Pretty When They Collide (15 page)

“
Okay. So you need some of my blood. Got a knife? That asshole took my weapons.”

“
I forgot one,” Aimee said warily. “And...” She averted her eyes nervously. “You have to drink my blood. First.”

Cassandra craned her head and tried to lower her head toward Aimee
’
s throat.

Rising to her toes, Aimee realized swiftly it wasn
’
t going to happen. The angle was all wrong due to Cassandra
’
s imprisonment. “My wrist I guess?”

“
How much blood do you need me to drink?” Cassandra
’
s eyes were a bright red, but somehow still beautiful.

“
Very little. A few drops. We just have to exchange blood,” Aimee answered nervously.

Her red lips parting into a grin, Cassandra gave her a jaunty look. “Okay, then let
’
s start with mine.” She dragged her tongue over her sharp fan
g
s slowly, slicing it. A
drop of blood instantly welled on its surface
. Sticking out her tongue, a droplet dangled tantalizingly from the tip.

Aimee quickly uns
topped the vial and held it up t
o catch three precious drops in it. As each one mixed with the
liquid
, the spell grew stronger, beginning to glow a soft lavender haze. The witch carefully replaced the top before shaking the vial, mixing the contents completely. The white glow made her laugh with delight. “It
’
s working
!
”

“
So you drink that and
see if the spell works, right
?”

“
But you need to drink my blood...”

“
Step closer.”

Aimee hesitated, unsure of what the dhamphir wanted. “You can drink from my wrist.”

“
Let
’
s make this simple and as painless as possible.”

Warily, Aimee stepped closer. “Okay. How?”

Cassandra kissed Aimee, her lips both exquisitely soft and yet demanding. The cackling sensation of their powers meeting sizzled over Aimee
’
s body, making her gasp with pleasure. The dhamphir
’
s sharp teeth caught Aimee
’
s bottom lip, neatly puncturing it causing blood to well. Unlike Frank, Cassandra spared Aimee pain
,
infusing her vampire bite with pleasure. Clasping the vial to her breast, Aimee shivered as Cassandra took three quick swipes of blood with her tongue. When Cassandra drew back, Aimee felt disoriented and a little lost.

“
Drink the spell,” Cassandra urged Aimee. “See if it
’
s working.”

Every cell in her body was tingling. Aimee stared at the vial through a haze of magic, hope, and searing arousal. Cassandra
’
s kiss had set her afire and she knew once she drank the potion, nothing would ever be the same again. Twisting off the stopper, she gulped down the concoction.

Aimee fell to her knees, a tortured, agonized scream ripping from her throat. Boiling blood rushed through her body
,
burning through the numbness that Frank
’
s bond had inflicted upon her. Feeling as though her body was being torn apart, Aimee clawed at the floor as streams of black blood flowed from her mouth.

“
Aimee! Aimee!” Cassandra cried out, rattling the chains that held her secure.

The thick
ichor
burned her throat and choked her. Deep inside her chest, she felt something dark and hideous break free and burn away as the spell rid her of the last of Frank
’
s power. Vomiting up bile flecked with ashes, Aimee raised shaking hands to her face.

“
I think it
’
s over,” she whispered in awe. She no longer felt the insidious infection of the blood bond to the vampire. Unshackled from his power, she felt strangely buoyant. The heaviness of Frank
’
s darkness was gone. Looking up, she saw Cassandra staring down at her with great concern. “It
’
s broken.”

A wide, relieved grin broke out on Cassandra
’
s face. “Awesome!”

Aimee wiped her mouth on the hem of her dress, a shaky laugh escaping her lips. “Oh, my go
d
dess! It
’
s gone!”

“
That
’
s great! Now, uh, mind getting me down?” Cassandra looked up at her wrists suspended over her head. The silver was
chafing
her flesh.

“
Yeah, yeah!” Aimee scrambled to her feet and carefully avoided the puddle of black goo on the floor. It made her nauseous just looking at it.

“
Have a key?” Cassandra asked.

“
Don
’
t need one,” Aimee answered.

She flicked her hands and the shackles fell free.

Widening her eyes, Cassandra said, “Wow.”

