Queen of Night

by Emily Goodwin

  “Yes. The power came back on, so we were up and running again. I was able to input the few cash transactions we got during the power outage, so things are good.”

  “Look at you,” he coos. “I like business-Callie.”

  “Do you want me to put on some glasses and give you a progress report?”

  “Fuck yes.” He bends his head down and kisses me, and with that one kiss, I’m lost in him and we move in a desperate tangle upstairs, stripping each other’s clothes off as we go up the stairs. I’m naked by the time we get to our bed, and Lucas throws me down on the mattress, drawing his fangs.

  I want him so fucking bad right now, and watch hungrily as he slowly undoes his pants, pulling them down and freeing that monster cock. My eyes flutter shut, and I bring my hands to my stomach, slowly dragging them up to my chest.

  “You are so fucking hot,” Lucas growls when he sees my fingers circle my nipples. He dives down on me, lips going to mine, kissing me hard before moving his mouth to my neck, making the slow descent down my body, trailing kisses over my collarbone, between my breasts…over my stomach.

  He suddenly stops, lips hovering over my belly button.

  “What?” I groan, needing him to put his tongue on my clit—now.

  “Shhh,” he says and tips his head, pressing his ear to my stomach. “Stop breathing.”

  “You know I’ll die if I—”

  “Shush,” he says again, and I suck in a breath, holding it for a few seconds. “The fuck?” I ask and push up on my elbows. “Go down on me or get out of the room because I really need to come, okay?”

  I expect him to throw me back and down, ready to teach me a lesson about patience and being a good girl. But he slowly tips his head up to me, eyes wide.

  “I…I…” he starts and puts his head on my stomach again. “I can hear the baby’s heart beating.”

  Chapter 12

  “No, you don’t,” I say before the words actually hit me. “It’s not possible.” Only…it is. Lucas is a vampire and can hear much better than humans.

  He presses his ear against my lower stomach, and I hold my breath.

  “Are you sure it’s not just my heart beating?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Your heartbeat is much slower. What I heard…” He pauses for a moment, listening. “It was faster.”

  “Do you still hear it?”

  “Not now. Your stomach is loud.”

  “Sorry?” I laugh and rake my fingers through Lucas’s hair. “You really heard it?” I ask again, still having a hard time believing it’s possible, though Lucas being able to hear our tiny apple-seed-sized baby’s heart beating isn’t the craziest thing that’s happened lately.

  Him being able to knock me up and put said seed-sized baby in me takes the cake on that.

  “I did.” He lifts his head up, eyes locking with mine. My own heart swells in my chest, and suddenly tears are springing to my eyes.

  “Dammit,” I mutter, laughing again as I wipe away a tear. “I hate being so emotional.”

  “It’s cute.” Lucas moves next to me and puts his lips to mine. “It’s a different side of you I don’t usually see.”

  “Yeah, for a good reason. Because it’s annoying to cry.”

  “Why?” he asks and moves over top of me. I widen my legs, welcoming him in between. Hearing the baby’s heart beating puts the brakes on having sex, but I don’t think it’ll take Lucas long to get me back in the mood.

  “It doesn’t solve anything.”

  “Does it make you feel better?” He kisses my neck.

  “Sometimes.” I run my nails down his back. Lucas has told me before I shouldn’t be ashamed of my emotions or ever feel like I need to apologize for feeling what I feel. “Though right now it doesn’t even make sense. I’m a loose cannon of emotion.”

  “You have a good excuse. And you have to remember your body isn’t used to this much humanity.”

  “It’s so fucking weird.”

  “Yeah, a bit.”

  “She’ll be a Gemini.” I run my fingertips up and down Lucas’s back.

  “Do you believe in all that?” Lucas asks, and I cock an eyebrow.

  “I’m a witch. I take astrology seriously. It was a required class at the Academy.”

  “You think when you are born predetermines your personality traits?”

  “Maybe a bit. I’m not very Virgo-ish, though.”

  “See?”

