He’s taking care of me—again.
“Do you have any of that healing balm left?” he asks, straightening back up. He towers over me and I step in, needing to feel him against me.
“Yeah, I do. And Kristy probably brought some. She’s usually well prepared.” My friends had intended on getting a hotel downtown for the night, sleeping off what we drank. They’re here instead, as well as Eliza.
“You were incredible in there.” Lucas slides his hands up and down my back.
“You always say that. I’m starting to think you just have low standards.”
Lucas laughs and puts his lips to my neck. I bring my hand up to his chest. He healed by the time we got to his car, and there’s not a mark left on him. His blood has dried on his skin, and now it’s my turn to wash him.
Once we’re both clean, we get out and get dressed. Lucas runs the towel over his hair and dresses only in gray sweatpants. No one should look that good in lounge wear. I pull on black leggings and one of Lucas’s white t-shirts. Leaving my hair damp and unbrushed, I go downstairs and find everyone in the living room.
My friends have changed into their PJs as well, but Eliza is wearing another pretty dress. Her hair is perfect and her makeup impeccable. I can’t even get myself to look that put together with magic.
“You feeling okay?” Kristy asks, standing up when I come into the room. Binx jumps off the couch and trots over, rubbing his head against me. I pick him up and nuzzle my face into his fur.
“Yeah. I’m hungry, though, and for some reason mac and cheese sounds really good.”
“That does,” Kristy agrees and takes my hands in hers. She parts her lips and looks behind me at the twins. Naomi is uncharacteristically quiet, and Nicole is holding Pandora, nervously running her fingers through her fur.
“So that was a fun girls’ night out,” Eliza says, crossing her arms. All eyes go to her and silence falls over our little group. And then we all start laughing.
“I don’t understand why it turned into rats.” I sink onto the love seat opposite the couch. Lucas takes a spot next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I let him pull me against his firm chest, finding instant relief to have my body pressed against his. “Hellhounds don’t turn into anything, right?”
“I’m not well versed on them,” Lucas says. “The one and only time I witnessed one it was after its mark and paid no attention to me.”
He also thought it ignored him because he’s just as evil as a creature from Hell. I know that’s not true.
“Why was it there?” Kristy asks. “I mean, that whole building was glamoured to look like it was in the process of being torn down so it would be overlooked. What has the kind of power to cast that strong of a glamour?”
“Other witches?” Nicole suggests.
“The real question is.” Naomi leans forward. “Why didn’t the glamour work on Callie?”
“I don’t know.” I look at Lucas and shake my head. “I saw it right away. I remember thinking it was weird for that fancy bar to be next to such a shithole of a building as soon as we pulled up. And then I felt…” I trail off. I already sound crazy enough. Saying I felt compelled to go inside the building because I found a feather is enough to put me away and have my head examined.
And that man…the one with the blue eyes but not glowing blue eyes…it was like he was calling to me. He wanted me to find him. Maybe? Or was he trying to keep the hellhounds from escaping?
Or even lead me right to them?
“You felt what?” Kristy urges.
“There was a vibration in the air. When Kristy said there wasn’t a building, it hit me what was going on.”
“Why did you go back into that alley in the first place?” Eliza’s blue eyes land on me.
I went back there because the man who I think dropped the feather—crazy, I know, I know—led me there. I think. “I just followed a gut feeling.” It’s not quite a lie. I did follow a gut feeling and it led me to the man who— “Oh shit. There’s a body in that building.”
“If it’s been glamoured, chances are no one will find it,” Naomi says like that’s supposed to soothe my nerves.
“But that man…he’s someone,” I protest. “His family could be looking for him.”
“He didn’t smell very human to me,” Eliza quips.
“He was human,” Lucas tells her.
“Are you sure?”
“I pulled his fucking head off,” Lucas replies dryly. “Trust me. He was human, but his blood had been tainted somehow.”
“Like he was possessed?” Nicole asks.
