Pretty When She Destroys (Pretty When She Dies #3)(69)

“Drink.”

Cassandra hesitated, then grabbed her father’s wrist and took three big draughts of his blood. Instantly, she felt a rush of power hit her like a sledgehammer. It felt great. “Thanks, Dad,” she muttered, wiping the last of his blood from her lips.

Cian nodded and rushed back into the thick of the battle.

“Where are the ghosts?” Benchley exclaimed.

Jeff pounded another stake into a vampire, then scuttled toward another one. “No clue!”

“Keep fighting,” Cian ordered.

With a grin, Cassandra dove into a cluster of the vampires, fighting with renewed vigor. Her blades flashed in the streetlight as she slashed, feinted, twisted, and fought her way through them. Eduardo battled near her, his claws covered in blood and flesh. It was a deadly tango they danced through the vampires. The fledglings’ only advantages were their insanity and numbers. With many of their comrades moldering on the street, The Summoner’s forces were rapidly falling into disarray.

As the head of the vampire in front of her flew off into an overgrown yard, Cassandra was startled to see a very handsome, pale man standing in the center of the street watching her. White-blond hair fell to his shoulders and his fine-featured face was both handsome and cruel. Because he was clad completely in black, it was as if he was clothed in the very night. When his cold blue eyes met hers, Cassandra’s gut contracted painfully. Fear ripped through her, paralyzing her in place.

“He’s here,” she rasped.

The sound of the blood dripping from her blades filled the night as the world was plunged into silence.

“He’s here!” she screamed, her gaze not wavering from the necromancer. “Dad!”

The Summoner granted her a slight smile as he nodded his head. “The dhamphir is Cian’s daughter. I see.”

“Dad! Aimee! Jeff!” Struggling to move, to breathe, to even think straight, Cassandra was utterly trapped in the power of The Summoner’s gaze. Her daggers fell from her fingers as they grew slack. The numbness that was spreading through her limbs sent her to her knees.

“This will be so much more interesting than I anticipated,” The Summoner said with delight.

Then he was gone.

“Babe!” Aimee gathered Cassandra into her arms. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Gasping, Cassandra saw that the battle was over. The street was littered in the decaying bodies of the fledglings. The suppression spells cast flickering light over the dead.

“Did anyone else see him?” Cassandra let Aimee help her to her feet. “Dad, did you see him?”

“Who, Cassandra?” Cian strode toward her, wiping his blades off on his jeans.

“The Summoner. He was right there. Watching us.” Cassandra pointed to the spot where the necromancer had stood.

“I didn’t see Bianca,” Jeff said, his face somber.

“It wasn’t Bianca. It was him. I saw The Summoner as himself.” Cassandra ran shaking fingers through her hair. “He looked at me and I was paralyzed. His power was overwhelming.”

Cian and Aimee glanced at each other, both appearing unsure.

“I saw him! I swear to God, Goddess, and all that is holy that he was standing right f*cking there.” It still hurt to breathe even though she was released from his power. “He said something about me being your daughter, Dad.”

With a somber look, Cian sheathed his weapons as Baptiste and the others gathered behind him. “How did he know you’re my daughter?”

“I called for you.” Cassandra winced, realizing her folly. “Sorry.”

It was shocking how much older her father suddenly appeared. Cian’s expression projected clearly what he was thinking. Cassandra had just granted The Summoner yet another pawn to play against Cian. “It’s fine. He would have figured it out eventually. We do look a bit alike.”

“But how could he be here? Isn’t he in Bianca’s body?” Baptiste asked. He smelled of smoke and rain, a strange combination.

“Astral projection,” Aimee said in a glum voice.

“But wouldn’t that let Bianca free?” Benchley looked at Jeff. “If she’s possessed by him and he left her body, she’d be free to escape.”

“Unless she’s not in the body, and it’s just an empty shell,” Jeff answered.

“Or they tied her up.” Eduardo was naked, human, and slathered in blood. The grin on his face was a little disconcerting, as was his big erection.

Cassandra and Aimee both made a point of looking away from it.

“Tied her up?” Cian mulled this over. “A possibility.”

There was a shimmer in the air then Roberto appeared. The ghost looked almost human, his edges solid. Only his strange hollow eyes spoke of his true nature. “You need to get back to the house. There was an attack.”

“Is Samantha okay?” Jeff and Benchley asked in chorus.

“They couldn’t breach the wards, but there was a skirmish in the street,” Roberto answered. “It was over almost as fast as it started. I took care of it along with Amaliya’s zombies. But that’s not what has them spooked.”

“Did you see The Summoner?” Cian asked pointedly.

Roberto looked at his former friend in surprise. “Yes, we did.”