Pretty When She Destroys

by Rhiannon Frater

  “Glad I’m not the only paranoid one.” Amaliya dared to look at Samantha for a split second. She registered the blonde’s worried frown.

  “Just when you think the monster is whipped, it jumps up and starts killing,” Samantha said somberly. “That’s how horror movies always work.”

  A shiver slid up and down Amaliya’s spine at the thought. But the small woman in Baptiste’s arms didn’t even appear alive. Her arms dangled at her sides, head tipped back, her eyes empty.

  “Tasty. For me?” Eduardo slid out of the shadows of the short hallway leading past the kitchen.

  As always, Amaliya’s body throbbed with heat at the sight of the coyote. Smirking, he winked at her.

  “Really, you shouldn’t have. How could you know what I wanted for my birthday?” Eduardo continued, falling into step beside Amaliya.

  “Your birthday isn’t until January,” Samantha said crossly. “It’s on Jeff’s birthday calendar.”

  It touched Amaliya that Samantha was so protective of her, but Amaliya could handle Eduardo just fine. Despite his raw sexuality and the carnal lust he inspired between her thighs, she kept him firmly at arm’s length.

  “True, besides I have my eye on something much more delectable.” Eduardo’s eyes swept over Amaliya, his gaze lingering on her breasts.

  “Fuck off,” Amaliya said, roughly pushing him through a doorway into the dining room.

  The coyote growled.

  Amaliya ignored the delectable shiver that raced through her at the sound. She hated how much he turned her on.

  When she followed Baptiste down the stairs into the basement, the first person she saw was Cian. The somber look on his handsome face was expected, but the sword in his hand gave her pause. She wasn’t looking forward to what was coming next.

  “Put her in the cell,” Cian instructed Baptiste.

  “You got it.” The tall man cautiously carried the small woman along the narrow hallway and past the rest of the cabal gathered to gawk at their captive.

  “Wow, it’s really her.” Benchley sucked in a deep breath. “Wow!”

  “Anyone else really, really nervous?” Alexia asked.

  When Cian pressed a kiss to her lips, Amaliya lightly touched his cheek. She sensed the violence stirring beneath his calm veneer. He was already mentally preparing himself for what he had to do.

  “Do you think she’ll tell us where The Summoner is?” Amaliya dared to ask.

  Cian’s frown only deepened. “I don’t know, but what other choice do we have? She’s our best chance.”

  Biting her bottom lip, Amaliya matched his dour expression.

  Tenderly touching her arm, Cian said, “We’re running out of time. Even if The Summoner can only partially open the veil, it will cause severe damage to this world. We have to do this.”

  Aimee and Cassandra stood nearby, matching looks of concern on their faces. Etzli being in their haven was unnerving, but what Cian planned to do made everyone uneasy. Amaliya trailed behind Cian to the small room they had made into a prison cell. Etzli was sprawled on the floor with her eyes wide and staring while Baptiste and Benchley secured her arms and legs. As the silver shackles closed over her wrists and ankles, Etzli’s skin sizzled. Around the silver dagger plunged into her chest, the flesh was charred. The sight of the weapon sticking out from between the woman’s breasts disturbed Amaliya more than she would have thought possible. No matter how monstrous Etzli could be, she was also a woman just like Amaliya. Though her instinct was to hate the other vampire, Amaliya recognized that in some ways they were quite similar. They were both doing exactly what they thought was right.

  Stepping away from Etzli, Baptiste surveyed the somber vampires standing in the doorway. “I can use fire on her if you need me to.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Cian said grim-faced. He motioned to the men with the sword in his hand. “I’ll call you if I need you.”

  With bleak looks upon their faces, Baptiste and Benchley slipped past Amaliya into the hallway where the others stood clustered. Cian glanced at Amaliya and she deliberately leaned against the cell wall, obviously refusing to budge. Acquiescing to her wishes, Cian shut the door. Without any fanfare, Cian leaned over, jerked the dagger out of Etzli, and stood back.

  Etzli immediately began to laugh.

  This wasn’t what Amaliya expected.

  Cian folded his arms, staring down at Etzli. He didn’t speak, but waited.

  “You make it all so easy,” Etzli said at last.

