The glass of water almost slides right out of my hand. “What do we do?”
“Nothing,” Lucas and Julian say at the same time, surprising everyone.
“But you just said the Horsemen are planning something big,” I quaver.
“I did,” Julian says. “That doesn’t mean we act now. You’ve had a long and trying day, Callie. Sleep, and we can talk more in the morning. There’s not much we can do until I get more information, which Alona is working on gathering. Chamuel is rather alarmed and is hoping to get others concerned as well. The more we have on our side, the better our chances are of defeating the Horsemen for good.”
Setting the glass on the counter, I look at Lucas, needing to see his calm and handsome face.
“Let’s go to bed,” he tells me.
“I will stay to keep watch,” Julian says. “Your father wants me to keep watch for as long as I can.”
“It won’t alert any of your lovely relatives to her whereabouts, will it?” Lucas asks.
“It shouldn’t. Unlike archangels, it’s not out of the question for an angel to be on earth. Especially given everything going on. I will leave before anyone tracks me.”
“Good.” I let out a sigh. “How the hell am I supposed to sleep knowing the Horsemen are planning something worse than what they’ve already done?”
“They won’t strike tonight. If the Horsemen are indeed working together, they will take time to make sure everything is orchestrated to their advantage.”
“Immortal beings are patient,” Lucas reminds me. “When you have forever to execute your plan, you wait until the timing is right.”
He’s right, and we’ve seen it unfold in front of us before. Or, rather, we saw it not unfold before us, since the vampire trying to blackmail Lucas has the patience of a saint…and the bloodlust of a devil.
“Okay. Binx and Freya will stay with you. Scarlet wants to as well,” I add, sensing her hope to be able to tear something apart. “Pandora, you’re coming upstairs with me.” My calico familiar meows softly, letting me know she’s going to keep watch while I sleep. “Thanks, Jules. You remember how to work the TV, right?”
“Right. Do not worry tonight, Callie. You will wake to see the light of another day.”
I smile, thinking of a nice way to tell him that his doom-and-gloom way of talking makes me even more anxious. I take another small sip of water and go upstairs with Lucas. We get ready for bed together, and Lucas turns on the heated blanket. Pandora curls up on the bench at the foot of the bed, getting comfy but not going to sleep. She’ll keep watch, offering another level of peace of mind so Lucas and I can both sleep.
“You need blood,” I tell Lucas as we settle into bed. “You haven’t had any today.”
“I did during sex.”
“That doesn’t count. It’d be like me saying I licked my sandwich and considered that my dinner.”
Lucas grumbles. “I’ll eat tomorrow.”
“Eat now. And don’t even think about making an I ate your pussy comment, because I know you did and you did a fantastic job. You need your strength, Lucas. I need it.” I extend my arm, offering my wrist to him, though I already know he’s going to turn me down.
“You need your blood more than I do.” He kisses my arm and lowers it under the covers. “I’ll have Eliza bring blood over tomorrow.” I can hear the disgust in his voice as he speaks. Lucas, by principle that vampires are indeed better than humans, had refused to drink anything that wasn’t fresh out of a human until I got pregnant. And now the fact that my husband drinks from a stolen blood bag is making me all emotional. I hadn’t really thought about it like this before. He set his pride aside with no hesitation for his family.
“Then sleep. When you don’t get enough blood, you have to sleep.”
“I will sleep,” he assures me. “A few hours is more than enough for me.” He pulls my tank top up so he can rub my back. “You, on the other hand, shouldn’t wake until morning.”
“Tell that to my bladder,” I grumble, and Lucas laughs softly. “I love you. I’ve said it a lot lately but also not enough. The world’s possible end makes me want to tell you how much I love you.”
“Don’t think about the world ending.” He moves a little closer, adjusting the pillow that I have wedged under my back to keep me on my side. It’ll be so fucking nice when I can sleep on my back or my stomach again. “I love you, Callie, more than you’ll ever know, and enough to tell you to stop talking, close your eyes, and go to sleep.”
