Up in a Blaze (13 page)

Cassie nodded her head in understanding, even as she clutched Donte’s hand tightly. “I know.”

Donte turned to her. “Remember last night I asked you to go back to the time of the attack? I was there, love. I just kept myself hidden as to not frighten you. I was there and watched everything. You have my word, as your mate, that I will seek justice. Nobody beats a woman up like that in this day and time. Especially when the woman is my mate.”

He reached up and stroked her hair a few times. “I want you to just lean on me and relax. Clear your mind of everything else, love, yes, I’m in your mind now, but I’m just observing right now.” He chuckled before he continued, “I knew you’d have a couple hundred questions for me. I see them, burning brightly. Let’s get through this, then I’ll tackle your list,
cariño
. For right now, let’s put those off to the side. Good girl. Now, let go of all the other crazy stuff from this afternoon. Good, good. Okay, keep your eyes shut and pretend you’re drifting on a cloud. That’s it, just relax.”

Donte looked over to Samuel and gave a short nod with his head. “Okay, sweetheart, you and I are going to go back now, together, to your attack. I’ll be with you the entire time.”

As Donte and Cassie went back to her attack, Samuel placed his hand on her knee and jumped in behind them. He stayed a short distance back, looking all around as if he was searching for something. Then he heard Cassie scream out in pain, and knew they were at the scene in her memory.

Cassie could see both Donte and Samuel this time, as if they were outside talking on a street, instead of in her memories. She watched as Samuel walked up directly behind Gregory, in an attempt to hear what her attacker had recited when he placed a spell over her. Samuel didn’t move, nor did he allow his presence to be known by the figure in her dream, until the very end.

This time Samuel and Donte both caught what Gregory had done to make life easier for him. When he pulled Cassie’s hair, he’d pulled an entire fist full of it. It was the hair from her head that was allowing him to perform his magic. Gregory had to have something of hers that either had scent, or DNA already on it in order for the spell to work.

When Gregory heard the sirens, he turned to flee the scene. Only this time when he turned around, he ran straight into a brick wall of a chest. He looked up and gasped, “You? Again?”

Samuel cocked his head for a moment as if he were studying a bug under a microscope. “Yes, me again. Going somewhere, Gregory?”

Gregory was in full panic now, the sirens were getting closer. “I won’t…” he shook his nasty, dirty head vehemently. “I can’t go back. I won’t. That bitch put me in there, I’m going to kill her!”

Samuel placed a hand on Gregory’s shoulder. “Just so we are clear on things, which bitch are you referring to?” He stopped and looked behind Gregory where Cassie’s broken and torn up body lay motionless. “Are you referring to Ms. Vicors? What exactly did she ever do to you to deserve what you just did to her?”

Gregory barely gave Cassie a backward glance. “No, that stupid bitch knows where Betty is, and when I find her, I’m going to kill the fucking bitch for putting me in prison!” He continued inching to the back of the house so he could make his getaway before the police got there.

“Ahh, but there are a couple of things you’re missing, old friend. First, the woman you keep referring to as a bitch is in fact my mate, and if you call her that one more time, I’m afraid you’re not going to like the consequences. Oh, and two, you can leave. But first,” Samuel had Gregory pinned down on the floor in a blink of an eye, forcing him to release his fist which was full of Cassie’s hair. Samuel made certain that all the hair was removed from his hand, and then just to make his point, he shoved that arm back behind Gregory’s back, knowing full well it was the same one he broke earlier.

“Now that I have your attention,” Samuel stated in the most pleasant voice, as if the two were going to discuss the weather. “We are going to get a few things straight. I’m breaking your little spell, it’s nothing more than child’s play. But Betty’s brother-in-law said to give you a message. If you are so hell bent on coming after her, you will need to go through the Texas Rangers first. Good luck with that.” Samuel released Gregory, who quickly got up, knowing the cops were going to be showing up any moment now. “Your best bet would be turn yourself in, Gregory, before things get any worse. You are already a wanted man in two different states.”

