Another Way To Bleed (Midnight Assassin) (6 page)

Chapter Ten

When Cassie woke some time later, she was alone in the pitch-black room. She stretched her achy limbs and caught sight of the clock. 7pm. She had slept all afternoon - the most she had slept since Vicktor, the worst sociopath she had ever seen, had held her captive and spilled how he was the monster that had converted her mother. Since then, sl
eep was not much of an option.

Swinging her legs out of the bed, she flicked on the lamp, her hand drifted to the hand written letter on the bedside table. Reading it made her smile, the perfectly fluid letters masterfully
placed on the paper.

Cassandra, you looked too peaceful to disturb, so I did not have the heart to wake you. I will be in the study discussing our trip with Archer. Join us when you are ready.

Of course he had gone back to calling her Cassandra; somehow the moment they shared last night had passed.
Mamma, Mamma
. The voice of her dream haunted her as she rubbed her temples before stripping off and heading for the shower. As the warm water descended on her, she tried to scrub the dream from her memory, hoping to dull the feeling that she was missing something important. Something she had lost. It wasn't until she had turned the shower off that she realised she was crying.

Shaking off the feeling, she returned to the bedroom to find her old duffel bag against the bed. Rummaging through it, she pulled out some clean clothes. Luka must have sent someone to her place for her things. Cassie pulled on a pair of black combat pants, black vest and a zip-up top. Head to toe dressed in black. Slipping her feet into her DC shoes, she felt more like herself. Feeling around the end of the bag, she let out a squeak of delight as her iPod met her fingers.  Turning the music player in her hand, she looked down at the only item she had of her old life five years ago, before she had lost everything. When she had been found covered in her mother’s blood, all that was in h
er pocket was the iPod.

Cassie slid her iPod into her pocket before reaching for her belt. Putting it around her waist, she checked
her nine mil and her ammo. All present in their straps as well as her silver blade. She wished she had her sword, but that could be easily retrieved. Smoothing back her hair, Cassie tied it back in a ponytail. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she knew she looked fierce - scary as hell and ready to kick some ass. Taking a deep breath, she held it for a moment before exhaling, leaving the room, and trying to leave the ghosts of her unpredictable future behind.

Strolling down to Luka's study, Cassie felt nervous, but her stubborn streak would not let her show it in front of Luka. As she came to a stop in front of the thick mahogany door, she paused, counting to ten before raising her hand to knock on the door. She rarely knocked but usually burst into a room. She sensed that Luka wasn't the only one inside. Something was telling her she should
knock. Just as she was about to, Luka's voice rang out “Come in, Cassandra, no need to wait for an invitation.”

Smartass!
Flinging open the door, she dragged herself into the room. Luka sat behind his monstrosity of a desk. Standing to his right stood Archer, the handsome angel fully dressed today, surprisingly in distressed denims and an ACDC tee. Cassie had the sudden image of him blaring ‘Highway to Hell’ and couldn't help but smirk. The smile quickly disappeared as she saw Lilith seated on one of the chairs in front of the desk. She was dressed yet again in crimson: the picture of perfection. Cassie went to the window behind Luka, grabbing an apple off the desk as she passed, and sat on the window ledge. Pulling her penknife out of her pocket, she began to peel the apple slowly and slipped a piece into her mouth. She waited for one of them to speak, but silence suffocated the air. Swallowing hard, she decided to make the first move.

“So what's been decided
?

Luka pulled out a map and pointed to an area on it. When Cassie was young, the place had been called Dublin, but now it was home to Abandon City, a place she had never gone. Most of the island had been renamed, no point for having city names when little of them remained. Her home, Sector One was what used to be Cork, parts of Limerick and parts of Kerry. Sector Two was smaller with what was left of Galway and Mayo, while Sector Three had one little piece of land in the middle. Every sector had a wall built all the way round with 24/7 security. Nobody got in or out without the Keepers’ permission. There was only one tiny airport, but no humans were allowed to leave, only the vamps. She had ne
ver left her sector before. Cassie knew that Abandon City was where all the cast outs were sent. A walled-in community, if you could call it that, homed the vampires overtaken with bloodlust, or a were that had stayed a wolf too long and had now become rabid. It was like a prison, just a hell of a lot more dangerous. Anticipation ran through her veins. Luka leaned forward in his chair and began to speak. “Cassie, you, Archer and I will drive tomorrow night to the Abandon City and locate the safe house before dawn. Then you and Archer will scope out the city during the day while most of the creatures like myself are incapacitated. As soon as the sun goes down, we will meet an old contact of mine and see if he has heard any rumblings about Lilith's Cole.”

