Chapter Thirty-four

I wake up coughing, having rolled over in my sleep and am facing the window. The sun is creeping up, casting a muted glow throughout my room. Lucas’s hand lands on my back, startling me. I roll over, eyes locking with his. “You’re still here.”

“I didn’t want to leave you.”

“But it’s almost dawn.”

“I know.”

“The spell from the other day might not work.” I snuggle closer to him and he pulls the blanket up over my shoulder.

“That’s okay.” He slides his hand under the blanket and runs his fingertips up and down my arm.

“You’ll burn.”

“I’ll leave before that happens. Your basement is dark. It’s not the worst place I’ve waited out the sun.” He kisses my forehead. “Go back to sleep. You need to rest.”

“I need a drink first.” I slowly sit up, coughing again, and reach for the glass of water on my nightstand.

“Do you feel any better?” Lucas pushes himself up, looking at me with concern. We’re both naked, having gone right into bed after taking a shower. Lucas brushed the tangles out of my hair and then rubbed my back until I fell asleep, which was pretty much instantly. Commanding the hellfire took a lot out of me.

All three of my familiars are in bed with us, acting like typical cats and hogging most of the bed.

“Yeah,” I tell him, setting the now-empty glass on my nightstand. “I’m still tired, though I’ve never been a morning person.”

Lucas smiles, but the concern is still obvious on his face. “I don’t like hearing you cough like that.”

“I’m human. I’m going to get sick every now and then. I don’t get sick very often at least. Actually, I don’t remember the last time I was sick.” Yawning, I lay back down, hoping I’ll fall asleep again with him still with me. “There are blankets downstairs. And extra pillows. So you can make yourself comfortable.”

“I will. And I plan to borrow a book or two from your interesting collection.” His eyes are on the bookshelf in my room, which is full of romance novels. “T.L. Smith seems to be one of your favorite authors.”

“She is. Her books are dark, sexy, and a little fucked-up. Kind of like you,” I tease, lazily rolling over in his arms.

“I am so fucking glad you are mine,” he whispers, holding me tight. “I love you, Callie.”

“I love you too.” I open my eyes again, looking at his handsome face. “I didn’t want to fall in love with you, you know. I tried hard not to.”

“I’m a bad influence.”

“The worst.”

“Go back to sleep.” His hand lands on the back of my head and he brings his head down, kissing my forehead. “You need to rest so I can fuck you tonight.”

“Such a romantic.” Smiling and cuddled up in Lucas’s arms, I close my eyes and drift back to sleep, not waking for several more hours.

“What?” I groan, pulling the blankets up over my head. Binx is meowing at me, standing on my pillow.

“I think he wants you to know someone is here,” Lucas says, and I open my eyes. It’s daylight, and my room is annoyingly bright right now.

“You’re here.” I blink a few times and look at the window. “The window is still enchanted?”

“Yes,” he chuckles. “The spell held.”

“Who’s here?” I push up, running my hands through my messy hair. Binx tells me it’s Tabatha, and she’s walking up to the front door now. “Let her in and tell her I’ll be right down,” I tell my familiar and then collapse back into Lucas’s arms.

“You seemed to have slept soundly.” His hand goes right to my thigh, fingers inching in toward my core.

“I did. I dreamed I bought that white house a few miles away. You were helping me renovate it and we found a hidden closet full of haunted items.”

“Is that a good dream?”

“The best. This house was haunted when I first moved in, you know. I find ghosts to be tragically compelling.”

“You are so fucking weird, and I can’t get enough of it,” Lucas flips us over, pinning me between his body and the mattress. “Never in all of my years did I think I’d find someone like you.”

“You must have been looking in the wrong places.” I bend my knees up, trying to be sexy, and then have to turn my head and cough.

Lucas slowly shakes his head back and forth. “I used to think fate was a fucking joke made up by people who couldn’t take control of their own lives. But maybe…maybe I walked alone for centuries because I was supposed to wait for you.”

“Dammit, Lucas,” I say when tears spring to my eyes. He kisses me hard, tongue pushing into my mouth. I moan as he grinds himself against me, forgetting everything else around us.

