Dead of Night: Book One in the Thorne Hill Series

by Goodwin, Emily

  “Thanks, Mom,” I retort. “And I know.” I take another drink and set the glass down, letting out a sigh. “I enjoy wine, but I don’t overdo it unless I’m stressed.” I hold up my hand. “Yes, I know,” I press. “It’s not a good way to deal with my emotions.”

  “Is there ever a good way to deal with them?” Lucas sits on a barstool.

  “If you haven’t figured it out in over a thousand years then I’m going to say no, there’s not.” I wipe my eyes. “I can’t explain it. I just know this is the truth. That demon wants me and—” I cut off when I get another flash before me. “Do you have a pen and paper?”

  Lucas speeds out of the room, coming back only a second later. I quickly scribble down the symbol that’s etched onto the demon’s pendant.

  “It was wearing this.” I turn the paper around and show Lucas the demon’s sigil.

  “You can find his name.”

  “And if I can find his name, I can summon him.”

  Lucas takes my hand. “Summon him and kill him.”

  “I can, and I will.” I put my finger down on the paper. “I just need to, well, figure out who this demon is first before I can narrow down the how part of killing.” I bite my lip and look at the sigil. “There are hundreds of demonic sigils like this archived.” I rub my forehead. “It’s like one step forward two steps back.”

  “Don’t get discouraged.” Lucas rests his hand on top of mine. “Look at it this way: we are one step closer to finding the identity of the killer.”

  “I like your way of looking at things. I have his sigil. I can find his name.” I close my eyes and let out a shaky breath. “I need to end this before anyone else gets killed.”

  “Do you know a demonologist?” he asks, and I’m once again so grateful he knows and accepts every single part of me.

  “Oh my god, I do!” I open my eyes, jumping up to get my phone. The thought hadn’t occurred to me before. “Naomi and Nicole’s grandmother. She’s a nasty old woman, but she studied demons extensively in her university years. Thank you!” I shout behind me as I run back up the stairs. My phone battery is almost dead, and I dump out my bag on the floor looking for my charger. My hands shake as I plug it in. I call Nicole first and get her voicemail. I end the call without leaving a message and call Naomi next.

  “You better have a good reason for calling at five in the morning,” Naomi growls when she answers.

  “The best reason.” I lay my sketch of the sigil on the floor so I can take a picture and send it. “I have the sigil of the demon who’s killing the witches.”

  “What?” she breathes. “A demon is killing witches? Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I need you to show it to your grandmother and see if she knows the demon’s name. If I get a name—”

  “—You can fight it,” she finishes.

  “Exactly. I’m going to text you a photo of it. It might not be exact. I saw the sigil in a creepy vision dream and we both know art is not my strong suit.” I pull my phone away from my ear, take a picture and send it to Naomi.

  “That looks oddly familiar,” she says once the photo goes through. “I think I’ve seen this in Gran’s books before.” I hear her get up and shut a door. “Mother and father have put the estate on lockdown, fearing Nicki and I might be next.”

  “Shit, you’re stuck?”

  “I’m never stuck. Give me until the end of the day, and I will pay my gran a visit.”

  “Be careful,” I press.

  “That goes without saying. We both have identifying information about this demon, making us at risk more than ever before. Doubly for you, Miss Virgo.”

  “I’m more like my moon sign than I am an actual Virgo.”

  “You sure about that?” she asks dryly, and I can just imagine her cocking an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest.

  “You’re such a Scorpio. But Naomi…thank you. You’re a good friend.”

  “I know I am.” We end the call and I set my phone on the floor, moving it against the wall so I don’t trip over it later. After quickly gathering up the stuff I dumped all over the floor, I sit on the bench by the end of Lucas’s bed.

  “I take it the call went well?” Lucas appears in the doorway of his room, holding my glass of wine. I run my eyes over him, once again appreciating how he’s so comfortable in his own skin. I bet it’s liberating, actually. Maybe I’ll start walking around naked more often. I’m sure Lucas will like it, at least.

