Queen of Night

by Emily Goodwin

  “Please tell me you altered her memory about the enchantments.”

  “Relax. Lucas did it himself.”

  “Good.”

  Eliza comes around the table and looks at the box. “That’s pretty.” She picks up the tea pot and turns it over, looking at the brand. “Good find.”

  “Oh, right. I forgot you collect antiques.” I sit at the table, unwrapping the teacups. “Mrs. Bishop closes her shop right at sunset, but I can go in and look for whatever it is you were collecting. Plates or something?”

  “I’ve moved onto hairpins. I just found a great one on eBay. Reminds me of the summer we spent in New York City in the twenties.”

  “The nineteen twenties?” I ask, since Eliza and Lucas have lived through a few sets of “twenties”.

  “Yes.” Eliza smiles, long lashes fluttering. She’s drop-dead gorgeous and knows it, and if being dead suits anyone, Eliza was born to become undead. “I do miss the style sometimes.”

  “Oh, we should have a twenties-themed party when the new house is done.”

  Eliza gives me a look, wanting to disagree and insult my idea somehow but can’t. “That would be fun. As long as you leave most of the planning up to me.”

  “Sure. As long as we can have a Clue-style murder mystery game in there, you can plan the whole thing.”

  She presses her full lips together and sets the teapot down. “I suppose I could pull that off.”

  “I’ve always wanted to host one of those.” I turn the sink on, letting the water warm up before washing the tea set. “And now I have a house big enough to.”

  “And period appropriate,” she adds. “Kind of. You are modernizing the kitchen and bathrooms.”

  “We are, but we’re keeping things as traditional as possible. Nothing will be overly contemporary.”

  “Good. Lucas told me you were summoned to your coven?”

  “Former coven,” I add ruefully, and look at the clock on the oven. I have to leave soon to make it to the door on time. I grab a rag from under the sink and start washing the cups. “What is Lucas doing?”

  “Some sort of business deal. It has something to do with your new house. Landscaping, perhaps.”

  “Oh, awesome. I didn’t even think of that.”

  “Someone called right when I got here to tell him that a bunch of trees in the front yard are rotting from the inside out and need to be cut down so they don’t fall on your house the next time it storms.”

  “Did they happen to say why the trees are rotting from the inside?”

  “Bug maybe? It didn’t seem supernatural,” she adds, knowing exactly what I’m thinking.

  “Good.” I set the clean cups on a towel spread out on the counter. Eliza watches me for a few seconds and then comes over, taking the dish towel that’s hanging on the oven, and starts drying the cups.

  “Why are you really here? It wasn’t to bring my car.” I rinse the sugar bowl and put it on the towel.

  Eliza takes her time drying it, running the towel over it three times before flicking her eyes to me. “I might be a little worried about you…and Lucas. Shit hit the fan, and you’re here smiling like everything is normal. And that is not normal.” Her eyes go to my stomach. “You had the most unexpected pregnancy of the century, have a group of cock-sucking vampires after both you and your husband, and your Lord of Darkness uncle broke out of prison. Add your current summons and I’m just waiting for you to crack.”

  “So you can pick up the pieces?”

  She lets out a snort. “That’s Lucas’s job. He married your crazy ass.”

  “True, and he’s done a great job so far.” I fill the teapot with soapy water and tip it over, letting it come out through the spout. “And I’m pretty good at keeping myself together. I might be just hanging by threads, but I haven’t crumbled just yet.”

  “I know, and it’s rather impressive.” She folds the towel and puts it on the counter. “I’ve seen people fall apart over a lot less. And I know…I know it can be hard holding it all together.”

  “Trust me, sometimes I don’t feel like I am. I have plenty of days when I don’t think I can do this anymore. That this is the end, that I’ve run out of luck.” I rinse the teapot and put it upside down on the towel. Rising the suds off my hands, I let out a deep breath and turn around, looking into Eliza’s pretty blue eyes for a second. “My life is kind of a mess, if you haven’t noticed.”

  “A blind man would notice.”

