Abby slowly shakes her head, eyeing the bottle of wine on the counter. I pour her a glass, and she takes a big drink.
“But Lucas is okay?”
“Yes,” I tell her. “He’ll be here soon. He had to go to Chicago to deal with some work stuff. It’s not like he eats anyway.”
Abby smiles. “True.” She gets the rest of the food out of the bags and opens the fridge to put the salad away until dinner. She pauses, holding the salad in one hand, and blinks a few times. Thinking there’s not enough room, I get up to help her shuffle things around.
And then I realize she’s staring at a bag of blood Eliza stole from the blood bank.
“Oops,” I say and take the bag from the fridge.
Abby looks at the blood and then at me, blinking.
“It’s not my blood, if that makes it any better,” I tell her.
“Whose blood is it?” she asks slowly.
“I actually don’t know.”
“Yeah…that, uh, makes it worse.” She puts the salad in the fridge and closes the door. “It fits now, at least.”
“Good.” I smile. “Thanks for coming over and doing all this.”
Abby smiles back. “I’m glad I was able to. I have a lot of birthdays to make up for.”
“Well, then I do, too.”
“You always sent me a card on my birthday,” she says quietly. “I would have sent one back if I knew how to.”
I wave my hand in the air. “It’s fine. You’re here now, Abby, and that’s what matters.” I pick up her glass of wine and give it to her. “Want to sit outside and drink while we wait for dinner to heat up?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Abby, Kristy, and I go onto the back porch, talking as we sip our wine. Scarlet runs around the yard, and my familiars lazily stretch out on the porch steps, enjoying the remaining warmth of the day.
I lean against the porch railing with my back to the woods. The sun is getting lower in the sky, and soon it will be chilly but not cold. It’s the perfect night for a bonfire. I’m out of firewood, though.
Too bad I don’t have any bodies to burn.
“You have a really nice view,” Abby says, looking out at the forest. “It’s so peaceful out here.”
“It is,” I agree, turning to look at the trees. My heart lurches in my chest, remembering all over again how I won’t be walking through those woods to get to the door anymore. I’m about to turn back when something catches my eye.
Something is coming out of the woods.
My familiars shadow forward, and I narrow my eyes, watching her emerge from the trees.
You have got to be fucking kidding me.
Chapter 20
“What the hell are you doing here?” I set my glass of wine down so hard it sloshes all over the porch railing.
“You know why I’m here,” Ruby says, stopping at the edge of my warding. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”
“Make what harder than it has to be?” I jump down the porch steps. “Acting like a decent human being? Not stalking me? Now that would be hard for you.”
Ruby holds out her hand, reading the spells I’ve used to cast a circle of protection around my house. “Don’t play dumb with me, Callie Martin.”
“It’s King now, and the only dumb thing around here is you, thinking you can just walk right through my wardings.” I put a hand on my hip and stare down Ruby. She’s dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, with her Academy-assigned robe over top. “And if you did somehow make it past the wardings, then you’re really stupid for thinking you could make it past my familiars.”
“Cut the bullshit,” Ruby spits out. “I’m here out of respect. Albeit said respect is just about out. So it’s more out of respect for the coven than for you.”
“What?” I curl my fingers in, nails pressing against my skin. I turn, looking at Kristy out of the corner of my eye. She shakes her head, not having the slightest clue what Ruby is talking about.
“You know what. And really, Callie, I expected more from you. First the trick with the book, and now this?”
“You’re not making any sense.” I go down the porch steps. “And I didn’t do anything with the book.” It’s true. I didn’t do a damn thing to it. The book won’t absorb my blood because I’m not a full witch.
“You know what doesn’t make sense? Why you’d let your vampire husband leave the bodies out to so easily be found. Unless you were trying to send a message.”
The blood drains from my face. Bodies? “What are you talking about?”
“Like I said,” Ruby goes on, holding out her hand. Magic sparks around her fingers, burning red in the night. “Stop playing dumb.”
