LIGHTNING RIDER by Maree Anderson

CHAPTER FIVE

Karylon contemplated the human male who, for the past six years, had systematically destroyed her Host's self-esteem. What he'd done to Andie had been subtle but insidious. To Karylon, it bordered on mental abuse.

If Andie's essence—her soul—had departed as it should have, leaving Karylon in full possession of Andie's physical body, she would have dealt to Bradley Winters big-time. First, she would have verbally flayed him until he was a sniveling, groveling mess. Then she would have booted his flabby executive ass through the doorway, and gotten a... a.... What was that legal term? Oh yeah. A restraining order.

Given her intimate knowledge of humanity, it would have been child's play to excise this toxic influence from "Andie's" life, and justify "Andie's" supposed change of heart to her family and friends and colleagues. A pity that Karylon's priority had to be keeping on side with her Host in the hopes that this... this... arrangement, for want of a better word, continued to be a harmonious one.

Well, a somewhat harmonious one, given what she'd just done. And if Andie hadn't been so weakened by the accelerated healing process Karylon had forced on her, Karylon suspected that she would not be able to nudge Andie aside and take over right now.

Her Host didn't realize it yet, but she possessed an inner strength that would make it difficult for Karylon to possess her permanently. Not that Karylon had considered for a second trying to attempt something so intrinsically evil. But neither was she prepared to stand idly by and watch Bradley Winters undo all her hard work. She'd embrace lightning and let it take her before she'd let Andie live out her life under this man's toxic influence.

Sharing a Host's body had not been on Karylon's agenda when she'd opted for early ReBirthing. To Karylon's knowledge, sharing a Host's body with the Host had never been on any Lightning Rider Elemental's agenda. Ever. In fact, she now considered herself lucky she hadn't ended up trapped and helpless inside a comatose body until someone took pity on her Host and switched off life-support.

Something had gone seriously screwy in Elemental land. And until she figured out whether she was stuck in Andie's body, with Andie, for the term of Andie's natural life, she had to be careful not to completely alienate her Host. Hopefully Andie would forgive her for this.

Bradley fidgeted and inched away from her, as though sensing the balance of power had shifted.

Karylon made Andie's lips curve in a feral grin. She watched Bradley swallow once, twice, and shift uneasily. And she enjoyed his increasing discomfort—boy did she what. So much so, she indulged in a momentary fantasy of screaming her head off, and pretending he'd gotten physical with her while she lay helpless in her hospital bed. That'd do wonders for his reputation.

The nasty little smile playing on her lips widened into a wicked grin. And it gave her immense pleasure to watch his breath hitch and his face blanch as his hind-brain instinctively reacted to a threat he couldn't consciously perceive.

 "Is something the matter, Bradley?" she purred. "Not feeling quite the thing?"

Bradley blinked, again removed his glasses to polish them with his handkerchief, and shucked off his unease. He tried another tack. "Darling, let's not quarrel. Obviously you're not feeling yourself. You should rest."

"As I said before, Bradley, I'm perfectly fine." Although Karylon had responded exactly as Andie herself would have, she could sense her Host's disgust.

Andie's private thoughts drifted to Karylon's awareness. Has it always been like this between us? Did I always suppress my needs and wants for his, and let him treat me like this?

Karylon answered the whispered questions by flooding Andie's mind with specific memories. She refused to sugarcoat them, or dampen Andie's natural reaction to them. These were memories that Andie needed to see, because if she was to break free of this domineering man, she needed to understand how expertly she'd been manipulated.

But as one memory after another tumbled through Andie's mind, Karylon found she couldn't protect herself from Andie's despair at what she was being shown. And intimately sharing not only that despair, but Andie's growing horror at realizing she'd allowed herself to be a victim, about broke Karylon's heart.

Bottom line? Andie needed to forgive herself.

Any young woman might have been seduced by Bradley Winters' aura of wealth and power, she thought at Andie's consciousness. Don't let him win. You're not a victim unless you allow yourself to be one.

Yeah. Andie sounded unconvinced.

