Roberto cast a disdainful look at Cian's sleeping chamber. Amaliya's phone and car keys were

right where he had left them the night before. His Master was a complete idiot and Roberto was

disgusted. Sliding off his jacket, he slung it over a chair and went into the kitchen to make

himself some coffee. The sun was low over the horizon and the loft was awash in the morning

light. It was refreshing to his senses after sulking around the Magnolia Cafe all night. He had

tried to amuse himself with a book but had ended up sipping endless cups of coffee and

contemplating leaving Cian.

Of course, if he did that, he would begin to age again and eventually die. He was not ready to

do that. His relationship with Cian was always a bit odd. They had come together out of

necessity. Cian needed shelter; Roberto wanted to live forever. For years they had enjoyed the

wild life in Mexico, living rich and fine among the vampires there. They had what Roberto

considered adventures until the modern age gripped hold of the world and drove it into the

boring reality it was now.

Cian was happy to stay secure in Austin and build up his mini-empire. Roberto had hoped that

one day they would strike out again to new territory, but he could not be certain now. Cian's

obsession with being normal and human had dissipated now that Amaliya was on the scene. That

was quite a relief, but it was clear that he was changing into someone Roberto did not know.

Cian was not reverting to the man he had been before. Roberto had found Cian beaten down,

nearly destroyed by the vampire hunters. A man who was broken and without a home. Roberto

felt he had helped cultivate the former slave into an educated and sophisticated man. But now

Cian was changing and this time Roberto was not certain that he could influence his Master, nor

keep his elevated position in his life.

Amaliya had changed everything.

Rubbing his brow, he felt the need for more coffee. He rarely slept, but he was tired now.

However, he refused to sleep until he sorted out his thoughts and devised a plan of action.

Obviously, his plan from the day before had failed miserably. He had not been able to be rid of

the interloper and now Cian was being an absolute fool.

He poured the coffee slowly into a cup and frowned as he stared into the dark liquid reflecting

the morning light. He should have convinced Cian to kill Amaliya the very first night he brought

her to the apartment. Now he was uncertain of what to do. He was tied to Cian unless he found

another alternative to secure his immortality.

He would miss his time with Cian. For years he had loved Cian as a brother, but then again,

he had killed his real brother long ago. Love and hate were not so different when passion was

involved.

The doorbell rang and he arched an eyebrow. It rang again a few seconds later and he gently

laid the cup on the counter. He slowly walked down the hallway, curious as to who could

possibly be at the door. Neither he nor Cian was particularly social and Samantha had her own

key.

Peering through the peephole, he saw one of the pretty blonds that lived in the building

waiting in the hallway. Roberto had spoken to her on occasion. He had figured out swiftly that

she was more interested in his elusive master than in him. It had disappointed him for he thought

her breasts were wonderful and in need of caressing. He was very surprised to see her lingering

outside their door.

Removing the chain and unlocking it, he slowly opened it. “Heather? Can I help you? "

She looked a little unsure of herself for a second, then raised the gun and shot him in the

chest. "No, I have it covered."

* * *

The two dead homeless men The Summoner had sent to help her, stepped out from around the

corner and moved to gather up Roberto's body.

Somewhere in Heather's muddled mind, she was screaming, but the rest of her thoughts were

consumed with The Summoner and his commands. He was powerful and she must obey his

power. She could feel him, in her apartment, waiting for her. He didn't have to sleep anymore.

He had said he was beyond that now and his legions walked both the day and the night.

She wasn't dead yet. She had wondered at first if maybe she was dead. But her heart was still

beating unlike the two huge men busy wrapping Roberto up into the hallway rug. Those two men

were truly dead. She rubbed the gun against her leg nervously.

What she was doing was wrong, right?

She wasn't sure anymore.

The Summoner called out to her through the darkness of her mind and she moved toward the

elevator. Looking down at the gun, the thought of shooting him flickered through her mind. But

he needed her. He had told her so.

