“And I accepted,” Roberto said with a flash of fangs.

***

Samantha woke up at four in the morning and rolled over in her bed with a weary sigh. Soft voices were murmuring somewhere in the house and she could smell something wonderful cooking. Groggily, she pushed herself up out of the comfort of her bed and sat with her feet dangling over the edge. She was confused to hear voices until she remembered she had company.

Sergio, Jeff and the feisty old lady were all guests in her house. They had decided after their meal at Kerby Lane that they would leave early in the morning so they could arrive in the town as the sun came up. It would be hard work finding The Summoner's lair and they needed all the sunlight hours. Or at least that is what Jeff had said.

Sliding off the bed, she pulled her oversize Longhorn t-shirt down over her butt and padded out into the hall. Beatrice was busy cleaning one paw and looked up at her with feigned interest. With a look of disapproval, the cat skipped away into the lighted kitchen. Samantha glanced over at her sofa to see Sergio fast asleep, his big arms folded over his equally big chest. He was snoring lightly and he looked like a big cuddly bear. Then she noted the big cuddly bear was clutching his grandmother's makeshift stake.

Jeff's voice was soft as silk in the other room and she walked toward the archway that opened into the kitchen.

“You don't have to go with us,” Jeff's voice said.

“If the little blond gets to go, so do I,” the older woman's voice said firmly.

“Innocente,” Jeff said in a gentle tone and Samantha lifted her eyebrows. So that was the old woman's name. “I know you are worried about your granddaughter, but-”

“Look, if you get to go with one leg missing and Blondie gets to go to save her vampire boyfriend, then I get to go save Amaliya. Besides, you need me and all my weapons,” the old woman said firmly.

Samantha peeked around the corner to see Amaliya's grandmother busily making breakfast with stuff she had found in the refrigerator and pantry. It smelled amazing and Samantha's stomach growled lightly. The tiny woman was dressed still in her Virgin of Guadalupe t-shirt. Approximately, four rosaries rested around her neck. Flipping over a tortilla, she shoveled food onto a plate and slid it onto the table in front of Jeff.

“You eat. Once Sergio is up, you'll have to fight him for food,” Innocente said soberly.

She then leaned over to spoon a few bites of scrambled egg into Beatrice's bowl. The little feline traitor purred loudly and slid around Innocente's ankles a few times before settling down to eat her delicacy.

“Food is great, Innocente. And I know I can't stop you from going, but I had to say something.”

Innocente waved a hand at him and set about making another tortilla, her tiny hands slapping the rolled dough into the correct shape. “No one can stop me once I get going. Not even that puto Summoner.”

Samantha frowned to herself and tried not to feel left out. The scene in her kitchen was very cozy and she suddenly wanted to belong. Besides, she didn't want to be alone.

She was still struggling with feelings of abandonment and betrayal when it came to Cian. She consoled herself with the knowledge that he was something more than she had ever imagined. Of course, she could not be certain, but she was pretty much convinced he had tried to be what she had believed him to be. A good guy with a human heart. But Amaliya had ruined all that. She had revealed not only to Cian, but to Samantha, that Cian was also a monster at heart.

Sadly, she padded into the kitchen and fell into a chair. She noted that Jeff was wearing a less cosmetically pleasing prosthetic leg under his long shorts. His hair was scruffy and he was wearing a t-shirt with some obscure band on it. He gave her a little smile and scooped more food into his mouth with a tortilla.

Without a word, Innocente set a plate in front of Samantha and returned to the stove. It was eggs with chopped up peppers, tomato and bacon with a big side of refried beans and some salsa.

“Ready for the day?” Jeff asked her.

Samantha shrugged and picked up a freshly made tortilla to eat. “No,” she answered truthfully and used her tortilla to snag some eggs and salsa. “I'm scared. I felt braver last night.”

“Kind of settling in, huh?”

She shrugged and rubbed her brow. “Yeah. If we don't find them before the sun goes down-”

“We will,” Innocente said firmly from behind them.

“Or what if they are already dead-” Samantha felt tears in her eyes. She wiped a tear away with frustration and shoved the food in her mouth.