Karylon understood how she felt. But the truth of the matter was, the girl Andie had been hadn't stood a chance against the likes of Bradley Winters.

Andie had first met Bradley when she was eighteen. She had been starry-eyed, flattered when he sought her out and paid her compliments, encouraging her to talk about herself and her family. And when he'd elicited information about her brother's recent death, and smothered her with his particular brand of kindness and compassion—namely showering her with attention—she'd fallen completely under his spell.

Andie had believed she'd found true love with Bradley Jameson Winters III. So she had given him everything, never thinking to resist when he'd claimed first her body, and then her entire life.

While she stared Bradley down and watched him squirm, Karylon mourned that younger version of Andie. Back then, her fingernails had been jagged and chipped from scrambling up and down rock-faces, her legs toned by hiking and climbing and mountain-biking, rather than fancy health-club contraptions. Back then, her skin had been tanned from hours spent beneath the sun rather than tanning sprays, and she never bothered with cosmetics.

These days, Andie had become a virtual clone of all the other sleekly elegant women who moved in Bradley's circles. Heck, she even spent an inordinate amount of time and money straightening her hair because Bradley thought her natural curls were too wild and preferred a smooth, sleek style. Her life revolved around fancy parties and even fancier restaurants. Manicures and facials and trips to the hair stylist to relax her curls. Expensive clothes so that she looked the part. A "suitable" job with a salary that made her sisters gasp.

But Karylon knew that deep down, Andie couldn't summon any pride for her so-called accomplishments.

No matter how hard Andie worked, she couldn't get past the fact that Bradley's influence had secured her job. Bradley had organized her modest apartment, and filled it with ostentatious gifts that she felt obliged to display, despite them not being to her taste. Bradley's so-called friends were her friends. She'd been forced to choose them over her own friends so many times that one by one, they'd drifted away.

As one year rolled into two, then three, and Bradley talked about getting married but never followed through with a proposal, Andie began to believe he found her fundamentally lacking some essential quality—that she embarrassed him—and she resolved to try even harder to be the kind of woman who would make him proud. And each day, a little bit more of the vibrant young woman who had given up asking to be called Andie, withered under the relentless pressure of being "Andrea", a woman who continually struggled to meet all of Bradley's high expectations.

I did love him once. She heard Andie's faint whisper as she fought to be able to speak directly to Karylon. And I think he loved me—still loves me.

He doesn't know the meaning of the word. He just wants to possess you. That's not love. To prove her point, Karylon asked him straight out. "What do you see in me, Bradley?"

He blinked like a myopic owl. "Eh?"

She rolled Andie's eyes. "Let me put this simply, so even someone like you can understand. Why do you want me in your life? Why me, and not some rich, pampered society girl that Mommie Dearest picked out for you?"

His jaw worked but nothing came out of his mouth. The man who had an opinion about everything seemed at a loss for words.

Goodie.

Karylon made Andie smile at him again—an unpleasant, triumphant smile. "Yeah. Just as I thought. It's not love at all. It's the kind of fascination some people have for wild, untamable things. They set eyes on them once, and need to possess them—subdue them and break their spirits. Like you've tried to do with me."

Bradley brayed a laugh that struggled to sound convincing. "You're being ridiculous, darling. The only thing I knew when I laid eyes on you was that you were the woman for me."

Karylon didn't have to make much of an effort at all to have Andie snort. "Oh please," she said. "You'd have me believe it was love at first sight?"

She let him rabbit on about how after seeing her for the first time, he'd been instantly smitten—struck by what the French termed a coup de foudre—while she examined Andie's relationship with this... this... arrogant ass-wipe.

At first Andie had found Bradley's single-minded attention exciting. He couldn't get enough of her, always had to know where she was, insisted that they did everything together, advised her on every aspect of her life, from financial investments and reading material, to grooming and nutrition. Andie had desperately wanted to please Bradley, and she'd believed she had succeeded, and been proud of the fact that a man like Bradley wanted her. But after the "honeymoon" period was over, no matter what she did, how hard she tried, she never seemed to live up to his expectations.

