Lucas kisses me once more and then lets me go, picking up my underwear from the ground. He goes over to the sink and wets a paper towel. I slip it over my legs and hop down. The second my feet hit the floor, I feel a little dizzy. Lucas hardly drank any blood. I should be fine. I let out a breath and put my hand on the counter, waiting a few seconds before I pull my underwear up.
“Are you all right?” he asks, gently cleaning the blood from my neck.
“Yeah. I got a little dizzy,” I admit, not seeing the point in hiding it from him. “But I’m fine.”
“Sit,” he tells me. “I’ll get you water.”
I nod, knowing there’s no point in arguing. I quickly pull up my underwear, straighten my dress, and sit on a barstool at the counter.
“So I take it your coven isn’t burning you at the stake?” Eliza asks, perching on the edge of the kitchen table.
“No, they want me back.” I smile as I talk, feeling like I regained a part of me I didn’t know I'd lost. “There’s more I didn’t get a chance to tell you,” I say to Lucas. “Tabatha wants me to give the offering at the Feast of the Blood Moon.”
“What is that?” Lucas asks, handing me a glass of water along with a B12 vitamin.
“It’s a witch thing.”
“Obviously,” Eliza retorts, earning a pointed look from Lucas.
“A Blood Moon is a full moon in October. It’s this Saturday. When the Blood Moon falls in the middle of the month like this, it’s kind of like the unofficial kick-off to Samhain.”
“You can go to that now,” Lucas goes on, not needing to actually say the word for me to know what he’s asking.
“I can, but I still want to go to Florida with you.” I rest my hand over my stomach and take a drink of water. “We could really use the suspension from reality and have someone cook and clean for me.”
“Don’t you have that now?” Eliza raises an eyebrow and motions to Lucas.
“I clean,” I counter. “And it’s not the same. I deserve a vacation.”
“Oh, you do,” Eliza agrees. "But weren’t you supposed to leave soon?”
“We don’t have to be in Florida until the twentieth, but we had talked about going down and staying at Lucas’s property in Miami just to be away from here.”
“It won’t be an issue,” Lucas assures me. “We will leave in time for the theme park reservation and you can be here for the Feast.”
“Tell me about this Blood Moon thing,” Eliza says. “Do you get naked and dance in the moonlight?”
“You’ve seen too many cheesy witchcraft movies.” I purse my lips. “We only do that in the spring, and the nudity is optional. I’ve participated a few times.”
“Naked?”
“I kept my undies on but went topless.”
She looks at my cleavage. “You do have nice tits. A ten out of ten, if you ask me.”
I push my breasts together with my arms. “Thanks. They are pretty nice. Haven’t let me down yet. And it’s a feast, so we mostly eat, drink, dance, and celebrate, while still taking part in the old traditions of harnessing the power of the Blood Moon.”
“How do you do that?” Lucas asks.
“You just go outside.” I shrug. “It’s nothing too complicated. It’s a good time to recharge crystals or get moon water. Which reminds me, I need to give my crystals a salt bath and recharge them all on the night of the full moon. I haven’t done it in a while.” I slowly get up and get my phone from the counter near the sink to put a reminder in. Who knows what life will be life in a few more days. I’m crossing all my fingers that I’ll finally get a string of demon-free days, but who am I kidding?
Yawning, I put the phone back on the counter and finish my water. “And since we’ll be here on the day of the Blood Moon, that means I can hand out candy at the store. Thorne Hill does Trick or Treating for the kids two weeks before Halloween. It’s always fun. We could dress up together!” I give Lucas a smile. “I’ve always wanted to do a couple’s costume!”
“What do you have in mind?” Lucas ask, already looking like he’s regretting asking.
“Morticia and Gomez Addams?”
Eliza lets out a snort of laughter and looks me up and down. “Isn’t the point of Halloween to dress up differently than your everyday look?”
“Hah,” I deadpan. “Then Wonder Woman and Superman?”