Archer swept a sideways look at her before his mouth raised slightly on one side. “You sure you can kee
p up with me, Princess?”

“Once you keep those wings under wraps angel-boy, then it's you that will have to eat my dust.... this is
my
gig.”

Archer held up his hands in surrender, but the self-satisfied grin never left his face. Joking with him felt so natural, easy even.
Why can't it be like this with Luka?
She cursed herself as the thought popped into her head and Luka's hands gripped so tight on the table, she thought it would break.

“If I may add some information, it is rumoured that my son has recruited an army of sorts, becoming an unofficial ruler in the city.” Lilith spoke softly, but under the cautious tone was a lick of pride. “Did you look over the list of gifts I ga
ve you last night?”

Archer snarled at the demon as if it was a gut reaction to her presence. “Yes, I did. Quite impressive list I have to say. No doubt he inherited quite
a few from his father’s side.”

“Yes, he did, but his most dangerous gift is his ability to turn your nightmares into reality. Twist your memories. Where I can give you a glimpse of your possible future, Cole can manipulate your deepest, darkest fears and make you believe you are living them. I like to think I give hope, whereas my son
feeds off hopelessness.”

Cassie stiffened, her anger bubbling at her crass choice of words. As she stood up, Archer moved to her side, as if he knew she was about to explode. She closed her eyes and tried to relax like, he had shown her, but images of the dream only infuriated her more. “Hope? HOPE? Fuck you, Lilith. What do you think sending me that dream would achieve? Like mother, like son I say, 'cos you manipula
ted the fuck out of me.”

Lilith rose to meet Cassie's glare “I do not know of what you dreamt, Cassandra dear. I just weave the spell to let you see it. Whatever you saw was of your own desires and wants, moulded into a possible future. I do not dictate your dreams, nor would I wish to have you feel any discomfort because of them.”

Magic swelled all around them as both females squared off in the female equivalent to a pissing contest. Cassie felt the first tingles of flames on her fingertips, yearning to lash out at the demon queen.

“
ENOUGH!
” The roar bounced off the walls. “We do not have time for all this posturing. Lilith, sit down, and Cassie, relax please, or I will ask you to leave.”

Cassie gave Luka the evil eye, but did as she was told. Coming to sit on the chair beside Lilith, she threw her feet on Luka’s desk and went back to eating her apple. “So let me get this straight, we drive to the city and then meet up with your informant? All I need to know is do I get to kill some shit, or is this jus
t a bag and tag mission?”

“Princess, you read my mind. Can’t wait to get my hands dirty – been awhile.” Cracking his knuckles as he changed his stance, Archer’s face seemed to glow at the mention of
an impending kill.

Luka shook his head. “We need to be weary in Abandon City. Cassandra has sent a lot of rogues there, and they will be out for her
blood. Stealth is a must.”

“Subtlety is my middle name, boss,” Cassie retorted, causing him to snort. She shrugged her shoulders b
efore continuing, “Now, while you lay out the plans, can I go do something useful and load the car up with weapons?”

“Yes go... You know what to bring. Load up the jeep. We’ll head out as soon as we are loaded up.” Luka sighed as she rose from the seat, nodded at him, flipped Archer off and ignored Lilith altogether. Hand on the door handle, she paused and walked back to Lilith. Both men tensed as she faced the demon Qu
een, but Cassie was calm.

“I
will
find your son and try and bring him back in one piece, but keep your dreams to yourself,
bitch
. And remember your other promise - you
will
tell me who my father is, or so help me Goddess, I
will
slit your throat and feed you to a flesh eater. You hear me?”

