“Tell them to go away,” I groan when someone knocks on the front door. I pull the sheet up over my head. Muted sunlight filters through my open window and the cheerful chirping of birds fills the room. Normally, I love this sound and the feeling of waking up to a fresh day.
But right now, I’m still tired and still angry at Lucas. Pandora jumps from the bed to the window, looking down at the porch. She lets out a low growl, but it’s one of annoyance, not one to threaten.
“I’m right there with you, Dors,” I grumble. Pandora is perpetually grumpy and doesn’t trust humans. Not that I blame her. Her last witch was killed in cold blood by a human she thought she could trust.
A dark shadow moves through my open bedroom door, lunging at me. Freya lands softly on the bed, purring. She nuzzles her head against me for a few seconds before nipping at my chin.
“I know, I know. You guys want food anyway.”
Throwing the blankets back, I get out of bed and grimace at my reflection in the mirror. It’s not the messy hair or the smeared eyeliner that’s off-putting. It’s the very sight of me, of my green eyes. Those green eyes that looked at an old-as-fuck vampire and decided it was a good idea to let him take me home, to repay a made-up debt.
Undead prick.
I’m not sure what I’m more pissed about: the fact that he lied to me or the fact that he knew another vampire was feeding off a human in his bar and did nothing about it. Though he did straight out tell me he does what he wants when he wants. I’m sure it’s been that way for a while given that he’s at least a thousand years old.
Running my hand through my hair, I go down the stairs, finding each creak of the old hardwood comforting. Binx is already by the door, waiting patiently. I pick him up and wave my hand over the lock, unsealing the magic that bars the door shut at night. I mutter an incantation, breaking the circle, and pull open the door.
“Hey!” a woman says cheerfully. Too cheerfully. She’s pretty, with wavy strawberry blonde hair and perfectly applied makeup. She’s not quite as tall as I am but is lean with impressive muscle definition in her arms. “You’re Callie, right?”
Looking past her, I see my Jeep in the driveway. Another car waits behind it, with someone in the driver’s seat.
“Yeah, I am. I’m guessing Lucas sent you.”
“Right.” She gives me another bright, white smile. “I’m Monica.” She holds out her hand.
“Nice to meet you,” I say and shake her hand. I set Binx down, and he circles Monica’s feet. Smiling again, she bends down and pets him. He rubs against her, taking a few seconds to sniff her. He turns back to me, meets my eyes, and moves his head in a curt nod. Yep. This girl is one-hundred percent human. “So, are you a friend of Lucas or something?”
“Or something,” she laughs and hands me my keys. “My boyfriend is a vampire and he and Lucas are friends, I guess. Well, as friends as anyone can be with that guy, right?”
“Sure. Have you known him long?”
“I met Dominic two years ago and it was love at first sight.” She lets out a breath, getting a dreamy look in her eyes. “He was the first vampire I’d ever met, you know, but as I got to know him, I realized that not all vampires are terrible, bloodsucking creatures like the way the media portrays them.”
“Right,” I say, not wanting to get into it. For one of my final projects back at the Academy, I had to take part in a debate on the morality of other magical creatures. Not all vampires are evil, no, and many were turned against their will.
But they’re still dead, and part of their humanity died with them.
“Do you work for Lucas then?”
She adjusts her purse up on her shoulder and glances into the house, curious to see inside. “I suppose you could call it that. I run errands for him and Dom during the day. I love my Dom, of course, but Lucas, as grumpy as he may be, sometimes feels like a big brother to me. Other times I dream about staking him. Repeatedly.”
“I’m kind of with you on that.”
Her eyebrows go up. “Really? I’ve never heard anyone say that after a night with—”
“We didn’t sleep together,” I interrupt. “He brought me home because I’d had a little too much to drink.” And the bloodsucker manipulated me.
“Did you drink his blood?”
“Gross. No.”
“Did he drink your blood?” she asks.
“It’ll take more than one date for anyone to get a taste of my blood. Even though I don’t even consider last night a date.” I rub my forehead. “Thanks again for bringing my Jeep back. It’s a long drive from Chicago.”
“I don’t mind,” she says cheerfully, and I believe her. I wonder how much her mind has been altered by her vampire lover. Being held spellbound over and over can mess with your memory and your overall brain processing. Once memories have been altered too many times…the damage is permanent.
