Another Way To Bleed (Midnight Assassin) (8 page)

He dropped his hands and leapt up pulling her with him. “Now that the Dr. Phil shit is out of the way, let’s head back.
.. I'm bloody starving!”

Cassie held his gaze for just a few moments before the angel turned and started to walk away. She trailed after him, resolving once and for all to either finally start something with Luka, or get the hell out of dodge.

Chapter Fourteen

With an hour or two to go before the sun went down for the night, Cassie decided to let some steam off and beat some sense into an old punching bag that Sebastian had lying around. Each punch helped to drain the tension from her body, the therapeutic rhythm of each hit calming her. No matter how fucked up her life seemed to be, Cassie was certain that she was meant to fight, to feel bones crunch underneath her knuckles as her fist connected with its target. That the feel of a sword in her hand, or the gun on her hip, was how mothers felt abou
t having a baby in their arms.

Having worked out, she headed for a shower. As the water washed away the dirt and grime of the past day and night, Cassie contemplated Archer’s advice. No matter how much Cassie wanted to be free and normal, she wasn't. She had not been normal before her mother had died, and that would not change if or when she left Luka behind. She wanted to be with Luka, but did he want to be with her? If they gave into their feelings, would the thrill of the chase be over and the spark gone? One thing was certain, when this mission was completed, she would have her answers once and for all
.

Cassie pulled on a fresh pair of black combats and a t-shirt, and exited the bathroom barefoot. The faint grumble of Archer’s snore rumbled from the corner where the angel lay still on a mattress. She smiled to herself as she picked up her iPod and sprawled out on the couch, her long legs dangling over the end. Her still-wet hair clung to her face and she brushed it aside while scrolling down through the songs. Finding her own favourite mix, she pressed play, and as “You Me at Six” poured into her ears, she closed her eyes and let the music t
ake her away from her thoughts.

Shortly after she closed her eyes, Cassie felt her legs being gently lifted before being placed down on somebody’s lap. She didn't need to open her eyes to know who was there, that intoxicating aroma of lavender and death swirled around her. She lay perfectly still for just a moment and tried to control her breathing. She felt a finger lightly trace the scar that marked her face and she shivered, though she was unsure whether it was from th
e memory, or from Luka's touch.

Pulling the headphones from her ears, she raised her eyes to meet with those breathtaking green eyes.
Dammit, why does all logic and reason jump out the bloody window when he looks at me like that?
From the slight smirk that twitched on his lips, she knew he was reading her again. Pushing stop on her iPod, she reached over, placed it on the table and cleared her throat. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself.”

Neither of them spoke for a second, but Cassie couldn’t help but blurt out, “How did you know I was in trouble today?”

“I’ve told you before,
Cassan- Cassie, I will always be there for you, whether you want me or not. You may be a pain in my ass most of the time, but I will never let any harm come to you.” He looked sad as he spoke, as if the next words from Cassie’s mouth would decide it all for them.

Cassie swallowed hard, her own throat tight. “Luka... I...” Cassie took a quick look around and inhaled. They were alone, with nobody in the near vicinity. “I want to be with you, you
know that... I... just don't want us being together to put either of us in danger. You with the other vamps back home... or stop me from doing what I'm good at. We can't go on like this because I’m going to go fucking crazy. When this is over, we stop running, or I’ll leave.”

She swung her legs and went to stand when a cool hand grabbed her wrist. Standing in front of her, the handsome vampire tilted her chin up and placed his lips on hers. Her heart pounded as the kiss intensified by Luka placing a hand on the small of her back, bringing her in closer. Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt that she could stay wrapped in his arms forever, kissing his lips; the world could crumble down around them, for good this time, a
nd she wouldn’t care.

Completely absorbed in her bliss, Cassie almost failed to hear a throat clear. She leapt away from Luka. Sebastian stood in the doorway, his grin so bright it could illuminate the room. Flushed and slightly embarrassed, she turned to walk away, but felt a firm grip on her waist as Luka pulled her down to sit in his lap on the couch. Archer entered the room and inclined his head toward them, before he immediately left. Grunts and groans sounded from the next room as Archer hit the punch bag.