She needed to obey him. Serve him. Love him. Until he killed her.

* * *

Sergio was intent on sleeping in. It was Saturday morning and his wife had taken the kids to

visit her relatives. Because he had to work a double shift the night before, he had been given a

reprieve from his glowering mother-in-law. She absolutely hated him because of his Mexican

blood and he absolutely hated her because she was a bitch. He had woken up long enough to kiss

his kids and wife goodbye, then had collapsed onto the sofa to sleep the morning away.

As he dozed, he was dimly aware of the cat lying on his back, kneading his shoulder as her

tiny claws lightly scratched him. The sound of the neighborhood kids playing outside tried to

pull him from his light slumber and he grumbled. He'd give anything for there to be Saturday

morning cartoons again so the kids would be inside being little TV zombies. Then at least he

could sleep deeply.

A loud banging on his front door made him jump. The cat yowled and drew blood as she

scampered off.

“Thanks a lot, Tinkerbell,” he muttered and wondered why he had let the kids name the cat.

Grumbling, he sat up and stared at the door. There was no one visible through the glass panes

set in the door in the shape of a fan. Deciding he must have dreamed the banging, he lay back

down.

The door shook as the banging started again. This time his grandmother's voice joined the

harsh knocks.

“Sergio! Sergio! Open the door! ”

Blinking, he sat up again and rubbed his eyes. "Grandmama?"

"Open the door!"

Pulling his undershirt down over his stomach, he staggered to the door, unlocked it, and

swung it open.

His tiny grandmother stood on the stoop clutching her big tote bag with the flag of Texas on

it. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe on it and her

tiny feet were tucked into bright pink sneakers. “Get dressed. We're going to Austin. ”

"Huh?" He rubbed his eyes again and tried to figure out why his grandmother was bugging

him on a Saturday morning at the ungodly hour of nine AM.

“Amaliya hasn't answered her phone in two nights and something is wrong. Get your gun. ”

“Grandmama, I want to sleep in,” he muttered and was shoved aside as she barged in.

"No time to sleep."

"Hey, why do I need a gun?" He shut the door and stared at her in confusion. Sergio's

muddled brain couldn't take all this in quite yet and he sat down in his recliner, blinking tiredly.

His grandmother sat down on the sofa and the cat instantly appeared on her lap. “I gave

Amaliya that phone. ”

"Right."

"And she called me and told me about this Cian."

"The Key Inn?"

“No. It's a name. Cian. Anyway, she said he was going to help her. But she hasn't answered

her phone in two days and now I am worried.”

“You know, Grandmama, technically, she is already dead,” Sergio said timidly. The events of

the other night still haunted him and he tried hard not to think about it too much.

“I don't care. She's alive in a new way,” his grandmother answered. Her lips set into a firm

little line as she lifted her chin. “And we're going to go find her and save her.”

“Grandmama, I don't mean to upset you, but Amaliya is not the most reliable person in the

world.”

“Maybe not, but she's our blood. And she is my granddaughter and your cousin and we

protect family.”

Sergio looked at her through bleary eyes trying to figure this whole thing out when something

occurred to him. “Hey, how did you get here? She took your car! ”

“My boyfriend brought me,” his grandmother answered primly.

"You have a boyfriend!" Sergio suddenly felt very awake. "You have a boyfriend?"

"Yes, I do." His grandmother rubbed the cat under her chin vigorously and made soft noises

to the furry creature as she obviously ignored Sergio's reddening face.

Sergio waited a beat, then said explosively, “Who?”

"Juan Carlos."

“The old guy who rides around on the moped? He brought you over on the moped? ”

His grandmother rolled her eyes and pointed at him with a gnarled finger. “Get dressed. Get

your guns. We're going to Austin. ”

Sergio leaped to his feet. Not to run for his gun, but to look out the window. "Where is he?"

He had a strong desire to go outside and shake the old guy and threaten him something good.

