“Oh, how, uh, nice.”
“I’ll take those.” Abby holds out her hand for the ice packs. “Thank you.” She ushers the nurse out and closes the door. “That’s what Binx really looks like?” Quickly shaking her head, she puts the ice packs around me. “Will she be able to help you?”
“She might,” I say.
“It’s worth a try then.” Lucas gets my phone. “Do you have her number?”
I shake my head. “She won’t be able to get a call if she’s at the Academy. I can send Freya and Pandora.” They stayed at the house in case anyone from the Grand Coven stopped by to make sure I was holding up my end of the deal. My familiars would let them in so they could have a look around and see that my windows weren’t covered. A vampire couldn’t be living with me.
“I’ll call for them.” I close my eyes but as soon as I try to put out a message to my familiars, I’m hit with a horrible pain, just like when I telekinetically took the phone out of Lucas’s hand.
I scream, feeling like my entire body has been plunged into boiling hot water. Lucas grabs a hold of me, clutching me until the pain passes. Once I stop shaking, he inspects my wrist. The darkness has traveled farther up my arm.
“Every time you use magic it gets worse.” He touches the dark vein. “It’s as if the virus is feeding off your powers.” He holds my phone up to my face to get it to unlock with the facial recognition. “I’m calling Kristy and having her get a hold of Tabatha.”
“Lucas, I can’t risk her.”
“And I’m not going to sit here and watch you die.” He gets up, stepping out of the room so I won’t be able to try and stop him, and calls her. Abby takes a step back and sits on the register under the window. Her eyes flit from me to Binx.
“Told you he wasn’t really a cat,” I say, struggling to get each word out.
“I know, but I had no idea he looked like that. Do your others?”
I nod. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“Do you have to go back to the ER?”
“No,” she says. “My shift ended.”
“You can go home.” Binx moves to my side, resting his head on my arm.
“No, I’m not leaving you. I just need to call Phil and let him know I’ll be late.”
“What are you going to tell him?” I curl my fingers through Binx’s fur.
“The truth. Well, not that you’re infected with a demon virus and we’re trying to get a witch-doctor to cure you, but I’ll tell him you’re really sick.”
“Thanks, Abby.”
“You’re my sister.”
Lucas comes back into the room, brows furrowed with trepidation. “I spoke with Tabatha, and she’s on her way. We need to take Callie back to my house.”
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Abby argues. “She’s weak.”
“She is, and she will continue to get weaker.”
“Can’t they come here and treat her? I’ll close the door.”
“No. Tabatha told me that Evander has been researching this demon since we first ran into it a few nights ago. He has a lead, but if it’s true…” He sits on the edge of the bed, looking down at me with glossy eyes. “If it’s true, we don’t have much time.”
“What is it, Lucas?” Eliza snaps, unable to hide the fear in her voice.
Lucas tears his eyes away from mine, looking pained. “Pestilence.”
Chapter 31
“Pestilence?” Eliza echoes. “I…I don’t understand.”
“Like the Horseman?” Abby asks, voice shaking.
“Yes.”
“Wait a minute.” Abby is terrified and trying to hold it together. “One of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse has poisoned my sister?”
“Not the horseman directly, but a demon with connections who wants to bring them forth from Hell.” Lucas turns back to me. “The demon said something to you…that you might be strong enough?”
“It said it’d been waiting for one that was worthy, and then it kept asking me what I am.” Wincing, I sit up. “Demons say that kind of stuff all the time, though. They want you to feel special so you’ll let them in.” I close my eyes, thinking back. “It did say it didn’t want to take me to Hell as its bride but do the opposite…whatever that means.”
“It wants to break the seals.”
“Great,” I groan as another shudder of pain goes through me.
“I’m not following.” Poor Abby sounds like she’s going to cry.
“Break the seals, the Four can come out and start an apocalypse,” Lucas explains quickly.