“Go,” he says, suddenly breaking away. “Talk to your High Priestess. And then come back and get naked again.”

Laughing, I get out of bed, quickly get dressed in sleeper shorts and an oversized t-shirt. I use the bathroom and then go downstairs, finding Tabatha in the living room. She wraps me in a hug as soon as I enter the room.

She smells like sage and lavender, and the smell is instantly comforting. She releases me from her embrace and holds me at arm’s length, looking me up and down. I smeared Kristy’s healing balm on my cheek before passing out, and the cut is almost healed by now. But I’m sure I still look ragged, because I feel ragged.

“My darling girl,” Tabatha starts, eyes full of emotion. She holds my gaze for a moment and then swallows what she’s feeling, getting down to business. “You have a vampire upstairs.”

“Yes, he’s, uh, my boyfriend.”

Pursing her lips, she cocks one eyebrow. “You know I don’t like to be accused of playing favorites,” she starts. “But, if what I’ve been told is true, that vampire risked his afterlife for you last night. And for that, I will pretend as if I do not know about this arrangement. You know how the Grand Coven feels about witch-vampire relationships.”

“I do,” I tell her. “But Lucas isn’t like other vampires.”

She holds up her hand. “The less I know, the better. Because I do not know about your new boyfriend at all.”

I nod in understanding. “Is everyone in the coven okay? There was a couple here last night, with a little boy and girl. They seemed pretty freaked out.”

“As they should be.” Tabatha closes her eyes, looking away for a moment. She quickly flicks away a tear and then turns back to me. “What happened, my child?”

I take a deep breath and sit on the couch. Binx jumps up next to me, and I run my hand over his sleek fur. Tabatha takes a seat on the love seat next to me and I tell her everything, from the creepy visions, to being called a half-breed, and to somehow knowing a spell that turned the hellfire against the demon.

“Is there something wrong with me?” I ask, voice breaking. Tabatha’s gaze wavers, but she recovers fast.

“Of course not, Callie. You are one of the most extraordinary witches I’ve ever met.”

“Why would he call me a half-breed?”

She looks out the window, and I hate that I get the feeling she’s withholding a truth from me. “Demons lie, as you know. This particular one had a vendetta against us. Saying anything he could to get under your skin, to make you vulnerable, worked in his favor.”

“You don’t think I’m a half-breed?”

“You are a witch,” she says with certainty. “One I practically raised myself. If you were anything but, I’d know.” She pulls a potion vial from her robe pocket. “That cough hasn’t gotten any better, has it?”

“Kristy said something, didn’t she?”

“Of course. That’s one loyal friend you have there.”

“I know.” I smile, heart feeling all warm and fuzzy when I think about her. Tabatha hands me the vial. “What is this?”

“A health elixir I drafted myself. Take it and go back to sleep. You’ll wake feeling refreshed.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, my dear girl.” She stands and takes my hand. “I must get back to the coven. I’m meeting with the High Priest from the Circle of the Crescent Moon. I’m ordering you, as your High Priestess, to take that elixir and sleep for another four hours at least.”

“I can handle that.” I give her hand a squeeze. Now that she’s High Priestess, Tabatha is busy attending to our coven. She was busy before as Headmistress of the Academy, but back in my younger years, I was able to go into her office at night. It was strange, how homesick I became for those long nights I spent sitting on that green settee in her office, waiting to hear my punishment for breaking a school rule, once I returned to my non-magical family.

The pain was too much to bear, and for the first three years I spent at the Academy, I enjoyed my summer holiday at the Greystones, hanging out with Evander and learning everything I could about magic.

“You know I love you like my own daughter.” Tabatha gently smooths out my hair.

“I do. And I love you too.”

“Be careful, darling. If one demon went through all that to find you, I fear others might follow suit.”

I know her words to be true, and I knew it before she even said it. Still, hearing it out loud sends a shock through me.

“If another comes after me again, I’ll be ready.”

