Pretty When They Collide (17 page)

Chapter 17
:

Final Battle

T
wist
ing
in
mid-
air
,
and avoid
ing
the sun shade over the garden, Cassandra managed to
la
nd on her feet.  T
he hard landing ja
r
r
ed
every bone and muscle in her body. She had set down on the soft soil of the garden, ruining a few of Aimee
’
s herbs.

“
Oops,” she muttered, surprised by the guilt she felt for destroying the witch
’
s hard work.

Lifting her head, she coiled her body, ready to leap onto the house and scale up the side to rejoin the battle. Instead, she briefly glimpsed a dark shape
crashing through the sun shade
a second before Michael collid
ed
into her, painfully tackling her to the ground and smashing the air out of her lungs. Gasping for breath, Cassandra punched him in
the face, and kicked him off
her.

They both rolled onto all fours, facing each other. Michael
’
s grin was absolutely feral as Cassandra struggled for breath.

“
So far, I
’
m really disappointed in you. I heard all these tall tales about your kind and yet you seem to be just a big old stupid girl,” he teased.

“
I was just about to say the same thing about you,” Cassandra wheezed.

Anticipating his next attack, she lunged out of his attempted tackle and tucked into a rollover. Coming up on her feet, she instantly kicked out, striking his shin as he rose to his feet
, and then hitting
him across the face.

Wiping blood from his nose, Michael narrowed his eyes. “Better.”

Though she saw his fist coming, she couldn
’
t move fast enough to completely avoid the blow and he caught her side, sending her spinning. Quickly recovering, she ducked under his follow
-
up throw. Popping back up and facing him, she lifted her leg, snapping out her foot, striking the middle of his chest, shoving him backward. Michael moved to block her and she switched legs, revolving so her next kick was aimed at his chin. The impact resounded through her as his head snapped back.

“
So, what are you, big boy?” Cassandra asked in a mocking tone. “You sure aren
’
t human.”

“
Let
’
s see if you can guess.”

With a predatory growl, Michael charged at her, arms swinging. Cassandra found herself backing up quickly, blocking the swipes with her forearms and hands. The bruising impact of his attacks registered in the back of her mind, but she was concentrating too hard on his next move to pay it much he
e
d. Dropping to the ground, she crushed more plants under her body as she swept his feet out from under him with her leg.

Landing with a grunt, Michael laughed joyfully. “Now this is getting fun.”

Gunshots erupted in the house, drawing Cassandra
’
s attention away from Michael as fear gripped her. “Aimee,” she breathed, rising.

Obviously believing her to be distracted, Michael jumped up and struck out at her face. She caught his arm, and unleashed multiple sidekicks into his gut. He grabbed her shoulders and flung her to the ground.

With a chortle, he gazed down at her. “So what am I?”

“
Fuck!” Cassandra exclaimed.

Very sharp canine teeth filled his mouth and his eyes were golden yellow. “Surprise.”

“
Canis!” The word was a hiss of distaste.

“
Such a racist comment,” Michael growled, amused.

Crab-walking away from him on her hands and feet, Cassandra felt a pang of despair as she realized the situation
had
just worsened. “What are you? A fucking werewolf?”

Stalking her, Michael shook his head. “Anubis.”

“
You mean a jackal. You
’
re no god,” she said in a mocking voice. Twisting about, she clambered to her feet and dropped into a fighting stance.

Michael shrugged. “You
’
ll be on your knees before me soon enough, god or no god.”

The bruises he had inflicted upon her were beginning to hurt, but she didn
’
t dare to use the last of her power to heal. She wasn
’
t a fighter, she was a thief. Though she could hold her own, she had never truly trained to be the vampire hunter
Dr. Summerfield
declared she had been born to be. Suddenly, she wished she had trained and learned to harness all her abilities so she would know how to rid herself of the jackal before her. Pummeling him into unconscious was not going to be easy and s
he would most likely take a thrashing
while at it. Plus, she wasn
’
t feeling particularly up to strength at the moment.

“
Oh, fuck it,” she groaned, and attacked.

Blow for blow, kick for kick, she managed to match the other supernatural creature. Long claws had erupted from his fingertips, but they were ineffectual against her body armor until he managed to drag them across her bare hand.
She screamed.

Michael licked her blood from his claw. “Delicious. I want another taste.”

“
That
’
s the only one you get, asshole!
”

Instead of waiting for him to move, she attacked. As they fought, Michael forced her closer and closer to the outer edges of Aimee
’
s garden. Increasingly dizzy, Cassandra had trouble landing her blows. Michael hammered her with his fists, knees, and feet. Falling back, she stumbled, her legs suddenly giving out on her. Landing in a spray of tall lavender flowers, Cassandra flailed as the world tilted around her. Disoriented, she struggled to get up, but Michael landed on her.

“
Ah, did you fall into the nasty vervain?” Michael chuckled, his mouth elongating into a pointed snout edged with long fangs. Darting his head forward, he tried to bite her throat.

