Dark of Night

Dark of NightCopyright 2019Emily GoodwinChapter One“What do you see when you look at this one?” The doctor holds up a card, showcasing an ink splotch that’s twisted and creepy, with eyes that follow you no matter where you go.I look at it, heart hammering away inside my chest. The mess of ink on the white paper reminds me of the monster that lurks in Nana and Papa’s basement, the one that tried to get Abby and Scott to go downstairs with it. The one I stopped from attacking my siblings by throwing a ball of light at it.But even at the young age of ten I know I can’t say that. I look at the card, remembering Abby’s screams like it was yesterday. Feeling Scott clutch my hand, eyes full of fear.I swallow hard and shift my eyes to the man in the white coat. “The tree in our backyard,” I tell him.He doesn’t react, doesn’t show the slightest of emotion. He puts the card down and picks up another. This one resembles a house, with a star-like drawing at the center. My heart lurches,

“This is not going to come out, is it?” I look down at my shirt. “Of all the nights I didn’t wear black.” Grimacing, I pull my shirt over my head, trying not to get blood on my face. “I guess I’ll just toss it.” I roll my shirt up the best I can, keeping the blood and guts on the inside, and put it in the kitchen garbage, tying the bag shut and putting it in another to make sure the smell of blood isn’t detectable.My pants come off next, and I think these are salvageable. I take them to the laundry room and rinse them in the utility tub before throwing them in the washing machine. Wearing only my bra and panties, I pad my way upstairs and into the bathroom.Lucas is still at the bar, cleaning up my mess. I wanted to stay and help, but he reminded me how suspicious it would look if someone else from the VC showed up and I was covered in vampire blood. It’s a good point, but I still felt bad leaving. He should be here soon, thanks to handy vampire speed.I get in the oversized shower a

I step away from the door, jaw clenched tight. The Grand Coven doesn’t approve of witch-vampire relationships, but hearing how the VC wants to deal with witches…it’s unnerving. They’ve been so focused on assimilation, ordering anyone other than vampires to death is extreme. Many witches lead fairly normal lives outside the coven and look like ordinary humans. The VC must really hate us to be willing to risk a vampire murdering a human in cold blood.Lucas has made it clear that he only follows the laws put in place for vampires because he saw it as beneficial to himself to be able to put his businesses and properties in his name instead of having a human proxy. He’s a rules-don’t-apply-to-me kind of guy and wouldn’t stop seeing me just because the VC told him to, even if he didn’t care about me as much as he does.Which happens to be a lot. A take-a-demon-blade-through-the-heart lot. And I love him.More than anyone I’ve ever loved before.More than I thought possible.Because for a w

“Lucas bought you a house?”“Kind of.” I set two cups of to-go coffee from Curlew’s Café on the counter. Kristy opened this morning, and I came in a little while later, after stopping for coffee of course.“How do you kind of buy a house? You either do or don’t.”“He knew I liked it, and neither of us like the long-distance relationship thing, especially since we’re limited to the night to do anything together. This way he can make the house vampire friendly, and we can have more time together.”Kristy blows on her hot latte to cool it down. “So you’re moving in with him?”“Yeah,” I say but sound unsure of myself. “It all seems so soon to move in together.” I pop the lid off my coffee and watch steam billow up from the cup. “And Lucas didn’t say anything, but I can tell time bothers him.”“Time?”“He’s going to live forever unless he’s murdered, basically. And I won’t.” I bite my lip. “A lifetime for me isn’t that long for him.”“That would have to be hard,” Kristy says without thinki

“That’s ridiculous,” I spit. “I didn’t make a deal with the Devil, nor would I ever. I’ll admit I’m reckless and impulsive, but I don’t have a death wish.”Kristy twists the ties to her cloak around her fingers. “I hate to admit that this has any validity, but it does. I mean, if you look at it from their point of view.” Her blue eyes meet mine, and she frowns apologetically. “The demon was after twenty-five-year-old Virgos, which you are, and then you were able to fight it off. We know that’s not how things went down, but from an outsider looking in…”“Fucking hell, I see it too.” My eyes fall shut, and I shake my head. “What do I do now?”“Leave,” Evander says. “Dessert is optional, and many have already left. The Grand Coven has a sentencing tomorrow, and I know Ruth and Albert will be leaving tonight. Go before they have a chance to question you about it, because we both know the punishment for being found guilty of Satanism.”“I’ll go too,” Kristy says. “Make it look not as obvio