“It’s a lot,” Evander supplies, taking a drink of wine.
I meet Tabatha’s eye. “Did you know?”
“I knew you weren’t related to the Martins,” Tabatha admits, and the confession lifts an invisible weight off her shoulders. “As did the man you thought was your father. Once he realized you were not his true daughter, he sold you like a pig to slaughter. But as to knowing that you weren’t a full witch…” She reaches over and puts her hand on mine.
“I had my suspicions. I destroyed your file the day I took you from that awful laboratory, but not before I saw inside. Your blood showed qualities that weren’t human. Witches have human blood and the only way anomalies could show up like that was if you were half witch and half something else. Witches and shifters have half-magical babies with diminished powers and pathetic shifting abilities, but as soon as you got to the Academy, I knew there was nothing half about your magic. And it didn’t matter,” she presses. “You were my student and my daughter. It didn’t matter to me what you were, as it doesn’t today either. It’s who you are, and you are an incredible young woman.”
And now I’m back to blinking away tears. Silence falls over everyone and I want things to go back to normal. A weird feeling sinks to the bottom of my stomach, and I don’t want to admit it to myself just yet, but I know: things will never be normal again.
Abby finishes her wine, still visibly shaken. “You’re really okay?”
“I am. Even my bite marks from a few days ago are gone.”
“I didn’t see any on you.” Her eyes go to my neck.
“I prefer the inside of her thigh more than her neck,” Lucas says, not looking up from his phone as he orders my food. “Right above her—”
“Lucas,” I scold and he just shrugs.
“That is a good place to bite,” Eliza agrees with a smile. “Very tender and always close to fun.”
“I’m still so confused.” Abby’s voice is high and strained. “How can he be your father? Does that mean Mom had an affair?”
“No. I have a different mother too. She was a witch.” I put my hand on hers, eyes filling with tears again. “But you’re still my sister.”
A tear falls from her face and she nods. “Then Penny has no chance of having magical powers.”
“It’s probably a safe bet to assume no, even though you do see it every now and then.”
“Half-witch, half-angel,” Evander muses, studying me. “I didn’t know Nephilim existed. I’ve heard the lore but thought it was just that. Lore. Even still…an angel and a witch. In all the books I’ve never once come across that.”
“Michael said most humans aren’t able to carry a…a…Nephilim to term and they end up dying, both baby and mother. Because my mother was a witch, she was able to handle being pregnant with me but didn’t survive the birth.”
Silence falls over us again as we all let this sink in.
“How did you end up with the Martins?” Kristy asks a moment later.
“Michael told me it was my mother’s idea to hide me in plain sight if she were to die. Nephilim are the result of a forbidden relationship and demons would do anything to get their hands on a half-angel baby so they can taint them with evil and use their powers for their own good. By putting me with a nonmagical family, no one suspected anything, not even when I started showing signs of witch powers. And it worked. I didn’t suspect anything under Varra—that demon figured out the Nephilim that had been born twenty-five years ago was still alive.”
Everyone is staring at me and it makes me feel weird. “Do you think I’m a freak now?”
“I’ve always thought you were a freak, sister.” Evander doesn’t miss a beat. Abby gets up abruptly and leaves the room. Hearing Evander call me “sister” and knowing that Tabatha was more like a mother to me than our mother ever was upsets her. And now I’m telling her we’re not really related…
“I should go after her.” I hurry out of the kitchen. Abby is in the living room, sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. “Abby?”
She looks up, wiping away tears.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. It’s a lot to take in and I went from thinking my sister was going to die to learning that you’re not really my sister at all.”
“Not by blood.”
“Who was your mother?”
“A witch named Callista. I’m named after her.”
“How did Mom know to name you that?”
“She didn’t. Michael somehow suggested it or something.”
“How do you do this? How do you find out this information and keep it together?” Abby lets out a breath. “It’s so overwhelming and it’s not even me.”
“I’ve developed some really unhealthy coping mechanisms over the years, and if repressing upsetting emotions and memories was a contest, I’d win first place.”
Abby turns, bottom lip quivering. “Being related was the only thing we had.”
“No, no it wasn’t. We’re sisters.”
“But we’re not.”
“We’re not related by blood. But I grew up with you, and spending time with you again has been really, really nice. You are my sister and I love you.”
Abby sniffles. “I guess it’s not any different than if you were adopted. You’d still be my sister then.”
“Exactly. Besides, you know way too much about me to just part ways now. It’s a stay-with-me-as-my-sister or I’ll have to kill you kind of deal.”
She laughs and uses her sleeve to mop up more tears. “How did you end up with us? Mom was pregnant with you, I remember. I was in the room when you were born.”
“Mom really was pregnant with a baby girl. You were in the room when she was born, but Michael must have altered your memories because that baby…she was born sleeping. Your biological sister died the same exact time I was born. I don’t really get the significance of it, but Michael made it seem like if the timing didn’t match, the cover wouldn’t work. So he…he switched us and Mom got a living baby.”
