I shake my head. “I trust Donatello. And I trust you, and I trust Ren. If Donatello thinks we better run,” I tug on their hands, “then let’s keep on running.”
“We might run straight into a trap,” Apollo hisses again.
I face him, standing on all the might of my five feet seven figure to glower at him. That now-usual cold trickles down my chest, my arms, my fingers. I close my hands in fists to keep the magic inside, to keep it from hurting anyone. But when I look into Apollo’s eyes, I know he can read in mine how much these words mean. “I trust him.”
There’s a moment of silence, only the rain pattering down the leaves. Apollo concedes, his shoulders drooping as he nods. Donatello smiles at me. It’s a second of peace.
Ren’s entire body shivers and tenses in alarm. Somehow I feel it. I feel it, too, deep inside me, the adrenaline shooting into my veins, ordering me to run even before I know what I’m running from.
“Are we getting a kiss under the rain now? Should have brought some popcorn.”
I whirl around to the sugary voice and almost slip on the wet underbrush. My boots keep my balance as I reach up as non-fazed as possible to shove my hair away from my face. The small group staring back at me smiles in such a smug way I know they can tell I’m clumsy as fuck.
Three of them keep to the sides, dressed in hoodies that cover their heads, protecting them from the rain. Tall boots guarantee they’re also much warmer than I am. They even wear gloves. I whirl my gaze to the other two.
One of them takes the lead, the other following behind him like a shadow, holding an umbrella. What the fuck am I seeing? Did this guy bring his butler?
The one leading the group smiles at me, showing off his fangs. “Why, don’t mind us.” He motions for me to go on. “Keep going. It was about to get interesting.” He’s the one who first spoke, with that sugary voice. The guy can’t be a day older than me, or he wasn’t a day older than me when he turned into a vampire. Dark, mussed hair pushed away from his face falls in a soft wave to the nape of his neck. He has an angular face, sharp cheekbones and chin, a nose I could cut myself with. Green eyes glint beneath thick brows, and he curls thin lips into a smirk.
“Who the fuck are you?” I spit, and I literally spit, with all the rain accumulating between my lips. This is it, Cassandra. This is the moment you should know how to work your magic. I need to protect them. Need to make sure whoever this fucker is, he can’t touch my mates or Donatello.
“I am Kayn,” he says like it should ring a bell. Of course, it doesn’t. I just stare at him. His brows furrow, and he presses a hand to his chest in mock-offense. “Never heard of me?” He clucks his tongue once. “You were raised in such ignorance, Cassandra. I bet you have no idea what you are, and how fantastic we can work together.” He finishes with a smile, all white teeth like a retail seller whose wage depends on this tip.
“Whatever job you have, I’m passing.” I shrug, pretending to be unamused. When I peek over my shoulder, though, I can see both Apollo and Donatello have their jaws set, brows lowered, arms tense. I exchange a glance with Ren, who looks as confused as I feel. “You didn’t even need to come all this way to be rejected. Could have just called me.”
He chuckles, but there’s no humor to it. Shoving a hand through his hair, he shakes his head like I’m the funniest girl in the world. “Oh, Cassandra. You got it all wrong.” The smile on his face turns full-out cruel. It’s like staring into the real-life version of a horror movie psychopath, and not even his beauty eases it. Dread burns in my stomach, acidic and rotten, but I can’t take my eyes off him. “I’m not being rejected because you,” he points at me, “are not running away. You’re too important, don’t you see?” He shakes his head, disbelief on his face. “You are paramount.” He watches me for another moment, his expression growing somber. Kayn flicks his wrist, then snaps his fingers. “Get the others.”
The three vampires standing by the sidelines pounce on us, but as I move out of their reach, they clash with Ren and Apollo. I snap my head to Donatello, and he turns to me, and in his eyes, there’s a deep shade of fear, bottomless and full of despair. We’re not that outnumbered. I know we can fight them. And yet, the hopelessness in Donatello’s face...
Kayn turns on his heels, the mud splashing on his boots. I gape at his back, wondering if he changed his mind. He snaps his fingers once more. “Donatello. Capture her.”
My lip pulls at the side into a smile. Does he think Donatello will obey like this? What an idiot. I snap my gaze at Donatello, ready to laugh this fucker off, but something changed on his face.
Gone is the fear. His pupils are blown so wide I almost miss the bloody red around them. Then Donatello attacks me.
CHAPTER29
CASSANDRA
This can’t be happening. This has to be some weird-ass nightmare, some dream I haven’t woken up from. I want to bring my hands up and scratch this illusion off my eyes, but there’s no time. Donatello pounces.
I dodge just in time. Dodge as in stepping sideways and escaping just by an inch. The motherfucker is fast! He comes again, and I move away, stepping back, dancing around him, boots slipping in the mud. I shoot a glance at the distancing shape of Kayn and his butler, but even if I escape Donatello, he’s already too far off for me to catch up.
What is all this even about? Who is he? What the fuck does he want with me?
Donatello shoves a hand into my hair, but it’s not the sexy caress he’s done to me before. He pulls, a sharp pain shooting from my skull, and I yelp. My neck cranes back, my back, and I fight to keep my balance as he opens a cruel, hungry smile. The blown-wide pupils, the red swirling. He’s about to take a bite out of me, and not in a good way.
Donatello growls deep in his chest and exposes his fangs. I remember them raking down my pulse, the mix of hesitation and lust. This is not the same. I shove a hand into his chest, trying to push the wall of meat away. He doesn’t budge.
“Donatello,” I cry out, my knees trembling from the position. “It’s me. Don’t do it.”
He smiles in a cruel manner that makes my heart stop in my chest. He betrayed me. That’s what I get from trusting people I shouldn’t. The memories flood me, making terrible sense now. How convenient he was there, at the casino, at the right time. All the times it felt like he knew more than he let on. The phone calls, the messages. He was guiding his boss to me all this time, and I had no idea.
I gave my heart to him, and he’s about to rip it from my chest.
I stare into his eyes, weighing dying in the arms of someone who made me feel so good. But then, I was never good at obeying, and I was never good at giving up. Grinding my jaw, I call my magic, I urge the sensation into me. Cold burns in my chest, then races down my arms with astonishing speed, a blizzard in my veins.
I open my eyes to lock my gaze with Donatello’s. I bare my teeth. “Fuck. Off.” And my power explodes from within me.