“We have so far. What am I gonna do?”
“Come home. I’m on my way out to the Academy to teach a summer class and leaving now would be suspicious.”
“Right,” I agree.
“Double the warding on your house once you get there, and I’ll be over as soon as I can leave. I’ll help you figure this out.”
The knot in my chest loosens. “Thank you, Evander.”
“Of course. Now you better get out of the city while you still can.”
“I will.” I end the call and look at Eliza, knowing she was able to hear our whole conversation. “Do you have a box or something I can stick him in?”
“There might be something in the dumpster out back.”
I cock an eyebrow. “You too?”
“Me what?”
“You really should recycle more, you know.”
She rolls her eyes and walks out from behind the bar, motioning for me to follow her. The back door is locked, and she punches a passcode in the motorized lock and speeds away. I open the door, blinking in the bright sunlight, and step into the alley. Using magic to hold the door open—it locks from the inside, I remember now—I pull the cleanest box I can find from the dumpster and go back inside.
“So you’re leaving?” Eliza asks when I set the box down outside the office door.
“Yes, be relieved.”
I open the office door and look in for Scott. He’s huddled under the desk, looking a little pathetic. Dammit. I should have turned him into hairless rat. I love cats too much.
“Come on,” I say to Scott-cat. “I’ll change you back. Eventually.” I put him in the box but don’t close it just yet. I need to poke a few air holes in it first.
“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” Eliza asks as I head toward the front door of the bar.
I set the box down to get my purse. Binx winds around my feet, leering at Scott. “Not right away,” I tell her. “But I will be.”
Chapter 13
I wave my hand over the door to magically unlock it. I’m balancing the box against my hip, regretting turning Scott into anything weighing over ten pounds. Before I even reach for the door knob, the front door opens.
“Callie,” Lucas says, throwing the door back. Sunlight burns his skin, but he doesn’t so much as flinch. Binx darts in first, and I hurry along behind him, shutting the door with my foot. Part of Lucas’s face is charred, but that’s not the most jarring thing about him. His eyes are wide and full of worry. It’s the closest I’ve seen him to looking scared, but it’s not for himself. He’s terrified of losing me. “You should have called me right away.”
I set Scott-cat down, and Lucas pulls me into an embrace.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” I confess, looking up at him. His skin is healing already. “I knew you hadn’t gotten much sleep lately.”
“That doesn’t matter.” He cups my face in his large hands, tipping my chin up to him. “You matter.”
He called Eliza right as I was leaving the bar, and she must have filled him in on everything.
“I’m okay,” I tell him, even though just moments ago I admitted I wasn’t. Suddenly, my breath catches. “I mean…I will be. It’s just…it’s…we were just talking about it, and you’re right, I can’t just keep ignoring everything.” I’m not making sense, yet somehow Lucas knows exactly what I’m talking about. He scoops me up and brings me into the formal living room while Binx keeps an eye on Scott.
He sits us down on the couch, keeping me in his lap. I’m all emotional, and I hate it. Crying isn’t going to change how my family treats me. I learned that fast when I was nine and my family dumped me off to be the guinea pig in a perverted doctor’s research lab.
“I’m sorry.” I wipe away a tear that escaped and rolled down my cheek.
“Stop apologizing for what you feel.” He takes my hand and brings it down. “What you went through…you need to let it out. And then let me—”
“Still no murder.”
“Damn.”
I sniffle and smile. “I love you, you know that, right?”
“I do. And you know I love you. That I will do anything for you.”
“I’m a basket case, barely keeping it together at the moment. Are you sure you still want me?”
“I will always want you,” he says definitely. He presses his forehead against mine. “You’re not a basket case. You’re human, and being with you makes me feel again. Not quite human, but close.” I blink away the tears and look into his eyes. He’s wrestling with his own emotions right now, and my heart skips a beat. The tears I was holding back roll down my cheeks, freeing everything I’m feeling.
I hate that the world is against us.
The Grand Coven. The Vampire Council. Humans who think vampire/human relationships are wrong.
Who are they to tell us we shouldn’t be? To say that we’re wrong? I fell in love with Lucas just like I’d fall in love with anyone. Slowly. Deeply. I tried to resist. I didn’t want to fall. Didn’t want to give my heart to anyone. It was so broken, shattered in so many pieces, I didn’t think it was even possible to gather them up and put them back together, but Lucas did that for me.
I didn’t want to admit to myself just how much the issue upset me, and how much it terrifies me. Forbidden relationships sound sexy in fiction, but in real life…the threat of being forced apart makes a ball of nerves sink deep into my stomach.
“Your brother and father are pieces of shit,” he goes on. “You’re very much entitled to shed a few tears and throw around a few curses. Besides, I already told you how much I love your petty, impulsive side, remember?”
Another tear falls. “I do remember.”
He holds me against his chest and lays back, pulling me down with him. I rest my head on his chest, and he runs his fingers up and down my back. “What are you going to do, my love?”
I smile again and close my eyes, not wanting to move away from this spot. “Evander is going to come over later and help me figure it out. Which is kind of funny, actually. He’s not related to me, yet he’s more of a brother than my real brother ever was.”
