“Xvair Harvey, a man I've heard a lot about, but never had the pleasure of meeting. Joseph assures me that your intentions are pure towards our species, so I'm happy to work with you.” Shaking hands, the pair smiled kindly at one another.
Florian was propelled in front of me, his feet tripping up the steps as Brianna's friend man-handled him. When he reached the altar, he picked Florian up and threw him on top, only just missing the candles in the process.
“What are you doing?” Florian cried, his weak manner almost annoying me.
The man had every right to be scared. It just sucked that he wasn't strong enough to help me against two vampires, an ancient witch and a shape shifter. How would I ever get free of the bastards?
“His whining is doing my head in,” the male vampire said, looking at Xvair. “Can I knock him out?”
Nodding, Xvair didn't even flinch when the vampire punched Florian so hard in the jaw, his head snapped back and he slumped to the surface of the stone altar.
“Just get hold of her,” Xvair said, pulling the priest to the side. “She's not as harmless as she looks.”
Holding up my tied hands as the vampire approached, I skipped up the steps. Casting a glance over the altar, I noted the same rune etched into the stone under where Florian now lay motionless, his eyes closed. The candles were settled on each corner, representing the four points of the spell. It was going to be a big one.
The vampire's hand gripped the inside of my arm as I tried to pull it to the side. Nope, it wasn't going to work. Maybe if I got onto the altar, they would leave me alone long enough to get to the glass. If they knew that I was hiding a weapon, they would knock me out too. I couldn't have that, it would give them way too much freedom to cast their spell.
“I must admit,” I said loudly in the direction of Xvair. “I'm a little impressed with the strength of this spell. Are you sure you're going to be able to cast it on your own?”
A smile came to Xvair's face as he glanced at me, unable to resist the urge to gloat. Inclining his head to the priest, he sucked in a shaky breath before he replied to me. “My ancestors were like yours. They were probably the best of friends. Their power was just as strong as yours, if not stronger.”
Holding back the snort that tried to rise, I pretended to act interested in his little story. His hunched shoulders shook as he spoke, the bones in his body only just holding up under the pressure of old age. If I could drag out the ceremony, he might just drop dead here and now. The thought gave me a thrill that wasn't very professional.
Dave's face flashed into my mind, followed by Kate and Jake. For so long, I had avoided getting close to anyone, until recently. The three people that were now most important to me had no idea where I was. It made my heart desolate to know that it might be my last moment, although I wouldn't go down without a fight, even if I currently played docile.
“Xvair will not cast this spell alone,” the priest said. “There are many witches at PFF's headquarters, waiting to aid him with their power.”
Ah, that was another spanner in the works. The ritual would be a little harder to stop considering the witches were nowhere in sight.
“Get her on the altar,” Xvair ordered, pointing his cane at the male vampire. “It's almost time.”
Glancing up through a hole in the ceiling, I watched as a cloud slunk over the moon. The equinox was an important time in witch culture, the moon at its most powerful, giving the Earth a boost in magnetic power, which it turned into magic. In the past, when mother actually liked me, we would cast spells with the magic that fell from the sky. That's the way I had perceived it as a child.
“Do you want to do it yourself?” the vampire asked me. “Or, shall I do it for you?”
Resisting the urge to growl at him, I shook my head and held up my arms. “I can't very well climb up with my wrists tied, can I? Care to undo them?”
Raising his eyebrows, he glanced over at Brianna, who was hovering near the salt circle.
Xvair was obviously going to cast both a spell to disconnect me and one to bring up the demons from Hell.
“She thinks I'm stupid,” the vampire said, chuckling to himself as he hoisted me up and threw me on the stone altar.
Florian woke up as I bashed into him, trying to stop myself from completely pushing him off. I shuffled to my side, facing him. Blinking a few times, he watched me as I mouthed for him to play along. He frowned, not quite understanding what I was asking of him.
“You can't do this,” he said, managing to sit up.
His bulk was actually a good cover, so I ignored him as I shuffled my arms so they were underneath me. Biting my lip, I squirmed until my hand was trapped, my fingers almost in my pocket. It was uncomfortable, but I kept stretching, trying to reach the piece of glass. It would be my only hope.
A click of a safety catch on a gun made me freeze. Brianna came to stand next to Florian, a gun extended to his head. “It's simple,” she said, glancing down at me. “In a few minutes, Xvair will cast a spell to bring the demons up from Hell. Once they’re here, he’ll proceed with the re-forging of the ley line, taking