“Oh. That wouldn’t be good.” Now she looks like she might pass out.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her and push myself up even more. “We won’t let that happen. I already killed that demon. And if any more try, I’ll kill them too.” I cough up mucus. “Well, once I’m better.”
Abby takes in a deep breath and sits back on the register. “Why do you have to take Callie out of the hospital, though? She’s sick, and at least here I can try to treat her symptoms.”
“The virus is demonic. Witches have the power to vanquish and banish demons. The right spell might be enough to weaken the virus if not kill it completely.”
“Holy shit.” Abby puts her head in her hands. “She still needs supportive care. That fever is going to burn her up. And I still don’t understand how the virus works…is she contagious?”
“I don’t know,” Lucas answers honestly. “She can’t infect me, though, if she is.”
“Right…you’re a vampire.” Abby closes her eyes and thinks. “Okay…you need supplies.”
“Supplies?” I ask.
“IVs and medication. If the virus is killed but you still have the freaking bubonic plague, you’re going to need a strong dose of antibiotics.”
“Can you go get some?” Eliza asks.
“It’s not as easy as it is in movies to steal medical supplies. Things are accounted for, especially the medication. When things go missing, someone will get the blame.” Abby chews on her lips and then looks at Lucas. “You can do that hypnotism thing, right?”
“Yes,” he answers.
“Come with me then. I have a plan.”
* * *
“Are you comfortable?” Lucas smooths the blankets over my legs. I’m back at his house, tucked in bed.
“As much as I can be.” I force a smile and my eyes fall shut. The little movement I did to get from the hospital to the house wore me out, and Lucas carried me most of the time. Abby puts on gloves and wipes the IV port on my arm with an alcohol wipe, disinfecting it before hooking another up.
“I need to hang it,” she tells Lucas, holding the bag up. “I should have had you steal a pump.”
“How high?” Lucas asks.
“About where I’ve got it.”
“I’ll find something.” Lucas kisses my forehead and leaves the room.
“Thank you again, Abby.” I turn on my side and bring my legs to my chest. Everything feels wrong inside my body. My stomach is full of acid. My muscles are deteriorating. There’s fire inside my lungs, and my head might crack open from the pressure at any moment.
Dying is awful.
It took twenty or so minutes for Abby to get everything she needs to take care of me here, and then another twenty to get back to Lucas’s house. Tabatha, Evander, and Kristy are all on their way, and should be here within a half hour. I want to sleep until then.
“Stop thanking me and I’ll stop apologizing.”
“Deal.”
“How are things coming on your house?” she asks and I know it’s to calm her nerves.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t had a chance to look.” The chills are back and I tighten the blanket around my shoulders. I don’t remember how long it’s been since we had dinner at Abby’s house. Days? A week? It feels like so long ago. “Maybe I’ll go home and find it’s almost done.”
“I don’t think that’ll happen,” Abby laughs.
“Unless you use magic. Can you use magic?”
“Not for a whole house reno like that. But I use magic to help me clean and cook.”
Lucas returns and punches a long nail into the wall with his bare hands. Abby hangs the IV bag and then lays out the rest of the medication. She takes my vitals and records them in a notebook.
“You’re a good doctor,” I tell her, eyes feeling heavy.
“I try.” She yawns and runs her hand over her face.
“You’re welcome to any of the guest rooms,” Lucas says. “And there are clean clothes in the closet. I don’t think Callie would mind sharing.”
“Thanks. I have a change of clothes in my bag. I don’t like to wear my scrubs home. They’re way too germy to have around Penny.” She leaves to change and lay down until Tabatha and my friends get here.”
“Lucas,” I start.
“Shhh,” he soothes. “Close your eyes and get some rest, my love.” His lips press against mine and he combs his fingers through my long hair. I let my eyes fall shut and start to fall asleep, waking up to cough. I just know that I’m dying and it terrifies me.
“We’re really going to need that vacation once you’re better,” Lucas says softly.