“He left. I told him you would take me to Austin. But we need to go to my house. I have my

stuff packed. ”

Sergio blinked and turned to look at his sweet, tiny grandmother. He knew she was feisty, but

he was realizing she had this whole other life he was not aware of. “You have a boyfriend and

didn't tell me. ”

“I didn't think you'd be okay with me having sex,” she answered.

“Oh, God! I don't want to hear it, Grandmama! ” He covered his ears with his hands and stood

staring at her in disbelief.

“I told you. You're such a wussy, ”she said with a sad shake of her head.

“I am not. You're just ... ”he stammered to a halt. Calling his grandmother an old woman

would get his ass kicked. So he clamped his mouth shut.

She smiled at him victoriously, seeing she had the upper hand. “Now, go get dressed. We

need to go save Amaliya. "

Sergio rubbed the top of his head with one hand and frowned. “Nothing I say or do is going to

keep you from going to Austin, right?” He could feel himself giving in despite his tiredness and

his desperate desire to crawl back onto the sofa and sleep.

“I'll steal your truck while you sleep if you don't go with me,” she answered truthfully.

“Fine! I'll get ready!” Stomping out of the living room, he couldn't help but smile and by the

time he was in the shower, he was laughing.

* * *

Amaliya woke up first and stretched with a soft yawn. She felt a little hungry and she rolled

over onto Cian and lightly bit his neck. He woke up with a start, then wrapped his arms around

her. Teasingly, she held his flesh between her teeth but didn't draw blood. He ran a slow,

seductive hand up over her back. She let go of his skin to kiss him. It felt wonderful, considering

everything that happened the last few days and she let herself enjoy the tenderness of it.

“I'm hungry,” he said in a low voice and pushed her gently off him. "We both better feed."

With a little growl, Amaliya sat up and ran her hands through her hair to smooth it down.

Cian rolled over and opened the wall. It slid upward and revealed the young blond woman from

the elevator the night before sitting in a chair. She had been waiting for them to awaken and she

sat with her legs crossed. Her hand was resting on the gun on her lap.

"Heather?" Cian's expression was just as confused as Amaliya felt.

“I didn't want to do it, you know,” she said in a strangely monotone voice. Her eyes were

oddly jittery as she sat there looking pretty in her jogging outfit.

"Do what?" Cian asked in a low voice.

Her eyes continued to waver strangely as she forced them to look at him. "I shot Roberto."

Cian nearly launched himself off the bed, but Amaliya caught hold of him and drew him

back.

“It's The Summoner,” Amaliya whispered to him.

“He made me after he ... he ...” she touched the back of her head with her hand. “I should be

dead. I hit the wall so hard. I can feel the cracks in my skull, but I'm not dead. He won't let me

die. ”

Amaliya slowly slid to the end of the bed and set her feet on the floor. She tried to pull on that

dark power within her and sling it around Heather to bring her under her control, but it sat

dormant inside of her, unmoving.

Heather swallowed hard. “He made me shoot Roberto. Then I had to go back to my

apartment. He was there. He told me things. Horrible things.” Her fingers twitched over the gun

again.

“This is impossible. He can't control the dead or the near dead when he's sleeping,” Cian

declared. He looked angry and stunned by the turn of events. His gaze swept over the apartment

looking for Roberto.

“He doesn't sleep anymore. He's so old he doesn't have to. He can now stay awake all day. Sit

in a dark room, play with dead girls, and make the dead walk the streets.” She stood up slowly.

“The bullets won't kill you, but they'll hurt. A lot. He told me to shoot you if I had to. You're

supposed to come with me if you want Roberto back alive.” Amaliya didn't like anyone pointing

a gun at her, even if she was a vampire. She flinched when Heather aimed the gun directly at her

chest.

“Get up. Get dressed. He is calling me to him. He's waiting. ”

“Roberto doesn't mean jack shit to me. Let The Summoner kill him, ”Amaliya said with a

shrug. "Besides how do we know you really have him?"