Aimee let out a surprisingly girlish giggle. “Okay, let
’
s get out of here.” She twirled about on her toes and headed toward the door to unlock it.

“
Wait!” Cassandra called out.

Turning about, Aimee gave her a mystified look. “We need to go. Now. While Frank is busy yelling at the guards and not paying attention to us.”

Striding toward her, the tall, sleek woman nodded. “I agree. But we have a problem. I burned all the blood I consumed earlier getting in here.”

Gingerly touching her neck where Frank had cruelly bitten her the night before, Aimee couldn
’
t help but flinch. “Oh.”

“
You
’
re a witch. Your blood is powerful. I
’
ll only need a few mouthfuls. I swear I won
’
t hurt you.” Cassandra
’
s big boots deftly avoided the black blood on the floor as she drew close to Aimee.

Free of the blood bond, Aimee
’
s own abilities were untethered and the world around her was vibrant with energy and color. It was intoxicating to feel so vividly alive after living with Frank
’
s death in her veins for so long. The light shimmered in the thick waves of Cassandra
’
s chestnut waves as she pulled
her hair
back into a nubby ponytail and secured it with a thick black rubber band she yanked off her wrist. With her cat-eyes, lush mouth, and strong, narrow nose, Cassandra was the most beautiful woman Aimee had ever seen.

“
Aimee?” Cassandra waved her hand in front of her face. “Are you okay?”

“
I
’
m just so...” Aimee floundered. Smiling happily, she laughed with embarrassment. “I
’
m just overwhelmed.”

Cassandra gently reached out and lifted Aimee
’
s hand from where she had it pressed to her neck. Again, the mingling of their auras sent wonderful waves of pleasure through the witch. Though Frank had healed the bite on her throat to some degree, it was still an ugly
,
scabbed
-
over wound. Cassandra flinched. “I won
’
t do this to you. If you let me drink, I can fight better. Faster. Stronger.”

Teeth pulling on her bottom lip, Aimee fidgeted. She believed Cassandra, but after breaking free of Frank she was afraid of someone else initiating such an intimate act with her. Yet, if she wanted to get out of the house and not end up Frank
’
s slave again, she had to do this. Nodding, she clenched her hands at her side
s
and waited.

The dhamphir gently turned Aimee
’
s head, exposing the unmarred side of her neck. “I will be very careful.”

Aimee closed her eyes when Cassandra bent her head to her throat. Trembling with both fear and expectation, she waited.

Chapter Fifteen
:

Revelations

Cassandra could see the fear in Aimee
’
s eyes and in her posture. It had been difficult to see the confident woman who had appeared in her dreams struggle for control of her own mind. It
was
evident from the moment she stepped into the room that the witch was under the thrall of the vampire and fighting it.  Now that Aimee was free, it was just as obvious she was still haunted by the vampire who had imprisoned her for so long.

“
I
’
ll be very careful,” Cassandra vowed in a gentle tone. She fought with her own hunger to keep her movements slow and non-threatening. After expending so much of her power invading the house, taking down the guards, then being bound by silver, she was weak and a little shaky.

Though she didn
’
t want to admit it considering the circumstances, she was terribly drawn to the witch. Every touch they shared only drew her deeper into the rabbit hole she was quickly tumbling down. Blaming her attraction to blondes for her reaction to Aimee was just a way to fool herself. There was something undeniable brewing between her and the witch. It was powerful and beyond anything she had experienced before, but she didn
’
t dare give in
to it. She was here to rescue Aimee, then make sure the witch was able to choose the life she wanted to live, the Assembly be damned.

Tenderly smoothing Aimee
’
s bronze-colored hair from the curve of her neck, Cassandra took a deep breath before sinking her fangs into the woman
’
s delicate skin. Immediately, she pushed her own energy into the witch, willing her to
feel
only pleasure and not pain. Blood, full of life and magic, flooded her mouth, shocking her system with its power. The first swallow poured into her like fire, burning through every inch of her. The second was like swallowing the sun, glowing with power and light. The third was like cool rushing water, filling her mind with images of blooming green things.

In her arms, Aimee trembled, but one hand lifted to rest against Cassandra
’
s shoulder.