Lilith stood to face her and extended her hand, “You have my word, Cassandra, no more tricks. Just bring me my son, and you
will have what you want.”

Shaking her hand, she spun around and headed for the door. All eyes were on her as she sauntered out the door and
left it open behind her.

Walking down the long
hall, she could still hear the words that Lilith spoke as she addressed Luka. “That girl is truly one of a kind, my dear. You should try to keep her.” Before she turned the corner she felt a whisper massaging the inside of her mind.
She is and I will.

Heading down the spiral staircase, Cassie heard soft footfalls behind her and the hint of strawberries assured her that the angel was behind. He followed her in silence as she crossed through the main hall and took another flight of stairs down to the basement. Opening the door, she felt right at h
ome.

Inside the room, every single weapon imaginable was stacked on shelves. From
Glocks to desert eagles, MP5's to AK47's, ballistic knives to samurai swords, grenades to flash bangs: this room had everything. Besides the library, this was her favourite room in the whole complex. Picking up her nine mil, she made sure the gun was fully loaded and that she had extra ammo. She held it like it was a prized possession; having a gun in her hand was just like an extension of her own body. Putting that in the hell-yes-we’re-taking-it pile, she began to relax. The emotional crap she couldn’t handle, but weapons, weapons she could do. Archer had yet to open his mouth, and Cassie could feel him watching her, but she continued to round up the things she would need for the trip.

“Something very sexy watching you
work those guns,” he teased. As she threw a stake at him, he ducked; it landed with a thud on the floor.

“Shut your face, angel-boy
. You’re in my house now.”

She couldn’t help but smile as he went off to pick out his own stuff. She realised she might need some ingredients for spells, but the pantry could wait. Weapons first, pantry next, then off they go. This was most likely going to be the road trip from hell.

Chapter Eleven

Huffing as she hauled the bags down to the underground car park, Cassie refused to let Archer take the bags from her. Setting them down in front of Luka's Bentley, she popped the boot but was pushed aside by the pompous angel. “Let me, Princess, wouldn't want you to break
a nail or anything.”

Cassie shoved him hard and he tumbled into the wall. Growling as he separated from the wall, she turned her back to him and hoisted the weapons up. Taking out an extra clip, she stuck it in her belt. As she closed the boot, she caught the scent of lavender wafting down the stairs. She grabbed her own bag and opened the back door of the car, before sliding in. Somehow the thoughts of spending the next couple of hours trapped ne
xt to Luka made her nervous. She sank down into the luxurious seats, glancing out the tinted windows as Luka rounded the corner. Her breath stilled. He was in full-warrior mode, dressed almost identically to her. A thin line of stubble had begun to grow around his chin, and his own sword was slung over his shoulder.
Maybe it's a good thing angel boy is in the car.... a very good thing.

You have everything you need, Cassandra?

Cassie swore under her breath and told herself to watch her thoughts during the trip.

Yeah, boss, ready to go. Put your semi in the boot already!
There was a slight pause before he replied;
I’m ready to get this over with too, Cassandra. We'll be leaving in a few minutes.

Archer got into the passenger seat and pulled on some
serious
shades. He positioned his legs on the dash and folded his arms over his chest. Cassie leaned over the seat. “I assumed angels weren’t into material things, yet those sunglasses must have cost a bomb and your threads are most definitely designer.... care to explain?”

Without even a twitch, he answered her “You forget I’m one of the fallen. It’s in my nature to be extravagant. Clothes, weapons, cars… women... I might as well enjoy things as I’m given them.”

As her brow deepened and her cheeks flushed, he shot back with another question, “Why Princess, did you think that since I had fallen, I had stayed a nice, good little angel? Of course I've had women, and lots of them, but I could always make room for one more...”

Cassie snapped back, muttering, “In your dreams, angel-boy,” She couldn’t help but feel flustered. Naively, she never considered that Archer would have been with women... sure why not... but that made her think that maybe Luka had been with more women than she could count, and now she was pissed. Her whole fucking world was being turned upside down and now she was getting jealous ove
r stupid shit. Damn it. Luka climbed into the car and glanced back at her “Everything okay, Cassandra?” He could obviously feel the change in her mood.