Samuel waited until Gregory left, then bent down to pick up the hunk of hair that had come from Cassie’s head. “Donte, stop her dream right now before the police come barging in. I’m going to try to undo this spell.”

Samuel leaned down to the bloody and bruised Cassie on the floor. “Hey, sweetheart, easy, I’m not going to hurt you. That asshole managed to put a spell on you, and if I don’t get it broken, he is going to continue coming after you when you get patched up. We want to try to prevent that from happening.”

“Hurt,” she mumbled through her split lips.

“I know, honey. Just hang in there for a minute, help is on its way.” Samuel quickly grabbed the hair Gregory had pulled from her head and molded her hand against his with the hair in between.

Both Cassie and Donte watched in fascination as Samuel started a low hum of a chant, too low for either of them to make out. They watched for about two or three minutes, and then Samuel looked up with a grin on his face. “I believe we are done here.” He glanced back down to the injured Cassie on the floor and carefully removed her hand from his, and then gently brought it down to her side. He then leaned over to her one more time. “Look at me, beautiful. You are going to be okay. You will make a complete healing and end up going to Texas to see your friend. You are going to fall in love there, but most important, you won’t remember me being here at all. Close your eyes, sweetheart, and when you open them again, help will be here for you.”

The three of them walked out of the dream, and Donte released the hold he had put on it so Samuel could break the spell. Emergency personnel began pouring into the front door, and Donte sighed deeply. If the spell were truly gone, then maybe Cassie would be able to get a good night’s sleep. Only time would tell if the spell had truly been removed or not.

Cassie popped her eyes open to see both Donte and Samuel watching her intently. “Did it really work?”

“I am ninety percent sure that it did, but on the off chance it didn’t, since he didn’t leave the house with anything of yours, he shouldn’t have any power over you whatsoever. That spell required that he have something of yours, something you would have worn, or even more powerful, your hair.” Samuel stopped there for a moment before continuing, “The only way we will know for sure if the spell is truly broken is for you to go to sleep. If all went well, you’ll go to sleep and not be bothered by him anymore.”

Samuel stood and nodded over to Donte. “Thanks for your assistance. I’ll leave the two of you alone now.”

It was then that she realized she was curled up in Donte’s lap, his arms wrapped securely around her. Suddenly too tired to care, she lay her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and basking in the warmth of his kiss on her forehead.

“Are you tired, love?” he asked in a husky voice.

She reopened her eyes to look at him. “Yes, I am, but there’s still a big part of me that’s scared to go to sleep, you know?”

He nodded in understanding, then glanced down at his watch. “How about we get out of here and I take you home. That way you can stretch out and get comfortable, but I’ll stay with you the whole time so if you do end up with a visit from Gregory, I’ll be there to help. Does that sound okay with you?” His voice ran over her like pure, smooth honey, going a long way in settling her nerves.

She gave him a smile. “I think I’d like that.”

*****

Gregory looked down at the locket hanging off a chain on his chest where he had Cassandra’s hair. The strands of hair had just disappeared before his very eyes, as if it had never been there to begin with. Damn, he should have known better than to trust a damn prison inmate. The guy obviously had showed him some faulty magic. Then another thought hit him.

He still couldn’t figure out the new guy who seemed to be showing up in Cassandra’s dreams. He’d been transported back to the day he had paid her a visit, only somehow that bastard had shown up and altered what happened. Could it be that this guy knew more powerful magic than the inmate? That seemed to be the only logical answer.
Hmm, must have been some sort of magic trick he did to have his face contort the way it did and suddenly grow fangs. Yeah, had to be magic
. Gregory shook his head. He still wasn’t sure how the guy had managed to break his arm in real life through a dream though. He would have never thought that was possible, but the throbbing in his arm assured him it was very real. And for that the bastard would pay, Gregory would make certain of it.