“We all will be.” She kisses my cheek and I see her out, watching her disappear through the yard. I go into the kitchen, groaning at my lack of groceries, and settle for a Pop-Tart and a glass of water. My milk is expired and there’s no point in making coffee if I’m going to go back to sleep. After eating, I go upstairs, brush my teeth, and refill my water glass.

“What’s that?” Lucas asks, seeing the potion vial in my hand.

“A health elixir. It should help with my cough, but it will probably make me pass out again.”

“If it makes you better, then take it,” he encourages. “I’ll be here with you until you wake. I’ll keep you safe.”

I pop the cork out of the vial. “I know you will.”

*

“Do you have to go back to Chicago?”

“Not tonight.” Lucas pulls the blanket up over my shoulder, keeping the slight breeze from chilling my skin. Insisting we check off another area of the house from my never-had-sex-there list, Lucas and I just made love on the back porch.

“Good,” I say, not caring if I’m being selfish. I don’t want him to leave even though I know he has his own troubles to deal with. I snuggle closer, heart fluttering. “I sleep better when you’re next to me.”

“Are you tired again, my love?”

“A little. But I don’t want to move.” The forest is alive with the sounds of night and even though we’re laying on top of a sleeping bag and covered only with a sheet, I’m comfortable. It has everything to do with laying here with Lucas, I know.

“Come to the city with me tomorrow.” He inches his fingers down between my thighs. I’m still wet, still revved up and sensitive from having sex not that long ago. “I’ll attend to my business during the day and will take you out again at night.”

“During the day?”

“You didn’t notice, did you?”

“Notice what?” I ask.

“The bar has few windows, and they have similar blinds as my house. It’s light-tight during the day. We have ways to travel during the day now, you know.”

“Right. I almost forgot Uber came out with a vampire service last year.” I rest my hand on the slight curve of his waist. “And going out for another date night sounds really nice.”

“Anything to show you off,” he says with a smile. “Though it’s almost a shame the world has no idea just how incredible you are.”

“You know. That’s enough for me.”

Lucas moves over the top of me, and I widen my legs, feeling his cock brush against my clit. Letting out a moan, I drag my nails down his back.

“Now that the demon is gone, what are you going to do?” Lucas asks, lips going to my neck.

“Go back to work and get ready for the next monster to attack.” I bring a hand up, raking my fingers through his hair.

“Do you like working?”

“Yeah, overall. I mean, I’d rather get paid to do nothing, but I love to read, and being my own boss is nice.”

“You don’t have to work. I have a lot of money. You’re mine, and that means I take care of you.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can. You’ve proven time and time again how you can.”

“I do like the idea of having an undead sugar daddy,” I laugh. “Though I think I’ll get bored not working.”

Lucas lifts his head, looking at me incredulously. “Really?”

“Fine, probably not. I’m a bit of a trouble magnet.”

“You are, which, if I’m being honest, is part of what makes me love you.”

“Well, good, because you’re in for a lot more trouble just by being around me.”

He kisses me, deep and passionate, and then takes me in his arms. We stay tangled together for a while longer before getting up and going into the house. Lucas drank from me during sex, and the loss of blood is making me feel a little lightheaded and a lot hungry.

“I’m in desperate need to go grocery shopping,” I say, holding the sheet around my body as I look through the fridge.

“Let’s go out.”

“Burgers and fries do sound good.” I close the fridge and go upstairs to get dressed. I smile at my reflection, heart feeling full. I still have a shit storm of family drama to deal with, and a million unanswered questions about why I was singled out by a high-powered demon and who the blue-eyed man was…if he was even real at all.

But I’m so fucking happy and in love.

I run a brush through my messy hair and throw on a black dress, heels, and red lipstick. Lucas and I walk out to his car together, and I magically seal up my house after promising my familiars that I’ll bring them back something to eat.

We have to stop and get gas before making it to the restaurant. None of the pumps are accepting credit cards at the moment, so I go in with Lucas to pay the cashier, wanting to grab a bottle of water. Having Lucas drink my blood makes me constantly thirsty. We get up to the register to pay, and the doors open behind us. The cashier, who’s facing the door, looks up and screams.

