Curse of Night

by Emily Goodwin

  “Callie,” Felix starts and opens another book. It’s a Dark Grimoire, something that would be in the restricted section of the Academy library, and something I’d love to look through later. “You and the vampires should rest now. We’ll go through the books and will perfect the spell.”

  I nod and quickly get up. “Okay,” I say quickly. Too quickly. “I’m going to make some tea first. My nerves are shot.”

  “Want me to make some for you?” Nicole offers.

  “No, you’re here. That’s already enough.” I take a step toward the kitchen only to stop and go back to Lucas. “Um, feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen,” I tell my friends and offer Lucas a hand up. He ignores it and rises to his feet in a graceful movement. “I’ll be right up,” I tell him, and he leans down, kissing me before going upstairs, Eliza following at his heels.

  Hands shaking, I go into the kitchen, mentally calling Pandora to help me grab what I need before anyone catches on to what I’m doing. I shove bottles of herbs into a small saucepan and throw a towel over it as I dash up the stairs.

  “Take your shirt off,” I tell Lucas as soon as I’m in our bedroom.

  “I knew you couldn’t resist me.” He smirks and pushes off the mattress. “I’m injured, but I can still make you scream my name as you come for the third time.”

  “We’ll have sex as soon as you’re better.” I close the door behind me. “You’re bleeding.”

  “I know.”

  “Let me see.” I hurry to the bed and gently push him back down. He laces his fingers through mine and pulls me to him, kissing me. My body wants to relent, to give in and let him make love to me.

  But I can’t. He’s injured. Bleeding. Cursed.

  “Let me see,” I moan as his deft fingers sweep between my legs.

  “You can see it,” he urges, and I push back.

  “Lucas,” I say sternly. “Now.” If I wasn’t afraid of hurting him, I’d use magic to push him down and hold him against the mattress. With a huff, he lifts his shirt up.

  I was right. The glue came off the edges of the stitches, and I think I can put a Band-Aid or two over it for now. Before I can get out of the room, Eliza comes flying in.

  “Ever heard of knocking?” I rush out.

  “I can smell the blood.” She’s next to us in just a second. “He’s bleeding.”

  “The glue came off,” I tell her, and my eyes flutter shut as I try to think. My thoughts are all jumbled. “There are Band-Aids in the bathroom. Somewhere in the medicine cabinet.”

  “Helpful,” she quips and speeds back out.

  “Are you hungry or anything?” I ask Lucas.

  “I’m tired.” His brows furrow, and he reaches for me again. His touch is gentle this time, telling me the things he won’t say. He doesn’t feel well and is getting weaker by the second.

  “We’ll both rest a bit, and then we’re going to transfer this curse.”

  Eliza comes back in with the box of Band-Aids and insists she can do a better job putting it on Lucas than I can. Too stressed to fight her on this, I let her put six Band-Aids over the same tiny wound.

  Once she’s finally out of the room, I lie in bed next to Lucas and run my nails up and down his muscular arm. He’s asleep in minutes, and I slowly get out of bed, turning on the electric blanket and tucking him in.

  “I love you,” I whisper and gently kiss his forehead. Then I grab the pan full of herbs, my Book of Shadows, and go into the guest room, where Eliza is. “Hey,” I say and step in. “I need you to do something.”

  I set the pan on the floor, finding a tiny bit of room to work, and telekinetically flip through my book. Pandora, whose talents lie in potion making, shadows into the room and takes over looking through the book, finding the page in seconds.

  “Me?” Eliza echoes.

  “Yeah.” I run my finger over the spell and then start mixing up the herbs.

  “Are you going to elaborate or is part of the fun keeping me guessing?”

  “Sorry.” I add valerian root to the pot. “I’m making a sleeping potion that will knock me out. In like half an hour—” Pandora growls—“fine, like fifteen minutes, I need you to wake me up.”

  “The fuck is the point of this?”

