Curse of Night

by Emily Goodwin

  I feel something surge inside of me, and blue flames spark along my fingers. “Burn!” I shout and send a fireball at the creatures. Two catch on fire, hissing and screeching as they burn. Binx blocks another from attacking Ruby, and I reach past the piles of smoking ash for her hand. I pull her away right before another swipes a thorn-covered hand in our direction.

  She staggers forward, limping, and I realize that one of her legs has been cut.

  “Come with me,” I say, holding out my hand and sending another creature tumbling back. I’m still weak, both from losing so much blood and from almost being strangled.

  Scarlet bounds over, clearing a path for us. I hook my arm around Ruby’s shoulders and help her to the porch. She sinks down, unable to keep going, and I turn, looking for Lucas.

  He speeds through the creatures, swinging the sword so fluidly it’s like he’s dancing. They fall in waves, sending dark embers and ash whooshing into the air.

  Two twist together and send their vines flying at Lucas. They wrap around his arms, jerking the sword back.

  “Lucas!” I scream and start to run forward. But he twists around, breaking the creature’s hold on him. In a swift movement, he drops down and brings the sword back, stabbing the creature in the stomach. He brings the blade up, cutting the thing in half.

  Then he’s up again, kicking another in the chest. It flies back, knocking into another. He brings the sword up and spins, cutting them both in two.

  A root-monster comes at me, and I bring my hand up without thinking and send a ball of fire right into its chest. It bursts into flames, and I turn away, ducking my head under my arm as pieces of bark rain down on me.

  Lucas chops down more creatures, and there aren’t many left. They’re slowing down, yet another pops up from under my warding. I send another ball of fire at it, and then I notice something—or someone—else.

  They’re standing in the threshold of the woods, watching us. And then it hits me. Someone is controlling the monsters.

  “Scarlet,” I yell and take off running. The hellhound bounds over, sprinting ahead of me. She sees the figure in the woods and speeds forward with a growl. Suddenly, she halts, coming to a dead stop. Unable to stop in time, I trip over her and go tumbling across the dry grass.

  I can feel him moving closer, and the energy coming off him is dark and oppressive. It’s pulling me under cold and murky water, and everything inside me is numb and dying.

  Scarlet whines, and I scramble up, pain webbing through me. The hellhound is sitting still, head tipped to the side as she looks at the person before us.

  My breath hitches when he steps from the shadows, moonlight bathing his face. He looks like an older man, dressed in a brown dress robe.

  But I know this isn’t a human.

  He’s a demon, and judging by the golden crown on his head, he’s a powerful one.

  I hold out my hands, bright blue magic sizzling around my fingers. The demon looks at the light, and his face goes slack. Then he steps back into the woods, disappearing into a puff of smoke. The oppressive feeling is gone, and a weight is instantly lifted from my chest.

  “The fuck?” I ask, whirling around. Lucas slices through another root-monster. There aren’t many left now, and with the demon calling them forth gone, we should be in the clear.

  For now.

  “Is he gone?” I ask Scarlet, who sniffs the ground where the demon stood, growling. Swallowing hard, I let out a breath, hands trembling. Scarlet comes up next to me, and I hold onto her shoulder for support as we go back to the house.

  Freya and Pandora knock another root-monster to the ground. The machete is in the grass a few feet from it, and I push off Scarlet, dropping to my knees to get the weapon. I scramble over and bring the blade down. The root-monster goes up in flames, and I fall back, panting.

  The world is spinning around me, and all I want to do is lie back and fall asleep. My eyes flutter shut, and I force myself up, watching Lucas cut through the last of the creatures.

  Then he’s by my side, gently scooping me up. “Callie,” he breathes.

  “I’m okay,” I tell him, feebly wrapping my arm around his neck. “Are you?”

  “I am. What the fuck? I leave you for half a day and come back to you fighting an army of tree-monsters.” He brushes my hair back.

  “Root-monsters, if you want to get specific.”

  His blue eyes meet mine, and it’s then I realize the sun had just sunk into the sky when he arrived at home. He risked burning for me.

  Again.

