“I’m sorry for upsetting you, Frank,” Aimee said in a hushed tone, her head lowered.
“You see, that seems sincere. It feels sincere. And I like it.” Frank kissed the top of her head. “Now, go check on my prize.”
Following in Michael’s wake, Aimee flinched when Frank started to scream at his guards. It made her shudder in fear. The last time she had heard him so angry, he had been drowning her.
Hurrying up a narrow staircase to the second floor, she took several deep breaths to steady her nerves. She had done what she had to do. She had no choice. It was Frank’s fault she had been forced to do what she had done, but it didn’t make her feel any better about luring Cassandra into Frank’s trap.
The panic room that was being used as a cell to hold Cassandra was a short distance from her and Frank’s bedrooms. The product of Frank’s paranoia, it was completely secure. No one could breach it once the door closed unless they had the code and knew the location of the exterior control panel which was set under a tile in the hallway. The thick steel door stood open and she could hear Michael moving around inside. The door was camouflaged and could blend completely into the hallway. It amused Aimee to see that on the table attached to the faux wall the lamp perched on it was still lit. Frank always thought of everything.
Peeking inside, she spotted Michael securing Cassandra into place with a fresh set of silver shackles that were bolted to the ceiling. The dhamphir’s body hung limp in his arms as he checked the locks.
Hearing her soft footstep behind him, Michael tossed her a quick look over his shoulder. “Still out,” he said to Aimee.
“I see. Frank sent me to check the holding spells.”
Michael shrugged, stepping away from Cassandra. She dangled from the shackles, her head down with her hair obscuring her face. “I better check downstairs and make sure Frank doesn’t end up killing the guards. He has a temper.”
Nodding, Aimee silently agreed.
“You do good work,” Michael said, obviously impressed. “It’s not easy to take down a dhamphir. I can see why the vampires killed off most of your kind.”
Folding her arms over her chest and hugging herself, Aimee stared at the handsome man warily.
Taking a small step toward her, he lowered his voice. “I know Frank’s rough on you. You don’t deserve it.” His very warm fingers lightly skimmed her cheek, his eyes searching her face thoughtfully.
“What do I deserve?” Aimee asked, flinching from his touched.
“Better,” Michael said with a charmingly seductive smile. Without another word, he strode out of the room, leaving her alone with the dhamphir.
Aimee hurried over to the controls and activated the door. It silently slid shut and locked.
“What the fuck was that all about?” Cassandra asked irritably.
Aimee whirled around, flustered. “I think he was hitting on me!”
“I meant the fake spell,” Cassandra answered, stretching out her long body.
“Oh! I wasn’t sure you would catch on! I was so relieved when you did!”
“Well, when the spell did nothing, I figured it was a ruse.” Cassandra shrugged. “And if it was a dud, I figured I could buy myself some time by faking it.”
“I knew you were smart enough to catch on. There wasn’t any way to warn you.”
Flexing her hands, Cassandra winced. “Well, what’s the plan now?”
“I have a spell that I need to activate and drink.” Aimee squatted next to one of the spell bags and drew out a small vial. The second it was in her hand, the bond began to twist inside of her, compelling her to smash it.
Cassandra yanked on the shackles, hissing in pain. “I hate fucking silver. Ugh. It’s like kryptonite. Mind getting me out of these?”
“Give me a second.” Aimee fretted. The blood bond was fighting her viciously. Tears sprung into her eyes as she stood and paced, trying to resist the urge to break the spell and flee to Frank’s side.
“Uh, Aimee, I would really like to not be chained up.”
“I know. Give me a sec, okay?” Aimee snapped. Her vision narrowed and her heart sped up. The bond was crushing her will, eating at her resolve.
“Aimee,” Cassandra said in her husky tones. “Look at me.”
Lifting her head, Aimee stared at the woman before her. The very sight of her brought tears to her eyes. In the dhamphir’s beautiful eyes, she saw her salvation and hope.