Pup: Kimber Benton and Eddie Blaze From: UTR-verse Writer: Mandy
Kimber traced circles on Eddie's bare chest with her fingertip. They were barely awake. The sun was setting, the last rays falling through the blinds, and the night was getting started. They'd both had long days, and were fortunate enough to get a nap after their day of public appearances and a recording session. They could finally afford to laze in bed for a while.
Through half-lidded, blurry eyes she looked at him. They'd been together for six months now. Tonight was their anniversary. They didn't have anything fancy planned, just a nice, quiet dinner and a night off from concerts and crime fighting. They were practically living together these days, anyway. Her fingertip brushed lightly over his collarbone.
They really were amazing together. In the recording studio, out on the streets in their capes, and in bed. She was so happy she had found him. Finally, a boyfriend that she could come home to at night. One that she felt completely satisfied with. One she could trust. She had told Eddie all of her secrets.
When she'd told him that she was Lynx, it felt like a huge weight was lifted off of her shoulders. When he had exchanged that trust with her and told her that he was Wrath, she thought that would be the end. She didn't approve of Wrath's methods, and didn't know how she could be with him. They had distanced themselves from each other for a time, but after Eddie was thrown through major trauma, she realized how much she loved him. She cared deeply for him, and the fear of him dying scared her badly. That was when he promised to her that he would change. He would be different. He wouldn't kill criminals anymore. Lynx and Wrath could work alongside each other.
They had been working together for nearly four months now, on and off the stage. Over the last month, they had performed an amazing tour, occasionally hopping a portkey to a different city so that Lynx and Wrath weren't spotted following Kimber Benton and Eddie Blaze's tour schedule. They way their music flowed together was more proof than any tabloid article that Kimber and Eddie were in love. It took a tremendous amount of trust to be able to perform that way. And the criminals, too, saw how in synch the two heroes were.
"Morning," she said finally when she saw his eyes open. "Or, evening." There was still a bit of a fog in her voice. His response to her was muffled. He was getting more and more grumbly when he woke up. Eddie had never been a morning person; he had always just sort of stumbled around blankly first thing after waking. These days he was getting more and more cranky. "I'll make coffee." She climbed out of bed, still nude from the couple's afternoon activities, and slipped into a silk robe.
Eddie watched as Kimber walked into the kitchen; only there was less and less of Eddie in him. Eddie had a demonic symbiote in him. He had welcomed the demon into him after his family was murdered, and it helped him exact vengeance on other criminals like the one who had destroyed his life. When he was Wrath, he could see into a person's soul and determine if they were guilty. For years, Wrath had taken over where the justice system had failed by getting repeat offenders off the streets by killing them. After Halloween, that changed. He had been holding back the symbiote, and unbeknownst to the both of them, doing so was taking a toll on Eddie. The demon was angry, and was growing stronger. Eddie was losing control, and he didn't even realize it. That was the beauty of the demon's method. Neither one of them realized what was happening until it was too late.
In the kitchen, Kimber turned on the coffee maker, and opened the fridge. She plucked a yogurt out of the refrigerator and closed the door. When she turned back to get a spoon, Wrath was standing in the doorway. Kimber jumped, but recovered quickly.
"Eddie, what are you doing?" she asked, inwardly chiding herself for being so nervous. "We're going out to dinner tonight, remember? Taking a night off from all that stuff." Something about him looked different. Since he had changed, Eddie's form didn't look completely demon. He was scary, of course, but it looked more like a costume. Now, the transformation was more complete than she had seen in a long time. She gave him a strange look, a strained smile on her face. "Baby, what--"
Her words cut off when his claws sliced into her abdomen, severing flesh and tearing muscle. The demon was angry, blaming Kimber for its exile into the back of Eddie's brain. He threw the girl across the room, gaining a deep pleasure from the crunch of broken bone he heard.
Kimber gave a strangled yelp, the sound of her voice seeming very distant. She could hardly believe what was happening. She struggled to stand, but felt her knees buckle beneath her. Then Wrath was in front of her and his tar-black hand was grasping her throat, holding her up against the wall.
Wrath knew Kimber, just as Eddie had. That trust she had afforded Eddie had been passed on to the demon. He knew her secrets. He knew her powers, and he knew her limits. He knew how far he could push her before she died. As much as he was enjoying hurting her, he couldn't kill her. Doing that might provide enough opportunity for Eddie to push Wrath back and gain control, and Wrath wasn't ready for that. Besides, the primary objective here was for Wrath to return things to normality. Eventually, Eddie would come around to agreeing once more to their original understanding. If Wrath killed Kimber, Eddie might not forgive the demon, and be unwilling to cooperate. Ideally, Kimber would never forgive Eddie, rejecting the boy if he even had the balls to attempt to request a reunion. Eddie would come to see, once again, that Wrath was all that he had in this world. Wrath was the only one Eddie could trust; the only one Eddie was allowed to trust.
Kimber was discarded in a heap on the ground, bleeding profusely as Wrath left through the window, into the night. She was bruised and cut and broken. She crawled across the floor, reaching for her phone. She had to get help.