  “If he hung around me enough, for sure.”

  “How do you do it?” Eliza asks softly. “How do you keep going when the world is holding you back?”

  My head slowly moves back and forth. “I don’t know. I just do. There are people in my life, amazing people, who are worth fighting for.” I look through the kitchen in the direction of the office, lips pulling up into a smile on their own accord at the thought of Lucas. Casting my gaze down to my stomach, my smiles widens. “Now more than ever.”

  We finish washing and drying the tea set, and then I try to find a place for it. My kitchen is small, and I don’t have any cupboard room left. Thinking it’ll look pretty displayed in my china cabinet in the dining room, I go in there to rearrange a few things before I get it set up.

  I don’t use the dining room often. As much as I love having my friends over, we usually end up taking our plates into the living room, crowding around the coffee table as we talk, eat, and laugh. This room has become a bit of a catch-all, and I use the china cabinet to store extra magical supplies instead of fancy dishes.

  “I think it’ll look good here,” I say, grabbing the mismatched set of extra wine glasses from the counter part of the cabinet. I crouch down, opening one of the cabinet doors. I’ve also been meaning to go through all my magical supplies, taking out the almost-empty jars so I know what I need to replenish. Might as well knock that out now, since I need to make room for the wine glasses.

  I take a few jars out, thinking they’d be better stored upstairs in my closet, though now that Lucas’s clothes are in it, there’s hardly any room at all. We really need to move. This house hardly fits the two of us. There’s no way it will fit the two of us plus a baby.

  Eliza brings the rest of the tea set in while I take everything out of the cabinets, a project I’m sure I’ll regret the second I stand up and look at the mess I have to deal with. Some of the herbs have been in here for well over a year, and while they haven’t gone bad, they’ve lost their magical potency and need to be recharged.

  It takes a few minutes to get things rearranged, and I get the last wine glass in right as Eliza picks up a Mason jar from the floor. I notice at the very last second.

  “No! Don’t open that!” I telekinetically swat the jar out of Eliza’s hands. It clanks to the floor and rolls over to where I’m sitting.

  “What the fuck?” She looks at me, arching her perfectly filled-in eyebrows.

  “Those are demon ashes. If you open it, it will resurrect.” I pick up the jar and look at the ashes before tightening the lid.

  “Do I even want to ask why you have a jar full of demon ashes?”

  I shrug. “You never know when it might come in handy.”

  “You’re lucky the jar didn’t break.”

  “The glass is magically reinforced, don’t worry. I should probably label this. I almost mistook it for cinnamon once. Which would have made my French toast a lot more interesting than it was that morning. But I would have been pissed to deal with a demon before I even finished my coffee. At least wait until a witch is fully caffeinated, okay?” I tap the jar. “Okay. Glad we have an understanding.”

  Eliza slowly shakes her head. “I said it the first time I saw you and I’m saying it again: there is something seriously wrong with you.”

  “I don’t disagree,” I tell her.

  “I do.” Lucas’s deep voice rumbles right through me, and I look up, heart skipping a beat. “Callie is perfect.”

  Eliza makes an exaggerated gagging noise and rolls her
eyes. “Well, your perfect little wife has demon ashes in the dining room. You might want to talk about properly baby-proofing this place, because if little Callie Junior gets bored and resurrects a demon, you’ll have a lot of explaining to do to the babysitter.”

  “We won’t have a babysitter,” Lucas replies without even thinking.

  “Excuse me?” My eyebrows go up. “What if I want to go out?”

  “I assumed we’d have Kristy or Evander watch the kid.” Lucas looks at Eliza. “Or you. I only trust two people in this world, and you are both in this room. I’m willing to possibly let your friends watch our child solely because you trust them,” he tells me.

  “I almost feel sorry for you,” Eliza huffs. “But you were the one who spread your legs.”

  “We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” I say, head spinning. “All I want is to make it through the rest of the day without throwing up, okay?”