  Without another word, he takes me inside, picking up the sword on the way. My familiars and Scarlet come in behind us. Kristy slams the door shut behind me, and both she and Ruby seal the house with a protective spell.

  The TV is on, and I hear Disney music coming in from the living room. Right. My one-year-old niece is here. Abby rushes into the kitchen, face pale. She freezes, looking at Scarlet, who’s standing perfectly still, holding her collar in her mouth.

  “You’ve never seen her like this before, have you?” I ask, trying to get out of Lucas’s embrace. He gently sets me down and puts the sword on the table. “Come here, girl,” I say, wincing as I bend over and put the collar on my hellhound. The air vibrates, and only a second later, the scary two-hundred-pound hellhound is a cute fluffy puppy again.

  I sink onto the ground, and Binx shifts from shadow to cat-form. He steps into my lap, purring and rubbing his head against me.

  “Good boy,” I tell him. “You were all very good,” I tell the rest of my familiars. Scarlet whimpers, and I give her a half-smile. “You were good, too.”

  “Is everyone all right?” Lucas asks, reaching for me again. He pulls me to him and runs his hand over my messy hair.

  “I think so,” I say, hooking my arms around his shoulders. I turn around, looking at Ruby. She’s in the house, standing frozen by the kitchen sink. It looks like someone started to clean the cut on her leg, as her pants are rolled up. “Right?”

  “Yeah,” Ruby says, voice shaky. “Are they gone?”

  “I killed the last one,” Lucas tells her. “But I should do a sweep of the woods to be sure.”

  “No way,” I tell him and hold on a little tighter, as if that’ll keep him from leaving. “Not with that thing out there.”

  “What thing?” Lucas and Kristy ask at the same time.

  I shake my head. “It was a demon. Third hierarchy or higher.” A chill goes through me when I recall its face. “It was wearing a robe and a crown.” I inch closer to Lucas. “It looked confused at first when it saw Scarlet, and then it stepped back and disappeared.”

  “We should kill it,” Lucas says, fangs still bared.

  “We barely made it out of the woods,” I say, shaking my head. “Sorry for the terrible pun.”

  Lucas presses his lips to my forehead and then takes my arm. “You’re bleeding.”

  “That was my own doing, and it hurts.”

  “Sit,” Lucas tells me and goes to the sink. Ruby sidesteps but doesn’t jerk back in fear as Lucas wets a towel. He comes back over and kneels down, gently wiping away the blood.

  I close my eyes, adrenaline starting to wear off. I’m so fucking tired, and the fear of what could have happened settles in.

  “Is dinner almost ready?” I ask, and everyone stares at me. “What?” I shrug. “I’m hungry.”

  “Hold up.” Ruby hobbles forward, favoring her sore leg. “What in the seven levels of Hell just happened?” She motions to Scarlet. “That thing is a hellhound, and you smeared your blood on our blades and suddenly they could kill those…those…things?”

  I fold the towel over and wipe at my face again. “I’ll explain everything. But first…thank you. You could have turned and ran, but I’m glad you didn’t. We made one hell of a team.”

  Ruby’s brows push together. “Yeah, we did.”

  “I had no idea you were so athletic.”

  “I started martial arts a few years ago as a stress outlet,” she
says with a smile. “And now I’m glad I did. You’ve always been athletic. I’m not surprised there.”

  I shrug. “It comes naturally.”

  Lucas goes to the sink, wringing out the towel, and comes back, gently blotting at the dried blood from my nosebleed. I take the towel from him and wipe my face.

  “Is Penny still sleeping?” I ask my sister, who’s still standing frozen with wide eyes and pale cheeks.

  “She woke up a few minutes ago,” Abby says, voice void of emotion. She’s in shock. “But Kristy turned the TV on and she’s happy.”

  “Thank you,” I tell Kristy. I close my eyes in a long blink and look back at Abby. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m not the one who got attacked by those…those…things.”

  “Root-monsters?” I suggest and then let out another breath, nerves prickling. This wasn’t just another demon attack. We didn’t kill the bad guys and can gather around my dining room table, celebrating our victory.

