“Shit,” I grumble, pushing my hair back. “I forgot to have my familiars check out the forest.” Binx, who usually stays by me when I’m sleeping so he can watch over me, is on my pillow next to me, curled up and looking so snug I feel bad asking him to get up and move. I run my hand over his sleek fur and kiss his head.
“I know they’re not actually cats, but I was sort of convinced I was going to end up an old, lonely, crazy cat lady,” I tell Lucas. “And I was kind of okay with it.”
“Sorry I foiled your plans.”
“You should be.” I stretch my arms out and lie back down, pulling Binx onto my chest. He starts purring right away and rubs his head against my chin. “There was a demon in the woods,” I tell him. “I need you guys to go check it out.”
Binx rolls over for a belly rub, soaking up another few minutes of snuggles before he jumps up and trots out of the room. Pandora and Freya go with him, shadowing out of the house and into the woods.
“Your donuts are on the table downstairs,” Lucas tells me. “And there is coffee in the pot.”
“You are too damn good to me.”
“You’re carrying our child,” he says, unable to keep the smile off his face as he says it. “I’ll never do enough for you.” He puts the Infernal Dictionary to the side and embraces me.
“Speaking of, I need to take that morning sickness potion before I throw up.” I wrinkle my nose. “I forgot how awful this feeling is.”
“I can’t imagine it’s fun.” We get out of bed and go downstairs. The smell of coffee is both enticing and disgusting at the same time, and I can’t grab the little glass bottle of the potion fast enough. I mix a few drops in with a glass of water and wash it down, feeling better right away.
“Once you’ve eaten, we need to pack,” Lucas tells me. “It’ll take me minutes, but you tend to take a bit longer.”
I look up from the coffee I’m pouring. “I don’t want to forget anything.”
“We’re going to Florida, not a deserted island in the middle of nowhere,” Lucas chuckles. “If you forgot something, we can buy it.”
“Or I can make sure I have everything I need. I can pack in two hours. Maybe a little longer because I need to do laundry. I have time. We’re not leaving just yet.”
“Should we?” Lucas’s blue eyes cloud over with worry. “If the archangels trace Lucifer’s trail back here, they could sense you.”
“Where would we go? Our hotel reservation isn’t ready yet.”
“I’m sure I can add on days, or we could go to Miami. A plane ride from Miami to Orlando takes about forty minutes when we’re on a private jet.”
“You just want to have sex with me in an airplane again.”
“I do,” he says with a nod. “And I’d like to finish that business deal I’ve been working on.”
“Oh, right. I forgot about that. I’ve never been to Miami, so it’ll be fun to go see the city and the ocean. And leave with several million dollars.”
“That’s always a perk. You’re all right with leaving tonight?”
“Yeah.” I open the box of donuts. “It’s not like I have to do anything, and we’re not leaving that much sooner than we expected.” Getting out of town feels a bit like I’m running away, which isn’t my thing. Yet even Lucifer said it’s better to be safe than sorry, and I fucking need this vacation. “I’ll do laundry after I eat.” I look around the kitchen, realizing that it’s spotless. “Did you clean last night?” I turn and look into the living room. The whole house is clean, and now that I’m thinking about it, my pile of dirty clothes in the bathroom wasn’t there anymore.
“I did. You know I can’t sit still when you’re out in the woods at night.”
“You don’t need to worry about me,” I tell Lucas, though we both know that’s not true. “The house looks great. I didn’t even notice last night.”
“You were a little distracted. And whatever laundry was in the washing machine smelled like it’d been in there for a while, so I washed it again and put it in the dryer.”
“Thank you, that’ll help speed things up.”
“When do you think you’ll be ready?” he asks. “I need to give the pilot a time frame.”
“Give me at least two hours to wash the rest of my clothes. We’re driving to Chicago still, right?”
“Yes. I’ll let Eliza know she can expect Scarlet earlier than planned.”
