Amaliya angled face closer to Bianca. “Tell me.”
When Bianca did, Amaliya just stared at her for a second, then said, “Fuck me.”
Chapter 25
Cassandra stared at her cellphone with trepidation. Seated at Jeff’s kitchen table, she was trying to call her mother and check in with her as she did every day. They had spoken the day before and everything had seemed fine. Today there was no answer.
The muted winter sunlight filtered through the curtains and cast a reflection over the display, mirroring her face in the dark glass. Cassandra glanced toward the stove where Aimee was putting the finishing touches on a spell.
“Mom’s not answering,” she said at last.
“Maybe she’s taking a nap,” Aimee answered, casting a reassuring look at her girlfriend.
Setting the phone down, Cassandra stared at it. “Maybe. But it feels weird.”
“It’s because we got hardly any sleep and everything that happened last night was...” Aimee hesitated, searching for the right word.
“Insane.”
“Exactly.”
Cassandra gestured toward the concoction on the stove that was tossing flecks of magic into the air. “Is that going to work?”
“We’ll see. It’s hard working around the dark magic, but I believe I figured something out.”
Aimee shoved her long hair back from her face and peered into the cauldron. The true witch had faced some difficult challenges when it came to magic in the last few months, but had adapted. Cassandra was immensely proud of her girlfriend. She loved Aimee with all her heart and soul for a myriad of reasons. Her feelings crawled out of her heart and choked her with emotion. Sliding out of the chair, Cassandra drifted to Aimee’s side.
As always, the magic smelled like all the delicious things in life and it permeated Aimee’s skin and hair. Sidling up behind the witch, she wrapped an arm about Aimee’s waist and rested her chin against her girlfriend’s shoulder.
“It’s all going to be okay, Cass,” Aimee assured her, leaning back into the embrace.
“My father looked so sad.” Cassandra sighed wistfully. “I wanted to make him feel better, but I didn’t know what to do.”
“You showed him that you love him. It meant a lot to him. I could tell.” Aimee’s lips were soft against Cassandra’s cheek.
“You’re so much more perceptive than I am. I always feel so weird around him. Like I don’t know how to act.” Cassandra hadn’t been raised to hate Cian, but his absence in her life was felt throughout her childhood. Finally having a father in her life was odd and sometimes a little overwhelming.
“Cian adores you. I don’t think you could do anything to make him not like you.” Aimee dipped a heavy pewter cup into the magical potion and set it on the counter to cool.
“Oh, I’m sure I could think of something,” Cassandra joked with a playful grin. Immediately, the notion that if she ever wanted him to hate her all she’d have to do was stake Amaliya shot through her mind. It was a cruel and bothered her that she’d even think of such a thing. At times like this, she wondered if she was more like her vampire parent than she’d like to admit.
“You’re not evil,” Aimee said, poking Cassandra’s stomach. “Stop that.”
“Stop being insightful,” Cassandra said with a pout.
Aimee lovingly kissed the frown away. “None of that.”
Cassandra seductively slid her hands around Aimee’s hips. “How long before you have to do the magic stuff? Because...I was thinking maybe we could do a little magic of our own.”
Lightly tracing her fingers across Cassandra’s collarbone, Aimee sighed. “In like five minutes.”
The pout returned to Cassandra’s lips. “I need longer than five minutes.”
With a sultry smile, Aimee said, “That’s why you’re a good girlfriend.”
“Fuck my life. Where’s the caffeine?” Samantha grunted, stumbling into the kitchen.
With great reluctance, Cassandra let go of Aimee and returned to her seat at the table while Samantha fumbled around with the coffee cups, coffeemaker, and sugar. Aimee helpfully got out the creamer while Samantha let out an epic yawn.
Cassandra once again called her mother’s number and listened to the rings on the other end. Baptiste shuffled into the kitchen and headed toward the coffeemaker. It was evident the cabal was up and moving about except for the vampire in the attic. Raising her eyes, Cassandra left yet another message for her mother.
“C’mon, Mom. Call me back.”
Samantha nervously stepped into the circle of salt that Aimee had carefully poured out on the floor of the library in Jeff’s Victorian. The witch already sat inside the circle, the skirt of her green velvet dress splayed out around her. Sitting across from the witch, Samantha nervously wiped her hands on her jeans and took a deep breath.
Baptiste was seated in a chair outside the circle, concern etched on his handsome face. He would be observing and at the first sign of trouble would intervene following the directions Aimee had given him. He was the only other person Aimee had allowed into the room.
Aimee picked up a small bowl of salt, poured out the white grains, and carefully closed the circle. A dome of iridescent magic formed over them, shimmering and humming. It was a reassuring sign. Samantha had come to depend on the wards for protection. She tried not to think about the fact that The Summoner had found a way through the one over Cian’s house.
“Okay, remember what I told you, Sam. I have separated us from the rest of the house, so you can utilize your magic without interference. You need to concentrate on finding that thread of magic that connects you to Amaliya. You’ve used it before and you need to do it again. Once you’ve found her, send Roberto. Got it?”
Samantha nodded mutely.
“Okay, now drink this. I used what little blood I had left from Amaliya to create it. It’s not going to have the same kick as fresh, but I’ve enhanced it a bit with other magical ingredients.” Aimee gently set a pewter mug in Samantha’s hands.
“What if he tries to come through?” Samantha said worriedly.
“We’ll cut the connection and break the circle so we’ll be back in the protection of the house.” Aimee gave her knee a gentle squeeze. “You can do this.”
Saying a prayer that she hoped Jesus would be cool with, Samantha bravely swallowed the concoction Aimee had conjured. It was both bitter and sweet, with a faint coppery taste. Closing her eyes, she fretfully tried to concentrate on the task at hand without becoming overwhelmed with her own fears.
It took several minutes and Aimee’s gentle reassurances, but Samantha finally felt the root of her power respond to her summons. It sprung up from deep within her and fanned out in a beautiful sparkling mist that filled the circle. Samantha’s vision altered to allow her to see into the world of the dead. The black and white world wavered around her and she saw Roberto waiting for her patiently in a cemetery just outside of San Antonio. The city itself was shrouded completely in a thick blanket of darkness. She couldn’t see beyond the black magic boundary.
Standing in the world of the dead, she looked down at her body. It was shrouded in the white-gray glistening mist that was the manifestation of her power. It took some concentration, but she finally found the fine black tendril of power that connected her to Amaliya. It was glossy and filled with stars.
“I found it,” Samantha said aloud.
“Do you feel her?” Aimee’s voice asked.
In the ghostly world, Samantha’s fingers slid gently along the thread. It both frightened and thrilled her that she could faintly sense Amaliya’s presence.