Karylon hoped Andie now realized that she never would. She hoped Andie understood how skillfully Bradley manipulated her into falling into his arms and under his influence, just as he did everyone around him. He'd tamed her, made her over into a meek, mild little thing who lived for his approval. A fearful thing who, even when she could no longer bear the suffocation of his expectations, only snuck back to visit her family when he was out of town on business.

She could hear Andie muttering to herself, castigating herself for being such a wuss. But before Karylon could intervene to halt the flow of self-recrimination, Andie somehow mustered the strength to speak directly to her again. I appreciate what you've done for me, Karylon. But I need to handle this on my own. I know you could make him regret being born, but I need to do it my way. Please?

Karylon sighed. And here I was, spoiling for a fight. Or at the very least, a thorough bitch-slapping. You sure, Andie?

I'm sure.

I can help you, though—whisper advice in your ear. I've had loads of practice dealing with difficult men over the centuries.

Thanks. But I'll be fine. I can do this.

Very well. Karylon relinquished control and retreated.

Andie blinked. Suddenly being back in the, uh, driver's seat, was a bit disorienting.

"Are you all right, darling?" Bradley asked. "You seem... distracted. You're overwrought and you need your rest. I'll buzz the nurse and have her give you a sedative."

"I'm fine," Andie said. "In fact, I'm so fine I'm to be discharged pretty soon. Maybe even tomorrow." Provided none of the staff realized she was carrying on deep and meaningful conversations with an inner voice who claimed to be an alien. All going well, she would go home with her parents, and then she would figure out where to go from there.

"Excellent news, darling." He glanced at his watch. "Is that the time? I'm afraid I must be off in a little while. Duty calls."

Drat. She couldn't let him leave before she told him what she thought of him in no uncertain terms. Karylon would never let her live it down. "Before you go, I—"

"By the way, darling, who is Jake?"

Andie closed her mouth with a snap. At mention of Jake's name, her heart began to jump around like a mad thing in her chest. Bradley had a nasty habit of acting like an insanely jealous idiot whenever a man paid any attention at all to her. Please God he hadn't overheard her sisters' comments about Jake being a hottie.

I hope he did overhear, Karylon said. It would do Bradley's insufferably inflated ego no end of good to realize he's not the only eligible male on Earth—not that I think Bradley Jameson Winters III is the least bit eligible.

The absolute last thing Andie needed right now was the added complication of Bradley discovering that Jake had been visiting her in hospital. She liked Jake... a lot. He was sexy, fun, and kind—a real sweetheart. The kind of guy that Bradley would take immense joy in publicly humiliating and cutting to shreds with his razor-sharp superiority complex. And if Bradley believed for one second Andie had a thing for Jake, he'd make trouble for him—maybe get him fired.

God, if you're listening, please cut me a break and make sure these two never meet up!

And these two meeting up would be a bad thing, why, exactly? This Jake seems like he has some potential—not to mention a gorgeous bod. I believe I would give up a rather substantial chunk of energy to see Bradley duking it out with a real man over you.

Karylon, hush! I need to concentrate. This could get awkward.

So?

So, I told you I need to do this my way. I need to know I can handle Bradley on my own or I'll never be entirely free of him.

I suppose you're right. But if you feel a need to channel the nastiest bitch who ever walked your planet, just holler, okay?

Andie crinkled her nose with the effort it took not to burst into giggles at the thought of herself channeling the nastiest bitch on the planet. Bradley wouldn't know what had hit him.

When she'd composed herself, she tapped her forefinger on her lower lip and tried a puzzled frown on for size. "Um... Jake?"

"I heard your sisters mention him earlier."

Though his features remained bland and unemotional, she detected an unpleasant edge to his voice. That edge made Andie look him straight in his pale blue eyes and lie through her teeth. "You know, I'm not really sure who this Jake person is."

Coward!

Karylon's accusation resounded in her skull.

Later. I'll deal with this later—when I can stand up for myself. Like, literally, okay? I'm lying in a hospital bed after being in a coma for four days. Heck, I freakin' well died! And you— Ah, crap. Cut me some slack here, please?

