Page 17

“You do that. I’ll call you tomorrow to negotiate the terms of your visit,” Cian finally said.

“Excellent. ” Rachon’s voice was cautious. “Until tomorrow. ”

Terminating the call, Cian stared through the windows toward the state capitol building.

“Are we fucked?” Amaliya asked, her hands on her hips.

“Not yet. ” Cian tapped the cellphone against his chin. “But Rachon is up to something. ”

“Of course she is. She fucking hates our guts! We killed The Summoner!”

“It’s something more than that. If she wanted revenge, she would have moved against us by now. ” Cian frowned, sorting through the knowledge he had of Rachon and his past dealings with her. “I wish I could figure out what she wants. ”

Clutching her hair in tight fists, Amaliya growled. “Fuck! We should just run!”

“We’ll be fine. ”

“There are only two of us, Cian!”

“We will be fine, Liya,” Cian said firmly.

“But she’s dangerous, right?”

“Absolutely. ”

“How dangerous is she?”

“As dangerous as I am,” Cian answered.

“Which means?”

“We’re very close to being fucked,” Cian admitted.

“Well, shit,” Amaliya sighed.

“Come here,” Cian said, holding out his hand.

With a frustration sound, Amaliya slid into his arms. Tucking her head against his neck, she curled up, her feet resting on the armrest.

“We’re going to die, aren’t we, Cian?”

“Maybe. But not without a fight. We’re both powerful. We have the hunters on our side, too. ”

“They’ve never killed anything before, Cian. ”

“No, but I do think they can rise to the occasion. ”

“Rachon is coming to kill us. We both know it. ”

Amaliya’s lips were soft against his neck and he slowly stroked her long hair. Cian wasn’t sure of Rachon’s motives and he was sure that attempting to kill both of them was not out of the realm of possibility, but she tended to maneuver in ways that were mystifying.

“You’re a badass necromancer that can call zombie hordes to your side in an instant,” Cian reminded her.

“Yeah, if I spilled blood in the cemetery the same night. ”

“We’ll deal with Rachon, then deal with

Santos and Etzli. ”