Curse of Night

by Emily Goodwin

  Eliza slowly shakes her head. “I don’t know. What I thought I knew about religion went out the window when I awoke in the ground with Lucas’s arms around me. Everything changed. I thought it was all bullshit. Angels weren’t real. No one was up there looking out for us. But then…” She sweeps her hand at me. “Though I still don’t know how well they’re looking out for people on Earth. Life is pretty shitty, though with the way humans are destroying the fucking planet, maybe they deserve it.”

  “I think that’s a blanket statement and doesn’t apply to everyone.” I let the guinea pig go, and it scurries over to a half-eaten carrot another one dropped. “I don’t live off the grid or anything, but I don’t think I’m ruining the planet more than anyone else.”

  “Fine,” she huffs. “I’ve been undead for over three hundred years, and one thing I can count on is the fact that humanity fucking blows.”

  “I kind of agree with you there, but there is good in the world. You know…like designer shoes and these little guys.”

  Eliza rolls her eyes. “Don’t go all sunshine and rainbows on me.”

  I let out a snort of laughter. “Trust me, I’m the last one to do that.”

  “You’ve been dealt a rough hand,” Eliza goes on, tone softening. “You have every right to hate the world, yet you continue to look for the good in it.”

  “I’d say it’s human nature, but I’m not quite human.”

  Her blue eyes look almost glossy as she stares at me, smiling a genuine smile. “I think that’s what I like about you. Plus, you have great tits.” She winks and gets up. “I have to get ready for my date.” She zooms up the stairs, leaving me in the living room to play with the guinea pigs. The entire room is roped off with little metal fences, keeping the little guys in one room.

  I move back to the couch and get my phone from my purse. I open my Kindle app and start reading, making it through a few pages before Lucas comes back.

  “Everything go okay?” I ask him, sitting up.

  “It’s fine now. Are you ready to go spellcasting?”

  I smile. “Always.”

  Someone rings the doorbell right as I’m gathering my spell supplies. Lucas answers the door, startling the guy on the porch. He’s wearing a suit and is holding a bouquet of roses.

  “Hi,” he says nervously, eyeing Lucas up and down. “H-how are you doing tonight, sir?”

  Lucas responds with a growl as he draws his fangs. “What do you want?”

  “I’m here f-for Eliza,” the guy says, and I don’t have to have super vampire ears to know this guy’s heart is racing. I hurry through the foyer, socked feet slipping on the slick marble.

  “It’s her date,” I tell Lucas. “Be nice.”

  “A date?” Lucas smiles, but instead of looking friendly, he looks even more dangerous. “Well, then, come in.”

  The guy swallows hard, Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, and steps inside. He looks at me, trying to figure out if I’m a vampire, too. The second the door slams shut, Lucas has the guy spellbound and up against the wall.

  “What are your intentions?” Lucas asks, and I find myself pulling an Eliza and rolling my eyes.

  “To take Eliza out on a date,” the guy replies slowly, looking at Lucas, unblinking.

  “You think you’re good enough for her?”

  “No. I don’t.”

  “Good,” Lucas growls. “Because you’re not.”

  Eliza stomps down the stairs, hair and makeup done already. Super speed must be nice. “Bloody hell, Lucas, stop it!” Her blue eyes flash like broken glass, and I remember her complaining about how hard it is to date anyone with Lucas as her maker.

  “Not until I make sure he doesn’t have any ulterior motives.”

  “His motives are to get me to bed,” Eliza snaps, sounding very British when she’s angry. “Which are mine, too.”

  “Just ask him,” I say, not sure if I should get involved in this family drama or not. Lucas and I are married, so I’m already involved. “Ask him if he plans on staking her or selling her to the Anti-Vampire Coalition. And then erase this from his memory, have him go outside, and let the night start again—with Eliza answering the door.”

  “For once I completely agree with her,” Eliza says, eyeing me. “And I suggest you listen to your wife.”

  Lucas growls but retracts his fangs. “Do you plan to harm Eliza or lead her to harm in any way?”