Cian climbed off the bed, sleek, muscular and naked. She saw a flash of lust in Heather's eyes,

then it was replaced with dullness again. “Yes, how do we truly know you have him, Heather?

Did The Summoner give you proof? "

Heather coolly tossed Roberto's keys and money clip at Cian's feet. There was blood on them.

Cian stared down at the personal possessions of his servant with a dark expression on his face.

“Get dressed,” he ordered Amaliya.

"I am not going to go out there and risk my life to save your freaking, backstabbing servant,"

she said and crossed her arms over her bare breasts.

“Fine. Then I'll go alone, ”Cian said.

Heather trained the gun slowly toward him. “The Summoner whispers to me that if you don't

come I am to shoot Cian in the head. "

“He'll heal,” Amaliya sneered.

Cian's brow furrowed. "What sort of bullets are those?"

“The exploding kind,” Heather answered.

Cian looked at Amaliya pointedly. "Chances are, I could not heal from that."

For a moment, she pondered just running away. Just fleeing into the night and away from all

this insanity, but looking at Cian, she knew she couldn't bolt. Slowly, she stood up. "Fine."

Naked, she walked over to where her jeans were and pulled them on. They had blood on

them, but it wouldn't matter where they were going.

“I'm getting dressed,” Cian said to Heather.

“I'm coming with you,” Heather answered.

"Why don't we just kill her and be done with it?" Amaliya asked zipping up her jeans.

“Because if we don't go tonight, he'll up the ante. He'll do something even worse than taking

Roberto,” Cian answered.

“He says he knows where your Grandmama lives,” Heather said in a voice that held no

emotion, yet her voice quavered.

“I hope he can see this,” Amaliya said and gave Heather the finger. There was no way she

was going to let The Summoner get her grandmother. She had to go.

With Heather standing guard over them, they quickly dressed. Cian handed Amaliya a David

Bowie t-shirt. She shrugged it on and tied it at her waist. Her bloodied boots would have to do.

Cian changed quickly into a black shirt and jeans and pulled on sturdy combat boots. His hair

was now past his shoulders and his goatee looked a little scraggly. He was looking more and

more her type all the time, she thought.

“Let's go,” Heather ordered.

“Where are we going?” Amaliya demanded.

“A ghost town,” Heather answered and waved them to the door.

“Great, just great,” Amaliya muttered. Her luck, as usual, was in the pits.

“Where?” Cian slid his mouse over the mouse pad to awaken the computer.

Heather blinked, looking confused. “I can get us there.”

“Where?” His voice was firm.

“Fenton,” she answered. “He says to come now.”

“I want to see how far away that is,” Cian answered her in an authoritative voice.

Amaliya was confused at first, then realized Cian wanted to know how far away they were

going to be out of the city. They were restricted by the night and if they escaped, they would

need to know if they had time to make it back to Austin or make another plan altogether.

Cian typed into the Google search and watched the map pop up. “Okay. Let's go.”

Heather waved the gun at them. “You're wasting time on purpose. He says you're stalling

thinking Roberto isn't with him. But he is. I shot him and gave him to The Summoner.”

“Fine. Then take us to Roberto,” Cian said in a cold voice.

Cian took her hand as they slipped out his door. His touch was surprisingly calming. Her

fingers tightened on his they walked into the elevator.

* * *

Jeff felt uncomfortable barging into a vampire's lair. Hunters only tracked their prey by day.

Entering a vampire's lair at night was suicide. But after a day of arguing and planning, Samantha

was determined to give Cian one last chance to see the truth. She had been unshakable in her

belief that he was a good guy and needed to just see the light. Jeff wasn't sure coming to the

apartment was the wise thing. He would have preferred neutral ground.

In his short time knowing Samantha, he realized she had a will of steel. So here they were,

outside of Cian's apartment with Samantha banging on the door.

“Maybe they're out,” Jeff said after a minute.

“I have a key, but if they are doing something, I don't want to walk in on them,” she snapped

at him with her face screwed up with disgust.

