Curse of Night

by Emily Goodwin

  A commercial ends, and the show Lucas and Julian are watching comes back on.

  “Gypsy weddings?” I question. “Seriously?”

  “It’s oddly entertaining,” Lucas tells me. “I’ve been explaining humanity to Feathers over here.”

  I sweep my hand out at the TV. “Then this is a poor representation of most of the human race. Watch Friends or The Big Bang Theory to better represent normal people. Hell, even Jersey Shore would be better than this.”

  I laugh and rest my head against Lucas’s shoulder. There’s no way he’d fall prey to a necromancer’s control. No. Way.

  “Your wedding was very subdued compared to this,” Julian notes. “What is customary?”

  “It depends on where you’re from, really,” I say. “But our wedding was pretty typical, which I loved, though normally you’d have more than like ten people there. Anywhere from seventy-five to two hundred guests would be normal, I think.”

  “But who really knows and cares about two hundred people?” Lucas counters. “Even if I added all the people from over the last sixteen hundred years who I mildly tolerated, it doesn’t come close to even fifty people.”

  “You’re not a people person,” I say, stating the obvious. “And neither am I. I think you usually invite family on both sides, plus co-workers and people who’d be offended if they weren’t invited. It’s more of a social thing than a who you’re actually friends with thing. Which sounds stupid now that I’m saying it out loud.”

  Lucas laughs and puts his arm around me. “It does. We had only those who mattered at our wedding. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

  “I agree.” I turn and kiss Lucas on the lips.

  “Are you hungry?” he asks, running his fingers down my arm.

  “Yeah.”

  “What do you want for breakfast? I’ll cook for you.”

  I wrinkle my nose, stomach still feeling unsettled. “I don’t know. Nothing sounds appetizing. I think the stress is getting to me.” And it’s really getting to me. I usually stress eat and drink.

  “You need to eat something,” Lucas says gently, running his fingers through my hair.

  “I will. Later.” I close my eyes, able to relax now that I’m downstairs with my family. I listen to the TV, opening my eyes a few minutes later to see a fight breaking out at the wedding.

  “You know, I’m surprised no one fought us at our wedding,” I muse. “Though I did get my ass kicked the day before the wedding, so I guess there’s that.” I let out a breath and straighten up. There’s so much to do, and that’s not including normal shit. My lawn is in desperate need of being mowed, I totally forgot about watering my potted plants and now most are dead, and I can’t remember the last time I actually cleaned the house.

  “You’re okay?” I ask Julian, needing to be sure.

  “Yes. I have healed.”

  “Do you have to go?”

  His eyes meet mine, and that familiar feeling warms my heart. I’ve never been around others of “my kind,” and it’s so comforting, though I can’t pinpoint exactly why.

  “No. I can stay a while.”

  I smile. “Good, because we should start planning. Ruth has to be pissed I was able to not only neutralize but return the hex. We should go after her before she goes after us.” I motion to Julian. “Between the two of us, I’m sure we can figure out a way to get her. Do you have some cool, secret angel way of tracking people?”

  Julian looks at Lucas for half a second before locking eyes with me. “I was hoping we could hang,” he says, words sounding forced and rehearsed.

  “Hang?” I question. “For real?” I shift my gaze from him to Lucas, giving him a pointed look until he cracks.

  “You’ve been very stressed,” Lucas says gently.

  “I’m always stressed.”

  “More than usual,” he urges. “Getting dizzy, feeling weak…that’s not the normal Callie. Take the day off and spend time with Julian.”

  “I’ve had the last week off.”

  “You’ve spent the last week obsessing and not sleeping well,” he counters. “Which might have been done on purpose. Mind games…making you paranoid…going crazy waiting for her next move…it’s all part of this. Take one day off,” he urges. “We didn’t get our night off last night like we planned.”

  It’s true, and a day off does sound nice. Plus, I’d love to hang out with Julian. He’s my cousin, I feel an odd connection to him, yet we know nothing about each other. Hell, I hardly know anything about angels in general.