  “Cian,” Amaliya whispered.

  Etzli spoke in a posh accent that was distinctly not her own.

  The woman chained to the floor opened her mouth and darkness bellowed out in a thick cloud. It struck Amaliya and Cian like a mighty fist. With a painful whack, Amaliya’s head impacted with the wall. Black magic filled the room completely, drowning out all light, sound, and sensation. The oily miasma writhed over her skin attempting to slide into her mouth. Stunned, Amaliya clamped her lips together. The Summoner’s presence dwelled in the blackness. Or maybe he was the essence of it.

  “You disappoint me,” The Summoner’s voice whispered in her ear.

  Struggling to shove herself off the wall to confront him, Amaliya concentrated on drawing upon her own magic to protect her. It was a mistake. The Summoner had created her and his magic had birthed hers. Instantly, her power was wound around his, drawing her deeper under his spell. The darkness enshrouding her obliterated every sensation except for his fingers lightly stroking her throat. Even the wall she was pinned against sifted away until she was left with the impression of floating in deep, dark, frigid water. She was trapped in the heart of the absolute evil, feeling weightless, empty, and afraid.

  “Again, you disappoint me. How easily you stumble into my traps.”

  Deep within the gloom was another presence. It wasn’t Cian or Etzli. They were lost to her in the ocean of the necromancer’s magic. It was the other one. The blood sister she had failed to rescue. Now they were both trapped in the majestic deathly power of The Summoner.

  “Bianca,” Amaliya uttered.

  The spell slithered across her lips, seeking entry. She clamped her mouth shut, fearful of what may happen should the magic manage to infect her.

  “She’s here with us. My little necromancers are united at last.”

  Amaliya sensed movement within the murk and lashed out, trying to capture The Summoner in her grip. She didn’t know how to fight him, but she had to try. The sensation of being adrift in the deepest waters of the ocean continued, her arms and legs flailing as she tried to find purchase. Soft, cold fingers gripped her hand. They were slim and delicate.

  Bianca, Amaliya thought.

  “I’m sorry,” Bianca said from the black stillness.

  The low, terrifying voice of The Summoner spoke in Amaliya’s ear. “We are all three together once again. It’s been so long since the night I killed both of you.”

  A small, delicate female body mostly made of darkness and cold drifted into Amaliya’s embrace. At first she feared it was Etzli, but realized it was Bianca when the tendrils of powers instantly wove together, uniting them. Feeling more like a shadow than flesh and bone, Bianca clung to Amaliya. Tears welling in her eyes, Amaliya clutched the other necromancer to her quaking body. Fear ravaged her thoughts.

  “Submit to me and I won’t kill those you love,” The Summoner’s voice murmured, the timber of his voice rushing over her flesh like icy prick of a needles.

  In a panic and desperate to escape, Amaliya unfurled her power, the dark wings of her magic reached out to find those who loved her and grounded her. Instead, she found the welcoming power of her creator and her sister in blood.

  The Summoner’s long body pressed against her back. Though she knew it wasn’t possible, she could feel the hardness of his chest. Amaliya had destroyed him with her zombies. She had seen the horde tear him apart. Yet, here he was, tangible and terrible.

  When The Summoner wrapped his arms around bo
th of them, Amaliya shivered. There was completion in his touch. It was impossible to deny they were a triad of immense power. Amaliya felt it to her marrow and it terrified her. Cian, Austin, the house, and all her friends felt like wispy dreams of another life. The darkness felt eerily like home.

  “Submit to me and I will spare all those you love. Name them and they will survive when the abyss swallows the world.”

  “You’re lying,” Amaliya hissed. The spell again attempted to plunge into her mouth, but she managed to spit it out. There were still parts of her magic that were not intertwined with The Summoner’s.

  “He’s lying,” Bianca’s voice said at the same time.

  “No, no. I’m not,” The Summoner answered. “I am willing to allow your family and friends to live if you will willingly come to my side. Submit to me. Be mine. We will rule the new world together. In exchange, I will grant your loved ones immunity.”

  “They’ll try to kill you,” Amaliya responded to the darkness.

  “Yes, but they won’t be able to with you at my side.”

  “And if I say no?”

