"What was that about?" STILES asks Karson as she approaches the Jeep.
"Nothing. Just Derek being worried." She voices, shrugging her shoulders.
"Derek? Worried about someone other than himself? That's a first." Stiles sarcastically mutters, grabbing the mountain ash out of the trunk. The boy gestures in Scott's direction. "Here, help me with this."
"I can't. Remember, Deaton said you guys have to do it alone..." Scott responds. Karson pushes Scott out of the way to assist Stiles with the heavy bag of mountain ash.
"Okay, this plan is really starting to suck." Stiles says, causing a chuckle to escape Karson's mouth.
"No." Scott says, his body going stiff as he furrows his eyebrows. Karson follows his gaze to the entrance of the warehouse, confused. She glances at the werewolf just before he bolts for the warehouse. "Not here. Not now!"
"Wha-Scott!" Stiles and Karson mutter in unison.
"This plan officially sucks." Stiles yells, throwing the bag to the ground in frustration.
"Could be worse." Karson says.
"How?"
"I'll get back to you on that." Karson replies, before handing Stiles the bag he tossed to the ground. "C'mon. We got work to do."
Twenty minutes later, give or take, the two have sprinkled mountain ash along the perimeter of the warehouse. The black crystallized material was smooth in Karson's hands as she placed it on the ground. Deaton said that it was quite powerful against any supernatural creature, but Karson was a tad bit skeptical. He explained that Stiles and she must believe in the powers the mountain ash possesses in order for it to work.
"So what is this fairy dust supposed to do exactly?" Karson asks hands wrapped tightly in her jacket pockets, following closely behind Stiles as he continues to spread it on the ground.
"According to Deaton, it is a natural repellent against the supernatural. Whatever that means." Stiles answers.
Karson's eyes widen as the bag no longer sprinkles out the ash. Stiles grasps the tied end of the bag to pour whatever remnants out onto his hand. Despite getting more out of the bag, it is visibly not enough to complete the barrier. "Call Scott."
Stiles clumsily grips his phone that was lodged in the back pocket of his jeans. "Scott, pick up! Pick up now! Look, I got, like, fifty feet of ash left, and I'm out! Okay? So, you got to get your wolf-ass down here to help us, because I don't know what to do, and we're just standing out here, and we're hearing gunfire and werewolves, and we're and we're standing here like frickin' idiots with a handful of magic fairy dust, and we don't have enough, okay?"
Karson checks their surroundings as more gunshots echo around them while Stiles tosses his phone back into his pocket. A heavy sigh escapes Stiles' mouth in frustration.
"Okay, come on...uh...Deaton said we need to believe, right? We need to believe. So just believe, Stiles." Karson says, grabbing some of the remaining dust from his palm. "We can do this. Let's just uh picture it. Just imagine it working, okay?
The two teenagers face the remaining ground that needs to be covered, closing their eyes. They begin to walk slowly while releasing the mountain ash from their hands to hit the ground in spurts. Although Karson is reluctant to understand the powers of the ash, her mind whirls back to the moment Issac showed her his newfound abilities. If you can believe that, believe this.
When her hand emptied the rest of the mountain ash, her eyes slowly fluttered open. The barrier was complete. Karson whipped her head around to check for any open spots and to see if she was imagining things, but Stiles chuckled in victory as he hugged her, shouting a loud, "yes" in response. She laughs as he jumps up and down, twirling them in a circle.
A buzz on her phone causes Karson to detach herself from Stiles and notice her brother's name flash across her screen in the form of a text message. We got Jackson, meet us inside. Erica and I have him in a back room.
The swarm of sweaty bodies rubs up against Karson as Stiles and she enters the warehouse. Her eardrums hurt from the blaring music and the smell of alcohol engulfs her nostrils. A lot of people have familiar faces, presumably belonging to many students at Beacon Hills High School who Karson has passed by numerous times in the halls. Her eyes rake around the room in an attempt to find any sign of a back room that could be occupied by Erica, Issac, and an unconscious Jackson. Karson's view lands on Allison who is standing beside Matt near the dance floor.