He kisses my neck, and I smile, doing just that. With him rubbing my back and the utter exhaustion from the last few days, I end up falling asleep much faster than I thought. I wake a few hours later needing to pee. Annoyed, tired, and not wanting to get out of bed, I reach over for Lucas. He’s not in his spot, and it takes me a few seconds to realize he’s still in bed with me but has just moved down. I can hear him talking softly. Is he on the phone? I blink a few times, adjusting my eyes to the dim glow of the hallway light coming through the bedroom doors.
Lucas’s head is resting on the pillow right by my stomach, and he has one hand on it. He says something again, too soft for me to make out, and I realize he’s talking to the baby. I lie perfectly still, heart melting as I listen to Lucas talk to his daughter. My eyes fill with tears that roll down my cheeks when I blink.
“…don’t give her too much trouble,” he whispers and rubs his hand over my stomach. Elena is moving around, not helping my I really have to pee situation. But dammit, this isn’t something I’m going to interrupt. “Though you will be your mother’s daughter, and I’m sure you’ll grow up hearing stories about all the trouble she got into.” He moves his hand lower on my stomach, following Elena’s movements. He starts talking to her again but not in English. Propping himself up on his elbow, he kisses my stomach, and Elena stretches out, making me wince.
“Ow,” I groan, acting like I just woke up.
“You okay?” Lucas sits up.
“Yeah. She moved and kicked me in the ribs.”
“She’s been moving a lot. I thought it would have woken you a while ago.”
I push the blankets back and slowly roll over, mentally preparing to heft myself out of bed. “If she doesn’t settle down, I won’t be able to fall back asleep.”
Lucas chuckles and helps me up. I quickly use the bathroom and get back into bed. Elena is still moving around, slowly stretching and turning over. Feeling my baby move from the inside is something so special that I’ll never forget it, yet at the same time I’m not going to lie and say I love it. Because it’s fucking uncomfortable.
“I’m officially sick of being pregnant,” I grumble, sitting up and punching my pillow because I can’t find a position to lie down in that doesn’t hurt. “How people have multiple children is beyond me.” I flop back down. “I feel like a bad mom already.”
“Not enjoying every moment of pregnancy doesn’t make you a bad mom, Callie. You’re used to being active and not human. The only comparable experience I have is when Ruth cursed me. I didn’t like not being at full strength. I lost the ability to heal as well.”
“You wouldn’t want to be human again, would you?”
“No,” he answers without giving it a second thought. “I like being a vampire. Besides, you need me to be something more than human given your lifestyle.”
“Hah. You’re right.”
“Try to go back to sleep, my love.”
“Okay,” I reply, knowing it’s easier said than done. I fuss with my pillow again and lie down, closing my eyes. At least half an hour passes and I’m still awake. Lucas has become dead still, making me think he’s asleep. Pandora comes up in bed with us, settling on my pillow. She purrs as I pet her, and running my hand over her sleek fur helps lull me to sleep.
The next time I wake, sunlight is glowing behind the closed curtains of our bedroom windows. Lucas is next to me, still unmoving. There was a time when I was hesitant to wake him up. The whole “let sleeping dogs lie” phrase can be said about vampires, tenfold. Some vampires wake up defensive, attacking anything and everything around them.
It’s never been like that with Lucas, and I don’t know if it’s because he’s just that in control of himself or because we share such a strong connection. It’s probably a combination of the two, though I like going with the latter.
Getting out of bed so I can shuffle to the bathroom, I accidentally wake up Lucas on my way. He’s sitting up, looking at his phone, when I return.
“Morning,” he tells me, eyes glimmering when he sees me. “You look beautiful.”
“Really?” I make a face. “I just rolled out of bed.”
“I know.” He pulls me to him, smoothing my messy hair back and kissing me. “And you’re beautiful.”
“Why, thank you, kind sir.” I smile and plow my hand through his hair. It’s messy as well, but the tousled look works for him. “Is Julian still here?”
“Yes, I can hear him downstairs.”
“Do you think he’s sad?” I ask.
“Do you?”
