“And I accepted,” Roberto said with a flash of fangs.
***
Samantha woke up at four in the morning and rolled over in her bed with a weary sigh. Soft voices were murmuring somewhere in the house and she could smell something wonderful cooking. Groggily, she pushed herself up out of the comfort of her bed and sat with her feet dangling over the edge. She was confused to hear voices until she remembered she had company.
Sergio, Jeff and the feisty old lady were all guests in her house. They had decided after their meal at Kerby Lane that they would leave early in the morning so they could arrive in the town as the sun came up. It would be hard work finding The Summoner's lair and they needed all the sunlight hours. Or at least that is what Jeff had said.
Sliding off the bed, she pulled her oversize Longhorn t-shirt down over her butt and padded out into the hall. Beatrice was busy cleaning one paw and looked up at her with feigned interest. With a look of disapproval, the cat skipped away into the lighted kitchen. Samantha glanced over at her sofa to see Sergio fast asleep, his big arms folded over his equally big chest. He was snoring lightly and he looked like a big cuddly bear. Then she noted the big cuddly bear was clutching his grandmother's makeshift stake.
Jeff's voice was soft as silk in the other room and she walked toward the archway that opened into the kitchen.
“You don't have to go with us,” Jeff's voice said.
“If the little blond gets to go, so do I,” the older woman's voice said firmly.
“Innocente,” Jeff said in a gentle tone and Samantha lifted her eyebrows. So that was the old woman's name. “I know you are worried about your granddaughter, but-”
“Look, if you get to go with one leg missing and Blondie gets to go to save her vampire boyfriend, then I get to go save Amaliya. Besides, you need me and all my weapons,” the old woman said firmly.
Samantha peeked around the corner to see Amaliya's grandmother busily making breakfast with stuff she had found in the refrigerator and pantry. It smelled amazing and Samantha's stomach growled lightly. The tiny woman was dressed still in her Virgin of Guadalupe t-shirt. Approximately, four rosaries rested around her neck. Flipping over a tortilla, she shoveled food onto a plate and slid it onto the table in front of Jeff.
“You eat. Once Sergio is up, you'll have to fight him for food,” Innocente said soberly.
She then leaned over to spoon a few bites of scrambled egg into Beatrice's bowl. The little feline traitor purred loudly and slid around Innocente's ankles a few times before settling down to eat her delicacy.
“Food is great, Innocente. And I know I can't stop you from going, but I had to say something. ”
Innocente waved a hand at him and set about making another tortilla, her tiny hands slapping the rolled dough into the correct shape. “No one can stop me once I get going. Not even that puto Summoner. ”
Samantha frowned to herself and tried not to feel left out. The scene in her kitchen was very cozy and she suddenly wanted to belong. Besides, she didn't want to be alone.
She was still struggling with feelings of abandonment and betrayal when it came to Cian. She consoled herself with the knowledge that he was something more than she had ever imagined. Of course, she could not be certain, but she was pretty much convinced he had tried to be what she had believed him to be. A good guy with a human heart. But Amaliya had ruined all that. She had revealed not only to Cian, but to Samantha, that Cian was also a monster at heart.
Sadly, she padded into the kitchen and fell into a chair. She noted that Jeff was wearing a less cosmetically pleasing prosthetic leg under his long shorts. His hair was scruffy and he was wearing a t-shirt with some obscure band on it. He gave her a little smile and scooped more food into his mouth with a tortilla.
Without a word, Innocente set a plate in front of Samantha and returned to the stove. It was eggs with chopped up peppers, tomato and bacon with a big side of refried beans and some salsa.
“Ready for the day?” Jeff asked her.
Samantha shrugged and picked up a freshly made tortilla to eat. “No,” she answered truthfully and used her tortilla to snag some eggs and salsa. “I'm scared. I felt braver last night. ”
“Kind of settling in, huh?”
She shrugged and rubbed her brow. “Yeah. If we don't find them before the sun goes down-”
“We will,” Innocente said firmly from behind them.
“Or what if they are already dead-” Samantha felt tears in her eyes. She wiped a tear away with frustration and shoved the food in her mouth.
“They're not,” Innocente said firmly and ate from a plate she had on the kitchen counter. “I know it. He will want her power, too. ”
“Or kill her for having it,” Samantha suggested.
“I think he'll be intrigued,” Jeff cut in. “I really do. None of his other children ever had anything like his power. He'll want to see what she can do and figure out if he can use her. ”
“But then, Cian. . . ” She forced herself to swallow her food, but her throat felt dry and it seemed to get stuck. Gulping down some cold water, she felt more tears in her eyes.
Jeff averted his gaze and quickly ate more food. Innocente fell silent, too. It was clear to all of them that Cian was no longer needed. And possibly dead already.