Glad now I didn't have on mittens, I yanked him to a stop, spun my wrist with a loop-de-loo motion into a modified acrobat twin-hold on his palm, stepped under his arm, and flipped him into a snowbank.
He hit it with a puff of snow, staring up at me in surprise. "Land sakes, how did you do that?" he stammered, eyes wide in the low street light.
I stood over him with my hands on my hips, utterly satisfied. "Try to lock me in the car again, and I'll show you."
Pierce started to get up, and I reached to help him. Making a grunt, he accepted, rising to brush the snow from his long coat with sharp, bothered motions.
"I'm going in there," I said, nodding at the house.
"Miss Rachel," he started, and I took a step forward, getting into his face.
"This is what I want to do with my life," I said. "I have a circle amulet. I'm not helpless. And you can't stop me."
Shifting on his feet, he started to look annoyed. "Rachel, I'm schooled for this."
"And you still ended up dead," I shot back.
"That's my very argument. A body can see it's too dangerous." I made a face, and he took both my hands in his, adding sincerely, "I know you're of a mind to help. You're a brave, courageous woman, but you mustn't kick. This vampire is several hundred years dead, and you are eighteen. Consider it logically."
I rather liked his fingers in mine, but I pulled away, not wanting him to make me into putty. Again. "Logically?" I said, starting to get cold. "Yes, let's look at this logically. Training or not, you don't have anything but a few trinkets to help you if you can't tap a line. You don't have a chance to rescue that girl without me, and you know it."
He hesitated, and I surged ahead at the worried slant to his eyes. "Tell me you don't need me," I said, pointing. "That being able to tap a line isn't going to make the difference between saving her or not. Tell me that."
Pierce's gaze went to our feet, then rose. "I can't," he said firmly.
"Then I'm coming with you."
Again I started for the door. Pierce walked a step behind, slow and ponderous. "Now I have to watch for you, too," I heard him mutter, but I didn't care. I was going.
I slowed to slip my hand into his. He started, and I tapped a line. Energy flowed coolly into me to make my hair start to float around the edges of my hat, and I gave his fingers a squeeze. "It's going to be all right," I said firmly, and I shivered when he pulled a thin trace of power into himself.
We were almost up to the wide porch with its stylized Christmas tree when I realized his intent was to storm the front. "Uh, shouldn't we go in the back door or something?" I asked, and he smiled.
"You've listened to too many adventure tales. They never expect the front door."
"Still," I said as he knocked briskly.
"The front door," he said, glancing askance at me and tugging his coat straight. "They undoubtedly have made note of our presence, and it looks foolish to be caught skulking behind the trash bins."
I jumped at the rattle of the doorknob. A surge of adrenaline, and my pulse quickened. I stood wide-eyed beside Pierce as the door opened to show Sarah, standing alone and beautiful in an elegant dress of old lace. Her face was pale, but her look of fear set one of my worries to rest. She hadn't been bitten and bound yet.
Pierce saw her, and he smiled. "And sometimes, it's that easy."
Sarah's mouth opened. "It's a trap!" she shrilled, still standing there. "Help me!"
With a thump, my heart tripped into overdrive. I stumbled back when two men in black came from around the doorframe. One yanked Sarah inside. The other reached past the threshold, and before I could find the breath to scream, jerked us over the threshold.
Now I shrieked, finding myself skating across the hardwood floor to slide into the wall in a crumpled heap.
A loud "Ow!" pulled my head up, and I found Pierce askew on the stairway leading to the upper floors. I got to my feet, tense and hunched. Sarah was gone, but I could hear her crying. Her sobs grew fainter, but never disappeared. A door slammed.
Pierce rose and tossed his black hair out of his eyes. His lips were pressed together, and he seemed mad at himself more than anything else. The remaining man, a vampire by the glint of fang and telltale grace, was fronting him. I stumbled to stand against the wall, and he focused on me.
"Don't touch me," I said, feeling a faint pull from his charisma and a lot of fear.
Pierce touched his lip, surprise widening his eyes when his hand came away red with blood. "Inform your master I wish to parlay," he said, his words almost laughably formal. "We have a small gentleman-matter standing between us."