  “No,” the guy says, head slowly moving back and forth. “I’m more scared she’ll harm me.”

  “She won’t be the only one,” Lucas starts, and I clear my throat. “Fine,” he huffs. “Go back on the porch. You never came in the house. You never talked to me. But know if anything happens to Eliza, there will be hell to pay.”

  Eliza huffs and rolls her eyes again. “You know, it’s probably a good thing you two can’t procreate. Can you imagine him fathering a biological child?”

  I shrug. “I think he’d be a good dad.”

  She sweeps her hand out. “This is good?”

  “All he did was ask the guy some questions. He’s protecting you.”

  “Smothering is more like it.” She moves to the mirror in the foyer, checks her hair, and waits until her date is on the porch. Then she turns to Lucas, staring daggers at him. He pulls her in for a hug and kisses her forehead. With a sigh, she throws her arms around him, soaking up the attention.

  I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to their relationship. It’s so different than what I’m used to seeing—by human standards.

  “I love you,” Eliza tells him. “You take good care of me.”

  “I know. Have fun on your date.”

  She shrugs. “It’ll be mildly entertaining.” Pulling out of his embrace, she smooths her hair again and looks at me, holding my gaze for a few seconds. I just nod, knowing she’s trying to silently tell me to fess up about Lucifer.

  But I can’t, and it’s not because I just “forgot” to mention it to Lucas. If I tell him I talked to my uncle in my dreams again, he’ll tell me I shouldn’t do it again. That I should try to find a way to block him from communicating with me somehow.

  And that’s not something I want to do. Because no matter how wrong it is, no matter how hard I try to tell myself I shouldn’t trust him…I do.

  Chapter 29

  “I’m done.” I lay the last protection charm on the counter in Abby’s kitchen and look through the house for Lucas. He’s in the foyer, watching out the front windows. “Wait, no, I’m not.” I open and close drawers, searching for paper and a pen. “Who doesn’t have a junk drawer?” I mutter and leave the kitchen, going into the office. I take paper out of the printer and find a pen on the desk.

  I quickly write Abby a note, telling her how to put the charms on, because, you know, my sister who went through years of medical school might not be able to figure out how to pick up a necklace and put it over her head. I put the note on the counter by the protection charms and walk through the house to the foyer.

  On the way, I slow and study the framed photos hanging on the wall. Most are of Penny and are those Instagram-styled photos taken in a studio with lots of cute props. A few have Phil and Abby in them as well, smiling and hugging their daughter. I turn on the hall light, wanting to get a better look.

  “Callie?” Lucas walks through the house. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah.” I turn, heart skipping a beat at the sight of my handsome husband. “I’m just looking at pictures.” I motion to a framed photo of the entire Martin family. They’re standing in front of a twelve-foot Christmas tree, all wearing coordinating outfits.

  “They do this every year,” I tell Lucas. “I’m in a few of those classic Martin Christmas photos.” I shake my head and feel a chill go down my spine. I swallow the lump in my throat, remembering the sterile smell of the laboratory and the coldness in William Martin’s eyes when he cast his gaze at me for what he thought was the last time.

  There was no remorse. No regret. Nothing ins
ide of him felt bad for what he was doing. He was relieved to be rid of me, angry I had something he could never possess.

  “I shouldn’t care anymore.” I wipe my eyes, angry the memory still brings up so many emotions. “They’re not my family.”

  “Yet here you are,” Lucas says gently. “It’s okay to feel the way you do.” His hand lands on my shoulder, and he steps closer, pulling me against him. “What they did to you is unconscionable, and my offer will always stand to tear their throats out with my teeth.”

  “Thank you.” I lean back against him. “I want to stop caring or feeling anything when I think about those assholes.”

  “They are a big part of your past, and both the good and bad things shaped who you’ve become. The fact that you made it out of there with as little issues as you have is nothing short of a miracle in itself.”

  “As little issues?” I echo, turning and giving him a smirk. “So you’re saying I have a few issues?”