“Not quiet. His blood was rancid because he was dead but was something more…like he was diseased.”
Chapter 15
“Diseased?” I echo. “Like with the flu or something.”
“Or something,” Lucas replies. “Based on the decomposition of the body, he’d only been dead for about a day. But the blood…the blood smelled like it’s been festering for much longer than that.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” I rub my forehead. “Then again, a hellhound turning into rats doesn’t either.”
“Unless it was so they can scatter,” Nicole guesses. “I mean, if you think about it, it makes sense. One of those giant freaky dogs walking around the streets of Chicago is sure to draw attention. But rats…they live in the sewers.”
“But all the rats were dead. Unless…shit.” I start to stand but Binx growls, knowing what I’m thinking. “We have to go back and make sure none got out—”
“Callie,” Kristy says, voice edging on scolding. “You and Eliza almost died. Lucas got hurt too.” She doesn’t have to tell me that if Lucas got hurt, shit is serious. Lucas is the oldest and strongest vampire any of us have met, and is more powerful than the vampires we’ve read about in our history books at the Academy.
“I’ll be better prepared this time, and I’ll bring my familiars.”
“You’re supposed to be lying low,” Naomi reminds me. “The Grand Coven would have a field day if they found out you discovered another big bad lurking about the city.”
“It’s more like it found me,” I grumble, though really, I think the man with blue eyes and the feather led me to it.
“We’re trying to build a case that you’re an ordinary witch with ordinary powers, excelling in one normal area, and telling them that you ripped a bloody hellhound apart with your mind is not going to help with that.” She leans over and puts her hand on mine. “We know you’re not ordinary.” She looks at her sister and Kristy. “I think we’ve always known and that’s why we love you. But, Callie, I’m scared for you. If the Grand Coven sentences you to death…”
“I will rip their throats out before they can lay a finger on her,” Lucas promises.
“And then what?” Naomi throws her hand out. “You two will live a life of exile leaving body trails wherever you go? These things catch up with you, Cal, and I don’t want that life for you or for myself.”
“You don’t have to be involved,” I start.
“Yes, yes I do!” Naomi stands up and tears pool in her eyes. “You’re like a sister to us, Callie. I couldn’t stand by and watch the Grand Coven order a witch hunt for one of our own. And we both know everyone in this room will be found guilty by association. Call me selfish, but I don’t want to be cast out of the coven and I certainly don’t want to be tied to a stake and burned for everyone to see!”
She turns and marches out of the living room.
“Let her go,” Nicole says when I get up to go after her. “Trust me, it’s best to give her a bit of space before trying to reason with her.”
I sink back down onto the couch and look down at Binx. “I don’t want to put you guys at risk for excommunication by the Grand Coven.”
“You’re not,” Kristy assures we. “We came here to see you. And Naomi was right. It’s all bullshit. If they kick you out for life, then I’m leaving.”
“I won’t let it come to that,” I tell her and then lo
ok at Lucas. “And we’re not murdering any witches.”
“Unless they really deserve it, right?” Lucas tries.
“Let’s, uh, cross that bridge when we come to it.” I let out a heavy sigh and run my hand over Binx’s fur.
“I think we all need to get some sleep.” Kristy rubs her forehead. “And then revisit this tomorrow. From where I stand, it’s over. You ripped that thing in half and all the rats are dead.”
“I still feel like there’s something evil in there.”
“There probably is,” Nicole tells me. “The energy of whatever kind of demon that was. It’ll taint the earth for a while, you know.”
“And no one is getting in there.” Kristy sounds sure of herself only because she wants to believe it.
“No one would have with the hellhounds, but I killed them. I think.”
“You ripped it in half and then it turned into dead rats.” Lucas shrugs. “Seems pretty dead to me.”
“Why were they there?” Nicole asks.