“Do you really think they're-” He stopped at the look on her face. "Sorry."

Samantha hesitated, then began rummaging in her big purse. “I cannot believe that I'm scared

of going into my own fiancé's apartment because of some stupid bloodsucking whore! "

Jeff turned away to suppress his laugh. She was really cute when she was upset, but he did

feel bad for her. He knew it had become increasingly clear to her the last few days that she really

didn't know her fiancé as well as she thought.

"Are you laughing at me?" Samantha pouted and smacked him, her keys jingling in her hand.

“No,” he said somberly. “Let's go in and talk to Cian. But there is a good chance Amaliya

won't leave. ”

“Then we stake her tomorrow,” Samantha said firmly. “Besides, aren't you supposed to yell at

him for having another vampire in the city? "

“Something like that,” Jeff agreed.

Samantha entered the alarm code and unlocked the door. Thrusting it open, she stomped

inside. “Cian, it's me. Where are you? We need to talk. ”

Jeff entered slowly behind her, looking around with curiosity. Movie posters, some funky

Mexican artwork, and very modern furniture filled the apartment. A massive desk with computer

gear on it drew his attention. The last vampire lair he had been in was a converted basement at

the bottom of a high rise in Chicago. That had been an exceptionally nasty vampire who chose

only children as his victims. This apartment just looked like the place of any successful computer

geek.

Samantha's boot heels clicked sharply on the wood floor as she searched without fear or

trepidation for her fiancé. Even Jeff didn't feel particularly anxious. Cian and his father had a

long friendship during his father's life and if Amaliya was dangerous, he was sure Cian would

keep her under control.

But his primary concern was that Amaliya's presence meant The Summoner was nearby. That

death and destruction. Jeff worried about the large homeless population in Austin. The

Summoner could already be up to his old tricks and it would take awhile for it to be noticeable if

his victims had no one to miss them. By now, The Summoner could have a nice little army of

undead minions.

Curious, Jeff walked over and peered down at the state of the art computers. They made his

aging Dell computer look archaic. His brow furrowed a tad when he realized one of the monitors

was on. It had a map drawn up of a tiny town around three hours west of Austin.

“Samantha, I don't think they're here,” Jeff said as he slid the cursor over and clicked on the

print button.

She was halfway up the stairs and stopped. “Why?”

“There is a map on his computer of a town out West. I know that town. It's abandoned.

Nothing there but falling down buildings.” The printer hummed and coughed, then spat out a

copy of the map.

She stomped her foot. “Dammit. Why would they go there?”

Jeff sighed softly. “It sounds like a perfect place for them to go meet The Summoner, doesn't

it?”

Her expression instantly became distraught and she scampered across the floor to the

computer to look at the map. “Oh, no! He's going to kill Cian because of that stupid bitch! Where

the hell is Roberto?”

“I guess Roberto went with them,” Jeff said as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was

unsure of what to do next. The whole situation was complicated and increasingly dangerous.

Samantha looked at him with wide eyes and said in a trembling voice, “We have to save

Cian.”

Jeff looked up at her in disbelief. “Do you have any idea how dangerous The Summoner is?

No hunter that has set out against him has come back alive. We just can't go rushing after them

and expect to rescue them from the most dangerous vampire in history.”

“I thought that was Dracula,” she said with utter sincerity.

Jeff laughed despite the seriousness of the situation and sat down in the chair before Cian's

computer. "Well, he's not the one we have to worry about right now."

“So? We should go there right now! Let's go! ”

“Look, Samantha, I didn't have a problem coming here to talk to Cian because he was my

father's friend. But there is no way I am traveling, in the middle of the night, toward what may be

the lair of the Summoner. If we go, we go in the daylight. ”

“But he could be dead by then,” Samantha protested.

“At night, that is when the vampires are at their pinnacle of power. The Summoner is a

vampire and a necromancer. That makes him doubly dangerous. ” Jeff looked at the flustered

young woman with his most calm expression, but his stomach was in knots.