“Yeah, fine. Can we just go? And would you just call me Cassie for fuck sake. It's getting on my
nerves.”

Without another word, he started th
e car, and they headed out. Cassie looked out the window at the city she had grown to hate. Most of the buildings had been rebuilt but many lots remained nothing but rubble. While business as usual applied during daytime hours, what was left of the human population were too terrified to come out in the night. Children were home schooled, shopping was done when the sun was at its highest and most stayed away from the Vampire quarter which was smack bang in the middle of Luka's compound. People rushed from place to place rarely stopping to chat, children didn't play in parks and the monsters from their nightmares were real flesh and blood – the world was now a living nightmare.

As they edged their way out of the city, Cassie was tense. She had never been outside the gates before... not even before the war. She spent her life pretty sheltered despite the fact she grew up in a coven. To her, learning spells and all about magic was second nature, but no one had told her about the unseen horrors until she had seen them for herself. Just before her mother was converted, she came across a shifter who had a particular liking for underage girls. He followed Cassie and her friend Siobhan from a party, attacking them as they reached the coven's house. Cassie escaped, but only because Siobhan had shoved her out of the way. Siobhan’s heart was ripped from her chest. Cassie felt guilty that it was Siobhan who died and not her. As soon as Cassie had started to work as Luka's assassin, she had tracked down the anima
l and gutted him like a fish.

After driving for a short time they came to a stop at the city’s gate. The massive wall reminded her of a castle - with a watch tower on either side and soldiers and iron gates that could only be opened by a
passcode that very few people knew. As the solider came to the window, Luka stepped outside to address his men. “Bruno is in charge for as long as I'm gone - contact him should you need to. This shouldn't take too long.” His tone was neutral, as if he were trying to talk down the seriousness of their situation. Hell, it was utterly possible that one of them may not get out of Abandon City alive.

“We will keep the city safe, Sire, until your return.” The solider bowed his head in respect,
and Luka bowed back. The gates groaned loudly as the soldiers pulled them open. Luka eased the car out of the gates and as they drove into the black of night, with only the light of the moon and the car’s to guide them, Cassie heard the clank as the gates closed. She thought anxiously,
there really is no turning back now, Cassie girl.

“Cassandra, why don't you get some rest? It’s going to be a long few days, so you will need
all your strength.”

Cassie sighed as Luka spoke, but didn't argue with him. He would be inside all day but she and Archer would be doing recon and then hopefully getting what they came for and splitting. Nodding her head, she spread out across the back seat and shut her eyes. She knew she probably wouldn't
sleep, but it was the perfect excuse to eaves drop if the two up front thought she was in la la land. She slowed her breathing and tried to shut her mind off because Luka would know if she was thinking or wasn't actually asleep.

Ten minutes passed before either of them spoke as Archer shifted round in his seat to plac
e a blanket over her.

“You like her, don't you?” Luka's voice was emotion
less as he asked the question.

Archer shrugged. “It’s weird, my friend. I feel protective o
f her, but I have no idea why.”

Luka’s hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening under the strain. He didn't look at the angel, but the air was thick with tension. Cassie kept her breathing regular, hoping she could trust her emot
ions to not betray her.

“As do I,
mein Engel... and she seems to be quite fond of you too.”

“Princess just likes that I take the piss most of the time; she has someone to have fun with. She has this aura around her, Luka, and I feel as if I know her... as if I knew her of old. It’s hard to explain, old friend, but I do not wi
sh to complicate matters.”

“I do not trust myself with her,” Luka admitted sounding as if it pained him. “When she came to me, I felt I could nurture her talent and protect her from monsters of my kind, like Vicktor, but even though she thinks she wants to be with me, even though I want to be with her... I fear that it is not the right choice fo
r either of us to make.”

The angel took a swig from his bottle of water before he spoke again. “But you've got to make choices, and you're not going to be right all the time. Like you have always told me, your destiny is your own mi
stakes to make.”

A hushed laugh later escaped Luka's lips as he replied, “Spoken like a true
angel, my friend.”

“Maybe it’s something I saw on
Dr. Phil
, but Luka, you cannot start something with her unless she is made fully aware of the truth. I assume she does not know of your 'sacrifices'.”

