Queen of Night

by Emily Goodwin

  Like Bael conning another witch to do his dirty work.

  She could be literally anywhere, and without the obsession to get something from me personally, I’ll have no way to track this witch like we were able to track Ruth, and that was fucking hard enough on its own.

  “Julian,” I try again, saying his name out loud.

  “Try the cross thing,” Lucas tells me.

  “The cross thing?” I shake my head, not knowing what he’s talking about.

  He brings one hand up to his forehead, down to his chest, and then to each shoulder, making the sign of the cross. “That’s how you’re supposed to start prayers.”

  “I don’t think it works that easily,” I say but give it a try anyway. I close my eyes again and make the sign of the cross, wishing I’d hear a dial tone or something as soon as I say amen. I don’t, shocker, right?

  “Julian,” I whisper. “Bael was here. I need you.” I wait a beat and try again. “Dad? If you can hear me, I think I’m in trouble. Again.” A few seconds pass and nothing. There’s one more name to try. “Lucifer, if you can—”

  The air shifts, vibrating all around me. The hair on my arms stands up and I whirl around right as he appears.

  “Callie.” Julian strides forward, eyes wide. “We need to go.” His dagger is in one hand, shining bright in the light coming off the porch.

  “Bael was here,” I tell him.

  “I know. I came from Nebraska where a group of Satan worshipers were found dead, burned from the inside out.”

  “Was it my uncle?”

  “The others are blaming him, but your father and I know it was Bael. He’s trying to find one strong enough to break him out again.”

  “Dammit,” I mutter, heart speeding up. We narrowly avoided death the last time Bael attacked, and it took me, Ruby, and Lucas to fight off the root-monsters Bael was able to summon.

  In astral form.

  If he comes to earth, I have no idea how we’ll be able to fight him and survive. Especially now.

  The front door opens and three of the construction workers steps onto the porch, coming to a sudden halt. The grass several yards from us is still smoldering, and Julian is holding a large dagger in his hand, face sullen like he’s ready to go postal on anyone who looks at him wrong.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Lucas says, but Julian stops him.

  “There is no time.” Julian’s eyes glow blue and the humans turn around, going back inside without a word. “We need to go.” He holds out his hand for me to take. I grip it tight, and Lucas wraps his arms around me.

  The world doesn’t feel like it’s spinning this time. All I feel is slight pressure and then I’m standing in front of the large trees that make up the Covenstead door.

  “The Covenstead?” I ask, letting go of Julian’s hand.

  “Yes, Bael won’t be able to watch you in here.”

  Nodding, I take the dagger from him and carefully make a tiny cut on my forearm, needing my blood to open the door. Smearing the blood on the blade, I plunge it into the earth and stand back to say the spell needed to open the door.

  “Stay here,” I tell Lucas. “I’m not sure if you can come through or not and I’d rather not take that chance.”

  He nods and turns, keeping watch over the door in case something or someone else tries to get through. Julian steps through with me, and my heart jumps into my throat when he crosses. The door is designed to only let specific people in—and to kill any who aren’t allowed yet who try to pass through.

  Julian is an angel, so maybe he gets to bypass that rule? Who fucking knows, but he didn’t collapse into a pile of ash so we’re good. For now.

  “Callie,” someone exclaims. It’s Ruby, thank fucking goodness.

  “I need Tabatha,” I rush out.

  “She’s in a meeting. What’s wrong?” Ruby is holding an armload of books and folders full of her students’ papers. Her eyes go to Julian, lingering for a few seconds. Yeah, I know. It’s weird and amazing and freaky all at the same time to be in the presence of an angel. He’s family to me, but to everyone else, it’s like meeting a rainbow unicorn that poops out kittens and kisses.

  “Bael is back,” Julian tells her matter-of-factly. “And is after Callie once again.”

  The books almost fall from Ruby’s arms. I lunge forward, helping her catch them before they hit the ground. A few students mill about, slowing to watch our exchange. I was a bit infamous within the coven before recent events. It’s not normal to have three familiars, and I had a knack for getting into binds while I was a student at the Academy. It makes for good conversation and many teachable moments, at least.

