Author: Emily Goodwin
Category: Vampires
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Not wanting to give Eliza another free show, I put my robe on and go into the bathroom. I brush through my messy hair and turn on the shower, giving the water time to heat up.
Lucas comes into the bathroom as soon as I step into the shower.
“I knew you couldn’t resist me when I’m naked and wet,” I tease, pulling back the shower curtain.
He smirks and takes his time looking at me. “The eggs,” he starts. “Are they safe for you to eat?”
“Ohh, right. Tabatha enchanted them. No. Toss ‘em.” I wrinkle my nose. “Damn, scrambled eggs sounded good, too.”
“You need a minion,” he says seriously. “Someone you can send out to run errands for you.”
“You know,” I start, letting the shower curtain fall shut, “I’ve always wanted a few minions to do my bidding.”
“You could definitely have them.”
I grab the shampoo and start washing my hair. “It’s something I’ve considered a time or two. Though I have three familiars. They’re way more badass, though I can’t send them to the grocery store to buy me eggs.”
“Good point. I’ll make you something else.”
Lucas closes the door behind him, and I take my time showering, enjoying the warm water and the lack of urgency to get out and ready to fight demons or break curses.
Once I’m finally out, I magically braid my hair and go into my room to get dressed. I haven’t texted Abby back yet, and two more texts have come through from her.
Forgoing texting, I call her instead.
“Are you okay?” she rushes out as soon as she picks up.
“I’m fine. And so is Lucas. We were able to transfer the curse,” I tell her, putting my phone on speaker. The door is closed, but I know it won’t stop either Lucas or Eliza from being able to hear my conversation. If I wanted to, I could cast the silence spell I forgot to cast last night—sorry, Eliza—making it impossible for anyone to hear me. But I’m not saying anything I don’t care for them to hear, so I don’t bother.
“So he’s okay?”
“Yes,” I assure her. “He’s back to normal.”
“Oh my god, thank goodness.” Abby lets out a heavy sigh. “And you’re okay?”
“I am. I slept in past noon and just took a shower. Lucas is making me breakfast, and we plan to spend the rest of the day on the couch watching HGTV,” I tell her as I put lotion on my body.
“Everything is over, then?”
“Hah,” I say with a snort of laughter. “Far from it. We don’t know who cursed Lucas or why, but it has to do with me in some way.”
“You really think so?”
“Lucas has lived how long without being cursed? We’re married for two weeks and someone is coming at him with a dark-as-hell curse.”
“Oh, I’m uh…” Abby sputters. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” I tell her, not wanting her to waste her time feeling bad for me. “Vampires already went after me. It’s only fair witches go after Lucas.”
Abby laughs. “That isn’t funny, yet it is.”
“You have to laugh so you don’t cry.”
“I suppose.” Abby lets out a breath. “You were on your honeymoon over your birthday. I think a belated party is in order. Mostly because I want to make sure you and Lucas are okay. That wound was nasty.”
“He’s a vampire,” I remind her. “Vampires heal. When their powers aren’t being bound anyway, that is.”
“I’m confused,” she confesses. “Vampires have powers…but you do, too.”
“Yes. Vampires are made into what they are through old and dark magic that is transferred and fostered in their blood. Which is why the older the vampire is, the stronger their powers are.”
“Since Lucas is so old, he’s stronger, right?”
“Right. Along with physical strength, he has added bonuses, I suppose you could call them, like being able to hold people spellbound.”
“How old do they have to be before they can do that?” she asks almost nervously. I know there are more and more vampires settling in Chicago. She’s come a long way since she’s come back into my life, but she’s still quite scared of vamps.
“Around five hundred. About every five hundred years, they get a power boost.”
“And Lucas has had three power boosts? So he’s like…like a super vampire? And that’s because of his blood?”
I can see Abby’s face in my mind. “Don’t overthink it,” I tell her. “Magic isn’t mean to be analyzed.”