  “Of course, my love.” Lucas strides forward and pulls me to my feet. He tangles me in an embrace, eyes looking into mine. Our love is so strong it’s tangible, and right now desperation to show him just how much I love him is more than I can handle.

  I’d blame it on hormones, but I’m always desperate to feel him next to me. On me. In me.

  “I got a new tea set,” I say, voice coming out a little breathy. “Along with a Book of Shadows, it’s a traditional thing to pass through a magical family line. And now…now…”

  “Now we have our own family line,” Lucas finishes, bending his head down so his forehead rests against mine. “You have to leave soon, don’t you?” Lucas sweeps his hands down to cup my butt. Desire washes over me, fueled by hormones.

  “I have a few minutes.” I wiggle my eyebrows.

  “You know I hate rushing things with you.” Lucas gathers my hair in his hand and moves it over my shoulder. He puts his mouth to my neck, drawing his fangs so they scrape against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. “I very much enjoy taking my time and hearing you beg.”

  “Gross,” Eliza loudly huffs and walks out of the room.

  “You’re taking all three familiars,” Lucas says, but I hear the question in his voice.

  “Yes. I know I said I’d take Scarlet, but on second thought, I think it would be better to leave her here. If me being a Nephilim comes into question, having a hellhound with me probably wouldn’t look too good.”

  “I agree with you there, though I’d rather you have her with you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I press. “I’ve walked through the woods many times to get to the Covenstead door, I’ve not been attacked more times than I have. And it’s daylight, and we know how demons prefer to lurk in the cover of darkness.”

  Lucas presses his lips together and pulls me closer. “I know you’re capable. It doesn’t mean I have to like you going out alone. I can protect you better than anyone else.”

  “You can.” I run my hands down his firm chest and hook my fingers inside the waist of his pants. “I feel safe with you.” Closing my eyes, I let my head rest against him, soaking in the brief moment we can just stand here and be still.

  “Want me to text you when I get to the door?”

  “I’d like that,” he admits, and I can see the tension in his face. He knows I’m capable of defending myself. He’s stronger and faster than me, but when it comes to a magical fight, I have the upper hand.

  So it’s not just the fact that I’m carrying his miracle child inside me and I’m going off in the woods alone, but the fact that as a witch, I can walk in the light and the dark. I’ve bridged part of the gap by making it possible for him to walk freely through the house, to feel the warmth of the sun while it’s magically filtered through enchanted glass.

  But to actually go outside?

  It bothered us both before, more than either of us wanted to admit. And I know it’s bothering him now, because our child will be able to go out in the sun too. I’ll be able to take her on playdates, to school, or go out to lunch with friends.

  It hits me all at once, just how much Lucas will miss out on. How I get the best of both worlds while he’s stuck in the dark…and how he’ll remain in the dark once both his child and his wife have aged and died before his very eyes.

  Chapter 5

  I flip the hood of my cloak up and pull it tightly around my shoulders. It’s a good ten degrees colder in the thick of the woods, and I’m wishing I’d put on my winter coat. The wind has picked up, and gray clouds stretch across the sky, blocking out the sun. It’s a sight I better get used to, since most of the winter and spring in the Midwest are full of chilly, cloudy days just like this one.

  “If the Ley line wasn’t here,” I mutter, watching Pandora gracefully leap over a fallen tree. “We’d be living on a warm beach.”

  Binx turns around, looking at me the same way a human might if they were rolling their eyes. Every year around Valentine’s Day, both Kristy and I decide we’ve had enough and make grand plans to move to Mexico or Hawaii and become perma-vacationers. And then the weather starts to slowly warm up and we’re content living in Thorne Hill once again.

  Though demon hunting on a sunny day with warm, seventy-five-degree days sounds better than trekking through two feet of snow along Lake Michigan’s shoreline, this is my home, and I’ll never abandon Thorne Hill.

  I’m getting close to the door, and the forest is still quiet. I’m a few minutes early, and no one is hurrying last-minute to make it to the summons in time. My stomach tightens, and my nerves are making me feel sick all over again.

