“It would.” I stand, brushing ash from the fireplace off my hands. “And I still think he will. I just hope he’s not too late.” I go back to the desk and sit down, opening the notebook to a new page.
“Are you sending another letter?”
“No. I’m making a list of all the shit going on in my life because pregnancy brain is a real thing and I just can’t keep track of it all.” I uncap the pen. “One: I declared myself Queen of Hell. Two: Archangels will kill me if they find me. Three: Demons will kill me if they find me. Four: Demons will kidnap me if they find me. Five: Demons will try to—”
“Callie.” Lucas puts his hand on mine. “Let me make you breakfast.”
“I need to make my list. And then I’ll pick one thing and check it off.”
“It’s not that easy,” he says gently.
“But I have to. There’s just…there’s so much,” I say quickly.
“I know, which is why we are going into the kitchen. You can give me another cooking lesson since last time I burned the biscuits and put too much pepper in the gravy.”
“I can’t,” I repeat, voice cracking. “I feel like I’m treading water, barely able to keep my head above the surface. There’s just so much, and it’s like one wave after another, trying to pull me under. If I stop treading, I’ll drown.”
“No, you won’t. I happen to be a very good swimmer.”
Tears roll down my cheeks, and I put the pen down. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’ll never have to find out.” He extends his hand for me to take so he can help me to my feet. I wrap my arms around his neck and go in to kiss him. The world melts way the moment our lips touch. Lucas is my rock and my anchor, and he’s also my life preserver, pulling me from murky waters when I’ve given everything I can to keep from drowning. “Come now, my love, let’s get something to eat.”
“I need my morning sickness potion.” My stomach is a little queasy, though it could be from the stress. I haven’t tried not taking the potion because throwing up was so awful I don’t want to go back to feeling that way. “And I want socks. My feet are cold.”
We go upstairs together and take a quick shower and then get dressed, going back downstairs. I let Scarlet out while Lucas gathers the ingredients for biscuits and gravy. Avoiding my problems is classic Callie, and I’ve been trying hard not to do that anymore. Letting things go for the rest of today feels exactly like that, though I can’t pick one of my very involved, very dangerous issues and just cross it off my to-do list as if it’s a honey-do list of household chores.
Enjoying the day with Lucas is needed. I didn’t sleep well last night, and I’m mentally exhausted, though I haven’t been up for long. I’ve put off ordering anything for the baby, but I feel like maybe it’s time now. If she’s made it this far and everything looks good, it gives me hope she’ll continue to grow and I’ll be able to carry her to term.
And then Lucas and I will have our daughter in our arms.
Scarlet comes in, paws wet and muddy, and it takes me a good five minutes to get all the mud off her wiry fur. The wind did bring in warmer weather, but it’s the kind of blustery day that will sweep you right off your feet if you’re not careful. It’s only the end of January here in the Midwest, too. This rare forty-degree day is just a slight reprieve from the bitter cold it was only days ago, though you could also argue it’s a tease. The temps will drop again, staying that way until April, though we’ve gotten snow in May before, too.
I really should have taken up that offer to spend the winter in California.
“I don’t like this recipe,” I tell Lucas as he pulls one up on the iPad. “Whoever wrote this must have a very weak sense of taste or something because that is a lot of pepper. It’s the one you used last time?”
“Yes.” He looks from the recipe to me and back again. “I don’t know if I’ll ever become familiar with what is a normal amount of an ingredient.”
I smile, finding it so damn adorable that he tries to cook for me like this. Since I feed him, he says it’s only fair that he feeds me. “And I don’t really know how to explain it. Though you’ve never tried to feed me a scented candle, so that’s something.”
Lucas starts browning the sausage meat, and I get a can of biscuits from the fridge. I peel it, grab a spoon, and turn away when I press it into the seam. I don’t know why I jump every time the damn can opens, but I do. I put the biscuits in the oven and get out a glass bottle of maple syrup.
“It adds a really good flavor if you season the meat with this,” I tell Lucas as I unscrew the cap. He takes the bottle from me, determined to make most of the food on his own. I plug in my coffee pot, wishing I could have more than one measly half-cup of caffeinated coffee this morning.
“Eliza is calling,” he says, able to hear his phone ringing from upstairs.
“I’ll go get it,” I tell him, standing on my toes to plant a kiss on his lips. “Keep cooking. It’s sexy.”
Going up the back stairs, I get his phone from the dresser. I missed the call by then and don’t call Eliza back until I’m in the kitchen again. Putting the call on speaker, I hold it up in between Lucas and me.
“I was just rudely awoken,” Eliza spits. So much for a hello.
“Uh, you called us,” I say.
“That’s not what I mean.”
“What do you mean?” Lucas asks, stirring the meat around the pan.
“Someone knocked on the door, rather insistently,” she goes on.
“It’s daylight,” I say, looking out the window.
“I know,” she continues. “Luckily, my dessert stayed the night and was able to answer the door. I got a fucking letter.”
“And the issue is you don’t have a pen pal?” I try, looking at Lucas and shrugging. He’s not following, either, and looks annoyed with Eliza’s typical drama.