  “Oh, you do.” He smiles right back. “We all do.”

  “Abby asked if I was mad she was going to their house tonight for dinner. I told her no, and I don’t want to be, but…” I let out a sigh. “I don’t see how she can be okay with them. How she thinks it’s a good idea to let her daughter be in the presence of that self-centered asshole.”

  “I don’t understand it, either,” Lucas agrees. “Though I do know people are willing to overlook a lot of shit when it comes to their family.”

  “Right, and as far as I know, Nancy and William have always treated their two normal children all right. Hell, Scott got everything he wanted and then some.”

  “Abby turned out pretty well considering,” Lucas says. “She could be hateful like the rest of the family. It looks like having you as her sister helped steer her in the right direction.”

  “I’ll happily take credit for that,” I laugh. “And I know it’s wrong of me to expect Abby to just give up her whole family. I don’t think Phil’s family lives here.” I look at the next photo on the wall, which is a black-and-white still from Abby’s wedding. “I wasn’t invited. I didn’t even know she was engaged. I was in Europe doing my university studies when I found out she was married. It was weird. Part of me didn’t even care, and another part was angry.” I let out a sigh. “That was years ago, though.”

  Lucas puts his lips to my neck. “It was. Are you done?”

  “Yeah, I am.” I turn and take his hand, and we leave the house together. I lock it back up with magic, and then we slowly start walking down the sidewalk.

  “Do you want to get something to eat?” Lucas asks.

  I feel a little nauseous, probably from stress paired with an empty stomach. I’m sure I’ll be better once I eat. “Yeah, pizza sounds really good right now.” Lucas wraps his arm around my shoulder. “It’s a nice night. I love warm fall nights like this. It’s October,” I say suddenly.

  Lucas laughs. “You just now realized that?”

  “I knew the days were passing. I just kind of lost track of them. I didn’t put up any of my Halloween decorations yet.” We walk a few more paces toward Lucas’s house on Orchard Street. “We should be leaving for Florida soon.”

  “We can still go,” Lucas tells me.

  “Can we, though?” I let out a breath. “I feel like I’m endangering my friends just by being here.” I tip my head up and look at Lucas, knowing he’s going to counter. “It would be one thing if Ruth was going after me, but trying to get to me through my friends…” I trail off, shaking my head. “I want to find the bitch and end this.”

  “You will. But until then, enjoy some downtime. It will be a day or two before she attacks again.” He takes his hand from mine so he can wrap his arm around my waist. “Let’s start with dinner and then have sex on the rooftop patio.”

  I smile. “I do like the sound of that.”

  “Oh my god, this is so good.” I close my eyes and stuff another bite of pizza in my mouth. “I almost feel sorry for you,” I tell Lucas. “You’ll never know how fucking amazing pizza is.”

  Lucas laughs and leans back in his chair, watching me eat. I’m on my third piece of Giordano’s pizza.

  “Maybe if the sauce had blood in it.”

  “Eww,” I laugh, wrinkling my nose. “I know food isn’t appetizing to you, but are you ever curious about how it tastes?”

  “No, though ice cream is an interesting concept.”

  “And now I want ice cream.” I wipe my hands and reach for my water. “Mind if I grab some on the way back?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Good, because I’m way too full to eat it now, but it’ll make a good midnight snack after you’ve exhausted me.”

  Lucas grins. “You will need to keep your strength up.”

  “Ice cream isn’t exactly nutritious, though.” I look at the pizza, debating eating another piece or not. I’m right at that point where I’m comfortably full but still want more. “And I was thinking tomorrow you should hang out with Eliza during the day and I’ll go walk around the Field Museum.”

  “By yourself?”

  “Yeah, it sounds really relaxing, actually. And I haven’t been there in years.” I think back, trying to remember the last time I went. Abby and I recently went to the Science and Industry Museum, and that was the first time in quite a while I’d been to any of the Chicago museums. “I could call Abby, but it’s not really a good place for a one-year-old. Though I wouldn’t mind going to the Children’s Museum with Penny, either.”

