Page 91 of You Only Love Twice
Obsidian slumped to the ground, barely able to twitch his little finger.Gemma.He tried to speak, but even his throat muscles were paralyzed.Don't. Damn you, don't go out there.
The last he saw of her was her vibrant dark pink skirts as she vanished up the ramp into the cemetery.
* * *
Lights flashedin the foggy cemetery as Gemma scanned the darkness. She heard voices; Coldrush Guards. Byrnes. Perhaps even Malloryn.
Her heart started beating faster. Thedhampirshe'd seen was out there somewhere, she knew it. And every beacon of light and loud shout betrayed the presence of those trying to rescue Miss Hamilton. It would keep her target's attention while she moved like a shadow in the night.
A foggy, poorly lit night.
Perfect grounds for an ambush.
Yes. But which one of you is going to walk into the trap? He's a dhampir.
Taking Obsidian down with hemlock when he was distracted was one thing; managing to kill a creature that was faster, stronger, and invulnerable to all but a thrust straight to the heart quite another.
And this one wouldn't hesitate to harm her.
Gemma powered the illuminating gauntlet on her hand, feeling the slight hum of its vibration. An untried prototype, it might be the only edge she had in this fight, though the enormous covered eye in the center of the gauntlet had only enough power to give her one blast.
"All I need," she whispered, setting out into the night.
Where would he have taken Miss Hamilton?
The faintest scent of blood had her turning deeper into the cemetery, away from the searchers and toward the end of the colonnade.
The sensation of being watched raised every hair on her body. No sign of anything moving out there, though the fog was thicker on the ground and sound was muted. Could be just her mind playing tricks on her. Gemma jumped as an owl suddenly hooted nearby. Her pulse rocketed through her veins, and she forced herself to swallow. The surge of energy through her veins was both a boon and a curse. She felt ready to leap right out of her skin.
The scent of blood grew stronger, and she suffered a horrible moment of doubt as her footsteps quickened.Please let me be in time.
The fog ahead of her stirred, sweeping away from a tall memorial as if someone drew the theatre curtains on a stage. Movement. Gemma raised her pistol, creeping forward with slow careful steps. A shape was beginning to form, slumped against the memorial, the scent of blood growing stronger—
A pale flash of movement leaped toward her from the side, and Gemma spun and hammered three shots directly into the blur with her armor-piercing bullets.
Thedhampirvanished behind a headstone, but she heard him wheeze and swear under his breath. "Damn you. That was me favorite coat."
It threw her off.
"What?"
Shouts echoed nearby as the searchers heard her gunfire. Gemma circled the headstone, only to find nothing there.
A faint laugh echoed behind her. "I begin to see why Obsidian has a soft spot for you, Miss Townsend. Brave, beautiful, and intelligent. What man could resist? It's a pity you've also caught the eye of Ghost. But he doesn't want your heart. Just your head. Thinks you've caused enough problems, turnin' our best assassin against him."
"I didn't do a damned thing.Hekidnapped me."
She pressed the charge button on the illuminator. It began to whine. Thedhampirstalked her through the fog, and Gemma forced herself to tilt her head to listen. If she mistimed this she was dead.
"This isn't personal, Miss Townsend."
There. To her right.
"Though I might be inclined to make it such." His voice roughened, but it was now to her left. Toying with her. "You're going to get him killed."
"I can sway the Duke of Malloryn. He won't harm Obsidian."
"I weren't talkin' about Malloryn."