“Yeah,” I reply. “He never does anything fun, and he’s always so worried.”
“I don’t think angels do things for fun,” Lucas says slowly. “They’re angels.”
“But he spends time on earth.” I let out a sigh. “I wish we could go do something fun together. I like being with my angel-fam, but whenever we’re together, it’s because something bad is happening.”
“Go out today,” Lucas suggests, and I can tell he hates every word he’s saying. “See a movie and get lunch together.”
Your happiness is more important to me. His words echo in my head, and fuck, I didn’t think it was possible to love him any more than I do right now. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“If anything happens, Julian can fly you home, and you have to promise me all you will do is go to a movie, get lunch, and come home. And text me as often as you can so I know you’re safe. And bring Binx. And the other two,” he adds.
“What are you going to do all day without me?”
“There is some work to be done. If famine is sweeping across Asia, I could buy land or property for a decent price.”
I twist in his embrace so I can stare at him incredulously. “You’re going to take advantage of the Horsemen’s destruction so you can buy land?”
He shrugs. “Why not? Any struggling farmer would be happy to get a fair price on their farm right now. They’re not making money from crops.”
“Donate a couple thousand to charity first.”
Now he gives me a look. “I’m making sure we secure a good financial future for our daughter and any others that may follow. Does that make you feel better?”
“Maybe a little, but I honestly have a bad feeling about sweeping in and buying anything Famine touched. And I still think we should donate to charity. I follow a few animals rescues on Instagram, and they’re always in need of donations. I’ve donated to a girl who rescues horses from the kill pen before.”
“Speaking of horses,” he starts as we get out of bed. “I found a pair of well-trained Hanoverians for sale that would be good for you.”
“A pair of Han-o-whats?”
“Horses.” Lucas laughs. “They’re currently in Germany, which gives us time to get a barn and pasture put in.”
“That sounds way too fancy for me.” I pull my tank top off over my head and drop it on the floor. “I’ve never ridden a horse, remember?”
“Exactly why you need something well-trained. It’s been half a century since I’ve last ridden, though I was naturally athletic before being turned.”
“Show off.” I pull a bra from my dresser drawer and put it on, snapping the hook into place on my way to the closet. I’m forced to wear more bright-colored maternity clothes and put on a blush pink maxi-dress. It’s comfortable and would be perfect if it came in black.
Julian is outside throwing the ball for Scarlet when we get into the kitchen. I plug in my coffee pot and join him on the back porch. The hole for the pool was dug while Lucas and I were in Chicago, and the actual fiberglass pool is supposed to arrive either today or tomorrow.
“Hey.” I lean against the railing. “How did things go last night?”
“All was quiet. Here and up there.”
“Good,” I say. “Want to see a movie and get lunch with me today?”
Julian eyes me for a moment and then smiles. “Yes. I would like that. I don’t have to eat.”
“I know. You don’t have to. I’m used to being the only one eating when I go out to dinner with Lucas. I don’t know what movies are playing, either. The closest theater is in Paradise Valley. It’s about half an hour away from the house.”
“Can we get popcorn?” Julian asks hesitantly. “I don’t have to eat, but I can eat.”
“We’re definitely getting popcorn, along with tons of candy and blue slushies. I’m going to take you on a full movie experience. It’ll be fun. And after, we’ll find a restaurant in Paradise Valley and can fill up on even more junk, if you want.”
Julian’s eyes light up at the thought of doing something so human. “When are we going?”
I smile. “As soon as we’re ready.”
“I was a little worried taking you to a 3D movie for your first theater experience might be too much,” I say with a laugh, dropping the black glasses in a bin. Julian follows suit, looking curiously around the theater. We saw an early showing of a romantic comedy—a movie Lucas definitely would have hated—and ate a full bucket of extra-buttery popcorn.
Paradise Valley is bigger than Thorne Hill but still has small-town vibes. There’s hardly anyone else at the theater for the matinee shows, and it’s mostly older people and moms with young children. The sun is out today, warming the early-spring day. I take off my cardigan when we get into the parking lot. Lucas, insisting I fully treat myself today, had me drive his fancy Mercedes. I take a selfie once I’m seated in the driver’s seat to send to him so he knows we got out of the movie safely.
