Another Way To Bleed (Midnight Assassin) by Susan Harris Page A

on here. But for now, let’s just kill some demons.”
    “Fine. Well come on, angel-boy, I ain’t getting any younger. We can't all be bloody immortal,” Cassie snarled at him before heading down the stairs and into the sun with the angel on her heels.
    The city seemed different in the daylight. Normal. The sunrays beamed down upon the streets, like the heavens had opened up to guide them, but Cassie knew this wasn't the case. Empty streets stretched out in front of her, eerily quiet and still. Goosebumps rose on her flesh as she took in her surroundings. Sebastian had said that the curse of the prison forbade them from stepping foot in the sunlight. She could hear the growls and snarls from the shadows; see the hungry red eyes stalking her in the dark. She could scent the familiar ones, and the ones that made her want to vomit, b ut she was not scared.
    “This reminds me of that Will Smith film, you know the one where he's the last man on earth and the infected things hide in the shadows during the day... It’s kind of creepy.”
    Cassie burst out laughing. The idea that the angel was creeped out by a movie was a welcome break in tension. “Aww, is the poor-‘lickle angel scared of the demons? Does he need a hug and a teddy bear?”
    Archer scowled at her, giving her a little shove. “Hey, the big bad demon hunter can't mock me when she's afraid of heights. I was only mentioning how it reminded me of the film, not that I was freaked out .”
    “Come on, dude, we need to try and suss out where Cole would set up shop. But I can hold your hand if it woul d make you feel better?”
    The angel shook his head and muttered something Cassie couldn’t quite make out. Walking down what seemed to be the city's main street, Cassie remembered hearing all about Ireland’s history in the capital. In her history class, before the world knew of all the crazy shit, she had learned of a struggle for independence, how brave soldiers had spilt their blood on these very streets for a cause they deemed just and important. It seemed a shame that a city that was so deep in the history of the country was now home to th e worst monsters imaginable.
    Archer grabbed her elbow suddenly, pointing toward a building that remained covered in darkness despite the high sun. He put his finger to his lips to shush her, and for once she obeyed him. Frantic screams of pain ripped through the silent streets. Cassie could smell blood in the wind a nd she didn't know how she knew, but she did with utmost certainty: Cole was in there.
    “That’s it, that’s where he's hiding,” she spat out, her body instinctively moving in the building’s direction. She pulled her nine mil out of its holster, flicking off the safety. She could hear Archer pleading for her to stop, but it was if a siren was singing and dragging her deeper beneath the current.
    The voice had returned, clawing its way slowly into her subconscious. That’s right, Cassandra dear, come inside. This is where you belong, with us, your kin. Come into the shadows and join us. You belong, Cassandra, like you've always wanted... with us, you belong.....
    “I belong,” she spoke out, her voice robotic. She tried to rack her brain, she was supposed to remember something or someone, but all she wanted was to find the source of the voice. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she whipped round pointing the gun at the figure. I know him, the thought filtered through her brain, yet she did not loosen her grip on her weapon.
    Pull the trigger, Cassandra; he wants to take you away from us, your family. Kill him, Cassandra. Come now, it's so easy, just pull the trigger.
    “Cassie? What’s happening?  Hey, it's me... Archer.” The handsome man communicated with her, but she shook her head, his words confused her.
    Do it now, Cassandra, and come home.
    “Home?” she repeated.
    “Yeah, sure, Princess. I’ll take you home. Just take my hand.” The man stepped closer to her and reached out for her,