Another Way To Bleed (Midnight Assassin) (16 page)

Cassie, in one last attempt at survival, willed Luka to her side, before succumbing to the darkness.

***

Drip, drip, drip.

Blinking her eyes open, it took a few minutes for Cassie's vision to focus. She groaned as pain ripped through her. Trying to raise her hand to wipe the hair from her face, she realised she was strapped to a table and she was naked. 
Fabulous,
she thought as she turned her head. Fresh bile rose in her mouth. In the darkened room, mangled bodies were discarded like trash. Even for Cassie, the way the bodies were ripped apart was gruesome... the stuff of nightmares. Empty, fearful eyes scorched her soul, their pitiful expressions drawing a tear from her. Headless body parts were cast aside in piles, amputated arms, legs and torsos, all covered in bite marks, all naked and all drained of blood. Anger and disgust flowed in her veins. She tried to tap into her mother's Wiccan roots, which she had suppressed ever since her mother was killed in a hunt. The scar on her cheek was a parting gift from the monster who had taken over her mother’s body, moments before a fifteen year old Cassie had chopped off her head. The magic she had not used in four years vibrated in her blood.

The smell of rotting flesh washed over Cassie as her capture materialised from the shadows. His gaze lingered over her naked body, causing her to shiver involuntarily. He sneered at her gleefully, her obvious discomfort meeting with his appreciation. The room came alight and Cassie’s eyes roamed over the blood-stained walls. Various torture weapons, knives and chains hung from one of the bloodied walls.

“Isn't all this kinky crap just a little bit too cliché?” Her voice croaked and dripped with sarcasm. “At least be original.”

A deep chuckle bellowed from his chest as he ran his hand roughly over her thigh. “Ahh, Cassandra, I've waited a long time for you, my dear. So beautiful, so strong, so haunted ... just like your mother.”

Cassie snapped her head towards him, her eyes fierce. “What the fuck do you know about my mother?” She knew he was baiting her, but the words had left her mouth before her brain had a chance to think.

Cassandra?
 
A welcomed, silky voice echoed in her thoughts.
Don't die on me yet, my assassin. We have unfinished business.

Relief poured over her as she taunted back.
Come get me, bloodsucker. I’d hate to bleed out before we get to dance.

Victor straddled her on the table, licking the dried blood from her face before whispering softly in her ear, “My Cassandra, who do you think it was that turned her?  It was meant to be you, my sweet, but poor mama witch got in the way. She would have turned you too, if you hadn't have killed her first.”

“You bastard!” Cassie screamed, struggling under the weight of him. “Why me? Why her? I’m goanna slit your freaking throat!”

He grinned down at her, his face now so close she could smell blood on his breath. “You’re special, Cassandra. Your powers are unbridled, like nothing any one has ever seen before. The ability to share both Wiccan and demonic powers all in one. If you were turned, my God what a predator you would make. You kill now for Luka without question... imagine if you were immortal.
My very own personal killing machine.”

He looked away, distracted by his own visions and Cassie took her only chance. With all her Wiccan power she commanded the restraints to open. Vicktor’s eyes widened in surprise as Cassie brought her knees to her chest and pushed with all her strength. Victor crashed back into the wall and sprang back up to meet Cassie, who now stood in full attack mode.
They faced each other, in the crumbled ruins of the basement, and Cassie felt her skin prickle as her suppressed powers now rushed through her blood. Vicktor studied her cautiously before charging towards her, like a bull to a matador. Cassie raised her arms, levitating out of his grasp.
Awesome new power,
she thought. Lowering herself back to her bare feet, she waved her hand dismissively, sending victor flying, and this time, he struggled to rise. Magic bubbled in the air, as the doors of the basement burst open. Luka and a legion of vampires filed into the room; she was surprised to see that the depravity laid out in front of them, had shocked them. Cassie held her ground, Vicktor's torn body still in her sight.

“It's over now, Cassandra, stand down... I will finish it.” His voice was reassuring, but Cassie's own lust for vengeance had not yet been sated.

“NO! He’s mine.” Cassie turned towards Vicktor. “For my mother.” An eerie calm passed over her as she smiled sweetly and just uttered a single word. “Burn”.

The monster's body engulfed in flames, sending the vampire into a panicked frenzy.
Screams of pure agony ripped from his burning torso, and the smell of burnt flesh overpowered the already rancid scent present in the basement. As the other vampires watched on in amazement, Cassie's captor fell to the ground before her. She felt the energy slip from her grasp, and summoned the last of her strength and whispered, “Ash,” causing Victor’s flaming body to dissipate into ash.

