Pretty When They Collide (Pretty When She Dies 0.5)(36)

“So you drink that and see if the spell works, right?”

“But you need to drink my blood...”

“Step closer.”

Aimee hesitated, unsure of what the dhamphir wanted. “You can drink from my wrist.”

“Let’s make this simple and as painless as possible.”

Warily, Aimee stepped closer. “Okay. How?”

Cassandra kissed Aimee, her lips both exquisitely soft and yet demanding. The cackling sensation of their powers meeting sizzled over Aimee’s body, making her gasp with pleasure. The dhamphir’s sharp teeth caught Aimee’s bottom lip, neatly puncturing it causing blood to well. Unlike Frank, Cassandra spared Aimee pain, infusing her vampire bite with pleasure. Clasping the vial to her breast, Aimee shivered as Cassandra took three quick swipes of blood with her tongue. When Cassandra drew back, Aimee felt disoriented and a little lost.

“Drink the spell,” Cassandra urged Aimee. “See if it’s working.”

Every cell in her body was tingling. Aimee stared at the vial through a haze of magic, hope, and searing arousal. Cassandra’s kiss had set her afire and she knew once she drank the potion, nothing would ever be the same again. Twisting off the stopper, she gulped down the concoction.

Aimee fell to her knees, a tortured, agonized scream ripping from her throat. Boiling blood rushed through her body, burning through the numbness that Frank’s bond had inflicted upon her. Feeling as though her body was being torn apart, Aimee clawed at the floor as streams of black blood flowed from her mouth.

“Aimee! Aimee!” Cassandra cried out, rattling the chains that held her secure.

The thick ichor burned her throat and choked her. Deep inside her chest, she felt something dark and hideous break free and burn away as the spell rid her of the last of Frank’s power. Vomiting up bile flecked with ashes, Aimee raised shaking hands to her face.

“I think it’s over,” she whispered in awe. She no longer felt the insidious infection of the blood bond to the vampire. Unshackled from his power, she felt strangely buoyant. The heaviness of Frank’s darkness was gone. Looking up, she saw Cassandra staring down at her with great concern. “It’s broken.”

A wide, relieved grin broke out on Cassandra’s face. “Awesome!”

Aimee wiped her mouth on the hem of her dress, a shaky laugh escaping her lips. “Oh, my goddess! It’s gone!”

“That’s great! Now, uh, mind getting me down?” Cassandra looked up at her wrists suspended over her head. The silver was chafing her flesh.

“Yeah, yeah!” Aimee scrambled to her feet and carefully avoided the puddle of black goo on the floor. It made her nauseous just looking at it.

“Have a key?” Cassandra asked.

“Don’t need one,” Aimee answered.

She flicked her hands and the shackles fell free.

Widening her eyes, Cassandra said, “Wow.”

Aimee let out a surprisingly girlish giggle. “Okay, let’s get out of here.” She twirled about on her toes and headed toward the door to unlock it.

“Wait!” Cassandra called out.

Turning about, Aimee gave her a mystified look. “We need to go. Now. While Frank is busy yelling at the guards and not paying attention to us.”

Striding toward her, the tall, sleek woman nodded. “I agree. But we have a problem. I burned all the blood I consumed earlier getting in here.”

Gingerly touching her neck where Frank had cruelly bitten her the night before, Aimee couldn’t help but flinch. “Oh.”

“You’re a witch. Your blood is powerful. I’ll only need a few mouthfuls. I swear I won’t hurt you.” Cassandra’s big boots deftly avoided the black blood on the floor as she drew close to Aimee.

Free of the blood bond, Aimee’s own abilities were untethered and the world around her was vibrant with energy and color. It was intoxicating to feel so vividly alive after living with Frank’s death in her veins for so long. The light shimmered in the thick waves of Cassandra’s chestnut waves as she pulled her hair back into a nubby ponytail and secured it with a thick black rubber band she yanked off her wrist. With her cat-eyes, lush mouth, and strong, narrow nose, Cassandra was the most beautiful woman Aimee had ever seen.

“Aimee?” Cassandra waved her hand in front of her face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just so...” Aimee floundered. Smiling happily, she laughed with embarrassment. “I’m just overwhelmed.”

Cassandra gently reached out and lifted Aimee’s hand from where she had it pressed to her neck. Again, the mingling of their auras sent wonderful waves of pleasure through the witch. Though Frank had healed the bite on her throat to some degree, it was still an ugly, scabbed-over wound. Cassandra flinched. “I won’t do this to you. If you let me drink, I can fight better. Faster. Stronger.”

Teeth pulling on her bottom lip, Aimee fidgeted. She believed Cassandra, but after breaking free of Frank she was afraid of someone else initiating such an intimate act with her. Yet, if she wanted to get out of the house and not end up Frank’s slave again, she had to do this. Nodding, she clenched her hands at her sides and waited.

The dhamphir gently turned Aimee’s head, exposing the unmarred side of her neck. “I will be very careful.”

Aimee closed her eyes when Cassandra bent her head to her throat. Trembling with both fear and expectation, she waited.