I take another bite of my donut and get up, feeling a little excited and nervous to leave all of a sudden like this. “I’ll go throw some clothes in now. Thanks again for cleaning. It was really thoughtful of you.”
“I live here too,” he says. “Though you are undoubtably the messy one in this relationship.”
“And I one hundred percent own that.” Bringing my coffee with me, I go upstairs and pull out outfits to pack. I’m rolling them up and jamming them into my suitcase when my familiars come back, shadowing into the room and letting me know they found three dead deer in the woods…all with their hearts removed.
I throw my head back, clenching my jaw. “Fucking demons.”
Chapter 24
“I’m just going to deliver the book,” I tell Lucas, repeating it out loud for my own sake as well. “I’m meeting Evander halfway to the door.” I put the heavy book back in the box it came in. My plan was always to give the Infernal Dictionary to Grim Gate Academy, anyway, knowing this kind of information is invaluable to the witches and warlocks studying there. “And then I’m coming right back, as I promised Evander when I talked to him.”
I astral projected to the Covenstead, surprising Evander’s class by popping in unannounced. It’s kind of fun, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the looks of awe from the young students. But most importantly, I needed to tell him what my familiars found, because heart-eating demons aren’t something we can ignore.
“And Binx is coming with me,” I add. “Damn, this thing is heavy.” I pick up the box and give Lucas a kiss goodbye. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. It’d be faster to trek through the woods if I had that pony,” I joke.
“You need a horse.” Lucas pulls me in, squeezing my butt and kissing me once more. “I’ll get you one.”
“I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“You’ll learn.” His eyes go to my stomach. “In a few more months.”
“The thought of riding a horse after giving birth is painful.”
Lucas makes a face. “It is for me too. Luckily you heal fast.” He pulls me in for one more kiss. “Be careful, Callie.”
“I will be.” We kiss again before I finally make it outside. I stop on the porch to zip up my coat. It’s sunny today, but the air is chilly, making me even more excited to get to hot and sunny Florida. “Sense anything?” I ask Binx. He jumps ahead, running into the forest and shadows back. He doesn’t, and I don’t either.
I’m nearing the halfway point when there’s a shift in the energy around me. I slow to a stop, setting the book down on the ground. Binx shadows around me, and I hold out my hands, magic sizzling around my fingers.
“Who’s there?” I ask, whirling around.
“It’s me.”
I jump. “Fuck, Julian!”
“I am sorry.”
Letting out a breath, I shake the magic from my hands and give Julian a hug. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re here. I was kind of worried.”
He awkwardly hugs me back. “I was tracking another demon who mentioned you—by name.”
“Well, shit.” I pick the book back up. “On that happy note, I might as well tell you everything now.”
“Everything?”
“Yeah…every fucking thing.”
Julian stares at me, unblinking. “What?”
“A hunter who was out for revenge shot at me. I deflected the bullet and it hit Abby instead. I called for you and my father, but Lucifer showed up instead.”
“He healed a human?” Julian’s brows pinch together. “I didn’t know he could do that.”
“I didn’t either. But she’s fine. And then last night…”
“That blast of energy, it was you?”
I nod. “I didn’t mean it. I was pissed and it kind of…just…came out. You felt it?”
“I was underground in a demon dimension, so I didn’t, but others did. And Lucifer was tracked here and then in Indianapolis, Nashville, and along the east coast.”
“So, he did distract the angels from me.”
“Yes, he did.”
His words should bring me comfort, shouldn’t they? Lucifer did exactly what he said he’d do. He took the attention away from me in order to save my life. And now I feel even more conflicted because everything in my head is screaming at me not to trust him, but my heart wants to.
“Why would he do that?” I ask, already knowing Julian won’t have the answer.
“I don’t know. If he hadn’t, there’s a very good chance you would have been discovered last night. Michael was very concerned.”
“It’d be nice if he showed up and proved it,” I blurt. “I get it that he can’t, but even Lucifer found a way to talk to me before all this.” Shaking my head, I sigh. “Whatever, though. Am I in danger of being discovered now?”