  “Yes. Naomi is going to run the sigil by her gran. She thinks she’s seen it before, so we should be able to get a name by tonight.”

  “Once you have a name, will you know how to kill it?”

  “Possibly.” I don’t know how to kill a demon that arose straight from Hell. I don’t even know how to perform an exorcism on one possessed. “You can read Latin, right?”

  “Right.”

  “There might be something in the Book of the Beast on how to kill demons.”

  “I will read through it.” He hands me the wine and sits on the bench next to me.

  “Thanks, babe.” I take another big gulp and reach for Lucas’s hand. “You don’t have to help me with this.”

  “No,” he says. “I don’t have to at all. But I want to, because I care a great deal about you, Miss Callie Martin.” He flips his hand over, fingers intertwining with mine. “In fact, I dare say I care more for you than I have for anyone in well over a hundred years. No, make that two hundred years.” His eyes meet mine and he smiles. “Or five hundred.”

  “You’re so old,” I tease, leaning in to kiss him. “And I really care about you, too.” Enough to feel like I’m falling in love, but I won’t even let myself think about it. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

  Because loving a vampire can only end in heartache. He’ll live forever, never aging a day. He’ll always look this young and healthy, this fit and muscular. And I, obviously, will age like any old human.

  “I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Lucas’s lips pull into a smile. He kisses me, and I want nothing more than to surrender to him. “You’re making me hungry,” he growls.

  “And you’re turning me on,” I whisper.

  “Well, well…” He twirls a piece of my hair around his fingers. “What are we going to do about that?”

  I bite my lip and part my legs. “Dinner and a show?”

  “Fuck,” Lucas moans, pulling me to him. “You are everything I could ever ask for.”

  Chapter 29

  I stretch my legs out in front of me and lean back, closing my eyes and tipping my head up to the sun. I’m on the rooftop patio, soaking up the warmth of the day. Pandora is walking along the railing and Binx is stretched out on the chair next to me, enjoying sunbathing as much as I am.

  I’m waiting for my lunch to arrive, and then will probably go back inside and take a nap. Lucas looked through the Book of the Beast and didn’t see anything about how to kill demons. There was, however, a chapter that alluded to sending a demon back to Hell. Which would be great if I were able to summon up enough power to crack open the earth and shove the fucker inside.

  Pandora softly meows, letting me know the delivery guy is here. I go back inside, hurrying through the large house and meeting the delivery guy at the gate. Opening the front door and revealing that the house is blacked out is a dead giveaway that a vampire lives here. I take my food and go back to the rooftop, watching people walk up and down the sidewalk as I eat.

  I’ve been texting Kristy all day, letting her know what’s going on and that I’m still alive. Right now, sitting here in the warm sunshine, I’m not as scared as I was when I woke up in the dark. I’ve never been afraid of the dark, and there are many times when I prefer it. But there’s something about the sun, about the golden light pouring down on me from above that’s comforting.

  “Do you want some?” I ask my familiars, opening the pizza box. Usually, they turn up their noses at “people food,” but even they can’t resist a little slice of Chicago-style pizza. “We’
ll have to make sure to save a piece for Freya.” I take a slice and go back to the lounge chair. I’m glad Freya is with Kristy, keeping her and everyone with her safe, but I miss her.

  I take my time eating, trying to focus on people watching and not thinking about demons. I fail. If I do come face to face with this demon, I’ll at least ask why it’s singling Virgos out. Though I still have this weird feeling that it’s been looking for me the whole time…that the visions I’ve had were shoved into my head by someone—something—as a warning, trying to get me prepared for what’s to come.

  “It makes no sense, I know,” I say out loud to my familiars. “But what else could it be?”

  I have another piece of pizza and then close the box, taking it inside and putting it in the fridge. Since the bottle of wine is now empty and sitting on the counter, the pizza is the only thing in the fridge.

