“If you pull, we’re going back inside,” I tell Scarlet, slipping my arms through my leather jacket. It’s nearing one in the afternoon, and I just got to the house on North Orchard. Lucas had one more surprise for me and had a wonderful breakfast delivered, and I ate my weight in bacon and pancakes. I still feel full and taking Scarlet for a walk around the block should help. The sun is shining today, but the air still has a chill to it.
Scarlet sits patiently, tail thumping against the polished marble floor in the foyer. I clip her leash to her collar and head out the front. There are people out and about today, and as expected, we got stopped a few times. It’s not every day you see a dog as big as Scarlet, and I laugh on the inside each time someone comments on her size since she’s half her real size in this form.
It feels good to get out and move, and I can’t remember the last time I went for a run. Scarlet is behaving so well we go around the block one more time. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out to see Abby texted me.
Abby: This might sound weird, but is there any chance you’re walking Scarlet in Lincoln Park right now?
Me: Not weird, but creepy. Because I am.
Abby: Ricci said she saw you “with a really big dog.”
It takes me a minute to remember who Ricci is. Oh, right. She’s Mrs. Real Estate and she’s the lady whose kid fell over their balcony and it was seriously lucky I happened to be there.
Me: I forgot she lived nearby. Is she on your street?
Abby: The next one over, thank god. Are you going to be in Chicago much longer?
Me: I’m not sure. Lucas has some business stuff to do in the city tonight, so we’ll probably stay until the morning.
Abby: It’s my turn to host a ladies’ night, and I was thinking about taking my friends to that bar Lucas owns. I would totally invite you but you’re—
She sends the pregnant-woman emoji.
Me: Hah, I’m not much fun in a bar.
As Lucifer reminded me.
Me: Eliza and I are going shopping once the sun sets and then she’ll have to go over and check on her new bartender. If you guys are there, I can get you free drinks! Perks of sleeping with the owner. ;-)
Abby: Ohhhh, I do like the sound of that. I’ll text you tonight.
Me: Sounds good.
Scarlet and I finish our walk and go back to the house. I have several hours until nightfall and am not sure what to do. It’s been so long since I had free time that hasn’t been filled with looking through books or stressing about demons. I could still do that since I brought two of the handwritten journals Lucas has been translating, but I promised Lucas I would step away from the danger for the rest of our time in the city. He’s right to say I need it.
I quickly close the front door behind me, not wanting to burn Eliza with the sun, and unclip Scarlet’s leash. She runs through the house to get a drink of water from the literal mixing bowl we filled for her last night. I brought over leftover dinner from last night to heat up to eat and follow Scarlet to go get it.
“Oh my god.” I hold my hand up, blocking out Eliza from view. She’s in the living room, wearing lingerie. “I am so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She gets up. All I can see is her feet as she comes closer. “It’s perfect timing, actually. I need you to take photos of me.”
“In that?”
“Some in this, and some naked.”
I lower my hand and take the phone from her outstretched hand. “I don’t know how Lucas would feel about that.”
“You’re seriously going to let a man dictate what you do?” She pops her hip and puts a hand on it, standing in a classic Eliza pose.
“Never, but he is my husband, and we have a mutual respect for each other.”
“Would you mind if Evander asked him to take photos of him?”
I don’t want to think about that too hard and get the image in my mind. Evander and I aren’t related by blood, but he’s my brother. “I guess I wouldn’t care. I trust them both.”
Eliza goes back to the couch and lies down, putting one arm above her head. She’s ridiculously pretty. “I’ve seen your tits. It’s only fair you see mine. Come over to this side. The lighting is better.”
Shaking my head, I go around the couch and take a few pictures. Eliza changes positions, posing like a model each time.
“Who are these for?” I ask.
“Myself.” She unhooks her bra and lies back down, covering her nipples with her fingers.
“That’s pretty fucking cool,” I tell her. “Very empowering.”
“I suppose. I look good because I’m pretty,” she states matter-of-factly. I wonder if she was this confident before she met Lucas or not. He flat-out told me he’s aware he’s good-looking as well and doesn’t see the point in being modest. Why downplay what everyone can see? He has a point, yet it’s still such a vampire thing for him to say.
“And if anyone is lucky enough to pique my interest for more than a few nights, they might get one.”
“Didn’t you go on a date recently?”
“I did.” Eliza bites her lip and pauses for another few photos. “She was decent in bed but a boring conversationalist.”
“Was she human?”
“Yes. I like to feed while I fuck.”
“So does Lucas,” I add, moving a few feet to my left for a different angle on the next few photos.
