The remnants of the spell’s ingredients powdered the sleek black armor and dusted Cassandra’s face and tresses. Gently, Aimee swept Cassandra’s hair back from her face and laid a hand gently on her neck. She could feel the strong, rapid heartbeat of the dhamphir.
“Did it work?” Frank asked testily from the room.
“Yes. It worked. The spell did its job,” Aimee answered.
Michael stepped into the hallway, leaned down, and rolled Cassandra onto her back. Pressing the tranquilizer gun to her chest, he tapped it a few times. Cassandra remained unmoving. “She’s out,” he confirmed.
Finally leaving the doorway, Frank stared at his latest acquisition. “My, my, she is pretty. I’m going to enjoy breaking her. Cuff her.”
Michael squatted over Cassandra, laid his weapon aside, and unhooked the silver shackles hanging from his belt. “I have to say, Aimee, you’re a badass witch.”
The cold hands of the vampire settled on Aimee’s shoulders as he pressed his body against her. “That’s my girl. Doing her job. Obeying me.” Frank kissed her cheek, nuzzling it gently. “You want to obey me, don’t you Aimee?”
A part of her soul was screaming in defiance, but on the surface of her mind all she felt was numb. Frank’s blood had twisted her will, making her want to obey him, to please him, to be with him, but its tendrils had not fully encompassed her. A sliver of rebellion burned inside, but it was like a tiny rowboat caught in a hurricane.
“Aimee?”
“Yes, of course,” she answered in a voice devoid of inflection.
Flipping Cassandra onto her stomach, Michael secured her hands behind her back, then hoisted her off the floor. “I’ll get her into the holding room.”
“I still don’t like that I can’t go in there,” Frank groused.
“The spells that repulse a dhamphir are also going to work on a vampire,” Aimee reminded him. “Others can feed her your blood.”
“It takes the joy out of it,” Frank sniffed.
Carrying Cassandra down the hallway, Michael shook his head. “C’mon, Frank. You got yourself a genuine dhamphir. You saw what she did to your men. She’s a tough one.”
Frank completely disregarded the guards slowly rising to their feet behind him. “Maybe they’re just imbeciles who have no idea how to fight like real men.” He cast a scornful look in their direction.
“I should go and make sure the spells are all active and that she’s secure,” Aimee suggested.
Giving her a dismissive shrug, Frank gestured after Michael. “Fine, fine. Go do that. I have to yell at some idiots. I need you to come around in like thirty minutes. I’ll give you some of my blood to give to her. I want to start binding her to me immediately.”
Aimee nodded, her stomach twisting in knots.
“I wonder how long it will take to get her completely in my thrall.” Frank sighed. “She better not be another one like you.”
“I’m sorry for upsetting you, Frank,” Aimee said in a hushed tone, her head lowered.
“You see, that seems sincere. It feels sincere. And I like it.” Frank kissed the top of her head. “Now, go check on my prize.”
Following in Michael’s wake, Aimee flinched when Frank started to scream at his guards. It made her shudder in fear. The last time she had heard him so angry, he had been drowning her.
Hurrying up a narrow staircase to the second floor, she took several deep breaths to steady her nerves. She had done what she had to do. She had no choice. It was Frank’s fault she had been forced to do what she had done, but it didn’t make her feel any better about luring Cassandra into Frank’s trap.
The panic room that was being used as a cell to hold Cassandra was a short distance from her and Frank’s bedrooms. The product of Frank’s paranoia, it was completely secure. No one could breach it once the door closed unless they had the code and knew the location of the exterior control panel which was set under a tile in the hallway. The thick steel door stood open and she could hear Michael moving around inside. The door was camouflaged and could blend completely into the hallway. It amused Aimee to see that on the table attached to the faux wall the lamp perched on it was still lit. Frank always thought of everything.
Peeking inside, she spotted Michael securing Cassandra into place with a fresh set of silver shackles that were bolted to the ceiling. The dhamphir’s body hung limp in his arms as he checked the locks.
Hearing her soft footstep behind him, Michael tossed her a quick look over his shoulder. “Still out,” he said to Aimee.
“I see. Frank sent me to check the holding spells.”
Michael shrugged, stepping away from Cassandra. She dangled from the shackles, her head down with her hair obscuring her face. “I better check downstairs and make sure Frank doesn’t end up killing the guards. He has a temper.”
Nodding, Aimee silently agreed.