  I rinse out the wine bottle and look around for the garbage bins, finding them in a pull-out drawer next to the sink. There are two, one for garbage and one for recycling. Neither are very full, and I drop the wine bottle into the recycling bin. As I’m closing the drawer, I see the plastic packaging for a pack of batteries in the garbage. I reach in to take it out and move it into the other bin.

  “Are you picking through my garbage?” Lucas asks, appearing in the threshold of the kitchen. He’s dressed this time, wearing dark jeans and a black t-shirt.

  “Yes, but this isn’t garbage. This is plastic and should be in the recycling. You can literally live forever. You of all people should care about the well-being of our planet.” I drop the wrapper into the recycling bin and shut the drawer. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who refuses to believe in global warming.”

  “I’m not technically a person,” he reminds me. “And I do believe in it. I’ve seen the damage humans have done over the years.” He crosses the kitchen and hands me my phone. “Someone named Abby sent you a text message.”

  “My sister?” I take the phone and open her texts.

  Abby: I’m really looking forward to seeing you! I told Mom you might show up and she was so happy she started crying. She planned a whole other dinner for tonight when you and your mysterious boyfriend show up. We miss you, Callie. I know Mom might not show it, but she does. I’m sorry again it took me this long to reach out, but I’m excited to see you tonight.

  Her text is followed by a couple heart emojis and then a photo of Penny in her birthday dress.

  “Fuck,” I mutter. That’s tonight? No, it can’t be. I saw Abby just a few days ago and…shit…she said she’ll see me in a few days. I close the texts and double-check today’s date. Yep. It’s today.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “My niece’s birthday party is tonight. I forgot about it. I mean, I didn’t completely forget. I just lost track of time.”

  “That’s forgetting,” he teases.

  “I know. I was just busy trying not to die.”

  “Do you want to go?”

  I bite my lip and think about it. “I want to see my sister again. And part of me wants to show up just because my asshole brother doesn’t want me to.”

  Lucas grins. “There are the petty and impulsive traits coming out again.”

  “Also, there’s kind of a good chance I might die trying to kill this demon.” I say it as a joke, but Lucas and I both know it’s true. His face tenses for a split second. “I want to give my niece her birthday present before that happens. But I kind of have to go shopping first to get her something.”

  “There are plenty of stores around here.”

  I nod. “Good thing, because I didn’t bring a dress to wear tonight.”

  “Take my credit card and buy whatever you want,” he says.

  “I can’t accept that,” I start.

  “You can and you will. I want you to look good on my arm tonight.” He’s joking, trying to get me to agree to go out and have some fun shopping.

  “You don’t mind going?”

  “I’m curious about your family. They seem like undeserving assholes.”

  I swallow hard. If only he knew the whole truth. “My sister isn’t bad. She’s not that much older than me and was the only one who stood up for me.”

  “Doesn’t seem like she did enough.”

  I shake my head. “We were kids. She was only like thirteen when I…when I started going to Grim Gate Academy.”

  Lucas goes into his office again, returning with his wallet. I get a glimpse of his ID when he opens it to give me his credit card. I’ve never seen an Illinois issued vampire ID before. They’re supposed to look like driver’s licenses, practically indiscernible with the exception of having a date of death instead of date of birth. It catches me by surprise to see his looking much, much different, with the word “VAMPIRE” printed on the top in bold red letters.

  “Is that a new ID?” I ask.

  “It was new about three years ago. Lovely, isn’t it?” Lucas gives me his credit card.

  “They’re supposed to look like driver’s licenses.”

  “They did at first.” He closes his wallet. “But someone wanted to make sure it was obvious we aren’t human.”

  “That seems a little unfair.” I flip his credit card over in my hands. “I mean, the whole point of making you all get IDs and register is so you can do things you couldn’t do without identification, like buy plane tickets and own houses.”

  Lucas shrugs, trying not to let me know it bothers him. “I follow the rules that benefit me. Like I said before, I do what I want regardless.”