  “What if Ruth strikes?” I counter.

  “Then you should be rested. Physically and mentally,” Lucas presses, eyes filling with concern. “Take half the day at least. Ruth lost her puppets and her way of communicating with the demon Bael all in one night. She’s going to be pissed as fuck but will need time to come up with another plan. She’s batshit crazy, but she’s smart enough to know she can’t attack you alone. You’re way more witch than she is.”

  “Yeah, I just hope I’m more witch than whatever she comes up with.”

  “She’s not just going up against you,” Lucas reminds me. “You have me.”

  “And me,” Julian says. “If you are in danger, I am staying. Michael wants me to protect you as much as I can.”

  I smile. “I’m always in danger, so I should just make up the guest room for you.”

  “Why don’t you show him the new house?” Lucas says, making it even more obvious that he’s worried I’m a stone’s throw away from becoming unhinged. I haven’t been that bad the last week or so. Okay, maybe I have.

  And maybe Lucas was right about Ruth purposely taking her sweet-ass time to slowly drive me insane. I’m not a very patient person, and what I think she might do could very well be ten times worse than what she’s planning.

  Though nothing can be worse than almost killing Lucas.

  “Yeah, I like that idea.” I smile again. “And then we can go open the bookstore. I kind of miss working, and with the two of us there, I almost hope Ruth attacks.”

  “Bookstore?” Julian questions.

  “I co-own a bookstore with Kristy, who you met at the wedding.”

  “I remember her. And I’ve seen you in a store. With books.”

  “Right. I almost forgot you used to spy on me.” I stand up, missing Lucas as soon as I’m away from him. “Well, let me officially welcome you to Novel Grounds, then.”

  “The warding is impressive.” Julian holds up his hand, feeling the spells I’ve cast on the bookstore. We went from the new house to the bookstore. The plan was to remain closed today, and my stay-away spell is still in effect.

  “Thank you.” I take a quick glance around the block. It’s past time for the store to open, but since the weather is decent, a lot of people are out and about downtown Thorne Hill. No one is close enough to watch me wave my hand over the door, getting in without using a key. “I just cast whatever came to mind, honestly. I was in a bit of a panic.”

  “It worked.”

  “Good.” I wave my hand over the door, unlocking it, and then telekinetically open the door and go inside. The store looks exactly how it did when we rushed out of here after Betty got hexed. It won’t take long, at least, to put it back in working order.

  Especially since I plan on using magic.

  I lock the door behind us and sweep my hand out at the front display. Danielle bumped into it and knocked a handful of books down. In just a few seconds, they’re back in place.

  “I know Lucas is concerned,” I start and wave my hand at another pile of discarded books. “Which I get. I haven’t been feeling quite myself,” I admit. “But I’m not one to sit idly by.” The books fly into place. “I want to attack Ruth before she attacks us. Defense is better than offense, right? Or it is the other way around?” I shake my head. Stupid football reference. “Witchcraft hasn’t been able to find her, but we’re not witches.” I motion to Julian and myself. “Is there some angel way of finding her?”

>   “No, unless she prays and I can hear her call.” Julian stops at a display of romance novels. It’s Kristy’s pick of the month, and this time she’s ranked books by the sexiest covers. Julian picks up a book featuring a naked man on the cover, with perfectly cast shadows covering up what I only assume is a big dick.

  “You said she turned to voodoo and necromancy?” Julian asks, narrowing his eyes as he looks at the cover.

  “Yes.”

  “If witchcraft isn’t working to locate her, I’d guess she’s using another form of magic to cloak herself.”

  “Her specialty was invisibly spells,” I note and let out a sigh. “Do you have any idea how we could locate her?”

  “No, but I know someone who might.”

  “You do?” I put another book back into place and look at Julian. “Let’s go, then. What are we waiting for?”

  “It’s another angel,” he says with a frown.

  “Oh. Is it safe to ask?” I make a face. “I mean, don’t go giving me away or anything.”

  “I’d never do that. And yes, I can ask about someone using dark magic. It’s within my realm as an angel who reports to Michael to look into such matters.”