“I’ll try,” she laughs. “What are you doing tomorrow evening?”
I’m not sure what day tomorrow is, but I already know I don’t want to do anything more than binge-watch TV and online shop for the new house. “Probably just sitting around at home. Why?”
“I want to celebrate your birthday. The last one I spent with you was…was…”
“Was when I was in the science lab,” I say, surprised at how easily the words spill from my mouth. “And you gave me the stuffed black cat I named Binx.”
“I remember,” she says quietly. “It’s lame, but my idea was to bring cake and then make you dinner at your house.”
“That’s not lame at all. I’d like that!”
“Do you care if Phil and Penny come?”
“Of course not! This will probably be the most normal birthday I’ve ever had. Dinner with my husband, sister, and her family.”
“I’ll bring something and heat it up. Unless there’s something local you’d prefer to order.”
“There are like two good local places I like, a Steak n’ Shake and Taco Bell in Thorne Hill.”
“How do you live?” she laughs.
“It’s hard. We barely get by.”
“It would force me to cook.”
“You mean you don’t work twelve-hour days as an ER doctor and then come home and have a homemade meal and a cocktail waiting for your husband?”
“Hey, don’t judge me. Your husband doesn’t eat so you get off easy.”
We both laugh. “So what time tomorrow?” I ask.
“Is five too early? I want to make sure to get Penny home before bedtime.”
“Not at all. And we’ll still have some daylight. Come a little earlier and you can come walk through the new house with me!”
“Ohh, I’d like that. Are the, uh, zombies cleared out?”
“Hah,” I say with a snort. “I almost forgot about that. Yes. We’ve found them all—I think—and have disposed of the bodies.”
“Do I want to ask why there were zombies in your house?”
“Probably not, but I’ll tell you anyway. It was a spell gone wrong.”
“So when the zombie apocalypse starts, we’ll have you to blame?”
“To blame and then thank for stopping it.” I pull on my underwear and then my leggings. “Thank you again, Abby, for everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” she presses. “You’re my sister and I love you. Lucas is my brother-in-law and I—” She cuts off, laughing. “Sorry. I’m just thinking about what Dad would say knowing that we have a vampire in the family. Because as far as everyone knows, you’re still part of this family.”
“And Nancy’s friends all know it now, too.”
“Oh my god, right. I almost forgot. And I’m sorry if it upsets you to talk about them.”
“It doesn’t. Really,” I press. “The actual devil is my uncle,” I remind her. Though so far, he’s treated me better than the man I thought was my biological father for years. “It kind of makes past family drama seem not that important anymore.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Okay…so back to your party. What kind of cake do you want?”
“Chocolate is always good.”
“Great.” I hear Penny cry in the background. “And someone just woke up from her nap. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you, Cal.”
“Love you, too.” We hang up, and I finished getting dressed. I strip the sheets off the bed, balling them up and leaving them in a heap by the
top of the stairs. I’ll change them later.
I’m shocked to see a full breakfast laid out on the counter when I get into the kitchen. “What’s this?” I ask, grateful for the hash browns, bacon, and eggs, but not sure where it came from.
“Breakfast from Suzy’s,” Lucas tells me and gets up from the island counter to pour me a cup of coffee. “I called and offered to pay them if they delivered the food in a timely manner.”
“How much?” I take a seat at the counter, ready to dig in. I took a long shower, but it wasn’t that long.
“A hundred and fifty dollars on top of what the food would cost.”
“Nice.” I stab my fork into the hash browns. “And thank you.”
“Anything for you, my love.” Lucas sets the coffee down and kisses my neck.
“Ugh,” Eliza huffs. “I almost walked out into the sun this morning after listening to you two fucking all night. Again.”
“But my tits are nice, right?” I ask before shoveling a forkful of food into my mouth.
“They are. Did you do a spell to make them so full and perky?”
“Nope. Usually, I’d say I was blessed, but now that I know my father is an archangel, that sounds weird.”
