Pretty When They Collide (16 page)

The soft, warm fingers of the witch wrapped around Cassandra
’
s bare fingers as the glove dropped to the floor. Aimee was a dead weight in her arms, but Cassandra could still hear the faintest whisper from her lips.

“
Fuck you,” Cassandra slurred
,
trying to cover Aimee
’
s voice. “You assholes. This whole...
thing...
a setup.”

With a
magnetic
grin and a shrug, Michael said, “Oh, come now, Cass. Don
’
t be so bitter. We
’
re both in the acquisitions game. You get relics. I get supernatural toys for very rich people. I was after that lovely little witch in your arms when I took on this security job, but when I found out from Scott that Frank wanted you, I just had to let Arnost know about that little deal.”

“
I
’
m going...”
Cassandra struggled with her numb tongue.

“
Yeah, you
’
re gonna what?” Michael smirked.

The dart fell out of her neck and onto the floor.

“
How long before she goes out?” Arnost asked briskly, clearly annoyed by
the fact that she was
still standing.

“
I
’
ll shoot her again,” another man offered.

“
No, no. I like her this way. All helpless and desperate,” Michael said, brushing them off. “She can barely stand.”

A cold liquid began to trickle from the puncture wound in her neck. Cassandra started to lift her hand to brush it away, but then realized what was happening. She could feel Aimee
’
s magic building, her fingers trembling in Cassandra
’
s. Even as her head grew clearer, Cassandra deliberately slumped against the billiard table. Let the assholes think they had her in their power for the moment. It would give her the element of surprise.

“
She
’
s almost out,” Michael continued. “Look at her struggling.”

Arnost and the other men chuckled.

A man with beady eyes and a very sallow complexion drew closer, his dart gun aimed at Cassandra. “I want to fuck her.”

Arnost shrugged. “After I break her. I
’
m not interested in her fuckin
’
pussy. I want her powers. I want her loyalty. It
’
s the witch I plan to fuck without mercy for that little spell she cast on me.”

“
Blood bonding both of them is going to be a bitch,” Frank
’
s angry voice said. He was shoved into the room by more armed guards wearing very different body armor from
his
men. “The witch is especially a pain in the ass.” His face was bruised, bleeding, and
his
shirt was pockmarked with bullet holes.

The cr
ackling sensation of their combined power played along Cassandra
’
s hand. The sedative was racing out of the puncture, moistening her skin, while her thoughts were becoming increasingly lucid. She could feel her strength returning. It was now a matter of seconds.

“
So this is a fuckin
’
double-cross,” Frank spat, glowering at Michael.

Aimee slumped to the floor at Cassandra
’
s feet, her fingers slipping free of her grip. Cassandra let her go, trusting her completely. She made a big show of trying to stand up straight, but fell instead over the billiard table and out of the sight of the kidnappers.

“
Frank, you stupid little shit, didn
’
t I tell you I don
’
t
’
like being fucked with
?
” Arnost said dismissively. “Someone get the dhamphir.”

“
That
’
s
my
dhamphir and
my
witch and this is
my
house,” Frank snarled.

Cassandra lay on the floor
,
waiting.

“
And look who
’
s in chains
,
” Arnost snorted. “And who is going to fuck your witch tonight?”

As Frank and Arnost continued to trade insults, Cassandra
focused
on the approaching footsteps.  The man reeked of cigarettes and harsh cologne. Eyes closed, she concentrated on the sound of his footfalls and his growing scent. When he was only a few feet away, she rolled to her feet in a flash, seized the tranquilizer gun in his hands, jerked and twisted it about, liberating it from his hands. He only got out a sharp gasp before she slammed the butt of the weapon into his face, knocking him out.

The popping of dart guns going off filled the air and Cassandra spun away into cover behind an arcade game to avoid the fire. But she needn
’
t have to. When she peeked out, she saw all the darts suspended in air and the surprised expressions of Arnost
’
s men.

“
My witch is about to kick your ass,” Frank said with confidence.

Slowly, Aimee rose
to her feet, her long hair shimmering in the light. “I
’
m not
your
witch, Frank. And no one is fucking me tonight,” she said in a low voice. “
Or
Cass.”

The darts flipped around in the air, aiming at the guards at various points in the room.

“
Michael!” Arnost shouted. “Stop her!”

Cassandra sprinted forward, jumped onto the billiard table, then launched herself at Michael just as Aimee released the darts. Some of the guards tried to dive out of the way, others swatted at them futilely with their weapons. Most of the darts appeared to hit their targets
and
men all over the room fell. Cassandra attempted to kick Michael in the head on her downward
arc
, but he lashed out, smacking her out of the air and into the wall. She landed hard, but rolled to her feet
,
lifting the tranquilizer gun. Drawing a bead on Michael, she tried to squeeze off a dart, but he was faster than anticipated and kicked the weapon out of her hand.