  “I will kill them tonight. Sergio and his family in Wyoming. The Vezoraks in Spooner, Texas. Cian’s cabal in Austin.”

  Raw rage coursed through Amaliya. How casually he threatened all those she loved. Releasing Bianca, she managed to spin about, gripping The Summoner’s neck in her hands. She could barely see him now, his eyes glowing in the blackness engulfing her. He wasn’t flesh and bone but something else that was nearly as tangible. The glow of his eyes barely illuminated his face but she could make out his sensuous lips, strong nose, and elegant brow. A sharp pang of need punctured her soul. No matter how evil and cruel he was, a piece of her always yearned for him. She tried to speak, but the torrent of conflicting emotions stilled her tongue.

  “Etzli awaits your answer. By taking her into your home, you opened a pathway to my power. Already her witches, demons and jaguars are waiting to enter the house through the portal and slaughter them all.”

  Bianca’s presence lingered at her side, but was silent. The great wings of Amaliya’s power sought solace in the darkness. If only she could feel the touch of Cian’s mind, or Samantha’s power. Instead, there was a small spark of familiarity.

  Do as he says, Innocente’s voice whispered through her mind.

  Amaliya’s fingers tightened against The Summoner’s throat, but had no effect. She wanted to rip his head from his shoulders so that she wouldn’t submit to him and give into the throbbing need she felt for him.

  “Well? Shall I kill all you love? Shall I drag you back with me and tie you in silver chains? Or will you come willingly with me to rule at my side when the abyss consumes the world?” His fingertips slid over her body seductively.

  Quivering, Amaliya cursed him, herself, and the world as a whole. A feral, wicked part of her wanted to plunge into his power. It angered and disgusted her.

  “Do you love me?” Amaliya asked, the question coming unexpected from her lips. The spell played along the corners of her mouth, retreating while The Summoner waited.

  “More than any other,” The Summoner answered.

  Somewhere in the absolute dark, Bianca wept.

  “You will let the others go. You will not hurt them.”

  “As long as you are by my side, I will not hurt them.”

  “Why do you want me?” This time the question was one she had been craving to ask for months. Ever since the night he had taken her out for coffee, then fucked and killed her.

  “Because you’re chaos personified. Pure power. Dark and beautiful. You are perfectly destructive.”

  The Summoner meant every word he said. She felt the truth resonating deep within her.

  Do not run away, Amal.

  Again, her grandmother’s voice, but no one else trapped in the icy dark heard it but her.

  Unable to utter the words he wanted to hear, Amaliya seized upon the alternative. Releasing the dam that held back her deepest, most terrifying desires for The Summoner, the darkness, and death, she pressed her mouth against his. He wasn’t quite flesh, but he was corporeal enough to touch. The necromancer’s kiss was bitter ashes and blood. His tongue was cold and demanding. She attempted to slide her mouth from his when it became too much to endure, but he held her captive. Within her, the last bit of resistance broke apart and the magicks of both The Summoner and Bianca flooded into her. Weeping, she clung to The Summoner, her mouth devouring his hungrily.

  This was what she had always feared in the recesses of her broken soul. That only in the absence of all that was light and good, would she find the place where she belonged.

  The people gathered in the narrow hallway flinched when Cian slammed the door shut, cutting them off from the view of Etzli bound in silver and splayed out on the floor.

  The ugly knot in Cassandra’s stomach had her on edge. Though a part of her was thrilled to see Etzli subdued and at their mercy, she was well aware of just how dangerous the situation actually was. Cassandra lightly touched her girlfriend’s hand seeking solace, but Aimee didn’t even look her way. The witch’s forehead was furrowed and her lips pressed into a tight line.

  They weren’t the only ones ill at ease. Baptiste slid his hands slowly over his bald head, exhaling slowly. Benchley nervously scratched his nose, while his sister frowned at the tips of her battered sneakers. Jeff rubbed Samantha’s back gently, trying to soothe her, but the ugly scowl on her face did not disappear. Only Eduardo didn’t seem affected to what was about to occur. He leaned against the wall, tapping his fingers against it.

  “Something’s gone wrong,” Aimee whispered.

  “Yeah, we’re going all Guantanamo on Etzli,” Benchley answered.

