“Curse breaking is his thing. He was fascinated to try the spell.”
“Sure, that’s the only reason he came running back here,” Ruby teases.
“Hah, but no. We had our fun and things ended mutually. He’s a good guy but we both knew things weren’t going to work between us. There was never that spark.” I open my jewelry box and put on the simple silver bracelet that belonged to my mother. “And he was always bothered that I scored higher than him in pretty much every subject.”
“Men,” she huffs. “They have such fragile egos.”
“Right? Like god forbid my defensive charms are more effective than yours. Sorry for not being helpless.”
“Oh, but you should be sorry. Because if you can defend yourself, how will a man prove he’s stronger than you?”
I laugh. “Back when Kristy and I would go out to bars, we’d play this game where we’d pretend not to understand really simple things and let guys explain things to us. It was more fun than it sounds, trust me, and we’d compete to see who could get the guy we were talking with to mansplain something so super simple it was laughable.”
“Let me guess: no one ever called you out on it?”
“One guy did, and it turned out he was gay and was trying to hit on Evander and not us.” I shove my feet in my favorite pair of combat boots and squeeze into my tiny and very overstuffed closet to get my red velvet cloak from the back. The lining is a shimmery black satin, and the embroidery along the hem is a gorgeous and complicated Celtic design. This cloak is reserved for special occasions like tonight.
I tie it around my shoulders, taking one last look at my reflection. I’m wearing a black dress with lace sleeves. It’s low cut and curve hugging, and in a few weeks, I probably won’t fit into it anymore. Lucas bought this for me on our honeymoon, and I put it on with the intention of wearing it to dinner.
Lucas ravished me the second I came down the stairs, and we ended up missing our dinner reservation because we made love on the back patio, under the light of the moon. I ordered Chinese takeout instead and ate it in the hot tub, looking out at the vineyard.
Fuck, I miss California. And being able to go in hot tubs.
“That dress brings back memories,” Lucas says when we go down the stairs. He’s in the living room watching TV, and Scarlet is curled up in his lap. “If I remember correctly, you didn’t have it on very long.”
I flash a coy smile. “You’re going to have to wait a few hours at least before you take it off me this time.”
“Gross,” Ruby grumbles and I laugh. Lucas moves Scarlet to the spot next to him and gets up, speeding over.
“Can I walk you to the door?” he asks, not sure if he should stay away or not. The coven recognized him as an ally to witches, but we don’t want to push our luck or start any sort of unnecessary drama.
“We’ll be fine,” Ruby says, answering the unasked question as nicely as possible.
“I’ve already sent my familiars out,” I remind Lucas. “They’re patrolling the woods for more scrappers or something else. Scrappers follow more powerful demons, so we all need to be on high alert. Oh, and I almost forgot. Binx brought one of the scrapper demons’ bodies back. Could you do me a huge favor and burn it for me?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks. Maybe out back? I don’t want to smell the charred flesh in the morning.”
“The backyard is rather patchy,” Lucas says. “We already have one designated area for burning bodies. I don’t want to singe more of the grass. We want to rent this place out in a few months, remember?”
“Oh, right. Good point. Then the usual burn pile.”
Ruby shakes her head. “You two are a really good fit for each other.”
Lucas grabs me around the waist, putting his lips to mine. “We are.”
Ruby and I set off, leaving through the back door. Freya is waiting for us at the end of my yard, where the overgrown grass meets the trees.
“I have fallen behind on my yard work,” I muse. “I was never that good at it to begin with, but things have been a little hectic the last few weeks. Hell, the last few months.”
“Yeah, it’s not really a priority. You think you’ll be moved out in a few weeks?”
“We’re hoping so.” I conjure an energy ball to light up the dark forest. “We have two construction crews working on the house. Humans during the day and vampires at night. The kitchen is pretty much all done, and by the time we get back from Florida, the pipes and heating system should be good to go.”
“That’s exciting.”