Samantha stomped her foot and turned away from him, but he could tell she understood.

“We'll go first thing in the morning. It's our best chance to locate them and rescue them and

perhaps kill The Summoner. But to go at night is suicide. "

It was then that the phone resting on a table near them began to ring.

Samantha snatched it up and said, "Cian!"

Jeff stood up and moved toward her, straining to hear the voice on the other end.

“No, Amaliya isn't here. Who is this? ” Samantha was frowning even more. “Her

grandmother? " Samantha looked startled.

Jeff gently took the phone from her. “Hello? How can I help you? "

“I want to speak to my granddaughter. Is this Cian? " The woman had a slight Mexican accent.

“No, this is Jeff. Cian and Amaliya are not here. "

“I'm worried about her. Did you see her today or yesterday? She didn't answer her phone and

now I call and you answer! ” The old woman's voice was full of fear.

“Actually, I haven't met her yet. I'm a friend of Cian's fiancée and we were coming to visit

them tonight. ” Jeff shrugged slightly as Samantha frowned.

"Did that bad man get her?" The old woman sounded close to crying.

"What do you know about this bad man?"

The woman didn't answer but spoke to someone in Spanish. There was a long pause.

"Hello?" It was a male voice this time, with a West Texas accent.

"Yes, who is this?" Jeff felt his confusion mounting. Amaliya was not an ordinary vampire if

she had actually visited her own family and not killed them in the madness of the first days.

"Who is this?" The voice was strong and a little belligerent.

Jeff felt his patience waning, but he said calmly. “I am a friend of Cian's fiancée. We came to

the apartment looking for him and Amaliya, but they're not here.”

“Did Sumner get her?” The man's voice was now alarmed.

“You know about The Summoner?” Jeff was flabbergasted.

“Professor Sumner? Yeah. He made her into a vampire. If you know this Key-inn guy then

you gotta know they're vampires, right?”

Jeff moved to sit down again, feeling a little overwhelmed. Never in his life had he met such a

group of people. Usually, people did not believe in vampires. He could hear the two voices on

the other end talking swiftly in Spanish.

“Who is this again?” Jeff finally asked, breaking through the conversation on the other end.

“Sergio, her cousin. Look, my grandmother is frantically worried and we just hit Austin. Can

we meet you guys somewhere? We're worried and it sounds like there is a good reason to be.”

Jeff 'liked the lower timber of the man's voice. He sounded competent and strong, like Jeff's

father. “Yeah. Let's do that. Why don't we meet at Kerby Lane on South Lamar? Do you know

where that is? "

When Sergio told him no, Jeff quickly gave him directions while Samantha paced back and

forth in front of him, wringing her hands.

“All right, we'll see you within the hour,” Jeff said and hung up.

"What is going on?"

“It's Amaliya's grandmother and cousin. They came to Austin to rescue her, ”he answered.

This whole situation was growing more and more bizarre and he had no idea how he was

going to keep the three of them from running off and doing something crazy. He had no

emotional investment in the situation other than making sure Cian continued to honor his father's

agreement, but he had to admit to himself, he was growing fond of Samantha. Since last night, he

could see that her inner core had been laid bare. Her chirpy self was diminished and he could

really see her steel.

"So we're meeting with them?" She fussed with the collar of her pink shirt and looked at him

with a very strained expression.

“I don't think it will hurt. They're here to save her like we're here to save Cian. ” Jeff reached

out to her. “Come on. It won't hurt to at least meet with them. ”

With a soft explosion of breath, she shook her head. “This isn't supposed to be happening. It

was all okay a few days ago. We were going to be married! "

“I know. Come on, Sam. Really. We can't do anything more here. ”

She looked close to crying but nodded her head. Reluctantly, she took his offered hand.

Jeff gently led her out of the apartment that was empty and devoid of life and quietly shut the

door behind them.