“I’m aware. He’s the one who told me fucking is better when you’re feeding at the same time.” She sits up, taking her hands off her breasts, and goes over to the wall next to the fireplace, resting her hands against it and arching her back, looking at the camera like she’s not sure if she’s going to kill it or fuck it. Damn, she’s good.
“He turned you and left,” I start. “You had no idea what to do, did you? Or is it an instinct?”
“The blood lust is instinctual. I remember craving it without knowing why.” She tosses her head back, shaking out her blonde hair. I snap another few photos. “The first person I saw when I woke up was one of my sisters—the one I didn’t like.”
“And you killed her?”
“No. I let the bitch go. Didn’t even bite her.” Her hands fall to her sides. “I didn’t want to.” She turns around, and the expression on her face makes her look momentarily human. “As much as I couldn’t stand that cunt, I knew then it was the last time I’d see my family. Before I understood what I’d become, I knew I had to get away or I’d kill them all.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She waves her hand in the air and gets her Head Bitch in Charge look back on her face. “Only a few months after I turned, it came out that my joke of a father gambled away the family’s money. My marriage was arranged so our family could regain wealth.”
“What did your family think happened to you?”
“They knew. The British Army at the time had a secret division that solely went after vampires.”
“Right.” I hand Eliza back her phone and sit on the chaise lounge chair. Eliza picks up her bra, doesn’t put it on, and sits on the couch. “That’s why Lucas turned you. I never asked him why he sought out revenge like that. Until you, he was a loner.”
Eliza leans forward. “It took me nearly fifty years to get the story out of him. He had a friend, another vampire, old like him. And I know this friend had a sister and two brothers. They’d spent a few decades together before, like in the early thirteenth century, and then met up again years before Lucas turned me. They had some sort of falling out and Lucas left. The next day, the safehouse where the vampires were waiting out the sun was attacked by the Army. His friend was burned to death by the sun, and only a handful of the vampires nesting escaped.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah. He didn’t feel responsible or guilty for leaving the night before the attack, but that friend must have meant more to Lucas than he’ll admit. Plus, he likes to kill people. Liked, sorry. He’s reformed,” she adds, not hiding the retch in her voice as she says it. “It worked out in his favor.” She smiles and bats her lashes. “He ended up with me.”
“You guys have such a deep history, not just with each other but with life.”
She shrugs. “Comes with the territory of being undead. I can only imagine the tales you’d have to tell if you somehow manage to live past thirty.”
“Hah, not funny. I’d be leaving behind a four-year-old.”
“To me, right? You haven’t officially named me her godmother, and I’m running out of patience.”
“I want her to have more than one godparent. She’s going to have powers and will need magical guidance.” Everything hits me at once: how unprepared we are and how likely it is that I’m not going to survive to see Elena off on her first day at Grim Gate Academy.
“You better get a move on because time is one thing you don’t—oh shit, are you okay?”
Tears roll down my cheeks, and I open my mouth to say yes, it’s just hormones, but all that comes out is a strangled sob. Because while it is partly hormones, it’s also the cold hard truth hitting me like a sucker punch to the gut.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Eliza comes over next to me. “You don’t have to pick me. I mean, you should because I will be the second-best at protecting that little girl, but you know I give you shit because I can. It’s our thing.” Still topless, she puts her arms around me and gives me a hug.
“I know.” I sniffle. “I don’t want to die.”
“Of course you don’t.” Eliza leans back and takes my hands. “I don’t want you to die, either.”
“If I die, I’ll leave Elena motherless like I was.”
“Hey,” she repeats, this time a little sternly. “If you do die, Elena is not going to end up like you. Anyone who wants to run tests on her like a bloody lab rat would have to come through me and all your witchy friends. And that’s not to mention her father.”
“That makes me feel better. Thanks for not saying I’m not going to die and everything will be okay.”
“When has that ever been my style?”
I wipe my eyes and sniffle again. “I don’t think my boobs will ever be that perky again.”
Eliza looks down at herself and wiggles her shoulders back and forth. “Perk of being on the small side. They were this perky when I was human, thank the fucking lord. I can’t imagine being stuck with big, saggy tits like my cunt sister for eternity.”
And just like that, she’s back to being a bitch. It gives me comfort.
“It’s kinda fucked up to be stuck the same way for forever. I told Lucas if he ever did turn me, I’d need a few months’ notice to get back into shape.”
“You’ve thought about being turned?” Eliza’s eyes narrow slightly.
“I have, but only in the sense that I don’t want to be. I’d lose my magic, and going from having it to not having it…I don’t think I could handle that. Plus, being a Nephilim, we don’t know if I’d turn at all. I might just die.” I shrug. “Well, I’m going to eat, probably walk Scarlet one more time so she’s a tad calmer, and then go back to Lucas. We’re meeting at the apartment later, right?” I ask. Instead of shopping with Lucas, Eliza agreed to go with me.