Her legs shaking, Cassie caught sight of herself in a shard of broken glass. The room had become silent, and now she understood why.  Her naked body was covered in blood, both dried and fresh alike. Her wrists and legs were red from the chains that had held her down and a stream of black and blue bruises tarnished her skin. Her hair had become a fiery red and her eyes the colour of blood. Her vision swam and her knees buckled. Her head hit the ground, and the last thing she saw was Luka's face before the darkness took her.

***

Her muscles ached, as Cassie blinked her eyes open, hoping that it had not all been a dream and was going to open her eyes to the horrors once again. Running her hands over the extravagant, silk sheets, Cassie slowly sat up. The keeper of the city looked on worried, as he leaned against the bed frame. He moved fluidly and came to sit beside her on the bed. It was a déjà vu moment.  Cassie was grateful that someone had dressed her, and washed the blood from her face.

“You had me worried, assassin.” He smirked, relief evident on his face and in his voice. “I was considering hiring a new one.”

“Ca
n't get rid of me that easily!”

Cassie coughed before gulping down a glass of water that seemed to appear next to her.
She edged to the edge of the bed, standing on not so steady legs, trying to avoid the look of pity that showed on Luka’s perfectly chiselled face. Glancing in the mirror, she was happy to see that her eyes had returned to normal. If you could call them that. But her hair now had red streaks. She gingerly reached to touch it, the nightmares of the past twenty-four hours now becoming reality. A comforting hand squeezed her shoulder and Cassie tried to push the haunting memories aside. She waited for Luka to speak, but silence filled the minutes. All Cassie wanted was to return to her safe haven, her apartment, shower and hopefully sleep away the disturbing revelations of her past. Although she was positive that when she closed her eyes, all that would fill her vision would be the empty, fearful eyes of the murdered women.

Luka
pulled her towards him and pressed his lips to her forehead. She knew he had read her thoughts and she was grateful that he respected she had to put to rest the demons in her mind, before they could move forward. She stepped away from him, smiling as she laid a hand against his chest, before walking out of his bedroom door. He studied her as she went, so alive with power yet shrouded in such darkness. Since the heavens had opened and hell had unleashed its presence amongst the mortals, she had seen and done a lot of inhuman things. Most of it was his doing. He sighed as he sensed her leave the building, knowing that while this chapter had ended, he expected to see much more from his assassin.

This was only the beginning.

Coming Soon

Blood Stained Vengeance

The second book in the

Midnight Assassin series

Prologue

There is nothing but darkness. An empty, gaping hole that threatens to swallow me up and leave nothing but blood and bone. I don't feel anything, a coldness gushes through me leaving me numb. I say that I feel numb but below the surface I can feel the anger bubbling away, waiting for a chance to seep its way out and take contro
l
.

Maybe I should let it. If the anger takes over I can be free of the cloud that stalks me and the thoughts that drag back the memories of the betrayal that has sent me here far away from the people who I used to know.

He forced me to leave, he..... even now I can't bear to write his name on the page. I will spend an eternity running from him, from them because I know deep down in my soul that if I go back then I will do one of two things.

Kill Luka or let him consume me.
But in this very moment, I'm not sure which I'd choose.

From the
journal of Cassie Murph
y
.

Chapter One

The night had always been a friend, dark and seductive, wrapping its arms around her in a comforting hug. Cassie felt at ease every time the dark descended upon her, her skin tingling and her blood suddenly coming alive as little flecks of light shimmered from the stars. It had been almost a year since she had fled from the only home she had ever known, people she had grown to love and a betrayal so deep it felt as if blood still seeped from the open wound in her chest, refusing to heal.

The gathering grey clouds announced the approaching storm, like a shadowing omen of things to come. Tiny droplets of rain sprinkled down, cool and refreshing on her tepid skin, forcing her newly cropped hair to cling to her face. Cassie let go of a breath she didn't realise she had been holding and gazed out on city that she still had to learn to call home.

Manchester had not suffered the same fate as her own beloved Cork, and the city remained a vibrant and unique as it had always been. There were no sectors, no keepers, no curfews, life went on  like the reawakening had never happened, apart from the inevitable bodies that tended to appear as the sun rose. Cassie tried to stay under the radar as much as possible, since she was technically still in hiding, but every now and then she had no choice but to step out of the shadows and intervene. Plus, she missed the thrill of the chase.

Considering that the legend of the keepers assassin was nothing more than a whisper on the wind here, she had come across a few vamps that had recognised her trademark onyx eyes  and raven hair that they didn't stay undead long enough to pass on that she was no myth. Cassie hoped she would never have to go back, that if she remained careful no one would find her, not Luka, not Archer and especially not her father.

Her father...She sensed the bile claw its way up her throat. Since finding out that she was the spawn of Satan himself and stuck smack in the middle of one of heaven and hell's games, she had been numb. According to that demon bitch Lillith, she and Archer, the only son of the Archangel Michael were soul mates, bound together to conceive a child that would be the deciding vote in who would rule over earth in the final days.

