When Etzli didn’t respond in the way he hoped, his cockiness faded slightly. With a bored sigh, she said, “So?”
“He probably wants to know more about Bianca.” Stark’s blue eyes flicked toward the French doors that opened into the house.
“Of course, he does.” Etzli flexed her toes, studying her pedicure. The edge of one red nail was chipped. She frowned, not only at the imperfection of her appearance, but at Stark’s discovery. If The Assembly was scrambling to find the rings of Lucifer’s Sword, why would they bother to waste valuable time researching an extinct supernatural being? “The phasmagus research is disturbing. I do not like this development.”
When The Summoner had created Amaliya and Bianca, he had altered the order of things in the supernatural realm. His offspring didn’t even abide by the rules of his own power, which made them unpredictable and difficult to deal with. The Summoner would never admit it, but she knew his grip on Bianca’s body was not absolute. Every once and awhile she saw the girl peering out of those big blue eyes.
“Think they found one?” Stark asked.
“Or made one,” Etzli murmured. Phasmagi were closely related to necromancers, which was why most had been killed. Etzli wondered if The Summoner’s little experiment with Amaliya and Bianca had resulted somehow in creating a phasmagus. “Follow his research carefully. Find out what you can about this possible phasmagus.”
“What about a phasmagus?”
Bianca’s voice was delicate and sweet, but coupled with the cold, deadly look in her blue eyes it was a terrifying sound. The Summoner stood in the doorway of the mansion. Bianca’s delicate form was dressed in a long black lace dress and her blonde hair was twisted up onto her head with rhinestone clips securing it.
“Tell him,” Etzli ordered Stark.
The young man wilted under the gaze of The Summoner and swallowed several times before recounting what he’d discovered in a raspy, frightened voice. As he spoke, Bianca’s pink lips gradually turned upward.
“Well, I guess our friends in Austin aren’t so uninteresting after all,” The Summoner said with delight. “And here I thought we’d have a dull time of it until I call Amaliya to my side.”
“Why don’t we just let the mice run on their wheel and ignore them?” Etzli suggested. As the words left her lips, she knew he’d disregard her completely. He loved to play with people’s lives. It amused him. Even his plan to rip the veil between the world of the living and the abyss was just one grand game.
“If there is a phasmagus among them, it could prove to be interesting,” The Summoner answered, dismissing her outright. “Keep me informed of all you discover.”
“We should concentrate on the rings and the temple.” Etzli slid off the divan and strode toward The Summoner. “Distractions will slow down our progress.”
The smirk on Bianca’s face angered Etzli. The Summoner had grandiose ideas, but tended to be easily distracted. She supposed it was a product of his ancient age. He constantly complained about boredom. The possibility of a phasmagus coming into existence was irresistible to him.
“We know where the temple is. Many of the rings are already en route. The Assembly continues to uncover the rest for us. And we have a long wait until December.” The Summoner tilted Bianca’s head and feigned a yawn. “I enjoy my distractions.”
Trish, Stark, and Gregorio were perfectly still and quiet, obviously unnerved by the growing tension between Etzli and The Summoner. Etzli believed in The Summoner’s quest to plunge the world into darkness, but his methods were infuriating at times. Yet, she loved him and his power. She was proud, but not foolish enough to defy him. He was a god after all.
Etzli bowed her head, her long dark hair slipping over one shoulder. “Your desires are my desires.”
Bianca’s hand was soft and gentle against her cheek. “Of course, they are.”
Part Two
Hard Lessons
Chapter 7
August 2012
Samantha sighed as Jeff finished dressing. She didn’t want him to leave, but knew he had his duties he needed to fulfill. At least he was trying very hard to make time for her and their relationship. After he’d closed the bookstore, he’d taken her out for hamburgers at Phil’s Icehouse, then home for a few hours of cuddles and lovemaking.
With a slight pout, she traced her fingertips over the blue tattoo that adorned his right shoulder blade just before he tugged his t-shirt down.
“You’re such a geek,” Samantha teased.
“I like Dr. Who,” Jeff said, defending his TARDIS tattoo.
“You’d be a sexy Dr. Who.”
“He’s just the Doctor, remember? That’s the joke?” Jeff put on a terrible English accent. “‘I’m the Doctor.’ “Doctor who?’ ‘Just the Doctor.’ That’s the running joke.”
“Whatever. You’re like the tenth Doctor with his awesome hair.” Samantha ran her fingers through Jeff’s brown hair making it stick up in the way she liked. Samantha watched the show to make Jeff happy, though she did enjoy it more than she had anticipated.
Jeff made a face, but endured it. “You only love me because I have great hair.”
“I love you because you’re adorable.” Samantha kissed him lightly on the lips. They were both a little damp from their shower and he tasted like clean water.
Playing with the blonde tendrils falling over her brow, Jeff sighed. “I wish I didn’t have all these Skype calls tonight, but time zones are a bitch. Plus Aimee and Cass are picking up Baptiste and bringing him to the store. I really need to get him up to speed.”
“Well, at least he’s finally here.”
Sharing a few more sweet kisses, the couple ignored the yowling of the cat outside the bedroom door. Beatrice was not pleased at being banned from the room during Jeff’s visits. Her small paws slid under the bottom of the door while she continued to protest loudly.
Samantha reluctantly let Jeff slip out of her arms and watched with amusement as he let the cat in. Beatrice haughtily strode past him, flicking her tail with disapproval in his direction.
“Go ahead and stay in here by yourself, bitchy kitty,” Samantha said to the cat as Beatrice jumped onto the unmade bed.
Beatrice settled onto one of the pillows, yawned, and turned her face away, as if dismissing the two humans.
“That’s why I don’t have cats. They’re assholes,” Jeff said, and ducked so he wouldn’t get smacked by his girlfriend.
“She’s just moody! She doesn’t like being excluded.”
“Like someone I know,” Jeff continued to tease while hurrying down the hallway.
Following Jeff to the kitchen, Samantha couldn’t help but admire his rear. She found it insanely sexy in his cargo shorts. Jeff’s broad shoulders were also very alluring as far as she was concerned. Beneath his blue shirt which read “The Doctor Will Save Us,” Jeff had some very nice muscles. The more she fell for him, the more attractive he became in her eyes. Someone had made a snide comment to her once about him missing one of his legs, and she had torn them a new one. Jeff was all man as far as she was concerned. It didn’t diminish him as a person that he had lost a limb. He’d once shown her all the different prosthetic devices he’d worn over the years. The little toddler ones had broken her heart. Today he was wearing a prosthetic leg that looked like it belonged on a robot, but it was the one that gave him the most movement.