“Callie, you’re having a nightmare.” Lucas’s large hand lands on my shoulder, gently shaking me awake. I open my eyes, feeling the clutches of my dream. I’m in our bed, and the familiar surrounds of the room bring comfort.
“I know,” I pant as I sit up. “I dreamed we went to the hospital because I was in labor, and when they took me into a room, it was the research lab.”
“That’s not going to happen. I wouldn’t allow it.” He takes me in his arms, and I feel better already. It was just a stupid dream…with a deeper meaning.
“What if I go into labor during the day?”
Lucas moves one hand to my stomach, gently rubbing it. Elena must be sleeping because she’s nice and calm in there right now. “Kristy said she would drive you, and Tabatha will meet you at the hospital no matter what time of the day,” he reminds me.
“I need you to be honest with me.” I lean against Lucas, resting a hand on top of his. “Is it a pipe dream to think I’ll have a smooth birth in the hospital with drugs to keep me comfortable and nurses to check on the baby?”
“We’ll find a way to make it happen,” he says with no hesitation.
“I’m not fully human, and we’ve seen what happens when I’m medically treated like one.”
“Getting around the standard protocols will be a challenge,” he admits. “Luckily, your husband has a way of making people do what he wants, and the rest of your support system has magic. And not to mention your sister is a doctor.”
“That is reassuring. The coven midwife has done hundreds of home births. I do like the idea of having you with me and not worrying if you’ll make it in time before the sun goes down.”
“We have time to think about it.” He kisses my neck. “And we will find a way, Callie. Whatever you want, we will find a way to make it happen.”
I close my eyes and get a vision from my dream again. “Elena isn’t going to be fully human, either. I’m scared they’ll take her away and sell her to—”
“That’s not happening, either,” Lucas says in a calm voice.
“I hate hospitals,” I say, though Lucas is aware. The scars from my childhood trauma cut deep, and being a patient freaks me the fuck out.
“You’re not going into labor tonight.” Lucas lays us back down and helps me get comfortable. “We can make two plans in the morning. One for a home birth and one for a hospital birth. Even if you were dead set on giving birth in a hospital, labor can progress so fast you don’t make it in time.”
“Have you been reading pregnancy blogs again?”
“Maybe.” His lips are against my neck, and I can feel him smile. “I never paid attention to humans procreating before. Now that I have a reason to, it’s quite fascinating. What your body goes through—”
“Is freaky.”
“I suppose.” He chuckles. “Though I was going to say impressive.” He kisses my neck. “Try to go back to sleep. It’s only been an hour since we laid down.”
“I’ll try.” I close my eyes and snuggle up with Lucas. Physically, I’m comfortable, but I can’t shut off my damn mind, making me long for the days when I could go downstairs, pour myself a glass of sweet wine, and turn on the TV while I drank to calm my nerves.
Scarlet is walking up and down the hall, nails clicking on the hardwood floor. She’s patrolling, not happy a demon came into the house yesterday and she wasn’t allowed to tear it apart. She was literally made for murder, and not killing anything is making her stir crazy. Don’t worry, Scar. I’m sure there will be something to kill sooner rather than later.
I sip my coffee, looking out at the front yard. It’s much colder today than it was yesterday, and I’m sitting on the porch swing as I wait for the pool crew to arrive. I’d forgotten about it until Lucas reminded me they were coming today to mark off buried wires and the area where the pool is going in. Along with a pool, we’re getting a patio put in around it, with a hot tub and a little cabana area that will have a built-in grill, a wet bar, and a small bathroom for people to use when they’re soaking wet from the pool.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have something like this in my very own backyard. I’d imagined myself buying and slowly renovating this huge house a hundred times and felt tempted more than once to use magic to get the bank to sell me this place for only a dollar. It would be wrong, but mostly I never did that because the repairs on this place were astronomical.
Give me a thousand years to save up and I could have bought it on my own.
I’d done well on my own before I met Lucas, and the fact that Kristy and I had a successful business by the time we were twenty-two is still something I’m so damn proud of. I really do miss the bookstore, and after I get all the papers signed and make sure the pool crew doesn’t need anything else from me, I might go into town and visit Kristy and whoever else is working today. I should probably go grocery shopping anyway. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, and I’m way too pregnant not to have a craving satisfied in the middle of the night while on demon-duty.