“Of course I don’t have a fucking pen pal. The letter is for Lucas, and it’s from the VC.”
Chapter 24
“The VC?” I echo. “Do they usually send letters?”
“No,” Lucas says, turning the burner down. “What did the letter say? And cut to the chase.”
“Basically, you didn’t fill out a change of address form, they know you moved, and they fucking know you got married and are requesting you show up to a meeting tonight to give them more information about your wife.”
My blood goes cold. There’s no way they know he married a witch. I look at Lucas. “We got married legally, though. It was on file.”
“It is on file. I filled out the necessary paperwork, for both the marriage certificate and for purchasing this house. I still own the house in Lincoln Park, and there is no way anyone would know that’s not my primary place of residence unless—”
“Someone who knows me told them.” And now I’m back to feeling like I’m going to throw up again. I didn’t even get so far to put this on my list. “It’s Scott. It has to be fucking Scott.”
“Scott is working with the VC?” Eliza asks, and I can imagine the shock on her face. “The fuck?”
“We don’t know for sure,” Lucas tells her. “It’s a hunch, and one that seems more and more likely as time goes on.”
“Back up,” Eliza says. “Scott hates vampires.”
“I said the same thing,” I say. “But there’s one thing he hates more. Me.”
“I still don’t see how this makes sense.”
“I don’t, either,” I agree. “But that night Roger attacked me at Abby’s house, I ran into Nancy. She knew I was with her, and if someone was looking for me, then—”
“They would look for her.”
“Exactly. And I could have been attacked a dozen times over while I was inside, but they waited until I was out, almost as if they were given orders not to mess with Abby, Phil, or Penny.”
“Well, fuck,” Eliza huffs.
“That sums up how we feel,” Lucas tells her. “Send me photos of the letter. You should come here tonight. I�
��ll send a car before sunset.”
“Fine, but I’m bringing Sasha. She’s pregnant and due any day now.”
“Awww,” I say, assuming she’s talking about one of her guinea pigs. “There’s gonna be another little mama in the house.”
“Keep your familiars away from her.”
It’s Scarlet she has to worry about. “I will,” I say to appease her. Eliza ends the call, and Lucas gives the sausage a quick stir while we wait for the photos of the letter to come through.
“Scott knows I’m a witch. Whoever he’s working with knows I’m a witch. They know we’re married. You can’t go to this meeting. No way. Not without me, at least.”
“That is the last place I want you to go. You’re a witch and you’re pregnant. Those are two things many vampires find irresistible.”
“And you don’t mean they find pregnant women to be sexy like you do?”
“No, well, they might because I don’t know how anyone couldn’t find you sexy, but that’s not what I mean. Not all vampires have the control I do.”
“I know,” I tell him, remembering the first time I saw Eliza clean up blood and how impressed I was she was able to resist it. Lucas taught her how to control her impulses, and he did a damn good job. The photos of the letter come through, and they said everything Eliza summed up, but in a lot more words.
“Paradise Valley? The meeting is in Paradise Valley?” I scrunch up my face in question. Paradise Valley is our neighboring town and has a low vampire population. “Why there?”
“I don’t know.” Lucas reads the letter over again. “It’s in their town hall, and this is signed by the leader of the local VC chapter.”
“But why did they deliver it to your house in Lincoln Park? That’s crossing states lines, and this is so shady. You’re not going.”
“I’m going.”
“No!”
“We’ve stumbled onto something, Callie, and I’m going to see what I can figure out. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you serious?” I put a hand on my hip and lean back, brows going up. “You didn’t even want me to go to a salon in Thorne Hill alone, but you’ll be fine to walk into what’s probably a trap?”
“Yes. I’m older than those vampires.”
“And I’m more powerful than like…like everyone.”
“Don’t get cocky.”
“Ugh!” I throw my hands out. “If you go, I’m sending my familiars with you.”
Lucas’s lips part, and I know he wants to say he doesn’t want me left here alone without them, which will just prove my point even more. “Freya and Pandora can come. Binx should stay here with you.”
“Fine.” I cross my arms and let out a breath. “I still think I should at least go and sit in the car like you did.”
“You’d still be putting yourself at risk, and we don’t know for sure if the VC knows you’re a witch. Whoever Scott talked to could have kept that information to themselves to use as blackmail. But if you show up smelling like magic, then they’d know for sure.”
“Fine,” I huff again. “Just remember this the next time I want to do something.”
“It’s different.” He turns the burner back up and adds a little more maple syrup to the meat.
“Why? Because you’re a big strong man and I’m just a weak little girl?”
“Callie,” he booms, gripping the wooden spatula so hard it snaps in half. I hold my ground, staring him down. For the most part, Lucas and I get along great. But we’re a married couple, and fights are bound to come up. And this happens to be a hot button issue for me. I’m not weak, not at all, and being treated as such pisses me the fuck off.
Weak Callie got sold like a pig to slaughter when she was only eight years old. Weak Callie couldn’t fight back, and weak Callie spent two fucking years in a prison and has a lifetime of issues from it.
“You’re not weak,” he says slowly. “And you’re not a little girl, trust me on that.” He runs his eyes up and down my body.
