Free You Bet Your Banshee by Danica Avet

been if I’d had time to shower. Eager, I dragged on my uniform. Other than being a little snug in the hips, it fit perfectly.
    I removed the false bottom of the box and my heart thrummed with pleasure. The sword was easily five feet long. Perfectly balanced with a plain hilt and a razor-sharp edge, it was the same as the day I’d placed it in the case. I gave a few practice thrusts and swipes, glad when the techniques I’d learned so long ago came back to me.
    Breeze leapt onto the bed with a whirring meow . He stared at me and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was now traumatized by what he’d witnessed between me and Ryvan. Poor kitty.
    Unfortunately there was no time to comfort my pet because the bad guys were coming. For me. I still shuddered to think I was caught in the middle of a power struggle in Fairworld. It didn’t seem real.
    I clenched my hands into tight fists, a sharp pain reminding me of the splinter Phineas had left in my palm. I plucked it out surprised to see it was over an inch long. Funny how I hadn’t felt more than a twinge of pain during the erotic torture Ryvan had put me through. Now though, the skin throbbed. My blood coated the splinter which was the same shade Phineas’s skin had been.
    My heart hurt at the sacrifice he’d made. For me. Not knowing what to do with the splinter, but knowing I wanted to save it, I tucked it into a pocket along with my tear. He would’ve been so happy to know I’d finally overcome my deformity.
    Eyes watering at the thought of the wood elf, I started out of the room, Breeze at my heels. “Let’s blow this joint,” I whispered to my companion and opened the door.

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Chapter Nine
     
    As cool as my words sounded, at least in my head, we didn’t get very far. I’d no sooner stepped into the living room where Ryvan and Sable waited when the front door of my apartment blew open. Bodies poured into the tiny space, all snapping and snarling, fangs fully extended.
    I caught a flash of pink eyes. Vampires! What the hell…
    But I didn’t have time to think about it. Without thinking, I drew my sword and leapt straight into battle. I’d forgotten what it was like to fight, to listen to instinct instead of fears. Adrenaline spiked my blood, lending me the strength to slice through bodies, to slam through bones to separate heads from shoulders.
    I caught flashes of bluish-white magic and gleaming silver and knew Ryvan was using a combination of water magic and weaponry to defeat his opponents. Black wings and spraying blood told me Sable was doing just as well with her knife skills and strength. We totally had this.
    Of course, cockiness didn’t belong in battle. I’d learned that decades ago, but while I’d remembered how to fight, I forgot one of the most basic lessons every raw recruit was taught—don’t get cocky.
    I’d just hacked my way through three vampires and started using flashy, pretty techniques when a hand gripped my throat. Another hand grabbed my sword arm. A finger pressed a nerve in my wrist effectively weakening my grip. The sword slipped from my lax fingers.
    I clawed at the hand gripping my throat because the bastard squeezed. Dots danced in front of my eyes. Fuck, I was going to pass out. I stared into the face of the vampire holding me and felt a spark of recognition. It was Gideon, the vampire from the support group meeting who was afraid of blood.
    “I’ve been looking for you,” he whispered, fangs flashing. “Finding you at that meeting was a stroke of luck. Your queen will be pleased.”
    My blood froze. This was one of the assassins Ryvan had warned me about. I didn’t get why Melosia would send them after me as well as the Host, but I could only guess she wanted to cover all her bases. What a bitch.
    He glanced over my shoulder, his pink eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “I could allow him to take you back, but I want the glory all to myself.”
    Who wanted to take me back? Another vampire? The questions begged to be