Call of Night

by Emily Goodwin

  There’s only one bathroom in this old house, and the stairs creak under my feet as I make my way up. After using the bathroom, I brush my teeth and pull my hair into a messy bun at the top of my head. I strip out of my clothes and head into my room to put on PJs instead.

  “Now this is a sight I like to see,” Lucas’s voice comes from behind me. I’m standing in only my panties, and I turn around with a coy smile on my face, looking down at myself.

  “It is a pretty good view.”

  Lucas strides forward and takes me by the waist. He kisses me, deep and passionate, making butterflies flap in my stomach and heat instantly flood through me.

  “Are you still tired?” he asks, sliding his hands around to my ass.

  “I’m something else at the moment.”

  His eyes widen. “And what is that?”

  I bite my lip and hook my arms around his neck, stepping in close so my hips press against his. Feeling his large cock get hard turns me on even more than I already am. I take one of his hands and move it between my legs, showing him how hot he’s making me without even trying.

  That’s how it is when you’re in love, I suppose.

  Lucas picks me up as he kisses me again. With vampire strength, he’s able to hold me with one arm as if I weigh nothing, and carries me to the bed. He sits, putting me on his lap. We move, jumbled together, until I’m straddling him, rubbing myself against his erection that’s confined beneath his pants. His stupid pants that really need to come off. Now.

  I push Lucas back onto the mattress and lower my gaze to his belt. Using magic, I undo the buckle, causing Lucas to groan with anticipation. I sink my teeth into my lower lip again, trying to force myself to bide my time. Along with feeling his dick harden against me, hearing him moaning with desire for me is enough to do me in right here and now.

  “I love it when you use your magic. It’s so fucking hot.” He reaches for me, losing patience, and pulls me toward him while kicking off his pants. Moving fast as only a vampire can, he flips me over and puts himself between my legs. I bend my knees and curl my legs around him, bucking my hips to rub against his cock. We kiss, hard and desperate, before Lucas breaks away so I can pull his shirt over his head. Now he’s gloriously naked, and if he doesn’t start touching me, I’m going to explode.

  He brings his head down, nuzzling my neck. I rake my fingers through his hair and give him an encouraging push, though he never needs much direction from me. Though sometimes, he likes to tease me, makes me wait and gets off on knowing how much he’s driving me crazy.

  Other times, like now, our desperation is mirrored and we both need to make each other come as hard and fast as we can. Yes, I enjoy when he draws it out, but it’s not like we won’t be doing this again later.

  Drawing his fangs, Lucas grazes the sharp points over my flesh. Goosebumps break out over my skin and my whole body shudders from the chill that goes through me. He has perfect control and won’t bite me until he wants to. But knowing that he could sink his teeth into me at any moment sends a jolt through me, enhancing my pleasure.

  He kisses his way down, stopping at my breasts. Taking one in my mouth, he flicks his tongue over my nipple. I can feel the tips of his fangs against my skin, and if I weren’t so worked up and dying for a release, I’d admire his control.

  But right now, all I can think about is his head between my thighs and that skilled tongue lashing out against my clit. I’m getting wetter thinking about it, and my body begs me to push him down even more, giving me the pleasure it’s so desperately craving.

  Lucas slowly rolls my panties down my thighs as he continues to kiss his way down.

  “I need you,” I pant, giving him another push down. “Please, Lucas, make me come.”

  With a growl, he dives down, mouth open as he meets my core. I cry out in pleasure as his tongue darts out against my clit. My hands are in his hair and I tilt my hips up, offering myself to him. He licks and sucks my clit, getting me right on the edge of an orgasm when he turns his head to the side, sliding his hand up my thigh.

  He pushes two fingers inside of me and sinks his fangs into my thigh, only inches above my pussy, at the same time. Being penetrated like this pushes me over the edge, and everything inside me tightens, getting ready for the release. He strokes my G-spot and pulls a mouthful of blood from my body, swallowing it and moving his mouth back to my clit.

  I come hard against his face, and Lucas keeps his fingers inside me, stroking and rubbing me until I’m so overcome with so pleasure I don’t think I can stand it. I ball my fists and press then against the mattress, mouth falling open, yet no sound escapes my lips. He turns his head again and licks up the blood that’s dripping down my thigh. His mouth clamps over the wound, sucking so hard it almost hurts. Then he pulls away and moves up, wet tip of his dick resting against my stomach.

  I blink my eyes open and move my hand to his face, wiping a smear of my own blood off his lips. He licks it from my fingers and lowers his head, resting his forehead against mine for a few seconds before plunging his cock balls deep inside me.

  This time, a loud moan comes from deep within me, and I hook my legs around him, feeling fresh blood drip down my thigh as he thrusts in and out of me. I’m still coming down from the orgasm he just gave me, and the added sensation of his big cock filling every single inch of me is almost enough to put me in a pleasure coma.

  My hands fall from his body and I can’t get myself to keep my eyes open. My lips part and Lucan puts his mouth to my neck, sucking at my skin. He’s retracted his fangs, not wanting to bite me anymore. He’s moving so fast, fucking me so hard it’s almost like his cock is vibrating inside of me.

