“I... I...” he stuttered. “... no, I have no idea.”
Glancing over her shoulder at me, Brianna grinned. “A timid one for you, friend. Florian Harvey, meet Gemma Abbott.”
My teeth clenched as my fists gripped the material of the sofa between my legs.
Dave's inhaled breath was sharp and urgent. Everything suddenly made sense. Florian was obviously Xvair's remaining son. The man looked like he had no clue about our predicament. Did he even know he was a witch?
Coughing, Dave drew Brianna's attention. “You're going to try and force him to impregnate her, aren't you?”
Florian's mouth opened and closed as his forehead creased. His gaze raked over me before looking back at Brianna. “What the hell do you want with me?”
Straightening, Brianna clicked her fingers. As her male friend forced Florian to his feet, she paced in front of us, a smirk lining her face. “Florian is Xvair Harvey's last remaining heir. You would be forgiven for thinking that we were going to try and create a baby for Xvair to gain another lifetime, but...” Looking at Dave, Brianna winked. “I can't say what he has planned for you.”
“You can't? I bet you don't even know,” I said, pulling at the rope to try and loosen it.
The rough material cut into my skin, the magic reducing power in them making my wrists burn. If only I could get loose, I would kill the lot of them. They had taken us by surprise, but I wasn't going to let them get away with it. Archie's death would be paid for, and so would our abduction.
Sitting on the armchair, Brianna leant forward, her arms resting on her thighs. “Come the equinox, we'll disconnect you from the ley line and replace you with Florian here. He's an Essex witch, so technically, his blood should forge to the line, especially as he’s such a pure soul.”
“What are you talking about?” Florian barked, trying to wrench away from the vampire holding him.
“He doesn't even know that he's a witch, how archaic is that?” Brianna tutted.
Florian spun suddenly, his leg kicking out and his arm swinging. His soft soled shoe crashed into the vampire’s leg, sending him to the ground.
Brianna's friends put down their tea and was by his side instantly. Roaring, Florian bucked as they grasped each arm.
Nudging me in the side, Dave indicated that I do something.
Brianna was on her feet, waiting for the vampires to calm down the new witch.
Looking at Dave again, I shrugged. What could I do? There were four of them. I would never be able to defeat them with my hands tied and my magic bound.
“Look,” Dave whispered, glancing down at my hands.
Brianna's super hearing clocked onto Dave's whisper. She spun her head and looked down to where I stared. My binds were loose, cut away from my hands, and yet... I could feel that I wasn't free.
“Get her!” Brianna shouted as I surged to my feet.
Dave's illusion magic wouldn't work for long, but I had to use it to convince her that I was free.
As the vampires started to descend on me, I dove towards the bathroom. My feet carried me faster than I had ever ran, dodging the armchair and thrusting inside. The door shut behind me as I kicked it, my hands instantly locking it as the big vampire banged on the wood.
Searching the bathroom for something to cut the rope around my wrists, I grunted when I found nothing. Almost screaming in frustration, I looked at the window. The thump of someone pushing against the door made me jolt. Jumping onto the closed toilet seat, I kicked the glass as hard as I could, my leather boot colliding nicely with the window. My heart pounded in my chest as the glass smashed, sending shards shattering around my leg. I ignored the bite of pain as a piece sliced my calf.
“Get out here, you bitch!” the man shouted through the door.
The gaping hole beckoned me, but I couldn't leave Dave. Grabbing a piece of glass, I tucked it into my jacket pocket. A grunt from outside was joined by the sound of crashing as the door exploded inwards, forcing me to jump for the window. Sweat lined my palms as I tried to get hold of the edge of the seal.
“No you don't!”
A hand grabbed my ankle as I tried to lunge through the window. Survival instinct wanted to kick in, but I was only pretending that I wanted to escape. I would never leave Dave behind. However, the vampires had to believe my fear so they wouldn't search me for my new weapon.
“Got her!” one of the other vampires called as Brianna came to stand in the doorway.
I hopped back into the room as I was tugged away from the window. My boot squelched as the cut on my leg throbbed in pain, pumping out blood.
“Get her healed!” she ordered, her lips turning up into a snarl. “We need her perfect for the ritual.”
Dragging me into the front room, the big vampire huffed and puffed as I thrust away from him, trying to escape. Catching Dave's eye when he spun me around, I winked quickly. He kept a straight face, although his forehead did crease when he saw the blood dripping onto the floor.
“Sit down!” the vampire ordered.
Allowing him to thrust me onto the sofa, I tried not to scream in frustration. The bastards had us cornered, although I would use the glass to cut the rope when they were distracted. Surely they had to leave at some point or sleep for that matter.
“See, she’s still tied. Bloody illusionist,” Brianna spat at Dave before looking at me. “Open your mouth, witch!”
She came over to us, took hold of the male vampire’s wrist and ripped her teeth through it.
He sucked in a
