Page 66
If only she could call Amaliya. . .
Chapter 17
Jeff awoke to see Beatrice staring at him from her perch on the headboard of Samantha’s bed. The tabby narrowed her green eyes at him.
“Uh, hi?” he whispered, reaching up slowly, offering to scratch her behind the ears.
The cat deftly avoided his hand, leaped past it, and landed heavily on Jeff’s stomach. He was positive the cat had increased her mass somehow. When she landed she felt like she weighed a ton, not a few pounds. Flicking her tail, Beatrice settled into the curve of Samantha’s back and began to delicately lick one paw.
“Okay, I get it. She’s yours and I’m in your spot,” Jeff grunted.
Beatrice regarded him for a long moment as if to say, ‘Yes, stupid human. ’
The bedroom was freezing cold. The air unit in the window was gusting air, making the flimsy curtains holding back the sunlight billow outward like dancing ghosts. Rubbing his face, he slowly sat up and glanced over at Samantha. She was deeply asleep, curled on her side, her hand tucked under her chin, breathing deeply. The sight of her made him s
mile and he gently touched her naked hip.
Outside the window, the huge oak tree threw dark shadows over the house and the insects were buzzing contentedly. It sounded like a lazy Sunday afternoon and he was tempted to lie back down and continue his nap. Sadly, there was much work to do before night fell.
Snagging his cellphone off the bed stand, he quickly scrolled through his messages. There were numerous ones from Benchley and Alexia. Surrendering to the inevitable, he swung his legs out from the silky rose colored sheets and winced as the frosty air washed over his flesh. He fumbled for his boxers, shimmied into them, then reached for his prosthetic leg.
Looking over his shoulder, he wondered if he could love Samantha any more than he already did. She had been completely undaunted by the fact one of his legs ended in a stump just below the knee. Other women had responded not too well to that revelation, but Samantha had acted as though it was completely natural for someone to have to remove a limb before making love. Tenderly, he trailed his fingers through her blond hair, cherishing the feel of it against his skin.
The phone vibrated in his other hand, summoning his attention. It was yet another message from Benchley. Shivering, Jeff abandoned the bed and made his way to Samantha’s kitchen. The sunlight was hitting this side of the house and it was substantially warmer. Beatrice breezed past him, sauntering forward with a haughty air. It was obvious that his presence was an intrusion as far as Samantha’s cat was concerned.
Dialing Benchley, Jeff poured himself a glass of orange juice from the refrigerator.
“Dude, where have you been?”
“I’m with Sam. I told you that,” Jeff answered.
“You text me she’s a phasmagnus and to research it then don’t answer your phone. Not cool at all,” Benchley protested.
“We were. . . uh. . . busy. ”
The silence on the other end drew on a little too long.
“Bench?”
“You’re getting laid while my sister and I are busting our asses to get ready? Really? Really?”
Jeff winced. “Well, uh, you know. . . the whole ‘we may die soon’ argument sealed the deal. ”
“I think I kinda hate you right now. ”
“What’s up, Benchley? You weren’t texting me every few minutes for nothing. ” Jeff dropped his friendly voice and opted for his more authoritative one which he rarely used.
“Fine. I did some digging while Alexia was fixing up the van. Phasmagnus are super-rare. Vampires did a great job whacking nearly all of them. Phasmagnus can summon ghosts and have them do their bidding. Phasmagnus could get them to spy, to steal stuff, and could also make them corporeal enough to do damage or kill. The more the phasmagnus uses their power, the stronger they get. If this is what Samantha is. . . Jeff, seriously, every vampire in the world will be gunning for her. ”
“I saw her make a ghost solid. ” Jeff’s happiness was dissolving into dread. “Samantha touched the ghost and within seconds it was solid enough to scratch me, knock me back, and draw blood. ”
“Fuck me, dude. ”
“I know. ” Jeff rubbed his brow, wishing away his sudden headache.
“All from drinking Amaliya’s blood just once. . . ”
“Samantha was close to death. That has to be why. ”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66 (Reading here)
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114