Pretty When She Kills (Pretty When She Dies #2)(87)

“I think to get his ring back and Amaliya under his control.” Jeff glanced at Amaliya, who shrugged. “He wants you. That was very apparent that night in the cemetery. And I think it might have to do with the rings.”

“Is this the f*cking Lord of the Rings now?” Benchley grumbled.

“One ring to rule them all!” Alexia said, pounding the table.

“Actually, thirteen rings to tear down the veil between our world and the abyss,” Jeff corrected.

“Thirteen?” Aimee's eyes widened, looking at Cassandra with concern. “What the hell?”

“We hid the one we stole. The Summoner has one. Etzli has one,” Cassandra said. “Who has the other ten?”

“I don't know, but I do know where they came from.” Jeff flipped open the book in front of him and displayed a photo of a painting. It was a dramatic rendition of Lucifer falling from the heavens. “So, long ago, there was a war in heaven and Lucifer was cast out. When he fell, he hit the earth. More precisely, he landed in the Yucatán Peninsula.”

“Huh?” Benchley gawked at Jeff. “Lucifer? Hitting Mexico? How do you know that?”

“I think he means Chicxulub, the meteor that hit like sixty-five million years ago,” Sergio said incredulously. When he noticed everyone looking at him curiously, he said defensively, “We keep National Geographic in the bathroom. You know...toilet reading?”

“That’s what tabloids are for,” Alexia grumbled.

“Sergio, you’re absolutely right. But Chicxulub wasn't a meteor, it was Lucifer,” Jeff said excitedly.

“Wait!” Samantha glared at him. “Since when do you believe in Lucifer? You were all against me saying the devil is real.”

“Well, since I found out about the rings, I have to say I now believe, okay?” Jeff felt annoyed by the interruptions. He hated to admit he was pretty excited to share his newfound information.

“So Lucifer lands in Mexico and what does that have to do with the rings?” Aimee asked.

“His sword,” Jeff replied. “His sword was in Mexico.”

Cian lifted his eyebrows as he turned to stare at Jeff. “In Mexico? Where Etzli is from?”

“Lucifer's sword was found by the Mayans. They believed it was the weapon of a fallen god and built a temple to house it. The Spanish conquered the Mayans, took the sword and the myth around it and delivered it as a gift to the Catholic Church.” Jeff paused for dramatic effect.

“They gave the Catholic Church Lucifer's sword?” Eduardo snorted. “That's pretty stupid.”

“Actually, it makes sense,” Alexia interjected. “It would’ve been made in heaven. It may have been his sword, but it could’ve been considered a holy relic.”

Jeff nodded enthusiastically. “It actually was, Alexia. It was made of pure gold with precious stones in the hilt.” Jeff held up the photo again. “See. Just like this. So, someone in the Vatican decided that it would be a great idea to melt down the sword and create rings out of it. Well, originally, they wanted to make a crown, too, but when the blacksmith melted the sword it lost mass. In the end, he only had enough gold for the rings. The jeweler made thirteen rings: one for the Pope, and twelve for select archbishops.”

“Does this sound like a horror movie in the making or what?” Eduardo joked.

“Does it ever,” Cass grumbled.

Benchley chewed on his thumbnail. “Totally Exorcist material.”

“So what happened to the rings, Jeff?” Amaliya's blue-gray eyes were demanding and a little cold.

“Well, they made the wearer go crazy. And realizing what was happening, the Jesuits collected the rings, dividing them up among thirteen devout priests and sent them out all over the world to hide the rings,” Jeff explained.

“And somehow the vampires found out about them,” Rachon added.

“Yeah. About a hundred years ago they became a hot commodity among the vampires,” Jeff agreed.

“About the time that The Summoner was holed up in some Mayan temples in the Yucatán Peninsula,” Cian sighed.

Rachon looked down at her hands, her face pensive. “That was when he kidnapped Etzli.”

“She's been in on it all along,” Cian agreed.

Jeff fidgeted in his chair, not sure how to impart the last of his information. “So, uh, well, lots of different hunter groups have been tracking down the individual rings over the years, but no one knew they were all connected. Not until now. The rings all ended up with different names and different legends, but when Cass and Aimee stole the ring from the Master of Dallas and then connected it to The Summoner, it all became clear.”

“He wants the rings. All of them,” Amaliya exclaimed, shaking her head.

Rachon sat back in her chair and tapped her chin with one finger. “The Master of Chicago just went missing a week ago.”

“We need to find out if he had a ring.” Cian drummed his fingers on the table. “Have any more gone missing?”

“But why now?” Samantha asked. “Why would he make his move now if he knew about the rings a hundred years ago?”

“The end of the Mayan calendar,” Benchley said in a low voice.

“Oh, shit,” Alexia whimpered, covering her face with her hoodie.