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Amaliya pressed her hand to Cian’s chest and he glanced at her briefly. He was struggling with his emotions.

Rachon’s laughter was cruel with its amusement. “You never could run far enough away from him. ”

“You never tried. ”

“Maybe that is why I hold Louisiana in my grasp and you merely have Austin. ”

“You turned your entire family and made them your minions so you could rule Louisiana. ”

“I freed them from slavery and made them rulers,” Rachon said sharply.

Amaliya smiled. Cian had hit a sore spot.

“We’ve both done what we had to in order to survive, haven’t we, Rachon?”

“I will give you that. ” There was a pause in her voice. “I haven’t called to argue. ”

“Then what do you want?”

“To visit you,” Rachon answered.

Cian lifted an eyebrow as Amaliya raised both of hers.

“I see. May I ask why?”

“I want to see our sister. I want to see where our father died. And I want to make a pact with you. I know you have Santos and Etzli stalking your borders. Word is that they are trying to make pacts with Courtney, the new Master in Dallas and Nicole from Houston. You need me. ”

Frowning, Cian hooked his arm around Amaliya’s shoulders and pulled her along with him as he headed toward his car. “I’m not certain-”

“You need me, Cian. We both know it. The only thing holding off Santos is the baby necromancer. He was terrified of The Summoner and that is why he left you alone before. Now there is your new pet. Santos wants her. The only reason he hasn’t attacked is because he still doesn’t know what she can or can’t do. How much longer do you think the threat of her power will hold him off?”

Unlocking the car, Cian glanced up and down the street warily.

Amaliya didn’t sense anything, but she wasn’t as powerful as Cian. Nervously, she slid into the passenger seat as he took his place behind the wheel.

“Cian?” Rachon’s voice sounded small and distant now that Amaliya wasn’t snuggled into Cian’s arms.

“What do you know?” Cian asked tersely.

“People talk to me. Powerful people. Sometimes they let things slip. ”

Cian slid into the car, his brow deeply furrowed. “When?”

“Tonight. ”

“Where?”

“That I don’t know. ”

“We’ll talk later,” Cian said shortly. He killed the call and shoved his phone into his jeans. “I’ll need you to summon the dead over distance. ”

“What?”

“Can you do it?” His voice was hard and demanding.

Amaliya bit her bottom lip, glancing toward the graveyard. “Yes. I bled in the graveyard tonight. I can do it. ”

“We’re going to be attacked. Most likely close to home. They won’t attack here near the graveyard. ”