Blood and Redemption (Cassandra Myles Witch Series) (10 page)

I took a deep breath and started to shoot. It came back as dead on, two in the head and four in the heart. “You are a savant
, Cassandra. How did you learn to shoot like that?”

“Magic is about intent. Putting what you want to do into what you are doing. So it gives me a little extra mojo.” I was giddy from how well I did.

We shot a whole range of guns, from revolvers to automatics. My arms were killing me from the shooting. My teacher told me it was partially because I would get too tense while I was aiming.

He probably thought it was about the shooting, but I think Quintus’ warning about Killian was starting to affect me. I really needed to get home. Quintus was doing something very painful tonight and
I felt like I should be there for him.

“We should get going. I’m exhausted.”

When he turned on the car, I had to adjust the heat. Vampires only tended to bother with defrost and it was a chilly night. They didn’t feel the cold like humans.

“Do you love Quintus?”

His voice was so serious, I turned to him. He was staring straight out the window. Killian was still a young vampire, but he had perfected the mask and it was firmly in place.

“Of course.”

“He isn’t the man you think he is
, Cassandra.” His voice was void of emotion. I was getting a little sick and tired of people telling me I didn’t know who Quintus was. I didn’t think I really knew any vampire. They told lies and kept secrets better than the Illuminati. It was part of their survival.

“I know there are things I don’t know about him, but he is very special to me
, Killian, and I’m not interested in discussing this with you.”

“He has done things, made me do things that might change your mind.”

“Now you sound like
evil Lucius.”

“Lucius may be out
of his mind, but he still knows the man better than anyone else. If he was warning you, then you should listen.”

“Please don’t do this. I really like you
, Killian. I enjoy going to the range with you, but I don’t want to hear you say anything else about Quintus. I will make up my own mind about him.”

“I understand your loyalty. I used to have it too. There was a time I would have do
ne anything for him. It was that very thing that made me hate myself.” He pulled out of the parking lot. His shoulders bunched up around his wavy blonde hair and he was bent over the steering wheel. He looked like the weight of the world was weighing him down.

“What do you mean?” The
one-eighty in tone and topic had me worried. Killian never seemed bothered by anything and now he seemed angry and upset.

“I mean
, one day, I got tired of working for a man who made me a monster and decided to go work for the queen of evil.”

“Stop talking like this
. You’re scaring me.” A wave of cold started in my stomach and splashed out over my entire body.

“Mab is my new boss. She’s going to help me take over your lover’s territory. She needs people who are familiar with the modern world. So I volunteered to help her with her reign of terror if she helped me kill Quintus.”

“Stop this; you’re not killing him. That’s crazy. Whatever it is, you can work it out. Quintus cares about you. He wouldn’t have you help us if he didn’t. Please, Mab is insane. She killed Declan in cold blood. She intended to kill me and you made a deal with her?” My voice was high and screechy. I was in full panic mode. He accelerated as we pulled onto the highway.

“Mab is…unpleasant, but I have dealt with unpleasantness before. Quintus has asked me to do some horrific things and you think nothing of working for him. So I’ll ask you, will you join us?”

“You don’t know me very well if you even have to ask that question. I could never do that to Quintus or to my own kind.”

“You’re a witch, not a human. You have magic in you. You’re different.”

“It doesn’t make us better.” He reached out and touched my cheek. I pulled away. “Don’t fucking touch me. Just take me home.”

“The humans haven’t done such a great job. Look at our world
. It’s filled with hate and violence.”

“They’re evil
, Killian. They killed Declan and they want me dead.”

I had to get him to turn around. I couldn’t let him take me to that mad woman. I wildly looked around for anything that would help me. He saw me eye the box with my gun. I dove for it and he calmly watched me take it from the box
. Bile came up in my throat as he started to laugh.

“Oh, Cass, do you think I’m stupid
? I unloaded that gun, my love, and even if I hadn’t, it wouldn’t be a good idea to shoot the driver when he’s going 140 kms per hour.”

The fucker was right. I’d be the one to die and he’d likely survive. “She’ll kill me
, Killian. She’ll torture me this time and then she’ll kill me.”

“No
. Mab has changed her mind. She wants you on her side. You have a lot of power in you. She sees you as an asset to her cause. It was my job to bring you over to our way of thinking. I thought I’d have more time to work on you, but it’s clear Quintus has you under his spell. No amount of convincing will sway you. Please believe that I wanted you here willingly.”

“I will never join you. Now take me home.”
I screamed at him, my voice echoing throughout the car. I was in full panic mode. I wasn’t going home anytime soon.

“I’m fond of you
, Cass, but I can’t let my feelings interfere with my plans. I’m taking a page from your lover’s playbook; power over everything.”

Grabbing the door handle
, I tried desperately to open my door. Certain death was better than having Mab’s foul hands anywhere near me. I looked back once and saw the gun coming for my head. I braced for the blow. Pain exploded from where he hit me and it made it hard to focus. Then the second one came and I felt nothing else for a very long time. 

I woke to a steady throb coming from the left side
of my head. My face was stiff and caked with dry blood. The stale and musty air clung inside my nose. Something covered my mouth and my legs and arms were secured and numb. I tried to open my eyes. My lashes were caked together and after the third try, I finally pulled enough of the fine hairs out to see my surroundings, big mistake. Waves of nausea hit me like a Mack truck. Breathing slowly through my nose, I managed to keep whatever was left in my stomach down.

   Fuck me! Did I have a pheromone I gave off to supernatural creatures that made them kidnap me? Seriously
, two times by two men I trusted. I could hear Dr. Phil now in his southern drawl, “People treat you how you let them treat you.” Apparently, I was A-okay with kidnapping.