  I sent both Kristy and Evander a text before I left, begging them for information. Neither answered, leaving me to believe they are both still inside the Covenstead walls, hopefully snuggled up naked together. Evander will be the first to tell you he’s “not into commitment” and Kristy has had her string of ex-boyfriends in the past and keeps going back to Daniel, her most recentl ex. He’s nice and all, went to the Academy with us, but is too bland for Kristy. In my opinion, at least. I have very high standards when it comes to my best friend, and I don’t think I’ll approve of anyone besides Evander.

  Leaves crunch under my feet, and I slow as the scent of fire and oil waft through the forest. It brings up a memory, and my body reacts to it before I have a chance to repress. The last time I was summoned to the Covenstead was to officially renounce my ties with the coven. I signed my name in the book, and my blood wouldn’t absorb.

  Tabatha was able to divert the attention for the time being, and now that Ruby is on our side, surely things are swayed more in my favor. Maybe? Fuck, I hope so. I bring my hands to my mouth and breathe on my cold fingers. I should have put gloves on. I pull my phone from my pocket and quickly type here and send it to Lucas so he knows I arrived to the door in one piece.

  My familiars slow to a stop, waiting for me to step through a clearing. Someone is standing by the door, holding a torch. The hood of her cloak hangs over her forehead, making it hard to see just who it is. The flame flickers in the wind, blowing the scent of oil my way. I see the witch before she sees me, and I hesitate for just a second, finally recognizing her as Erin, a witch on our coven’s council.

  “Hey,” I say, not wanting to startle her.

  “Callie,” she replies in greeting. “Come on in.” She turns, puts out the flame, and opens the door to the coven. Binx patters ahead, slinking between my feet.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

  “I’m not too sure,” Erin replies, putting the finger she pricked with her knife in her mouth. Witch blood is used to open the door, as a way of keeping anyone not allowed to enter out. I learned long ago that slicing or even pricking my fingertips was a pain. Literally. Do you realize how much you use your fingers? And I don’t just mean that in a dirty way.

  I’d much rather make a neat little slice on the top of my forearm than deal with sore and tender fingertips. Bending over, I pick up Pandora and follow Erin through the door, entering into a courtyard that takes us into a la
rge hallway of the Covenstead. The gathering hall is just ahead, with the Academy to the left and offices and housing to the right.

  It’s been several days since Ruth attacked, and everything is back to normal. There’s not blood smeared over the cobblestone flooring. No negative energy filling the air with tension. It’s just how it should be, and now that I’m walking the halls without the intent on finding and killing a batshit crazy necromancer, I miss it.

  Hugging Pandora a little tighter, I try not to let my mind wander too far ahead. My child will have magic. I’ll want her to attend Grim Gate Academy, getting the best magical education possible. I want her to grow up with other witches and never feel alone like I did. I blink back tears and continue to follow Erin, who passes the gathering hall.

  “Where are we going?”

  “The great hall,” she tells me, not turning around to look at me. Something is up, and I’m tempted to have one of my familiars shadow ahead and find out what it is.

  “Why?”

  “That’s where the High Priestess told me to go.”

  Tabatha set this up? Then it certainly can’t be bad. I think. I hope. Dammit. I hate not knowing what’s going to happen.

  “We never have meetings in the great hall,” I go on. The great hall is a large room with tall ceilings and an impressively large cast-iron fireplace. Along with the gathering hall, it’s one of the two rooms in the Academy that is used regularly yet has been minimally updated. “And won’t the Academy students be eating lunch in there?” The large double doors come into view, and the scent of vegetable soup wafts through the hall, taking me right back to the lunch hours I spent talking and laughing with Kristy, Nicole, and Naomi when we were students here.

  Yet, there’s no happy chatter coming from inside the hall. Everything is quiet, and Erin speeds up her pace. What the hell is going on? Erin lifts the large metal latch, pushing the door open only an inch before stopping.

  I tip my head. “Is everything—”

  “Surprise!” The door swings open and my entire coven is inside the gathering hall, seated around tables filled with food.