Lucas and I whirl around, seeing two men in ski masks come in, guns raised. Lucas tips his head my way, raising one eyebrow in question. I give him a little nod and wiggle my fingers, conjuring a string of magic.

“Put your hands up!” one of the masked men shouts and points his gun at Lucas. The cashier screams again and drops to the floor.

“Ready to have some fun, babe?” Lucas asks, drawing his fangs.

I bring my hand up, holding a bright blue energy ball between my fingers. “Hell yes.”

My eyes meet one of the gunman’s and my lips twitch into a half smile. He tightens his grip on the gun, but his gaze flits to the ball of energy that’s floating half an inch from my palm.

And then the other guy notices Lucas’s fangs.

“He’s a fucking vampire!” he stammers and aims his rifle at Lucas’s chest. “Don’t move, fanger!”

Lucas laughs, deep and throaty, and takes a slow step forward. He can be fucking terrifying when he wants to be.

“Unless you have wooden bullets, that thing won’t stop me.”

The man’s hands tremble, and I fear he’s going to accidentally pull the trigger. Lucas is right in saying the bullets won’t stop him, but I’m sure it’ll still hurt like hell. And we won’t be able to go out to dinner with him all bloody and his shirt full of bullet holes.

“Besides,” Lucas goes on. “It’s her you should be afraid of.” He brings his hand up, not taking his eyes off the man holding a gun to his chest, and points at me with his thumb. “I could rip your veins right out of your body before you knew what was happening, but what she can do will be much, much worse.”

The other man, who has some sort of fancy-looking pistol with an ivory grip, points his gun at me. In the blink of an eye, Lucas shoves the rifle back into the gunman’s face, breaking his nose, and jerks the weapon from his hands, dropping it to the floor.

He speeds over to the other guy, going around behind him, and snaps his wrist back. The bones break and the gun in his hand clatters to the ground.

“But threaten the woman I love and you’ll be begging for your death,” Lucas growls.

I toss up the energy ball, letting it hover in the air, and telekinetically move the gun. It slides over the gritty tile floor to the other side of the little mini-mart. My heart is hammering a million miles an hour in my chest. Compared to a high-ranking demon, hell fire, and some mysterious man with blue eyes who I’m not sure I should trust, yet I want to, two hillbilly robbers seem like child’s play.

Yet, I’m aware of how badly this could have ended.

Lucas is fast.

But so are bullets.

I have powers…but I’m not immortal. One shot to the heart. The head. The lungs. The gut.

And I’ll be dead before the EMTs can get here.

Lucas releases the man, who doubles over, cradling his wrist to his chest. I turn, looking at the stunned cashier, and recognize her as Josie Barron. She’s worked here for years, and being the only gas station in Thorne Hill, most residents in the town know all the gas station attendants by name, I’m sure.

Josie is the same age as me, and if I’d gone to Thorne Hill High School instead of the Academy, we would have graduated together. Her eyes meet mine and her lips part, wanting to say something but unable to form the words.

“Call the police,” I say. “If you haven’t alerted them already. Do you have a button-thingy?”

She slowly nods, and I’m not sure if she’s trying to tell me she hit the oh-shit button or if she’s going to call the cops. I whirl around when I hear the guy who had the rifle stagger to his feet, wiping blood off his face. He aims the gun at Lucas’s head and this time I know he’s not going to hesitate before pulling the trigger.

I throw out my hand, meaning to knock him on his ass. The energy ball explodes at the same time as I send a wave of energy at the guy. Instead of knocking him backwards, he’s thrown several feet into the air and crashes into a display of junk food. Energy crackles through the air, and bright blue magic sizzles around my fingers.

Holy shit.

I didn’t mean to do that. I didn’t know I could do that. Just like I didn’t know how to command the hell fire.

Or speak another language, which I’m still not convinced really happened. I don’t know any other languages.

Twinkies and small bags of chips fall on the man, followed by the metal shelves.

“Oops.” I bring my hand to my mouth, more shocked with the power boost than anything else. “I’m sorry,” I say and look over my shoulder at the cashier. “I’ll help clean up the mess.”