  I almost black out before we both come at nearly the same time. Panting, I feebly wrap my arms around him. He holds himself inside of me for a moment after that, and feeling his dick pulsing with the aftershock of his orgasm is one of the hottest things I’ve ever experienced.

  “Now you should rest, my love.” He gently brushes my hair out of my face.

  “Yes,” I breathe, agreeing with him. I’m unable to open my eyes. Or move. Lucas pulls out and moves his head back down between my thighs. He licks up the rest of the blood on my flesh and puts pressure on the bite wound, holding it until the bleeding stops. He brings me a towel after that, and I lazily clean myself up and then fall back into his arms, naked and floating on a sex-induced haze of bliss.

  I sit at the counter, drumming my fingers on the cold quartz top. Lucas is in the office, talking to Eliza on the phone. I know she’s annoyed that he’s here again, and won’t be happy once she finds out there’s even more witch-drama to deal with.

  It’s a little after ten AM and I just woke up. I haven’t slept that long in forever, and my body desperately needed it. When the coffee is done brewing, I get up and pour myself a cup. I don’t actually need the caffeine to wake up today, but it’s such a habit I have to have it. Plus, I’m pretty sure I have a bad caffeine addiction and will get a headache if I don’t have some.

  I take my coffee into the dining room and look over the plans for Lucas’s and my house. Construction is starting today, and I plan to go over and have a look at how things are going later. Though, I’ll feel a little bad for leaving Lucas here. He’s stuck in the house during the daylight, and while he doesn’t admit it, he has to be bored.

  The whole opposite schedules thing sucks, and even when we officially live together, it’ll still be that way. The only solution would be for me to start staying up at night and sleeping during the day, which has been my schedule lately anyway.

  But I have to work. Well, kind of. Lucas has told me more than once he’d be more than happy to provide for me financially, and I’m well aware of how much money he’s acquired over his sixteen hundred years as a vampire.

  Once the house is actually safe to be inside, we can start planning what I call the fun stuff, and I’m very much looking forward to designing my dream kitchen with enough cabinet space to house all my cooking an
d magical herbs. In alphabetical order, of course. I take the blueprints and a notebook into the living room, sitting at the couch and sketching out my ideas for how to arrange the layout of the kitchen.

  “Do you think double ovens are overkill?” I ask Lucas when he takes a seat next to me. “I kinda want something like you have in your Chicago house, but that’s just so much, ya know?”

  “You’re the only one the kitchen actually matters to. Have it how you want it, no expense spared.”

  “Do you know how dangerous that is to say? Kitchen renovations can easily exceed six figures.”

  “I’m expecting to invest a couple million into our house at least. Go crazy.”

  I smile. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  He laughs and puts his arm around me. We’re sitting in the living room with sunlight streaming through the open window, talking about our future house together. It’s so normal it feels weird.

  “What about the other rooms?” I ask. “Is there anything you want to give input on?”

  “The master bathroom.”

  “You don’t use the bathroom,” I say slowly, still having a hard time being able to grasp that concept. He drinks blood and then it just, what, absorbs into his body? It makes my head hurt if I think about it too much.

  “The shower, specifically. I like large showers and a whirlpool tub.”

  “I think I can get on board with that. Ohh! What about one of those super fancy clawfoot whirlpool tubs?”

  “As long as it’s big enough for us to have sex in, I’m fine with anything.”

  “You’re easy to please.”

  He nods. “I really am. Especially when it comes to you.”

  “Lucky for me.” I smile and set the blueprints down. “Are you bored?” I ask, unable to help myself.

  “Not particularly. Why, are you?”

  I shrug. “When I’m busy, all I want is a day to do nothing. But then I get a day to do nothing and I feel like I should be doing something productive, and it feels even weirder when I know I should be acting like normal which makes me question what normal really is to me.”

  Lucas laughs. “You and normal don’t really pair well together, which is something I love about you, you know.”

  “I do.”

  “If this were a normal day off, what would you be doing?”

  My eyes go to the front yard. “I’d lay out in the sun and try to get a little color to my skin.”

  “Then go lay out in the sun.”

  “But you—”

  “Can’t? Shocking, right?”

  I frown. “I feel bad.”

  “Are you going to wear a bikini? Or better yet tan topless?”

  “I’ve always had a fear of getting a sunburn on my nipples. So, no to topless.”

  Lucas chuckles. “Go lay out and tan and I’ll play the part of a stalker who watches you from behind curtained windows. I have access to my work files and have plenty to do, as well as research a new investment.”

  “Okay.”

  He kisses me before I get up and go upstairs, changing into a black two-piece swimsuit. Kristy and I haven’t yet gone to Lake Michigan this summer. The water is still freezing, so we’ll be strictly beach-bound, only walking knee-deep into the lake when we’re dying from the heat.

  Nicole and Naomi’s family owns a large piece of land along the shore, and they’ve thrown some amazing beach parties before. I should call them later and—shit, right. I can’t call them. I’m suspended from the coven and they are still active members. I swallow the lump in my throat and grab an old comforter, taking it outside to the yard to lie on.