Someone turned up the radio then, an old
Foo Fighters track flowing through the speakers. Maybe Luka was fully aware that she was pretending to be asleep. She had learned more now in this car than he had ever given away before. She knew he was attracted to her, their make-out session told her that much, but he now actually admitted that he wanted to be with her too. But what was he so afraid of?

Luka shook his head. “No Archer, Cassie is completely in the dark. And I don't think I want
her to know for now.”

“And what if she comes across your cool box in the boot?  Would it not be better to explain that, so she might understand why yo
u pull away all the time?”

As Luka growled, Archer didn't allow him to speak. “Don’t get all
grr
with me, my friend. As I said, I want to only protect Princess, but you
will
lose her if you continue like one of those broody movie vampires you detest so much. You can’t prevent her happiness if you cannot be the one to give it, my friend. She may be better off falling for someone else.”

“And would you want that to be
you, Engel?” Luka spat out.

Archer hesitated, thinking over his answer. He had to be certain he phrased it right as he did not want to fall out with Luka. “She would be miserable with me. I'm a typical chauvinistic male and a sarcastic fucker. I would not care who Princess ended up with once it was what she wanted. If it is you, Luka, I will protect her until my heart stops beating as I would you. If it’s not, then I would still lay down my life for her.... just don't tell her that
, or I’ll never live it down.”

Cassie smiled to herself and resolved that Archer would be the first friend since Siobhan that she would keep. She turned over, her back now facing th
em, so she could hide her face.

Luka cleared his throat. “I don't thin
k I can tell her, Archer.”

“How long has it been since you have drunk
from a human vein my friend?”

“Not since that night.... when I broke my promise to her. I can't stomach it anymore. But she doesn't need to know that. It doesn't change what I am, or that I drink blood. Fine, it may come in a bag, but I am still a vampire...the
one thing she hates most.”

Cassie wanted to cry. He hadn't drunk from a human in over two years because of her. She shifted under the blanket and listened. “She will find out, Luka, sooner rather than later and you need to resolve your shit before
it gets you both killed.”

The conversation ended there, silence filling the air. Her lids became heavy, so she tucked her leg
s in and drifted off.

The familiar nightmare seeped in threatening to smother her. She didn't realise she was talking in her sleep while she screamed and thrashed around.
Hush now, Cassan... Cassie hush now... sleep and forget to dream.
Listening to the voice eased her, and she slipped into a deep sleep.              Cassie didn't know how long she had been out for. She felt rested. Archer's irritating sarcastic voice invaded her peace and quiet. “Rise and shine, Princess. We're here.”

Stretching her limbs, she sat up meeting Archer’s gaze. Just by the look in his eyes, she knew he had known she was awake before, but he didn't say anything. Looking away and out the window, Cassie saw nothing but darkness. There was no sign of life in this sector, no plants or animals to be seen. As she breathed in, the scents of the city overwhelmed her and she fought not to puke. “Oh holy
Goddess, that is rank.”

“And that is just outside
of the gates, Princess.”

“Be still my beating heart, you guys know how to romance a girl. It’s like a
slasher film in there.”

Laughing as they climbed from the car, they stood still as bloodthirsty roars and screams came from within. The fun and games were over, it was
do or die. “And here I was looking forward to finally going on holiday.”

Going to the trunk, she took out her weapon’s belt and strapped it on. Taking out her sword, she put the strap around her shoulders. Nodding to the two men, she smiled her best sadistic smile. “Let’
s go kill some shit.”

As Luka looked her up and down, and smiled
that buckle-your-knees, make-you-drool smile, she thought she heard Archer mutter, “Yippee ki yay, motherfucker.” She almost came undone with laughter. That angel really was one-of-a-kind.

As they readied themselves, Cassie looked out over the city. The eeriness and the emptiness surprised her. She had a calming feeling that she knew she was meant to be here, right now. Archer's shrill whistle startled her from her thoughts, and she frowned. Heading back toward them, Cassie couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. And she was right. As soon as she turned, yellow eyes blinked in the darkness and disappeared before she looked round again.