Scarlet is running around the yard playing with a dead rabbit she hunted and killed this morning—and promptly let me know it was too easy of a kill for her—when the pool guys show up. After gushing over my giant Irish Wolfhound for a moment, they go over the pool layout, have me sign a few things, and then get to work.
Lucas is in the conservatory, holding a wine glass full of warm blood from one of the blood bags Eliza brought over, watching out the window. Not being able to go outside in the daylight bothers me more than it bothers him, and I work really hard not to let it get to me.
He’s a vampire. I never expected to be able to pull off the spell that I did to enchant the windows in such a way that he can walk around during the day like this. I refuse to accept this is as good as it gets, and finding a way for Lucas to daywalk is yet another thing on my quickly expanding to-do list before our daughter is born.
“I’m going to be very anxiously waiting for this all to be done,” I tell Lucas, putting my coffee cup in the sink.
Lucas takes a drink of the blood with a grimace on his face. Drinking bagged blood is the equivalent to drinking a diet shake. It provides you with the nutrients you need but doesn’t fill you up or taste good in the least. My angel-infused witch blood tastes better than regular human blood, making it an even harder switch for him to get used to until after I have the baby.
“You’ll be waiting about two months.”
I make a face. “The vampire crew can’t come in and speed things up overnight?”
“The pool contractors wouldn’t work with vampires,” he says ruefully. “We have to wait like regular people.”
“Ugh. Regular people suck.” I wrinkle my nose. “I’m impatient.”
“You are.” He raises his eyebrows, likely thinking about how impatient I am with sex. He likes to tease me, to draw things out. But that’s the glory in having multiple orgasms. Give it to me now and then give me another—and another, and another—later.
Opening the fridge, I do a mental inventory. One of these days I’m going to sit down and meal plan. Today is not that day, and I’ll wing it at the grocery store like I always do.
“I’m going to shower and then run into town.” I pull a package of chicken from the fridge and bring it to my face to smell. It doesn’t get that close before I can tell it’s gone bad. “I need groceries, and I want to stop in the bookstore.” I close the fridge and pick up Binx.
“Yes, you can come with,” I tell him. Scarlet, who smells like the dead rabbit she was playing with, perks up. “I know, you want to come too, but you’re a little harder to hide than a cat.” She gives me puppy-dog eyes and I wink at her, hoping she’s able to understand that I’m joking the same way my familiars do. “Okay, but only if we take Lucas’s fancy sports car,” I say and then remember Lucas doesn’t know what I’m saying since my words come out in Enochian when I talk to Scarlet. “Never mind, and you can’t sit in the car when I’m in the store. You can survive the literal fires of Hell, but since I can’t tell people that, I’ll get the cops called on me for leaving my dog in the car.”
“I have no idea what you said, but it was hot,” Lucas tells me.
I let out a snort of laugher. “I told Scarlet she can come to the store with me but only if we take the McClaren.”
The glint in Lucas’s eyes goes away. “That’s not funny.”
“It would have been if I said it in English and could have seen your face.”
“She wouldn’t even fit in there.”
“If I rolled the window down and let her hang her paws out, ya know, scratching the paint, she’d be fine.”
Lucas stares at me, and I laugh before his eye starts to twitch. “I’m hiding the keys.”
I laugh harder, not reminding him I’m way too nervous to drive something that expensive. It’s ridiculous, really, and I just don’t get the appeal of fancy cars. Get me from point A to point B comfortably and I’m good.
“I need to start the thank-you notes from the baby shower gifts when I get back,” I say out loud, hoping it will serve as a reminder to actually do it. “The best part about hardly inviting anyone to the shower means I don’t have many thank-you notes to write,” I add with a shrug. “It’s nice having a small social circle.”
“It’s the only kind of social circle I’ll ever have,” he grumbles, and I laugh again.
“My friends are your friends now, whether you like it or not.”
“And whether they like it or not.”
“Hey, they’ve come a long way in accepting a vampire into the circle of trust. I like you being in the circle.”
“I like being in something else even more.” He advances with vampire speed, picking me up and setting me on the counter.