  “Can Lucas get through the door?” I ask, looking behind me at the door. It’s still glowing blue, and it’s not safe to keep it open like this.

  “I, uh, I don’t know. We don’t consider him a threat, so probably.”

  “That’s not good enough.”

  “Uhhh,” Ruby closes her eyes, thinking. “Take this.” She shoves the armload of books into my arms and goes to the door, holding out a hand. She says a spell and the blue light darkens. “I’ve temporarily weakened the warding,” she tells me, fighting against the protection spells that have been cast. “I can’t hold it for long.”

  Julian gives her a nod and steps back through the door. I don’t breathe until he comes back, with Lucas by his side.

  “Oh thank god.” The flesh on Lucas’s cheeks is singed from passing through the door, but he’s healing before my eyes and will be fine. Ruby closes the door and clicks her tongue, calling her familiar. A gray shadow whooshes forward, taking the form of a white-and-brown Beagle.

  “Charlie,” Ruby starts. “Tell the High Priestess and Professor Greystone to meet me in my office now. It’s an emergency.”

  Charlie lets out a yip and turns, taking off and running down the hall. Ruby takes the books back from me and I immediately go to Lucas, running my hands over his arms to check for damage.

  “I’m fine,” he assures me, kissing my forehead.

  “You got burned.”

  “It tickled,” he says to calm my nerves. “I kind of liked it.”

  Smiling, I shake my head. “Let’s go.”

  “This way,” Ruby says, ignoring the curious stares from the students. They know who Lucas is, and even if they hadn’t seen him, they’re able to read his energy and know he’s a vampire. Two girls who are sitting by the fireplace in the common room get all giggly when we walk by, and a few others stiffen and move away.

  No one knows who or what Julian is. He gives off a certain energy, but I might be the only one sensitive to it since I’m part angel. He’s able to slip through crowds unnoticed, blending in with humans with ease. Well, until he tries to feed someone a scented candle, thinking it must taste good because it smells good.

  My boots click on the cobblestone floor on our haste to get to Ruby’s office. Lanterns hang on the stone walls, casting long shadows through the hall. Portraits of past professors hang on the walls, with their names engraved on little golden plaques.

  We turn down a hall, pass through another small common room and up a narrow set of spiral stairs. Ruby has a corner office, with a fireplace behind her desk and two stained-glass windows looking down at the courtyard where students can eat lunch or hang out and get fresh air between classes.

  Her office is neat but cluttered, full of books and enchanted items. The Infernal Dictionary is on her desk, and I remember Evander saying she’s been trying to narrow down what demon would devour hearts.

  “What happened?” She waves her hand, telekinetically closing the big wooden door to her office.

  “We were at the new house and he just appeared,” I say.

  “Something happened to you first,” Lucas starts. “You were in pain.”

  “Oh, right.” I nod. “I was super dizzy, and it was like someone shoved a dagger between my eyes. My ears rang, you know, like they do right before you pass out?”

  “I haven�
�t passed out as much as you have,” Ruby quips.

  “Right. I’m kind of suspired I don’t have brain damage from all the times I’ve blacked out.”

  “Well, that’s debatable,” Ruby says with a smile, easing a bit of the tension.

  “He’s trying to break out again.” I go over to the window, looking down at the courtyard. It’s dark but not that late yet, and several students are gathered around a fire. They have no idea the danger we all could be in, and I’ll be damned before they find out. “Julian said he’s looking for someone else to use like he did with Ruth.”

  Lucas looks curiously around the office. He’s asked me questions before about what it was like going to “witch school” and was more than happy when I found my senior-year uniform in the basement while we were packing things up to go move to the new house.

  Julian paces around, tossing the dagger from one hand to another. Ruby goes around to her desk and opens the Infernal Dictionary.

  “This is all I the info we have on him. The School of Shadows in New Orleans has an original Lesser Key of Solomon. I went to a conference with a professor from there last year. I’ll contact her and see if she can pull any strings to let us take a look at it.

