The blood she consumed was transformed by her nature, not only renewing her body, but her power. She could feel her necromantic nature slithering through her like silken batwings, expanding and contracting. Its icy tendrils flexed and coiled inside of her, craving to touch the dead and commune with them.

Her vampire nature summoned her to drink the blood of humans, but her necromancer nature beckoned to her to raise the dead. She wanted to walk among them, feel them touching her, drawing life from her, loving her as she restored them.

This was the blessing and the curse that The Summoner had inflicted upon her. It angered her that her nightmare tainted her usual pleasure in her new nature. She loved being a vampire and had grown to embrace her necromancer power. Yet, Bianca’s words now haunted her.

When she was done, she’d drunkenly returned to the apartment she shared with Cian. He was gone, feeding somewhere in the building. The space felt empty without him. She felt empty without him. She didn’t care what Bianca had whispered in her dream. Amaliya was her own person. She made her own decisions and she chose to be with Cian.

Almost feeling feverishly delirious, Amaliya took refuge in the shower. The water flowing over her helped her subdue the call of the graveyards. The warm water formed a barrier over her skin, calming the need to call the dead.

“Something’s wrong,” Amaliya whispered.

Ever since she had consumed the witch’s spell, she could feel it inside of her, twisted into her own magic. It felt intrusive, but it was now a part of her. Just like Samantha was trapped by magic she didn’t understand, so was she. They were tangled in the web of magicks neither one of them fully understood. Even though Jeff and Cian were trying to help them, in reality no one really had any idea of what was truly happening to them. The Summoner had been no ordinary vampire and in the end, he had created three beings of unusual and unknown powers. Maybe Bianca was right in that context. They could never truly be free of The Summoner because it was his power that was infused into their very essence.

Resting her forehead against the cool tiles, she sighed. In a very short time she would be facing Rachon and her people. Though Amaliya believed in her powers, she was afraid of the unknown. Would Bianca obey Rachon? Would she be stronger than Amaliya? A piece of Amaliya was terrified to rescue Bianca. What if the girl looked to Amaliya to guide her? In her dream Bianca had been reaching for her. What did that mean? Amaliya didn’t even know what she was doing half of the time. How was she supposed to help another necro-vamp?

The warm water sluiced over her long black hair, flattening it to her flesh. Running a hand down over her arm, Amaliya caressed the scar that was once a tattooed rosary. She had fallen so far from grace. Was there any salvation for her and Cian? What would she find beyond the veil of death?

A gust of cold air and the sound of the shower door popping open announced Cian’s arrival. She could smell fresh blood on his breath and his familiar scent. Remaining under the stream of water, she was reluctant to acknowledge his presence. Wallowing in her fears and anxieties, she found it difficult to let him into her thoughts.

The presence of the master vampire made her skin tingle. The shower was quite large and his body didn’t touch hers as his hand reached past her to make the water hotter. Closing her eyes, her fingers continued to stroke the roughened scar at the center of her tattoo. What would her mother think of her? What would she tell her if she were still alive?

“Don’t be afraid,” Cian said, as if answering her question.

She opened her eyes and shifted her stance so she could see him. His hair was longer and his cheeks and chin scruffy. The heavy fringe of his lashes made his hazel eyes even more beautiful.

“Aren’t you?” she asked. Though she loved him, he was still a mystery at times. There was a hardness to him that lurked under his pretty smile and calm demeanor.

With a slight shrug, he said, “What’s the point?”

Amaliya twisted around so she could rest her back against the wall, just on the other side of the water spray. “Uh, we might die.”

“We already did die.”

“True,” Amaliya conceded. “You were afraid of The Summoner.”

“Because he would do much worse than kill us,” Cian reminded her. “Honestly, death in comparison to the things he could have done to us would have been a welcome relief.”

“Are you afraid of what’s on the other side?”

Cian picked up a loofah and some soap, his brown hair darkened by the water. “Of course. Who isn’t?”

Frowning, Amaliya rested her hand over her scar. “I don’t want to die. I want to live, you know.” The conversation she had with The Summoner in her dream reared its head and she shuddered. “I don’t want to deal with all this bullshit. I just want to live our lives without this crap from the others.”