* * *

Kerby Lane was quite busy when they arrived. The late dinner crowd was out and they had to

wait to get a table. The waitress was just about to lead them to their seats when a tall man and a

small Mexican woman came in the door.

"Sergio?" Jeff asked.

“Yes. Yes. ” The man came forward and thrust out his huge hand. "Are you Cian's friends?"

“His fiancée,” Samantha muttered.

Jeff could hear the fading hope in her voice and he squeezed her arm reassuringly. Shaking

hands with Sergio, he glanced toward the tiny woman obviously sizing him up.

“This is my grandmother,” Sergio said.

“Nice to meet you,” Jeff said politely and reached out to shake her hand.

The old woman peered at it thoughtfully but didn't take it. Instead, she turned to Samantha.

"You're Cian's fiancée?"

“I think so,” Samantha said slowly with a definite edge in her voice. “At least I was before

your slutty granddaughter showed up. ”

“Whoa,” Sergio said in a fearful voice.

“You don't speak badly of the dead,” the grandmother said sharply.

"Don't you mean undead?" Samantha snapped back.

"Whoa, whoa, let's calm it down!" Sergio quickly stepped in front of his grandmother.

“Why don't we all sit down and talk,” Jeff said in a soothing tone as he took hold of

Samantha's arm.

“Yeah, Grandmama, let's not get into a fight already,” Sergio pleaded.

The old lady narrowed her eyes and looked ready to unleash.

“C'mon, Grandmama. Let's go eat and calm down. ”

“Fine,” the old woman said resentfully and walked with her nephew after the waitress.

Jeff was relieved to have the other man helping him corral the two women. They were both

obviously ready to throw down. Jeff took Samantha's arm. He pulled her toward the table the

concerned waitress was laying menus on.

Samantha slid into the booth first and Jeff sat at her side as the grandmother sat on the other

side with Sergio taking up most of the seat next to her. There was strained atmosphere as

everyone was nice and polite to the waitress as they ordered their drinks. The moment the

purple-haired girl stepped away, Samantha leaned across the table.

“You need to get your granddaughter out of Austin and away from my fiancé. She is messing

everything up! "

“I'm here because your fiancé isn't doing what he promised. He said he would help her! And

now they are missing, ”Grandmama hissed right back.

“Okay, okay, let's not get mad at each other. Let's figure this out, ”Sergio said firmly.

“I know what is going on. Your slutty cousin has my fiancé out in the middle of nowhere with

a really bad vampire who could be killing Cian as we speak! ”

“Hey, it's not her fault that her professor did what he did,” Sergio said in a low, but angry,

voice. "He just dumped her to take care of herself!"

"So she has to come to Austin and mess up my life?" Samantha's hands were gripping her

napkin tightly and twisting it hard.

“She didn't do it on purpose,” Amaliya's grandmother grumbled.

Jeff laid a hand on Samantha's arm. “Calm down. Calm down. ”

“You can't tell me to calm down when that Summoner guy is going to kill Cian and it's all

because he was stupid enough to get involved with that girl! ” Tears sprang to her eyes and

spilled down her face.

Jeff wiped her face gently. She sniffled and scrunched up her face as he did it, but she gained

some control over herself. He folded the napkin calmly and handed it to her. She needed to blow

her very red nose.

“Okay. Well, as the person that is not involved in this situation, mind if I guide this

conversation? " Jeff looked around the table.

The three angry-looking people reluctantly nodded and avoided looking at each other.

“Okay. So I assume that what we all know is that The Summoner made both Cian and

Amaliya and he's playing a twisted game with them. Right? "

"Professor Sumner made that Key Inn guy, too?" Sergio looked vastly interested in this news.

“Professor Sumner from the college? He made Amaliya? He's The Summoner? " Samantha

widened her eyes. “He's on the news. They are looking for him. ”

"But he's really this Summoner guy, right?" Sergio looked at Jeff. "Right?"

“Possibly. Did she say that is who killed her? ” Jeff quickly wrote down a few notes in his

small notebook.