“I need more wine.” Abby stands only to whirl around and face me. “I know this might sound really shitty since you were sold like cattle, but I’m glad you’re my sister.”
“I’m glad you’re mine too.” I pull her into a hug. “Given my line of work, having a sister who’s also an ER doctor really comes in handy.” Abby laughs and wraps her arms around me. “Come on, let’s finish that second bottle.”
“Everything okay?” Lucas asks when we go back into the kitchen. He stands and takes me in his arms.
“Yes, we’re good.” I take solace in the way his body feels against mine, resting my head on his chest and closing my eyes. I stay like that for a brief moment and then turn to face everyone else again. “I’m still me, you know that, right? Nothing has changed and I don’t want you to treat me differently. Even Michael said I should go back to how things were before but be prepared for more demons to attack.”
“That is normal for you,” Evander says seriously and we laugh. Some of the tension leaves the room.
“And thank you for coming here to help save me.”
“I figured I owed you after you exorcised a demon from me,” Evader jokes. “Now we’re even.”
Kristy smiles. “And I only hired seasonal help. You need to come back to work eventually.”
“We all love you,” Tabatha says, eyes misty.
“I tolerate you,” Eliza deadpans. “Though I have to admit you’re growing on me.”
After almost dying by the hands of demonic rats to almost dying from a demonic virus, this little moment with my friends is needed. My body has been healed, but my mind is a mashed-up, bloody mess.
Things aren’t the same, as much as I want to believe they are.
Chapter 35
“I can say it now.” Lucas licks blood off my thigh and looks up. His head is between my legs, and my blood is smeared across his lips.
“Say what?” I ask, voice all breathy. We just got done having sex, and it was as
primal and passionate as ever. It’s funny how almost dying brings you together.
“That I’ve been touched by an angel.” Lucas moves up and takes me in his arms.
“Seriously?” I say with a snort of laughter.
“Oh, yeah. I’ve been touched by one and I’ve touched one myself. Many times.”
“I’m only half angel.”
“I’m still saying it.” He licks the rest of my blood off his lips and nuzzles his head against my breasts. “I love you, Callie.”
“I love you, too.”
“I thought I lost you—again.” He rolls us over so I’m lying on top of him. We resituate so we’re both comfortable. “I don’t want to go a single day of my afterlife without you.”
“You will…someday.”
“Will I, though?” He combs his fingers through my hair. “You’re half an immortal being. Angels don’t age. I don’t even know if they can die.”
“I have so many questions for Michael.”
Lucas pulls the sheets over us and kisses the top of my head. “Do you think you’ll see him again?”
“With how close I come to dying on a weekly basis, probably. Though…Lucas…there is something I didn’t tell you all. Something Michael warned me about.” I swallow hard, and the good feelings start to fade. I haven’t allowed myself time to really think about this because it scares me.
“What is it?”
“There was another reason I was hidden with the Martins.” I take in a steadying breath. “He had to switch me with a baby who’d died at the same time I was born to be able to convince the other angels that I was the one who’d perished during birth. Nephilim aren’t allowed to be. If the other angels find out about me, they’ll kill me.”
“And now demons are finding out about you. It’s only a matter of time before the angels do too.”
“Right. He said he’d try to keep them off my trail, but…I…I don’t know how to fight angels.”
“Stay calm, my love.” Lucas softly strokes his fingers over the curve of my hip. “You’ve lived twenty-five years on this earth and haven’t been tainted with evil. You won’t be now. Doesn’t that eliminate your threat?”
“I suppose so.” I splay my fingers over Lucas’s muscular chest. “I wish I knew how to talk to him.”
“Go play in traffic. Maybe he’ll show up.”
“Hilarious,” I retort dryly and an unsettled feeling washes over me. “I almost wish I didn’t know.”
“And before, all you wanted was to know the truth.”
“It changes everything I thought I knew. Not only am I not really a Martin, but I’m not fully human. Angels aren’t the pretty, ethereal beings you can pray to and have them grant miracles. They’re fierce warriors who kill each other’s babies.” I feel like I’ve been tipped upside down and I’m dangling from the ceiling.
“You were right when you said you’re still you. Nothing has changed that. You’re still Callie. Badass witch and incredible lover. You have the same kind heart, you still show mercy for those who don’t deserve it, and you’re still the woman I love.”
His words turn me back around, and things start to feel better.
“You have an indiscernible amount of power inside of you, power that could have been swayed to the light or the dark. You’ve never once come close to choosing the dark side, even when you were treated terribly.”
My eyes are all misty again and I push up, putting my lips to Lucas’s. I taste my own blood on his mouth, and he flips me over, pinning me against the mattress. My heart swells in my chest, and I just want to feel. Bucking my hips, I rub myself against him and his cock hardens. We kiss as he pushes into me, fucking me hard and fast as our love for each other physically manifests between us.
We come at the same time, and then fall back onto the mattress, tangled in each other’s arms. It’s mid-morning, and Lucas hasn’t slept in over a day. I should be tired, but when Michael healed me, it reset everything and I feel full of energy. I stroke Lucas’s hair until he’s asleep, and then I slip away to use the bathroom and get something to eat.