“Yeah,” I agree. If I’m better…because right now I don’t see how I’m going to get through this. The pain is getting worse and worse. I grit my teeth and squeeze my eyes shut.
“Do you want me to rub your back again?”
I weakly nod my head and Lucas helps me lie down in such a way that I’m still propped up on the pillows. Having him rub my sore muscles helps me relax a little, but not enough to fall asleep, which is all I want to do.
The chills turn into tremors, and I moan in pain. “Everything hurts,” I cry, tears spilling from my eyes.
“Abby brought you pain medicine.”
“I don’t think it’ll help.”
“It won’t hurt to try it. I’ll get her.”
“No. Don’t leave me.”
“I will never leave you,” Lucas whispers, saying each word slowly. “Never, Callie. You are everything to me. I won’t lose you, and I won’t leave you.” He lies down next to me, sliding one arm under my body. “I told you I wasn’t going to let anyone take you away from me, not even the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”
My throat burns and I feel like I’m going to puke up stomach bile. The pain in my chest intensifies, burning both my lungs and my heart now. Humans can’t live with temperatures this high for long, and I know my time is running out.
Will Lucas let me die?
Or will he turn me into a vampire?
I’ll lose my powers. I’ll lose the sun. My familiars. The coven.
But we’ll be together.
It should be an easy choice: death or immortal life. Yet for me it’s not, and if it does come down to it…I don’t want to be a vampire.
Chapter 32
“You were right to call me.” Tabatha sits on the bed and brushes my hair back. “My darling girl, we will get you well.”
“She looks awful.” Kristy sniffles. “She’s never been sick, not even once, since we met.”
“I don’t remember her being sick when we were kids either,” Abby says. “Is it a witch thing?”
“No,” Kristy answers. “Witches get sick.”
“We should get started. I fear we’ve already wasted time.” Tabatha rests her hand on my cheek and gets up. I force my eyes open and see my friends moving about the room. The automatic blinds have been come down early, no doubt to keep anyone from seeing inside.
“What are you going to do?” Abby asks.
“We’re going to start with a simple banishing spell.” Evander lays sage smudge sticks on the dresser across from the bed. “We’ll see how she fares and then move up from there. Kristy is making a vanquishing potion now.”
“I’ve combined it with a health serum that should hopefully counteract the effects of having Callie consume the vanquishing potion.”
“Is it going to hurt her?”
“Yes,” Kristy answers after a moment of hesitation. “But if it saves her…”
“Then it’s more than worth it,” Lucas finishes.
“I’m going to get the potion started in the kitchen,” Kristy says and pulls a little glass vial from her bag. “I need the final ingredient.”
Lucas takes the vial and draw his fangs. He bites himself, sinking his fangs into the vein in his wrist and catches the drops of blood in the vial before he heals.
“Thanks.” Kristy puts a cork on the vial and goes downstairs.
I start coughing, getting everyone’s attention. Binx shadows behind me, helping me sit up. “Hey, guys.”
“Oh, my sweet girl.” Tabatha puts her heavy Book of Shadows down and comes around to my side of the bed. “Never hesitate to call me.”
“This puts you in a bad situation.”
“Not quite as bad as the one you’re in,” Evander says with a half-smile.
“I’ll get out of it.” I close my eyes again and hunch forward. “I’ve gotten out of every bad situation I’ve been in so far.”
“Maybe you should stop getting into them? Ever think of that?” he teases.
“That’s no fun.” I groan, teeth chattering together. “Are you ready to do this?”
“Just about.”
I have Lucas take me to the bathroom, and Abby checks my vitals once more. Nothing has improved. Head pounding, I get back into bed. The room is spinning and my insides are liquifying…or at least that’s how it feels.
Lucas messes with the pillows, fluffing and rearranging them until he’s convinced it’s good enough. Evander lights a smudge stick and the smoke wafts around me. The smell is usually comforting, but right now it’s making me feel sick.