“I’ll be there half an hour after sundown. Don’t be late.”
“How could I be late when you’re coming to me?”
“Have you met you?” She raises her eyebrows. “Be ready. There, I worded it better.”
“I already am ready.”
She gives me a disapproving look, running her eyes over my outfit of black maternity leggings and a loose-fitting gray sweater with my leather jacket over top. My hair looks good at least, thanks to magic, that is.
“I’ll change, but I’m not wearing heels.”
“Fine. Pick your battles and all.” She yawns, which is only for show since vampires don’t actually yawn. “It’s past my bedtime. Lock up on your way out.” Her eyes meet mine, and the real Eliza breaks through her cold stare, letting me know she cares. “And keep the doors closed upstairs. My poor piggies do not like having that horse in the house.”
“Be on your best behavior,” I tell Scarlet and heft myself up, going into the kitchen. I heat up my food and send Betty a photo of Lucas and me from last night. She’s scheduling another Novel Grounds behind-the-scenes feature. The photo was taken in front of the Art Institute and is good enough I’ll have to get it printed and framed somewhere in the house. We’d posed for a few photos after I asked the guide to take them, but she kept snapping photos after we relaxed, and the second to last one she took is my favorite by far.
Lucas has one hand on my stomach, and we’re both looking into each other’s eyes. He said something that made me laugh, and we look so damn happy in that moment. Like a normal vampire and witch couple expecting their first child—because that’s normal, I know—without the threat of angels and demons and an impending apocalypse.
This will be my first public pregnancy announcement in a sense as well. I’m past the point of trying to hide my bump, of course. Betty sends me her caption to approve, and I smile when as I read it.
Meet Callie King! She’s the founder and co-owner of Novel Grounds. A Thorne Hill native, Callie as always loved the escape books offer. A fan of indie authors, Callie is excited to be able to offer a wide variety of her favorite indie authors to readers in the Midwest. Callie is an animal lover and the owner of the cats and Irish Wolfhound you see in our photos. And a big congrats to Callie and her husband Lucas on the expected arrival of their first child, coming early this summer!
Betty: How’s that?
Me: Good, but you forgot about my favorite hobby
Betty: Oh, sorry! But…what is it?
Me: Hunting demons.
Betty: Hah! I thought you were serious. But I can totally add in that you’re a badass, demon-killing witch if you want.
Me: I’m also the Queen of Hell. Well, former Queen of Hell.
Betty: hahahaha I’ll get right on that ;-) But for real…am I good to post?
Me: Yes! I love it! Thanks for doing this.
Betty: <3 <3 Of course!
I share some of my food with Scarlet, waste a good twenty minutes looking at nursery ideas on Pinterest, and then take Scarlet for one more walk before going back to the apartment.
“Hey, handsome,” I tell Lucas once I walk through the circular foyer and emerge into the living room. He’s standing by the windows, which I enchanted this morning, looking out at the city. He turns, smile on his face, and waits for me to come over. Then he presses me against the window and kisses me hard and deep. “I’ll never get sick of being greeted like this.”
“Good. Because I will always kiss you like this.” He kisses me again, and I know it’s only a matter of time before our clothes come off. “How was walking Scarlet?”
“Fine. She’s very well behaved when I talk to her in Enochian. It felt good to get out and move too. I’ve been sitting around a lot.”
“For good reason.” He moves my hair off my neck and puts his lips to it. “Though you do get in a decent amount of cardio daily.”
“Mmhh-hhmm,” I agree, feeling the heat rush through me. Reaching out with one hand, I fumble with the button on Lucas’s pants for a few seconds before giving up and using magic to pop the button and undo his zipper. With a flick of my wrist, his pants are around his ankles. He steps out of them and turns me around, taking off my jacket and then my sweater.
He stands behind me, kissing and sucking at my neck. I have both hands against the glass and slit my eyes open to look out around us. Anyone could look in, and I’m pretty sure the people in the building across from us, who are out on their balcony, are already watching. Spinning around, I pin myself between the window and Lucas, holding onto his shoulders.
“Take me to the bedroom,” I groan.
“No,” Lucas growls. “I want to fuck you in the sunlight.”
And damn, he does.
“Fuck,” I grumble, sitting up and looking at the time. “I’m going to be late.”
“Isn’t Eliza meeting you here?”