“I’m a fan of that as well.” I widen my legs and lean back, welcoming him in between. There are large windows behind the breakfast table, giving a clear view into the house from the backyard, but right now, I’m not even thinking about it. One of Lucas’s large hands goes to the back of my head, taking a tangle of hair. Then he kisses me, tongue pushing into my mouth. Moaning, I wrap my legs around him, pulling him as close as he can get. Standing several inches over six feet, Lucas is tall enough to fuck me on the counter like this. We’ve done it many times, and the spontaneous take me now while we’re in the kitchen sex is always some of the best.
Lucas pushes me back so I’m lying on the counter and takes my leggings off. He drops down, head going between my legs and instantly turning me on so much I can’t stand not having his tongue against my clit for another second. Pushing up on my elbows so I can watch him get to work, I catch a glimpse of one of the workers in the backyard. He’s holding his hand up to his face, shielding the sun from his eyes, and it looks like he’s staring right at us.
“Lucas,” I groan, and he takes me saying his name as a sign of my desperation to have him. With a growl, he presses his fangs against my thigh just hard enough for a tiny amount of blood to pool on the surface of my skin. He drank from me yesterday and won’t take much today. Tasting my blood during sex makes it all the more enjoyable for him, and I’ve come to quite like it as well.
“They…they can see us.” I bring a hand to Lucas’s head, loving so fucking much how his hair is getting curly as it grows out.
“I don’t care,” he growls, licking blood off my thigh. He stands up and kisses me, taking a handful of my hair again and pulling my head to the side so he can kiss and suck at my neck. I’m getting more and more wound up from each kiss, from each time his tongue lashes out against my skin.
“I think…they’re…they’re watching.”
Suddenly possessive and not wanting anyone else to see my naked body but him, Lucas scoops me up and carries me out of the kitchen. We make it as far as the butler’s pantry that connects the kitchen to the dining room before we’re tangled together again, desperately stripping each other of our clothing.
Using magic, I bind Lucas’s hands together behind his back and drop to my knees. I rake my nails up his thighs and then take his thick cock into my mouth, sucking hard and then flicking my tongue around the tip. Lucas widens his stance, pulling against the magical binds. I’m concentrating more on giving him a good blow job than I am on keeping a hold of my spell, and he breaks free only moments later and pulls me up, turning me around so he can enter from behind.
I grip the edge of the counter for support, and Lucas holds my belly with one hand and reaches around with the other, going between my legs so he can rub my clit while he fucks me. Having him support my baby bump is weird for all of two seconds and then feels good to have the pressure relieved. He circles my entrance with his fingers, teasing me before moving back to my clit; he knows exactly how to touch me to make me come hard and fast, and having vampire speed means he can move his fingers fast enough to feel like a vibration, which sends me over the edge in no fucking time.
My breath quickens as the orgasm builds inside of me, and he pushes his cock inside right as I come. He moans as my pussy tightens around his cock, and he doesn’t stop rubbing me as he thrusts in and out, building another orgasm right on top of the first. Moaning loudly, I come for the second time. He pushes his cock in deep, holding it there as my body shudders with pleasure.
But he doesn’t stop there. Gently pulling out, he turns me around and lowers us both to the floor. He lies on the rug in front of the little counter and guides me over top. My body is still humming with pleasure, heart racing and little specks dotting my vision. I clumsily get on top of him, needing his strong arms for support. I wrap my fingers around his cock and sink down onto it, pitching forward as I fuck him hard and fast.
Knowing I’m overly sensitive at this point, he gently presses his fingers over my clit, letting my own movements be enough to make me come one more time. This time, my whole body tenses and I fall forward, catching myself and digging my nails into his chest. Lucas angles his hips up, thrusting deep inside once more before he comes as well.
Panting, I hold myself on him, wanting to roll over and lie down. There’s not much room in in the butler’s pantry, though, so I rest against Lucas the best I can.
“That was fun,” I breathe. “Only you can get me turned on in the blink of an eye like that.”
“It’s one of my many skills,” he replies, running his fingers up and down my thighs. We stay like that for another few minutes, enjoying the post-sex company of each other, and then we go upstairs so I can get in the shower and clean myself up.