“They are fantastic,” Lucas growls, coming up behind me and cupping my breasts with his large hands. Eliza rolls her eyes and grumbles something about how she can’t wait until nightfall so she can leave.
The back door rattles, giving the vampires in the house warning to move out of the way. A few seconds later, my familiars and Scarlet come inside.
“Scar!” I exclaim. “You’re filthy!”
The puppy runs around the kitchen, tail wagging, and Freya lets me know that Scarlet enjoyed rolling on a dead raccoon and then pranced through muddy puddles.
“If I take your collar off, will you still be dirty?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.
“Probably,” Lucas says. “And ten times the size she is now.”
“Ugh. Well…stay here, Scar. I’ll give you a bath after breakfast.”
“I’ll do it,” Lucas offers and gives my tits one more squeeze. “Finish eating.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I don’t mind.”
I tip my head back to kiss him. “I love you.”
“And I love you.”
Eliza loudly gags and goes into the living room, turning on the TV. I want to enjoy breakfast and revel in the fact Lucas is okay. He’s back to himself again and we successfully transferred the curse.
But I can’t. Because all we did was buy ourselves time, and once the necromancers find out their spell didn’t work, I’m afraid they’ll come back harder and hit us with something even worse.
Chapter 17
“This came through your fireplace.” Eliza holds out an envelope, looking at it skeptically. “Didn’t you already get your acceptance letter to Hogwarts?”
“Hah. It didn’t quite happen like that.” I turn from the kitchen counter and take the letter from her, stomach tightening. It’s nearing five in the evening, and Lucas and I spent the last few hours gloriously doing nothing as we lazily laid on the couch watching TV. I flip the letter over and see the Grand Coven’s emblem stamped into the wax seal. I stare at the pentagram for a few seconds and then open the letter.
“What is it?” Eliza asks as I read over the letter. I hold up my hand and quickly skim through the rest.
“I’ve been summoned to the Covenstead to have my petition reviewed.” I look over the letter again. It reads like a form letter, with hardly any detail being given away now.
“When?”
“In a hour.”
“They don’t give you much time, do they?”
I fold the letter back up and set it on the kitchen island. I was in the process of chopping up vegetables to make stir fry for dinner tonight.
“I think they do that on purpose. It’s not impossible to leave the coven, but they do try to make it as hard as they can.” I pick up the knife and grab another carrot, concentrating on cutting perfectly even pieces, not on what might go down tonight.
Eliza leans against the counter, watching me prepare the food. I’ve been barred from entering the Covenstead. Someone will be there waiting to let me in, and I’m sure I’ll be escorted like an excommunicated witch to the Gathering Hall where I’ll be questioned.
I add the carrots to the wok and then step back, spinning my wedding ring around my finger. I don’t know why I’m so startled by this. I knew it was coming, but with the way my paperwork kept getting shuffled to the back of the to-do list, I guess I kind of assumed I’d have more time to pretend like everything was okay.
“They’re not going to burn you at the stake or anything, are they?” Eliza asks, trying to sound uninterested.
“You’re worried, aren’t you?” I smile and look at her. She does a good job avoiding my eyes.
“Maybe a little. You’re handy to have around in case Lucas gets cursed again. Plus, the smell of burnt human flesh is repulsive.”
“You wouldn’t smell it,” I assure her, though it brings little comfort. “It would happen inside the Covenstead.”
She shakes her head. “Right, and that whole hidden magical dimension is another thing I shouldn’t overthink.”
“Yep. Accept that it just is and life is so much simpler.”
“My afterlife was simpler before I met you,” she huffs, flicking her eyes to mine. Then she smiles. “But I’ll admit, it’s been a hell of a lot more interesting. Things were…were a little dull the last twenty years or so.”
I nod and turn back to my vegetables, remembering overhearing a conversation between Eliza and Lucas months ago, before Lucas and I were officially a couple.