  “Well, Virgos are hardworking and reliable.”

  “So, if you’re not a Virgo then you’re not hardworking or reliable,” he says dubiously.

  “It doesn’t work like that, and I guess, no, overall I think circumstances greatly shape who we are more than when we just happen to be born, but I stand by one hundred percent saying I believe in astrology. It’s more than just birth signs and taking an online quiz to see which Zodiac you’re the most like.”

  “I’ll agree with you there.” He smooths my hair back and kisses the two little bite marks on my neck. I’m out of Kristy’s famous healing balm, though I don’t feel as much pressure to hide the bites now as I did before when we were keeping our relationship a secret. I’ll heal in time.

  “When was your birthday?” I ask Lucas, realizing that I don’t know it. “Do you still remember?”

  “May. The twelfth, I believe.”

  “Did you celebrate birthdays back then?”

  “Men’s birthdays were celebrated, and milestones were bigger than others. Turning fifty was a big deal then since people didn’t live as long as they do now.” He closes his eyes, thinking back. “A cake would be made from oats and honey.”

  “What about your death day?”

  “I remember the day I died in clear detail, but I do not know the date. I don’t know how much time passed after I was taken prisoner.”

  “That had to be terrifying.” I sweep my hands down his back. Lucas was a prisoner of war, forced to fight for sport. Once he proved himself a worthy human opponent, he was turned and continued to be forced to fight in an underground vampire fighting ring.

  “It was, though at that point I was ready to die. I wanted to die,” he admits.

  “Do vampires celebrate their death days?”

  “Some do.” He lowers his hips against mine. “Eliza celebrates her birthday and her death day.”

  “Of course, she would,” I laugh. “When are they?”

  “Her birthday is January twentieth. I killed her on March third.”

  Hearing him say I killed her is almost unsettling. Obviously, he took her human life and brought her back as a vampire. I met her the day I met him, and it’s always been like that. Still…it’s weird.

  “Remind me to get her a present.”

  “I’m sure she’ll remind you.” Lucas puts his mouth to my neck, kissing me. A shiver runs through my body, and he begins kissing his way down. Desire floods through me, and I was right about it not taking long to get me back in the mood.

  “How do I look?” I adjust my headpiece and fluff my hair.

  “Fuck.” Lucas looks up from his computer, lips pulling into a grin. He draws his fangs and looks me up and down. I just finished putting on my Wonder Woman costume, and have even impressed myself with my makeup skills.

  “I take that as an approval?” I put one hand on my hip and wiggle my eyebrows. I’m about to head out to the store to get things set up for trick-or-treating this evening. Lucas is coming once the sun sets, and has been dealing with the same business transition all week and finally got the price of a rather large piece of property in Nevada negotiated to what he wanted, but then something weird was found out about the previous owners that delayed the final sale. The legal jargon was lost on me, and like I told Lucas before, he knows what he’s doing when it comes to buying and selling property or investments. I trust him to continue doing this stuff without feeling like he has to consult with me.

  As long as it’s nothing that majorly affects us, I’d rather be left out. A small part of me feels like
I’m being too old-fashioned, letting the man of the house handle all the money, but then again, I’m the one who mostly handles the demons. If anything was a tradeoff, that’s it.

  “Very much so,” he says and gets up. He just got done with a Zoom meeting with a lawyer and someone from the town board in Nevada. Always professional, Lucas is wearing a navy-blue suit with a pale pink checkered shirt underneath. His suit is designer and looks so fucking good on him.

  “I wish your costume fit,” I say ruefully, hooking my arms around his waist.

  “Yeah, me too,” he says sarcastically. The Superman costume I ordered was way too small for Lucas, and I’ll give him props for trying it on.

  “I’ll get you the next size up and we can role play later.”

  “I am willing to do that.” Lucas slides his hands up the back of my thighs. “I’m willing to do pretty much anything if it involves my cock and your pussy.”