I take my food onto the rooftop patio, enjoying the warm sun along with Binx as we share the leftover breakfast food Lucas had delivered earlier this morning. Binx doesn’t see me any differently. He wouldn’t if he found out I was half demon either. We’ve bonded and no matter what I do, Binx will be on my side.
We hang out in the sun for an hour and then I’m too hot to stay out any longer. Lucas is up and in his office when we go back inside.
“That’s all the sleep you need?” I ask, finding him incredibly sexy. He’s shirtless, wearing those damn gray sweatpants that drive me crazy, and sitting behind his desk.
“Your blood…it tastes the same but feels different. It’s more filling than before.”
“Michael said he was slowly unlocking my angel grace, whatever that means.” I shrug. “I think that’s why my powers have been a bit wonky lately. They’re stronger than before because I’m tapping into a different part of me.”
“I’ll tap into a different part of—”
“No butt stuff.”
“You’ll enjoy it with me.”
“Nope.” I cross my arms and laugh. “Like I said, I wouldn’t be able to sit for a week with you.”
Lucas closes his laptop and gets up, speeding over and taking me in his arms. “Do you want to go out on a date tonight? We keep talking about it but it hasn’t happened.”
“Yeah, I do…but can we go back to Thorne Hill? I want something low-key.”
“If that is what you want, then yes.”
“It is.”
He puts his lips to mine. “Good, because I have business there.”
“In Thorne Hill?” I raise my eyebrows.
He nods. “Some real estate has come up for sale that would be a good investment opportunity for us.”
“I’ll leave that to you. And I want to see our house.”
“There’s a good chance it’s safe enough to fuck you in it now.” He pulls my hips to his, and even though his cock isn’t hard, feeling it against me makes warmth spread through me. We just marathoned sex this morning yet he’s turning me on again. “And if not, the porch is always a good option.”
“Is it now?” I stand on my toes and kiss him. His phone rings, and he goes to answer it, getting back to business. I go into the theatre room and make popcorn, trying to keep my mind busy.
Normally, after I defeat a big-bad demon, a sense of peace comes over me knowing I have a few days at least until something else tries to kill me. But now…now I can’t stop thinking about what I am.
Half witch.
Half angel.
I just want to feel like me again.
It feels good to be home.
Freya and Pandora bombard me as soon as I’m through the door. Relenting, I sink down onto the floor and let them rub against my face, purring loudly.
“I missed you guys too,” I tell them. It’s about an hour after sunset, and the moment we drove into Thorne Hill, I felt like I was home. Lucas carries my bags in and puts them upstairs for me. We get settled inside, and I look through my pantry for something to eat.
“Let’s go out,” Lucas suggests. “We can stop by our house on the way.”
“Okay. I’ll change really fast,” I tell him. Freya and Pandora follow me up the stairs, rubbing all over me again. “I promise I’ll take you with next time.” I give Pandora a look. “I know, you’re right. I could have used your help.”
I change into a sleeveless black dress. Using magic, I curl my hair, and I quickly put on the minimal amount of makeup I need to look put together.
“You are beautiful, my love,” Lucas tells me when I come back down the stairs. He’s wearing dark jeans and a gray t-shirt. Always effortless in appearance, it’s unfair how good Lucas looks without trying.
We get into my Jeep, and turn down the road, driving only a few miles until we get to our house. There’s a distinct path in the grass now tha
t’s been used as a driveway. Two large dumpsters sit in the yard, and part of the roof is covered with big blue tarps right now. Most of the windows have been removed and are temporarily covered as well, and it looks like the trash and ruined furniture that was left behind has been cleared out and moved into the dumpster.
“Oh wow,” I say when we get out. “I didn’t know what to expect, but they’ve gotten a lot done already.”
“Wait until we go inside.” Lucas takes my hand and leads me up the stairs. The front doors are locked, but all it takes is a quick wave of my hand over it to unlock them. I conjure an energy ball so I can see, and this one is bigger and brighter than usual.
“Tapping into your angel side, I see.” Lucas looks at the magic with awe on his face, not caring that if he gets too close it will burn him.
“I need to be careful I don’t blow shit up.”
“Right. Not in the house at least.”
I laugh and gently toss the energy ball up, lighting the foyer, and look around. The door and any remaining fixtures have been removed so they can be restored and put back if possible. We pick our way through the house to see what else has been done.
The awful kitchen is in the process of being gutted, and the linoleum has been removed, revealing severe water damage to the floorboards beneath it. It smells like mold and rat droppings, but at least these rats aren’t demonic.
Nothing has been done upstairs, so we go back onto the front porch. Lucas closes the doors and I magically lock them.
“It’s coming along nicely,” I say and rest my hands on the porch railing, looking out at the woods that surrounds the house. There’s something about the woods at night that’s always drawn me to it, and I remember Michael’s words about feeling the call of night from my mother’s side.
Knowing I’m half angel is a big pill to swallow, but knowing my mother was a witch…it changes everything even more.
Call of Night Page 26