I work hard not to smile. “Then what is it?”
“You mean too much to me.”
“And you don’t mean much to me?” Some of my anger melts away, leaving me vulnerable. “You are the strongest, oldest vampire I’ve ever met, and when it comes to other vampires, I know you’d come out on top. But that doesn’t stop me from worrying, and you have to understand I have the same fears you do. Yes, Lucas, you’ve lived a long time, but you also kinda kept to yourself in those years. I’m like Pandora’s Box when it comes to danger.”
“You are.” He throws the broken spatula away and gets another, going back to the stovetop.
“What if Eliza went with you and stayed in the car for backup? I know she’ll act like she hates it, but we both know she’ll do anything to keep you safe, too.”
“I don’t like putting her in harm’s way, but the car would be fine.”
“Thank you.” I let out a deep sigh. “I don’t like fighting with you. I fight enough with the rest of the world.”
“It was a disagreement, not really a fight,” he says, giving the meat a stir. He sets the spatula down and takes me in his arms. I rest my head against his firm chest and feel better. “I love you, Callie. I’m sorry if I’m overprotective, but that’s never going to change. You’re pregnant now, and more at risk than ever, and I will never stop worrying about you. I’ll never stop doing everything I can to keep you safe and make you happy.”
I look up, tears in my eyes, and kiss him. “What time is the meeting?”
“Ten p.m.”
“My first thought was that’s late, but it’s really not for you.”
“No, it’s not at all.” He presses his lips against my forehead. “Make your coffee. This shouldn’t take long.”
“You’re eating before you leave, too,” I tell him. “It’s been a while since we had sex in the library, and I want to feel your fangs sink into the tender skin of my thigh while my naked body is pressed up against the bookshelves.”
“Fuck, Callie,” he groans.
I smile and whirl around, going over to the butler’s pantry where my coffee pot is kept. I mix half a scoop of decaf with half a scoop of regular coffee, and the smell of it brewing is delicious. I think I might actually be able to stomach it without creamer again, which makes me way too excited.
“Something came through the fireplace,” Lucas tells me, tipping his head. “In the living room.”
“I should tell Ruby to use the one in the formal dining room or the parlor. We have a fire going in the living room quite often.”
I leave the kitchen, going through the formal dining room and into the living room. The letter landed in a bit of soot. I brush it off and go back into the kitchen so Lucas can see what Ruby has to say.
“Ohh, it’s a map of the Ley lines running through Arizona,” I say as I unfold the paper and spread it on the counter. “The bodies were found in a park.” I pull up a map of Arizona on my phone and type in the address of the park. I zoom out and look at the map Ruby sent. “Well, fuck.”
“It’s right along a line.”
“Yep, which means the demons are up to something, I’m sure. I need to find out more about these victims. If I can figure out what kind of ritual was done, I’ll know what the demons are scheming. The names haven’t been released yet, but it’s been almost twenty-four hours, so I’d assume family has been notified and all that.”
Lucas sprinkles flour over the sausage and adds just a small amount of pepper this time. “How many other lines run through the country?”
“Oh, tons. They web out pretty much all over. But where they’re close to the surface, like the one here and this one in Sedona, they're the ones you need to watch out for. They’re the ones that attract people and demons alike and have an energy source close enough to the surface of the ground you can easily tap into.”
“And the Ley line is a power boost.”
“Right, and we saw firsthand what it can do to lower-level demons.” I start to feel anx
ious again, like too much is going on and it’s going to be like this for the rest of my life, putting out one fire only to have another spring up. Eventually, I’ll die from smoke inhalation. Looking back at the map, I read the little note from Ruby. If you want to know more about the Ley lines, I can come over with books. I’m tutoring and can be there around eight.
“Ruby can come over later,” I tell Lucas. “I think I’ll take her up on it. I’ll be able to borrow her books on the Ley lines then and can take notes to put in my own book.”
“Put as much in it as you can. Someday Elena will need it.” He looks up from the stove with a smile on his handsome face. My insides get all squishy, and I know breakfast isn’t ready yet, but I need Lucas to take me to the library, strip me bare, and fuck me hard and fast against the bookshelves. Now.
“Maybe you should take a vanquishing potion, too.” I reach into the cabinet and pull out two vials. “Just don’t spill it on yourself because there’s vervain in it and it will hurt.”
“Callie,” Lucas says gently but doesn’t keep the amusement off his face. “You’ve already tried to load me up like a magic missile. I cannot walk into a Vampire Council meeting hoping to pass off my wife as a regular human when I’m packing potions.”
“He has a point,” Ruby agrees. She just got here, and we’re in the kitchen, with half a dozen books about Ley lines spread out on the counter. Lucas has to leave to drive to Paradise Valley in time to make it to the VC meeting. Of course, I’m all sorts of nervous and still convinced Lucas is walking into a trap.
He doesn’t think so since the VC meeting was posted on a local vampire chat board, inviting any vampires from the surrounding areas to go and present their issues or concerns. It if was a trap, they wouldn’t openly announce it. Unless that’s just what they want us to think.
Reign of Night (The Thorne Hill Series Book 7) Page 20