Scott explained that Allison was planning on going on a date with him to avoid suspicion from her parents. Apparently, they still believe that Scott and Allison are together. They aren't wrong, Karson thought. As the Argent girl makes eye contact with Karson, she offers a head nod at her with her lips pressed together in a straight line.
A tug of Karson's arm pulls her away from returning a light gesture Allison's way. Stiles leads the two of them into the pit of many intoxicated and smelly teenagers towards the back corner of the room. A metal door is shown against the slack metal walls of the warehouse, which Stiles begins pushing open with all of his body weight due to its old, rusted structure.
As Stiles throws the door open, Erica stalks over ready to pounce on the intruder which causes Stiles to toss his arms up in defense. "Uh, no, no, no! Just us, it's just us. Don't freak."
Karson turns her head to stare at the slumped figure passed out in a chair. Shallow breathing escapes Jackson's slightly opened mouth and his head is craned against his shoulder, in a position that Karson would hate to wake up in. "He okay?"
"Well, let's find out..." Issac suggests, before approaching the unconscious boy. Claws retracted out of his fingers, Karson watches as her brother tries to slash her chest open but fails. Jackson, still unconscious, grips tight to Issac's wrist before he can make contact with his chest. Issac squirms in discomfort as Jackson twists his arm in a painful and uncomfortable position.
"God!" Issac groans, ripping his arm from Jackson's grasp and clutching his wrist in pain. Karson grabs his shoulders to try and soothe him, but her brother continues to wince and hunch over in obvious discomfort.
"Okay, no one does anything like that again, okay?" Stiles says, pointing to the ground in front of them. Erica hasn't stopped staring at Jackson, who is beginning to move around in the chair but nods her head in agreement at Stiles' remark.
"Oh, I thought the ketamine was supposed to put him out..." Issac groans, looking at Stiles for an explanation.
"Yeah, well, apparently, this is all we're going to get. So, let's just hope that whoever's controlling him just decided to show up tonight." Stiles replies, throwing his supinated hand up in the air at Jackson.
"I'm here. I'm right here with you." Karson's eyes widen as she listens to Jackson, apparently awaking. His eyes are narrowed with menace and his neck is stuck in the same uncomfortable position to show that he is possessed.
Stiles flashes Karson a concerned look, who has the same expression plastered on her face as well. The girl swallows the nerves down her throat and begins to approach the possessed Jackson. Stiles joins her while Erica and Issac hang back in obvious uncertainty. He crouches down in front of the boy, while Karson leans over Stiles, who is first to speak. "Jackson, is that you?"
A distorted voice from deep inside Jackson makes Karson's heart hammer in her chest. "Us. We're all here."
"Are you the one killing people?" She asks, sweat trickling down the back of her neck in fear.
"We are the ones killing murderers." Jackson replies.
"So, all the people you've killed so far--" Stiles says, eyes huge in dismay at the boy in front of him.
"Deserved it."
"See, we got a little rule book that says you only go after murderers..." Stiles explains, bouncing his hands up and down, palms facing up, in his crouched position.
"Anything can break if enough pressure's applied."
"All right. So, the people you're killing are all murderers, then?" Karson asks, standing back up to rest her hands on her hips in anticipation for Jackson's response.
"All. Each. Every one."
"Well..." Karson shrugs her shoulders. "Who did they murder?"
"Me."
"Wait, what? What do you mean?" Stiles asks, his body stiffening in reflex with his eyes narrowed in curiosity.
"They murdered me." Jackson says, his line of sight visibly distant and not focused on any particular thing. His body begins the shake and Erica along with Issac stands up and begin walking backward out of fear.
Karson removes her gaze from the two werewolves to watch Jackson's head center, with his eyes glowing green with a hint of red. "They murdered me."
Stiles grips Karson's bicep to pull her back from Jackson, pushing her protectively behind him as they both move toward the wall in their rear. Issac grabs her shoulder to prevent her from moving any closer and Erica is glued to her standing position, eyes wide as she continues to stare at Jackson.