  Fifteen minutes into my tanning session, Kristy calls.

  “Hey. Are you okay?” I answer.

  “I am. I assume you are, but I never really know.”

  “Yeah. I’m fine. I’m outside tanning.”

  “Oh, sounds nice. It’s hot out, though. Be careful.”

  “I will, Mom,” I reply with a smile. “How’s work? I can still come in.”

  “That’s actually why I’m calling. I used magic to find the perfect seasonal employee to work the rest of the summer. I won’t do anything without your approval, but it might be a good idea to let them cover for you until things settle down.”

  My stomach sinks as the gravity of the situation hits me all over again. “That’s a good idea, actually. For the sake of making payroll easy, just keep them in the system as me.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, Cal, but I’ll handle it. Are you okay not working for a while, though?”

  “Yeah. Lucas has offered before to be my undead sugar daddy. I never agreed out of principle, but it’s starting to look like a legitimate option given the fact I’ve had a hard time living a normal life lately.”

  “He’s got a lot of money, doesn’t he?”

  “Probably more than even I’m aware of. It still feels like it goes against some sort of moral feminist code to just take money from him.”

  Kristy laughs. “It’d be one thing if you were stringing him along just for the money, and another if you were a good-for-nothing trophy wife or something like that. But you’ve kind of been busy saving the coven and then, oh, the whole town.”

  “True. And you know I can get snappy when I’m running on little sleep.”

  “You said it, not me,” she laughs again. “So, you’re fine with getting Danielle on the schedule?”

  “Yes, but seriously don’t hesitate if you guys need anything. I can lay low and avoid you while still working, you know.”

  “I do. And this will be over soon. I’m sure of it.”

  The lump in my throat is back again. I really want to believe her, but I have this sinking feeling it’s only the beginning.

  Chapter 9

  I look at Lucas’s car that’s parked right in front of the porch. “If this doesn’t work, you can move fast enough to come back inside before you explode, right?”

  “I’d burn for a good few seconds before I’d explode.”

  I hike one eyebrow and look up at Lucas. He’s standing next to me, and towers over my frame. I’m taller than the average woman, and Lucas is much taller than the average man. Even as a human with no special powers or enhanced strength, he was intimidating.

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  “Yes, I can move fast enough.”

  “Good,” I say as I let out a breath. “Because you dying would really fucking suck, you know.”

  “I’d hope.”

  After getting everything sorted out with work, I laid out in the sun until my skin got too hot to stand it anymore, and then went inside to tell Lucas we should go to Chicago and finally have that hot date.

  I showered, packed my bags, and cast the same spell on the car windows that I used in the house. My stuff is in the trunk, and my familiars are in the backseat of Lucas’s car, waiting to come to Chicago with us.

  “I’ll go out first,” I tell Lucas, though he knows the plan. I’ve only gone over it a million times. Quickly slipping out the door, I run out to the car and get into the driver’s side. Double-checking that the doors are unlocked, I look through the tinted glass and suck in my breath, holding it until Lucas zooms out of the house and into the car. His skin is smoldering from that short time in the sun, but once the door closes, he starts to heal.

  “You’re not going to burst into flames?” I ask.

  He shakes his head and looks around his car in wonder, with a similar expression on his face to a kid walking into the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Seeing things for the first time in the daylight seems to have that effect on him.

  “Does it look that much different than it does at night?” I ask and shift the gear into drive.

  “No, but it feels that much different. It’s warm.” He puts his hand on the dash. “And smells like sunshine.”

  Looking back at my familiars—and the thick blanket I stashed just in case—I let my foot fall against the pedal and drive out of town.


  “Thank you,” I tell the grocery delivery guy and hand him a hefty tip. Lucas and I have been at his Chicago mansion for about an hour now, and the first thing I did was order food. There was still stuff here from the last time I ordered, but since I plan on spending the week in the city, I figured I might as well get a head start on stuffing my face with junk food.

  “Have a nice day,” the young man says, pocketing the money and curiously looking inside the house. This place is huge, super fancy, and is worth the most out of all the houses on this ostentatious street in Lincoln Park. It’s the last place you’d expect a super old and powerful vampire to live, and the stark and modern decor only furthers that notion.

  I telekinetically close the front door and drag all the grocery bags into the kitchen. My phone rings as I’m unloading the last bit of food. It’s my sister.

  “Hey, Abby,” I say, putting the phone on speaker and setting it on the large island counter.

  “Callie. It’s good hearing your voice.”

  “You say that like you haven’t heard from me in forever.”

  “Well, I never know if you’ll actually answer.”

  “Oh, right. I’m, uh…I’m sorry. Things can be kind of crazy and it’s been—”

  “It’s okay,” she says quickly. “I was wondering what you’re doing tonight.”

  “Tonight? Nothing, actually. Why?”

  “Do you and Lucas want to come over for dinner?”

  I blink, letting her words sink in. “Yeah. We’d love to.” A smile takes over my face.

  “Are you at your place or in Chicago?” she asks.

  “We’re in Chicago. Just got here, actually.”

  “Lucas can travel during the day?”