“I’m not.” I move a few paces closer. “What bodies?”
Ruby arches an eyebrow. “Do I really have to repeat myself? Cut the bullshit. Three bodies were found, drained of blood.” She puts her hand on her hip. “You get removed from the coven and then what? Your little vampire husband goes on a murder spree?”
“There’s nothing little about Lucas,” I shoot back. “And he didn’t kill anyone.”
Not recently at least.
I turn, brows furrowed, and look at Kristy again. She shakes her head, letting me know she hasn’t heard anything about bodies being found.
“I am not in the mood for this, Ruby,” I go on, heart lurching when I see the fear in Abby’s eyes. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but you’re pissing me the fuck off.”
Ruby holds up her hands. “Ohh, I’m so scared.” She rolls her eyes. “Please. I knew you’d deny it, and I know the Grand Coven won’t go after you as they would have when you were a member of the coven. But I’m not stupid, Callie,” she says pointedly. “Bodies show up, drained of blood and torn up just enough to make it look like an animal attack, but I know better. That’s a classic vampire coverup, and I have to say part of me is disappointed your vamp husband couldn’t do a better job.”
“Ruby,” I start again and hold up my hand, creating a door for her to walk through. I’m pissed as hell at her for showing up unannounced, but Lucas didn’t kill anyone. If bodies really were found—drained of blood and torn up as if a wild animal was responsible for the killing—then we might have bigger problems than vampires in Thorne Hill.
Again.
“Lucas didn’t kill anyone. And until I know what the hell you are talking about, I can’t even level with you.”
I part the magic, and Ruby skeptically looks at the temporary door and then trains her eyes back to me. Pushing her shoulders back, she steps through the warding. I bring my hands together, sealing the circle again.
Wooden boards creak behind me, and Kristy comes down the porch steps, standing at my side. “I haven’t heard anything about bodies being found. People go disappearing often enough around here, but bodies drained of blood is still a big freaking deal,” she says.
“We were able to interfere before the nons got wind of it,” Ruby quickly explains, gaze darting from me to Kristy. She seems genuinely surprised neither of us know about this. “Joggers found the first body this morning in the state park.”
If she’s talking about the state park I’m thinking of, then it’s between Thorne Hill and Lake Michigan. Demons have flocked to the area before, finding it the perfect hiding spot, far enough from the Ley line not to draw unwanted attention, but close enough to suck up power from it.
“When the council went to investigate, we found two more bodies, and the deaths were ruled vampiric. So make it easy, Callie, and hand over your vampire or I’ll call the VC with an anonymous tip about a vampire draining humans…who also happens to be married to a witch.”
“It wasn’t Lucas,” I say through gritted teeth and magic crackles around my hands.
“How can you be sure?”
“First of all, I think I’d know if my husband left me in the night to go on a murder spree. And second—no, you don’t get a second. It wasn’t Lucas. We were together all night.”
&
nbsp; “So he hasn’t left the house? He’s still in there?” She looks past me at the backdoor. It’s not quite dark enough yet to think he could near the windows.
“You need to leave,” I say through gritted teeth, and the lights on the back of the house start to buzz. Scarlet pushes her way outside, standing by my feet. She lets out a growl, and I wish I could take her collar off and watch Ruby run away in fear. “It’s one thing to come here and talk shit about me, but another to come to my house and accuse my husband of murder.”
“Bodies were found,” she repeats. “Drained of blood. Kinda sounds like a vampire, doesn’t it?”
“A lot of demons drink blood,” I counter and hear Abby gasp. “I’d think you of all people would know that, right? You do teach at the Academy. Maybe I should tell Evander I don’t think you’re quite up for the job.”
“Please,” Ruby huffs. “Like anyone is going to take you seriously ever again. You left the coven—your family—for a vampire. You’re a disgrace to witches everywhere.”
“Shut your mouth,” I say and hold up my hand, bright blue energy swirling around my fingers.
