Pretty When She Destroys (Pretty When She Dies #3)(12)

Cian squeezed her hand lightly. “Exactly.”

Amaliya loved the feel of his skin under her hand and the way his gaze made her feel. They were united in this battle.

“What if Amaliya makes a vampire?” Sergio dared to ask.

“I wouldn’t,” Amaliya said swiftly. The mere thought terrified her. “I can barely control what’s happening to me. And look at what my blood did to Sam…”

Samantha winced, but had to bob her head in agreement. “She totally f*cked me up.”

Amaliya stuck her tongue out at her former rival. Samantha returned the gesture.

“What if she makes another one just like The Summoner?” Rachoń interjected. “There’s no assurance that the fledgling would side with us. The Summoner made all of the vampires in this room. His blood is within us.” She pointed at Cian. “You and I know that the only reason we can stand against him is because of our age.”

“But Amaliya can stand against him.” Samantha cast a big smile at Amaliya. “She can totally kick his ass.”

A shiver ran through Amaliya at the thought of how hard it was to defy The Summoner when her creator’s power mingled with her own. It was very difficult to admit how much sway he still had over her whenever she was near him.

Cian looked at their combined hands while Rachoń lifted her eyebrows slightly.

Jeff abandoned his seat at the end of the table to pull another chair close to Samantha. Sitting down, he gazed at Amaliya pensively while nursing his hot cup of coffee.

Benchley and Alexia stared at Amaliya with open curiosity. They had not been in the graveyard to see the last battle between Amaliya and The Summoner.

“Well, she can!” Samantha looked defensive. “We all saw her do it!”

Settling back in her chair, Rachoń regarded Amaliya thoughtfully. “How hard was it?”

Amaliya shrugged, not enjoying the feeling of being put on the spot.

“You missed the make out session,” Cassandra said to Samantha under her breath. “Amaliya totally lip locked with The Summoner.”

Cian gave his daughter a sharp look, his hazel eyes cold.

“Well, she did,” Cassandra said.

Amaliya met Samantha’s stare with a defiant tilt of her chin. She didn’t feel she should be judged for something she had no control over. Whenever she was around The Summoner his magic called to her in a way that was difficult to fight.

“Really?” Samantha was clearly grossed out. “Really?”

“It’s a vampire thing,” Amaliya answered. “He created me. We’re connected. It’s hard not to...”

“Did you make out with him, Cian?” Samantha leaned forward to peer past Amaliya at her former fiancé.

This brought a surprisingly girlish giggle from Rachoń.

Cian ignored the question and his sister’s laughter. Remaining silent, his fingers played with the rings Amaliya wore.

“Ha! You were his bitch!” Eduardo’s laugh was more like a bark than a human sound.

“Do you want me to kill you that badly?” Cian asked the coyote.

“Look! Everyone knows how hard it is to break free from a vampire’s blood bond.” Cassandra pounded her fist on the table to get everyone’s attention. “It f*cks your brain up hardcore. So it’s not her fault.”

Sergio let out an explosive sigh.

Amaliya glowered at her cousin across from her. “What?”

“Your life is so f*cked up,” he said sadly.

Aimee set her hands on the table and took a deep breath. “Everyone leave her alone. I was bonded to a vampire. It’s not easy to defy them. I’m a true witch and not a mortal so I had a certain amount of immunity, but it was still very, very difficult to break free.”

“How did you do it?” Sergio asked. “Can you do the same for Amal?”

Pressing her lips together, Cassandra appeared uneasy. Aimee gave her a significant look, but Cassandra responded with a short shake of her head.

Aimee sighed, her fingers fidgeting with the bracelets she wore on one wrist. After a long pause, she said, “I don’t know if I can help a vampire. It was a spell I had to cast. It was complicated.”

Curiosity gripped Amaliya. She had a feeling the dhamphir and witch were hiding something significant and not willing to divulge the information. One look at Cian revealed that he thought the same, but he gave her hand a light squeeze to keep her from saying anything. They’d talk to the women later.

“So if you can’t make vampires, what are you going to do?” Sergio asked Cian, his eyes narrowed. “Without more people how the hell do you plan to take on The Summoner?”

“That’s the thing,” Jeff said, speaking up. “If we can keep him from getting all the rings, we may not have to fight to keep him from tearing the veil. The Assembly is going to help us track down the rings and claim them. I’ve been on the phone most of the last few days trying to get some sort of plan going among all the various groups.”

“And we have one hidden,” Cassandra muttered.

“That puts us ahead automatically, right?” Aimee ventured a small encouraging smile.

“Except he will still come for Amaliya.” Rachoń tilted her head and regarded the tattooed woman with a quite serious expression. “You’re unique. He’ll want you at his side even if he fails to rip open the veil.”