“I’ll consider that one,” Lucas tells me. “Only if you promise to wear your costume to bed.”
I wiggle my eyebrows. “I’ll lasso you so good.”
Lucas takes me around the waist again. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“I should order our costumes now. I usually get my costume in September.”
Eliza goes to the pantry and gets out a box of dog treats. Scarlet comes running as soon as she hears the rustle of treats. “Your hellhound is bored. As my poor shoes have evidenced.”
“She’s probably used to…I actually have no idea. Helping to torture people? Hunting down anyone who made a deal with the devil?” I look at Scarlet. “She’s so cute.”
Lucas’s phone rings in the office. It’s work-related, and he kisses me then speeds off to answer it.
“Are you doing all right?” Eliza asks softly. She keeps up the air of being bored and self-absorbed, but she cares deeply for Lucas, and we have a bond now too.
“I hate lying to my friends,” I confess with no hesitation. “They were so happy to have me back, and the whole time I’m sitting there, letting them think everything is okay, that I have a little bit of a break. I don’t even know how to tell them that Lucifer is out of Hell. I have no idea why he’s here, and if I’m right and he—”
“Hey,” Eliza interrupts. “It’s gonna be okay. You’re surprisingly scrappy and always pull things together at the last minute. And you have some pretty amazing friends who never hesitate to help you. You’re not alone in this.” She smiles, and sunlight sparkles in her eyes. “And your hot angel cousin will be back soon. He has the hookup to another archangel—your father. And speaking of risking everything to help you, he’s come to see you twice. I feel confident he’d intervene before Lucifer took your baby.”
I try—and fail—not to get all teary. “Stupid hormones,” I grumble, wiping my eyes. “Thank you. You’re a good friend too.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want that responsibility.”
I laugh and wipe away another tear. “The moral support is enough.”
“Damn straight.”
“Can I hug you?” I ask, still emotional.
Eliza wrinkles her nose and sighs. “Fine. Make it fast.”
I wrap my arms around her, and the feel of her cool skin against my hands is strange. Lucas is the only vampire I’ve been all up and personal with. Expecting Eliza to jerk away and break the contact as soon as possible, it surprises me when she squeezes me tight.
See? She really does care…and I think she is really worried I won’t be able to get myself out of this mess. Because I am.
Chapter 7
I pull the blankets over my shoulders and snuggle closer to Lucas. He’s sitting in bed with me, doing something with stocks or investments or something of the like. Whatever it is, it bored me as soon as he started explaining it to me, and I took that much-needed nap. The sun is starting to sink low in the sky now, and I should get up and move around a bit to shake the fog from my mind.
But I’m so comfy and warm and all of my familiars are next to me, hogging a decent portion of the bed. I don’t feel sick at all, and waking up not thinking I’m going to puke is so freaking nice.
“You’re still working?” I grumble, blinking my eyes open to look at Lucas’s computer. He quickly closes the browser and pushes the computer back, smiling down at me.
“I can be done. How are you feeling?”
“I think okay.”
“Just okay? Do you need to take more of the potion?”
“Oh, you meant physically.” I stretch my arms over my head. “I’m good in that
area. Mentally…well, I’m always a hot fucking mess, but I feel hopeful right now.” Eliza’s little speech helped, and even though I’m fucking terrified of losing anyone I love, she’s right: I couldn’t ask for a better support system. “Maybe things will work out.”
“They will.” Lucas puts the computer on the nightstand and lies down, hand going to my stomach as he spoons his body around mine. “The contractor sent over photos from today. Things are progressing fast, though it is going to take longer than anticipated to get the front staircase back to its original glory.”
“We can use the other staircase,” I say and then giggle. “I can’t believe we’re going to live in a house with two staircases. I feel so fancy.”
“The arborist was there today as well.”
“Please tell me he didn’t find chopped-up body parts inside the trees.”
“I would have woken you up if that were the case. It was a combination of insects and fungus. The diseased trees will be cleared out this week.”