I was lying on a cheap polyester bedspread, the kind that makes you want to rub hand sanitizer all over your body after you touch it. The room was dark, but I could make out enough to know I was in a no
-tell motel. My hands were tied behind my back and my legs were bound. The tape across my mouth was the finishing touch. I was going nowhere fast.

Lying on my side
, facing away from the other side of the bed, I could feel Killian asleep beside me. I couldn’t struggle or he would feel me. Killian was a youngish vampire. He couldn’t go out in the sun, but he was old enough that he could be roused during the day. If it even was daytime. I had to be still and think. I had no idea what time it was. The alarm clock was probably on the other side of the bed. If it was still early, I might be able to pull the curtain across. I would have to get up and do it without falling.

He would wake up way before I ever made it across the room. Fuck. Quintus was going to be so worried when I didn’t come home. I wished I hadn’t fought with him. Would he trust me enough to know I was in trouble and not shacking up with the vampire who was trying to steal his territory?

This was going to kill him. He was going to tear my kidnapper limb from limb. Killian was crazy. He thought he could take over the world. Did that not sound crazy? Well
, no one would see a world takeover coming from Canada, that’s for sure.
Canada takes over world; film at eleven
was not a phrase I ever expected to hear on the news.

“Good
, you’re awake. I was hoping you would be. I want you to enjoy this as much as I do.” He rolled me onto my back. I glared at him, trying to convey how much I wanted his death in that one look. “Now I’m going to take the tape off. No screaming and if I hear a whisper of any witchy stuff, you’ll be out again. Understand?” The faint glow of his eyes was the only light in the room.

I nodded. He pried up an edge of
the tape and then ripped it off. “You fucking cock-sucking slut.” Man, that hurt.

He laughed. “Now you’re trying to turn me on.”

“That hurt like a mother. Jeez, Killian.” His eyes were glowing and his fangs were down. “Please don’t. You can eat off of whoever you want when we get there.” It wasn’t the feeding I was scared of, but how he could make me feel.

“True, but I’ve spent a long time wondering what you taste like. You have two of the most powerful vampires in existence lusting after you; I want to know what all the fuss is about.” He kissed my lips. It was so gentle and quick it seemed like a strange thing for him to do.

“Fine. Take my blood, but leave me here. You can’t hate me enough to give me to the fae. Please. She talked about having me in her bed. Do you hate me so much you want to see me tortured?” I didn’t want to be under that woman’s control.

He stopped smiling. His hand came up and stroked my hair. I closed my eyes; he was going to do this no matter what I said. “No, I don’t hate you at all, but you are my ticket to getting what I want. Mab wants you on her side and if I can deliver
, then I will be granted Quintus’ territory after she takes over.” He licked my neck. “I’m taking you, Cassandra. Once I have my supper, we’re on the road.” His cool lips hovered over my pulse. The bastard was teasing me.

“What about me
? I’m starving. I will be too weak to be any good to you.”

He lifted his head to look me in the eye.
“It won’t, honey. I promise, in fact, it can be quite pleasurable. Now no more talking or the tape goes on. I want to enjoy this. Oh, unless you want to scream my name.”

My hands were digging into my back as he climbed on top of me. “Please don’t do this
.” Tears started to stream down my face. He was angry now. I had ruined his moment.

“Delaying pleasure is not my strong suit.” His fangs pierced my neck and he started to suck. The low moaning was making me sick
. The worst part was my body responding to the pleasure he was sending into me. I took small comfort that he stopped before I came. He licked the wound to close it over. “Quintus and Lucius are going to tear you apart for that.”

“Don’t you want me to tell you how tasty you are?”

“What I want doesn’t seem to matter.”

His smug grin disappeared and anger seeped into his sunny features. “This doesn’t have to be so terrible
, does it? We have had fun together. You’re a smart woman. Don’t ruin this for me.”

Did he really think I would just accept the fact he kidnapped me and just give in and have a great road trip? “Can you take me to the bathroom?”

He curled his lips. “Humans and their disgusting functions.”

“Please
. I can’t hold it much longer. You don’t want me wetting myself on your leather seats, do you?”

“I was going to untie you anyway. I can’t have people seeing me carrying around a helpless girl.” He laughed a little. “What would they think of me?”

He cut through the tape. My arms were numb and my legs wouldn’t support my weight at first. He held me against him as I regained my strength. I had to fight with myself to accept his help, but at the moment, I had little choice. After a few minutes, I unsteadily walked to the bathroom under my own power.

Killian wouldn’t let me shut the door and I didn’t blame him. I would have thought of something. I did what I had to do
, then I washed my face. “I don’t suppose you brought me a toothbrush or a change of clothes?”

“No
. They should have those things at the wolf compound. We are only five hours back. I made great time last night. My car is quite fast.” He looked altogether too smug for my liking.

“Can we get something to eat and drink? I’m missing some fluids from my body.”

“I don’t want to waste the time. Maybe if you tell me what your secret is, I’ll consider it.”

“What secret?”

“Cass, you have Quintus and Lucius fighting over you. They have been together for over a thousand years and now they want to kill each other. Don’t get me wrong, you are seriously hot, but you must have a little sumthin’ sumthin’ extra I don’t know about.”

I remained silent and tried to imagine what horrifying things Quintus would do to him when he found me.

“Well, I can deal with silence. Come on. We need to burn rubber. I wouldn’t want my coup to be over before it begins.”

We came out to an old Volvo station wagon
. I was shocked. It was one less breadcrumb I was leaving for Quintus to find me. The arrogant bastard must have been waiting for my reaction. He was standing there with his hands together against his lips. I walked past him and got in the car.