  I carefully measure out the lavender and dump it in as well. “The point is I can only talk to my uncle through dreams, and I’m way too anxious to fall asleep on my own.”

  I can feel Eliza’s gaze on me as Pandora crushes up the valerian roots.

  “You’re talking about Lucifer, aren’t you?” The usual snark is gone from her voice. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “No, I’m not sure.” I glance back at the book to see what else I need. “But I think he can help. Dark magic is kind of his thing. And we’ve…we’ve been talking.”

  “Callie.” Eliza crouches down. “He’s the devil.”

  “I know. And he’s my uncle. Maybe I’m stupid, but I really believe being related means something to him.”

  “Yeah, it means that he wants to manipulate you.”

  I don’t know how to explain what I feel. It’s crazy, and the more I try to rationalize it to myself, the crazier it sounds. “I’ll be careful. I’m just going to ask him some questions, and then you’ll wake me up.”

  “Are you sure this will even work?”

  “No,” I tell her honestly. “Though if anything, I’ll have a short little power nap.” I add the final herbs to the pot and get up, brushing my hands on my shirt. “I need potion vials and candles. I’ll be right back.”

  I slink into my room and grab two potion vials, a handful of votive candles, three glass jars, and the water bottle that I left on my nightstand from this afternoon. I dump half the water into the pot and arrange it on the jars. I stick the candles underneath and use magic to light them.

  I hold my hand over the pot, tempted to use magic to heat the potion, but Pandora reminds me that I have to use the heat from the candles for a reason. Letting out a sigh, we start mixing up the herbs for the potion that will bring me back.

  “I never realized you could make a potion like this,” Eliza says, looking at my little setup. “It’s like spellcrafting on a budget.”

  I smile. “I used to do that in my dormitory at the Academy. We obviously didn’t have cauldrons in our rooms, and sometimes you’d need a potion in the middle of the night.”

  “The glass never gets too hot?”

  “Oh, it can. We preferred using cans of soup.”

  “We meaning you and Kristy?” she asks.

  I nod. “And the twins. The four of us roomed together every year since I got there.”

  “You missed a few years, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. I was almost eleven when I started at the Academy. Everyone else starts when they’re six.”

  “Interesting.” She goes to the window and looks out at the yard. “Can witches perform magic that young?”

  “Some can.” I hold my hand over the potion and move my index finger in a clockwise motion, stirring it. “I started doing magic on accident when I was three, but I’m not a full witch.”

  “What about normal stuff?” She turns and looks at me. “Stuff nons learn in school.”

  “We learn that, too. The first few years at the Academy aren’t much different than regular school, actually. Kindergarten there is the same as kindergarten at Thorne Hill Elementary, with a few lessons on magic thrown in there.” I sit on the edge of the bed, waiting. “I think the Academy taught us more, to be honest. Obviously, we learn magic, but we learned how to do taxes, how to manage a household, and classes on finances and budgeting were mandatory our senior year. You had to pass regular geometry before you could study sacred geometry, and if you didn’t get a B or higher in English, you couldn’t move on to Latin, which was required before advanced spellcasting.”

  “Very interesting.”

  I nod. “We really did learn a lot, with a mix of that regular stuff necessary to live along with the
magic.”

  “Sounds intense.”

  “It was. That’s why it’s a boarding school. We were in class most the day.” I let my eyes fall shut, thinking back to my Academy days. Life was so much simpler then.

  “Even the young children stayed overnight?”

  I shake my head. “No, not until they’re older. Kindergarten through third grade keep hours like they would in public school. Then it slowly gets more intense until you turn thirteen.”

  “The potion is ready,” Pandora says, voice echoing around us.

  Inhaling, I get up and carefully pour the potion into the vials, keeping the corks off to let it cool. After rinsing out the pan, I add the ingredients and start the second potion.

  “When the time is up, what do I do?” Eliza asks.

