Another Way To Bleed (Midnight Assassin) (15 page)

You knew...

“Cassie, let me explain.”

For every step she retreated, he took one forward. She childishly put her hands over her ears to block out his voice. Standing in the centre of the room, she glanced from right to left, angel to vampire, friend or foe. She could not deal with it, not like t
his; she needed a clear head. As she would have to get round either of them to leave the room, she closed her eyes and focused on what she wanted, to be anywhere but in this room, far away from the devastated look on Luka's face. She pulled on all of her power and felt herself blur at the edges.
Take me away from here.
And her powers obeyed. She dematerialized from the room as the sound of her name echoed into the dark.

Epilogue

His lip curled up as he watched events unfold above him. Lilith had done as she was instructed to do, separate his daughter from the vampire, leaving her hurt and vulnerable, but most importantly alone. It was almost time for him to reveal himself to her. Over the years, he had spawned many children, yet she was the one that would settle it all. And more than that, prove that he, Lucifer, had been right all along. The stone cavern was only lit by the flames of torches that adorned the cave. Around his stone-carved table sat his cadre, the angels that had chosen to fall with him and remained loyal, and they would all be rewarded when he took his rightful place as ruler of heaven.

Lucifer raised his hand and a hush descended over the fallen.
“My friends.”

They all watched him with adoration, a face of innocence hidden behind a devilish smile.

“Lilith has done as I have asked, as has my son. The girl is alone, and having been betrayed by the only person she trusted, she is vulnerable to my influence.

“She must succumb to the son of Michael sooner rather than later, my grandchild paving the way for our return to heaven where we will be Gods once again. You all have your assignments. Go now and I shall join you shortly. Do not approach Cassandra unless absolutely necessary, for she is far deadlier than she looks, just like her father. Fair thee well, my friends. The gates of heaven shall op
en for us once again.”

With a bow of respect and the flutter of wings, the room emptied leaving Lucifer to his own musings.

When the gates of heaven open, I shall strike down those who stood against me. My vengeance will be sated and my father will cower before me. But first, I must make myself presentable. For it’s not every day a father gets to meet his long lost daughter now, is it?

Music has always been an important part of my life and without it I would not be able to disappear inside my head and write the stories I've always wanted to write. Here are a few songs on my playlist that I listened to over and over, becoming the soundtrack for my first novel, Another Way to Bleed.

I just hope that the artists inspire you as much as they did me.
You Me at Six – The Swarm
Lostprophets – We Bring an Arsenal
Silversun Pickup- Skin Graph
30 Seconds to Mars- Night of the Hunter
Paramore- Let the Flames Begin
Foo Fighter – The Pretender
Linkin Park- Somewhere I Belong
Fightstar – Floods
Maroon 5 – Harder to Breathe
Evanescence- Bring Me to Life
Muse – Hysteria
30 Seconds to Mars- The Kill
You Me at Six- If I were in Your Shoes
Paramore- Misguided Ghosts
Evanescence- Lost in Paradise
Foo Fighters- My Hero
Linkin Park- In the End
Fallout Boy- Thnks Fr Th Mmrs
You Me at Six- Bite my Tongue
the Wombats- Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves).

Blood on the Dance

Floor

A Midnight Assassin

Companion Story

Drip, drip, drip...

The stale smell of blood and sweat suffocated the already dense air. She blinked open her eyes, her vision adjusting to the darkened room. Her muscles ached and her throat burned as she tried to swallow. The young girl shivered, although she was unsure whether it was from the cold or the feeling that he was watching her as she lay strapped to the bed, naked and vulnerable.
Escape was beyond all hope. She had tried several times without success. He had mocked her then, laughing at her pathetic attempts to free herself. Tears welled up in her eyes.
No, I will
not cry. I will not let him see me weak
. Taking a deep breath, she waited, knowing it would not be long before the vampire returned.

