightly. It would be so invigorating to punch holes in buildings, possibly break some faces. We are going to be fun together, Ryleigh thought to her wolf. But now is not the time. We need to go about this with the most peace and restraint as possible. Ryleigh was a brand-new wolf in a pack of wolves; she knew that if she allowed herself and her wolf to actually begin to fight and find an outlet, she would face the wrath of much more seasoned lycans than herself. Her magic carried seniority, but she never wanted to use her magic against a lycan. The Alpha himself chose to bring her back to attempt to revive the alliance between his kind and hers; attacking his pack with her magic was a piss poor show of gratitude.

"What do you need me to do?" Kristopher asked finally.

"Like with my date, I cannot be interrupted," Ryleigh said immediately. "I will not be altering memories, but I will be interacting with her subconscious. It is hidden deeper in the mind, behind all of the memories and discomfort that her body is currently feeling. One wrong move, and I could snip a memory of hers completely or intensify the discomfort and pain of her body. Her magic is weak and scared right now; if I begin to feel like a threat to her, my relationship to her will be useless, and she will retaliate."