“Layden,” Phoenix hisses under her breath. She smacks my leg under the table hard enough that I feel it through my jeans. But I ignore her and keep my eyes locked on the Professor.
His eyes finally meet mine as if truly acknowledging my existence for the first time. “You are a cousin, no?”
“No.” The word comes out flat.
“Ah,” he says while smiling a patronizing smile that makes me want to blast his face with a surge of runic magic. “It is true, I am la signorina’s Ph.D. advisor, but her dissertation is almost complete at this point. I consider her more of a peer than a student anymore. She is the brightest student I ever taught and will go on to surpass me in academia, I am certain of it.”
“Nonsense!” Phoenix cries with genuine pleasure at the compliment.
“I mean it, bella. You are going to produce such amazing work in your field.” His eyes turn to hers now with an intensity I recognize all too well. It’s the intensity of devotion. But I doubt it’s because she ever used her compulsion on him. This looks genuine.
My stomach turns over as I turn to look at her. Does she feel the same way about him?
Her eyes shine at his praise. Even though she’s a little less on guard in this setting with him, it only means she has different walls up instead. She plays a part when she’s with this man. She’s never able to be her true self, not completely. This might be the life she wants, but with him, it would always be partially fiction. She could never tell him what she really is.
Still, seeing the smile on her face as they discuss his new research cracks something in my chest. The looseness in her limbs tells me she’s more relaxed here than she ever is with me. I wonder if she dreams about this life. She hates the blood magic part of her existence. She always has. Little wonder, considering the way Vlad raised her. Half-granddaughter, half-slave to do his dirty work for him. Of course she dreams of a normal life with a normal man.
A man who isn’t cursed. A man who can touch her without potentially destroying her.
“So, Professor, there’s actually a reason I wanted to call this meeting, in addition to wanting to congratulate you on your excellent lecture.” Phoenix shifts in her seat, leaning forward slightly.
“My busy schedule is always open to you, bella. You know that.”
“Well,” Phoenix bites her bottom lip in that way she does when she’s thinking. “I know we’ve been talking so much about all that’s been happening last month and how it might relate to ancient worship practices. I came across something this week and wanted to know what you think about it. Whether you had any insight that might help.” She pauses. “Could you look at some crime scene photos?”
He only blinks once with surprise before saying, “Of course, if you think it would be helpful.”
“I got these pictures from a source I have who’s familiar with the deep web.” Phoenix pulls out her phone. The Professor tugs his reading glasses from his front pocket before reaching for it. Phoenix pulls the phone back at the last minute. “I’ll warn you first, they’re extremely gruesome.”
The Professor nods gravely. “I understood they might be from what you texted.”
Phoenix nods and relinquishes the phone to him. Even though he was apparently ready for it, I still see his face react to the horrific images Phoenix photographed while we were at the crime scene.
“Madonna Santa!” he whispers while crossing himself briefly before flipping to another image with a shaking hand.
He pushes the bagel he ordered away from himself as if he might be sick. Right at that moment, Phoenix’s coffee and pastryarrive. I glance at the coffee cup. It’s some swirly, milky-colored concoction with whipped cream piled on top.Whipped cream.
I’ve endured late-night coding sessions with this woman back when we first lived together at Vlad’s compound. All I ever saw her down was entire pots of black coffee. Thick as tar, bitter enough to strip paint. But apparently for the Professor, she drinks fancy lattes with whipped cream.
The Professor puts the phone down on the table and crosses himself again with more fervor this time.
“So what do you think?” Phoenix leans forward eagerly. “Is it anything you’ve seen before in your research?”
He takes a long moment before answering. When he finally does speak, his voice is shaken. “Heaven help us, but yes, I have seen something similar. Only once before.”
Phoenix almost leaps over the table. I can tell she’s so excited by the way her whole body goes tense with anticipation. “Where? What was it?”
“During my work with Ancient Egyptian scrolls several years ago. They spoke of an evil goddess who would enchant a man with her sexual pull in order to lure him away from others. She would get him alone, mate with him, and then demand his life as a sacrifice. After the mating, she would tear his body apart.” He pauses, looking disturbed by his own words. “‘Rend him limb from limb and joint from joint in a circle bathed in blood’ was how the ancient texts described it. And then she would consume his heart.”
“Like a black widow spider,” I murmur, making the connection.
“The heart wasn’t there at the scene,” Phoenix says quickly. “You really think it could be her? That she’s come back after all this time?” She sounds incredulous but also intensely focused. “How would we find her? How would we stop something like that?”
The Professor’s mouth drops open in shock. “You’ll do no such thing, Phoenix! Did you not see these photos? These are ancient powers for us to observe from a safe distance, not interfere with directly.”
“Of course, of course.” Phoenix recovers quickly, smoothing over her slip. “I just want to study her more thoroughly. To include in my dissertation if possible. What’s her name in the texts?”
“Ammit, the man-eater.” He says the name with reverence mixed with fear.