  “Pour this in my mouth,” I say, wrinkling my nose. “Slowly, so I don’t choke. Pandora will be here helping.” I open the window and move the vials to the sill, letting the chilly, evening air help cool them. A few minutes later, the second potion is done. I set it on the windowsill and hold up the sleeping potion, which is a deep amber color.

  “Somnum,” I say, holding the potions up. They glow for a brief second, and then the light fades away. Risking burning my hands, I grab the other potions, not having the time to waste waiting for them to cool.

  “Surgit.” I enchant the potions, bringing the elements of the potion to life. “Okay. Here goes…” I force a smile and give Eliza the waking potion. Then I lie on the bed and down the sleeping potion like a shot. It slides warm down my throat, taking effect almost immediately.

  Lucifer…I call as my eyelids start to feel heavy. If you can hear me…I…I need to talk to you.

  And then everything goes black.

  Chapter 14

  “You could have just called.”

  I inhale sharply and sit up, looking around the room. It’s still a mess, full of Lucas’s things. Eliza isn’t standing over me anymore, and I can’t sense Pandora.

  But he’s here, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “Wouldn’t that be nice,” I huff and push my hair back and look at Lucifer. He’s dressed in a black suit again, but this time I can see the faint outline of the chains around his wrists. “You heard me?”

  “I did.” He stands and goes to the window. “Which means Daddy Dearest isn’t answering you—again.”

  I inhale, considering my words carefully. “I just have a few questions for you.”

  “That no one else will answer.”

  He knows Michael hasn’t been in touch, but why is he wanting me to admit it?

  “Questions I don’t think anyone else will know the answer to.”

  “Go on,” he says, looking at me curiously.

  “Lucas has been cursed by necromancers,” I rush out, not wanting to run out of time. I don’t know how long I was asleep before my dreams took me here. “Necromancers use dark magic, and if anyone knows about dark magic, it’s you.”

  He brings his hand to his chest and gasps. “I’m so offended.”

  “Come on,” I urge, getting off the bed. “You know all about it. So can’t you answer some questions?”

  “What are you going to do for me?”

  I want to be angry with him, to stare daggers, turn around and give him the silent treatment until Eliza wakes me up. But dammit, I’m hurt. I should have known better than to expect anything from him.

  “Never mind,” I say, voice hitching. This was my last resort. It’s dangerous and stupid to be here in the first place. I sink back down on the bed, put my hands on my lap, and close my eyes. Maybe I can call to Binx and have him tell Eliza to give me the potion.

  The mattress sinks down next to me, and Lucifer’s hand lands on my shoulder.

  “Sorry, kid. I’m not used to…to this.”

  “To what?” I ask, voice thin.

  “To talking to someone who’s not trying to make a deal. I haven’t had a conversation that wasn’t one-sided in…in centuries.”

  I swallow hard and remind myself to keep my emotions in check. “That has to be lonely.”

  “It is,” he sighs. “As if getting kicked out of the house isn’t enough. Gotta rub salt in the wound.” He tips his head toward me. “And I can only imagine how you feel, my dear niece. To find out who you are, to have new powers yet no one to guide you…”

  “I can control my powers,” I say but feel like I’m lying. I can control them. It’s just going to take some learning on how to hold back…and not to hurt anyone.

  “We weren’t meant to live a life in chains,” he goes on. “Yours are metaphorical, of course. Having to conceal who you are—what you can do—it’s a burden.”

  I curl my fingers in toward my palms and feel the knot in my chest. It’s always been there. I’ve gotten used to it being there, and the knot only loosened after realizing accidentally zapping Lucas with magic didn’t hurt him. He’d heal in seconds, and I could relax and be myself around him.

  And he wasn’t afraid of me.

  But now that Michael is slowly unlocking my angel powers…I’m scared it will be too much.

  “Now…tell me about this curse,” Lucifer says.

  “It’s a reversed version of a necromancer curse that slowly kills you from the inside out. Supposedly, we can transfer it into another body. Do you know if it has to be another vampire?”