  The battle is over, but the war…the war has only just begun.

  Chapter 22

  I hold my hand over the bottle of wine and pull out the cork. I can feel eyes on me as I pour myself a glass, taking a big sip before turning around. Kristy, Ruby, Abby, and Lucas are seated at the kitchen table, and Phil is still in the living room, trying to entertain Penny.

  My head is spinning, my heart is still racing, and I’m somewhere in between wanting to pass out and freaking the fuck out, running through the woods with swords raised, finding the demon and cutting him to pieces.

  Only days ago, Lucas was cursed and was dying before my eyes. We transfer the curse and someone sends a demon with monstrous roots for pets—who happens to know that my wardings would prevent a demon from crossing through them.

  “Do you still think Lucas killed those people in the woods?” I ask Ruby, tone coming off harsher than I meant to. I’m nervous, and the more time I have to think about this, the more the nerves settle into my very core.

  “You accused me of murder?” Lucas asks, tipping his head and looking amused.

  Ruby lets out a breath and shakes her head. “No, and I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. But can you blame me?” Her eyebrows go up, and she rests her hands on the table. “He’s a vampire. We’re witches.”

  “Did you tell anyone you thought it was Lucas?” I ask, coming over to the table. My little kitchen table only seats four, so I sit on Lucas’s lap, taking another big drink of wine before setting my glass down.

  “No. I meant what I said about the coven being disappointed you left. People like you,” she says like she can’t believe it. She casts her eyes down and waits a beat before looking up at me again. “And I can see why. You are pretty badass. I suppose all those stories about you are true after all.”

  “Possibly,” I say and feel the wine hit me already. The good—or bad, I’m not sure—thing about losing a lot of blood means you feel a buzz a hell of a lot faster. “And good you didn’t tell anyone. Because I think the necromancers who cursed Lucas are behind this, too. It’s no coincidence the attack happened when it did.”

  “Do you think they’re still under the impression he’s dead?” Kristy asks, pulling her arms in closer to her body. Freya jumps up in her lap, comforting her.

  “Maybe.”

  “Hold up.” Ruby leans in. “Necromancers? Curses? You have so many questions to answer right now.” She looks at Scarlet and raises her eyebrows.

  My eyes fall shut, and I feel the world spinning around me. Maybe drinking wasn’t a good idea. Or maybe I’m just not drunk enough yet.

  “I know. And I’ll answer them all.” The last time I spit out the truth, it felt good, and it saved me a lot of time. There’s no point in tiptoeing around anything now. Ruby saw Scarlet transform from little fluffball to full-blown hound from Hell. There’s no way to explain her or why she listens to me other than to go with the truth.

  And somehow, my blood kills demons now.

  I don’t even know where to start. So much has happened and so much needs to be explained so this doesn’t sound crazier than it actually is.

  Letting out a breath, I open my eyes and lean back against Lucas, needing to feel his body against mine. “A few days ago, Lucas was cursed with necromancy. The curse was slowly bringing him back to life knowing he wouldn’t be able to survive coming alive again. I was able to bind it and then use an illegal ritual to transfer the curse into an undead squirrel that I myself used necromancy to bring back to life.”

  Ruby blinks and looks at me for a second before speaking. “So the signs of necromancy Professor Greystone warned us about was you?”

  I shake my head. I’ll tell Ruby everything about me, but I’m not ratting out Evander. “No, I told him, so he knew about the curse. He really was warning you all about a group of witches practicing necromancy. They had to be somewhere nearby, probably tapping into the Ley line. It takes a lot of power to curse a vampire over a thousand years old.”

  “Yeah, it would.” Ruby nods. “But why curse him?”

  “To go after me,” I say slowly. “Forcing me to watch the people I love suffer is worse than outright killing me.”

  “It is,” she agrees and inhales, shifting her weight in the chair. Ruby’s always been a stickler for the rules. Some people need law and order to make them feel safe, and Ruby is one of those people. A few seconds pass before she speaks again. “But why go after you? I understand demons attacking, but necromancers? Seems a little random unless you pissed someone off.”

