Page 12 of Forsworn By The Vampire
Noooo!Panic ripped through me and I reached behind me with one hand and pulled the dagger from the waistband of my pants. Magic sang through the blade, making it vibrate, and I tightened my grip on the handle so I didn't drop it. Bringing it in toward me, I sliced downward, right across his arm. I tried to cut his fist right off, but the blade wasn't powerful enough yet and I was weak from lack of air. However, it was enough to catch him off guard.
"AHHHH!"
I was suddenly free. The hand around my throat gone as he clapped it down over the deep cut in his arm. I fell to my knees and crawled backward, the dagger gripped tight in my fist as I tried to put some distance between us before I got up. But I couldn't get my feet under me.
The djinn speared me with eyes that now glowed, and I felt his magic curl around me as I fell backward, my head smashing into a tombstone. Scrambling around it, I kept my eyes on him as I used it for leverage to get to my feet.
"That stupid move is going to cost you, witch. Give me the dagger."
I glanced down at his arm, but he still had his hand over the wound so I couldn't see how much damage I'd actually inflicted. Throwing my free hand into the air, I sent a blast of magic straight at him. It was fight or flight mode time, and I was fighting. I wasn't going to let this fucking bastard take me out while I groveled at his feet.
My magic slammed into an invisible wall, reverberating through my teeth and bones. With a quick jerk of his head, the djinn sent me flying through the graveyard. I stopped when I hit another large tomb, my back smashing into the corner of the structure. I fell face first onto the ground, my spine screaming and the back of my head throbbing.
But I still had the damned dagger.
Slowly, painfully, I got to my feet, grateful I could still walk and that nothing seemed to be seriously damaged. Throwing up a shield of magic around myself, I ran back to him, dagger lifted to strike. I had to finish this. Or I had to die trying.
The djinn watched me coming, his face lit with amusement and perhaps a sliver of respect.
He waited until I was close before he made his move. One second he was there, and the next he was gone. Unable to stop my momentum, I ran into a smaller tombstone and toppled right over it, head over heels, landing on the back of my right shoulder and flopping over onto my back.
I laid there for a second, catching my breath. I'd come dangerously close to stabbing myself just now, and I needed a moment to be grateful I was still alive.
As I got to my feet once again, I choked back a sob. It was impossible. The only chance I had was this dagger in my hand, and I hadn't had enough time to finish the spell that would give it the power to kill a djinn. My magic wasn't strong enough.Iwasn't strong enough.
I wasn't going to leave this cemetery tonight.
Chapter 8
Jamal
Isearched The Quarter, but there was no sign of the redhead or anything that would give me any hint of where she might be. The weather was better tonight, and tourists crowded the small streets decked out in their best, or most ridiculous, holiday attire. Women lifted their shirts to show off red and green tassels with bells covering their nipples--among other imaginative body decorations--and the people on the balconies threw down Santa and Rudolph beads mixed in with the normal Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, gold, and red.
The humans paid me little mind as I made my way through the throngs of people, and I had no interest in hanging out to see what kind of show was offered. I'd seen it all before, and tits were just that. Tits. Some were big, some were small, some were more my taste than others, but after living here for so long and seeing the same thing night after night, it got kinda old. Even for a hot-blooded male. Unless seeing those tits was going to lead to other things, I wasn't interested.
"Where would I go if I were a witch who didn't want anyone to find me?" I mumbled out loud. I'd reached the end of Bourbon Street, and seriously considered turning around and marching my ass straight into The Purple Fang to make more productive use of my time. I'd already scoped out the entire area from I-10 to the waterfront with nothing to show for it, and I was seriously done playing bloodhound. But then, with a loud sigh, I crossed Canal Street and started walking toward the Garden District.
I hated coming to this part of the city, even if it was allowed now. As soon as I got within a block of the witch's hood, I could feel tendrils of magic reaching for me. Curling around me. Making its way beneath my clothes and slithering along my bare skin. I tried to just keep walking and ignore it, but the sensation made me grind my teeth together.
The witches would know I was here now. Although with any luck, they'd be too busy looking for Leeloo to fuck with me. I was beginning to wish I'd brought my car. But parking was more of a hassle than it was worth when I could run faster and not even work up a sweat. However, it did make me feel safer being here when I was surrounded by a frame of plastic and metal.
I had no idea which direction I should go or where she would be, but I thought her house would be a good place to start. Maybe she just wanted some alone time and wasn't answering her phone or the door. Pulling out my cell, I texted Lizzy and got the address. Five minutes later, I knocked on the door to her apartment, but it wasn't Leeloo who opened it.
Cocking my head and crossing my arms over my chest as I fought the sudden, inexplicable need to hit him just for being here, I stared at Mike, Lizzy's assistant. He was wrapped in some kind of ratty blanket and looked like he hadn't slept or eaten for days.
"Is she dead? She's dead, isn't she?" he asked as soon as he saw me.
"Who?"
"Angel." His features twisted as he fought back the tears in his eyes. "Who the fuck else would I be talking about, man?"
Something akin to rage made my fists clench under my arms. My gums tingled as my fangs slid down, aching to sink into his throat. I had no idea what I was so pissed about, but everything in me was protesting the fact that this human male was at her place, had apparently been here for a while, and was pretty damn fucking comfortable there. "Do you know where she is?"
Mike's eyes lifted to my face and he took a quick step back, out of arm range, as he eyed me nervously. "Sort of."
I lifted one eyebrow in question and waited.
"She wouldn't tell me exactly, but it has something to do with...the djinn."