“I think that’s the least of her worries,” Lucas says, and punches the guy with the broken wrist on the side of the head, just hard enough to knock him out. He falls in slow motion to the floor, unmoving.

“Is he dead?” I ask Lucas, looking at the guy I threw halfway across the store.

“No. His heart is beating. I can kill him if you want.”

“I, um, no, I don’t want you to.” I blink and look at Lucas. My heart speeds up again, but from how strongly I feel for him. Lucas speeds over and wraps his arm around me. Not caring that Josie is still staring at us as if we marched in here dressed like Superman and Wonder Woman, fighting crime like it’s our destiny, he brings his lips to mine and kisses me.

“You are so fucking hot, Callie,” he groans.

I let out a breath and everything hits me all over again. I grip Lucas tighter and rest my head against his chest for a second before straightening up. “We should go.”

“Are the police on the way?” Lucas asks Josie.

“Y-y-es,” she stammers.

“Let’s get out of here,” I repeat, not wanting to be involved with the law. The witches and warlocks of Thorne Hill have worked hard to keep our identities secret. I might already be in hot water with the Grand Coven for being with Lucas. The last thing I need is to get them to bail me out and cast a mass memory-altering spell on all those involved. “The security cameras,” I say, suddenly realizing that I’m not going to get out of here easily regardless. “We should get the footage of us.”

“The cameras have been broken for a month. They don’t record anything,” Josie mumbles, whole body shaking.

“That’s fucking stupid,” Lucas spits out.

“I-I know,” she agrees.

“You should fix them,” I say and take my hands off Lucas to dig through my purse, finding a few dollars. I’m still thirsty and want my water. I set the money on the counter, trading it for the water bottle. Josie stares at the money for a second and then looks up at me.

“You…you guys saved me.”

“You’re welcome.” I give her a smile and hear sirens in the distance. Lucas takes my hand and we take a step forward together.

“Wait! You can’t go!” Josie calls. “What…what will I tell the police?”

Lucas looks her in the eyes and has her spellbound in a second. “You will tell the police two men came in to rob you. You ducked behind the counter and didn’t see anything.”

“I didn’t see anything,” she nods.

“Are the cameras really broken?”

“Yes. Mr. Malati is too cheap to replace them. He says Thorne Hill is a safe town.”

“Obviously it’s not impervious to out-of-town robbers,” Lucas scoffs. “Now duck back down and hide until the police get here.”

Josie’s head slowly bobs up and down and she crouches back down. Lucas takes my hand and we hurry out of the gas station and into the car.

“That was fun,” he says, not phased at all, as he starts the engine.

“It kind of was,” I agree, smile coming to my face. “I’ll take robbers over demons any day.” I let out a breath.

“Are you okay?” Lucas asks, gently pushing my hair back behind my ear.

“Yeah. I should be more shaken than I am, right?”

He shrugs. “You should never assume any hunt it easy, but after facing what you have in the last few days, humans aren’t much of a challenge.”

“Right. And I almost think it was fate we were there,” I confess.

The smile is back on Lucas’s face. “A vampire and a witch just happen to be in the store you’re trying to rob…” He chuckles and speeds out of the gas station, making it far enough away by the time three police cars come tearing down the road. He slows, moving to the side of the road, and then speeds back up as soon as they’re past.

“You really are a trouble magnet.” He reaches over and takes my hand.

“Told you.”

“It turns me on.” I smile, feeling heat rush through me, and give his hand a squeeze. “We could always go back to your place so I can fuck you again.”

“I do like the sound of that.” I twist in my seat. “But I’m starving.”

“Eat first. You’ll need your strength.”

It only takes a few minutes to get into town. Lucas parks along the main road—the one that runs right over the Ley line—and we get out. There are only a few places to eat in downtown Thorne Hill, and tonight I feel like greasy diner food. Lucas speeds around the car, taking my hand as we cross the street.

Suzy’s Cafe is busy tonight, and we wait for a hostess to seat us. Now that the adrenaline is wearing off, my heart is back to feeling full. I look around this small town cafe, filled with residents of Thorne Hill. It’s funny how ninety-nine percent of the people in here are nons and have no idea what happened in the woods.

