Pretty When She Kills (Pretty When She Dies #2)(58)

“You think I’m a paranoid old woman,” Innocente huffed.

“I think you’re a worried grandmother that wants to save her granddaughter.”

“Eh, true.”

Sergio unlocked the doors so Ethan and Pete could climb in. Watching them over his shoulder, he noted that Pete appeared just as uneasy as his grandmother. The thought of restoring his cousin to a mere mortal made Sergio very happy, but he, too, was plagued by niggling worries. Maybe it was because Ethan was so imposing with his dark sunglasses and rugged appearance. He reminded Sergio of a gunslinger from the Old West. His presence wasn’t comforting, but it wasn’t uncomfortable either. At times, he didn’t seem quite real to Sergio. No, that wasn’t right. It felt as though Ethan was somehow standing outside of the world, watching them all. Yeah, that’s what it was. It was a little creepy now that he put his finger on it.

“Drive up to the old house and park behind it. I don’t want to tip off any passing locals that we’re digging up their cemetery,” Ethan instructed.

“Gotcha.”

Sergio drove the truck in a circle and headed up the road toward the turnoff. It was hard to see with the thick golden-brown wild grass drowning the fence, but he managed to see it in time. Turning sharply, he grunted as the truck bounced up the deeply rutted drive. His grandmother grumbled in Spanish as she clung to the dashboard with both hands. A few groans issued from the backseat. He tried to drive slow enough so they wouldn’t be tossed around inside the truck, but he had to go fast enough to not get stuck in either the deep ruts or the pasty mud at the bottom of some of the deeper holes made by a recent rain.

Finally he drove up to the old farmhouse where Amaliya and Cian had taken refuge from The Summoner. It was also the house where Sergio, Innocente, Samantha, and Jeff had been trapped by an army of the dead. The sight of it gave him the willies. The house was listing a bit more to one side than he remembered and a good chunk of the roof had caved in. Sergio wondered if it was the result of the battle that had happened there, or a recent storm. He couldn’t remember how the house had looked the night they had survived The Summoner’s attack.

“Park up behind those bushes.” Ethan leaned forward to point at one heavily overgrown area next to the house.

Sergio complied without answering. Now that they were at the spot where Amaliya had destroyed The Summoner, he was feeling more than a little spooked. His grandmother sat beside him, her rosary clutched in her fingers, her lips soundlessly moving in prayer.

“So this is where it went down?” Pete said, awe in his voice.

“Yeah, Amaliya killed him and saved Cian,” Sergio said, then realized he had inadvertently let a valuable bit of information slip out. He shot a look at Ethan and saw a flash of a slight smile.

“So she’s in Austin, huh?” Ethan shoved open the truck door, slipped out, and reached into the bed of the truck to grab the shovels.

“Austin?” Pete’s voice was thoughtful. “She always loved Austin. I should have known she’d go there. I hope she’s not alone.”

Innocente gave Sergio a warning look. They’d both agreed to keep quiet about Amaliya’s new life in Austin and about Cian. It was obvious that Pete was pining hard for her and neither one of them really knew what Amaliya would do once she had the cure. Would she try to stay with Cian? Or would she try to find happiness in a mortal life? Sergio knew what he was hoping for. It would be nice to see his cousin married with kids living a nice normal life. It would suck for Cian, but Sergio was never too sure about the vampire anyway.

Pete climbed out of the car and Sergio followed, pocketing his keys. Both of them snagged shovels and waded into the thick grass behind Ethan to where the mottled gray gravestones stuck out of the weeds. Sergio twisted about to give his grandmother a slight wave. She sat with the truck door open, clutching her rosary, observing their progress with a solemn expression on her face.

“So we dig up the bits of the big bad vampire, burn it, then find Amaliya and turn her mortal, huh?” Pete’s voice was full of hope and desire.

“Yep,” Ethan answered.

“Just like that?” Sergio asked.

“Just like that.” Ethan climbed over the remains of a wrought-iron fence and dropped into the graveyard.

“Seems so easy,” Pete remarked, wonder in his voice.

“Yep. Which is how I like things. Easy. No fuss, no muss,” Ethan answered. Walking through the dead grass, he searched for a gravestone. “Let’s start near the fence and hope we hit pay dirt.” Lifting the shovel, he slammed it hard into the packed earth. “Got a few more hours until sundown. Let’s make it count.”

Sergio already felt the sunlight pricking along his skin and the heat sucking the energy out of him. “For Amaliya,” he said, and broke ground with his shovel.

“For Amaliya,” Pete said in a prayerful tone.

Together, the three men began to dig.





Chapter 19


Amaliya tossed her waist-length hair over one shoulder and leaned forward on her elbows. The table wobbled slightly, sloshing the chai latte in her cup over the edge.

“Crap!” Amaliya exclaimed, fumbling for her napkin.

With smooth elegance, Professor Sumner blotted the spill with a few extra napkins. “There you go.”

“Thanks,” Amaliya said, embarrassed by her blunder.