  “What’s a Lesser Key of Solomon?” Lucas asks.

  “A more precise demon encyclopedia,” Ruby explains. “Full of summoning spells we have deemed far too dangerous to teach in classes.”

  “The spell Felix used to lift the curse was altered from a spell he took from that book,” I tell Lucas. “Maybe Felix has access to one as well. He’s helped me before, I think he’d do it again.”

  Lucas crosses his arms, his possessive and jealous vampire side coming out. Felix is an ex. We dated briefly and parted ways mutually. He was a year older than me, friends with Evander, and very good-looking. The physical attraction faded fast and the lack of a spark was felt between the both of us. Plus, he had a hard time accepting that I was a stronger witch than he was.

  “I’ll write to him too.” Ruby carefully moves the Infernal Dictionary to the side and pulls out two pieces of paper. She scribbles down messages, folds them in half, and tosses them into the fire while whispering a spell.

  I rest my hands on the cool stone of the windowsill, watching the students below talk and laugh, staying close to the fire to keep the chill of the night away. Silence falls over the room, and each second that ticks by feels like a minute.

  Finally, the door flies open and Evander rushes in, followed by Tabatha. She’s wearing a long, hunter-green dress, and her black hair is swept up in a perfect French twist. Her brown eyes are wide with fear, and she comes right over, taking me in her arms.

  “Are you all right, Callie?”

  “I’m alive,” I say, hugging Tabatha back. She’s calm and collected most times, as a High Priestess should be, but her weakness is and has always been her children. I’m not hers biologically, of course, but there is no doubt that she’s just as much my mother as anyone could be. “Bael is back.”

  “He broke out of his containment dimension?” Tabatha asks.

  “Not yet,” Julian answers. “He must have torn open another rift. I can attempt to repair it and buy us time, but if he’s torn it twice now, he’ll be able to do it again.”

  “No way,” I tell Julian. “The last time you went to repair the rift, Bael stabbed you.

  “I didn’t die,” Julian reminds me. “And I took away the one weapon Bael had that could kill me.”

  “What if he got another?” I counter. “I don’t want you going there alone.”

  “Can you bring another angel?” Evander asks slowly, trying to wrap his head around everything going on.

  “What about that Alona chick you’ve talked about?” I ask. “She seems pretty badass, and Bael is a bad dude. She’ll want him to stay locked up.”

  “Yes, she will, but I worry about getting others involved. It wouldn’t be difficult to see Bael’s object of desire is you.”

  “Will that necessarily make the other angels think I’m a Nephilim, though?” I ask, feeling like I’m grasping at straws. “Maybe Bael is obsessed with me because I’m perky and pretty and exactly his type.”

  “Perhaps,” Julian says.

  “There is no fucking way I’m letting that happen,” Lucas says. “Not if it puts Callie at risk.” He looks me in the eyes for only half a second, and half a second is all I need to know what he’s thinking. We aren’t able to fight off the archangels, and we need to accept it. As much as we hate it, as much as I’ve gone my whole life refusing to believe nothing is impossible…I can’t fight an army of angels.

  “What do we do?” Evander asks.

  “He can’t track her here,” Tabatha says, eyeing Julian. “That’s why you brought her here.”

  “This is a hidden dimension,” Julian says with a nod. “In physical form, he would attempt to break through. But for now, this will do.”

  “Then you’re staying here. Both of you,” Tabatha tells us.

  “Forever?” I hike up my eyebrows.

  “For as long as it takes. I wasn’t there to see the carnage, but if Bael strikes again in a similar fashion to the way he did last time…” She trails off, shaking her head and blinking away tears. “You’re a sitting duck at your house. I won’t allow you to put yourself at risk.” Her expression softens. “Or my grandbaby.”

  Her words immediately tug on my heart, and the world seems a little less scary when I have family and friends around.

  “Is there anything we can do to make my house safer?” I ask Julian. “Like a super-secret angel spell?”