Her thoughts began to drift and she wondered if life had been better when the world remained blissfully unaware of the supernatural. Now every city was governed by vampires, and all the creatures roamed the Earth free, even throughout the so
uthern Ireland county of Cork. People seemed to love the new regime, and the vampires had plenty of willing 'donor's'. Any laws broken, had severe penalties, and she prayed someone would find her soon, before she died. Just like all the others.

Stepping out of the shadows, the vampire carried yet another unconscious girl over his shoulders.
So he has a type,
she thought. All of the others had looked similar, but she always heard him mutter that the eyes were never the right ones. Strangely, relief flooded through her; she knew now he had his next victim, she would die. She prayed it would be quick, as over the past few days, he had enjoyed biting and drinking from every inch of her now scarred body. The monster tossed the girl onto a decayed couch as if she were garbage and slithered towards her.

“How are you today, my lovely Valerie?” he purred at her, running his hand over her bare thigh.
She kept her lips pressed together as bile crept up her throat. His blood red eyes observed her as she met his gaze defiantly. He chuckled, deep and sadistic. “No need for dramatics now, my sweet. I can smell the fear oozing from your pores. Be careful, or you'll get me all excited now. I may decide to use my lovely chains again before I grant you death”.

Valerie shuddered and he clapped his hands together. He brought his lips to meet hers, forcing his tongue inside. She lay perfectly still as she felt his fangs pierce her already throbbing lip. His hands cupped her breast roughly as he sucked deeply. Breaking away, he stared at her, his face half crazed with thirst.
She could smell death in the air as he pushed her head to the side. Wasting no time, he sank his fangs into her neck. The all too familiar dizzy sensation swam in her head, and through her flickering eyes, she saw the vampire’s next victim, awake but frozen in fear. As her heart fluttered, the peace of dying running in her veins, the screams fading around her, she sighed her last breath and gave into the darkness.

***

She gazed out the window, as torrents of rain drenched the city's streets. Cassie leaned her face against the chill of the windowpane and closed her eyes, hoping that the melodic tones of Jared Leto's voice would soothe her racing heart. As the song ‘Hurricane’ blared in her headphones, the lyrics “
Would you kill to save a life?
” haunted her, knowing that was her job most nights. Although she had many kills under her belt as the keeper's hired gun, it never seemed to get easier.
If it did,
she mused
, then I would have lost the last part of my humanity and become what I hunt.
She breathed in deeply, pausing for a moment before exhaling. Even with her eyes closed, she sensed him standing there, knowing his scent anywhere, a mixture of lavender and death. Cassie unwillingly removed her headphones before opening her eyes and meeting her boss’s gaze. His green eyes bore into her soul, his handsome face grim. He was beautiful, Luka's midnight coloured hair only intensified his green eyes. His well-defined muscles sat snug under a plain black t-shirt and dark denim jeans. A slight smirk emerged on the vampire’s face and Cassie, knowing her thoughts had betrayed her, straightened herself up, curious as to what the keeper of the city wanted of her tonight.

“Cassandra, always a pleasure,” he sang, his liquid voice sending shivers down her spine.

“I wish I could say the same, Luka,” she retorted. “What can I do for you?”

He paused for a second, pain briefly crossing his face at her dismal, before coming to sit beside her on the bed. She knew he would hear her heart racing, as it did every time he was near, and urged herself not to think of how close he was to her.
His voice was sombre as he stared at the wall.

“I need you to partake in a hunt for me. An old adversary has returned, but with a few new gifts up his sleeve. I cannot sense him, and it appears he may have developed
a glamour. I need your unique powers to find him.”

The keeper of the city paused and she took it as her lead to answer him. “I aim to please,
boss
, but I need a few more details, like!” Her usual sarcastic tone appearing.

“Bodies,” he simply said. “Lots of bodies. All taken from my club. Vanished, with no evidence but blood on the dance floor.  It’s the same as before... he tortures them in every possible way before draining them dry. I take it as a personal attack that he kidnaps them from
my club
.”

