“Mom, he’s really busy right now.” Cassandra flinched. She had yet to tell her mother about Amaliya. “You know, with vampire stuff.”
Alexia tossed a worried look over her shoulder at Cassandra.
Galina was very quiet, but Cassandra could hear her breathing. “Does he still love me?”
“I love you. That’s what matters.”
“Always! Oh...Delta came today and we made tacos because I miss Texas,” Galina said, obviously recounting her latest entry in the notebooks that substituted for her memory. The vampires had left her mind riddled with massive holes.
“How is Delta?” Cassandra asked glad to change the topic.
For the next few minutes she listened to Galina prattle on about the caretaker Cassandra had employed to drop in every other day and check on her mother. Galina was fine with performing simple things around the house and was getting much better with recalling her daily schedule, but she would often forget to take her pills and vitamins. Sometimes she would not remember Cassandra was an adult and panic when she couldn’t find her daughter. There were framed reminders throughout her house, but sometimes Galina had severe episodes. Cassandra felt guilty for not being with her, but she consoled herself with the thought she was doing the right thing by being in Austin.
When she finally closed the call, she flung her arms into the air and let out an exaggerated, “Ugh!”
“She’s not okay today, huh?” Alexia gave her a sympathetic look.
“She’s a little more off than usual, but she’s okay. I just miss her and I feel guilty for not being with her.” Cassandra slouched in the chair, frowning. “I miss her. A lot.”
Alexia, who had no living parents, gave her a sad smile. “I know how that feels.”
Cassandra gave her friend a tight hug. “I know, Lex. Ignore me being stupid.”
“You’re never stupid,” Alexia said, squirming out of the hug. “Just way too huggy.”
“Ha! I’m giving you lezzy cooties! It’s already working on your butch hair!” Cassandra playfully ruffled Alexia’s short locks.
“I hate doing my hair! It takes up too much time! And I like penises!” Alexia protested, but giggled while smacking Cassandra’s hands away.
The teased each other for a bit longer, then settled in to watch movies on Netflix while Alexia continued to keep an eye on her emails and the websites she frequented for information. Cassandra couldn’t wait until Aimee got home. She needed to snuggle with her girlfriend and forget that the world was slowly going to hell.
As Alexia discreetly kept typing to her online boyfriend, Cassandra was glad to see that people didn’t stop falling in love and living their lives. She wondered if they would continue to after the earth was plunged into the abyss.
Chapter 15
Sitting across from Samantha on the ground in the yard behind Jeff’s house, Amaliya tapped her fingers on her knees. She could tell the blonde was nervous about something from the way she kept glancing toward the house. Amaliya flexed her toes in her boots and wiggled about, trying to get comfortable. Her jeans were a little snug and the waistband was biting into her midsection. She lamented her inability to lose weight, but it was her own fault for buying clothes without trying them on. Samantha, meanwhile, was dressed comfortably in black yoga pants and a pink tank top with an adorable chainsaw wielding bunny on it. The vampire reluctantly admitted the blonde looked cute.
“Are you going to concentrate at all, little bitch?” The affection in her tone still surprised her. Though Samantha could annoy her to no end, she did really care about the phasmagus.
Samantha scrunched her face. “I’m trying.”
“No, you’re staring at the house out of the corner of your eye.” Amaliya poked the center of Samantha’s forehead with one finger. “C’mon. Pay attention.”
“Ugh! It’s hard.” Samantha’s frown deepened.
In spite of all their practice, in the end, they hadn’t branched out their abilities, but only enhanced what they already had. It was frustrating. Amaliya had religiously studied all the notes Benchley had given her, but she still couldn’t astral project. Samantha still struggled to call ghosts on her own without Amaliya’s help. Their powers were best when they were together, which could work against them if they were separated in battle.
The back door creaked opened and a female silhouette appeared framed in the doorway. The witch’s long white skirt fluttered around her legs and her tank top covered in silver sequins sparkled in the moonlight as she hurried off the back porch. Amaliya admired the long bronze hair that rippled on the breeze like a cloak. The witch carried a large wicker basket in her arms as she strode down to where the two women were sitting.
“Care if I join you?” she asked.
Amaliya shrugged. “Samantha’s concentration is shot, so sure.”
“Hey!”
“It is!”
Samantha pouted. “Fine.”
Sitting cross-legged on the ground beside them, Aimee set the basket aside. “I know you two are struggling and I think I can help. If that’s okay?”
“Anything to help Samantha concentrate is appreciated.”
Samantha rolled her eyes. “Seriously, it’s like studying for math. Annoying.”
Aimee withdrew a very old tome from the basket. It was bound with strips of leather and most of the pages were frayed. “This is my Book of Shadows. It came through my mother’s line. It has this special little quirk where it adds information when I need it. It’s been a little reluctant to help me sort you two out but—”
“It can think?” Samantha asked, bending toward the book.
“Leave it alone,” Amaliya said, pushing her upright. “She just said it’s been reluctant to help us. Don’t freak it out.”
“So it’s alive?” Samantha persisted, eyes wide.
Aimee gave a slight nod. “Well, in a way it is. It’s not flesh and blood like we are, but a different sort of energy. Anyway, it was not very happy about the whole dark magic aspect of what you two do. It took some cajoling on my part to finally get it to talk to me.”
“It talks?” Samantha’s eyes grew wider.
Amaliya smacked her lightly. “Sam! Listen.” The blonde was off her game and it was annoying Amaliya to no end. Samantha was obviously distracted.
Scowling at Amaliya, Samantha made a point of clamping her lips together.
Looking amused, Aimee continued, “Your magicks resemble the necromancers and phasmagi of the past, but the reality is that it’s something uniquely yours. I had my a-ha moment earlier today when listening to Samantha’s plan to recruit Roberto to be her ghost minion.”
“What?” Amaliya gasped. She was climbing to her feet before she realized what she was doing. Aimee grabbed her hand and yanked her down to the ground, surprising Amaliya with her strength.
“Samantha, you didn’t tell Amaliya, I see.”
“Oops.” Samantha gave Amaliya a wide-eyed innocent look.
“What the fuck are you talking about, little bitch?”
“I need a minion! A ghost to give me the inside scoop on the ghost shit, bitch-face,” Samantha answered.
“And you picked Roberto? Are you fuckin’ kidding me? He tried to kill me and Cian!”
“And he also tried to warn us about The Summoner! Remember? The Summoner was going to obliterate him, too, to infuse himself into Bianca’s body. He’s going to want payback!” Samantha scowled at Amaliya defiantly.
Leaning toward the blonde, Amaliya stared into her friend’s eyes trying to gauge if she believed the bullshit she was spewing. To her surprise, she saw that Samantha didn’t flinch.
“Look, bitch-face, I’m right on this. Okay? Trust me.”