“Yeah, but I’m not ready.” I take my time stretching, not wanting to get out of bed yet. We had sex in the living room and then moved into the bedroom, and I quickly fell asleep. I have less than twenty minutes to pull myself together. “She told me not to be late.”
“I wouldn’t worry about her.”
“She made me take sexy photos of her.” I roll over, telling myself I’m going to get up in one minute.
“Good. She’d asked me and I told her no.”
I let out a snort of laughter. “She really asked you?”
“She has no shame, if you haven’t noticed.” Lucas is naked next to me and runs his fingers up and down my side. I could easily fall back asleep, dammit. I do need to get up and make myself look presentable, though. I’m meeting Abby and her friends at The Taphouse and want to make a good second impression. My first impression on them was at Penny’s birthday party, and things went well until Scott acted like typical Scott.
“Oh, I have. I admire it to a point.” Lazily, I get up and plod into the bathroom, needing to at the very least rinse off in the shower. I worked up a sweat riding Lucas. I shower and put on makeup in record time and then look at the minimal amount of clothing I brought with me. I’m going with leggings, no question there, because it’s all I brought. My dress from last night is too fancy, but if I remove the sash and put on my leather jacket, I think it’ll work.
I’m ready a whole minute before Eliza comes through the door. She looks around the living room as if she’s never been here before.
“Ugh. This is what you paid the decorator to do?” she scoffs, glaring at Lucas. “It’s so plain.”
“Compared to your Barbie Dreamhouse, I suppose it is,” he retorts, and it dawns on me that this apartment is plain and modern, more Lucas’s taste than Eliza’s over-the-top girly decor.
“Ready?” she asks me.
“Yeah. Let me go pee first.” I make a face and hurry to the bathroom and back. We all leave together, and Lucas and I part ways once we get outside. He’s going to talk to some other vampires about business deals or something and will meet us back at The Taproom later.
“Where to first?” I ask Eliza.
“Michigan Avenue and we’ll work out way through the shops. It’s not a far walk from here, and being back makes me miss being so close to all that good shopping,” she adds wistfully. “I did get arrange a car for us so you don’t have to walk.”
“Thanks. That was very thoughtful.”
She grins. “I can be occasionally. Let’s go.”
Twisting in my seat, I look at the entrance of the crowded bar. Melinda called me while Eliza and I were shopping to tell me she’d come across something on a demon hunt that she’s worried is cursed. Since I’m in the city, I told her to bring it—in a salt-filled box, of course—and I’ll check it out. We’re meeting here, and Abby and her friends should be here soon as well.
Currently, I’m alone in a booth, sipping on a mocktail that Rene, the other vampire bartender, made me. A weird feeling started to creep over me not long ago, making me wish there was vodka in my drink instead of just seltzer water. Looking through news articles for any signs of the Horsemen is probably furthering the unsettled feeling, but I can’t help myself. I’m not really paying attention to what’s going on around me until someone slides into the seat across from me.
“I noticed you were alone.”
I turn my head up and see a man with dark eyes and short dark hair smirking at me.
“Yeah, and I’d like it to stay that way,” I say, already annoyed. I like my personal space, and this guy is in my bubble.
“Aw, come on, sweetheart, don’t be like that,” he says, and it’s then I realize he has a friend with him, recording us on his phone. The fuck?
“First,” I start and put my phone down, “don’t call me sweetheart. And second, I can be any way I want.”
“Dammmn.” The guy laughs, looking into the camera. “Are you on TikTok? I just crossed half a mil followers and have to make good on my challenge to come up and buy the prettiest girl in the bar a drink.”
“No,” I say shortly, mentally debating which spell to cast on the loser.
“No?” he asks, genuinely shocked.
“No,” I repeat.
“Why not?” He motions for his friend with the camera to come closer.
“You really want to know?” I fake a smile. “You’re not my type physically, and I find your personality to be invasive, annoying, and pathetic.”
His friend howls with laughter, going on and about how he got burned, which pisses Mr. Clock App off. He recovers quickly and makes a move to grab my hand. I telekinetically stop him, but no one watching would know what was going on. The guy, however, doesn’t understand the invisible force holding him back.
“It’s just one drink,” he says with that stupid grin on his face, snatching his hands back.
“I believe she said no.” Melinda comes up behind the friend and stares down both guys. I lean back and smile. Melinda is about my height and of average build. She keeps her reddish-brown hair pulled back in either a braid or ponytail most of the time and dresses in plain clothes. She’s easy to overlook, but piss her off, and she will kick your ass. “So do us all a favor and leave.”
The guys grumble, but the one across from me frowns and gets up. “Fuck you, bitch.”
Melinda grabs his arm and twists it behind his back, shoving him down against the table. “What did you say? I missed it.”