In all the years she had known Luka, she had never seen the vampire look so sad. She resisted the urge to hug him, wishing she could comfort him somehow. He stayed silent for what seemed like an age before Cassie chose to respond. “What makes you think I can catch him if you can't Luka?” she asked quietly.

“Because you are my assassin, Cassandra,” he stated as she flinched at the nickname she had been given by the city's underworld. “Your mixture of heritage and powers allow you to do what others, like myself, cannot. That makes you deadly.”

She was pissed at him. “I may be your hired gun, Luka, but what makes you think I'll keep
hunting filthy bloodsuckers all...”

She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as Luka slammed her against the wall of her apartment. He was inches from her face; she felt the tension go up a notch. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as he pressed his body against hers, blocking her escape. The hunter in her forced Cassie to stare into his eyes, reluctant to show any weakness.

“Do not push me, Cassandra. I have not fed yet tonight, and it would not do you well to test my restraint,” he whispered in her ear as he ran his finger down the scar on her cheek. His mouth moved to her exposed throat and she sighed, feeling his fangs on her skin. Cassie, even though she knew he would read her thoughts, couldn't help but wonder if she could resist him now if he wanted to taste her. As he ran his hand over her hip, she wished he would just take her, fear turning to desire. As she wondered if her own freakish blood would appeal to him, Luka inhaled deeply before taking a step back, a cocky grin plastered on his face. Her face flushed, Cassie stared the vampire down, trying to gain control of the situation. It’s not like they hadn’t danced this dance may times before.

“Fine,” she
said, her voice hoarse. “What do you want from me?”

Walking towards her bedroom door, Luka paused before leaning against the doorframe.

“Come to Box of Delights tonight and see if you can sense him. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be there too, trying to rub my nose in it. I will let my staff know that you will be making an appearance so as not to cause too much commotion. His scent is unique, most vampires prefer to appeal to humans, but Vicktor lives to disgust. You will know it is him.”

“Sure, no bother but I will be coming armed, Luka, no way in hell am I walking into the underworld's top club defenceless.”

Luka nodded and Cassie guessed he knew she would not agree to go without her own 'back-up'.

“I'll swing by 'bout
eleven, make a sweep of the place.” She paused, cheeks burning as she asked, “Will I see you there tonight?”

In an instant he had crossed the room, and they were face-to-face again. This time when he whispered in her ear, her knees threatened to buckle. “Would you like that, my assassin? Of course I will be there tonight. I love to watch you hunt. And I would not leave you unprotected in my club... what kind of a host would that
make me? When this is all over, Cassandra, you and me have unfinished business.”

He pressed his lips to hers, a kiss that burned with the intensity of a thousand fires. Her body trembled as he deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth. She screamed for more in her mind, but as fast as the kiss had begun, Luka was gone. Cassie closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. Her heart pounded in her chest as a velvet voice whispered like the wind in her head,

Soon, Cassandra, soon.

Cassie smiled in anticipation, unaware of the horrors that would shortly reveal themselves.

***

As she made her way towards the club, Cassie couldn’t help but think of how Cork City had changed since the end of days, many years ago. Millions died, cities eviscerated and now all of hell's crea
tures roamed the earth freely. Magic and monsters were now public knowledge; they even offered courses in the local college, the one that had not been set alight by a dragon. Cassie had always tried to hide who she was, but with her jet black hair and onyx eyes, courtesy of her unknown demonic father, she was hard to miss. Her small athletic frame also seemed to attract most of the scum of the Earth, both of the human and supernatural kind.