Cassandra managed to get her hand up between his maw and her neck just in time. The sharp teeth ripped through her flesh
,
eliciting a scream of agony. Pressing the palm of her other hand against his forehead, she tried to push him away, but he bit down harder. Bones cracked and blood spilled from her hand.

There was a flutter of movement behind Michael
’
s head. A second later, the blade of a ceremonial dagger flashed under Michael
’
s chin. Hot steaming blood poured out
of his slit throat
as his jaws released his hold on Cassandra.

“
We
’
re done with you,” Aimee
’
s voice said coldly. She stood just behind him, clutching the dagger she had earlier given to Cassandra. She must have recovered it from the floor of the game room.

Michael thrashed about, trying to staunch the bleeding with his hands.

Aimee extended her hand to Cassandra. “C
’
mon.”

Head swimming, Cassandra managed to grip the witch
’
s hand while cradling her injured hand to her chest. Aimee hauled Cassandra to her feet, then pulled her away from the vervain. Instantly, Cassandra began to feel much better.

Glancing toward Michael, Aimee said, “He
’
s going to heal.”

“
We
’
ll be gone by the time that happens.”

“
You need to heal now.” Aimee looked at Michael significantly.

Inside the house, the sounds of battle continued, but at a slower pace. Either Frank
’
s men were whittling down the last of Arnost
’
s
people
, or vice versa. Soon the victor of the battle would be looking for them.

Cassandra motioned to Michael. “Can you get him for me?”

Lips set in a grim line, Aimee held out her hand, then sharply drew it back toward her
.
Michael
’
s body was dragged facedown through the remains of the garden to their feet. Seizing his head by his hair, Cassandra pulled it back and drove her sharp teeth into his sweaty skin. She gave him no pleasure, letting him feel every agonizing moment of her feeding. He gurgled, clawing at the ground. The loss of blood had weakened him, but she knew he would heal very soon. The power of his blood unfurled inside of her, hot, primal, and hungry. Struggling to contain it as it mingled with her dark nature, she instantly hated that she had fed from him. The darkness inside her was howling with pleasure and she felt it filling her, quashing her humanity.

And then the softest touch rested on her cheek and the darkness fled. Instead, she felt the peace and quiet of the night fill her. Aimee
’
s white magic was a light inside of her
,
glowing as softly as the tranquil moon. Releasing Michael, Cassandra rose and turned toward Aimee.

With sweet gentleness, Aimee kept her hand pressed to Cassandra
’
s flushed cheek. “You
’
re not a monster,” she said in a soft voice.

Nodding, unable to speak for fear of the emotion that might choke her, Cassandra willed her hand to he
a
l.

“
We need to go,” Aimee said at last, her hand dropping to her side.

“
That fucker, Frank, did you get him?” Cassandra asked, following Aimee to the wall.

Aimee shook her head. “I got Arnost, but Frank vanished.” Pain and anger filled her voice and were etched into her brow.

Taking hold of Aimee
’
s arm, Cassandra bent toward her. Staring into her eyes, she said, “He will never hurt you again. I swear it.”

A small smile pressed itself to Aimee
’
s lips.

“
Outside!” a voice called out from the interior of the house. “They
’
re outside! I see them.”

Aimee grabbed Cassandra
’
s hand. “Time to fly.”

A small yelp escaped Cassandra
’
s lips as they were flung off the ground and onto the high wall. They landed on the narrow edge and Aimee whirled about and tossed several spells into the garden below. Purplish-blue flames erupted. Michael collapsed with a groan, but did not burn.

“
It
’
s not real fire. It
’
s the manifestation of the spell. It
’
ll
knock all of them out for a few hours
,” Aimee explained.

Cassandra grinned. “You do think of everything.”

“
I try,” Aimee admitted with a shy smile. “Now follow me.”

They rushed along the top of the wall to a walkway that cut past the main house to the large garage nearby. Aimee quickly punched in the security code and they slipped inside. The lights flicked on to reveal a bank of sports cars, a limousine, and a collection of motorcycles.

“
You pick,” Aimee said.

Cassandra stared at the pegboard where all the keys dangled. She snagged a set with a Harley logo on it.

“
I had a feeling you
’
d pick that,” Aimee said, her laughter a balm to Cassandra
’
s anxious mind.

Aimee activated the garage door while Cassandra found the correct motorcycle and climbed onboard the gleaming red and chrome beauty. Aimee ran back and slid onto the seat behind Cassandra. Her lean arms wrapped around Cassandra
’
s waist and her body pressed lightly against the dhamphir
’
s back.

Cassandra gunned the engine and kicked up the stand. The big bike rumbling under her, she rode it out of the garage and along the long drive. She didn
’
t bother with the lights, but rode straight toward the gated entrance using her keen vision to guide her. Aimee leaned into her so she could reach around and hit the button on a small device attached to the handlebars. The gates opened smoothly onto the road beyond.

Maintaining a tight hold on Cassandra, Aimee rested her chin on the dhamphir
’
s shoulder. “Are we going to the rental car?” Aimee asked in her ear.

“
No, we can
’
t trust it,” Cassandra answered.