“I have no idea.” I lean back against Lucas. “Hellhounds are sent to do a demon’s bidding. Usually to collect on a deal made. That’s why Lucas saw them before. A village made a deal for prosperous crops and then the hellhounds came to collect souls when the time of the contract was up.”
“Do you think someone made a deal with a demon?” Nicole twists her red hair up into a messy bun. “And they were waiting to collect?”
“I suppose, but it still doesn’t explain why the building was hidden with a glamour.” Or why that man was heading back there. He could be just as evil as the hellhounds, yet for some reason, I know he’s not. Did he want me to follow him back there?
Why?
Was it a test? Did he want them to kill me for some reason?
He seemed surprised when I saw him, like it was the last thing he expected. I turn, looking into the foyer. I dumped my purse in there as soon as we walked inside, and I want to hold the feather.
“Callie?” Kristy says, and I don’t think it’s the first time she’s said my name. I spaced out thinking about the man and the feather. It sounds so insane when I think about it like that.
“Sorry.” I bring my hands to my face and yawn. “I’m tired.”
“You should sleep,” Lucas urges.
“I know,” I agree. “But I don’t think I’ll be able to fall asleep. What if some kids break in tomorrow and find Jumanji or something?”
“Then we’ll figure out a way to stop the city from becoming a jungle.” Lucas pulls me onto his lap. “But I don’t think you have to worry about it. That creature is dead, I’m sure of it.”
“I know.”
I don’t want to say it and freak my friends out, and I’m not even certain it’s true myself. But I still think that hellhound was guarding something, and it’s not a children’s game. Whatever is hidden in that building is much, much worse.
* * *
“There are automatic blinds that go down around four-thirty,” I tell my friends. We’re upstairs and ready to crash for what’s left of the night. “The house is light-tight after that, so you’ll have to turn on lights.”
“Makes sense.” Nicole tosses decorative pillows onto the ground. “This place is really nice and not what I expected for Lucas.”
“Right? I thought the same thing.” The guest room, like the rest of the house, is very modern.
“Saying I assumed he lived in some old gothic mansion seems stereotypical,” Nicole admits. “But I kind of thought that.”
“They will be living in one soon enough.” Kristy leans against the door frame.
“I do plan to have at least one room look like it could be part of the Haunted Mansion, but we want to keep a similar color scheme to this house, actually. I like the light gray and white.”
“Me too.” Nicole climbs into bed and Naomi comes out of the bathroom. She hugs me goodnight and I walk Kristy to another guest room before going into the master bedroom. Lucas is already in bed waiting for me. I get under the covers and immediately snuggle up next to him.
“I love you,” I whisper as he spoons his body around mine.
“I love you too, Callie.” He kisses my neck and holds me close. My eyes fall shut and then I spin around in his arms.
“You lost a lot of blood today.”
“I’m fine now.”
“You should eat.” I push my hair back and offer my neck to him.
“I’m fine,” he presses.
“What, does my blood smell rancid now too?”
“Not at all.”
“They why don’t you want it?” I ask. “Aren’t you hungry after losing that much blood?”
“A little.” He moves me onto his chest and runs his fingers up and down my back. My eyes fall shut. “I don’t want to take too much from you, Callie. I will be fine and getting a few hours of extra sleep will make up for the blood I lost. It takes you longer to recover and I’ve drank from you recently.”
He has, and he’s right. If I were a normal person, I don’t think our arrangement would work as well as it does. Lucas told me my blood is more filling than the average human and he doesn’t need to drink as much to feel satisfied. He’s a beast of a man and it’s actually a wonder we’ve been able to sustain him only drinking my blood for as long as we have.
I haven’t really let myself think about it, and I want to say I’d be okay with it…but I think it would bother me if he drank from someone else. Maybe? If he needed to eat, though, and I were unable to give him my blood, then he’d have to. It’s not like he’s cheating on me. He’s simply feeding himself.
But feeding is rather sexual, or at least it is with us.
Ugh. It’s too complicated to think about right now.