Walking down past the remains of Patrick Street, she felt eyes watching her. Dressed in loose fitting jeans and a black t-shirt, she looked like any normal girl. She had topped her outfit off with a pair of vans’ sneakers she had 'borrowed' before the TK Maxx was sucked into a hellhole.
But she knew it was not her outfit that drew attention to her. Along with her pale skin and black hair and eyes, it was her assortment of weapons that truly alerted people that the Assassin was hunting. Around her waist, a nine millimetre hung from her belt along with an arrangement of bullets, silver and wooden alike. Her standard switch blade was concealed in her ankle strap, but her Dadoo sword that hung from her katana on her shoulder was a sight to be seen.

As she reached the club, Cassie skipped the queue that had formed outside the box of delights. The massive lycan acting as club security studied her up and down with a slight smirk on his face as he inclined his head for her to enter. Hushed murmurs echoed through the crowd; Cassie silencing them with one menacing
look. Brushing her hair from her face, she smiled sweetly at the lycan, before strolling through the door he held open for her. The floor vibrated under her feet as she stood on the balcony, her heightened vision scanning the dance floor below.  Cassie closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her senses flooded with the aromas of the creatures around her. Lemon and honey, copper and ash, orange and eucalyptus a variety of different smells, all appealing in their own way.

Turning towards the massive staircase, she cautiously took in her surroundings, well aware of the activities that occurred in the Box of Delights. Donors were widely available, raw meats for the
weres and private chambers for a bit more sick and twisted fun. Cassie shuddered remembering how she once had ended up in one of those rooms just after her mother had died. Reaching the end of the stairs,
Pendulum's
“Propane Nightmares”, pounded from the speakers. Itching to hit the dance floor, she brushed past a couple of females, undeniably enjoying themselves. It wasn't until one of the girls threw her head back in pleasure, did she see the blood dripping from her neck. The vamp chick locked eyes with Cassie, continuing to drink. Cassie couldn't tear her eyes away, yearning to have blood drank from her veins... her head screaming at her that she was being compelled. It was only when the scent of lavender wrapped around her that she was able to shake it off.

Cassie's gaze now met with Luka’s and she nodded her head in show of a thank you. Jealously surprisingly bubbled in her as she watched the army of beautiful immortals that surrounded Luka draped over his legs, straddling his lap and whispering in his ear. Luka tipped his head slightly in her
direction, smugness radiating from his every pore and Cassie blushed, her thought betraying her again. Shrugging her shoulder, she made her way to the dance floor, in the hopes of teasing Luka and of sensing her prey. She positioned herself between a gorgeous shifter and a faery. She danced in the middle of them, the faery resting his hands on her waist as the shifter moved in closer behind her. She felt Luka's eyes burning through her as he watched from his private balcony.

“MINE!”

The word echoed in her head, and from the look of fear in both the shifter’s and fairy’s eyes, and how quickly they vanished, she knew all three had heard the same command. Raising an eyebrow, she could almost see the anger that radiated from Luka's skin, before he turned and disappearing from view.

Cassie headed for the bar in desperate need of a drink. She smiled at the goblin behind the bar. His glamour was presenting itself as a Gerard Butler look-a-like, but Cassie was able to see both of his selves.
Cheers, Dad,
she thought dryly. The goblin winked at her before passing her a shot and shaking his head when she offered cash. Guess there were some perks of the job. It was then she caught the scent, a smell so awful it sent bile creeping up her throat. She shouted for Luka in her head, before taking off after the trail. Pushing past the crowds of dancers, she followed the smell past the back rooms, and when she reached the back entrance, she was overcome with the need to vomit, as the mixture of rotting flesh, blood and sex flared in her nostrils. Cassie flung open the door and staggered backwards as a fist met with her face. Jumping back to her feet, she poised herself for a fight, reaching for her nine millimetre, but she couldn't move. Her eyes widened in panic as the vampire stepped out of the shadows. His eyes were red with bloodlust, and he licked his lips as he ran a finger over her scar. She tried to open her mouth but nothing happened. The vampire smirked and Cassie felt drowsy. She wanted to sleep. Vicktor was waving his head like a cobra bewitching its prey. He put his finger to his lips and whispered, “Shhhh”.