  “Good.”

  “I’ll see if she’s busy.” Julian closes his eyes and becomes perfectly still. I watch him for a few seconds and then turn back to the bookshelf, straightening the rest of this little second. What’s so hard about putting books back where you found them?

  I move a few paces down, doing a quick check of the rest of the shelf. The books here are in pretty good order. Betty and Danielle do a good job keeping things neat and organized throughout their shifts. It makes closing easier and faster at night that way.

  “I cannot locate her,” Julian says, making me startle a bit. “Which means she’s probably in another dimension right now. I’ll try again later.”

  “Thank you. Does this other angel work for—or with—my dad, too?”

  “Yes. Michael is in charge of a great number of angels. This angel, Alona, ranks higher than me. She’s who I would report to before going to Michael.”

  “So angels have rankings like demons do.”

  “Yes.”

  I put another book in its rightful place and move on to the next aisle. “What do you do for fun when you’re not hunting down demons or bad guys?”

  Julian gives me a blank stare. “Fun?”

  “Yeah…fun.”

  “I’m an angel. I don’t know what you would consider fun.”

  “Well, I’m guessing you don’t have wine in Heaven,” I say with a laugh and get met with another blank stare. “Never mind.”

  “What do you do for fun?” he asks, picking up another book. It’s a historical romance with a much less sexy cover than the previous.

  “Watch TV, read, go out to dinner, shop…normal stuff for a human.” I shrug. “I spent a lot of time just lying out in the sun drinking wine on my honeymoon. It was really nice.”

  “You like the sun.”

  “Love it.”

  “But Lucas…” Julian’s brows push together. “He can’t go in the sun.”

  “I know,” I sigh. “But I’m working on something to take care of that, too. I already figured out a way to keep the harmful rays from coming through the windows without actually having to block out the light.” I fix two more books and move down the aisle again. “Have you ever heard about an amulet that allowed vampires to day walk? There have always been legends of them, but Lucas says that’s all they are: legends.”

  “I have heard of the lore. I can look into it, too.”

  I smile. “I’m going to get used to having you around. I wish you could stay. It’s…it’s really nice having another angel around, which is weird to say since I don’t even know what being half-angel really means. I know I’m different, yet I don’t know how we are similar.”

  “You don’t have to know,” Julian says gently. “You can just feel it. I saw it in your eyes the first time you spotted me.”

  “Did you want me to see you?” I ask as we slowly walk down the aisle.

  “Yes,” he admits. “I’d wanted you to for years. I felt for you, and while I understood Michael’s reasons for having to keep you hidden, it hurt me to see you go through what you did. It…it was the first time I felt pain like that.” His brows furrow, looking confused from his emotions. “I’ve seen a lot of human suffering. All of us have,” he says, referring to the other angels. “But knowing who you are, what had to happen, and knowing I couldn’t intervene, it wasn’t fair. Michael wanted to, you should know that.”

  “But he couldn’t.”

  “Correct. Ten years after you were born, the first rumor surfaced about your heritage. Michael put a quick end to the demon who started it, but it would have been much too risky to go to earth himself. He sent your familiar instead.”

  “Binx,” I whisper with a smile. “If he hadn’t come and alerted Tabatha to where I was…things would have been so different. Even if I got out of that laboratory, I wouldn’t have come to Thorne Hill. I wouldn’t have met Kristy and maybe…maybe I wouldn’t have met Lucas.”

  Julian tips his head. “I think you would have run into each other one way or another.”

  I’m hit with emotion again and turn, quickly blinking away tears. What the hell is wrong with me? I move onto the next aisle, explaining how the store works to Julian. We get everything straightened up and then go into the office, taking care of anything that didn’t get done when we all rushed out of here yesterday.

  The little bell over the store’s front door sounds, and I shoot up, magic sizzling around my fingers. Along with the warding, the stay-away spell is still cast around the store. Julian rises to his feet, too, and holds out his hand. A dagger materializes in his hand, blade glinting under the harsh office lights.

