Poison's Kiss (Deadly Beauties 2)

"Just as I reached the bottom, a slight sound startled me enough to force me to whip my head around, but I was met with a powerful slam. It wasn't physical, but it felt like a punch from a damn Cyclops or something.

"Before I knew what was going on, my eyes were covered, my hands were bound, and then I felt the pain of the knife slicing through my wrists. What kind of knife slices through our skin?"

Her sobs threaten to creep up on her, but she chokes them back, trying her best to hold it together.

"There are several different forms of blessed weapons," Dray offers, thinking deeply about it as though he's looking for answers.

Amy takes a steadying breath before continuing. "I could hear an echoed whisper as she chanted-"

"She?" Kane interrupts. "Did you recognize her voice or see her face?"

Amy shakes her head, preparing herself to continue once more. "Like I said, it was an echoed whisper, almost as if there was more than one voice, but only one person was there. It's hard to explain. I thought I was going to die, but then the door burst open, and I heard Sierra calling. She smelled my blood, and she knew I was in trouble."

Kane looks to Sierra in that instant. "Did you see her?"

For a brief second, Sierra's death glare flashes to me before her softer look finds Kane.

"Just a glimpse from the back. She ran out of here, and I couldn't chase her because Amy was bleeding to death. I had to save her. All I saw was long blond hair, almost the same length as Alyssa's. Almost the same shade, too. Same build, same height, same weight-"

"I get it," Kane growls. "Alyssa was with me, so stop dropping your unhelpful hints."

Sierra narrows her eyes at him, but his glower doesn't waver. It almost feels like he's standing up for me, but I've been standing up for him since all of this started. I suppose he feels as though he owes me that much.

"So they're setting me up now? Like they tried to do with you when it came to Heath and Thad?" I ask curiously, pointing my questions at Kane. "They're tired of failing with you, so they want to take a stab at me and see if they can provoke action that way?"

Kane grips his head as he leans over. "Fuck."

Sierra seems confused now. "That was a human witch with a nasty spell that fucked Amy up enough to give her some leverage. Her heart was beating too fast when she was running. I heard it clear as day. Amy is still young to her powers, but Thad was old. I could smell it in his blood when he was in changed form. There's no way this is related."

I guess Kane hasn't been looping the guys in on the details, just the basics. I'm sure he was trying to protect them by not involving them. Zee was involved already, refusing to leave when Kane basically begged him to.

Kane pulls out his phone and hands it to her. I can see by the horror on her face that it's pictures from Thad's murder. I cringe as think back to that gruesome day. The police still haven't released his body for burial - a burial I'll make sure gets done properly.

"A human witch did do that. This is dangerous. If she can kill a changer as old and strong as Thad, she can kill Amy or Zee without a problem. The younger the fey, the easier death can come," Kane murmurs through strain, and then he turns to Zee. "I want you back here. Alyssa can cast a protection spell."

I nod when his eyes turn to me, but Zee shakes his head at Kane.

"You saved me from the worst part of my life. I'm with you. Besides, Alyssa has sort of grown on me."

He gives me a wink, making me smile as he pokes at Kane a little. I may not be bonded to him, but he's still possessive as far as his friends go. Kane just grips his head tighter, not finding any humor right now.

"We want to help, too," Deke chimes in, sliding to the edge of the couch. "Sierra and I can drop Amy off with Clyde's coven. They'll keep her safe."

"Hell no," Amy barks. "I want r

evenge. This bitch planned on killing me."

Kane slides back, trying to find a way around letting them help.

"Fine. If you want to help, go speak to some of the local covens... human covens. They're mostly harmless. This all started in Pine Shore. There's someone here who knows something. In the meantime, no parties. Alyssa is still going to cast a spell."

I nod and head over to the corner to practice in silence. I'm about to start when I hear the conversation take a turn.

"You're going back to Edgebrook?" Sierra almost growls. "Amy was just attacked, and you're going to stay with the witch who tricked you into falling in love?"

Kane glances to me, and then his eyes narrow at her. "This is about Alyssa and me. The two of us are being targeted. We're in this together, and I'm not going to leave her."

"I was attacked, Kane," Amy cries, poking herself in the chest with her finger to emphasize her point. "Me. Not her. I'm the one who needs you right now."