“I have.” Ruby inches forward. “And now I’m paying for it. I looked the other way when you went all savage on the doctor, yanking his molars out one by one.” Her eyes narrow, and she conjures a small string of dark blue magic. “I figured that asshole deserved it after what he did to you, but I should have seen the writing on the wall. And then there was that time I defended you to the council. I really do think you did what you thought was right by allowing that vampire to come with you to the door. But this…this isn’t something I can sit back and shut up about. Protecting the coven has been, and always will be, my highest priority.”
“Then go protect the coven,” I retort. “You’re wasting your time here.”
“Really? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re defending a killer.”
“Guys,” Kristy says, holding up her hands.
“You are so obsessed with me,” I say with a laugh. “You’ll do anything to bring me down, no matter how fucking stupid it is.”
“Not obsessed,” Ruby sneers. “But I know the truth. I’ve always known the truth. There’s no way a witch brought in already past her tenth birthday could have known the things you did. There’s something wrong with you, Callie, and I’m going to find out what it is. Maybe Ruth was right all along and you are in communication with Satan.”
Hah. If only she knew.
“You don’t know when to leave well enough alone,” I shoot back, conjuring an energy ball. Binx shadows forward, followed by Freya and Pandora. But they go right past Ruby, going to the edge of the warding.
“Make this easy, Callie,” Ruby goes on. “Turn the vampire over and we won’t make a show of it. I’ll ensure his death will be as painless as possible.”
“Guys!” Kristy repeats, and I flick my eyes to her, noticing the panic. “There’s somethi—”
She cuts off when something crashes hard into the warding. We all jump, and Ruby whirls around. Magic crackles along the lines I’ve drawn, lighting up the yard and acting like a physical barrier. Whatever ran into the warding is on the ground, and suddenly the foul smell of sulfur pours from the woods.
“What the hell is that?” Kristy stammers.
I inhale, breathing in the scent of decay mixed in with the sulfur. Looking away from Kristy, I stare down Ruby. “Please tell me you invited some friends.”
She slowly shakes her head and narrows her eyes, looking out at the woods. “Me? No way. You summoned something, didn’t you, in an attempt to distract me?”
The creature on the ground gets up, and the magic settles back into place, offering a clear view through the lines which are invisible once again. The creature tips its head to the sky, letting out a harrowing roar. My heart skips a beat, and nerves prickle down my spine. My familiars hold the line, ready to attack if the thing somehow makes it past my protective spells.
“I promise I didn’t summon anything, and there’s nothing to distract you from. Like I said, Lucas didn’t kill anyone.”
“He’s not looking that innocent, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Guys!” Kristy repeats. “You can argue about that later. I think we have a bigger issue right now.” She turns her head from me and Ruby to that thing. “What is that?” She grabs my hand when it pushes against the protective lies again.
I shake my head. “I…I don’t know.” The creature lurches forward, moving with unnatural speed. At first glance, it looks like a person, with decaying skin and thick, brown blood oozing out of open sores all over its body. But instead of skin, the thing is made up of tree roots and twisted vines of ivy. Sap drips down its torso, and dark red eyes glow from deep within its skull.
“The bodies,” I say, eyes going wide. “Did they happen to be by a big tree?” I blink and see the large oak tree the demon tied me to, using tree roots, months ago. “Like propped or pinned up?”
The creature rushes at the warding again, hitting it hard. Magic crackles along the lines again, lighting up the forest behind it.
“Yes,” Ruby rushes out. “They were. That’s how we know it wasn’t actually animal attacks.”
“It definitely wasn’t an animal.” My breath leaves in a huff.
“How strong are your wardings?” Ruby asks, spreading her hands out, giving more power to the string of magic she’s holding. It glows bright blue and forms into a ball.
“Strong,” I tell her. “But I’m not going to hide behind lines of protection.” I conjure an energy ball.