  “It is,” I start and then cut off.

  “What?” Kristy asks.

  “Who did I recently piss off?” I was so desperate to save Lucas before I didn’t see the writing on the wall.

  “Ruth,” she says, lips parting. “Oh my god. It has to be her. She attacked us both and then tried to blackmail you into summoning the devil so she could get more power.”

  “And it was because of me she lost her position in the Grand Coven.”

  Lucas wraps an arm around me. “If it’s the witch, then let’s find her and kill her.”

  “It won’t be that easy,” I rush out.

  “Whoa.” Ruby holds up her hand again. “You’re really talking about killing a witch?”

  “She didn’t hesitate in her attempt to kill you,” Lucas counters. “Or anyone in this house.”

  “But killing? Callie,” Ruby says. “You wouldn’t, would you?”

  Ruth almost killed Lucas, and then she put my sister and my precious niece at risk. A swift death seems too good for her. “Ideally,” I start, forcing my words to come out calm and level, “I’d turn her over to the Grand Coven for a trial again, but that didn’t seem to do too much good last time.”

  Ruby puts her head in her hands. “I don’t know why I came over here.”

  “You came here to accuse my husband of murder,” I remind her, and Kristy elbows me.

  “Stop,” she whisper-yells. “Now isn’t the time for bickering. Whatever is out there is still out there. The Grand Coven isn’t going to do anything if Callie tries to report this either. She’s not a member of the coven anymore. So unless you want to come with me, report it, and demand an expedited investigation,” she says to Ruby, “my vote is on trying to handle this together.”

  “I’ll humor you,” Ruby goes on, crossing her arms over her chest. “Ruth wants revenge. That I understand. She’s power-hungry, and you got her kicked off the highest council. Going after your loved ones is sadistic but makes sense. Summoning demons to go after you is batshit crazy, but again, it makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is you have a hellhound and why it’s glamoured to look like a puppy.”

  Silence falls over the table again, and this time, it’s awkward as fuck. Part of me just wants to blurt the truth and get it all out there. And another part is desperately trying to come up with a lie, but everything falls short.

  There’s no way in hell—hah—a hellhound would obey anyone who wasn’t demonic…unless Lucifer himself c
ommanded it to do so.

  Ruby scoots her chair back and starts to get up. “Look, I’m all for helping you come to some sort of solution, but not if you’re going to lie to me.”

  Kristy’s eyes meet mine, and she gives me a little nod, letting me know there’s no going back now. Ruby has seen too much.

  Dammit.

  I push my hair back, take another drink of wine, and twist my wedding ring around my finger. “I was given the hellhound as a present. A wedding present.”

  “From your vampire husband?”

  “Even I wouldn’t go that far,” Lucas quips. “Though the thing is growing on me. And I would think you would know vampires have no dominion over creatures from Hell.”

  “Yeah, I do know. Which begs the question of how a hellhound came into your possession,” Ruby presses, giving me her best stare-down. She’s scared and is working hard to keep her composure together. I really did underestimate her before.

  I open my mouth only to snap it shut again. Every person who knows the truth puts me one step closer to being found out.

  Maybe.

  Or maybe not.

  “My father isn’t Senator Martin,” I say, words cutting through the room like a knife. “I was switched at birth when Nancy Martin’s daughter was stillborn. My real mother was a witch who died during childbirth, and my father…my father is an angel.” I shake my head. “Which sounds crazy to me still, so I can only imagine how it sounds to you.”

  Silence falls over the table, and Ruby stares at me for a good ten seconds, probably trying to decide if I’m full of shit or not. “Are you for real?”

  “She is.” Kristy puts her hand on mine.

  “And you’ve known all along?” Ruby’s brows hike up again. I never realized how expressive she is until now. I’ve never had a nice conversation with her until now either, though.

  “No,” Kristy and I say at the same time.

  “I didn’t find out until a few months ago,” I tell her. “I got poisoned with a demonic virus and almost died. My father ended up coming and saving me at the last possible second.” I look up. “Because suffering for days builds character, right?”