“I still question just how related you are to your siblings. You smell nothing alike.”
“I used to wish for magical parents who’d sweep in and save me,” I admit. “But they never came. Plus, like I said before, my mom was pregnant with me. I’ve seen the photos.”
Lucas just nods, and I know he’s not convinced. “Are you going back home now?”
“No. Evander is teaching at the Academy and can’t leave until the day is over. We don’t want to draw attention to this. I’m staying with you until sunset.”
He trails his fingers along my spine. “Good.”
I lift my head up and look into Lucas’s beautiful eyes. “You accepted me the moment you met me.”
“I wanted to fuck you the moment I met you.” He flashes his cocky grin. “But yes, I knew you were a witch right away.”
“I never thanked you for it.”
“Why would you thank me for that?”
“Because sometimes, it’s really hard to accept yourself.”
He tightens his hold on me. “Do you accept yourself?”
“Now I do. I didn’t at first, obviously. But I wouldn’t change who I am for anything.” I let my eyes fall shut again, and for a minute I forget about everything that’s messed up right now.
And then Scott thinks it’s a good idea to try and scratch Binx. Binx hisses, eyes glowing red. Scott freaks and tries to jump out of the box. His back legs get stuck, causing the box to tip over. I watch him scramble away, running headfirst into a wall before scurrying off. Binx trots after him.
“I don’t want to get up and deal with life,” I grumble.
“Don’t.”
“I can’t put it off forever.”
“You can put it off for another minute.”
“You really are a bad influence.” I bring one hand up and rake it through Lucas’s hair.
“I pride myself on it.” He holds me tighter. “How did you accidentally cast a complicated spell?”
“I don’t know. It just happened.”
“Maybe you spoke that other language again.”
“I don’t know another language.” I bite my lip. “And I still remember saying the words in English, only I can’t recall what they are right now. But this time I didn’t say anything.”
“If I ever piss you off, turn me into a tiger.”
I lift my head up so I can look into his eyes. “If I’m mad, you’re going to be a fluffy bunny.”
Lucas laughs and flips us over, putting me between the couch and his body. “I guess I’ll have to remember not to piss you off.”
“You haven’t yet.”
“Yet?”
“Most couples fight every now and then. And especially once we start living together.”
“As long as I get to feed off you and fuck you whenever I want, I’m good.”
I roll my eyes. “Good thing I just want to be a doormat.”
Lucas chuckles. “It would be a waste if you were a doormat. And your tenacity is attractive.”
“What else is attractive?” I wrap my legs around him. In the back of my mind, I know how close to being fucked I am, but right now, being a different type of fucked is a good distraction.
Lucas draws his fangs. “Where do I start?”
“Oh my god.” Kristy leans in, looking at the orange cat. “Are you sure it’s really him?”
I nod, twisting a strand of hair around my finger. “Unfortunately, it’s my asshole brother.”
Kristy slowly shakes her head and reaches out, holding her hand over Scott to read his energy. He hisses and swats at her. I pick up a spray bottle full of water and Scott-cat calms back down. We’re at my house now, waiting for Evander to come with a variety of spell books to try and undo this.
“I still think you should keep him like that.” Lucas motions to Scott, who’s sitting in his box on the island counter. “Neutering helps with that aggression.”
“He does have an appointment,” I say with a shrug. “And having one real cat is good cover. It’s not like I invite a lot of people over, but they might wonder why I have no litter boxes.” I step back from the counter. “And I thought of a good cover story too. Scott realized he was such an asshole he couldn’t live with himself anymore and ran away to a third world country to help the poor.”
“No one would believe that.” Kristy looks away. “He’s way too selfish.” Scott-cat growls, and Kristy shrugs. “Well, you are. And I agree with Lucas on this. He’d make a good house cat once he’s had some training. He’s pretty at least.”
“I should have made him ugly,” I grumble and let out a heavy sigh. Lucas wraps his arm around me, and Kristy goes to the fridge to get something to drink.
“How are things going with that house?” she asks, pouring herself a glass of apple juice.
“I think good,” I say with shrug, looking at Lucas. He’s the one handling the paperwork, and he doesn’t know that I saw his drafted title paperwork where the house will be in both our names. “Right?”
“Right. We can finalize the paperwork with the bank tomorrow, if you’re able.”
“I work tomorrow.”
“I’ll find someone to take your shift,” Kristy says and looks back at Scott. “In case things, uh, don’t go as smoothly as we thought.”
“I’ve already been in touch with a contractor who specializes in restoring old homes. He’s able to come up and look at the house as soon as the paperwork is done.”
“Really?” I say with a smile.
“Really. He’ll start with the structural damage, and then from there you can take over working with the interior designer.”
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” I practically squeal.
“That sounds so fun.” Kristy smiles. “I can’t wait to see it all fixed up. That house was gorgeous once, and I know it will be again.”
“I need to start Pinterest-ing hard.”
“Pinterest?” Lucas questions.
“You don’t know what Pinterest is?” I shake my head, pretending to be super shocked. “I’ll show you.”