The guy grunts, and Melinda lets him go, smiling sweetly. “Let the door hit you on the way out.” She lets out a sigh and shakes her head. “Anyway, hey, Callie.”
“Hey. Thanks. That was awesome.”
“It felt good.” She tries not to smile as she sits across from me and takes her purse off her shoulder.
“Offering to buy a pregnant chick a drink is low.” I roll my eyes at the two guys who are taking their bruised egos out the door.
“You don’t really look pregnant sitting like that,” she notes and pulls a large Ziploc bag out of her purse. A gothic jewelry box is inside, with salt spilling out, hence the baggie. “It’s what I found it in.”
I slide it in front of me and hold out my hands. “I’m sensing something, but nothing dark.” I pull the box out and admire the carvings in the worn wood for a second before opening the box. It’s full of salt, and I carefully sift through it and do another check for dark magic before I pull out a pendant on a long silver chain. There’s a roughly cut gemstone hanging from it, with two sharp points on either side. “Oh, I know what this is.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.” I hold it up, turning it slightly to see if there’s any blood left on the ends. “It’s a witch friendship necklace to put it simply.”
“Huh?”
“If I were to give it to you, I’d stab myself with one end and you’d stab yourself with the other. The blood gets absorbed in the crystal as a symbol of friendship. They’re kinda gross, so we don’t use them anymore. This feels fresh, though, like the blood magic is still strong, which would be why you felt something off about it.”
“So I’m not cursed.”
“No, but I am really curious where you found this.”
“Demon’s loot. He was hiding out with the homeless in The Loop. He went after witches.”
“You killed it, right?” I ask and feel like I’m being watched. Looking up, I expect the same guys to be making their way over again, but they’re not in the bar.
“Yeah. Burned its body after we cut off the head for good measure. Easton has pictures if you want to see.”
I close my fingers around the stone. “I’ll pass, though I should tell Tabatha about this so she can check in with the covens in the Chicago area. If any witches are missing, we know what happened.”
“Damn, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I don’t know every witch, not that it makes it any better.” I quickly send Tabatha a text and then flag down Rene, ordering food and a drink for Melinda. “So, what’s new?”
“Nothing, really, just run-of-the-mill demon kills.”
“In your line of work, nothing is good.”
She laughs. “Very true. What about you? It’s been a few weeks since I talked to you. Things are still good since you came back from you-know-where?”
I have to stop and think for a second, remembering if I told her about the Horsemen or not. No, I hadn’t gotten the chance before she left. “As of this moment, I think so,” I say, which isn’t a lie.
Eliza zooms over, slipping in the booth next to me and letting out an exasperated sigh. “This new bartender is making me want to drink. She doesn’t know anything.” She huffs again. “I need to find a drunk person to drain so I can get a buzz.”
“She doesn’t mean literally drain,” I quickly add, seeing Melinda’s face. “Right, Eliza?”
“Of course not. I’m not dealing with disposing of a dead body in my new Chanel dress.”
“And because it’s wrong,” I add, looking at her with wide eyes, silently pleading for her to agree.
“Right. It’s wrong,” Eliza grumbles.
“Wait.” Melinda curiously surveys Eliza. “You get buzzed if you drink the blood of a drunk person?”
“It doesn’t last long, but yes. Whatever you put in your body makes its way into your blood. People don’t taste as good with all the additives in your food nowadays, compared to how they did when I was first turned. As self-righteous as I think vegans are, they do taste better.”
“Callie.” I jerk around, expecting to see someone leaning over the booth. No one is there. That voice. It’s so familiar. “Callie.” It’s coming from in front of me, and I turn back so fast I almost knock my drink over.
“Do you hear that?” I ask Eliza.
“I hear a lot of things,” she replies. “Be more specific.”
“Someone is calling my name.”
“No.” She slowly shakes her head. “I didn’t hear that at all.”
I look around, feeling like a million eyes are on me.
Callie, the voice says again, and I realize it’s coming from inside my head. I still have answers, Callie. Come to me and I’ll tell you all you want to know.
I blink, and for the split second my eyes are closed, I see bodies in a pile, festering and rotting behind the bar. The sound of buzzing flies fills my ears, deafening me. Inhaling, I force my eyes open. The bar is normal. Everyone is having a good time, and there are no bodies anywhere to be seen. The sensation of being pushed underwater takes over, and my eyes fall shut again.
I’m in the bar again, and everything is covered in dust and broken glass. Two men in faded Army uniforms come in, ducking down behind an overturned table. A sense of absolute dread fills me, and I open my eyes, knowing I just got a glimpse into the future.
The future where the Horsemen win.