The darkness of her dhamphir nature rose, urging her to keep drinking, then claim the witch, but Cassandra fought her instincts. Even through her body armor, she could feel how soft and delicate the other woman was and it stirred in her the deep need to protect Aimee at all costs. Even from her own bite and touch.

Surprised to find herself shaking, Cassandra withdrew her fangs. Her fingers tangled in Aimee
’
s hair, she tenderly licked the small punctures closed with her tongue, healing them.

With a soft sigh, Aimee sank against Cassandra, her other hand rising to rest on the dhamphir
’
s other shoulder. “It didn
’
t hurt at all.”

Inhaling the sweet scent of Aimee
’
s hair, Cassandra embraced the woman, holding her gently. “It
’
s okay now,” she whispered in a breathy voice. Aimee
’
s blood fed power into Cassandra
’
s limbs. This time, the darkness the dhamphir fought against after feeding did not bare its fangs. Instead, she felt as though she was filled with the wondrous magic of the night sky.

“
Thank you for coming for me,” Aimee said, her voice rough with emotion as she gently drew away from Cassandra.  “I was afraid you wouldn
’
t.”

Shielding her heart with a cocky shrug, Cassandra winked. “Aww, c
’
mon. After that dream about all that tasty ice cream, how could I not come? You recommended the mint chocolate chip, right?”

The smile that graced Aimee
’
s face pleased Cassandra. “Definitely.”

Cassandra was startled when Aimee started tugging her heavily embroidered white dress over her head. “Um, whoa
, wait
...”

Aimee yanked it
off
and rolled her eyes at Cassandra. “You
’
re not
that
irresistible.” Underneath she was wearing a tank top and black stretchy skinny jeans that were rolled up to her knees. Leaning over, she rolled the hems down to her ankles. “I had to wear the dress so Frank wouldn
’
t get suspicious. I have a bag ready in my room, which is just a door down from this one. I just need a few seconds to grab it and my sneakers.” As she spoke, the witch began tearing open the spell bags that were set around the room. Fishing out amulets and smaller bags, Aimee gave Cassandra the impression that she was gearing up for battle, which she probably was.

“
Do you have a better way out of here than how I came in?”

“
There
’
s a balcony past the game room that looks over my garden. We can drop down, scale the wall, and run for it. You did bring a car, right?”

“
Absolutely.” Cassandra picked up one of the bags, flinched, and tossed it to Aimee. “What the fuck is in that?”

“
Vervain. Vampires can
’
t get near the stuff. According to my research, it
’
ll make you feel a bit...uh...disoriented.”

“
It makes me want to hurl,” Cassandra answered, wrinkling her nose at the stench.

Aimee gathered the last of what she wanted from the bags and headed toward the door. “I planted other potions inside the bags to help us get out.”

“
You had this all figured out,” Cassandra said, impressed.

“
Except for Frank forcing me to drink his blood and re-enforcing the bond last night. I didn
’
t see that coming. It made today...difficult.”  Aimee tucked the bags into the waistband of her jeans and started to tap in the code to open the door.

“
You
’
re free of him now. And once we
’
re out of here, he
’
ll never fuck with you again.” Cassandra fought the desire to take the woman in her arms and soothe her. She had to keep focused on the task at hand. Already her body was vibrating with power, ready to fight, and flee.

“
I
’
ll never let
anyone
do that to me again.” Aimee said, her voice steel
y
. She watched the display on the control panel, then wrenched the door open. Scooting across the hall, she entered a room, but didn
’
t flip on the light. “Wait in the hall. Keep an eye out. I won
’
t be but a sec.”

Cassandra cautiously stepped into the hallway. Her eyes quickly scanned for any potential weapons. There
were
no
ne
. Inside the darkened bedroom, she could hear Aimee
sc
urrying about.

Seconds later, Michael came around the corner his tranquilizer gun slung over one shoulder. He stopped in mid-stride, staring at Cassandra in disbelief.

“
Surprise,” she said starting toward him. He was a big guy, but she was certain she could take him down.

“
Stop!” he ordered, holding out one hand. “I
’
m on your side. Scott sent me.”

Hesitating, Cassandra narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“
I
’
m the inside guy. Scott thought this whole set up was a bit fishy and got me in. I
’
m the one who provided the codes and schematics.”