“I’d invite you in for coffee or something, but it looks like you have a ride waiting.” I motion to the car in the driveway.
“Yeah, I’ve got to get back to the city. Maybe I’ll see you again.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I watch her jog down the sidewalk and get into the car. It backs out of the gravel driveway onto the country road that runs by my house. Once they’re out of sight, I go inside and close the door, locking it with magic again. It’s daytime, but a witch can never be too careful.
*
“You know you’re off tonight, right?” Kristy says, looking up from her Kindle when I walk into the bookshop.
“I know. I have gossip for you.” I set two coffees on the counter and carry the third to Betty, one of the other employees we have working here at the shop. She’s in the back, unboxing a new shipment of indie books.
“Oh,” I coo, sitting down on the floor next to Betty and looking into the box of books. “I’ve been dying to read this one.” I pick up a paperback with a beautiful cover of a couple kissing in front of a mountain.
“It looks so good in person. I read the e-book as soon as it came out. Kristen Mayer is one of my favorite authors now.” She runs her finger down the spine, looking at the book lovingly. She’s a non but loves books just as much as Kristy and I do. I’m sure she suspects something unusual is up with us, but she hasn’t said anything, and I don’t think she will. She’s a typical bookworm and would rather deal with fictional issues than real ones, and this job is perfect for her.
“I might have to take it for myself,” I only half joke. I set it down and take another book from the box. “I know I did the ordering, but it’s like Christmas morning every time we get a new shipment in.”
“I know!” she agrees, and I spend another few minutes looking through the books before I go back to the front of the store. I need to talk to Kristy while Betty is distracted anyway.
“Thanks for the coffee,” Kristy tells me. “And the gossip is about yourself, isn’t it?”
“Your intuition has always been impressive.” I go behind the counter and lean against the wall, sipping my black coffee. “And yeah, I was hoping to talk to you about something.”
“Anything. Wait.” She takes another drink of coffee and raises her eyebrows. “Do you need help burying a body again? Because I did not wear the right shoes for that today.”
“No, not this time.”
“Good.”
“I…I kind of took a vampire home from a bar with me last night.”
Kristy almost chokes on her coffee. “What? You slept with a…a…vampire?” she whispers the word “vampire” just in case anyone is listening. Humans and vampires are free to date each other, and vamp-human marriage is legal in seven states so far, but it’s still very much taboo.
“No, I didn’t sleep with him. It’s a weird story, and trust me, the next time I see this asshole, I’m staking him.” I motion to my purse. “I brought my favorite stake.”
Kristy looks at me for a good few seconds, unblinking. “The fact that you have a favorite stake is a whole other issue, you know.”
“It’s the sharpest and has that cool blood stain that looks like a star and—okay, yeah, it’s weird.” I let out a breath, grab my coffee, and tell Kristy what happened. I love having a best friend like her. Someone I trust with everything, someone who does her best not to judge anything I do unless I need her judgment and someone who won’t bullshit me.
“Wait, Abby came here?” she asks when I finish telling her the story. “When? How is she? Still married to that penis doctor?”
“The urologist,” I laugh. “And yes. And I’m pretty sure he still hates me.”
Kristy reaches out and punches my arm.
“Ouch,” I say, rubbing where she hit me.
“You should have called me the second she walked in!”
I give her a guilty smile. “You were shopping, and I didn’t want to upset you or make you turn around. I really needed that Dead Man’s Blood.”
She purses her lips and shakes her head. “I could have talked to you. Kept you from doing something impulsive like stalking your sister, getting into a fight, and taking a vampire home.”
“I know.” I pick at the label on my coffee cup. “I just wanted to see where she lived, ya know? See how everyone else is getting along. But I shouldn’t have. I’ve moved on. I’m happy here. I have the store, you, the coven…I have a life and I like it.”
“They’re your family. Even with all the shit they put you through…that doesn’t change who they are.”
“It makes it worse.”
Kristy sets her coffee down and gives me a hug. “Okay, so let’s revisit this vision. You don’t think it was a premonition or something, do you?”
“No, I don’t have the powers of foresight. It was more like a message.”
“But a half-breed? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe because my parents aren’t magical?”