Fuck that! It’s not like she was ever any good at following rules and doing as she was told now was it?

Dangling her legs over the edge of the roof, she watched as revellers exited one of the more popular hotspots in town. With her keen supernatural senses, Cassie was able to make out every little detail of their person, from the skull earrings on the red head with way to much make-up, to the blonde with the come bite me plunging neckline and matching fang mark tattoo peeking out as her hair bounced on her shoulders. The friends were giggling, sashaying hand in hand down the
alley. Cassie was ashamed to feel jealous. They seemed so carefree, normal, whereas Cassie literally had the weight of the world dragging her down.

Things had gravely changed for Cassie since she had vanished from Luka's compound. She had spent an age in the dark before appearing in an unfamiliar place, full of bright lights and people, with nothing but the clothes on her back and the gun in her belt. Dazed by the lights and the noise of the Ferris wheel, Cassie had jumped when a soft yet firm voice had sounded behind her.

“ Well you took your time didn't you?” and grabbing her hand , this tiny thing grinned at her. “ Come on! I'm freezing my ass off here”.

Emma-Jane
o'Shea, Shay for short, was a sister witch but Cassie was sure that Shay had a little something else in her. Shay had taken her back to her place where a bedroom was prepared for her. She asked no questions while Cassie cried for days or uttered a single word when she had set the couch on fire when anger had dampened her despair. Any time Cassie asked her how she knew where to find her, Shay did this annoying thing she tended to do, tapping her nose, keeping her secrets to herself. Shay was a petite, stringy looking girl with blue hair that flowed down her back in unruly curls. Her lips were thin and her eyes small but her deep sea coloured eyes were mesmerizing. She hid them behind a pair of nerdy glasses that was a stark contrast to the numerous piercings and the star tattoo that ran down her face from behind her ears, down her neck and slipped underneath her collar. Shay had done them all herself, her artwork infused with magic so that she could remain hidden in plain sight. She was able to pour her power anything creative, that she made by hand like tattoos and jewellery. She had told Cassie that she could draw things and make them come to life but Cassie had dealt with enough monsters in her life without releasing some of Shays work on the world. Cassie reached up, gingerly touching the necklace hiding just underneath her t-shirt. It was a brilliant shade of white, pure and peaceful, a gift from Shay. After spending a week listening to the constant bustle of voices in her head as they melded into one, pulling at her already fragile sanity, Shay had presented her with this magnificent cure and the voices had dissipated only to return if she took off the necklace. Cassie never did.

Even though she had no intention of going back, she knew deep down that neither Luka nor Archer would stop looking for her and would eventually find her. So she had asked Shay to give her a tattoo so she could not be traced. With her blood still in Luka's system, it would have been so easy for him to find her that she felt that she had no other option. The small little dagger etched on her wrist was beautiful, its contrasting light and shade as well as the detail helped Cassie forget, almost, that it was there to help her stay hidden. She could only hope it worked for Lucifer too.
She had thought that discovering all her powers and the revelations of the Abandon City had been a shock but finding out that Lucifer was her father, Cole her half- brother and that Luka, the one person she trusted most in this broken world had known all along had been a complete mind fuck.

Luka..... Even the simplest of thoughts back that feeling of being punched through her chest with someone’s hand taking hold of her heart and twisting, sending an ocean of pain around her body. She had so many unanswered questions..... How long had he known? Why didn't he tell her sooner? Did he mean it when he'd kissed her? Or was she some trophy to be won?

As the rain began to fall heavier, shrieks echoed in the alley and Cassie thought back to that night.

“Oh but just before I leave, if you don't take my word for it Cassandra ask your Luka..... He knew all long about the prophecy and who your father was. Didn't you Luka?” And with a last parting shot the scheming bitch was gone.

Cassie whirled to face the man she loved, but his betrayal was plastered all over his kisser. Her heart crumbled into about a million pieces as she looked him dead in the eye, slowly backing away from his reach.

You knew............

“Cassie let me explain”. For every step she retreated he took one forward.

The look on Luka's face had painted a million pictures. His head had been bowed ever so slightly, his brow creased and
those eyes that she adored so much, empty and soulless. Her heart had shattered in that moment, the old Cassie dying and, leaving her a shadow of her former self. If it hadn't been for Shay than she knew she would probably be dead by now, but she was still a little unsure whether she was glad about that.

Under her feet, a young male stumbled out of the door and staggered his way up the alley, his hands feeling against the urine stained walls to hold him up. Her own blood began to pound in her ears in anticipation of the hunt. Surely enough a leather clad vampire bled from the shadows, it's eyes glistening red as fangs poked out from her upper lip. Weaving like a snake, she waited as her prey emptied the contents of his stomach on the ground before resting his forehead against the wall.