Green scales appear on Jackson's right arm with sharp clear talons escaping from underneath his fingernails. Jackson slowly moves his forearm to rest on his thigh as Stiles taps Issac repeatedly and throws his hands up in exasperation. "Okay. All right, more ketamine. The man needs ketamine. Come on!"
"We don't have anymore." Karson glances at her brother who is holding the empty vial of ketamine between his fingertips.
"You used the whole bottle?" Stiles squeezes his eyes shut and rapidly opens them in frustration, whipping his hand around to glare at Issac.
Erica gasps and taps Karson and Stiles each on their backs in a panic. The three teenagers travel in Erica's line of sight at Jackson, who is still under the control of his unknown master. He slowly rises from his seated position, eyes still glowing and talons retracted. One side of his body appears normal and human, while the other side is covered in green scales. Jackson growls loudly at the four of them, dark sharp teeth protruding from his mouth and he begins convulsing.
"Um, okay, out! Everybody out!" Stiles shouts, pushing the others towards the closed door.
Issac shoves Karson by the waist to follow Stiles and Erica out of the room. " Go, go, go, go!"
Once they are all out of the room, Issac slams the door shut while leaning against it. Erica, Karson, and Stiles all crowd against one another to help Issac in hopes of preventing Jackson from busting through the door.
Stiles wraps his arms around the three with his back facing Karson's face. "Okay, find something to move in front of the door..."
However, they jolt in their current positions as a lizard-sized hole appears in the wall next to the door they are leaning against, sending a string of terror down Karson's spine. Oh no.
******************************
Karson pushes past the many bodies of teenagers as Stiles and her exit the warehouse. Her heart is racing from the fact that Jackson is now loose and seemingly very pissed off. Karson's brother and Erica were right behind them but it is possible they got delayed by the crowds of people near the warehouse exit. The mountain ash barrier was still present, surrounding the building and a twinge of pride flooded Karson's stomach at its sturdiness. Karson follows Stiles down the outdoor steps that sit in front of the warehouse entrance. His blue Jeep becomes visible. as the two teenagers walk over the ash barrier, frantically checking their surroundings in case they see Jackson.
Karson feels a presence approach her back and she turns around to see Derek. Despite the sigh of relief that Karson lets out, the frown on Derek's face stirs uneasiness inside of her.
"Hey, um, so, we kind of lost Jackson inside, but it's--" Stiles points towards the warehouse as Derek glares at him in disapproval but Karson follows Derek's gaze as he whips his head to face the warehouse entrance. Issac and Erica exit the main door and proceed near the ash barrier. Karson watches as her brother crouches down over the cement platform to gawk at the mountain ash, while Erica stays rooted in her upright position to look as well. It is obvious that they feel something, like an encasement around them.
"Oh, my God! It's working! Oh, this is--" Stiles' mouth gapes open in pride with his hands gesturing towards the strong barrier of ash. "I did something!"
Although Stiles appears happy, it is Derek's face that lulls him out of his proud moment. The alpha appears distressed as if he senses something is terribly wrong. That thought brings Karson's mind to question: where the hell is Scott? The last time she'd seen him was when he abruptly ran into the warehouse leaving Stiles and her high and dry to create the barrier. Worry etches onto her face to match the expression on Derek's face.
"Scott?" Derek whispers, causing Karson's premonition to reign true. That Scott could be in danger since they haven't heard from him in a while.
"What?" Stiles asks, alarm appearing in his tone along with widened eyes.
"Break it." Derek demands.
"What? No way!" Stiles snaps, craning his neck to stare at Derek.
"Scott's dying!" Derek shouts, raising his palm to gesture to the warehouse.
"Okay, what? How do you know that?" Stiles says, raising his arms in front of him in confusion.
"Oh, my God, Stiles, I just know! Break it!" Derek motions with his hand for Stiles to snap the barrier in half, which the young boy does after a reluctant pause.
*************************
"You did what?!?" Karson shouts over the phone at Allison.
"I know, I'm sorry. I had no choice, Karson." Allison says, regret evident in her voice. Karson found out that Allison told her father and Gerard about Jackson being the Kamina. "I h-had to tell them..people are dying."