For a split second she worried about Aimee, but then a guard went sailing past her, crashed through the sliding glass door, and disappeared into the night. Relieved,
Cassandra
ducked under Michael
’
s attack, came up behind him, punched her elbow into his back, and sent him stumbling. Whipping about to finish him off, she was shocked to find him raising his weapon to shoot her.

“
It
’
s been fun,” he said, squeezing the trigger.

The gun flew out of his hand, the dart hitting the wall.

“
Thanks, Aimee!” Cass
andra
called out. “I can handle this asshole from here.”

A roar filled the room as a powerful wind tore through the shattered doorway and became a raging funnel, sucking the weapons from the hands of the attackers.

Grinning, Cassandra punched Michael in the face, knocking him off his feet. Turning to help Aimee, she saw the witch levitated off the ground, arms outstretched within the heart of the small tornado.

“
Wow
!
” she said with admiration.

Then someone hit her from behind and sent her crashing through a window and into the night air.

Chapter 16
:

Vampires Versus Witch

The tentacles of Aimee
’
s power lashed out, doing her will, sending Arnost
’
s men scrambling. There were a dozen men in the room, all of them infused with Arnost
’
s blood.
Seven
were unconscious, but the others were still dangerous. They mo
ved
quickly
, with preternatural
swiftness, trying to encircle her and wrestle her from the air. Their dart guns were somewhere out in the desert now, so they resorted to drawing blades. Though her eyes were closed, Aimee could sense their intent before they even moved. Each time one dared to lash out at her, Aimee sent a wave of magic, knocking them across the room.

“
Don
’
t kill the witch!” Arnost ordered.

Nearby, Cassandra held her own
,
fighting Michael until he tried to shoot her. Aimee ripped the weapon from his hands and flung it away with her magic. His surprised expression was immensely satisfying.

The witch felt herself weakening, but she had used as much power as she dared to disarm their enemies of their dart guns. She and Cassandra couldn
’
t afford to be hit again. Aimee had barely managed to stay conscious enough to work her magic to extract the sedative. She was
rapidly
using up her power and would soon need to recharge.

Another window exploded and Aimee barely caught sight of Cassandra vanishing into the darkness outside the house. Michael fearlessly dove through the window after her. It was a two
-
story fall, but he didn
’
t seem to care.

“
No!” Aimee shouted.

Landing on the floor, she ran toward the window, magically slapping away anyone trying to attack her with waves of energy. Reaching the broken opening, she looked down to see Cassandra and Michael in combat in the garden below.

The sharp bark of actual gunfire startled her. Twisting about, the acrid stench of a fired gun filled her nostrils as it mingled with the scent of blood. Ivan stood over Frank, pistol in hand, shooting at Arnost and his men. Two tried to rush Ivan, but he fired with eerie precision, the back of their heads bursting like melons. Behind Frank
, another
one of his faithful guards named Glenn was unshackling him.

Aimee shrank back against the window
,
pondering her options. She had only her spells and the tapestry bag around her neck that she had hidden her most precious possession in. Her power began to wane; she had to conserve it.

As the final echo of the last gunshot fired faded, Ivan reloaded and aimed at Aimee. “You
’
re done now.”

“
Enough of the bullshit, Aimee
!
” Frank roared at her.

“
I
’
m not staying here!” Aimee shouted at him. “I
’
m not your slave!” Raising her hand, a ball of energy formed.

Ivan fired, the bullet barely missing her and pounding into the wall behind her. “I
’
ll shoot you, Aimee.”

“
Get over here, Aimee. Now!” Frank ordered impatiently. “Don
’
t make Ivan shoot you. Not that I
’
m not opposed to crippling you at this point.”

The room was quiet enough to hear the moans of the wounded men and the firefight on the floor below. Between Aimee
’
s magic and Ivan
’
s gun, all of Arnost
’
s men upstairs were incapacitated or dead. Aimee had lost track of Arnost in the battle and wasn
’
t sure where he lay in the room.

Finally, she let the orb dissipate.
Slipping
her arms behind her back, she fingered the spells tucked into her waistband. “I
’
ll come willingly. Please, don
’
t shoot.” Her head lowered, Aimee slowly walked past the fallen bodies toward Frank and his two men.

“
I want this fucking mess cleaned up. I want a bullet in Michael
’
s head and I want my fucking dhamphir chained up in so much silver she won
’
t be able to fucking move!” Frank
’
s face was flushed red with rage.

“
The backup team is sweeping through the downstairs. We
’
ll have it under control shortly,” Ivan said briskly.

