Pretty When She Kills (Pretty When She Dies #2)(29)

Thrusting out her hand, Amaliya gestured for the folder. Cian handed it to her, then leaned toward Samantha.

“Samantha, Amaliya saved your life that night. You would have died. None of us knew this would happen to you.” Cian lightly touched Samantha’s trembling hand.

Beside them, Amaliya was looking through the folder.

“You know what, Cian? I was really freakin’ happy before she showed up. My life was pretty good. Except for that bitch Roberto, our life together was really great. Then she came along and everything went to hell. The Summoner showed up and what else was I supposed to do? Let him kill you? I did what I could to save you and now...”

Amaliya slammed the folder down on the table and leaped off the couch. Shaking her head, she stormed off toward the balcony. “I need a f*cking smoke.”

“This is your fault!” Samantha shouted after her.

Amaliya whipped about, her hair falling around her face. “Oh, f*ck, no, it’s not! Look, little bitch, I did what I had to do to save your stupid ass even though I knew you hated me. I did you a goddamn favor!”

“I was trying to save you and Cian!”

“You were trying to save Cian!” Amaliya snagged her cigarettes off the dining room table and searched her jean pockets for her lighter.

“Because I loved him! I didn’t want him to die! I would do it all over again!” Samantha jumped to her feet, dropping her purse on the floor. She didn’t even seem to notice.

Cian sat quietly, letting the two women vent. They needed to do it so all of them could figure out what to do next. Though the women in his life had been hurling insults at each other for the last few months, they had not actually spoken about what had occurred. Amaliya was the queen of avoidance; Samantha was the queen of righteous indignation. It was not the best combination.

“Then don’t scream at me for saving you!”

“This never would have happened if you hadn’t come to Austin and f*cked everything up!”

“This never would have happened if The Summoner hadn’t f*cking killed me and buried me in the f*cking forest!”

Samantha started as if she had been slapped. Amaliya raised a trembling hand and pointed at Samantha. “Don’t you f*cking dare act like you’re the only victim in all of this.” Blood-tinged tears slowly slid down Amaliya’s cheeks.

Lowering her eyes, Samantha said nothing.

“We’re all f*cked because of him. Because of The Summoner. Cian is what he is because of that *. I am what I am because that shit decided to play a game with my loser life. You’re...a ghost whisperer because of him. Don’t lay this on me!”

“If anything, it’s my fault for not sending her away,” Cian added, guiltily.

“No, it’s not,” Samantha said at last. “None of this is your fault.” With a bitter laugh, she handed Amaliya a fresh tissue from the wad she was clutching in one hand. “You’re so totally right. I’m being a complete bitch to you when it’s not your fault.”

“It’s about f*ckin’ time you realized that,” Amaliya growled, shoving the door to the balcony open and escaping.

Cian slid to his feet and moved to comfort Samantha. She held up a hand, warding him off.

“Please don’t.”

“Samantha.”

“No, don’t, Cian. I’m so sick of you being nice to me. I’m tired of the guilt in your eyes. You’ve said your piece.” With that, Samantha followed Amaliya, shutting the door deliberately behind her, cutting him out of whatever came next.

Behind him, his phone began to ring.





Chapter 11


The sparkling beauty of the Austin skyline usually calmed Amaliya. Seeing the UT Tower lit up beyond the glowing white countenance of the state capital building was always a reminder of her happiest days in Austin as a young, hopeful college student. But tonight, staring at the bright lights and listening to the hum of traffic only made her feel like running away. The city felt claustrophobic and her skin crawled with the desire to flee.

When the door opened and slammed shut behind her, she knew who it was. It wasn’t the smell of margaritas on Samantha’s breath or the scent of her perfume, but the anger she felt pouring out of the woman she had usurped.

“I’m sorry,” Amaliya said, exhaling a puff of smoke. She surprised herself by apologizing, but her rage had left her as quickly as it had come. The Summoner had wrecked all their lives to some degree, but Amaliya couldn’t ignore the guilt pricking at her.

Samantha stepped up to the rail and curled her hands over the cool metal. She didn’t respond, just stared outward, sniffling.

“You’re a f*cking annoying bimbette, but I really am sorry.” Amaliya sighed.

“For what?”

With a shrug, Amaliya flicked ash into the wind. “All of it. I should have bailed. Left you and Cian to your lives.”

With a strangled laugh that was mixed with a sob, Samantha shook her head. “It wouldn’t have mattered. How much longer do you think we could isolate ourselves from the truth?”

Tilting her head, Amaliya scrutinized the tear streaked face of the woman beside her. “What do you mean?”

“It was all going to fall apart anyway. I can see it now. I mean...what would’ve happened? Cian and I would have had our pretty candlelight wedding and then what? Be happy for a few years? And then what would happen? I told him I didn’t need to have kids to be happy, but that’s only because I had this glamorous idea about one day being a vampire, too. He’d change me on my twenty-ninth birthday and I’d be fabulous forever. I was in love with the whole fairytale of living forever with him. Being forever young. Never dying.”