Pretty When She Destroys (Pretty When She Dies #3)(83)

“Again, you disappoint me. How easily you stumble into my traps.”

Deep within the gloom was another presence. It wasn’t Cian or Etzli. They were lost to her in the ocean of the necromancer’s magic. It was the other one. The blood sister she had failed to rescue. Now they were both trapped in the majestic deathly power of The Summoner.

“Bianca,” Amaliya uttered.

The spell slithered across her lips, seeking entry. She clamped her mouth shut, fearful of what may happen should the magic manage to infect her.

“She’s here with us. My little necromancers are united at last.”

Amaliya sensed movement within the murk and lashed out, trying to capture The Summoner in her grip. She didn’t know how to fight him, but she had to try. The sensation of being adrift in the deepest waters of the ocean continued, her arms and legs flailing as she tried to find purchase. Soft, cold fingers gripped her hand. They were slim and delicate.

Bianca, Amaliya thought.

“I’m sorry,” Bianca said from the black stillness.

The low, terrifying voice of The Summoner spoke in Amaliya’s ear. “We are all three together once again. It’s been so long since the night I killed both of you.”

A small, delicate female body mostly made of darkness and cold drifted into Amaliya’s embrace. At first she feared it was Etzli, but realized it was Bianca when the tendrils of powers instantly wove together, uniting them. Feeling more like a shadow than flesh and bone, Bianca clung to Amaliya. Tears welling in her eyes, Amaliya clutched the other necromancer to her quaking body. Fear ravaged her thoughts.

“Submit to me and I won’t kill those you love,” The Summoner’s voice murmured, the timber of his voice rushing over her flesh like icy prick of a needles.

In a panic and desperate to escape, Amaliya unfurled her power, the dark wings of her magic reached out to find those who loved her and grounded her. Instead, she found the welcoming power of her creator and her sister in blood.

The Summoner’s long body pressed against her back. Though she knew it wasn’t possible, she could feel the hardness of his chest. Amaliya had destroyed him with her zombies. She had seen the horde tear him apart. Yet, here he was, tangible and terrible.

When The Summoner wrapped his arms around both of them, Amaliya shivered. There was completion in his touch. It was impossible to deny they were a triad of immense power. Amaliya felt it to her marrow and it terrified her. Cian, Austin, the house, and all her friends felt like wispy dreams of another life. The darkness felt eerily like home.

“Submit to me and I will spare all those you love. Name them and they will survive when the abyss swallows the world.”

“You’re lying,” Amaliya hissed. The spell again attempted to plunge into her mouth, but she managed to spit it out. There were still parts of her magic that were not intertwined with The Summoner’s.

“He’s lying,” Bianca’s voice said at the same time.

“No, no. I’m not,” The Summoner answered. “I am willing to allow your family and friends to live if you will willingly come to my side. Submit to me. Be mine. We will rule the new world together. In exchange, I will grant your loved ones immunity.”

“They’ll try to kill you,” Amaliya responded to the darkness.

“Yes, but they won’t be able to with you at my side.”

“And if I say no?”

“I will kill them tonight. Sergio and his family in Wyoming. The Vezoraks in Spooner, Texas. Cian’s cabal in Austin.”

Raw rage coursed through Amaliya. How casually he threatened all those she loved. Releasing Bianca, she managed to spin about, gripping The Summoner’s neck in her hands. She could barely see him now, his eyes glowing in the blackness engulfing her. He wasn’t flesh and bone but something else that was nearly as tangible. The glow of his eyes barely illuminated his face but she could make out his sensuous lips, strong nose, and elegant brow. A sharp pang of need punctured her soul. No matter how evil and cruel he was, a piece of her always yearned for him. She tried to speak, but the torrent of conflicting emotions stilled her tongue.

“Etzli awaits your answer. By taking her into your home, you opened a pathway to my power. Already her witches, demons and jaguars are waiting to enter the house through the portal and slaughter them all.”

Bianca’s presence lingered at her side, but was silent. The great wings of Amaliya’s power sought solace in the darkness. If only she could feel the touch of Cian’s mind, or Samantha’s power. Instead, there was a small spark of familiarity.

Do as he says, Innocente’s voice whispered through her mind.

Amaliya’s fingers tightened against The Summoner’s throat, but had no effect. She wanted to rip his head from his shoulders so that she wouldn’t submit to him and give into the throbbing need she felt for him.

“Well? Shall I kill all you love? Shall I drag you back with me and tie you in silver chains? Or will you come willingly with me to rule at my side when the abyss consumes the world?” His fingertips slid over her body seductively.

Quivering, Amaliya cursed him, herself, and the world as a whole. A feral, wicked part of her wanted to plunge into his power. It angered and disgusted her.

“Do you love me?” Amaliya asked, the question coming unexpected from her lips. The spell played along the corners of her mouth, retreating while The Summoner waited.