“I can’t freaking wait! I’m already dying to decorate the house for Christmas. I might have pre-ordered a twelve-foot tree to go in the foyer, as well as a shit-ton of garland.”
“You really like Christmas?” she asks incredulously.
“I do.” I turn, glancing at Ruby. It’s nice having her on Team Callie now, though it’s a little strange. We’ve known each other since we were ten years old. She’s heard the rumors and has seen a lot of the truth of my past surface in the last few days. “Christmas was always my safe place when I was still living with the Martins, and I know how fucked up it is.”
“Your safe place?”
“Every year, Nancy and Willian would throw this big Christmas party. It was a total sham, put on just to make the family look good and get donations for political campaigns. There were people in the house a lot around the holidays, and when people were around, William put on the act that he cared about me. Even when I was sold to that research lab, he’d come get me for a week around Christmas just to hold up the front we were a loving family. I had to be included on the Christmas card.”
“That is fucked up,” Ruby says slowly. “I’m…I’m sorry.”
I wave my hand in the air. “Don’t be. You’re not the one who sold me. And really, it worked out, didn’t it? It’s how Tabatha found me and how I came to attend the Academy.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She shakes her head. “You don’t resent Christmas?”
“No, and I know there’s something seriously weird about that, but I still associate Christmas with feeling safe. I love decorating and go a little overboard. I have an ugly sweater party every year and we eat our weight in Christmas cookies and play drinking games. I won’t be drinking this year, but you better come and have some wine for me.”
Ruby smiles. “I’d like that. And…and I like this. I’ve, um, I’ve never had a close girlfriend before.” She makes a big deal looking at the ground in front of her.
“Well, you have one now. Four, actually. Kristy, Nicole, and Naomi are kind of a package deal when you’re friends with me. I’m going to work on including Eliza in that, but it might take some time. She’s warming up to me.”
“She and Lucas never…”
“Nope. I think she went through a period of wanting him romantically, but he never felt that way about her.”
“Interesting,” Ruby notes.
“Yeah, it was kind of an adjustment. Lucas was the first vampire I really interacted with,” I remind her. “I always avoided them before, like a good little witch.”
“It’s probably for the best, since we harbor grudges on both sides.”
“Right. It’s time to just let that shit go. We have enough working against us, and the more we hate on the vamps, the more likely they are to call us out publicly.”
“Do you ever wish we could come out the way they did?” Ruby asks apprehensively.
“Sometimes. Mostly so I could then out William Martin for being the crusty piece of shit that he is. Why? You do?”
“Sometimes as well.” She pushes her long braids over her shoulder, and the little beads at the ends clank together. “I dated this non last year and I really liked him, but I couldn’t tell him at the beginning. All he knew was that I was a professor at a private school. I tried to gauge his emotions to see if things did get serious how he’d react.”
“I’m guessing it didn’t go well?”
“Not at
all.”
I bunch up my cloak and step over a fallen log. “You told him?”
“No, we didn’t even get to that point. I tried alluding to it, you know, saying how I thought witchcraft was cool, and he pretty much said anyone who believes in 'that shit' is crazy.” She lets out a sigh.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. And I could have just shown him, you know? Done a spell or astral projected.” Her pace slows a bit. “It was the look in his eye…that’s what got me. Like even if I proved magic wasn’t some crazy bullshit, he’d never look at me the same.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “It was a year ago, though. I’m over it.”
“It’s hard, having to hide who you are.”
“You grew up being told who you are is wrong.” Ruby’s brows furrow. “I never really realized how hard that had to be until recently. Both my parents have magic. We’ve belonged to the Grim Gate Coven for generations.”
“Water under the bridge,” I say, waving my hand in the air. “Though, if you’re looking for someone who accepts you for who you are and isn’t afraid of your powers, I do recommend a vampire.”