"You do realize they are gonna kill him if they catch him, right?" Karson says. "How could you do this?"
"My father has a funny way of instilling fear into my family. He got his point across to me by dragging me to the morgue at the hospital. I felt guilty that I knew Jackson was, is, still freely committing these murders."
"Nobody said the victims were innocent..." Karson says, thinking back to what the possessed Jackson confessed. The victims murdered him. What does that even mean? Karson thought.
"What does that mean?" Allison asks.
"Nothing. I'll explain the next time I see you. Was this information relayed to Scott?"
"Yeah and it led to a fight." Allison's sigh through the phone was loud in Karson's ear. "He's pissed at me."
"Understandable." Karson adds, irritation evident in her voice. "Don't let your family manipulate you, please. They don't mean Jackson any good. Only harm."
"I realize that now. I have a weird feeling that my grandfather is up to something, I just can't put my finger on what it is." Allison says.
"Speaking of weird...Matt? Really?" Karson asks.
"He kissed me. But, I pushed him away. My parents will kill Scott if they figure out we're still together. I had to do something to draw their attention away." Allison mutters. "It was a stupid plan, I know, but I have no idea what to do."
"Yeah well if it's any consolation, our plan sucked...horribly. Jackson is loose yet again." Karson leaves the part about Scott being in danger so Allison doesn't worry any more than she already is. She'll probably find out from Scott eventually. "Listen, I gotta go. But, I'll talk to you soon. Be careful."
WARNING: EXTREME MATURE CONTENT AHEAD
The vet clinic appears in Karson's sight as she pulls into a parking spot near the back of the building. Derek's engine purrs as Karson shifts the gear into park. Derek texted her that he was able to rescue Scott from an apparent attack that was supposed to kill him. The alpha brought him to Deaton to help relieve Scott of the wolfsbane still in his system from inhalation. After dropping off Issac and Erica at the railway depot, Karson texted Derek that she would come to get him at Deaton's. The inside of the clinic was pitch black except for a sliver of light that escaped one of the small windows that sat on the building.
Karson shuts the car off before exiting and closing the vehicle door. The air was chilly and Karson stuffed her cold fingers into the pockets of her jacket for warmth. Leaning her body against the driver's side door and crisscrossing her extended legs on the ground in front of her, Karson decided to wait outside for Derek.
Sure enough, a couple of minutes go by and the alpha drags himself out of the vet clinic, jacket in hand. There is no sign of Scott and Karson assumes he is still inside with Deaton. Derek appears distraught as he closes in on Karson.
"What the hell happened?" Karson asks.
"Nothing. Somebody attacked Scott, I saved him. That's it." Derek mutters, antsy to get inside the car.
"Is he okay?"
"He will be. Deaton is extracting the remaining wolfsbane out of his body. He'll recover quickly." Derek replies, throwing his jacket on due to the cold air.
"Good." Karson says, before staring Derek in the eyes, making him look at her. "Are you okay?"
"You worried about me?" Derek asks, cocking his head to the side in curiosity. "That'd be a first."
"Yes." Karson doesn't hesitate. She didn't feel like playing games tonight with him.
"I'm fine. Now, let's get inside before we both freeze to death." Derek moves towards the driver's side door which Karson is leaning against, hoping she would proceed to the passenger side. But, she doesn't budge. Not before she asks him a very specific question.
"Why did you kiss me?" That causes Derek to halt his movements. Karson notices his chest rise and falls in heavy breaths as if he was nervous. She doesn't exactly blame him if he was though, because her stomach was doing flip-flops in suspense of his response.
"Why do you think I kissed you?"
"Honestly, Derek, I don't know." Karson shrugs her shoulders. "But, I need to know."
"You're lying." Derek says, stepping closer to her. "You know exactly why I kissed you."
"Enlighten me."
Derek leans in near her so that their chests were basically touching. Karson knew that he could hear and feel her heart hammering in her chest at the proximity between them.