My familiars are busying themselves by wandering around Paradise Valley, staying nearby just in case I need them, while canvasing the area for demons as well. I mentally call them and start the car, turning on the air and waiting a few minutes for them to shadow into the backseat. Not sure what’s open this early in the day, I drive to downtown Paradise Valley and park in the first open spot I can find to avoid parallel parking.
“We can walk around the block and find a place to eat,” I tell Julian and turn off the engine. “I wore comfy shoes so I’m more than capable of walking a few blocks.”
“As long as you’re sure you’ll be fine.”
“Walking is good for humans, and I’m more human than ever right now, though I’m slightly tempted to just—” I thrust my hands forward.
“To hit things?”
I do the same motion again. “You’d make a terrible charades partner. To be fair, so would I.” I shrug. “I mean use my angel-powers so the baby grows super fast and I can pop her out.”
“That’s not how giving birth works. You have to push her out of your—”
“I know. It’s another weird human phrase, I guess.” I unbuckle, grab my purse, and get out of the car, locking it once Julian is out. “Do you have a preference on what to get to eat?”
“Food.”
I laugh and nudge him with my arm. “No shit. Any certain type of food?”
“You choose. I don’t eat on a regular basis like you do.”
“Fair enough,” I say, and we go down the street. There’s a group of protesters on a corner, across from a store with a Love is Love poster in rainbow letters hanging in the window. “Ugh, scourge of the earth. Don’t make eye contact and keep walking,” I tell Julian when I see one of the protester’s cardboard signs.
Of course, Julian slows, reading a sign that says Mistakes don’t get into heaven above a badly drawn pride flag with a big X through it.
“That is incorrect,” Julian tells the man holding the sign.
“You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about, buddy,” the man retorts.
“Trust me, asshole, he does,” I say, unable to help myself. “Your sign is insinuating being gay is a mistake. It’s not. You really need to listen to some Lady Gaga. God makes no mistakes, though I’m not so certain I can stand by that looking at you.”
“Fuck you, bitch.”
Julian steps in front of me, eyes flashing blue for a quick second. “You try to tell others what’s right and wrong and yet you talk to others that way? It seems you’re the one in need of forgiveness.”
The guy is taken aback, blinking rapidly and probably trying to convince himself that what he saw was just some sort of light reflection. Before he can come back at us with another stupid insult, I flick my wrist, and the sign slips out of his hand. He goes to pick it up, and I send it flying into the street, carried away by an invisible breeze. The man turns to grab it and trips. Stifling a laugh, I grab Julian’s hand and start walking down the street again.
“He is wrong,” Julian starts. “But you shouldn’t have done that.”
“Really? All I did was make that homophobe get more exercise chasing that sign for five minutes than he gets all week.”
Julian gives me a sour look, but his distain isn’t as much with me as it is with him, wrestling with the right thing to do. “He will be punished.”
“Yeah, in like twenty years. Maybe ten, because I get the feeling he eats a lot of fast food. He’ll end up in Hell eventually, but in the meantime, he’s going to make it Hell on earth for others.” I look at my cousin. “You’re a fucking angel of the Lord, Julian. Show off that badassery every now and then, okay?”
“My ass is bad?” He turns, looking at his rear end with concern.
“I’m not going to say it’s not, since we’re related and all, but it’s a figure of speech, Jules. You should totally shove off those hateful bigots. Again, you’re an angel. You know a hell of a lot more than Billy-Bob-Joe says.”
“That’s not what being an angel is about, though you do present an interesting case.”
“I do?”
“Yes,” he says with certainty. “Punish the wicked while on earth and avoid human suffering.”
“That’s something I can get behind.”
“The others won’t.”
“The other angels?” I ask.
“Yes. Archangels, specifically. They are rather stuck in their ways.”
“Why?” I slow, looking at a Japanese restaurant that serves fresh sushi. I don’t even like sushi, yet not being able to eat it is making me want it.