Sebastian handed Cassie a cup of hot coffee; she couldn't help but wonder how the hell he had managed to get coffee in this place. She took a glorious sip, still slightly uneasy about her current position. She was not used to intimacy from anybody. Even her mother hadn't been a very touchy-feely person. Over the scent of the rich coffee, Cassie could detect the unmistakable scent of copper. Blood. Sebastian had set a covered cup in front of Luka, yet the vampire made no attempt to reach for it.

Drink the blood, Luka. I won't run away from you drinking out of a cup. You need all the strength you can get when we go up against Cole. Just please don't dribble blood on your chin, or there’s no chance in hell I'm kissing you!

Luka's eyes betrayed his cool demeanour, darting hungrily at the cup before he looked at her and shook his head. Archer, who returned to the room dripping in sweat, and Sebastian, stood silently watching them. If she was to prove that she accepted Luka for what he was and could cope with the darkness that surrounded them both, then she had to start now.

Before she could change her mind, Cassie reached for the cup of blood, lifted off the lid and raised it to her lips. She bit back the urge to puke as she swallowed, ran the back of her hand against her mouth, placed the cup in Luka's hand and as she placed her head on Luka's shoulder, she
shrugged, “Not bad.”

Cassie was certain that if she was living in a western, the silence would have been rewarded with tumbleweed. Three ancient immortals stood speechless, mouths hanging open. She would have
laughed, but it kind of scared her that the blood had in fact tasted amazing. Still feeling a little gutsy, she leaned over and kissed Luka on the cheek and whispered in his mind,
“Drink it or I will...”

Luka cautiously raised the glass to his own mouth and gulped some down.
I wonder what they'd do if I just licked the blood off his lips?
The thought sprang into her head before she could stop it, and she grinned as Luka almost choked on his drink. He raised an eyebrow, but Cassie just shrugged with mild amusement. She felt appalled with herself for drinking it, but it had tasted so damn good. She couldn't help but wish she had a glass of her own. Lifting her head at the gasp that emerged from the opposite side of the room, she saw that Sebastian’s glass now sat in front of her on the table.

“Um cheers, Seb...”

The vampire shook his head. “Alas, fair Cassandra, it was not me. I felt the pull of magic and the glass disappeared from my fingers to the table in front of you. You did that all by yourself, my dear.”

Archer muttered so low, even the vampires in the room found it hard to hear him, but Cassie found she had heard the words as clear as if he had shouted them at her. “So you think that some of what the bitch of the damned said was true, Archie? That there are some things that will bring out my powers, like say
having a shot of blood?”

“Seems to be, Princess, if you can hear a whisper and summon on just a little blood intake, I’m extremely curious to see what would happen if you dra
nk everything in that glass.”

What else has Lilith refrained from telling her?

Turning to Luka, Cassie sighed. “I know you think Lilith didn't show all her cards, but we just have to hope I don't go all
grr
and try and kill you all.”

“Cassie, I didn't send that thought t
o you... you read my mind.”

At that, she couldn't help but smirk. “Payback’s a bitch, boss.” As she stretched her mind out to see if it was only Luka's thoughts she could pick up, she felt a sharp pain in her head as the three put up some serious mental shields, quick and sharp. She held up her hands in defeat and took the glass in her hand. She could smell the rich coppery scent; he
r stomach grumbled in response. Blushing, she lifted the liquid and inhaled, stopping before she went any further. “If I hulk out or grow horns, somebody do something okay?” She walked to the corner of the room, away from prying eyes, and then she raised the glass to her companions. “Slainte,” and tipped it back her throat.

This time she felt no urge to gag, only her body’s thirst for power, and the magic pulsing throughout her body as she drank. She could feel her eyes change colour as her senses exploded and everything became clearer. She staggered slightly as the head rush took over, and she dropped the glass. It shattered on the concrete floor, and she covered her ears to try and shield her
self from the noise.