Tabatha sets a white candle on either side of the nightstand and ignites them with magic. She moves to the foot of the bed and holds out a quartz crystal wand. “Powers of North, South, East and West, I call on you with this request. Remove the evil in the space, and leave good fortune in its place.”
As she speaks, a sharp pain starts in my wrist. When she holds up the crystal, my arm starts to tingle.
“Powers of North, South, East, and West,” she repeats and it’s like someone took a hot iron from the fire and shoved it inside my veins. I scream in pain, clutching my arm. The IV lines pull but the pain of that is nothing compared to my skin which feels like literal fire.
I look down, convinced I’ll see charred and burned skin. My skin is fine, but the black lines travel up my arm. Lucas, who’s next to me, sees it too.
“The spell,” he rushes out. “It’s making it worse. You have to stop.”
“No,” I grunt. “Keep going.” I squeeze my eyes closed and take a tangle of the blankets in each hand, bracing myself.
Tabatha sets her face and points the crystal wand at me. “I call on you with this request.” Her words bring more pain and I inhale sharply before screaming again. The black lines move up farther, poisoning more of my veins. “Remove the evil in the space, and leave good fortune in its place.”
“Stop!” Lucas yells. “You’re hurting her!” He wraps me in his arms, and I fall against him, heart pounding.
“Should we take a break?” Evander whispers and Tabatha shakes her head.
“Join me,” Tabatha tells him and Evander holds out his hand, thumbs and forefingers together.
“Powers of North, South, East, and West,” they chant and pain shoots through me. “I call on you with this request. Remove the evil in the space, and leave good fortune in its place.”
My entire body stiffens and my head flops back. My vision blacks and I’m shaking uncontrollably again.
“Oh my God,” Abby breathes and runs over. “Stop! Stop! It’s making it spread!” I go limp in Lucas’s strong arms. My heart is racing and I can’t catch my breath. The muscles in my legs are cramping like I just got done running a marathon. “It’s to her shoulder now. If it spreads to her heart…”
; “What’s going on?” Kristy’s voice comes from the hall as she runs into the room, followed by Eliza, who’s doing her best to act uninterested but really is worried sick. “I heard screaming.”
“The virus seems to feed on magic,” Lucas answers. “When Callie used her powers she had the same reaction. And look.” He turns my hand over. “It makes it spread.”
“Does that mean magic isn’t going to work?” Abby asks, though I think she already knows the answer.
I do.
“It means we can’t fight it with magic,” Tabatha replies, voice thin. “Which… means we have no way of stopping the virus from spreading.”
“No.” Lucas slips his arms around me. “No. She’s not dying.” His voice breaks and he brings his head down to mine. “I’m not losing her.”
“Lucas,” I mumble, mustering up all the strength I have to open my eyes and bring one hand to his face. “I love you.”
“Stop it,” he growls and tears fall from his eyes, landing on my cheeks. “Stop acting like this is goodbye.” He holds me closer. “You’re going to be okay.”
“I…I’m not.” My body shudders. “I can feel it…burning me from the inside out. It hurts.”
“But you’re strong, Callie. The strongest person I’ve ever met. You can fight through this.”
“I…I can’t use ma-agic.” My words come out all jerky.
“Use the other magic.” Lucas pulls me tighter into his arms. “You healed yourself before. I saw you do it. Do it now.”
“It was the Blue-Eyed man,” I breathe, so quiet only Lucas is able to hear me. “He did it.”
“It was you. You did it, my love. Heal yourself now. Please,” he cries. “I can’t lose you.” He kisses me once more and draws his fangs. “I won’t lose you.”
The pain starts to fade, and I’m so, so cold. “Lucas…I…I…” My head lolls back.
“Callie?” Lucas calls frantically. “Callie?”
“No!” Abby cries. I feel her weight sink down on the mattress. “Is she—?”
Before she can finish her question, bright golden light fills the room. I can’t open my eyes, but yet I know who it is.
Call of Night: The Thorne Hill Series Book Three Page 24