“You do good work,” Michael said, obviously impressed. “It’s not easy to take down a dhamphir. I can see why the vampires killed off most of your kind.”
Folding her arms over her chest and hugging herself, Aimee stared at the handsome man warily.
Taking a small step toward her, he lowered his voice. “I know Frank’s rough on you. You don’t deserve it.” His very warm fingers lightly skimmed her cheek, his eyes searching her face thoughtfully.
“What do I deserve?” Aimee asked, flinching from his touched.
“Better,” Michael said with a charmingly seductive smile. Without another word, he strode out of the room, leaving her alone with the dhamphir.
Aimee hurried over to the controls and activated the door. It silently slid shut and locked.
“What the fuck was that all about?” Cassandra asked irritably.
Aimee whirled around, flustered. “I think he was hitting on me!”
“I meant the fake spell,” Cassandra answered, stretching out her long body.
“Oh! I wasn’t sure you would catch on! I was so relieved when you did!”
“Well, when the spell did nothing, I figured it was a ruse.” Cassandra shrugged. “And if it was a dud, I figured I could buy myself some time by faking it.”
“I knew you were smart enough to catch on. There wasn’t any way to warn you.”
Flexing her hands, Cassandra winced. “Well, what’s the plan now?”
“I have a spell that I need to activate and drink.” Aimee squatted next to one of the spell bags and drew out a small vial. The second it was in her hand, the bond began to twist inside of her, compelling her to smash it.
Cassandra yanked on the shackles, hissing in pain. “I hate fucking silver. Ugh. It’s like kryptonite. Mind getting me out of these?”
“Give me a second.” Aimee fretted. The blood bond was fighting her viciously. Tears sprung into her eyes as she stood and paced, trying to resist the urge to break the spell and flee to Frank’s side.
“Uh, Aimee, I would really like to not be chained up.”
“I know. Give me a sec, okay?” Aimee snapped. Her vision narrowed and her heart sped up. The bond was crushing her will, eating at her resolve.
“Aimee,” Cassandra said in her husky tones. “Look at me.”
Lifting her head, Aimee stared at the woman before her. The very sight of her brought tears to her eyes. In the dhamphir’s beautiful eyes, she saw her salvation and hope.
“Is it the bond to Frank?” Cassandra asked in a gentle, yet straightforward tone.
Aimee nodded mutely, gripping the vial in her hand so tightly she was afraid it would crack.
Cassandra winced, then bit her lip thoughtfully. “Okay, this sucks.”
“He-he.... forced... me... to drink last night,” Aimee stuttered. Visions of Frank filled her mind, both tantalizing and terrifying.
“Shit. That asshole.” Cassandra shook her head. “But you’re a witch, not human. Can’t you fight it?”
“It’s fucking with me. I was able to throw the fake spell because...because...he said to throw it. He didn’t know it w
as fake.”
“What did he tell you when you came to see me?” Cassandra asked in a careful tone.
“He said... I said that I had to check on the spells. He said to do it.” Aimee paced before the door, pulling at her hair with her free hand. She felt like her insides were liquefying inside of her. If she went to Frank, she knew the torment would stop.
“What’s in your hand?”
“A spell...” Aimee held it out slowly. The purple liquid sloshed around inside the vial.
“And you need to check on it, right?” Cassandra tilted her head and gave her a hopeful smile.
“Yes!” Aimee took a step forward, her mind resting on that thought. The pain lessened. “I’m obeying him by checking the spell.”
“To make sure it works, right?”
“Yes!”
“So...you’re obeying him.”
“Yes! Yes, I am!” Relief flooded her, irrational and wonderful. She was obeying Frank. He wanted her to check the spells. She clung to that thought in her mind as she hurried to Cassandra.
Staring into Aimee’s eyes, Cassandra smiled tenderly. “So... how do we make sure it works?”
“I have to put your blood into it and then I drink it.” Aimee tried not to think any further than the superficial thought that she was checking the spell’s effectiveness.
Cassandra sighed softly, raising her eyes to the shackles holding her wrists over her head. “I don’t suppose checking on the spell includes releasing me?”
Pain twisted through her mind and body at the mere thought. Adamantly shaking her head, Aimee whispered, “No.”
“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 fangs 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 unstopped the vial and held it up to 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 goddess! 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 sides 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.
Pretty When They Collide: A Novella in the Pretty When She Dies Universe (Volume 4) Page 11