“I don’t believe so. Lucifer brought several demons out of Hell in a similar tactic to what he did for your wedding.”
“Did they hurt anyone?” I ask slowly. I almost want Julian to say yes, because then I’ll have my answer. Lucifer is a bad guy and I can’t trust him. End of story.
“No.”
“Dammit.”
“You want them to hurt people?”
“Of course not,” I say and start walking forward again. “Can I tell you something and you have to promise not to judge me?”
“I’ve learned that is followed by a questionable statement.”
“It is. Basically, it’s a warning you’re going to want to judge me, but don’t for the sake of our friendship.”
Julian stops short. “You consider me a friend?”
“Well, yeah. You don’t?”
He looks at me, confused, for a second, and then smiles. “No one has ever called me a friend before. Now, what is your questionable statement?”
“I want to trust Lucifer, and I don’t know if I should, because everything I’ve been told about him says he’s bad. But I get this feeling that he’s not lying. He’s not out to get me. It’s stupid, right?”
“No, it’s not stupid. Trusting that he’s on your side would make things easier. It’s one less family member who wants to kill you.”
“Though having Heaven’s Most Wanted join Team Callie probably doesn’t look too good in the eyes of my aunts and uncles, right?”
“Right. The argument behind killing Nephilim is that Lucifer can sway you to join the dark side.”
I shake my head. “Nah, I’m a rebel.”
Julian looks at me with confusion again, and the one time I make a lame Star Wars joke, Lucas isn’t here to appreciate it.
“He also said it would be a good idea for Lucas and me to head out of town now in case anyone tries to backtrack the energy or whatever.”
“That is a good idea,” Julian says. “Why are you in the woods?” He looks at the big box in my arms.
“I’m meeting Evander to give him the Infernal Dictionary. There are demons in the woods, carving hearts out of deer.”
“Interesting.”
“Yeah. Oh, and werewolves have decided to try and get a piece of the Ley line. We caught one in our yard last night.”
“I missed a lot.” Julian glances at me and we both laugh.
“A lot happens around here in just a few days. Going on vacation will be nice, as long as we can keep it drama-free. And by that, I mean no demons.”
“I’m done tracking demons in the underworld for a while,” Julian says. “Michael was worried it was starting to raise suspicions.”
“So, we can hang out a bit?” I ask hopefully. “You could come to Florida with us. Oh! I can take you to Disney World! Well, assuming you’d want to go. It’ll be nice to have someone to hang out with during the day, actually.”
Julian smiles again. “I can do that, and don’t worry. I will not stay in your hotel accommodations. You two need more privacy, I’ve learned.”
My cheeks redden a bit, but I shrug it off. “That is true, and Lucas will be happy to hear that. You’re going to need different clothes, but I will order some stuff from Amazon and have it shipped to wherever we’re staying in Miami.”
Julian looks down at his long-sleeved shirt and jeans. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“You can’t wear that in Florida heat.”
“I don’t get hot.”
“I know, but we don’t want other people to know. You’ll look out of place.”
“Ahhh, right. I have a lot to learn about humanity.”
I nudge him with my arm. “I’ll teach you.”
Twigs snap under someone's feet a few yards ahead of us. Julian holds out his hand, and the large silver knife appears in his hand.
“Who goes there?” he demands, eyes glowing blue.
“Hi,” someone rushes out. “It’s Camilla Harrington from the Grim Gate Coven. Professor Greystone sent me.” She steps around a tree, and as soon as I see her face, the name clicks. She’s on the council and was in the room when I killed Ruth and just happened to mention I’m the daughter of an archangel. She looks from me to Julian and back several times, realizing what he is.
“I…I’m…Professor…um…” She pulls at the Academy-issued robe on her shoulders. “Sorry.”
"It’s okay,” I tell her. “This is Julian, my cousin. Is Evander all right?”