  “There may be something I can do,” Julian says after a moment of consideration. “It will take me a while to gather what I need.”

  “What do you need?” Ruby asks. “We have an extensive supply at the Academy.” She gets out a notebook from her desk and gives it to Julian to write down the ingredients for the spell.

  “It’s going to be alright,” Tabatha tells me, lying just like a mother should to ease my nerves.

  “Yeah.” I curl my lips around my teeth and nod, not believing it at all.

  “I’ll have you two put up in the guest suite we reserve for the Grand Coven. Do you need anything, darling? Food, a change of clothes?”

  “I’m thirsty,” I say. “And maybe a little hungry.”

  “What would you like?”

  “Just whatever’s in the kitchen,” I say, not wanting to put anyone out.

  “We had cottage pie for dinner tonight,” Tabatha says. “I remember you liking that.”

  “Very much so. If there is any left, I’d love some.”

  Tabatha smiles and gives my hand a squeeze. “I’ll get you some, along with water.”

  “Thank you.”

  She leaves and Evander goes around the desk, looking at the list Julian is scribbling down.

  “Well, we definitely don’t have the second rib pulled from the body of a black goat,” he says, blinking. “Though that might be easier to find than a deep-sea metal.”

  “Nodules,” Lucas says, and Julian nods. “They’re at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.”

  “What else is on the list?” I ask, afraid it’s just too damn impossible to pull off.

  “Herbs.” Ruby skims the list. “Shredded snakeskin, which we have.”

  Julian looks at Evander. “Find the goat. I’ll get the nodule.” He disappears in a rustle of feathers, blowing papers off Ruby’s desk.

  “I’m off to do an internet search for black goats for sale then,” Evander says.

  “We’re not going to be able to surgically remove the rib and let the little goat heal and live a long, happy life, are we?” I ask, stomach clenching.

  “I don’t believe so,” Lucas says gently.

  “Dammit. Maybe we shouldn’t—”

  “No,” Lucas booms. “Your life is much more important than a fucking goat.”

  “But it’s innocent and I feel bad.”

  Lucas kisses my forehead. “And t
hat’s why we will do whatever it takes to protect you.” He rests his hand over my heart, feeling it beat. “You have a pure heart, Callie. I won’t let Bael take that away.”

  “We can eat the goat so it won’t go to waste,” Ruby tries but shakes her head at the thought. “Or we can just not think about it.”

  “I like that plan better.” I let out a heavy sigh and go over by the fire, warming my hands at the flames. “I’m sorry to get you all involved again. It’s not fair I keep interrupting your lives.”

  “Meh, all I was going to do was grade papers tonight,” Ruby says, nudging me with her elbow. “This is more exciting.”

  “Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I know it’s not fair. I’m the one in danger. I’m the one the demons want and who the angels are after. There could be a cosmic war because of me, and I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of it.”

  I look from Ruby to Evander, and think about Kristy, Nicole, and Naomi. They’d be here in a heartbeat if they knew what was going on. They’d do what they could to shield me from Bael, and wouldn’t hesitate to fight. And then there’s Abby, Penny, and Phil. Innocent humans with no way to fight back. They’re in danger just by being around me.

  My angel half doesn’t belong on this earth. And my human half isn’t good enough for heaven. Maybe…maybe Lucifer was right and I would make a good queen of Hell. Not because I’d be a good ruler, but because if I was in Hell, no one would get hurt because of me.

  Chapter 31

  “Got it.” Julian appears back in the office, holding a large black rock in his hand. He’s dripping wet and has seaweed hanging from his shoulder.

  “Wait, you…you went to the ocean and got the rock?” Ruby asks, eyes wide.

  “How else would I have gotten the rock?” Julian replies, not seeing the significance in what he just did. “Have you found a goat yet?”

  “Evander stepped out to use his phone,” I say. “He should be back soon.”

  The office doors open just seconds later, and Tabatha comes in with a tray of food. She halts, looking at Julian, who’s dripping water all over the floor, and shakes her head. “Here you are, my dear.”