“Yeah, that is what she told us. That Professor Sumner killed her and buried her in the forest. "

Amaliya's grandmother looked close to crying.

“Then it was The Summoner posing as this Professor guy,” Samantha said gripping Jeff's arm.

“And he made this Key Inn guy, too?” Sergio asked.

“Yes. Several hundred years ago, ”Jeff answered.

“Dios mio,” the old woman muttered.

“He made both of them and he tends to play games with those he creates.” Jeff wrote down a

few notes quickly.

“He's a real sicko that gets off on fucking around with people's lives,” Samantha muttered

angrily.

The waitress reappeared with their drinks and there was an uneasy silence as she set the cold

glasses down. They all ignored her and pretended to be reading the menu. She gave them a

curious look, then wandered off slowly, obviously wondering what was up with the strange

foursome.

“And that is what he is doing with your cousin and Cian,” Jeff said in a low voice.

"So, The Summoner is an old vampire who killed my cousin just to have her play a game?"

Sergio frowned even more deeply. "That's not right."

“He's an evil man and we should destroy him,” the grandmother said and pulled a stake from

her purse. It was made from the end of a broom handle and she had whittled the end to a fine

point.

"Grandmama!" Sergio quickly grabbed the thing and shoved it back into her tote bag.

"Well, that would be the way to do it, right?" Samantha sipped her soda and rubbed the end of

her red nose.

“Technically, yes. If we could find him, ”Jeff answered.

"We know where he is!" She pulled out the map and waved it at him. “They went here. So he

is right there with them! We have to go and kill him and save Cian. "

“And Amaliya,” the grandmother said firmly.

Sergio snagged the Google map and stared at it. “Is this where they are? For real? "

“I'm certain of it. I think The Summoner called them to him. ” Jeff sighed and wished the

tension headache starting in his neck would go away.

"Why?"

“Because if they didn't go, he'd do something even worse than what they fear right now,” Jeff

answered the big man and tried to imply what he did not want to say in front of the old woman.

“Like kill us,” the grandmother said, seeing right through Jeff. "He's a real puto."

"Grandmama!" Sergio said in surprise.

“I don't like him. He should die. He killed my poor Amaliya. He deserves to die, ”she

answered him firmly.

“I totally agree with that,” Samantha said. "We should go right now."

“Um, no way,” Sergio pointed to the window. ”It's nighttime and I do not want to be vampire

chow. "

“We wait until morning,” Jeff said sternly. He tried to look at his menu for real this time and

not just as a ruse to keep the waitress away.

“I say we go right now,” the old woman insisted.

“Grandmama, the vampire would eat us,” Sergio said in a harsh whisper.

“Amaliya could be dead by morning,” his grandmother hissed right back.

“Yeah, what she said. They could be dead by morning, ”Samantha said with a pout. “We

should go now. ”

Jeff laid down the menu and turned to Samantha. "Do you trust me?" It was a gamble, but he

hoped she'd answer yes.

Her bottom lip quivered a little and she looked at him with wide eyes. “Kinda. Maybe. ”

"Okay." He tried another tactic. "Who's the experienced vampire hunter?"

"You are."

“Okay. We go in the morning. ” His voice was very firm and everyone at the table looked a

little startled by his tone. To his surprise, they nodded slowly in agreement and seemed a little

more respectful in their gaze as he signaled for the waitress. “We eat. Then we plan. ”

"Can't we plan now?" the old woman said, and he made a mental note to find out her name.

“Nope. We eat first. Plan later. ” Again his tone was strong and no one argued. He caught

Samantha staring at him with consternation and smiled at her slightly. “Hey, the blood and gore

can wait. They got good gingerbread pancakes. Possible last meal and all that. ”

She pouted at him but turned her gaze back to the menu.

The stealthy looks in his direction were somewhat comforting and for the first time, he felt

like a true leader.

Now, if he could only figure out how to keep them alive.