And what could easily happen again.

They have no idea of the monsters that lurk in the forest, the dangers the Ley line attracts. I’m sure more than a handful are curious about us, and there have long been rumors of witches that live in cabins in the thorn-filled woods. Of course, the witches in those rumors are the eat-your-children, evil kind, but a healthy dose of fear keeps the nons away.

You’re welcome for keeping your asses safe from demons.

I look up and see Jerry behind the counter. He’s a warlock, and a member of my coven. He looks at me with a friendly smile, and then his eyes go to my hand in Lucas’s. Able to sense that Lucas is a vampire, the smile disappears on Jerry’s face instantly.

But it’s okay.

It has to be.

I stopped a demon. Saved my coven. Prevented a robbery.

Things need to be okay.

But I know they’re not, and a terrible feeling starts to rise in the pit of my stomach. Never trust a vampire. And never lead one to the Covenstead door…

I broke a law that goes beyond dating a vampire.

“Just the two of you?” a peppy blonde teenager asks, coming up to the hostess booth.

“Yes, but only one menu is necessary,” Lucas tells her, flashing his fangs as she goes to grab the menus from the little hostess booth.

“Oh, I, uh, sorry, I couldn’t…” Her cheeks redden and Lucas retracts his fangs, giving her is signature crooked grin instead, flustering her even more. “This way,” she says, waving for us to follow her. I suck in a breath, heart skipping a beat when I look up at Jerry again and see him turned away from the oven with his cell phone in his hand.

If he was following protocol, he’d be reporting me to the High Priestess, and Tabatha already knows about Lucas…which doesn’t make this any better. I’m putting her in a precarious situation and it’s not fair to do that to her.

But it’s not fair to me either.

Not only do I trust Lucas, I love him. He trusts me too, and he’s proven more than once that he’d risk his own life to save mine.

“What’s wrong, my love?” Lucas asks after the hostess steps away. “I can hear your heart racing.”

“Nothing,” I say and let out a sigh and open my menu, even though I order the same thing every time I come here. I don’t want this feeling of foreboding to ruin our evening. I’m going to eat, go home, snuggle up with Lucas on the couch, and then take him upstairs and have my turn dominating him in the bedroom.

I don’t want to worry about what could happen. Especially when it’s fucking bullshit. No one should tell anyone who they can and can’t love.

“Really?”

“No.” I flick my eyes up to his and get hit with butterflies all over again. “One of the cooks here is in my coven.”

A beat passes before Lucas speaks. “And he saw us together.”

“He did. It’s against the rules.”

“Fuck the rules,” Lucas tells me.

“I’m trying,” I say honestly and put the menu down. Lucas takes my hand in both of his and rubs his thumb over the pulse point of my wrist.  How such a little movement can turn me on is just one of the things I love about Lucas. “If we were just together, it would be one thing.”

“There’s another thing?”

“You know where the door to our coven is.” I swallow hard, finally letting myself think about the consequences, about everything Tabatha didn’t say, yet her words were screaming at me in a warning.

“And that’s bad,” Lucas finishes for me.

“It is.” I let my eyes flutter shut, calmed by Lucas’s gently touch. He slides his fingers up my arm and I shiver with desire.

“How bad?” Lucas asks.

“Bad.” I open my eyes and look at Lucas, getting lost in those gorgeous, deep-blue eyes all over again. I’m not letting anyone keep us apart, no matter the cost.

“We won’t let it get that bad.” Lucas gives my hand a squeeze. “I heard what your High Priestess said. Those that know the truth are grateful for us both.”

“Right.” I force a smile and bring my other hand up, cupping it over Lucas’s. “It’ll be okay. I love you, and I won’t let stupid, old rules keep us apart.”

“No one is taking you from me, or me from you,” Lucas promises and intertwines our fingers. Another shiver runs down my spine, but this time it chills me.

I could get in serious trouble with the Grand Coven.

And Lucas could as well with the Vampire Council.

It suddenly hits me how dangerous it is for us to be together. Not only could we face severe punishment, but our relationship could cause the witches and vampire to start a war.

Again.