“How would that make you a half-breed, though? Half-breed is usually reserved for someone who has two different magical parents, like a witch and a shifter. Your parents are neither.”
“Yeah, I have no idea.” I pop the lid off my coffee and move my finger in a slow circle over it, magically stirring the hot liquid. “And who knows? Maybe it was something tapping into a subconscious fear. I was kind of intoxicated.”
“Kind of?” She rolls her eyes and moves to the register to ring up a customer. The store gets pretty busy as the evening goes on, and I stay, helping manage the lines and just talking with Kristy and Betty.
The store is still pretty crowded when the sun starts to set. We’re open for another couple hours, so I offer to go pick up takeout for the three of us to eat. On nights when the store is packed, we stay open an extra half-hour or so, not wanting to miss sales.
Our store is on the main street in the quiet town of Thorne Hill. It’s far from a big city, but not quite small-town territory. It’s more of the latter, but being close to Lake Michigan has made it an ideal place to lay down roots.
Plus, a Ley line runs through here, which contributes to how the town got its name. Twisted thorn bushes grew all over, spreading like weeds, in a natural attempt to keep the living away from the power buried deep underground. But humans are relentless beings, and not long after the first settlers moved into the area, covens of witches moved in as well, making sure the Ley line was protected.
And now I belong to one of those covens.
Non-magical people are drawn to this place and they don’t even know why. The Ley line does that, pulsing addictive energy into the air. So far, it’s worked out in our favor, keeping people generally happy. But if tainted, if demons ever got their hands on the line, it could cause mass chaos.
Our downtown has several blocks of stores and restaurants, and the sense of community is big here. We have festivals and celebrations year-round. There are three vampires who live here, and so far, they’ve kept to themselves and have been model citizens. They’re on the younger side, having only been vampires for about ten years, which is just enough time to move out of the impulsive murdering state—well, for some vampires, that is.
I get noodles and sushi from my favorite Japanese place just a block away and head back to the bookshop.
“Good evening, Callie,” another store owner says as she sweeps off the welcome mat leading into her antique store.
“Hi, Mrs. Bishop. How are you?”
“I’m good, honey. Working late again?”
“Nah, it’s not too late.”
She casts her eyes to the setting sun. A few business owners shut down right around sunset to avoid vampires. Mrs. Bishop is one of them, though it’s not like the antique store is a happening place after hours. She’s about half an hour too late to completely avoid vampires, but I can’t exactly explain to her that the older, more powerful vampires are able to come out at dusk on cloudy nights like this.
“Take care, honey,” she says and sweeps the last bit of dust off her welcome mat. I hurry back to the bookstore, stomach grumbling. Binx is sitting outside the door and lets out a loud meow as soon as I draw near.
“Hey, Mr. Prickle Paws,” I tell him. “Whatcha doing here?”
He lifts his head, sniffing the bag of takeout, more interested in snagging a bite to eat than the reason he came all the way into town.
“Yes,” I tell him before he has a chance to ask. “I’ll share with you.” I push open the door, letting him in first. I only get one foot in the store before I know why Binx showed up.
Lucas is here.
