Curse of Night

by Emily Goodwin

  About an hour later, Lucas hears her pull into the driveway. Night has fallen by now, and we both go onto the porch to wait for her.

  “I need to mow the lawn,” I say, wrinkling my nose as I toss a ball in the yard for Scarlet. I keep the area around my house as neat and tidy as I can, but I let the field by the woods in the backyard stay wild. It’s just too much work.

  “We could hire back the landscapers who mowed it for you while we were in California.”

  “I guess. But what if they’re here when a demon attacks?”

  “Offer them up as a distraction so you can either get away or get what you need to fight.”

  “You’re not joking, are you?” I look over my shoulder at Lucas.

  “I’m not. You’re more important.”

  “To you,” I add and bend down to get the ball from Scarlet. I throw it again, and Kristy’s car rolls to a stop. Scarlet halts halfway to the ball to run toward Kristy’s car.

  “Wait,” I tell her, and the little puppy stops dead in her tracks. “Good girl.”

  “I’ve gotten good at being able to pick up languages,” Lucas starts, leaning on the porch railing. “But Enochian is vastly different.”

  “It’s so weird. Oh, you should record me so I can hear myself talking! I want to know what it sounds like.”

  “That’s an interesting idea, actually.”

  “I have them from time to time.”

  Kristy parks behind the Jeep and gets out. “Hey!” she shouts with a wave and goes to the backseat to get the book.

  “How’d the transaction go?” I ask, meeting her at the car.

  “Fine. Once the money was authenticated, the guy who owned this book pretty much shoved it in my face. I think it freaked him out. The guy at the bank didn’t even want to touch it.” Kristy pulls out a large box. “It’s heavy.”

  “It is.” I take it from her and head inside. Olive, Kristy’s rabbit familiar, follows behind, hoping around the yard before shadowing up the stairs. Scarlet comes flying in after us, skidding across the foyer and knocking into the wall.

  “Ruby went through and bookmarked pages for you. She also wrote like half a book of notes,” Kristy laughs. “She wants you to let her know if you find anything.”

  “I will. Somehow.” I set the book on the coffee table. “Want something to eat?”

  “No thanks,” Kristy says, cheeks blushing ever so slightly. “I’m having dinner with Evander at the Covenstead.”

  “Ohhhh, is this a date?” I wiggle my eyebrows.

  “No, it’s just two friends having dinner. With our High Priestess, and most likely Ruby. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Felix astral projected in.”

  “Is he still asking about the transference spell?”

  “Yes,” Kristy admits. “But Evander has done a good job evading him of the truth.”

  “Good,” I say and make a face. “Though I feel bad. He helped us and I pretty much lied to him and then blew him off.”

  “Understandably so. We can’t have just anyone knowing who you are, though he’s not an anyone, is he?” She wiggles her eyebrows, and I can sense Lucas’s glare from across the room.

  “I trust him,” I say slowly. “But you’re right. No one else should know the truth. It’s just too risky.” I let out a sigh. “Since you’re not staying, want to take a romantic walk in the woods with me?”

  She smiles. “I was hoping you’d ask.”

  “Do you want to go out for dinner?” Lucas asks as we get back into the house after walking Kristy and Olive to the Covenstead door. Neither Lucas or I could get too close or we’d risk setting off magical alarms.

  “Yeah,” I reply. “It would be nice to get out of the house and do something normal. Well, normal for me.”

  “Being with you while you eat is normal for me as well,” he says with a smile, pulling me to him. “Where do you want to go?”

  A greasy cheeseburger and fries from Suzy’s Café sounds good right about now, and they’re open for another hour. But a member of my coven—my former coven—works there, and I’d rather not have any sort of confrontation…or even a dirty look. I’ve repressed what it really means to me to not be a member of the coven anymore.

  It was my home…my safe place…my saving grace.

  And now I can’t go back.

  “Mexican food sounds good,” I say as Lucas sweeps his hands down to up my ass. “Want to go now?”

