“So, he...he...well, he's over three hundred years old for one thing. I knew he was old, but okay-” Samantha clutched her hands together and processed all of this. “So, he was in Mexico for a long time?”

“Yes, until he sent a request to the former Master of Austin. He asked to relocate here. He stayed in Mexico City far longer than he ever planned because it was safe. But he grew increasingly bored and had to move on. That is his story. My father actually believed that The Summoner was after him once more. Anyway, the Master of Austin agreed to have Cian join the cabal. As soon as Cian got here, there was trouble. The Master's companion took a liking to Cian and it caused inner turmoil. Beyond that, the cabal was extremely dangerous in their size and daring. A lot of vampires are hard to track nowadays because they do not kill. Like Cian, they take just enough from each victim to satisfy. But the cabal in the Seventies began to kill. Of course, there was the whole craze over the Zodiac killer and Charles Manson at the time, so the Austin police were looking for a group of Satanists. My father knew the truth and was looking for the vampires, but they were very elusive. Then, Cian came to him one night. And they made a deal. Cian gave him the cabal's location. My father swore he would not interfere with Cian's life as long as he did not kill or make any other vampires. It was also agreed that no other vampires would be allowed into the city.”

Samantha pressed a cold, sweaty palm to her forehead. “Oh, my.”

“Later, my father found out that The Summoner and Cian had made a pact. The Summoner would release him if Cian became the Master of his own city.”

“And with the cabal dead...”

“Exactly.” Jeff was flipping through pages, showing her time lines, drawings, and newspaper clippings. There were even several small sketches of Cian from different time periods. They all had Roberto's signature.

“Did Cian...set up the cabal?”

Jeff shrugged. “I don't know. My father didn't think he did. But then again, my father was fascinated by Cian. His history enthralled him and they had many meetings. They would sip tea and speak of the history of the vampires in America. But there have not been any other vampire related deaths in the area since the Seventies, so who is to say one way or the other.”

“You think Cian set up the Austin cabal, don't you?”

Jeff looked very solemn. “I do wonder. But if The Summoner was after me, I don't know what I would do.”

“He's after the new vampire. Amaliya. The Summoner made her and he's after her.”

“Then he's probably in the city by now. I've spent today studying up on her. She's not even a week old,” Jeff said, pulling a new leather book off the pile. He had already started collecting newspaper clippings, online articles and had several photos from different sources cut out and pasted to the pages. “I tracked her from where she was killed in East Texas across to Dallas. She disappears for a day, then arrives in Austin. I did check on her family history and found that her grandmother and some cousins live in Eastland County near the Abilene area. My guess is she went there.” Jeff showed her a map.

“So, did she kill a lot of people?”

“Yeah. The first night she woke up, it was close to a dozen. Vampires usually awaken mad with the hunger. This woman in East Texas is my guess for a second victim. A third was in Dallas. A truck driver. One of her childhood friends was hospitalized, so that could have been her, too.”

“So she's evil,” Samantha decided.

“Not necessarily,” Jeff sighed a weary sigh. “Vampires are scary creatures. They don't think like we do after awhile. They are above us on the food chain and when they are hungry, that is all that matters.” He paused, then looked at her worriedly. “Has Cian drank from you? Or you from him?”

“Ew. No.” She shook her head. “No. No. Hell, we don't even do...um...sex...much.” She shrugged a little. “I thought maybe vampires aren't super into it or something.”

“It's probably because vampires mix blood with sex and he was trying to spare you.” His tone was very gentle and his expression embarrassed.

“Oh.” She absorbed this, then said in a soft voice, “So that points to him being good, right?”

Jeff gave her a reassuring smile. “Yeah. I'm sure it does.”

She ran her fingers over the picture of Amaliya with blond hair from her high school yearbook. Amaliya looked a little sad and bored in the picture.

“What do you want to do?”

Jeff's voice startled her and she looked up. “What?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Save Cian. Get rid of her,” Samantha said finally.