Luka was suddenly in front of her, edging his way slowly towards her. “Cassie? Are you okay?”
he asked her tentatively.

She didn't know if she could answer that question right that second. Her own blood was pounding in her ears, and the magic urged to be released. Cassie felt the demon inside her rejoice at the sudden surge of power. Holding out her hand, she called for the nearest weapon to her, “Sword” which promptly landed in her hand. Then she closed her eyes, hoping to appear next to Archer. He yelped in surprise as she stood in front of
him, sword at his throat.

“Awesome, now this I can get used to,” she quipped before dropping the sword. “Guess Lilith was right when she said I needed to ind
ulge to gain my full powers.”

“Hell, woman, you are magnificent... If only I swung that way, I'd try and pry you from
my brother’s grasp.”

“Sorry, Seb, I'm a one-vampire woman.” She turned to Archer before she spoke again. “Let’s see
if I can fly now too.”

Pushing her palms downward, she concentrated as the angel had told her, and told herself to levitate. When she hit her head off the ceiling and landed flat on her ass, Cassie burst out laughing. “Guess I got
ta work on some stuff!”

Grasping Luka's hand, she let him help her up. The power still surged below the surface, but it felt different from when she had used her powers before. Anger had triggered it before, especially when she had been held captive by Vicktor. She wondered i
f she could do anything else. Gazing up into Luka's green, green eyes, she gave him a wicked smile. Taking a step back, she pointed a finger at his shirt and commanded, “Open.” The buttons popped off the black shirt, as Cassie squealed in delight.

“Hey!” Luka let out a disgruntled cry.

“Well, boss, I’m just trying out to see what I can do, right? So I can sorta levitate, read thoughts, command things to come to me, or command your shirt to do what I want... I'm intrigued to see what else I can do.”

Placing his hands firmly on her shoulders, Luka had that serious, stick-up-his-ass, I’m-the-boss face and Cassie knew the next few words out of his mouth would not be good. “Cassie, we do not know how much power your body can take. And if
your demonic side will take over if you use them too often. Please just be cautious on when and
how
you use them.”

“Okay, okay, I promise. I understand that with great powe
r comes great responsibility!”

All three men groaned, but Cassie knew it was all in jest. A high-pitched wail sounded in the dead of night bringing them all back to the mission at hand. The night had crept in around them, pitch black and evil with no hint of moonlight. Despite the fact that Cassie no longer felt the cold air, she could sense it. She also felt that something about this night would change
everything forever.

“Right ladies, let’s
lock'n'load. We got a job to do, and I miss my nice warm bed! No offense Seb...”

Bowing ever so gentlemanly, Luka's brother gave her a smile so big she saw fang. She watched as Archer flexed his muscles and arranged his bow and arrows. Sebastian, though riddled with feminine features, now looked deadly as he twirled a scythe in his hand. Even her own Luka looked devastatingly beautiful and terrifying all in one as he shrugged on his usual black coat to conceal his own blades inside his jacket. He was deadly without the knives; he had after all trained her, and she was t
he best at what she did.

Focusing on her own weapons, she locked her belt around her waist, checking her ammo and making sure her guns were fully loaded. She slid a knife into her ankle strap, debating whether or not to take her beloved sword. Stealth would be necessary and her sword was big and sharp, and most definitely in charge. Frowning, she decided to leave it behind, so if she didn't make it, she could at
least be buried with it.

Straightening up, she turned to find Luka's eyes on her once again. He stalked towards her, cupped her face and kissed her like it was the last kiss they would ever share. They were both breathless, if that was possible for Luka anyway. Cassie nodded in response when Luka sent the thought to her,
You and I Cassandra, we have had unfinished business for too long... when this is over, we will talk and we will make a decision for good... yes?

With great reluctance, she pulled away, picked
up her nine mil from her bag, checked the mag and clicked off the safety. The thrill of the hunt set in, along with the knowledge that at the end of this, all her questions would be answered. The night beckoned her, and she turned to her fellow creatures with a devilish smile. “Let’s go hunting boys.”