“I don’t know for certain.”
“But you have a theory,” I encourage.
“Yes. Deviating from the current path means opening up a chance for forgiveness for Lucifer. Lucifer and your father used to be close. They had an obvious falling out when Lucifer rebelled, but it’s also obvious your father still cares deeply for him. He entrusted Lucifer with you, after all.”
“And if Lucifer gets back in good graces, he and my dad would be in the clear for a team-up. Uriel doesn’t want that, so he’s trying to make my dad seem like a bad guy.”
“Right. That’s enough shop talk, as they said in the movie. You’re supposed to be enjoying the day and staying stress-free.”
“Lucas talked to you, didn’t he?”
“He didn’t have to. I might not be well-versed in all things human, but I know enough. You’re pregnant with a child who has divinity in her blood. If you weren’t half archangel yourself, you’d be facing the very real fact of dying during childbirth. You need to take care of the physical body you’re walking around in so you and your baby have the strength needed to get through the rest of this pregnancy.”
Again, his motivation speech misses the mark. “You’re right. No more talk about angels or demons. Instead, tell me your thoughts on using a love potion to give two people who are madly in love but don’t know it yet a little nudge.”
“How can you be madly in love and not know it? The movie also said how you just know when you find your one true love.”
I purse my lips. “Fine. They’re not madly in love yet, but I happen to know for a fact they’d be great together.”
“You’re not talking hypothetically, are you?”
“Nope. I want Kristy and Evander to get together. My best friend and my unofficial brother? It would be so much fun. I don’t see Evander as much as I like anymore, so having him date Kristy would be a good way to get him out of the Academy and into my life.”
“Or it would take Kristy out of your life.”
“In my head, everything is perfect.” We cross another street and go into a cute cafe that borders on hipster, reminding me of The Taproom bar. We got here right in the perfect lull before lunch and get seated right away. There’s a reading corner in the back of the cafe, with a bookshelf packed full of worn books. The sight of it makes me smile.
“I never thought I’d say I miss working, but I do,” I tell Julian, looking over the menu. “I guess I should say, I miss working when I don’t have a schedule. Though some days I miss getting up early and complaining about it to Kristy for the first half of the day. I didn’t fully wake up until after lunch.”
“I don’t quite grasp the concept of work.” He unfolds his menu. “I understand you have to have money to pay for even basic necessities, but so many humans spend more time at work than doing anything else. Especially here in this country.”
“Oh, I agree. There’s a whole work to live versus live to work thing, and somehow over the last few years people got this mentality that if you’re not hustling all the time, you’re not working hard enough.” A waitress comes over for our drink orders, and I sadly don’t order the espresso that smells so good. “I knew I’d never get rich owning the bookstore. I made what I needed to survive and lived comfortably.” I close my menu, having decided on the veggie pot pie. “Do you know what you want? If not, the portabella mushroom sandwich with sweet potato tots sounds really good, and if you feel like sharing, I’d be down.”
A couple is seated a few tables from us, and something about the pretty redheaded woman is familiar, but I can’t place it. We make eye contact for a split second, and she looks away, face flushing. The man she came in with—her boyfriend, maybe?—takes off his jacket and hangs it on the back of his chair. His arms are covered in tattoos, and I think I see the bottom half of an Order of the Mystic Realm tattoo peeking out from the sleeve of his t-shirt. Robert was in the Order, and I get mad just thinking about that batshit-crazy organization.
“What’s wrong?” Julian asks, and I snap my attention back to him.
“I thought—never mind. No demon talk. We’re all good.” I lean back and put a hand on my stomach, doing my best not to wince. I don’t know what Elena is doing in there, but it fucking hurts. “I have to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back. If the waitress gets here before I do, I want the veggie pot pie. You can order for me.”
“Okay.”
I make it back to the table right before our drinks are brought out to us. It’s a good thing because Julian isn’t too sure how to order. I text Lucas again since I know he’s worrying. I can feel my familiars nearby, hiding in the shadows as they explore downtown Paradise Valley.