  “Yeah, let me do my hair first.” I break out of his embrace and go into the living room, standing in front of a mirror. Using magic, I curl my hair, flip my head over, and shake out the curls. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “I don’t think I’ve fully appreciated how quickly you can get ready,” Lucas laughs.

  “It definitely comes in handy.” I take the lid off the box that has the Infernal Dictionary in it. “Wow. This thing is impressive.”

  Lucas steps over and picks up the book, carefully removing it from the box and setting it on the coffee table. Pieces of ribbon are acting as bookmarks, and there’s a handwritten note from Ruby at the bottom of the box.

  “Callie,” I read out loud. “I went through the book as quickly as I could and marked demons that matched your description. Open the book to the green ribbon.” I look at Lucas, who finds the green ribbon and opens the book to a page about a deity summoned in ancient times to bless a village with a bountiful harvest.

  “That’s not him,” I say, not needing to read Ruby’s notes. I set the paper to the side and squat down, sliding the book closer to me. I flip to the next ribbon. “Not him, either.”

  Lucas flips to the next bookmarked page.

  “Nope.”

  He flips to the next. And then the next. And neither demon look like the one I saw. We go through six more pages of possible demons who are in some way related to the earth or trees, enabling them to conjure and control the root-monsters.

  “The drawings might not be accurate,” he reminds me.

  “True, but they look nothing like the demon I saw. Even if he was possessing a human body, which would change, I’m assuming the crown would be similar, right?”

  “I’d assume so, too.” Lucas grabs Ruby’s notes and skims them over with vampire speed. “The gold ribbon,” he says and I find it toward the back of the book. “She said this is the last demon described to be wearing a crown but it’s a high-level demon who’s been banished to some sort of supernatural prison in Hell. It would require opening the gates to get him out.” Lucas puts the paper down and looks at the book. “So it doesn’t sound like it could be our guy.”

  The pages slowly fall open, and the smell of old paper and ink fill my nose. The handwriting on this page is small and messy, written by someone left-handed, smearing the ink as they moved their hand across the page.

  But there’s no mistaking it. This is the demon I saw in the woods.

  Chapter 24

  “That’s him.” I blink and gently run my finger over the page. “Bael,” I whisper the demon’s name. “He’s the demon from the woods.”

  Lucas’s brows furrow, and he leans over the book. “You’re sure?”

  “Positive. The crown is the same, and he even looked like this.” The text is written in Latin, which is no issue for Lucas. “Does it say how to kill him?”

  “No, but Ruby was right about him being a high-level demon. This describes him as a subordinate to one of the Kings of Hell. He has the power of transformation and can appear in the form of man or beast.” Lucas pauses as he reads more of the page. “Here.” He taps the book and reads. “In 1351, after Bael and several other powerful demons destroyed villages across all of Europe, covens across the continent banded together to try and rid the world of the dark beings. Unable to vanquish the demons, the covens created a vessel in which they trapped the demons. The vessel was sealed and locked away in a supernatural prison, where, to this day, the demon Bael remains.”

  Lucas moves his gaze from the book to me. I bring my hand to my face and rub my e
yes. “Well, shit.”

  “Could Ruth have summoned this demon?”

  “Oh, totally, but from the sounds of it, she’d need a lot of power. Like a hell of a lot. Summoning demons and breaking them out of a magically sealed vessel are two vastly different things.”

  “Who are the Kings of Hell?”

  “Um…I’m not sure.” But I know someone who does. “There are three. I remember going over it briefly in a demonology class I took during my university studies.”

  “Your friends, Nicole and Naomi, have connections to a demonologist, don’t they?”

  “Their gran, yes. I could call and ask them for a crash course, but I can’t risk raising suspicions. The last I heard, their gran was hanging out with Albert, a Grand Master on the Grand Coven.” I bite my lip, thinking. Lucifer would be the perfect person to ask. He’s the literal ruler of Hell. He appointed those who govern the dark realms along with him.

  And if one of the Dukes of Hell are watching me…Stop. I can’t go to Lucifer for help. I shouldn’t have before.

