Pretty When She Kills (Pretty When She Dies #2)(75)

“You could be a bit nicer to an old woman,” the big black man protested.

“I thought mortals didn't matter to your kind,” Ethan answered, dragging Innocente to her feet.

“It doesn't hurt to be respectful to the elderly,” the man answered.

“Prosper is a stickler for manners,” Rachon explained.

Beside her, Bianca gaped openly at Innocente.

Innocente returned her gaze. On impulse, she silently reached out to the girl on the wings of her power. Her power allowed her to speak to the dead and technically Bianca was dead. Innocente felt a shiver of a link.

Bianca blinked.

Bianca, help us.

The girl's eyes slightly shifted toward Rachon and Prosper.

You're more powerful than they are. Help us, Bianca, and we'll help you.

Bianca's eyelids slightly lowered, then Innocente thought she may have given the barest of nods.

“So, you have all the ingredients for your ritual now,” Ethan said. He gruffly forced Innocente to sit on a gravestone. He kicked Pete's feet out from under him and the younger man fell with a thud to the ground. “Mother's blood and lover's heart. Just call up the dead and you can claim the bones of Amaliya's creator.”

“You won't get final payment until Amaliya is mortal, understood?” Rachon said firmly.

“By tomorrow night, she'll have a pulse and you can do whatever you want with her,” Ethan said confidently.

“You're evil,” Innocente spat at Ethan.

Ethan shrugged. “I like to consider myself amoral.”

Rachon turned to take Bianca's hand. Tenderly, the woman guided Bianca toward the center of the graveyard. “Time to bring forth the dead, my little one.”

Don't do this, Innocente urged the girl. She felt her power pulsing between them.

Bianca shifted her eyes again toward Innocente, confirming that she could hear her.

Rachon ran her long fingers through the young woman's hair and ducked her head to gaze into her face. “Bianca, raise the graveyard. We need my master's bones. Do you understand?”

Gradually, the girl lifted her eyes to regard Rachon.

“Bianca, raise the graveyard,” Rachon urged again, her voice soft, but firm.

Tilting her head toward Innocente, Bianca's eyes flashed to white.

Don't do this, Bianca. Don't let them kill us.

Help me, Innocente.

Innocente blinked in surprise, then relief filled her. Bianca could hear her and was crying out for help. “Please, don't make her do this!” she cried out, hoping to distract her enemies from the young woman.

“Shut up!” Ethan ordered, shaking her gruffly.

“Hey, I told you to treat her with respect,” Prosper said tersely.

“Bianca, are you listening to me?” Rachon’s voice was taking on a sharp quality.

Innocente, help me! the girl’s voice cried out in the old woman's mind.

Twisting away from Ethan's grasp, Innocente boldly stood and glared at him. “Stop touching me!”

“Old woman, I've about had enough of you.” Ethan lunged to grip her arm.

Prosper marched toward Ethan. “She's an old lady with not much time to live. Let her be!”

Innocente's eyes met Bianca's glowing ones.

Come to me, Bianca.

Rachon cupped the young woman's face between her hands, trying to make eye contact with her. “Bianca, why aren't you obeying me? Do as I say!”

The young woman abruptly shoved Rachon away, sending her sprawling among the graves. With a soundless cry, she ran to Innocente.

“What the hell?” Ethan gasped.

“Innocente, watch out!” Pete cried out in terror.

Stumbling forward, Innocente met the girl in the midst of the broken tombstones and dry grass. The slender young thing fell into her embrace, clutching her tightly. Enclosing Bianca in her arms, Innocente felt the vampire trembling.

“It's okay. Just help us escape now...” Innocente whispered in her ear. “Bring the dead up, but have them protect us!”

“Bianca!” Rachon roared in anger. “Bianca, come here!”

Prosper was closer, so he stomped toward them. “I told you she wasn’t right in the head, Rachon.”

Bianca twisted in Innocente's arms and flung up one hand. The dead shot out of the ground, cutting off Prosper. Gasping, he stumbled back, surprised by the turn of events.

“Good girl!” Innocente said with delight.

Bianca raised another hand and more dead sprung up between them and Rachon. The vampires stared in surprise at the young woman.

“Bianca, obey me!” Rachon said, moving to rip the dead apart and descend on them.

“Pete, come here,” Innocente said. “Hurry!”

Ethan moved to cut him off, but more dead burst forth from the ground. The dead creatures grappled with Ethan, allowing Pete to slip past them.

“Good girl, Bianca,” Innocente said proudly. “We need to get Sergio, then we can go.”

“I’ll get him!” Pete dropped into the grave where Sergio had collapsed earlier. “He's still alive!”

“Hurry, Pete!” Innocente cried out.

Rachon lunged forward, her hands shredding the corpses, but more sprang up to block her way. This time they attacked her, wrestling with her.