  Warmth flows through me, and I stand on my toes to kiss him. We spent the rest of the week doing nothing, and it was so fucking nice. Last night, we went to the new house to get some measurements for furniture. I was blown away—again—by how fast things are coming together. The kitchen is almost done now, and the pendant lights I ordered to hang above the large island are arriving Monday. By the time we get back from Florida, I’m hardly going to recognize the house.

  And we’ll be moving in soon after that.

  “I’ve got you so whipped,” I tease, and Lucas squeezes my butt.

  “If it means I get to fuck you, then I’m okay with that.”

  We both laugh and he kisses me, sending another wave of desire through me. I inhale, finding my resolve, and move my hands to his shoulders. “You smell good,” I say, breathing in his cologne.

  “It doesn’t bother you?” he asks because just yesterday it did.

  “Nope. It’s turning me on, and I need to stop or I’m going to be late meeting Kristy at the store.” She worked this afternoon and is leaving to go to the Covenstead to help get the Feast ready. I’ll be passing out candy with Betty.

  We kiss once more and then I break away, quickly using the bathroom and then heading out. I call Scarlet to go potty before I leave, and she runs around the yard chasing a moth. I know she’s been bored, and I’ve been taking her for a walk in the morning, and then Lucas and I took her with us to the house yesterday. She’s not a dog, but I can’t let her be what she really is.

  “I’m sorry about that,” I tell her, crouching down. Her whole body wiggles from the force of her wagging her tail. “You shouldn’t have to be something you’re not, but we kind of don’t have a choice. You’re happy, though, right?”

  She yips and licks my hand. Taking it as a yes, I pet her and scoop her up, carrying her back into the house. “See ya in a bit,” I call to Lucas. “Love you!”

  “And I love you,” he calls back, needing to stay away from the open door so he won’t get burned from the setting sunlight. I close the door and get in my Jeep. Abby calls when I pull out of the driveway and onto the country road that runs in from of my house.

  “Hey, sis,” I answer.

  “Hey, Cal. I have good and bad news.”

  “Oh, don’t tell me you’re not coming tonight.”

  “We’re still coming,” she assures me. “But Mom—my mom—and Scott want to come too.”

  Instantly annoyed, I’m glad she can’t see my face.

  “It’s Penny’s first time trick-or-treating, and Mom doesn’t want to miss out. Scott says the same, but he’s just coming to be an ass, I’m sure. Do you want me to tell them no?”

  “I can’t do that,” I say, proud of myself for how calm I am. “Penny’s never been trick-or-treating before, and her grandma wants to see her. There’s nothing wrong with that, even though Nancy Martin is a heartless twat. Sorry. Can I blame hormones?”

  “You can, and I don’t blame you for how you feel. You know I still feel terrible about what happened—”

  “Abby,” I interrupt. “It’s fine. I don’t hold any of that against you, and I don’t own the trick-or-treating event. Come and have fun and feel free to let them know after they’ve enjoyed everything my cute little town has to offer that like sixty percent of the people living here have the power to turn them into frogs with the swish of our wands.”

  “You have a wand?”

  “I do, but I don’t use it. I was going for something a little overdramatic without threatening to turn anyone inside out. It’s a little graphic and I’m trying not to stoop down to Scott’s level, but it’s really hard not to because he’s such a pathetic piece of shit, and I’m sorry because it’s not fair to put you in this position,” I add quickly. “Come and have fun and I cannot wait to see Penny dressed up like a little witch.”

  “She looks adorable. I put her costume on her already.” I can tell Abby is smiling when she talks, and for the first time, I get it. I get that unfaltering love for your child…which makes me even more terrified that as soon as mine is born, Lucifer is going to show up and say she belongs to him.

  It causes a knot to form in my stomach and a general feeling of unease to creep down on me, causing sweat to break out along my brow. I suck in air and slowly let it out. “I’ll see you guys soon then.”

  “We’re going to leave in just a minute. If traffic isn’t bad, I’ll see you soon!”

