*CHAPTER 62*

*CHAPTER 62*
'Now would be a good time for you to get to the truck, Kassie.' Malcolm's thoughts poured down the Bond.

Are you crazy?! There was no way I was leaving him to fight off Morpheus and Caleb on his own.

The Blood Magi pulled whatever Magic strings he had on Caleb so he was trundling across the room at us. Whatever Block on Caleb's magic before had now dissipated, and a blast of air shot us through the doorway. We rolled along the pavement, skin scraping as we rolled.

We stumbled out of the warehouse's room as Malcolm attempted to throw more fire at Morpheus that he easily blocked with his own. Smoke filled the air, sparks from the streams of fire having latched onto the building and blazed. Morpheus followed, a pleased smile cracking his face.

But the reminder from Malcolm had given me a spark of an idea.

I may not be able to wield Magic like the rest of them, but I could still do something. The space around me exploded in another wave of flames as I turned my back and ran. I sprinted away from them, adrenaline pumping like a heated wave through my veins. Running as I was, it only took a moment to get to where we'd left it at a the edge of the building. With shaking fingers, I unlocked the door, shoving the key into the ignition.

Cranking the car into gear, I shoved my foot onto the gas pedal and floored it. The view from the windshield was a view of sparking fire and I aimed the truck steering it towards the figures with their backs to me, picking up speed fast.

Grab Caleb and move! Now!

Malcolm turned his head just in time, eyes going wide at the sight of his truck hurtling towards him. He rushed to tackle Caleb, rolling a safe distance out of my way. The Eye spun in place, expression twisting with rage and fear as he registered what was happening. With a rush of Magic, he blasted fire at the truck, but it was no use against a thousand pounds of barreling steel.

The cab of the truck rammed into him, slamming him into the side of the building and into the room decked out in flames. That was the last thing I saw as the airbag exploded around me, Malcolm's truck colliding with the concrete walls. Glass shattered around me, littering bench seat around me, my face slamming hard against the steering wheel with the impact. My nose crunched, but I hardly felt the pain, my heart beating a wild temp in my chest.

Scrambling to undo my seatbelt I slid out the cab of Malcolm's truck, stumbling on the uneven gravel to where Malcolm and Caleb were pulling themselves to their feet.

"Holy crap—Kassie, did you seriously just run down that maniac with Malcolm's truck?" Caleb coughed as he ripped the dirty gag out of his mouth, "Please tell me that part was real. That was cool as shit."

"She roadkilled the hell out of him." Malcolm confirmed, with a grunt he got back up to his feet. He was covered in dirt and debris, the edges of his shirt singed from errant flames. His arms were bleeding from a few minor scrapes.

I rushed over to kneel down beside Caleb, throwing my arms around his neck, "You're okay!" The relief I felt at seeing him well and whole was enough to send a hot wave of tears behind my eyes. "We were so worried." I sniffed away an errant tear as I leaned into him.

He reached up to wrap a skinny solid arm around me, "I can't believe you two found me. I don't know how you did it, but you saved my life. When the vampire grabbed me in the parking lot, I thought I was a goner. He bit me and it was lights out. I tried to fight him off, but that venom is no joke."

He winced and I remembered the knife wound Morpheus had given him during the ritual. I yanked back to eye the seeping wound, "Are you alright?"

"I don't think it's as deep as it looks. Stings like all hell, but I'll live."

I glanced up to where Malcolm was prowling closer to the door, "Is he dead?" Something metallic dripped into my mouth as I spoke. Blood from my nose dripped down my chin. Gross. I wiped it away on my shirt as a crash sounded from inside the loading dock.

Malcolm swore, "The vampire's gone."

"What?!" Caleb asked, struggling to get to his feet, "How did he get past us?"

"He didn't, there's an emergency exit off the back," he hesitated for a moment before grimly admitting, "It looks like he fed off his handler before he left. Finished him off, then turned tail and ran."

Caleb shuddered, "Turned on him the first chance it got. Though, I can't really blame him, that guy was psychotic."

I pulled myself up on shaky legs to stand next to them, viewing the wreckage of the room, the heat from the fire making the uncomfortably warm air unbearably hot. The distant sound of approaching sirens broke up the city's silence, the first hints of sunrise peeking over the horizon.The smell of smoke wafted in all of our faces as the night turned to shades of golds and oranges and red. Beside me, Malcolm's gaze settled on his truck.

The flames that Morpheus had shot at the truck before I'd hit him had caught and now the flames were eating away at the body of what used to be his black truck.

Chewing on my thumbnail, I watched his truck coax itself into a bonfire.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, avoiding looking at him, "Since neither of us have cars anymore, how about we call it even?"

For once, Malcolm looked at a loss for words. If I weren't so shocked by what happened, and sick to my stomach over everything, I might have congratulated myself for being the one to wipe the permanently haughty look off of his face.

There was a moment silence as we all stared at the carnage, until Caleb sniggered. His snicker turned into a full body laugh that wrenched a chuckle from Malcolm as well rubbing a blood crusted hand down his face, until we all stood there, staring at the blazing wreckage that was Malcolm's truck, shaking with laughter as the sirens finally pulled into the parking lot.

"Fine," Malcolm finally agreed,"we're even."