* * *
Amaliya shoved her cellphone into her pocket before stalking through the apartment seeking Cian. Frustrated and unnerved by all her grandmother had told her, Amaliya was ready to resume her argument with Cian. She heard him moving about on the second floor of their apartment, so she started opening doors. She rarely ventured into the smaller guest bedrooms. They were tastefully decorated, but rarely used. Her grandmother and Sergio had stayed with them only a few times, but otherwise the rooms remained empty. The maid service that came twice a week changed the bedding, dusted, and swept, but Amaliya didn’t really see the need for even that.
Opening the fourth door, she found Cian standing in the center of the room. The mattress was off the platform bed and leaning against the far wall. Cian was leaning over the base of the bed, which was basically a big flat box made out of polished wood. A secret panel revealed an array of weapons, some appearing quite ancient, tucked into foam inside.
“You and your secret compartments,” Amaliya grumbled.
Cian glanced up at her, slightly smiling. “I’m always full of surprises. ”
Leaning against the door jamb, Amaliya rested one hand on her hip and glowered at him.
“We’re still fighting?” Cian asked.
“Yes. ”
Squatting next to his secret stash, Cian withdrew a sword and studied the blade. “All right. You go first. ”
“Do we have to get physical? My sword-fighting skills aren’t all that great. ” She quirked an eyebrow at him.
Cian rolled his eyes at her joke. “Amaliya. . . ”
“I talked to Sergio and my grandmother. She had another visitation. ”
“From Bianca?”
“Yeah. From Bianca. The other chick The Summoner killed. ”
Cian set the sword down and withdrew a wicked-looking dagger that appeared to be made of black stone. “And?”
“She’s not a ghost. ”
Flicking his gaze toward her, curiosity bloomed in his expression. “Go on. ”
“She’s a vampire, and she’s astral projecting. ”
Amaliya smiled triumphantly as Cian stood up abruptly. His slightly sarcastic demeanor was gone. He looked deadly. “Go on. ”
“She’s like me. She’s a necromancer. She raises the dead. ”
“How do you know that?” Cian crossed the room swiftly to stand at her side.
“Sergio saw her eyes glowing when her apparition appeared in my grandmother’s room. My grandmother saw it in her dream when she spoke to Bianca. Bianca begged her for help. She said that the woman with the red eyes is holding her and planning to use her to kill me. ”
“Rachon. . . ”
“Yeah. Probably. Bianca is terrified and begging for help. My grandmother said that the girl has been seeking her out for months and finally found her. ” Amaliya poked Cian in the chest with one finger. “I can’t astral project, fucker, and she can. What the fuck, Cian? What is she?”
“I haven’t the slightest. Astral projecting is quite complicated. I’ve known a few witches who could do it, but I never heard of a vampire doing it. ” Frowning, Cian glanced down at the blade in his hand. “This is disconcerting. ”
“Oh, fucking yeah, it’s disconcerting! I told you that Rachon is coming for us to kill us. I don’t know why the hell you can’t accept that. She has her own gawddamn necromancer, Cian. She doesn’t need to make a pact with you. I’m not so rare now, am I?”
“It makes no sense. Why are there two of you?” Cian brushed past Amaliya and headed down the hall. “He never passed his power on before to anyone. At least not that I know of. ”
“Well, The Summoner did and now there are two of us!’ Amaliya stalked after Cian. “Can Rachon make her try to kill me?”
Glancing over his shoulder, Cian gave a short nod.
“Uh, could you, like, give me some details?”