“Poor trees. Can we keep them for firewood? I breathe, and I don’t want to be breathing in burned fungus.”
“I didn’t ask that, and it’s not something I thought about.”
“I’ll give you a pass. You haven’t breathed in quite a while.” I push myself up. “How many trees need to be taken out?”
“Not as many as we first thought.”
“Good. Want to go to the house with me once the sun sets? And then maybe get dinner? We can go to Suzy’s Cafe again now that I’m good with the coven.”
“I was already planning on taking you out so you have another reason to dress up.” He slides his hand down between my thighs.
“Are you saying I look better when I put effort into my appearance?” I laugh.
“I prefer you naked. You look good in anything.”
“Because you can take it off, right?”
“I do imagine you naked half the time we’re talking,” he chuckles.
“Same. And I like dressing up every once in a while. I haven’t worn some of the clothes I bought in California yet, and that purple crop top isn’t going to look good on me for much longer.”
“Why?”
“You knocked me up, remember? I’m going to have a big belly.”
“If you want to wear the crop top while you’re pregnant then wear the fucking crop top.”
Lucas is very much a rules-don’t-apply-to-me sort of person. He doesn’t worry about anyone’s opinion of him—other than mine, of course—and I never realized how much I do things not to raise eyebrows without even thinking about it.
I’ve always walked to the beat of my own drum, and once I was thriving at Grim Gate Academy, I made a promise to myself never to do anything to appease assholes like the Martins ever again.
“Every part of you is beautiful,” Lucas says, deep voice rattling right through me. “And it will continue to be beautiful when our child grows.”
“I am so lucky,” I whisper, cupping his face in my hands. The rough stubble on his jaw feels good against my palm. Lucas puts his mouth to mine, tongue pushing past my lips. He moves on top of me, kissing me with fervor.
An alert sounds on his phone, and we break apart.
“Something triggered the camera in the back.”
“Probably a bunny,” I quip, still a little annoyed Lucas installed a high-tech security system. Nothing can beat my warding.
“It’s a raccoon.”
“See? Not a demon. I’m all for the cameras on the porch, but maybe we should turn that one off. It’s going to go off in the middle of the night and freak us out. If anything tried to walk through the warding, I’d know.”
“I can turn down the sensitivity of the alerts.”
“Thank you.” I give him one more kiss and then get up, needing to pee. I put on makeup, magically curl my hair, and then get dressed, wearing black jeans, the purple crop top I was talking about, and one of my favorite sweaters. It’s a thick black cable knit that hangs just past my butt and has deep pockets. I pretty much lived in this thing last winter.
“Should we invite Eliza?” I ask quietly. “It’ll be our first family dinner together at a restaurant.”
“Speaking of family, Abby called while you were sleeping.”
My blood runs cold. “What did she want?”
“Checking on you. I told her you’d call back.”
“Oh, okay.” Guilt creeps up on me fast and I swallow hard, pushing a lump down my tightening throat. “This will never be fully behind us, will it? Unless I tell her.”
“If telling her makes you feel better, then do it,” Lucas says. “Know that not telling someone in order to protect them isn’t the same as lying.”
“Isn't it, though?”
“She has no memory of it. She’s been healed. I don’t see the point in telling her.”
“You’re good at keeping secrets.”
“So are you.” He takes my hand in his. “It will be fine, and I think if she was given the choice, she’d choose not to remember. Wouldn’t you if you were in her shoes?”
“I suppose. There’s stuff I wish I could forget.”
“Everyone has things they wish they forget. Unfortunately for us, no one can get into our memories and take away the bad. Call Abby and you’ll see. You did the right thing.”
“Yeah. I think so too.”
I grab a pair of heels from the closet and go downstairs. Lucas tells Eliza we’re going out to get something to eat, and I step onto the back porch, letting Scarlet out while I call Abby.