  “Something doesn’t make sense,” I say, sliding the book over and looking over the words as if I can read them. “Ruth is using necromancy to go after us. We know that for sure, and it makes sense, considering her desperation for dark power. But a high-ranking demon like this…he wouldn’t answer to a simple necromancer. She’s too…too…trivial for him. I don’t know why he’d work with her.”

  “Perhaps Ruth made a deal.”

  “Maybe. I’m so tired of having one question being answered only to have it lead to even more questions.” I let out a sigh and close the book. “It would be really nice to have some help right now,” I say, tipping my head up. “Dad…Julian…I’m still here in case you forgot.” Lucas rests his hand on my back, and I lean against him, closing my eyes and finding solace in his cool skin. “Whatever. I’ll do what I’ve always done and figure things out on my own. Though maybe I really will go play in oncoming traffic. See if Dear old Dad cares enough to stop me from becoming nothing more than a smear on the pavement.”

  “He cares,” Lucas says to try and make me feel better. “He risked a lot so you could live.”

  “Yeah…I know. But still, it would be nice to ask someone about matters of Heaven and Hell from someone, you know, who’s been there.” I swallow and look up into Lucas’s blue eyes. “Though I think my uncle would answer me.” My heart beats a little faster, and I know Lucas can hear it. He doesn’t know I drank a sleeping potion so I could talk to Lucifer.

  Only Eliza knows.

  “Do you think you trust him?” Lucas asks.

  “I do,” I admit. “Maybe I shouldn’t, but for some reason, I do. He is family, after all. And he’s all alone down there.” I shake my head, still having a hard time grasping that concept.

  “Am I sensing sympathy for the devil?” Lucas’s lip curve into a smirk, but there is concern in his eyes.

  “Maybe a little. But I know what he is. Who he is. He wouldn’t have been cast out of Heaven if there wasn’t a good reason, right?”

  “Good and bad aren’t as black and white as some may think,” Lucas muses. “Terrible things have been done in the name of something good.”

  “I know,” I say, feeling myself get even more conflicted. Lucas, having lived for so long, has a rather interesting and very different view on institutionalized religion and government. I suppose when you’ve lived for that long you see the bad in the good and the good in the bad.

  “Let’s go get something to eat.” I pull the other ribbons out of the book, leaving only this one marking Bael’s page, and close the book. “I’m hungry, and I do my best murder plotting with an overpriced margarita.”

  “All right, my love.” Lucas takes my hand, and we go outside. I seal the house with an extra protection spell, and we get into the Jeep to go into town.

  The vampire crew is at the house tonight, working until three or four AM before leaving to make it home before sunrise. Lucas has gone over and spoken to them, but I’ve stayed away, doing my best to keep my identity as a witch hidden.

  I text Evander and Kristy, letting them know I identified the demon. There’s no cell service in the Covenstead, but I wouldn’t be surprised if either of them stepped out to check for messages.

  “Is there a way to know if the door to Hell has been opened?” Lucas asks as he parallel parks along the main street in downtown Thorne Hill.

  “Like a specific spell?” I unbuckle. “If there is, I don’t know it. Though going off the last time the door opened when the demon came out looking for me, it made the Ley line all wonky.” I get out of the Jeep and move to the curb. I close my eyes and hold out my hands. “It feels normal to me.”

  “Good.” Lucas takes my hand again. He’s acting cool and calm as always, but I know him well enough now to know he’s on edge, looking around for anything that might be a threat to me.

  Thorne Hill is a small town, and while a lot of its population is made up of witches and warlocks, we have a lot of nons here, too. I’ve always kept to myself, but co-owning the only bookstore in town has allowed me to get to know a lot of the people in town…and let them recognize me.

  I say hi to a few people on our way into the restaurant, and the waiter who seats us is the same guy who served me chips and salsa when I was here with Lucas and Julian. The guy smiles and nods, not remembering anything thanks to Julian’s little mind trick.

  “If he only knew,” I say under my breath, and Lucas laughs. I order a large strawberry margarita and put extra salt on the chips. Sliding the bowl in front of me, I dip a chip in the salsa.