  “Right. It’s worked well for you.”

  “It has.” He moves my hair over my shoulder and kisses my neck. “Go shopping now while the sun is out.”

  “I will.”

  “Can you bring your familiars?”

  I smile, feeling a little warm and fuzzy inside from his concern. “I can, but people may wonder why I’m carrying cats around.”

  “Rich people are weird,” Lucas says with a smile. “As long as you’re carrying Binx around in a designer purse, no one will question you.”

  “Binx is heavy to carry in a purse,” I laugh. Upon hearing his name, Binx trots into the room and rubs against my legs. He likes being carried around and likes the idea of me buying a fancy purse just for him. “They can sense when I’m in danger, though. But I will be fine if I stay in public places and am back here before the sun even starts to set.”

  Lucas nods, kissing me once more before I leave.

  * * *

  “Do I look all right?” I turn, looking at my reflection in the floor-length mirror in the master bathroom. Lucas steps up behind me, looking very good himself in dress pants and a black button-up shirt. Vampires do have reflections, making me wonder who the hell started that silly rumor they don’t. My money is on vampires themselves, wanting to keep humans from figuring out who they were.

  “You are beautiful.” His arms wrap around me and he kisses my neck. “You’re making me want you again.”

  “You always want me.” I spin in his arms.

  “I always will.”

  Not wanting to mess up my hair—it took three spells to get this fancy updo just right—I stand on my toes to kiss him. The fact that I’m about to walk into Abby and Phillip’s house in just a few minutes is starting to hit me, and I’m getting nervous.

  “Maybe we should stay here and sharpen weapons or something.”

  Lucas tips his head. “You’re already dressed and now you’re having second thoughts?”

  I turn back around, stealing another look at myself in the mirror. Instead of black, I went with a dark purple dress. It’s tight around my waist and then loosens around my legs, ending with soft lace that swirls when I walk. I bought myself a new pair of shoes just to match, and Lucas called ahead and purchased an expensive necklace from Tiffany’s for me. He had texted me while I was out shopping, encouraging me to stop and “just look around” at jewelry at the store.

  The diamonds were waiting for me when
I walked inside.

  “Now that I’m thinking about it, it seems really stupid and reckless to take any time away from fighting this demon.”

  “You don’t know the demon’s name yet,” Lucas reminds me. “Your friend wasn’t able to see her grandmother until after dark.” He looks past me, out the window above the tub. “And the sun just set.”

  “I know. I just…I just…” I can’t stop my hands from shaking. I force my fear away and put on a smile. “I’m hungry. My mother always hires the best caterers, so at least dinner will be good.” I reach up and run my finger over the diamonds decorating my neck. “We should go before we’re later than we already are.”

  Not questioning my back-and-forth behavior, Lucas takes my hand. “Would you like to walk or drive?” he asks when we get to the foyer. “We might not find a spot in front of her house.”

  “We can drive.”

  “Good. I haven’t driven my McLaren in a while, and I want to take it out tonight.”

  “Your what?”

  Lucas laughs. “You’ll see.”

  The McLaren turns out to be a car, and a very expensive one at that. Lucas has two indoor garage spots along with this house, which is probably part of why this place cost so much. The Chevelle is next to the McLaren, and a motorcycle is squeezed in between the classic car and the garage wall. Like the rest of his house, the garage is neat and clean.

  It takes only minutes to get to my sister’s street, and a car leaves a parking spot right in front of her house as we pull up.

  “Did you have something to do with that?” Lucas takes the spot.

  “Maybe. Witches have a way of getting what we want.”

  “You do.” He kills the engine. “Ready?”

  I look at the house, seeing the lights on, feeling the energies of the people inside. There’s a large window at the front, looking into a living room or parlor. People mill about, talking and laughing.

  And then my father’s frame comes into view.

  Suddenly, my hands start shaking and I can’t get them to stop. I press my back against the seat of the car and turn my head down, gulping in air.