  “Callie?” someone calls from inside the store.

  “It’s Kristy,” I say with a sigh. “Yeah, it’s me!” I look at the dagger in Julian’s hand. “Where did that come from?”

  “I’ve always had it.”

  “No…you haven’t.”

  “It’s kept hidden with what I suppose you would call magic.”

  Kristy walks through the store. “Who’s with you?” she asks before she gets to the office and then comes to a halt as soon as she sees Julian. “Oh, hi.” Her eyes go from Julian to me to the dagger in his hand. She blinks a few times and quickly shakes her head. “What are you doing here?”

  “We’re just hanging out. Lucas thought it would be a good idea for me to get out of the house after Julian dropped by last night to tell me Ruth is trying to bust Bael out of demon-jail and the demons want me so they can force me to kick my uncle off his throne and rule Hell.”

  Kristy’s lips part, and her brows go up. “You know, most people would ease that kind of information onto someone. Or at least warn me to sit down first.”

  I shrug. “It’s so much easier to just say things as they are.” I let out a breath and watch the dagger disappear from Julian’s hand. “But I wanted to straighten up and check on things, which is probably why you’re here?”

  “Yeah. I forgot to call Vanessa and Clark to tell them not to come in this evening. Do you think we should stay closed?”

  I let out a breath. “I don’t know. Ruth is probably pissed as fuck right now.”

  “Pissed as fuck?” Julian repeats in question.

  “She’s really mad,” I quickly explain. “Did you happen to talk to Ruby this morning?” I ask Kristy.

  “Yes, she filled me in on everything. We’re getting closer. We will find her, Callie.”

  I glance at Julian. “He might have a way to locate her. Ruth is probably cloaking herself with dark magic, and Julian’s boss, I suppose could say, might be able to help find her.”

  “Does she know about you?” Kristy’s blue eyes fill with concern.

  “No,” Julian answers. “Nor will she.”

  “Okay. Good. Because I don’t want to have to t
hreaten an angel,” Kristy starts with a smile. “But Callie is my best friend.”

  “I love you, but you suck at the threats,” I say with a smile, and Kirsty hugs me.

  “I’ll try to channel you more next time.”

  “That’s a good idea.” We break apart.

  “The store looks good,” Kristy says as we walk out of the office. “And the warding is strong. Maybe we should open.”

  “Julian and I can manage until Vanessa and Clark get here, and I’ll send one of my familiars over to keep an eye on things,” I offer. “You can go home.”

  “You wouldn’t mind?”

  I shake my head. “They’re coming in at two?”

  “Yeah.”

  I look at Julian, making sure he doesn’t mind. “Then we’ll stay. Go home…or go back to Evander.” I wiggle my eyebrows, and Kristy shakes her head.

  “I’ll go get coffee. How’s that? Want anything to eat, too? I’m starving.”

  “I’ll pass on the coffee,” I say, wrinkling my nose and putting my hand over my stomach. “I think the stress is getting to me. Or maybe my liver is finally protesting after all these years from consuming mass amounts of alcohol.”

  “You should eat,” Julian tells me. “You haven’t yet today.”

  “Yeah,” I agree. “A muffin from Curlew’s would be good.”

  “That’s all you want?” Kristy asks.

  “Yeah. A blueberry muffin with those big sugar crystals sounds really good now that I’m thinking about it. With butter, of course.”

  “I’ll be right back, then,” Kristy says with a smile. We all walk to the front of the store together. I undo the stay-away spell, and Kristy turns on the open sign. “You sure you want to stay?” She flicks her eyes to Julian.

  “Yeah. We’ll be fine.” I look at my cousin. “Right?”

  “Yes,” he says with a curt nod. “I like to watch humans.”

  “Don’t refer to people as humans when they’re in earshot,” I say, internally wincing. Though as awkward as Julian will be, no one is going to accuse him of being an angel, that’s for sure. “I’ll say I’m training him, and he’ll hang out with me by the register. And if anyone gets too curious, he can do angel-tricks to make them go away.”