  “So Bael—who I’m just going to call B from now on—is a high level demon. Years ago, he was trapped in a magical vessel and thrown into Hell. Powerful demons have the ability to go back and forth, as we know from my little friend who tied me to a tree and tried to burn me to death.”

  “That demon,” Lucas starts, leaning forward. “He was looking for you because rumors were circulating Hell about the nephilim being alive after all.”

  I take a bite of the chip but suddenly lose my appetite. “You think B is looking for me, too.”

  “It makes sense,” Lucas says ruefully. “You said it was like he wasn’t there. Like he was watching. Testing you.”

  I throw my head back dramatically. “Motherfucking demons.”

  The waiter stops short, just a few feet from our table. I force a smile, knowing I’m going to have to ask Lucas to alter this kid’s memory—again—before we leave.

  “Hi, I’m ready to order,” I blurt, cutting to the chase. “I’ll have combination number eleven tonight.”

  “Nothing for me,” Lucas says when the waiter looks at him. The boy just nods and quickly walks away. “I get the feeling he doesn’t like vampires.”

  “He’d probably like witches even less.” I eat another chip and take a sip of my margarita, needing to let the tequila dull my senses before diving back into the subject that another demon is looking for me.

  Because if the rumors are circulating Hell…they’re bound to circulate Heaven, too.

  Chapter 25

  “Hey, guys,” I say, stumbling a bit when I get into the house. Why did I think heels were a good idea again? Or more so, why did I think ordering that second margarita was a good idea?

  Oh yeah, because along with a pissed-off, out-for-revenge, crazy necromancer, I have a demon after me as well. And they might be working together. Scarlet jumps up and down at my feet, and I turn, bumping into Lucas, who has to catch me to keep me from falling.

  “I think she needs out,” I say, and he keeps a tight hold on me as we go onto the porch, letting my hellhound run around the yard. Lucas wraps his arms around me, and I tip my head up, looking into his blue eyes. “I love you,” I whisper, letting my eyes fall shut as he kisses me. Warmth floods my veins, and desire washes over me. I am so fucking thankful to have Lucas in my life.

  “And I love you.” Lucas draws his fangs and grazes them over the flesh on my
neck. Goosebumps break out along my skin, and I inhale deeply, breasts crushing against him. He sweeps his hand down my back, squeezes my butt, and moves it between my legs.

  “If Ruth didn’t summon Bael,” Lucas starts, drawing his fangs and putting his lips to my neck, careful to avoid the bruises. My eyes flutter shut when I feel the sharp points of his fangs, pressing into my skin but not breaking through the surface. “Then she’s still under the assumption the curse worked and I’m dead.” He moves his lips down my neck, tugging at my jacket. “It gives us more time.”

  “Yeah,” I say, working hard to hold onto my resolve. “It gives us time to find her and strike when her guard is down.”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of fucking you senseless tonight,” he goes on, urging my legs apart with his other hand.

  “Lucas, she almost killed you.” I lean back, fighting to keep the tears from my eyes. “Seeing you like that…” I trail off and lose my battle with the tears. One streams down my face. “I was so scared, and now…now I want to get revenge.”

  Lucas cups my face in his hands, wiping away the tear with his thumb. “Callie,” he groans and steps closer, pressing himself against me. “You are so fucking hot when you’re set for revenge.”

  “Nobody hurts my family and gets away with it.” I fasten my arms around his waist, feeling anger burn inside me. “I want to hurt her like she hurt you. And once we’ve eliminated Ruth, I’m going back for B. Those things he conjured could have hurt Abby and Penny.”

  “And Phil,” Lucas adds with a smirk. “Or does he not count?”

  “He counts, and I’ll admit I misjudged him. He’s kinda cool.”

  “Really?” Lucas raises his eyebrows.

  “Not in that sense, but he’s trying to accept us both, which is cool given the fact he’s married to my sister.” I turn, looking at Scarlet for a second to make sure she’s not going too far into the yard, and then snap my attention back to Lucas. “You knew we weren’t related the first time you met Abby.”