Page 109

“What do you mean?” Rachon tilted her head.

“Those rings tear the veil,” Cian explained. “The veil that holds back the creatures of the pit and the darkness that devours all. ”

“F

uck me,” Rachon gasped.

“And if The Summoner wants the rings, your family won't be very safe for long,” Cassandra continued.

“He never told me about any rings,” Rachon said, her betrayal evident for all to see. “He didn't trust me. ”

“So are you in or not?” Eduardo asked, showing his teeth.

Rachon slowly nodded. “Yes, I'm in. ”

Cian extended his hand to her, and Rachon took with a nervous smile. “This is going to get messy, isn't it, Cian?”

“You have no idea,” Cassandra muttered.

“It'll be fun,” Eduardo said confidently. “Until we die. ”

* * *

By the time they left the graveyard, the story they agreed upon to tell the police was simple. Ethan had hoodwinked Pete, Sergio, and Innocente into believing that Amaliya was alive and that he would take them to her. Instead, he had tried to kill them in a black magic ritual. Sergio, in a rage, managed to overpower him and break his neck. Drugged, Sergio had passed out, not waking until morning when he drove to the nearest town to inform the authorities.

The police would find the camper stuffed with bizarre occult items and a folder full of stolen police records. If they were lucky, the police might even believe that Ethan Logan was the true mastermind behind the Satanic Murders.

Between Rachon’s vehicle and Alexia's, the vampire hunters, the dhamphir, the witch, the vampires, and coyote returned safely to Austin, regretfully leaving Sergio behind to deal with their cover story. Having missed the battle, Sergio felt it was the least he could do. It had been difficult to leave Innocente and Pete's bodies behind in the graveyard.

When they left, Cian had to forcibly carry Amaliya away from Innocente's body. Strangely, it was Samantha who gave Amaliya the greatest comfort as they rode back to Austin. Holding Amaliya's hand, Samantha told her of about Innocente's appearance and the mysterious ghost who had helped her.

“What did he look like?” Amaliya asked, her face streaked with blood tears.

Samantha described her ghostly helper in as much detail as she could remember.

With a sad smile, Amaliya nodded. “It was my grandfather. He came for her. ”

Curling up in Cian's arms, Amaliya had clung to him the whole way home.

Part Six

Two Weeks Later

Chapter 27

The back room of Jeff's occult bookstore was even more cramped than usual. Extra chairs had been brought in from other rooms inside the shop and it was very crowded around the table.

Jeff took his usual position at the head of the table. He was amused when Cian and Rachon sat on either side of him, angling their chairs so that it appeared they were also at the head. Amaliya sat at Cian's side, followed by Samantha. Whatever animosity had been between them was gone now. They chatted with each other in soft voices, waiting for the meeting to start. Benchley and Alexia had their usual seats, though both were still immensely grumpy over missing the big battle once again. Sergio and Eduardo sat next to Rachon, while Cass and Aimee sat at the opposite end of the table. Cian’s daughter and the witch had shoved the chairs together so they could snuggle into each other.

Jeff felt awkward every time Cass looked at him. They had a history they had yet to divulge to anyone and he wasn’t too sure how Cian would take it.

But there were more important matters to discuss.

“We have a full house tonight. Talk about performance anxiety,” Jeff said, trying to break the ice.

The somber expressions around the table informed him that he had not succeeded. It was two weeks since the death of Pete Talbert and Innocente Ottmer. They had anticipated a big media blitz after the deaths, but the police had kept it very hush-hush. Rachon suspected that maybe Ethan's old contacts or family had worked their usual magic to keep it suppressed. The group had stayed apart from each other during that time. Only Jeff and Samantha had attended Innocente's funeral.

There had been concern about Etzli or The Summoner attacking in the aftermath of the battle. As a precaution, each of their homes was now heavily warded by Aimee's spells. Jeff was grateful to finally have a witch in their midst.