“Hold that thought.” Lucas jerks his head around. “Someone just pulled into your driveway. I assumed your friend was coming through the door.”
“He is.”
Lucas gets to the front door first. I stand next to him, watching a black SUV come to a stop. One of the back doors opens first, and a blonde woman gets out.
“I think that’s Ella, Scott’s girlfriend,” I say.
“And that man?” Lucas asks when the driver’s door opens.
My blood runs cold and suddenly I have to remind myself how to breathe. “That’s…that’s my father.”
Chapter 14
Lucas turns his head to mine, eyes wide. “The man who sold you like livestock and left you to be tortured? Let him come in.”
“The ‘no murder’ plan needs to stand.”
“Death will be welcome after I’m done with him.” Lucas’s fangs come down, and he reaches for the door.
“Wait,” I say and grab Lucas’s wrist. He stops, moving away from the door and turning toward me. “He won’t be able to get through the warding. It protects the house against the unwanted, and he’s definitely unwanted.”
“Will it burn him like it burned the vampires?” Lucas asks hopefully.
“No, I set it up so it won’t harm humans, you know, in case little miss annoying Girl Scout and her mother comes skipping down the sidewalk.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
“Right?” My heart hammers faster and faster, and my stomach churns. Kristy puts her hand on my shoulder.
“You okay?”
I suck in a breath and nod. “Getting there.”
“I’ll make him leave,” Lucas says and goes out the door before I have a chance to stop him.
“And I’ll lock your brother in the closet.” Kristy hurries away, going into the kitchen. The front door is open, and I’m standing right here. All I have to do is pick up one foot and put it in front of the other and then…and then…
I blink and suddenly I’m back, back to the day my father dropped me off at the lab. I can still feel his fingers digging into my arm as he dragged me into an exam room. I was crying so hard I almost threw up. The last thing my father said to me before he thrust me to the ground was, “If you puke on my shoes, you’re cleaning it up.”
“Mr. Martin.” Lucas’s deep voice echoes around the house. My vision is hazy, but I watch him walk down the sidewalk, stopping just a foot before the circle of protection. You can’t see it, but Lucas can feel it, and I’m sure he remembers from last time just where my circles have been cast. “I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting you.”
Lucas’s tall frame blocks my father from view. Now that Kristy has Scott-cat locked away, Binx, Freya, and Pandora come running from the kitchen. Binx winds around my feet, and Freya and Pandora each walk in stride with me, giving me the confidence I need to leave the house.
It’s funny, really. If there was a demon standing in my driveway, I’d run out there, magical guns blazing. I’d fight tooth and nail, not letting the thought of losing the fight even cross my mind. I’d throw energy balls, slice and dice with my enchanted dagger, and let my familiars loose.
But I can’t do that to my father. The damage he’s done is internal, and even if he were dead and gone, I’d still have the nightmares.
“You don’t scare me, fanger.” Though I can’t see him, I know my father’s voice. It sends a chill through me, and Binx meows reassuringly.
“Really?” Lucas quips. “Your heart is racing, and I can smell your fear just as strongly as those onion rings you had in the car on the way here.”
I lift my foot again, taking another step. And then another. Each one gets a little easier. Lucas doesn’t take his eyes off my father, but reaches back, holding out his hand for me. I take it
, feeling the knot in my chest loosen a bit the second his skin touches mine.
My eyes are on the ground, and I know I have to look up. I know I have to see him. Taking a breath, I lift my head. My father has aged a lot since the last time I’ve seen him, but he still looks the same as I remember. Dark suit. Plain tie. A little American flag pin on his jacket. He’s gained a bit of weight over the years, but his eyes are still cold. Empty of love and full of hate.
I grip Lucas’s hand tighter. Binx sits in front of me, growling, and Freya and Pandora circle around me. My father’s eyes flit to my black cat, trying to hide his reaction, which is similar to Abby’s reaction when she realized Binx is still very much alive and well. He came to me when I was ten, and he wasn’t a kitten then. He should be at least sixteen, totally possible for a cat, but it’s obvious looking at him that he’s no senior feline.
Ella’s still standing by the car, face pale and eyes wide. She’s looking from me to Lucas to my familiars. She probably thinks they used to be people too, which suddenly gives me the idea to change all my enemies into cats and build an army.
“Callie.” Hearing my father say my name sends a shiver of disgust through me. The anger I felt earlier comes rushing back, and if Lucas wasn’t holding my hand, there’s a good chance my cat-army would have grown by one.
“What are you doing here?” My voice comes out steadier than I expected. It’s hard enough to think about him, to speak his name, without feeling crippling anxiety.
“I wanted to talk to you.” His eyes narrow, and Ella shuffles a little closer, keeping her back against the car.
“About what?”
“Scott.” My father takes a tentative step forward, getting close enough to the circle cast on the house to start to feel it. For humans, it brings up an intense feeling of turning and running away. My father likes to act like he’s all big and tough, but that’s exactly what he’s doing—acting. I’m a little surprised not to see a security team with him, but then again, he can’t risk a single soul knowing that I’m a witch. Ella is here because she already saw me doing magic.
“What about him?”
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