“Lucas bought a building on the next block over,” I tell Julian. “We rent it out, and I’m not sure if I should be ashamed to admit that I have no idea what it is. I feel like a stereotypical trophy wife sometimes, but I’m not complaining. I’m busy saving the world, one demon at a time. Having a vampire sugar daddy enables me to focus on being the hero.”
Julian gives me a blank stare, and I laugh. “A sugar daddy is usually an old man with a lot of money and young women date him solely to use said money.”
“And Lucas is much older than you.” It takes a second for everything to sink in, and then Julian laughs. “Holding a traditional job would get in the way of fighting demons.”
“I used to do both.” I pull the wrapper off and stick the straw in my lemonade. “Granted, I’d find low-level demons to go after. Things really blew up once Varrador spilled the beans on my whereabouts. I had just started dating Lucas then too. We were worried he could have been the one killing witches.”
“How did you two meet?” Julian asks. I lean back and smile, launching into the story.
“This was fun,” I tell Julian, pausing on the back porch. “I’m really glad you got to hang out with me like this.”
“I am too.” Julian smiles again, and I make a promise to myself that we’re doing this again. Divinity seeks divinity, and being around Julian is calming. Aside from that, I really care about him. He’s risked a lot to stand on my father’s side—to stand on my side—and having just one more ally means so much to me.
“I know you’re going to have to leave soon.” I wave my hand over the door, magically unlocking it. “Come back when you can and maybe we can get lunch again.”
His smile widens. “I’d very much like that. Food is good. I understand overindulgence now.”
I laugh. “It’s something that’s quite easy to do.” We both step into the little mudroom that leads into the kitchen. Scarlet bounds over, and I spend a few minutes greeting her and then let her outside. My familiars, bored they didn’t find any demons in Paradise Valley, are out in the woods making sure everything is good here. Scarlet joins them, and if she doesn’t find something to kill, I’m going to have to summon something. That dog was made to kill. Literally. That’s her purpose, and I don’t know how long she can go ignoring her calling before she accidentally hunts and slaughters the cows in the pasture about a mile from here.
“Honey, I’m home!” I call and take off my shoes, grabbing my phone from my purse. Lucas comes into the kitchen from his office, and my heart flutters at the sight of him. He’s dressed casually today, in dark jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair is pushed back, and the stubble that’s slowly growing on his face makes me want to feel it rub against my thighs. Vampires’ hair and nails do grow despite being dead, just at a much slower rate than humans.
“You look happy,” he tells me, taking me in his arms and kissing me passionately, tongue entering my mouth. My heart flutters, and I throw my arms around him, kissing him back and then pulling away since Julian is standing just feet from us.
“Do you want me to leave so you can have sex?” he asks with a straight face.
“Yes,” Lucas replies right away.
“No,” I say, playfully smacking Lucas in the chest. “Stay until you have to leave. Please.” I flatten my hand over Lucas’s pec and smile again. “We had a really nice time. No demons, no danger, no archangels plotting my murder.”
“Good.” Lucas’s arms are still around me. “You needed it.” He kisses the top of my head. “Maryellen sent a note through the fireplace. She wants to know when is a good time for her to stop by and give you a checkup.”
My first reaction at the mention of any sort of medical procedure, no matter how small, is to grimace. Completely human and healthy pregnant women get checkups regularly as they reach the end of their pregnancy, and we really don’t know when I’m actually due anymore.
Which is really fucking terrifying.
“I’ll write her back. Anytime today is fine.” I go into the library to jot down a quick reply. Lucas stacked the books on the desk, leaving them open to the pages Julian had been looking at before we left. I fold up my reply and stick it in the fireplace. Grunting as I stand, I almost miss it.
But then I hear it again, a faint whisper in a language I don’t know, and I whirl around, eyes going to the large windows that face the side yard. It’s only there for a split second, but I’m certain I saw a handsome young man, with dark hair coming down to his shoulders, wearing a black tunic and matching pants. He shimmers out of view as soon as I turn my head, yet for some reason I know exactly who it is.
“Paimon.”