“
So why didn
’
t you steal the relic?” Cassandra asked suspiciously.

Reaching slowly into a small pouch on his utility belt, Michael said, “Let me show you.”

Aimee stepped out of her bedroom wearing a tapestry bag looped across her chest and came up behind Cassandra, pressing the hilt of a dagger into her hand. “Don
’
t trust him.”

Cassandra fell into a fighting stance, ready to attack.

“
Let me show you, okay? How else would I know about Scott?” Michael looked exasperated. “Scott suspected there was something up, okay?”

“
Drop the gun on the floor, then show me,” Cassandra ordered.
She was uneasy with the entire situation. After her dart gun failure, she wasn
’
t even sure she could trust Scott or anyone working for him. It could have just been a fluke, but t
he whole situation just reeked.

Michael
’
s hand hesitated, then moved instead to unsling the tranquilizer gun from his broad shoulder. “Fine.” Using the strap, he lowered the gun to the floor.

“
Kick it over,” Aimee directed.

Shaking his head, Michael obeyed. “You
’
re wasting time. I have an exit strategy and you
’
re blowing precious seconds.”

Plucking the gun off the ground, Aimee stood behind Cassandra.

“
Show me the relic and then I
’
ll consider going with you,” Cassandra said in a firm voice.

With very slow, deliberate motions, Michael flipped open the pouch and slowly extracted the exact same relic Cassandra had been sent to snatch.  “Satisfied?”

“
No, but we
’
ll follow you. No funny business.” Cassandra motioned for him to lead.

“
Scott said you
’
d be a suspicious bitch,” Michael grumbled.

“
Stop talking and move.” Cassandra held the sharp ceremonial dagger in her hand
,
ready to attack.

“I don
’
t trust him,” Aimee whispered.

“Me neither,” Cassandra whispered back.

The tall handsome man
moved down the hall
to the corner. “We
’
ll head across the second floor to the game room and exit from the balcony.”

Aimee and Cassandra exchanged glances. Cassandra shrugged. “Fine.”

“
It
’
s clear,” Michael said, then hurried along the other hallway.

Cassandra was impressed when Aimee covered the stairway as they
scurried
past it, then took up the rear guard. On the floor below, Frank
’
s voice ranted loudly. Michael led them swiftly through the dimly
-
lit corridor and into a massive room that was filled with large TVs, a billiard table, various gambling tables, and old arcade machines. It reeked of stale cigar smoke and something cloying and chemical.

The sound of a tranquilizer gun sent Cassandra spinning about, dagger held defensively. Aimee staggered into her arms, surprising Cassandra. The witch slumped forward seconds before a dart punched into Cassandra
’
s neck, sending her reeling. As she fell backward, clutching Aimee with one arm, she realized they had been ambushed.

Two men slipped into the room from the hallway just seconds before shouts and gunfire erupted downstairs.

The room swung around Cassandra and she staggered against the billiard table. Her limbs were going numb and her vision was tunneling. The dagger fell from her slack fingers and she tried not to lose her grip on Aimee.

Picking up the tranquilizer gun he had relinquished earlier, Michael smirked at the two women. “I wasn
’
t expecting the witch to side with you, but I
’
m glad I carried around this piece of crap anyway.” Michael fished the relic out its pouch and tossed it to the floor. “Scott said you wouldn
’
t be easy to catch. I think I
’
ll declare him wrong. He didn
’
t realize you
’
d be trying to save the damsel in distress.”

Aimee
’
s fingers tugged at Cassandra
’
s gloved hand. Her eyes were closed, but her lips were moving slightly. Cassandra
’
s keen hearing couldn
’
t make out the words. They sounded like gibberish.

More men entered the room. Cassandra fought against the dart, burning blood to keep herself conscious. Her eyes started to droop, but she kept pushing through the haze with her powers.

“
Arnost, I told you
,
p
iece of cake. The witch and the dhamphir for your little menagerie,” Michael said, greeting a man with a brooding face and dark hair.

“
You did well, Michael,” the man said with a distinctive Eastern European accent. “Not only did you get me a witch, but a very lovely new dhamphir. I haven
’
t owned one in so long.”