Ruby lets out a snort of laughter. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
We walk in silence for a while, and I’m starting to feel kind of run down by the time we close in on the door. I’m going slow, and all three of my familiars have slowed to stay in pace with me.
“You all right?” Ruby asks, noticing I’m lagging.
“Yeah, just feeling a little tired. It’s late and it’s been a trying last few days,” I rush out, needing to come up with an excuse. My right hand lands on my stomach. “This thing is sucking my energy.”
Concern crosses Ruby’s face for a quick moment. “We’re almost there.”
“Good.” I’m a little winded and all I did was walk. “I need to start working out again.”
“Yeah, that might help.” Ruby hangs back, going slow on purpose for my sake. The flickering light of the torches by the Covenstead door come into view, and my heart swells in my chest. For a moment, I can pretend all is right in the world.
I’m married to the love of my life. We’re restoring our dream house and will be moving in soon. I’m pregnant with our first child, and soon we will be a family of three. And I’m going to my coven to celebrate the Feast of the Blood Moon.
But Lucifer is on the loose, and there’s a good chance he’s just as excited about this baby as Lucas is…but not because he gets to be a doting father. It’s because he wants to steal this baby from my arms and make them rule Hell in his place.
My throat starts to feel tight.
Lucifer is free, but that’s not all.
Demons want to kidnap me and force me to rule on their behalf. And all of heaven wants me dead. Something attacked those kids in the woods, and it wasn’t Scarlet. Something else is out there, lurking in the dark.
I close my eyes and try to convince myself it will all be okay. Because it has to be somehow. It just has to. Fuck, I wish I could drink.
The door to the Covenstead is already open, since so many coven members are coming at the same time we are. Four council members stand guard, and Ruby quickly warns them about the scrapper demons. I can feel the lines of protection drawn around the door, and we’re all on high alert already.
A full moon this close to Samhain usually means trouble…trouble that I typically deal with. Trouble that I cut down, vanquish, and eliminate.
I swallow another lump rising in my throat and put on a smile, greeting the council members. I’m happy to be back, and I have to show it. Freya and Pandora go ahead through the door. Binx stays by my side, sensing my anxiety. I pick him up and he immediately starts purring, comforting me. I kiss the top of his head and go with Ruby through the door.
Blue light surrounds us, and only a few seconds later, we’re greeted in the courtyard of the Covenstead. The scent of bonfire and incense hang heavily in the air, brought right to me by the gentle breeze. My heart swells in my chest, and I know—without a doubt—I’m home.
“Callie!” Nicole, dressed in a long black gown, sees me and rushes over. She throws her arms around me. “I’m so glad you’re here! I was a little worried you wouldn’t show.”
“Why wouldn’t I show?”
“You were busy with Lucas or something,” she laughs. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“I do make the party,” I joke. “Though you’re going to have to drink for me this year, and keep it quiet.”
“Right.” Nicole nods and her long red hair falls in her face. “I might have already started.”
“I can tell.” I give her a wink. “If anyone asks why I’m not drinking, tell them I’ve joined AA. It’s probably believable.”
Nicole laughs. “Yeah…probably.”
I cock an eyebrow and she winces, then laughs. “Fine. It is believable, and I’d give anything for some wine right now.” I let out a breath and try to let my worries go. I’m in the Covenstead. Nothing can touch me now. I should enjoy this moment and stop worrying about what could happen.
“Where’s Naomi?”
“In the great hall. I made her save us seats. Are you hungry?”
“Starving!”
Nicole loops her arm through mine and I wave for Ruby to follow. The Covenstead as well as the connecting Academy always has a gothic look and feel to it, but it’s been done up for the Feast and will stay this way until the Samhain celebration. There are crystals and jars of water out along the courtyard path, charging in the light of the full moon. Energy buzzes all around us, and I know we can all feel it. It fills me with excitement, making it easier to pretend all is right in the world.