“Yes, caught some students cheating on a test and got held up, that’s all.”
“His fault for making them take a test this early in the day.”
“It’s almost noon,” Camilla says slowly.
I look up at the sun, high in the sky. “Oh, right. Half the time I don’t even know what day it is.” I shrug. “We’ll walk with you to the door,” I tell her. “If the demons are still here, you shouldn’t be alone.”
She nods. “I agree. The High Priestess is calling a gathering tonight, though you probably haven’t received your summons yet.” She smiles nervously and looks at Julian again, not taking her eyes off of him as she walks, and walks right into a tree. I have no idea what the protocol is on this. Do I stop and give her a more official introduction? Tell her to treat him like a normal person…though we know he’s not.
He’s a freaking angel.
Julian lowers his hand and the dagger disappears. We walk the rest of the way in awkward silence, and Camilla fumbles over her words when we get to the door, thanking us for walking her back. We wait until she goes through and the Covenstead door seals back up.
“Fly me home?” I ask, picking up Binx and holding out a hand.
“It is a bit faster than walking.” Julian takes my hand and I close my eyes, preparing for the world to spin. Seconds later, we’re in the living room, surprising Lucas.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, rushing over to me.
“Yeah,” I assure him and set Binx down on the couch. “Lucifer’s story checks out. He actually did lead the other angels away from me.”
Lucas’s eyes meet mine, knowing my struggle of whether or not I should trust Lucifer. “That’s good news.”
“Yeah…and the book is at the Academy. They’ll figure out what kind of demon eats deer hearts and I won’t get involved.” I have to say it out loud to make me feel better, and Lucas knows it. “Tabatha is going to talk to a packmaster in a neighboring town, and maybe they’ll get the wolves to just leave peacefully. Everyone will be fine here while I’m off in Florida.” I force myself to smile. “I’ll enjoy our vacation and it’ll all be fine.”
Lucas slides his hands around my waist. “It will be.” He puts his lips to my forehead. “I promise.”
Chapter 25
Three weeks later�
�
* * *
“What the fuck?” My carry-on bag slips off my shoulder, landing on the floor of Lucas’s Lincoln Park home. It’s two in the morning, and we just got to the house from the airport. The plan was to stay the night here and head home to Thorne Hill whenever we felt like it tomorrow after I meet up with Abby for breakfast. I might have gone a little overboard buying princess stuff for Penny.
“She woke up like this.” Eliza appears behind the large dog, crossing her arms firmly over her chest. “Two days ago.”
My lips part, and I slowly shake my head back and forth. “Scarlet?” I ask, needing to be sure. My once-cute little golden retriever puppy is now a full-grown Irish Wolf Hound. Scarlet wags her tail and bounds over, nearly knocking me to the ground in her excitement. “Funny, Lucifer,” I huff and pet my hellhound. I did ask him to adjust her glamour, making her appear to age like a regular puppy—not turn her into another breed of dog entirely.
“She resembles a hellhound more now,” Lucas notes, standing rooted to the spot in shock.
“And she eats like one.” Eliza brushes her long blonde hair back and purses her lips. “You both owe me for this. A puppy, I’m fine with. But this…this horse…no. None of the clothes I bought her fit now.”
“You bought Scarlet clothes?” I ask, though I shouldn’t be surprised. Eliza dressed up her guinea pigs in tutus. “I’ll get her glamour adjusted again. This has to be my uncle’s idea of a joke. If he could make her appear as a fully-grown golden retriever, I’ll keep her home for a few months before going anywhere and it’ll look like she just grew up fast.”
“I’ll get the rest of our luggage,” Lucas tells me and speeds out the door.
“How was your trip?” Eliza asks.
I sit on the ground and Scarlet plops on the ground, rolling over for a belly rub. “It was really fucking nice,” I tell her. “And much needed.”
“Good. I’m glad you had a normal vacation. It was normal, wasn’t it?”
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