She said Lucas hadn’t seemed like himself for decades. And Lucas said I made him feel for the first time in centuries.
I can’t imagine living that long. The thought alone is hard to fathom, let alone thinking about living that long and not going insane.
“Dull moments are few and far between with me.” I carefully cut up green onions. “Though I’m due for a good break here pretty soon. Statistically speaking, that is.”
“I hope you’re right. I already had to cancel a nail appointment last night. Thank god they were able to reschedule for tonight.”
“You’re leaving?” There’s more disappointment in my voice than even I anticipated. Eliza is sarcastic, pessimistic, complains about everything, and makes no effort to play nice with my friends…yet I kind of like having her around.
Maybe I’ve already gone insane at the ripe old age of twenty-six.
“Someone has to check on things at The Taproom.”
“And Miss Piggy needs to be fed,” I add with a snicker.
“Dominic took care of them for me.”
“Ohhh.” I look away from the cutting board for a moment and wiggle my eyebrows. “I haven’t heard you mention him in a while.”
“We’re just fuck-buddies. Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t do this whole romance thing.” She waves her hand in the air at me. “I have very high standards for myself and consider falling in love to be a fool’s game.”
“So you think Lucas is a fool for falling in love with me?”
“I definitely do.” She smiles again, expression softening. “Though if he was going to go fall in love with anyone, you’re not the worst choice.”
“Thank you,” I say with a laugh. It’s as good a compliment as any coming from Eliza. I turn back to the food, cutting up the rest of the vegetables and adding them to the wok. I don’t have time to cook it now, and the thing is too big to fit in my fridge.
Sighing, I dump everything into a mixing bowl, cover it with foil, and shove it in the fridge. Wiping my hands on my pants as I walk, I go into the office. Lucas is on the phone, speaking Spanish. I pause, leaning against the doorframe, and watch him. He’s Skyping with someone, going over some sort of business plan.
If I lived forever, I’d learn a bunch of languages, too. How cool would
that be? Not wanting to interrupt his phone call, I grab my phone from the living room to text Kristy and the twins, letting them know I’ve been summoned and might not make it back in time for our seven p.m. scheduled dinner.
I put my phone back down and go into the office, waiting for Lucas to get off the business call. A few more minutes pass before the call ends, and Lucas gets to his feet, speeding over to me.
“Are you sure the camera is off?” I ask when he puts his lips to my neck. “I already gave Eliza a free show.”
Lucas chuckles and carries me over to the desk. He shuts his laptop and puts himself between my legs. I can feel his cock against me, and a wave of warmth washes over me.
“I’ve been summoned,” I blurt, getting the words out before I relent to his kisses. “I have to go to the Covenstead.”
“To review your petition to leave?”
“Yes.” I take in a breath, trying hard to will myself to stay calm. Lucas can hear my heart beating and will know the minute it starts to speed up. “I have to change and leave soon.”
“Change?” He eyes me up and down. I’m wearing black leggings and a black sweater.
“It might make a better impression on the Grand Coven if I wear traditional garb. Though, since I’m not trying to be a model coven member anymore, I suppose it doesn’t matter.” I slowly shake my head.
“Are you all right, my love?” Lucas sweeps his fingers across my collarbone, moving them over my shoulder and up to the back of my neck.
“Yes. This is what I wanted. To be with you.” I hook my arms around him and feel my heart lurch in my chest. “I love you, Lucas, so much more than I love being in the coven. And we both know it’s not like I’ll never see my friends again. They were ordered to stay away from me once and that didn’t keep us apart.”
“You told me once witches without a coven are easy prey.”
I bring my hands down to the waist of his pants. “You should know by now there is nothing easy about me.”
He arches an eyebrow. “You were pretty easy this morning. All I had to do was look at you and you were taking your clothes off.”
I laugh, and he pulls me into a tight hug. His skin is cool and comforting against mine. “I won’t deny that you’re hard to resist.”