  Giving in, I put another slice of pizza on my plate. Just as I’m about to dig in, my phone rings.

  “I’m not going to answer that,” I tell Lucas, who just gives me a look. “Fine. It’ll drive me crazy until I do.” I wipe my fingers on a napkin and pick my phone up off the table. “It’s Betty.” I quickly answer, heart skipping a beat in fear.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Callie,” she says, sounding rather calm. “Are you busy?”

  “I’m finishing dinner. Lucas and I went out. What’s up?”

  “It might be nothing, but I overheard my mom talking to my aunt, who’s a nurse at Thorne Hill General. Two girls were admitted this afternoon from supposed poisoning. They came in foaming at the mouth, and no one could figure out what was wrong, and nothing was working to reverse the poison. Sound familiar?”

  “Yeah, it does.” It was the return-to-sender spell, I’m sure. “You said girls? Not an old haggy woman?”

  “Two girls, in their early twenties.”

  “Did they, uh, die?”

  “No,” Betty tells me. “And that’s the weird thing, or at least what’s weird to the nurses and doctors taking care of them. Their symptoms suddenly went away. They’re weakened but should recover just fine.”

  “Are they still at the hospital?”

  “It sounded like they were at the end of my aunt’s shift. I know it could be nothing, but I wanted to tell you.”

  “I’m glad you did. Thank you, Betty. Be careful, okay?”

  “I will. You, too.”

  “Thanks again, bye,” I say and hang up. “Well,” I start, meeting Lucas’s eyes. I’m sure he heard most, if not all, of that conversation. “I guess ice cream will have to wait.”

  Chapter 30

  “Callie.” Lucas’s hand lands on my shoulder. “Wake up, my love. We’re at the hospital.”

  “I wasn’t sleeping,” I mumble and straighten up.

  “You’ve been asleep,” Lucas chuckles. “I can tell when you’re sleeping. Your heart rate lowers a little bit.”

  I put my hand on the back of my neck and roll my head back and forth. I hate sleeping in cars. It’s not comfortable at all. Lucas shuts the engine off, and I blink a few more times, trying to shake the mental fog napping always puts me in.

  And I’m still tired.

  “Let’s do this.” I unbuckle and get out, feeling more alert once the cool night air blows against me. It’s getting windy, and clouds are starting to cover the night sky. Lucas tak
es my hand, and we walk into Thorne Hill General from the Emergency Room.

  The ER isn’t too busy tonight, with only three people sitting and waiting. The attendant behind the desk looks at us, forced smile on her face. I’ve seen her before when Lucas and I came here to check on Betty after some asshole drugged her.

  But the attendant has no memory of us, and she won’t after tonight, either.

  “Hello,” Lucas says, giving her his trademark smile. The girl blushes, smiling back at him as she fumbles to pick up a clipboard from the counter. She’s held spellbound in only a second. “We are looking for two young women who were admitted yesterday afternoon due to unexplained poisoning.” He motions to the computer. “I need you to look up information about those patients.”

  I look around the waiting room, making sure no one is watching us. A mother with a sick child is rightfully preoccupied holding a garbage bag open in front of the kid, and a guy holding a bloody rag to his hand is focused on an infomercial that’s playing on the TV.

  The last person in here looks rather worn, too, as I’d assume you’d be to come to the ER, and looks around the room, eyes landing on me for a split second before looking away. Maybe I’m naive to assume the guy is too far away to hear anything, but when he leans back and closes his eyes, I take it as a sign he doesn’t care even if he did hear us.

  “I…I think I found them,” the attendant says and points to her computer screen. She turns back to Lucas, eyes completely glossed over. “Room 307.”

  “Thank you,” Lucas tells her, flashing another panty-melting smirk. “You did a very good job.”

  The girl blushes even harder. “It was my pleasure.”

  “You’re going to go back to work and forget we were ever here. You did not see us.”

  “Right. I didn’t see you.”

  “Now close your eyes and count to ten. When you open them, you’ll go back to work as normal.”