We enter the large, stone building and weave through witches and warlocks, partying and celebrating the feast. A few kids run about, still in their costumes from trick-or-treating downtown. A young mother passes us by, holding a sleeping baby in her arms. I feel a little tug on my heart, knowing that could be me next year.
Or it could very well not be, because I still have no idea what’s in store for me, let alone this baby. The logical part of my brain tells me not to get attached, but I can’t not feel some sort of bond already, especially now that Lucas said he heard the heart beating.
“Finally!” Kristy beams when she sees me. “What took so long?”
I glance at Ruby. “We kind of ran into some unscheduled demon killing.”
“What?” Evander and Kristy ask at the same time.
“Scrapper demons,” I reply quietly and take a seat next to Kristy. Ruby sits across from me, face paling a bit from thinking about the demons. She acted fast and kept her shit together, but she’s not used to fighting demons like I am.
“Have you—”
“Yes,” I interrupt Evander. “We already alerted the council members at the door.”
“Scrappers follow others,” Naomi says what we’re all thinking.
“I know.” I unwrap my silverware from the blood-red cloth napkin and reach for the bowl of mashed potatoes. The entire great hall is set with the colors of black and red, traditional for the Feast of the Blood Moon, of course. Most everyone here are wearing similar colors as well. “We found three drunk kids in the woods, and one had a nasty bite wound on his leg. He said a werewolf bit him.” I plop a big spoonful of mashed potatoes on my plate, doing my best not to eye the decanter of red wine on the center of the table.
“Werewolves? In Thorne Hill?” Evander shakes his head. “Impossible.”
“We thought vampires moving to Thorne Hill was impossible too,” Ruby counters. “And two live here now.”
I put the spoon back in the bowl of potatoes and grab the gravy. “Something attacked that kid. I had Binx do a sweep of the woods and he didn’t find anything nearby. And it wasn’t Scarlet,” I add in case anyone else was thinking what Ruby was thinking. “It’s not possible for her to transform unless someone with angel blood takes her collar off, and Julian is busy on a mission and my dad is, well, MIA—again.”
Though Lucifer is very much here. The bad feeling rises inside me again, and I load my plate with way too much food to make myself feel better. I can’t drink away my problems, but I can at least eat. I hate keeping anything from my friends, but now isn’t the time or place to drop that kind of bomb on them.
“What now?” Nicole asks and I realize all my friends are looking at me.
“We eat,” I say and stick my fork into my food. “And celebrate the feast. If something was out there, it’s not anymore. I’ll have my familiars do another check before I go to bed tonight to be sure. But if werewolves are out there, they’ll make their presence known sooner rather than later.”
Historically, witches and weres get along just fine. Occasionally, you come across an alpha who wants to try and prove they’re just as strong as we are, but all it takes is one little spell to put them in their place.
And that, of course, doesn’t go over well.
But you just can’t compete with magic, as we proved a thousand years ago when the vampires tried taking on all of the witches and warlocks. If werewolves were to have a natural enemy, I suppose it might have been vampires at one time.
Both vampires and werewolves have increased speed and superhuman strength. But vampires are dead, giving them an advantage over weres in many areas. Vampires drink human blood and werewolves—in their wolf form—eat flesh and muscle, making them not in direct competition with each other. For the most part, they leave each other alone with the random battle-of-strength type of fights thrown in there.
Usually, the vampires win. That whole instant healing thing really comes in handy when your opponent can pull your flesh off your bones with their teeth in just seconds.
But as far as enemies go, the one thing witches, werewolves, and vampires can all agree on is our hatred for hunters. We’ve been persecuted, shot, hunted, and burned. Werewolves, like witches, are born with their powers. You can’t get bitten and turned into a werewolf, just like you can’t have a spell cast over you to become a witch.
There are rumors some packs are rather inbred as a way to keep family lines pure and to guarantee that the child born will be a full werewolf. A human and a were can come together and have kids, but there’s no promise a half-human, half-were kid will be able to shift like their werewolf parent is able to.
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