"Because I want you. And you want me just as badly." Derek says, causing heat to pool in between Karson's thighs. Her knees felt weak from the tension engulfing them and she didn't even realize that she was holding her breath.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, she shakes her head in amusement to try and cover up how right Derek was. She turned to head towards the passenger side but Derek stops her. Grabbing her arms and pinning her against the driver's side door, his eyes flicker from hers to her lips. "Stop fighting it, Karson."
Derek leaned his back against hers, placing one of his knees in between her thighs. He smiled at shuttering of Karson's body as he gripped her waist tightly. "Give in, baby."
And that was the last straw. Karson groaned and grabbed the back of his neck to smash their lips together. There was nothing gentle about the kiss...it was desperate and passionate. Derek slipped his tongue into her mouth and fought with hers, ultimately winning the duel of dominance. A streak of pleasure courses down Karson's spine and goes all the way to her toes. Derek squeezes Karson's ass and motions for her to wrap her legs around his waist, which she obliges. He walks her over to the hood of the car, placing down on it as he kisses down her neck and along her collarbone.
Karson was starting to sweat profusely from their bodies touching and she needed to get rid of the clothes on her. With Derek's assistance, she moves to take off her jacket and throws it to the ground before kissing him again. They got involved in a heavy make-out session on the hood of Derek's car for a while before Derek pushed her into the back seat of the car to avoid the cold. Karson's back was rubbing against the leather seats of the vehicle as she lays with Derek hovering over her.
"Karson..." Derek moans, kissing his way down her bare stomach. Clothes were mostly discarded from their bodies. The muscles that were present on Derek's body made me look ten times hotter than he already was. The world seemed to fade around them. Karson couldn't help but notice Derek's bulge in his pants as he attacked her mouth again. The need for him overwhelmed her and Karson grabbed ahold of his belt that secured his jeans to his hips. However, before Karson could undo his belt, Derek pulled away from kissing her and latched his hands on top of hers.
"Easy there, tiger. I've got other plans." Derek points to her pants. "Can I take these off?"
Karson nods, lifting her hips up in the air so Derek can yank her pants down her legs, tossing them aside. He leans down to kiss her stomach again, gripping her hips tightly and earning a moan from Karson. When Derek laces his fingers around her underwear, Karson's breath hitches in her throat.
"Do you trust me?" Derek asks her, staring up at her. She nods.
"Are you sure?" Karson smiles at Derek's thoughtfulness before gripping his chin in her palm.
"Yes."
That's all the permission he needs to pull her underwear down to her ankles and lick his lips at the sight in front of him. Karson becomes self-conscious and shifts to the seat below her. Derek notices and moves to kiss her lips again. "Beautiful."
He kisses his way down her neck and torso before reaching her heat. He stares in awe at her bareness, smiling, and then connects his lips to her opening. Karson's hips buck up in the air like a reflex and Derek pushes down on her thighs to hold her in place. Karson rakes her fingers through his dark hair as he continues to lick, suck, and bite as a knot forms in her stomach. As if it couldn't get any better, Derek slides the pad of his thumb across her clit as he continues to suck.
Karson moans loudly, trying to not crush Derek's head with her inner thighs. She grips his hair tighter and is losing control more and more every second. "D-Derekk...don't stop."
"I don't plan to, baby." Derek smiles up at Karson before going back down on her. The knot in her core grows larger, like a gun about to go off. She's close to her undoing and Derek is aware. "That's it....let go."
Karson screams in release as the gun explodes inside her core. Her eyes glaze over at the orgasm that is overtaking her body. Her body shakes rapidly as she comes down from her high and she watches as Derek licks at her to clean her up, swallowing hard, and then kissing her hard. Karson sits up to straddle Derek, placing her hand on his chest to push him against the seat. "Nobody can know about this."
"Fooling around in secret? I like that idea...it's hot." Derek grins at her, gripping her ass in the palm of his hands and squeezing hard.
"I'm serious." Karson chuckles before smacking his bare chest. "Issac will kill you."
"I'm shaking in fear." Derek jokes, staring at her with so much desire that it warms Karson's heart. "You have no idea what you do to me."
"I think I have an inkling." Karson says, placing her hand on his bulge and grinding her crotch on his seductively.
