A Kiss of Blood (Vamp City #2)(95)

“What’s the plan, Ax?” Micah asked.

Quinn turned away from the window.

Arturo moved to the counter to pour himself a splash of whiskey. “I shall destroy the sword.”

“How are you going to get it out of the case, let alone out of Gonzaga Castle?”

Arturo took a sip. “I’ll think of something.”

“You’re not going alone,” Micah said, at the exact moment Kassius said, “I’m going with you.”

“You will both stay out of it. Cristoff has killed four of his own, and those are the ones I know of. Stay here. Protect Quinn.”

His friends’ expressions turned incredulous.

“Absolutely not.”

“What if you need glamour?”

Quinn watched the way Arturo fought to protect his friends and how they refused to send him into the lion’s den alone. She envied him that kind of friendship. But she understood all too well the willingness to sacrifice for those one cared about. And she understood, too, Micah’s and Kassius’s unwillingness to remain behind.

It wasn’t in her nature to hide any more than it was in theirs. Nor was it in any of their best interests to leave her behind. Because there was no denying that Cristoff was powerful, and it might well take their combined skills to pull this off. Going in one at a time, and dying one at a time, would help no one. They might be vampires, but these three males, these men, were her friends. An extraordinary thought.

And she didn’t want any of them dying.

“We’re all going,” she announced, watching three faces swivel toward her with varying levels of scowls.

“No, Quinn.”

“Absolutely not, cara.”

“It’s not safe, Quinn.”

She met Arturo’s unyielding gaze. “You said I needed to start working with others.”

“Not this way.”

“And that I need to open up to friendships. I’ve decided you’re my friends, and I’m not letting you go in alone.”

“Cara . . .”

“You need me.”

“We need you to remain safe.”

But she wasn’t giving an inch on this. Taking a deep breath, she looked around, spying the fat, flickering candle that sat in the middle of the kitchen table. Concentrating, she called it to her. With a wicked sense of enjoyment, she watched the vampires’ eyes widen with surprise.

Micah whistled. “Nice job.”

“Perhaps you’ll need a way to remove the sword from its case without actually touching the case.”

Arturo glared. “You are not coming with us, Quinn. I forbid it.”

“Do you?” she asked quietly. Did he still not realize they’d moved past the point where he could easily control her actions? Besides, she had other abilities that might be of use, others she’d practiced extensively while she’d waited alone for him at the safe house. Closing her eyes, she willed a bubble to form around the three vampires and herself.

At the exclamations of surprise, she opened her eyes and smiled at the black void that now enclosed them, a darkness lit only by the fat candle still cradled in her hands.

“Quinn . . .” Micah exclaimed, knocking into one of the bubble’s walls, which sent him careening into Kassius.

“What is this?” Kassius asked, clearly surprised.

“She can create worlds, as Phineas Blackstone could,” Arturo muttered. “One that vampires apparently cannot leave at will.”

Kassius pressed against one of the walls, but though his hand sank into its dark surface, he couldn’t move through it. To her surprise, he began to chuckle. “Well done, sorceress.” His expression sobered as he turned to Arturo. “I understand your reluctance to involve her, but she’s right, Ax. She has power. And we’d be fools not to use every advantage we have.”

Arturo threw his hands in the air. “I do not want any of you going with me.”

“Looks like you got outvoted, Ax.” Micah grinned. “All for one and one for all?”

“No!” Arturo’s gaze swung to her, his eyes throbbing with an emotion she couldn’t name. “You know what will happen if Cristoff gets his hands on you, again, Quinn. Must you always sacrifice yourself?” he asked quietly.

For moments, she stared at him, the air thick and pulsing in the void. “What happens if you fail? If Cristoff catches you, or if you accidentally spring one of his booby traps, you’ll die. And your friends will almost certainly be implicated even if they’re not with you. They’ll die. And then it’s up to me alone. Isn’t it better to combine our strengths right from the beginning and maximize our chance of success than to risk dying one by one?”

Arturo shook his head, his stance mulish. “I will not fail.”

“Ax . . .” Kassius eyed his friend calmly. “I think she’s right.”

“I have to agree, Ax.” Micah glanced at the bubble above his head. “She’s strong and getting stronger. But I’d suggest we take the time to develop a plan. One that uses Quinn’s strengths. One that she can practice ahead of time.”

Arturo glared at his friends, his frustration palpable. But he was beginning to waver, she could feel it. Finally, he turned to her. “Free them. I wish to speak to you alone.”