  He considers it for a second and then shakes his head. “No. Just something that’s technically undead.”

  “And once it’s transferred, Lucas will be…?”

  “Back to himself.”

  I let out a sigh of relief.

  “What I’m more interested in is what you’re going to do with the necromancers who’ve cursed him.” His eyes glimmer in the dark. “I can help you come up with ideas if you’re out.”

  The thought is tempting, and I hate that I want to hear him out. I’m not evil. When we find the necromancers, I’ll turn them over to the Grand Coven. They’ll have their powers bound and will be sentenced to death, according to Witch Law.

  I won’t be the one taking their lives.

  “How do I find them?” I ask, words escaping from my lips on their own accord. Lucifer grins. “I need to make sure they don’t come after us again.”

  “Oh, they will. Just be prepared. You’ve got fire in you, kid. Hellfire.” He narrows his eyes. “And something else. Something I’ve never seen before.”

  “What?”

  He holds out his hand, reading my energy. “It’s—”

  I suddenly wake up, feeling like I’ve been pulled from warm water and thrust into the snow. I shiver violently, pulling my arms in around my body.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Eliza asks, standing back. She’s still holding the little potion vial, and Pandora is sitting on the nightstand next to me, swishing her tail.

  “Nothing.” My teeth chatter as I sit up. “Side effect of a deep sleeping spell. This happens when I’m astral projecting too long, too.”

  “Did you get the answers to…to whatever the fuck you were asking?”

  “Yes. We don’t need another vampire. Just something undead. Which is easy.”

  “Easy? The last time you raised the dead, I wouldn’t exactly call it easy.”

  “Resurrecting a human is complicated and difficult. But an animal…it won’t take long at all.” I look at Pandora, mentally asking her to take the others out into the woods to go hunting. “Don’t eat it,” I remind her, and she shadows out of the room.

  Still shivering, I head into my room, wanting to get under the electric blanket with Lucas.

  What the hell else is in me? Hellfire and…is heaven-fire a thing? Anger starts to rise inside me, not at Lucifer, but at my father for leaving me with so many unanswered questions. If he’d just sit down with me for half an hour…

  “Julian,” I say, pausing in the doorway. “Please. I need to talk to you.”

  “Is something wrong?” Eliza asks. “Why are you calling for that angel?”
/>   I just shake my head. “He’d be a big help. That’s all.” I shuffle forward. “I…I need to warm up.” I blink back tears and hurry into the room, climbing under the covers. Lucas wraps his arms around me in his sleep, and I carefully snuggle up close to him, feeling instantly comforted.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I tell him. “I know how to save you.”

  Lucas’s chest rises and falls. He told me he “breathes” out of habit. A lot of vampires still do. It’s something you don’t think about. But when he’s asleep, he never breathes.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, knowing there’s no way I’ll be able to fall asleep. I lie there for a while, anxiety building with each passing minute.

  “Callie,” Lucas grumbles. “You’re tense, and your heart is racing.”

  “You can still hear it?”

  “Yes.” He wipes a tear off my cheek. “And I can still see in the dark.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Kind of shitty,” he admits. “And you?”

  “Oh, I’m peachy.”

  He laughs and inches closer, kissing me. “You really should get some rest.”

  “Napping always makes me feel foggy.” I run my fingers through his thick hair. “I want to check and see how things are going downstairs.”

  “Stay with me,” he urges and slips his hand around my waist. “Rest, my love.”

  I carefully hook my leg over his, and he rubs my back until I fall asleep.

  I wake with a start, unable to remember my dream in detail but knowing it was bad.

  “Callie?” Lucas’s hand lands on my arm. “You had a nightmare.”

  I conjure a string of magic, blinking to adjust my eyes. Lucas is sitting up, reading in the dark. “How long was I asleep for?”

  “Half an hour.”

  “That’s a good enough nap.” I swing my feet over the bed, cold now that I’m out of the heated blanket. “I’m going to warm up some blood for you.”