Tutting, Brianna gripped the back of my head, her strong hands squeezing my neck hard. “Drink.”
The vampire pressed his wrist against my mouth as I squirmed, trying to get away from them. Together, they held me firm, forcing my mouth open. Metallic blood hit my tongue, making me heave. The droplets ran down my throat, forcing me to swallow. The taste was vile. No one should ever be forced to drink vampire blood.
“That will heal your leg, you stupid woman.” Brianna stroked my hair as she pulled her hand away. “Don't say I don't take care of you.”
“You're a psychopathic vampire who’ll be arrested for treason.” Dave's voice was low and cold.
His hands were shaking in his lap, his eyes wide as he watched her retreat.
Blinking slowly, she turned to the men. “Bind their legs, there’ll be no more escape attempts. I need to let Xvair know that we have them both. And, an extra one that I'll enjoy killing.”
She was about to go into the bedroom when she turned. “Oh, and I was about to tell you before your little revolt...” Glancing at me and Florian, who was now on his knees on the floor, she smirked widely. “... the PFF may or may not have chosen the perfect little church to carry out the ritual tomorrow night. Have you ever heard of Little Minster Church?”
Every witch had heard of Little Minster Church, although by the look on both Florian and Dave's faces, they had no idea what Brianna was talking about. Probably because Essex witches were the ones who carried the secrets of the most sacred part of the ley lines.
After Brianna had winked at me and disappeared into the bedroom, Dave turned to me, a concerned expression on his face. Moving my leg, I checked that it had stopped bleeding. The slash in my leggings was visible, but the cut in my leg had gone. The pain had vanished too. The vampire blood had healed me.
“What is Little Minster Church?” Dave asked.
Looking at Florian, who had turned to listen to my answer, I felt my chest squeeze. The man had no idea who he was, let alone why he was a prisoner in a grungy flat. Xvair Harvey had gone insane. He was using an illegitimate child of his to get his wish. He would probably try to force us to have a baby so he could drain it of magic. Well, I wouldn't allow that to happen. Ever.
“Little Minster Church has been condemned by the government and Paranormal MI5. It's a place where its priests were so evil, the veil between Hell and Earth is thin. No one has been allowed on its grounds in centuries.”
“Until now.” Dave sighed.
Nodding, I glanced up at him as I slumped on the sofa. Taking a deep shaky breath, I released it quietly. “Until now.”
Chapter 10
The darkness had crept in, but no lights had been switched on. We had been sitting in silence for two hours as Brianna napped in the bedroom. Her men stood on guard, well sat really, but their eyes watched us, only occasionally looking away. Florian leant against the wall, his head drooping every now and then.
“Make a tea,” one of the men instructed the big guy. “I'm starving and trying my hardest to resist drinking the blood of these witches.”
“You know they taste nasty,” another said.
“Especially the Essex ones,” another replied.
“I'll have you know...” Dave joined in. “...that the Essex ones, especially the men, are much tastier than mere mortal witches like me.”
Hitting his arm, I shook my head. In a time of need, it was good to know that Dave would throw me to the vampires before himself. It was almost laughable.
My skin itched near the binds. The vampire blood had healed the welts, but they were slowly starting to return. The glass sat in my pocket, the sharp edge beckoning to me. If only the men would take their eyes away long enough for me to manoeuvre my hands into my pockets. Or, at least get Dave to take it out.
“When was the last time you ate?” the newer vampire asked. “I thought she said she'd bring us blood bags?”
Snorting through their noses, the other two shook their heads. The smaller one got up and went to the kitchenette to put the kettle on. All three vampires glanced at one another, a question in their raised eyebrows. When would they get the blood promised to them?
“I'm hungry too,” Dave interjected. “I haven't had my tea. Gemma was going to cook me burgers tonight. Can we get a take away?”
The men looked at him, an ironic smile coming to their lips. I was about to open my mouth and use manipulation to appeal to their hunger when a tingling in my chest made me stop. My intuition told me that something was about-
“What's that?” one of the men said, looking towards the door.
It crashed open, the wood rebounding off the wall. A cloud of smoke bellowed into the room, instantly filling it. Dave's hands nudged my leg as I surged from the sofa, ready to try and escape. It was probably Paranormal MI5. Jake was bound to have attempted to check in with us, regardless of what my mother had said. When neither of us had replied, he would've come looking.
“Gemma,” Dave's voice rose through the smoke. “Don't run, just stay here. I can feel Jake.”
A hand suddenly clamped around my mouth from behind, the feminine fingers strong as I tried to dislodge them. Brianna's flowery perfume slipped up my nose, making me choke more than the smoke that was starting to fade. I could just make out the shape of figures tussling on the ground, the vampires obviously putting up a fight.
“I'm afraid you have to come with me.”
Brianna's voice was soft as something sharp stabbed into my neck. Trying to call out to Dave, my muffled voice met with resistance as