  “Okay, drive safe, bye!” I end the call and force myself to take another few deep breaths. I’ve been tapping into my angel powers more lately, am rather hormonal, and lose control when I get upset. I don’t want to blow up my car or something.

  Cranking up the music, I sing along to Taylor Swift and feel almost calm by the time I get to the store. The roads will be blocked off soon, and any cars parked along Main Street will be stuck there until the party officially ends sometime after midnight tonight. Needing to leave after passing out candy so I can go to the Feast of the Blood Moon, I park a block over and walk to the store.

  The energy from the full moon buzzes all around me, and I take a minute to look up at the cloudless sky, taking it all in. I left my crystals on the porch, ready to absorb the moonlight, and I’m going to set out a jar of fresh water tonight right before I leave for the feast to do the same. You never know when charged moon water could come in handy.

  The little bell rings above the door as I enter the store and seeing it full of people in costumes makes my heart happy. We always host a friendly little costume challenge, where people dress like a character from their favorite book, come in and pose for a picture, which we then post on the store’s social media sites. People can vote for the best costume, and the winner gets a thirty-dollar gift card to use at the store.

  “You are rocking that red hair!” I tell Betty, who’s dressed like Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones.

  “Thanks! It makes me want to dye mine red for real, but I’m way too scared.”

  “Well, it looks great on you.”

  She beams. “Thanks again, and you look amazing! You were seriously born to be Wonder Woman. Please tell me Lucas is dressing up as Superman.”

  “I wish. The costume I ordered for him didn’t fit, and we didn’t have time to return it and get another. He’s still coming, though, once the sun sets.” I stash my purse under the counter and look out at the busy store. “Have we had a good crowd all day?”

  “Yeah, we’ve been super busy! I’ve hardly even seen Kristy in the last hour. She’s been taking photos nonstop, and I think almost everyone who participated in the costume contest has bought at least one book.”

  “Yay! I love hearing that. Do you want to take a break? I’ll man the register.”

  “I’ve had to pee for the last forty-five minutes, so yes.”

  “Go. I got this.”

  “Thanks.” She hurries away, and a line of customers forms at the register. I talk with some of our regulars, who have of course noticed I haven’t been working as much lately. I say I’ve been busy with the new house, and it seems to be a good enough excu
se as any, though the nons in town have noticed by now that no expenses have been spared at the estate and are starting to gossip how I married rich and don’t need to work anymore.

  Which is one hundred percent true. If Lucas didn’t have money, not working wouldn’t be an option, but I’m not giving up my hours at the store so I can be a trophy wife. I know it, my friends know it, and of course Lucas knows it. As for everyone in town…I don’t really care what they think. They already suspect a good number of us have more than meets the eye going on. If having someone think I’m staying at home drinking mimosas in my designer bathrobe while my rich husband does all the work…well, I kind of like the sound of that, so I’m not even going to attempt to change their mind.

  “Damn, girl!” Kristy coos, walking to the front of the store. “You look hot!”

  “You do too, even though I can only see your face. It’s a very pretty face,” I tell her. She’s wearing a floor-length red robe with a white hat. “And I love the Handmaid’s Tale.”

  “It hides the sexy black dress I borrowed from your closet,” she jokes. “But you really are going to like the dress I got to wear to the feast tonight.” She smiles. “I’m so glad you can come. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

  “It really wouldn’t. I was trying not to let it bother me, but I’d be really fucking bummed to miss out on all the Samhain festivities, and doing this.” I sweep my hand out the store. “Downtown trick-or-treating is the best.”

  Kristy eyes my middle. “And next year you’ll have someone to take with you.”

  “Hopefully,” I say without thinking and anxiety ripples through me.

  “Hopefully?” she questions.

  “I mean…it’s uh, just so much to think about.”

  “Yeah, it is. You’re feeling okay, still, right? I got more ingredients for the potion so let me know when you’re running low.”

  “Thank goodness. It’s like night and fucking day with that stuff. Now that I’m not on the verge of puking every other second, I feel pretty normal. Except I’m always tired,” I add with a shrug.