“
I should have listened to you about Michael,” Frank huffed. “This was all a gawdamn fucking setup to snatch my dhamphir and witch.”

Aimee drew closer to Frank, her fingers inching toward an incineration spell. She gingerly stepped over another body.

Rolling to his feet, Arnost grabbed Aimee about the waist, jerked her back against his body, and held her as a shield before him.

“
Are you fucking kidding me?” Frank exclaimed. “You left him alive, idiot!”

Ivan scrambled to draw a bead on Arnost. “I
’
ll take care of it.”

“
Yes, you
will
, moron!” Frank huffed with disgust.

Aimee groaned with irritation. Her hands
were
pinned
against Arnost
’
s stomach. She had almost been close enough to Frank to set the bastard on fire when he had snagged her.

“
Frank, I
’
ll be leaving now with my witch,” Arnost said firmly. Stumbling backward toward
the
broken sliding glass door, the Serbian vampire dragged Aimee with him. Ivan tracked them, the pistol never wavering. Outside, Aimee could hear Cassandra and Michael still battling.

“
Kill Arnost, and get me Aimee!” Furious, Frank kicked one of the dead men. Frank
’
s eyes blazed red. “Shoot him, Ivan!”

Arnost tugged Aimee closer. He reeked of the coppery smell of blood and she realized he was wounded.

Though she should
’
ve been afraid, she wasn
’
t. The power inside
her was
waiting for
her command and if she could get her hands free, she had plenty of spells. The gun didn
’
t frighten her and neither did any of the men in the room. Gaze fastened on Frank, she realized that she only feared him.

Using the last of her power, she narrowed her eyes and sent Frank crashing into Ivan. They both tumbled to the ground, Ivan
’
s weapon discharging. The bullet slammed harmlessly through the ceiling above Aimee
’
s head. Startled, Arnost relinquished his hold on her enough for her to get one hand free. Glenn was already drawing his gun when Aimee sent a bolt of energy at him. With a shout, he dodged through the doorway and out of view.

Arnost grabbed Aimee
’
s arm, twisting it behind her before she could grab a spell. Shoving her forward, his lips were cold against her ear. “Don
’
t try that with me, witch. I
’
ll
rip out your fucking throat
.”

A wry smile flitted across Aimee
’
s lips, but she hid it with her long hair by dropping her head. Arnost was an irritation, but she needed him for just a few more seconds. Pretending to be afraid, she cowered.

They were almost to the door when Ivan rolled over, trying to take aim again, but Arnost
struck
the pistol from his hand, then viciously kicked him in the head, crushing his skull.

Frank, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen.

Glenn dared to fill the doorway again with his hulking body. Instantly, Arnost whipped Aimee around, placing her between him and the guard.

“
Aimee, I don
’
t want to hurt you,” Glenn said in an urgent voice. “I
’
m after Arnost.”

“
It
’
s okay, Glenn. I
’
m going to kill him for you.”

Arnost jerked Aimee
’
s arm upward, causing her to cry out in pain. To Aimee
’
s surprise, he flung her at Glenn. The guard ducked, darted around her, and tried to fire at the vampire, but Arnost was already on the move. Recovered from his wounds, Arnost was a blur. Glenn was blood infused, but the vampire easily snatched him off the ground and drove him head first into the wall. The sickening crunch of his neck breaking echoed in the cavernous room.

Grinning, blood flecked on his lips, Arnost
regarded
Aimee with a predatory zeal. “You can
’
t stop me. I
’
m too fast for you.”

Aimee blinked and he was on her. Grabbing her long hair, he twirled her about, shoving her out of the room. Gruffly manhandling her down the hallway, Arnost swore in Serbian as he fished his cellphone out of his pocket and made a call. “Where the fuck are you? What kind of fucking backup are you?” he shouted into the phone.

Since he was foolish enough to drag her by her hair, Aimee plucked a spell off her waistband and pivoted into him. Pressing the small bag against his heart, she sent a spark of her power into it to activate it. Instantly, it burrowed through his shirt and into his chest.

Startled, Arnost
’
s eyes widened.

“
I said I
’
d kill you,” she said with a smile.

Arnost took a swipe at her, but it was too late. The spell burst alive inside him, fire exploding out of his mouth as the inferno consumed him from within. Aimee ripped her hair out of his hand as it turned to ashes and ran
past
his disintegrating body into the game room, tugging more spells out of her waist band.

“
Frank, you asshole, where are you?” she shouted angrily. “Come out!” She cursed herself for not noticing when he had slipped away.

It was then that she heard Cassandra scream and all thoughts of Frank were vanquished as she ran for the balcony.