And after that, she wasn't sure.

Now she wasn't sure about anything. Marrying a vampire had seemed so ultra romantic and wonderful. Now she was scared out of her mind. But she knew he was a good man or creature or whatever and he didn't deserve to die.

Or at least she didn't think so.

Jeff reached over and took her trembling hand in his. It was nice and warm, not cool like Cian's. “I'll help you do that then. Besides, I always told my father I would honor his promise to Cian.”

She gripped his hand tightly between hers and fought back tears. “Amaliya being here is bad, isn't it?”

Jeff nodded. “I think so.”

Samantha cleared her clogged throat then said, “Okay. Then we kill her so The Summoner leaves and everything goes back to normal.”

***

It was almost eleven o'clock when Cian finally arrived at Santos' home in San Antonio. It had taken an hour of phone negotiations before he could leave Austin. It was a little over another hour to drive down. Roberto had been furious to be left behind, but Cian did not want to deal with his right hand man as well as the Master of San Antonio. It was maybe foolhardy to go alone, but he did know Santos was a man of reason, even if he was a brutal bastard most of the time.

Santos was the son of an Aztec princess who had been raped by a Spanish invader, or so he claimed, and the anger he carried inside of himself had not diminished with time. Santos did consider himself a man of his word, and when he swore that Cian would not be harmed, attacked or killed, Cian believed him.

Besides, Santos wanted information about The Summoner.

Cian parked his Mercedes where one of Santos' guards directed him. A party seemed to be getting underway with plenty of beautiful Latina women and Santos' faithful compadres or his “boys” as he liked to put it. Dressed in black trousers and a black silk shirt, Cian had dressed up for the Master of San Antonio. He knew that Santos basically held court and expected a certain amount of respect. Cian's shiny black shoes felt a little too snug, but he had barely worn them since buying them.

Etzli, Santos half sister, stepped out onto the steps. Her diminutive figure, raven locks, and dark eyes spoke of her pure Aztec blood. Her keen eyes, lightly tilted up at the corners, looked him over and she smiled slightly.

“Still pasty white and boring,” she teased him, a slight edge in her tone.

They had met hundreds of years ago in Mexico City, long before Santos had been forced to immigrate up into Texas. Cian had been fascinated by her and her bloody ways. Her name literally meant blood and he had a feeling if she had not been transformed into a vampire, she still would have had a blood fetish. She was sultry and wicked and he had adored her until Santos had discovered her secret affair with the Irishman. Etzli, as the Master of Mexico City, had banished her brother from her city after he had tried to kill Cian in a fit of jealousy and anger. Years later she had not been pleased when he had left her cabal to move to Austin, Texas.

“And you are beautiful, as always,” Cian said with a charming grin. “Visiting your brother? On speaking terms again?”

Cian wasn't surprised. Santos and Etzli were firmly intertwined in each other. He had realized toward the end of his time with her that she had mostly adored him because her brother had not. “You are far away from home.”

She gave him a little shrug. “Once you were gone, we reconciled. Blood is powerful.”

Cian nodded slightly and tried not to be drawn into her magnetic gaze. The half-siblings were most likely lovers again and he did not want to dwell on that thought. There was too much pain in their past.

She slitted her eyes at him and gave him a coy smile. “Your fledgling is here. She has upset Santos greatly. No respect for him at all.”

“None for anyone. That's kinda how she is,” Cian admitted, letting his Irish brogue come fully into his voice. “I'm still teaching her.”

“She mentioned The Summoner.” Etzli drew away from him and beckoned him to follow her into the house.

“Yes, Santos said something about that.”

“It is not wise to mention such a creature. Names have power,” Etzli reminded him.

Cian knew she was pumping him for information and he only shrugged in response. Santos had allowed him to come and get Amaliya for one thing: information. Santos was not one to take kindly to anyone, including The Summoner, being in his territory.