He thought back to what the stranger had said to him this last time. “Betty’s brother-in-law said you would need to go through the Texas Rangers…” Now he remembered! If he wasn’t mistaken, that bitch’s brother-in-law ran the entire Texas Rangers. A quick check on google told him where the headquarters was located. Gregory chuckled to himself.
Oh, I’ll go up against the Rangers
. Those bunch of no-good lawmen won’t know what hit them when he got finished.

Gregory chuckled as he started up the truck he was driving. He counted himself lucky the old thing was still running, then shrugged his shoulders as he took it out of park. “Must be a sign I’m meant to go to Texas,” he muttered.

*****

Donte kept Cassie in his arms as he rose off the couch and exited the room. He ran into Walter on the way out the backdoor. “I’m taking Cassie home. Call me if you need anything,” he told his boss from over his shoulder.

“Hey, did it work?” Walter inquired. Donte knew he was talking about the breaking of the spell.

“We think it did, but won’t know for certain until after she sleeps.”

“Okay, hey, Donte, if you get a chance tonight, can you sketch us up a profile picture of Gregory?” Walter hollered as Donte continued to the door.

“Sure, boss. I’ll have it done by morning.”

Donte carefully placed her in his truck and buckled her in before shutting the door and walking over to his side.

The ride home was made in silence. Cassie seemed buried in her own thoughts, and Donte didn’t want to interrupt. When they arrived home, he parked the truck in the garage and jumped out, hurrying over to her side to help her down.

Once inside the house, Cassie sank down on the couch, her eyes holding a million different questions.

“Okay shoot,” he stated as he sat down next to her.

“What?” she inquired as she faced him, thinking she had missed a piece of the conversation.

“I said, shoot, meaning go ahead and start throwing your questions. You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

“How long have you been…well, you know…”

“A vampire? I’m a vampire, love, plain and simple. No I am not offended to be called one. It is who I am. In answer to your question, I’ve been a vampire for over two hundred and twenty years now.”

“Wow, you’re old!” The words came out before she could stop them, and she quickly slammed her hand across her mouth as soon as the words were out.

Donte sat back and laughed. “Yeah, I am. Actually, prior to today, no one at the office knew exactly how old I was. I believe I may be one of the oldest living vampires in the Texas area.”

That move seemed to be the icebreaker, and for the next hour and half they sat on the couch, Donte patiently answering all of her questions about being a vampire.

“Do l scare you,
cariño
?” he asked as she started winding down after what felt like a hundred and one different questions.

She was quick to shake her head. “Scare me, no. I find myself intrigued, but you don’t scare me. I feel like you’ve had ample enough opportunity to hurt me in the last couple of days, but you have been more of a gentleman than I have ever experienced.”

He slowly reached over and picked up her hand, bringing it to his lips. He kissed the backside of it, then brought it to his cheek to rub against. “Tell me,
cariño,
do I have any chance of winning your heart? You already have mine, cariño. It jumped out of my chest and into your hands the moment I stepped through that hospital door. Tell me I have a chance of winning yours also,
cariño.”
He brought her hand back up to his lips, and lightly trailed the tip of his tongue along her pulse point.

Cassie’s breath caught in her throat as she watched him zero in on her pulse. She wasn’t exactly afraid of him biting her. He had explained that they really couldn’t do that to humans unless it was their mate and consensual or in an extreme emergency. No, she wasn’t worried about him biting her in the least. But the feelings he was stirring up she had buried deep inside her a long time ago. She swore she could feel his tongue curling around each of her breasts every time he brought it out to lick along her pulse point. Her panties were getting wet, and she was betting he could already smell her arousal. Damn but had he broken her wall of defense down fast!

She thought back to all the little things he had done for her over the past couple of days. Never in her life would she imagine ever running into someone with such manners. That, combined with his rock hard body and great looks, he could have any woman he wanted. But he wanted her.