  Baptiste grimly dipped his head. “Not a good feeling.”

  “Kinda like we’re the bad guys now,” Benchley agreed.

  “No, that’s not it!” Aimee lifted her blue eyes and Cassandra saw stark fear in them. “Something is here!”

  “Oh, God! I feel it!” Samantha took a step away from the door, visibly shivering as revulsion poured into her expression. “It’s full of death and...and...”

  “Evil,” Aimee finished for her.

  “Well, it is Etzli,” Alexia pointed out, but she also retreated down the hall.

  “Maybe you’re feeling Cian...you know...torturing her.” The suggestion obviously made Jeff very uncomfortable, but he, too, took a few cautious steps backward.

  “It’s not Etzli. It’s him!” Samantha started toward the door. Jeff futilely tried to tug her back, but Samantha twisted away from him. “Let go! He’s here!”

  Aimee fell in behind Samantha, magic beginning to spark around her fingertips.

  “How can you be sure?” Cassandra took a step toward the door and froze.

  “Uh...that?” Benchley nearly stumbled in his haste to get away from the cell.

  Black magic coursed out around the edges of the door giving it a dark, wispy aura. Ribbons of frosty energy lashed out, Aimee and Samantha both flinching under the assault. Cassandra cried out as she was whipped by the magic, welts appearing on her flesh where they struck. .

  “I can see that!” Jeff exclaimed.

  “Dude, we all can!” Benchley grabbed Alexia’s arm and shoved her behind him as he backed in the direction of the stairwell.

  Baptiste surged forward. “We need to get them out of there!”

  Cassandra was a few steps in front of him. Raising her arms to protect her face, she plunged past Samantha and Aimee. She pivoted on one foot and kicked out with the other, the heel of her boot striking the door. It took three more kicks to knock it entirely off its hinges. Baptiste thrust out his hands, a gust of warm air shoving the falling door out of their way so it spun across the cell floor.

  “Oh, hell!” Samantha gasped.

  A massive hole spread along the wall directly across from the doorway. It was filled with darkness and inky threads crawled along the floor, ceiling and walls like swiftly growing vines. C
ian lay close to the door, his sword at his side. There was no sign of Amaliya or Etzli. The shackles that had bound Etzli were empty.

  “It’s a portal!” Benchley waved at the maw of shadows. “It’s a portal!”

  Tendrils of shadow lashed out toward the doorway. The floor beneath Cian shuddered, cracked, and started to give way. Cassandra grabbed her father under the armpits and dragged him out of the room seconds before the floor broke apart and fell into a pit opening up beneath the foundation of the house.

  “This isn’t good!” Samantha cried out.

  “Everyone out!” Jeff ordered.

  There was a mad scramble to the stairs. Aimee tossed a few orbs of energy at the spreading darkness. Small explosions of energy filled the air with an acrid smell, but did not deter the black magic. The pitch-black filaments snaked past the threshold and spread into the hallway, forcing the witch to retreat.

  “Well, that didn’t work,” Aimee muttered, then turned and fled.

  Cassandra heaved her unconscious father over her shoulders and raced behind Aimee and the others toward the stairs to the main floor. Behind them the ceiling broke apart with a mighty crack and cement dust filled the air. Choking on the mix of chilly air and smut, Cassandra clambered up the stairs. Violent coughing drew her attention downward. Alexia was at the base of the stairs, doubled over and trying to catch her breath. Clutched in her hands were several external hard drives.

  “Baptiste,” Cassandra managed to force out of her clogged throat. “Alexia’s in trouble!”

  The elemagus’s tall frame pressed past the witch and dhamphir to the tiny woman below. His sweater was pulled over his mouth to keep the dusty air out of his airways. Once Cassandra saw he had Alexia, she continued her ascent, following in Aimee’s wake.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Cassandra saw the black tendrils rapidly crawling along the walls, flanking their ascent. With a burst of speed, the dhamphir scrambled upward under her heavy burden, her hand grabbing Aimee’s. Dragging her girlfriend along, Cassandra trailed behind the others in a desperate dash to get out of the house. The shadowy serpents of black magic slithered over the floor and walls and wove through the building, ripping it apart.