“Hey,” she says as soon as she answers. “I’m at work so I might have to hang up. It’s nothing personal,” she laughs.
“Hah. Thanks for the heads up. Lucas said you called.”
“Yeah, just wanted to check in. Did the Zofran help?”
“It worked really well at first. It wore off really fast, though.”
“Yeah, that’s common. Are you able to keep anything down? The doctor in me is coming out and I really don’t like you not getting prenatal care, and I’m sorry to be preachy on this. I get why you can’t go to the OB, though, and I’m not judging you or anything. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with a way to get you taken care of without anyone finding out.”
“There are a few midwives in my coven. That would be better than nothing, right?”
“Yeah, it would for sure. You left your coven to marry Lucas, though. Will they still see you as a patient?”
“They will because my coven wants me back.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Very good. Basically, they know they owe their lives to both me and Lucas, so we’re cool.”
“Wow. That’s amazing, Cal.”
“It’s a big relief. Oh, and that reminds me. Lucas and I were going to leave as soon as we could so I wouldn’t be sad to miss out on all the Halloween festivities, but now that I can go to them, we’re staying in Thorne Hill a bit longer. We do trick-or-treating downtown this Saturday. It’s super cute, and if you can, you should bring Penny.”
“Oh my god, that sounds so cute! Like something out of a Hallmark movie. What time?”
“It starts at six and goes until about eight-thirty. Then there’s a big street party for adults.”
“We will be there. Phil and I are both off Saturday and Penny will love that. And I think you’ll love her costume.”
“What is it?”
“A witch! I got her a little hat and a plastic broom to carry around too. It’s adorable.”
“She’s going to be the cutest witch in town.”
“I think so, of course,” Abby laughs. “But I’m probably biased.”
“Hey, then I am too. So I’ll see you Saturday?”
“Yeah! Should I meet at your house?”
“I’ll be passing out candy at the store, so meet me there. The main street will be closed, but there will be signs up for parking.”
“Okay! Should I wear a costume? Or would that be weird?”
“I’ll see what I can scrounge up before then. Take care, sis.”
“You too.” I end the call and let out a huge sigh of relief. Lucas was right: I do feel much better, and I know not telling Abby was the right thing. Everything turned out okay, and there’s no need to upset her. Maybe someday, years from now, I’ll bring it up when we’re having lunch together, complaining about our sassy teenage daughters.
Hey, remember that one time we had a spa day? Well, you actually got shot in the gut and then Lucifer healed you. I murdered the guy who shot you, don’t worry. And then Easton and I cleaned up the crime scene.
“Yeah, right.” I call Scarlet in, give her and my familiars dinner, lock the back door, sealing it with magic.
“Ready?” Lucas asks. He’s in the living room with Eliza, watching a French movie with no English subtitles.
“I am, and I’m starving.”
“You still want to go to Suzy’s Cafe?”
“Yes, I really want a milkshake to dip my fries in.”
Lucas holds out his hand for me, and Eliza turns off the TV. We walk out of the house together, and I wave my hand over the front door as well, casting an extra protection spell over the house, just in case.
“You seem happier,” Eliza notes.
“I feel better now that I talked to Abby,” I say and give Lucas’s hand a squeeze. “Everything is fine with her, and she’s coming into town on Saturday to take Penny trick-or-treating.”
“Told you.” Lucas pulls me closer and kisses the top of my head. “You have something to look forward to now. The Feast and seeing your sister.”
“And you wearing a matching costume with me,” I add, smiling up at him. He’s right: we have a few days until the weekend, and I’ll be damned before I let anything get in my way of spending the time relaxing, eating, and having loud, passionate sex with my husband. It’s just a few days. The universe owes me a fucking break, and I’m going to reach out and take it this time.
Lucas unlocks his Range Rover and opens the passenger-side door for me. I take my purse off my shoulder and lift my foot to get inside. Suddenly, the air vibrates, and I turn just in time to see a bright light flash across the yard.
Queen of Night Page 7