“They're not,” Innocente said firmly and ate from a plate she had on the kitchen counter. “I know it. He will want her power, too.”

“Or kill her for having it,” Samantha suggested.

“I think he'll be intrigued,” Jeff cut in. “I really do. None of his other children ever had anything like his power. He'll want to see what she can do and figure out if he can use her.”

“But then, Cian...” She forced herself to swallow her food, but her throat felt dry and it seemed to get stuck. Gulping down some cold water, she felt more tears in her eyes.

Jeff averted his gaze and quickly ate more food. Innocente fell silent, too. It was clear to all of them that Cian was no longer needed. And possibly dead already.

Knowing she needed her strength, Samantha took another bite. She chewed slowly and tried not to look at her trembling hand. Last night she had been so full of bravado, now she was afraid.

The silence continued until Sergio appeared in the doorway. “So,” he said rubbing his sleep-weary eyes. “We going to go kill us a bad guy or what?”

Samantha looked up at him and she forced her hands to be steady. “Yep.”

“We're going to go kill that vampiro,” Innocente declared.

“I have always felt the need to play fast and loose with my life,” Jeff said with a shrug and a wry grin.

“Then it's a plan,” Sergio said rubbing his hands together. “Oh, awesome! Fresh tortillas!”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Cian came to slowly. He could feel Amaliya's arms around him and her lips against his cheek. The excruciating pain radiating out of the silver dagger in his chest nearly plunged him back into darkness, but he forced himself to stay alert. He could feel his blood seeping away and his power with it. Slowly, he raised his head and saw The Summoner standing nearby, conversing with Roberto. The vision was startling, yet, somehow, he was not surprised. The betrayal was harsh, but he could endure it if he and Amaliya escaped. She had changed him more than he had ever imagined. It wasn't that she had returned him to his former self, she had made him evolve into who he was now: the Master of Austin. Before, he had lived in the city without care of anything other than his own safety. Now, he wanted to step firmly into his role and protect his cabal and his city. He felt reborn.

He had made a fatal error. He had trusted Roberto.

But now he had Amaliya.

Turning his head, he caught her lips and the kiss was gentle and good. Her fingers slid over his hair and her eyes spoke of her emotions more than any words ever could. Looking down, he saw her terribly scorched hand and knew she had tried to remove the dagger. The weapon burned in him and he could feel it slowly killing him. With one hand, he slid his hand over his bloodied chest, then pressed it to her lips. Understanding, she quickly drew her tongue over it, taking his blood.

“None of that!” Roberto darted forward with preternatural swiftness and jerked Amaliya away.

Her tongue licked desperately at her bloodied lips as Roberto tossed her into the wall. She hit it hard and sank against it, her eyes tortured.

“Now. Now. We were being kind and you took advantage of that,” the Summoner said in a put out voice, and kicked Amaliya hard in the ribs.

Cian could hear them shatter. She spit up blood and fell forward onto the moldy floor.

Cian looked down at the dagger and weakly drew his hand up to grip it and draw it out. Roberto was faster and hoisted him up off the ground and flung him into a table. Cian barely felt the pain as he impacted with the old piece of furniture. He was a furnace inside. He was dying.

Two massive men, obviously dead, entered and reached down to grip him under his armpits. They lifted him up so Roberto could bind his hands. Cian felt himself drifting in and out of consciousness as the room kept altering around him.

For a moment he saw The Summoner quite close, then the next he was standing over Amaliya.

Darkness swirled up again, then Amaliya stood nearby her dark hair falling over her shoulders to her waist. She was wearing a blue-gray satin dress that matched her eyes perfectly. It had a Victorian look about it, but Cian had seen a similar dress just recently in one of the haute couture fashion shows on TV Samantha had been watching.

“Dressing her up,” Cian mused. “Why?”

“She looks more like a lady this way, don't you think?” The Summoner sat in a nearby chair, his legs crossed. “It forces a certain dignity to her countenance.”

Amaliya looked toward Cian and she lifted her skirt enough for him to see her jeans and boots underneath. As usual, The Summoner was more about illusion than reality. Dressing her up was to make her unsure of herself and steal a bit of her identity.