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“Here,” Samantha answered, stepping into the room with Roberto close behind. The ghost looked entirely solid and almost alive. Samantha had infused him with a lot of her magic. Jeff’s fiancée came to him immediately, sliding into the spot between him and Alexia.

“I take it the news isn’t good?” Benchley remarked.

“Did you reach Amaliya?” Jeff’s gaze darted to the four people who could give him an answer.

Roberto took up the spot before the television and clasped his hands behind his back. “I was able to.”

“And?” Alexia prompted.

“We should wait for Cian,” Samantha said, chewing on her thumbnail. She rarely bit her nails.

“I’m here,” the vampire said from the hallway. He sounded groggy and a quick glance out the window revealed that the sun was still setting. Lingering in the shadows of the hallway, Cian was barely visible. “I woke early. For once.”

Roberto stared at his old friend and the man he had betrayed with a strangely compassionate expression. It unnerved Jeff.

“Tell them,” Samantha instructed the ghost. It was more of a command. She was trembling in Jeff’s arms. Obviously, she knew what Roberto was about to say and was terrified. Jeff felt his heartbeat accelerate and his stomach clenched in apprehension.

Roberto didn’t raise his eyes as he spoke. It was evident to Jeff that the ghost was frightened, too. “The haven of The Summoner is near the downtown area of San Antonio. It has many spells cast on it to hide it from not only from supernaturals but from humans. The only reason I was able to see it and slip inside was because of the connection between Amaliya and Samantha. The thread between them cut right through the wards like a knife and I was able to travel along the connection through the barriers.”

“How bad is San Antonio on the magical end of things? The crime reports today are off the charts,” Alexia said.

Jeff knew the coming answer was going to be bad when the Roberto actually shuddered. “The Summoner’s witches are casting powerful spells that are infecting the entire city. I’ve never seen anything like it. There are enormous pockets of negative energy all over the city that are ready to erupt. He’s going to plunge the city into chaos.”

“Why?” Baptiste asked. “A diversion?”

“The violence and blood will feed his spells,” Roberto grimly answered.

“If the energy build up is as bad as you say, then that’s a whole lot of violence and blood,” Alexia pointed out, then her eyes opened wider. “Shit.”

“And it’s going to get worse,” Samantha said sourly.

Aimee shifted in her seat next to Cassandra, her arms tucked around her girlfriend. The witch appeared close to crying, which frightened Jeff even more.

“Eh, it always gets worse,” Eduardo said nonchalantly.

“But you saw Amaliya, right?” Cian sounded like he was half-asleep, but his tone was commanding and laced with anxiety.

“Yes. I saw both Amaliya and Bianca. They’re trapped in a room with The Summoner. When I arrived they were confined to the bed in the room, unable to leave. The Summoner was in a trance. Preparing.”

“He’s not possessing Bianca?” Benchley squinted. “Huh?”

Roberto nodded. “Amaliya says he’s found a way to create a corporeal body, at least as long as he’s in the presence of the Sword of Lucifer.”

“What?” Cassandra’s eyes flashed open. “What? It’s formed?”

The ghost shifted on his feet, the edges of his body blurring. He appeared reluctant to answer. “Not yet. Almost. The black witches summoned the last ring this morning once The Summoner had Amaliya. It’ll possess the person closest to it and force them to bring it to The Summoner.”

“Mom!” Cassandra lurched out of her chair, her phone clutched in her hand. In a panic, she tried to pull up her mother’s number on the screen.

Aimee clutched Cassandra’s arms and forced her to sit down. Holding her close, Aimee said, “Cass, we’ll find her. We can find her.”

Silence filled the room as Cassandra sobbed. “He has her, Aimee! He has my mom!”

Cian dared to enter the room, keeping to the shadows. He embraced his daughter from behind. “Cassandra, we’ll find her.”

“Galina had the ring,” Alexia said, stricken at the realization of what must be happening.

Aimee nodded sorrowfully. “We hid it in a box under her house. We thought it would be safe.”