“Callie, wait.” Kristy pulls my hand back. “We have no idea what that is or how to kill it.”
“Decapitation is always a tried and true method.” I give more power to the energy ball. “So is fire. I can handle this asshole.”
“What about that asshole’s friends?” Ruby says as several more root-monsters step from the forest.
“Oh my god,” Abby mumbles, slowly moving to the porch railing. The creatures all rush forward together, hitting the warding hard. Abby screams, and her wine glass falls to the ground, shattering to pieces.
“Get in the house,” I tell her, whirling around. “Binx will go with you and will keep you safe.” He shadows over, circling around me in protest. He doesn’t want to leave me out here with these…these things…whatever the fuck they are. “She needs you more,” I tell him. “She can’t protect herself like I can.”
Binx growls, not happy about leaving me, but shadows up the stairs.
“Go in the dining room,” I go on. “There’s a China cabinet next to the table. Get the white candles and light them. It will cast a protective circle around you.”
Abby nods and staggers forward, unable to tear her eyes away from the creatures lurking in the backyard.
“Protect my sister and her family,” I tell Binx. “If anything gets through…tear them to pieces.”
Abby pauses in the doorway and turns back to me. “What about you guys?”
“We’ll be right in. Don’t worry about us. Light the candles and you’ll be fine.”
Abby’s eyes meet mine, and then she slips into the house.
“White candles aren’t going to help,” Ruby tells me, slowly looking away from the creatures.
“I know, but it will make her feel better.” Freya and Pandora shadow along the line, ready to attack. “And it will distract her while I kill these fuckers.” The energy ball grows brighter, and I narrow my eyes, focusing on the three creatures, heart racing.
Suddenly, the one pounding against the warding crouches down, plunging its hands into the earth. The ground trembles and swallows the creature whole.
I let out a breath, looking around the perimeter of the circle. Where did it go? The whole forest is quiet for a moment as if it’s holding its breath.
And then roots sprout out of the ground right in front of us, wrapping around Kristy’s ankle. She screams and jerks her foot up, but the roots tighten and yank her dow
n.
“Kristy!” I shout and let the energy ball in my hand go. It hits the roots, and the magic sizzles along the surface. I grab Kristy’s hand and pull her back. Freya and Pandora shadow over, circling around us. Scarlet bounds over, barking and growling.
Blue embers from my energy ball dissolve into the root, and the entire thing glows for a brief second. Scarlet, in all her fluffy puppy glory, lunges forward and sinks her teeth into the root, making it release its hold on Kristy’s ankle.
I pull her back, and Ruby hits the root with the energy ball in her hand, and the same thing happens. The roots glow for a brief second, not reacting at all from being hit.
The roots erupt from the ground, twisting and tangling back into the shape of a body that towers above us. Dark eyes glow like red-hot coals in the night, and it gnashes its sharp teeth at us.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Scarlet is going crazy, snarling with fury. I pull Kristy to her feet and conjure another energy ball. The thing tunneled under my warding. If it did, then the others won’t be far behind.
“Callie!” Kristy yells, pushing me out of the way just in time. Another root-monster bursts from the ground, vines rising and twisting into the shape of a person, just like the other.
I throw the energy ball at the closest one, hitting it right in the chest. The magic sizzles along the surface, and little veins in the roots glow bright blue as the magic is absorbed.
Oh shit.
I’ve seen this before.
“We can’t fight them with magic,” Ruby rushes out.
“What do we do?”
I throw out my hand, telekinetically throwing the creature away from us. It flies back, rolling and getting right back to its feet. I throw out my hand again, holding it at bay while I try to think of something—anything.
Freya and Pandora go after the other creature, knocking it to the ground. They each grab an arm and pull, snapping the arms right off.
And two grow back in seconds.
Scarlet jumps at the creature I’m holding, sinking her little puppy fangs into its leg. The thing shakes her off. In her current form, she can’t do much damage. But if I took her collar off…
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