Derek moans in response but quickly grabs her hand that is stroking him. Karson's face shows confusion as Derek runs his fingers through her hair, pushing the loose strands out of her face. "As much as I want to, and god I want to, I have too much respect for you to do that. I can wait."
"What if I don't want to wait?" Karson asks, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck, interlocking her fingers together.
"Tough." Derek grips the back of her head and kisses her before whispering against her lips. "We probably should get back before I kiss you to death. Or lose all of my self-control."
Karson laughs, throwing her clothes back on and following Derek out of the car to enter the front. As she secures her seatbelt the roar of the engine comes to life. Light music is playing through the speakers while heat engulfs Karson's body from the vents. As Derek pulls out of the clinic's parking lot to head to the railway, Karson feels his hand latch onto her thigh and squeeze it tightly, causing a smile to break out on her face for the remainder of the car ride.
***************************
After the two got back to the railway depot, Issac and the others were nowhere to be found. This wasn't out of the ordinary because sometimes Issac, Boyd, and Erica would escape to the woods to bask in the glow of their abilities. A yawn escaped Karson's mouth, making her cover her open jaw with a curled fist. She fell back onto the empty couch, resting her head on a soft pillow while holding another close to her chest. Derek joins her but keeps his distance, which is a good thing in case the others decide to barge through the door. Her heart flutters in response to their moment in Derek's car, a jolt of pleasure coursing through her body.
"Get some sleep, Kar. You need it." Derek says, lowering his hand onto her shin to softly rub it with his thumb. "A good night's rest will help."
"Yeah..that'd be nice." Karson replies. Sleep has not come easy for her ever since Issac turned and when she does finally fall asleep after what feels like forever, restlessness still takes over.
"Have you not been sleeping well?" Derek frowns.
"I've been on edge. Sleep is the last thing on my mind." Karson shrugs, hugging the pillow tighter to her body. "Especially now, since the full moon is near."
"Are you worried?" Derek asks, continuing to stroke her leg.
"Of course I am. I don't know how Issac is gonna react and how it will affect Jackson. It's like I'm walking the plank and at the edge, right before jumping off. That's how I'm feeling." Karson rubs her face with her hands in exhaustion.
"I know how you feel. When before I turned for the first time, I was full of fear. Worried about what I would do and that I wouldn't be able to get control of myself. I felt like a ticking bomb waiting to go off." Derek says, pulling Karson's legs in his direction. She didn't protest as he moved her onto his lap with her head resting against his chest and his arms snaked around her body to support her weight. "I promise you I will help him get through this. Issac is strong. You both are."
"Thank you." Karson smiled up at him, admiring his clear eyes. He has the incredible ability to calm her nerves, specifically when her brother is concerned, and she was grateful.
"Speaking of the full moon...." Derek remarks, causing a heavy sigh to escape his lips. "You can't be here when the three of them turn."
"What? Why not?" Karson furrows her eyebrows together in a mix of confusion and anger. "Issac is my brother, Derek. I'm not leaving his side."
"I can't risk anything happening to you. Newly turned werewolves are unpredictable, especially on the full moon." Derek explains, tightening his grip on Karson. "It doesn't matter that Issac says he would never harm you...when the animal side takes over, it is nearly impossible to resist. With time, he can learn how to gain control from me but he most likely will not be able to fight the murderous urges on his first moon."
Karson wanted to fight him on this but she couldn't when she knew he was right. Her mouth opened and closed quickly in defeat, causing a groan to form in her throat. With one hand, she cupped her temples with her fingers to try and release some tension, to no avail. Derek grabs her hand on her face to intertwine their fingers together.
"Everything will be alright. I will take care of them. You have my word." Derek says, squeezing her hand tighter. Karson breathed heavily at his remark, before offering a light smile his way. She gripped his cheek in her fingertips and connected their lips. Karson didn't even care if the others walked in on them because right now, she felt safer than she has ever felt in her entire life. As she pulled away from the kiss, Derek gestured for her to rest her head on his chest again as he secured his arms around her for the second time. Slowly but surely, sleep enveloped her and it was the first time in a while that Karson slept well.