“You should see if your friends want to meet you for lunch,” he tells me as he puts on lingerie—aka a pair of gray sweatpants with nothing on underneath. “I have work to do today and will be in the office for hours.”
Lucas can be crazy possessive and jealous, but he never keeps me away from my friends, and we both know the importance of spending time apart. Though lately, with all the shit going on, he’s been reluctant for me to go out on my own out of fear that something could happen without him being there to defend me.
We’re in the calm before the storm, and Lucas knows it. I should go out with friends now, rest and relax and enjoy life before Thorne Hill becomes the backdrop for a zombie-apocalypse movie.
“Mexican does sound wonderful right now. I think I’ll even get a virgin margarita.” I run a brush through my messy hair, needing to get the tangles out before I can use magic to add curls and volume. Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t style my hair with magic. I suck at doing my hair on my own.
I get dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and leggings, put on mascara, and curl my hair as I walk downstairs. Lucas is in his office, talking to someone on the phone. He’s speaking what I think is German, and I pause, thinking back to when he told me he wasn’t allowed to be taught to read or write as a human and made it his mission to learn as many languages as possible once he became immortal. Would I have the same drive if I lived forever? Not having the time wouldn’t be an excuse anymore.
Seeing me in the doorway, Lucas speeds over and kisses me goodbye. Binx shadows into my Jeep with me, and I make it onto the street before remembering that I didn’t grab my cloth grocery bags. Every time I unload groceries, I say I’m going to put the bags back in my Jeep. And every time, I forget.
“Someday,” I say to Binx, who kindly doesn’t scoff at me, because we both know I’m not going to remember today, either.
Kristy, Betty, and Danielle are working today, and the store is nice and busy. I close my eyes as soon as I walk in, inhaling deeply and relishing the smell of books. I hang around the register, talking with regular customers who I haven’t seen in a while. When we hit that before-lunch lull, Betty goes live on Instagram, taking followers around the store and introducing us. It’s perfect that Binx is here, and my other familiars are going to be jealous they missed the chance to soak up any sort of attention, even if it’s in the form of comments on the internet.
I end up ordering lunch and bringing it to the store so we can keep chatting while we eat. Kristy catches me in the back when I’m cleaning up.
“I talked to Evander this morning,” she starts, keeping her voice low.
“When you two were in bed together, right?” I raise my eyebrows.
“Will you stop with that?” Kristy shakes her head. “I’m pretty sure he’s been low-key seeing Marcus again.”
“Their relationship was never serious,” I counter right away. “It was all hookups, and Marcus is a non.”
Kristy just shakes her head again. “Anyway, Tabatha had the council all work together to cast a memory spell on the Erdelles to make them think the priest referred them to a healer who was able to perform the exorcism. They linked it to an amulet, so if the spell is broken or wears off, we’ll know.”
“She’s a fucking genius.”
“She is quite brilliant.” Kristy smiles. “So, uh, is everything else good?”
I shrug. “Hell if I know. I’m still waiting for Julian to be able to sneak away and come back, and in the meantime…honestly, I don’t know.”
“That’s okay,” she rushes out. “I don’t want you to think I expect you to have all the answers. I kinda realized that last night. Something bad happens and we ask you what to do. It’s not fair to put that all on you.”
“It is fair,” I counter. “This is all happening because the Nephilim baby lived.” I hold up a hand. “I’m not saying I’m taking responsibility for my parents shacking up, and if I wanted to blame someone, it would be Michael and my mom for having unprotected sex and getting pregnant in the first place. But I’m the consequence of their actions and need to clean up the mess that is my existence.”
“I don’t agree, and I’m not saying that because you’re my best friend. You see your existence as a mistake and the cause of all the world’s problems.”
“That’s kind of been my thing lately.”
“True, but things usually get worse before they get better. What I mean is, you weren’t born to cause problems. I think you were born so you could solve them.”
“I’m not following.”
“Demons trying to take over Hell, Lucifer peacing out, and a vampire older than Lucas wanting to gather supernaturals so we can assert ourselves as the better race…it’s all apocalyptic shit that has nothing to do with you. It would have happened regardless, Callie. But because of you, we have a chance of stopping it. You closed the gates. You’re the only one who was able to. If anyone is going to save the world, it’s you.”