"Really." Bradley searched her face, trying to detect a lie.

Andie thought hard and finally came up with, "I think one of the men on my bike tour was named Jake, but I honestly can't remember for sure. Maybe there are some gaps in my memory after all."

She managed an inane little giggle, even though she felt sick to the stomach about lying and sicker still that the lies were about Jake. "He can't be anyone important or I would have remembered him, wouldn't I? Why on earth would you be concerned about him anyway, Bradley?"

He smiled down at her and Andie slowly allowed herself to relax.

"Excellent. Then I believe this is the perfect time to discuss moving our relationship to the next level. Provided you're up to it, of course." He smiled at her again, and although he probably intended to convey fondness, his expression teetered on the edge of triumph.

Andie was left with the distinct impression he harbored no doubts that she'd be up to "it", and even if she wasn't, he would plow on regardless. Not only that, but she would be expected to be just thrilled to itty bitty pieces with "it".

Oh Lord, what next?

Uh oh. This cannot be good, Karylon said. Told you to let me handle this.

All right, all right. Let's just find out what he has to say before we let rip, shall we? I'm sure I'll be able to handle it—whatever it is. It'll be fine. You'll see.

I'm beginning to dislike that word with a passion, Karylon said.

What word?

Fine. I don't think it's going to be fine at all.

Andie levered herself up a little higher on the pillow, wishing she wasn't wearing a thin hospital gown and lying in a hospital bed. For this conversation, she needed to be fully clothed. And in a public setting. Preferably with her family as back-up in case she started to agree to anything that went against her best interests.

"Gee. And what do you consider to be the next level in our relationship, Bradley?"

Then Karylon was proven right. And it was like sitting in a car that was skidding out of control, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop events from playing out as fate decreed.

First, Bradley fished a ring from his jacket pocket.

It was an ostentatious monstrosity—showy and tasteless. And even squinting at it gave Andie a headache.

He didn't get down on one knee and ask her to marry him, either. Instead, he reached into his jacket pocket again, and waved a pre-marital contract beneath her nose. Doubtless it had been drawn up by one of his lawyer colleagues under Bradley's own eagle eye.

Nice. Nothing screamed "I love you" like a pre-marital contract.

The words "You have got to be freaking kidding me!" were on the tip of Andie's tongue, but he didn't give her a chance to speak.

He launched straight into the date he'd set for their wedding—six months hence. And the venue—his country club, which, "Mother agreed would be simply perfect for a society wedding". The country club was in Salt Lake, of course, not Andie's beloved Moab, where she'd always dreamed of being married, surrounded by her friends and family. And she was "not to worry" because everything was being taken care of, with nauseating attention to detail by the sounds of it, courtesy of the wedding planner hired at his mother's suggestion.

It wouldn't have surprised Andie by this stage to be told that "Mother" had already picked out a wedding dress for her, too.

Oh, and they'd be spending their honeymoon in Acapulco.

Acapulco? Sheesh. She'd always dreamed of touring Europe, staying in B&Bs and soaking up the local culture. He hadn't the faintest idea what she liked, what she dreamed of, what moved her. Or maybe he didn't care.

She suspected the latter.

He capped it all off by stating how many heirs to the Winters family fortune he expected her to produce. And—get this—when she should ideally begin said production. All of which left Andie so flabbergasted, that when she was eventually capable of speech she could only force out a strangled gargle.

It didn't help at all that when Karylon finally found her voice, she began shrieking violent suggestions for Bradley's imminent demise. Some of them even held major appeal but truthfully, all they really did was make Andie feel besieged by two people instead of one.

She stared at the ceiling and kept her mouth shut.

What could she possibly say, anyway? The voice in my head has convinced me you're a complete asshole, Bradley, and I don't love you anymore.... Yeah. Like that would work a treat.

Bradley had finally deigned to notice her extreme lack of enthusiasm. He retreated to the window, distancing himself from this alien creature who hadn't shed tears of gratitude and responded with a heartfelt,