I wake up coughing, having rolled over in my sleep and am facing the window. The sun is creeping up, casting a muted glow throughout my room. Lucas’s hand lands on my back, startling me. I roll over, eyes locking with his. “You’re still here.”“I didn’t want to leave you.”“But it’s almost dawn.”“I know.”“The spell from the other day might not work.” I snuggle closer to him and he pulls the blanket up over my shoulder.“That’s okay.” He slides his hand under the blanket and runs his fingertips up and down my arm.“You’ll burn.”“I’ll leave before that happens. Your basement is dark. It’s not the worst place I’ve waited out the sun.” He kisses my forehead. “Go back to sleep. You need to rest.”“I need a drink first.” I slowly sit up, coughing again, and reach for the glass of water on my nightstand.“Do you feel any better?” Lucas pushes himself up, looking at me with concern. We’re both naked, having gone right into bed after taking a shower. Lucas brushed the tangles out of my hair
Lucas holds me tight against him and goes in for a kiss. I turn my head at the last second, coughing.“Sorry,” I say between coughs.“Don’t be. Are you…are you all right?” Lucas takes my hands in his and carefully pulls me to my feet. “You don’t sound very good.”“I inhaled a lot of smoke.” I sway on my feet, grasping Lucas’s hands for support. He steps in and scoops me up. I don’t like to be coddled, but I’m not about to protest. Mostly because I’m not sure I can keep from falling to the ground.I’m lightheaded and dizzy, both from inhaling so much smoke and because whatever the hell spell I just performed was the most draining magical act I’ve ever done.Lucas makes sure I’m steady on my feet before moving away, going over the pile of ash. He nudges it with his foot, moving the remains of the demon’s robe.“There’s hardly anything left. How did you put out the fire?”Pressing my hand to my chest, I cough again before I can answer. “I don’t know. It was hellfire…maybe it just goes aw
“Humans?” I echo. “The woods are enchanted to keep them away. Of course, tonight of all nights they—”I’m interrupted by a high-pitched scream. My blood runs cold and Lucas and I both take off, sprinting to the door. The group from my house is at the door, and it looks like they just performed the ritual to open it. But no one is going through. They’re huddled around it, hands raised as they cast a defensive circle.The humans Lucas caught the scent of surround them, and I can tell by their inky eyes that they are possessed. The door is open, and if one of the demons get witch blood on their hands, they might be able to pass right through. They press in, testing the strength of the circle. Brooke and her brother are hiding behind the adults, kept safe by their familiar who’s barking and growling at the demons. They need to go through and seek shelter at the Covenstead.“Hey!” I shout, conjuring an energy ball. Lucas speeds forward, sinking his fangs into the neck of one demon. He bite
“What does that mean?” Abby asks.I blink and the world spins around me. “It means he’s coming for us. For me. It means I need to go back and fight.”“Callie, no!” Lucas zooms down the stairs and puts his hands on my shoulders. “You know how powerful he is, and we don’t know how to stop him. If you go back, he’ll kill you.”“He can try.” I slowly shake my head. “I’m not hiding. I’m not going to let him tear through every single one of my friends in an attempt to get to me.”“What’s going on?” Abby’s voice breaks. “Who’s trying to kill you?”“Go home,” I tell her. “I’ll call you later, well, if I’m alive.”“You’re not going to die,” Lucas says, and his fingers press a little harder into my shoulder. “I’m not losing you.”“Then come with me,” I whisper, looking into his eyes, and the fear I see reflected back at me sends a chill right through me. He’s just as scared as I am, but not of the demon. He’s scared of something happening to me. Because for some reason I fill the emptiness insi
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Scott demands through gritted teeth. I stand there, stunned, as pain radiates through my head. Scott hit me right in the temple, and his fingers lashed the corner of my eye. If it swells up, I wouldn’t be surprised. Ella gasps and Scott turns on me, eyes full of rage.“You’re nothing but the Devil’s whore,” he says, grabbing my wrist and twisting my arm up. The magic has left my fingers, and his grip on my wrist hurts.“Scott!” Ella exclaims, jumping back. “What are you doing?” And then Lucas appears, seemingly out of nowhere, and grabs Scott by the throat. He draws his fangs and lifts Scott into the air several feet off the ground. Ella screams and the others in the room scatter. “You’re lucky your sister has more mercy in her little finger than most do in their whole body. If my own flesh and blood treated me this way, I would not be so kind.” Lucas raises Scott a little higher in the air and looks at me. “What should I do with him, lover?
I stretch my legs out in front of me and lean back, closing my eyes and tipping my head up to the sun. I’m on the rooftop patio, soaking up the warmth of the day. Pandora is walking along the railing and Binx is stretched out on the chair next to me, enjoying sunbathing as much as I am.I’m waiting for my lunch to arrive, and then will probably go back inside and take a nap. Lucas looked through the Book of the Beast and didn’t see anything about how to kill demons. There was, however, a chapter that alluded to sending a demon back to Hell. Which would be great if I were able to summon up enough power to crack open the earth and shove the fucker inside.Pandora softly meows, letting me know the delivery guy is here. I go back inside, hurrying through the large house and meeting the delivery guy at the gate. Opening the front door and revealing that the house is blacked out is a dead giveaway that a vampire lives here. I take my food and go back to the rooftop, watching people walk up