“In the morning then,” I whisper.
“Yes. In the morning.”
I close my eyes and drift to a sleep so deep not even the automatic blinds coming down wakes me up. Lucas is in bed next to me when I do wake up, and he’s in that deep, dead, vampire-style sleep. I conjure a small energy ball so I can see my way into the bathroom.
It’s ten-thirty AM and I’m sure my friends are awake. I change into a black romper, use magic to braid my hair, and go downstairs to find them. Binx is sitting at the top of the stairs, waiting for me.
“Morning, Mr. Prickle Paws,” I tell him, reaching down to pick him up. I find Kristy and Nicole in the kitchen. “Hey, guys. How’d you sleep?”
“I passed out like a baby,” Nicole says. “Naomi is still sleeping.”
“How are you feeling?” Kristy sips her coffee. “I think I’m hungover.”
“I’ll be better with coffee.”
“I wasn’t sure if there would be food here,” Nicole admits, biting into her bagel. “But then again, you live here half the time.”
“I get groceries whenever I come into the city. I think the kitchen is happy to finally be used.”
“Lucas probably never came in here before, did he?” Kristy adds more sugar to her coffee and circles her finger over the mug, using magic to stir it in.
“I don’t think so. The house was staged before he bought it and he had them leave all the stuff here. I’m not sure why, though.” I shrug. “Maybe for resale? He buys and sells properties a lot.”
“There’s a lot of money in that,” Nicole says.
“There is,” I agree and pour myself a cup of coffee. “So…who wants to go check out that old building with me this morning?”
“You’re joking, right?” Kristy deadpans.
“I want to make sure the rats are really dead. And I don’t have to go inside to do that. Binx already offered to check it out for me.” I put the coffee pot back on the warmer.
“You’re just going to look?” Nicole asks and I nod. “Then I’m in. If that thing…the rat-dog or whatever…if it’s dead, then the glamour might be gone, and people will wonder where the hell that building came from.”
“I didn’t think about that,” I tell her. “It’s too early in the day to
try and sort it out, but unless there are photos, people will just be confused, right?”
“Even in photos, which I’m sure there are, it’ll show up as hazy,” Kristy says. I take my coffee back to the island. Lucas’s laptop and a folded piece of paper are on the center of the island. My name is written on the paper in his freakishly neat handwriting.
“Is it a sex note?” Nicole jokes as I pick it up. A flash drive falls from the folded paper, bouncing to the floor. She picks it up for me.
“No, it’s security footage from the bar.” I set the note down and open the computer. We all crowd around the computer as I stick in the flash drive. There’s footage from last night, of course, as well as going back a week.
“Start with last night,” Kristy says. “It was around midnight, I think.”
It takes a minute or two of clicking through the different recordings until we find a camera angle that shows a bit of the alley. The building behind the bar is showing up all hazy, just like Kristy said. It makes it look like something it wrong with the camera, or that something was smeared over the lens and has distorted the way it recorded.
I rest my hand against the cool quartz counter, needing to remind myself to breathe. The man with blue eyes should be appearing any second now, followed by me. Something flashes across the screen, startling us all.
“What was that?” Kristy reaches over me and rewinds the footage, playing it back frame by frame. “Is that an outline of a man?” She stops it, right in the middle of the second-long flash. “It looks like an outline of a man.”
“It kind of does,” Nicole agrees.
“Yeah,” I say, unable to dispute it. It does look like a man and is roughly similar to the man with blue eyes. “Keep playing it.”
Kristy hits play and we see me go into the alley. The diseased man staggers past next, and then we move out of the camera view. We skip forward, slowing to real time when Kristy, the twins, and Eliza show up. We can see the backs of their heads, but the actual point of entry into the building is out of camera shot. Kristy fast forwards again, stopping when a dark shadow blurs across the screen.
“That’s Lucas,” I tell her.
Call of Night: The Thorne Hill Series Book Three Page 13