The soap trailed over Cian’s lean, muscular form as he bathed. He drew closer to her so he could peer into her eyes. “I did that for almost three decades. It can be rather boring.”

A burst of laughter erupting from her lips surprised Amaliya. “I’ve never been accused of that!”

Cian appeared amused. “No, you’re not. And our lives are not ever going to be simple. I hid myself in the shadow of The Summoner for a very long time. Vampires did not dare come against me while he lived. Now we will have to deal with them and perhaps other creatures now that he is gone. He was a curse and a blessing. In many ways, he was my salvation when he was alive. His mere existence kept me safe.”

Amaliya narrowed her eyes. “Oh, my God! This is such a guy thing! You’re wanting to show everyone you can stand on your own two feet, aren’t you? Prove that you’re a badass without Daddy watching over you!”

Amaliya knew she was onto the truth when Cian averted his face and studiously scrubbed his chest.

“You’re such a fuckin’ man!” Amaliya shook her head, her wet hair sliding over her skin.

“If we prove ourselves to the others, they will think twice before coming against us. Let Rachon come. I’m older and stronger than she is.”

“But she controls Louisiana,” Amaliya said. “Doesn’t that make her stronger?”

“She has many minions under her. That is where I failed.” Cian frowned as he ducked his head under the water again.

“You didn’t build a cabal.”

“And she did. But I am stronger than she is. She knows it. I suspect that’s why she has Bianca now, to strengthen her base of power.”

“Like you’re using me to strengthen yours,” Amaliya said with a tiny bit of bitterness. She knew her presence at Cian’s side strengthened his status in the world of the vampires. It annoyed her.

Cian plucked at her bottom lip with one finger. “You know you’re more than that.”

Quirking an eyebrow, Amaliya cocked her head. “Oh, yeah?”

Resting his hands against the wall just over her shoulders, he leaned toward her. His eyes were so intense she had to force herself to stare into them. Sometimes it was difficult to meet his gaze. Maybe it was his vampiric power, but whenever he looked into her eyes, she felt as though she was connected to the very core of his being, drowning in him.

“What’s the point of living forever if you have no one to share it with? What’s the point of fighting to survive against all sorts of monsters if you’re alone? Life is not worth living when you have none to love. I have lived so many different lives since the night I died. I lived for vengeance, for power, for money, for lust. When all those grew stale and empty, I tried to be human again and failed.”

Overwhelmed by the emotion in his words and the intensity of his eyes, Amaliya averted her eyes. He caught her chin, lifting it. Unsteady, she met his gaze.

“You restored me, Amaliya,” Cian said, his voice thick with his accent and emotion. “I’ll fight to protect what we have.”

The love she saw in his eyes banished all thoughts of The Summoner and his cruelty. Sliding her arms around his waist, she pressed her body against him, her mouth catching his in a searing kiss. The coppery taste of blood was on his tongue and lips and it made her hungrier for him. Pressing her against the cold tiles, Cian met her passionate kiss with equal desire. His sharp teeth grazed her tongue and fresh blood spilled into their kiss.

All thoughts of death washed away in the flood of her love for him. Tangling her fingers in his wet hair, she drew his head back to bite into his throat. Simultaneously, he pushed her thighs apart and slid into her. His blood filled her mouth and tangled her even deeper into his fiery power. It was flooding her, filling her, strengthening her, and binding her to him.

Gasping, her fangs released the hold on his flesh. Cian gripped her hair and bit into her neck. Her power swirled out to meet his when their blood mingled together in his vampire kiss. Her lover’s fingers slid over her wet skin as he lifted one of her legs, thrusting harder into her.

Pleasure and pain built inside of her as their power continued to burn over her flesh. She could almost see the swirling colors of their power against the backdrop of her closed eyes. The blackness of her power mingled with his fiery aura when they reached the peak of their pleasure. Cian ground himself into her while she scored his back with her nails, eliciting a low moan from him. His tongue trailed over her lips and she shuddered with pleasure. The pulse of his cock inside of her as he orgasmed forced a growl out of him that sent a shiver through her.