As the smell of imminent death tickled her nostrils, Cassie pushed off the ledge, silently falling through the air. Landing in a crouch, she pulled her sword from its sheath. The sound of the glorious metal sliding out attracted the vamps attention and she spun round. A hiss escaped her snarling mouth, the twisted face of a monster holding Cassie's glare. The drunken boy rounded the corner out of view and Cassie smiled.

“Aw pity, don't
ya just hate it when your take out ends up at the wrong address.” Cassie pretended to inspect her nails as if she was unimpressed by the vamp in front of her. The vampire shrieked, lunging for Cassie, all claws and fangs. She easily pivoted out of her reach. Her blood sang and she felt alive, more than she had in months, the lust for the kill overpowering and addictive. Breathing in, she rejoiced in the scent of anger and fear radiating from the vamp. The momentary lapse in concentration was all the vamp needed to land a sucker punch to Cassie's face. She recoiled backwards, landing with no grace, flat on her ass. Swearing under her breath, she pounced up and twirled her sword, awaiting the chance to strike. The vampires eyes were frozen open, and Cassie realized her hood had fallen down in the scuffle. She watched the vamp cautiously for a few minutes before taking a step forward. Retreating in her steps, the vamp held out her hand in surrender.

“I meant you no disrespect assassin.... I didn't know it was you till I saw your face. Those eyes really are quite remarkable....and your scar....” her voice trailed off, most likely due to the look of contempt on Cassie's face.
Taking in the smell of lemon and ginger Cassie was able to deduct two things- the vampire was old and she was going to die.

Boldly strolling up to her, Cassie shrugged, the faintest smirk tugging at her lips. “So my reputation precedes me, goody....,” her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Shame you won't get to tell anyone that you got to dance with the vampire bogeyman now isn't it”. Before she had even uttered the final word, she was in front of the creature. Swinging her sword, it hit its mark with precision, slicing through the vamps neck. The magnificent sound of metal against crunching bone was a symphony to her ears. Within seconds the body disintegrated into ash, any evidence the monster had been there washing away in the rainfall.

The tremors started then, starting in her fingers until her legs became unsteady.
Fuck, I really left it too late this time didn't I?
She scolded herself. Ever since she had found out that drinking blood increased her powers, she had taken to drinking it every now and then when she needed a boost, but the flipside was that if she went to long without drinking blood, she had adverse side effects. Tremors, headaches, nausea, and excruciating kick you in the ass pain. Thankfully she had made a couple of contacts in the local hospital when she had dropped off victims, who kept her stocked up on blood bags. She had tried animal blood but that stuff was rank. Cassie despised the fact that she took blood away from patients that might need it but it was all about survival. She just prayed to the goddess that the lives she saved somewhat made up for the legion of sins that she carried with her. Replacing her sword, she took in one more sweeping glance of the alley. The first hints on the impending sunrise making an appearance. Pulling her hood back in place, she prepare to head home, when the unexpected voice in her head held her frozen to the spot.

Cassie
?...... Cassie please............. just let me know that you’re okay........... Say something.

A rush of emotion flared throughout her, changing in seconds from shock, to relief before settling on anger. She was careful not to think, not to answer but how in the hell could he be speaking to her now?

As the familiar voice continued to plead inside her head, Cassie saw the glint of something white in the corner of her eye. Her necklace must have fallen off when the bitch ass vamp got in her cheap shot. Reaching down into a puddle to retrieve it, she hesitated.

Come on Cassie......
the voice growled.
Just let me hear your voice... I......I.... thought the worst when I couldn't sense you and your mind has been turned off.....I really did fear you were dead my assassin.

That was all Cassie could take, her anger boiling over.

Don't fucking call me that, you filthy blood sucker. I'm not your anything..... Get this into your head, I don't wanna be found. I hate you with every fibre of my being, you lying sack of shit. You thought I was dead and I wish I was. But listen carefully to me Luka, if I ever see you again, I will kill you..... Forget about fearing that I'm dead, you hear me? 'Coz as far as I'm concerned I am dead ... dead to fucking you anyway!

She spat out every single word with as much venom as possible before returning her necklace to its rightful place, the voice nothing more than a heartbreaking echo. Cassie hoped that he would give up now, stop looking for her so maybe she could find a little shred of peace.
Summoning what little strength she had left, she willed her body to fly and levitated to the roof. Rattled and empty, she headed off over the rooftops, leaping from one to the next. All she needed was a shower, a cold glass of blood to settle her nerves and things would go back to normal. But as thunder rumbled in the distance, Cassie was certain her life was anything but normal.

A chirping noise brought her out of her thoughts. She didn't have to check the reminder on her phone; she knew what day today was. With one quick glance at the rising sun, she spoke to know one but herself. “Happy Birthday Cassandra.” she whispered before vanishing into the fading shadows.